Saturday, September 7, 2019

Madly desirous for glory Essay Example for Free

Madly desirous for glory Essay In the second letter Walton writes about his progress to Archangel. In the letter he describes his crew. Waltons description of his ships master suggests that he is the embodiment of goodness. He frequently applauds the courage of his lieutenant. The lieutenant is madly desirous for glory. In this letter the theme of alienation arises. Like Victor, Waltons ambitions isolate him from his family and friends: But it is a still greater evil to me that I am self educated. Shelleys choice of words are designed to anticipate Victors need of a friend. It does this by implying that Walton is annoyed that he had no one to teach him, and that he had no companions. The third letter that Walton sends simply expresses confidence in his quest: I write a few lines in haste to say that I am safe and well advanced on my voyage. Shelley may have decided to add a short letter to show that Walton maybe playing down the dangers of his voyage. He finishes the letter by saying: Heaven bless my beloved sister. This clearly shows that Walton is a caring person.  The fourth letter is when Walton catches a glimpse of the creature. The crew take Victor on board. Walton believes that he has found a friend in Victor, and confides his ambition. This letter emphasises the admiration and affection that Victor inspires in Walton, who sees great nobility in this divine wanderer. In some ways Walton can be seen as a double to Victor Frankenstein. Walton rebels against his fathers decision for him to not go to sea. This is very similar to Frankensteins father, who dismissed Victors interests in science. Walton decides against the life of ease, he explains that My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, he explains, but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my way. Shelley has added this to show a relationship between Victor and Walton. This shows that they have similar characteristics, and desire the same things from life. The fact that Walton is introduced before Frankenstein may show that Shelley was preparing the reader for Victors desire for knowledge. Although the two characters can be related to each other, they also have significant differences. Walton is not quite so alienated as Victor. Rather then rejecting companionship, Walton longs for an intimate friend to share his hopes and dreams. To add to this point, Walton is also is not so isolated in his search for knowledge, whereas Victor, whose midnight labours and secret toil keep him completely secluded. The fact that Walton had a crew around him prevented him from falling into the trap of Victors individualism. The first chapter begins in an embedded narrative, with Victor telling his story to Walton. Victor begins his story by describing his early life in Geneva, his tranquil domestic life and the young orphan Elizabeth, who becomes part of the household. Victors interest in science eventually takes him to university at Inglostadt. His experiments lead him to the discovery of a secret life force. He constructs a human form out of dead tissue and brings it to life. Horrified by his actions, Victor abandons the creature. One of the main themes portrayed by Shelley in this novel is that of birth and creation. When Victor gave life to the creature, he usurps the role of God. Victor imagines how, A new species would bless me as its creator and source No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. This shows that Victors main crime is not what he had done, but what he failed to do. He failed to father his creation. Victor is an isolated individual. However, unlike Walton, Frankensteins isolation is self imposed. It is also ironic in the sense that Victor rejects his family and friends, whilst this is simply what the creature longs for. Victor claims that the rejection of his family is necessary in order to continue the quest for the secret life. Alienation is a key factor in this novel. Victor chooses to isolate himself from others, whereas the creatures isolation is imposed upon him, due to Victor abandoning him, and people being generally scared of his appearance. However the creature does desire companionship, and he says that he becomes violent when he realises that he will never have this, I am malicious because I am miserable. This shows that the creature is humane in the sense that all he wants is a companion, much like any human. So the fact that the creature only becomes malicious because I am miserable represents that people become monstrous when the are isolated, and rejected from so ciety. When Victor creates the creature, he is flooded with a huge feeling of anti-climax. Victor repulses the creature on first sight. He refers to the creature as the wretch and is horrifies by the thing that he has given life to. This shows that Victor is only concerned with physical appearance. This shows intolerance of imperfection and a flaw in Victors character. Victor rejects the creation; this is like a father rejecting his child. When the creature came to life Victor may have realised the enormity of the monstrous deeds that he had committed. The passage in the novel shows Victor to be a monster, as he does not even try to understand the monsters cries for help. He has forsaken any duties he is expected to perform as a father. When the creature awoke from his sleep he convulsed. When Victor awakes from his sleep, his muscles also convulse. This could be one of the first signs that the creature is a double of Victor. Victor even describes the monster as my own spirit let loose from the grave forced to destroy all that was dear to me Victor has given a clear expression of the notion that he and the creature may be doubles, with the creature acting out Victors own aggressions. Shelleys description of the creature is full of pathos. The first things that the creature desires are love and affection, as all newborn things want. However, Victor denies him this. When Victor awakes from his dream, he finds the creature reaching out a hand towards him. Victor rejects this appeal for help from the creature.  This passage from the novel may parody The creation of man by Michelangelo, which shows God stretching out his hand to give life to Adam. The analogy of this is that Victor is playing God and that the creature is Adam. Another parody is the story of Prometheus, who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to the people on earth. The analogy of this is that Victor has stolen the power of life from the Gods and given it to the people. This is the reason for the book has the subtitle The modern Prometheus. Victor may be seen as monstrous in this passage, as he is usurping the role of woman, which goes against the laws of nature.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Revolution on British government and society Essay Example for Free

Revolution on British government and society Essay It is not so much the events of 1688 that constitute a revolution as the subsequent changes in the constitution that show a transformation in the nature and ideology of government. There was no internal uprising, no civil war and most importantly, the succession of William of Orange and his wife Mary to the English throne was authorised by a Convention, acting in lieu of parliament in the absence of King James II. Indeed it could be argued that this was not a revolution at all, if James departure is to be interpreted as his abdication. Contemporaries, keen to replace the unpopular, Catholic monarch with a man who was seen as a deliverer from popery and slavery, reasoned as such. In actual fact James never did renounce his claim to the throne. Fleeing London in the dead of night, he took with him The Great Seal, traditionally held by the monarch and dropped it in the Thames and he burnt the writs that were to call anew parliament. He would later attempt to recapture his crown, rallying support in Ireland to prepare for an invasion that was to fail. But whether or not this dynastic change, made by those who, in theory, did not have the authority to do so, is enough to deserve the title revolution, what cannot be denied is that this marks the end of the era of the absolute monarch. Williams Declaration of Rights, which was to become statute within a year, echoed Lockean ideas of sovereignty, supporting a parliament that was to keep check on the authority of the monarch and protecting Rights and Liberties of the people. No King or Queen thereafter would be able to rule as James or Charles had done before them. In the years following the revolution a system of government working through the authority of the executive Privy Council and the houses of Lords and commons, headed by the monarch soon evolved into a working body that formed the basis of what we still have for government today. By the 1720s the way Britain is ruled had been turned around, but the changes cannot be solely accredited to the events of 1688. When William invaded England he had European motives at heart. He was keen to avoid a union of France and England that would be a threat to the Protestants of the Northern and Germanic lands. He was aware of James unpopularity as a Catholic ruler of an overwhelmingly Protestant nation and he sought to take advantage of this to try and win allies. He expected to meet with resistance and had prepared and army of troops, but James was deserted by the little support he had to begin with in the face of danger, eventually even by his closest advisors and his own sister. William toured England for four weeks, propagandising himself as a saviour from James evil counsellors, who had challenged the laws, liberties, customs and religion and wanted to revive Catholicism. He arrived in London and in the absence of the monarch the city was occupied and ordered by his Dutch soldiers while a decision could be reached. It is important to remember that William never independently laid any claim to the throne; he had expected to meet resistance in England. He aimed to battle against what he saw as a catholic threat, which he was careful to stress as being on the part of James advisors and not the King himself, and although the impact that this revolution had was profound, it was not all part of a pre-ordained plan. What followed was an immediate crisis. The capital was under the order of foreign troops and the King had deserted. It forced the political nation to examine the constitution and find a solution. A Convention was called and a vote was taken to offer the throne to William and his wife Mary, daughter of the departed king on January 22nd 1689, only a month after James departure. It was a hasty political decision, pressure was felt by the presence of Dutch troops, but there was also a Protestant fear of James gathering support and returning, or claims being laid for his infant son, whom he had taken with him. There was resistance, the House of Lords initially voted against the idea, feeling they had sworn an oath of loyalty to James, that he was still their king, and that such radical action was not right. A monarch is not elective. The theory was that the monarch was granted his authority form God and man was not to meddle with His choice. There was no support for a republic, with the feeling that a firm figurehead was necessary to maintain order and a deep attachment felt for hierarchy and patriarchy. Yet to instate a new monarch seemed in itself to mock the whole principal of monarchy. Under pressure from the Commons and from William and Mary themselves and with no other solution, the Lords were finally swayed, their stance weakened by internal disunity and mistrust. Interpretation of the finer details of the theory of monarchy and nuances of vocabulary played and important role in this unique revolution, which, on the whole, was met with popular support. William and Mary had been put on the throne as an alternative to James II. Parliament had granted them this privilege and they were willing to allow parliament a more active role in government. The revolution had been almost ad hoc and there was sparse new ideology to implement, the Convention drawn up by parliament was effectively a reaction to the way in which both Charles II and James II had ruled and a call to protect the peoples ancient and indubitable rights. It was more of a written version of what was previously expected behaviour with little fundamental change to the relationship between legislative and executive powers specified. But William had to accept this as a code of practise from his parliament, recognising that even if the monarch had popularity and capability, he needed to work through the legislative powers. The monarch was required to call parliament to session, but this would be inevitable as William was only granted a years revenue. Parliament had the authority to oversee all public expenditure and so the monarch would always be dependant on them. Changes to the structure of government took effect gradually during the years following the revolution, but from the start the role of parliament was augmented, which initiated subsequent developments. They met for much longer sessions than before 1688, enabling a great deal more legislation to be passed, and allowing for Bills to be more thoroughly debated. Much of the legislation passed was still local or occasional in essence, such as permission to build a workhouse, but although this could be viewed as undermining the revolutionary nature of parliaments more prominent role, the fact that MPs were more available to take action on their electorates specific grievances, helped to ease the frictions between local and executive power as the nations political make-up was evolving. Although from a modern perspective these changes are viewed as progressing towards a more rational system of government, during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, people were often concerned about social stability which they believed was at risk with so much legal development. It was a commonly held view that life should be stable and predictable. People wanted to feel sure of their position, their income and their king and government. In an era where the poor always risked slipping into poverty after a bad harvest, increasing involvement in foreign warfare and frequent changes in the government, questions were raised about the permanence of law, and whether Common Laws of liberty and property, viewed by many as sacred, were at risk. But at court the belief that good government was upheld by frequent parliament, against the weakness of individual MPs or encroachment by the monarch led to the Triennial Act of 1694, limiting parliament to three years. Elections were held on average every two years and there were various amendments and contests in between. This Act was later replaced and the time extended to seven years, the advisors to the king often too easily influenced elections proved costly and short-lived parliaments. The Act shows parliament as uncertain of its own role, and is an example of a developing government that was evolving along its own path in the years following the revolution, more caused by what the revolutions changes allowed rather than what they intended. The development of the two key political parties, the Whigs and the Tories is another feature of this evolution of government. With three active parts to the government all being of equally weighted importance, and more frequent changes of personnel in parliament, there was more of a need than ever for politicians to associate themselves with a certain ideology and for Lords and MPs to support each other to push through Bills. William himself wanted to remain above the level of party, which he did, and indeed, there were members of parliament, more so in the House of Lords who chose to be independent and cast their vote on issues individually. But the solidarity of party was the most effective way of getting laws passed and King George himself, not many years later, was aligned with the Whigs, who although in the days of the revolution had been in favour of political progression, now came of as the monarchical party and there were suspicions of Jacobinism in the Tories. Religion was still a very important factor in politics, despite the Act of Toleration in 1689, which allowed non-Anglican Protestants to swear allegiance to the throne. There was still a widely held belief that religious homogony was key to social stability, but it had been the clergy that had shown the most resistance to William taking the crown, and with no clear heir in line for the throne the problem of succession and the possibility of a Jacobite up-rising prompted him, a Calvinist himself, to attempt to include Protestant minorities, especially those in Scotland and Ireland. Although the law did not make any exception for Catholics or Quakers, it did encourage a sense of tolerance that was benefited by both groups. The Quakers would be later allowed the right to practise in legalised meetinghouses, but Catholics still posed a threat, especially in Ireland, where the population was largely Catholic. After the Revolution, James had attempted to reclaim his throne, starting in Ireland, arranging support from France for the Catholic cause. But James lacked the leadership and resolve that he met in William when they met at battle in Derry and Enniskillen and he again escaped to France. The so-called bloodless revolution may have been so in England, but in both Ireland and Scotland the transition was not so smooth. Civil war in Ireland exhausted James supporters into defeat and in Scotland a series of highland wars lasted around five months in 1691, which initially started as a Jacobite up rising. William found Scotland impossible to manage. Although not dominated by Catholics, it was not predominantly Anglican either and James had more support here because of his familys close ties with Scotland. In the years following the Revolution, Scotland was only reluctantly part of Britain. She had her own laws and traditions, presided over by a Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, which declared even further independence with the abolition of the Lord of Articles, further undermining control from Westminster and making Scotland appear more of a threat. William would not be able to exert his Royal will through Edinburgh. But following a bad harvest in 1695, with many dying of hunger or fleeing to Ulster, Scotland realised the benefits of a closer union with England to involve herself in Englands efficient internal trade and lucrative colonial empire. The Act of union came into effect in 1707, dissolving the parliament in Edinburgh and instating peers and MPs from Scotland at Westminster. In England, the union provoked little reaction, but in Scotland it was bitterly opposed by many. Problems within Scotland were often a result of internal social divisions, most markedly between the highland clans and their more anglicised lowland neighbours, who had seen the union as a way to improve Scotlands economy. The death of Queen Anne in 1714 proved a difficult start for the union. The question was raised of the possible succession of her Catholic half brother, but with the Act of Settlement from 1701 forbidding any non-Protestant to sit on the throne, the Crown was inherited by George I. He faced a Jacobite uprising within the year, but his reign is largely characterised as a time of peace and relative stability after the turbulent post-revolutionary years. The Glorious Revolution had seemed on the surface to be swift, decisive and painless, yet the principals of change that as Burke claimed justified it as a revolution took years to really take shape. By the time of King George the role of monarch had been dramatically reviewed, no longer seen as a ruler from God, but as a figure head for a nation governed by a system of parliament, which relied on the mutual dependency of the two houses and the executive to abide by a sense of appropriate behaviour. Queen Anne was the last to use the Royal veto, something much exploited by the monarchs before 1688, the workings of parliament and the Privy Council had become more regular and thorough and a system of party politics had developed. The characters of William, Anne and George, who all failed to immerse themselves in domestic affaires and the extraordinary calibre of ministers at work during this time, perhaps eased the transition but it still remains that, while the revolution of 1688 had a profound and lasting impact on British society and government, the relationship worked both ways. The practical workings of British society and government were what moulded the developments after the revolution, developments that justified the glorious revolution to be called as such.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Impact of Organised Retail On Unorganised Retail

Impact of Organised Retail On Unorganised Retail Abstract The revolution in Indian retail industry has brought many sweeping changes and also opened door for many Indian as well as foreign players. In Indian scenario there is always a constant clash between challenges and opportunities but chances favors those companies that are trying to establish themselves. As every coin has two faces similarly it also has some pros and cons. In India about 96% of retail markets consist of unorganized retail players such as kirana stores. As a result of favorable demographic conditions such as changing life style of Indian consumers and government policies provide huge opportunities for Indian corporate houses as well as foreign players. If we compare today’s scenario with earlier we found that at that time the price and the delivery mode is totally different .at present the markets and their processes are more flexible in all aspects. The new Snow-white market places have started to replace the traditional bazaar – kind of dwarfed tiny corner kirana shop. India has highest shop density in the world. It has more than 1.5crores retail shop thus providing 2nd highest employment after agriculture. It employs 7% of total workforce and contributing more than 10% of India’s GDP.But have we ever thought that what by the entry of big retailers what will be happened to those unorganized retail kirana stores which constitute 96% of it? It may not have an immediate effect but in long run it might affect the small kirana stores and thus many people would loose there job , many families could get affected thus in long run we should not ignore this issue . The main purpose of this report to study the impact of organized retail on the small kirana stores and to find: How kirana stores can sustain themselves in long run? How they will cope in the competition from organized retail players? Are the steps taken by government enough for their safeguards? This paper discusses the various challenges faced by both organized as well as kirana stores in Delhi NCR and how both can sustain in equilibrium without much affecting each others. Introduction Retailing can be defined as the sale of goods or merchandise, from a fixed location such as a department store or kiosk, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the consumer. Retailing is a well recognized business function which compromises making available desired product in the desired quantity at the desired time. This creates a time, place and form utility for the consumer. The success of retailing is depend up on the efficient supply chain and assortment of merchandise mix. A well-developed supply chain reduces wastages and transaction cost thereby reducing the cost of inventories to be maintained by the producers and the traders. A reduction in the cost of inventory management leads to a reduction in the final price to the consumer. Retailing has been identified as a key source for promotion of textiles, processed foods, agricultural and horticultural products. Recently due to certain demographic and economic changes India retail sector has taken a new breathe. It has created a lot of opportunities for big corporate houses like Tatas , Reliance and Bharti etc as well as for many foreign players. As in present scenario Indian retail is in nascent stage therefore it is not much affecting the small kirana stores but in long run its affect can be ignore. Undoubtedly, revolution in retail is good for Indian consumers as well as government as it will increase the taxes i.e. income for government and consumer will have more choice. Broadly Indian retail sector can be classified into two segments: Unorganized retailing Unorganized retailing is characterized by a distorted real-estate market, poor infrastructure and inefficient upstream processes, lack of modern technology, inadequate funding and absence of skilled manpower. Therefore, there is a need to promote organized retailing. Organized Retailing Organized Retailing can be defined as a form of retailing whereby customers can buy goods in a similar purchase environment across more than one physical location for verticals from food, grocery, apparel, consumer durables, jewellery, footwear, beauty care, home dà ©cor, and books to music. In organized retailing a proper record is maintain by the government and retailers need to pay the tax to the government. What is the threat for local organized stores? India has highly fragmented retail industry. Today’s scenario India, still have of the traditional formats retailing .Today still local kirana shop, pan, bidi shop, hardware Store, weekly hatts,convenience stores bazaars etc.It constitute about 96% of retail market .About 12 million outlets operating in country and only 5% of them being larger than 500 square feet in size. In India it is very important to understand what role it pays in lives of Indian citizens from social as well as economic prospective. Retailing is probably the primary form of Disguised Unemployment In Our Country As we have over crowded agriculture sector and stagnating manufacturing sector and the low wages and hard work in both sectors forced many Indians to jump in service sector. Here due to lack of opportunities it is almost become a natural decision for an individual to set up a small shop or store depending upon his financial condition .Thus retailer is born by circumstance not by choice. Ultimately it provides job of more than 6 crores people where as organized retail provides employment to roughly 7 lakhs peoples. So the policy makes should be careful about these 6 crores peoples, whose livelihood may get in danger in future. Retail Industry Structure Global Scenario Worldwide retail industry is one of the most attracting industry being controlled by a handful of powerful corporations based mainly in the U.S and Europe, namely, Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour and Metro. Beside these their are many others big MNC retailers but they have saturated in their home countries only and are looking for penetrating emerging markets like India, China and Russia. As these players are penetrating in these countries thus providing a world class shopping experience to the consumers. Today consumers become more demanding want world class products as well as not only buying but an experiential shopping. Thus shift in consumer behavior in these emerging markets attracting world biggest players. Also the saturation in US retail market and other existing markets in developed countries forcing them to move in new market like India and china. Retailing in United States Retail Sector is the second largest industry in U.S. both in number of establishments and number of employees. The U. S. retail industry generates $3.8 trillion in retail sales annually ($4.2 trillion if food service sales are included), that is approximately $11,993 per capita. Wal-Mart is the worlds largest retailer and the worlds largest company with more than $312 billion (USD) in sales annually. Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million associates in the United States and more than 400,000 internationally. The second largest retailer in the world is Frances Carrefour. Retail Trends in other Countries China had initially restricted FDI in retailing to only joint ventures at 49 percent foreign holding and only at specified locations subject to a ceiling on the number of stores. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan have enforced zoning restrictions for mega-retailers. There are minimal capital requirements for foreign retailers in Sri Lanka. The Philippines has imposed â€Å"sourcing† and reciprocity requirements on foreign retailers. In Japan, mega-retailers must seek the views and permission of small local stores before opening a new store. In the US, major cities such as Los Angeles, California, Chicago and New York City have restricted the opening of Wal-Mart stores within city limits. France enacted the Raffairin Act that regulates the growth of hypermarkets larger than 300 square feet. In Thailand, the government has set up an assistance fund for local retailers due to the impact of mega retailers. Share of Retail Market in world economy: Country Total Market ( bn US $) U.S 4030 Taiwan 40 Malaysia 20 Thailand 32 Indonesia 75 China 325 India 360 Indian Retail Scenario History Traditionally Indian Retail can be traced back from Weekly Markets, Melas, Village Fairs in Small towns and villages to Kirana stores, PDS outlets, Khadi Bhandaar, co-operative stores in Urban cities. The wave of retail began with various textile manufactures like Bombay Dyeing, Raymonds, S Kumar’s, and Grasim foraying into selling the product through their outlets and competition among FMCG players driving the forces towards retailing. The evolution of retailing lead to an emergence of various modern formats like Shopping malls, Super-marts, Hyper-marts,Departmental Stores, Apparel Stores, etc. catering to majorly all sectors of society providing the all-important 3Vs – Value, Variety and Volume. Retail Boom In India Indian Retail Sector is at its inflexion point awaiting multifold growth. The Retail Industry’s Size is presently Rs 1, 44,253 crores out of which the organized sector contributes to a mere 4 percent Of the market size, fairly dominated by scattered, unregulated, unorganized players. Retail sector is expected to grow in tandem to the GDP growth-rate. This sector is slated to be the biggest contributor to GDP of around 10 percent and has promisingly generated ~8 percent employment in India, which is moving towards a larger generation of employment opportunities in the times ahead. Future Of Organised Retailing In India Due to the urban-rural divide, organised retail will grow in the metros and large cities, followed by semi-urban and rural areas. Thus India is on the verge of an enormous multi-fold growth of organised retail. In a span of just 5 years, organised retail is expected to expand in urban cities besides making an entry in semi-urban and rural areas. Presently, the organised retail market is 4 percent of the total retail, that is around Rs 67,310 crore and is expected to compound at 27 percent per annum, aggregating to Rs 1,75,103 crore (7.44 percent of the total retail) in 2010-11. The retail industry is assumed to grow at GDP growth rate. The retail revolution signals softening of inflation rate on an yearly basis, due to elimination of intermediaries in retailing and passing on of all the benefits to the consumer. The mantra expediting the retail growth is ‘Consumer is the King’. Penetration of Organized Sector Organized Share of retail sector is expected to increase to 8-9 percent in 2010-11 from 4 percent in 2007. Segmental Growth of Retailing Food and Grocery This is the largest vertical of 74.4 percent of retail size compromising fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, staples, cereals, grains, pulses, processed food, ready to cook and ready to eat meals, spices and other eatables. This is least penetrated segment across all verticals of around 1.5 percent, being the most untapped pie. According to NSSO 60th round, 54 percent of the rural and 42 percent of urban expenditure was on food. Apparels Clothing and textile is a large organized vertical dominated by textile manufacturers Raymond, Bombay Dyeing, Vimal, and by big retailers like Pantaloon, Pyramyd, Koutons having ~16.4 penetration level. Increasing disposable incomes and change in the lifestyle needs has pushed the segment. Consumer Durables The electronics and consumer durable is the biggest organized segment penetrated to ~20 percent. There lies more unearthed growth in the verticals as the craze for electronic gadgets have been picking up with the advent of nuclear families. Home Dà ©cor and furnishing The demand for furnishing is going to be spearheaded by a huge demand for the real-estate, paving way to tap the unorganized segment. Presently only a few players like Gautier, Godrej, Durian function as organized entities. Jewellery and Watches Titan is the early entrant in the segment followed by MNCs Oyzterbay, Tanishq, Swaroski, Orra, Gitanjali, D’damas driven by demand for fashion accessories, and huge advertising and promotion campaigns. Beauty Care The organised players in Beauty Care are HLL (Lakme Salons), Marico (Kaya), Health and Glow are having a huge growth impetus. Footwear Leaving aside the Apparel, Footwear segment is forming a big pie in the organised retail sector, expected to grow to greater heights with foreign payers like Crocs Inc. Books, Music and gifts In addition to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, the habit of reading books and listening to music is picking up among the Tier-I cities. The stores like Oxford Bookstore etc are experiencing this upswing. Organized Retail Growth in Indian Cities The Retail sector contributes to around 36 percent of GDP in India and is largest employment generator. The sector is dominated by small-scattered unorganised regional players, large players contributing to meager 10 percent of the total pie. Organised retail is at its nascent phase wherein the large organised retail groups are having aggressive expansion plans to penetrate the Metros and Tier I cities and establish themselves amongst rural masses of Tier I and Tier II cities. There lies a challenge for retailers to experiment with new value formats along with developing customer loyalties. Since there will be demographic shift in population growth, urbanization and migration due to transition in urban household growth and income distribution. The total retail market in the top 67 cities in India in 2006 was Rs. 2.55 trillion, which is expected to increase to Rs. 3.91 trillion in 2011. According to CRISIL, around 87 percent of the retail opportunity comes from top 25 cities compromising Metro Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Mini Metros Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mini Metros Ahmedabad and Pune, Tier I cities of Kanpur , Nagpur, Surat and Ludhiana, Tier II cities Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur and Tier III cities Vadodara, Vizag, Indore, Vijaywada, Thiruvananthpuram, Bhopal, Nashik and Madurai. The levels of penetration in the top 67 cities are expected to leap. Organized retail has been established in Metros and Tier 1 cities, other cities having negligible level of penetration Retail Formats in India: Conventional Formats Kirana These are food and non-food neighborhood counter stores, also called ‘mom and pop stores’ in western countries. These are big chunks forming the segregated and unorganised retail segment. These are family-ownedand- run retail-outlets picking the goods from wholesalers totaling to around 12 million stores across India. Mandis These are the largest chunk of unorganised retail catering to urban and rural masses. Mandis are physically located at different regions to enhance convenient shopping. The sellers bring across various products like eatables,vegetables and fruits, pulses, cereals, spices etc. The most prominent of them are sabzi mandis found in most of the localities across India. Village Haats This form is operating in rural areas where buyers and sellers gather once in a week or month from nearby villages and small towns to cater their livelihood and leisure needs. These haats are a source of entertainment and socialization among rural masses. Push Cart Vendors The are categories of vendors roaming from door to door in various localities selling fruits, vegetables, and other eatables, from which mostly housewives makes purchases that too on credit. Modern organized retail formats: Shopping malls Area -60000-700000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi format, Multi products, Multi brand caterings, Lifestyle needs. Hyper market Area: 50000 – 100000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi vertical Super markets Area: 5000-10000 square feet. Point of differentiation: low cost, low margin high volume, self service operations design to serve total need for food, laundry household maintenance products. Departmental stores Area: 20000-30000 square feet. Point of differentiation: single vertical , several product lines Apparels store Area: 20000-25000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi branded, Single vertical, focusing on high consumers Specialty stores Area:-2000-5000 square feet Point of differentiation: Narrow product line with deep assortment ,multi branded, Single vertical on specific needs of the customers. Exclusive formats Area: 500-5000 square feet Point of differentiation: Owned/Franchised, Single products 8. Convenience stores Area: 200-500 square feet Point of differentiation: Located near residential area, open long hours, seven days in a week, limited product line, high turnover Advantages of conventional Modern Organized retail formats Conventional formats: Low operating cost Overheads. Proximity to consumers. Low operating hours. Strong relations with customers. Modern organized retail formats: Large bargaining power with suppliers. Range variety of goods. Quality assurance( Brand related, durability) Convenience Hygiene Business Models suiting Indian Scenario Cash--carry Wholesale Model Cash--carry is a form of retail trade in which goods are sold from a wholesale warehouse operated either on a self-service basis where customers settle the invoice on-the-spot or pay cash and carry the goods away themselves. The cash--carry player also performs many value-added functions, including selling and promoting, buying and assortment building, bulk-breaking, warehousing, transporting, financing, risk-bearing, supplying market information, and providing management services. Hub-and-spoke Model Retail Chains are entering residential areas with the hub-andspoke model, whereby one large store supports various smaller stores in the nearby residential areas. This is win-win model is well-suited to the Indian business scene where large stores obtain supplies from the warehouse and supplies to the consumers, involving both large payers acting as wholesalers and local kiranas as retail outlets. With efficient supply chain management, availability of space and proper technology in place, this will not take much time. The Piramyd Retail’s Trumart Stores (food and grocery) in Mumbai and Pune are based on a similar model. Growth Enabling Factors Higher Disposable Income The disposable income has been showing a rapid increase from the last few years and is expected to grow steadily because the proportion of the major consuming class (population having incomes higher than Rs 90,000) is expected to reach 48 percent by 2009-10 from 20 percent in 1995-95, at the 2001-02 prices, at a CAGR of 9.3 percent over the next 8 years leading to new consumption patterns due to increasing depth in the consumers’ pocket. Growing Working women population The propensity to spend in the case of working women is higher by 1.3 times as compared by housewives. According to the census report, the population of working women increased to 26 percent in 2001 as compared to 22 percent in 1991. Adoption of Nuclear Family culture The increase in per capita income paved way to increase the nuclear-family culture. The proportion of nuclear families as a percentage of total household population has increased as shown by fall in average household size from 5.57 in 1991to 5.36 in 2007, expected to fall further to 5.02 by 2011. This will fuel the growth of organised retail. Baby Boomer Effect The demographics of Indian population has a steep growth in earning population (15-60 yrs). In 2000, 593 million people (58.3 percent of total population) constituted the age bracket of 15-60 yrs – growing from an unprecedented level of 335 million people (54 percent of total population) in 1975 at a rate of 77 percent (CAGR of 2.3 percent) in contrast to a population growth of 64 percent (CAGR of 2 percent) over the same period of 25 years. Over the next 15 years, the earning population is expected to increase to 62.8 percent in 2015, translating into a population of 782 million. Growth in Urban Population Urbanization has increased at a rate of 2.7 percent over the last 10 years (1990-2000). In 2000, the urban population was estimated to be 281 million (27.7 percent of the total population). This trend is likely to continue and urbanization is expected to grow at 2.4 percent between 2000 and 2015. In 2015 the urban population is expected to be 401 million, constituting 32.2 percent of the total population. Robust Outlook towards Branded products Due to liberalization of manufacturing sector, various organized branded products have entered into Indian markets, thereby developing and widening the basket for branded finished goods. With the advent of International competition, new trends and lifestyles are evolving among India masses resulting into 10-15 percent growth in branded products. This has established the base for organized retail market in India. Growth in Retail Malls and various other new Formats Real Estate players like Raheja’s, Future Group, DLF, Omaxe, Piramal Group, Parsvnath, Unitech are developing retail malls and leasing out the retail spaces to various retailers of varied products making it a one-stop shopping destinations in urban and semi-urban cities. These shopping-cum-entertainment malls are wooing young buyers to increase their conversion rate backed by increasing foot-falls. Around 358 malls have come up by 2007, covering a total space of 87 million square feet, thereby pushing organised retail to new heights. Plastic Money becoming a greater Pie of credit The use of plastic money in the form of debit and credit cards has expanded multifold in last 5 years. The number of credit cards has grown at a CAGR of 28 percent and debit cards galloped by 140 percent. The customers have adopted the habit of electronic payments and leveraging their pockets shifting from basic needs to lifestyle products. Swot Analysis of Organized Stores Strength: As being technology intensive .these stores are able to forecast customer demand, shorten lead time reduce inventory holding ultimately save cost. Wide assortment show customer has variety of choice Weakness: Despite of high footfall the conversion rate is very low. As a result retail measure experiencing an ROI of only 8% to 10% Organized stores have less customer loyalty as compare to unorganized stores. Low customer knowledge Lack of personal touch Opportunities: Indian middle class is already 30 crores projected to grow to over 60 crores by 2010 making India one of the largest consumer markets in the world. According to KSA projections by 2015 India will have 55 crores people under the age of 20 reflecting the enormous opportunities possible in the kids teens retailing segments. Threats: High real estate rent. Poor Infrastructure Less develop shopping culture. Due to fragmented market high distribution cost. Swot Analysis of Unorganized Stores Strength: Located in prime residential area. Rental for large stores in these area are generally not available. They enjoy a near monopoly in area that is backward or do not have a population with sustainable purchasing power like rural areas. since organized retailer are unlikely to enter such reasons Weakness: Do not provide quality assurance. Less concern about ambience hygiene issue. Opportunities: Low capital requirements Proximity to consumers and strong relationship help them to gauge .Customer needs stock accordingly thus gaining more business. Threats: Increase in use of credit cards With huge stores coming up in catchments areas of 5-7 km of approachable distance larges chains planning to set up hub spoke, smaller stores. So the very existence of traditional store is in danger. Low or no bargaining power due to small scale of operations Due to smaller in size unable to stock a variety of goods. Provide not many options to the customers. Why Indian consumers want more experiential shopping today? The Indian consumer is changing rapidly. The average consumer today is richer, younger and more aspirational in his or her needs than ever before. Consumers now value convenience and choice on a par with getting value for their hard-earned money. A range of modern retailers is attempting to serve the needs of the ‘new’ Indian consumer. Today Indian consumers want not only buying but a full shopping experience. For this one of the important factors responsible is change in life style as well as disposable income. As per Indian consumer’s map , approximately 209 million of total household in India 6 millions are rich having annual income of more than US$ 4700 .this number were 1 million household in 1994 and 3 million households in 1999-00 thus this class is growing very rapidly. About 50% of these families are living in metros and spending more than eighteen billion annually. As per the need of these families around 62% market for premium products is concentrated in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. But now retail market is moving toward big and also small cities . India’s 8.5% of the retail market concentrated in 8 big cities .As per an estimate among rich class top most 1 million customers comes under superrich category growing by 20% per annum and shows behavior similar to international consumers . While this segment is worth targeting for high-end premium products, it is not the key driver of the organized retail sector. The real driver of the Indian retail sector is the bottom 80% of the first layer and the upper half of the second layer of the income map (see ‘Map of India’s income classes’ below). This segment of about 40 million households earns USD 4,000-10,000 per household and comprises salaried employees and self-employed professionals. This segment is expected to grow to 65 million households by 2010 and is currently the key driver behind explosive growth in passenger car sales (USD 5 billion in 2004) and mobile phone penetration (over 70 million). The top 6 Indian cities -Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad -are the darlings of India’s exploding economy. They represent 6% of the population, but contribute 14% of India’s GDP. They are the centers of business, finance, politics and the emerging sunrise industries such as IT, pharma and ITeS, which have put India on the global map. These cities are also the barometer of India’s economic development and most foreign investors have flocked here. Are Indian consumers are ready for organize retail? By the end of 20th century in Indian retail sector too many significant changes has taken place. The retailing industry, which in early1990s was dominated by the unorganized sector, is now going a drastic change with a rapid growth in the organized sector with the entry of many corporate groups such as Tata, RPG, ITC and Bennett Coleman Company. Now Indian consumers are much aware about domestic and foreign products by the different source of media, such as newspaper ,television and the internet Apart from this there are too many social changes like increase in working couples , increase in number of nuclear families , rapid Urbanization.goverment policies ,increase in availability of retail space , increase in disposable income , availability of educated manpower also catalyzed the growth of organize retail . Food retailing was the most important area where players like food worlds establishing their outlets all over the India. Beside it supermarket and departmental stores now replacing traditional grocery stores all over the India , by the entry of fast foods (McDonalds), packaged foods (MTR), vending machines and specialty beverage parlors (Nescafe, Tata Tea, Cafe Coffee and Barista) brought about significant changes in the eating habits of Indian consumers. Literature Review Indian retail sector still has long way to go till now many research work and articles have been return over Indian retail. These articles and research work mainly focus upon huge untapped markets in Indian retail. They mainly talk about the opportunities available in the Indian market for the growth of organized retail. Some of the important research paper and articles which inspired me and catalyzed my thinking process over this topic are: â€Å"The evolving retail market in India† was written by Dale Anne Raiss and Ranjan biswas working as partner and head of market at Ernst Young .In this report they talk about largely untapped potential in retailing in India. They also tal Impact of Organised Retail On Unorganised Retail Impact of Organised Retail On Unorganised Retail Abstract The revolution in Indian retail industry has brought many sweeping changes and also opened door for many Indian as well as foreign players. In Indian scenario there is always a constant clash between challenges and opportunities but chances favors those companies that are trying to establish themselves. As every coin has two faces similarly it also has some pros and cons. In India about 96% of retail markets consist of unorganized retail players such as kirana stores. As a result of favorable demographic conditions such as changing life style of Indian consumers and government policies provide huge opportunities for Indian corporate houses as well as foreign players. If we compare today’s scenario with earlier we found that at that time the price and the delivery mode is totally different .at present the markets and their processes are more flexible in all aspects. The new Snow-white market places have started to replace the traditional bazaar – kind of dwarfed tiny corner kirana shop. India has highest shop density in the world. It has more than 1.5crores retail shop thus providing 2nd highest employment after agriculture. It employs 7% of total workforce and contributing more than 10% of India’s GDP.But have we ever thought that what by the entry of big retailers what will be happened to those unorganized retail kirana stores which constitute 96% of it? It may not have an immediate effect but in long run it might affect the small kirana stores and thus many people would loose there job , many families could get affected thus in long run we should not ignore this issue . The main purpose of this report to study the impact of organized retail on the small kirana stores and to find: How kirana stores can sustain themselves in long run? How they will cope in the competition from organized retail players? Are the steps taken by government enough for their safeguards? This paper discusses the various challenges faced by both organized as well as kirana stores in Delhi NCR and how both can sustain in equilibrium without much affecting each others. Introduction Retailing can be defined as the sale of goods or merchandise, from a fixed location such as a department store or kiosk, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the consumer. Retailing is a well recognized business function which compromises making available desired product in the desired quantity at the desired time. This creates a time, place and form utility for the consumer. The success of retailing is depend up on the efficient supply chain and assortment of merchandise mix. A well-developed supply chain reduces wastages and transaction cost thereby reducing the cost of inventories to be maintained by the producers and the traders. A reduction in the cost of inventory management leads to a reduction in the final price to the consumer. Retailing has been identified as a key source for promotion of textiles, processed foods, agricultural and horticultural products. Recently due to certain demographic and economic changes India retail sector has taken a new breathe. It has created a lot of opportunities for big corporate houses like Tatas , Reliance and Bharti etc as well as for many foreign players. As in present scenario Indian retail is in nascent stage therefore it is not much affecting the small kirana stores but in long run its affect can be ignore. Undoubtedly, revolution in retail is good for Indian consumers as well as government as it will increase the taxes i.e. income for government and consumer will have more choice. Broadly Indian retail sector can be classified into two segments: Unorganized retailing Unorganized retailing is characterized by a distorted real-estate market, poor infrastructure and inefficient upstream processes, lack of modern technology, inadequate funding and absence of skilled manpower. Therefore, there is a need to promote organized retailing. Organized Retailing Organized Retailing can be defined as a form of retailing whereby customers can buy goods in a similar purchase environment across more than one physical location for verticals from food, grocery, apparel, consumer durables, jewellery, footwear, beauty care, home dà ©cor, and books to music. In organized retailing a proper record is maintain by the government and retailers need to pay the tax to the government. What is the threat for local organized stores? India has highly fragmented retail industry. Today’s scenario India, still have of the traditional formats retailing .Today still local kirana shop, pan, bidi shop, hardware Store, weekly hatts,convenience stores bazaars etc.It constitute about 96% of retail market .About 12 million outlets operating in country and only 5% of them being larger than 500 square feet in size. In India it is very important to understand what role it pays in lives of Indian citizens from social as well as economic prospective. Retailing is probably the primary form of Disguised Unemployment In Our Country As we have over crowded agriculture sector and stagnating manufacturing sector and the low wages and hard work in both sectors forced many Indians to jump in service sector. Here due to lack of opportunities it is almost become a natural decision for an individual to set up a small shop or store depending upon his financial condition .Thus retailer is born by circumstance not by choice. Ultimately it provides job of more than 6 crores people where as organized retail provides employment to roughly 7 lakhs peoples. So the policy makes should be careful about these 6 crores peoples, whose livelihood may get in danger in future. Retail Industry Structure Global Scenario Worldwide retail industry is one of the most attracting industry being controlled by a handful of powerful corporations based mainly in the U.S and Europe, namely, Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour and Metro. Beside these their are many others big MNC retailers but they have saturated in their home countries only and are looking for penetrating emerging markets like India, China and Russia. As these players are penetrating in these countries thus providing a world class shopping experience to the consumers. Today consumers become more demanding want world class products as well as not only buying but an experiential shopping. Thus shift in consumer behavior in these emerging markets attracting world biggest players. Also the saturation in US retail market and other existing markets in developed countries forcing them to move in new market like India and china. Retailing in United States Retail Sector is the second largest industry in U.S. both in number of establishments and number of employees. The U. S. retail industry generates $3.8 trillion in retail sales annually ($4.2 trillion if food service sales are included), that is approximately $11,993 per capita. Wal-Mart is the worlds largest retailer and the worlds largest company with more than $312 billion (USD) in sales annually. Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million associates in the United States and more than 400,000 internationally. The second largest retailer in the world is Frances Carrefour. Retail Trends in other Countries China had initially restricted FDI in retailing to only joint ventures at 49 percent foreign holding and only at specified locations subject to a ceiling on the number of stores. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan have enforced zoning restrictions for mega-retailers. There are minimal capital requirements for foreign retailers in Sri Lanka. The Philippines has imposed â€Å"sourcing† and reciprocity requirements on foreign retailers. In Japan, mega-retailers must seek the views and permission of small local stores before opening a new store. In the US, major cities such as Los Angeles, California, Chicago and New York City have restricted the opening of Wal-Mart stores within city limits. France enacted the Raffairin Act that regulates the growth of hypermarkets larger than 300 square feet. In Thailand, the government has set up an assistance fund for local retailers due to the impact of mega retailers. Share of Retail Market in world economy: Country Total Market ( bn US $) U.S 4030 Taiwan 40 Malaysia 20 Thailand 32 Indonesia 75 China 325 India 360 Indian Retail Scenario History Traditionally Indian Retail can be traced back from Weekly Markets, Melas, Village Fairs in Small towns and villages to Kirana stores, PDS outlets, Khadi Bhandaar, co-operative stores in Urban cities. The wave of retail began with various textile manufactures like Bombay Dyeing, Raymonds, S Kumar’s, and Grasim foraying into selling the product through their outlets and competition among FMCG players driving the forces towards retailing. The evolution of retailing lead to an emergence of various modern formats like Shopping malls, Super-marts, Hyper-marts,Departmental Stores, Apparel Stores, etc. catering to majorly all sectors of society providing the all-important 3Vs – Value, Variety and Volume. Retail Boom In India Indian Retail Sector is at its inflexion point awaiting multifold growth. The Retail Industry’s Size is presently Rs 1, 44,253 crores out of which the organized sector contributes to a mere 4 percent Of the market size, fairly dominated by scattered, unregulated, unorganized players. Retail sector is expected to grow in tandem to the GDP growth-rate. This sector is slated to be the biggest contributor to GDP of around 10 percent and has promisingly generated ~8 percent employment in India, which is moving towards a larger generation of employment opportunities in the times ahead. Future Of Organised Retailing In India Due to the urban-rural divide, organised retail will grow in the metros and large cities, followed by semi-urban and rural areas. Thus India is on the verge of an enormous multi-fold growth of organised retail. In a span of just 5 years, organised retail is expected to expand in urban cities besides making an entry in semi-urban and rural areas. Presently, the organised retail market is 4 percent of the total retail, that is around Rs 67,310 crore and is expected to compound at 27 percent per annum, aggregating to Rs 1,75,103 crore (7.44 percent of the total retail) in 2010-11. The retail industry is assumed to grow at GDP growth rate. The retail revolution signals softening of inflation rate on an yearly basis, due to elimination of intermediaries in retailing and passing on of all the benefits to the consumer. The mantra expediting the retail growth is ‘Consumer is the King’. Penetration of Organized Sector Organized Share of retail sector is expected to increase to 8-9 percent in 2010-11 from 4 percent in 2007. Segmental Growth of Retailing Food and Grocery This is the largest vertical of 74.4 percent of retail size compromising fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, staples, cereals, grains, pulses, processed food, ready to cook and ready to eat meals, spices and other eatables. This is least penetrated segment across all verticals of around 1.5 percent, being the most untapped pie. According to NSSO 60th round, 54 percent of the rural and 42 percent of urban expenditure was on food. Apparels Clothing and textile is a large organized vertical dominated by textile manufacturers Raymond, Bombay Dyeing, Vimal, and by big retailers like Pantaloon, Pyramyd, Koutons having ~16.4 penetration level. Increasing disposable incomes and change in the lifestyle needs has pushed the segment. Consumer Durables The electronics and consumer durable is the biggest organized segment penetrated to ~20 percent. There lies more unearthed growth in the verticals as the craze for electronic gadgets have been picking up with the advent of nuclear families. Home Dà ©cor and furnishing The demand for furnishing is going to be spearheaded by a huge demand for the real-estate, paving way to tap the unorganized segment. Presently only a few players like Gautier, Godrej, Durian function as organized entities. Jewellery and Watches Titan is the early entrant in the segment followed by MNCs Oyzterbay, Tanishq, Swaroski, Orra, Gitanjali, D’damas driven by demand for fashion accessories, and huge advertising and promotion campaigns. Beauty Care The organised players in Beauty Care are HLL (Lakme Salons), Marico (Kaya), Health and Glow are having a huge growth impetus. Footwear Leaving aside the Apparel, Footwear segment is forming a big pie in the organised retail sector, expected to grow to greater heights with foreign payers like Crocs Inc. Books, Music and gifts In addition to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, the habit of reading books and listening to music is picking up among the Tier-I cities. The stores like Oxford Bookstore etc are experiencing this upswing. Organized Retail Growth in Indian Cities The Retail sector contributes to around 36 percent of GDP in India and is largest employment generator. The sector is dominated by small-scattered unorganised regional players, large players contributing to meager 10 percent of the total pie. Organised retail is at its nascent phase wherein the large organised retail groups are having aggressive expansion plans to penetrate the Metros and Tier I cities and establish themselves amongst rural masses of Tier I and Tier II cities. There lies a challenge for retailers to experiment with new value formats along with developing customer loyalties. Since there will be demographic shift in population growth, urbanization and migration due to transition in urban household growth and income distribution. The total retail market in the top 67 cities in India in 2006 was Rs. 2.55 trillion, which is expected to increase to Rs. 3.91 trillion in 2011. According to CRISIL, around 87 percent of the retail opportunity comes from top 25 cities compromising Metro Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Mini Metros Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mini Metros Ahmedabad and Pune, Tier I cities of Kanpur , Nagpur, Surat and Ludhiana, Tier II cities Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur and Tier III cities Vadodara, Vizag, Indore, Vijaywada, Thiruvananthpuram, Bhopal, Nashik and Madurai. The levels of penetration in the top 67 cities are expected to leap. Organized retail has been established in Metros and Tier 1 cities, other cities having negligible level of penetration Retail Formats in India: Conventional Formats Kirana These are food and non-food neighborhood counter stores, also called ‘mom and pop stores’ in western countries. These are big chunks forming the segregated and unorganised retail segment. These are family-ownedand- run retail-outlets picking the goods from wholesalers totaling to around 12 million stores across India. Mandis These are the largest chunk of unorganised retail catering to urban and rural masses. Mandis are physically located at different regions to enhance convenient shopping. The sellers bring across various products like eatables,vegetables and fruits, pulses, cereals, spices etc. The most prominent of them are sabzi mandis found in most of the localities across India. Village Haats This form is operating in rural areas where buyers and sellers gather once in a week or month from nearby villages and small towns to cater their livelihood and leisure needs. These haats are a source of entertainment and socialization among rural masses. Push Cart Vendors The are categories of vendors roaming from door to door in various localities selling fruits, vegetables, and other eatables, from which mostly housewives makes purchases that too on credit. Modern organized retail formats: Shopping malls Area -60000-700000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi format, Multi products, Multi brand caterings, Lifestyle needs. Hyper market Area: 50000 – 100000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi vertical Super markets Area: 5000-10000 square feet. Point of differentiation: low cost, low margin high volume, self service operations design to serve total need for food, laundry household maintenance products. Departmental stores Area: 20000-30000 square feet. Point of differentiation: single vertical , several product lines Apparels store Area: 20000-25000 square feet Point of differentiation: Multi branded, Single vertical, focusing on high consumers Specialty stores Area:-2000-5000 square feet Point of differentiation: Narrow product line with deep assortment ,multi branded, Single vertical on specific needs of the customers. Exclusive formats Area: 500-5000 square feet Point of differentiation: Owned/Franchised, Single products 8. Convenience stores Area: 200-500 square feet Point of differentiation: Located near residential area, open long hours, seven days in a week, limited product line, high turnover Advantages of conventional Modern Organized retail formats Conventional formats: Low operating cost Overheads. Proximity to consumers. Low operating hours. Strong relations with customers. Modern organized retail formats: Large bargaining power with suppliers. Range variety of goods. Quality assurance( Brand related, durability) Convenience Hygiene Business Models suiting Indian Scenario Cash--carry Wholesale Model Cash--carry is a form of retail trade in which goods are sold from a wholesale warehouse operated either on a self-service basis where customers settle the invoice on-the-spot or pay cash and carry the goods away themselves. The cash--carry player also performs many value-added functions, including selling and promoting, buying and assortment building, bulk-breaking, warehousing, transporting, financing, risk-bearing, supplying market information, and providing management services. Hub-and-spoke Model Retail Chains are entering residential areas with the hub-andspoke model, whereby one large store supports various smaller stores in the nearby residential areas. This is win-win model is well-suited to the Indian business scene where large stores obtain supplies from the warehouse and supplies to the consumers, involving both large payers acting as wholesalers and local kiranas as retail outlets. With efficient supply chain management, availability of space and proper technology in place, this will not take much time. The Piramyd Retail’s Trumart Stores (food and grocery) in Mumbai and Pune are based on a similar model. Growth Enabling Factors Higher Disposable Income The disposable income has been showing a rapid increase from the last few years and is expected to grow steadily because the proportion of the major consuming class (population having incomes higher than Rs 90,000) is expected to reach 48 percent by 2009-10 from 20 percent in 1995-95, at the 2001-02 prices, at a CAGR of 9.3 percent over the next 8 years leading to new consumption patterns due to increasing depth in the consumers’ pocket. Growing Working women population The propensity to spend in the case of working women is higher by 1.3 times as compared by housewives. According to the census report, the population of working women increased to 26 percent in 2001 as compared to 22 percent in 1991. Adoption of Nuclear Family culture The increase in per capita income paved way to increase the nuclear-family culture. The proportion of nuclear families as a percentage of total household population has increased as shown by fall in average household size from 5.57 in 1991to 5.36 in 2007, expected to fall further to 5.02 by 2011. This will fuel the growth of organised retail. Baby Boomer Effect The demographics of Indian population has a steep growth in earning population (15-60 yrs). In 2000, 593 million people (58.3 percent of total population) constituted the age bracket of 15-60 yrs – growing from an unprecedented level of 335 million people (54 percent of total population) in 1975 at a rate of 77 percent (CAGR of 2.3 percent) in contrast to a population growth of 64 percent (CAGR of 2 percent) over the same period of 25 years. Over the next 15 years, the earning population is expected to increase to 62.8 percent in 2015, translating into a population of 782 million. Growth in Urban Population Urbanization has increased at a rate of 2.7 percent over the last 10 years (1990-2000). In 2000, the urban population was estimated to be 281 million (27.7 percent of the total population). This trend is likely to continue and urbanization is expected to grow at 2.4 percent between 2000 and 2015. In 2015 the urban population is expected to be 401 million, constituting 32.2 percent of the total population. Robust Outlook towards Branded products Due to liberalization of manufacturing sector, various organized branded products have entered into Indian markets, thereby developing and widening the basket for branded finished goods. With the advent of International competition, new trends and lifestyles are evolving among India masses resulting into 10-15 percent growth in branded products. This has established the base for organized retail market in India. Growth in Retail Malls and various other new Formats Real Estate players like Raheja’s, Future Group, DLF, Omaxe, Piramal Group, Parsvnath, Unitech are developing retail malls and leasing out the retail spaces to various retailers of varied products making it a one-stop shopping destinations in urban and semi-urban cities. These shopping-cum-entertainment malls are wooing young buyers to increase their conversion rate backed by increasing foot-falls. Around 358 malls have come up by 2007, covering a total space of 87 million square feet, thereby pushing organised retail to new heights. Plastic Money becoming a greater Pie of credit The use of plastic money in the form of debit and credit cards has expanded multifold in last 5 years. The number of credit cards has grown at a CAGR of 28 percent and debit cards galloped by 140 percent. The customers have adopted the habit of electronic payments and leveraging their pockets shifting from basic needs to lifestyle products. Swot Analysis of Organized Stores Strength: As being technology intensive .these stores are able to forecast customer demand, shorten lead time reduce inventory holding ultimately save cost. Wide assortment show customer has variety of choice Weakness: Despite of high footfall the conversion rate is very low. As a result retail measure experiencing an ROI of only 8% to 10% Organized stores have less customer loyalty as compare to unorganized stores. Low customer knowledge Lack of personal touch Opportunities: Indian middle class is already 30 crores projected to grow to over 60 crores by 2010 making India one of the largest consumer markets in the world. According to KSA projections by 2015 India will have 55 crores people under the age of 20 reflecting the enormous opportunities possible in the kids teens retailing segments. Threats: High real estate rent. Poor Infrastructure Less develop shopping culture. Due to fragmented market high distribution cost. Swot Analysis of Unorganized Stores Strength: Located in prime residential area. Rental for large stores in these area are generally not available. They enjoy a near monopoly in area that is backward or do not have a population with sustainable purchasing power like rural areas. since organized retailer are unlikely to enter such reasons Weakness: Do not provide quality assurance. Less concern about ambience hygiene issue. Opportunities: Low capital requirements Proximity to consumers and strong relationship help them to gauge .Customer needs stock accordingly thus gaining more business. Threats: Increase in use of credit cards With huge stores coming up in catchments areas of 5-7 km of approachable distance larges chains planning to set up hub spoke, smaller stores. So the very existence of traditional store is in danger. Low or no bargaining power due to small scale of operations Due to smaller in size unable to stock a variety of goods. Provide not many options to the customers. Why Indian consumers want more experiential shopping today? The Indian consumer is changing rapidly. The average consumer today is richer, younger and more aspirational in his or her needs than ever before. Consumers now value convenience and choice on a par with getting value for their hard-earned money. A range of modern retailers is attempting to serve the needs of the ‘new’ Indian consumer. Today Indian consumers want not only buying but a full shopping experience. For this one of the important factors responsible is change in life style as well as disposable income. As per Indian consumer’s map , approximately 209 million of total household in India 6 millions are rich having annual income of more than US$ 4700 .this number were 1 million household in 1994 and 3 million households in 1999-00 thus this class is growing very rapidly. About 50% of these families are living in metros and spending more than eighteen billion annually. As per the need of these families around 62% market for premium products is concentrated in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. But now retail market is moving toward big and also small cities . India’s 8.5% of the retail market concentrated in 8 big cities .As per an estimate among rich class top most 1 million customers comes under superrich category growing by 20% per annum and shows behavior similar to international consumers . While this segment is worth targeting for high-end premium products, it is not the key driver of the organized retail sector. The real driver of the Indian retail sector is the bottom 80% of the first layer and the upper half of the second layer of the income map (see ‘Map of India’s income classes’ below). This segment of about 40 million households earns USD 4,000-10,000 per household and comprises salaried employees and self-employed professionals. This segment is expected to grow to 65 million households by 2010 and is currently the key driver behind explosive growth in passenger car sales (USD 5 billion in 2004) and mobile phone penetration (over 70 million). The top 6 Indian cities -Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad -are the darlings of India’s exploding economy. They represent 6% of the population, but contribute 14% of India’s GDP. They are the centers of business, finance, politics and the emerging sunrise industries such as IT, pharma and ITeS, which have put India on the global map. These cities are also the barometer of India’s economic development and most foreign investors have flocked here. Are Indian consumers are ready for organize retail? By the end of 20th century in Indian retail sector too many significant changes has taken place. The retailing industry, which in early1990s was dominated by the unorganized sector, is now going a drastic change with a rapid growth in the organized sector with the entry of many corporate groups such as Tata, RPG, ITC and Bennett Coleman Company. Now Indian consumers are much aware about domestic and foreign products by the different source of media, such as newspaper ,television and the internet Apart from this there are too many social changes like increase in working couples , increase in number of nuclear families , rapid Urbanization.goverment policies ,increase in availability of retail space , increase in disposable income , availability of educated manpower also catalyzed the growth of organize retail . Food retailing was the most important area where players like food worlds establishing their outlets all over the India. Beside it supermarket and departmental stores now replacing traditional grocery stores all over the India , by the entry of fast foods (McDonalds), packaged foods (MTR), vending machines and specialty beverage parlors (Nescafe, Tata Tea, Cafe Coffee and Barista) brought about significant changes in the eating habits of Indian consumers. Literature Review Indian retail sector still has long way to go till now many research work and articles have been return over Indian retail. These articles and research work mainly focus upon huge untapped markets in Indian retail. They mainly talk about the opportunities available in the Indian market for the growth of organized retail. Some of the important research paper and articles which inspired me and catalyzed my thinking process over this topic are: â€Å"The evolving retail market in India† was written by Dale Anne Raiss and Ranjan biswas working as partner and head of market at Ernst Young .In this report they talk about largely untapped potential in retailing in India. They also tal

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

NFL and NASCAR Sponsorships Essay -- advertising, finance, sports

Abstract The National Football League (NFL) and NASCAR thrive on sponsors and vice versa. An NFL game is by far the most watched single game event in the country and gaining popularity exponentially worldwide. Their championship, the Super Bowl, is arguably the most watched television program in that particular year. In NASCAR, the Daytona 500 is their â€Å"Super Bowl† and is a very large event in its own right. Corporations all over the world jump on these mega advertising vehicles with the hope that their name is popularized which will result in profitability. In many cases, most of those who do buy airtime during NFL games, the Super Bowl, and during the major NASCAR races are very visible names and products that we already know about. Most of the time, these companies are trying to market new products or products that have been enhanced. â€Æ' NFL Sponsorships Sport is one of the largest mediums that corporations can utilize to get that mass message out to their customers. Many of us have different ways that â€Å"tickle† our fancy so to speak. What interests one does not necessarily interest another, but, even if one person can convince others to try a product or service a domino effect may occur. Corporations are always trying to â€Å"spice† up their advertisement. They probably do this to see if they can manipulate a consumer to try their service or product. For example, Budweiser has been running beer ads for many, many years and incorporated comedy into their commercials. They went from frogs to lizards to obnoxious acting. In my opinion, people are swayed by these tactics and tend to try a Budweiser beer more often than they had. I believe all sports are good vehicles or tools to market and advertise, but, none is... ...d July 15, 2009, from www.promomagazine.com Ross, Brian, Chuchmach, Megan, Eslocker, Asa, and Rhee, Joe, (2009, Feb 2). Bailed Out Bank of America Sponsors Super Bowl Fun Fest. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.abcnews.go.com Lefton, Terry (2009, Jan 19). NFL close to adding P&G to sponsor list. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.sportsbusinessjournal.com Bibliography Cotsonika, Nicholas (2009, Jun 9). Sponsor logos may show up on practice jerseys. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.freep.com Krantz, Matt (2005, Feb 20). NASCAR sponsorship revs stocks' engines. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.usatoday.com Paul, Peralte C. (2009, Mar 25). AFLAC upgrades its NASCAR sponsorship. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.ajc.com Associated Press, (2009, Jun 2). NASCAR: GM Sponsorship Will Continue. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from www.cbsnews.com

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Teacher Ethics Essay -- moral code ethics ethical educators

Teacher Ethics â€Å"Ethics are defined as a set of principles of right conducts; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession† ( Dictionary of the Human Language, 2000). Teachers are often put in situations that require more than just knowing the basic school rules. It is within these situations, that the ethical dilemmas occur. There is not always a right way to deal with many daily problems that face educators, but there are ways to handle situations that are better then others. Teachers should follow and refer to a code of ethics to help teach in the most appropriate and ethical way; as well as a guide to help deal with dilemmas. It is important that teachers give children a fair chance to show their knowledge when assessing. â€Å"The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can be used to improve student performance† ( Orange 2000). Teachers assess children to ensure that they are understanding the material, and to make sure they are learning. For young children especially tests should never be the only criteria of assessment. Instructors should always make sure that their assessment is fair. When testing a child, make sure that the testing method used is appropriate for that child. For example, if giving a test that relies on visual aids to administer the test it is important that the teacher is certain that all the children have good enough vision to clearly see the aids. When assessing young children in particular it is important to look for more then simply right or wrong. An in depth look is necessary to see what the children really know before giving them a poor grade. Children’s work needs to critiqued in more then one way to be sure that they really do ... ...o put a leash on teachers' pets. Retrieved November 2, 2002 from http://www.mbhs.edu/silverchips/articles/apr2001favoritism.html . Dictionary of the human language. (2000). Retrieved November 5, 2002 from www.dictionary.com. Goodlad, J. I., Sirotnik, K. A., & Soder, R. (1990). The moral dimensions of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Gushee, M. (1984). Student discipline policies, 12. 5. Retrieved November 4, 2002. ERIC Digest. Hanson K., & Shwartz W. (1992). Equal mathematics education for female students, 78. 4. Retrieved November 4, 2002. ERIC Digest. Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2000). Exploring your role: A practitioner’s introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Orange, C. (2000). 25 biggest mistakes teachers make and how to avoid them. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. Teacher Ethics Essay -- moral code ethics ethical educators Teacher Ethics â€Å"Ethics are defined as a set of principles of right conducts; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession† ( Dictionary of the Human Language, 2000). Teachers are often put in situations that require more than just knowing the basic school rules. It is within these situations, that the ethical dilemmas occur. There is not always a right way to deal with many daily problems that face educators, but there are ways to handle situations that are better then others. Teachers should follow and refer to a code of ethics to help teach in the most appropriate and ethical way; as well as a guide to help deal with dilemmas. It is important that teachers give children a fair chance to show their knowledge when assessing. â€Å"The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can be used to improve student performance† ( Orange 2000). Teachers assess children to ensure that they are understanding the material, and to make sure they are learning. For young children especially tests should never be the only criteria of assessment. Instructors should always make sure that their assessment is fair. When testing a child, make sure that the testing method used is appropriate for that child. For example, if giving a test that relies on visual aids to administer the test it is important that the teacher is certain that all the children have good enough vision to clearly see the aids. When assessing young children in particular it is important to look for more then simply right or wrong. An in depth look is necessary to see what the children really know before giving them a poor grade. Children’s work needs to critiqued in more then one way to be sure that they really do ... ...o put a leash on teachers' pets. Retrieved November 2, 2002 from http://www.mbhs.edu/silverchips/articles/apr2001favoritism.html . Dictionary of the human language. (2000). Retrieved November 5, 2002 from www.dictionary.com. Goodlad, J. I., Sirotnik, K. A., & Soder, R. (1990). The moral dimensions of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Gushee, M. (1984). Student discipline policies, 12. 5. Retrieved November 4, 2002. ERIC Digest. Hanson K., & Shwartz W. (1992). Equal mathematics education for female students, 78. 4. Retrieved November 4, 2002. ERIC Digest. Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2000). Exploring your role: A practitioner’s introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Orange, C. (2000). 25 biggest mistakes teachers make and how to avoid them. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Monday, September 2, 2019

College Education Is Essential In Todays Society :: essays research papers

College Education is Essential In Today's Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today's society a college education is an essential part of pursuing a career. While in college a person can determine his strengths and weaknesses in whatever path he decides to take in life. A college education is also the first step in being self-sufficient and living by yourself. College life also gives a person a chance to express his ingenious and creative abilities and to supplement the skills that he learned in high school. City University will give me an unprecedented opportunity to achieve these goals and to reach a new plateau in my scholarly studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my life I plan to pursue a career in the aerospace field. To get a job in this field one needs a college education and City University fits the bill. Its curriculum and accomplished professors will give me the chance to achieve my goal. Each of the independent colleges of the university system is highly specialized and particular to its own field of training. This will help applicants like me concentrate on my specific career path. I have visited the university campus twice and each time I have been impressed by the devotion of the faculty to ensure that the student's educational needs are met and surpassed. I perceive that the university is concerned about the educational well-being of its students. This is exemplified by the abundant tutoring opportunities that the university offers. Not only is the staff exceptional, City University has phenomenal technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  City University is on the cutting edge of technology which is indispensable in the aerospace field. The EOS computing environment is a substructure for building a bridge to the future. This system will give me many opportunities to use its resources to intensify my skills while pursuing my occupation. Having access to millions of computers all over the world, with the information I need at my fingertips will propel me to a higher level of intellectual aptness. The immense number of computer clusters available at the university enables a student to arm himself with the knowledge needed to aid him

Sunday, September 1, 2019

A Look at Megan’s Law

Issues of crime and punishment are often at the center of controversy.   In part, this is certainly because often, the issues raised in matters of crime and punishment do not have easy answers and sometimes, there may not be any solution at all.   Certainly, each time a legal matter arises, even with similar circumstances, the resolution to such matters can be complex and can differ with each and every case.   We can gain some understanding as to the difficulty in deciding how to view and treat such matters by considering the case of Megan's Law.On July 29, 1994 Jesse Timmendequas, already a convicted sex offender at the time, is believed to have used a puppy to lure Megan Kanka, the 7-year-old daughter of his neighbors, into his home in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, NJ and brutally raped and murdered her (Flanagan, 2004; Vachss, 1994).  Ã‚   Once inside, Timmendequas is said to have slammed Megan’s head into a dresser and suffocated her with a plastic bag before s trangling her to death with a belt.   Subsequently, he moved and raped Megan's dead body again before dumping the body in a nearby park in West Windsor, NJ.Timmendequas was convicted of murder and sentenced to death for his crime.   After his conviction, New Jersey passed a law that has come to be known as Megan's law.   The law was designed to protect a community when dangerous sex offenders move into the community.   Some states require notification only for certain types of sexual assaults while other states extended the requirement to individuals convicted of sodomy or consensual sodomy, an act that was illegal in some states even between consenting adults before the U.S. Supreme Court declared such laws unconstitutional in June 2003.Timmendequas’ actions and the subsequent legal proceedings raise questions as to just how such a situation, or any similar serious legal situation should be handled.   Was he treated fairly?   Did the Kanka family receive proper l egal restitution for the crime?   How should such cases be handled?   We want to use the Megan Kanka/Jesse Timmendequas case to ask four basic questions and seek the answers to similar questions.   First, what are the goals of punishment?Is it actually the â€Å"punishment† of the individual who committed the crime, protection of the community, both, neither or more?   Second, in situations of serious crimes of this nature, should offenders be subjected to a lifetime of repayment for their crimes after serving their allotted term of imprisonment?   Third, when considering punishment, are the rights of the victim, the community or the offender more important; are all the rights equally important?   Finally, what goal(s) was(were) the Criminal Justice System attempting to achieve by instituting Megan's law.Megan's Law has been the focus of considerable controversy and heated debate.   After Megan’s rape and murder, there was considerable controversy regardi ng the question of whether the Kanka family may indeed have known that a sex offender (not necessarily Timmendequas, however) lived in the house across the street.   Although the Kanka family denied having any knowledge of Timmendequas' criminal past as a sex offender, there was evidence to suggest that it was common knowledge that at least one of the residents of the house where Timmendequas lived had a criminal past that included sexual assault, rape and gang shootings. (Vachss 1994)Even before Megan's rape and murder, law enforcement officials knew that three convicted sex offenders lived in the house where Timmendequas lived.   Although Megan's parents' claimed not to have been aware of this fact, some of their neighbors did know of the three men's past.   Even so, Maureen Kanka, Megan's mother, felt that people should not need to rely on gossip and rumors in order to learn about the presence of convicted sex offenders in their neighborhood.Perhaps first and foremost in an y legal situation is the question as to the goal(s) of punishment.   What exactly are the goals of punishment?   Punishment for crimes is supposed to be to deter crime.   Punishment penalties and law are based on utilitarianism, the idea that there should be no unnecessary punishment (UBSBA).   This idea says that we should evaluate laws on the basis of future consequences and suggests that punishment is always bad because it causes pain.Thus, â€Å"The reason to punish is to prevent future crime and the limit is to punish only if the pain is outweighed by the happiness it creates.†Ã‚   Crime and Punishment theory proposes the four questions should be asked when analyzing legal theories of punishment.   They are, 1) Is the punishment to prevent future crimes or to punish past misconduct, 2) Does the theory of punishment assume that the crime was caused by the individual or social problems, 3) Does the theory express blame for the proscribed act and actor and4) What is the relationship between the criminal and the rest of society?   That is, is the criminal part of society or excluded from society?   The threat of punishment is believed to stop rational people from doing something that ultimately will not be to their benefit, but the deterrent value of punishment is only thought to be effective if people are aware of the punishment prior to committing crimes.Megan's law was not meant to be a form of punishment.   Rather, it was designed to be an act that would provide information to prevent potential crime in situations where the potential may be real.   Some have argued that the law may lead to vigilantes formed against convicted sex offenders and the harassment of those offenders, but that was not the intension of the law.   Its purpose was to enhance public safety.   Although former sex offenders may be harmed by the law, supporters of the law claim that whatever incidental inconvenience or harm the former sex-offender may suffer as a result of the law is an unavoidable consequence of their own past illegal behavior.   It does not outweigh the community's right to know the possible danger of their presence.This case raises the question, â€Å"Should offenders be subjected to a lifetime of repayment for their crimes after serving a term of imprisonment?†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is not an easy question to answer.   Theoretically, a person should not need to continue to pay for past crimes a second time, or continue paying for them once they have paid, but that idea is fraught with problems and more or less impossible to enforce.   In fact, it is also impossible to determine what actually constitutes â€Å"payment for crime.†In life, individuals may pay for things they have done long after they have done whatever it was even if their legal payment has been completed.   We may pay in terms of paranoia, feelings of guilt and other mental and psychological payments long after any legal payment or e ven without legal payment.   So, psychological repayment for crimes may continue for a lifetime even if social and legal repayment do not.   A person's own mental and psychological retribution for their acts may continue indefinitely.Many psychological situations are viewed as diseases even though we don't really have a definition for (or officially believe in the existence of) the soul.   Psychology, for example, is, by definition, the study of the soul, but if asked, most people, including psychologists and psychiatrists would state that psychology is the study of the mind.   Ironically, psychologists do not officially believe in the existence of the mind either!Furthermore, sex offenses are often treated as if such crimes were caused by a disease or were a disease themselves.   However, even with real or other diseases (if we allow, just for the sake of argument, that some such offenses are the results of disease), there is no hard and firm definition of a disease even in situations where virtually everyone would agree that the situation (such as with cancer of cardiovascular disease) is a disease.The â€Å"retribution† theory of punishment holds that individuals should only be punished if they have done something wrong and their punishment should be in proportion to the wrong they have done.   This theory proposes that it is right to inflict pain, but recognizes that the innocent can get punished for things they did not do.   This is certainly a very serious consideration in any case of capital punishment.In other situations, an alleged criminal may eventually get a reprieve and be exonerated for a crime he or she did not commit even though their exoneration might come until after they have lost a few or even many valuable years in prison serving a term for a crime they did not commit.   However, in capital cases, exoneration is of little value after the alleged individual has been executed, and certainly, the criminal justice system must have executed many innocent individuals over the years.In such cases, both the known victim(s) of the crime and the individual accused of the crime become victims while the guilty party may permanently escape justice.   No one is punished for the crime because the individual who is punished is innocent.   So, the actual criminal has more or less committed an additional crime and gotten away with it.Whose rights are most important?   This question cannot be answered as asked.   The answer is not merely a matter of rights, but more a matter of safety.   The intent is to err on the side of safety, so the initial question has more to do with, â€Å"What will render the individuals of a community safe† than â€Å"Whose rights are most important†, certainly an important issue as well.   Some feel that Megan's law gives a false sense of security.   Statistics from the Bureau of Justice indicate that the overwhelming majority of sexually assaulted minors we re victimized by family members or acquaintances rather than by strangers.In fact, these statistics suggest that those who appear on a sex offenders registry would not really significantly resolve the problem of sex offenses against minors.   Thus, laws directed against the occasional stranger who might sexually assault minors would be like the tip of an iceberg in dealing with the actual problem.   Most victims will still be victimized and most of those guilty of the offense will never serve justice.   With the guilty party still free, laws similar to Megan's law would not really make most people any safer even if made people feel that way.However, statistics from the Bureau of Justice also indicate that sex offenders discharged from prison or sentenced to probation generally have a lower rate of re-arrest than other violent offenders but are substantially more likely than other violent offenders to be rearrested for a new violent sex offense (U.S. Department of Justice Press Release).   In cases of rape alone, execution is not an option.   Some have proposed that rapists be castrated (Vachss, 1993).   Castration is thought to emanate the male sex drive, but castration won't prevent murder as was the case in Megan Kanka's situation and some individuals get a vicarious thrill from the act of murder itself.Ultimately, the questions raised here are neither easy or straightforward.   Society may find those individuals who have committed violent sex offenses, try them, convict and sentence them and the accused individual, whether or not actually guilty, may pay for the crime.   However, it is certain that some guilty individuals will never be found, some innocent individuals will pay for sex (and other) crimes they have not committed and the laws designed to make society safer will work successfully at times and not at others.Perhaps we must live with the realization that answering the difficult questions raised here will not resolve our dilemma no matter what decisions we are ultimately to make.   All that we can actually do is to put laws in place that we believe will achieve a goal and then deal with every situation that arises on a case by case basis.   If we are honest and fair with our assessment, we will not trample the rights of victims nor victimize criminals any more than is necessary, if at all.   Our goal must be to try to be fair while protecting the safety of communities and those who live in them.   While we will never get the balance completely right, fairness is the key.ReferencesFlanagan, Russ.   â€Å"Megan's legacy, A child's death serves as a call to action†.   The Express Times, February 26, 2004.Vachss, Andrew.   â€Å"How Many Dead Children Are Needed to End the Rhetoric?†Ã‚   New York Daily News, August 12, 1994Vachss, Andrew.   â€Å"Sex Predators Can’t Be Saved.†Ã‚   New York Times, January 5, 1993Wikipedia, February, 7, 2007. ;https://en.wikipedia.org/wik i/Murder_of_Megan_Kanka#Jesse_Timmendequas; 4 January 2007.