Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Similarities Between Macbeth And Genesis 3 - 891 Words

Macbeth vs. Genesis 3 Most people would never even consider Shakespearian plays resembling stories from the Bible, but this may actually be the case with Macbeth and chapter three of the Book of Genesis. Macbeth is a story of greed, sin, and betrayal, which are concepts extremely similar to those from the story of ‘Original Sin.’ Chapter three of Genesis tells of the tale of Adam and Eve and their betrayal of God, otherwise known as the story of ‘Original Sin.’ Adam and Eve’s story is the basis of all sin, and all fables that include wrongdoings. One obvious similarity between the two tales are the antagonists. The serpent is the antagonist in Genesis, as he coerces Eve into betraying God, and her husband. To convince Eve to commit†¦show more content†¦Through her actions, Eve brought about their destruction. Similar to Eve, Lady Macbeth, after learning of the prophecies, decided to take matters into her own hands to ensure that Macbeth would become king; â€Å" Hie thee hither,/ That I may pour my spirits in thine ear/ And chastise with the valor of my tongue/ All that impedes thee from the golden round,† (Macbeth, Act I, Scene V, Lines 28-31). Lady Macbeth compelled her husband into killing the, then, current king, King Duncan, so he would be able to take his place. Macbeth followed his wife’s advice, as he was letting his greed for power overrule his morals, which eventually led to his and his wife’s demise. These characters each led their spouse astray and brought consequences on themselves and on their husbands. All of the events in these stories led to the inevitable doom of the characters. In other words, the characters’ actions ricocheted back and impacted their lives negatively. These impacts, in both stories, affect the characters’ daily lives monumentally. In Genesis, Adam and Eve, after eating from the tree of life, became aware of their nakedness, â€Å"Then the eyes of both of them were opene d, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves,† (Genesis 3:7). After making their own clothes, the coupleShow MoreRelatedProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesISBN-13: 978-0-471-75167-0 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-471-75167-7 (pbk.) 1. Project management-Case studies. I. Title. Printed in the United States of America Contents Preface xi 1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES 1 Lakes Automotive 3 Fems Healthcare, Inc. Clark Faucet Company 2 5 7 11 IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT Kombs Engineering 13 Williams Machine Tool Company 15 Wynn Computer Equipment (WCE) 17 The Reluctant Workers 20 Hyten Corporation 22 Macon, Inc. 35 Continental

Walmart as Food Processing Industry for IT - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theWalmart as Food Processing Industry for IT. Answer: Depicting the Criteria used for Constructing the Portfolio: ANZ BHP RIO WBC WES CSL WPL HVN JBH COH Return 0.05% 0.01% 0.06% 0.05% 0.06% 0.07% 0.00% 0.05% 0.08% 0.06% Variance 0.0002 0.0003 0.0004 0.0002 0.0002 0.0002 0.0003 0.0004 0.0004 0.0003 Beta 1.1886 1.3763 1.4534 1.2171 0.7970 0.5339 0.9908 1.0721 0.7783 0.6856 Table 1: Depicting return, variance and beta of ten stocks (Source: As created by the author) P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 Return 0.05% 0.03% 0.04% 0.04% 0.04% 0.05% 0.04% 0.04% 0.05% 0.05% Variance 0.0002 0.0002 0.0002 0.0002 0.0002 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 Beta 1.1886 1.2825 1.3395 1.3089 1.2065 1.0944 1.0796 1.0787 1.0453 1.0093 Table 2: Depicting return, variance and beta of ten portfolios (Source: As created by the author) Portfolio construction is one of the essential parts of investing, which helps in generating higher income from reduced risk.Without adequate evaluation and research, portfolio construction might increase risk and reduce the overall return (Alexeev, Dungey and Yao 2016). The major criteria that needs to be followed while constructing the portfolio is mainly depicted as follows. Beta of Stock: The calculation of Beta is many essential to identify the overall volatility and risk associated with investment in a particular stock. The derivation of beta mainly helps in identifying significance of returns, which will be provided from investment. The beta could increase overall risk and raise the chance of loss, which might reduce investment capital. From the evaluation of table 1, companies like WES, CSL, WPL, JBH and COH could be included in the portfolio to increase the overall return and reduce any kind of risk from investment. This measure mainly helps in allowing stocks, which could contribute less risk and deliver higher return from investment. The overall portfolios constructed in table 2 mainly depict their beta, which could be evaluated to identifying viability of its returns. Bodie (2013) mentioned that without using beta portfolio managers are not able to select identify adequate stocks that would reduce risk during volatile capital market. Historical Return of the Stock: The second significant criteria that need to be evaluated before comprising or computing the portfolio is derivation of the historical data provided from a stock. The derivation of Historical reforms many helps in identifying the average benefit that is provided by a stock. The derivation of average velocity helps in identifying the minimum return that might be provided from an investment in stock. Moreover, portfolios only keep the stocks, which have higher returns from investment and discards stocks with low returns. The overall portfolio selection conducted in table 2 is derived from the return that is obtained by each stock in table 1. This mainly helps in identifying the stock that could contribute the highest return to the portfolio. Cressy, Malipiero and Munari (2014) argued that stocks with high returns also have high risk, which in turnraises the chance of loss that might incur by an investor. Correlation with other Stocks in the Portfolio: The third measure that needs to be evaluated before accommodating a stock in the portfolio is correlation coefficient. The identification of correlation between be selected stock and the other stock in the portfolio is essential, as it helps in reducing any risk that might incur from investment. The portfolio creation also needs to be conducted based on correlation, and needs to include negative correlated stocks, which could reduce the negative impact from volatile capital market.No relation between stocks returns could be identified, which might reduce return from investment and hamper investment capital. Moreover, the correlation between stocks are not conducted effectively any portfolio which is why it does not provide adequate returns from investment.Guidi and Ugur (2014) argued that without the correlation factor, investors mainly increase their overall risk from investment, which could in turn hamper investment capital. Stocks Weights in a Portfolio: The last criteria that need to be evaluated by investors before comprising a Portfolio is the weights of each stocks, which will be include in the portfolio. After the effective valuation of beta and historical returns, investors mainly need to identify the ideal weight, which will be used during investments. Portfolio used in table 2 is divided on equal basis, which mainly increases the chance of wrong portfolio construction. Therefore, it is essential for investors to create adequate investment weights, which could help in generating higher return from investment and reduce the total risk of the portfolio (Meucci, Deguest and Santangelo 2013). Depicting the Limitations of the Portfolio Construction to Achieve Portfolio Objective: There are certain limitation of the portfolio, which is been created in table 2. The portfolio is mainly created based on selection and not on minimum portfolio variance. In addition, the weights of stocks are equal, which does not help in maximising the returns and reducing risk from investment. The portfolio constructed in the above table mainly portrays a higher risk and low return from investment, which could hamper investment capital. In addition, the portfolio is also not created on equal weights, which increases the risk contribution of the stocks. Moreover, portfolio does not have any kind of this diversification method, which the limitation and reduces any kind risk that might be provided from investment (Najeeb, Bacha and Masih 2015). The risk from portfolio could only be reduced by effective using minimum portfolio variance method, which helps in identifying the returns that provide the least risk from investment. Depicting Recommendations from Findings: From the overall evaluation of the calculation, use of adequate minimum variance portfolio is adequate as it helps in reducing the risk from investment and increasing a chance of continued return.Therefore, adequate weight must be used in creating the portfolio, as it might help in reducing the overall risk from volatile capital market (Taylor 2016). Thus, creation of portfolio consisting of more than one stock is adequate, which could help in increasing the return on investment and diversify the risk from portfolio. Reference and Bibliography: Alexeev, V., Dungey, M. and Yao, W., 2016. Continuous and Jump Betas: Implications for Portfolio Diversification.Econometrics,4(2), p.27. Bodie, Z., 2013.Investments. McGraw-Hill. Brire, M., Oosterlinck, K. and Szafarz, A., 2013. Virtual currency, tangible return: Portfolio diversification with Bitcoins. Cressy, R., Malipiero, A. and Munari, F., 2014. Does VC fund diversification pay off? An empirical investigation of the effects of VC portfolio diversification on fund performance.International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal,10(1), pp.139-163. GAUDECKER, H. and VON, M., 2015. How does household portfolio diversification vary with financial literacy and financial advice?.The Journal of Finance,70(2), pp.489-507. Guidi, F. and Ugur, M., 2014. An analysis of South-Eastern European stock markets: Evidence on cointegration and portfolio diversification benefits.Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money,30, pp.119-136. Lyandres, E., Marchica, M.T., Michaely, R. and Mura, R., 2015. Owners' Portfolio Diversification and Firm Investment: Evidence from Private and Public Firms. Meucci, A., Deguest, R. and Santangelo, A., 2013. Measuring portfolio diversification based on optimized uncorrelated factors.EDHEC-Risk Institute Publication (January). Najeeb, S.F., Bacha, O. and Masih, M., 2015. Does heterogeneity in investment horizons affect portfolio diversification? Some insights using M-GARCH-DCC and wavelet correlation analysis.Emerging Markets Finance and Trade,51(1), pp.188-208. Taylor, L., 2016. Portfolio Diversification Benefits of Insurance-Linked Securities. InCFA Institute Conference Proceedings Quarterly(Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 1-9). CFA Institute. Vecco, M., Chang, S. and Di Benedetto, G., 2015.Art as an investment: Return, risk and portfolio diversification in Chinese contemporary art. Working paper. Yang, Y., Narayanan, V.K. and De Carolis, D.M., 2014. The relationship between portfolio diversification and firm value: The evidence from corporate venture capital activity.Strategic Management Journal,35(13), pp.1993-2011.

Monday, April 20, 2020

Supply and Demand of automobiles Essay Example For Students

Supply and Demand of automobiles Essay 1. Analyze the fast food industry from the point of view of perfect competition. Include the concepts of elasticity, utility, costs, and market structure to explain the prices charged by fast food retailers. Firms within the fast food industry fall under the market structure of perfect competition. Market structure is a classification system for the key traits of a market. The characteristics of perfect competition include: large number of buyers and sellers, easy entry to and exit from the market, homogeneous products, and the firm is the price taker. Many fast food franchises fit all or most of these characteristics. Competition within the industry as well as market supply and demand conditions set the price of products sold. For example, when Wendys introduced its $.99 value menu, several other companies implemented the same type of changes to their menu. The demand for items on Wendys value menu was so high because they were offering the same products as always, but at a discounted price. We will write a custom essay on Supply and Demand of automobiles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This change in market demand basically forced Wendys competition to lower prices of items on their menu, in order to maintain their share of the market. The previous example illustrates the elasticity of the fast food industry. Supply and demand set the equilibrium price for goods offered by franchises within the industry. Competitors of Wendys must accept the prices established by the consumer demand for the value menu. If consumers didnt respond so positively to Wendys changes, other firms wouldnt have had to adjust prices. On the flip side of this concept, there is no need for franchises to further reduce prices below the current levels. At the current prices, firms may sell as much product as they want, thereby maximizing profits. This industry has a very high utility value. Utility is a measure of satisfaction or pleasure that is obtained from consuming a good or service. If consumers feel as if they get a good meal, at a good price, then theyre satisfied. This customer satisfaction coupled with relatively low prices keeps the industry profitable. Another quality of perfect competition that may be overlooked, but is vital to this industry is the ease of entry into the market. Start-up franchises within this market structure can begin operating with relatively low initial investments (compared to other industries). This is not the case where monopolies are concerned. There are numerous barriers to entry into monopolistic market structures, capital being one of the most prominent barriers. If a new franchise an offer the consumer a quality product at a reduced price, then the chances of success are greatly increased. For example, Chanellos and Little Caesars offer discounted pizza prices, and maintain the same quality as other pizza chains. These companies spend less on advertising and more on the actual product. Thats a very important concept in this industry, because their quality product at this discounted price gives them a niche in the market. Once a company establishes a niche, they become more visible to the consumer, thereby creating more demand, which leads to greater revenue. 2. Analyze sports franchises from the point of view of a monopoly. Sports franchises fall within the market structure of monopolies. Most professional sports teams fit most or all of the characteristics of a monopoly. For each sport, there are a limited number of teams and new entries into the league are few and far between. Also, there are many barriers to entry into the market, including large initial capital investment, dominance by one or few firms, and other legal issues that must be considered. An investor would initially need cash for payroll of players, payroll for management, advertising, playing facility, and many other miscellaneous costs. The new franchise owner would need to be very wealthy and have the backing of other wealthy individuals just to purchase the franchise. Once a franchise eventually enters the market, they have the ability to set the prices for that particular market. Monopolies are price makers and the products offered are not sensitive to changes in the market. .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .postImageUrl , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:hover , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:visited , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:active { border:0!important; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:active , .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ufd591ab30d824ac01bc556065943286e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Royal Mail's implementation of change management The demand curve of a monopoly is not elastic, as is such in a perfectly competitive market. The monopolistic demand curve is the same as the .

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Air Raid Over Harlem essays

Air Raid Over Harlem essays Protests of 1935: An Analysis of Air Raid Over Harlem When the Italian forces invaded the nation of Ethiopia in 1935 it disturbed many African Americans throughout the United States. This incident caused many blacks to protest in the streets of Harlem, New York. In Langston Hughes poem, Air Raid over Harlem (1935), he uses the literary devices of colloquial language, capitalization, and rhyme to illustrate the feelings, thoughts, and actions of many Americans during the time of these rebellious acts. Hughes uses a great deal of colloquial language throughout the poem to show how Americans felt during this time period. The narrator, a black man, shares many of his feelings with the reader during the poem. He has many conversations with a white man about the different aspects of the protests and of the different things that take place. For example, the narrator tells the white man of how his people have been quiet and peaceful too long and if they have to use physical force to get their point across then they will. The white man replies, Youre just making up/ A fake funny picture aint you? Not real, not real? (58-60). The white man thinks he jokes around and makes up some magical fairy tale that doesnt make any sense. The white mans reply demonstrates the common viewpoint white people felt during the early stages of the protesting. His choice of words and the way he uses them shows that education levels for white Americans werent that high during this time period. Hughes uses a good example of colloquial language when the narrator tells the white man about the horrible things that happen to his people during the protest. He mentions police hitting people with billy-clubs and splitting their heads open making them bleed. He also talks about how the police send bullets throughout the streets of Harlem and leave the wounded and dead laying helplessly. In an angry voice th...

Friday, February 28, 2020

Gender inequalities in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender inequalities in the Middle East - Essay Example On addressing the impact of poverty and microfinance on gender/power relations and women’s empowerment,this study engraves itself into broader discourses and debates on gendered inequalities in the Middle East.Introducing the context that Saudi Arabia is an undisguised,self-evident patriarchal state,this study aims at investigating the positive and negative implications on female clients. By studying the microfinance initiatives and examining the underlying principles of Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), the positive and negative implication on female clients are analyzed, particularly in terms of its effects on their decision-making and bargaining power in the household. This case study on microfinance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia aspires to unfold an important and lacking dimension to the current debates surrounding gender and development in developing countries. Keywords: Microfinance, Saudi Arabia, Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), gender relations, women’s economic/social empowerment, bargaining power, decision-making and household. Introduction Microfinance institutions vary in terms of their goals, agenda’s and assumptions. There have been continual debates on whether microfinance can be considered as a savior to poverty-stricken women from oppression and gendered inequalities or whether having access to micro-financial resources can empower women economically. There are studies which argue that microcredit helps to empower women thus promoting gender-equality and improving household well-being while microfinance ‘does not directly challenge any official views that subjugate women’ (Aminul et al., 2011). Women are treated as second-class citizens and are chiefly oppressed by the laws and constraints imposed on them through patriarchal states such as Sharee’a law in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are also the traditions and customs that give rise to inequalities and gendered division of roles that are produced and reinforced from ‘relationships that are intrinsically gendered’ within the household (Khateeb, 2011). This study being the vanguard of research on gender and development through microfinance, it felt natural that the appropriate start should be from the grass root’s level, the household. Gender-related rigidity in the intra-household is the core institution where the microfinance women clients spend most of their time. This study primarily deals with investigating the impact of microfinance on gender relations in the household. Professor M. Khateeb (Khateeb, 2011) in her lecture about gender, household and domestic domain points out that there is an explicit focus on the household because ‘it is the site of the earliest socialisation processes and gender identity formation. Secondly, it is central to the analysis of the organisation of production and reproduction in different societies. The gender division of roles, responsibilities and resources within the household play an important role in shaping what men and women are able to do beyond the household. And finally a great deal of policy, both economic and social, is premised on assumptions about how gender relations are organised within households’. This study ultimately aims at assisting and enabling the policy makers of BRJ Microfinance programme to create policies that prioritise the impact of microfinance on gender relations in intra-household. On having a wider examination of BRJ’s assumptions, rationale and process coupled with gender power relations within household, policy makers would be able to arrive at a more accurate representation of the graving issue of unemployment and would also travel at a more effective outcome. Aims 1. How does microfinance impact gender relations in Saudi Arabia? 2. Effects of micro-financial resources in Saudi Arabia on women empowerment both in household and in society?1 3. How do micro-financial resources effect on the well-being of the famili es in Saudi Arabia in terms of survival, security, financial self-reliance and autonomy on various levels (Kabeer, 1994:304)? Objectives This

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Article Review(Mirror Molecules) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article Review(Mirror Molecules) - Essay Example L from its name L-amino acids is actually a derivative of ‘laevus’ which means left in Latin while D in D-amino acids is from ‘dexter’ which means right in Latin (Everts, par.5). This substance had only been of significant regard in bacteria. The D-amino acid is considered to be the mirror image of L-amino acid and their mismatch made scientists conclude it was an irrelevant component until recently. There are two theories explaining the prevalence of left-hand amino acids over their right-handed counterparts. The first is based on the argument that it was simply providence that the chemical entities that developed first utilized L-amino acids instead of D-amino acids. Robert Hazen, a geophysicist and an origins-of-life authority from George Mason University, suggests that they were â€Å"grandfathered in† and, thus, initiated the partiality (ibid). ... This indicates the catapulting of left-handed amino acids as the prevailing variation simply by derivation and the consequent years of adherence to this belief. The significant challenging of this rule started in the 1990s when it was found that right-handed amino acids actually play a vital role in the human brain as transmitters. Then by 2002, the discovery of platypus poison with right-handed amino acids was discovered by Philip Kuchel. The year of 2009 was also a pivotal point in the new discovery as â€Å"researchers at Harvard and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute reported that several D-amino acids performed new and unexpected functions in bacterial cell walls† (ibid, par.7). Furthermore, D-amino acids have seen imperative advances in understanding their role in human beings. To illustrate, D-aspartate is an important component in the development of the brain while D-serine combines with L-amino acid glutamate to produce synaptic plasticity which is an element of deve loping memories. The level of right-handed amino acids also has a correlation in certain disorders as researchers have found out. Too little D-serine can be attributed to schizophrenia whereas too much of it can be threatening with a stroke for patients. As a result, studies have been conducted by pharmaceutical companies to address these issues in the hope of developing new cures for these ailments. An important factor in these studies is the benchmark proposition that the body through the brain cells does not actually build D-serine out of nothing, but it creates an enzyme that turns the L-amino acid into the kind of D-amino acid that it needs. Another important use of D-amino acids that

Friday, January 31, 2020

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Example for Free

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Each store in the Somerfields chain uses a computer to keep track of transactions (purchases) throughout the day. The system uses real time processing so that at any time the manager of the store can check exactly how much stock there is in the shop. For example, when someone purchases something the item is passed over a bar code scanner, which records the items code number. This item is then immediately deducted from the stock held in a database. If real time processing was not used then the manager would not know how much stock he had in until the end of the day. Of course not all stock is sold. Sometimes items are damaged, or wasted (eg. they go past their sell date). In these cases the stock still needs to be deducted from the database but needs to be classified as waste so that a purchase is not recorded. Staff use a portable electronic wand to scan the bar codes of these items. The wand uses radio waves to send its data to the main computer. They also use these wands to do manual stock takes (this is used to verify that the stock held in the computer database is correct). Every night the stores main computer connects to the Somerfield main frame computer. The main frame is a very powerful computer which connects to every computer in each of the Somerfield supermarkets. This computer will check the stock in each store and then automatically order new stock if it is needed. It will also change prices of stock, update the store on special offers and what to do to promote the offers etc. Somerfield also use an Intranet to keep its staff informed about promotions, special deals, changes to policy etc. The supermarket chain uses EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) so that customers can use credit and debit cards. The store prefers this method of payment to cash because there is less need for security, and also most people today shop only with cards and dont use cash. The biggest problem with using all of these systems is user error e.g. not scanning all items on a stock take, forgetting to record wastage etc. Another difficulty is how to monitor short life materials or complex materials like meat (remember meat is cut before it is sold and is not always sold at the same weight). Loyalty card Some large shops such as supermarkets have introduced loyalty cards. Tesco was the first to start the ball rolling in 1995 with its Tesco Clubcard. Customers apply for a card giving their name, address, e-mail and various other personal details. In return, they are issued with a Loyalty card that resembles a credit card in size and appearance. The loyalty card contains the customer membership number. The card is swiped when the customer buys something and details of their purchases are stored on the computer system. The customer is usually rewarded with discounts or vouchers, typically 1p for every à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.00 spent. On first glance, this would only seem to benefit the customer as the entire scheme is free of charge. However, supermarkets also benefit in other ways. The loyalty card allows the supermarket to build up a very accurate picture of the owners purchasing habits. Say for example, a new gardening magazine has come on to the market and the store wants to let potential customers know about it. The loyalty card database can be used to identify customers who regularly buy other gardening magazines. A mailing list is generated and hopefully the new magazine finds many new customers. Another way the card can be used is to understand where customers come from in the local area, because the database contains names and addresses. If there appears to be a gap in the locality, then it helps work out if it is worth building a new store to cover that area. So you can see the supermarket also benefits from running the scheme. The use of ICT in supermarkets has brought about many benefits for the company. Some of them are listed below: There is much less chance of human error when performing calculations and handling money. Everything takes place much more quickly and efficiently. The price of an item can be altered at any time simply by entering the new price against its barcode on the computer database. There is no need to price goods individually so some staffing costs are reduced. Less paperwork needs to be stored and information can be retrieved more easily. Better stock control means that the manager knows which products are selling well and those that are doing poorly. The computer system will automatically re-order new stock just in time to prevent the shop selling out. This means that fresher goods are always on display and reduces the amount of money tied up in stock. On the right you can see a photograph of the stores computer system. Note the use of two mini computers for back up. If one fails the other automatically takes over. On the bottom left you can see the back-up power supplies for use in the event of a power failure. The cabinet to the right houses a modem, connecting the store s computer to the head office computer via telephone lines. The centre units are bar code label printers.