Marketing Plan Essays (3032 words) - Economy, Business, Marketing

Marketing Plan Coursework 1: Task: Marketing Plan for a new street wear (leisure/sports wear) manufacturer who does not wish to distribute goods via traditional retail outlets. Introduction. The purpose of this report is to develop a clearly structured and efficiently detailed plan, regarding the creation of a business producing and distributing leisure/sports wear clothes in UK. The business plan is designed to function under a focus-differentiated strategy, via internal resources. In the sense that growth will be achieved through the resources equally provided by the two owners of the business. The differentiation point of the product, as reflected by the marketing mix, will be the one emphasizing the good quality of the product and quick service of the business. In order to minimise the risks involved in such an attempt it was decided that the plan should be divided into sections. Meaning that at the very first steps of our effort we will focus on our immediate and friendly environment. In order to be able to respond to either circumstance the following plan regarding the business Fashion Mania, a name that can be translated to obsession for fashionable clothes, was developed. The company. Fashion Mania is a clothing organisation, founded in 1997 by John Williams and Malcolm Pete, two street wear manufactures who mainly designs and distributes via mail order casual clothes to serve young professionals with little free time. The business grew in 1999 with the help of a bank loan (now paid off) and Fashion Mania is now selling clothes via Internet and catalogues. Mission Statement. Our mission statement is to provide our customers with a selective range of high quality, well-designed and attractive clothes at reasonable prices. Market Background. When we are referring to street wear we are mainly talking about sports clothing and sports footwear. However, nowadays we observe a distinction between those two (sports clothing, sports footwear). The separation of sports clothing from sports footwear reflects the importance that sector has to the whole market. It is not very easy to segment that particular market because the delimitation between active sportswear and leisure sportswear is not clear. Some people usually wear many items of sports clothing on leisure or sports time. Whereas the sports clothing market has not seen any great changes within the last three years, it has taste a steady growth and now it has 52% of total sports goods sales and approximately 7% of all clothing. (Mintel Sports Clothing, November 1998) Many of the trends that were obvious in 1995 have become more determined. Some of the most important between these are the increasing influence of fashion over the youth market and the heightened interest in active lifestyles. Whether they are actually participating or not, being seen to be wearing active gear is highly desirable for the 15-24 year old age group. An older market, people who are staying younger longer and leading more active lifestyles, is also increasingly embracing outdoor sportswear. (Mintel Sports Clothing, November 1998) Mintel estimates sales of sports clothing to be worth some ?2 billion in 1998, although much of this is dependent on the youth market. As the youth population (15-24 year olds) is forecast to increase by 3.5% by 2002, the core market will be larger and sustainable growth will be easier to achieve. The older generation is on the increase as the 'baby boom' population bubble ages. However, very little of the sportswear on offer from the leading manufacturers is designed for older age groups or tastes. (Mintel Sports Clothing, November 1998) In the sports market the leading brands are quite a lot. A big number of those leading brands still dominate the sports clothing market. However, with the increasing fashionability of sports clothing many traditional fashion labels are making inroads in the sports leisurewear market. Particularly those that have strong labels appealing to the youth market, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren Polo and Levi's. Outdoor brands, such as Rockport, Timberland and O'Neil are more prominent also, as a consequence of their high profile appeal to a wide range of consumers. (Mintel Sports Clothing, November 1998) A market with potential future. The sports clothing market was valued at ?1.7 billion in 1997 and is projected to grow further to be

Free Essays on DSL Technology

DSL TECHNOLOGY Whether at home or at work, at school or on the move, we all want more speed from every service we choose to use. The theory goes that the greater the speed of service delivery we obtain to meet our daily needs - from grocery shopping to information and entertainment - the more leisure time we can create for ourselves to enjoy. The fact is that in an accelerating world, our expectations and demands keep outstripping the art of the possible and the result is frustration and stress. What we need is some acceleration of the access technologies to deliver that world to us - and those speedier access routes really are just around the corner -coming soon to a telephone line near you in the form of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). Put simply, DSL gives the humble and ubiquitous copper wires that run throughout the world to provide POTS (plain old telephone service), the capacity to send enormous volumes of data at very high speeds. With DSL, it's not just a phone line, it's a lifestyle. Some DSLs do that in parallel with the standard voice service, all on the same line and at the same time. Some deliver higher speeds or wider bandwidth - the more dense the data you are sending, the wider the bandwidth you need for quality and speedy transmission. Still others deliver higher capacity for downloading than for uploading data. There is a whole portfolio of DSL technologies coming on stream to match user needs at home and at work. The new millennium is about to put a completely new dimension into those telephone lines we have all come to take for granted. Already there are towns and cities around the globe which really are wired for speed with DSL. There are even whole countries which are DSL-ed - like Singapore where ADSL on the phone lines have been given the capacity to deliver video on demand. Here are the basic requirements for a high speed Internet access technology that makes sense for consumers: ... Free Essays on DSL Technology Free Essays on DSL Technology DSL TECHNOLOGY Whether at home or at work, at school or on the move, we all want more speed from every service we choose to use. The theory goes that the greater the speed of service delivery we obtain to meet our daily needs - from grocery shopping to information and entertainment - the more leisure time we can create for ourselves to enjoy. The fact is that in an accelerating world, our expectations and demands keep outstripping the art of the possible and the result is frustration and stress. What we need is some acceleration of the access technologies to deliver that world to us - and those speedier access routes really are just around the corner -coming soon to a telephone line near you in the form of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). Put simply, DSL gives the humble and ubiquitous copper wires that run throughout the world to provide POTS (plain old telephone service), the capacity to send enormous volumes of data at very high speeds. With DSL, it's not just a phone line, it's a lifestyle. Some DSLs do that in parallel with the standard voice service, all on the same line and at the same time. Some deliver higher speeds or wider bandwidth - the more dense the data you are sending, the wider the bandwidth you need for quality and speedy transmission. Still others deliver higher capacity for downloading than for uploading data. There is a whole portfolio of DSL technologies coming on stream to match user needs at home and at work. The new millennium is about to put a completely new dimension into those telephone lines we have all come to take for granted. Already there are towns and cities around the globe which really are wired for speed with DSL. There are even whole countries which are DSL-ed - like Singapore where ADSL on the phone lines have been given the capacity to deliver video on demand. Here are the basic requirements for a high speed Internet access technology that makes sense for consumers: ...

Community and Problem-Solving Policing Research Paper

Community and Problem-Solving Policing - Research Paper Example on the way that communities and institutional arrangements themselves can replicate crime; honoring traditions of community policing and deputies; and partnerships with existing agencies rather than replacement of them. Community-oriented policing might seem to be a new approach, but it is in fact an incredibly old form. â€Å"The history of modern law enforcement began 166 years ago with the formation of the London Metropolitan Police District in 1829. By creating a new police force, the British Parliament hoped to address the soaring crime rate in and around the nations capital...To implement fully the beat concept, Peel instituted his second most enduring innovation: The paramilitary command structure. While Peel believed overall civilian control to be essential, he also believed that only military discipline would ensure that constables actually walked their beats and enforced the law on Londons mean streets, something their nonmilitary predecessors, the watchmen, had failed to do† (Patterson). Ironically, elements that community-policing advocates nowadays think are opposed to community policing actually were part and parcel of it: A regular beat, centralized authority established in th e community, etc. The regular beat of his â€Å"bobbies† let people become familiar with established authorities and let the officers become intimately familiar with the community, being able to identify hot spots. Community-oriented policing in the modern era is defined as follows: â€Å"Community Policing is a collaborative effort between a police department and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems. It is founded on close, mutually beneficial ties between police and community members. At the center of community policing are three essential and complementary core components: Partnerships between the police and the community. Problem Solving as a method to identify and

No need for topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

No need for topic - Essay Example It is important to note that moral reasoning is critical to personal and organizational welfare. This makes it necessary to assess moral reasoning stages and how they inform managers’ execution of this practice. James Weber’s article â€Å"Adapting Kohlberg to Enhance the Assessment of Managers’ Moral Reasoning† is critically linked to key organizational practices. In any given organization, moral and ethical issues emerge from time to time. To address such emerging issues, leaders and managers rely on frameworks that are functional and relevant to organizational operations. The primary focus of the article, therefore, relates to morals and ethics and how they influence organizational culture. This article review will be undertaken on the basis of how well moral reasoning concepts can be employed in assessing managers’ behaviors and decisions. The article â€Å"Adapting Kohlberg to Enhance the Assessment of Managers’ Moral Reasoning† by James Weber is text that primarily focuses on moral reasoning within the organizational context. To present his arguments, James Weber adopts Lawrence Kohlberg’s concepts related to this matter. Specifically, Lawrence Kohlberg’s moral judgment and standard issue scoring method are considered (Weber 296-303). This adaptation is subsequently linked to managers’ practice of resolving moral/ethical-based conflicts. The two concepts adopted by Weber are spread across different organizational aspects. These differentiated aspects help in the assessment of managers’ practice of moral reasoning. The idea is to understand why managers handle moral and ethical issues the way they do. On the same note, the article focuses on what informs managers’ rationality in addressing the said issues within an organization. The specific aspects presented by Weber with regard to moral judgment interview and standard issue scoring

Special education inclusion Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Special education inclusion - Research Proposal Example The results of the evaluation decide whether the children have some kind of disability and need to attend special education schools besides general education or not. There has always been a debate over the meaning of ‘special education’ and how it could be delivered (Sydoriak, 1996). Today inclusion and mainstreaming are considered to be generating good response from exceptional children in terms of overall development. The State policy promotes inclusive education as the best and effective way of special education. Observation shows that the learning outcome of exceptional children in inclusive classroom is far better than those relegated to only special education schools or agencies. Though there is divided opinion regarding the efficacy of inclusion into general educational set up for exceptional children, parents are banking on inclusive or mainstream mode of special education. As per the policy, education provided to exceptional children or to children with potential disability in the ‘least restrictive environment’ or LRE (Sydoriak, 1996) could be considered as the aim of special education. However, there is confusion regarding what kind of environment could be considered as least restrictive. As a matter of fact each child responds differently in a given situation but it can be assumed that the least discriminating the environment is the more relaxing it would be for the child t o learn and participate. And this is where inclusive classroom succeeds in providing exceptional children the comfort level. But before all, an evaluation of exceptional children is important to find out the requirements of the children and the nature of special education they need. The State policy clearly states the necessity of initial evaluation as the key factor in furthering with any form of special education. The evaluation process begins by seeking the permission of parents of the concerned child.

Study of Document Layout Analysis Algorithms

Study of Document Layout Analysis Algorithms Relative Study of Document Layout Analysis Algorithms for Printed Document Images Divya Kamat, Divya Sharma, Parag Chitale, Prateek Dasgupta ABSTRACT In the following survey paper, the different algorithms that could be used for document layout analysis have been studied and their results have been compared. For the removal of image mask, Bloomberg’s algorithm and CRLA have been described. For the purpose of text segmentation, we have studied the Recursive XY Cut algorithm, RLSA and RLSO algorithms. Introduction Physical layout analysis of printed document images is the first step of the OCR conversion. For the OCR to work effectively, we need to provide an input wherein no images are present in the document i.e. the image contains only text. If this is not done properly, the OCR will return garbage values. To avoid this, we have discussed two algorithms, Bloomberg’s Algorithm and CRLA that could be used for the removal images from the document images. The next step is the text segmentation wherein we find the text blocks inside the document. The coordinates of these text blocks are then passed as input to the OCR. To perform this segmentation, we have discussed the recursive XY cut algorithm, the RLSA and RLSO algorithms. Removal of Image from Document The first step in the document layout analysis is to remove the images present in the original document. We will be discussing the Bloomberg’s algorithm along with its variations and the CRLA algorithm for image removal. Bloomberg’s Algorithm The Bloomberg’s algorithm is primarily used to find the image mask of halftone images. The implementation of this algorithm uses basic morphological operations. The algorithm has the following steps: In the first step, the binarization of the input image is performed. Next, 41 threshold reduction is performed twice using threshold T=1. 41 threshold reduction is performed using T=4. 41 threshold reduction is performed using T=3. Opening the image with a structural element of size 55. Next, 14 expansion of the image is performed twice. Next the union of overlapping components of the seed image obtained from step 6 with the image obtained from step 2 is performed. Dilation with structural element 33 followed by 14 expansion which is performed twice. The halftone mask obtained from step 8 is then subtracted from the binarized input image. The main issue with Bloomberg’s algorithm is that it is unable to distinguish between text and sketches (i.e. line drawings) in a printed document image. Enhanced CRLA Algorithm CRLA stands for Constraint Run Length Algorithm. In this algorithm we apply horizontal and vertical smoothening to the document image to get a clear separation between text and images in the document. Enhanced CRLA is used to smooth out only the text part in the image and avoid smoothening of non-textual part of the document image. Algorithm: Label the connected components in the document image. Classify the components with respect to their heights as follows: Height less than or equal to 1 cm, label it as 1 Height between 1 and 3 cm, label it as 3 Height greater than 3 cm, label it as 3 Apply horizontal smoothening to the components with label 1 only. Apply vertical smoothening to the components with label 1 only. Logically AND the two images obtained previously. Apply horizontal smoothening to the output image of AND operation. Calculate Mean Black Run Length Calculate the Black Run Length (BRL) row-wise for the region under consideration. Maintain a Black-White Transition Count (TC) for the region. Calculate Mean BRL as MBRL= (BRL/TC). Calculate Mean Transition Count Maintain a Black-White Transition Count (TC) for the region. Calculate W, the width of the region. Calculate Mean TC as MTC=(TC/W) Extract the components from the image with label 1 having values of MBRL and MTC in the acceptable range for the typical document image. Apply horizontal smoothening to the components with label 2 only. Apply vertical smoothening to the components with label 2 only. Logically AND the two images obtained previously. Apply horizontal smoothening to the output image of AND operation. Calculate MBRL and MTC. Extract the components from the image with label 2 and 3 having values MBRL and MTC in the acceptable range for the typical document image. At step 9 we extract the text part of the document image and at step 15 we extract the non-text part of the document image. The main advantage of the CRLA algorithm is that clear separation of text and non-text part of the document image. It also works for sketches as well as halftones effectively. It has considerably less complexity as selective smoothening is done. However, after the removal of the non-textual part of the document image, some stray pixels remain the image. The connected components in the halftone image whose height is less than 1cm are assumed as text elements in the algorithm. This results in presence of unwanted components in the final image. Text Segmentation The next step in the document layout analysis is the segmentation of text into text blocks that could be provided as input to the OCR. The following algorithms have been studied for this: Recursive XY Cut algorithm The recursive XY cut algorithm is used for obtaining text blocks from an image that does not contain any images from the original printed document. The XY cut algorithm works in the following way: The bounding boxes of the image are calculated. Next we calculate the horizontal and vertical projections of the image. After calculating the projections, we then perform X cuts on all the valleys in the horizontal projections which have a value greater than the threshold th. Next we perform Y cuts in between these X cuts at all the valleys in the vertical projections which have a value greater than the threshold tv. We repeat the steps 3 and 4 until there are no further X or Y cuts possible in a region. One of the problems with XY cut algorithm is that there is no method to find a threshold that will work for all the documents. Instead, a new threshold needs to be determined for each document and this cannot be done without manual intervention. Another major issue with the recursive XY algorithm is the time complexity. The recursive XY cut algorithm requires a large time to complete execution. Despite these disadvantages, this algorithm successfully separates the text blocks provided that a manual threshold is provided. RLSA The Run-Length Smoothing Algorithm (RLSA) works on black white scanned images of documents. It finds runs of white pixels and converts them into black pixels whenever they are less than a given threshold. The RLSA works in four steps: In the first step, we perform horizontal smoothing. For this, we scan the image row-wise and then replace lengths of white pixels by black pixels if they are less than a threshold th. In the second step, we perform vertical smoothing. For this, we scan the image column-wise and then replace lengths of white pixels by black pixels if they are less than a threshold tv. Next, we perform logical ANDing of the images obtained from the first and second steps. Then we perform horizontal smoothing on the image obtained from step 3 with a threshold ta. RLSO A simplified version of the RLSA, RLSO (Run-Length Smoothing with OR) works as follows: In the first step, we perform horizontal smoothing. For this, we scan the image row-wise and then replace lengths of white pixels by black pixels if they are less than a threshold th. In the second step, we perform vertical smoothing. For this, we scan the image column-wise and then replace lengths of white pixels by black pixels if they are less than a threshold tv. Next we perform a logical OR operation on the images obtained from the first and second step. The RLSA algorithm returns rectangular frames of documents with Manhattan Layouts. On the other hand, RLSO algorithm also works well with non-Manhattan layouts. The problem with both RLSA and RLSO is that the threshold for smoothing needs to be determined manually. Also the threshold required for each document image is different and it is almost impossible to be determined manually. Conclusion We have compared the above given algorithms for the document layout analysis. During our research we found that, while Bloomberg’s algorithm faces problems for images that contain sketches, CRLA faces problems for images that contain extremely small non-textual elements. We also observed that the recursive XY Cut algorithm and RLSA both do not work on printed documents having non-Manhattan layouts. On the other hand, the RLSO algorithm gives comparatively better results for Manhattan as well as non-Manhattan layouts. However, all three algorithms mentioned above face the common problem of manual threshold determination which is document specific. References Syed Saqib Bukhari, Faisal Shafait and Thomas M. Bruel, â€Å"Improved Document Image Segmentation Algorithm using Multiresolution Morphology† Jaekyu Ha and Robert M. Haralick, Ihsin T. Philips, â€Å"Recursive XY Cut using Bounding Boxes of Connected Components† , Third International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition, ICDAR, 1995 Stefano Ferilli, Teresa M.A. Basile, Floriana Esposito, â€Å"A histogram-based Technique for Automatic Threshold Assessment in a Run Length Smoothing-based Algorithm†, ACM, 2010. Hung-Ming Sun, â€Å"Enhanced Constrained Run-Length Algorithm for Complex Layout Document Processing†, International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering, 2006

completing college the easy way :: essays research papers

Completing our education is a goal many of us share. Finding the time to juggle classes, family life and a job seems to be the hard part. In today’s growing corporate world, more and more people are expanding their education. Searching to obtain a higher level of education, online classes seem to be the wave of the future. The growths in the technology field make achieving our goals seem almost too easy to be true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional schools offer many learning opportunities, not only to the young, but also to the adults looking to move forward with their careers. Many adults head off to college, hoping to reach personal goals by obtaining a higher level of education. With this goal in mind, many are looking for job opportunities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Higher levels of learning bring an achievement of not only personal goals, but also many gain financial opportunities that come with having a degree. Organizations are hiring individuals with educational backgrounds, to benefit their company. Having a high school degree in these changing times is not a big enough asset anymore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Online learning is quickly becoming the wave of the future. Many traditional colleges are quickly adding online courses to keep in demand. Modern technology enables us to receive our education with out leaving our home or jobs. Today’s computers are holding large amounts of information making, those days of lugging books back and forth to the library a thing of the past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Completing our jobs, taking care of families and now attending classes via the Internet makes college more acceptable to many individuals. Attending a class when it is convenient to ones schedule is creating an environment of educated adults who are benefiting the companies they work for.