Physical Vapor Deposition and Inmobilized metal na Essays

Physical Vapor Deposition and Inmobilized metal nanoparticles Student Name: Institutional Affiliation: Course: Date: The application of metal nanoparticles has grown greatly over the past years. Immobilized metallic particles are much easier to fabricate via normal wet chemistry, giving various choices with regard to shape and size CITATION Mar05 \l 1033 [1] . Furthermore, SERS hotspots can be cheaply realized through the aggregation of immobilized metallic particles from their suspensions through the use of salts or any analyte of interest. Nevertheless, the use of aggregated and dispersed immobilized metallic particles as SERS substrates within real analytical complications is limited as a result of the poor modification factor reproducibility. The issue of reproducibility could be solved through advanced metallic nanoparticles immobilization together with some solid support CITATION LeR09 \l 1033 [2] . The easiest SERS experiments are achieved with metallic nanoparticles under the presence of particular analyte concentration [6] . However, suspension of metallic nanoparticles should be mixed with the SERS analyte solution, a sampling demand that may be hampering some applications. Regardless, of the reproducibility and possible sampling shortcomings, metallic nanoparticles are widely used as SERS substrate because of their good stability, high SERS performance and easy fabrication [9] . Furthermore, they promote the formation of more stable metallic particles. Another methodology comprises of generating some SERS substrates through immobilizing the metallic nanoparticles under a planar foundation [10] . The metallic nanoparticles adhesion to solid supports is occasionally so poor and particular immobilization methodologies have to be devised to retain the performance and integrity of SERS substrate over time [5] . For example the chemical attachment of metallic nanoparticles to solid substrates where bi-functional molecules are used for its immobilization CITATION Fre95 \l 1033 [3] . The ideology behind this is to anchor the molecule to the surface through the use of one of its functional sets, hence leaving the other functional set free to bind the metallic nanoparticle. Glass slides surfaces are functionalized with thiol or amine groups with the aid of a surface polymerization procedure coupled with Deeping the functionalized glass to the metallic nanoparticles suspension for some time period CITATION DMM10 \l 1033 [4] . Benefits of using Glass in this case include large enlargement factor, low cost, electrochemical addressability, flexibility with regard to glass surface geometry, better reproducibility as opposed to metallic nanoparticles in suspension and the fact that glass has a less di-electric constant that affects the Rama/SERS signal compared to other substances such as PDMS [7] . Apart from the above approach, some other efficient surface chemical modification avenues exists which have been used to immobilize metallic nanoparticles. For instance, the introduction of amino functionality to a silicon surface through the application of Silane chemistry [2] . The amino group was successively clapped using a carboxyl alkanethiol. The thiol group then reacted with the metallic nanoparticles. SERS substrates could also be achieved through fabricated biochips by soft lithography CITATION Fre95 \l 1033 [3] . A set of nanofabrication technique is established to build nano-pillars frameworks within a silicon wafer as a parent molding copy, then the other nano - wells frameworks on polydimethylsiloxane. PDMS are established through soft lithography [2] . The selection of metallic deposition on the nanowells is used to establish SERS active sites prior to the integration with glass microfluidic that works as a sample deliv ery device as well as an optical transparent window for imaging of the SERS spectroscopic. PDMS is an off the - shelve available chemically and physically stable silicone rubber. It contains some unique flexibility that cannot be compared to glass with shear elastic modulus as a result of one of the lowest glass temperature transition of any polymer. In addition, PDMS are a bit some low change within the shear elastic modulus as opposed to temperature typically no change in elastic modulus versus high compressibility and frequency. Due to its clean process ability, the high flexibility and low temperature, the chances of change to any of its functional components as well as property drift over temperature and time, as opposed to glass, PDMS is suitable for chemical and mechanical sensors as it has many desirable features than can be found in glass when producing SERS signals and further

Ban of medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Clarita Essay Example

Ban of medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Clarita Essay Example Ban of medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Clarita Paper Ban of medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Clarita Paper Under 1995 Compassionate Act, it is legal to use, posses, and cultivate medical Marijuana in Santa Clarita. Acquiring, and possessing medical Marijuana is quite easier than any prescribed drug with a doctors presciption. According to the Act, patients are allowed to purchase Marijuana in medical dispensaries, or on the streets provided they have a doctors recommendation, and if they are California residents (Signal). This is usually proved by producing an identity card and a doctors prescription. This is usually used to ensure Marijuana is used, and cultivated for medical purpose, rather than recreational. In many California cities, use of Marijuana is illegal, but in Santa Clarita, it is not a crime to use and cultivate Marijuana as long as the law terms and conditions are applied. Possessing up to twenty eight and half grams of Marijuana is considered as an unarrestable offense, especially if the individual produces sufficient proof to be a resident, and agrees to appear before the court. After conviction for possessing such amounts, a fine of $ 100 is charge, but possessing greater amounts of Marijuana, the offense is considered punishable, and the offender is sentenced in jail for six months, and are charged a fine of $ 500 (MPP). In Santa Clarita, Marijuana is usually found anywhere, especially on sierra highway condos. It is common and popular such that every body between the age of fifteen and twenty five, regardless of color or race. Marijuana has various blends and categories in the city. Among all, medical bud is considered to have greater medical benefit, a factor that makes its price to be higher than others. Marijuana dispensaries in Santa Clarita are legalized by the States government, to supply medical Marijuana to all people who prove to be California residents, and who have doctors recommendation bas a prove of their illness. With these prove, individuals are allowed to cultivate the recommended amount of Marijuana and to use it at home without being arrested. The law protects doctor recommendation to Marijuana users under condition they use the recommended amounts of Marijuana without exceeding the dose. They are expected to use it solely without selling it to other people (MoI). Reports of various tests and experiments show that marijuana can be used to treat illnesses, and disorders such as; post traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety, arthritis, migraine,glaucoma anorexia as a result of chemotherapy, HIV/ AIDS among others. However, in Santa Clarita, many people use Marijuana for other purposes other than medical. Not all people who use, posses or cultivate Marijuana are sick. Although they usually produce doctors recommendation to escape arrest, the recommendations are either fake or invalid the substance for recreation purposes, and use doctors recommendation as a shield to cover them up against arrest, conviction and charges (Indalecio 70). This has increased the use, possession and cultivation of Marijuana in Santa Clarita, as it is hard to tell who is using it for medical purpose, and for pleasure. Although Marijuana has medical value, its negative effects outweighs the benefits. This has caused conflict and arguments between Federal and State law in Santa Clarita. The Federal law is against the use, possession and cultivation of Marijuana; considering the substance to have many harmful effects to the users, people in the society, and the environment. States law Considers use of Marijuana to have medical benefits (Jan 42). The city council of Santa Clarita, has voted to ban medical Marijuana dispensaries, against the States law. Arguments on the ban of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. The Federal law, and its supporters such as the city council of Santa Clarita, argues that majority of of Marijuana users are actually sick, and their health does not require Marijuana, and since they need Marijuana for recreational purposes, they decide to get a doctors recommendation to be able to freely access and use the substance without being arrested, convicted, or being fined. They get Marijuana from legalized Medical Marijuana dispensaries (DrugSense FOCUS Alert). The presciption they use as evidence to doctors recommendation are usually invalid. The users make a deal with doctors who recommend use of Marijuana at a pay. In this case, doctors make many false recommendation in order to get high amounts without considering the harm they are subjecting these individuals to. Medical Marijuana dispensaries end up selling Marijuana to wrong people without knowing that the recommendation is invalid. People study the literature on medicinal uses of Marijuana. They get the knowledge and information about the conditions, and symptoms the substance can treat. With the knowledge, people fake condition that would require prescription of Marijuana. Some of these conditions and illnesses, such as pain cannot be tested in a laboratory, so it becomes hard for doctors to determine the actual health status of the patient. They rely on the information provided by the patients, and which in most cases can not be evidenced. Doctors end up using the clinical signs and symptoms to prescribe Marijuana; the persons interest. Once the doctor has recommended use of Marijuana, the Medical Marijuana dispensaries dispense it without knowing the actual health status and requirement of the of the Marijuana to the user (Weedguru). The fact that Marijuana is common, popular, and allowed to be sold to recommended user at any place makes many people to participate in illegal trade at anyplace. These supplies are located near schools and parks. Easy access motivates young children to use substance, while still at school limiting their concentration and participation school. The process of buying and selling of Marijuana near schools and parks is usually distracting. If the medical Marijuana dispensaries can be banned, supply and use of Marijuana can be reduced, as there would be no legalized suppliers, since many people use the legalized medical Marijuana dispensaries to purchase Marijuana for recreational purposes. Medical Marijuana dispensaries, have influence on crimes. In Santa Clarita, crimes such as robberies, burglaries and sale of illegal drugs, especially outside Marijuana dispensary, are related to Marijuana (Zachariah 408). Medical Marijuana, especially the bud is usually sold at higher cost than the others. The crimes are committed either to earn money to purchase and maintain a consistence access of Marijuana, or by users through the influence of Marijuana. The crimes are increased in urban areas where the medical dispensaries are located. The City Council of Santa Clarita consider having the Marijuana dispensaries banned to reduce the number of crimes. In Santa Clarita, medical Marijuana is legalized but the dispensing Marijuana is against the Federal law (Shohov 121). A ban on legalized Medical Marijuana dispensary would mean destroying the back up of illegal dispensing, and a subsequent collapse. This is likely to reduce the use of Marijuana in Santa Clarita. Marijuana has THC as its active ingredient. Doctors recommend Marijuana as a source of this medically beneficial ingredient, which is believed to relieve and manage pain. Many users argue that banning Medical Marijuana dispensaries will limit the access of this beneficial ingredient of Marijuana , and patients will be be suffering prolonged pain (Brust 140). This argument is not sufficient to oppose the proposed ban of the dispensaries in Santa Clarita, since there are other medicines which are presented in form of pills and injectable which can be used to relieve and manage pain, rather than smoking Marijuana. The pills and injectables can be purchased from pharmacies, and medical facilities meaning that even after the ban of medical Marijuana dispensaries, patients can have pain managed by the other medicines from the pharmacies (Earleywine 148). Although Marijuana manages pain, there are other better, safer, and effective medicines which have negative side effects. Marijuana as medicine, has many negative effects to the user, other people and the environment. Its side effects to the user outweighs its benefits. Tests reports show that pot smoking destroys the respiratory organs, brain, heart, lungs and suppresses the immune system. Reports have associated Marijuana with chronic intractable illnesses especially to the habitual users (Alison and Joy 26). The smoke produced by Marijuana is a toxic pollutant. Studies show that the smoke has about two thousand chemicals which occur in a mix that cannot be be measured, predicted and deter ming their stability is hard. This means that those who use Marijuana are at risk of disorders and illnesses caused by the chemicals in the smoke. The smoke also posses problem to neighbors, since the smoke is emitted to the atmosphere (Alicia 1077). Neighbors of smokers inhale the contaminated atmospheric oxygen, and gets effects similar to the smoker. Although non-smokers suffer the harm without knowing, even with the knowledge, there is nothing they can do to save the situation, but if medical Marijuana dispensaries can be banned, the supply of Marijuana can be limited securing their health. Legalizing medical Marijuana is likely to pave way for legalizing other harmful illegal substances. Since there are other illegal substances containing beneficial medical ingredient, the medical Marijuana dispensaries are likely to dispense other harmful substances claimed to have medical benefits (Gieringer 42). A ban of the existing medical marijuana dispensaries will give a sigh of relief since the probability using other harmful substances will be low. Marijuana has both physical and psychological effects, such as loss of short-term memory, and respiratory related illnesses. Although Marijuana has medicinal ingredients, the medicine can only be taken through smoking, a factor that predisposes the user to illnesses related to smoking. For example, smoking Marijuana is likely to relieve pain, but it increases chances of lung cancer, as the smoke is carcinogenic. Marijuana influences its users to a continuous use. When an individual starts using Marijuana it causes a continuous need making the user to continually use it. Studies show that when Marijuana is used continuously chances of losing motivation in many areas in life increases. Users are likely to be trapped, and its negative influence on users motivation has showed poor performance of the users in their career, studies and other day to day activities. Habitual users of Marijuana have a tendency of forgetting thing after a very short time (Schrag 135). They forget very vital things which causes problems to their health, life, and other peoples in the society. For example, a n habitual user of Marijuana is likely to forget medical appointments causing inconsistence in their treatments. When driving they are likely to forget they are sharing road with other drivers and vehicles, causing accidents. They are likely to lack motivation to attend business meeting, where they are expected to represent their Company, a factor that can make their employers to punish them, or even fire them. People need to perform various duties in their life, and need to be responsible as long as they live with others in the society. People need to work to earn income for effective living, and need to attend medical appointments in a consistence manner to ensure that treatment is effective (Boire and Kevin 171). Since many people take Marijuana as medicine to the illnesses they need to follow appointments for effective treatment and recovery. If a patient can forget an appointment as a result of smoking Marijuana a medicine,then it means that the medicine does the patient more harm than good because the more Marijuana is taken to treat the more the loss of memory a greater problem. Use of Marijuana as a medicine need to be stopped, and be substituted with more effective medicines which reduces the patients illness, rather than adding more serious conditions. This can only be achieved by banning medical Marijuana dispensaries to cut the supply of Marijuana. Studies show that Marijuana impairs mental dexterity and visual skills. This has causes many problems and deaths in Santa Clarita. For example, users of Marijuana are not restricted from driving and riding (Cole 8). What happens is they use Marijuana and drive, or operate other machines. This causes many accidents and injuries in the city. Literature shows that use of Marijuana leads to systemic hypertension and can impair peripheral vasomotor, reflexes and nerves. It influences blood flow to the central nervous system, and limits the auto regulation of cerebral vascular Habitual users have show to be at a risk of stroke as a result of poor blood circulation in the central nervous system. Analysis made on the respiratory system of habitual users of Marijuana shows that Marijuana smoke deposits large amounts of tar in the lungs and the bronchioles. When smoked, the smokers hold s the smoke for some time. Similar studies show that the users of Marijuana have an increased mortality rate and a decreased life expectancy (Crotty 177). This is a threat to Santa Clarita, since the city is under crime, health and financial crisis as a result of increased use of Marijuana. Summary Analysis of the medical benefits of Marijuana particularly in Santa Clarita, it is clear that it has more harm to the users and the society at large. Smoking Marijuana influences the criminal behavior in the city, causes physical and psychological harm to users and their neighbors, increases death and mortality rate, and retards the economic development of the city. This shows that it is better to prohibit the use of Marijuana, and substitute it with other medicines which can effectively treat similar conditions and illnesses with little side effects to the user, and the entire society. This explains the reason why the City Council of Santa Clarita, and the Federal Law vote for ban of medical Marijuana dispensary. References: Boire, Richard and Kevin, Feeney. Medical Marijuana Law. New York: Ronin, 2007. Brust, JCM. Neurological aspects of Marijuana abuse. Boston:Butterworth-Heinemann, 1993. Cole, Spencer. New research on street drugs. Boston: Nova, 2006. Crotty, William. Americas choice 2000. New York: Westview,2001. DrugSense FOCUS Alert. Medicinal marijuana a mine field March 29, 2001. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. May 15, 2008 mapinc. org/alert/0201. html Earleywine,Mitchell. Marijuana and the costs of prohibition. New York: Oxford University,2006. Gieringer,Dale. Medical use of Cannabis in California. California: Haworth , 2002. Indalecio, Lozano. Therapeutic use of Cannabis sativa. Cannabis Therapeutics 1. 1 (2001): 68-70 Institute of medicine. Marijuana as Medicine? : Science beyond Controversy. 2000. NAS. May 15, 2008 http://books. nap. edu/openbook. php? record_id=9586page=38 Jan, Ziegler. Medical use of Marijuana. Hospitals and health networks 71. 12 (1997):40-45 Marijuana Policy Project. California and National organization for reform of Marijuana Laws. 2007. CANORML. org and NORML. com. May 15, 2008 webehigh. com/city/detail. php? CITYID=2335 Schrag, Peter. California: Americas High-stakes Experiment. California: University of California, 2008. Shohov, Tatiana. Medical use of Marijuana. Boston: Nova, 2003. Signal. Santa Clarita should leave the weed to the West side. Apr. 23, 2006. Signal Newspapers Opinion. May 15, 2008 http://forums. cannabisculture. com/forums/ubbthreads. php? ubb=showflatNumber=1164228 Weedguru. Negative medical effects. May 15,2007. Weedguru. com. May 15, 2008 weedguru. com/agamed. ph Zachariah SB. Stroke after heavy marijuana smoking. Stroke. 22 (1991): 408.

Group Meeting Minutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Group Meeting Minutes - Essay Example UML were used to describe the current system on how it operates. Use case were in this study used to demonstrate this below are the minutes of the group that took place while looking at this case study. Further consultations about the group activities were done via social media where we created a group page on Facebook. Members with issues, suggestions could raise it here before or after the meeting. [Inception Phase Meeting 1] [ Group Name] Date: 5/31/2015 Location: Lab Group Members Present: Abdu, chairperson Benjamin, Benson, Emily assistant chairperson Fatima Hassan, Jason, Jennifer, Joseph, Karen organizing secretary to the group Shirntel 1. First Agenda Item The first meeting was held in a class with an aim of Identifying the need or usefulness of a project. The group members were to establish the following a. Establish a vision for the solution or enhancements planned b. Develop a business case statement for the project Decision(s): 1. The group agreed on a project which is a Fitness Centre that is planning to upgrade it information system to have modern and up-to-date cards for its members and backup procedures for its data. The group was to evaluate the current system what it does with an aim of proposing an appropriate upgraded system for the clients. 2. The vision for the project was established which was To Provide Better Services to the Clients. 2. Second Agenda Item Members sought to establish the requirements and the scope of the project which they had decided to undertake. The agenda was to: 1. Initial list of requirements 2. Identify scope or boundary of the new system or system enhancement Decision(s): a) The listed the initial requirements of the project as: i. Having the knowledge of the previous system, how the customers accomplish their tasks using the system. ii. Having the estimated time for the installing of the new project iii. Having possible tasks that will take place iv. Cost estimations from the time, tasks and what is already avai lable. How will the new system improve service satisfaction to the members and how will the staff benefit from the new system. 3. Third Agenda Item Develop preliminary schedules indicating areas of individual interests Decision(s): b) The following schedules and individual tasks were established Task Assigned Individual Responsible Additional Information Requirement engineering Benson, Jennifer Analyzing the user requirements Feasibility study Jennifer, Karen Study if the system is doable System analysis Jason, Emily & Benson Analyse the current system and define the system requirements according to priority Scheduling of the tasks to be done Joseph, Abdu, Hassan, Fatima Looking at what the group should do. UML designs Karen, Emily & Shirntel Design the system basing on the methodology(incremental) Looking the benefits of the new system Abdul, Benjamin, Emily Looking at the cons and pros of the proposed system in terms of cost and services delivery Presentation of the analysis to th e tutor/class All the team members The findings of the current and proposed systems Minutes prepared by: [Karen / Date ] Minutes Approved: [Abdul , signature] [Inception Phase Meeting 2] [ Group Name] Date: 5/31/2015 Location: Lab Group Members Present: Abdu, chairperson Benjamin, Benson, Emily assistant chairperson Fatima Hassan, Jason, Jennifer, Joseph, Karen organizing secretary to the group Shirntel 1. First Agenda Item Notes: the main objective of this second meeting was to allocate responsibilities to

Comparing the CO2 in the school carpark and the field during the day Lab Report

Comparing the CO2 in the school carpark and the field during the day and after school day - Lab Report Example The results were obtained from an accurate and tested carbon dioxide meter. With an increase in the number of cars at the car park picking up students after school, there is an increase in CO2 emission to the environment as compared to times when there are no cars on the compound. Burning fossil fuel is the main source of energy to power the vehicles and that means with more vehicles around the compound burning fuel for energy, more CO2 gets released to the environment. Fossil fuels contain elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen among others. They release carbon monoxide when burning which mixes with oxygen in the atmosphere to form carbon dioxide. The smoke released from the exhaust pipes of vehicles are essentially carbon dioxide and since they are not trapped in any way, they get released directly to the environment. As many cars park or move around the carpark, the amount of CO2 released directly to the surrounding environment increases. Also, even when the vehicles are not in motion, the engine is still hot and the fuels continue to evapor ate and release CO2. Controlled variables: The carbon dioxide meter. The meter had to be checked to ensure that the initial measure was standard. To ensure no errors were present, different devices were used and the results compared in order to detect any variances which would indicate an error. The CO2 sensor mounted on the stand is placed outside around the carpark and the field area with free air circulation. The sensor was fastened on the clamp stand with the adhesive tape. The digital surveillance cameras were set at strategic locations to ensure that every car driving to the car park was noted and measurement recorded after every thirty minutes timed by the stopwatch. The recordings should be done between 10 a.m-12 p.m. and 3 p.m-5p.m after school. That means that recordings will be taken 4 times during the

Public Bus Transportation In Kota Kinabalu

Public Bus Transportation In Kota Kinabalu Currently, bus is the main public transportation in the city of Kota Kinabalu. Despite being perceived as less comfortable, less physically attractive, non-punctual and unsafe, it still functioning to bring passengers to their destinations. This research paper aims to provide a critical overview of the public bus importance at the past, present and future time. It is crucial to identify the reason why bus is important in providing commuting service to the citizen since this information is a useful input to the policy maker. The reasons for its importance are discussed together with several issues such as public bus current level of performance, increasing number of private vehicle on road and the absence of specific plan to improve public bus transportation. This study is qualitative in nature where data were mostly derived from observation and secondary sources. The preliminary studys findings showed public bus is an important mode of public transportation in Kota Kinabalu in the pa st and the present and is likely to continue to be so in the foreseeable future due to the demand from the low income earners, wide destination coverage and concern for the increasing price of car fuel as well as to traffic congestion problem. Therefore, the government should seriously consider the bus in the public transportation planning by providing specific plan for its future development. Keywords: public transportation system, public bus, public transport planning INTRODUCTION Tran and Kleiner (2005) cited in Belwal and Belwal (2010), public transportation is defined as transportation by a conveyance that provides continuing general or special transportation to the public; excluding school buses, charter and sightseeing service. An efficient transportation system is one of the basic components of the social, economic, and physical structure in the urbanized society and it has to be competitive and attractive to the transit seekers (Ibid). It is essential for every government all over the world to develop better transportation system for its citizens. Better system is a system that is able to provide affordable, attractive, comfortable, punctual and safe commuting services to the citizens. According to Nandi (2008), an ideal transport system is a system that had been fully integrated, able to provide safe transport network, supports social and economic regeneration and ensures good access for all which, is operated to the highest standards to protect the en vironment and ensure quality of life. It is a dream for every government and citizen to have efficient transportation system. To realize the dream, continuous effort should be made. Long run strategy should be to manage for the growth of transport demand to provide for the efficient movement of people and goods. Bus service is indeed important since it provides mobility for all since many people do not have access to cars it is also increase person capacity in heavily traveled corridors and it preserves urban land for more productive use and is more energy efficient than driving (Levinson, 2000). In his study, bus is not only providing line-haul and feeder services, offer special transit service for the elderly and handicapped and in the very large cities but they also complement and feed rail transit lines. In United State of America, public transportation is commonly associated with the nations major urban-area subway (heavy-rail) or commuter-rail systems, approximately 59 percent of all public transportation trips are carried on buses (Cambridge Systematics Inc, 2008). Therefore, maintaining and improving bus service will be essential in keeping urban areas vital and vibrant in the years ahead. The basic purpose to develop the public transportation is to help the citizens to make a trip easily and ensure the normal operation of fundamentals social organizations and their activities as well as brings enhancements to the city environment in a quite comprehensive range. () At the moment in Malaysia, significant improvement on public transportation had only been seen in several main cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Pulau Pinang. The difference of these cities from the others is that, apart from having various option of modern transportation such as LRT and Monorail System, they also have an integrated bus system namely RapidKL and RapidPenang which are characterized by attractive appearance, strict monitoring system, standardization and reliable schedule. In the city of Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah, bus is the main public transportation. However, public bus performance is below par in terms of comfort, physical appearance, punctuality and safety. It is believed that the effective and robust public bus transportation service provision is crucial and necessary in realizing the objective of the 6th National Key Result Area (NKRA) which is aimed to increase the utilization rate and to sustain the Malaysia transport system (Jayaraman et. al., 2011 ). Public bus transportation is important not only to provide commuting services to the people but also facilitate the growth of economy in a city. It creates accessibility to business to market their goods and services. Since the last three decades, government at federal, state and local levels has formulated and implemented various plans to improve public transportation but there is still no significant improvement have been seen on the bus service. In addition, the increasing number of private cars on roads shows the shift in preference of people from using a public bus into driving their own personal car. The aim of this paper is to provide critical overview of the importance of public bus. This finding is important for planning purpose. Since there are very few studies deeply discussed about its importance, the findings will contribute to the body knowledge in the public bus literature. The public transportation available in Kota Kinabalu city is only public bus and taxi. The fact that, the public bus is more utilized by the public because of its lower cost indicates its importance. PROBLEM STATEMENT Since the last three decades, government at federal, state and local levels has formulated and implemented various plan to improve public transportation in Kota Kinabalu City but there is still no significant improvement can be been seen especially relating to the bus service. Furthermore, the increasing number of private cars on roads shows the shift in preference of people from using a public bus into driving their own personal car. The question is why this happen? Is bus not as important to the local residents as it use to be? The aim of this paper is to provide critical overview of the importance of public bus to the people. The finding of this research is important for policy planning purpose. Besides, it provides the body knowledge in bus transportation literature since there is only few study deeply discussed about its importance. It is believed that the effective and robust public bus transportation service provision is crucial and necessary in realizing the objective of the 6th NKRA which is aimed to increase the utilization rate and to sustain the Malaysia transport system (Jayaraman et. al., 2011). METHODOLOGY For data collection, the methodology used in this study was limited to observation and secondary data only. The observation method was conducted on daily basis from 1st August 2012 to 15st September 2012. Large amount of information was collected from local newspaper report especially from Sabah Times, Daily Express and Borneo Post. Official documents such as policy statements were part of the data collected. Through these methods, thorough analyses regarding the importance of public bus in Kota Kinabalu at the present and future time were made. REASONS FOR IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORTATION IN KOTA KINABALU Demands from Low Income Earner Low-income groups tend to use their car relatively less often (Steg, 2003). In the city of Kota Kinabalu, the bus service is highly demanded by the low income earner (monthly income below RM2300) although the public bus service is poor in terms of comfort, punctuality and safety. In the 1990s, bus was considered important because few people could afford to buy car. Presently, bus is still needed by the low income earners. Owning car has been greatly facilitated recently through simpler car loan procedure. However, although this facilitated the low and medium income earners to own car, some of them may still do not want to buy car because of other important commitments such as household expenditure and utility expenditure. As a result, they still need to take bus to go to their workplace and even for outing purposes. Thus, bus is important to their daily life. In Kota Kinabalu, certain residential areas which are populated mostly by low income earners such as Kuala Menggatal, Taman In dah Permai, Taman Sri Maju, Universiti Apartment Phase 1 and Phase 2 are relying on the bus service for transportation. Daily observation that had been made on 1st August 2012 until 1st September 2012 at these residential areas, it was found that most of residents work as laborers, chefs, nurses, salespersons, promoters and waiters used bus to go to the workplace. Wide Destination Coverage Public bus has wider destinations coverage encompassing both the urban and sub-urban areas compared to LRT and Monorail, which have fixed routes. Therefore their destination coverage is limited. The bus has important role not only to accommodate the transport needs of the increasing commuters but also as feed as in routes not covered by these modern transportation systems. Eventhough in Kuala Lumpur modern transportation networks namely Kereta Api Tanah Melayu (KTM), Monorail System and LRT, pub bus is still being used to take passengers to the KTM, LRT and Monorail stations and terminals. Due to the need of feeder service and to improve the existing public transportation system, RapidKL was then decided in 2004, took over the main part of transportation in the city. In Kota Kinabalu, bus is important in the absence of modern transportation and the role it plays will become challenging once the modern rail system introduced. The table show below indicates the zones covered by the pub lic bus transportation at Kota Kinabalu in 2006. Concern to the Price of Car Fuel The concern of car users about increasing fuel price also contributes to the continued importance of public bus service. Malaysias public transportation especially public bus is perceived of unable to meet citizens needs satisfactorily. Many claim that if the public transport is improved, they are willing to use it instead of paying for outrageous petrol prices and tolls and ending up stuck in traffic jams (Kambala, 2007). The question is, when bus services improved in Kota Kinabalu, will the local citizens willing to shift from using private vehicle into the public one? From the literature, it was found that public bus will be a critical travelling option among the private car user when the price of the fuel increases. When fuel price increase, the monthly spending will increase and the probability of people shifting from the using their own car to take the public bus will increase. Public bus still become the option for the residents irrespective the income background especially wh en the price of fuel has increased and their monthly salary cannot cover all the expenses. Problem of Traffic Congestion Based on the data provided by the statistic department in a survey of Sabah household in 2009, more than 50% of the residents in Kota Kinabalu go to work by personal automobile while the rest use the public bus or other modes. The increasing number of private vehicles on roads has caused congestion and pollution. The growing community concerns about traffic congestion, sprawl, air pollution, and sustainability, the progressive revitalization of cities and towns, and continued advances in transport technology demand for better bus transit in the new century (Levinson, 2000). In another observation done in Likas, Sepanggar and Sulaman from 15th August 2012 to 15th September 2012, it was found that there traffic congestions during peak hours. The peak hours in Kota Kinabalu during weekdays is range from 7.00 to 8.30 in the morning, and noon12.00 to 2.00pm and 4.30 to 7.00 at the evening. It was also found that, the roads in Sepanggar, Inanam and Likas area are most congested during peak hour. Currently, most of people still insist to use their car. People will only shift to public bus if the public bus system is reliable. Reliable here means available everywhere, arrive on time, cheap as well as safe and comfortable to be used. According to Lo Su Yin, the head of Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Sabah, the medium and long term solution for the problem of traffic congestion is a well planned public transport system Transport for tertiary level students Young people are regular user of public bus transportation especially at tertiary level students. The Chief Executive of Passenger Focus, Anthony Smith, quoted a research that showed almost 50 percent of bus passengers are under 29, making the bus very much a young persons product and more than 50 percent of students frequently use the bus and depend on it to go to their education or training premise (The Telegraph, 2012). As a center of education in the state of Sabah, the number of student in Kota Kinabalu is high. Most of them neither have car nor driving license to drive car. Thus, they are totally dependence on the public bus service. Furthermore, it was found that many students stayed at Sepanggar, Likas, Sembulan and city center such as students from Universiti Teknologi Mara as well as from Advanced Management and Technology Centre (PTPL), Cosmopoint College, Masterskill College, Mahsa College, Sabah Foundation College, and Polytechnics. Due to large population of students in Kota Kinabalu, public bus is important to fulfill their transport needs. For example, University students from Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah branch, always use the public bus transport (operated by Tuaran United Transport Company Sdn Bhd) to go to the centre of the city during weekends for outing purpose. DISCUSSION The findings of this paper are in line with the findings of previous research. For example, according to Madzlan and Nookfakhriah (2010), public bus transportation is important to help reduce traffic congestion, save money and time, as well as to reduce pollution. There are no commuters or train services that provide full coverage of transportation in Kota Bharu unlike Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley (Ibid). Therefore, demand for public bus service is very high in this city. In Kota Bharu and Penang, where the commuter train service is not available, the public bus is the major means for its population. The Kota Kinabalu City Hall (KKCH) Strategic Plan 2011-2015, focus more on upgrading and improving the infrastructure of the public bus transportation system. For example plans to build uniform bus stop, 45 Lay-by for bus (to be completed in 2012), upgrading the Terminal Wawasan at the centre of town (to be completed in 2012), Terminal at the North, Inanam (to be completed in 2015), Inter Terminal Link at Stadium Likas, Masjid Bandaraya and Masjid Negeri (to be accomplished in 2015), Terminal Kepayan at the South, (to be accomplished in 2015) and Park Ride facilities. In 2011, some of the project has been implemented under the Public Transportation Financial Group fund, where RM8 million spent to upgrade the Wawasan Bus Terminal and RM5 million to establish a lay-by bus and taxi in the city (Sabah Times, 2011). The public transportation central plan also include the plan to develop water taxi, monorail system, rail system (Kota Kinabalu Structure Plan 2030). The plan to build the Park and Ride facilities, the upgrading terminals, adding more bus stations, establishment of LRT and Monorail system as well as plan to develop water taxi service indicated the intention of the government to provide better public transportation in the city. The government has done several improvements on bus but these efforts are not commensurate with the importance of public bus to the general public in Kota Kinabalu. In other word, the government has not done enough to improve the bus system service. Transportation system in this city will not work effectively and efficiently if the public bus system is not significantly improved. That is, the public buses need to be continuously maintained, clean, safe and comfortable to be used as well as punctual and always available. For the time being, public bus plays impo rtant role as the main public transportation in Kota Kinabalu. However, poor performance and a lack of proper management of bus are existing problems that yet to be solved. It is more preferable if the government finds solutions to the existing problems. The bus system should be improved first before developing new alternative modes of transportation. In the NKRA, there is also no clear and specific statement regarding the budget allocated to improve public bus transportation in the urban areas such as Kota Kinabalu apart from Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. It is because no matter how modern mode of transportation that is planned to be established, public bus still have a place in urban and sub-urban areas. Due to its importance, public bus deserves to get more attention from all levels of government. It deserves to have specific budget allocation not only from the local government but from the federal and state governmenst as well. Based on the findings, several issues regarding bus transportation need to be addressed. Bus is important at the present and likely to be so in the foreseeable future. However, the findings of this study support previous study findings that certain issues need to be addressed for better bus service performance. For example, performance of public bus under private companies operation. It was found that, public transportation is poor when it was operated by the private company (Nicosia, 2001). According to Imran (2009), one of the failures of public transport policies is overstating the role of the private sector in public transport. In Kota Kinabalu, public buses are operated by private companies and there are complaints about the lack of comfort, maintenance, punctuality and safety. On the other hand, the bus system in Kuala Lumpur is mainly operated by RapidKL which is owned by the government. In Malacca, the state government takes over the operation of public bus transportation from the private authorities. Public transportation service will continue to be inefficient under the hand of private companies and the problems associated with it will be unresolved if there no aggressive intervention from the government sides. For example, in 1992, the large scale bus privatization without adequate regulation and coordination had created many problems in Delhi such as lengthy, zig-zag routes, long waiting times, completely unrel iable service, extreme overcrowding, illegal drivers, and speeding and reckless driving, competitions among buses, poor bus maintenance, lack of safety, noisy, and highly polluting which, add to the already severe congestion, safety, and air pollution problems (Putcher et al., 2004). Another issue that needs to be addressed is the increasing number of private vehicles on the roads. Public bus can be part of the solutions. However, it will never replace the dominant use of private car if no aggressive effort to improve the public bus system is made. For example, according to OToole (2011), buses will probably never replace the auto ­mobile as the dominant form of transporta ­tion in the United States of America unless with the use of the new-model buses which is significantly less expensive than driv ­ing. Only when the bus system in Kota Kinabalu City is restructured, people start continuously to shift from the use of private cars. Thus, the reasons of public bus transportations importance should be learned together with these issues so that actual situation for public bus transportation in this city would be able to be identified. CONCLUSION Public bus transportation is important in the past as well as the present time and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future due to the demand from the low income earners, tertiary level students, the public bus system wide destination coverage, concern for the increasing price of car fuel as well as traffic congestion problem. This research is only part of larger research where only the importance of the public bus system is discussed. Based on data collected so far, there is enough evidence to suggest the importance and the continuous importance of public bus transportation system.

Continuities and Chnages of Labor Systems in Africa Essay

Many attempts have been made around the world at reforming current legal systems in search of a better one. As the amount of crime rises worldwide, people are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to fight it, and prevent it. Three such attempts involving attempts to change legal systems have been discussed the last half of this course. The change from the system put in place when a country was under colonization, as in Kilamanjaro, and Papa New Guinea. An attempt to revert to the historically cultural ways of dealing with conflict, as in China and India. In addition, an attempt by the more modern industrialized societies to become more attuned to the people with whom they are trying to help, as in Japan, and Santa Anna. By studying these examples and implementing one of them, almost any kind of stagnant legal system can attempt to change for the better. Many countries were colonized throughout the history of the world, by more dominant countries. These colonizing countries often only wanted the newly acquired country for the land, resources, or the labor they could offer. Often these colonizers brought into the new country their style of government and law, neglecting the native people. Many times, this new system caused many of the problems in the colonized country. Two examples of a country being colonized and the subsequent changes that occurred once the colonizers left are in Kilamanjaro and in Papa New Guinea. Kilamanjaro was colonized first by the Germans in the mid 1880’s, and then by the British during WWI, and finally gained independence in 1961 (Tanzania). Each country brought with it their own system of government and law, and attempted to impose these on the people of Kilamanjaro. To the native people, land is extremely important, and often the cause of many conflicts. There are two different types of farmland on the mountain, a high one and a low one, and coffee is the dominant cash crop. Since there isn’t enough prime farming land for everybody, a system of patriarchal lineage developed where the male would give his existing compound to his oldest son, and move somewhere else inviting his youngest so to live with him, and have the farm upon his death. If there was a middle son, he was forced to operate independently. As the population continues to grow rapidly, inevitably, stress has begun to compound this system; there just isn’t enough land for all the people. This led to many conflicts arising over who actually owns land, since it was essential to the survival of the people. Historically the chief was the most important people in Kilamanjaro, as he is responsible for several districts over an area. Chiefs controlled the long distance profitable trade, received half of the cattle fro the wars, could at any time call on his people to help do anything such as build a fence, and sometimes even received an extra child from his people to use as another worker. These chiefs were often fair people, they believed in not squeezing the poor but taxing the rich. They wanted to help the poor, and create a mutuality situation between them and the rich. When it came to conflict resolution chiefs were able to settle disputes, but often didn’t, as many people tried to keep the dispute with in their own family or lineage. They went to the elders instead and sought their advice. A case would go to the chiefs only if deemed necessary by the elders. Under the German period of occupation, this system was altered. They insisted on recognizing the customary law and ruling through the chiefs. However they didn’t really let the chiefs have any power. The Germans took over the long distance trade, wiped out warfare, and stripped from the chiefs their whole base of their power. The chiefs whole basis of power under this system was the fact the Germans recognized them as powerful. Things changed however under the British system. The British saw themselves as more advanced, and thus wanted to civilize the Africans, and help them to create a better system. What they created was a system of duality, where they used traditional law for minor infractions, and British law for the serious crimes. This again takes the power out of the traditional cultural ways of solving disputes, and places it in the colonizers. The Germans took over economically, and the British, while still taking over economically they changed the whole cultural system as well. The British sought to understand the true customary laws of the Africans, and to write them down as a means of reference for settling disputes, a practice which for centuries was never done, yet the locals always managed to solve disputes. They implemented a system of modern British laws, including imposing a statute of limitations on cases. This contradicted with the customary way the Africans dealt with things in the law. The British also wanted to systemize the law, emphasize the rule of the law, and impose their own decisions on local problems. The British also formed a duel court system, one for whites and another for Africans, as an attempt at allowing the locals to retain some form of their historical past. Overall, the British system was naive and morally based, not the way the Africans traditionally operated. Their system, of viewing everything as static and unchanging was too radical for the indigenous people to comprehend. Their whole existence has been based on the cultural laws of their people, and the implementation of those laws as elders, or chiefs saw fit. The local laws were multidimensional and could be seen in different context by the natives at different times, with the British wanting to write everything down and operate from this system of written law, the system changed and the ability of the customary law to change with the times change to. Another example of a colonizing situation was in New Guinea, where it was recently colonized by Europeans. As was the case with the Africans, New Guinea was a farming community, and thus, viewed land as an important commodity. They have a traditional system of â€Å"Big Man† government, no chiefs just several big men who represent the power and authority in the area. They emphasized self-help, and negotiation in their resolving conflicts, but also used the threat of fighting, and the actual fights themselves as a means of resolution. New Guinea differs from Africa in that the Europeans attempted to be less intrusive into their way of life. They patrolled the areas where the people lived, erasing the system of contacts that had been developed among the people. They tried not to be heavy handed but at the same time ruined the connections made between the people that was essential for their resolving disputes. Warfare was looked down upon, and thus the traditional way of resolving disputes was radically erased from the land. Even though the Europeans were trying to be fair and let the traditional system work, they didn’t understand it. They didn’t realize that these conflicts and connections were crucial to the traditional system and was needed for it to be able to operate. These two examples show the problems that colonizers have with trying to impose modernization on a society as remote and backwards as these. They have existed for centuries by their own terms, why should they change now. Legal systems change for reasons other than a dominating colonizing power forcing them to. In China for example, there has long been a history of mediation as a means of settling disputes. This history of mediation was based on the Confucianism, an ideology that emphasizes harmony and respect for one another, along with a hierarchy in all the cosmos, meaning that it emphasized people respecting and getting along with one another, even when settling disputes. It also emphasized that certain people were indeed higher in stature than others were. Mediation under this system placed a strong emphasis on the ritual, and ceremony of settling disputes. Each party in the process has a particular role, and each party is expected to perform in that role. This concept was based on the Li, or the philosophical principle that called for respect and social form. This type of mediation allowed people to save face, and not to publicly admit to wrongdoing. Once the conflict was settled, the issues surrounding the original debate were never discussed again and the party’s left happy with the sense of community restored. This traditional system worked well to preserve the community of the in the traditional sense of the Chinese culture. When communism came into power this system of mediation was preserved, however, slightly altered. It became known as â€Å"comrades court,† which involved many people with anyone having the ability to mediate. This was a very tight association between social mediation and political ideology. It was an extreme form of exclusive mediation, as Greenhouse would have categorized it. It consisted of the political ideology being very influential, and no longer just trying to deal with the interests of the parties involved. Its goal was to educate the population in the beliefs of the government, and resolve the conflicts as quickly and efficiently as possible. Like the old system the face to face part of the process was still in use, however, one didn’t know who would end up getting involved in the mediation process, and often the people feared that the government would get involved and punish them severely, possibly even by death. For this reason many people were afraid of the system and opted not to use it as readily as they had the traditional. With the opening up of China to outside influences, the system has lightly changed as well, although it is nowhere near, where it was before communism. It is still used as the first means of resolving conflicts, however, the vast majority of these cases are being dealt with on the localized level, causing many to feel more at ease with the situation. These local mediation communities are still under heavy control of the communist party, as the â€Å"judges† are often placed there by the party itself. Disputes since the rise of communism have been classified into two categories, those involving ordinary citizens, and those involving crimes against the state. It is where the crime is directed against the state that the process of mediation is pretty much thrown out and the accused is severely punished, prompting the fear of the public. Within both systems, mediation plays a major role, as does the bias against the use of law as a means of resolving disputes. This has led to the widespread acceptance of the mediation system under communist regime even though it differs from the traditional form of mediation. A major difference between the two systems is the way they each look at the conflict itself. In the traditional early period, conflict was seen as unavoidable, and they worked to ensure there wouldn’t be future conflicts. In the communist period, they tend to see conflict as important and productive and don’t attempt to appease all the parties involved in a dispute upon settling it. The major difference however, as it is in most other aspects of Chinese life, is the involvement of the state. In traditional times the state was never involved, maybe occasionally, nowadays the state plays a major role, often squashing any of the traditional characteristics of the system. The state wants its influence to be recognized, its voice to be heard, where as in the past it used to be the voice of the people that was most important, and led to the resolutions lasting and everyone being satisfied by them. The process now, while it may be inexpensive and not involving the courts, is very intrusive into peoples lives, and imposes political values on the people who bring their cases to mediation. Is it better then the traditional sense? I don’t know if it is or not, it is very similar, but much like the rest of China the government sought more control in the everyday affairs of the people, and that is what is happening. A similar situation occurred in India, where there existed a complex system of conflict resolution, but upon the government wanting to modernize the country, most was thrown out. India is also another country that has been colonized, and draws a lot of its government from the British. However, once colonization ended for them, the newly free government had to decide whether or not to revert to the traditional practices of the Jati, or attempt to bring Indian law into the 21st century. Many of the hierarchy of society at the time India was granted freedom were legal professionals from the British days. They wanted to implement a British style of legal system, mainly for their own material gains, as they would be the ones who would be called on as lawyers, and judges. Many people within India opposed this system, seeing it as the culture of the oppressor. They sought to eradicate this system from their country completely. However, as the years of colonization passed the British system gradually became fused with features of the local tradition, especially the local courts system. It became less of an oppressive system and more of a working one. Today the British system has become domesticated to the Indian ways of doing things and a hybrid system has developed. It no longer seems so alien to so many Indians. This example is similar to the Chinese example as the governments of each country are trying to deal with change. In China when the communists took over they only wanted to slightly alter the existing system of mediation, while in India when the British left, the new government only wanted to slightly change the existing system. In both cases, little change was made, only enough to take into consideration the new ideologies of the new government. There is however, a strong backlash against the British system in terms of how it deals with marriage law, but I am choosing not to discuss this issue because it is abstract from the points that I am trying to make. Legal systems also change as they are deemed to be unresponsive, and to out of touch, a is the case in many of the industrialized societies of today. Two examples exist of how changes in the way police are conducting their trade has led to improvements within the society, Japan, and Santa Ana California. The Japanese have made their police much more visible, and eadily available to the public, when compared to the typical American city. This has led to them being much more accepted by the Japanese public than the American police are by our public. They have, for a long time now, abandoned the motorized form of policing in a car, and have instead opted for foot patrols. This brings the actual officer out onto the street, and gets him more involved in the affairs of the people, enabling him to be better capable of stopping trouble before it starts. The whole emphasis on the way the Japanese police has been placed in their continuing efforts to integrate with the community. A system of Kuban’s has been developed as a place in the community where a small number of officers are stationed. There are several Koban through out Japan, as they are the basis for the policing process. These Koban have various connections with various community groups and organization, further placing the public behind the police. Similarly, in Santa Anna California, a new system has been adopted to better integrate the police force with the people they are trying to serve. During the racially tensed 1960’s the police department in the city became very out of touch with the needs of the people in Santa Anna. Police officers began to see themselves as the only form of law, and began to enact their own brand of justice. Public opinion of the department went down, as did the relationship between the department and the public. The city therefore hired a new chief whom implemented several new community oriented policies all aimed at trying to restore the trust of the public. He divided the city into four grids’ and flooded each with police officers, in an attempt to make the police more accessible to the public, and their concerns. He also hired several new citizens to act as officers, without the official tag of being police officers. They handled many of the mundane tasks of police work, which freed up more officers to be out in the public, exposing themselves, and attempting to prevent crime. Due to the large foreign speaking population, he also hired several citizens who could speak the languages of the people, thus making the department more accessible to those who previously have been closed out due to language barriers. Buildings were set up as a neighborhood control center for the police, but also lent it to many community functions. These buildings, which were very similar to the Koban in Japan, were an attempt to invite the public in and welcome them into the police world. As in Japan, the public was welcomed in and encouraged to make complaints, give information about possible criminal activity, or just sit down and get to know the officers. All of this was done in an attempt to win over the public, and make them feel more comfortable with the police department. It is very similar to the way the Japanese system is set up in that they both work from the grassroots level, using the human resources approach rather than an authoritative system, and the strong desire to integrate with the community, and make them feel more comfortable with the police. As I have demonstrated, changes have taken place in legal systems around the world, some for the better and some not. However, they all end up, in one way or another to reflect the belief that traditional methods are best. Without any inclusion of traditional methods law itself wouldn’t be able to be applied to masses of people.

Coach Inc. Essay

Recommendations and Justification First, Lew Frankfort should continue to make new, high quality handbags that will impress customers. This will help Coach to continue to grow and prosper. New designs will help attract more customers to buy Coach products. The company can only benefit with new and unique products in the market. If Lew Frankfort can continue to do this Coach can be a leader in the market, which will help the company grow. Second, brand awareness should be increased. It can be increased through social media and e-commerce sites. This will help Coach be well known around the world. The more people know about the company and it’s products the more customers it will attract. Third, Coach should protect its products against counterfeiting. Coach can do this by making sure that no patterns or fabrics are stolen so that they can be made into fakes that look similar to the authentic products. It should also pursue knockoff sellers in Asia. Knockoffs can attract customers to the shops that sell them, wh ich will decrease the customers that shop at actual Coach shops. Fourth, Coach should continue to expand its market globally. It should increase its factory stores to help with the market. In the case it says that factory stores should be no closer than 50 miles from full price stores. This is important because it is a marketing strategy. All of this will continue to expand Coach. Finally, Coach should continue pursuing its plans to expand in Asia. Japan is an important market for luxury goods and China is suppose to become the world’s largest market for luxury goods. Coach needs to build a presence in important locations where competitors have yet to expand to. Dominant Economic Features (PESTEL) Total luxury market is $220 billion with an expected growth rate of about 7 to 8 percent annually through 2015 to get to $350 billion. Most of the growth will come from China and India, which are some of the countries that seem to be emerging. In the case, Coach’s specific target market is identified as being $24-$28 billion. Furthermore, the luxury handbag, leather goods and accessories market is at about $120 billion. It can be noted that the luxury brands are mainly targeted to wealthy customers who want a well-known luxury brand. This luxury brand market continues to prosper since many wealthy people want the status and value of owning these  luxury products. It can also be noted that the luxury market is worldwide. The United States owns 30 percent of the market and Europe also owns 30 percent of the market. Additionally, all of these luxury goods companies use unique strategies to try and create high differentiation. These differentiating factors can include all of the following: styling, reputation, quality, image, and customer service. The case also shows that there is a growing desire for luxury goods by middle class consumers. This could be since most middle class families want to reward themselves with some form of luxury goods. Most of the luxury goods manufacturers in the case were vertically integrated into the function of retail stores. Other designers were made under the supervision of the designer while products by Coach were made by low-cost contract manufacturers. Five Forces Model There is a strong rivalry amongst competitors in the market. Interfirm rivalry is the strongest competitive force in this market. These competitors try to make their products of the finest material and newest styles to compete with one another. Buyers have little leverage in negotiating with manufacturers of luxury goods. Consumers do not have the ability to negotiate the price of luxury goods when in retail stores. According to the case Coach Inc. and several other luxury goods makers continued to maintain the same price each year. The consumers and retailer buyers are weak competitive forces in the market. The bargaining power and leverage of suppliers is also a weak competitive force. There is a competition from substitutes in the market. For instance, there are many substitutes for luxury goods in almost every product category. Several consumers who do not want a luxury good will purchase a substitute product because it is most likely at a much lower cost. There is not a really a threat of a new entry. This can be considered a weak competitive force since it is quite difficult for a new luxury brand to enter the market. The majority of current luxury brands have strong reputations that were built years ago. Because of this they have a strong sense of loyalty from their customers. In summary, there is a small chance of their being a threat of a new entry to take over the market. Buyers and suppliers have almost no leverage when negotiating with sellers, and the rivalry in the industry  excludes price competition. Most consumers are brand loyal and want the actual luxury product, which shows that substitutes will not hurt the market much. Driving Forces As stated before Coach is looking to globalize by expanding in emerging markets in Asia. Coach will continue to expand through social media and e-commerce sites. There is a high preference for differentiated products. The more differentiated the better. Coach also wants to expand its market into Europe. Currently Coach is not very well known in Europe so it could drastically help the company with sales if they can get a growing market in Europe. Market Position of Rivals Coach’s rivals are not leaders of the market as Coach is; however, they do still compete. For example, Coach is not as popular as some of the other competitors in Europe. Each rival has some unique aspect that continues to drag in customers. This could be the fabric, design, or quality of the product being sold. Not only that, but other rivals can be in a less competitive environment in certain countries which can give that industry the upper hand. Key Success Factors for Future Competitive Success To continue to succeed Coach needs to be innovative with all future products. This tends to attract more customers to the market. Coach needs to keep up with rivals to see what is selling that they do not have. This will help Coach compete against its rivals. Industry Outlook Coach as an industry is doing extremely well in the market. It is currently the leader of the market because of its effective marketing strategies. Competitive forces are growing stronger since they have some markets in continents that Coach is not as popular in yet. Furthermore, some of the competitor’s branch out to male customers more that Coach does. The industry does have a sufficient competitive strength to defend against unattractive industry factors. The industry has a few problems here and there, but there is nothing severe. The industry still has plenty of room for growth. Coach can expand into Europe and into the men’s market to grow even larger. How Well the Company’s Present Strategy is Working Coach is currently targeting the lower part of the luxury products (the cheaper part). This market provides the opportunity for more customers than more expensive markets. Coach targets the top 20 percent of Americans by household income unlike other markets who target the top 5 percent. Coach has a multi-tiered retail strategy that has full-price retail sores, department stores, and factory outlets. Coach’s flagship stores carry all of the high priced products. Core stores have the widely demanded products. Having a discount factory outlet store allows Coach to maintain a year-round full price policy in its full price retail stores. Overall Coach has established a great competitive advantage. It’s profit growth performance and its high volume of sales has shown the effectiveness of Coach’s strategy. SWOT Analysis Coach has contracts that guarantee the company access to the highest quality leathers. Coach has negotiated offshore production contracts that helped deliver high product quality and low manufacturing costs. Coach has also leveraged existing brand names by adding various accessory lines. Additionally, Coach has built a multi-tiered retailing approach. They have also cultivated a strong brand awareness around the world. These are all of Coach’s strengths at the current time. Some of Coach’s weaknesses include: a small European presence. Coach is not very well known in Europe as it is in the United States and other parts of the world. Coach has a very small role in the men’s market. Some of Coach’s market opportunities are developing retail locations in Europe since it currently is not well known there. If Coach can do this it can open up a whole new market to increase its sales. Coach needs to develop new product lines that are geared towards men. Coach nee ds to expand into Asia in countries such as China, Japan, and India to help the growth of the company. Some external threats are as follows: weakened brand image and restricted sales outlook. Company’s Strength/Weakness compared to other Rivals One of Coach’s strengths is the industry’s strong customer loyalty. Coach has customers who will pay a lot of money for one of its deluxe products and  it has customers who have been fans of Coach product’s for a long time. One of Coach’s weaknesses compared to other rivals is the fact that it has very little European presence. Some of its rivals have a strong presence in Europe, but this is not the case with Coach. Not only that, but Coach has a very small portion in the men’s market. Some of Coach’s rivals have a strong presence in the men’s market. Furthermore, Coach’s penetration in ancillary markets is small when compared to some of its rivals. These are all of Coach’s strengths and weaknesses compared to other rivals.