Forecasting key financial variables in Shariah Based Financial Research Paper

Forecasting key financial variables in Shariah Based Financial instruments - Research Paper Example ique, yield to worst (YTW) to indicate the lowest expected yield, it was observed that a normalized value of 2.57% was at stake hence, investments were likely to yield 97.43% of the expected value at maturity. Based on 1-3 year investment and normal investments, balanced scorecard analysis Evaluateed that variable-income investment was much flexible but volatile to market shocks. On the other hand, it is observed that long-term fixed-income securities are much reliable but earn little income since they are not flexible. In the United States, the population of Muslims has increased dramatically since the past twenty years. Further, there are strong indications that the wealth of the population has also grown more rapidly. In turn, the United States has developed a market for financial and banking alternatives that are compliant with the Shariah principles, as well as the religious and moral law of the Islam. The concept of Shariah compliant or Islamic finance is typically based on the core tenets of the Islamic religion pertaining to property rights, economic and social justice, and distribution of wealth as well as its governance. Among the fundamental features of the Islamic finance system is the Prohibition of Gharar (ambiguous deals and contracts) and Riba that is interested (Kabir and Mahlkrecht 201, 74). According to proponents, Islamic finance significantly contributes to the global financial system stability. Apparently, the performance as well as the relative stability of the Islamic banks and financial institutions frequently originate from the unique features of the financial instruments they provide. The Islamic finance system insists on asset backing as well as the principle of risk sharing. This helps in ensuring the direct connection between the activities of the real sector and financial transactions. In this case, this paper focuses on quantitative forecasting and analyzing volatility of Sukuk financial instrument by considering benchmarking and

Drug Abuse Essay Example for Free

Drug Abuse Essay The first edition of the report on ‘drug abuse’ has been made by our group to give an idea of the calamitous cause of using drugs in improper way. The report is intended to serve the purpose of providing the knowledge about drug abuse and to suggest ways to help limit drug abuse. An effort has been made on our part to include certain symptoms which indicate drug abuse. Also throughout the report, repetitive use of the drug abuse’ has been made to instate into the minds of the reader the cause of using drug abuse in an illicit manner The selection of the topic ‘Drug Abuse’ has been made in order to remind us of the menace of drug abuse. We live in a world where speed is the name of the game. A world where we cannot halt even for second or someone else will zip fast us to take our place. People say that it is a beautiful world if only we take time to look around. But a world has turn into a place where humanity cannot survive, only steel can. In this fast paced, ruthless, aggressive environment, there are easy ways out. Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, are some of the most popular substances abused by people in order to include a false sense of peace, to provide a short but powerful release from the worries and troubles of their daily lives to provide a means of escape from the harsh realities of life. This report is intended to be a reminder to such folk who have let their life be washed away by drugs. In the following report, we discuss the various aspects of drug abuse. Ranging from its impact on the younger generation to the way if affects the fields of competitive sports, we presents a comprehensive survey on the topic of drug abuse. Also discussed are the physical effects caused by excessive use of drugs. Drugs like â€Å"charas† and its derivatives â€Å"bhang† have a long history of use in Indian mythology and tradition. Popular television shows, pop culture, music’s, video represents the medium through which children are influenced today. Abuse of narcotic and psychoactive stimulants  forms the core of most popular music videos. Parties in metropolitan cities today are not concluded without the customary party drugs. Available easily on the street, at rates not affected by inflation, drugs are among the most harmful items on any individual’s shopping list. In the following report, an attempt has been made to discuss the causes cure for drug abuse. This report is intended for all audiences. Acknowledgment We would like to express our gratitude to our guide and mentor Prof.Santosh Bhagat , PCT in charge , who over the past semester has guided, corrected and provided us with necessary direction whenever the need arose. But for his invaluable guidance, illuminating discussion and constant encouragement, our report would have been a distant dream. We would also like to thank Mrs. Kalyani, for her unique way of teaching us and arousing our interest towards the finer points of communication skills and report writing. Also we would like to thank all those who co-operated with us and gave their invaluable inputs, advice and suggestion to the making of this report Summary Drug abuse is the use of illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. In the sense of consuming illicit drugs like cocaine or overdose of soft drug in the medicine like crocin. Drug abuse also includes the administration of drugs by athletes to enhance their ability in the respective sport. Drug abuse can not only endanger the physical balance of the body, but also it disturbs the stability of the society. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the  individual who is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse. Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover. However, the main motive of the text is to minimize drug abuse. The message maintained throughout the text is to be confident in oneself and not to resort to drugs through ones phase of glum. The key is to beat drug abuse is not vigilance. It is will power, confidence and the strength of human spirit. Introduction â€Å"I’m so happy because today I’ve found my friends; They’re in my head, I’m so ugly, but that’s okay, cause so are you; We’ve broken our mirrors, Sunday morning is every day for all I care; And I’m not scared, Light my candles; In a daze, cause I’ve found GOD† -Kurt cobain, Nirvana These lyrics made into wonderful song by the band nirvana express the feelings of a person who has just administered cocaine, a drug that capsizes the human ability to think. This person is very happy with his life. All his problems seem like daze to him. He is rid of all mortal aspects of life. Then isn’t this is a wonderful experience? Well this experience caused due to administration of certain illicit drugs is called is high. This ‘high† enables the person to reach mental level of peace and calm. However, as sir Newton said â€Å"what goes up must come down .and the higher it goes the hardest it falls.â€Å" The person who administered the drug experiences a feeling known as the crash, wherein he enters into gloomy state of depression. This state of depression doesn’t leave the person till he administers the drug back again. This in turn makes the person addicted towards the drug and thus makes the person abuse drug furthermore. When an individual begins to abuse drugs, the whole family is affected. Depending on the severity of the addiction, they may begin to steal or borrow money from the family, act strange and spend days living on the street. The only thing that is important is how they will get their next high. There may be conflicts in the family about how to treat this individual. Some may continue to support him while others adopt a tough love strategy. It is difficult to know what to do, and heartbreaking to see an  individual become a slave to a drug. The recent incidents of drunken driving causing severe facilities on Indian roads are considered by many as concrete evidence of drug abuse among minor, and also as a case of severe indifference and neglect among their parents. Now, drug abuse is turning into a menace that has engulfed the world. Let’s fight collectively against this menace. Let’s learn about drug abuse. What is really means and how one can conquer it. What is drug abuse? Drug abuse, also known as substance abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term drug abuse does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in non medical contexts. The terms have a huge range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. All of these definitions imply a negative judgment of the drug use in question (compare with the term responsible drug use for alternative views). Some of the drugs most often associated with this term include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methaqualone, and opioids. Use of these drugs may lead to criminal penalty in addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, both strongly depending on local jurisdiction. Other definitions of drug abuse fall into four main categories: public health definitions, mass communication and vernacular usage, medical definitions, and political and criminal justice definitions. Drug addiction is when you become dependent on a drug, and it forms a central part of your life. Misusing drugs can lead to physical dependency, or psychological dependency. Physical dependency means that your body has become so used to a drug that you get physical withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it. This means that you have to keep taking the drug to stop yourself feeling ill. Psychological dependency means that you take the drug because it has formed a large part of your life, and you take it to make yourself feel good. You may feel that you cannot stop taking the drug, even though you are  not physically dependant. Some drugs can make you both physically and psychologically dependent. As you take more of a drug, your body becomes tolerant to it so it does not have such a strong effect. This means that you need to take larger amounts to get the same effect as when you started taking it. Drug misuse is when you take illegal drugs, or when you take medicines in a way not recommended by your doctor or the manufacturer. Taking medicines in very large quantities that are dangerous to your health is also an example of drug misuse. Examples of drugs that are commonly misused include: Illegal drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, Prescribed medicines including painkillers, sleeping tablets, and cold remedies, khat (a leaf that is chewed over several hours), and Glues, aerosols, gases and solvents. What happens to your brain when you take drugs? Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brains communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brains natural chemical messengers, and/or (2) by over stimulating the reward circuit of the brain. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, have a similar structure to chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to fool the brains receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages. Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters, or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message that ultimately disrupts normal communication patterns. Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the brains reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The over stimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors that are linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc), produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that teaches people to repeat the behavior of abusing drugs. As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, dopamines impact on the reward circuit is lessened, reducing the abusers ability to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously brought pleasure. This decrease compels those addicted to drugs to keep abusing drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. And, they may now require larger amounts of the drug than they first did to achieve the dopamine high an effect known as tolerance. Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate no conscious  (conditioned) learning, which leads the user to experience uncontrollable cravings when they see a place or person they associate with the drug experience, even when the drug itself is not available. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse consequences in other words, to become addicted to drugs. Why do some people become addicted, while others do not? No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a persons biology, social environment, and age or stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example: Biology: The genes that people are born with in combination with environmental influences account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction. Environment:. A persons environment includes many different influences from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a persons life. Development: Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a persons life to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And because adolescents brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking  behaviors, including trying drugs of abuse. Spiritual usage of cannabis (charas) in Indian history and tradition Cannabis was used in Hindu culture as early as 1500 BCE, and its ancient use is confirmed within the Vedas (Sama Veda, Rig Veda, and Atharva Veda). There are three types of cannabis used in India. The first, Bhang, consists of the leaves and plant tops of the marijuana plant. It is usually consumed as an infusion in beverage form, and varies in strength according to how much Cannabis is used in the preparation. The second, Ganja, consisting of the leaves and the plant tops, is smoked. The third, called Charas or Hashish, consists of the resinous buds and/or extracted resin from the leaves of the marijuana plant. Typically, Bhang is the most commonly used form of cannabis in religious festivals. Connection of ganja with the worship of shiva Cannabis or ganja is associated with worship of the Hindu deity Shiva, who is popularly believed to like the hemp plant. Bhang is offered to Shiva images, especially on Shivratri festival. This practice is particularly witnessed at temples of Benares, Baidynath and Tarakeswar. Bhang is not only offered to the deity, but also consumed by Shaivite (sect of Shiva) yogis. Charas is smoked by some Shaivite devotees and cannabis itself is seen as a gift (prasad, or offering) to Shiva to aid in sadhana. Some of the wandering ascetics in India known as sadhus smoke charas out of a clay chillum. During the Hindu festival of Holi, people consume a drink called bhang which contains cannabis flowers.[33][35] According to one description, when the elixir of life was produced from the churning of the ocean by the devas and the asuras, Shiva created cannabis from his own body to purify the elixir (whence, for cannabis, the epithet angaja or body-born). Another account suggests that the cannabis plant sprang when a drop of the elixir dropped on the ground. Thus, cannabis is used by sages due to association with elixir and Shiva. Wise drinking of bhang, according to religious rites, is believed to cleanse sins, unite one with Shiva and  avoid the miseries of hell in the after-life. In contrast, foolish drinking of bhang without rites is considered a sin. Regarding Buddhism, the fifth precept is to abstain from wines, liquors and intoxicants that cause heedessness. Most interpretations of the fifth precept would therfore include all forms of cannabis amongst the intoxicants that a Buddhist should abstain from consuming. However, the Buddhist precepts are guidelines whose purpose is to encourage a moral lifestyle rather than being strict religious commandments, and some lay practitioners of Buddhism may choose to consume cannabis and other mild intoxicants occasionally. Cannabis and some other psychoactive plants are specifically prescribed in the MahÄ kÄ la Tantra for medicinal purposes. However, Tantra is an esoteric teaching of Buddhism not generally accepted by most other forms of Buddhism. Drug Abuse Effects Drug abuse effects include damage to the physical, emotional, and psychological parts of the body. In addition, they compromise the social aspects of regular family, friends and job-related relationships. Drug abuse effects involve the physical body extensively and according to the kind of drugs that are used. Drug abuse effects injure the brain in a variety of ways, including: Hallucinations Mood swings Chemical imbalances Over-stimulation of dopamine (the pleasure center) Disruption of regular sleep/wake patterns Anxiety and nervous system stimulation These injuries impede regular brain processing mechanisms. They block the pathways and make the process of decision-making harder. Drug abuse effects cause lapses in memory and exaggerate reactions to events. Effects also include failing to respond to consequences and events in the environment. When someone is preoccupied with the effects of the drug or is focused on the pleasure center of the brain, they fail to notice anything else. Drug Abuse Effects and Stress Management Coping well with stressors is based on the ability to find options to obstacles. This requires observation, patience and reasoning ability. All of these coping mechanisms are compromised due to drug abuse effects. Specifically, they make stress management difficult because they: Encourage a lack of impulse control Alter the perception of events Block the ability to make sound judgments Promote oblivion; the tendency to focus on the sensations of the high to the extreme Trigger knee-jerk reactions Stimulate frustration and anger responses Other drug abuse effects encompass an array of unexpected and serious symptoms: Users of cocaine and crack experience a crash in mood elevation after the effects of the drug wear off. The crash is described as feelings of depression, craving for more of the drug, emptiness and irritability. These drug abuse effects are the prerequisite conditions to the addiction. More of  the drug is used to get rid of the negative feelings produced by the crash. Some drug abuse effects spur flashbacks. These episodes are spontaneous recurring instances similar to the high produced by the drug except that they occur at a time when the drug was not in use. Most drug abuse effects are the symptoms of withdrawal. These include poor physical coordination, nausea, anxiety, paranoia, muscle spasms and abdominal cramping. More severe drug abuse effects can be caused by the transfer of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases from person to person by sharing needles and syringes. The most devastating drug abuse effects are overdoses. Overdoses occur when people do not know how much of the drug the body can accept at one time and when increased amounts of the drug are injected or ingested in order to produce the same intensity of drug abuse effects. Effects of Drug Addiction It is often difficult with drug and alcohol addiction to decide is something a CAUSE or an EFFECT. Did the depression CAUSE the addiction or did the alcoholism cause the depression? Did the alcoholism CAUSE the family problems or where the family problems an EFFECT of the addiction. Often no one knows for sure. Q: What are the major effects of drug addiction? It is everybody’s problem. An addict might say: â€Å"I’m not hurting anybody. I’m only hurting myself.† However, we can quickly see that the statement is false, because there is no such thing as an addict who is only hurting him/herself. The problem is found everywhere, from the rich and privileged, to the lost members of society. For over 30 years the United States government has had its â€Å"War on Drugs,† but in that time frame we have seen in increase in crime, increase in health care costs and an alarming increase in the use of dangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin, crack and methamphetamine. The â€Å"War on Drugs† has also brought on new research, a greater number of treatment facilities, new and sometimes controversial theories on treatment, advances in drug addiction medications, but are we winning? The effects of drug addiction are far reaching and can be seen in the home, on the job, in churches and in schools. Q:What are the effects of drug addiction on health? If left unchecked, the drug is going to win. Drug abuse is a disease of the brain, and the drugs change brain chemistry, which results in a change in behavior. Aside from the obvious behavioral consequences of addiction, the negative effects on a person’s health are potentially devastating. While addicts use drugs to â€Å"feel better,† the unintended consequences include but are not limited to overdose, HIV/AIDS, stroke, cardiovascular disease and a host of related maladies. To understand this better you may want to read Get Sick to Feel Better a story of the negative effects of drug addiction Darcis story of the effects of drug addiction on her life! Suicide is also a common effect of drug addiction. Depression is also an effect of addiction. Q:What are the effects of drug addiction on the family? One of the saddest aspects of the insidious nature of drug addiction is that by the time an addict realizes he/she has a problem, that problem has already taken a heavy toll on the family. Parents in treatment centers tell counselors and therapists that they want to â€Å"get their kids back,† as drug addiction has taken over to the point where the courts have been forced to remove the children from the home. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and sadly children are all impacted. Families can be sources of strength and support, or they can passively enable the addiction to advance. Families can share in the victory over drug addiction, or they can be the victims of it. Q:What are the effects of drug addiction on the economy? Beyond the personal health issues, beyond the devastating effect on families, beyond community crime statistics, drug addiction has a major impact on the American economy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that some $67 billion per year is the impact that drug addiction has on this country. This total includes the cost of law enforcement, incarceration, treatments, traffic injuries, lost time in the workplace, etc. Drug addiction causes impaired reasoning, and therefore the crime rate is dramatically impacted by drug use. Addicts have a much higher likelihood of committing crimes than others. Q: What are the effects of drug addiction on our society? The National Library of Medicine estimates that some 20% of all people in the  United States have used prescription medication for non-medical purposes. We’re not talking about cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine use, but doctor-prescribed medication. You can easily see that if you group the two together, illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse, we have a huge problem. Q: What are the effects of drug addiction on the Law? The news media reports daily struggles with theft, drive-by shootings, drug busts, illegal trafficking and manufacturing of drugs, and arrests for crimes ranging from child neglect to murder. Look closer and chances are great that you will uncover a drug addiction component to any of these stories. Drug Use Drug Use in the General Population According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 15.9 million Americans ages 12 and older (7.1%) reported using an illicit drug in the month before the survey was conducted. More than 12% reported illicit drug use during the past year and 41.7% reported some use of an illicit drug at least once during their lifetimes.

Causality among Financial Liberalization, Poverty and Income Inequality

Kappel, V (2009) explored the impact of financial liberalization on poverty and income inequality by using panel and cross country data of developed and developing countries. By applying OLS and 2SLS significant negative relationship is found between financial development and income inequality. In developed countries weak evidence was found for financial development to decrease income inequality whereas in developing countries financial liberalization was found to increase income inequality. Pradhan (2010) examines the causal relationship among economic growth, financial development and poverty reduction in India during the period of 1951 to 2008. The empirical analysis deploys cointegration and dynamic Granger’s causality. Long run equilibrium relationship is found to be present among financial development, economic growth and poverty reduction .The Granger’s causality test shows that there is unidirectional causality from poverty reduction to economic growth, economic growth to financial development, and financial development to poverty reduction and economic growth to poverty reduction. It also shows the presence of no causality between financial development and economic growth, and poverty reduction and financial development. The research study recommends that economic growth is of prime importance to stimulate financial development and both could play a pivotal role in reducing poverty. Jeanneney and Kpodar (2006) examine how financial development is useful in reducing by poverty on one hand by McKinnon conduit effect and on the other by promoting economic growth. The study is conducted on a panel of developing countries during the period of 1966 to 2000 first by employing OLS and then by Dynamic panel Generalized Met... .... The bank of Albania (2009) inspects the causative association between financial development and economic growth for the Albanian economy using the Granger causality test for five different proxies for financial development. For the non-stationary and non-cointegrated series, the VAR model has been constructed and later, the above test has been applied. For non-stationary series but with a cointegrating relationship, the Granger-causality test has been applied after the construction of the vector error correction model (VECM). The empirical findings of the study show that there is a positive relation between all indicators measuring the financial development and economic growth in the long term. While in the short term, this relation is quite vague since different indicators provide different results. The data used in this paper belong to the period 1996-2007.

Strategic Audit Report of Apple

apex [pic] CHAPTER ONE Introduction Part 1. Background of report To expand the practical knowledge by implementing theoretical knowledge through the internship program that would make a student to become a competitive with the outside world. That program not only increases the knowledge but also give the idea about organizational activities before entering into an organization. STATE University OF BANGLADESH is one of the reputed private university in Bangladesh, has designed the curriculum of BBA course such way that international graduates will be produced.After competing 120 credits, one student need to go for further 4 credit internship programs in a commercial organization. From this internship program students get the opportunity to learn facing the real business world. My faculty supervisor Kazi Atif Anwar, approved the topic and authorized me to prepare this report as part of the fulfillment of internship requirement. The report thus was titled as â€Å"Analysis of Consumer satisfaction ofApex Adelchi Footwear Ltd† 1. 2. Rationale of the study The business world is getting dynamic and competitive day by day.It is hard for an organization to run & even survive in a fast paced, growing and uncertain world if it cannot keep tracks with the go of business dynamism. Business plays and links important roles in developing the economy of a country. So, as a business graduate, I think I need to be attached with any organization to get a handy & versatile experience about the business world before starting our career. Internship is the arrangement, which makes a bridge between our academic knowledge and practical world to have an acquaintance with the real business world as well as to gear me up to lead the future competitive business.I have worked in the Marketing division of Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited, head office, Gulshan-1, Dhaka. In this report, I will try to make an overall consumer analysis of AAFL. 1. 3 Objectives of the report: General Objectiv e: ? The primary objective of this report is to explore of consumer analysis of Apex Adelchi Footwear Ltd. Secondary Objective: ? To show an overview of the company(vision, mission, value, product offerings, associates companies) ? To present an overview of Department of Gallerie Apex. ? To present an overview of footwear industry, economic condition of Bangladesh & worldwide. 1. 4 Methodology:While conducting the report, sources were explored for primary information and data. But hardly any updated data could be found. In the absence of updated information or data dependence on secondary has been inevitable. However, wherever possibly primary data has been used. Data were also collected by interviewing the responsible officers and from some documents & statements printed by the Apex and the website of AAFL. There have been used some statistical tools (Microsoft Office Excel table) and graphical representation (Microsoft Office Excel chart) to find out different types of analytical results and interpretations. . 4. 1 Primary Data Collection: Primary data ? Practical desk work. ? Face to face conversation with the officers and clients. ? Face to face conversation with the consumer ? Data collection of own supervision. 1. 4. 2 Secondary Data Collection: Secondary Data ? Annual report of AAFL. ? Official files and folders. ? Working papers. ? Selected books. ? Published and unpublished documents. ? Website. 1. 5 Limitations of the Study: As I did my internship program in Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited & I worked in the Marketing Department so my report is fully based on the consumer satisfaction analysis of the company.But to prepare this report I faced little difficulties through I have also got some limitation which are: ? The first limitation is that I failed to sketch the complete picture of the Apex activities at the period of my internship programmed. So I tried my best to focus on what I have done and also tried to make it consistent with other part of the report. ? The second limitation is the lack of intellectual thought and analytical ability to make in a perfect one. I have to offset with quality due to time constraint, which apparently seems to be the most severe limitation. Sufficient records & publications as well as up to date information are not readily available. ? Another limitation of this report is that the company’s policy of not to disclose some data & information for obvious reason, which could be much more useful. 1. 6 Scope of the Study: The report commences with the analysis of the footwear industry, company in focus, presenting the mission & vision, the values & product, description of 8 associates companies, Market related issues are discussed in detail along with their results and possibilities.In this report consumer analysis has been discussed detailed as a result the management can take decisions regarding modifying their plans for give more facility for the consumer. [pic] CHAPTER TWO Company Analysis 2. 1. Historical Background Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited (AAFL) is a leading export-oriented leather footwear manufacturer in Bangladesh. It is the largest exporter of leather footwear from Bangladesh. Currently holding the second position, the company is also one of the fastest growing footwear companies in the local market.Despite the effects of global economic turmoil and scarcity of raw hide due to natural disasters, the company has performed well in the last couple of years. Bangladesh to major shoe retailers in Western Europe, North America and Japan. AAFL was incorporated on January 04, 1990. In the same year it went into commercial production with an installed capacity of 1000 pairs per day and 350 employees. Today the company is producing 15000 pairs of shoes per day, employing over 7,500 people in two factories. Apex Adelchi has quickly established itself as one of the most recognizable brands in the footwear market of Bangladesh.The exports by Apex Adelchi accounts for 4 5% of the total footwear exports from Bangladesh. With 6% of market share in local market, they are behind only to Bata Shoe, which holds 22% of market share. Because of their superior quality compared to that of Bata, Apex Adelchi’s products have given the local market a very good alternative to Bata. Although the company remains a predominantly export-oriented company, they have also taken the local market very seriously, which may prove to be decisive in the long run. AAFL Company has exported more than 3. million pairs of shoes to Europe, Japan and USA per annum. Their earning was more than 4,000 million euros from export. They have concentrated mainly on the export market. These export market comprises them more than 90% of their sales. They also have a growing local market for their products. Their local products were sold through a chain of retail shoe outlets in Bangladesh by the name of Gallerie Apex. Gallerie Apex has recently launched genuine Disney branded footwea r through its stores to cater to the kids segment.AAFL is committed to productivity and quality growth to attain its objective of being a leading footwear manufacturer of Asia through its mission of â€Å"Honest Growth†. 2. 2 Company Profile:  ¬ Name of the Company: Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited.  ¬ Date of Commencement of Business as Apex Footwear Limited: January 4 1990.  ¬ Name Change to Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited: December 27, 2006.  ¬ Type of Company: Public Limited Company BOARD OF DIRECTORS Syed Manzur Elahi :Chairman Syed Nasim Manzur :Managing Director Munize Manzur Khasru :DirectorSyed Gias Hussain :Director Niaz Ahmed Choudhury:Director Adelchi Sergio :Director Samson H. Chowdhury : Independent Director D. MANAGEMENT TEAM Syed Nasim Manzur :Managing Director Syed Gias Hussain :Deputy Managing Director & CFO Abdul Momen Bhuiyan: Executive Director A. A. Mosaddeque :Executive Director Dilip Kajuri :Financial Controller S. M. Shahjahan :Company Secretary Pr adip Kanti Saha :General Manager Atiqul Islam :General Manager (Leather) Syed Md. Mustaque :General Manager (Factory)Md. Mominul Ahsan :Head of Human Resources 2. 3Associates Companies: ? Apex Tannery Limited. ? Adelchi Footwear Bangladesh Limited. ? Apex Pharma Limited. ? Grey Advertising Bangladesh Limited. ? Quantum Marketing Research BD Limited. ? Mutual Trust Bank limited. ? Pioneer Insurance Company Limited. ? Gallerie Apex |[pic] | 2. 3. 1: Apex Tannery Limited A leading manufacturer and exporter of finished and crust leather from Bangladesh to major products manufacturers in China, Japan and Italy. (apexadelchi. om, 2010)The company has annual export revenues of USD 37 million in 2006-2007, comprising almost 15% of the total export earnings from leather of Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)ATL pioneered the export of value added crust and finished leather from Bangladesh and accessed capital markets for growth. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)ATL introduced the first convertible d ebenture in Bangladesh and has been publicly traded since 1986. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)ATL currently employs 955 persons, is professionally managed and is in full compliance Report under Section 2CC of the Securities & Exchange Commission Notification Order.ATL is also the first tannery in Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic] 2. 3. 1 Adelchi Footwear Bangladesh Limited. It is a leading manufacturer and exporter of leather footwear from Bangladesh to major shoe retailers in Western Europe, North America and Japan. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)The company has revenues of 444 crore taka in 2007. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)AAFL pioneered the export of value added finished products export in the leather sector of Bangladesh and is also involved in the local footwear retail business with the second largest shoe retail network in the country. apexadelchi. com, 2010)AAFL has equity, technical and marketing participation from La Nuova Adelchi one of the largest footwear manufacturers of Italy . (apexadelchi. com, 2010)Public listed and traded since 1993, AAFL is professionally managed, currently employs more than 6800 persons and is in full compliance with Corporate Governance Compliance Report under Section 2CC of the Securities Exchange Commission Notification Order. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic]2. 3. 3: Apex Pharma LimitedOne of the fastest growing, ISO 9001-2000 certified new generation pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies in Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)APL started its operation in 2002, currently employs 1300 persons and markets 126 dosage forms from its Saver plant. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)The company's growth in 2006 was 65% against industry growth of 6% according to IMS. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)The company is in the process of setting up a new state-of-art manufacturing plant which completed in 2009. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) pic]2. 3. 4: Grey Advertising Bangladesh Limited. The first joint venture international full service advertising agency to set up in Bangladesh, GABL is today the largest stand alone agency in Bangladesh with billings of USD 6 million in 2006. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)GABL is a market leader with a dynamic team of young and talented professionals and has won an unprecedented 4 years in a row (2003-2007) the Agency of the year Award, at the Srijan Samman Awards for all Bengali advertising work done in India and Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. om, 2010)In additional work done for its local as well as multinational corporate has won innumerable local and international Awards and accolades. GABL is a member of the Grey Group owned by WPP. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic] 2. 3. 5: Quantum Market Research BD Limited. Quantum Market Research Bangladesh Limited (QMRBL), a joint venture between Quantum Market Research Private Ltd of India and Apex Enterprises Ltd a Bangladeshi company, is the leading specialized qualitative market research agency in Bangladesh which provides research services to multinational and local manufacturers and service providers in and outside Bangladesh. apexadelchi. com, 2010)Its strong strategic link with its parent company Quantum Market Research Private Ltd, India (Operating in the South Asian and Asia-Pacific Region) has also facilitated effective and continuous knowledge transfer at a sub-continent, regional and global level. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)Besides market research, QMRBL also provides effective service in qualitative social & development research to a number of local organizations and development partners. (apexadelchi. om, 2010)Since its inception in June 2004, QMRBL has conducted 284 studies in the areas of consumer psyche, brand development, communication, human resources development, social and organizational development and production practices. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)QMRBL employs 14 expert researchers and 5 supporting staff as permanent employees along with 75 field staff who work on a contract-basis. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic] 2. 3. 6: Mutual Trust Bank Limited A Third Generation (License) Commercial Bank sponsored by Square, ACI and Apex which is the largest and most reputed businesses in Bangladesh. apexadelchi. com, 2010)MTBL today enjoys some of the highest credit ratings in the industry. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)Publicly listed, traded and professionally managed, MTBL is a market leader amongst financial institutions of Bangladesh and now this bank is very much renowned. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)This bank plays the most important role in the economy by collecting money from the individuals and lends them to others. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)Now bank’s offer the widest range of financial services and perform lot of financial functions.It has many branches all over the country. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic] 2. 3. 7: Pioneer Insurance Company Limited. PICL is a general insurance company offering a wide range of non-life insurance products to retail and corporate customers in Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)This company is sponsored by Square, ACI and Apex which is the largest and most reputed businesses in Bangladesh. (apexadelchi. com, 2010)PICL has established itself as one of the most respected players in the industry. apexadelchi. com, 2010)Publicly listed, traded and professionally managed, PICL enjoys 90th percentile rankings in a very crowded space of over 40 companies. (apexadelchi. com, 2010) [pic] 2. 3. 8 Gallerie Apex: Gallerie Apex is the local manufacturing and retail wing of Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited (AAFL). While AAFL has predominantly earned both critical and commercial fame through export of high quality leather footwear in the international arena, Gallerie Apex has sought to adeptly make use of that xpertise to provide high quality, fashionable footwear to the Bangladeshi consumers. With over 140 own retail outlets and 150 authorized resellers, Gallerie Apex ensures nationwide coverage of its diverse range of footwear for its consumers. Through its eight in -house brands, namely Venturini, Apex Men’s, Sprint, Lotto, Moochie, Nino Rossi, Sandra Rosa, Revive and Twinkler, Gallerie Apex carries a huge selection of shoes and sandals, ensuring that each of our valued customer finds the footwear that is just right for them. Product category MEN |WOMEN |CHILDREN |OTHERS | |Casual shoe |Boot |Shoe |Shocks | |Dress shoe |Long boot |Sandel |Shoe care product | |Sendel | |School shoe |Hand purse | |Converse | | |Beg | | | | |Belt | [pic] 2. 4 Mission & vision VISION â€Å"Honest Growth† MISSION To ensure sustainable growth To be a vendor of choice for our customers To create value for our shareholders To be proactively compliant with global best practices & standards To be a responsible corporate citizen 2. 5 Values: ( Respect for people – Demonstrate respect by developing our people and helping them to achieve high performance standards. – Treat all people with dignity. ( Integrity – Honesty – Walk the t alk. Sense of Urgency – Strive for speed and simplicity in everything we do. ( Empowerment – Encourage and reward self-confidence and initiative – Require accountability 2. 6 Future: Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited has regained their focus on productivity and they have been forced to reassess their business model. (Apex annual report, 2009) They have made efficiency a byword, starting from wastage of materials to improving line wise productivity and this focus will remain. (Apex annual report, 2009) They have sought out and developed new and better sources of raw materials; they have identified new markets and segments where they have huge potential for growth. Apex annual report, 2009) They have also actively begun the process of reducing their financial expenses by exploring new innovative funding options. (Apex annual report, 2009) On the domestic front they are reinforcing their retail format with new formats in the wholesale space. (Apex annual report, 2009) They have launched several very large format stores which are generating good returns and also begun a phased renovation of older stores. (Apex annual report, 2009) They will continue to refresh and renew their product range to ensure that they deliver on their promise to maximize customer delight and choice. (Apex annual report, 2009) As the global markets emerge slowly, from recession they are ready to take full advantage of the new opportunities that emerge. Apex annual report, 2009) The power situation in Bangladesh has already reached crisis proportions and Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited averaged more than 7 hours of load shedding per day in March 2010. (Apex annual report, 2009) Adelchi Footwear Limited is equipped with sufficient diesel standby generators but they are not designed to run for such long hours at a stretch and the wear and tear and operating costs are very high. (Apex annual report, 2009) This is a serious threat to their ability to meet their production targets and operate their plant optimally and profitably. (Apex annual report, 2009) They must now actively explore immediate power solutions like switching to alternative energy sources such as HSFO based captive power generation. Apex annual report, 2009) The global shift towards green sourcing is a reality and it has already started in the footwear industry. (Apex annual report, 2009) Today their entire supply chain must be environmental sustainable and obviously the present tannery industry in Hazaribagh is unable to meet these standards. (Apex annual report, 2009) They must start to plan for an alternative production source of environmentally friendly finished leather from raw hides that can meet global standards. (Apex annual report, 2009) The global footwear market is forecasted to reach USD 272. 5 billion by 2013 and Europe is the single largest market accounting for 42. 3 percent of global value. Apex annual report, 2009) Bangladesh enjoys preferential access to this market, has a competitive and young labor force and is blessed with a domestic raw material advantage in terms of locally available hides and skins. (Apex annual report, 2009) Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited must now turn its focus on maximizing these strengths and ensuring that they are prepared to meet the new challenges of power supply, developing capability and offering shorter lead times to market. (Apex annual market as a forerunner in this industry in Bangladesh but they must now redouble their pace to maintain their leadership position and achieve their goal of global standards of excellence. (Apex annual report, 2009) 2. 7 Product:Since the beginning of the retailing business, in 1990, AAFL received a remarkable response from the local market which motivated the company to expand over the years. Today, the company offers the local consumers of Bangladesh a much wider range of products than before. Most of the products that are offered in the local market by AAFL are relatively different fr om the ones that are exported, especially in terms of design and material. The reason behind this is the different climate, culture and the demand of the consumers of local and foreign markets. For example, AAFL exports products like ladies boots which are not available in the local market because the boots do not complement with neither the clothes that most of the ladies wear nor the culture of the country.So, AAFL offers ladies open sandal to meet the demand of the local market which, on the other hand is not exported as it would not satisfy the taste of foreign consumers. Thus, the product development unit of AAFL is continuously working to develop products based on the needs and wants of the local consumers. In the local market AAFL is mainly known for men’s footwear and sandals but recently the company has extended the product range with ladies and kids products. The table above clearly shows that the emphasis is more on the of men’s products than the ladies and children products. However, recently AAFL launched genuine Disney branded footwear through the retail stores to furnish to the kids segment.Disney provided the license to AAFL to launch footwear for children designed with for instance the Disney characters like Pooh bear, Mickey Mouse, etc. According to men’s shoes, there are three products brand like Venturing, Apex and Sprint are common and ladies sandals; Sandra Rosa, Nino Rossi and Apex are common. Men’s shoes size starts from 39-44 and sandal size starts from 35-41. There have different row to display particular brand product like shoes, sandals, socks, kid’s sandals etc. Price of men’s shoes starts from 1250Tk-5500Tk, sandals 400Tk-1950Tk, ladies sandals 380Tk-2250Tk, comfort socks 150Tk-250Tk. Price of leather Goods is 600Tk. Components of Manufacturing Shoes: There are some components required for making a pair of shoes.These components assemble with each other step by step. The manufacturing proc edure depends on some components which need to make a pair of shoes. UPPER: Upper is the main part of shoes. This upper made by leather, synthetic, fabric, rubber. In upper side different components or parts of leather are combined by stitch this stitch is various types like lock stitch, chain stitch, jhik jhak stitch, heavy stitch and moccasin. LINIING: This is the inside part of upper, it can be also leather, synthetic, fabrics (depends on shoe design). SOCK: Sock is to comfort the inner part of shoes. It can be synthetic, foam. IN-SOLE: This in-sole placed at upper side of sole.It can be leather board, cellulose board, fiber board, Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (EVA). SOLE: It stands the lower part of shoes to adjust upper body. It can be rubber, leather board and wood, PU (Poly Uri thane), Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). HILL: Hill is to balance the body of shoes and it can be rubber, wood. ADHESIVE: This is a gum which can use with sole to fit the upper side of shoes. There are different types of adhesives like: 2. 8 SWOT Analysis of Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited: Strengths: AAFL has advanced machines and skilled manpower which make it possible to produce high quality footwear. As a SBU of Apex group, it also has good financial backup.As a partner company of Adelchi, Apex gets product designs from them which make it possible for them to follow Italian fashion trend. They have renowned brand image in the footwear market. Weakness: AAFL? s product price is comparatively high. On the other hand, their ladies and kids footwear brands are not that much strong. Furthermore, they have to depend on foreign suppliers for raw materials and design support. Opportunities: The quality of the leather available in Bangladesh is really very good. Furthermore, here labor cost is low which makes it possible to produce the products more cheaply. On the other hand, young generation is now more fashion oriented and brand conscious.Threats: Consumers are now m ore prices sensitive day by day. Furthermore, most of the raw materials are not locally available. Beside this, leather price is increasing day by day due to high demand. Production is also hampering due to electricity crisis CHAPTER THREE Departments of Gallerie Apex 3. 1 Operating functions of Gallerie Apex: Operating functions of Gallerie Apex (GAPX) is more effective according to the vision of this company. Whole process of GAPX operates a functional team on the demand of whole marketing process. These departments are shown as below: ? Human Resource Division. ? Product Development. ? Marketing Department. ? Sales Department. MIS Department. ? Merchandising Department. ? Supply Chain Department. ? Accounts Section. 3. 2Human Resource Division: This division always monitors the facilities of employees and to check problems. There are some activities that HR department also do for the employees of Gallerie Apex like: ( Human Resource Planning ( Recruitment and selection ( Compensa tion and Benefit ( Accommodation ( Health and safety ( Employee and worker relation ( Training and development ( Motivation ( Maintenance Every manager and employees of every company wants a healthy and safe work environment. This environment is one of the more challenging areas for HR department.This department of Gallerie Apex provides maximum safety and healthy environment under their activities. 3. 3 Product Development and Market Consultant: This product development team starts a new merchandising wing of Gallerie Apex. This section called Design Studio. This is the new innovation of product development, creates new design of shoes for new generation and analyzes the market in a short time. In design studio the swing machine is for the upper stretching of leather & scaling machine makes the leather thin. Leather quality is very good & it imports from Pakistan, Italy & Apex own tannery. (Through this studio the research can done very frequently & positive way.Behind this activit y design studio operates some other works for Gallerie Apex like: ( Design & Technical Support ( To standardize the component of product ( Try to decrease the price of product ( Market Trend Analysis ( Find out the competitors ( Short Time research ( To collect the best quality shoe component ( To check the quality of finished goods ( Delivering 3. 4 Sales Department: Always keeps monitoring the sale condition of all galleries. Assistant General Manager (AGM)-Sales and Manager-Sales always monitor the new suitable market place which can be profitable business for Gallerie Apex. Under this sales department there have strong monitoring team called ASE (Area Sales Executive).They are working at zonal basis like Dhaka North,Dhaka Central, Dhaka South, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Khulna 3. 5 Management and Information: It is a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making A computer information system based on 6 com ponents such as, ( Hardware ( Software ( Data/ Information ( Procedure ( Communication ( People There have some role of MIS which is necessary for all business and this department of Gallerie Apex also works in this point; ( Improved communication system ( Data management and faster decision making ( Online data access ( Systematic management and information MIS department of Gallerie Apex is much established according to their job work.This department collects sale report on entire galleries and input the database which should be daily, weekly and monthly basis. This department input the data of daily sale information like, ( Actual sale amount ( Number of sold pair goods. ( Sold pair of shoes 3. 6Marketing Department: According to marketing concept, this department of Gallerie Apex holds the key to achieve its organizational goal consists of the company being more effective than other competitors in skill, delivering and communicating superior customer value to its chosen target m arket. Marketing department evaluate the present footwear market condition. ) Marketing team also research how Apex brand can be established through utilize 4Ps concept in the market. Gallerie Apex has a reputation in market place, so marketing department should take some initial steps for the modification or more development of this present image. There are some works that marketing department always do; 1. Training and Development- Training for store manager, for sales man, for Area Sales Executive (ASE). 2. Merchandise Analysis- Marketing department analyzes the merchandise procedure. Marketing department also checks the market demand of some selected articles, monitors the sale review, checks the best sale of product, which article should be more running. 3. Merchandise Action- Is there any problem come to mind about in store merchandising, then marketing department takes initiative of that step. 4.Market Research- Marketing Department also works about the research of footwear m arket. If there any scopes that can be applied for the development of product and market, this department also investigate that. Brand Development, a brand is an art of corner store of marketing It is a name, term, sign and symbol or combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of competitors. Marketing department also works to enlarge this brand. Corporate Branding, This marketing department of Gallerie Apex also works about corporate branding policy. Here some activities that has plan of this department is like; ( Vehicle Branding ( Hording sign Social Events ( Corporate Branding umbrella ( Shoe related fashion show ( Advertising In order for publicity of any particular sales promotion or any new seasonal offer, marketing department of Gallerie Apex uses some advertising media. (Abrour) These are as follows, ( TVC ( RDC ( Press Ad 3. 7 Functions & Responsibilities of supply chain: Supply chain department distribu tes product in whole galleries all over the country. After issuing the purchase order & manufacturing of product, supply chain work begins. First product goes to Central Distribution Centre (CDC) with bills, delivery Chelan & VAT paper. Product comes from factory, source and import.At CDC they check the products quality, box, article no, with Quality Control report and after that official formalities they receive product. The invoice will be 2-copies at the time of receiving goods from Shafipur Shoe Limited (factory). ( 1copy will go on Supply Chain Department ( 1copy will go on Merchandising Department At the time of supply from CDC to galleries, they make 3 copies of invoice. ( 1 copy for Supply Chain Department ( 1 copy for Management Information System Department ( 1 copy for Gallerie At the period of outsource suppliers, they also provide 4 copies of supply invoice. This copy goes to four particular sections like; ( Merchandising department Supply chain department ( Accounts de partment and ( CDC record At the time of Bill submission, they attach supply invoice (Chelan). Supply Chain Department has some responsibilities also. They have to consider what kind of product will go which galleries. It depends on volume of sale, customer category & position of market & sales Sometimes they have to check the sale condition of galleries and also stock of shoes. According to distribution of goods they apply transport facilities or rent car or curia service. In fact CDC has own car but it can use only for Dhaka North zone, Dhaka central zone and Dhaka South Zone. 3. 8 Merchandising Procurement Procedure:According to this procedure, there are two basic sources of production can provide the finished products; ( Shafipur Shoe Limited (own factory) ( Supply sources The Shafipur Shoe Limited is the main factory of Gallerie Apex. It produces goods according to given requirement. The components like upper, insole and outsole has collected from Shiva Footwear Ltd. Design stu dio of Gallerie Apex produces only sandals with limited quantity. Gallerie Apex has some supply sources which make goods. These sources make goods according to given design or requirements of Gallerie Apex. Basically these supply sources make deed between Gallerie Apex and their factories that, sole & other component they will provide and they make complete shoes.In the term of payment bill, they adjust their cost with total amount. Some names of supply sources are given below: †¢ Hanif Shoes †¢ Century Shoes †¢ Popy Shoes †¢ Moochie Shoes †¢ Coaster Footwear †¢ Herald Shoes †¢ Classic Footwear †¢ Ryan Shoe †¢ Crown Leather †¢ Keya Sandal †¢ Home Land †¢ Nashanan Trade †¢ FN Enterprise †¢ Prestige Bengal †¢ King Ston †¢ Bright Shine †¢ Mayhem †¢ Comfort Socks 3. 9 In-Process Quality Control: The quality control process of Gallerie Apex is very much effective. To check the quality of finished go ods it has a specification sheet to know the total information about finished product. This sheet has the serial number, color, material of goods & price.At 5th level of Gallerie Apex, Quality Control room is worked by the Quality Control officer of Design studio. The system is to check the 20% of product in a lot. 3. 10 Producer & practice of product pricing: At the time of selecting price of product it should be careful that, gross margin must be minimum 40 %. )Buying price will always be fixed. In terms of adding VAT, amount will be 15%. To analyze the total cost sheet some necessary work has to be done. These are: Article no: Color Cost of materials Value Added Tax (VAT) Total cost (unit based) Retail price Profit margin (TK) †¢ Profit margin (%) †¢ Quantity order †¢ Total cost †¢ Total VAT (amount) †¢ Total cost value (amount) †¢ Total retail value Total margin (TK) After calculating VAT on retail price of product, total cost (unit based) can add. Profit margin is based on amount of retail price. Cost of material, information comes from own factory Shafipur Shoe Limited. There are two types of cost should be considered; own cost & supply cost. According to supply cost there can be made another cost sheet include all cost of supply source. In order to make a price of product all department head discuss about design, durability, looks of product, customer’s choice & finally they fixed the price of product. Executive director is the head of this team. 3. 11 Basic Ideas on Store Display of Gallerie Apex:Gallerie Apex always plays a different style to attract the potential customer. Visual Merchandising is very important part in store to attract the customer Store Display gives an idea about the product feature such as variety, quality and size, color, design and trends. This display reminds the customers about their need and they attract to buy this product. It is an act of putting things for view or on view. I visited som e galleries to take this display idea and I found some rules of display. This display can be dividing into 2 types. They are: ( Interior Display ( Exterior Display Before a customer enters the store, the store must send a message that, store must be well decorated, clean and full of lighting.The display products are being neat & clean. There is some display rules that I have noticed from galleries is that; ( Have to show the outside of shoes ( Angle at 0degree & 90 degrees (same style) ( Group shoes consistently with a space between groups ( Display shoes should keep in small size like 38/40. ( The display light should be top on display article According to Branding, there are generally 5 brands are common on Gallerie Apex. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] There are some rules about Brand Differentiation: ( Each Brand should be displayed separately ( Never should mix Venturini with Apex ( Never should mix Nino Rossi with Sandra Rosa Always keep the different Brand in a selected place A ccording to ladies footwear, always have to display the flats on the bottom shelf & high heels on the top shelf. It will be better not display the Sandra Rosa with Nino Rossi. According to new arrival, new article should display on the right side after entrance with new arrival tag. In that part ladies and men’s article can display separately. A. Brand for men footwear; some common brand of Gallerie Apex. ( Venturini- Exclusive dress shoes targeted for upper middle segment. ( Apex- Leather footwear is for middle/ upper middle segment. ( Sprint- Sporty casual targeted for middle/upper middle segment. B.Brand for women footwear; Gallerie Apex has also some ladies brand. ( Nino Rossi- Evening wears for middle/upper middle segment. ( Moochie- Designer collects for middle/upper segment. ( Sandra Rosa- Colorful for middle/ upper middle segment. C. Brand for kids; Gallerie Apex has also some kids Items, (Apex- Under this brand some kid’s article is common. ( Disney-This is th e ongoing brand. ( Twinkler – This brand is totally new for Gallerie Apex which is going. CHAPTER FOUR Industry Analysis 4. 1 Bangladesh Footwear Industry analysis: Export promotion bureau statistics show that footwear exports had 20 percent market rises during 2009July- 10 March fiscal year. (reportlinker. om, 2010) The country fetched 144. 69 million dollar from export of the item in nine months a sharp rise from 131. 52 million dollar in the July -March period. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Nowadays many countries like China and India are failing to produce high quality but low-cost leather items due to the WTO anti dumping rules. (reportlinker. com, 2010) So orders from Germany, Italy, France, Japan and Canada are shifting to the local manufactures. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Crushed leather is the main raw material for locally produced. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Earlier China, India and Vietnam are the largest shoe exporters in the world. (reportlinker. om, 2010) The demand f or fashionable and high end leather shoes has decline in international markets because of the recession. (reportlinker. com, 2010) But it has also given rise to an opportunity for the county to produce shoes that are ordinary but essential. (reportlinker. com, 2010) The county started exporting leather footwear in 1994 on small scale to neighboring countries including India and Nepal. (reportlinker. com, 2010) The footwear business grew in recent years. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Currently the total market size of Bangladesh made leather footwear stands at tk1700 corer of which about 45 percent is exported. (reportlinker. om, 2010) The country exports around six million pairs of leather footwear a year. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited is the country’s leading footwear exporter claiming more than half of the total exports. (reportlinker. com, August 2010)The company earned taka 450 core last year. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Bangladesh mainly exports menâ €™s footwear, lady’s sandals and sports shoes to European nations China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, India and Nepal. (reportlinker. com, 2010) Mr. Syed Nasim Manzur, managing director of Apex Adelchi Footwear Ltd, said â€Å"the recession has taken a toll on the demand for luxury fashion accessories. Apex annual report, 2009) The additional fall out of the global financial crisis on AAFL has been the adverse impact on the Euro & as the majority of our revenues are in Euros, the continued slide of the Euro and the reflection in the Taka versus Euro conversion rate has severely affected our taka revenues as seen above. (Apex annual report, 2009) The Bangladesh Taka has remained unchanged against the US$ in 2009 where the currencies of our competitor nations such as the Indian Rupee & Pakistan Rupee have been devalued repeatedly in 2009 in order to boost their export competitiveness. (Apex annual report, 2009) Despite many pleas from exporters in Bangladesh, the go vernment of Bangladesh has not adjusted the Taka against the USD. Apex annual report, 2009 Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited started its business in December 27, 2006 in Bangladesh. AAFL has equity, technical and marketing participation from La Nuova Adelchi one of the largest footwear manufacturers of Italy. Since then there was demand for the products in the local markets. But the problem was the local market was too small to support their required profitability. On the other hand, they found a worldwide growth opportunity in the developed countries. It inspired them to set up their system in Western Europe, North America and Japan. Later on they also move towards the developing nations. They started focusing the country needs.Therefore, gradually they were becoming one of the second market leaders. They had total 280545 sq. ft factory area. The producing capacity of 15,000 pairs complete shoes per day. They came up with a wide range of products for different markets. They had large n umber of employees and 70% of their workers are female. Ultimately, the small market in the home country and the huge growth opportunity was the crucial force to move towards the international market. Hence, these are the IHRM variable for them which can be regarded as the structural factor. 4. 2 Production Facilities  ¦ Cutting Department Covered Area 25,000 sft. Cutting Machines 104 no. s Cutting Capacity 15,000 Prs/dayCutting Manpower 494+16 Persons  ¦ Sewing Department Covered Area 78,000 sft. Sewing Line 16 lines x 2 shift Sewing Capacity 15,000 Prs/day Sewing Manpower 2550 +60 Persons  ¦ Lasting Department Covered Area 46,000 sft. Lasting Line 8 lines x 2 shift Lasting Capacity 15,000 Prs/day Lasting Manpower 1100+25Persons [pic] Component Department Covered Area 27,760 sft. Outsole workstation 42 nos Production Capacity 12,000 Prs/day Outsole Manpower 250+3 Persons Insole Prod. Capacity 15,000 Prs/day Insole Manpower 93+3  ¦ Packing Department Covered Area 21,000 sft. Manpower 37+7 Persons 4. 3. Summary of factory area Factory Area | |SL |Section/Building |Area in SFT. | |01 |Cutting |25000 | |02 |Sewing |78000 | |03 |Lasting |46000 | |04 |Component |27000 | |05 |Packing |21000 | |06 |Store |32000 |07 |Leather Store |15000 | |Sub-Total |244000 | |08 |Office |14300 | |09 |Staff Centre |8000 | |10 |Worker Canteen |8500 | |11 |Engineering workshop & Sub-station |5745 | |Sub-Total |36545 | |Total |280545 | CHAPTER FIVE Job Description 5. 1 Nature of the job: That My internship commenced on the date of my joining which was on February 01, 2011. My posting was at their Register Office, House # 6, Road # 137, Dhaka-1212. I have worked in the Marketing division of Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited. During my internship period, I had been giving my work report to Yashna chowdhury (Brand Manager of Marketing) everyday I did. 5. 2 Specific responsibilities of the job: During my internship period, my responsibility was to record the daily survey data an other responsibility was to what the customer wants.I had to record it in the survey sheet 5. 3 Different aspects of job performance: During my internship period, my responsibility was to record the daily survey data another responsibility was to what the customer wants. I had to record it in the survey sheet. I worked this type of activities in marketing department because at the beginning in entry level position every officer does this type of activities. At first senior manager of marketing department checks the level/ability of every officer by giving this type of activities. When they perform well, they get another responsibility. 5. 4 Observations: At the period of my internship in Gallerie Apex, I visited some galleries.Gallerie Farmgate is one of them. It denotes the whole activities that have to be done in each store of the Gallerie Apex. These are about; ( Product Knowledge ( Sales Conduct ( POS (Point of Sale) ( Process of sales communication ( Procedure of Goods receivin g/Dispatch ( Cash Memo ( Sales Report (Daily) ( Sales Report (Weekly) ( Sales Report (monthly) ( Accounting ( Store Billing ( After Sales Service ( Visual Merchandising Farmgate Gulshan is „A? category shop of Gallerie Apex. Total space is 1800sft and 6 employees are working there. Customer response is very much positive. This gallerie has verities collection of shoes for men and ladies.According to Men’s shoes, there are three products brand like Venturini, Apex and Sprint are common and Ladies sandals; Sandra Rosa, Nino Rossi and Apex are common. Men’s shoes size starts from 39-44 and sandal size starts from 35-41. There have different row to display particular brand product like shoes, sandals, socks, kid’s sandals etc. Price of Men’s shoes starts from 1250Tk-5500Tk, sandals 400Tk-1950Tk, and Ladies sandals 380Tk-2250Tk, Comfort socks 150Tk-250Tk. Price of Leather Goods is 600Tk. Point of Sale (POS) is some information? s about selling goods that have to fill by manager at selling period. These are; 1. Article code 7. Quantity 2. Name 8. Balance 3. Color 9. Unit price 4.Size 10. Discount% 5. Pair 11. Total Discount amount 6. Price I observed the sales communication between customer and sales person. How a sales person help a customer for purchasing a pair of shoes. A sales person gives information very politely about selected products feature, leather quality, durability and components of manufacturing. CHAPTER SIX CONSUMER ANALYSIS 6. 1 Customer satisfaction The Customers are in the mainstream of sales oriented services. The success of such companies largely depends on the satisfaction of the customers . The buyers are happy if the product and/or the services meet their expectations.If their requirements do not meet the expectations the buyers become discontented, they are delighted when the performance fulfils their requirements Customers’ past buying experiences, the opinion of friends, associates, marketer, compe titor information and promises lead to the expectations. Marketer must be careful to set the right level of expectations. If they set expectations too low, they may satisfy those who buy but fail to attract enough buyers. In contrast, if they raise expectations too high, buyers are likely to be disappointed. Dissatisfaction can arise either from a decrease in product and service quality or from an increase in customer expectations. In either case, it presents an opportunity for companies that can deliver superior customer value and satisfaction To? ay most successful companies have taken the strategy of are raising expectations and delivering performance to match. Such companies track their customers’ expectations, perceived company performance, and customer satisfaction. Highly satisfied customers produce several benefits for the company. Satisfied customers are fewer prices sensitive remain customers for a longer period and talk favorably to others about the company and its products and services Although the customer centered firm seeks to deliver high customer satisfaction relative to its competitors, it does not attempt to maximize customer satisfaction. A company can always increase customer satisfaction by lowering its price and increasing its services, but it may result in lower profits.Thus, the purpose of marketing is to generate customer value profitably Now, we have a very good idea regarding the importance of customer satisfaction. So, it is also important for the company to know about the satisfaction level of the customers. When any problem is identified, it becomes easier to solve the problem. The next part of this paper         has focused on the â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Factors of. It is done through a research survey to find out the customer satisfaction level of Gallarie Apex Customer Satisfaction Factors of Gallarie Apex: Gallerie Apex is the local manufacturing and retail wing of Apex Adelchi Footwear Limited (AAFL).While AAFL has predominantly earned both critical and commercial fame through export of high quality leather footwear in the international arena, Gallerie Apex has sought to adeptly make use of that expertise to provide high quality, fashionable footwear to the Bangladeshi consumers. 6. 2 Survey Findings: In order to measure the satisfaction of the customers a series of questions were asked to the customers with the help of a questionnaire, the data from these questions are tabulated below. For clear understanding, the overall satisfaction has been divided into satisfaction with the product and satisfaction with the after sales service. As already mentioned, the survey was conducted among nine hundred consumers; it was conducted in three way direct appointment, over telephone and with the help of email.I asked total twenty three closed end question to nine hundred consumers;. In the basis of strongly agree to strongly disagree. From the total point and average point I divided in to three categories  consumers; of satisfied subscribers, and moderate subscribers and not satisfied subscribers. From the table we see that in some area from question 1 to 11 consumers are satisfied and in some area consumers are not satisfied also there are some areas where subscribers are moderate. In below I discuss all the questions finding elaborately 6. 2. 1 SECTION A Q. 1 Here the question about the gender |Male |Female | | 224 |96 | 70%male &30% female are response Q. 2. Here is a question about age. Under 18 |18-24 |25-34 |35-44 |45-54 |55-64 |Above 65 | |6% |25% |40% |22% |6% |1% |4% | [pic] I have found 40% customer age between 25-34. Q,3 Monthly Household Income Range |Less than |20000-35000 |35000-45000 |45000-60000 |60000-75000 |75000-100000 |Above | |20000 | | | | | |100000 | |9% |23% |21% |31% |8% |3% |5% | [pic] Here is 31% customer monthly income 45000-60000. Majority of them are service holder. 6. 2. 2 SECTION B Q1 Name 3 Footwear Companies | | | |Apex | | | |Bata | | | |Others | | | | | | | |34% | | | |63% | | | |15% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |It means that 34% respondent first choice is apex. t means customer are not properly satisfied | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Q2.Shoes purchased respondents in last three month | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |From Apex | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |others | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |52% | | | | | | | | |48% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |[pic] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |In this graph show that 52% customer purchased shoe from apex at last three month. o apex has better position | | | | | | | | |Than other. | | | | | | | | Q3 Price vs. Quality of APEX Fair |Expensive |Don’t know | |38% |58% |3% | [pic] In this table sho w that 58% customer say that price of galarie apex is expensive shoe they can look after their price Q 4. Price vs. quality of other store |Fair |Expensive |Low |Don’t know | |51% |39% |6% |4% | [pic] There are 51% consumer say ocher store price are fair than apex. Q5 Purchase shoes over the internet |Yes |No | 29% |71% | [pic] 71% Consumer are not interested to porches product from internet. they say that this types of product they like to by from shop. 6. 2. 3 SECTION C Q 1. Other items willing to purchase beside shoe |Shocks |Wallet |Hand purse |Beg |Belt |Shoe care |Other |Nothing else | |39% |3% |6% |11% |11% |9% |11% |16% | [pic] There are 39% consumer like purchase shocks beside shoe. some other like to buy shoe care, hand purse, belt & other, Q2. What apex does best Price |Fashion |Quality |Customer service |Range of shoe | |36% |13% |35%

Addiction Studies Final Study Guide Essay

1. List and describe five (5) of the eleven (11) relapse warnings signs that were discuss in class. 1. Change in Attitude may occur and the recovering person may stop attending meetings or have lack of participation at their meetings. They may engage in addictive thinking (â€Å"stinkin thinking†). 2. Elevated Stress may happen if little things begin to build up over time, especially if they are not handles with healthy coping skills or are all together overlooked or ignored. This can also happen when a recovering person choose to over react to life changes. 3. Reactivation of Denial happens when stressors begin to take root ad get to the recovering person back into feeding their old ways of thinking. They could begin to think they need their substance(s)every once in a while or tell themselves they CAN’T stay sober all the time, or even lie to themselves and let themselves think a little won’t hurt, or one time won’t make a difference etc. (feed into denials). See more: Social process essay 4. Recurrence post-acute withdrawal symptoms might begin to surface again and a recovering person may experiences sleeplessness, increased anxiety, and even memory loss. Depression usually can continue long after abstaining from drugs/alcohol. 5. Behavior Changes such as slight changes in the routine or altering the already established method that had previously been working without real reason for making such changes. 6. Social breakdown is when the recovering person may start to feel uncomfortable around others. They may see or call their sponsor less to prevent anyone from noticing these changes. They may avoid family or friends who may try to intervene or just feel like the are unable to relate to people the same not that they have experienced so much. They may have fears of letting others in or telling too much and this can cause somewhat of social isolation with gives more opportunity for the recovering person to lie to themselves. 7. Loss of Structure is once the recovering person completely abandons the daily routine that they had developed during their early sobriety as ways to keep themselves sober and on the right track. This could also happen is some major event such as losing a job or having to move or loss of an apartment or current living situation. 8. Loss of Judgment is seen when the recovering person has trouble making decisions and has a difficult time managing feelings and emotions. 9. Loss of Control is when the individual makes irrational decisions choices an is unable to interrupt or alter the choices they are making. They may start to cut off people who were once positive persons or would be able to offer help and may think he/she can return to social drinking or minimal rug use recreationally. 10. Loss of Options is seen once the recovering person begins to limit their available options and stops attending meetings with counselor and support system. Addicted person may have feelings of loneliness, frustration, resentment and anger. 11. Relapse is when the individual actually attempts reusing/substituting use. The addict may think this is controlled â€Å"social† or â€Å"short term† alcohol/drug use but ultimately is still a relapse in recovery. Disappointment at the results follows almost immediately and the individual experiences shame and guilt and may even use these feelings as an excuse or reason to continue using if they do not seek out help. 2. Identify six (6) client engagement/counseling techniques discussed in class and discuss how they could potentially increase the client counselor relationship. 1. Establishing the relationship may be one of the initial barriers you may have to overcome. This can be done by having authentic conversations or using a sense of humor to help the client relax. Listening is the counselor’s main focus and primary role though. Listening to a client may be something they are not always use to. Many people probably tell them what they should be doing or how they are doing things wrong; but they might not often get the opportunity to think for themselves. When it is not the drug/alcohol controlling them, it is often others around them. Use the opportunity to ask your client what they think of things and asking them what they want or what is their perspective. Taking the time to invest in your client by considering their response gives them time to discover for themselves what are issues they may have or want to work on. Be careful to remember it is about them, not you. Once the client sees they can trust you they will begin to open up and this p otentially is the very beginning or real change and becoming accountable for their own story (if you listen without being judgmental). 2. Empowerment is felt by the client if the counselor helps find was or the client to take power over their own actions. Helping the client see they are not being forced to do anything, and they can ultimately decide what they want to do creates a feeling of being in control. Sometimes a client may be court ordered and if they don’t want to talk and don’t make them, let them sit there and they may begin to have a conversation out of bored. Letting them know they get to decide to do whatever it is that they want to and they can make the most out of it if you want to. One the client begins to see they are responsible for their own outcomes they become more accountable and more involved in their own recovery. The harder they work for it, the more motivated they will be to keep up with all their hard work because they earned it and it wasn’t given to them. 3. Helping the client discover their vulnerabilities (times they may feel most weak such as when they are hungry, angry, lonely, tired etc) and triggers allows the client to identity a time they may need to have a support plan for. One a problem area is discover the client can begin to make a plan as to what they can do to over time these times which will help them get better results. Each occasion they are prepared for will help them be more successful at overcoming and thus building up their own belief in themselves. 4. Helping the client gain positive support is curial for recovery. Just by investing time in your own client you become a part of this support system. Also helping them find other groups that appeal to them (not every meeting is right for everyone and being understanding when they have negative feed about one group, being sure not to punish their feelings but to encourage searching for another group etc) may give them the added support they need in between sessions and may also help with finding new friends who have similar goals at achieving sobriety is great reinforcement. 5.Helping the client establish goals for themselves help gives short term objectives to not only keep them working the program (even when they’re not in the meeting or in sessions) but keeps their brain focusing on treatment. Helping and encouraging the client to make realistic and achievable goals that they are likely to be successful with is helpful in feeling empowered and builds self-esteem and self-worth along with adds to feelings that sobriety is possible (if you take one step at a time, one day at a time etc). 6. Assisting the client in further development with life skills such as stress or anger management help gives the client alternatives and healthier coping skills. Giving the client the ability to make good decisions by advancing their knowledge and education often increases the likeliness they will make positive decisions. This often acts as a coaching mechanism and teaches the client there are other options and reinforces they have choices are responsible for their actions. 3. Discuss the advantages of the ‘group’ modality of treatment? The advantages of group treatment is they often instill hope by hearing other success stories or even hearing others having similar struggles and knowing that they are not alone is helpful. They help individuals accept themselves for who they are or what life they have and give strength to one another in a group effort. The shared experiences add effectiveness and make the struggles seem more normal or manageable as you see everyone work on similar goals. The group meetings usually offer education and support and because there is no hierarchy or leader and they are self-governing; there are roles of group responsibility. Every person then becomes equally important and serves a purpose. Because most groups are free they are available to anyone and because they are offered just about everyone (including online) they are accessible to everyone regardless of income or having insurance or a vehicle. The group setting promises anonymity which opens the doors to being more honest without fear of reprimand or condemnation. This can help reduce level of shame in knowing there are others who have mad the same mistakes and are working toward resolving them and still have hope. 4. When is individual counseling a preferred modality of treatment? Individual counseling is available and is recommended as another element of therapy and recovery for each individual, but is not necessary or required in order to recover. Individual counseling is often a preferred modality of treatment for those whose demographic (are minorities: teens, women, bi, lesbian, gay, transsexual communities, particular religious groups/extremes etc) can have a profound impact upon the patient’s ability to confront underlying problems (social acceptance, past physical/emotion/sexual abuse, traumatic experiences etc) and establish a solid foundation for recovery. At times courts also offer individual counseling in order to determine if there are underlying issues (such as mental health/ developmental disabilities). Clinicians who work with specialty programs should have training in the issues pertaining specifically to that population and should be trained in different specialty programs that will have sensitivity to those issues that the majority and average clinicians may not have. 5. List five (5) mental health disorders that are commonly associated with addictive disorders? The most common mental health disorders that are commonly associated with addictive disorders are antisocial personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenic disorder, and bulimia. 1.Anxiety Disorders (ADHD, generalize anxiety)2.Psychotic Disorders (schizophrenia)3.Mood Disorders (bipolar and major depression)4.Personality Disorders (borderline and antisocial) 6. Give five (5) reasons that persons with mental illnesses might stop taking their medications. There are many reasons why someone might stop taking their prescribed medication, but especially those with mental illnesses seem to struggle with regular medication maintenance for reasons such as simply forgetting to take their medications, the cost of their medications (especially if they have no health insurance or are in poverty), they may even have he distorted perception and the belief that they are cured or may simply miss the â€Å"positive† symptoms (such as the manic phases of bipolar) or sadly, may have gotten misguided advise from others in recovery that medication is not needed. 7. What are the family rules, identified by Claudia Black, that have been associated with families that have been impacted by addiction and the purpose they serve? Don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel, are common rules for children in families with addicts. These rules are often not written or verbalized (unspoken), but work almost like understood laws known by the family of those suffering from addiction. They know better than to talk about someone illness in their family, including talking to others within the family about the family problems. Silence is learned as demonstrated by these who serve role models in the family and the children learn to minimize, discount, rationalize, and pretend things are different than how they really are and often don’t learn how to express themselves. The reasons behind learning these unspoken rules serves as a way to hide shame, embarrassment, protection from being blamed for something they didn’t do, and almost serves as a way of loyalty to the family unit. These children often experience many disappointments that results in learning not to count on others or believe promises made anyone. Children are not given a way to express the feelings the stem from this environment and ultimately learn its better not to have feelings to talk about. Sadly, this is often a cycle and often times, these children, end up the addicts of the next generation. 8. List and describe the family ‘roles’ that have been associated with addiction and other high stress family dynamics. Addiction is a disease the effects the entire family, not just the addict themselves. Often times, those within the family take on certain roles if struggling with dysfunction or addiction; some of those role are: The â€Å"star†-who is the addict themselves and is often controlling the entire family, the enabler-who is often the spouse of the addicted person and act dependently with them, the hero-often times is the oldest or older child who tries to help the family by being perfect and over achieves to make up for the lack of others, the scapegoat-often acts as a person to blame for the problems in the family and may often cause trouble to draw attention away the bigger issues of the family, the forgotten child-often is the younger child who doesn’t get the attention that they need because of the bigger issues taking priority, and the cl own can be any person in the family who tries to make light within the stressful times as a way for everyone to cope. 9. Discuss why Harm Reduction as a concept that is somewhat controversial in the treatment /recovery profession. Harm reduction is the concept of no longer attempting to help the individual abstain from chemicals (after years or multiple failed intervention/recovery programs based on the assumption that it is possible to change behaviors over time) but immediately help reduce consequences of their continued substance abuse (until, hopefully, the individual accepts abstinence as a goal) meanwhile reducing the damage being done by their continued use of chemicals. Examples of such models are nicotine replacement therapy, needle exchange programs, and methadone maintenance programs. These programs are considered providing replacements chemicals in a controlled manner so that the individual is less likely to share or reuse dirty needles or engage in criminal behaviors and activities in order to obtain the substances to abuse which ultimately is thought to help reduced the spread of infectious diseases as well as reduce some cost to Medicare/Medicaid and other insurance premiums of users who destroy their health as well as abuse ER/hospitals as a way to get prescription etc. Harm reduction does have some obvious advantages, but likewise also had the potential to be an enabling way for users to continue use. Many 12 step programs teach about the important of consequences serving as motivation for change and believe harm reduction serves as a way to prolong the user’s efforts to get the help they need. Others argue that this serves the community more so than the addict, while helping the addict continue to kill/hurt themselves for the benefit of the community by hoping to decrease (unpreventable/uncontrollable) criminal behaviors. It is argued that addicts will still continue to use dirty needles, get additional drugs, and also participate still in illegal activity and that harm reduction just adds to the addiction.

Free Essays on Transendalism

Thoreau and Emerson Transcendentalism is used frequently as main topics in the stories â€Å"Nature† and Walden. These two themes are heavily concentrated on though these two stories are similar on the aspects of themes, though they differ on thethoughts of civilization and governments. These two stories also differ in the realms of creativity in the story. Walden was a story written by Thoreau, which is fairly similar to the contrasting book â€Å"Nature†. Emerson who uses his thoughts on transcendentalism to play a key role in the story writes â€Å"Nature†. Emerson uses the themes of Nature and God to represent and reflect nature as transcendentalism. Thoreau stresses the relationship with God and Nature at the same time. The two themes are used at once to direct the story in the path that the Thoreau wants it to lead. This is easily shown in the statement, â€Å" In the woods we return to reason and faith.† Both themes are quite similar though it is said that Emerson is more creative and imaginative in his way of depicting the short story as it progresses. The six characteristics of Transcendentalism stand out in each one of these stories. Both of these stories concentrate on writing about nature more than anything else. Emerson thought that God was a personal matter and that the relationship between man and god can only be embraced and made through man himself. The similarities are so stressed in these articles it is difficult to see them as contrasting on the elements of themes. Though the story written by Emerson seems to... Free Essays on Transendalism Free Essays on Transendalism Thoreau and Emerson Transcendentalism is used frequently as main topics in the stories â€Å"Nature† and Walden. These two themes are heavily concentrated on though these two stories are similar on the aspects of themes, though they differ on thethoughts of civilization and governments. These two stories also differ in the realms of creativity in the story. Walden was a story written by Thoreau, which is fairly similar to the contrasting book â€Å"Nature†. Emerson who uses his thoughts on transcendentalism to play a key role in the story writes â€Å"Nature†. Emerson uses the themes of Nature and God to represent and reflect nature as transcendentalism. Thoreau stresses the relationship with God and Nature at the same time. The two themes are used at once to direct the story in the path that the Thoreau wants it to lead. This is easily shown in the statement, â€Å" In the woods we return to reason and faith.† Both themes are quite similar though it is said that Emerson is more creative and imaginative in his way of depicting the short story as it progresses. The six characteristics of Transcendentalism stand out in each one of these stories. Both of these stories concentrate on writing about nature more than anything else. Emerson thought that God was a personal matter and that the relationship between man and god can only be embraced and made through man himself. The similarities are so stressed in these articles it is difficult to see them as contrasting on the elements of themes. Though the story written by Emerson seems to...