Target Corp Strategic Recommendation

Target Corp. Strategic Analysis MAN4720 Section 22 -Wednesdays 7:30pm Team: Risky Business Christine Majewski Jake Morgan Kristin Stearker Cory Verez Executive Summary ?The purpose of this analysis is to inform the board of team Risky Business’ strategic proposal related to Target Corporation’s Health & Wellness category. Target is already a multi-million dollar company, but after analyzing the company, our team has come up with a few strategic recommendations to aid in the continued success of Target.We have found that Target strives to combine top of the line innovation, excellent customer service, and unparallel value at attractive prices to customers using their Expect More. Pay Less ® brand promise. The Target Corporation has many strengths that will help our recommendation succeed including a wide scope of products and brands, strong internal logistics, convenience of online shopping, and an already strong brand and financial position. We feel that Target create s a sustained competitive advantage by leveraging the different aspects of their integration strategy to attract customers.Target is able to keep volumes high, driving costs down to offer lower prices on the differentiated products that Target’s guests have grown to love and expect. ?Team Risky Business’s strategic recommendations for the Health & Wellness sector include expanding initiatives and educational programs associated with organic and gluten free lifestyles. Target already has brand exclusive organic lines and our team recommends making consumers more aware of the products offered as well as benefits their guests can reap from changing their lifestyles.We suggest increasing advertising in order to promote these product lines to a market that is increasingly more health conscious than ever before. As with any strategic option, there are fall out risks associated to this plan that include increased costs and a potential lack of interest or demands. The full ana lysis gives a more in depth look at the current position of the company and future problems it could face along with the strategic recommendations we have chosen, and potential fallout risks associated with our solutions.Identify your client’s current vision and mission and analyze your client’s strategy ? Target’s ultimate goal is to become the most favored shopping destination for customers throughout all existing channels. The company plans to achieve their overall vision by continually being a top innovator in the industry, delivering outstanding customer experiences and terrific value at attractive prices, and by constantly fulfilling their brand promise of Expect More. Pay Less ®. Target tries to live up to their statements and this can be seen throughout many areas of the company.In March, 2013, Target received one of only 13 ratings of â€Å"excellent†, the highest available, from the Forrester Customer Experience Index, which measures customer experiences by survey (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013). As far as innovation is concerned, Target has made a positive imprint within the industry. Target has received many awards for its innovative excellence and is continuously reinventing its stores, layouts, and product assortments to better serve the ever-evolving needs of their guests (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b). Target sells high-quality, trendy merchandise, at affordable prices which allows guests to â€Å"Expect More.Pay Less ®Ã¢â‚¬  when they shop at Target. Target combines innovation, value, and commitment to their brand promise through their actions, such as partnering with popular fashion designers to create affordable lines specifically for Target. This combining of differentiated products with lower prices is one way that Target incorporates its mission statement into their everyday operations. Target is still working on reaching its end goal of becoming the preferred outlet, as shown by its #2 market share position in the discount department store industry. Target is surpassed in market share only by Wal-Mart at this time (Biesada, 2013). Three segments are operated by Target; US Retail, Canadian, and US Credit Card. Two branded credit cards, the Target Card and the Target Visa, and one Target branded debit card, offer credit to customers through the US Credit Card segment (Reuters, 2013). In 2012, the total REDCard penetration was 13. 6%, up from 9. 3% the prior year. Although more people are signing up for credit, the total revenue generated from this segment has been declining since 2010 (Target Corporation, 2013). See Exhibit 1 for US Credit Card segment details. The Canadian segment includes the recently acquired Zeller’s, Inc. tore locations in Canada. Start-up costs for this segment were $272 million in 2011 and $74 million in 2012 (Target Corporation, 2013). ?The US Retail segment includes Target’s online business, its general merchandise stores, and SuperTargets (Reuters , 2013). Target. com is designed to allow guests to purchase products directly from online and/or to assist them in locating the product in a store near them. To aid in differentiating themselves, Target uses the web platform to sell not only its general merchandise, but also to introduce six brands sold exclusively through this medium (Target Brands, Inc. 2013c). The online presence aids in the vision of the company by offering multiple channels through which a customer can interact with Target. The brick and mortar stores of the US Retail segment offer general merchandise and groceries through the discount chain. Target and SuperTargets differ in that SuperTargets offer a larger line of food assortments. Target’s product mix includes household items, electronics, apparel and accessories, food and pet supplies, and home furnishings (Reuters, 2013). Exhibit 2 shows the percentages of sales each category holds. Within the retail segment, a portion of Target’s sales are generated through a mix of nationally branded goods, as well as private-label brands. In addition to general merchandise, Target also generates revenues from facilities in store â€Å"†¦such as Target Cafe, Target Clinic, Target Pharmacy and Target Photo, and from leased or licensed departments such as Target Optical, Pizza Hut, Portrait Studio and Starbucks† (Reuters, 2013). Target Corporation generates the majority of its sales revenues from the US Retail segment and revenues have been increasing since at least 2007 according to the company’s past 10K forms.Even through the 2008 recent recession, Target’s sales revenues have continued to increase within this segment (Target Corporation, 2013). Sales revenue overall, including all three segments, also has been rising since at least 2007. Although revenues continued to increase through the recession, net earnings dropped from $2,849 million in 2007 to $2,214 million in 2008. Target’s net earnings rec overed and have been increasing every year since the recession (Target Corporation, 2013).In addition to increasing sales revenue and net earnings, Target’s stock prices have also been above both the S&P and Dow Jones indexes for the last 10 years (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013d). See Exhibit 3 for US Retail Segment sales figures and Exhibit 4 for other selected financial data. ?The Target Corporation currently operates 1,784 of these SuperTarget and Target stores in the United States, as well as their online site, Target. com. Target recently began expansion into Canada; 24 stores are operational at this time (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b).Target plans to continue with its growth tactics through 2013, bringing its Canadian fleet up to 100-150 stores (Biesada, 2013). At the same time that Target is expanding into new markets, the company is also penetrating further into existing markets with plans to remodel more of its store formats and to include additional food assortments. Ac cording to Hoovers, â€Å"nearly 900 Target stores (up from 462 last year) now feature expanded food assortments†¦In fiscal 2013 Target plans to remodel an additional 230 general merchandise Target stores †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Biesada, 2013).The remodeled stores, with better food assortments and innovative design changes, seem to be part of a strategic effort to stay competitive with the only company out-performing them, Wal-Mart. ?Finally, the Target company operates using an integration strategy, and is one of few companies that has found success using this type of strategy. As IbisWorld states, â€Å"Target offers daily essentials and consumables at discounted prices; however, the company has carved out a niche market by focusing on selling fashionable and trendy products† (IBISWorld, 2012).Target is unique because it has successfully managed to operate with low costs while providing differentiated products that satisfy their customers’ needs and wants. Being able t o continuously offer quality, innovative products while keeping costs low lays a foundation for the company to create competitive strengths on. Analysis Strengths: ?A couple of strengths that we found Target is posting is their large variety of product and brands. They offer a wide arrangement of goods that can attract an excessive amount of consumers to come through the store.Another strength that Target holds is a strong internal logistics structure. Their 37 distribution centers located across the US gives them a strong chance to open more stores, and reach more potential customers. (Target Co. ) They also offer the convenience of online shopping for all of their customers, not only offering ease of shopping, but also allowing those who may not have a target nearby still enjoys their goods. We also found that Target is in a unique position in respect to their current sales, over the last few years they have consistently posted growth in revenue, and gross profit.Weaknesses: ?A we akness that was found through our research was a decrease in liquid capital over the last 2 years, potentially making it difficult to manage working capital and operational needs. Furthermore, they have increased the total debt that they are obliged to, making the lack of current assets evermore detrimental. Another possible weakness is their lack of exposure to countries other than the US, they are currently only operating inside the US which could pose many problems due to their dependence on one market. Target Co. ) Opportunities: ?There are plenty of opportunities for Target when it comes to the expansion of their company into new markets. In 2013 Target will take its first step into an international market when they expanded in to Canada, creating Target Canada Co. (Target Co. ) Target has opportunities to expand their products, and broaden the breadth of their goods, especially the expansion of private label brands. Threats: ?The largest threat to target is that it is in a hig hly competitive market.There are a plethora of other stores selling the same goods, as well as the threats of counterfeit goods in the industry. (Target Co. ) Another threat is the potential of change in consumer preferences, creating a lack of demand for Targets goods. Threat of Substitute Products: ?We feel the threat of substitute products is high, there are many stores that offer similar goods that could be considered more attractive than buying from target; usually this is derived from the desire to obtain private label goods. Intensity of competitive rivalry in the Industry: The competitive rivalry within the industry is high, there are many companies competing against each other for the same customers, and market share. On top of the brick and mortar traditional shopping, there are now arising e-commerce competitors that intensify the competition within the industry. Threat of new Entrants: ?Considering the wide arrangements of goods offered by Target, we believe that the thr eat of new entrants is high. It’s also a highly competitive market, will low barriers of entry, so the combination of those two things creates an ease of entry for new ventures.Power of Buyers: We find that the power of buyers is high at Target, while they may not have much negotiating power within the store; they do have many options on where they are going to buy the particular good, which gives them the power to shop around and find the price that they like. Power of Suppliers: ?The power of suppliers at Target is low, since there has been a decrease in import barriers that has caused an increase in competition between suppliers. So the power of the suppliers to name the price has nearly been eliminated.Sustainable Competitive Advantage ?To operate effectively in the discount retail industry you need to be able to master some key functions, not only to achieve competitive advantage, but also to make it sustainable. Target displays a couple features we have noticed, that we feel allows them to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. These SCA factors consist of the ability to manage and perform off a highly effective supply chain and the ability to achieve high economies of scale, due to their huge market presence and mix of private branding. One of the factors that helps Target obtain an effective supply chain is the wide geographical coverage of their distribution centers. They currently control and operate 37 distribution centers ranging from the West Coast of Lacey, Washington all the way to the North East location of Wilton, New York. By having multiple disperse locations they have allowed themselves the opportunity to expand across the whole country. They have the capabilities to service any of their 1,700 plus stores in a timely manner.This in turn creates a larger geographical market to operate in effectively that some of their smaller competitors may not have the means to. ?A second important factor that Target masters is its offering of diverse products coupled with high economies of scale. Target offers product lines in departments such as; household, hardline goods (non-informational goods), apparel and accessories, home furnishings and food and pet supplies. By doing this they create a one stop shop effect which holds a high convenience factor in the eyes of consumers.In 2010, the highest percentage of sales was in household goods at 24%, the lowest percentage was food and pet supplies at 17% (Target 2012 10k). These statistics support the idea that Target is not just specialized in one department, but has been able to offer a wide variety of products, all of which hold a high demand. Coupled with the wide diverse product range, Target has been able to do this while achieving high economies of scale. They have incorporated 30 plus mixed and licensed brands which helps keep their operating cost low, giving them a higher profit margin.In addition, Target outsources their goods to multiple countries which helps gen erate lower costs. They currently have 27 offices in 18 different countries. Problems Moving Forward ?Looking forward, Target may continue to see problems in a couple areas. They currently face the struggles of competing with Wal-Mart internationally, driving traffic through their store/ online website and the ability to implement quality control. ?The biggest current problem is competing with their largest competitor, Wal-Mart, at an international level and depending solely on the American market.It is known that the American economy has taken a hit in the recent past and that can be reflected in Target’s recent profits. Being solely dependent does not allow them to mitigate their risk, which Wal-Mart has done by tapping into different countries. This may not be an existing problem for long. Target is exploring the Canadian market and expects to have 125 of 135 stores remodeled and opened in the years 2013-2014. This shows some promise because over 30,000 Canadians currently hold Target’s REDcard, which shows a strong brand presence (FOX). A second problem Target faces is driving consumer traffic through their stores and website. With the new emerging strategy of E-Commerce, consumers now have the ability to shop online in the comfort of their own home. This adds more competition to the market that Target already faced and these new entrants have the option to operate at a minimal cost. ?The last pressing issue Target may face for the future is quality control. Dating back to the start of 2012 and currently into the 2013 year, Target has recalled over 55 products sold.This damages the image of Target and the products it offers. We do not believe this should hinder their operations too heavily but it is something to take notice of and work on fixing for the future (Target). Strategic Recommendation Our strategic recommendation for Target is to implement a comprehensive, multi-pronged, in-store advertising campaign that focuses on organic and all natural products sales and promotions. Target’s commitment to healthy living and high wellness standards is consistent with the benefits of this growing organic market.Target is able to add to their bottom line by tapping into this already established market, stealing market share from other retailers, and creating a new demand with non-organic users. Organic food sales in the U. S. comprise nearly half of global organic food sales. The global organic market reached $54. 9 billion in 2009, more than triple the $18 billion recorded in 2000 (Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin). Target has met the needs of the rapidly growing demand of healthier foods, more effective forms of exercise, and a booming interest in organic products, but have not taken full advantage of the market opportunity.Recently Target and Harris Interactive carried out a survey that polled American families and found that consumers are confused about how, why and where to shop for organic foods. Many families ar e unfamiliar or even unaware of the benefits of the organic foods and products. For instance the study showed that, â€Å"one-third (34 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that organic foods are superior to non-organic foods, but nearly two-thirds (61 percent) want to be better informed on the value of where it pays to buy organic† (Organic Consumers Association).It is not enough to just offer organic food and natural products, Target needs to educate their consumers and persuade them to buy those products offered at Target. â€Å"People want to know more about organic products and where to best spend their money on them,† says Dr. Susan Mitchell, registered dietitian and SuperTarget Health and Nutrition Expert. â€Å"Target provides their guests with product choices for the whole family; products that enhance their lives in an affordable and accessible way.When it comes to feeding your kids, certain conventional choices are fine, but parents should be informed on where organic is the better bet. With the new Archer Farms organic product, Target has made it easy for parents to make better decisions on what to feed their families† (Organic Consumers Association). Not until recently have a vast percent of our generation been diagnosed with allergies related to gluten, wheat, soy, etc. This is growing allergies are found to be passed on through genetics, and is only treatable through dietary changes.This means that the market will only continue to grow in future generations, not only by people who have the allergies, but also chose to limit their nutritional diet by choice for health reasons. Many companies now carry gluten free and organic food lines permanently and these product lines are continually growing. â€Å"a 2011 survey by the Organic Trade Association found that more than three-quarters—78 percent—of U. S. families are buying organic food, up from 73 percent in 2009. Forty percent of families say they are buying more organic food now than they were a year ago† (Organic Trade Association).In order for Target to fully tap into this growing market, they will need to continue expanding their current food departments in Target stores or convert them into Super Target stores. Target invested $500 million in 2010 in a new push on groceries, retrofitting some of its general merchandise stores with full-blown food sections. Sales and traffic at stores with the new grocery areas are about 6 percent higher than at similar stores without them, the company says (NY Times) Last year, nearly 1,000 Target stores offered an expanded food layout.At these Target stores, approximately 10,000 square feet is dedicated to a vast array of fresh food choices, including a curated assortment of fresh produce, fresh packaged meat and pre-packaged baked goods, in addition to dry and frozen offerings. By the end of 2012, more than 1,100 Target stores offer the expanded fresh food layout compared to 450 in 2010 (Ta rget Press Release). Annette Miller, Target’s senior vice president for grocery, said she expected an expanded food department to move into most Target stores eventually.While the gross margins of the grocery business are about 18 percent, well below those of retail, which are about 30. 5 percent, groceries both drive visits and make existing stores more profitable, said Colin McGranahan, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein (NY Times). Target and Super Target carry many private labels and brands that specialize in healthy lifestyle and organic products. The Archer Farms brand offers organic products while remaining exclusive to Target, and continues to expand their brand with new product introductions regularly.Both Super Target and Target stores will continue to offer a variety and vast selection of organic products to meet the needs of all their consumers (Organic Consumers Association). Since Target Corp. has been successful with the launching and selling of their exclusi ve organic product lines, as well as mainstream brand organic products, we feel they need to focus on this demand instead of starting a new venture. â€Å"Target is committed to helping guests see the value of organic products and their role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle,† says Greg Duppler, senior vice president, Target. We want our guests to have one-stop access to the healthy products they need without sacrificing the convenience and value that Target consistently delivers through our owned brands† (Organic Consumers Association). There is a lot more opportunity in this market than they have tapped into and we feel they should expand their educational programs and initiatives for them to fully take advantage of the organic product demand. Since Target Corp. already has the brand equity and brand awareness, we want to make their consumers more aware of the benefits and facts about living a healthy lifestyle and using organic and all natural products.Although Targ et has different advertisements and programs about healthy lifestyle, we feel they could incorporate a greater amount of product promotion and educational programs to increase their both their sales and brand image. Target Corp. needs to focus some of their advertising dollars on promoting these organic product lines. Not only the food and produce, but also the organic body care lines, and organic cleaning and household products. Organic is not just food. Over 2 billion worth of organic fiber, cosmetic, and household products were sold last year (Consumer demand for organic food boosts sales).They should increase and reposition their in-store signage and displays to create buzz and inform the shoppers of what organic products they carry. Similar to Publix â€Å"GreenWise† organic section in their store, Target should group their organic products together in each department of the store with attention grabbing, easy to read signage. Each department will include an organic aisl e or section with end-cap aisle displays. Within these displays they will include informative, educational facts or promotional videos explaining the benefits of the organic products versus the non-all natural products.Larger signage and end-cap aisle displays will increase awareness and curiosity. Many people do not want to take the time to research the information about organic products, but if Target offers it in the store, the consumers will be more likely to read it and become interested in the product lines. ?Many shoppers associate organic products and food to Publix and Whole Foods, but we want consumers to also include Target in this category. This advertising boost is more of an initiative than a campaign, to increase awareness and drive profitability in the all-natural product market.We want to enhance Target’s brand image by incorporating more healthy lifestyle programs. Target would build and enhance their â€Å"wellness† section of their website for consu mers to educate themselves on everyday wellness tips including organic foods and product ads, recipes, articles regarding the benefits of all-natural products. This would also include fitness tips, Target ads for exercise related products, vitamins, and more. We will focus this initiative towards mothers or heads of the households who do the family shopping. Why do people buy organic food? Parents tend to be motivated by health concerns.The Organic Trade Association found that nearly half of parents surveyed—48 percent—were motivated to buy organic food because they believe it is healthier for themselves and their children. Other motivators for parents include concerns over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children, and avoidance of highly processed food and artificial ingredients (Haumann). Many organic consumers are mothers who care about the wellness of their children and families, so we will focus mainly on healthy lifestyles for families. We will also offer special shopping lists and recipes for food allergies.Many mothers already shop at Target for their everyday needs and we want them to also buy any of the food products they can while they are there, especially organic. Based on these numbers, the organic food and beverage industry presents an opportunity for growth in both revenue and jobs during the downturn. Target has a huge advantage with their Red-card, that shoppers who have this credit or debit card receive 5% off their entire purchase every time they shop at Target or Super Target. This is another discount on top of Target’s everyday low prices compared to Whole Foods, Publix, and World Market.No other grocery store offers a credit card that allows a discount every time they shop, on top of sales and promotional items. With this Red-card, we suggest Target offers additional discounts, like Win-Dixie does with their shopping card. The consumers would receive Bo-Go discounts, weekly promotional prices o n certain items and more when they use their Red-card to buy groceries. This would increase their credit card sales, total purchases, and especially grocery and food sales (exhibit). The marketing and advertising of this wellness and organic initiative will cost about $3. million for four months of in-store promotion and an additional $500k for enhancing Target’s website design. Remodeling an existing store to include the expanded fresh food layout requires an investment of around $1. 5 – 3 million, of which about 60 percent is related to merchandising initiatives like the expanded food selection and transformations in Beauty, Home, Shoes and Baby (Target Summary Financials) Our expanded fresh food layout offers around 90 percent of the food categories found in a Super Target with about 60 percent of the items, in approximately half of the space devoted to food in a Super Target (Target Summary Financials).With every store Target remodels to expand their grocery depart ment, they increase their revenue by at least 6 percent. The advertising and in-store promotions will increase revenue by at least 4 percent within 6 months after we begin the initiative and increase total organic food sales by 12 percent within the year. This is a perfect time to start the in-store organic promotional campaign for Target. Summer and early fall is the highest revenue time for organic produce. Since the advertising and promotional collateral will mainly stay in-store and online, we can start right away and be ready to launch within 45 days.The website can be enhance as soon as possible, as well as the start of training for the current employees. Exhibit 7 in the Appendix shows a proposed timeline for our strategic recommendation for Target Corporation. Fallout and Summary These are the risks associated with our recommendation 1. Higher prices for organic food and products 2. Lack of demand and interest in organic food and products 3. Increase in a. operation costs fo r training of employees on education of organic benefits etc. and additional employees b. dvertising/marketing costs for signage and promotional advertising of organic product lines and foods c. costs associated with updating website content d. costs associciate with creating and expanding educational programs and sponsorships that promote organic products and food and healthy life styles References: 1. Organic Consumers Association. Another Big Box Chain, Target, Jumps Onto Organic Bandwagon. 28 Sept. 2006. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. . 2. Biesada, Alexandra. Target Corporation. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 3. Clifford, Stephanie. â€Å"Big Retailers Fill More Aisles With Groceries. The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. . 4. Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin. â€Å"Growing Demand for Organic Food: A Bright Spot in a Tough Economy. † N. p. , Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . 5. Haumann, Barbara. â€Å"Seventy–eight Percent of U. S. Families Say They Purchase Organic Foods. † 2011 Press Releases. Organic Trade Association's Organic Newsroom, Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. . 6. IBISWorld. Major Companies. 2012. Web. 5 April 2013. . 7. Reuters. Profile: Target Corp (TGT). 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 8. Target Brands, Inc. orporate fact sheet. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013b. . 9. Target Brands, Inc. shop Target's exclusive online-only brands. 22 January 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 10. Target Brands, Inc. stock information. 2013. Web. 6 April 2013. . 11. Target Brands, Inc. Target tops for customer experience. 5 March 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 12. Target Corporation. â€Å"Form 10K. † 10K. 2013. PDF. 13. Target Corporation – Financial and Strategic Analysis Review. 5-Nov-2012. Web 5 April 2013. reference code: GDRT33397FSA . 14. â€Å"Target Remodels 90 Stores to Expand Fresh Food Selection. Press Room. Target Corporation, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. . MAN4720 Section 22 -Wednesdays 7:30pm Team: Risky Business Christine Majewski J ake Morgan Kristin Stearker Cory Verez Executive Summary ?The purpose of this analysis is to inform the board of team Risky Business’ strategic proposal related to Target Corporation’s Health & Wellness category. Target is already a multi-million dollar company, but after analyzing the company, our team has come up with a few strategic recommendations to aid in the continued success of Target.We have found that Target strives to combine top of the line innovation, excellent customer service, and unparallel value at attractive prices to customers using their Expect More. Pay Less ® brand promise. The Target Corporation has many strengths that will help our recommendation succeed including a wide scope of products and brands, strong internal logistics, convenience of online shopping, and an already strong brand and financial position. We feel that Target creates a sustained competitive advantage by leveraging the different aspects of their integration strategy to attra ct customers.Target is able to keep volumes high, driving costs down to offer lower prices on the differentiated products that Target’s guests have grown to love and expect. ?Team Risky Business’s strategic recommendations for the Health & Wellness sector include expanding initiatives and educational programs associated with organic and gluten free lifestyles. Target already has brand exclusive organic lines and our team recommends making consumers more aware of the products offered as well as benefits their guests can reap from changing their lifestyles.We suggest increasing advertising in order to promote these product lines to a market that is increasingly more health conscious than ever before. As with any strategic option, there are fall out risks associated to this plan that include increased costs and a potential lack of interest or demands. The full analysis gives a more in depth look at the current position of the company and future problems it could face alon g with the strategic recommendations we have chosen, and potential fallout risks associated with our solutions.Identify your client’s current vision and mission and analyze your client’s strategy ? Target’s ultimate goal is to become the most favored shopping destination for customers throughout all existing channels. The company plans to achieve their overall vision by continually being a top innovator in the industry, delivering outstanding customer experiences and terrific value at attractive prices, and by constantly fulfilling their brand promise of Expect More. Pay Less ®. Target tries to live up to their statements and this can be seen throughout many areas of the company.In March, 2013, Target received one of only 13 ratings of â€Å"excellent†, the highest available, from the Forrester Customer Experience Index, which measures customer experiences by survey (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013). As far as innovation is concerned, Target has made a posit ive imprint within the industry. Target has received many awards for its innovative excellence and is continuously reinventing its stores, layouts, and product assortments to better serve the ever-evolving needs of their guests (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b). Target sells high-quality, trendy merchandise, at affordable prices which allows guests to â€Å"Expect More.Pay Less ®Ã¢â‚¬  when they shop at Target. Target combines innovation, value, and commitment to their brand promise through their actions, such as partnering with popular fashion designers to create affordable lines specifically for Target. This combining of differentiated products with lower prices is one way that Target incorporates its mission statement into their everyday operations. Target is still working on reaching its end goal of becoming the preferred outlet, as shown by its #2 market share position in the discount department store industry. Target is surpassed in market share only by Wal-Mart at this time ( Biesada, 2013). Three segments are operated by Target; US Retail, Canadian, and US Credit Card. Two branded credit cards, the Target Card and the Target Visa, and one Target branded debit card, offer credit to customers through the US Credit Card segment (Reuters, 2013). In 2012, the total REDCard penetration was 13. 6%, up from 9. 3% the prior year. Although more people are signing up for credit, the total revenue generated from this segment has been declining since 2010 (Target Corporation, 2013). See Exhibit 1 for US Credit Card segment details. The Canadian segment includes the recently acquired Zeller’s, Inc. tore locations in Canada. Start-up costs for this segment were $272 million in 2011 and $74 million in 2012 (Target Corporation, 2013). ?The US Retail segment includes Target’s online business, its general merchandise stores, and SuperTargets (Reuters, 2013). Target. com is designed to allow guests to purchase products directly from online and/or to assist th em in locating the product in a store near them. To aid in differentiating themselves, Target uses the web platform to sell not only its general merchandise, but also to introduce six brands sold exclusively through this medium (Target Brands, Inc. 2013c). The online presence aids in the vision of the company by offering multiple channels through which a customer can interact with Target. The brick and mortar stores of the US Retail segment offer general merchandise and groceries through the discount chain. Target and SuperTargets differ in that SuperTargets offer a larger line of food assortments. Target’s product mix includes household items, electronics, apparel and accessories, food and pet supplies, and home furnishings (Reuters, 2013). Exhibit 2 shows the percentages of sales each category holds. Within the retail segment, a portion of Target’s sales are generated through a mix of nationally branded goods, as well as private-label brands. In addition to general m erchandise, Target also generates revenues from facilities in store â€Å"†¦such as Target Cafe, Target Clinic, Target Pharmacy and Target Photo, and from leased or licensed departments such as Target Optical, Pizza Hut, Portrait Studio and Starbucks† (Reuters, 2013). Target Corporation generates the majority of its sales revenues from the US Retail segment and revenues have been increasing since at least 2007 according to the company’s past 10K forms.Even through the 2008 recent recession, Target’s sales revenues have continued to increase within this segment (Target Corporation, 2013). Sales revenue overall, including all three segments, also has been rising since at least 2007. Although revenues continued to increase through the recession, net earnings dropped from $2,849 million in 2007 to $2,214 million in 2008. Target’s net earnings recovered and have been increasing every year since the recession (Target Corporation, 2013).In addition to incre asing sales revenue and net earnings, Target’s stock prices have also been above both the S&P and Dow Jones indexes for the last 10 years (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013d). See Exhibit 3 for US Retail Segment sales figures and Exhibit 4 for other selected financial data. ?The Target Corporation currently operates 1,784 of these SuperTarget and Target stores in the United States, as well as their online site, Target. com. Target recently began expansion into Canada; 24 stores are operational at this time (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b).Target plans to continue with its growth tactics through 2013, bringing its Canadian fleet up to 100-150 stores (Biesada, 2013). At the same time that Target is expanding into new markets, the company is also penetrating further into existing markets with plans to remodel more of its store formats and to include additional food assortments. According to Hoovers, â€Å"nearly 900 Target stores (up from 462 last year) now feature expanded food assortme nts†¦In fiscal 2013 Target plans to remodel an additional 230 general merchandise Target stores †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Biesada, 2013).The remodeled stores, with better food assortments and innovative design changes, seem to be part of a strategic effort to stay competitive with the only company out-performing them, Wal-Mart. ?Finally, the Target company operates using an integration strategy, and is one of few companies that has found success using this type of strategy. As IbisWorld states, â€Å"Target offers daily essentials and consumables at discounted prices; however, the company has carved out a niche market by focusing on selling fashionable and trendy products† (IBISWorld, 2012).Target is unique because it has successfully managed to operate with low costs while providing differentiated products that satisfy their customers’ needs and wants. Being able to continuously offer quality, innovative products while keeping costs low lays a foundation for the company to create competitive strengths on. Analysis Strengths: ?A couple of strengths that we found Target is posting is their large variety of product and brands. They offer a wide arrangement of goods that can attract an excessive amount of consumers to come through the store.Another strength that Target holds is a strong internal logistics structure. Their 37 distribution centers located across the US gives them a strong chance to open more stores, and reach more potential customers. (Target Co. ) They also offer the convenience of online shopping for all of their customers, not only offering ease of shopping, but also allowing those who may not have a target nearby still enjoys their goods. We also found that Target is in a unique position in respect to their current sales, over the last few years they have consistently posted growth in revenue, and gross profit.Weaknesses: ?A weakness that was found through our research was a decrease in liquid capital over the last 2 years, potentially making it difficult to manage working capital and operational needs. Furthermore, they have increased the total debt that they are obliged to, making the lack of current assets evermore detrimental. Another possible weakness is their lack of exposure to countries other than the US, they are currently only operating inside the US which could pose many problems due to their dependence on one market. Target Co. ) Opportunities: ?There are plenty of opportunities for Target when it comes to the expansion of their company into new markets. In 2013 Target will take its first step into an international market when they expanded in to Canada, creating Target Canada Co. (Target Co. ) Target has opportunities to expand their products, and broaden the breadth of their goods, especially the expansion of private label brands. Threats: ?The largest threat to target is that it is in a highly competitive market.There are a plethora of other stores selling the same goods, as well as the threats of counterfeit goods in the industry. (Target Co. ) Another threat is the potential of change in consumer preferences, creating a lack of demand for Targets goods. Threat of Substitute Products: ?We feel the threat of substitute products is high, there are many stores that offer similar goods that could be considered more attractive than buying from target; usually this is derived from the desire to obtain private label goods. Intensity of competitive rivalry in the Industry: The competitive rivalry within the industry is high, there are many companies competing against each other for the same customers, and market share. On top of the brick and mortar traditional shopping, there are now arising e-commerce competitors that intensify the competition within the industry. Threat of new Entrants: ?Considering the wide arrangements of goods offered by Target, we believe that the threat of new entrants is high. It’s also a highly competitive market, will low barriers of entry, so the combination of those two things creates an ease of entry for new ventures.Power of Buyers: We find that the power of buyers is high at Target, while they may not have much negotiating power within the store; they do have many options on where they are going to buy the particular good, which gives them the power to shop around and find the price that they like. Power of Suppliers: ?The power of suppliers at Target is low, since there has been a decrease in import barriers that has caused an increase in competition between suppliers. So the power of the suppliers to name the price has nearly been eliminated.Sustainable Competitive Advantage ?To operate effectively in the discount retail industry you need to be able to master some key functions, not only to achieve competitive advantage, but also to make it sustainable. Target displays a couple features we have noticed, that we feel allows them to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. These SCA factors consist of the ability to m anage and perform off a highly effective supply chain and the ability to achieve high economies of scale, due to their huge market presence and mix of private branding. One of the factors that helps Target obtain an effective supply chain is the wide geographical coverage of their distribution centers. They currently control and operate 37 distribution centers ranging from the West Coast of Lacey, Washington all the way to the North East location of Wilton, New York. By having multiple disperse locations they have allowed themselves the opportunity to expand across the whole country. They have the capabilities to service any of their 1,700 plus stores in a timely manner.This in turn creates a larger geographical market to operate in effectively that some of their smaller competitors may not have the means to. ?A second important factor that Target masters is its offering of diverse products coupled with high economies of scale. Target offers product lines in departments such as; hou sehold, hardline goods (non-informational goods), apparel and accessories, home furnishings and food and pet supplies. By doing this they create a one stop shop effect which holds a high convenience factor in the eyes of consumers.In 2010, the highest percentage of sales was in household goods at 24%, the lowest percentage was food and pet supplies at 17% (Target 2012 10k). These statistics support the idea that Target is not just specialized in one department, but has been able to offer a wide variety of products, all of which hold a high demand. Coupled with the wide diverse product range, Target has been able to do this while achieving high economies of scale. They have incorporated 30 plus mixed and licensed brands which helps keep their operating cost low, giving them a higher profit margin.In addition, Target outsources their goods to multiple countries which helps generate lower costs. They currently have 27 offices in 18 different countries. Problems Moving Forward ?Looking forward, Target may continue to see problems in a couple areas. They currently face the struggles of competing with Wal-Mart internationally, driving traffic through their store/ online website and the ability to implement quality control. ?The biggest current problem is competing with their largest competitor, Wal-Mart, at an international level and depending solely on the American market.It is known that the American economy has taken a hit in the recent past and that can be reflected in Target’s recent profits. Being solely dependent does not allow them to mitigate their risk, which Wal-Mart has done by tapping into different countries. This may not be an existing problem for long. Target is exploring the Canadian market and expects to have 125 of 135 stores remodeled and opened in the years 2013-2014. This shows some promise because over 30,000 Canadians currently hold Target’s REDcard, which shows a strong brand presence (FOX). A second problem Target faces is dri ving consumer traffic through their stores and website. With the new emerging strategy of E-Commerce, consumers now have the ability to shop online in the comfort of their own home. This adds more competition to the market that Target already faced and these new entrants have the option to operate at a minimal cost. ?The last pressing issue Target may face for the future is quality control. Dating back to the start of 2012 and currently into the 2013 year, Target has recalled over 55 products sold.This damages the image of Target and the products it offers. We do not believe this should hinder their operations too heavily but it is something to take notice of and work on fixing for the future (Target). Strategic Recommendation Our strategic recommendation for Target is to implement a comprehensive, multi-pronged, in-store advertising campaign that focuses on organic and all natural products sales and promotions. Target’s commitment to healthy living and high wellness standard s is consistent with the benefits of this growing organic market.Target is able to add to their bottom line by tapping into this already established market, stealing market share from other retailers, and creating a new demand with non-organic users. Organic food sales in the U. S. comprise nearly half of global organic food sales. The global organic market reached $54. 9 billion in 2009, more than triple the $18 billion recorded in 2000 (Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin). Target has met the needs of the rapidly growing demand of healthier foods, more effective forms of exercise, and a booming interest in organic products, but have not taken full advantage of the market opportunity.Recently Target and Harris Interactive carried out a survey that polled American families and found that consumers are confused about how, why and where to shop for organic foods. Many families are unfamiliar or even unaware of the benefits of the organic foods and products. For instance the study showed that, â€Å"one-third (34 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that organic foods are superior to non-organic foods, but nearly two-thirds (61 percent) want to be better informed on the value of where it pays to buy organic† (Organic ConsumersAssociation). It is not enough to just offer organic food and natural products, Target needs to educate their consumers and persuade them to buy those products offered at Target. â€Å"People want to know more about organic products and where to best spend their money on them,† says Dr. Susan Mitchell, registered dietitian and SuperTarget Health and Nutrition Expert. â€Å"Target provides their guests with product choices for the whole family; products that enhance their lives in an affordable and accessible way.When it comes to feeding your kids, certain conventional choices are fine, but parents should be informed on where organic is the better bet. With the new Archer Farms organic product, Target has made it easy for parent s to make better decisions on what to feed their families† (Organic Consumers Association). Not until recently have a vast percent of our generation been diagnosed with allergies related to gluten, wheat, soy, etc. This is growing allergies are found to be passed on through genetics, and is only treatable through dietary changes.This means that the market will only continue to grow in future generations, not only by people who have the allergies, but also chose to limit their nutritional diet by choice for health reasons. Many companies now carry gluten free and organic food lines permanently and these product lines are continually growing. â€Å"a 2011 survey by the Organic Trade Association found that more than three-quarters—78 percent—of U. S. families are buying organic food, up from 73 percent in 2009. Forty percent of families say they are buying more organic food now than they were a year ago† (Organic Trade Association).In order for Target to full y tap into this growing market, they will need to continue expanding their current food departments in Target stores or convert them into Super Target stores. Target invested $500 million in 2010 in a new push on groceries, retrofitting some of its general merchandise stores with full-blown food sections. Sales and traffic at stores with the new grocery areas are about 6 percent higher than at similar stores without them, the company says (NY Times) Last year, nearly 1,000 Target stores offered an expanded food layout.At these Target stores, approximately 10,000 square feet is dedicated to a vast array of fresh food choices, including a curated assortment of fresh produce, fresh packaged meat and pre-packaged baked goods, in addition to dry and frozen offerings. By the end of 2012, more than 1,100 Target stores offer the expanded fresh food layout compared to 450 in 2010 (Target Press Release). Annette Miller, Target’s senior vice president for grocery, said she expected an e xpanded food department to move into most Target stores eventually.While the gross margins of the grocery business are about 18 percent, well below those of retail, which are about 30. 5 percent, groceries both drive visits and make existing stores more profitable, said Colin McGranahan, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein (NY Times). Target and Super Target carry many private labels and brands that specialize in healthy lifestyle and organic products. The Archer Farms brand offers organic products while remaining exclusive to Target, and continues to expand their brand with new product introductions regularly.Both Super Target and Target stores will continue to offer a variety and vast selection of organic products to meet the needs of all their consumers (Organic Consumers Association). Since Target Corp. has been successful with the launching and selling of their exclusive organic product lines, as well as mainstream brand organic products, we feel they need to focus on this dem and instead of starting a new venture. â€Å"Target is committed to helping guests see the value of organic products and their role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle,† says Greg Duppler, senior vice president, Target. We want our guests to have one-stop access to the healthy products they need without sacrificing the convenience and value that Target consistently delivers through our owned brands† (Organic Consumers Association). There is a lot more opportunity in this market than they have tapped into and we feel they should expand their educational programs and initiatives for them to fully take advantage of the organic product demand. Since Target Corp. already has the brand equity and brand awareness, we want to make their consumers more aware of the benefits and facts about living a healthy lifestyle and using organic and all natural products.Although Target has different advertisements and programs about healthy lifestyle, we feel they could incorporate a greater amount of product promotion and educational programs to increase their both their sales and brand image. Target Corp. needs to focus some of their advertising dollars on promoting these organic product lines. Not only the food and produce, but also the organic body care lines, and organic cleaning and household products. Organic is not just food. Over 2 billion worth of organic fiber, cosmetic, and household products were sold last year (Consumer demand for organic food boosts sales).They should increase and reposition their in-store signage and displays to create buzz and inform the shoppers of what organic products they carry. Similar to Publix â€Å"GreenWise† organic section in their store, Target should group their organic products together in each department of the store with attention grabbing, easy to read signage. Each department will include an organic aisle or section with end-cap aisle displays. Within these displays they will include informative, educational fac ts or promotional videos explaining the benefits of the organic products versus the non-all natural products.Larger signage and end-cap aisle displays will increase awareness and curiosity. Many people do not want to take the time to research the information about organic products, but if Target offers it in the store, the consumers will be more likely to read it and become interested in the product lines. ?Many shoppers associate organic products and food to Publix and Whole Foods, but we want consumers to also include Target in this category. This advertising boost is more of an initiative than a campaign, to increase awareness and drive profitability in the all-natural product market.We want to enhance Target’s brand image by incorporating more healthy lifestyle programs. Target would build and enhance their â€Å"wellness† section of their website for consumers to educate themselves on everyday wellness tips including organic foods and product ads, recipes, article s regarding the benefits of all-natural products. This would also include fitness tips, Target ads for exercise related products, vitamins, and more. We will focus this initiative towards mothers or heads of the households who do the family shopping. Why do people buy organic food? Parents tend to be motivated by health concerns.The Organic Trade Association found that nearly half of parents surveyed—48 percent—were motivated to buy organic food because they believe it is healthier for themselves and their children. Other motivators for parents include concerns over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children, and avoidance of highly processed food and artificial ingredients (Haumann). Many organic consumers are mothers who care about the wellness of their children and families, so we will focus mainly on healthy lifestyles for families. We will also offer special shopping lists and recipes for food allergies.Many mothers already shop at Target for their everyday needs and we want them to also buy any of the food products they can while they are there, especially organic. Based on these numbers, the organic food and beverage industry presents an opportunity for growth in both revenue and jobs during the downturn. Target has a huge advantage with their Red-card, that shoppers who have this credit or debit card receive 5% off their entire purchase every time they shop at Target or Super Target. This is another discount on top of Target’s everyday low prices compared to Whole Foods, Publix, and World Market.No other grocery store offers a credit card that allows a discount every time they shop, on top of sales and promotional items. With this Red-card, we suggest Target offers additional discounts, like Win-Dixie does with their shopping card. The consumers would receive Bo-Go discounts, weekly promotional prices on certain items and more when they use their Red-card to buy groceries. This would increase their credit card sales, total purchases, and especially grocery and food sales (exhibit). The marketing and advertising of this wellness and organic initiative will cost about $3. million for four months of in-store promotion and an additional $500k for enhancing Target’s website design. Remodeling an existing store to include the expanded fresh food layout requires an investment of around $1. 5 – 3 million, of which about 60 percent is related to merchandising initiatives like the expanded food selection and transformations in Beauty, Home, Shoes and Baby (Target Summary Financials) Our expanded fresh food layout offers around 90 percent of the food categories found in a Super Target with about 60 percent of the items, in approximately half of the space devoted to food in a Super Target (Target Summary Financials).With every store Target remodels to expand their grocery department, they increase their revenue by at least 6 percent. The advertising and in-store promotions will increase revenue by at least 4 percent within 6 months after we begin the initiative and increase total organic food sales by 12 percent within the year. This is a perfect time to start the in-store organic promotional campaign for Target. Summer and early fall is the highest revenue time for organic produce. Since the advertising and promotional collateral will mainly stay in-store and online, we can start right away and be ready to launch within 45 days.The website can be enhance as soon as possible, as well as the start of training for the current employees. Exhibit 7 in the Appendix shows a proposed timeline for our strategic recommendation for Target Corporation. Fallout and Summary These are the risks associated with our recommendation 1. Higher prices for organic food and products 2. Lack of demand and interest in organic food and products 3. Increase in a. operation costs for training of employees on education of organic benefits etc. and additional employees b. dvertising/marketing costs for signage and promotional advertising of organic product lines and foods c. costs associated with updating website content d. costs associciate with creating and expanding educational programs and sponsorships that promote organic products and food and healthy life styles References: 1. Organic Consumers Association. Another Big Box Chain, Target, Jumps Onto Organic Bandwagon. 28 Sept. 2006. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. . 2. Biesada, Alexandra. Target Corporation. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 3. Clifford, Stephanie. â€Å"Big Retailers Fill More Aisles With Groceries. The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. . 4. Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin. â€Å"Growing Demand for Organic Food: A Bright Spot in a Tough Economy. † N. p. , Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . 5. Haumann, Barbara. â€Å"Seventy–eight Percent of U. S. Families Say They Purchase Organic Foods. † 2011 Press Releases. Organic Trade Association's Organic Newsroom, Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 201 3. . 6. IBISWorld. Major Companies. 2012. Web. 5 April 2013. . 7. Reuters. Profile: Target Corp (TGT). 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 8. Target Brands, Inc. corporate fact sheet. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013b. 9. Target Brands, Inc. shop Target's exclusive online-only brands. 22 January 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 10. Target Brands, Inc. stock information. 2013. Web. 6 April 2013. . 11. Target Brands, Inc. Target tops for customer experience. 5 March 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 12. Target Corporation. â€Å"Form 10K. † 10K. 2013. PDF. 13. Target Corporation – Financial and Strategic Analysis Review. 5-Nov-2012. Web 5 April 2013. reference code: GDRT33397FSA . 14. â€Å"Target Remodels 90 Stores to Expand Fresh Food Selection. † Press Room. Target Corporation, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .

Individual’s knowledge of cats Essay

An individual’s knowledge about cats may come from many different places. The basics for someone’s knowledge about cats may have started when they were a child. If they had a bad experience with a cat then they might claim to â€Å"know† that all cats are mean. This could make them believe that cats are mean even though they only had one experience. If they had a cat of their own and loved it very much then they might claim to â€Å"know† that cats are lovable creatures. Another example of us constructing our knowledge of cats is by how we choose our religion. If I decide to worship cats then to me I â€Å"know† that cats are holy. This also brings up the debate that religion is not only a personal choice but also a type of definition. If my religion tells me that cats are holy then that is acquired knowledge and then I am simply recognizing it to be knowledge. Other definitions about cats are scientific experiments that people on them. If cats are proven to have a certain disease then people could say the cats carry disease and be making a valid knowledge claim. This shows that knowledge about cats is neither totally constructed by us nor completely acquired. You can never know everything about cats because experiences, new discoveries, and different emotions can cause you to â€Å"know† something new about them. It shows that depending on the experiences we have and how we perceive information can affect what we think we know about cats. What I know about cats maybe be different from someone else. This is not necessarily because I know more or less than someone else does but I might have a different perception of the cats than someone else does. Sometimes people have a bad experience once and then use that experience to block out any other knowledge. No matter how irrational that may be, people can convince themselves that because they had a bad experience, it means all cats are bad. When this happens, people can forget to look at all the ways of knowing something. They could stop believing in their religion or deny scientifically proven facts. In this regard we choose what our knowledge is, even if there is more information that could be considered. It also works in the opposite direction. People could choose to be completely scientific about cats and block out any knowledge having to do with emotion or experiences having to do with cats. Either of these ways of thinking changes what people think they know but it also shows how by talking to someone about cats does not necessarily give you facts about cats. It only gives you the perception of cats from the other person. Unfortunately, most information about cats comes from either something people have written or from inside someone’s head. Therefor it is up to us to decide what we believe to be knowledge and what to be opinion.

Life in a Village or a City? Essay

Well, there is no doubt that life in villages is so beautiful, and very interesting indeed, but at the same we find that there are people who prefer to live in metropolitan cities and this is due to their lust of living in a modernized lifestyle. Anyway, to understand how these two different lifestyles differ, I will start by defining each lifestyle, therefore as to make it easy to understand the differences between them. LIVING IN A VILLAGE Many people tend to like this kind of a living, as it is a lifestyle which can be adored easily and thus it is believed that living in a village brings harmony and peace to yr mind. It is thoroughly known that a village is a place where communities dwell together, and this makes them know each other. In villages, people indulge themselves in many activities for a living, but mostly they farm, they keep tamed animals, and they even have poultry. This is because of most villages are far away from towns and cities. Anyway, in some places villages tend to be near some rivers or streams, thus making the villagers become fishermen as a way of a living. What makes living in a village so beautiful is the idea of living a lifestyle which is somehow primitive, but yet so healthy, because the environment there is not polluted, and the air is so fresh and full of pure oxygen. In villages people wake up early, as they sleep early. Early in the morning you hear the sounds of birds singing on trees , and the breezing winds whistle while they touch the leaves of the trees. Goats and cows graze the nearby prairies, or the grassy hills, while ducks and chickens roam around trying to find the morning worms in the warm soils. It is amazingly beautiful to just hear the sounds of nature around you. The other thing is that villagers tend to be more healthier than people who live in towns and cities, because the food they consume is basically from the crops they grow, so all the foods in villages are fresh and healthy. In villages, technology is something not commonly in use, as people stay in touch through being close to each other. At night , they stay together with a lamp, and old people tell the younger ones stories, till its time to go bed. Sometimes the only means of news is through the radio. The radio is the most commonly used technology amongst many villagers. Anyway, living in a village is something so beautiful and very sweet as it reminds you of how people used to live long time ago. Read more: City life vs village life essay LIVING IN A CITY Well, nowadays many people live in towns and cities, and this is mainly because of the search for better work opportunities. It is obvious that in cities life is very hard, tough and very stressful, and this is because of the metropolitan way of lifestyle. In cities, people don’t know each other, as it is obviously known that cities are dwelling places for hundreds of thousands of people and in some cities millions . So this makes it hard for people to know each other in such an environment. People in cities are always seen to be busy as life there is like that. Stress and hypertension are very common among people who live in cities, and this is because of the long working hours. However, technology, in cities is a common thing as people their tend to be a normal thing and everywhere they go they find themselves within these technologies, i.e., in schools, banks, working places e.t.c. Somehow, this is a nice thing as it is well known that technology makes things be easier and faster. The other thing which is very common in a city lifestyle, is the need for faster foods, as many food outlets there are in the service of providing such kinds of foods, but on the other hand, these kinds of foods are well known for the negative setbacks as we all know that these foods are tremendously unhealthy. Pollution is also a big problem there, fumes of poisonous gases coming from industries, and cars also play a role for the environment to be polluted. So this brings the lack of pure fresh air roaming around, and therefore many dangerous lung diseases become common to many city dwellers. Noise is also a big problem for people living in cities, the sounds of jam traffics and noisy industries are very common in cities. Anyway, we all know that cities are places where education is on high peaks, because the level of education in cities is based on high technologies. There are also things which are good in this kind of a lifestyle, there are many luxurious things to do, like in the entertainment fields. Cinemas, beautiful parks, fun places, and many other things which are very common in cities. WHERE I PREFER TO LIVE Well, truly speaking I prefer living in a village, because am the kind of a person who likes the sounds of nature, and the easy way of a lifestyle, and the reason is that I don’t like living in crowded places and the noisy sounds of cars and industries. Anyway, this is what I prefer and I know that many others prefer living in cities.

Film analysis 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film analysis 2 - Essay Example The gifted jazz musicians try to put together their band. They search for their big hit while their lives are entangled in one night stands and flickering love affairs. The narrative or the genre is uncanny because it is a collection of different genres. It is a musical due to so many musical numbers in the movie. It is also a drama for the characters represent different traits. There is a character played by Jack Carson which is the manic-depressive bandleader, while Elia Kazan plays the free-spirited clarinetist. The movie also incorporates the film noir genre which is probably its highlight. An escaped convict joins the band and starts his affair with the femme fatale, played by Bettie Field. This unholy union proves to be the cause of the band’s destruction. Hence the narrative structure is a collage of different film genres. Storytelling and narrative are similar in the sense that the story incorporates so many genres that it is difficult to establish a conventional ‘storytelling formula’. There are many twists and turns that movie is hardly predictable. It also makes audience confused which is evident by mixed reviews about the movie (Othman, 1941). The way the band gets together is strange but very interesting. Somehow the band members get locked up in the same cell at a police station where they hear a blues singer singing. It is a perfect beginning for the movie as it serves as the hook of the whole plot. The audiences start thinking about this new form band and think whether it will do good or will become oblivion. The New Jersey roadhouse called The Jungle becomes their first performance stage. The way screenwriters connect the bad with this roadhouse is through a character named Del. the meeting between the two is so strange that the character first robs them and then shows them the way to the roadhouse. After watching the movie the audiences might feel a little

Report of Toyota Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Of Toyota - Lab Report Example gement mechanism- in order to allow every signatory to translate the mission of the UNGC, it has set goals at both international and local levels to diffuse through all layers of businesses and society. Since inception, Toyota has zeroed in on sustainable development and eco-friendly technology by providing innovative and quality automobiles to the society that are more fuel efficient (Appendix 1) (Toyota n.d). To elaborate further, we have categorized the business practices at Toyota into sections that detail about how it strives to keep pace with international treaties and regulations. Corporate Social Responsibility- Economic development should be shared with environment protection, this is the core element of Toyota and as such, it has incorporated biodiversity guidelines in its Charter and Code of Conduct. TMC has drafted a Corporate Social Responsibility policy that fits well to the guiding principles of the Global Compact. The environment plan in the CSR policy includes manufacturing competencies and designing with recycling capabilities. Supply Chain Regulations- In order to abide by the environmental regulations, TMC checks the labor conditions, local and community situations and the environment on whole before establishing alliance with any of the suppliers. The suppliers are even monitored and trained to determine whether they abide by the guiding principles of Toyota. Raw Materials- Toyota abides by the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances) of the European Parliament that directs the suppliers to consider the safety of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) in their supply chains. As such, Toyota adheres to the current REACH regulations and has designed its supply chain with an environment perspective where most of its raw materials are recyclable. Recycling- As discussed above, Toyota maintains an Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) recycling plant with a recovery rate of 80% (Steinweg

Business Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Ethics - Assignment Example At will employment can be defined as one in which the employee is free to quit from the job at any given point of time and the employer as well is free to terminate an employee for any reason at any given point of time except that the reason for termination cannot be an illegal one such as retaliation, discrimination and violation of public policy. Thus an employer does have any legal obligation as such to an employee prior to termination. At will employee may get terminated even for the most whimsical reasons, also an employer is free to change the employment terms such as compensation and job responsibility at his will. At will employee’s employment is held as a voluntary action and under such an employment, the employee cannot be forced to work and an employer cannot employ them for an indefinite time (DelPo & Guerin, p. 34). However, there is a difference between legal and ethical obligations. Although legally an employer might not have an obligation towards his at will em ployee but ethically he might have as it is related to the morality of that person. However, since every person has his or her own sense of ethics therefore, it is hard to define what set of ethical obligation does an employer will have for his employee under at will employment. Set forth a policy concerning romance in the workplace It is necessary for an organization to issue policies for couples in work place. In order to protect against claims of nepotism, favoritism and sexual harassment, organization must adopt policies on workplace dating. These policies stipulate the types of intimate relationships which are acceptable in the workplace and also mention those which are not and violate the office decorum. Some organizations provide clear code of conduct guidelines to its employees which are expected to be followed at work place. The guidelines pertain to display of affection in public and also disclosure of relationship to the management. The violation of the guidelines of work place dating policy by couples can pose a serious threat to the employee involved. Organization can go for informal counseling to formal interventions such as transfers, written warnings and also termination. According to Karl and Sutton employers favor a stricter policy when performance of couples suffers or the romance becomes noticeable to all the members. Also management should not take any action when a couple’s performance does not suffer due to the relationship or rather shows improvement. In absence of formal work place romance policy, it is the duty of the manager to keep his eyes open so that the relationship or the romance does not hamper the general workflow. The dating policies vary from one organization to another thus it is necessary for employees to familiarize with both informal and written policies (Waldron & Kassing, p.120). Define insider trading. Discuss whether insider trading is ethical. Insider trading is defined as a term that is used when a person is involved in insider trading if he purchases or sells the stocks in public company which is based on non public information about a particular company. The information that is gained by means of unfair advantage makes the trading unethical. But not all kinds of insider trading are illegal (Emanuel & Emanuel, p.253). A huge amount of quantitative and qualitative information exists in the markets which are an important part of free market system and thus it can be said that insider trading i

Leadership for Change & Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership for Change & Innovation - Essay Example Leadership for Change & Innovati Clear specification of direction and goals is a key determinant of change and innovation. This enables employees to be informed about the organization objectives properly which in turn allows them to align their personal or career oriented objectives with that of the organization objectives (Mackenzie 345-428). By doing so, employees are able to engage thoroughly with the company thus they obtain the flexibility to think creatively thereby paving a way for innovation. The field of leadership has been researched extensively by academic scholars who have introduced several unique yet effective leadership styles that encourage change and innovation. A considerable proportion of researchers have also researched on the disparities between the leadership styles and their implications on the performance of companies. This has enabled world leaders to analyse their leadership styles and make appropriate modifications according to the situation of their job responsibilities. In this particular researcher, the researcher is conducting a self reflection of the leadership style employed while his/her experience working with an oil company. By doing so the researcher endeavours to highlight the drawbacks of his/her leadership style and at the same time pin point the alternative leadership approaches which could have been adopted under those circumstances. In that way the researcher will be able to articulate a plan of development thereby formulating the necess ary steps that can be taken in order to develop his/her leadership style.

Curriculum Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Curriculum Leadership - Essay Example The Newton County School requires that its teaching fraternity evaluate the effectiveness of the current curriculum and determine if there is need to make some adjustments. The curriculum is dynamic in nature since it changes with the alteration and modifications in the job market. For instance, there are changes in technology, administration skills, and business management among other developmental aspects of the current job market. It would be wise to equip students with such advancements to increase their suitability. This work would focus on some of interview conducted to ascertain the need of some changes in the Newton county school’s curriculum among other issues related to the school’s curriculum formulation. The school leaders must, however, adhere to the school policies and standards as stipulated by the government’s and school’s strategic plan. Furthermore, the school administration is charged with the responsibility of standardizing the curricul um as per the required standard set by the Georgia Department of Education. The formulation of such policies is done with the encouragement of the parent and community input in the operation of the school district. Public opinion or participation is also involved in the formulation of the curriculum or policies (Hlebowitsh, 2005). The most important consideration is that the county’s curriculum must match that of other counties, as required by the Education Act of the United States. The policies are centered on various issues such as school district organization, school board operations, general school administration, fiscal management, business management, facility expansion programs, personnel, instructional programs, students, and inter-organizational relations. Under instructional program policies there are sections addressing policies on curriculum design processes, gifted student programs, scheduling for instruction, policies on unstructured break times, media programs, promotion, and retention of students. The interview session The main purpose of the interview session with the county’s education officer was to ascertain whether the county’s education system was at par with other counties’, as required by the U.S. law. I got a chance to ask him what factors are considered before a certain curriculum is considered obsolete. The term obsolete has been never applicable in any education system; what applies is updated system which requires improvement and adjustment. The county requires school administrators, parents, work force representatives to meet at the end of each year and discuss the current advancements that call for change in the school curriculum. He further argued that counties are in competition; hence, no county would wish to lag behind, as far as school curriculum is concerned. The aim of any education system is to produce a whole round personality ready to be absorbed in the job market. The end product of an educa tion system should have good ethics, technology knowledge, physically fit, be morally upright and flexible in terms of relevant changes in the job market. Hence, it requires a comprehensive curriculum to train such students. The director also mentioned that he does not call for overworking them. The children’

Tools of Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tools of Organizational Change - Essay Example It is most viable to formally advise the employees why shifting to biometrics would be more effective than their current system, of say, manual checking of IDs by security personnel. Through an organizational or departmental meeting, the advantages of the biometric system should be communicated, as well as potential resistance to this application should be solicited and addressed (motivating change). By creating a vision through emphasizing a more secure working environment and a security system that is more effective through biometric, employees would realize its benefits through the ease of identifying, verifying, and cross-checking the validity of people entering the organizational premises. Developing political support entails the full acknowledgement and support from senior management, as well as all security and administrative personnel who would orient employees during the transition. Managing the transition entails determining the progress of the biometrics application, including addressing problems and unforeseen issues. Finally, sustaining momentum requires monitoring effective acceptance of the biometric system by the employees as they proceed with their daily organizational activities; as it apparently becomes integrated as part of their organizational life. Only then would this particular organizational change be deemed effective and smoothly enforced by

The Economics of Crime and Capital Punishment Essay

The Economics of Crime and Capital Punishment - Essay Example   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Economics of Crime† The economics of crime is the study of factors that cause crime and the consequences of criminal activities in the society as well as approaches towards the reduction of the criminal effects on the society. Economics of crime deals with the costs of criminal justice programs and policies and their benefits to the society. It also deals with analyzing market progress in regard to all activities associated with a crime like drugs, money laundering, and firearms, among others. Economics of crime still evaluates the effects of criminal activities on other aspects of life like healthcare, education, labor market, and substance abuse. â€Å"Capital Punishment† Capital punishment is a method of executing justice especially to offenders who have committed acute crimes like murder. It was highly practiced in ancient days, but later some people and courts found it unconstitutional and against human rights. There have been issues of debate on whet her it should be abolished or it should continue, and this remains a major issue of concern. Many countries so far have abolished capital punishment for all crimes, though there are others that retain it. However, the practice has not proved to be the best in deterring crimes. People differ on the kind of crimes on which capital punishment should be accorded, and the issue remains unresolved. However, capital punishment has a number of effects on the economy of a country especially with the processes involved in administering justice to offenders, and its cost to the entire society. The Common Economic View The economics of crime and capital punishment go hand in hand in dealing with the economic issues. The economics of crime help in determining the cost a country incurs when administering justice to offenders. For example, the society uses public and private resources to prevent crimes and administer justice to offenders. The economics of crime helps to know the type and amount of resources used to give punishment to offenders. Capital punishment, on the other hand, affects the economy of a country to a greater extent. Administering punishment to an offender goes through a number of processes that involve the use of many resources mainly because of its passing through the different panels to justify the offender’s liability for capital punishment. Thus, it affects the economy widely and should be discouraged. Friedman’s Letter to Bill Bennett The main topic in this article is the use of law enforcement to control drug use in America. This letter is important because it talks about the cost incurred in fighting drug use in America (Friedman 85). Milton urges Bill that the direction they take off using more police, imposing harsh penalties for drug users, increasing jails, among other measures will not help in fighting drug abuse in America, but would rather worsen the current situation. Milton argues that the measures taken are only a source of major evils. Enforcing harsh penalties on drug users only increases disasters for both users and society (Friedman 86).  

Can it be argued that all societies have law Critically discuss Essay

Can it be argued that all societies have law Critically discuss Anthropological arguments on the topic - Essay Example However, as new scholars kept on emerging, these theories were challenged. Today, some argue that contrary to the earlier assertions that all societies conform to each other at some point, not all cultures have law, thus negating the issue of conformity. In light of these debates, this paper seeks to analyse these anthropological arguments in a bid to establish if all societies have laws. Consequently, diverse groups holding different cultural behaviours forming every society, laws are inevitable. One of the reasons the topic of cultural law comes up is because of yet another controversial debate of cultural relativism. In anthropology, cultural relativism asserts that each society holds its own practices and values2. Many, if not all, of these values and practices seldom compare to other societies thus making each society unique. In a bid to ensure that the observation of these values is retained, societies tend to have laws that hold them together. Since cultures are found universally, it therefore, confirms that all societies have a law. Furthermore, cultural relativism tends to be concerned with showing respect to varied cultural laws without setting values. That is to say, one culture could be engaged in a practice that another considers bad yet the latter cannot express its disapproval. It is because of cultural relativism that different societies are able to have own law3. When not interfered with, these societies tend to form a unique setting in the society that consequently sets each other apart. Clearly, with cultures evolving from various stages, it is inevitable to have these laws. Interestingly, other scholars argue that despite the evident variance of social practices by different cultures, all tend to have a particular commonality. This group of individuals’ contest that just like there is a variance in civilization, cultures, too, take various stages4. Sachs echoes the sentiments5. He

Media Coursework & The Simpson Essay Example for Free

Media Coursework The Simpson Essay Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical sitcom. Refer to a specific episode that you have watched to support your evaluation. The Simpsons confirm to some stereotypical sitcom genre stereotypes, but ultimately subvert them by proving to dysfunctional. A sitcom is a 30 minutes programme, which contains humour and different types of comedy. In this essay, I will evaluate the extant to which the episodes The Simpsons roasting on an open fire Sitcoms of the past showed the ideal family; always nuclear a mum, dad and kids. The dad was respected and it had a bread winner mum-housewife cooks and cleans with two kids, the son is mostly the clever one and the daughter follows in the footsteps on her mother. E. g. leave it to beaver and the Cosby show. Sitcoms are popular because they relate to real people, take the Simpsons as an example, Homer can relate to people that an unorganised an lazy people; Marge is a representation, responsible, hardworking housewife; in Lisa we can relate to nerdy person and through Bart can relate to people that are not very clever and like skate boarding and rock music. The Simpsons opening scene starts with the title effect which Christmas snow effect with jungle bells and at the start of the scene there are late to a special Christmas concert where they arrive there children will be singing and when they arrive we know that the parents are tired and Homer drives fast and hits the car at this opening scene is called The Simpsons Roasting on an open fire which we know that there will be trouble. It follows the traditional structure of sitcoms. It has an orientation when the family prepare for Christmas and it is going to be expensive which is the beginning of the story; a complication produces problems, which makes the audience laughs when Homer doesnt Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical Sitcom The Simpsons are an animated U. S Sitcom family and up to a point are a typical realistic family of five. They have their good and bad times. In this essay, I will be evaluating to what extent The Simpsons follow the conventions of a stereotypical Sitcom. To support this, I am going to be referring in detail to an episode of The Simpsons called The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. A Sitcom is a 30 min comedy T. V show about a family; in a sitcom the main character is usually the father. I will analyse how sitcoms have changed over time, Sitcoms use to only air upper/middle class familys which were white familys only, but as time went past ant the racism cooled down, they started to air black familys as well, in my opinion The Simpsons are made bright yellow is to make a joke out of sitcoms because sitcoms use to be aired as white people only in the past. The opening sequence in the episode starts with the title The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire with some jingle bells and Christmas effects. Then it jumps into Homer Marge driving to their childrens concert in dangerous situations. Marges voice makes her sound really tired, but homers voice just makes him sound silly, not the typical father you would find in other Sitcoms. Marge actually believes that Barts ironic humour is right; it shows that they must care for Bart more in my opinion. From analysing The Simpsons Roasting on an open fire I have seen that the orientation is getting ready for Christmas expenses. Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical sitcom. Refer to a specific episode that you have watched to support your evaluation. A sitcom is another word for situation comedy for example, Leave It to Beaver which was the first US sitcom in the 1950s. A sitcom is usually about a family consisting of dad, mum and two children. This is called a nuclear family. The situation or setting that the story takes place in is their home. Sitcoms are shown on TV and usually lasts for half an hour. It is a comedy and you can usually hear a live studio audience in the background. In the past, sitcoms always showed happy conventional white families who were always perfect. Dad was always the breadwinner and had a highly respectable job and the mother was always very attractive and happy to stay looking after the home and children. In Leave it to Beaver the son was a high achiever like the father and the daughter wanted to be a homemaker like mum. Sitcoms have changed over time because today mothers may now have careers and dads have to have respect for their wives just as they have respect for themselves. These days family problems are not hidden and people want to see realistic life-like situations in sitcoms. However although sitcoms started to show other families like a black family in The Cosby Show, they were still upper middle class. The Simpsons was the first sitcom to really show problems faced by working class families. Sitcoms are popular because all ages can watch it for fun and enjoyment; charaters of all ages provide someone for everyone to identify with. The Simpsons are even more popular because as an animation they can also have other celebrity characters such a Barry White and Michael Jacson. The Simpsons episode Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire had an opening sequence where the title came up through snowflakes and jingly music. We hear Marge speaking to Homer saying Oh slow down Homer! which shows she is worried. Homers response, We dont have time to slow down were late makes us think that he is stubborn, wanting things his way and that he doesnt think too much about the safety of his wife and baby. This opening sequence immediately lets us see that this family is not perfect but realistic. We can see from this episode that The Simpsons does follow the traditional narrative structure. The audience gets orientation from not only the opening sequence but also the next couple of scenes where they were at the school Christmas performance, putting up Christmas lights and the children asking for expensive difficult presents. Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical Sitcom The Simpsons are an animated U. S Sitcom family and up to a point are a typical realistic family of five. They have their good and bad times. In this essay, I will be evaluating to what extent The Simpsons follow the conventions of a stereotypical Sitcom. To support this, I am going to be referring in detail to an episode of The Simpsons called The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. A Sitcom is a 30 min comedy T. V show about a family; in a sitcom the main character is usually the father. I will analyse how sitcoms have changed over time, Sitcoms use to only air upper/middle class familys which were white familys only, but as time went past ant the racism cooled down, they started to air black familys as well, in my opinion The Simpsons are made bright yellow is to make a joke out of sitcoms because sitcoms use to be aired as white people only in the past. The opening sequence in the episode starts with the title The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire with some jingle bells and Christmas effects. Then it jumps into Homer Marge driving to their childrens concert in dangerous situations. Marges voice makes her sound really tired, but homers voice just makes him sound silly, not the typical father you would find in other Sitcoms. Marge actually believes that Barts ironic humour is right; it shows that they must care for Bart more in my opinion. From analysing The Simpsons Roasting on an open fire I have seen that the orientation is getting ready for Christmas expenses. Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical Sitcom The Simpsons are an animated U. S Sitcom family and up to a point are a typical realistic family of five. They have their good and bad times. In this essay, I will be evaluating to what extent The Simpsons follow the conventions of a stereotypical Sitcom. To support this, I am going to be referring in detail to an episode of The Simpsons called The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. A Sitcom is a 30 min comedy T. V show about a family; in a sitcom the main character is usually the father. I will analyse how sitcoms have changed over time, Sitcoms use to only air upper/middle class familys which were white familys only, but as time went past ant the racism cooled down, they started to air black familys as well, in my opinion The Simpsons are made bright yellow is to make a joke out of sitcoms because sitcoms use to be aired as white people only in the past. The opening sequence in the episode starts with the title The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire with some jingle bells and Christmas effects. Then it jumps into Homer Marge driving to their childrens concert in dangerous situations. Marges voice makes her sound really tired, but homers voice just makes him sound silly, not the typical father you would find in other Sitcoms. Marge actually believes that Barts ironic humour is right; it shows that they must care for Bart more in my opinion. From analysing The Simpsons Roasting on an open fire I have seen that the orientation is getting ready for Christmas expenses. Evaluate the extent to which The Simpsons follow the conventions of a typical Sitcom The Simpsons are an animated U. S Sitcom family and up to a point are a typical realistic family of five. They have their good and bad times. In this essay, I will be evaluating to what extent The Simpsons follow the conventions of a stereotypical Sitcom. To support this, I am going to be referring in detail to an episode of The Simpsons called The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. A Sitcom is a 30 min comedy T. V show about a family; in a sitcom the main character is usually the father. I will analyse how sitcoms have changed over time, Sitcoms use to only air upper/middle class familys which were white familys only, but as time went past ant the racism cooled down, they started to air black familys as well, in my opinion The Simpsons are made bright yellow is to make a joke out of sitcoms because sitcoms use to be aired as white people only in the past. The opening sequence in the episode starts with the title The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire with some jingle bells and Christmas effects. Then it jumps into Homer Marge driving to their childrens concert in dangerous situations. Marges voice makes her sound really tired, but homers voice just makes him sound silly, not the typical father you would find in other Sitcoms. Marge actually believes that Barts ironic humour is right; it shows that they must care for Bart more in my opinion. From analysing The Simpsons Roasting on an open fire I have seen that the orientation is getting ready for Christmas expenses.

Needle Stick Injuries Among The Nursing Student Population Nursing Essay

Needle Stick Injuries Among The Nursing Student Population Nursing Essay The purpose of this literature review research proposal is to estimate the efficacy of AOP, and close supervision which is provided by nursing schools and hospitals on the Needle Sticks Injuries [NSIs] prevention among the nursing student population. Research has shown that the educational programme for prevention of NSIs is crucial for the healthcare workers but it is rarely conducted and evaluated among vocational school nursing students. Bearing in mind the previous points, the review will be complemented by using methodology of a wide-ranging review of the related literature. That is to say, the effective appliance of the educational programme and close supervision might lead to prevent the NSIs among the nursing student population. Objectives: To review critically and analyse literature on the effect of close supervision and academic orientation programme that are provided by schools and hospitals on the needle stick injuries among the nursing student population. To evaluate the needlestick injuries among nursing students. Factors related to exposure, departments in which they work and high risk procedures causing most of these injuries. To develop recommendations for practice based on the findings of this proposal review. Framework for Proposal: Punchs (2006) framework for developing research proposal was used as a structure for this proposal. Besides, punch stated that the proposal is a central and essential component to performing any research. Introduction: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in strategies which might reduce the risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens, including hepatitis B vaccination, clinical training, educational programmes, universal precautions and, most recently, needle-protective devices as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2011). According to World Health Organisation [WHO] (2006), needle sticks injuries play a crucial role of blood born serious pathogens transmission among Healthcare Workers (HCWs). One single accident could is sufficient to produce a serious infection as stated by the CDC (2003). Furthermore, the main hazards of sharp injuries are viruses such as Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Yao et al., 2012). Remembered that, the first case of HIV transmission from patient to an HCW was reported in 1986 (Stricof Morse, 1986, cited in Petrucci et al., 2009). According to RCN (2012) sharps injuries are preventable and learning following incidents should be put in place to avoid repeating accidents. Further analysis showed that, the majority of these, such as exposures sustained whilst handling needles or clearing clinical waste are preventable with adherence to procedures for the safe handling of sharps and the disposal of clinical waste (HPA, 2008). Yao et al (2010) reported that there are insufficient clinical experience and occupational safety training provided by nursing schools and hospitals, hence nursing students are at high-risk of needle stick injuries. However there are other studies shows that a combination of education, introducing a universal precautions to different hospital departments, especially emphasizing on the importance of needle recapping prohibition, and the use of sharp containers disposal containers have reduced NSIs by 80 % (Wilburn et al., 2004). Another important finding report that the common clinical areas in which NSIs and sharps injuries occur include surgical departments and medical settings (Yao et al., 2010). Research has shown that, the majority of NSIs (40%) occurs in the medical wards, intensive care units and operating rooms (Petrucci et al., 2009). In addition, the needlestick injuries were most commonly reported as occurring on wards and in patients rooms (Talas et al., 2009). It is clear from the above that, when injuries stratified by departments, the highest rate of needle stick injuries was seen in the surgery department. It might be said that the occurrence of needle stick injuries is significantly related to clinical practice behaviours. Limited work experience with handling NSIs and insufficient awareness of occupational safety measures are reported in Chinese nursing students (Yao et al., 2010). That is to say, the probability of accidental exposure is reduced significantly with the increase of clinical skills during the clinical training period and the effective presence of tutors in clinical training education as stated by Petrucci (2009). Aslam et al (2010) stated that recapping the needle after use has been considered as the most frequent factors responsible for NSIs among health care workers. It must also be noted that, 42.5% of NSIs occurred when nursing students was working alone (Petrucci et al., 2009). A possible explanation for this is suggested by Talas et al (2009), that inadequate supervision in clinical practice areas causing NSIs. It has been found that the NSIs as high as 100,000 per year between 1997 and 2007 (Godfrey, 2001 cited in RCN, 2012). However, there were just fewer than 4,000 significant occupational exposure incidents reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA, 2008). Nurses account for the highest percentage of percutaneous injuries (CDC, 2004, cited in Petrucci et al., 2009). According to NHS (2011) at least four UK healthcare workers are known to have died following occupationally-acquired HIV infection. This project will investigate the available literature with the aim of summarising, and evaluating current knowledge according to Machi and Mcevoy (2012). Incidentally, to explore the question with reference to different sample groups who are geographically spread. In general what this means, the study will have an international focus to help meet the diversity consideration. Current/Preliminary literature review: To recognise how this study fits with the existing body of knowledge on the subject, a literature search was carried out using a number of databases including PubMed were searched. In addition, CDC website was hand searched as it is a key website related to the evaluation topic. Although most of NSIs research focused on HCWs students, nursing students in hospital clinical practice are also at high risk of exposure. Also, most of investigation that examined NSIs in students populations generally studied medical and dental students rather that nursing students (Aslam et al., 2010; Zafar et al., 2009; Valls et al., 2007 and Sharma et al., 2010). As a result, the information related to nursing students NSIs is relatively lacking worldwide. However, plentiful studies have been carried out in recent years all aimed at understanding the factors which are related the needlestick injuries among nursing students in order to produce an effective preventable measure which should be implemented early in nursing students education (Talas et al., 2009; Yang et al., 2007; Yao et al., 2010; Hambridge et al., 2011; Yao et al., 2012 and Petrucci et al., 2009). Consequently, the most crucial point made so far is how are the Academic Orientation Programme (AOP), and close supervision of needle stick injury prevention among the nursing student population? Methodology: According to Aveyard (2010) a literature review is a comprehensive study and interpretation of current literature in relation to an exact topic. It involves the identification of a research question and aims to answer said question via searching and analysing relevant literature in a systematic approach. Aveyard (2010) also argues that a literature has even more validity if reviewed in relation to other literature available on the same topic. The researcher deems the use of a literature review for the purpose of this study appropriately as the study aims to examine various current literatures, interpret and summarize them, infer new ideas and present gotten ideas in a methodical and well-established manner. In order to address the research question how effective are the Academic Orientation Programme (AOP), and close supervision of needle stick injuries prevention among the nursing student population?. This study review will be from both qualitative and quantitative traditions. The reason for selecting a qualitative approach was that it was felt that more detailed explanation by nursing students would provide more depth to the investigation. This investigation was based on secondary research due to the fact that a rich body of data already existed and further analysis could offer insight. On the other hand, using of quantitative tradition could highlight some statistical analysis. A number of research studies have been undertaken to discuss the needlestick injuries among the nursing student population. Yao et al., (2012) reported that the appliance of safety training and educational programmes consider a need for nursing students before they start clinical practice. Research has shown that, the adequate presence of tutors in the clinical training education and simulation laboratories for nursing practice that could enable nursing students to gain a remarkable experience by doing procedures and then observing their impact without compromising the health and safety of human patients (Petrucci et al., 2009). However, few studies have included nursing students; some studies survey the attitude of nursing students towards needle sticks and sharp injuries in different workplace. Data into the reasons why nursing students are vulnerable to needle stick injuries was collected from three main sources. Sources were found via an electronic database and were articles whic h focused on different primary studies undertaken in 2010, 2009 and 2008. The first stage of the investigation involved analysing the three sources and comparing them to see if there were clear themes common to all three. Methods: According to Punch (2006) the method section is the specific data collection and analysis procedure that defines how the data will be collected and processed to answer the research question. This refers to that the proposal should demonstrate an internal validity. Here, this means that the chosen methods should match the written question (Punch, 2006). Furthermore, a review must be carried out, systematically, thoroughly and comprehensively to enable the production of valid results which in turn relates to conclusions (Aveyard, 2010). Method section is significant to evade collection of data unrelated to the study as stated by Hart (1998). To ensure this, a systemic search strategy would be developed involving the use of electronic searches, hand searches and reference list searches as suggested by Aveyard (2010). Sample and data collection method: According to Aveyard (2010) using of inclusion and exclusion criteria will frame and narrowing of literature and certain significance of data to the study. In addition the using of inclusion and exclusion criteria enable the researcher to demonstrate the scope of detail of the review that would not demonstrated in the review question itself (Aveyard, 2010). Unpublished Example of inclusion criteria: Primary research relating to needlestick injuries among the nursing student population. Literature focused on the needlestick injuries among nursing students during their clinical practice in hospitals. English language literature only. Published literature only. 2007 onwards. Example of exclusion criteria: Literature discussed the needlestick injuries among health care workers or medical, dentist students only rather than nursing students. None ethically approved and conducted studies, to ensure validity of the study. The PICO framework, as set out below, was used to define the search strategy: Population Nursing students from different area of practice. Intervention Academic Orientation Programmes and close supervision which provided by nursing schools and hospitals. Comparison Nursing students have been received or have not been received effective academic orientation programme and close supervision, and their perception toward needle sticks injuries preventive methods. Outcome Prevention or avoiding the NSIs by insuring that nursing students have received the necessary preventive measures without fail. For effective data collection method, the identification of key terms and using a Boolean logical operators such as (OR, NOT and AND), Wildcards (?) And Truncations (*) are essential for obtaining the maximum number of relevant data on the research topic (MACHI and McEVOY 2012). The restriction was put on the year of publication, studies have been done after 2007 and only English language articles were included. Appendix 1 and 2 in the appendices gives an illustration of search terms using BOOLEEN operators, wildcards and truncations to connect the keywords. Access to data/sample: According to Aveyard (2010) the using of academic search engines could be more specific than a general search engine electronic searching, they allow the researcher to do advance searching using different combination of words and have direct access to academic journals and e-books. In addition, To effectively carry out this study, data collection will be from different sources. Data will be accessed mainly via the Oxford Brookes University available databases. These databases are; PUBMED: An extensive medical, biomedical and nursing database. CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health literature) MEDLINE (Connecting through Ebsco, Web of knowledge or PubMed) In addition, academic literature references throughout Google Scholar, E-journals and books from the university library as well as the John Radcliffe hospital library would be searched for the purpose of this study. This is to ensure a level of credibility in the data being used for the study. Data analysis method: This stage involves the critical appraisal and analysis of the data has been collected. One set of tools has been produced by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP, 2011). Also, CASP has published critical appraisal tools for review articles, quantitative studies, RCTs, cohort and case control studies (Aveyard, 2010). The benefit of using a critical appraisal tool rather than using an unstructured approach in relation to the research question deems the use of a CASP tool appropriate. This is due to the fact that all of the appraisal tools listed, the CASP tool is the most diverse. According to the University of South Australia division of Health Sciences (2011) it could be used in critically analysing different kinds of studies (RCT, Case Control Study, Systemic Review, and Qualitative Study). Furthermore, it provides a checklist for the researcher in relation to the type of study being conducted which enables checking for biases and confounding variables so that it has no ef fect on the analysed result (,). The CASP tool for systematic reviews would thus be utilised in the critical analysis of data for the study. According to Aveyard (2010) to determine the relevance of each selected paper, researcher could use 3 fundamental questions: Is this literature relevant to my review? Have I identified literature at the top of my hierarchy of evidence? Is this literature of high enough quality to include in my review? Whilst this helps the novice researcher the data will require testing with a validated critical appraisal tool. This will be the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme tools (CASP) a recognised framework for critical assessment, developed by the Public Health Research Unit at Oxford University. This department is now under the direction of Solutions for Public Health (SPH, 2011). To advance credibility to my research I will explore the concept of triangulation (Holtzhausen, 2001) in my analysis. Furthermore, by following triangulation as a multi-method research approach, the literature review sits well with the triangulation concept of using more than one method or source of data to study social phenomena. This idea supports the process of cross checking findings that is derived from both qualitative and quantitative research and exploring any comparisons that appear adding rigour to the findings. According to Aveyard (2010) looking for similarities and disparity is important in the synthesis of the research. Also, comparing and contrasting outcomes that encompass negative and positive results will be discussed to illustrate the depth and variety of data reviewed. Ethical issues: Given that the proposed methodology for this research is a literature review, ethical approval is not a prerequisite as stated by Aveyard (2010). According to Houghton et al (2010) the ethical issues are present in any kind of research; have to be considered when undertaking qualitative research. This is due to the fact that literature reviews are grounded solely on critically analysing and estimating primary research carried out by other researchers, hence there is no direct contact between the researcher and participants. In addition there are no primary data to be collected. Though, it is significant to recognise the mechanisms for granting such approvals as the outcome may lead to further research. As a reviewer of research and a qualified nurse I am accountable to ensure that any research reviewed had been handled ethically. Guiding ethical principles to consider in health care are; Non-malfeasance, Beneficence, respect for autonomy, informed consent, honesty and integrity, and the need to maintain confidentiality and anonymity. Awareness of all others research I am responsible for portraying other work fairly and objectively whilst acknowledgment by referencing, all materials discussed. Rigour: According to Vickers (1995) literature reviews should be subject to the same standards of scientific rigour as primary research. In other words, the process of extracting information from the published scientific data should it be scientific. In addition, Vikers (1995) further explains that two major characteristics of a well conducted study are transparency; meaning that the reasons for any conclusions written by the researcher are made explicit, and replicability; which implies that the research if carried out by the reader produces the same results. Therefore, in carrying out this study the researcher will ensure transparency and replicability by ensuring the collection, appraisal and analysis of data as well as representation of findings are comprehensive, thorough and systematic. Limitations: Resources will be limited with no financial support. Additional finance might have enabled you to employ the assistance of other researchers who would have aided you in the search, critique and bringing together of the literature (Aveyard, 2010). Seeking out grey literature will be time consuming. In contrast, Aveyard (2010) stated that the using of only published data could bias the result of the review. However, the amount of data available could be overwhelming for the novice and must be planned with care to avoid this happening. Punch (2006) stated that the delimitation means defining the limits of our drawing the boundaries around a study, and showing clearly what is and is not included. This is sometimes useful in avoiding misunderstanding by the reader. As a novice researcher the approach to the identification, critique and bringing together of the literature may not have been as thorough as that of a more experienced researcher (Aveyard, 2010). In any research, limitations should be expected. Thus, it is essential for a researcher to acknowledge anticipated limitations of a study (Punch, 2006). Some of the potential limitations of this study include; Inability to access data: As some databases are only accessible by members of a particular group or association. This may result in finding a limited amount of data that suit the purpose of the study which could in turn lead to bias. The researcher will endeavour to avoid this by going an extra length to access such databases including signing up to such groups or associations where possible. The inexperience of the researcher: This may result in discrepancies in the collection and critical analysis of data. The project time scale: This study is set to take place within a 12 month period and this may serve as a constraint. Project Timescale: This table outlines the project management plan (Time frame). Its anticipated that the study will take over 12 months, table below show how I will carry out the project over the coming months. Months Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Literature search Writing Proposal Data Analysis Result Summary Writing Dissertation Submitting Dissertation Recommendations for practice: As a result of the present study, the following are recommended: Design more intensive education program directed at all nursing student populations to increase their awareness of and compliance with universal precautions and in instituting polices. Ensure that all nursing students are fully immunised against hepatitis B before they begin clinical practice. Eliminate unnecessary needles from the hospital environment wherever possible and replace with safer products through implementation of industrial research for the development of new technologies that could improve working conditions and reduce the risk of occupational diseases in health care settings. Activate the tutors role in providing a high quality of monitoring and presence during clinical training education. Dissemination: The purpose of this study is to identify the effectiveness of the Academic Orientation Programme (AOP), and close supervision on needle stick injuries prevention among the nursing student population. Dissemination of the results is what makes the project valuable, dependent on the findings it is anticipated that the outcomes will support improvements in practice. As the outcome is intended as a resource for my department it is anticipated that the dissertation be communicated as a presentation. Therefore, for the findings of this study to have an effective impact, widespread distribution is important. The researcher proposes dissemination would be done via peer reviewed journals, seminar presentation to colleagues and members of staff of the Oxford Brookes University and via the internet for further education of the general public. Also, copies would be made available in the Oxford Brookes University library for students and other prospective researchers.