Economic principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic principles - Essay Example I find them much appealing to my values as compared to those that do not bear the incentive I desire. For instance, I am more than ready to study hard so that I can gain the incentive of one day becoming a successful economists. Another case is that I like helping others who are facing hardship because I believe they might be of use to my political agenda at one moment in time. In both of the above cases, there is always that incentive that motivates my present behavior. â€Å"Opportunity cost† is the other economic principle that often characterize my life. I desire so much yet I cannot get everything I want at the same time. For example, I like sleeping!!!! (But for the fear of being misquoted as lazy I accompany it with a disclaimer). On the other hand, I also want to attend classes so that I can gain the necessary knowledge in my major. Since I cannot sleep and attend classes at the same time, I am always forced to give up on sleep for the sake of attending classes. In this case, sleeping becomes my opportunity

Possibility of developing voice recognition system in an aircraft Research Paper

Possibility of developing voice recognition system in an aircraft - Research Paper Example But with an increase in air traffic, thanks to the continued technological innovation in the world today, new methods of communication in aircrafts have been devised in order to curb increased traffic along with the errors that occurred with voice radio and the need to incorporate even the disabled into the profession of piloting (Adams, 2009). Able Flight is a non-profit organization, which offers scholarships to people who have desire to training in the aviation industry. This organization works in conjunction with institutions that offers pilot training. Since it is non-profit, Able flight thrives on the generous donations of well wishers, corporate sponsorships and funding from the foundation. The IRS principles and policies are the ones that govern this organization. Its objective is, to help the handicapped and disabled to get the attitude and knowledge and ability to fly a plane. This is because the disabled need distinct solutions in aircrafts that will help them become pilot s just like others. An instance would be the use of voice recognition systems in aircraft. This would ensure that the hands of the pilot are not need in order to communicate with air traffic controllers. Important to note is that, the Able flight program does not only assist the disabled but also looks to help those who are normal and have a passion to fly planes along with the interest but then lack the ability. The main aim is to look into how able flight tries to help the disabled fly planes along with offering solutions to the difficulties that come by during flight training. In the end, this paper will look at the process of implementing voice recognition technology in a pilot's communication with air traffic controllers as argued by (Chen, 2006). Able flight helps disabled people to fly airplanes in several ways. This organization however does not offer flight training classes but teaches life lessons to the disabled, which helps them become good pilots and flight attendants. Able flight works with different schools of flying such as the Purdue University. This organization has been working with the said university for the past two years and two students have been taken to the university and taught to fly. Each of the two students has a disability which to date has been a hindrance to them become pilots or looking into the aviation industry. Regardless of this, with help from the scholarships from Able flight and the special aircrafts, the two have gotten light sport pilot certificates after a 5-week training period. Jacky (2008) argues that the most interesting part of the whole program is that, scholars can cover the whole package in a month while the flight scholars at Purdue take about six months to finish the course. Due to the density of the schedule at Purdue, the scholars and flight instructors take most of their time at the airport, in the classroom and in their specially modeled aircraft (Jacky, 2008). A partial day engross an early morning arr ival, 90 minutes of flying, debate, more flying and landings, lunchtime meals, even intense flying and ground institute lessons. Note that, all of these things take place at the Purdue University campus flight school, which does not mean that, Able Flight has no role that it plays. As far as those disabled scholars are concerned, Able Flight must participate or take part in ensuring that they obtain exactly what they went to acquire. The organizational program is developed in a way that, it has to follow up the students’

Finance Now, New Zealand Analysis

Finance Now, New Zealand Analysis Company Name: Finance Now, New Zealand Companies find it hard to survive in todays world of cut throat competition. All functions, including but not limited to, IT, Marketing, Service, Operations, Human Resource Management etc. are vital in making an organization a commercial success (Scott, 2015). Marketing, being one of the most significant domains, has a crucial role to play. Right from zeroing on a target market to communicating the end product to users, marketing has it all covered under its wing (Slater, 2015). This report highlights the facets of marketing, such as market segmentation, impact the overall performance of a firm named Finance Now. It also gives an overview of the impact of external as well as internal business environment on the functioning of the firm. A detailed analysis highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of organization has also been done. Finance Now Ltd, established in 2000, is a company that is 100% owned and managed by a loan-lending, local company of New Zealand. SBS (Southland Banking Society) is the parent company of Finance Now and was established in 1869. The company is known to grant loans to only kiwis and work visa holders. A wide array of loans comprising of retail loans, business loans, personal loans etc. are offered to kiwis by the largest building society of New Zealand, SBS. Finance Now has a diverse range of products to offer to its customers. Its association with over 1500 retail locations helps boost its credit sales for motor vehicle dealers as well as good finance/consumer loans all through New Zealand. Interest rates charged by the organization vary from person to person depending on the type of application (Now, financenow.co.nz, 2017). The business world, today, is facing with numerous challenges when it comes to running a commercially successful organization,courtesy the ever-changing external and internal environment. The growth and profitability of a firm are largely dependent on factors within and beyond the scope of the organization (Dibrell, 2015). Thus, it is in the best interest of a firm to adopt strategies that promote sustainable development taking into consideration the impact of external as well as internal factors affecting growth (Boons, 2013). External Environment: Some of the factors, beyond the control of the organization, that may have an impact on its growth are: 1. Social Factors: The lifestyle of the local population of the country in which the firm is operational is a major determinant of the success of firm. This is because a grand lifestyle with little disposable income would result in an enhanced customer base taking loans (Medina Munro, 2017). Growth in population is another factor that could enhance the penetration of Finance Now as more people would mean more requirements of houses and other facilities (Rothaermel, 2015). Also, the rapidly increasing working population of New Zealand has the potential to impact the growth of Finance Now. 2. Legal/Regulatory Factors: Affirming to the rules and regulations set by the government of New Zealand is a prerequisite to establishing and running any business in the nation. Fluctuating interest rates have a direct impact on the growth of financial firms with more customers taking loans when the interest rates are low (Chang, 2013). The documentation process is often standard and a simpler process helps getting more customers on board. 3. Economic Factors: The economic situation of New Zealand is expected to impact the growth of Finance Now the most. This is because, a fluctuating economy would directly contribute to a fluctuating customer base with more people opting for personal and business loans when the economy is low. An evidence is that SBS recorded an annual growth of 24% in Financial Year 2014-15 even though the GDP staggered at 3.5% (McBeth, 2015). A rise in inflation rates leads to a rise in interest rates. On the other hand, a drop in inflation may lead to more locals taking to financial help due to lesser rate of interests. This helps in increasing profitability of financial firm. For example the profit made by SBS rose to $14.7 mn in the first two quarters of Financial Year 2016 despite the drop of interest rates as more people opted for loans (Morgan, 2016). 4. Technological Factors: Technology helps make the otherwise complex procedures of documentation easy, hence contributing to the growth of an organization (Rouse, 2016). E-Money feature E Finance cash card for consumer loans Online Portal Mobile Apps-AMP Digital Marketing PPC Digital Advertising, Remarketing or Retargeting Internal Environment The internal environment of an organization comprises to elements that can be controlled by the organization to an extent (Kuratko, 2014). For example infrastructure, employees, values, vision and mission and products and services offered (Hair, 2015). Finance Now competes against others of its kind in the market, including Kiwi Bank, ASB Bank, Moneyshop, Loansmart, Harmoney, Ferratum, Moola, Rapid Loans etc. The more the presence of competitors, the more beneficial a companys products and offerings must be in order to sustain competition. A competitive advantage can be gained by organizing marketing campaigns to increase awareness about products, offering products with enhanced customer value and also guaranteeing superior service (Wagner III, 2014). For example, SBS banks on competitive pricing for gaining an edge over other players in the market. It launched a 3.99% fixed mortgage rate in 2016, which was the lowest observed interest rate in decades. SBS also offered a 0.20% bonus on Term Investments which provided an added benefit to existing investors, thus contributing to customer retention (Bank, 2016). The diverse range of products offered by Finance Now, ranging from personal and home loans to retail loans, helps attract cu stomers from all walks of life. The coming together of Finance Now and dentists of New Zealand to offer an interest free credit deal for 12 months is a great example of how the company intends to diversify its offerings (Times, 2014). A SWOT analysis helps us determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a firm. Strengths 1. Advertisements: The light hearted advertisements of SBS bank help in attracting new customers and also retaining those existing For example the warm advertisement depicting a couples excitement to embark on a journey of owning their own home (Commercial, 2016). Finance Now also organizes competitions to help keep its customers engaged (Now, Finance Now) 2. Team, members and partners: The team of Finance Now is its biggest strength. The customers are referred to as members. The company also has over 1500 retail partners to help boost its business (Now, financenow.co.nz). 3. Innovation: Finance Now follows innovative techniques to cope with the ever advancing technology. For example the e-money card and mobile app launched by the company have been immensely popular among masses (Fung, 2014). 4. Customer Service The finance companies or banks are always known to be in the good books of its existing customer base by virtue of its superior customer service. The testimonials put up on the website are evidence of the same (Now, financenow.co.nz, 2016). Weaknesses 1. High interest rates Finance Now offers Business loan interests ranging from 0% to 22.5% (Now, financenow.co.nz). Other competitors offer loans at a borrowing rate of 14-18% on an average (Tarrant, 2017) 2. Nomenclature Since Finance Now is an extremely common name, particularly in the world of finance, its becomes difficult for the company to mark its online presence Opportunities With more and more people taking to loans as an easy way of starting a business or buying a house, the loan market is on a rapid growth (Riasi, 2015). The ease of applying for loans makes it an even better deal. With Finance Now positioned as a Kiwi Bank, it has an edge among the locals of New Zealand. Threats Presence of several competitors with substitute products at cheaper interest rates poses the biggest threat to Finance Now. Government policies may also not always turn out to be in favor of the financial institution. Advertising Policies- Google facebook- Ban on Payday personal Loans with high interest rates. Govt Financial Organization Polices Example of Competitor- recent New Rapid Loans The theory of stakeholder identification is majorly concerned with the principle that who all and what really counts in an organization. The normative theory of stakeholder identification helps us understand why employees and managers are important stakeholders in an organization (Agnà ©, 2015). Some of the other important stakeholders of Finance Now are: 1. Parent Company SBS The board of members of the parent company of SBS comprises of the most prominent stakeholders of Finance Now. The ultimate decision pertaining to any activity carried out by Finance Now is monitored by the parent company. 2. Associated Company -Marble Finance 3. Team Finance Now has its own employees working to attain the vision and mission of the company. The employees belonging to different levels of management and varied domains are significant stakeholders as they impact the profitability of the organization and vice versa. 4. Members The company treats its customers as its members, offering privileges from time to time. The members of Finance Now invest money and show faith in the organization which makes them important stakeholders in the firm. 5. Retailers Finance Now has a tie up with over 1500 retailers(list enclosed appendix no ) in order to boost sales across the country. 6. Associates In addition to having an association with retailers, Finance Now also makes associations with third party Sales and Marketing Teams in order to ensure deeper penetration of its products into the market. 7. Customers/Loan Applicants The loan applicants are also put their faith on company before applying for a loan. 8. Other Investors Target market identification is essential for an organization. This is because it becomes difficult, almost impossible, to cater to the needs of the masses without having a target population in mind. The same product may not suit everyone. Hence, market segmentation is done in order to ensure greater profitability. The products are designed to fit the needs of the target market, thus ensuring a deeper penetration and bigger market share. Market segmentation at Finance Now was done based on the industry it was to operate in. Money lending financial institutions often target a market that they can rely on to repay the loan within a stipulated time. The needs of the target market were then reviewed to create a portfolio of product that could fit the needs of the target population. The process of target market identification proved to be robust with the company making profits soon after its inception. Finance Now aims at catering to the needs of the working population (Li, 2016). This is because the working population has the ability to repay the loans along with the interests associated with it in the future (Bilton, 2016). Finance Now offers a wide range of products ranging from car loans to vacation loans, thus ensuring that all sub groups of the target market are catered to. Secured loans with lesser interest rates are available for those who wish to provide a backup or security, such as a car or property, against the loan that they take. Unsecured loans at the other hand, have the benefit of not having to keep anything as security. The interest rates, however, in case of unsecured loans are higher than those for secured loans. The market segmentation strategy has been working in favor of Finance now with the firm expanding its customer base and making enha nced profits. Finance Now has been a profitable financial institution because of effective market segmentation and positioning. The firm has also efficiently used marketing campaigns to its favor. The wide array of product portfolio offered by the company is instrumental in helping it cater to its target market. The use of technology further enhances its growth prospects. The organization aims at outweighing the presence of competitors in the financial arena by virtue of providing a superior experience to its customers. Appendices Types of loans and products List of Retailers and partners List of competitors Organic Rank Report Glimpse of Google Adwords TV and Radio Advertisements links

The Link Between Down Syndrome and Alzheimers Disease Essay example --

The Link Between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease The individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that "all children with disabilities, including mental retardation, be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with students who are not disabled" (2). In an ideal world, society would have no problem following this decree, but the world is less than perfect and, therefore, stigmas are unfortunately attached to those suffering from mental disabilities, especially the mentally retarded. One has to question whether this group of people deserves these stigmas. Having grown up with two severely retarded cousins and, for that matter, a great uncle suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, I often wondered as to what was happening within their brains. It was evident that they were unable to respond to me in a normal fashion, but I challenged whether this was just a veneer. Being a spiritual person and believing the mind to be akin to 'the soul', I always felt it must be separate from the brain. A part of me hoped that their minds were sti ll cognizant even though their brain appeared to have a different physiology and they seemed to be unable to respond to me in a normal fashion. However, upon researching the link present between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease, I began to question whether my previous beliefs were indeed true. I think the questioning of this raises ethical issues about how we treat the mentally disabled and gives quite an argument for the brain = behavior debate. As more and more adults live longer, age-associated mental disease is becoming more and more of a concern. Present estimations state that soon nearly 10 million Americans will suffer from the disabling disease called Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's s... ... Risk of Down Syndome with Increasing Maternal and Paternal Age, Good Detailed Site http://www.lifesciences.napier.ac.uk/bws/courses/projects/downsynd/home.htm 9)Alzheimer's Disease and People with Mental Retardation, Good Detailed Site http://www.thearc.org/faqs/almr.html 10)Developmental Disabilities and Alzheimer's Disease, Good Detailed Site by The Arc http://www.thearc.org/misc/alzbk.html 11)Epidemiology of Alzheimer Disease in Mental Retardation, Periodicals Index http://www.aamr.org/index.shtml 12)Fact Sheet: Alzheimer's Disease, Family Caregiver Alliance http://www.caregiver.org/factsheets/diagnoses/alzheimers.html 13)Harvard Researchers Link Alzheimer's to Problem With Chromosome Segregation Presenilin Proteins are Found in Cell Structures Involved in Mitosis, Recent Press Release http://www.hms.harvard.edu/news/releases/897alzheimer.html

Conventional Shopping vs Online Shopping Essay

On-Line Shopping Vs Traditional Shopping The advent of the Internet has had an impact in our lives in all sorts of ways such as in the manner in which we communicate, flirt, date, and most importantly, how we shop. While even in the recent past the thought of whether some day one would be able to buy an Armani outfit wearing pajamas while looking after the needs of a couple of toddlers would have seemed an outlandish idea, thanks to the increasing sophistication of the technology of the 21st century, practically everything is virtually possible, and shopping from the comfort of one’s home has become a part of most people’s daily lives. When retailing on the web started, sometime in the middle to the late 1990s, it gave rise to the debate which is still ongoing, about online vs. traditional shopping. And even though shopping centres are still being thronged by shoppers, just as they do on the Internet, the question still remains – Whether online shopping will conquer all, or if traditional shopping will survive this increasing onslaught of e-shopping? In order to study this, let’s examine a few pros and cons of online vs. traditional shopping: Advantages of Online Shopping Internet has revolutionized the way we do our Shopping. Because of the numerous Advantages and Benefits of Shopping Online more and more people these days prefer Online Shopping over conventional shopping. Given below are my Top 10 Reasons for Buying Online. 1. Convenience: The convenience of this method of shopping is the best advantage liked by many people. Where else can one do shopping even a midnight wearing his/her night suit? one do not have to wait in a line or wait till the shop assistant is ready to help him/her with purchases. One can do shopping in minutes even if one is busy apart from saving time and avoiding crowds. Online shops give us the opportunity to shop 24 x 7 and also reward us with a ‘no pollution’ shopping. There is no better place to buy information products like e-books. Immediately after the payment is made one can download the information. And downloadable items purchased online eliminate the need for any kind of material goods at all. 2. Better Prices: Another thing which fascinates most customers is the cheap deals and better prices they get from online stores because products come to them direct from the manufacturer or seller without middlemen involved. Many online shops offer discount coupon s and rebates. Apart from this, the Online Store is only required to collect sales tax if they have a physical location in our state even if we buy from a store across the world. 3. Variety: The choices one can get for products are amazing. Read more: Essay About  Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping One can get several brands and products from different sellers at one place. You can get in on the latest international trends without spending money on airfare. When you shop online, you can shop from retailers in other parts of the country or even the world without being limited by geographic area. These stores offer a far greater selection of colors and sizes than you will find locally. Apart from that, How many times have it happened that you spend your money reaching a local shop only to find that the product you need is out of stock? Some online shops have a provision to accept orders without stock and ship it across to you when the stock becomes available. You also have the option of taking your business to another online store where the product is available. 4. Send Gifts: Online Shopping makes sending gifts to relatives and friends easy, no matter where ever they stay. Now there is no need of making distance an excuse for not sending a gift on occasions like Birthday, Weddin g Anniversary, Marriage, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day etc. 5. Fewer Expenses: Many times when we opt for conventional shopping we tend to spend a lot more than the required shopping expenses on things like eating out, traveling, impulsive shopping etc. 6. Comparison of Prices: Online shops make comparison and research of products and prices possible. Online stores also give you the ability to share information and reviews with other shoppers who have firsthand experience with a product or retailer. 7. Crowds: Many customers would like to avoid the crowds when they do the shopping. Especially during Festivals and Special events the crowds can really give a headache. Crowds force us to do a hurried shopping most of the time. Crowds also create a problem when it comes to finding a parking place nearby where you want to shop and going back to your vehicle later loaded with shopping bags. 8. Compulsive Shopping: Many times when we go out on Shopping we end up buying things which we do not require because of the shop keepers up selling skills. Sometimes we even compromise on our choices because of the lack of choices in those shops. 9. Buying Old or unused Stuff at low prices: Online Shops make it possible for us to buy old or unused stuff at rock bottom prices. If we want to buy antiques there is no better options than online stores. 10. Discreet Purchases: Some things are better done in privacy. Online shops are also best for discreet purchases like adult toys, sexy lingerie and so on. Online Shops enable me to purchase under garments and lingerie without the embarrassment that there are several people watching me and my choices. Disadvantages of online shopping The craze of online shopping has picked up quite significantly in the last decade and online sellers are expected to improve their share of purchases for years to come. There is no doubt that one can find great deals online and so many different brands which may not be even available in regular stores, even shopping malls. Despite of all the hype, there are certain disadvantages of online shopping. 1. One Do Not Physically See The Items: Normally when we shop from a regular store, we can see the item and at least visually inspect that it looks fine. You can select a color, size and can even speak to a sales person to clarify doubts regarding an item. The biggest disadvantage of online shopping is we do not physically see the item till it arrives. May be you have seen it in the nearby mall but there is a possibility that the particular piece you have ordered may be defective. Misinterpretation or misunderstanding of items bought online is a common problem. Usually the photo of items y ou see online are much better than once you have the item in front of you 2. Wait For The Items To Arrive: Once one place you order the waiting game starts. One has to wait for a few days for the item to arrive which can be quite frustrating. Most experts believe that we are most excited about your â€Å"buy† in the first few days, so by the time your item arrives you will most likely be less excited then getting the item on same day you made the payment 3. Chances Of Mishandling While Shipping / Delivery Risks: What if the item you are expecting never arrives, you will be lost in a series of phone calls to the seller and the courier company. What if you are not at home during the time of delivery and the courier company leaves the package on your door and a passerby decides to steal it? What if the shipping company broke your stuff and you realize it after opening it when the courier man has already gone away. The seller might claim that you broke it. 4. Shipping Charges: Only a few sites offer free shipping, some others will ship for free only if your total purchase price exceeds a certain amount. Shipping fee is often a big dis couragement for online shoppers. 5. Returning Merchandise: Even if the seller agrees to take back the defective merchandise, you often have to pay the cost of shipping it back. Additionally you have to call and convince the people regarding the reason of your return. Some good sites do have excellent return policy, but not everyone. 6. Online Security: Making payments online is usually safe but not always. There may be sites which are not secure or do not encrypt your personal credit card data, so if a hacker breaks in their system, your personal data can be compromised. 7. Risk Of Online Fraud: Some people pretend selling items at a very cheap price and often send you a low quality, opened or refurbished item, in other cases the site may shut down unexpectedly, leaving lot of customers who might have already paid for the item but did not receive anything. Shopping online can also take you to phishing sites which want to defraud you. 8. Timezone Difference: In countries like USA there are various time zones and the customer service hours of the online shopping site may be different from your time zone, making it difficult for you to get in touch with a human when you need help. 9. Sales Tax: Although an online shopping site may not charge you a sales tax during the purchase, you are legally obliged to pay taxes when you file annual taxes (assuming you live in a taxable state). Most people are able to get by, but in case of a scrutiny not paying sales tax on online purchases may become an issue. 10. A Dull Shopping Experience: Many customers enjoy going to a mall or just the nearby bazaar and enjoy the ambiance and feel more social among other people. Online shopping can be boring for many and make you feel like a loner. 11. Restocking Fee: Most online stores have a restocking fee, specially on electronic items. Items that you buy in a store, can be opened within the store in front of an associate after purchase, and if there is an obvious defect you can return/exchange it without paying a restocking fee which is usually between 10 to 20 percent. 12. Spyware On Your Computer: Having a virus or a spyware is not the sellers fault but there is a risk of your personal data / credit card information, to be stolen right from your own computer. 13. Knowledge Of Operating A Computer: Older people in particular are not comfortable operating computer and they will never purchase online because of the same reason. 14. Deal Hunting Can Be Frustrating: It is common that the price of items are different on different sites. Some people find excitement in finding good deals online while others hate to check various sites to find the best price. Also online shopping can often become addictive. 15. Online Connectivity Issues: You add items in your online shopping cart, enter your credit card information and press â€Å"submit†. What if the confirmation screen times out due to connectivity issues. You do not know if the order went through correctly or not. Many people refresh the screen and little do they know that it may cause double billing / double ordering. 16. One Cannot Buy Low Priced Or Perishable Items On The Web: Small items like pencil, eraser, socks, water bottles etc.. are low priced items and shipping them will likely double the cost. You will always have to depend on regular stores for them. Similarly items like milk, fruits and vegetables are perishable items and cannot be ordered online. 17. One Cannot Buy Items That He/She Need ‘Right Now’: Disadvantage of online shopping includes inability of getting items in your possession quickly. Most good internet sites have taken adequate measures to overcome most of these disadvantages. An intelligent online shopper knows a lot more than a novice. Both regular stores and online shopping have advantages and disadvantages of their own. However, traditional shopping does have certain plus points. Immediate gratification that local brick and mortar shops provide is still liked by many people. If you want something right away, just now, getting it from a retail store is the only option. Seeing and touching a product is also an important factor for many people when they buy things. For example, most people would not buy a piece of expensive jewellery only on the basis of a picture on a website. The chances are slim for the Internet to capture a share of the market of industries which are more suitable for traditional shopping. While consumers can carry out research online for high priced items like properties and cars, people usually want to see the piece of real estate or visit a car showroom and test drive a car before finalizing a deal. A traditional retailer bestows the personalized human contact which is not available on the Internet. Besides, for many people shopping is a source of entertainment, almost a social rite. People like to handle things, especially clothes, feel the texture, and try them on to see how they look in them. For Our Study We took * Myntra was established by Mukesh Bansal, Ashutosh Lawania and Vineet Saxena in February 2007. Myntra’s headquarter is in Bangalore, with regional offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. * In 2010, the company shifted its strategy to becoming a B2C (business to customer) oriented firm, expanding its catalogue to fashion and lifestyle products. * Myntra.com is ranked among the top 10 e-commerce companies in India . In the last 3 years, Myntra has become the most popular destination for personalized products in the country. * Products :- * Men, Women, Kids Clothing * It Has About 20,000+ Styles, 350+ Brands and Counting! * It has the largest collection of the latest fashion and lifestyle products in India! * Myntra has tied up with top fashion and lifestyle brands in india, such as nike, reebok, puma, adidas, asics, lee, lotto, decathlon, fifa, john miller, indigo nation etc. * To offer a wide range of current season merchandise from these brands. Myntra currently offers products from more than 200 indian and international brands. These include shoes for running, tennis, football, basketball and fitness, along with casual footwear from world-renowned industry leaders like * There are also casual and dressy footwear for women from catwalk, carlton london and red tape to name a few. * Capabilities * Order processing and delivery: myntra attempts to order and ship every order within 24 hrs.it offers free shipping within india on all products it can ship internationally to all major countries. * Technological: myntra maintains its website which provides the only means by which a customer can make a purchase. * To maintain, upgrade and improve the website and the user experience, myntra employees many computer science engineers and experienced professionals. * Marketing: * Myntra has successfully used social networking websites facebook and twitter to expand its customer base. * Myntra positions itself as a fashionable new age brand. It launches major marketing campaigns every year. In february 2012, myntra rolled out an ooh (out of home) campaign across 2 cities to build brand awareness and promote online shopping. * Myntra has used mostly viral marketing and internet for its popularity coupled with occasional discounts and referral discounts. It can be given a rating of 3/5. * Revenue Model Myntra.com is an aggregator of many brands. Its business model is based on procuring current season merchandise from various brands and making them available on the portal at the same time as in respective retail brand outlets. All these products are offered to customers on mrp. It is a business to customer (b to c) revenue model. * Competitive Advantage * Competitive advantage in any e-commerce business can be due to a cost leadership or product differentiation or both. * In the case of Myntra the competitive advantage is mostly due to cost leadership * In special cases it also enjoys competitive advantage due to product differentiation. In case of IPL t- shirts the buyer can get his/her name imprinted on it. Also Myntra’s business model up till 2009 was of customized t-shirts and mugs etc which allowed it to have product differentiation. Recommendations When buying from online stores make sure to check out the following. * Does the online store value your privacy and confidentiality? Is their privacy policy available to read if you want to see it? * How long have they been in business? Are they reputed in business with great reviews from customers? * Does the online store have a way to contact them? * If you’re unhappy with your purchase, do they have a refund policy? If one take care of the above, Online shopping can be a very rewarding experience. Conclusion We think online shopping is great. We have grown an increase interest in doing most of our shopping online because of its convenience, no rush, and because you view everything in one place. The internet is can be shopping mall! However we think that there are items where traditional shopping has an edge over the online shopping. For example- while buying furniture like sofa, the feel of the sofa is very important. In traditional shopping one can come to the store and sit on the sofas to see if they like them or not. Many people are pickier than others and seeing the furniture online may seem like a good idea to them at first, but then they receive it and it’s a big disaster. Now, add the frustration of exchange/returns on a sofa you’re not happy with spells bigger disaster! we think that’s the only drawback. Other than that, online shopping is fun, convenient way to shop. Our only advice is be safe, be smart and make sure buying is done from a reputable website.

Headache

{draw:frame} Severe Headaches Associated With Higher Temperatures, Lower Barometric Pressures Although large numbers of headache sufferers, particularly individuals who struggle with migraines, attribute their pain to the weather, there has been little scientific evidence to back up their assertions. Now, a study of more than 7,000 patients, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), provides some of the first large-scale data on how environmental conditions — weather, as well as air pollution — influence headache pain. Reported in the March 10 issue of the journal Neurology, the findings demonstrate that higher temperatures, and to a lesser degree, lower barometric pressure, contribute to severe headaches. â€Å"Migraine headaches affect a large proportion of the population,† notes Kenneth Mukamal, MD, MPH, the study’s first author and a physician in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at BIDMC. â€Å"Approximately 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the U. S. report having migraine headaches, particularly young and middle-aged adults. Knowing that migraines can be set off by â€Å"triggers,† including certain foods, alcohol, stress and hormones, Mukamal and his coauthors decided to study whether environmental factors were also acting as headache triggers.. â€Å"Air temperature, humidity and barometric pressure are among the most frequent reasons that people give for their headache pain,† explains Mukamal, who is also an Associate Professor of Med icine at Harvard Medical School. â€Å"But none of these reasons have been consistently verified. We wanted to find out if we could verify this ‘clinical folklore. We also wanted to determine whether air pollutants trigger headaches, much as they have been found to trigger strokes. † â€Å"In other words,† says Mukamal, â€Å"our study design was able to directly compare weather and air pollution conditions right before an emergency visit with those same factors measured earlier and later the same month. † â€Å"Certainly our results are consistent with the idea that severe headaches can be triggered by external factors,† says Mukamal. â€Å"These findings help tell us that the environment around us does affect our health and, in terms of headaches, may be impacting many, many people on a daily basis. Mukamal recommends that headache patients sit down with their doctors to identify the triggers that lead to their headache symptoms, adding that even though the weather can’t be altered, doctors might be able to prescribe medication that can be administered prophylactically to help avert the onset of weather-related headaches. Furthermore, he adds, â€Å"On a population basis, we need to be concerned about incremental temperature rises anyhow, and should advocate for responsible environmental management. The annual cost attributed to migraines is estimated at $17 billion, millions of people are adversely affected and the public health implications may be enormous. † This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Study coauthors include BIDMC investigators Gregory A. Wellenius, ScD, and Murray A. Mittleman, MD, DrPH; and Helen H. Suh, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health.