Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay

Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay My idea is to set up an established franchise. Thus a Subway Franchise. My decision was based on the idea that there is a gap in the market for this particular business especially in the South Norwood area. The only well known sandwich outlet is Subway and although it is already a well-established brand name, I believe that in the correct location my own store will have the potential to make a lot of profit and survive. My businesses unique selling point will be giving my customers the choice to choose which fillings or types of breads they wish to eat for their sub. There are nearly two million different sandwich combinations available on the SUBWAY menu. This flexibility will give the customer their needs and we will gain the loyalty. I believe that in the correct location my own Subway franchise will have the potential to make profit and survive. I will be answering the question: Is it feasible for Subway to expand by establishing a second sandwich outlet in Central Croydon. It is a well-known brand but in the UK not many customers are familiar with this established name. I will make sure these potential consumers know it. I plan to do this by identifying an opportunity in the market and if there is a gap. I plan to use forecasts to see whether my business will be successful such as cash flow and break-even. Using finance available it will help me to launch an excellent franchise opportunity. I have found out Subway is one of the best franchises to set up and a number one entrepreneurial opportunity. Despite this, as there is a highly competitive market that my business would have to enter, having a brand that consumers trust and identify will lead the sandwich bar gaining a stable market share, and loyal customers in a short space of time, and also some of the risk will be reduced.  Overall, buying into a franchise enables entrepreneurs like me to have an opportunity to provide a known product from an established brand with a proven operating system a lready in place. Projects Aims Objectives Aims are the long-term intentions of a business while the objectives are needed to fulfil these overall aims of a business. The main aim of this project is to conduct a sufficient feasibility study in order to evaluate whether or not my business will be successful or not. If my business is likely to fail I would like to assess what factors resulted in this failure and in turn what factors resulted in its success. If it is not feasible then at the end of my project I would like to draw some sort of conclusion about what could have been done to make my business much more successful especially in the case that my business fails. Despite being a franchise and a well-known brand in sight of my potential customers, this feasibility study could endeavour failure and from there I could see what actually could have been enhanced. If it does prove to strive to success, I will be able to identify the best place to set it up, what products to market consumers want/need and at what price. Moreover, I would like to assess what factors resulted in the failure of my business, and what factors contributed to the success of my business, and at the end of the project evaluate what could have been done to improve the business being a success. By doing this I will look into what makes a business strive into success, such as location, the competitors, products to be aimed at potential customers and whether there is actually a demand in the market for a well-known franchise as this. Information will be retrieved through primary and secondary sources and research. I intend to use primary research in order to identify, suitable locations, current prices of my local competitors, products that are needed and wanted by consumers in the market, the right promotional methods in order to attract potential consumers and to establish the target market. In addition I shall use secondary research to find out statistics on most products sold/brought, the period of time in which consumer spending is at its highest, and where and any information retrieved by competitors on consumer spending patterns within the market, or successful marketing strategies. All project results will be used to determine and evaluate my project and backup final decisions. I will need to remember that I will need long-term profit in order to survive. Business Aims Objectives Aims should be an expression of all parties of the business, i.e. employees, shareholders. The set aims should be long-term and everyone within the firm should work to achieve them. Aims can encourage commitment within a firm, i.e. giving employees a long-term job within the firm. Most firms do not spend quantities of time on trying to define their aims, particularly true of small firms where communication levels are quick and easy to transfer information such as my firm Subway. Aims are a basis in which I will set my objectives. These can be influenced by the business culture and the workforce culture. Delegation can take place, in order to allow different departments to focus on different aims. This allows analysis of the success of the objective easier. My aims are: Produce quality products at a competitive price. Bridge the gap between social classes by giving everyone high classed products. In co-operate consumers needs and wants in products. Increase consumers value of living. Turn luxury products into necessity products due to high quality and the purpose/function to the consumers. Produce a profit making business. Design a company whereby customers satisfaction is achieved and a friendly service is offered. Primary Objectives: Will the new Croydon store prove to be adequate in all areas, but most importantly will it be profitable, to a sufficient level of return? Secondary Objectives: Collect the previous years accounts and financial reports for Subway, and evaluate the present situation. Investigate whether there is land available to expand its property. To obtain marketing data. Find out the start-up costs and initial investment for the outlet for expansion. To diversify the business. Using the retrieved raw data, produce forecasted accounts and evaluate the firms financial position in the future. Decide whether a change in price is needed or adding or removing of items is needed to the existing menu. Assess the time scale of the expansion. Methodology Examine existing accounts of the business to whether the firm has enough capital for expansion. I am going to do this by finding out the profitability, liquidity and the efficiency of the firm using ratio analysis from the Trading Profit and Loss account and the Balance Sheet. I will find out using an appropriate website, where I want to open the outlet. This will highlight all the surrounding stores and vacant properties. I will use this as a basis to find a vacant suitable site for the new Subway Restaurant. Once an appropriate site is chosen, I will choose whether to lease or buy a free hold property. I am going to prepare a questionnaire for the customers visiting the restaurant and do a survey of the people in the area to find out their views about the recognised brand name Subway and whether the target market for the product is aimed confidently to the correct consumer market. Retrieve information from the Subway website on costs that will be needed to be incurred, such as the start-up costs and initial investment. Investigate the ways in which the business can diversify, for example introducing other types of catering services such as catering for special occasions. To forecast the firms Trading Profits and loss account. Balance sheet and cash flow forecast if the restaurant was to expand. By using Ratio analysis, I intend to analyse the firms financial position in the future. Upon my findings in my questionnaire I will decide whether extra items should be added to the present menu. Using Decision-Making Techniques such as decision trees and critical path analysis to help reach a decision and estimate the minimum time that could be taken to complete a possibly problematic process. Mission Statement The main objective of a mission statement aims to set and/or tell, stakeholders and shareholder of what the overall purpose of the business is. This involves stating what the business intends to achieve and sets the theme for setting objectives and strategic methods. It shows the businesses reason for existing; why it has been set-up in the first place its intentions. However, in the likeliness of setting a positive and achievable mission statement, a criterion has been set for business to follow. SMART (smart, measurable, agreed, realistic, time specific), allow businesses o analyse the mission statement and to see how success full it would be. As a general not the companies overall mission statement would be to become the biggest and best-value store in the market. Mission statements shows the businesses reason for existing, why it has been set-up in the first place (intentions). Existing Subway missionary statement: To provide the tools and knowledge to allow entrepreneurs to successfully compete in the Quick Service Restaurant industry worldwide, by consistently offering value to consumers through providing great tasting food that is good for them and made the way they like it. SWOT analysis This is a tool, which is used to review internal and external business environments. The benefit of doing this is to assess the businesses current activities and base decisions on them. It is an effective way of identifying my Strengths and Weaknesses, and of examining the potential Opportunities and Threats my business might face. By carrying out an SWOT analysis and using the SWOT framework it will help me to focus into areas where my business will show strengths and where the greatest opportunities lie. My strengths are any resources and capabilities that can be used as a basic for developing a competitive advantage over other sandwich outlets. Strengths: Being a small sole trader franchise means that I will have a closer relationship with the customers, thus receive ideas and build a personal relationship with them. Then begin to build a loyal customer base. Eventually I can promote and adapt my products to the needs of the consumers. I have a good location for my business that is easy to access and is viewable by consumers. Thus creating awareness for consumers to come in and purchase a product. Establish competitors, which have identified consumers spending habits. Makes it easier to establish a business whereby, their needs and wants are already aware. A market-led business that is dedicating to consumers means that you will be giving the consumers what they need, which would make them, happier-delighted. Ultimately, returning back for more purchases. An excellent worldwide reputation in place means a long trading period could be portrayed. Finding a trustworthy supplier is guaranteed, someone who is willing to take a chance on a new established franchise. My Weaknesses are anything, which cannot be included as strength, are things that the business would do badly, that it is ineffective at or that it has a poor reputation for. Weaknesses: Low start-up capital- without capital, the business will find it hard to start-up and get loans to fund its strategies. No credit from suppliers- without credit, it may be hard to pay back debts and have money left over for re-investment into the business. I will have a small amount of staff, as I will not be able to pay for more than I need, so when my staff are absent I will not have any form of backup for them. I have no experience in Marketing which means that I may not market Subways initial products effectively thus losing out on valuable profit, but also on customer loyalty if I market it imperfectly. My cash flow will be unreliable in the early stages of business, thus I will not have any chances to buy things if I see an opportunity for it. Opportunities are anything, which present an opportunity for profit and growth because of its strengths or because of the elimination of its weaknesses. Opportunities: New technology may cut down the time and improve the quality of my products. Company expansion, i.e. increasing capacity inside for eat in. To gain Market share by diversifying myself from other companies: innovation of products and new product range. Increase demand for quality general-purpose products. Competition may be engrossed with rivalry between each other that they dont take much notice in own growth. The introduction of speciality breads and more exotic fillings will extend the possibilities of the sandwich from a simple snack into a meal. Threats of a business arise from activities of competitors and from failing to take opportunities or to build on successes. Threats also come from complacency, a lack of rigour, and from falling profits, perhaps due to rising costs. Threats: Established, wealthy competitors. All fast food chains, including McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pret A Manger, OBriens, and Benjys. Competitors enforcing new tactics to destroy new competition in which we couldnt battle against due to low capital. For example lowering of prices, advertisement campaigns etc. A possibility of competitors using destroyer pricing. In which we would not be able to operate if we lowered costs any more. If my competitor starts a Price war I will not be able to compete, thus risk of losing customers or falling into bankruptcy. Lack of trained, specialised employees. Shift in consumer tastes will mean that I will need to alter my product selling to fit there needs. There is always a chance of new competitors trying to take some market share. Furthermore, I realise that by having so many opportunities and no experience I can easily make the wrong choice, which could lead to huge opportunity costs. Moreover, most of the opportunities identified to me, are also identified to my competitors, and because they have more capital, and even greater customer loyalty, being able to take advantage of these opportunities will prove difficult. Lastly the weakness of not having any experience means that making decisions will be hard, and being able to react to competition actions would be difficult or even futile. As a result of my SWOT analysis I come to the conclusion that continuing with the business idea would be unpractical, but with a lot of hard work and luck, the firm may be successful, however not enough to compete with competition such as Pret A Manger or Burger King but surviving to some extent. PESTLE Analysis This examines the external environment and the global factors that may affect a business. It can provide a quick and visual representation of the external pressures facing a business, and their possible constraints on strategy. It is usually divided into five external influences on a business- political, economic, socio-cultural, technological and green. The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors and how they interplay with each other in the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make emergency plans for threats. Political: It might include a consideration of legislation, such as consumer laws, regulation, such as control of certain companies, political pressures and the government view of certain activities. Factors that could affect are Government legislation such as taxes on products and interest rates. This will affect the business when determining the selling price of the products. In order to make a profit after taxation, the price will have to be increased; however the price must also be appealing to the customer and rival that of your competitor. Healthy and safety legislations will have to be taken into account especially since my business deals with food. Improving the health and safety rules according to the regulations set by the franchise would do this. Economical: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. These areas are global, but it is also important to look at factors affecting my own industry. Economic issues are the focus of future potential of profit making. This can involve the level of demand and the price in which the product will be sold for. This needs to be compared with other organisations prices in order to lure consumers. Despite the fact that this is a franchise and costs are already set up, if however the cost of floor rises, then for my firm or other food retailers the price of floor is a crucial economic measure as without it we cannot make our product and sell them at a cheap price. The current employment rates have increased in the past few years due to economic factors. Not only does this suggest that I have a wider selection for recruitment, being able to choose the most multitasked workforce. I also have the negative effect that money consumers are without money and are unable to spend. This can be a decrease in sales of the whole market, and competition will become fierce in attempt to get loyalty from remaining consumers. In addition exchange rates can affect my business if deciding to import goods form abroad, or basing the factory in overseas. This can easily increase cost and promote a move back to the United Kingdom. Laws on competitive pricing, patterned ideas and quality standards can all affect the way in which my business is run. These laws can limit the companys expansion and take longer than expected. Social: Social factors I must examine are consumer attitudes to my product industry, environmental issues (e.g. organic food versus food made in a lab), attitudes to health, wealth and age (the elderly dont want to be treated different from others). Added complications when looking at social and cultural factors are differences in ethnic and social groups. Not all groups have the same attitudes and this impacts how they view products and services. E.g. Muslims eating pork. Also the fact that Muslims eat Halal would affect my business because meat that is sold at Subway is prepared normally and not using the traditional Halal method. Thus, I will lose sells on these major ethical and cultural groups. However, another factor to consider is that location is dependent on the amount of customers I lose, if there are many Muslims in the area then sells will decline, if not many I will benefit on other ethical groups buying my products. Therefore location can still play a part with profit, especi ally to my target audience. Technological: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. Fixed and variable costs of the business and the effect of changes in product and labour markets. Other economic factors include income growth, debt saving levels (which impact available money) and consumer business confidence. Increased security methods may include real-time CCTV cameras and hidden cameras around the store to reduce pilferage; this can be mainly located by the cashier tills, as it is highly likely consumers could cause nuisance around these areas. Production methods may introduce, faster production, meaning products are out in the market much quicker and a cheaper price. In addition quality is not sacrificed. Production methods will make producing quicker and possible with a higher quality level. Giving way to the innovation of products. Although with this new advancement I will need staff that can use it e.g. EPOS till ware and also the capital to by and or train people to use it. Green issues involve the interest of the organisations and its interaction with the environment. We need to monitor how we treat the environment with production methods especially, in order to comply with the current laws. Target Audience The SUBWAY chains target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who eat quick meals and are looking for good-tasting options. Also, the SUBWAY chain wants to increase its consideration set among frequent fast-food consumers who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. The target audience is an important factor when setting up my business, as I will be relying on this to make my business a success. My business is a sandwich store that sells food, food is one of the five basic needs and this means that everyone needs food in order to survive. Although this is the case it doesnt mean everyone will eat the food that I will provide. For example young children will not come to my shop to eat large subs so therefore I will need to attract them by selling them a specially tailored kids meal containing simple food with everything inside. In this way I am maximizing my target range. Here is a plan about how I hope to attract other age groups: Young Children: I will be selling them the KidsPak consisting of simple food with a small sub sandwich with different choices of fillings called Deli-Style Sandwiches and a drink. Teens: I hope to encourage teens to my shop by selling a delicious variety of sub sandwich fillings of their choice, promoting certain menus such as 7 under 6 with less than 6 grams of fat. Also selling sweet desserts such as cookies. Adult: I plan on encouraging adults who are fast-food consumers, who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. For example a great choice of salads for those who are watching their calories. Healthy, nutritious meals for those who are health conscious will be available rather then going to stores where fast-food is full of fat such as McDonalds. If they want to eat something during their break at work, a quick meal is available at Subway. Business Structure I choose to do a privately held franchise as all Subway ® outlets are franchised and there are no company-owned units. I feel my business will face less risk if I open a franchise. I can benefit from a Subway experience and enjoy it. I feel my enthusiasm will reflect upon my customers. Another reason why I have chosen to open a franchise into Subway is that in the US it has been voted franchiser of the year by Entrepreneur magazine in all categories, in the past 11 years out of 15 years. Despite that it is the fastest growing franchise in the world (see appendix) with an estimated 25,000 stores worldwide in 2005, bearing in mind that in year 2000 there was only 14,662 stores. Now Subway has beaten the number McDonalds outlets in the US, which is astonishing and the main headlines. With people like Jared who has made Subway even more successful by eating a diet only based on Subway, he has gained his desired weight and distributed what his diet consisted to the public, making Subway even more profitable. From this enormous approval, hundreds of children have decided to improve their quality of life by adopting healthy habits. I have chosen to become a sole trader, because I think it is the best option in my position. I feel I havent enough capital and experience to become a private limited company, and this option is not really open to me if I were go into a franchise. I like to run the business to my satisfaction, and this reflects my decision to open as a sole trader. Market Research: Primary Research Questionnaire as primary research is a lot cheaper, as I am only starting up a business and will not have a lot of capital. Hard to justify bank loan for primary research and can be a waste of money. I will not send any questionnaires out to people as may not receive them back. I will actually approach people in certain areas and ask them questions myself. Means I will get a straight answer rather than bias and have full concentration of interviewee. Analysis of Questionnaire: Question 1- What gender are you? It is essential to know the gender of the person to recognize which one visits the restaurant the most. It will allow me to establish the target market or audience. I can find out trends such as whether more males or females enjoy eating sandwiches. From this I can concentrate more on that particular target market determined. Question 2- In what age range are you? Age would be essential to see whether children would purchase a kids meal that is available at Subway. If I know this, I can effectively cater my advertising to them. From this it will give me a clearer picture of the answer instead of a biased or narrow one. Asking this question will allow me to find out what the target market is. From the established franchise Subway, it mentions how the target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 39- specifically students and families with young children. Question 3- Which borough do you live in? I need to know which borough the potential customer is living to find out if the Subway franchise would best be located in a borough where people know what a Subway Restaurant is. This will increase sales to those potential customers who are loyal to this well-known brand. This will enable me to find out how far they live from chosen location and if their answer will have valid information. There is no point locating my Subway in an area where most cannot reach or locating it where customers have never heard of a Subway brand. Question 4- Have you ever heard of a Subway Sandwich Restaurant? Obviously, in this question I will be able to find out if the customer actually knows what a Subway is and whether they really need to carry out the other questions relevant to the franchise. If they have ever heard of this franchise then they can refer to question 12 and to answer questions only on a basis of sandwiches and not to the franchise itself. Question 5- Have you ever visited one? This will ask whether they have visited a subway, as I need to know whether they are actually familiar with the franchises prices, meals available and food. This will give me an answer that is genuine and not made of assumptions and predictions. If the customer has visited a Subway then this question can be linked to answers requiring their knowledge of a Subway for example their favourite fillings that follows on from this question. Question 6- How often do you eat in sandwich bars? I would need to know how often the customer eats in sandwich bars to meet demand. This will also help me decide how many times I can change special offers available in store depending on how much they visit the store. This along with the question about your age will help me to find out what type of person is able to travel to sandwich bars or my franchise on a daily basis. These people will be my main focus, who I will be promoting to, as these are the people who will be going to my shop a lot. Question 7- What opening hours should a new sandwich bar have? I would like to see which hours are preferable for the potential customer so they can visit it at their chosen time. Question 8 How much would you spend on a meal in a sandwich bar? This will allow me to allocate a price for a typical average meal in Subway. I would also be able to see if consumers are willing to purchase high-priced goods. Or if they choose the option where they want to pay a low price. I will judge my prices based on this. Question 9 Which fillings do you prefer the most in your sub sandwich? Allow me to determine what is the most popular filling to the customers choice and for me to determine which filling will be most in demand. Therefore I can stock up on the most popular fillings ready for the huge demand. I can make sure there is enough supply, during the first few months. From my answers I can then use the fillings as a focal point when advertising to consumer. It will also help me find out which filling I will need to buy the most of. Question 10 Would you like it to be a takeaway or eat in Restaurant? I would like to see whether accommodation for sitting in store needs to be provided or not depending on the results from the survey. From then suitable costs will be established on refurbishment of accommodation sitting. Question 11 Where do you find out special deals about Subway? If the potential customer has many responses to this question, I will then be able to promote deals in the first few months to attract customers to my franchise. Those special deals will be promoted in different ways in the advertising sector e.g.- leaflet drop-ins and newspaper. This question is to help me find out the best way of advertising. By finding out which of the existing methods used by Subway is the most effective. By doing this I will be able to use this method when advertising my business. Question 12- When buying a sandwich what places do you prefer to visit? This will help me identify my local competitors. Those are stores that actually sell sandwich products e.g.- Greggs. I need to know the main reason why customers go to Subway to see whether they have actually heard of a Subway and have given a genuine reason not based on assumptions. By identifying the sandwich stores they visit, I can begin a list of my local competitors. Question 13- Why do you go to Subway, or any other sandwich store? I asked this question to give me a prediction of why people choose Subway over other competitors. Also whether the majority of my sales are based on impulse buying, something that businesses cannot rely on heavily to cover costs, or treats or groceries. Rather it will give me an angle to push my sale at e.g. if for impulse buying I will advertise snacks instead of heavy food. Question 14- Do you enjoy sandwiches as a healthy alternative from other junk foods? This will allow me to reckon whether they really find sandwiches a healthy alternative to junk foods and if they prefer eating this nutritious meal from burgers or pizzas. I would be able to see if sandwiches are a popular good to buy. Question 15- Are you vegetarian, or dont eat certain meats? My market is low fat in nature. If a lot of my customers are vegetarian, I can introduce no meat sandwiches. This goes the same for Halal meats. If I experience a low number of people eating meats, than instead of buying Halal meats, which are expensive, I can introduce more vegetarian meals to cater for there needs. 16. Are you conscience about the amount of calories or amount of fat you eat? Although all my products are low in fat, this answer can help me to gain awareness. My pronouncing that my products are all low in fat, people who have answered this question yes, will seek out my product, because of its low in fat nature. Recommendation: These external factors that affect my business can have a positive effect, however, I believe in the short-term will have a negative effect. For example, in light of technological improvements, my business will need to have money, to take a

A rose for emily

In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the structure of the story is one that typically does not appear in many stories. It starts off with the ending which eventually leads to what really happened to Miss Emily. This story Is surrounded around the Ideas and visions of someone that lives in the town. It lets us know of what the people In the town thought of Miss Emily, and the things she was going through. The structure also does not follow a chronological order which plays out Like that of a detective story. Also the story has different sections that don't go detail to detail It skips some detailed parts of the story that keeps us guessing.This story Is not a traditional because It does not start off with a beginning to ending type of structure. Usually stories start off with a beginning and goes In an order that we understand since all of the details are put Into perspective and order. We see that In the beginning MISS Emily passes away and are left with the ideas of what might have ha ppened since we do not know anything about the story. Later, we find out about Miss Emily, and the troubles she went throughout her time to the point where she died, and Homer was found dead in her bed. Throughout the story the narrator seems as though he is someone that is art of the town.He tells us of what is going on in the town through Miss Emails life. The narrator has obviously been following Miss Emily, and her many struggles, loves, and to the point where she no longer alive. In the beginning of the story everyone in the town get's together to see what is in Email's house because they are curious to find out what really has been going on in the house. In the town that Emily lives in the townspeople think she is crazy. They only complain and talk about how her house smells, and that it is extremely dirty. Since the Judge will not do anything they take eaters into their own hands.The townspeople discover that Emily buys poison, and think it is for her but they think that it i s better if she is dead anyways. That is not the case though Emily uses the poison for something else. The townspeople seem as though they are an audience to Miss Emily show. The story is also not in a particular chronological order. It Jumps from section to section which skips certain details, but it still portrays what is going on in the story. It goes from Colonel Astoria showing up at her house to claim the taxes to them vanishing. So we really don't know what happened.Faulkner structures the story like that of a detective story to keep us guessing when he goes from section to section. Moreover, â€Å"A Rose for Emily', has many structures that make the story unique and Interesting because It Is not Like many other stories. We see the point of view of the townspeople as though they are always up to date with Employs life. The story has a unique beginning because It starts off like the ending and ends with an ending. Also the chronological order jumps from section through sectio n, which Is not In order that still keeps the reader Interested because It Is Like that of a detective novel.A rose for Emily By monomaniac really happened to Miss Emily. This story is surrounded around the ideas and visions of someone that lives in the town. It lets us know of what the people in the town not follow a chronological order which plays out like that of a detective story. Also the story has different sections that don't go detail to detail it skips some detailed parts This story is not a traditional because it does a beginning and goes in an order that we understand since all of the details are put into perspective and order. We see that in the beginning Miss Emily passes away and part of the town.He tells us of what is going on in the town through Miss Emily life. Showing up at her house to claim the taxes to them vanishing. So we really don't Emily', has many structures that make the story unique and interesting because it is not like many other stories. We see the po int of view of the townspeople as though they are always up to date with Emily life. The story has a unique beginning because it starts off like the ending and ends with an ending. Also the chronological order Jumps from section through section, which is not in order that still keeps the reader interested because it is like that of a detective novel. A Rose for Emily The short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner tells about the story of a young woman who murders her lover and keeps him inside her house for years. Emily Grierson has lived her entire life locked up in her own house because her father had kept her there, refusing to let her live as an ordinary woman. When the chance of love and life finally comes to Emily, she desperately holds on it even if it meant killing the person she loves. Faulkner adds crucial details to this seemingly simple tragic love story. First, the story is set in a town steeped with racial strife. At one point, the story mentions a certain Colonel Sartoris imposing dress codes for Negros (Faulkner 457). Second, Emily’s father is described to be a tyrant—locking up his daughters and depriving them of a normal life. These two elements points to the theme of racial and gender discrimination which pushed Emily to commit murder. Faulkner disrupts the chronological sequence of the story and begins with the death of the curious old lady named Emily in order to highlight the attitude of the town towards her and the things that had happened in her life. At the beginning, we see how she was locked by her father who overruled her life and how people around them thought this has turned Emily crazy. Perhaps there is reason to agree that Emily’s traumatic situation has made her unstable, but what Faulkner asks in the story is whether she can be blamed for her instability. The townsfolk seem to ignore the fact that Emily is a victimized woman and that there is no reason for them to treat her tragedy as a spectacle. While Emily’s tragic past reveals the belittling and oppression of women during that generation, the tragic affair of Emily with Homer Baron reveals the steep racism plaguing the town. Upon learning that Emily is having an affair with a common, Black construction foreman, people started to pity her, referring to her as â€Å"Poor Emily† because it is not proper for a white woman—one with a â€Å"noblesse oblige†Ã¢â‚¬â€ to have an affair with a Negro (Faulkner 460). Despite the rumors about her, Emily â€Å"carried her head high enough† and proved to everyone her dignity (Faulkner 460). However, the oppressive reality presses the relationship of Emily and Homer. Thus, Emily is left with no choice but to murder her one true love in order to keep him forever. Her little town has left her with no option but to commit this cruel act. Faulkner ends the story with a testament of Emily’s genuine love for Homer. The strand of gray hair beside the bones of Homer proves that her love goes beyond the grave. The story’s grotesque images, specifically at the end, render the story to be a creepy, disturbing tale at first. However, Faulkner includes in it details grounded in his immediate reality, creating a rich layer of meaning in one simple, tragic love story. A Rose for Emily The short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner tells about the story of a young woman who murders her lover and keeps him inside her house for years. Emily Grierson has lived her entire life locked up in her own house because her father had kept her there, refusing to let her live as an ordinary woman. When the chance of love and life finally comes to Emily, she desperately holds on it even if it meant killing the person she loves. Faulkner adds crucial details to this seemingly simple tragic love story. First, the story is set in a town steeped with racial strife. At one point, the story mentions a certain Colonel Sartoris imposing dress codes for Negros (Faulkner 457). Second, Emily’s father is described to be a tyrant—locking up his daughters and depriving them of a normal life. These two elements points to the theme of racial and gender discrimination which pushed Emily to commit murder. Faulkner disrupts the chronological sequence of the story and begins with the death of the curious old lady named Emily in order to highlight the attitude of the town towards her and the things that had happened in her life. At the beginning, we see how she was locked by her father who overruled her life and how people around them thought this has turned Emily crazy. Perhaps there is reason to agree that Emily’s traumatic situation has made her unstable, but what Faulkner asks in the story is whether she can be blamed for her instability. The townsfolk seem to ignore the fact that Emily is a victimized woman and that there is no reason for them to treat her tragedy as a spectacle. While Emily’s tragic past reveals the belittling and oppression of women during that generation, the tragic affair of Emily with Homer Baron reveals the steep racism plaguing the town. Upon learning that Emily is having an affair with a common, Black construction foreman, people started to pity her, referring to her as â€Å"Poor Emily† because it is not proper for a white woman—one with a â€Å"noblesse oblige†Ã¢â‚¬â€ to have an affair with a Negro (Faulkner 460). Despite the rumors about her, Emily â€Å"carried her head high enough† and proved to everyone her dignity (Faulkner 460). However, the oppressive reality presses the relationship of Emily and Homer. Thus, Emily is left with no choice but to murder her one true love in order to keep him forever. Her little town has left her with no option but to commit this cruel act. Faulkner ends the story with a testament of Emily’s genuine love for Homer. The strand of gray hair beside the bones of Homer proves that her love goes beyond the grave. The story’s grotesque images, specifically at the end, render the story to be a creepy, disturbing tale at first. However, Faulkner includes in it details grounded in his immediate reality, creating a rich layer of meaning in one simple, tragic love story. A rose for emily Getting into the Faulknerian world of Emily Grierson would take an incubation of thought and lots of heart. The title itself invokes a certain feeling of thrill on wanting to know who Emily is and to what prestige is the rose for, only to make us realize in the end how we could be no different from the people we would learn to detest in time.The beginning of the story is its end – the death of the ‘fallen monument’. So from the very start, the author had warned the readers to the complexity of the paradoxical overlay. And true enough, as we continue to delve into her life, we have learned to offer our own rose for Miss Emily as we began to see her frailty as her strength and her failure as her success.She ‘was’ a picture of beauty, and prestige was embossed in her name that ‘none of the young men were quite good enough’ for her. Her father drove them all away.   For a long time, people looked for a reason to pity her. At last when her f ather died, ‘people were glad’. ‘Being left alone, and a pauper, she had become humanized’.The plot also led us to her affair with Homer Barron, a Yankee day laborer. As expected, the whole town buzzed about ‘Poor Emily’ while ‘she carried her head high’ still to reaffirm her ‘imperviousness’.These two instances are crucial in examining the course of Miss Emily’s life; her questioned sanity and the manner she ‘chose’ to live it all until the end.It is incontestable that being brought up in a commanding patriarchal environment took a toll on her behaviour towards people and circumstance. She was bounded to two authorities; her father at the foreground and the Southern society’s eyes at the back.For more than 30 years, she let these two command her life.Thus the coming of Homer Barron, a Northern foreman, only ignited her rebellious manifestation. What could ever top the love story between a no ble woman and a day laborer? It was unacceptable, even appalling to the ‘older people’ who said nothing but ‘Poor Emily’.But that one man who could’ve renewed her cling to life was not the type of man a damsel in distress should cling to. He was a flirt. ‘Whenever you heard a lot of laughing anywhere†¦ Homer Barron would be in the center of the group. ‘He was not the marrying type’. There is even a hint of his homosexuality since ‘Homer himself remarked – he liked men and that †¦ he drank with the younger men in the Elk’s Club’.Again, she was bounded to a man, only this time, she stood at the foreground of the social stresses. She refused to bow like the Grierson she is. Finally, she took the matters to her hands; she killed that one man she longed to marry and imprisoned him in her doors that remained closed from anyone else.Was Emily a victim of time, her father, Homer and the society’s imposed values?Yes, she was. But she won them all.First, looking at the odd chronology of events, a reader finds it difficult to see order, yet, with each piece patched from one recollection to the other, we would begin to see how Faulkner views the frivolity of time (or age) and order. Much emphasis was given to her iron-gray hair and her obese yet small skeleton.This play of language turns Miss Emily into a picture of a living dead. Hence, clock time is not essential; rather, time is captured by experience and consciousness. Like a kaleidoscope, this opens us to the understanding of Miss Emily’s denial of her father’s death and Homer’s rotting corpse at the bridal chamber.Second, Miss Emily rejected her father’s patriarchal values upon developing affection towards Homer. She, who was brought up to reject any lover, for once chose to take one for herself. Her buying of a ‘man’s toilet set in silver†¦ and clothing’ may have creat ed hysteria of gossips but she refused to care anymore.Taking on Faulkner’s approach to the murder (delaying the matter until the end), the author tries to appeal for the reader’s sympathy than judge and loathe her directly for the crime. He rapt the readers first in his spell-binding narrative and let them reserve their judgment for later. She sought for love and whether it came in sanity or madness, she welcomed the consequences, even if it means living an individual life. Homer was at last hers†¦ and hers alone.Third, she overcame Jefferson – the setting and the antagonist, as we begin to feel the thriving of compassion of the narrator towards her. The narrator is the voice of the society, its representation. She was judged in the beginning, pitied in the process and was saluted in the end. A Rose For Emily Definitely, William Faulkner is one of the most controversial writers ever studied, a lot of his stories bring about the issues and questions, which has bothered humanity for a substantial period of time.Faulkner is great at creating unusual settings for his stories, most of the personages he develops throughout the course of his stories are authentic and unique, and none of the other writers is able to reproduce the realistic appeal of the Faulkner’s characters.A Rose for Emily is the perfect example of the writer’s style, most of the readers are somewhat shocked by the unusual issues the author elaborates upon in his famous story. I believe that one of the fundamental questions discussed within the course of the story is the psychological instability of Emily, Faulkner is creating the atmosphere which facilitates readers to find out for themselves what were the reasons of her psychological breakdown, and what consequences it triggered.The main character is Emily Grier son, referred to as Miss Emily throughout the story. This story has many flashbacks and is told in five sections. The story starts with the death of Miss Emily and people going to her funeral. The narrator lets us know that the men where there out of respect and the women showed up to her house out of curiosity.The house is described, as once being white and decorated, â€Å" set on what had once been our most select street. †(Faulkner, p.2) Knowing this we can assume that Emily’s origins are of upper-class status, which later leads to issues with her and her father.The story obviously goes back and forth in time, telling the story of Emily’s life. The most significant part of her life is when her father dies. Emily’s father plays a large role in what type of person she becomes later in life. The fact that he felt â€Å"none of the men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such,†(Faulkner, p.25) foreshadows her actions later in the story. Criti c Donald Akers hints, â€Å" Emily’s repressive life contributes to her rather severe psychological abnormality: necrophilia.†(Akers, p.67).Later we find that Emily is in great denial because she will not admit that her father is dead. It takes three days before she lets the townspeople take her father’s body away. That is rather strange, the townspeople do not understand why would Emily want to have a dead man’s body at her house, they believe that her psychological instability is in progress, however there is not much they can do about it.Most probably, Emily was mentally ill due to the fact that her father never let her have a boyfriend. She shows the first signs of instability when her father dies and she does not let anyone take him away. The next sign of this problem of denying death is when the aldermen come to collect taxes. She insists they go talk to Colonel Sartoris, when at this time Colonel Sartoris has been dead for ten years. Emily could no t stand the thought that Homer might leave her; and that is where Faulkner lets us assume that Emily has killed him.Thus, Faulkner succeeded in creating the image of the psychologically instable woman, who was avoided by most of the townspeople and became the central part of the town’s gossips. Emily’s psychological problems appear to be the major topic of the story, the author does a great job in showing how her illness progresses and makes her do things, which a normal person would never even think about. Emily is neglecting her neighbors, she does not want to communicate with the townspeople and rarely leaves her house.She does not want to accept the very concept of death, the death of her father and his disapproval of her having a boyfriend being the primary reasons for her madness. Faulkner has created a great and unique story about a psychologically instable person, although a lot of readers are shocked at various facts and conclusions he makes, the story is reme mbered for a long time after anyone reads it.Bibliography:Faulkner William. Selected Works. New York: Random House Inc., 1980. Mellard, James M. â€Å"Faulkner's Miss Emily and Blake's ‘Sick Rose': ‘Invisible Worm,' NachtrÐ ´glichkeit, and Retrospective Gothic.† Faulkner Journal 2.1 (Fall 1986): pp. 37-45.Akers, Donald. Overview of A Rose for Emily, for Short Stories for Students, Gale, 1999. Reproduced in Literature Resource Center.Burduck, Michael L. Another View of Faulkner's Narrator in `A Rose for Emily', in The University of Mississippi Studies in English, Vol. VIII, 1990, pp. 209-211. Reproduced in Literature Resource Center.Davis, William V., â€Å"Another Flower for Faulkner’s Bouquet: Theme and Structure in ‘ A Rose for Emily’, in Notes on Mississippi Writers, Vol. VII, No. 2, Fall, 1974, pp. 348 Reproduced in Literature Resource Center. A Rose for Emily A   Rose for Emily by Faulkner is a conventional Freudian explanation of incest and necrophilia. The incestuous relation between Emily and her father had indelible impact on the future life of Emily.Her father’s motive to indulge her in assumed incestuous relationship is considered a protective tool. In order to protect Emily’s inviolability from future potential suitors, he must turn against her, unaware of the consequences on the psychological and emotional life of Emily.Freud asserted that sexual repression causes psychological abnormality. Emily's overprotective and domineering father deprives her of a normal liaison with the opposite sex by chasing away any probable mates. So denial of a normal relationship and incestuous relationship with her father makes her an introvert and outcast for society.She takes refuge in solitude. Since her relation with father was so intimate, her aberration at the death of her father is a natural phenomenon. She refutes his death an d keeps his dead body.Later in the story, she wants to develop a normal mundane life, when she allowed the children to come in to her house for painting and herself extended her relation with Homer. But again social actors remain a hindrance in her way. Certainly, the storyteller proposes that Homer himself may not exactly be enthusiastic about marrying Emily.Finally, Emily’s poisoning Homer can be taken as necrophilic act as she waited for the body to decompose before endorsing her oedipal fantasy.The discovery of a strand of her hair on the pillow next to the rotting corpse suggests that she slept with the cadaver or, even worse, had sex with it. In the fantasy of necrophilism, she might have played the imagined coitus with her father.Emily's repressive life therefore adds to her psychological abnormality: necrophilia. Even if she commits a hideous crime, Faulkner portrays Emily as a victim of her circumstance.ReferencesFaulkner, William; contributing editor, Noel Polk. A r ose for Emily. The Harcourt Brace casebook series in literature. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 2000.    A Rose for Emily The short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner tells about the story of a young woman who murders her lover and keeps him inside her house for years. Emily Grierson has lived her entire life locked up in her own house because her father had kept her there, refusing to let her live as an ordinary woman. When the chance of love and life finally comes to Emily, she desperately holds on it even if it meant killing the person she loves. Faulkner adds crucial details to this seemingly simple tragic love story. First, the story is set in a town steeped with racial strife. At one point, the story mentions a certain Colonel Sartoris imposing dress codes for Negros (Faulkner 457). Second, Emily’s father is described to be a tyrant—locking up his daughters and depriving them of a normal life. These two elements points to the theme of racial and gender discrimination which pushed Emily to commit murder. Faulkner disrupts the chronological sequence of the story and begins with the death of the curious old lady named Emily in order to highlight the attitude of the town towards her and the things that had happened in her life. At the beginning, we see how she was locked by her father who overruled her life and how people around them thought this has turned Emily crazy. Perhaps there is reason to agree that Emily’s traumatic situation has made her unstable, but what Faulkner asks in the story is whether she can be blamed for her instability. The townsfolk seem to ignore the fact that Emily is a victimized woman and that there is no reason for them to treat her tragedy as a spectacle. While Emily’s tragic past reveals the belittling and oppression of women during that generation, the tragic affair of Emily with Homer Baron reveals the steep racism plaguing the town. Upon learning that Emily is having an affair with a common, Black construction foreman, people started to pity her, referring to her as â€Å"Poor Emily† because it is not proper for a white woman—one with a â€Å"noblesse oblige†Ã¢â‚¬â€ to have an affair with a Negro (Faulkner 460). Despite the rumors about her, Emily â€Å"carried her head high enough† and proved to everyone her dignity (Faulkner 460). However, the oppressive reality presses the relationship of Emily and Homer. Thus, Emily is left with no choice but to murder her one true love in order to keep him forever. Her little town has left her with no option but to commit this cruel act. Faulkner ends the story with a testament of Emily’s genuine love for Homer. The strand of gray hair beside the bones of Homer proves that her love goes beyond the grave. The story’s grotesque images, specifically at the end, render the story to be a creepy, disturbing tale at first. However, Faulkner includes in it details grounded in his immediate reality, creating a rich layer of meaning in one simple, tragic love story.

The Absence of Love - 1030 Words

The Absence of Love The term â€Å"I love† has been used to describe materialistic items such as â€Å"I love my IPhone†, â€Å"I love my car†, â€Å"I love my computer† and none of these things are items that people actually love, but more used to help get them through their daily lives invoking this sense of love. The writing of the modernism period has paralleled this transformation of love from a symbolic and romantic longing for a certain person to this word that carries no weight. During this period of modernism people became weak indeed and unable to make their own desertions thus keeping them from fully understanding love in its true form. The writers of this period in history are able to animate this problem through the characters and stories that they bring in to the world of literature, thereby giving light to the situation to give a clear idea of this time period. Modernism was a period of time between WWI and WWII where â€Å"society [was] spiritually weak† (Aubrey 426). The ways in which people viewed and interpreted the world had changed and people started to become disconnected from the ways that they interacted with people. Some writers of this period focused on the weakness of love and how that changed the way society viewed the emotion love. The big push towards modernism was the outbreak of WWI where people couldnt convey what life would be like after so they began to change and become new people for the new world. People became more materialistic and self absorbed duringShow MoreRelatedThe Rocking Horse Winner By F. H. Lawrence, And The Lottery1155 Words   |  5 Pagesutilizes setting, imagery, and irony to accomplish the hidden theme in this short story, which is the absence of love that prompt the quest for cash and material wealth, or greed, and will eventually obliterate happiness and prompt inevitable defeat. In The Lot tery, the author uses its setting and irony to show the theme, which is violence and cruelty towards another human being shows there is a lack of love in the community. In The Rocking-Horse Winner, by D. H. Lawrence, and The Lottery, by ShirleyRead MoreEssay on An Explication of â€Å"a Valediction: Forbidden Mourning†620 Words   |  3 Pagesseparation. The speaker is trying to convince his lady to accept his departure by describing love as something that transcends the physical and therefore can endure or even grow through separation. John Donne makes three main points throughout the poem. He informs the reader that the love he and his partner share is beyond a normal love, that their love is strengthened in absence, and that he compares their love to twin compasses. In the first stanza, the speaker uses a simile to compare his partingRead MoreSad and Sadistic803 Words   |  4 Pagessaid, â€Å"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.† Absence of father, in other words, means insufficient guidance, security, and love in a young child’s life. Grievously, 36.7% of children around the world are fatherless children. Factors like divorce, disease, accident, and work act as causes of absence of a father, which affects children in areas of self-esteem, relationship, education, and crime. One of the best-known causes for absence of a father is divorce. The divorce rate of societiesRead MoreThe Role Of Father Absence On Children s Lives953 Words   |  4 PagesIn the Western world nearly half the marriages end up in divorce breaking the backbone structure of the family. The two primary attachments of a child, the mother’s love and security and the father’s engagement in challenging experiences, are both essential in the healthy emotional development (La Guardia, Nelson Lertora, 2014). Children of divorcees or unwed single parents are robbed of the opportunity to go to sleep in the assurance of both mother and father in the home. In the U.S. an estimatedRead MoreN/A at the moment Essay example935 Words   |  4 PagesLove is the foundation and the weakness of a totalitarian regime. For a stable totalitarian society, love between two individuals is eliminated because only a relationship between the person and the party and a love for its leader can exi st. The totalitarian society depicted throughout the Orwell’s novel 1984 has created a concept of an Orwellian society. Stalin’s Soviet state can be considered Orwellian because it draws close parallels to the imaginary world of Oceania in 1984. During the twentiethRead More Comparing Women in A Mans Requirements and A Letter to Her Husband652 Words   |  3 Pagesdistinct attitudes about love that contain different literary approaches. In both of the poems, love is addressed from a different perspective, producing the difference in expectation and presentation, but both suggest the women are subservient in the relationships. In â€Å"A Man’s Requirements,† Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses repetition, flowery language, and strategic role play to expose her regard for man’s perception of love. The narrator repeatedly pleads the phrase â€Å"Love me,† followed by hisRead MoreAnalysis Of Carol Ann Duffy s The Rubbish At Adultery 964 Words   |  4 Pagesstudying are Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy, Rubbish at adultery by Sophie Hannah and Absence by Elizabeth Jennings. The three poems are each portraying different level of love relationships, to express their feelings, whether it is trueness, yearning or bitter. The first poem I am going to study is Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy. In Valentine Duffy introduces the reader to her own symbol of love, the onion, which is unusual because the onion is a very tremble, malodorous, bitter andRead MoreRole of Women in the Odyssey Essay examples810 Words   |  4 Pagesmessages without meaning one word of what she says† (Book II). Penelope mourns her lost love, and at first is completely oblivious to the attention from the suitors. She reminds me of a Siren, (seen in book 11) always singing to encourage men but not intending to fulfill any promise of love or sex. Penelope is the perfect example of a woman in the novel that is a mother, and sometimes a seductress. During the absence of her son Telemachus, she begins singing about the deadly battles where she assumesRead MoreBehavior Caused By Father’S Absence. Throughout Generations,1245 Words   |  5 Pagesby Father’s Absence Throughout generations, you expect kids to grow up to have everything they want but not everything they need. For instance, kids of all ages who have both their parents, tend to focus on the things they want, like cars, toys, phones, and other electronics that seem more valuable. Meanwhile, other kids with single mothers try to forget the one thing that is missing in their lives, which is growing up by their father’s side. What is the meaning of a father’s absence you may askRead MoreTheme Of Valediction By Seamus Heaney1722 Words   |  7 PagesLove is both a beautiful and fragile thing that needs constant care and attention. When one loses someone, it can create a sense of loneliness. Seamus Heaneys Valediction describes this feeling as a poem about how a man feels when his lover is gone. The themes he discusses are love and loss. The poem is about Heaneys feelings for his lover and the feelings he has when his lovers absent. He uses images and metaphors that are ass ociated with sailing to depict his experience of grief when the lady

The Student Housing Market Is A Mainstream Investment...

5/18/2015 HU Housing HU Student housing report Authored by: DHAVAL Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 3 Body 4 Conclusion and Recommendations 5 Bibliography 6 Executive Summary Over the past decade, the student housing market has started to emerge as a mainstream investment category, attracting significant interest from investor developers and private operators. So as on market HU also decided to give student accommodation at list for first and second year students. Demand and supply features: HU have many students from near states such as New Jersey and Maryland. They all need a place to stay during collage periods. So HU partners with Brickbox Enterprises, Ltd. to provide high-quality, affordable†¦show more content†¦The sector has become an important component of a balanced investment portfolio in recent times. As we all know, now a day’s providing accommodation to students is much more important as giving right education. And if university have their own housing facilities; which gives more preference by any parents to enrolled their child in that kind of universities. HU gives very good opportunity to get experience of living in downtown area on graduation period. Even, HU provides high-end apartment for their students. This all give higher ratio of interest towards HU. Opportunities: As per the market, the fragmented nature of the student housing sector in mature markets such as US offers an opportunity for consolidation. As per student view: In downtown, there are many places where student can apply for hand on experience. Like subways, pizza and many more. This increase confidence of student towards life and learned some basic need on the starting phase of their life. Purpose of Report: This report might help to take a look over the entire housing facility of HU, and gives which area needs improvement and identify issues for housing department. Last year (2014) HU Division of housing recorded 1.6% vacancy rate during the first quarter; which is not high numbers whereas higher vacancy rate is around 5%. HU planned to increase more buildings in future for deliver house to each new students as well as second year students. Introduction In past two decades, the global

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) - 1653 Words

Review: Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50. Every ten years after the age of 50 the prevalence of this disease increases exponentially. Many different factors contribute to the development of AMD including genetic, environment, and metabolic functions. Aside from smoking, abnormal blood pressure, and an unhealthy diet low in fruits and vegetables, many more studies are concluding that similar inflammatory and oxidative processes seen in other age related diseases are also playing a key role in the development of AMD. This disease affects the central areas of the retina and choroid. In return central vision is impaired while peripheral vision is usually not lost. AMD is seen in two different forms, the earlier nonneovascular (dry) type and the more advanced neovascular (wet) type. Each form has its own specific pathology and unique characteristics that set them apart. Fatty, protein deposits called drusens may be the k ey risk factor in understanding dry AMD pathology, progression, and treatment. Once the more advanced wet AMD is diagnosed, pathology and treatment are targeted around the formation and destruction of abnormal blood vessels, characteristic of the wet AMD eye. The increasing prevalence of AMD has influenced more investigation into what factors can be modulated to prevent the onset or to stop the progression of AMD. This text will discuss the pathology of drusens and the role of inflammation andShow MoreRelatedAge Related Macular Degeneration ( Amd )1786 Words   |  8 PagesAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a clinical condition in which there is a progressive decrease in central vision. There are two forms of macular degeneration, dry/nonexudative and wet/exudative, and these differ in fundal findings and treatment options. Dry macular degeneration is due to accumulation of drusen between the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch’s membrane and eventually progresses t o geographic atrophy. Geographic atrophy refers to loss of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)Read MoreAge-Related Macular Degeneration Leads to Severe Vision and Blindnes in Our Elderly711 Words   |  3 PagesAge-related macular degeneration also known as AMD is a disease leading to severe vision and legal blindness in the elderly population. I will address the health condition description and the disability and functional implications who suffer from this disease. For the health condition description of age-related macular degeneration I will discuss the etiology, onset, prevalence rate, body systems, body structures, and associated deficits that come and are associated with this disease. â€Å"AMD is theRead MoreThe Effects Of Age Related Macular Degeneration Essay2166 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract: â€Å"Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) specifically affects the macular region of the central retina, where both ganglion cells and cones are present at very high densities.† (Penfold Provis, 2005). In this paper, the origins and effects of macular degeneration, both Age-related (usually expressed in adults over 50) and Juvenile (occurring in the teens and early 20’s) are analyzed and discussed. I hate my life. As the most complex organ in the human body and the only externally viewedRead MoreEye Health And Vision : Macular Degeneration1624 Words   |  7 PagesAND VISION Macular Degeneration is depreciation of the central portion of the retina, which records the images being sent by an eye and is located on the inside back layer of the eye. Retina sends images via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. Macula is another name for retina’s central portion and is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye. This controls person’s capability to read, drive a ca, recognizes faces or colors. As per one of the article Macular degenerations have saidRead MoreAge Related Macular Degeneration Essays3309 Words   |  14 PagesReview: Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50. Every ten years after the age of 50 the prevalence of this disease increases exponentially. Many different factors contribute to the development of AMD including genetic, environment, and metabolic functions. Aside from smoking, abnormal blood pressure, and an unhealthy diet low in fruits and vegetables, many more studies are concluding that similar inflammatory and oxidative processesRead MoreAnatomy Of The Eye : Anatomy Essay1812 Words   |  8 Pagesarriving at the retina however, we must understand the preceding structures through which light not only travels, but bends and refracts to cast a clear image to the back of our eyes. An essential refractive surface, and fully developed by the age of two (2) (Stein. H et al., 2013), the cornea is a thin clear structure, making up the forefront of the eye, and is the first solid structure light encounters on its path to the brain. Connected to the cornea and adding to the posterior continuityRead MoreNeovascular Age-Related Eye Disease Study1211 Words   |  5 Pageslong-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (LCPUFA) on neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV AMD) and central geographic atrophy (CGA) over a 12 year intake was studied through a prospective cohort study. The cohort was from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), which is a large phase 3 clinical trial that has tested nutrient and vitamin supplement formulations as prevention methods for AMD. Categories of AMD and risk of progression were determined by the size and extent of drusenRead More The Dilemma of Macular Degeneration Essay2270 Words   |  10 PagesThe Dilemma of Macular De generation According to Baily and Hall, while visual impairment early in life is associated with inherited congenital disorders, abnormal fetal devepment, and problems associated with premature birth, most eye conditions are associated with aging. They claim that over 70% of the visually impaired population in the United States is over 65. Age related maculopathy, also called macular degeneration, or AMD, impairs the center of vision in older individuals. The maculaRead MoreUltraviolet Radiation Cause And Effect Essay1750 Words   |  7 Pagescomfort. The patients who have a tissue cover into the pupil will need eye surgery. Furthermore, another part of the eye affected by ultraviolet radiation is the lens and the eye disease in this part is a cataract, which cataract disease is caused by degeneration of the lens and symptoms with a blurred vision as a fog, hindering the light to pass into the eyes and the optic nerves are fully. The treatment of cataract disease is surgery to remove the Natural lens and then insert the intraocular lens to replaceRead MoreAge Related Macular Degeneration Case Study1281 Words   |  6 Pages3.7 Age-related macular degeneration 3.7.1 Cause of disease and treatment AMD is the most commonly seen age-related ocular disease in the western world, is most prevalent in those over 55 years of age, and results in visual deficits [81, 92-94]. AMD can be divided into two categories: atrophic (as known as dry AMD, 90% prevalence) and exudative (wet AMD, more severe) AMD. Dry AMD is a consequence of drusen accumulation, and the wet form is associated with abnormal angiogenesis (Figure 3). Currently

Madame Bovary Personal Response Free Essays

In part two of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert we see Emma’s development as a character in a negative way. Emma’s development is seen as she embarks on a path to moral and financial corruption all for a search of love and passion. The passion and love Emma seeks cannot be found in the reality of that time causing her to feel imprisoned in society with Charles whom she has no passion or lust for. We will write a custom essay sample on Madame Bovary Personal Response or any similar topic only for you Order Now To Emma love is defined as lustful, spontaneous action which she only reads about in her romance novels. SHe learns to fulfill this inner lust by undertaking in adultery with different men.Throughout this section of the novel we see the emotions Emma encounters, guilt, anger, lust, passion and spiritual longing. â€Å"The more Emma became aware of her love, the more she suppressed it. She would have liked Leon to guess at it†¦ † [p. 86] This quote shows the change is Emma’s character from part one due to the fact that in part one she only longed for such a relationship and what she read in books and took pity on herself while now she has taken action by committing adultery. When Emma first meets Leon there is a spark and common interests emerge unlike between Emma and Charles. This is seen in the quote â€Å"Their Eyes indeed were full of more serious conversation; and, while they were struggling in search of banal phrases, each felt assailed by the same langour; it was like a murmur from the soul†¦ † [p. 88] Emma’s Lust for Leon is an example of the commencement of her thoughts of adultery actions, once Leon leaves she becomes even less satisfied by Charles than before and continues to seek for that same love she had for Leon. She goes to such extremes with love due to her idea of love coming from novels, this is seen when she considers ruining after Leo after he had left for Paris.This part of the novel is seen as Emma’s attempt at filling an empty gap in her hear in search of romance that she has always longer for yet never grasped. She seems to do this by committing such unfaithful acts. â€Å"†¦ but i always relish the upheaval; I do love being on the move. † This quote emphasizes the fact that Emma cannot stay with one decision or be in one place for a long period of time because she is easily bored and dissatisfied. Once Leon leaves Mme. Bovary has an understanding of her feelings for Leon and her regret for not pursuing these feelings. the bad days form Tostes came back again. † [p. 114] Emma then realizes the option of adultery and Leon was the one to open this idea up to her.This is what leads her to commit adultery later on in this section of the novel. The second major development is the love affair between Mme. Bovary and Rodolphe. This love affair fulfills the dream of the romance she has always longed for from the books that she has read. â€Å"She merged onto her own imaginings, played a real part, realizing the long dream of her youth, seeing herself as one of those great lovers she had so long envied! † [p. 51] This quote emphasizes Emma’s happiness and sense of accomplishment that she feels during the affair. This is a development in her character because this can be compared to previous areas in the book where she was bored and unhappy waiting for something to occur this sudden even has now changed this view on life to a more happy one.This is because there was now an aspect of excitement that allows her to experience her dreams that she has so long longed for which causes her to isolate herself from reality. This is seen when she wants to run away with Rodolphe â€Å"Take me away! † [p. 80] This also shows Emma’s selfish behavior because she is acting only to please herself while Charles sacrifices his love and lets Emma be with Rodolphe to treat her depression (illness). The final major development in Emma is when she is plunged back into reality with the letter the Rodolphe sends her. This letter allows her to realize the difference between the romantic novels and dreams and reality. The fact that she had so many ideas to pursue with Rodolphe such as running away which she though would allow her total freedom.However these longings are all crushed and the caged feeling from before begins to come back again. why have not done with it? Who was to stop her? She was free† This quote shows her thoughts of running away with Rodolphe and how she want to be free. In conclusion these major developments such as the love for Leon and the introduction to the idea of adultery as well as the affair with Rodolphe and the longing for freedom show Madame Bovary’s change throughout part two of the novel. One is also able to see the constant unstable actions of Emma and her decisions. She is one to go from being spiritual to wanting to commit suicide, then desiring a proper family household and yet none of these make her happy for very long. How to cite Madame Bovary Personal Response, Papers

Journal Of The Operational Research Society â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Journal Of The Operational Research Society? Answer: Introduction In the recent years, the importance of the supply chain in the performance of the business organizations has drastically increased. There are several reasons such as the economic globalization, technology development, growing consumer power and the global focus on the sustainability. The supply chain forecasting and its accuracy has become essential in increasing the performance of the supply chain. With the growing importance of the supply chain in increasing the performance of the supply chain, the interest of the researchers has also grown in this area. The present literature review will discuss the views pertinent to different authors who have discussed role of forecasting in enhancing supply chain performance, the importance of the forecasting accuracy, the impact of adopting structured quantitative and qualitative forecast techniques in forecast accuracy and finally review benefits and challenges associated with forecasting in manufacturing environment. Supply Chain The supply chain refers to the activities, processes and relationships which are present in the manufacturing process and includes the material sourcing, product manufacturing and storing through the process of logistics and manufacturing, and finally delivering the manufactured products to the end consumer. In the manufacturing process, the supply chain is not a linear set of activities; however, it comprises a complex set of processes, activities or relationships which are essential in the manufacturing process (Rai, PAtnayakuni Seth, 2006). Forecasting The forecasting is an act which predicts the business activities of the demand of a particular commodity in the near future. The prediction is conducted based in the information available at the present time. The supply chain is dependent on relationships which are developed during the manufacturing of a specific product or service. The forecasting process works as a guidance for the future business activities (Hyndman Athanaspopolos, 2014). The forecasting can be conducted by analyzing the previous years or the historic data. It is called quantitative method of forecasting as it uses the previous year data or statistics to predict the changes in future. Other than that, there are qualitative methods of forecasting too in which the experts use their knowledge to predict the future trends. In order to attain accurate forecasting, a combination of both the methods will be used. It can be used to plan the activities and establishing a link between the upstream and the downstream activi ties. Role of forecasting in Enhancing Supply Chain Performance In the perspective of Gunasekaran, Patel, McGaughey (2004), forecasting and the product development lifecycle are important part of the supply chain. Forecasting is the method of meeting the customers needs and demands in a timely fashion which impacts the supply chain performance measures as they are all linked to the perceived customer value of the product. Rotemberg Saloner (1989) have discussed that the forecasting methods warrant that that there is constant monitoring by the management and there is improvement in the performance measures. Accurate forecasting prediction requires that there are cross-functional teams, rapid prototyping and engineering approaches. According to the Hsu Chen (2003), there are several alternative methods which are used in the forecasting process; however, to maintain the forecasting accuracy feedback of the previous activities must be used to modify the forecasting instrument. Gunasekaran, Patel McGaughey, (2004) has stated that the accuracy of t he forecasting methods can be improved by benchmarking them with the other methods. Other than that, by integrating different production schedules, an organization can increase the demand forecasting for different links in the supply chain. In the perspective of Taylor (2003) is also important to increase the accuracy of the supply chain forecast as the accuracy is directly linked with the performance of the supply chain. In the views of Chen, Drezner, Ryan Simchi-Levi, (2000) forecasting methods can also remove the uncertainties in the supply chain. The benchmarking technique integration with other forecasting methods can give a better understanding and accuracy. According to McCarthy and Golicic (2001), strategic competitive advantage can be gained by the business organizations if the forecasting techniques are integrated with the supply chain performance. According to Taylor Buizza (2003); it is important to create collaborative relationships with the trade partners and other tiers in the supply chain to improve the forecast accuracy. According to Lee, Padmanabhan Whang, (1997), forecasting is a pivotal business function which can improve the performance of the organization by disrupting the activities related to planning, order and replenishing of the products. The collaborative forecasting has the potential to increase the performance of the firms. The literature of Lockamy McCormack (2004) has discussed the importance of collaborative forecasting by integrating customers planning into the manufacturing process and developing supply chain metrics to increase the supply chain performance. Cachon Lariviere (2001) has highlighted the importance of a tool named, CPRF in the forecasting method. It combines forecasting and collaboration between different members of the supply chain. CPRF (Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment) enhances the performance of supply chain by supporting and assisting joint practices between different sections of supply chain. In the views of Aburto Weber (2007) forecasting tools can increase the efficiency, increase the sales, reduce the assets, working capital and decrease the inventory associated with the supply chain. However, Cachon Fisher (2000) have stated that this forecasting method demands reliance with other supply chain partners and requires timely and detailed information with the trading partners. In the views of Lee Billington (1992) forecasting tools can improve the performance of the supply chain; however, it requires substantial investment in human and technological resources. Recently, the alternative approaches can increase the responsiveness and product availability of assurance of the organization. It has been discussed by Devaraj, Krajewaki, Wei (2007) that in the forecasting procedure, several different processes are required. The companies must audit their internal forecasting process before collaborating with different trading partners and better to work jointly on demands planning. Bacchetti Saccani (2012) have discussed that there are four components of the trading partners, such as management, systems, techniques and the performance measurement. In the forecasting process, the involvement of the senior management is important. The training is important in boundary-spanning personnel forecasting. In the forecasting process, the market intelligence is obtained. Stadtler (2005) have discussed market intelligence is obtained from different sources, primary of which are the salesperson, purchasing managers and the buyers. In the perception of Makridakis Wheelwright (1977) marketing mix activities and the perception of the customers, suppliers are important to understand th e shaping of demand in the near future. The information sharing between the trading partners can reduce the demand and supply uncertainty in the future. The forecasting gives information regarding the future demand, supply or the price of the manufactured products. Therefore, it is essential in the management of the supply chain. Forecasting Accuracy In the perception of Fildes, Goodwin, Lawrence and Nikolopoulos (2009), forecasting accuracy is very important in the planning process of supply-chain companies. In the supply chain companies, the forecasting demand involves the computerized forecasting system which can produce initial forecast and these forecasts can adjust the demand planning of the company. It increases the accuracy of the forecasting system. The accuracy of the statistical forecasting system can be enhanced when the experts adjust the forecast according to their judgment and takes into consideration special events and changes in the statistical model. Stadtler (2005) have discussed the judgmental adjustments can improve the accuracy of the forecast in the manufacturing firms; however, it may introduce the bias in the forecasting. In the views of Nenni, Giustiniano Pirolo, (2013) forecasters make unnecessary adjustments in the absence of reliable information which may hinders the accuracy of the forecast. In the views of Acar, Yavuz, Gardner (2012) forecast adjustments made by the experts can yield better results. The large judgmental adjustments in improving the accuracy of the forecast. Ali, Mohammad Boylan, John (2010) have discussed that there are several reasons for the efficacy of the large adjustments such as large adjustments are applied when there is reliable information. In the perception of Aviv (2001) small adjustments are usually less effective as the information on which these adjustments are carried is considered as unreliable. According to Baumann (2010/2011), human decision making is as such that they ignore the good advice and the computer mediated advice and have excessive trust on their personal judgment. Boylan (2010) has discussed that the many times, the users make adjustments to the predictions which decreases the accuracy of the forecasting. In the perception of Cachon Lairiviere, (2001) forecasting accuracy is important in the supply chain management and other organizational functions such as scheduling, resource planning and the marketing depends on the accuracy of the organization forecast. According to Chen Wolfe (2011), the forecast accuracy is an important part in the delivery of the supply chain. Datta Christopher (2011) have discussed that the forecasting tools must capture the hard data as well as the judgmental data to achieve accurate results. It is important to maintain accuracy in the forecasting predictions as the organization will have to make orders to the suppliers or manufacture the products according to the results of the forecasts. Adoption of Structured Quantitative or Qualitative Forecast Techniques in forecast Accuracy In the perception of Derrouiche, Neubert, Bouras (2008) quantitative forecasting methods are widely adopted to support the companys operations in the supply chain activities. According to Durango-Cohen Yano (2011), there are several techniques used for the quantitative forecasting such as trend analysis, seasonal adjustments, decomposition, graphical methods, econometric modelling and life cycle modeling. Ebrahim-Khanjari, Hopp Iravani, (2012) have discussed that the trend analysis is the method of forecasting the data when there is definite upward or downward pattern for the forecast. In the perception of Ellinger, Shin, Northington Adams, (2012), uses several models for the forecasting such as exponential smoothing, regression and the triple smoothing. According to Fildes Kingsman (2011), seasonal adjustment refers to the model in which the variation in demand in different seasons can be identified. The adjustments are made in the baseline forecast so that the impact of the se asonal demand can be identified. Fildes Goodwin (2007) have discussed that the decomposition in another method of forecasting in which the data is separated into three different sections, namely, trend, seasonal and the cyclic data. Fildes, Goodwin, Lawrence Nikolopoulos (2009) have stated trend refers to the horizontal upward or downward movement with time. According to Fildes Hastings, (1994), trend can be a recurring demand pattern with some or no repetition. The random is another set of data which comprises of the data in which no pattern can be identified. Fildes, Goodwin Lawrence (2006) have stated that forecast method can project the patterns and can combine them to generate some relevant information. Forslund Jonsson (2007) that the quantitative forecasting method can be used to represent an objective picture of the actual sales. The quantitative forecasting relies on the statistics and the sales or the demand patterns in the previous years. Franses Legerstee (2011) ha ve stated that the quantitative forecasting methods helps the business managers to focus on the recent data and the company can spot trends which provide accurate sales and market forecast. In the perception of Ho Ireland (2012), there are several benefits of employing quantitative forecast methods in the sales or the demand forecast. Huang, Hsieh Farn (2011) have discussed that it can also temper unwanted enthusiasm or falsified numbers provided by the employees. It can show the realistic numbers and establish a reality check for the organization. It can also be used to generate or find patterns for making more accurate projections with the help of number. In the perception of Jonsson Gustavsson (2008) quantitative forecasting methods are also beneficial in attracting external stakeholders within the organization. The external stakeholders rely on accurate numbers more than the enthusiasm of the people. The potential investors will also feel comfortable with the forecast process . According to Klatch (2007), qualitative forecasting methods is another reliable method of forecasting for the demand and the sales. The qualitative forecasting methods are based on the judgment and the opinion of the managers and the executives of the business organizations. There are several methods which are used in qualitative forecasting methods, namely, executive opinion, Delphi technique, Sales force polling and the consume surveys. Lau, Ho, Zhao, (2013) have discussed that the choice of the forecasting impacts on the product life cycle and the decision-making of the organization. LeBlanc, Hill, Harder Greenwell (2009) have stated quantitative models are only applicable if there is little to no systematic change in the environment. When the patterns or relationships between different factors change, there is little to no systematic change in the environment. Liao Chang (2010) have stated that the objective models are of little use if there is a changing relationship between different entities. However, the qualitative approach can be applied in these cases. The qualitative approach is the approach which is based on the human judgment. According to Mishra, Raghunathan Yue (2009), the judgmental forecasting base the forecasting on the existing trends and they are also possess a number of shortcomings. However, the advantage of these forecasting methods is that they can identify the systematic changes more quickly and can interpret the impact of these changes in a better manner. Morlidge (2014) has discussed that judgmental forecasting tools are useful in shor t-term forecasting methods and can supplement or support the projections which is established with any of the quantitative method. According to Nikolopoulos Fildes (2013) executive opinions refers to the forecasting approach in which the executives from sales, production, finance or administration can generate an accurate forecast about the future sales. The qualitative forecasting method can is feasible when there is lack of feasible historic data (Require rephrasing). In the perception of Olhager (2013), the Delphi method is a structured communication technique which establishes a forecasting method involving interaction between different forecasting approaches and relying on a panel of experts. The Delphi method is dependent on the principle that forecasting from a structured group of individuals is more efficient than forecasting from unstructured group. It can be summarized that a combination of both qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods can be used to enhance the accuracy of the forecasting. Both of the methods are complementary and can be used in combination to enhance the accuracy of the forecasting process. Benefits and challenges associated with Forecasting in Manufacturing Environment Oliva Watson, (2009) have discussed that there are several benefits of forecasting in the supply chain of manufacturing organizations. In the forecasting process in the manufacturing companies, there are three types of forecasting, namely, demand forecasting, supply forecasting and the price forecasting. Parks (2012), the demand forecasting, the companies search investigate the demand of an object by the industry and the end users. In the supply forecasting, the companies collects the data about the current producers and the suppliers. In the perception of Ali, Mohammad Boylan, John (2010), the supply demands are evaluated according to the technological and the political trends which might affect the supply of the organization. The manufacturing companies manufacture a product which is sold to the end users. Therefore, determining the price of the manufactured products is also essential. In the perspective of Aviv (2001), price forecast should provide a prediction of the short and the long term prices of the products. There are several benefits of the forecasting in the manufacturing industries such as increase in the customer satisfaction, reducing the stock-out in the inventories and scheduling the production of the organization in a better and productive manner. It has been discussed in the literature of Baumann (2010/2011) the manufacturing industries, it is important to keep the customers satisfied, it is important to provide them, the product or the services that they want. The forecasting in the business helps in the prediction of demand so that the customer demands can be fulfilled in the shortest lead time. Another benefit of the demand forecasting is reduction in the inventory stock-out. It has been discussed by Cachon Lairiviere (2001) manufacturing organizations, the companies work with different suppliers and have a long lead time. If a business organiz ation is buying from the companies with the longer lead time, then demand forecast is important so that the suppliers can arrange raw materials for the manufacturing process. It also reduces the requirement of the safety stocks in the inventory. Chen Wolfe (2011) have discussed that good forecasting process can lead to proper inventory arrangements and links. It identifies the production requests in the future. It is also important in the new product launch and examining the seasonal variations in the demand. Similarly, there are certain challenges in the demand forecasting process of an organization. In the perspective of Berbain, Bourbannais Vallin (2011), in the present times, there has been a significant change in the consumer behavior as they are looking for diversity in the consuming process as well as they want the consumer products which set them apart from the public. As a result, certain products have a very short product life cycle which led to increasing difficulty in sales forecasting within manufacturing organizations. Datta Christopher (2011) have stated that due to lack of available history makes it difficult to implement the classical sales forecasting methods for the analysis of the previous data. In the present times, it is also important for the organization to increase the safety stocks so that unexpected variations in demand can be compensated. The classical methods of demand forecasting are unable to yield results as they are dependent on the time series analysis. As per the discussion of LeBlanc, Hill, Harder, Greenwell (2009), production decisions are based on the demand forecast of the organization. There is always a lead time or time gap between the earlier forecast and the final receipt of the order. The manufacturers have to start the production as soon as the demand forecast is received. The decision regarding when to start production and how to produce is dependent upon the forecast accuracy and the production cost. The production in the manufacturing organizations is dependent upon the initial forecast which has high uncertainty and low accuracy. Mishra Raghunathan Yue (2009) have discussed that although the accuracy in these decisions is less, these decisions have a long lead time which can assist the companies in taking advantage of cheap material cost, labor cost and can result in overproduction. LeBlanc, Hill, Harder Greenwell (2009) have stated that the production done at the later state is backed by strong forecast, but due t o the short lead time it demands high cost to obtain raw materials and the products should be manufactured at a tight capacity and schedule. An ideal situation is one in which there is early forecast with high level of accuracy. Summary of Literature Review The literature review debated above discusses the importance of qualitative and the quantitative data in enhancing the performance of the supply chain. Most of the literature have stated that both the methods have their unique importance in the forecasting process. The quantitative methods can be used when there is abundant historical data available in the same essence. However, the qualitative methods of forecasting can be used when there is little information of the past. References Aburto, L., Weber, R. (2007). Improved supply chain management based on hybrid demand forecasts.Applied Soft Computing,7(1), 136-144. Acar, Yavuz, Gardner Jr., E. S. (2012). Forecasting method selection in a global supply chain. International Journal of Forecasting. v. 28, issue 4, 842-848. Ali, Mohammad M., Boylan, John E. (2010). The value of forecast information sharing in supply chains. Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Issue 18, 14-18. Aviv, Y. (2001). The effect of collaborative forecasting on supply chain performance. Management Science. Vol. 47 Issue 10, 1326-1343. Bacchetti, A., Saccani, N. (2012). Spare parts classification and demand forecasting for stock control: Investigating the gap between research and practice.Omega,40(6), 722-737. Baumann, F. (2010/2011). The shelf-connected supply chain: strategically linking CPFR with SOP at the executive level. Journal of Business Forecasting. Winter2010/2011, Vol. 29 Issue 4, 21-28. Boylan, J. (2010). Choosing levels of aggregation for supply chain forecasts. Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Issue 18, 9-13. Cachon, G. P. Lairiviere, M. A. (2001). Contracting to assure supply: how to share demand forecasts in a supply chain. Management Science. Vol. 47 Issue 5, 629-646. Cachon, G. P., Fisher, M. (2000). Supply chain inventory management and the value of shared information.Management science,46(8), 1032-1048. Cachon, G. P., Lariviere, M. A. (2001). Contracting to assure supply: How to share demand forecasts in a supply chain.Management science,47(5), 629-646 Chen, F., Drezner, Z., Ryan, J. K., Simchi-Levi, D. (2000). Quantifying the bullwhip effect in a simple supply chain: The impact of forecasting, lead times, and information.Management science,46(3), 436-443. Chen, P.C. Wolfe, P. M. (2011). A data quality model of information-sharing in a two-level supply chain. International Journal of Electronic Business Management. Vol. 9 Issue 1, 70-77. Datta, P.P. Christopher, M. G. (2011). Information sharing and coordination mechanisms for managing uncertainty in supply chains: a simulation study. International Journal of Production Research. Vol. 49 Issue 3, 765-803. Derrouiche, R., Neubert, G. Bouras, A. (2008). Supply chain management: a framework to characterize the collaborative strategies. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Vol. 21 Issue 4, 426-439. Devaraj, S., Krajewaki, L., Wei, J.C. (2007). Impact of eBusiness technologies on operational performance: The role of production information integration in the supply chain. Journal of Operations Management, 25, 1199-1216. Durango-Cohen, E. J. Yano, C. A. (2006). Supplier commitment and production decisions under a forecast-commitment contract. Management Science. Vol. 52 Issue 1, 54-67. Durango-Cohen, E. J. Yano, C. A. (2011). Optimizing customer forecasts for forecast- commitment contracts. Production Operations Management. Vol. 20 Issue 5, 681- 698. Ebrahim-Khanjari, N., Hopp, W. Iravani, S. M. R. (2012). Trust and information sharing in supply chains. Production Operations Management. Vol. 21 Issue 3, 444-464. Ellinger, A., Shin, H., Northington, W.M. Adams, F.G. (2012). The influence of supply chain management competency on customer satisfaction and shareholder value. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 17 Number 3, 249262. Fildes, R. Goodwin, P. (2007). Against your better judgment? How organizations can improve their use of management judgment in forecasting. Interfaces. Vol. 37 Issue 6, p570-576. Fildes, R. Hastings, R. (1994). The organization and Improvement of market forecasting. The Journal of the Operational Research Society. Vol. 45, Issue 1, 1-16. Fildes, R. Kingsman, B. (2011). Incorporating demand uncertainty and forecast error in supply chain planning models. Journal of the Operational Research Society. Vol. 62 Issue 3, 483-500. Fildes, R., Goodwin, P. Lawrence, M. (2006). The design features of forecasting support systems and their effectiveness. Decision Support Systems. 42(1), 351-361. Fildes, R., Goodwin, P., Lawrence, M., Nikolopoulos, K. (2009). Effective forecasting and judgmental adjustments: an empirical evaluation and strategies for improvement in supply-chain planning. International Journal of Forecasting. Vol. 25 Issue 1, 3-23. Fildes, R., Goodwin, P., Lawrence, Nikolopoulos, K. (2009). Effective forecasting and judgmental adjustments: an empirical evaluation and strategies for improvement in supply-chain planning. International Journal of Forecasting. Forslund, H. Jonsson, P. (2007). The impact of forecast information quality on supply chain performance. International Journal of Operations Production Management. Vol. 27 Issue 1, 90-107. Franses, P. H. Legerstee, R. (2011). Experts adjustment to model-based SKU-level forecasts: does the forecast horizon matter? Journal of the Operational Research Society. Vol. 62 Issue 3, 537-543. Gunasekaran, A., Patel, C., McGaughey, R.E. (2004). A framework for supply chain performance measurement. International Journal of Production Economics 87, 333-347. Ho, C.J. Ireland, T. C. (2012). Mitigating forecast errors by lot-sizing rules in ERP- controlled manufacturing systems. International Journal of Production Research. Vol. 50 Issue 11, 3080-3094. Hsu, C. C., Chen, C. Y. (2003). Applications of improved grey prediction model for power demand forecasting.Energy Conversion and management,44(14), 2241-2249. Huang, L.T., Hsieh, I.C. Farn, C.K. (2011). On ordering adjustment policy under rolling forecast in supply chain planning. Computers Industrial Engineering. Vol. 60 Issue 3, 397-410. Jonsson, P. Gustavsson, M. (2008). The impact of supply chain relationships and automatic data communication and registration on forecast information quality. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management. Vol. 38, No. 4, 280-295. Klatch, W. (2007). How to use supply chain design to reduce forecast friction. Journal of Business Forecasting. Vol. 26 Issue 1, 23-31. Lau, H.C.W., Ho, G.T.S. Zhao, Y. (2013). A demand forecast model using a combination of surrogate data analysis and optimal neural network approach. Decision Support Systems. Vol. 54 Issue 3, 1404-1416. LeBlanc, L. J., Hill, J. A., Harder, J. Greenwell, G. W. (2009). Modelling uncertain forecast accuracy in supply chains with postponement. Journal of Business Logistics. Vol. 30 Issue 1, 19-31. LeBlanc, L. J., Hill, J. A., Harder, J. Greenwell, G. W. (2009). Modelling uncertain forecast accuracy in supply chains with postponement. Journal of Business Logistics. Vol. 30 Issue 1, 19-31. LeBlanc, L. J., Hill, J. A., Harder, J. Greenwell, G. W. (2009). Modelling uncertain forecast accuracy in supply chains with postponement. Journal of Business Logistics. Vol. 30 Issue 1, 19-31. Lee, H. L., Billington, C. (1992). Managing supply chain inventory: pitfalls and opportunities.Sloan management review,33(3), 65. Lee, H. L., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. (1997). Information distortion in a supply chain: The bullwhip effect.Management science,43(4), 546-558. Liao, T.W. Chang, P. C. (2010). Impacts of forecast, inventory policy, and lead time on supply chain inventory-A numerical study. International journal of Production Economics. 128, 2, 527-537. Lockamy, A, McCormack, K. (2004). Linking SCOR planning practices to supply chain performance An exploratory study. International Journal of Operations Production Management, 24(12), 1192-1218. Makridakis, S., Wheelwright, S. C. (1977). Forecasting: issues challenges for marketing management.The Journal of Marketing, 24-38. McCrthy, T., Golicic, S.L. (2001). Implementing Collaborative Forecasting to Improve Supply Chain Performance. International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, 32(6), 431-432. Mishra, B. K., Raghunathan, S. Yue, X.H. (2009). Demand forecast sharing in supply chains. Production Operations Management. Vol. 18 Issue 2, 152-166. Mishra, B. K., Raghunathan, S. Yue, X.H. (2009). Demand forecast sharing in supply chains. Production Operations Management. Vol. 18 Issue 2, 152-166. Morlidge, S. (2014). Do forecasting methods reduce avoidable error? Evidence from forecasting competitions. Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Issue 32, 34-39. Nenni, M. E., Giustiniano, L., Pirolo, L. (2013). Demand forecasting in the fashion industry: a review.International Journal of Engineering Business Management,5, 37. Nikolopoulos, K. Fildes, R. (2013). Adjusting supply chain forecasts for short-term temperature estimates: a case study in a brewing company. IMA Journal of Management Mathematics. Vol. 24 Issue 1, 79-88. Olhager, J. (2013). Evolution of operations planning and control: from production to supply chains. International Journal of Production Research. Vol. 51 Issue 23/24, 6836-6843. Oliva, R. Watson, N. (2009). Managing functional biases in organizational forecasts: a case study of consensus forecasting in supply chain planning. Production Operations Management. Vol. 18 Issue 2, 138-151. Parks, J. (2012). The forecasters capability and empowerment. Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. Issue 27, 12-13. Rai, A., PAtnayakuni, R., Seth, N. (2006). Firm Performance Impacts of Digitally Enabled Supply Chain Integration Capabilities. MIS Quarterly, 30(2), 225-246. Rotemberg, J. J., Saloner, G. (1989). The cyclical behavior of strategic inventories.The Quarterly Journal of Economics,104(1), 73-97. Stadtler, H. (2005). Supply chain management and advanced planningbasics, overview and challenges.European journal of operational research,163(3), 575-588. Stadtler, H. (2005). Supply chain management and advanced planningbasics, overview and challenges.European journal of operational research,163(3), 575-588. Taylor, J. W. (2003). Short-term electricity demand forecasting using double seasonal exponential smoothing.Journal of the Operational Research Society,54(8), 799-805. Taylor, J. W., Buizza, R. (2003). Using weather ensemble predictions in electricity demand forecasting.International Journal of Forecasting,19(1), 57-70. Hyndman, R.J., Athanaspopolos, G. (2014). Forecasting: principles and practice. OTexts.