The Ukrainian Famine Genocide

Death by Starvation â€Å"The famine began†¦The dead were all around; on the roads, near the river, by the fences†¦Altogether 792 souls have died in our village during the famine, in the war years – 135 souls† (Kuryliw, p. 2). This is how Antonina Meleshchenko remembers the Holodomor, or the Ukrainian genocide famine. This famine took place between 1932 and 1933 in a country in Europe called Ukraine. Although many survivors wish not to remember, this event needs to be recognized.The Ukrainian genocide famine killed hundreds of thousands of people; this tragic incident occurred because Stalin wanted to convert the world to communism. After 250 years of living under Russian Tsarist rule, the Ukrainians became part of the Soviet Union in 1922. Farmers thrived, economic freedom was permitted, and private enterprise was allowed. Among these, writers, artists, and scholars grew. Stalin, in 1924, took over Russia after the previous leader, Vladimir Lenin, died. Later , in 1928, Stalin launched a plan to force farmers into giving up their private land, livestock, and farms.Joseph Stalin felt he could not trust the Ukraine peasantry; he believed that the upper class farmers, or kulaks, were holding crops. Stalin took all the grain from the peasants. He had his men search for any hidden grain and Stalin analyzed fecal matter to see if the Ukrainians had stolen ‘government property’ and eaten the grain themselves. It was because of Stalin that many starved and resorted to eating anything. They drank water to fill their empty bellies. Small children perished first, then the elderly, followed by the men, and soon after, the women.Up to twenty-five percent of the population died because Stalin took all of the food. When Stalin seized all of the rations, starvation became widespread. Blockades prevented the hungry to leave and search for food. Viachislav Molotov was in control of transporting grain to other countries. He punished the Ukrain ian farmers by taking away anything that could be eaten. Help from other countries was not an option. Stalin was very careful in keeping this famine a secret and denied the world and international aid from entering the country.Secret police and troops were used to control rebellious farmers and keep all the Ukrainians inside Ukraine. Lazer Kaganovich controlled a particular section of the secret police. He handled mass executions and became the organizer in charge of mass murder. The troops were also in charge of the camp in Siberia were over 850,000 Ukrainians are deported. Stalin ordered the kulacks, or wealthy farmers, into three groups: those to be executed, those to be imprisoned, and those to be shipped off to Siberia and Russian Asia. Stalin caused starvation and death in Ukraine when he detained all of the food.Stalin’s plan to take all the food was based off of the ideas of the former Russian leader, Vladimir Lenin. Lenin knew that peasants believed that what they gr ew was theirs and that the peasants could do whatever they wanted with their crops. He knew that this would result to poor rationing. Non-equal rationing went against Lenin’s policy of communism. Since the farmers controlled the crops, Stalin knew he would have to ‘break the body and spirit of the Ukrainian farmer and nation, thus, subjugate the Ukrainian people completely to Soviet rule’ (Kuryliw, p. 1).Stalin recognized that without the farmers, Ukraine would not be strong enough to stand by itself. He wanted to overpower the Ukrainian people to Soviet rule and convert Ukraine to communism. He desired to control Ukraine because the country was the last to resist Russian control. He needed a capital to build more factories and increase agricultural exports. Stalin believed the fastest way to increase exports was to obtain Ukraine and use their farms to attain and trade crops. After Stalin achieved power in Ukraine, he was able to reach his goal and break the far mers.From 1932 to 1933, Ukraine suffered through a famine that killed between seven to ten million people. Various were shot and killed by firing squads while others were shipped to concentration camps. Twenty-five percent of the population was starved. This event was caused by Joseph Stalin in his effort to convert Ukraine to communism. He wanted to use Ukraine’s agricultural exports to his advantage and break the spirit of the farmers to control the whole country. The Ukrainian genocide famine was known as the ‘Holodomor,’ which means death by starvation.

Emotions and Moods Essay

When we try to understand what makes a good leader, or behaviors from leaders that drive positive performance and results in an organization, traditional personal attributes such as intelligence, toughness, determination, vision and technical skills, though are very much required for success, it is not sufficient to be a truly effective leader. As employees go up the ladder emotional intelligence play more important roles on performance than other personal or technical attributes As a leader, it is of utmost importance that you manage and build relationships with many people, be well connected and be genuinely interested so that people want to help you in tough times or when in need of a critical resource or expertise. So the Social Skill of a leader helps a long way in building positive performance. A leader also needs to be self-aware of his behaviors and moods, it is a skill of knowing ones true self and how that could affect people around him, so that he can self-regulate himself and ensure that in any given situation, he always responds positively and does not react. This calmness and maturity the leader brings in to the team, will build confidence and trust in his subordinates and will make them work harder and smarter to not repeat mistakes and give their best to achieve higher results. A leader need to empathize with other people, this is extremely important when working with cross cultural teams where understanding of each other’s behaviors could make or break projects. This is a skill of treating people as per their moods, behaviors and reactions to specific situations. This can go a long way in avoiding conflicts, retaining talent and bringing in a sense of understanding with the superior which could lead to sharing new ideas, beliefs etc. and thus opening up a plethora of opportunities to tap in to their ideas and additionally help in good involvement from them which will feed growth. Human beings are biologically designed to be influenced by external environment. An upbeat manager makes everyone feel energetic, while a sour-spirited manager makes work grueling. A manager’s upbeat mood, which is optimistic, sincere and realistic, will be contagious and one erson’s energy transmits signals that can alter the overall wellbeing of others which would drive up their mood. Better mood always results in better performance if channelized in the right way which a good leader is capable of doing. The most effective leaders show mood which is apt for the given situation with a mix of optimism which enables the organization to drive forward with hope. The inner work life system, which is the combination of how our perceptions about things around could drive emotions, coupled with our motivation to work could drive positive performance in our everyday life and eventually lead to organizational success. Therefore it is very important as a leader to be aware of his reactions and approach to everyday work events, so that he doesn’t adversely affect any team members but always drive positivity and bonding which drives performance. Overall we can state that emotions and moods play a vital role in a behavior of a leader and if the leader wants to be successful, he needs to self-aware, drive positivity with his optimistic mood and be high on emotional intelligence, so that he can tackle any given situation in the rightful manner and in turn see his organization maturing and growing by leaps and bounds.

Assessment and Accountability in Nursing

Assessment and Accountability in Nursing Mentors have responsibility to assist students to develop their clinical skills and knowledge on placements. As well as developing clinical skills, students also develop their interpersonal skills and as a result of this experience gain maturity. (NMC, 2008) .To determine students have achieved the professional standards or competence, mentors must make assessments while their placement. This is vital to protect the public from unsafe and incompetent practitioners. Assessment is an essential role of a mentor. A good assessment process gives the students valuable feedback, it helps them to identify where they are, highlights, deficits in their learning ,identifies what they need to do and enables them to set realistic future goals.(Danny Walsh 2010). A good assessment process help us to predict future behaviour of the nurse we train. However we can cut down the risks by ensuring that the assessment processes itself meets certain standards and criteria which are considered best practi ce. Proper assessments of students are essential because, they are the future nurses are responsible for protecting the public in patient care, (Necklin and Kenworthy, 2000:108).Through assessment mentor can identify the strength and weakness, knowledge and practical skill of a student. According to (Walsh 2010) student nurses are assessed for variety of reasons in their clinical practice. Examples of this; to monitor the students’ progress to give feedback, to discover learning needs, to encourage students, to monitor their progress, to assess students level of competence, to assess knowledge, skills and attitudes, to measure the effectiveness of the teaching and to safeguard the patient and protect the public. As students work alongside with mentors, need to encourage students to perform patient care through instructions, guidance and supervision. While they are caring the patients mentors can observe and give feedback, this means while student is learning she is being asse ssed. Managing the process of assessment and feedback is hugely important. Students fail their placements for a wide range of reasons, but certain key factors can help minimise this happening. The student needs to feel welcomed and wanted to be able to perform into the placement quickly and so get on with meeting their competencies. Duffy (2003) cited several reasons for students failing and the key aspect was the lack of a good mentor/student relationship. Mentors must be meeting with students regularly can identify the problems or deficits the students going through. Learning needs should then be identified and action plan must be put in place. Mentors and assessors have the right and responsibility of making professional judgements about the performance of their student. (ENB and department of Health, 2001).Students needs to be respected while maintaining their professional standards, it is important to recognise the rights and to be supported to succeed in clinical practice. Mon itoring progress is about finding the students quality and quantity of learning and any difficulties students may experiencing that can be identified and action plan to be applied. There are different methods of assessment like observation of patient care, questions and answers, reflection, briefing, self assessment peer assessment, testimonies, portfolios.(Stuart 2003). Duffy and Hardicre (2007) identify the reasons of a failing student are lack of insight, lack of interest poor communication or interpersonal skills, personal issues, being over confident. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC2004a) states that nurses are accountable for their own practice. The public has a right to expect competence from the qualified professional in healthcare. With the purpose of assessment as a form of quality control for the healthcare professions, assessors should be able to identify failing students and provide enough support and resources to overcome the difficulties.

2 Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2 Questions - Essay Example suspicion or â€Å"hunches†, they must have an authorized and documented permission and evidence to base their actions on (Samaha, 2011). If violated, this is the violation of the constitutional rights of the individual, and, hence, a criminal activity. Q2: The statement "judge-made law leaves plenty of play in the joints for criminal justice professionals to exercise discretionary decision making" can be understood if it is broken down into several parts and analyzed (Samaha, 2011). Firstly, it should be understood that not all laws are drafted in the constitution; some are made at the state or county levels by the local judges (Samaha, 2011). These laws are defined for the day-to-day working of the police officers during their duty out in the field (Samaha, 2011). Most of these are related to the criminal procedures, and since they are not very circumventive or clearly defined, these laws leave much to the discretion of the police officers to decide on the spot as to the best approach and nature of action (Samaha, 2011). Hence, it is known as discretionary decision making or informal decision making (Samaha, 2011). It is very flexible and the officers have a lot of room to operate, hence the phrase â€Å"play in the joints† (Samaha, 2011). The real danger in this regard is transgression of individual constitutional rights of the suspects that these officers might be investigating or interrogating. They have to make sure that they are not violating any laws themselves and have to act in strict accordance with the defined and determined laws and modes of

HR Management in McDonald Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HR Management in McDonald - Essay Example When the McDonald’s first restaurant was opened in America, it was a unique type of business that offered a novelty concept at that time. The items on the McDonalds menu were beef or pork burgers, fries and drinks. Their restaurant presented a different kind of lay out at that time. The open kitchens for the customer view presented a uniqueness and novelty to the viewers and visiting customers. With track record of successful emergence on the global scene, McDonald today a huge network of restaurants spread across in more than 90 countries in the world and it has achieved an unparalleled success and a top position in the fast food Industry during the last more than half a century period. McDonald has always pursued a growth strategy and it present success is reflective of the keen sense of market and customer focus that it has so successfully maintained. As Ray Kroce who is the on of the building blocks and architect of modern McDonalds opened the first McDonalds restaurant in America in 1955, his served good quality meals in moderate prices and clean seating environment. He could not have imagined the super success that McDonalds would earn in the years to come. But he did see that phenomenal success that was delivered by a superior strategy pursued not only in managing its business but also in managing its people internally. HRM at McDonalds: People are a key ingredient of any organization and HRM is the key focus of a fast food industry which is characterized by high degree of customer service. McDonalds owns and runs a business strategy that is highly interactive and dependent on a highly competent HRM team. The back office food technologist and the front office customer services staff have no room for mistakes at all. What is more important is that McDonalds has to look after its long term strategy of HRM so that it keeps the best of the people in food technology and fast food industry. At the overall level what drives an HR strategy and its context . What is the main thrust of McDonald’s strategic HR policy? (Harris & John 2009) point out that the MD of McDonalds remarked that â€Å"maintaining a diverse and inclusive and inclusive workforce is certainly the right and proper thing to do, but we have long maintained that it is the smart thing to do.† This depicts that McDonalds maintains a very diverse and inclusive workforce on purpose as it supports it growth. Diversity is one dimension of the HR of the McDonalds. For the back office production and quality control, it hires skilled staff, mostly high tech food technologist and experts in their field and look after the back office production and quality control. For the front office, McDonald’s hires customer services staff that are mostly unskilled and have to go through rigorous on-job trainings. The labour market that McDonald’s addresses for the front office staff is really unstructured and unskilled labour is preferred with younger lads and gir ls who are at or below the graduate level. The composition is based on mostly on migrant workers who are in need for work. The age bands are really 16-30 makes and females who are daily / weekly wage earners doing hardcore labour with no strings attached. They are mostly available for part time and full time jobs with low to moderate skills levels. They are taken through rigorous in-house on-job training by McDonalds. The legal framework permits part

The Lower Mainland region of Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Lower Mainland region of Canada - Essay Example In the lower mainland, the educational services have transformed a little compared to those, which were offered in 2004, which were relatively safe. Positive change in educational services from 2004 to 2014 is mainly to the increase in the number of the universities in the lower mainland of Canada, offer education to students including the overseas student (Bruegmann, 2006). Presently, these services must be improved as the educational services are progressing throughout the world, and if these services do not improve, the lower mainland will find itself far behind other in the field of education. Innovations are required to make the things better and easy for the welfare of the people, which offer populace with suitable facilities that all the other people of different areas using and living a well-balanced life. Moreover, in the current year innovations is progressive while professional, scientific and technical services have gone one-step back as compared to the previous years and decreasing the economy of the area. Food and accommodation services have remained the same in the lower mainland from the past ten years. There is an increase of 3.1% in development of food and accommodation from 2004 to 2014 in the area (Bruegmann, 2006). Static in food and accommodation is mainly due to the presence of numerous hotels in the lower mainland at different rates and with the various facilities, which is available for all. There exist all type foods are available. Moreover, rooms can be booked online and can be canceled anytime.

HIS 122 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

HIS 122 - Essay Example ïÆ' ¨ This book discusses the theology, history, and political theories surroundings the Declaration of Independence. Several published writings and letters of Franklin, Jefferson, and others are presented in the book. The interesting thing about the book is how it explored the idea that the men who fought for, authored, and amended the Declaration of Independence did not have establishing a Christian nation in mind. The author presented data showing that the values of the Orthodox Christian Church are all rejected by Thomas Jefferson. Also, it explores on the concept that equality, and not slavery, is the purpose of the Declaration. Dershowitz presented data supporting the idea that Jefferson rejects the concept of slavery and supports the â€Å"secular humanist† concept. It is controversial, challenging, and disturbing, because it requires readers to rethink their opinions regarding the Declaration ïÆ' ¨ Of all the books reviewed, this is considered the most interesting exploration on the different sides of diplomacy during the American Revolution. It provides an easy and interesting read, thus giving the book a wide array of target readers. It catches the interest even of a general reader, yet provides well-researched data that will also interest any historian. The diplomatic history of the American Revolution is presented in several angles, including America’s diplomatic ties with France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, and Spain. ïÆ' ¨ Simple and straightforward, the book discusses a lot of unfinished businesses caused by the American Revolution. Mainly, there are two very interesting articles that provide a great eye-opener for any reader: â€Å"Two Republics in a Hostile World† by Jonathan Dull, and â€Å"The Ambiguities of Power† by J.R. Pole. The book, particularly these two articles, can be compared to the ideas presented in the book by Dershowitz --- it makes one rethink of their personal opinions on the

Surrealism and Dada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Surrealism and Dada - Essay Example The essay "Surrealism and Dada" explores such movements as surrealism and dada. To elaborate on how certain aspects inspire the emergence of an art movement, the following study essay will evaluate two art movements; Dada and surrealism, giving their inspiring factors, how they differ, and how they are similar to each other. This art movement emerged around the 20th century in Hannover, Berlin, Paris, New York and Zurich. History has it that the movement was born out of resistance, inspired by the war, World War I, that was going on. Dada art was about provocation and confrontation of the already established (ancient) values of art, going against all the set norms. There is evidence that Dadaists were against the colonialist and bourgeois nationalist interests who to them were the initiators of the war, and as such, resisted much of what society had been accustomed to, and art was not an exception. In short, it was the opposite of what art used to be, and there was no following of an y set rules. Under the wider Dadaism, there was graphic design, poetry, theatre, and most importantly visual arts. The main attribute of Dada art was that it was meant to provoke an emotional reaction from the audience, and particularly outrage or shock, and when any form of art intended to be Dada failed in achieving these attributes, it had to be taken back to the drawing board until it achieved its mandate. Art would only be attributed to as being Dada if it resisted the societal norms, or rather, the type of art that people.

Replacing a Legacy AIS Application Case Study Research Paper

Replacing a Legacy AIS Application Case Study - Research Paper Example Like any other system AIS is also a system consisting of different components which are interrelated to each other. Each of the sub-systems that make up the whole system performs several specific tasks which get integrated to be able to perform the ultimate task. Different components of AIS include, People, Procedures, Software, Data, and infrastructure for information technology. This study is all about the requirement of the public company which needs to replace its existing AIS. The needs and requirements of such change required by the company, a detailed analysis of all the various alternatives available to the company with regards to this change and the best possible alternative that needs to be implemented by the company have all been discussed in this study. Analysis The company being a publicly traded company must be requiring lot of transactions to be carried out every day. Hence in order to increase its efficiency, new effective AIS are the necessity for the organization. N ew AIS, replacing the old inefficient existing AIS of the company, can prove advantageous for the organization. ... New technologically improved AIS would help the company management to take various critical decisions which could have a significant positive impact on increasing the effectiveness of the management of the company, thereby increasing the profitability of the company. Various critical decisions that could be facilitated through the improved AIS of the company could be related to the accurate and precise information regarding the outstanding debt of the company, the sales trend, the assets possessed by the company, cash inflows and cash outflows, performance of the different product lines of the company, the trend of returns generated by the company, etc. AIS would primarily serve three purposes associated with it. They are a) It would help to effectively store the data related to all the business transactions of the company, b) The data would be then processed into useful information which would facilitate various decision making process and c) It would help in safeguarding the assets of the company through effective control mechanisms using AIS. Thus introducing improved AIS would help the company to have competitive advantage over its competitors and have a sustainable growth in future. However AIS has its demerits and risks as well. AIS are mostly computer based system. It mainly helps in automation of the various business processes done manually. This type of automation is associated with the risk of the inaccurate transaction data going undetected in the system. This could ultimately pave the way for the occurrence of accounting frauds. Since a larger number of users have the facility of accessing the data in the AIS, it is associated with control risk. The information might get edited by unauthorized

The causes of the current aberrant weather patterns Essay

The causes of the current aberrant weather patterns - Essay Example Hence, a change in the weather pattern occurs. 2. Changes to Earth’s Orbit – For thousands of years, the earth got considered as a natural cycle that results to aberrant weather patterns. Its effect is extremely low. The tilting of the axis, the orbit’s shape and the rotation of the earth, affected the quantity of solar energy entering the earth causing atmosphere imbalances (Spencer, page 57). 3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Human industrialization has caused more to the environment. Industries produce some of the most toxic gas effluents to the atmosphere. These gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and many other gases. Carbon dioxide gets produced in surplus to the atmosphere leading to capturing of heat (Spencer, page 50). This causes imbalance to average temperature of the atmosphere. Hence, it leads to the aberrant weather pattern. 4. Pollution - Some of gases, such as sulfur dioxide results to depletion of the ozone layer. This results to entry of more harmful and powerful to the atmosphere causing global warming, which in turn leads to aberrant weather patterns (Spencer, page

The Qur’an and Islamic Law Do Not Discriminate Against Women Essay Example for Free

The Qur’an and Islamic Law Do Not Discriminate Against Women Essay Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. From the last sermon of Prophet Mohammed The perception of most of the world, except possible the one-sixth of it that follows Islam, is that Islam and Qur’an preached that women must be subservient to men. Everyone turns to a verse in the Qur’an which tells men that they should beat their wives. Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in their sleeping places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. (Shakirs version of the Koran, Quran, 4:34) The verse is used by opponents of Islam to denigrate the faith and even by some of the practitioners of the faith to justify their mistreatment of women, but it may not be being interpreted the way that it should be. Asma Barlas, a professor at Ithaca College and noted scholar of Islam, who identifies herself as a follower of Islam, contends that the interpretation of the verse has been taken out of context and used to portray women in Islam as victims in an attempt to force women of the faith into a position of needing rescuing. That positioning gives women in the Western world a feeling of superiority (Barlas, Southern Illinois University, 2007). The Qur’an instructs people to take God’s Holy Word, The Qur’an, as a whole, she said, and not to pick and choose the verses to follow or not to follow Barlas argues that the Qur’an does not promote the degradation of women. Instead, she said, the Qur’an promotes all humankind equally and is much less mysogonistic than the Bible, the Holy Word of the Christian faith. In her speech at Southern Illinois University, Barlas asserted that she did not speak for anyone other than herself, but her views are shared by many women in Islam. They believe that it is in historic documents used by some Muslim cultures that the Qur’an has been misinterpreted and the mistreatment of women began. â€Å"Again this is not true. Many writers who wrote about womens rights refer to the statement in 4:34 as a sign of the man is above the women in status but it is a misunderstood statement. In 4:34, the expression .. al-rijalu qawwdmuna ala al-nisai. means The men are made responsible for the women, and GOD has endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners. This expression simply means that God is appointing the husband as captain of the ship. Marriage is like a ship, and the captain runs it after due consultation with his officers. It does not assign inequality but rather assigns duties to avoid conflicts and disputes. (â€Å"Misconceptions in Islam†) The problem is that most people don’t take the time to read the original Arabic or even attempt to find an accurate interpretation of the texts, they simply believe what they are told about what the faith believes. This is part of the problem. â€Å"Nonetheless, if we take sexual/textual oppression seriously, and I believe we must, the issue of how Muslims read, or—as I will arguefail to read, the Quran becomes critical, especially for women. † (Barlas, â€Å"Muslim Women Sexual Oppression†) Unlike Christianity which prescribed women to an inferior status by saying that woman was made from the rib of man, (Ragab 1) Islam teaches that God the creator made them as halves of each other. Neither does Islam teach that man was made in God’s image as the Bible does, (Barlas, SIU) but instead teaches that the difference between God and man is so extreme that people can never understand the nature of God. This is one of the arguments that woman supporters of Islam use to argue that Islam is not nearly as mysogonistic as Christiantiy is. Instead, Barlas and others argue that Islam faith promotes equality between the sexes, even going so far as to outline specific rights of women. For example, unlike Christian women, Islamic women are given a specific right to divorce their husbands and allowed to remarry after a three month period. (Ragab 1). â€Å"Both men and women have equal rights to contract a marriage as well as to dissolve it. The precondition of marriage is merely the mutual agreement by both parties. And unlike Christianity, a woman in Islam can divorce her husband at any time if she feels that she has been dealt with unjustly or even if she is just unhappy with her spouse since marriage is based upon mutual responsibilities toward each other. Islam has also ensured the womans right to remarry pending a three month refrainment period. † (Ragab 1) Islam also promotes the equality of women in that it explitly allows them to work outside the home. Muslim countries have even elected women as prime ministers. Some people even argue that the mistreatment of women in the faith comes not from the religion but from many of the colonial overlords that once ruled countries now considered Muslim. â€Å"Much of the civil law that legislates personal and family matters in Egypt, for example, is directly based on old French law. As a result, an Egyptian man can divorce his wife much more easily than the reverse. Consequently, women often have to suffer long and expensive court procedures and have to prove that they were mistreated by their husbands before being granted a divorce. Often times, laws in Middle Eastern countries, which are legislated and enforced by men, only take bits and pieces of Islamic law and combine them with concocted rules based upon some cultural or foreign practices. † (Ragab 1) Other practices, such as the prohibition against women driving in some Muslim countries, has nothing to do with Islam (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†) â€Å"Why then is Islam portrayed as a religion that oppresses women and puts them in a position inferior to men? Part of that is certainly due to the stereotyped image of how Islamic women are portrayed in western media as an extension of Islam-bashing. A prominent example is the movie Not Without My Daughter in which scores of false and fictitious depictions were made of women in an Islamic country. It is also true, however, that in many so called Islamic countries, women are not treated according to their God-given rights. But this is not the fault of Islamic ideology but rather the misapplication or sometimes the outright denial of the ideology in these societies. â€Å" (Ragab 1) The misconceptions of the treatment of women in Islam are a factor of the historical writing in some sects and the way that Muslim countries have misinterpted the Qur’an (Baslas, SIU). For example, Sunna and Hadith writings claim that women must wear a veil but this is not in Qur’an. â€Å"These books do not represent the words of God in the Quran and on many occasions contradict them. † (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†) But too much of the world has accepted these teachings of the expression of Muslim nations as the absolute truth of Islam. â€Å"This misconception was augmented by some news media that made little effort to correct their understanding before broadcasting their views on this matter. Adding to this misconception are the regrettable practices in most so called Islamic countries or societies where myths, traditions and innovations have won over the true Islamic (Quranic) teachings and where women are traditionally subdued and oppressed. † (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†).

Leadership and Management in Nursing Care Delivery Models

Leadership and Management in Nursing Care Delivery Models A care delivery model is an integral component for delivering patient care. Nursing care delivery model is a way of organizing at the unit level to facilitate the delivery of nursing care to the patients (Tiedeman Lookinland, 2004). Organization of care is a key factor that determines quality of nursing care (Tiedeman Lookinland, 2004). Various types of care delivery models have been designed to meet the goals of efficient and effective nursing care While many different care delivery models are practiced in the wards and departments of the acute care hospital that I work in, it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss them all. In the 20 bedded medical oncology ward that I work in, nursing care delivery is organised into team and primary nursing. Six beds are allocated to transplant patients. One registered nurse is assigned to be the primary nurse of three transplant patients each. The other fourteen patients are split between two teams of nurses. Each team has a registered nurse, an enrolled nurse and a patient care assistant. Thus, this paper is concerned with these two modes of organization of care. An overview of primary and team nursing models of care will be presented. Thereafter, the experiences of nurses involved in the delivery of care using these models of care will be discussed with regards to job satisfaction and quality of care. Description of Care Delivery Model Primary Team Emerging in the United States in the1960s, the primary nursing model involves patients being allocated to individual nurses (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). One registered nurse is allocated a number of patients for whose care this nurse is accountable during the patients hospital stay (OConnell, Duke, Bennett, Crawford, Korfiatis, 2006; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004).The nurse-patient relationship is the backbone of primary nursing. The primary nurse collaborates with other health team members, the patient and family to continually assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the patients nursing care (Reed, 1988; Sellick, Russell, Beckmann, 2003; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). When the primary nurse is unavailable to provide care, associate nurses follow the plan of care developed by the primary nurse, unless a change in patients condition necessitates a modification of the care plan, so as to maintain the continuity of care for the patients (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). Team Nursing Implemented in the 1940s as a response to the nursing shortage resulting from the World War II, team nursing is based on the premise of collaboration and division of responsibilities for the nursing care of patients (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). In team nursing, nurses and ancillary staff with different levels of education, skills and licensure are assigned to teams and each team provides total nursing care to the patients assigned to that team (OConnell et at., 2006; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). Leadership for each team is provided by a team leader, who is an experienced registered nurse responsible for planning and supervising the provision of nursing care for patients cared for by team members. The team leader has overall accountability for coordinating the nursing care provided, while the team members are accountable for completing their assigned tasks and for documenting the care delivered (OConnell et at., 2006). Nursing Staff Job Satisfaction Primary Team One of the most important gains of primary nursing for the nurses interviewed was more contact and enhanced relationships with patients. One nurse said, I know more about each of my patients and do not constantly have to get to know new ones. These views are consistent with Mccleod and Stellas (1992) study where nursing staff on medical and surgical wards were asked what they liked about primary nursing. Participants liked the enhanced relationships and collaboration with patients and other members of the healthcare team. To be able to take care of the same patients day after day was greatly appreciated by the nurses interviewed. This continuity of care led to the development of good relationships between the primary nurse and the patient as well as with relatives. This is an aspect that the nurses found increased their levels of job satisfaction (McCleod Stella, 1992). Primary nursing facilitated an in-depth knowledge of their patients and as a consequence, the nurses felt more able to act as a patients advocate. Nurses verbalised they had additional responsibility and accountability as all duties and responsibilities in taking care of a patient for his or her duration of stay is delegated entirely on a single nurse. The primary nurses interviewed perceived that they had the authority to make clinical judgments and decisions for the benefit of the patient. Their use of phrases such as freedom from control by others, ability to plan and organize the workday, using knowledge to make decisions and advocating for the patient described autonomy. Autonomy refers to the ability to act according to ones knowledge and judgment, providing nursing care within the full scope of practice as defined by existing professional, regulatory, and organizational rules (Gagnon, Bakker, Montgomery, Palkovits, 2010). The nurses noted that through practicing primary nursi ng, their autonomy was increased. There is a substantial body of evidence indicating that nurses perceived autonomy is linked to job satisfaction. A study by Melchior, Halfens, Abu-Saad, Philipsen, van den Berg Grassman (1999) investigated the effects of a primary nursing care delivery system on the work environment among nurses working in long-stay psychiatric care settings. Results showed that as a result of primary nursing, the nurses found more autonomy in their work and thus experienced increased job satisfaction. Similarly, Macguire and Botting (1990) analysed the perceptions of nursing staff, following the introduction of primary nursing into an acute medical ward for elderly people. Nurses reported better communication, improved relationships and increased responsibility after implementing primary nursing. It appeared that both increased autonomy of practice and increased knowledge of specific patients, coupled with a greater continuity of care, gave nurses a high level of satisfaction than did previous meth ods of care delivery (Macguire Botting, 1990). On the downside, some nurses commented that working in a primary care system tends to be isolating and this proved to be particularly difficult when they were looking after a critically ill patient. These experiences mirrored those reported by nurses in the study by Manley, Hamill, and Hanlon (1997). Team Nursing Nurses practicing team nursing commented that working as a team was a lot better, because then they can have somebody else backing them up. According to OConnell et at. (2006), working collaboratively with team members serves to enhance job satisfaction, as many find this to be a learning experience that utilizes the expertise of each team member. This was supported by Rafferty, Ball, and Aiken (2001) who demonstrated that nurses who report a higher level of teamwork are more satisfied with their jobs, plan to stay in them, and are likely to experience less stress. However, enrolled nurses and the patient care assistants interviewed added that they felt the staff nurses were spending too much time with medications and writing reports while they were left to do the heavy manual work. A similar finding was demonstrated by OConnell et al. (2006). In this study, both registered nurses and enrolled nurses felt that the team-nursing model sometimes involved an uneven and unfair division of tasks that overburdened some nurses. The medication responsibilities of registered nurses within the team-nursing model imposed excessive demands on enrolled nurses as they were left with meeting the hygiene needs for the patients in their group without assistance. These tensions led to a decrease in job satisfaction. Quality of Care Primary Team The nurses interviewed felt patients were more satisfied when primary nursing was in place because they received individualized care as a result of continuity and coordination of care. Primary nursing has led to the nurses having a better knowledge of the patient. Nurses pointed out that primary nursing enabled them to know each patient more closely. One nurse remarked, I know my patients like the back of my hand. Therefore, it was easier to find out what each patient needed and to meet those needs appropriately. Jenny and Logan (1992) suggest that greater knowledge of the patient is linked to the increased likelihood of picking up subtle changes in the patients condition. In addition, Perala and Hentinen (1989) found that through primary nursing, doctors received information about patients that was more exact and relevant because nurses knew their patients better. This enabled nurses to provide more applicable and effective patient centred nursing care. In response to this therapeut ic relationship, the patient feels more secure about and satisfied with nursing care (Jenny Logan, 2000). The nurses views were supported by the findings of Radwin (2000). In this study conducted over a 3-year period, oncology patients were asked to identify qualities of nursing care that were important to them. Professional knowledge, joint decision making between the patient and the nurse, individualized treatment plans, promptness to addressing individualized needs and continuity of care were some aspects of care delivery that were identified. Team Nursing Nurses interviewed said that since staff was supervised more closely, the likelihood of missing things out was low. This, they felt, resulted in patients receiving better care. This sentiment was echoed by the nurses in OConnell et al.s (2006) study. Moreover, nurses added that the patients benefitted from the combined skills of the team. According to the study by Cioffi and Ferguson (2009), team nursing made a difference to patient care as it was patient-oriented, all the nurses in the team were familiar with the patients receiving care, care was more complete as things were missed less often and staffs were supervised more closely. This resulted in patients receiving better care. In conclusion, providing care to a group of patients require nurses to be more efficient and use their time more effectively. Nursing care delivery models facilitate this. This paper has provided an overview of primary and team nursing care delivery models. The experiences of nurses were discussed with regards to job satisfaction and quality of care in the two models. Literature supporting the nurses experiences was then explored.

Introduction To Fashion Design Objectives Cultural Studies Essay

Introduction To Fashion Design Objectives Cultural Studies Essay Meaning of fashion Fashion is what is accepted and adopted by the society at any given point of time. In other words it is a lifestyle statement of an individual or a group of people. In this sense it covers a wide range of human activities. Style, way, manner, mode, method and approach are the common terms associated with fashion. Fashion is an ongoing process and ever changing phenomenon that leads the world and is there in every nook and corner of the world. As fashion is a dynamic process, there are a number of external factors that contribute to it. There are various factors whose interplay affects the fashion scenario; it can be factors like social factors, political factors etc. The fashion scenario is a reflection of the prevailing conditions or tastes of people in the society. Everything that one uses, buys, wears, acquires has to be innovative and thoughtful. Fashion varies from society to society and from region to region. It is a term which is primarily associated with the art of clothing and accessories. In its real sense it is a continuous process of changes in styles in any field, be it clothes, shoes, bags, profession, furniture, furnishings etc. The term fashion used in this book is in a narrow sense: fashion here means the style or styles of clothing and accessories worn at a particular time by a particular group of people. Fashion life cycle Fashion is an ongoing cycle in which new trends take place, are accepted and get finally outdated and rejected. This brings about a change and gives way to newer trends. This process of acceptance to rejection forms a curve. However, the life of all trends is not the same. For some trends the cycle may be completed in 6 months whereas for others it may even be a few years. This curve represents the pattern of life of a trend that takes place in five phases (Figure 1). Phase 1: Introduction This is a stage where a particular style is just introduced and not many people follow it. It is created by stylists or designers, who are involved in developing new designs. Changing or manipulating the design details, colour or pattern etc. can bring about these changes. At this stage the cost of the garment is generally very high because the garment is not produced in bulk and thus the cost of production goes up. These garments are generally showcased in fashion shows, fashion exhibitions and get extensive media coverage. The most popular method of showcasing, nowadays, is by sponsoring the soaps that are telecast on television and through the film industry. These are methods of marketing so that the orders placed from these activities can go in for bulk production. This would bring down its cost. Phase 2: Rise Once a particular style is introduced, its popularity then depends upon the response of the people to that style. If the indications drawn are positive, then the other manufacturers start adapting and copying the same style. At times the designers too have an alternate brand, clothes line that is at a lower price. This is done so as to increase the transaction and to take the orders in bulk. To increase the popularity of particular style one may modify or alter it a little bit to suit the category of people he/she is catering to. Phase 3: Popularity Peak This is a stage where the demand for a style is the maximum or is at its peak. The production happens at all levels but it is produced ct different levels at different prices. The manufacturers keep a close watch on the reactions/response of the customers to a particular style so much so that even a slight indication towards acceptance jumps them to take production in quantities. This thereby reduces the manufacturing cost per garment and leads to mass acceptance. Such situations, many times, lead to fakes or Knockoffs. Knockoffs are cheap adaptations of design, which get a good response. They are priced low because of more economic versions of fabrics, trimmings and finishing techniques that are used. This is done by picking up a sample from a particular garment and making a pattern for the same, but one must be careful in getting into mass production as not every style is meant for masses. The practice of Fakes and Knockoffs works to a disadvantage for the original designer or styl ist. However one can avoid this situation by getting a copyright for a particular design, but keeping in mind the dynamic fashion era, taking a copyright for a particular design is not useful. Firstly, fashion vis-a-vis contemporary fashion trends change very fast and secondly, the procedure of taking a copyright is elaborate and tedious. Therefore, by the time one actually gets the copyright, the design might get outdated. Hence the alternate is developed for the situation whereby the designer themselves get involved in an alternate line of clothes where the cost of production is much lower than the original. Many a times the manufacturers get involved in the malpractice of imitating the original designer by using a similar firm name or label and manufacturing fakes. This illegal practice is carried out on international level. Goods are confiscated as and when the raids are conducted but this however has not been able to stop the malpractice. Phase 4: Decline After attaining the saturation point of popularity, the design slowly starts being rejected thereby bringing a downfall in its demand. This happens when people get tired of a particular style and start looking for a change that is innovative and fresh. In this stage the consumer continues to wear the garment but does not eagerly goes into buying it. Thus comes the phenomenon of sales, to remove the left-over stock of designs that has been discarded, before it gets too late and they become outdated. Phase 5: Obsolescence This is stage where a consumer completely discards a particular design because the consumers are tired of seeing and wearing the same style which gives way to newer designs, styles to emerge. These stages of fashion cycle may vary in time duration. A particular style may be accepted fast and may get rejected even faster, whereas the other might/may survive for a longer duration. Based on the duration, fashion is divided into classics and fads. There are times when a particular design may continue to survive but in the meantime it may undergo various changes in its design elements. For instance, the silhouette might change or the fabric used might be a different one. This explains the existence of a cycle within a cycle; for example, bell bottom or straight cut in jeans cycle, where just the silhouette has changed. This marks the existence of a cycle within a cycle. There are exceptions to a fashion cycle, which causes a change of trend in the flow of the fashion cycle. Such situation arises when we have an interrupted fashion cycle, due to varied reasons like manufacturer might stop the production due to decline in popularity of a particular style, and might be the manufacturer wants to start the production for some other pattern of garment. Some of the other reasons for such interruptions are: social factors, political, economic and other factors. One good example of such a situation is the radical change brought about in the dressing of people before World War II and after that. People shifted from elaborate flared clothes to straight and more fitted attires / dresses. There are certain cycles that are recurring cycles. In other words, the style is there for some time, follows the normal fashion cycle and then becomes obsolete but only to be revived again. In this case when it reappears, the silhouette proportions might remain same whereas the design details and fabric might change to cater to the prevalent demands or for enhancing the look of the garment. To understand this cycle, in Indian context, one can take the example of short tight Kurtis of 1960s, which have been revived again. Fashion terminology What is the difference between fashion, style, and design? Just what do high fashion, mass fashion, taste, classic, and fad mean? To avoid confusion when discussing fashion, we must first understand the meanings of these terms. Style The first step in understanding fashion is to distinguish between fashion and style, words that most people use interchangeably although there is an immense difference in their meanings. In general terms, a style is a characteristic or distinctive artistic expression or presentation. Styles exist in architecture, sculpture, painting, politics, and music, as well as in popular heroes, games, hobbies, pets, flirtations, and weddings. In apparel, style is the characteristic or distinctive appearance of a garment-the combination of features that makes it unique and different from other garments. For example, T-shirts are as different from camp shirts as they are from peasant blouses. Riding jackets are as different from safari jackets as they are from blazer jackets. Although styles come and go in terms of acceptance, a specific style always remains a style, whether it is currently in fashion or not. Some people adopt a style that becomes indelibly associated with them and wear it regardless of whether it is currently fashionable. Trend A trend is a general direction or movement. For example, you will often read in fashion magazines there is; a trend toward longer skirts; it means that several designers, including some leading ones, are showing longer skirts, leading retailers are buying them, and fashion-forward customers are wearing them. Marketers always want to know whether a new development is going to be a trend or a fad because they want to cash in on trends but avoid getting burned by fads. A trend can originate anywhere, and has a solid foundation that supports its growth; a fad does not. Fashion Fashion is a style that is accepted and used by the majority of a group at any one time, no matter how small that group. A fashion is always based on some particular style. But not every style is a fashion. A fashion is a fact of social psychology. A style is usually a creation from an artist or a designer. A fashion is a result or social emulation and acceptance. A style may be old or new, beautiful or ugly, good or bad. A style is still a style even if it never receives the slightest acceptance or even approval. A style does not become a fashion until it gains some popular acceptance. And it remains a fashion only as long as it is accepted. Miniskirts, moustaches, and theatrical daytime makeup have all been fashions. And no doubt each will again be accepted by a majority of a group of people with similar interests or characteristics for example, college students, young career men and women, retired men and women. Classic Some styles or designs continue to be considered in good taste over a long period of time. They are exceptions to the usual movement of styles through the fashion life cycle. A classic is a style or design that satisfies a basic need and remains in general fashion acceptance for an extended period of time. A classic is characterized by simplicity of design which keeps it from being easily dated. Sari and Lehenga are outstanding examples of a classic. Other examples include denim jeans, blazer jackets, turtle neck sweaters, etc. Fad A fashion that suddenly sweeps into popularity, affecting a limited part of the total population, and then quickly disappears is called a fad. The fad starts by being quickly accepted and then quickly imitated by others. Fads often begin in lower-price ranges, are relatively easy to copy, and therefore flood the market in a very short time. Because of this kind of market saturation, the public tires of fads quickly and they end abruptly. Fads follow the same cycle as fashions do, but their rise in popularity is much faster, their acceptance much shorter, and their decline much more rapid than that of a true fashion. Because most fads come and go in a single season, they have been called miniature fashions. Fashion consumers Fashion leaders Fashion leaders are the people who are innovative and bold enough to start a new fashion or try something away from what is prevalent in the market. They have the courage to adopt new fashion not necessarily to attract attention but to look different. People of social, political, and economic importance here and abroad are seen as leaders in the downward movement theory. The horizontal flow theory recognizes individuals whose personal prestige makes them leaders within their own circles, whether or not they are known elsewhere. Finally, the important fashion role played by young, lower-income groups in the last half of the 20th cen ­tury is recognized in the upward flow theory. The theories of fashion adoption stress that the fashion leader is not the creator of the fash ­ion; nor does merely wearing the fashion make a person a fashion leader. As Quentin Bell ex ­plained, the leader of fashion does not come into existence until the fashion is itself created. A king or person of great eminence may indeed lead the fashion, but he leads only in the general direction which it has already adopted. If a fashion parade is forming, fashion leaders may head it and even quicken its pace. They cannot, however, bring about a procession; nor can they reverse a procession. Famous people are not necessarily fashion lead ­ers, even if they do influence an individual style. Their influence usually is limited to only one striking, style, one physical attribute, or one time. The true fashion leader is a person who is seeking constantly for new fashion, therefore likely to launch a succession of fashions rather than just one. What makes a person a fashion leader? A person eager for the new is merely an innovator or early buyer. To be a leader, one must be influential and sought after for advice within ones coterie. A fashion influential sets the appropriate dress for a specific occasion in a particular circle. Within that circle an innovator presents current offerings and is the earliest visual communicator of a new style. Such people can be split into two categories depending upon the role they play. Innovators People who are the creator of new fashion styles come under this category. They may be renowned designers or a simple person who likes to experiment with his / her clothes. Such people believe in wearing clothes that are unique, in terms of colours, trimmings, accessories, designs, the style of draping a garment etc. They might consciously or unconsciously give an impetus to a particular style that might get popular. Influential or motivators This group of consumers consists of those individuals who are socially eminent and are an idol for other people, thereby motivating them to adopt a particular style of clothing. They can be movie stars, people who are the whos who of society, politicians, social activists, etc. Their sense of dressing inspires people to follow them. Such peoples style is cashed upon by the manufacturers who start manufacturing in bulk. It can be anything ranging from jewellery, hairstyles, accessories etc. One can rightly give the example of Princess Diana whose style of dressing was an example for quite a few. As monarchies were replaced with democracies, members of the wealthy and international sets came into the fashion spotlight. Whether these rich and wealthy members of society derive their position from vast fortunes and old family names or from recent wealth, they bring glamour that draws attention to everything they do. Today, through the con ­stant eye of television, magazines, and newspa ­pers, the average person is able to find fashion leadership in a whole new stratum of society the jet set. What these glamorous people are doing and what they are wearing are instantly served up to the general public by the media. As far as fashion is concerned, these people are not just in the news; they are the news. Any move they make is im ­portant enough to be immediately publicized. What they wear is of vital interest to the general public. The media tell us what the social leaders wear to dine in a chic restaurant, to attend a charity ball, or to go shopping. Because they are trendsetters, their choices are of prime interest to designers and to the world at large. Of course, this inundation of news about what social leaders wear influences the public. The average person is affected because so many manufacturers and retailers of fashion take their cue from these social leaders. Right or wrong, fashion merchants count on the fashion sense of these leaders. They know that the over ­whelming exposure of these leaders in the media encourages people of ordinary means to rotate them consciously or unconsciously. Fashion today takes its impetus and influence from people in every possible walk of life. These people have one thing in common, how ­ever: they are famous. Because of some special talent, charisma, notoriety, or popularity, they are constantly mentioned and shown on televi ­sion, in fashion magazines, and in newspapers. They may or may not appear in the society pages. In this group can be found presidents and princesses, movie stars and religious leaders, sports figures and recording stars, politicians and TV personalities. Because they are seen so frequently, the public has a good sense of their fashions and lifestyles and can imitate them to the extent of the pub ­lics means and desires. Prominent individuals have been responsible for certain fashions that continue to be associated with them. Fashion followers There are many people who are followers, and good ones. Individuals, who do not like to experiment with new styles, come under the category of fashion followers. They are people who first let the style be tried by people and accepted by society, before going into adapting it. There might be people who like trying but due to lack of resources they are not able to do so. It can be monetary terms or in terms of time. There are even people who do not give a lot of importance to their style of dressing. As for them, clothing is just a basic necessity and therefore wasting time on it is not worthwhile for them. One of the reasons for a person to become a fashion follower is the fear of being singled out as a different sheep in the herd. They like to be just one of the groups. In fact, fashion followers category of people is the most important category as this is the group on which bulk of the work of the fashion industry works. It is for such people that manufacturers get into mass production. Most of the manufacturers cater to this category of people and manufacture whatever style goes along with them. Fol ­lowers are in the majority within any group. Without followers the fashion industry would certainly collapse. Mass production and mass distribution can be possible and profitable only when large number of consumers accepts the product. The styles fashion leaders adopt may help manufacturers and retailers in determining what will be demanded by the majority of con ­sumers in the near future. Only accurate predic ­tions can ensure the continued success of the giant ready to-wear business in this country, which depends for its success on mass produc ­tion and distribution. While fashion leaders may stimulate and excite the fashion industry, fashion followers are the industrys lifeblood. One important section of fashion followers is the people who form the Fashion Victim category. Some followers of fashion become slaves of it and start following the fashion phenomena without considering whether the particular garment suits them or not, as not every outfit or style suit everyone. One has to keep many things under consideration before adorning a garment. For example, physical characteristics of an individual, occasion, climate etc., are few of the important factors that affect the style of clothing. Thus people who blindly follow the fashion trend without considering the fact that it suits them or not, come under the category of fashion victims. Fashion movement Fashion is, in many ways, like a river. A river is always in motion, continuously flowing- sometimes it is slow and gentle, at other times rushing and turbulent. It is exciting, and never the same. It affects those who ride its currents and those who rest on its shores. Its movements depend on the environment. All of this is true of fashion, too. The con ­stant movements of fashion depend on an envi ­ronment made up of social, political, and economic factors. These movements, no matter how obvious or how slight, have both meaning and definite direction. There is a special excite ­ment to interpreting these movements and esti ­mating their speed and direction. Everyone involved in fashion, from the designer to the consumer, is caught up in the movement of fashion. The excitement starts with the textile pro ­ducers. Fully 12 to 18 months before they offer their lines to manufacturers, the textile people must choose their designs, textures, and colors. From three to nine months before showing a line to buyers, the apparel manufacturers begin deciding which styles they will produce and in which fabrics. Then, two to six months before the fashions will appear on the selling floor, the retail buyers make their selections from the manufacturers lines. Finally, the excitement passes on to the consumers, as they select the garments that will be versatile, appropriate, and suitably priced for their individual needs and wants. Successful de ­signers, manufacturers, buyers, and consumers have a good understanding of basic cycles, prin ­ciples, and patterns that operate in the world of fashion. Their predictions are based on this un ­derstanding. Fashion adoption theory According to this theory, there is a category of people who are socially eminent or elite. They might be politician, celebrities, sports player, etc. This category becomes the trendsetters for the other people who start following them. Gradually manufacturers from each category start moulding the fabric and finishing of the garment to fit the pockets of the strata of people they are catering to. This is done till the time the consumer does not lose interest in that particular style. The Trickle-down theory states that the movement of fashion starts at the top with consumers of higher socioeconomic status and moves down to the general public. This is the oldest and most accepted theory of fashion movement. According to this theory, people with lower incomes will only wear fashions that have become popular among consumers with higher incomes at the top of the ladder. As more people begin to wear the fashions, those at the top become less interested and begin looking for something new. Veblen (1899) was one fashion observer at the turn of the 20th century. He put forth Trickle-down theory. Looking around at his or her own time, the observer notices that fashion is still restricted to those at the top of the class structure-the rich and socially prominent. Fashion moves downward from the elite class to the lower classes in stately and slow progression, but never reached all the levels. The lower classes did not have the income, access, or the freedom to follow fashions dictates. He described the upper strata of the social system as the leisure class. Members of the leisure class displayed wealth in two distinctive ways, through conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption. They adopt an extravagant lifestyle of travel, entertainment, the pursuit of pleasure, Art collection, and acquisition of luxurious homes and furnishings demonstrate conspicuous consumption demonstrating conspicuous leisure. Highly visible upper class made up of those occu ­pying power positi ons in business, politics, and media. Simmel (1904), a sociologist, identified the engine of fashion change in the opposing human tendencies toward conformity and individuality. Conformity means striv ­ings for social adaptation. The imitator class believes in social similarity, in acting like others. Individuality suggests the need for differentiation. The elite class differentiated itself through fashion, and the adjacent lower classes reproduced the look. The individual seeking differ ­entiation constantly experiments with the new, relying in large part on personal convictions. These dual drives can also be played out in social groups where fashion simultaneously functions as a means of class distinction and as a button / symbol of group uniformity. Mass dissemination theory Due to globalization and better international network, there is mass dissemination of fashion. For example: A show that is conducted in Paris might get appreciated in India and manufacturers start the variants of the same style such that it suits the category they are catering to. With the media playing an important role in everybodys life, the trickle across theory is gaining much more relevance in todays scenario. This theory hypothesizes that designs are produced at all price levels at the same time. The merchandise quality and lines may vary, but new fashion exists for all groups. Within a given fashion season consumers in all socioeconomic groups simultaneously have the freedom to select from a range of styles and this range is sufficient to satisfy personal taste. Imitation and differentiation were still part of the dynamic because others would imitate innovators and influential within their social strata and those fashion leaders would move to new looks. Rather than elite introducing fashion ideas into society, King saw leadership within each social stratum and within each social group. Fashion acceptance begins among several socioeconomic groups and the leaders within each group influence its members. This theory is especially probably in the 21st century because technology allows designer fashions to be copies quickly and easily, making them available to all consumers sooner. Bottom up theory This theory states that the movement of fashion starts with consumers on lower-income levels, then moves to consumers with higher incomes. For example, the denim fabric was first used for work clothing for labors and was later adopted by hippies and other lower socioeconomic groups. From there, the designers adopted denim as a fabric and designed clothing for the higher socioeconomic consumers. Thus it is not necessary that new style statements emerge only from the economically socially eminent people. Fashion dresses Fashions appeal to many different groups and can be categorized according to the group to which they appeal. High fashion High fashion refers to a new style accepted by a limited number of fash ­ion leaders who want to be the first to adopt changes and innovation in fashion. High-fash ­ion styles are generally introduced and sold in small quantities and at relatively high prices. These styles may be limited because they are too sophisticated or extreme to appeal to the needs of the general public, or they are priced well beyond the reach of most people. However, if the style can appeal to a broader audience, it is generally copied, mass-produced, and sold at lower prices. The fashion leaders or innovators who first accepted it then move on to something new. Haute Couture Haute Couture is a French word for very rich quality / fine costume or dress design. Its made to measure tailoring, in simple words it is made to the measurement of a particular customer. It even means the art of dress-making. These clothes are expensive and are worn by celebrities. They have a limited number of clients. From couture originated the word couturier which means a male designer having his own couture house and couturiere means a woman having her own couture house. Haute Couture again a French word means high fashion garments that have finest of fabric and workmanship. Ready to wear Ready to wear fashion is also known as Mass or Volume fashion. These are garments, which are produced in large numbers thereby reducing the cost of production and thereby making the garments less expensive. They are standard sized which makes them more suitable for larger productions. Ready to wear collections can also be divided into Designers collections and street fashion. Designer collection These have a high quality, a superb finish and a unique cut and design. These collections are the most trendsetting compared to Haut Couture and Designer ready to wear collections contain often Concept items which represent a certain philosophy or theory. Generally introduced and sold in small quantities and at relatively high prices. These items are not so much created for mass sales but just to make a statement. The designers ready to wear collection is also presented on the international catwalks. Street fashion To contrast with high fashion, mass fashion consists of styles that are widely accepted. These fashions are widely produced and sold in large quantities at moderate to low prices and appeal to the greatest majority of fashion conscious consumers. Mass fashion accounts tor the majority of sale in the fashion business. Mass fashion is the bread and butter of the fashion banquet! Meaning of design The word Design is used both as a noun and a verb. As a verb, to design refers to the process of originating and developing plan for a product, structure, system, or component within intention. As a noun, a design is used for either the final plan (e.g. proposal, drawing, model, description) or the result of implementing that plan in the form of the final product of a design process. Design is a Visual Language. A language is the medium of communication. Communication is nothing but the transfer of information from sender to receiver with the information being understood by the receiver followed by a feed back to the sender. Visual language is self explanatory, in which the information is passed to the people with the help of signs, sketches, images, photographs and videos. Design is the process of selecting and organizing different elements in order to fulfil a specific target in terms of design. Elements are the basic components or building blocks of a design. A process is a series of actions taken towards achieving a particular goal. Selection process is aimed at carefully choosing things as being the most suitable. Organizing activity aims at arranging all the items or elements in an orderly way. Design is often viewed as a more rigorous form of design, or design with a clearly defined purpose. In Figure 1.2 (a) different components like a big circle, two small circles, a vertical line and an arc are selected. But they do not convey any particular message, because all of these components maintain their separate identity. In Figure 1.2 (b) all these components are organized in such a way that all of them dissolve their own identity in order to constitute a human face. The big circle represents the outline of a face, small circles assume eyes, the vertical line constitutes a nose and the arc represents mouth. In order to learn any language, one should be acquainted well with alphabets and grammar of that language. Elements of design are alphabets of design language whereas principles of design are grammatical syntax of it. Aspects of design Every garment makes a statement. It communicates with you. It has its own identity. It may give illusion to you such as Shy or Outgoing Dashing or cautious Cool or Dull Sophisticated or primitive When you go to the market to purchase a garment,

Anatomy of a False Confession Essay -- essays research papers

Anatomy of a False Confession   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depending on what study is read, the incidence of false confession is less than 35 per year, up to 600 per year. That is a significant variance in range, but no matter how it is evaluated or what numbers are calculated, the fact remains that false confessions are a reality. Why would an innocent person confess to a crime that she did not commit? Are personal factors, such as age, education, and mental state, the primary reason for a suspect to confess? Are law enforcement officers and their interrogation techniques to blame for eliciting false confessions? Regardless of the stimuli that lead to false confessions, society and the justice system need to find a solution to prevent the subsequent aftermath.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the adversarial justice system, when the offender admits to the criminal act, there is no further controversy and the case promptly proceeds to sentencing. Physical evidence and victim or witness statements may often be overlooked and not considered. The confession is considered unequivocal evidence of guilt and a conviction is ensured. Indeed, the interrogation process’ sole purpose is to obtain a confession. Zimbardo (1967) estimated that â€Å"of those criminal cases that are solved, more than 80% are solved by a confession.† (Conti, 1999) Without the confession, convictions may be reduced significantly. So why does a person falsely confess to a crime if the likelihood of a conviction is eminent? A false confession to any crime is self-destructive and counterintuitive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mental state of the suspect can give explanation to a false confession. If a person is inebriated and is questioned before she is sober, that may lead to easier manipulation by the police. A suspect under the influence of alcohol or drugs may not remember all the events leading up to her arrest. This mental state allows police officers to give misleading information, which may imply that the suspect did commit the crime and does not remember the incident. Mental retardation or suspects with low intelligence quotients (IQ) are easily manipulated by police comments and interrogation tactics. Those suspects usually do not understand the law or the consequences of a confession. They may want to please the police officer by being accommodating or agreeable. They may just wa... ...p;The power of innocence. Law and Human Behavior Vol.28, No. 2, p. 211. Kassin, S.M., & McNall, K. (1991). Police interrogations and confessions:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communicating promises and threats by pragmatic implication. Law and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human Behavior Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 233 – 251. Kassin, S.M., & Sukel, H. (1997). Coerced confessions and the jury: an experimental   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test of the â€Å"harmless error† rule. Law and Human Behavior Vol. 21, No. 1, p.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27 – 28. Kassin, S. (2004, April 26). Videotape police interrogations. Retrieved August 21, 2005,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From The Boston Globe. Meissner, C.A., & Kassin, S.M. (2002, October). â€Å"He’s guilty!†: investigator bias in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judgments of truth and deception. Law and Human Behavior Vol. 26, No. 5,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  469 – 479. Osterburg, J.W., & Ward, R.H. (2004). Criminal Investigation: A Method For   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reconstructing The Past. (4th ed.). Anderson Publishing: LexisNexis Group. Perina, A. (2004, March 1). â€Å"I confess.† Psychology Today Vol. 36, Issue 2.

Essay --

4) What does the future hold for the fashion industry in France? With many of Paris’ fashion houses being over a century old, it is necessary that the houses to have successors for their head designers. In recent years, houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain have acknowledged new head designers and creative directors. When houses are changing such a critical role in their brand, they must be extremely careful that the successor will keep the essence of what made the brand respected for so many years. Parisian houses are recognized for taking ample time in doing so, and they usually make the best choice. In the near future, Paris and the rest of the â€Å"Big Four† will be facing some new competition. The Top 5 Quickest Emerging Fashion Markets are the major South American countries, China, Turkey, the UAE and Kazakhstan (Top 5 Emerging Markets†¦). Many Asian and Middle Eastern cities are quickly edging their way up the Top 20 Fashion Capitals List. The rapidly expanding Middle Eastern city of Dubai provides very â€Å"western world† lifestyle. The growth of Dubai has been constant since 1966 when oil was discovered in their land. In such a short time period, Dubai has gone from dependent upon trade and labor to the 22nd most expensive city in the world, and the most expensive in the Middle East. Many luxury brands that are coveted in Europe and the US like Hermes, Cartier and Louis Vuitton have thrived in this wealthy, metropolitan area. As of 2012, it was number 31 on the Top Fashion Capitals list and #1 in the Middle East according to the Global Language Monitor. With the influences of surrounding countries being a bit more ethnic, the cultural diversity is very strong. India is known for their rich, elaborat... ...the fashion industry for hundreds of years, as it is home to the world’s leading designers and has imbedded a natural sense of effortless style in its residents. Paris Fashion Week is the finale of the four fashion weeks and is still depended upon for dictating next season’s trends. The world’s most glamorous names in fashion like Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and many more are still based out of the city. Paris was home to the first fashion house and it was the city to coin the terms of haute couture and prà ªt-à  -porter. To this day use they implement high standards and use unions to protect these sects of the industry. It is home to the Golden Triangle; shopping districts of Champs-Elysà ©es, Avenue Montaigne and Avenue Marceau. For these, and plenty of other reasons, France can still rightly claim its title of world fashion capital.

Saving a Friend from Suicide Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

Saving a Life My stomach weakens with a thought that something is wrong, what would be the answer I could have never been ready for. I call my best friend late one night, for some reason she is the only person’s voice I wanted to hear, the only person who I wanted to tell me that everything will be okay. She answer’s the phone and tells me she loves me, as I hear the tears leak through, I ask her what is wrong. The flood gates open with only the horrid words â€Å"I can’t do this anymore†. My heart races as I tell her that I am on my way, what I was about to see will never leave my thoughts. As I arrived at her apartment she didn’t answer the door, I just went in. I walked down the hall way into her bedroom where she had pills and a beer and a list wrote out to make sure this would be her last recipe, a recipe of death. All I could do was yell, â€Å"What the hell are you thinking, he is not worth your life!† I started grabbing the pills, putting them back in a container and taking the beer. I hid the pills in my purse and went to get water. I begged with her to drink the water and remind... Saving a Friend from Suicide Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays Saving a Life My stomach weakens with a thought that something is wrong, what would be the answer I could have never been ready for. I call my best friend late one night, for some reason she is the only person’s voice I wanted to hear, the only person who I wanted to tell me that everything will be okay. She answer’s the phone and tells me she loves me, as I hear the tears leak through, I ask her what is wrong. The flood gates open with only the horrid words â€Å"I can’t do this anymore†. My heart races as I tell her that I am on my way, what I was about to see will never leave my thoughts. As I arrived at her apartment she didn’t answer the door, I just went in. I walked down the hall way into her bedroom where she had pills and a beer and a list wrote out to make sure this would be her last recipe, a recipe of death. All I could do was yell, â€Å"What the hell are you thinking, he is not worth your life!† I started grabbing the pills, putting them back in a container and taking the beer. I hid the pills in my purse and went to get water. I begged with her to drink the water and remind...

Gender Stratification Essay

Carl defined Feminism as â€Å"the vast collection of social movements and theories about gender differences, proposing social equality for all people†. Thinkers of feminism believe that men and women are equal and that women deserve the same opportunities as men. There were three waves of feminism. First-wave feminism was between 19th and 20th century, which was about women’s suffrage movement and protested legal inequality such as voting. Second-wave feminism began in 1960’s, which focused on social independence and equality in the workplace and education. This also included protection form sexual and domestic violence. In 1990’s, a third-wave feminism came about as a result of failure that first and second waves had. The third-wave feminism focused on multiracial and socioeconomic groups. This movement encouraged women to be outspoken and address issues such as abuse, rape, and sexuality. Although women are earning more degrees than men, they continue to face wage gap and glass ceiling at workplace. Feminist theory focuses on bringing equality in work and education as well as expanding the human opportunities for women by allowing their enrollment to graduate schools and career choices. In addition, feminist theory focuses on eliminating gender stratification. A woman can now do a job that was once done by men, such as becoming a Marine. It also focuses on ending violence against women because male violence perpetuates gender inequality in our society. For example, a fake British law allows a man to beat his wife as long as the stick is not larger than his thumb in diameter. There are two types of feminism, liberal and radical. Liberal feminists believe in equal opportunities for women where they can pursue their interests and achieve equality without being discriminated. Radical feminists agree with liberal feminists but they carry the ideas further by focusing on ca pitalism. This is where one might avoid doing traditional women activities such as childbearing. Functionalism theory argues that competition between men and women is eliminated and family life runs smoothly because the differences between them help maintain the society. For example, women are placed in a sphere where they take care of children and perform domestic tasks while men go out and work to provide for the family, which are complementary. In conflict  theory, it is argued that women are at the bottom of the system regardless. In other words, it is a patriarchal society and the work a woman does is often devalued, reinforcing the power for men. In symbolic interactions, it is believed that behaviors come about by ‘doing gender’ based on everyday interactions such as female behaving in feminine ways and males behaving in masculine ways. Nevertheless, significant feminist efforts and movements are in progress to bring equality between male and females. In this essay, we will discuss chapter 11: Gender Stratification—The Social Side of Sex, from the book Think Sociology by John D. Carl (2011). This essay has three main ideas. The first idea focuses on gender differences in children. We will learn about gender construction, gender roles, and the media. The second idea focuses on gender inequality in education, workplace, and politics. Here, we will learn about lack of career opportunities and wage gap at workplace. The third idea focuses on feminism and the perspectives of the feminist theory. Here, we will have an insight on the types of feminism by learning about functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. With this knowledge, one can understand the gender stratification.

Store Layout and Design

Chapter 13 – Store Layout and Design I. Introduction to Store Layout Management. Retailers can use the retail store itself to initiate and continue their relationship with customers. A. The store itself (e. g. , its layout) has the potential to overcome many of the negative attitudes/emotions customers may carry as they enter a retailer’s store. 1. 2. In fact, no other variable in the retailing mix influences the consumer's initial perception as much as the retailer's store itself. The two primary objectives around which all activities, functions, and goals in the store revolve are store image and sales productivity.Store image is the overall perception the consumer has of the store’s environment. b. Space productivity represents how effectively the retailer utilizes its space and is usually measured by sales per square foot of selling space or gross margin dollars per square foot of selling space. In cyberspace, retailers must be concerned with the format of the entire website. In order to drive repeat visits and encourage consumer purchasing on one’s web site, the e-tailer should: a. b. Keep content current. Make the site easy and enjoyable to use. c.Structure an online community where consumers can interact with one another or contribute to the site’s content. B. Elements of the Store Environment – The successful retailer will place a heavy emphasis on designing their physical facilities so as to enhance the retailer’s overall image and increase its productivity. The elements that should be considered are: a. POS signage. b. c. Visual Communications – Retail identity, graphics, and Store Planning – Space allocation, layout, and circulation. Store Design – Exterior design, ambiance, and lighting. election, merchandise a. 3. d. Merchandising – Fixture presentation, and visual merchandising. C. The two primary objectives of creating the desired store image and increasing space producti vity correspond to the general mission of all retailers, which is to get consumers into the store (traffic) and influence them to buy merchandise once inside (conversion rate) while operating in the most efficient manner possible (operating efficiency). The store planner must constantly balance these objectives, as they are sometimes at odds. 1.Developing a Store Image – the ability to create and change image through the store environment becomes more important every day as consumers’ time poverty increases. 2. Increasing Space Productivity – a goal summarized in a simple but powerful truism of retailing: â€Å"The more merchandise customers are exposed to, the more they tend to buy. † To enhance space productivity, retailers must incorporate planning, merchandising, and design strategies that minimize shrinkage (the loss of merchandise through theft, loss, and damage). II. Store Planning.Store planning is the development of floor plans, which indicate wh ere merchandise and customer service departments are located, how customers circulate through the store, and how much space is dedicated to each department. A. Allocating Space – the starting point of store planning is determining how the available store space will be allocated to various departments, based on mathematical calculations of the returns generated by different types of merchandise. 1. Types of Space Needed – there are five basic types of space in a store: a. . The back room includes the receiving area to process arriving inventories and the stockroom to store surplus merchandise. Offices and other functional spaces include a break room for associates, a training room, offices for the store manager and assistant managers, a cash office, bathroom facilities for both customers and employees, and perhaps other areas. The amount of space dedicated to aisles, service areas, and other nonselling areas can be significant, perhaps 15 percent or more of the entire s pace.While the store planner always attempts to minimize the amount of nonselling space, customer service is an equally important part of a store and should not be short-changed. The floor merchandise space holds many types of fixtures used to display merchandise. The walls are one of the most important elements of a retail store. They serve as fixtures holding tremendous amounts of merchandise, as well as serving as a visual backdrop for the merchandise on the floor. c. d. e. 2.Space Allocation Planning – to determine the most productive allocation of space, the store planner must analyze the productivity and profitability of various categories of merchandise. There are two situations where this is evident: planning a new store and revising the space allocation of an existing store. a. Improving Space Productivity in Existing Stores – When a retailer has been in business for some time, it can develop a sales history on which to evaluate merchandise performance, refine space allocations, and enhance space productivity.Various quantitative measures, such as the space productivity index, can be used to develop a more productive space allocation. Space Allocation for a New Store – When a retailer is creating a new store format, it bases space allocation on industry standards, previous experience b. with similar formats, or more frequently, the space required to carry the number of items specified by the buyers. B. Circulation – there are four basic types of circulation patterns in use today. Shoppers have been trained to associate certain circulation patterns with different types of stores. . 2. 3. Free Flow, the simplest type of store layout, is a type of store layout in which fixtures and merchandise are grouped into free-flowing patterns on the sales floor. Grid Layout is another type of store layout in which counters and fixtures are placed in long rows or â€Å"runs,† usually at right angles, throughout the store. Loop Layo ut is a type of store layout in which a major customer aisle begins at the entrance, loops through the store – usually in the shape of a circle, square, or rectangle – and then returns the customer to the front of the store.Spine Layout is a type of store layout in which a single main aisle runs from the front to the back of the store, transporting customers in both directions, and where on either side of this spine, merchandise departments using either a free-flow or grid pattern branch off toward the back and side walls. 4. C. Shrinkage Prevention. When planning stores, the prevention of shrinkage due to theft, damage, and loss must be considered. Some layouts will minimize vulnerability to shoplifters by increasing the visibility of the merchandise. III. Planning Fixtures and Merchandise Presentation.In the â€Å"theater† of retailing, there are two basic types of merchandise presentation: visual merchandising displays which are analogous to the props which s et scenes and serve as backdrops; and on-shelf merchandising which represents â€Å"the stars of the performance†. A. Fixture Types fall into three basic categories: 1. Hardline Fixtures. The workhorse fixture in most hardline departments is the gondola. The gondola can hold a wide variety of merchandise — in fact, virtually all hardlines — by means of hardware hung from the vertical spine.Tables, large bins, and flat-base decks are used to display bulk quantities of merchandise when the retailer wants to make a high-value statement. Softline Fixtures. A large array of fixtures have been developed to accommodate the special needs of softlines, which often are hung on hangers. The four-way feature rack and the round rack are two of the fixtures most heavily used today. The round rack is known as a bulk or capacity fixture, and the four-way rack is considered a feature fixture, because it presents merchandise in a manner, which features certain characteristics of the merchandise (such as color, shape, or style).Wall Fixtures. The last type of fixture are those designed to be hung on the wall. To make a plain wall merchandisable, it is usually covered with a vertical skin that is fitted with vertical columns of notches similar to that on the gondola, into which a variety of hardware can be inserted. Shelves, peghooks, bins, baskets, and even hanger bars can be fitted into wall systems. 2. 3. B. Merchandise Presentation Planning – With all the various types of fixtures available, there is an endless variety of ways to merchandise product. . The methods of merchandise presentation include the following: a. Shelving – The majority of merchandise is placed on shelves that are inserted into gondolas or wall systems. Shelving is a flexible, easy-to-maintain merchandising method. Hanging – Apparel on hangers can be hung from softlines fixtures such as round racks and four-way racks, or from bars installed on gondolas or wall sys tems. Pegging – Small merchandise can be hung from peghooks, which are small rods inserted into gondolas or wall systems.Used in both softlines and hardlines, pegging gives a neat, orderly appearance, but can be labor intensive to display and maintain. Folding – Higher-margin or large, unwieldy softlines merchandise can be folded and then stacked onto shelves or placed on tables. This can create a high-fashion image, such as when bath towels are taken off peghooks and neatly folded and stacked high up the wall. Stacking – Large hardline merchandise can be stacked on shelves, the base decks of gondolas, or â€Å"flats,† which are platforms placed directly on the floor.Stacking is easily maintained and gives an image of high volume and low price. Dumping – Large quantities of small merchandise can be dumped in bins or baskets inserted into gondolas or wall systems. This method can be used in softlines (socks, wash cloths) or hardlines (batteries, can dy), and creates a high-volume, low-cost image. b. c. d. e. f. 2. Different merchandising methods can strongly influence our buying habits and cause us to purchase more. There is a certain psychology of merchandise presentation. . Value/Fashion Image – One of merchandising's most important psychological effects is its ability to foster an image in the customer's mind of how trendy, exclusive, pricey, or value oriented the merchandise is. Angles and Sightlines – Research has shown that as customers move through a retail store, they view the store at approximately 45 degree angles from the path of travel, so merchandise placed at 45 degree angles to the aisle has better visibility.Vertical Color Blocking – To be most effective, merchandise should be displayed in vertical bands of color wherever possible, so that customers are exposed to a greater number of SKUs. b. c. C. Selecting the Proper Fixture and Merchandise Presentation Methods – In selecting which fixtures and merchandising methods to use, a good guideline is to match the fixture to the merchandise, not the merchandise to the fixture. This means you should only use fixtures hat are sensitive to the nature of the merchandise, but all too often, retailers are forced to put merchandise on the wrong fixture. D. Visual Merchandising is the artistic display of merchandise and theatrical props used as scene-setting decoration in the store. Visuals don't always include merchandise – they may just be interesting displays of items somehow related to the merchandise offering or to a mood the retailer wishes to create. IV. Store Design – encompasses both the exterior and the interior of the store.There are literally hundreds of details in a store's design, and all must work together to create the desired store ambiance, which is the overall feeling or mood projected by a store through its aesthetic appeal to the human senses. A. Storefront Design. If the retail store can be compared to a book, then the storefront or store exterior is like the book cover. It must be noticeable, easily identified by passing motorists or mall shoppers, memorable, clearly identify the name and general market positioning of the store, and give some hint as to the merchandise inside.Interior Design can be broken into architectural elements and design finishes, and encompasses floorcoverings, walls, and ceilings. Lighting is one of the most important, though often overlooked, elements in a successful store design. Retailers learned that different types and levels of lighting can have a significant impact on sales. Sounds and Smells: Total Sensory Marketing. Research has shown that senses other than sight can be very important. Many retailers are beginning to engineer the sounds and smells in their stores.B. C. D. V. Visual Communications. Visual communications includes in-store signage and graphics. When carefully balanced with personal service, visual communications, with i ts reliability and low cost, can create an effective selling environment and is therefore an important tool in the store designer's toolbox. A. Name, Logo, and Retail Identity. The first and most visible element in a comprehensive visual communications program is the retailer's identity, composed of the store name, logo mark, and supporting visual elements.The name and logo must be catchy, memorable, and most of all, reflective of the retailer's merchandising mission. Institutional Signage. Once inside the store, the first level of visual communications is known as institutional signage, or signage that describes the merchandising mission, customer service policies, and other messages on behalf of the retail institution. Directional, Departmental, and Category Signage serve as the next level of organizational signage. These signs help guide the shopper through the shopping trip and assist in locating specific departments of interest.B. C. D. Point-of-Sale (POS) Signage. The next lev el of signage is even smaller, placed closer to the merchandise, and known as point-of-sale signage, or POS signage. POS signage is intended to give details about specific merchandise items and is usually affixed directly to fixtures. E. Lifestyle Graphics. Many stores incorporate large graphic panels showing so-called lifestyle images in important departments. These photo images portray either the merchandise, often as it is being used, or images of related items or models that convey an image conducive to buying the product.