Cultural Diversity and China Essay

Cultural diversity is a substantial part of the business assembly in the world today. The ability to interact with people from the western world to the eastern world has been made easily accessible through the use of technology. The means by which we communicate has made the transferring of information faster and less personal. However still to this day the most direct, effective and personal way to communicate with others is face-to-face communication (Varner, 2008). This process allows for the interaction of differing cultures; to process information, understand each other to collaborate on business opportunities. The mergence of cultures in business is a process, which needs to be thoughtfully entered upon. If an assumption were made that all people communicate by nature through processing information in the same way, there would be no effective communication, as this is not the case. People process communication on different levels and because of this we need to be made more culturally aware in how we interact. An action may be perceived very differently when presented to two people of differing cultures. To maximize business relations between cultures it is in the best interests to better understand the historic diversity of a culture. The history of a culture plays an integral roll in the traditions, actions and thought patterns of many people. When you understand the history of a culture, you can better understand the reasoning behind business practices and processes they use. Preparation is a key component to any success; cultural awareness can also be successfully accomplished with preparation. Chinese business etiquette is a high context environment and as far as appearance, behavior and how they communicate is very different then those of a low context culture. In China your professional appearance is very important. For the purposes of business, men usually wear very casual suits with neutral colors. The women in China usually do not show of much of their body, short skirts, high-heeled shoes and dresses should not be worn in the business setting. The Chinese will usually be offended if a woman shows off too much of her body. Jeans are not acceptable to business meetings either but they may be worn in casual settings. The Chinese behavior between business relations is very different from low context cultures. The Chinese people keep business relationships separate from friendships. When you are introduced to s Chinese businessperson it is important to avoid a lot of hand movements, this is believed to offend people and can found as obnoxious and disturbing. Eye contact or starring into person’s eyes is also not accepted and viewed as an impolite act when conversing. The most accepted way of greeting or making contact with a Chinese person is to make sure they give their hand first and shake hands firmly but not shaking too much. Bowing is also widely accepted to introduce oneself or shaking your head up and down is a regular greeting custom. Chinese people do not express themselves with hand movements in conversation, and they do not point, or talk with their hands. This behavior can observed as aggressive and not a socially acceptable behavior (Ricks, 2000). When meeting a Chinese businessperson it is important to keep introductions formal. The use of formal titles is the proper method of addressing someone. The Chinese believe in ranking and seniority and addressing someone informally without their professional title is seen as disrespectful. When address a person using his or her family name only, such as Mr. Chen or Ms. Hsu. The Chinese family name comes first and is usually one syllable. A one or a two-syllable given name follows a family name (Alder, 2001). For business purposes, it is traditionally acceptable to call a Chinese person by the surname, together with a title, such as â€Å"Director Wang† or â€Å"Chairman Li.† Avoid using someone’s given name unless you have known him or her for a long period of time. Formality is a sign of respect, and it is advisable to clarify how you will address someone very early in a relationship, generally during your first meeting. ( In China, it is assumed that the first person that enters the room is the head of the group. Westerners should observe this convention so as not to confuse the Chinese. Important guests are usually escorted to their seats. If the meeting room has a large central table, the principal guest is likely to be seated directly opposite the principal host. Time is also a very important aspect of business in China. Being on time is important and arriving late to a business meeting in China is a sign of disrespect. Therefore arranging appointments while conducting business to show the Chinese people you are professional and are respectful. Once the meeting is over it is proper form to allow the Chinese to leave the meeting first as this is a sign of respect for the other person. When exchanging business cards, hold out your card using both hands with the writing facing the recipient. Cards should always be exchanged individually (one-on-one). The action of tossing or dealing your business card across the table is considered extremely rude. To prevent an awkward situation it is recommended receive a business card with both hands and scan it immediately for vital information. It is demeaning to put someone’s card directly into your pocket without looking at it first. (Alder, 2001). A person should never write on a business card or directly put it in your wallet or pocket. It is an essential item in China custom to carry a small business card case to maintain business contacts. These differences mentioned can be observed as regular business practices in China. It is recommended that following proper form of etiquette in business to be successful when interacting with people from diverse cultures. One of the most important aspects of becoming culturally aware is to remember the history behind why a culture operates in particular manner. The high context culture of China is an extremely proud group of people. They place a high value on honor, morals, seniority and respect. The foundation of the operations of business is stemmed from these historic values. Having a foundation of historic education of a culture will help in the transition from one culture to the next. It is known that a large percentage of communication is transferred through the passing of verbal and non-verbal factors, the interpretation of these cues can play a factor in how varying cultures process these cues. (Varner, 2008). To adapt seamlessly to a culture would be best completed by gaining a sense of cultural awareness of others beliefs and customs. Preparation, knowledge and understanding of others practices will bring forth a better chance of being respected in China. The importance of cultural intelligence plays an integral roll of the success of doing business in China. Being aware of the forms and cultural differences through being open to difference will allow for successful communication between opposite cultures. References Alder, Nancy J. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. Fourth Edition, South-Western College Publishing 2001. Ricks, David A. Blunders in International Business, Blackwell Publishers; 3rd edition, January 2000.

Global and Indian Fashion Houses

Global Fashion Giants: Gucci and Louis Vuitton In order to understand the key success factors required for any fashion powerhouse to succeed in the global scenario, we decided to look at two of the world’s largest fashion conglomerates – Gucci and Louis Vuitton. We looked at the evolution of these companies and also at the different strategies these companies have employed over time to achieve the position in the world fashion market they have today. This analysis helped us in figuring out the feasibility of a similar fashion powerhouse emerging from a country like India. The complete listing of our findings from these 2 companies from the cases we analyzed is given in Exhibit 1. Shanghai Tang – the Chinese lifestyle brand After looking at the cases of the 2 global giants, we figured that the context and market in which these companies have operated are completely different from what the same would be for a company emerging from India. In order to understand the aspects of establishing a fashion powerhouse in an Indian context, we took a look at Shanghai Tang, the leading Chinese lifestyle brand. Similar to India, the Chinese market also has a niche segment in the global fashion market, and hence the learning from this company helped us better understand the issues, challenges, key success factors, etc. , for a fashion powerhouse emerging from India. Our findings from analysis of the Shanghai Tang company are given in Exhibit 2. Names in Indian Fashion Although the Indian fashion industry is projected to grow at a high rate of close to 10%, the industry is still largely fragmented with no major fashion powerhouse that provides holistic fashion solutions to its customers. There is still no single fashion house to compete with companies like Gucci or Louis Vuitton. Though there are a lot of individual designers with famous international icons in their list of clientele, none of them seem to have the potential to emerge as a global fashion powerhouse in the near future. An important noticeable trend in Indian fashion houses so far is that most of them are limited to clothes, whereas in order to emerge as a global fashion powerhouse, one needs to have a wide range of fashion goods and brands in their portfolio. In this sense, only JJ Valaya’s â€Å"House of Valaya† omes close to being called an Indian fashion powerhouse, with four brands in their portfolio offering haute couture, footwear, cuisine, furniture, tapestries, stunning fabrics and home furnishings. Some of the leading names in fashion in India today are JJ Valaya, Ritu Kumar, Ritu Beri, Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra, Manish Arora, Rina Dhaka, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani and Sandeep Kh osla and Wendell Rodricks. A brief account of these names and list of notable clientele is given in Exhibit 3. ? Exhibit 1: Global Fashion Giants: Gucci and Louis Vuitton Case Study: Rise of Gucci Gucci or House of Gucci has a rich history. Founded way back in 1923 as a family run leather saddler shop, this company’s reputation soared high right from the start because of its high quality products. After 15 years, they established their first retail outlet in Rome outside Florence. From the modest beginnings of a small family owned shop, Gucci has come a long way to become a leading name in fashion today, with over 400 stores around the world in different countries. There are also several high-end department stores that house Gucci in their shelves today. Portfolio: Premium leather products such as wallets, bags, car upholstery, clothing and also other fashion items like jewelry, watches, eyewear, ties, perfume, etc. Winning strategy: In the early 1990s, Tom Ford, the CEO of Gucci then put a strategy in place that completely turned the company around and propelled it to the global market, making it the notable fashion label it is today. Elements of the employed strategy are briefly mentioned below: Pricing: Positioning themselves in the right segment ?Lowered prices of all items at an average rate of 30%, bringing their products closer to Prada and Louis Vuitton ? Lowering prices changed Gucci’s image as a more customer oriented company Brand makeover: Coming up with the â€Å"right† product mix ?Shifted focus of products from classic to fashion, thereby changing customer’s perception towards a more glamorous edge ? Completely got rid of low-end products and maintained standard portfolio across the globe Marketing: Changing the theme of advertising ?Greatly increased expenditure on advertising and also changed focus from product to brand ? Associated product with several international personalities, thereby gaining attention from the press Distribution: full-fledged integration ?Forward Integration: Greater control of the distribution process oRemoved distribution channel and setup Directly Operating Stores (DOS) in prime areas oTook over all franchisees in North America ?Backward Integration: Greater control over sourcing oTook over Di Modolo design studio and production facilities ? Acquisitions: More products/brands oBranching out to a multi brand group oAcquired Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, YSL Beaute and Boucheron Star Designer Strategy: ?Tom Ford made an iconic symbol for Gucci Case Study: Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton is one of the oldest French fashion houses. Established in 1854 by Louis Vuitton as a company making flat-bottom trunks with trianon canvas, LV has come a long way to build the iconic brand of Louis Vuitton that holds a huge share in the world fashion market today. Portfolio: Luggage bags, purses, wallets, jewelry, watches, footwear Winning Strategy: The Louis Vuitton strategy has more or less remained the same over the ages, with even their portfolio remaining quite similar since the days of its inception. Let us now look at the different elements of LV’s strategy that ave helped it become the global fashion powerhouse and international influencer of fashion that it is today. Pricing: Communicating high value through high price ?Pricing products very high ?Never offering any price cuts or discount sales Brand makeover: 29th most valuable brand in the world ?Showcasing at famous exhibitions ?Marketing campaigns with celebrities Product: Quality, Quality and Quali ty! ?Remarkable focus on even the smallest of details ?High focus on IPR ?No attempts at production of cheap goods ?Use of latest, state-of-the-art technology Service: ?Lets customers customize their orders ?Delivers to the doorstep Marketing: ?Publicity through word-of-mouth and PR through mass media, never uses television ? Associates brand with famous personalities ?Throws flamboyant parties to attract media attention Distribution: Limited Distribution ?Distribution channels entirely company owned, with products sold only in company owned boutiques or reputed department stores ? Maintains brand image and value through company owned channel ? Company places boutiques in prime locations, also helping in publicity Star Designer Strategy: Marc Jacobs – Face of Louis Vuitton ? Updated and refreshed the company’s image as a luggage maker to one of the most fashionable ready-to-wear and accessories. ?Recreated a brand targeted to younger customers with trendy and fashion-forward look. Exhibit 2: Learning from Shanghai Tang Background: Shanghai Tang is a leading Chinese lifestyle brand. The company was established by David Tang whose main objective was to revive the Chinese traditional fashion and introduce it to the national market, and later go on to become global. Shanghai Tang had a great advantage in the form of backing by a leading Swiss luxury fashion conglomerate – Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA. Since this conglomerate had several famous luxury fashion brands in its portfolio, it helped Shanghai Tang a lot in terms of best practices sharing. Problems faced: ?Went straight into the American/European market without gaining a foothold in the Chinese market, which saw their brand facing huge failure abroad ? Did not fare well in foreign community as brand was mostly traditional Chinese merchandize ? No proper standing in European and American markets High price not justified in the Chinese market due to lack of standing in foreign markets New Strategy: Conquer your home before going out ?Main strategy – Capture local market before going global ? Main goal – be the ambassador of the modern Chinese styles ? Main motive – Reintroduce traditional Chinese aesthetics to the new consumer audience Relevance to Indian f ashion scenario: ?Presence of a niche market for Indian fashion in global markets, similar to Chinese fashion ? Similar, much localized flavor which must be paid attention to while designing an international fashion brand Exhibit 3: An account of the Indian fashion houses JJ Valaya Often referred to as the ‘Monarch of Indian Fashion', Valaya’s house of fashion is possible the only Indian fashion house that comes close to being called a fashion powerhouse. His collection of hand embroideries and exquisite bridal trousseau are a rage in the fashion world globally. His label that was established almost three decades earlier still has strong grip of the market and excels in wedding attires and evening wears, for both men and women. Career and success: JJ Valaya was the first designer to host a solo fashion show in India. He was also the first Indian designer to showcase his collection along with prominent International Designer Todd Oldham. Hand in hand with brother, TJ Singh's entrepreneurial abilities, he launched his brand â€Å"JJ Valaya† in 1991. His brand consisted of Couture line of attire, which gained great accolades from the fashion fraternity. This was followed by â€Å"Valaya Home† in 1996 and a pret label â€Å"Studio Valaya† in 1999. In September 2006, House of Valaya entered into a licensing agreement with Genesis Color Private Ltd to design and manufacture its diffusion label â€Å"Valaya Quantum†. Valaya's novelty and his brother's entrepreneurial capabilities have made the House of Valaya a pioneer in the Indian fashion Industry. He is a founder member on the Board of Governors of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the Official Brand Ambassador for Swarovski, India. Brand and Clientele: House of Valaya is one of India's most respected fashion houses. It not only caters to fashion lovers, but also provides a whole lot of luxury products, such as furniture, tapestries, stunning fabrics and home furnishings, haute couture and footwear, apart from cuisine. JJ Valaya has several successful solo fashion shows in his kitty, including the ones in New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Johannesburg as well as in most major Indian cities. He also made an entry into Bollywood, with the film Yaadein. Ritu Kumar An icon of the Indian Fashion industry and a frontrunner in establishing a position for India in the global forum, Ritu Kumar's contribution has been impeccable to the fashion fraternity, both nationally and internationally. With almost five decades of work for display, the designer excels in both traditional and western outfits, though ethnic attires are her specialty. She was the first women to bring the boutique culture to India, under the name â€Å"Ritu†. Career and success: Starting at a smaller scale, Ritu Kumar has diversified her works of art globally. Though she excels in contemporary and classic style, she has also evolved indo-western fusion to attract the gamut of European buyers. Some of her global achievements include the wardrobes for Miss India, for participation in the International beauty pageants like Miss Universe, Miss World & Miss Asia Pacific, respectively. Brand and Clientele: The brand â€Å"Ritu† has acquired great accolades internationally. The designer has not only restrained her work to the fashion industry, but has also dived into the other sectors that offer luxury to the people. The brand also launched a fragrance by the name â€Å"the tree of life†. In April 2002, Ritu Kumar launched her new sub brand, ‘LABEL'. She has twelve outlets in India, which offer a range of products from the conventional to the contemporary. Ritu Beri Ritu Beri is one of the top Indian fashion designers who have been continuously serving Indian fashion industry with her feminine and funky designer apparels. Career and success: Fashion designer Ritu Beri has made a consistent progress in her life. She started off by designing clothes for friends and relatives. Later on in 1990 she made her first move towards establishing her own fashion studio ‘Lavanya' from where she designed her maiden collection, a couple of which were instantly sold. Influenced by India's rich cultural heritage she has come up with the most splendid designs. She has also been given the challenge of designing for Indian counterpart in the curtain Raiser ceremony of Olympics at Atlanta. Apart from being a fabulous and top fashion designer she is a very good human being. She has got the heart of gold. She is highly compassionate for animals for which she has also started a project called ‘Caring means sharing'. The funds raised through this collection would go for animal care. This collection would exhibit a wide array of products. This charming woman has the fire to make a difference in the fashion world. Brand and Clientele: She started participating in International Fashion shows under the brand name of Ritu Beri since 1998. Her notable international clients are former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman, Hollywood actress Andy McDowell, Supermodel Laetitia Casta, famous Parisian Socialite Mrs. Lagerdere, Langes Swarovski & The Swarovski family, Elizabeth Jagger and Jerry Hall. Her notable Indian clients are Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta, Parmeshwar Godrej & Shobha De. Manish Malhotra Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, a passionate fashion savvy has made his special position in the Indian film Industry. He has beautified the Indian film star celebrities with his impeccable designer outfits. Indian designer Manish Malhotra entered into the Bollywood parlance by designing wardrobe for Juhi Chawla. In the list of top young celebrity fashion designers, he is the most shining star who has been successful in earning both name and fame. Career and success: Manish Malhotra is truly a master of fashion and has achieved a tremendous appreciation. His work has been honored with various awards like Filmfare Award, Showtime Opinion Poll Award, Siemens’ Viewer's Choice Award, Bollywood Award and the Lux-Zee Cine Award. He is continuously delivering quality work for fashion boutique ‘Reverie' with which he is associated since 1998. This budding star of yesterday has truly become the pride of Bollywood. Brand and Clientele: Manish has designed costumes for almost all top actresses from sensuous Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Shilpa Shetty, and Manisha Koirala to elegant and graceful Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta. Manish has made an incredible contribution to various Blockbuster light comedy films like Rangeela to romantic movies like Dil To Pagal Hai, Kaho Na Pyar Hai and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The highlights of Manish's career also include designs for Michael Jackson and British super model Naomi Campbell. The high-profile couture store ‘Reverie – Manish Malhotra' launched by him in 1998 was set up in association with industrialists Yash and Avati Birla which further received a tremendous response and the cream of Mumbai high society and rich non-resident Indians become his clients. Tarun Tahiliani Tarun Tahiliani is a Bollywood celebrity costume designer who is extremely inspired by ethnic styles. Tarun Tahiliani started off as a fashion retailer by establishing his own fashion boutique in Mumbai and later went on to start his own brand label called ‘Ahilian'. Career and success: Tarun Tahiliani is a Bollywood celebrity costume designer who has always been in the limelight. Extremely inspired by ethnic styles, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani is of the opinion that Sari is the most elegant dress that has a great dazzling effect. He thinks it is the most apt apparel for sensuous look and brings out the beauty of India women in the most attractive manner. He experiments with colors and fabrics and comes up with his own unique classy designs. According to him Sari has the capability of arousing sensation. He is simply fascinated by Chikan embroidery of Lucknow and is often incorporated in his designs. He also makes use of beads and semi precious stones to embellish the ensemble. He strongly believes that fashion is all about your comfort level with a particular attire. Brand and Clientele: He has designed apparels for the Indian celebrities like Simi Garewal, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Minisha Lamba, and Shilpa Shetty. The highlights of his designs are: block printing, bandhini styles, beautiful color combination and rich silhouettes. His bridal collection for both men and women is highly sought after by the rich Indian and the NRI clients. He also designs bags and also does event and interior designing for marriages Rohit Bal Style is the mantra for Rohit Bal, the fashion designer from the enduring valley of Kashmir. The â€Å"Bad Boy† of the fashion world, as Rohit Bal is popularly called, is known for his sophisticated cuts and breathing fabrics. He weaves in the best for both men and women. His creations are a reflection of his own personality- not restrained by any norms. Rohit Bal's creative mind gives a true bent of spirit in his work as well. Being christened by the Times magazine as the â€Å"Master of Fabric and Fantasy†, he purely live up to the expectations of being among the bandwagon of the Indian fashion industry leaders. Subtle in his choice of colors, Rohit prefers to use pastels and earthy tones to dress up his men and women. However, there is no one-signature style that the designer sticks to. Career and success: It was Rohit Bal's first collection which brought success to this talented designer and since then, there has been no looking back. He has made a name globally. Rohit Bal has designed outfits using almost all fabrics. Even Khadi (Indian handloom textile) has been used by the immensely talented designer, to create exclusivity for the raw product and a demand in the market. Rohit has held shows in New York, London, Dubai, Singapore and Paris, including Paris Fashion Week. Rohit Bal was also chosen by the Khadi Gram Udyog, the largest handloom textile operation in India, to work with them. Rohit bagged the ‘Designer of the Year' award at the Indian Fashion Awards in 2006. He was also made ‘Designer of the Year' at the Kingfisher Fashion Achievement Awards in 2001. His line of designer clothes has been sold at even 15000 USD. His style is innovative and inventive and he does not shy away from having popular legends, history, fantasy or folklore on the outfits. Brand and Clientele: The brand â€Å"Rohit Bal† created by the designer has been doing wonders in the fashion scenario. He has opened up a flagship store in Delhi and positioning stores at other places like Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai as well. He also plans to open up stores in Middle East and Europe. After making a name for himself in the fashion fraternity, Rohit has also ventured into the designing jewellery for Kirtilals. He also plans to design and launch men's fashion accessories like cufflinks. The clientele list of this ace designer is a long one, some being celebrities like Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell and Anna Kournikova. Most of his fashion shows in India, New York, Paris and Singapore are sponsored by The Swatch Group and he is also the brand ambassador for their Omega Watches, since 2001. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla Contemporary styles and the revival of bygone works of art molded neatly into modern fashion brocade! This is what Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are all about. The duo has made it to the fashion circuit with their sheer talent and inventive potentials of a designer. â€Å"The boys†, as the duo are famously known, have made ethnic apparels with a fresh flavor of trends that comes on year after year. To bring in a resurgence of traditional works of art, the duo has traveled to the remotest area, grasped the art and beautifully executed it in their finest of collections. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are among the few people who have made it big globally. The duo was the first to bring out its collection at Harrods. Career and success: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla started with a humble beginning and launched their creative line ‘Mata Hari'. Soon, the magic of traditional and modern art captivated the interest of all and they launched themselves into the international forum. Their launch into the global forum was with a range of shawls, under the brand name of ‘Shakira Caine' mark at Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus and Harrods in London, along with Bergdof Goodman in New York and Knightsbridge in UK. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's designer label â€Å"Jashan†, launched in 1989, was previewed at the ‘Save the Children' Charity fundraising ball in London. In December 2003, they won the national award for designing some of the fabulous attires for the movie Devdas, which they had designed for Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan and Jackie Shroff. Brand and Clientele: Their clientele list includes the who's who of the film fraternity, of both Bollywood and Hollywood. Besides British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife, the designer duo also has dressed celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Darcey Bussell, and Sophie Marceau, as its international clients. Apart from creating apparels, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have also ventured into the platform of interior designing, making a mark in this aspect as well. They have designed homes of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Nikhil and Shewta Nanda. The duo has its retail flagship stores at Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. The beautiful and stunning designs of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla bring in a feel of traditionalism, within the realms of modernity. Wendell Roderick Wendell Roderick is among the few designers who are obsessed with Indian fashion with his art designs drawing inspiration from ancient India. One can be sure that his clothes would have no heavy embroideries and no stiff clothes. They would be easy to carry, yet give that elegant look that one aspires to have. Wendell Roderick's clothes could be worn at society at large. His aim, to create a place for Goa in the world map of fashion, has been triumphant only because of his sheer hard work and successful fashion shows. Career and success: It was in 1990 that the designer launched his own label ‘Wendell Roderick'. Three years later after launching his own label, Wendell Roderick shifted base to Goa, creating splendid collections every time, mostly inspired by Tibetan Monasteries, Tribal symbols of Shiva and Vishnu, the Harem at Istanbul, Tattoos of the Lambadi tribe and Clothing the Soul. Wendell Roderick was the first Indian who had got an opportunity to display his collection at the world's largest garment fair at IGEDO, Dusseldorf. Apart from designing, he is also concerned with other sectors of the industry, like addressing on World Costume History, lettering for the country's leading women's magazine, Chairman of the courses committee at the Board of Technical Education, appointed by the Government of Goa, and member Advisory Board of Fashion Institutes and Lakme Fashion Week. He is also a Patron of the Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust, Goa that promotes handspun Khadi. Wendell retails at country's best stores, including the celebrated Wendell Rodricks Design Space in Panjim. Brand and Clientele: Wendell Roderick has done a lot of work state of Goa. He has designed uniforms for the Goa State Traffic Police, the Four Seasons, the Goa Marriott Resort, the Vasco Sports Club football team and the staff of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation. Internationally, he was involved with designing advertisements for Wellspun, Delsey, SWATCH Bijoux, Breguet and Raymond Weil. He has earned a lot of recognition in the fashion circuit and has amused people with the simplicity projected in his designs. ELLE's Nirja Shah, models like Achla Sachdev and Nina Manuel keep raving at his designs. The designer has also worked with renowned Kathak dancer Daksha Sheth. Right now, he plans to launch a book on Goa's clothing tradition. Rina Dhaka he ‘Goddess of Oomph' of Indian fashion, designer Rina Dhaka styles clothes with a lot of fun. Being in the industry for quite some time, Rina feels that globalization has opened up avenues for young and dynamic women and with it, the options of women designers as well. To be in sync with demand for comfortable, yet stylish outfits for offices, designers are trying out all possibilities of being creative. Rina Dhaka emphasizes silhouette and is willing to take risks. In one collection, she mixed fur and boots with her Indian outfits, to create a unique look. Every time, Dhaka tries to give four to five looks to in her collection. Career and success: It was very early in her career when Rina got accolades for one of her design for the Miss India event from Rohit Khosla, the only ingenious designer of that time. The encouragement acted as a booster for Rina, who was all the more excited to bring out the best in her. Her first show in Singapore â€Å"The Best of Indian Haute Couture† met with a thumping success. Rina has also won a Yuva Rattan award in career, which is spread over almost three decades now. She is best known for her theme collections – sheer trousers, crochet, stretch jersey, woolens and spider web motifs. Western wear still remains an area of dominance, though she also designs ethnic and conventional attires. She prides on the fact that her pieces can be worn as separates. Attaining a lot of success nationally, Dhaka has also achieved accredits internationally. Her works were featured in magazines, such as Vogue and Elle. Brand and Clientele: Rina Dhaka has her collections, under the label ‘Rina Dhaka', in stores like Carma-Delhi, Design Studio-Mumbai, Kimaya-Mumbai, Selfridges-London, Coin-Italy and Lord and Taylor-New York. She has also opened a studio in Hauz Khaz village for Lycra in Delhi. The clientele list of this bold designer includes eminent personalities such as Naomi Campbell, Uma Thruman, Susan Fales Hill, Molly Simns, Tara Palmen Tomkison, Lara Dutta, and Diana Hayden. Her work has been featured in publications such as Marie Claire Paris, Madame Figaro Paris, Vogue London, New York Post, Vanity Fair, etc. Manish Arora Manish Arora is an Indian fashion designer based in New Delhi. In early 2011, he was appointed as creative director of the womenswear collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne. Born and brought up in Bombay (now Mumbai), Manish was studying to graduate in Commerce, when he decided to change his career path and applied for the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi. He graduated in 1994 after winning the Best Student Award. Career and success: In 1997 Manish Arora launched his own label â€Å"Manish Arora† and started retailing in India. Three years later, Manish participated in the first-ever India Fashion Week held in New Delhi and represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week. Arora launched his second label, â€Å"Fish Fry†, in 2001. This colorful, sportswear-styled line was created in association with the athletic apparel manufacturer Reebok. During 2002 Manish opened his first flagship store, Manish Arora Fish Fry, in New Delhi and in the following year opened a second store in Mumbai. Another successful showing at India Fashion Week (2003) led to a stocking deal with the fashion house Maria Luisa (Paris) and the beginning of a successful export business. He had a successful debut at the London Fashion Week in September 2005 and received an overwhelming response from the press as well as the buyers. Manish opened his first Manish Arora franchise store in Villa Moda, Kuwait and another Manish Arora Fish Fry store at Crescent, New Delhi in 2006. In 2007 the first Fish Fry for Reebok concept store opened at the Garden of Five Senses, New Delhi, and Arora teamed up with make-up and cosmetics giant MAC for designing a signature collection. He has also collaborated with Swatch for a limited edition of watches. In 2008, once again, Reebok launched the ‘RBK Fish Fry Collection 2008', an exclusive lifestyle range designed by Manish Arora. Indian by Manish Arora†, a brand designed for the growing Indian market for women's wear, is licensed to another fashion company. Manish was invited to show his collection at the â€Å"Fashion in Motion† exhibition held at Victoria and Albert Museum, London in September 2007. By 2009 Manish owned four stores in India and sold his collections to more than 80 retailers worldwide. Brand and Clientele: The three famous brands of Manish Ar ora are – Manish Arora, Fish Fry and Paco Rabanne. In terms of clientele, Manish Arora is mostly associated with pop divas like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lady Gaga and other international A list celeb clients

Basic Unix Commands (1) Essays - System Administration, Passwd

Basic Unix Commands (1) Essays - System Administration, Passwd Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science CSCI 211 UNIX Lab Basic Unix Commands (1) Dr. Jiang Li Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Todays Focus System login Directories and files Basic commands (directory and file related) id, passwd ls, chmod man cd, pwd Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Logging in Connecting to a remote machine: Well connect to the Linux Server via SSH (available in putty) The servers address is 138.238.148.14 After connection, you are presented with a login prompt Input your username and password to login After logging in, youre placed in your home directory(where your personal files are located) Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Putty Connection Interface Input the servers address in Host Name text box Choose SSH as the connection type Use the default port number 22 Click Open button to connect to the server Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science The Command Prompt After you login, you will see the command promptat beginning of each line You can type your commands after the command prompt A command consists of a command name and some option(s) called flag(s) In Unix and Linux, everything (including commands) is case-sensitive. Command promptCommand(optional) flags(optional) arguments Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science idCommand Users and Groups Linux is a multi-user/group system Each user belongs to one or more groups Each group contains one or more users id Get the information of the login account Users id, username, group id and groups names that the user belongs to Example [prompt] $ id uid=51931(hguo) gid=14082(cgroup761) groups=14082(cchome761),16207(admin_nonprod),16210(admin_ prod) Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Setting a Password passwdcommand You can use passwdto change/setting a password for your account You need to input your old password for authentication, then input your new password two times Example [prompt] $ passwd Changing password for hguo. Enter login(LDAP) password: New password: Re-enter new password: Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Directories In Unix, files are grouped together in places called directories, which are analogous to foldersin Windows Directory paths are separated by a forward slash: / Example: /home/scs/howard The hierarchical structure of directories (the directory tree) begins at a special directory called the root, or / Absolute paths start at / Example: /home/robh/classes/sycs211 Relative paths start in the current directory Example: classes/sycs211(if youre currently in /home/robh) Your home directory ~ is where your personal files are located, and where you start when you log in. Example: /home/yourusername Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Directories (contd) Following symbolshave special meanings you need to know ~: Your home directory ..: The parent directory .: The current directory Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Files File is a logical unit used to store users and/or system data Ultimately, Linux is a collection of files stored on the hard disk Filename Unix filenames are much like the filenames on other OS. But unlike Windows, Unix file types (e.g. executable files, data files, text files) are not determined by file extension (e.g. foo.exe, foo.dat, foo.txt) Many file-manipulation commands use only 2 letters e.g., ls, cd, cp, mv, rm, nl, etc. Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science List the Content lscommand One of the most frequently used command LiSts the contents (and their attributes) in a specified directory (or the current directory if no arguments are specified) Syntax: ls [args> ] Example: ls backups/ List the contents in backups directory Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science The lsCommand with -l ls l This command gives more information about the files present in the current directory. Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Notes on access permissions Example: (a) drwxrwxr (b) -rwxr-x- First character: directory (d) or file (-). Then, 3 groups of 3 letters (total 9 letters) Owners permission, Group members, Others Within each group Readable (r) / Writable (w) / Executable (x) No permission is represented by a dash (-) Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Notes on access permissions Example -rwxrwxrwx Everybody can read, write and execute the file Lowest security, highest accessibility -rw- Only the owner can read and write the file Highest security, lowest accessibility Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science chmod-Modify Permissions Syntax: chmod [OPTION] mode FILE/DIR Examples: chmod u+rwx myfile chmod go-w mydir Remove write permission on group&others for mydir directory r: readable w: writeable x: executable u: user g: group o: others +: assign -: remove Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science The lsCommand with -a ls a Using (-a) flag shows allfiles/sub-directories, including visible files and invisible files Invisible files filename start with dot sign e.g.: .profile, .bashrc, ., .. Jiang Li, Ph.D. Department of Computer Science Getting help with man man(short for manual) documents for commands man cmd> retrieves detailed information about cmd> man kkeyword> searches the short descriptions and manual pages for keyword(faster, and will probably give better results) fiji:~$ man k password Passwd (5) -password file

Gmo Lab Report Essay Example

Gmo Lab Report Essay Example Gmo Lab Report Paper Gmo Lab Report Paper At this rate, Genetically Modified Organisms within food products will increase dramatically, but is this for the best? There are many sis factors that have been brought up with genetically modified foods such as potential increase of cancer according to a French study conducted by Dry. Giles Eric Israelis (Kalmia, 2012). Genetically modified food is a popular subject among scientists, as it has been researched quite often. A study was done in the Czech Republic over a course of five years (2002-2007) to test many foods, such as tomatoes and rice, for approved and unapproved Genetically Modified Organisms. Similar to the experiment conducted in the botany lab, the scientists involved in this study used a Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PC, method to determine their results Karol, Story, Localization, Rubrics, 2010). Enrich Dainties and his partners did another similar study, on soybeans specifically. Like our experiment conducted on the cornbread mix, Dainties and his colleagues followed their PC results with an Agrees Gel Electrophoresis (Dainties, Angelic, De Saints, Macaroon and Contain, 2004). An additional experiment closely related to the one performed by my partners and I is a study done in Brazil to better detect for GUM within their foods sold in markets a other places (Cardinally, Branching, Ferreira, dad Cruz and Gemmed, 2005). These articles show how GUM within odds are present all over the world. The reason my fellow group members and myself are conducting this experiment is to test a sample of processed food (in this case cornbread mix) for any existence of Genetically Modified Organisms using PC methods. : We hypothesize that the cornbread mixture has been genetically modified and therefore will show that in the results. Materials and Methods The purpose of this experiment is to use PC method to identify genetically modified foods. During the experiment we, as a group, tested a known non- GUM food sample, oatmeal, along with our cornbread mix. We first weighed out 0. 77 g f the non- GUM oatmeal. We then proceeded to add 3. 85 ml (5. 00 ml per 1. 00 g) of distilled water (DEW) to the oatmeal and ground them together with a pestle. The same was done with 0. 99 g of the cornbread mix and 4. 95 ml of DEW. We pipettes each of these into separate screw-cap tubes consisting of 500 1 of an Instigate solution. These we incubated and centrifuged for approximately 5 minutes each. We then took six PC tubes and filled them each up, 2 with the non- GUM oatmeal mixture, 2 with the cornbread mixture and 2 with a known GUM positive substance. The Non- GUM and GUM positives served as controls for the experiment. One of each of the two tubes contained 20 1 of plant MM and GUM MM. The PC tubes were then placed in a thermal cycled and after this we did an agrees gel electrophoresis to provide us with the necessary data received from bands that shouldve shown up n the gel. Results Even though we had followed procedure and accurately mixed the correct amount and type of DNA and Master Mix together, as shown in Table 1, we ended up getting shocking results. Photos were taken of the final gel slab the morning of the experiment (Fig. 1) and that same afternoon (Fig. 2). There seemed to be very little signs, if any, of Genetically Modified Organisms within he cornbread mixture. TABLE 1. PC Tube Contents: Tube Number I Master Mix I DANA | 20 1 Plant MM (green) | 20 1 Non- GUM food control DNA | 2 | 20 1 GUM MM (red) | 20 1 Non- GUM food control DNA 3 | 20 1 Plant MM (green) | 20 1 test food DNA I 4 | 201 GUM MM (red)1 20 1 test food DNA I 5 | 20 1 Plant MM (green) | 20 1 GUM positive control DNA | 6 | 20 GUM MM (red)1 201 GUM positive control DNA I FIGURE 1 . GUM Morning (AM) Agrees Gel Electrophoresis results FIGURE 2. GUM Evening (PM) Agrees Gel Electrophoresis results Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not a sample of n off-brand cornbread mix had contained Genetically Modified Organisms (GUM). As a result, we determined that there were no GUM traces located in the cornbread mix. This could be due to mistakes that may have been made during the procedure such as poor measuring or mixing, misreading results, or the cornbread mix really was not made with genetically modified foods. These results disprove our hypothesis, which stated that we believed there would be GUM traces found within the cornbread mix. It was disappointing to see that we had a negative result while many of the other groups received bold nines on their rag gel indicating that their foods contained high amounts of GUM. I was glad to see that not all processed foods contain it though as in with the results of the Czech Republic study. Out of all the tomatoes and papayas they tested, not one had resulted in the detection of GUM traces (Karol, Story, Localization, Rubrics, 2010). We knew that the gel was accurately detecting GUM traces in foods by using the GUM positive control. Also to back up our assumptions that the Agrees Gel Electrophoresis results are accurate, it is shown in Adenines, and others, work. He used this method of GUM detection in is study to show that this is an effective way of detecting GUM traces (Dainties, Angelic, De Saints, Macaroon and Contain, 2004). It is interesting to see how genealogical modified foods are not only in the US but also in the Czech Republic and even in Brazil markets, where Cardinally and his associates looked into Roundup Ready soybeans and checked other substances for GUM traces (Cardinally, Branching, Ferreira, dad Cruz and Gemmed, 2005). Though I was disappointed to get negative results, I am happy that there was a variety in GUM traces within the whole lab. I dont know if we would have learned much if we all got positive results. It would cause us to just assume that all processed foods have been genetically altered.

The Age of Reason - Review and Summary

The Age of Reason - Review and Summary The Bottom Line If The Age of Reasons creates controversy today, imagine what readers must have thought at the time the work first appeared! Still, the work was a bestseller in America, and an important representative work from the time period. Pros Presented in a clear, straightforward style (accessible)Drawn from intellectual masters: Voltaire, Hume Spinoza (along w/other influences) Cons Mocks/ridicules religiosity (may be offensive to some readers) Description A deistic pamphletWritten by 18th-century British radical, Thomas PainePublished in 3 partsin 1794, 1795 1804 Guide Review - The Age of Reason Summary Thomas Paine is often associated with the American Revolution, because of his pamphlets; but The Age of Reason is still controversial (and has been banned) for its criticism of established religion and its challenge to the Bible. After reading The Age of Reason in 1757, Benjamin Franklin famously wrote: I would advise you... not to attempt unchaining the Tyger, but to burn this Piece before it is seen by any other Person, whereby you will save yourself a great deal of Mortification from the Enemies it may raise against you, and perhaps a good deal of Regret and Repentance. If Men are so wicked as we now see them with Religion what would they be if without it? Despite the controversy (and the many irate responses) that the pamphlet inspired, The Age of Reasons was a popular in Americathe work struck a chord. It appears to have inspired deep-rooted passionsit brought punishment and imprisonment to those associated with the early publishing history. Study Guide SummaryThe Age of Reason QuotesThe Age of Reason Questions for Study and DiscussionA Letter to a Friend Regarding The Age of Reason

Diffterence between Human recourse planing and Business planing Essay

Diffterence between Human recourse planing and Business planing - Essay Example Therefore, a business plan can be defined as a document which is utilised to describe the business along with its â€Å"objectives, strategies, target market and financial forecasts† (Small Business Development Corporation 2014, paragraph 2). So business planning is a strategy level activity which is most vital while starting a business or embarking on a new venture. An HR plan is oriented towards the workers of the enterprise. One of the direct concerns of HR planning is to chalk out the key industrial relationship management tactics (Planning for Staff Development: Fanning the Flame 1990). HR planning is closely related with human resource development. The process encourages talent hunt and consistent staff training, so that company or department specific highly skilled workforce can be developed. However, a business plan is based on a financier, banker, or shareholder oriented persuasive strategy (Chen, Yao, and Kotha 2009). Business plans are more elaborate. Apart from HR planning, business planning is also related to other planning processes like marketing plan development, product planning, knowledge management, investment planning, etc. Again, an HR plan is specific; it handles matters related to the staff and recruitment processes (Braham 1989). It nay also involve blueprint for staff training, payroll management, and educational programs. On the other hand, a business plan involves not only securing the staff, but also handling the investors, sponsors, suppliers, and clients (Butler 2000). So it can be deduced that the stress of HR planning lies on business tactics where short term processes like staff selection, condensed training session, database management, etc. are given highest priority. That is why strategic HR is regarded as an enhanced branch of HR planning (Planning for Staff Development: Fanning the Flame 1990). At the strategic level, complicated HR planning with long term goals must be preceded by elaborate

Simulation Perceptual Maps in Marketing Research Paper

Simulation Perceptual Maps in Marketing - Research Paper Example Thorr Motors for example has used these maps to design a marketing plan for their high brand. Scholar Clemente defines these maps as processes through which the perception of consumers on an existing commodity are charted. I will attempt to discuss the three simulation phases, and recommended solutions and results. Phase I: this involves perceptual mapping. The situation here is decrease in sales due to brand image. This is so because the Cruiser Thorr’s target consumers were aging and their tastes had begun to outgrow the lifestyle that Cruiser Thorr symbolizes. In addition to this issue, youthful customers had more interest in lower priced motorcycles due to their lower personal disposable incomes. Maps that were perceptual were used to position Cruiser Thorr’s position in the market in terms of consumer perceptions. The parameters for mapping included price, services offered, lifestyle image and quality engineering. Since the Cruiser Thorr’s image was being ou tgrown by the target audience which was aging, lifestyle image was chosen. The mapping of the image was useful in maintaining a level of image that it satisfies both younger and older customers. Lifestyle image was important to Thorr as it had the potential to influence a customer’s decision to buy a Cruiser Thorr because of its representation. Since perceptual maps are visual representation of a customer's opinion of a brand and the Lifestyle Image of Cruiser Thorr is that of masculinity and mobility, Thorr Motorcycles should make changes regarding the consumer image in the wake of decreasing sales, so as to be able to bring back the profits the Cruiser Thorr had before. Marketing is not only about selling and advertising, it also affects products and the consumers in the economic system and organizations must understand how this happens. Simulation helps perfectly in this in that it helps construct and use perceptual maps so as to create effective marketing plans like for T horr’s motorcycle brand. Phase II: phase two of simulation is about the product, either introducing a new product into the market or repositioning the existing one. The situation involves decrease in sales of Cruiser Thor and the need to come up with a market plan able to reposition Cruiser Thorr to effectively and efficiently launch a new product of a motorcycle. The top judgment for the association was aimed at repositioning Cruiser Thorr through financing solutions and boosting services. By providing financing alternatives and rising services Thorr Motorcycles Inc can open doors for possible consumers who may have had the feeling that the Cruiser Thorr was further than their reach especially younger viewers who may already have shown great interest and passion in the Cruiser Thorr. Recommended Solutions: The solutions here are in the area of reforming engineering in terms of quality, pricing, and services. Quality engineering touches on every aspect or quality of the commo dity or product, including style, design, engine capacity and more importantly, the design of the engine. Quality engineering has a high market impact of the product and could increase sales by meeting the customers’ needs in terms of quality, thus increasing the organization’s level of credibility of its products. Pricing is also very important to customers as it influences decisions to make a purchase for an item or not. Having a high price is okay as long as the quality and credibility