A Trip to Italy free essay sample

Be it sandy beaches, or snowy mountains, for family recreation or for spiritual soul-searching. . . a long vacation tends to be good for the mind. Among the thousands upon thousands of vacation hotspots spread out across the planet, one of the most popular locales is Italy. The country stands proud as one of the most visited places on Earth because there are a large variety of activities one can partake in, as well as a multitude of places to visit amongst the countrys varied landscape. For the humble traveler, a trip to Italy would serve as one of the most memorable and luscious experiences they would ever partake in. Italy is a beautiful country with many reasons why one would travel there, from local cuisine, to a breadth of landmarks detailing the countrys long and interesting history, and a storied culture revolving around family values. Italy is a magnificent vacation area full of excitement and enticing opportunities. We will write a custom essay sample on A Trip to Italy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From Florence to Venice, food and dining is an integral and cultured part of Italys background, and something which any would-be tourist must experience. True Italian food carries with it a large range of emotions which impact the consumer long before it even touches ones taste buds. Walking down the winding, cobblestone streets, or perhaps even sinking down into a gondola during a romantic evening floating through the calming canals, the sights and smells of Italys cuisine are impossible to escape. As smoke and steam bellow out from the various diners, small or large, the sizzling sounds of lean fish with the whitest of meat, and highly-seasoned potatoes dazzle the ears. Upon finding a seat in one of the various beautiful dining destinations scattered across the country, one is sure to be struck by the pure joviality of the eating environment. Much like France, the eating habits in Italy stretch well beyond the need to survive, or the cravings endure for certain tastes. Eating in Italy is as much a cultural pastime as playing baseball in the United States of America. As the smooth texture of Italys various famed pasta dishes lay upon ones tongue, they are engaging in not just a countrys dish, but its lifestyle and culture as well. Once a visitor has had their fill of Italys expertly crafted meals, they can begin the process of true cultural immersion by visiting and learning the history of Italys landmarks. With its mythology and culture stemming from Greece, Italy was once upon a time one of the greatest powers on the planet due to the Roman Empire. Examining the towering heights of the Roman Colosseum or the Parthenon is breathtaking in every sense of the word. The amount of effort and time it must have taken the Roman society to build their landmarks is staggering to consider. With even just the slightest amount of imagination, its easy to picture one of the many genius from the Renaissance slaving away in their workshop, such as the mathematical and architectural pathfinder known as Brunelleschi, or the phenomenal creative genius of Leonardo DaVinci. Recalling the various figures and places from Italian history isnt dismissive of the fact that they are separated by time, but rather it calls to mind the fact that the beautiful tourist destinations that one can experience while visiting the country are the products of centuries, upon centuries of history. Yet, there is much to take away from a trip to Italy, beyond the ideas of delicious foods, wondrous landscapes, and Ferraris. The culture of Italy is something which could easily stick within ones mind well after they have left. Perhaps the most striking cultural aspect of Italian everyday-life is the central role of family and familial values. In the South of Italy, in fact, it is not uncommon for even extended family to live within one home, sharing every part of their life together. While one may not observe the emotional and financial support these families give to each other internally firsthand, there is undoubtedly a sense of pride and respect that stems from these close-knit family ties which extend into societal life, such as the high respect that is held for elders no matter where one occupies Italy. In addition to this, visitors and outsiders are often treated with an immaculate kindness that permeates social gatherings. One could infer that family values in Italy have become so strong that they have stretched beyond literal family, and encapsulate the human race itself instead. Alongside these typical moral values, there is an emphasis on proper form and etiquette in all aspects of Italian life. Social appearance is a very important part of Italian life, as the projection of oneself can extend to represent not just the self, but family and country as well. First-impressions are considered one of the most vital parts of social interactions, because of the thought that said impression will last, and the fear of a tarnished reputation promotes joyous and welcoming greetings. These close meetings with people that one has, perhaps, not even met, are sure to be remembered by the various tourists who come and go. This may be due to other countries comparatively cold salutations, such as in France or the United States, where the people between oneself and destination are just obstacles. Italy is an amazing seaside country with hundreds, if not thousands of ways to attract tourists. The famous fish dishes, pasta, and wine that Italy is host to are, undoubtedly, some of the foremost attractions for outsiders, especially for visitors arriving from the States. . . the colorful and heavily seasoned national dishes are sure to evoke the life within ones palate, a palate that is sure to grow dormant as one becomes accustomed and overly-acclimated to their own local cuisine. Once one is tired of these dishes, if that is possible, they are sure to enjoy the strikingly beautiful landmarks which scatter the horizon, such as the Parthenon, which evoke thoughts of all the brilliant minds which stemmed from the age of the Roman empire and beyond. Lastly, it is thoroughly enjoyable to experience a culture that is in high contrast to ones own. Especially if said contrasts are positive and influential as is the case with Italys family values and social values. Italy holds a vivid beauty that flows throughout all aspects of its culture. Works Cited â€Å"Italian Culture†. Hubpages. com. Accessed on Feb. 10, 2013. Web.

To What Extent Should British Government Take Positive Measures To Encourage Small And Medium

Introduction In Britain, small and medium-sized organizations play a very significant role in the economy. These enterprises play a major role in enhancing sustainable community development and economic growth. The production processes of SMEs are environmental friendly which reduces the level of environmental pollution.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Should British Government Take Positive Measures To Encourage Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, these enterprises are faced with various difficulties which threaten their success. They are sometimes threatened by the market imperfections which significantly affects their performance. Their small size nature also makes these enterprises to be more affected by the change in the economic and social environment in their locations than the larger organizations. This raises concern on their performance. There is a need for the British government to come up with necessary measures to suppress negative impacts of the social and economic situations on these enterprises. These enterprises are also faced with difficulties in getting financial resources for capital or research and development. These limitations hinder them from accessing advanced technologies which reduces their chances of succeeding. Therefore, the British government should promote policies which aim at promoting good business environment in order to facilitate the development of the small and medium size organizations. The British government has the responsibility of initiating measures which are necessary for improvement of products, processes, organizational functions and marketing processes of the small and medium size enterprises. These aspects are essential in determining the performance of the SMEs. Discussion As already seen, SMEs have a significant role in the economy. The British government should, therefore, employ th e necessary measures to promote the performance of these enterprises. According to Spence (2010), government policies significantly determine the performance of the SMEs (p. 5). The British government, therefore, has a role to play in improving small and medium size enterprises. There are several ways through which the British government can promote the SMEs. Taxation One of the measures the British government should consider in promoting SMEs is through taxation. The government can contribute to the success of the small and medium size organizations through taxation in two different ways.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More First, the British government can improve the performance of the SMEs by reducing the taxes charged on them. Stamp taxes and taxes on sales threaten the financial stability of small and medium enterprises and, therefore, are discouraged for the SMEs. The gov ernment need to cut down the taxes charged on the raw materials used by the small and medium enterprises in the production process. By so doing, the government will enable the SMEs to reduce their costs hence maximizing their profits. Another way through which the British government can promote the small and medium size enterprises is by taxing a higher proportion on large enterprises than the SMEs. This will improve the competitiveness of the small and medium size enterprises. This will significantly contribute to their success. Promoting Research and Development and Technology Transfer Research and development has an essential role in determining the performance of the small and middle size enterprises. The British government has the responsibility of facilitating an appropriate infrastructure which has the capacity to encourage research and development by SMEs. For instance, the government can establish intermediary organizations which can promote inter-firm networks. Such organi sation facilitates the linkage of these enterprises with the necessary support services. These organizations also facilitate technology transfer. This contributes in improving their performance. According to Etemad (2004), emerging SMEs suffer from the fact that they don’t have high reputation and their brand is not clearly established (p. 75). Research and development promotes the development of these enterprises by increasing the organisation’s reputation through quality products. Adoption of high level of technology enables SMEs to add value to their products. This increases their market share in the global market. Consequently, this leads to an increase in the level of their revenues. Subsidies Subsidy is a form of assistance in terms of finance or other resources that are aimed at improving a business or an enterprise. The British government should use subsidies to promote the growth of SMEs. One of the subsidies is providing credit facilities at lower interest ra tes. This enables these organizations to increase their investment levels efficiently. This significantly contributes to their success. Low interest credit facilities also encourage research and development in the small and medium size organizations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Should British Government Take Positive Measures To Encourage Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through subsidies, the governments increase the level of competitiveness of the domestic goods and services against the imported goods and services. This significantly contributes to expansion of the market share for the domestic organizations. However, the government should be very careful while providing subsidies to the SMEs. In some cases, subsidies can lead to market distortions which may come along with a very large economic cost. Market Based Industrial Policy Another way through whic h the government should promote the SMEs is by pursuing a market based industrial policy. By so doing, the government will promote the market mechanisms in generating an effective and vibrant industrial structure. The government should only intervene in special cases for instance when there is market failure. Otherwise, the British government should refrain from interfering withy the general market operations. For instance, it should not advocate for lowering of prices below the equilibrium level in favour of consumers. Such act will be discouraging the development of the small as well as the medium sized enterprises in the country. This policy promotes financial support for the developing or declining small and medium size enterprises through research and development. It also targets developing employee training as a way of boosting poor regions to maintain equality in income distribution. In some cases, government intervention due to market failures leads to complexities worse tha n those resulting to imperfect market conditions. In such cases, a government policy becomes impotent. The British government should also promote the development of market externalities which will most likely encourage the SMEs to undertake research and development. For instance, if the social benefit of undertaking a research is greater than that the returns derived by the organisation, then there will be little incentive for the organizations to invest in research and development. In order to promote small and medium enterprise, government should fund the research and development as a way of encouraging these enterprises to invest in knowledge. Research and development plays a very important role in the performance of companies. For instance, research and development improves the quality of goods and services. High quality products attract customers hence expanding the market share for the SMEs. Therefore, continued research assists an organisation in attracting as well as retaini ng customers. Poor research and development are the major factors which obstruct the development of changing industrial base.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is a need to recognize that different SMEs needs different level of support. More attention should be paid on declining enterprises to prevent their complete fall. Industrial approach method of British government intervention can be directed to save these specific enterprises as well as prevention of loss of employment opportunities. The British government can also employ this method to save Small and medium sized enterprises which are declining due to unhealthy competition from large enterprises. While promoting SMEs in the country, the British government should propose measures which enhance the development of the productive capacities of the poor regions. This effort contributes in reduction of the level of unemployment and poverty in these areas. Supporting such enterprises will also contribute in increasing the level of income in the region. Improvement of the Regulatory Processes for Small and Medium Size Enterprises The British government should eliminate regulatory mea sures which are associated with high costs in terms of money and time resources. The government should promote measures which can help the establishment and operations of the small and medium enterprises. This includes establishment of necessary measures to promote the exchange of views between these enterprises with the local authority. This will significantly contribute in the development of the small and medium enterprises at the local level. These measures will also promote the development of a favourable environment which improves the performance of SMEs. Promoting inter-firm cooperation Inter-firm cooperation has a significant role in promoting the development and performance of the small and medium size organizations. Cooperation among the firms offers these firms a benchmark on which they can gauge their individual performances in relation to the overall performance of the industry. For instance an enterprise can gauge itself to determine how far they are behind the leading enterprises. This encourages these enterprises to apply the necessary measures to improve the performance of these enterprises. The British government should therefore consider facilitating cooperation among the SMEs in the country in order to promote their success. One of such organization was SME Task-Force in 1986. This organisation significantly contributed to social and economic growth (Dyson 1989: 17). Giaoutzi et al (1988) noted that the location and the amount of employment opportunities generated by the small and medium enterprises depend on their relationship with larger enterprises as well as the level of independence with respect to large firms (p.164). The British government should not only encourage cooperation among the small enterprises, but also with the large firms. The government can realize this by carrying the necessary measures to provide incentives for interaction between these two categories of enterprises. For instance, SME may be highly innovative and dynam ic. However, it may not have the necessary financial resources to carry out research and development functions. In such a situation, the large enterprise may cover the financial requirements for the research and development for the small enterprise (Giaoutzi et al 1988: 165). This contributes in development of the SMEs. Inter-firm cooperation encourages the agglomeration. When the SMEs come together, they enjoy the advantages of clustering and economies of scale. For instance, by clustering, small enterprises can purchase their inputs in bulk. In the process, they save a lot of money on such discounts. This reduces the operational costs hence increasing the profit margins. Trade Liberalization Another way through which the British government can promote SMEs is through trade liberalization. Trade liberalization plays a significant role in promoting the performance of the SMEs. However, not all SMEs are enthusiastic about the liberalization of trade (Susman 2007: 264). Trade liberali zation may favour larger organizations to relocate their productive factors overseas. This poses a threat to the small enterprises from cheaper imports coming from multinational companies. Therefore, the British government should be very careful with the effects of liberalization of trade. The government should come up with the necessary measures to avoid negative impacts of the trade liberalization on the small and medium enterprises in the country. For instance, the government may suppress negative impacts of liberalization to the SMEs through subsidies. This helps in reducing operational costs of these enterprises hence increasing their competitiveness. According to Susman (2007), a number of small and medium size enterprises have gone out of business due high level of global competition (264). Therefore, the British government should carefully gauge the impact of trade liberalization in every category of SMEs before its implementation. Some are favoured while others are disfavou red by the policy. The government should pay more attention to the organizations which are negatively affected. Others In most cases, the small and medium size enterprises face unhealthy competition from imports. The British government should intervene in the market to protect the SMEs. One of the methods which the government can apply to avoid unhealthy competition is through tariffs. By imposing tariffs on the imports, the government can significantly improve the competitiveness of the domestic goods. This promotes the development of small and medium size enterprises. The registration and licensing processes can also affect the development of the SMEs. High costs of processing licenses Is a big burden on the SMEs. Complicated legal processes and delays also increase the operational costs of these enterprises. Advantages of the Small and medium size enterprises in the British economy One of the advantages of the SMEs is that their small size nature increases their flexibility and a bility to sustain adverse economic situations. This limits the chances of their failure. Another advantage of the small and medium size enterprises is they are more labour intensive than the large sized enterprises. This significantly reduces the level of costs. In other words, the SMEs have less capital requirement compared with the large sized enterprises. Due to their labour intensiveness, these small and medium size enterprises contributes in creating employment in the economy. Role of small and medium sized enterprises In the British economy, the small and medium sized enterprises have a significant role to play. They are major contributors in job creation and innovation in the country. These enterprises therefore play a significant role in maintaining economic stability in the British economy. The small and middle sized organizations play a significant role in the community. They contribute in community development through various ways. They contribute in maintenance of sustai nable development levels in the British economy. Another advantage of the medium sized enterprises is that they create sustainable level of employment in the economy as already noted. According to Damassa (2006), the small enterprises are labour intensive and hence help in reducing the level of unemployment in the economy. On the other hand, the large sized enterprises are capital intensive and therefore do not have a significant role in reducing the level of unemployment. SMEs provide employment and opportunities for millions of people around the world which relatively high compared with the large enterprises (Hillary 2000: p. 148). Through employment creation, small sized enterprises help in maintaining economic stability. In general, SMEs significantly contribute to the competitiveness of the economy. Another important role of small and medium size enterprises is that they promote income equality in the economy. Income inequality is one of the main factors which are used in measu ring the poverty level in an economy. Poor countries are characterized by unequal income distribution. Therefore, by promoting equality in income distribution, small and medium size enterprises reduces the poverty levels in the economy. SMEs also promote innovation since they are associated with a high level of flexibility and ability to take risks. This contributes to economic growth and development through increased exports. Due to the fact that small and medium size enterprises are less mobile than the larger corporations, it leads to the creation of ties of dependence as well as familiarity to the community which cultivates good reputation and relationships among the customers and neighbours (Damassa 2006: par 4 ). Conclusion In conclusion, this discussion has clearly shown that the British government has a significant role to play in encouraging small and medium enterprises. The government has power to formulate policies which can promote the development of these enterprises. I t is, therefore, the duty of the government to come up with the most appropriate measures which will facilitate the development of necessary policies to boost small and medium size enterprises. However, there are certain policies which can promote development of some of SMEs and at the same time poses a threat to others. The British government should critically consider the resultant effects of each policy to avoid unintended results. Reference List Damassa, T., 2006. The Role of Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises. [Online] Web. Dyson, K., 1989. Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. London, Routledge. Etemad, H., 2004. International Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium Size Enterprises: Orientation, Environment and Strategy. Cheltenham U.K., Edward Elgar Publishing. Giaoutzi, M. et al. 1988. Small and Medium Size Enterprises and Regional Development. London, Routledge. Hillary, R., 2000. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Environment: Business Imperatives. Sheffield, Greenlea f. Spence, l., 2010. Ethics in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. London, Springer Susman, G., 2007. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Global Economy. Cheltenham, U.K., Edward Elgar. This essay on To What Extent Should British Government Take Positive Measures To Encourage Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises? was written and submitted by user Jaydan Morgan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Examining The Easy Jet Airline Company Operation Strategy Tourism Essays

Examining The Easy Jet Airline Company Operation Strategy Tourism Essays Examining The Easy Jet Airline Company Operation Strategy Tourism Essay Examining The Easy Jet Airline Company Operation Strategy Tourism Essay Operation Management, Plagrave Macmillan NewYork. 2: Waller, L.D. ( 2003 ) , Operation Management, Gray Publishing Kent. 3: Information available on www.easyjet.com, accessed on 10th December 2010. 4: Information available on www.datamonitor.com, accessed on 25th November 2010. 5: Information available on www.crm2day.com, accessed on 15th November 2010. 6: Afuah, A. and Tucci, C. 2002, Internet Business Models and Schemes: Text and instances, 2nd edition, McGraw Hill 7: Information available on www.businessteacher.org.com, accessed on 15th December 2010.

7 Strategies for Your Side Hustle

7 Strategies for Your Side Hustle In a perfect world, we’d all get paid handsomely to do what we’re most talented at doing, or what we’re most passionate about doing. In our world, however, we often end up choosing jobs and career paths for a more complicated set of reasons: some skills are more marketable than others; bills need to be paid; or maybe there just aren’t enough full-time job openings for someone who makes custom jewelry for hamsters. Whatever the reason, your day job might not be your ideal passion. If there’s something you’re yearning to do, or just want to make some extra money on the side, you have options for creating a fun and profitable â€Å"side hustle† for yourself.Think about what you already have going for yourself.Are you crafty? Do all of your friends come to you for proofreading or grammar advice? Have you developed monster design skills over the years, even though you’re an accountant? You may have skills or interests with earning po tential, even if you don’t realize it yet.Don’t forget that if you have a skill or interest that isn’t fully developed, you can take classes or spend some time honing them into business-ready shape. You don’t need to be ready to launch overnight.Make sure it fits.If you have a skill that might be profitable but you don’t love doing it, then you may be better off not pursuing it. Remember that you’ll likely be doing this in your spare time. If you can’t face the idea of going home after a long day at work and spending three more hours editing the huge batch of photos you were hired to take at your cousin’s friend’s bar mitzvah last weekend, then maybe you’re not ready to start a second career as a photographer.Take a look at your life overall. You’ll need to devote a lot of time to your new side gig: producing goods or performing services, selling and marketing yourself, developing your brand, and dealing wi th the logistics of getting your stuff out there. If you’re already crunched for time for basics like meals, sleep, or family time, chances are you just won’t have enough time for your fledgling business.Check out your potential market.If there are already 18,000 freelance designers in your city looking for jobs on sites like Elance.com, you might want to think twice about entering that fray. Before you start any kind of side business venture for yourself, research the heck out of it! Know what kind of online sales and marketing channels are available to you and what kind of audience you would be serving. Make sure you understand who would be buying from you and what kind of quality they expect.This research is also essential to help you figure out pricing for your business, based on what’s out there You want to make sure you’re not undercharging and costing yourself potential profits or overcharging and scaring away potential customers. See what’s working for other people in your field, and come up with a pricing game plan.Get expert advice.Reach out to other professionals in your chosen area. Ask questions about what’s worked for them and what didn’t, and try to get a sense of what the obstacles are for someone embarking on this- especially part-time. Their advice can not only show you a path forward (or at least let you know where the potholes are on the road), but also give you a sense of how you should package yourself.Don’t let lack of cash deter you from getting started.If you have a brilliant idea and a plan for implementing it but you need money to pay for materials or development, consider crowdfunding it. Sites like GoFundMe or Kickstarter can not only help you raise funds, but also build a network of potential allies and customers to help you bring your vision to the masses.Build your brand.There are so many free online tools you can use to promote your business, there’s no excuse not t o take advantage. This is especially key when you’re just starting out. If you’re not sure yet whether you want to invest your full attention and resources into your new business, start with basics like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram before you invest in creating and maintaining your own website.Develop your business sense.In addition to getting your skills and plan in order, make sure you also know about any legal or financial implications. It can’t be a surprise that Uncle Sam will expect you to pay taxes on your awesome new enterprise, so make sure you’ve done your research about how your taxes will be affected by your status as an independent vendor or contractor. If you want to develop your basic business skills, you can do your own research or take classes online through Coursera or Lynda.com.The hustle is real. As long as you’re doing something that’s fun and stimulating for you (and legal!), there’s no reason you shouldnâ₠¬â„¢t have a mini-career on the side. And who knows? It could turn into your full-time gig somewhere down the line.

Block sox scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Block sox scandal - Essay Example Consequently, the eight players were banned from professional baseball (Maas). The events that led to the conspiracy have traces that lead to the club house. The proprietor of the Chicago white sox baseball club, Charles Comiskey, is depicted as a person who had issues in the financial dealings with the players thus more dislikes from all stakeholders in the club. The owner took advantage of the MLB clause of reserve that made it clear for every player to accept any remuneration that is given any player otherwise could not play for any other major team unless the contract ends and subsequent transfer results. The owner also made a fortune since the club was one of the major clubs then and on top of the series (Peter). In addition to the underpayments made to the players, the team had two divisions that were not legal in the genuine structure of the team. One of the side later on known as the Clean Sox went to the extent that mere communication with the other partition of the team was not possible. The conspiracys exposure was by the third baseman known as George Weaver commonly known as Buck. The baseman did not comply with the plan and later on went against the persons taking part and went on to play for the team. The player also experienced punishment under the fact that he never spoke about the conspiracy. Rumors of leaking in the series were already spreading prior to the particular season. However, the propaganda was popular especially among the gamblers. After some time, the rumors spread to the press courtesy of some communicators. On the contrary, the gamblers continued to place their bets on the ongoing games regardless of the rampant anecdotes. Most importantly, most of the fans took the results that each game gave as legit and thus the rumors to them were just false propaganda. Thus, even after the game between Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, no claims had been put forward that the game was a conspiracy. In other words,

Explain the different reasons why an individual might be tempted to Essay

Explain the different reasons why an individual might be tempted to join a roscas - Essay Example The idea behind making everyone contribute is to make sure that the amount of money in the pool remains constant. Once every member has contributed a certain sum of money, then the pot which is generated out of this contribution is given to one of the members of the community as his savings for a definite period. Average membership among adults ranges between 50 and 95 percent in the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gambia, and villages of Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Nigeria. Although roscas do exist in areas where they are formal financial institutions, there is no denying that they still are the most important form of savings and credit institutions in the rural areas. It is a cycle which repeats itself after every round of distribution of money. So when one member gets the pot, he then has to wait for all the other members to get their share of the pot before his turn comes. This allows for stability and continuity for the community and has a uniform system of savings for the poor people. It is the most common form of informal financial institution in the world. ... â€Å"Rosca members are mostly poor individuals who have little access to formal savings and credit markets because of high transaction costs and incomplete markets. In the literature, roscas are usually regarded as a means for poor people to save money to make an indivisible expense.†(Anderson) Let us now go further into the essay and understand why people are taking up to roscas as a primary means to save money. There are three reasons which shall be looked at the paper, which are as follows: 1. Lack of Self Control 2. Lack of Alternate Commitment Saving Strategies 3. Women’s Role in the Family The first reason talks about the lack of self-control within the community for the rural people. The second reason talks about the lack of other alternatives in such villages which are either too expensive or out of reach for people to have their own savings, and therefore the people indulge in an informal means of savings within their established community. The third reason lo oks at the role of the woman in the family and explains that since they are running the house it is important for them to have a means to save, as their husbands have been notorious with their expenditure and therefore it is required that women save up to generate income in the family. (Roscas as a source of housing finance for the urban poor) Lack of Self Control: â€Å"in the absence of alternative commitment savings strategies, sophisticated people experiencing self-control problems turn to roscas since they would inde?nitely renegotiate with themselves if attempting to save money on their own† Gugerty (2007) One of the most primary reasons regarding the involvement of roscas for the people in the village community is the lack

Thesis for POS Systems Essay Example for Free

Thesis for POS Systems Essay ABSTRACT Several threats affect the survival of small, independent retail companies. Adoption and use of Point-of-Sale (POS) systems may offer important benefits to counter these threats. POS systems are not widely used by these retailers, however. This research investigates the determinants of the adoption of POS systems using a conceptual model based on existing adoption theories. Based on this, a survey has been held among 37 Dutch small, independent retailers, to answer the question what the most important determinants for POS system adoption are. This study furthers theory on IT adoption, specifically for small organizations. The practical relevance is that its findings may help in improving POS system adoption. . INTRODUCTION The Dutch retail sector consists for 94% of small retail organizations (≠¤10 employees), altogether employing around 250,000 persons. The retail sector is noticeably present in the trade-driven Dutch economy and acts as an intermediary between industry and consumer. The sector is an important and relevant subject of study from an economical, social and cultural perspective. In this paper we focus on in-store retailing. The environment of this type of retail trade is under pressure. Several interacting threats, like globalization, demanding consumers, increasing administrative burden and an economic recession force the retailers into action. Information and communication technology (ICT) is a double-edged sword in this context (cf. Turban, King, Viehland and Lee, 2004). On the one hand, it can be a threat to smaller retailers for its disintermediation effects and competition through e-tailing (cf. Chircu and Kauffman, 1999), and by its supply chain management effectuation of the larger(franchise) organizations (cf. David, 2008). On the other hand, ICT likewise provides opportunities to smaller retailers, like opening up new sales channels, reducing administrative tasks and/or enabling strategic management of their enterprise (Turban et al., 2004). A specific type of retail ICT that can be employed to achieve effective store management is a ‘Point-of-Sale’ (POS) system. POS systems are defined in many different ways. On Wikipedia, a retail POS system is defined as â€Å"a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner†. Webopedia.com defines a POS system as â€Å"the capturing of data and customer payment information at a physical location when goods or services are bought and sold†. YourDictionary.com defines it as: â€Å"A comprehensive computerized checkout system that includes a bar-code scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, credit and debit card scanner, monitor, and inventory management software. A point-of-sale system tracks sales and identifies inventory levels in real time†. There are many different types and brands of POS systems available. eBay.com and BuyerZone.com provide a web-based ‘Point of Sale System Buying Guide’, containing over 4,000 different POS equipments for retailers, and 91 different types of POS software. The POS system market in The Netherlands contains no less than 150 vendors, each offering their own ‘unique’ software package. POS systems enable retailers to consult more detailed management information compared to traditional cash registers and Electronic Cash Registers (ECRs). As this management information is based on sales figures, retailers can improve their business by maintaining a better product strategy and pursuing a more efficient replenishment process matching customer demand, alleviating what is often referred to as the ‘bullwhip effect’ (Lee, Padmanabhan and Whang, 1997). This enables inventory optimization, minimizing storage space and ‘sold-out’ situations. Moreover, cash slips can be stored electronically and the results can be brought up in the POS system immediately, both reducing time spent on administrative tasks. This is specifically relevant for The Netherlands, where the administrative burden for SMEs has increased through regulations LITERATURE REVIEW: ADOPTION MODELS In this section we review eight different studies on the adoption of information systems, which were found through literature study. The meta literature search focused on theories and models concerning IS/IT adoption, more specifically of small businesses, retail and/or POS systems. Below, as a result, we first describe two generic adoption models with regard to IS/IT adoption. Next, we discuss six models that address adoption within the retail or small business domain. Generic models The first generic adoption model we refer to here is that of Rogers (2003). His Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory describes the adoption of innovations over time. He ascribes the dynamics of adoption behaviour in terms of different groups of people, like innovators and laggards. His theory also indicates how an individual or organisation (i.e. any decision-making unit) decides to adopt (or not) an innovation. This adoption process consists of five different stages: knowledge acquisition, persuasion, adoption, implementation and confirmation. Rogers specifies three groups of determinants that influence this process: characteristics of the decision-making unit, characteristics of the innovation and information channels. Based on DOI theory, factors concerning the decision-making unit that positively influence adoption are e.g. high social status, low age and financial flexibility. According to DOI, important characteristics of an innovation include: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability (the degree to which it can be experimented with), and observability (the visibility of its results). Information channels (personal and mass communication channels) are required to spread knowledge of an innovation. The second generic adoption model is based on Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis (2003), who reviewed technology acceptance models, among which the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1986) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1985). They used elements of each model for a new unified model, called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. Contrary to Rogers’ model, UTAUT concentrates on the adoption behaviour of individuals. In this model, four constructs are defined as determinants of a user’s acceptance and behaviour. Performance expectancy relates to the degree to which the technology is expected to improve job performance. Effort expectancy concerns the ease of use associated with the technology. Social influence is defined as â€Å"[t]he degree to which an individual perceives that important others believe he or she should use the new system† (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Finally, the construct facilitating conditions deals with the degree to which a support infrastructure for the technology is believed to exist. In addition, these four constructs are modelled to be influenced by four so-called moderators, i.e. gender, age, experience and voluntariness. Retail and SME-specific models We will discuss six main studies and their adoption models below. First, the study by Julien and Raymond (1994) can be mentioned. Their technology adoption model for the retail sector proposes eight organizational aspects as determinants of technology adoption: centralization, complexity, size, status (i.e. independent/affiliated), sector, and assertiveness, rationality, and interaction of the organizational strategy. These determinants were identified in earlier research on technology adoption in small organizations. Technology adoption in this case concerned the use of hardware (business computing, POS systems and telecomputing) and software. In the study 79 firms in food, hardware and clothing were assessed through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Clothing firms and large firms were less apt to use POS systems, while firms that had a longer organizational planning horizon used POS systems more often. Secondly, Chau (1995) researched which factors are important for small businesses in software selection. His research focused on packaged software, as small organizations usually do not buy custom developed software, due to their limited resources. Chau argues that owners/managers of small organizations are less focused on budgeting techniques like ‘net present value’ or ‘internal rate of return’ to make decisions on software investments. Instead, they focus more on criteria aimed at the functionalities and popularity of the software. Also, opinions of vendors, employees, consultants or acquaintances are believed to influence decision making. Based on empirical research among 122 small businesses, he found that the importance of selection criteria varied between owners and managers. In general, owners seem to focus more on technical aspects, while managers focus more on non-technical aspects. Third, Thong and Yap (1995) developed a model based on the notion that the adoption process of small businesses differs from that of large firms. CEOs play a major role in small firms as they are the primary decisions makers. In their research, the authors developed a causal model, which assumes that the following factors are positively correlated with the likeliness of IT adoption for small firms: business size, competitiveness of the business environment, information intensity, innovativeness, and attitude towards adoption of IT and IT knowledge. SYNTHESIS: CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND HYPOTHESES In the previous section, a total of eight models for adoption have been discussed. Most models view the (retail) organization and/or its owner as the decision-making unit. In small organizations, the owner-manager/CEO almost by definition determines IT investments and the IT strategy. Thong and Yap (1995), Ekanem (2005) and Chau (1995) all point out this phenomenon. Therefore, we consider personal variables of the owner (like age and gender) as key determinants of POS adoption by retailers. In addition, organizational characteristics (like size and competition) can be considered as additional, contextual determinants of the IT adoption decision.