An analysis of the current activities of Cherwell District Councils Environmental Services Department Essay Example for Free

An analysis of the current activities of Cherwell District Councils Environmental Services Department Essay 1.0 Background Cherwell District Councils Environmental Services Department is made up of two sections (Environmental Services and Amenity Services), which deliver a wide range of diverse services (see Table 1). Table 1. Services offered by the Environmental Services Department. Environmental Services Amenity Services Food Safety/Health and Safety in businesses Waste Collection/Recycling Animal Welfare/Dog Warden Service Street Cleaning Pollution Control/Noise Nuisance Pest Control Service Health Promotion and Disability Issues Environmental Strategy/Agenda 21 This report looks at some of the services provided by the commercial team within environmental services who are responsible for food/health and safety law enforcement, infectious disease control, food/water sampling, licensing/registration, complaint investigation and offering information and training. 2.0 Introduction The majority of the activities of the commercial team are mandatory imposed on the Council by statute such as the Food Safety Act and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. The sections activities are also monitored through quarterly reports to the Chief Executive of the Council, the Food Standards Agency and The Health and Safety Executive. Despite the regulatory function of the section which is primarily the enforcement of the law, it none the less provides a service which is described as the combination of outcomes and experiences delivered to and received by a customer (Johnson Clark, 2001 p9). Figure 1 lists some of the aspects of the service experience, which can be used when assessing the quality of the service provided. * the extent of personalisation of the process * the responsiveness of the service organisation * the flexibility of customer-facing staff * customer intimacy * the ease of access to service personnel or information systems * the extent to which the customer feels valued by the organisation * the courtesy

St. Augustine and the Problem of Evil from a Christian Basis Essay

St. Augustine and the Problem of Evil from a Christian Basis In his Confessions, St. Augustine writes about a large number of topics that continue to have relevance today. The text documents the development of Augustine’s faith and his Christian philosophy, and one thing of particular interest is his argument for the nature of evil. Christianity predicates several important ideas that Augustine builds upon in his philosophy, and within its context, he presents a thorough, compelling argument against the problem of evil that identifies evil as a misperception. Augustine first characterizes God based on how he experiences God’s presence and qualities. Augustine searches for Him unsuccessfully in the physical world, and the physical universe for that matter, and then decides that he must look within himself to find God. His description of God illustrates the ideas in Christianity that God is omnipotent and entirely good, or all-loving. â€Å"I entered and with my soul’s eye, such as it was, saw above that same eye of my soul the immutable light higher than my mind†¦ It transcended my mind†¦ It was superior because it made me, and I was inferior because I was made by it.† (Augustine, 123) Augustine clearly conveys the magnitude of God and his greatness, which exceed the comprehension of man’s mind. This is perhaps the most important quality of God’s being, which properly coincides with His descriptions in Christianity, because it establishes a scale for measuring the qualities of God that He instilled in his creations. Augustine next discusses three aspects that define God for him. Of particular importance is the idea that the Christian God is eternal, so there has never been a time w... ... possible that, as with Augustine, the perception of evil leads people to think about its nature and, ultimately, they begin to learn the truth. From that point, they grow until they are able to feed from God’s goodness, and then they achieve the supreme goodness and become one with God. There is, then, no problem in ‘evil’ because it in fact is good. Ultimately, it is impossible to know exactly the reasons for God’s actions. His qualities are such that He transcends being, and a person’s best effort to understand God can at best give him or her approximate understanding. Only through reason and discovery of the truth can a person grow until, finally, he or she is transformed by God into His Being. At that point, comprehension of it is no longer necessary. Works Cited Augustine. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.

Zara Marketing Plan

New collection Launch | Marketing Plan 22. 10. 2009 1 SITUATION ANALYSIS Zara Brand Wheel Fashionable clothes Varied assortment Trendy colors Feminine cuts Fashionable product lines for moderate costs Customer- ­? centered business Runway trends adapted for the streets Brand Essence Fashion- ­? oriented woman Trendy in every situaFon Feeling good about looking good Fashion - ­? friendly Feminine Hot and trendy High-Street Fashion The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Store Teams Customer Logis4csDesign/ Produc4on The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Customer â€Å"Main driving force behind the Zara brand. † Star%ng point for all Zara ac%vi%es Customer Lead role in: †¢? Store design †¢? Produc%on †¢? Logis%cs †¢? Team The Zara Brand In dustry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research s The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Store Store â€Å"Mee4ng oint between the customer and the Zara fashion o? er. † 1,520 stores collect informa%on regarding customer demands. New products introduced twice a week. Top loca%ons – 17 visits / year / customer Me%culously designed shop windows Maximum aJen%on to interior & exterior architechtual design Appropriate coordina%on of garments Excellent customer care The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Design & ProducFon â€Å"Inspira4on comes from the street, music, art †¦ but above all, the store. † Proximity of roduc%on facili%es Immediate reac%on to trends. Con%nuous work for all teams. Managers – teams – customer demand – forms, designs, fabrics, compliments Design/ Produc4on 1,186 suppliers, 200 desginers The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model LogisFcs â€Å"Highly frequent and constant distribu4on permiKng the o? er to be constantly renewed. † 697 million garments distributed 5,000 employees at logis%cs centers Logis4cs Designed with maximum ?exibility. Customer oriented. 24h – receiving order to store elivery (Europe) Designed to absorb growth for next years. 18% annual discount rates. The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 5 Keys of the Zara Business Model Teams â€Å"Teams with vast sales knowledge geared to towards the customer. † 8 9,112 professionals Customer oriented. Make the stores a pleasant environment. Apply corporate, social & environmental responsibility in day- ­? to- ­? day work. Teams The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Zara’s Performance 159 store openings in 2008 Brand Value: $ 8,609 M 1,530 stores 4 new countries in 2008 Sales â‚ ¬ 6,824 Million ZARA 73 countries The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research 14 The Industry High street fashion brand Industry trends Democra%za%on of luxury Inclusiveness Street trends Designer houses Key success factors Di? eren%a%on & individualism New fashion consumer The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development ConsumerAnalysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Customer Focused Product Development Saturated industry Need to increase brand value Responding to current industry trends Iden%f ying the need for the product in the market A full- ­? shaped body is a beau4ful body The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Customer Focused Product Development Market entry barriers Design challenges Saturated industry Need to increase brand value Responding to current industry trends Iden%fying the need for the product in the market Exis%ng customer eac%ons â€Å"Fat is not fashionable† Challenges Opportuni>es The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Consumer Analysis Today’s fashion consumer: More choice, more educated, more savvy & demanding â€Å"New breed of shoppers† Loyalty, variety, freshness The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Gives pleasure & enjoyment Means of self- ­? expression Involvement Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis ProductDevelopment Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Purchasing experience Fun, fantasy, social or emo%onal gra%? ca%on Emo%ons Behavior Impulse buying The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Importance: †¢? Consumers aJach meaning to their clothes †¢? Role of fashion in society Drivers: †¢? Individual mo%ves †¢? Projec%ng a desired self- ­? image Linked to personal values & needs: †¢?Express and communicate value †¢? Values guide consumer behavior †¢? Types of values: personal, economic, aesthe%c Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysi s Interest Hedonics Involvement Posi%ve vs. nega%ve †¢? Shorter decision %mes †¢? More impulse buying †¢? A feeling of being unconstrained †¢? Desire to reward oneself How to generate posi%ve emo%ons? †¢? Use the retail environment to posi%vely in? uence moods: †¢? suitable layouts, †¢? colors, †¢? e? ec%ve sales personnel, †¢? emo%onally pliking atmosphere Impulse buying Emo%ons Behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Fashion Consumer Behavior Analysis Interest Hedonics Involvement Impulse buying †¢? Fashion oriented: strongly oriented to fashion involvement: providing sensory or experien%al cues of fashion products. †¢? Created by the symbolic interac4ons of the product & the consumer emo4onal experiences Emo%ons †¢? Need to understand impulse buying behavior for fashion products from an experien4al perspec4ve = guidance in developing strat egies BehaviorThe Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Plus Size Consumer Analysis 1 in 3 women are unhappy with the way clothes ?t them 14 happy 12 8 16 10 18 6 22 20 24 unhappy The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Plus Size Consumer Behavior AJribute Plus size product Psychosocial consequence Feel more a acFve Func%onal consequence Cut ?[ng the body shape Values Self- ­? esteem Self esteem: important moFvaFon driver for consumpFon Consumers tend to assign their own eanings to clothes. Clothing: over consumer behavior The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Market Analysis 120 Market Share 15% PeFte 60% 25% Plus Size Normal 100 80 60 40 20 0 76 100 Size 2006 2012 Segment growth: 40% increase by 2014. Only 5% of retail space is dedicated to the +size products T he Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Types of CompeFtors 1 2 3 4 Dedicated Ranges Extension of Size Ranges Designer Bou%ques E- ­? commerce The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research New Line PosiFoning High Fashion Zara Torrid H&M BouFques Low Price High Price M&S Charming Shoppers 1 2 Dedicated Ranges Extension of Size Ranges Designer Bou%ques E- ­? commerce Market & Consumer Research Junonia 3 4 Low Fashion The Zara Brand Industry Analysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Di? erenFaFon Brand awareness Brand loyalty New in this segments More experienced compe%tors Lack of e- ­? commerce Size & growth High fashion for modest prices Strengths Weaknesses The Zara Brand IndustryAnalysis Product Development Consumer Analysis Market Analysis Market & Consumer Research Zara vs. CompeFtors Zara 1,000 new styles / month 200 designers Higher cost of product development is more than adequately compensated by higher realized margins Strategy: reacFve, not predicFve CompeFtors 3- ­? 5 months: develop the ideas into physical samples Sales budgets & stock plans developed one year ahead of the targeted styles Few weeks / months to procure fabrics, have them approved by the retailer – produce a number of samples – put samples in producFon The Zara Brand Product development Industry Analysis

Barry J. Delisle s The Globalization Era - 2838 Words

Cybersecurity in the Globalization Era by Barry J. DeLisle NIU Class 2017 Unclassified - submitted to the faculty of the National Intelligence University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for MCR 601. November 7, 2015 The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the US Navy Reserve, or the U.S. Government Cybersecurity in the Globalization Era When considering the technological advances over the past 50 years, the Internet has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on everyday life of developed economies and its citizens. The world has become smaller, societies interconnected, and the pace of global integration dramatically increased since the introduction of the Internet. With the world connected, cyber actors represent a very real and often underestimated threat to the United States’ ability to defend national security, protect industrial innovation, and secure privacy information. As a result of globalization, the foreign cyber actors represent the most imminent threat to national security, corporate innovation, and citizen privacy rights. The first age of globalization took place during the mid-19th century with the repeal of the Corn Laws and Navigation Acts. This opened up seas to free trade and international competition. The removal of barriers to trade led to a rapid increase in international prosperity at t he expense of the