Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The detection of liver (hepatic carcinoma) image protocol using Research Proposal

The detection of liver (hepatic carcinoma) image protocol using 64-MDCT. The effect of contrast injection technique, patient size and low dose parameters on the image quality - Research Proposal Example The use of CT in detection of the liver has been there for several years. Parameters that control radiation calculation are many. For example, the default solutions, and iteration parameters, are used in most problems. The process of detection using the 64-MDCT requires patients that have lesions that are surgically proven. These patients then will have to undergo through the triple phase 64-MDCT process. The patients will be observed independently. Later, a thorough evaluation of MR and CT imaging process is required. This is done on a lesion-by-lesion point. According to Hayat (2009), the reproductively, negative and positive values and sensitivity are then evaluated. The diagnostic accuracy of the method is assessed against the alternative free response characteristics analysis. The main objective of the project is to develop a simple methodology. This is where users can establish exposure factors that can be practical to patients. This includes the patients with different body weights. The method is used instead of, relying on the current approach of using default values based upon standard sized patient. They developed a simple mAs prediction equation to optimize radiation dose for all patient weight categories. The results showed that patient weight can be a good predictor of required dose. In addition, an agreement can be reached, at a certain noise level, to be acceptable. Moreover, the value could be increased for larger patients. The radiation dose reduction requires the lowering of kV or mA settings, Schoenberg (2007). This will, however, increase the noise when all other settings are kept constant. The mA settings are adjusted continuously until the best results are achieved. The reduction of tube voltage is done. This is a strategy of reducing the dose as the image quality is improved. The attenuation of calcium and iodine levels is increased at lower kV.

Monday, October 28, 2019

John Forbes Nash Jr Essay Example for Free

John Forbes Nash Jr Essay John Forbes Nash Jr. (born June 13, 1928) is a mathematician who worked in game theory and differential geometry. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize for economics with two other game theorists, Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. After a promising start to his mathematical career, Nash began to suffer from schizophrenia around his 30th year, an illness from which he has only recovered some 25 years later. John Nash was born in Bluefield, West Virginia as son of John Nash Sr. and Virginia Martin. His father was an electrotechnician; his mother a language teacher. As a young boy he spent much time reading books and experimenting in his room, which he had converted into a laboratory. From June 1945-June 1948 Nash studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, intending to become a technical engineer like his father. Instead, he developed a deep love for mathematics and a lifelong interest in subjects such as number theory, Diophantine equations, quantum mechanics and relativity theory. He loved solving problems. At Carnegie he became interested in the negotiation problem, which John von Neumann had left unsolved in his book The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior (1928). He participated in the game theory group there. From Pittsburgh he went to Princeton University where he worked on his equilibrium theory. He received a Ph. D. in 1950 with the dissertation Non-cooperative games. The thesis contained the definition and properties of what would later be called the Nash equilibrium; 44 years later, it would earn him the Nobel prize. His studies on this subject led to three articles, the first entitled Equilibrium Points in N-person Games, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) (1950), and the others in Econometrica about The Bargaining Problem (April 1950) and Two-person Cooperative Games (January 1953). The only official economic lessons he followed were a series about international trade. In the summer of 1950 he worked at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, where he returned for shorter periods in 1952 and 1954. From 1950-1951 he taught calculus courses at Princeton, studied and managed to stay out of military service. During this time, he proved the Nash embedding theorem, an important result in differential geometry about manifolds. In 1951-1952 he became science assistant at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At MIT, he met Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Larde, a math student from El Salvador, whom he married in February 1957. Their son, John Charles Martin (b. May 20, 1959), remained nameless for a year because Alicia, having just committed Nash to a mental hospital, felt that he should have a say in what to name the baby. As was his parents, John became a mathematician, but, like his father, he was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic. Nash had another son, John David (b. June 19, 1953), by Eleanor Stier, but refused to have anything to do with them. An admitted bisexual, he carried on intimate relationships with men during this period. Although she divorced him in 1963, Alicia took him back in 1970. But, according to Sylvia Nasars biography of Nash, Alicia referred to him as her boarder, and they lived like two distantly related individuals under one roof until he won the Nobel Prize in 1994, then they renewed their relationship. They remarried on June 1, 2001. In 1958 John Nash began to show the first signs of his mental illness. He became paranoid and was admitted into the McLean Hospital, April-May 1959, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. After a problematic stay in Paris and Geneva, Nash returned to Princeton in 1960. He remained in and out of mental hospitals until 1970, and held a research position at Brandeis University from 1965-1967. Illustrative is the 30-year publication gap between 1966 and 1996 of any scientific work. In 1978 he was awarded the John Von Neumann Theory Prize for his invention of non-cooperative equilibriums, now called Nash equilibria. Nashs mental health improved very slowly. His interest in mathematical problems gradually returned, and with it the ability to think logically. He also became interested in computer programming. The 1990s brought a return of his genius, though it lived in a still feeble mind. In 1994 he received the Nobel Prize in Economics as a result of his game theory work at Princeton as a graduate student. He is still hoping to score substantial scientific results. Between 1945 and 1996 John Nash published a total of 23 scientific studies, plus an autobiographical essay, Les Prix Nobel (1994) [1] (http://www. nobel. se/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio. html), first published in Sweden. A film titled A Beautiful Mind, released in December 2001 and directed by Ron Howard, dramatically portrayed some events of Nashs life. It is (loosely) based on the biography of the same title, written by Sylvia Nasar (1999) and received four Oscars in 2002. A deleted scene from A Beautiful Mind reveals that Nash (re)invented the board game known as Hex or (at Princeton) Nash or John, as it was often played on hexagonal bathroom floor tiles. A Beautiful Mind has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of John Nashs life and schizophrenia. The PBS documentary A Brilliant Madness attempts to portray his life more accurately.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Drugs and Decay :: essays papers

Drugs and Decay Drugs and decay; Iran; Iran's losing fight against drugs. (International)(Brief Article) Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Economist Newspaper Ltd. TABOO subjects, Muhammad Khatami has insisted, should be talked about. Before he was elected president in 1997, most Iranians were unaware of their high level of drug addiction. But now, thanks to press reports and unexpectedly lively debate, everyone knows that the country has about 2m opium and heroin addicts, and that the effects are tugging at the social fabric. The discussion has spurred efforts to stop the flow of Afghanistan's opium, morphine and heroin into Iran, and thence to Turkey and Western Europe. The security forces have stationed 30,000 men on the long border, and fortified lengths of it with trenches and concrete barriers. During a violent period at the end of last year, this border force, which has lost 3,000 men in two decades of fighting the smugglers, was ambushing well-armed gangs almost daily. Their efforts have brought some eye-catching successes. Iran claims 85% of world-wide opium seizures last year, and 45% of morphine and heroin seizures. In February the police raided "Cannibal Island", a squalid corner of Tehran and its biggest drugs supermarket. They arrested about 500 people, before bulldozers razed the area. "It's difficult to see what more they can do," said an admiring Keith Hellawell, the head of Britain's anti-drugs campaign, when he visited Iran earlier this year. "It's a war." To give itself a better chance, Iran has modified its foreign policy. Rather than persist with its refusal to talk to the Taliban, Iran is now helping the Afghan government to transform its poppy fields into prairies of wheat. The UN says that the Taliban may have cut poppy cultivation by 70%. Indeed, in the past three months, the price in Tehran of a mesqal of opium, the five-gram unit of choice, has soared from $2.50 to $9. But talk of victory is premature. However courageous and efficient they are, Iran's border forces and police probably intercept no more than 30% of the drugs that enter the country. Junkies and aid workers alike suspect that the rise in opium prices has less to do with crop substitution and record hauls than it has to do with stockpiling. Moreover, the price of heroin, which is more addictive and more lethal than opium, has stayed absurdly cheap: one (highly adulterated) hit in Tehran costs 50 cents.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Return: Midnight Chapter 26

â€Å"Now you know how it's done?†Elena asked Meredith. â€Å"You put the key in the keyhole and say where you want to go. Then open the door and go through. That's it.† â€Å"You three go first,†Stefan added. â€Å"And quick.† â€Å"I'l turn the key,†Meredith told Matt. â€Å"You take care of Mrs. Flowers.† Just then Elena thought of something that she didn't want to say aloud, only to Stefan. But she and he were physical y so close, she knew he would pick it up. Saber! she thought to Stefan. We can't leave him to these malach! We won't, she heard Stefan's voice in her head say. I showed him the way to Matt's house, and told him to go there and take Talon and protect the people who will be coming. At the same time Matt was saying, â€Å"Oh, my God! Saber! He saved my life – I can't just leave him.† â€Å"Already taken care of,†Stefan reassured him and Elena patted him on the back. â€Å"He'l be at your house in a little while, and if you go somewhere else he'l track you.† Elena turned her pats into gentle pushes. â€Å"Be good!† â€Å"Matt Honeycutt's bedroom in Fel ‘s Church,†Meredith said, thrusting the key at the door handle, and opening the door. She and Mrs. Flowers and Matt al stepped forward. The door shut. Stefan turned to Elena. â€Å"I'm going first,†he said flatly. â€Å"But I'm holding on to you. I'm not going to let you go.† â€Å"Never let me go, never let me go,†Elena whispered in an imitation of Misao's â€Å"Have nightmares.†Then she had a thought. â€Å"Slave bracelets!† â€Å"What?†Stefan said. Then, â€Å"Oh, I remember, you told me. But what are they supposed to look like?† â€Å"Like any two bracelets, matching if possible.†Elena was scrambling around the back of the room, where furniture was piled up, opening drawers, closing them. â€Å"Come on, bracelets! Come on! This house is supposed to have everything!† â€Å"What about these things you wear in your hair?†Stefan asked. Elena looked back and he tossed her a bag of soft cotton ponytail holders. â€Å"You're a genius! They won't even hurt my wrists. And here are two white ones so they'l match!†Elena said happily. They arranged themselves in front of the door, with Stefan to Elena's left so he could see what was out there before they stepped in. He also had a firm grip on Elena's left arm. â€Å"Wherever our friend Bonnie McCul ough is,†Stefan said, and thrust the key into the lockless door handle, turning it. Then, after giving Elena the key, he gingerly opened the door. Elena wasn't sure what she was expecting. A blaze of light maybe, as they traveled through dimensions. Some kind of spiraling tunnel, or shooting stars. At least a feeling of motion. What she got was steam. It soaked through her T-shirt and dampened her hair. And then she got noise. â€Å"Elena! Eleeeeeeeeeeeeeeena! You're here! â€Å" Elena recognized the voice but couldn't locate the screamer in the steam. Then she saw an immense bathtub made of tiles of malachite, and a frightened-looking girl tending a charcoal fire at the bath's foot, while two other young attendants holding scrubbing brushes and pumice stones cowered against the other wal . And in the bath was Bonnie! It was obvious that the tub was very deep, because Bonnie wasn't able to touch bottom in the middle but she was half-leaping out of the water like a foam-covered dolphin over and over to attract attention. â€Å"There you are,†gasped Elena. She dropped to her knees on a thick, soft blue rug. Bonnie made a spectacular leap and just for a moment Elena could feel a smal soapy, sudsy body in her arms. Then Bonnie went down again and came up laughing. â€Å"And is that Stefan? It's Stefan! Stefan, hello! Helloooo! â€Å" Stefan glanced back, as if trying to assess the suds situation. He seemed satisfied with it, turned slightly, and waved. â€Å"Hey, Bonnie?†he asked, voice muffled by the sounds of continual splashing. â€Å"Where are we?† â€Å"It's Lady Ulma's house! You're safe – you're al safe!†She turned a smal hopeful face to Elena. â€Å"Where's Meredith?† Elena shook her head, thinking of al the things about Meredith that Bonnie didn't know yet. Well, she decided, this wasn't the time to mention them. â€Å"She had to stay behind, to protect Fel ‘s Church.† â€Å"Oh,†Bonnie looked down, troubled. â€Å"Stillbad, is it?† â€Å"You wouldn't believe it. Real y; it's – indescribable. That's where Matt and Mrs. Flowers and Meredith are. I'm sorry.† â€Å"No, I'm just so glad to see you! Oh my God, but you're hurt.†She was looking at the smal tooth wounds on Elena's arm, and the blood on her torn T-shirt. â€Å"I'l get out and – hey, no, you get in! There's plenty of room; plenty of hot water, and†¦ plenty of clothes! Lady Ulma even designed some for us, for ‘when we came back'!† Elena, smiling reassuringly at the bath girls, was already stripping as fast as she could. The tub, which was big enough for six to swim in, looked too luxurious to miss and, she reasoned, it made sense to be clean when you greeted your hostess. â€Å"Go have fun,†she shouted to Stefan. â€Å"Is Damon here?†she added in a whispered aside to Bonnie, who nodded. â€Å"Damon's here, too,†Elena caroled. â€Å"If you find Lady Ulma, tel her Elena's coming, but she's getting washed up first.†She didn't actual y dive into the pearl pink steaming water, but she got onto the second step down and let herself slide from there. Instantly, she was immersed in delicious heat that seeped straight into her body, pul ing some magic string that relaxed al her muscles at once. Perfumes suffused the air. She flung her wet hair back and saw Bonnie laughing at her. â€Å"So you got out of your hole and you've been here wal owing in luxury while we've been worried sick?†Elena couldn't help but hear the way her voice went up at the end, making it a question. â€Å"No, I got picked up by some people, and – â€Å"Bonnie broke off. â€Å"Well†¦the first few days were tough, but never mind. Thank God we got to Lady Ulma's in the end. Want a bath brush? Some soap that smel s just like roses?† Elena was looking at Bonnie with slightly narrowed eyes. She knew that Bonnie would do just about anything for Damon. That included covering up for him. Delicately, al the while enjoying the brushes and unguents and many kinds of soaps laid out on a shelf for easy reach, she began an inquisition. Stefan got out of the steamy room before he was soaking wet. Bonnie was safe and Elena was happy. He found he had stepped into another room, in which were a number of couches made of some soft spongy material. For drying? Massage? Who knew? The next room he entered had gas lanterns that were turned high enough to rival electrical light. Here were three more couches – he had no idea what for – a ful -length silvered-glass mirror, and smal er mirrors in front of chairs. Obviously a place for makeup and beautifying. This last room opened onto a hal way. Stefan stepped out and hesitated, spreading delicate tendrils of Power in different directions, hoping to find Damon before Damon noticed his presence in the estate. The Master Key had proved that it could overcome the fact that he hadn't been invited here. That meant that maybe he could†¦ At that moment he got a hit, and withdrew his probe immediately, startled. He stared down the long corridor. He could actual y see Damon, pacing in the room at the end, talking to someone Stefan couldn't see behind the door. Stefan crept very quietly down the hal way, stalking. He made it to the door without his brother even noticing, and there he saw that the person Damon was talking to was a woman wearing what looked like buckskin breeches and shirt, who had weathered skin, and a general aura of being more at home outside civilization than inside it. Damon was saying, â€Å"Make sure there are enough warm clothes for the girl. She's not exactly hardy, you know – â€Å" â€Å"Then where are you taking her – and why?†Stefan asked, leaning against the doorjamb. He had the good fortune to once – just this once – take Damon unaware. His brother glanced up, and then jerked like a startled cat. It was priceless to watch Damon scrambling for a mask until he decided on the fa?ade of absent amiability. Stefan guessed that no one had ever put so much effort into walking over to a desk chair, sitting down, and forcing himself to lounge. â€Å"Well, well! Little brother! You dropped in for a visit! How†¦ nice. What a pity, though, that I'm practical y running out the door on a journey, and there's no room for you.† At this point the weather-beaten woman who had been taking notes – and who had risen when Stefan entered the room – spoke up. â€Å"Oh, no, my lord. The thurgs won't mind the extra weight of this gentleman. They probably won't notice it. If his baggage can be ready by tomorrow you can start out in the early morning just as you planned.† Damon gave her his best â€Å"shut up or die†glare. She shut up. Through clenched teeth, Damon managed to say, â€Å"This is Pelat. She's the coordinator of our little expedition. Hel o, Pelat. Good-bye, Pelat. You may go.† â€Å"As you wish, my lord.† Pelat bowed and left. â€Å"Aren't you taking this ‘my lord'thing a bit too seriously?†Stefan asked. â€Å"And what is that costume you're wearing?† â€Å"It's the uniform of the captain of the guard of Madame le Princess Jessalyn D'Aubigne,†Damon said coldly. â€Å"You got a job?† â€Å"It was a position.†Damon bared his teeth. â€Å"And it's none of your business.† â€Å"Got your canines back, too, I see.† â€Å"And that's none of your business either. But if you want me to knock you out and trample over your undead body, I'l be delighted to oblige.† Something was wrong, Stefan thought. Damon should be through the taunting phase and be actual y trampling on him by now. It only made sense if†¦ â€Å"I've already spoken to Bonnie,†he said. And so he had, to ask where he was. But to a guilty mind, apparent foreknowledge often worked wonders. And Damon hastily said exactly what Stefan hoped he wouldn't. â€Å"I can explain!† â€Å"Oh, God,†Stefan said. â€Å"If she'd just done as I told her – â€Å" â€Å"While you were off becoming a princess's captain of the guard? And she was – where?† â€Å"She was safe, at least! But, no, she had to go out into the street and then to that shop – â€Å" â€Å"Shocking! She actual y walked in the street?† Damon ground his teeth. â€Å"You don't know how it is around here – or how the slave trade works. Every day – â€Å" Stefan slammed both hands on the desk, now truly angry. â€Å"She was picked up by slavers? While you were sleazing around with a princess?† â€Å"Princess Jessalyn does not sleaze,†Damon replied icily. â€Å"Nor do I. And anyway it al turned out to be a good thing because now we know where the Seven Kitsune Treasures are.† â€Å"What treasures? And who cares about treasures when there's a town being destroyed by kitsune?† Damon opened his mouth, shut it, then looked narrowly at Stefan. â€Å"You said that you'd talked to Bonnie about al this.† â€Å"I did talk to Bonnie,†Stefan said flatly. â€Å"I said hel o.† Damon's dark eyes flared. For a moment Stefan thought he was going to snarl or start a fight. But then, through clenched teeth, he said, â€Å"It's al for the damned town, don't you see that? Those treasures include the largest star bal ever to be fil ed with Power. And that Power may be enough to save Fel ‘s Church. At least to stop its total annihilation. Maybe to even clear out every malach that exists and destroy Shinichi and Misao with a single blow. Is that noble enough for you, little brother? Is it reason enough?† â€Å"But taking Bonnie – â€Å" â€Å"You stay with her here if you like! Spend your lives here! I might mention that without her I would never have been able to set up an expedition, and that she's determined to go. Besides, we're not coming back this way. There has to be an easier route from the Gatehouse to Earth. We wouldn't survive coming back, so you'd better hope like hel that there is one.† Stefan was surprised. He had never heard his brother speak with such passion about anything that involved humans. He was about to reply, when behind him there came a scream of pure, unadulterated rage. It was frightening – and worrying, too, because Stefan would recognize that voice anywhere, anytime. It was Elena's.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Product Planning Distribution and Management (a Case Study of the Nigeria Bottling Company’s Plc, Enugu.

A Paper PRODUCT PLANNING DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT (A CASE STUDY OF THE NIGERIA BOTTLING COMPANY’S PLC, ENUGU. ABSTRACT Product planning distribution and management are very vital in the production and distribution of very manufacturing organization. Before ever a manufacturing company should come out with a good quality product, it must undergo many processes, from planning for either short range or long, fore casting doing market research and consumer survey, protesting the product and introducing the product to the market through different channels of distribution.The aim of this study is to describe how the Nigeria bottling company plc, Enugu is really involved in the process of product planning, distribution and management. This is done by gathering information from certain problems usually associated with product planning, and proposing remedial measures after revealing areas of problem. The question in the questionnaire were based on the research question s developed for this purpose while analysis were made using the chi-square (x2) test and percentage from here a discussion of the findings, recommendation and conclusion were made by the researcher.It is hoped that this will aid managers in planning, distribution and managing the their products by taking effective and efficient decisions in these important decision areas. For examples the company should recruit highly staff and give them adequate training. PREFACE This work is deemed to high light on problems involved in product distribution and management. These tasks are undertaken by management to ensure product growth and increase market share.My reason for selecting the Nigeria bottling company Plc, Enugu is due to the wide range of produce in the market needed to be evaluated against the back ground of produce planning distribution and management. For the continued existence of companies products must be produced and sold profiatably. New product must have to be introduced and told and un profitable products must have to be deleted. TABLE OF CONTENT Title page Approval page Dedication Acknowledgment Abstract Preface Table of content CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. Background of the study 2.Statement of the problem 3. Objective of the study 4. Research question 5. Scope of the study 6. Limitation and problems 7. Significance of the study 8. Definition of term CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Meaning of product 2. Product classification 3. product planning and product development 4. Decision areas in product planning 5. The function of product planning 6. New product 7. Planning for new product 8. Product attributes 9. Product positioning 10. The expanding duties of the product manager 11. Physical distribution 12. Physical distribution objective 3. Distribution channels 14. Selection channels of distribution CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY 1. Research design or methodology 2. Area of study 3. Population of the study 4. Sample size d etermination 5. Instrument for data collection 6. Validation of the instrument 7. Reliability of the instrument 8. Methods of data collection 9. Method of data analysis CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 1. Presentation and analysis of data 2. Testing of hypothesis 3. Summary of results CHAPTER FIVEDISCUSSION RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 1. Summary of finding a d discussion 2. Conclusions 3. Recommendations Bibliography Appendix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY A product has been defined by the American marketing association as any thing that can be officered to a market for attention, acquisition or consumption including physical objects, services, personalities, organization and desires. A product as defined by stanchion in fundamentals of marketing. A product is a set of tangible and intangible attributes that leads to customer satisfaction. roduct planning embraces all the activities that enables a company to determine what product t will market. Ma nagement deals with all those who have supervisory responsibility ranging from the chief executive down to the first line supervisor, in this case, management is regarded to as box, that is those who direct the work of others and their own through their own offers and efforts of others thus, product planning and management, comprises all the activities that enables a company to determine what it will market of product so as to satisfy customers wants and need respectively.This involves the process of effectively planning and regulating the operations of that part of enterprises which is responsible of that part of enterprises which is responsible for the actual transformation of materials into finished products. This includes all the activities required. In storage and distribution of the company’s goods. This addresses the questions of. a. Which type of channels a seller should select for his product. b. Which particular middlemen include in each channel type and. c. How to management distribution n system for effective performance.The company or firm should know the degree of channel control desired, by controlling the channel, the producer attempts to ensure that this product will receive the necessary sales push as well as any other essential elements needed to present the product properly and satisfy and customers. The company of firm should make necessary effort to control the quality of the product. Product quality-the quality level to be built into the product is a conscious decision to be made by the manufacture. A higher quality product normally is more costly to product than a lower quality one and so commands a higher price on the market.The quality level decision therefore should be related to the price range that will be attractive to the mainstreams of potential buyers, quality is multifaceted. It relates to, or depends on. Such factors as the quality of raw materials used the production process Itself, quality controls during production packaging or dressing of the product, price of the product, the environment in which the product is displayed for buys, the durability of the product is used and the buyers, expectation and appreciation in general, product quality tends to be high to the extent that any of the above factors is good or high as the case may be.The quality produced has be in line with demand at a particular point in time so as to fight against out of stock and over stock. The company has to be watchful at any point in time so as to know what type of product to be produced, when to produce. How to produce, whom to produce for the (target market) and cloy such a product is required. According to Charles a Scheve and Reuben M Smith. The basic goal of product management is to ensure that a product matches the wants and needs of consumers in its market.Then many markets make the mistake of thinking that consumers feel and act as they do and share their wants† invalid assumptions on the part of markete rs. Results to marketing failures previously, about one hundred years ago, there were few producers. The sellers oriented type of market was prevailing consumers out weighted the number of producers and little or no regards was paid to consumers welfares. Production concept of marketing philosophy was prevalent. What ever was produced had to be consumed. This goes to mean that the total produce concept is the entire set of benefits the products provides to the consumers.No attention was paid to product packaging, branding product quality and other important physical attributes of a product. As time went on, more and more producers come into the market. This gave rise to conception among the available producers consumption was based on good packaging brand image, product quality convenient. This is known as product concept in marketing philosophy. It is this situation that forced manufactures to spend time in product packaging, labeling, branding etc. Now due to advancement in both t echnology and communication as will as production equipment introduced into the circulation makes the market more complicated.This is the era that brought about marketing concept. Here manufactures and producers first of all is out to find really the needs and wants of consumers, then the most admirable type colour, package design, branding and labeling that all best suit the desire of the potential and actual consumers of the product. Product planners must try to match the firms resources lie what it is capable of producing with the men, money, machines and materials it ahs with the needs of consumers satisfaction and highest company profits can be achieved wit the limited resources available.Because of the sophisticated nature of today’s business, many tactics are being applied by different companies to fight back competitions and to stand firmly in the market. Many new products are constantly being introduced into the market. Innovators are seriously doing their job; old a nd profitable products are modernized while some are deleted out of the market. Companies use specific and admirable packaging design, good branding and beautiful types of labeling to distinguish their products from many in circulation. Similar products in the market. . 2STATEMENT OF PROBLEM In most business operations today the task of planning and managing a product is not an easy one. Emphasis is laid on the problems associated with product planning distribution and management in NBC PLC Enugu. The company is having problems in procuring raw materials. The reason is that. a. The Federal Government banned the importation of the base material-what? b. Local supplier do not always have enough to give the company. c. The local inputs have to be refined to bring them to the standard record by the company. d.Transporting the raw materials is a problem since the company does not have enough f town trucks. e. The raw materials are usually bulky. The company is also having problems in pro duct planning and development. The reason being that the company exists in an economy strangled by hyperinflation and insecurity. Consumers are now being very careful on what to spend for or consumer. Another problems that the company encounters is that of increased competitions from companies like 7 up bottling PLC. The company’s competitors are having a high quality of product often not much different from the NBC.Even where NBC gain in terms of quality and diversification, other gain by more liquid content, as 7 up against sprite and cheaper prices. In the area of distribution and product management, the company has insufficient number of trucks and experiences bottle breakages and pilfrages. 1. 3OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY This study is purely on product planning, distribution and management. It aims at describing how NBC PLC is really involved in these task. To do this the study is armed with information gathered from extensive literature review as a base.The main and primary objectives of this study is to define certain problems usually associated with product planning distribution and management in NBC PLC which require a proposal of remedial measure after reveal areas of the problems. The study will investigate on the areas of the company’s procurement of raw materials use. How the company plans for its products. How this product is developed. How the management and workers take decision, what channel of distribution is used, and how are the products managed from production to consumption.It is also important to mention that this research work is very vital in partial fulfillment of the award of ordinary national diploma (OND) in the polytechnic IMT Enugu state. 1. 4RESEARCH QUESTIONS For the purpose of this study the following research question have been proposed by the researcher. 1. Do you have problems in procuring raw materials used by your company. 2. Do you plan for your product before production. 3. Do you encounter certain problems in planning and managing your products. 4. Do you normally meet up with demand during peak period. 5.How do distribution cope with the distribution system of your company. 6. Do your products meet a real need of consumers or do they complain of poor quality. 1. 5SCOPE OFD THE STUDY This study covers the Nigerian Bottling company PLC Enugu the producer of i. Coca-cola ii. Sprite iii. Fantat (Quinine and Orange) iv. Krest v. Tonic water vi. Chapman vii. Club soda The researcher basing my write up-on coca-cola which is the first product of the company when it state production in 1963. For NBC PLC, Enugu this study is structured to consider product planning distribution and management only. . 6LIMITATION AND PROBLEMS Initially the scope of this study was designed to cover all the plants in the Eastern region including Makurdi) of Nigerian but due to time and finance constraints, only the Enuygu plants was studies, this plant however covers most of the old Eastern region, minus Aba and Por t-Harcourt. Makurdi is considered a part of Enugu. In carrying out this product work, the researcher faced some problems which ranged from financial constraints, time constraints, to the problems of data collection.The researcher faced some financial problems in carrying out this research arising from frequent traveling to all depots for data collection with the unsteady high transportation cost. There is also high cost of writing sheets and high secretarial charges in the typing and binding of the research work. Another major constraint is that of time factor. This is imminent as the researcher was exposed to two strongly opposing alternative choices to chose from. That is choice between attending lectures and that of traveling to depots for data collection in which the opinions have to be met within weeks posses as an.Data collection also posses as an obstacle in the task accomplishment in that the data so sought were not readily available and the researcher had to make repeated v isits on several occasions before obtaining th required data. In the face of all these problems the researcher forged ahead by overcoming these problems and making the researcher work successful. 1. 7SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This write up is likely to be beneficial to three parties particularly. The student (Writer). The subject matter (Nigerian Bottling company PLC Enugu) and the Institute of management and technology (IMT) and probably the country in general.It is beneficial to the write in the sense that it gives him opportunity to review personally almost all that it exposed the writer to a very wide area f business most especially during the cross of research and widened his knowledge. Also with the opportunity provided by the research study, the writer having obtained facts from research carried out will be privileged to express higher opinion based on personal judgment on the subject matter (Nigeria Bottling Company PLC Enugu) when the suggestions and recommendations provide d by this study are implemented this is it fault will reality the weaknesses identified during the course of study.Also the exposure and awareness which this project will create about (Nigerian Bottling Company PLC Enugu) could help in attracting different categories of individuals and groups to come and invest in (Nigeria n Bottling Company PLC Enugu as required by the Authority. Finally, since it is generally believed that examination alone does provides the true test of one’s ability or knowledge the polytechnic could use this project work to measure the performance and seriousness of the student or writer. 1. 8DEFINITION OF TERMBecause of the misconception of product and the mis-positioning of products there is need to explain some production know how which few has been explained above. ORGANIZATION OF BRANDING Organizing of the product branding is a variable product attribute. Branding considered as one aspect of product policy. It seemed also to be a phase of promotiona l policy since it is an and to communication. Brand policy issue center ground the question of whether to brand in the first place and their whether to use individual product brand of a family or blanket brand.The same brand far all the product in the line in there exist a problems of whether to sell price brands. PRODUCT POSITIONING Management ability to position a product appropriately in the market is a major determinant of company profit. According to William Stanton. A product position in the image that product prefects is relations to competitive products by the company in question William Stanton goes on saying that the more to product positioning is an attempt by business. PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTIONThis is the part of marketing that addresses how product are moved and stored. A physical distribution channel include intermediates often not considered to e part marketing channel, such as transportation companies public were house and insurance companies that participates and the mo vement and a towage of products. These agent who do not take thrift to actually own the goods they handle are referred functions is to facilities the movement of goods. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1MEANING OF PRODUCTThe attempt to undertake a study of product planning is beneficial by booking into the books of many intelligent personnel who had done some of work on this topic the following re the views of these learner human beings. A product has been defined by the American Marketing association as anything than can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition or consumption, including physical objects services, personalities, organization and desires† `Product is something that is viewed as being capable of satisfying a need or want.A product is any thing than can be offered to a market for attention acquisition used of consumption that input satisfy a need. It includes physical objects, services, persons, places organization and ideas. It may also be a set of tang ible and intangible manufacturing prestige and manufacturers accept as offering wants satisfaction product as defined by Stanton in fundamentals of marketing â€Å"A product is a set of tangible attributes that leads to customer satisfaction†. Product according to Nonyelu G.Nwokoye markets buyers and it is of central importance in the marketing effects â€Å"A product may be defined as a bundle of physical and psychological satisfactions that a buyer receivers from a purchase. It includes not only the tangible object but also such supportive elements as packaging convenience of purchase, post-sale services and others that buyers value†. According to pride/feared: A product is everything (both favourable and unfavourable) that on receives in an exchange. It is a complex of tangible and intangible attributes including functional, social and psychological utilities or benefits.A product can be idea, a services, a good or any combination of the three. 2. 2PRODUCT CLASSIFIC ATION â€Å"One result of taking this broad view of product is that there are literally millions of products to be marketed. A new products are identified developed, discovered, invented or born every day. While each of this product demand a unique marketing mix† We have two broad types of product: 1. The consumer product and 2. Industrial product. Consumer s products:In this type of products, not all consumers product are the same. Rather they can be subdivided on the basis of how people buy them.Since the purpose of marketing is to satisfy wants and needs. It is only logical to classify products on the basis of consumer behaviour. Thus consumer product can be divided into four subgroups. 1. Convenience products. 2. Slopping products 3. Specially product and 4. Unsought products. Industrial products:This type of product is make up of goods or services used in the production of other products. Industrial goods encompass suppliers, accessories, services and even plant and equi pment. This many raw materials and subassemblies that go into a finished can are all industrial products.They are market to automobile manufacturers, not to ultimate consumers. Buyers of industrial products are different frame the buyers of consumer products. In terms of this write up, I do not have to go into detail of industrial products. My concern is on consumer product. TYPES OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS 1. CONVENIENCE PRODUCTS-Are items that consumers want to buy with the least possible shopping effort. Their selection is characterized by routing buying behaviour. Through these product are bought often, consumers do not seek information about them. Examples are milk, eggs, cigarettes, chewing gum, chariots.There are three types of convenience products. a. Staples b. Impulse items and c. Emergency goods A. STAPLES- Items are convenience products for which consumers usually do some planning. Food items are good examples. For instance though consumers don’t seek such information a bout milk, they do buy it often and they plan to buy it when preparing to go to grocery stock banking is an example of service that is staples with staple items, the brand or trademark can be very important in buyers minds. And buyers want staples items to be located conveniently. B.IMPULSE ITEMS-Are not purchased because of planning, but because of strongly it immediate needs. Thus distribution is an important factor in marketing impulse products. If they are not located conveniently exchange will not take place. That is why items like novelties, and expensive pans are placed near the cash register in many stores. C. EMERGENCY PRODUCTS-Are items that are needed to solve an immediate crisis time and place utilities are the major ingredients of satisfaction, price and quality are less important, although the product obviously has to be of sufficient quality to meet to meet the emergency. . SHOPPING PRODUCTS-In shopping product, consumer visits several stores to compare price and qual ity before buying. Even before going into the store to buy or examine such products, consumer may study magazines like consumer reports or ask friends for their opinions about certain products or study, advertisement. In order words, before buying shopping products consumer seek information that will allow them to compare two or more brands or substitute products. Shopping products can thus be divided into two: a. Homogeneous product and b. Heterogeneous product. 3.SPECIALTY PRODUCTS-Are items for which there are no acceptable substitutes in the consumers mind. Consumers are ready to s each long and hand until they find them. 4. UNSOUGHT PRODUCTS-Are items that consumers do not readily realize they want or need. They are those products which the consumers do not readily realize they want or need. 2. 3PRODUCT PLANNING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT According to Stanton- â€Å"product planning embraces all activities that enable a company to determine what product it will market. Product de velopment encompasses the technical activities of product research, engineering and design.More specifically the combined scope of product planning and product development includes making decisions in the areas named below. 2. 4DESIGN AREAS IN PRODUCT PLANNING 1`. Which product should the firm make? 2. Should the company market more or fewer products? 3. What new uses are there for each product. 4. What brand, package and label should be used for each product? 5. How should the product be styled and designed and in what sizes, colours and materials should it be produced. 6. In what quantities should each item be product. 7.How should the product be priced. According to Grolier in modern business (marketing) â€Å"The evolution of scientific product planning in business, designed to reduce the risk of failure and to avoid the enormous waste that failures cause, has led to the formalizing of the various activities involved in product planning. 2. 5THE FUNCTION OF PRODUCT PLANNING Can be summarized in general in the following ten points. a. Evaluation of the idea-Does the product belong in our line? Is the time right for it now? Does this seem like a good idea for us to make this item? . Evaluation of the potential market:Does the consumer want or need this product. Is the market big enough to w arrant our investing the necessary time, manpower and money to make it what influences consumer buying of this type of product? c. Evaluating the product:Is the new idea sufficiently different and superior to existing products competitive product gives the consumer substantially more for his money? d. Evaluating company resources:Is our company set up to make this new product? What additional equipment of manpower will we need to make and market it?Can we make and sell it economically against the price the consumer is willing to pay? How long will it take our company with its present or potential resources to recoup investment and start making a profit from its operation . Approximately where is the break-even point? (The point at which marginal revenue equals margarita cost, at this point there is not profit or loss). e. Preparing customer specifications-If preliminary evaluation is favorable just what is it that the consumer would like in a product of this kind what could the consumer not like?What assurance do we have that a product meeting those specifications will find a ready market? What should our new product be like? What should it do to meet customer specifications? f. Developing the product-Armed with this information, which marketing research has developed for us, we can turn to the engineering or laboratory department for the, development of a [product which meets those specifications as nearly as possible. g. Pre-testing the product-The sample model product, as designed and enveloped by engineering has to be tested in the market against competition.If there is nothing like it on the market now. It must be tested against consumer apathy or resistance. Generally at this stage some modification are indicated as consumer lasted change, or as our model fails to meet customer specifications. h. Producing the product:Once was have tested the model and have confirmed customer desire to buy. We can return it to engineering for last minute modifications and then turn it over to manufacturing for production for the market. Careful sales, advertising and promotion department to prepare their programmes for proper market coverage and market introduction. . Marketing the product-If all necessary planning and programming have been accomplished, marketing the product should begin as son as production has turned out enough unit to meet the initial plan. It is important that dealers and distribution as well as the company’s own sales force, shall have full knowledge before hand. j. Control and evaluation-After new product has been introduced into the market, it has to be controlled and continuously evaluated. Does it meet a real need? Is there sufficient repeat business to keep it in the line?Does it carry its own weight (Volume of sales, volume of profit addition to company prestige etc) 2. 6NEW PRODUCT What is a â€Å"New† product? Must an inter be totally new in concept before we can class it as a new product? Each marketing category may requires quite different marketing programme to ensure a reasonable probability of market success. Three recognizable categories of new products are as following. 1. Products that are really innovative-Truly unique. Example would be a hair-restorer or a cancer cure-products for which there is a real need but for which no existing substitutes are considered satisfactory.In this category we can also include products but satisfy the same needs. Thus television to a great extent replaced radio and movies. 2. Replacement for existing products that are significantly different from he existing foods. Instant coffee replaced ground coffee and coffee bean in many mar kets, then freeze dried inkstand replaced instant coffee. Annual model changes in autos and new fashions in clothing belongs to this category. 3. Initiative product that are new to a particular company but not new to the market. The company simple wants to capture pant of an existing market with a mention product.Perhaps the key criterion as to whether a given product is new is how the intended market perceive it. If buyers perceive that a given item is significantly different (from competitive goods being replaced) in some characteristic appearance, performance) then it is a new product. 3. 7PLANNING FOR NEW PRODUCTS It is now clear that modern business takes the matter of new product very seriously. The well known management consultant, Peter Druck, refers to it as the management in innovation. Basically, business consider that new product pose three major challenges to management . a.The uncertainty of new-product results the rate of failure, even with better organizations, is gr eat until recently eighty to night present of all new products failed. In some companies now, the rate of failure is down as low as 25 percent. But in industry as a while, a new product has no more than a 50-50 chance of success. b. Shortage of the technically-Trained technically trained personnel, capable of taking change of new product development are scare. As new product multiply, the burden on the technically trained grows. Further more, as technology progresses, the technological proficiency of the individual has to increase.This is often a slow process of conation and experience gained on the job and it cannot be developed over night. c. Difficulty of organizing and controlling the new-product development process. We have seen how companies are all empting to meet the problems of organizing and controlling the new product development process. It is largely a human rather than a technical problem involving such decision as how we use the skill s available, where to place the p roduct manager, to whom he should report. And what functions will be assigned to him.Before ever emphasis, is to be laid on functions of product manager, first of all I have to emphasis on management. Management and administration are interchangeable. Management defined broadly as getting things done through other people. This include lower strata and top management. Management deals with â€Å"All those who have supervisory responsibility ranging from the chief executive down to the first line. Supervisor in this case management is regarded to as a Box and that is those who direct the work of others and their work through their own efforts and effort of others.Management generally has three basic task. 1. To set up a general plan or strategy for the business. 2. To direct the execution of this plan 3. To evaluate , analysis, and control the plan in actual operation. Management is usually defined in term of function performed management is what management does. This means that mana gement is both the executive personnel (boss) and a body of knowledge, a practice a discipline or a process. A widely accepted listing of management functions includes. 1. Planning 2. Organizing 3. Directing 4. Coordinating and 5. Controlling 2. 8THE EXPANDING DUTIES OF THE PRODUCT MANAGERThere is a growing need of a product manager, a single individual in the product division who coordinates the developments of new products. The product manager because, in effect a product specialist who meets the special problems posed by the rapidly growing number of products, the growing importance of new product. The product manager has the responsibility of making sure that each new product has the necessary effort behind it to make it a success. He is more than a mere coordinator. Typically he is charge with the following duties and functions. a. He recommend additions to the line (base on research reports of market needs). . He forecasts sales (based on sales potentials established by resear ch). c. He supervises the preparations of sales promotion to achieve sales goals. d. He determines new product specification based on reports fromn the research department. e. He participates in the preparation sales programmes f. He assists in selling big accounts. g. He councils and advises regional and distribute sales managers. h. He participates in the preparation of advertising plans and programs. i. He prepares product-development budgets (including the budgets for marketing the product). j. He makes pricing recommendations. k.He coordinates the development of new product from idea through commercial marketing. It is important to be aware that the situation with regard to the product manager is in most cases, quite fluid and it is constantly changing. Some companies have used a production manager for years. While many others have adopted the system only recently. The position of product manager, is in neither standard nor settled. In general, there are three main types of pro duct manager set ups emerging in business. One type of product manager places the emphasis on product, another on sals service and the third on decentralization. . 9PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES. â€Å"A firm might elect to product a product based on specific attributes. But these attributes can never be catalogued. The alternatives of product form are infinite. In fact, this great range in alternatives is the reason product development is such a challenging management problem, while we can look at all of the potential features of products, we can look at all of the potential features of products, we can look at certain attributes that historically have command considerable management attention. PRODUCT DIFFERENCIATIONRegardless of the form a new product takes a company most make a decision on the degree of product differentiation to incorporate in the product, A firm seeks the maximum degree of product differentiation, since this large profits. The demand curve for such a product is more ela stic, and the firm more nearly approximates a monopoly position. But every product differentiation is subject to coping by competitors, and a firms competitive advantage is gradually erodes. The goal of product differentiation is universal, there are occasions when it is loss important as objective.In some situations, it can readily be accomplished. Further more, there is always a large segment of industry that tasks a product follower† Position seeking to duplicate the offerings of product leaders. PATENTABILITY For many firms, an essential feature of product development and product competition is the degree of which a candidate product can be protected through patents (or literary work). A tight patent which perpetuates a product is a comparative advantage. And for most firm this potential is deemed essential if they are to invest large sums in product research.But caution should be urged when it comes to relying havily on potent protection. Even the best of patents can be c ircumvented by developing new materials and processed. PRODUCT KNOW-HOW Equally as significant as palatability is production know-how in seeking competitive product advantages companies with high research and development investments, substantial capital vested in production facilities, or a skilled work-force may be able to distinguish their offerings in the market place through lower cost or product improvement. QUALITY The level of product quality requires management action.A decision on a candidate product is frequently made on the basis of the company’s ability to make the product and maintain it reputation for quality, lack of materials, inadequate labour skills or the stage of the products development may be compelling reason for concluding that the product cannot be made commensurate with past quality standards. STYLE We think of style as a distinctive artistic expression in s product. as such it is a permanent thing. This is in contrast to a fashion-a style currently popular. Thousand of styles and created.A fed in contrast to a fashion, is considered to be short-lived and les predictable as to interpolation COLOUR Problems of colour selection for product are allied in those of style selection. For they, too encompass artistic expression. Colour as a variable product feature would seem to warrant special comment, however, for it has become such a significant form of product competition in the consumer goods field. Colour consciousness has compounded production and inventory control problems but correct prediction of consumer colour preferences has again led to competitive advantage.SIZE For some products, a decision is not necessary on product size. But for most of industry size is a product variable. It may tasks the form of varying the size of the product or the amount of the product sold in particular package. Regardless of its form, varying product size calls for a careful analysis of such factors as family size rates of consumption and stor age facilities. PACKAGING Packaging is also a product attributes of considerable importance to some firms. Its advantages are quite memories.Packaging the product facilities protecting it form it from spoilage, evaporation and spilling it protects the product from changes in the weather and from damage from handling by the customer package products are also easier for both consumer and the retail dealer to handle. Consumers find correct packaging an aid to taking products home, in storing them and dispensing the contents dealers’ find that well-packaged product are easier to display, easier to handle at check-out counters and more adaptable to inventory control.A major function of packaging is to aid in product identification, both for dealer and consumer. Well displayed package products represent a principal means of communicating to consumer buyers at a critical stage in the buying process. The point of purchase, in recent years products like been soft drinks etc. has appea red in forms of multiple package. This increases the quality bought by the consumer as a product quality. BRANDING A brand name is a variable product attribute. It is part of the product and part of what consumer buys.Brand name it is seemed also to be a phase of promotional policy since it is an aid to communication. Brand policy issues center around the question of whether to use individual product brands of a family† or â€Å"blanket† brand. The same brand for all the product in the line. There exist a problem of whether to sell private brand. ADVANTAGES OF BRAND IDENTIFICATION â€Å"It enables the sellers o build a consumer following and identify a diven level of quality with a product. It facilities differentiating a product from competitions.It expedites the process of communicating to buyers not at the point of purchase nut through the medium of advertising and occasionally through the publicity. Finally, brand may enable the firm to communicate psychological as well as material values. These psychological values and developed through promotional efforts and they hinge on the connotations that can be associated with the brand name. In some firms there exist a product director often such a product director is called a brand manager.The purpose of a brand manager is to ensure adequate attention and push behind each product. â€Å"A brand manager is responsible for drawing up complete promotional (advertising) programs for him product or a single brand. 2. 10PRODUCT POSITIONING Management ability to position a product appropriately in the market is a major determinant of company profit. In according to William J. Stanton. A product position is the image that product projects is relations to competitive products and to other products marketer by the company in question.William Stanton goes on saying that the more to product positioning is an attempt by business to increase its creditability, build a reputation for reliabilities and generally satisfy a boarder market spectrum over the long run. Again E. Jerome Mc Cathy said product positioning should where proposed and/ on present brands are located in a market it requires some formal market research. 2. 11PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION Physical distribution is the part of marketing that addressed how products are moved and stored.A physical distribution channel includes intermediate often not considered to be part of marketing channel, such as transportation companies, public were houses and insurances companies that participates and the movement and a storage of products, these agents ho do not take title to (actually own) the goods they handle, are referred to as facilitators because their main function is to facilitate the movement of goods. TWO VIEW OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION Marketing mangers have different view on what physical distribution really is. Some see physical distribution only as the flow of furnished goods to he consumers, whereas others se it as including activit ies that occur earlier in the process, such as procuring and moving raw materials. A traditional marketing view of physical distributions looks at only the outward consideration and ignores the physical supply and processing or manufacturing activities. The view or typically referred to as simply distributors management. A more comprehensive term for all these physical movement and storage activities is business logistics, which involves the coordination of movements or raw materials, parts, and finished goods to achieve a give service level while minimizing total cost.The concepts contains four element and includes both physical supply and physical distribution that is both inbound and outbound activities, we shall concentrate on three important logistics problems storage, inventory control and transportation. Move recently, several development have viewed physical distribution or logistics as getting goods to buyers, as a supportive subsidiary activity. Managements, interest has n ow been awakened in the logistics problem. One alerting factors is the stand climb in the bill for physical distribution services as freight, warehousing, and inventory.Freight warehousing bills are rising as a result of increased labour, energy and equipment costs. The inventory bill is rising because buyers are tending to place smaller order more frequently, and manufacturers are tending to expand the with and depth of their product lines. According to Nonyelu G. Nwokoye, Physical distribution or logistics is concerned with the efficient movement or raw materials from supplier and finished goods from the end of the production line to the customers. Series of activities must be performed which grouped under four main categories called physical distribution activity center namely. 1. Transport 2.Inventory 3. Warehousing and 4. Communications. In the design of a physical I distribution system starting point by the producer is to set customer service standard. This has a number of dim ension of which the most important is the time it takes to get the merchandise to the customer, that is delivery time. The decision that lead to cost reduction in one activity area such as transportation, may lead to a cost increase in another area like inventory. Therefore, an appropriate strategy in logistics design, is to arrange al the required activities so as to minimize the total cost of providing a desired level of customer service.Now the physical distribution activity areas are to be taken one after the other. 1. TRANSPORT There is availability of wide range of transportation modes to move products to mark rail, highway, water, pipeline, and air, each of this is having different cost and service 9speed) characteristics. Decision must be made on the type of mode of transportation to use for each type of shipment, coordinates movement using more than one mode might be possible. In considering the activity area in transportation order processing is also inclusive. This includ e checking prices and shipping documents. . INVENTORY Inventory is of central importance in physical distribution system design since actual demand (in the form or orders) is rarely exactly the same as forecast demand, inventories or goods must be established and maintained. There are other reasons for carrying inventories. a. To ensure against risks of various kind (strikes in the factory supplier failure). b. Accommodation of production runs before sales and. c. Seasonality of product and/or seasonality of demand, also need are raw material inventories to support production.Inventory carrying cost is high and procedures for proper inventory management must be installed. Over stocking leads excessive inventory carrying cost, while under stocking leads to cost sale and poor customer service. 3. WAREHOUSING Warehousing (for depots) store inventories decision must be made on number of warehouses that are required where they should be located and what products should stocked in what qu antities. Storage may be emphasized in a warehouse for a long time that is the product remaining in one place for a long time.Seasonal products of agriculture in processed from require long-term storage before sale, temporary storage and through out volume may however, be emphasized in which case the warehouse becomes a distribution center. A distribution center receives large loads of homogenous goods, which are mixed and consolidated into out bound shipment to end markets. The emphasis is on moving goods through the facility and not on storage per see material handling is the movement of goods within the plants and warehouses. In this case, suitable equipment must be available to permit economical handling of goods.Unit loads refers to the possible economic to be gained by handling products as a unit load, unit load are form a train load of coal to a master carton containing the individual product units purchased by the final buyer. proper design of unit loads minimizes handling c ost. 4. COMMUNICATION Information is vital for the effective management and control of physical distribution. , this information and related to action and performance within the areas of inventory, warehousing and unit. loading transportation, eg a good communication system should be able to make available on demand the present stock position of each item at each stock.. . 12PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION OBJECTIVE Many companies state their physical distribution objective as getting the right goods to the right places at the right time for the least cost. Unfortunately this provides little actual guidance. No physical distribution system can simultaneously maximize customer services and minimize distribution cost maximum customer service implies such policies as large inventories premium transportation and many warehouses, all of which raise distribution cost. Minimum distribution cost implies such policies as slow and ship transportation, low stock, and few warehouses.LEVEL OF SERVICE (OUT PUT) Basic output of a physical distribution system is the level of customer service. Customer services represents one of the key competitive benefits that a company can offer potential customers in order to attract their business. Philip Kotler view as regard to the level of service from the customers view point, customers service means several things. 1. The speed of filling and delivering normal orders. 2. The supplier’s willingness to meet emergency merchandise needs of the customer. 3. The care with which merchandise is delivered do that it arrives in good condition. 4.The supplier’s readiness to take back detective goods and resupply quickly. 5. The availability of installation and repair service and parts from the supplier. 6. The number of options of shipment load and carries. 7. The supplier willingness to carry inventory for the customer. 8. The service changes, that it whether the services are free or separately prices. 2. 13. DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS Modern pr oducers do not all their goods directly to the final users. There is a clink between them and the final users such as the intermediaries, which are performing variety of functions and bearing a variety of naries.Some intermediaries-such as wholesalers and retailers-buys, take title to and resell the merchandise. They are called merchant middleman. Others such as brokers manufacturers representatives and sales agents search for customers, and may negotiate on behalf of the producer but do not take title to the goods. Skill others such as transportation companies, independents warehouses, banks and advertising agencies-assist in the performance of distribution but neither take title to goods non negotiate purchases of sales. They are called facilitators.Buck lines definition of marketing channel. A channel of distribution shall be considered to comprise a set of institution, which performs all of the activities (functions) utilized to move a product and its title from production to co nsumption. 2. 14SELECTION CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION Distribution of consumer goods five channels are widely used in the marketing off consumer products. In each of the channels the manufacturers also has the alternative of using sales branches or sale office. According to William J. Stanton five channel of distribution are. 1.Producer consumer this channel is the shorter simplest channel of distribution for consumer products is from the producer id from the producer to the consumer, with no middle men involves the producer may sell from house to house or by mail. 2. Producer retailer- consumer. May large retailer buy directly from manufacturers and agricultural producers. 3. Producer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer. If there is a traditional channel for consumer goods this is it. Small retailer. And small manufacturers by the thousands find this channel the only economically feasible choice. 4.Producer-agent-retailer-consumer instead to use a manufacturers agent, a broker or some other agent middlemen to re ach the retail market, especially large scale retailers. For example, a manufacturers or a glass clearer selected a food broker to reach the grocery store market, including the large chains. 5. Producer-agent-wholesaler-retailer-consumer. To reach small retailers the producers mentioned in the proceeding paragraph often used agent middlemen, who in turn call on the wholesaler who sell to small stores. Distribution of industrial goods, four types of channels is widely used in reaching industrial users†.Again a manufacturer may use a sales branch or a sales office to reach to next institution in the channel, or two levels of wholesalers may be used in some cases see 9fig. 2. 1). 1. Producer-industrial user. This direct channel accounts for a greater dollar volume of industrial products than any other distribution, such as locomotion generators, and beating plants usually sell directly to user. Figures 2. 1 Major marketing channels Available to producers. 2. PRODUCER-Industrial distributions-users: producers of operating suppliers and small accessory equipment frequently use industrial distributors to reach their markets.Manufacturers of building materials and air: Conditioning equipment are only two example firms that make heavy use of the industrial distributor. 3. Producer-agent-user: Firms without their own marketing department find this a desirable channel,. Also a company that wants to introduce a new product or enter a new market may prefer to use agents rather than its own sales force. 4. producer-agent-industrial distribution-user:This channel is similar to the preceding one, it is used when, for some reason it is not feasible to sell through agent directly to the industrial user.The unit sale may be too small for direct selling or decentralized inventory may be needed to supply users rapidly, in which case the storage service of an industrial distributor are required. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The purpose of this cha pter is to identify and state the various method in which data are been collected. 3. 1RESEARCH DESIGN This research work was aimed at finding out the product planning, distribution and management (NBC, PLC, ENUGU DISTRIC). This end focus was on getting information from the entire staff of personnel, accounts sales and distribution from which the sample size was used.Therefore, the researcher adopted survey research design for the work. This mean that questionnaires were administered as a means of collecting primary data. 3. 2METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION In collecting information for this study the researcher used both the primary and secondary source of data. 3. 2. 1PRIMARY DATA This includes all those materials or data which the researcher gathered at present because of the project understudy. 3. 2. 2SECONDARY DATA Secondary data includes all past data, which can be found in the organizations records and in libraries. 1.To obtain enough past data and all the libraries here in Enugu w ere made use of in eliciting information from various textbook, journals, and newspapers etc 3. 3POPULATION FOR THE STUDY The population of the study is the entire staff strength of NBC plc ENUGU DISTRIC which total up to about 500 staff. This population is made up of 130 senior staff and 370 junior staff. 3. 4SAMPLES AND SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION In order to obtain the sample size from the population the YARO YAMENI formula was used as a guide to arrive at the sample size N N = 1 + N (E)2 Where n = sample sizeN = population e = error estimate the researcher used 15% error estimate and the entire population is 500 therefore N = 500 e = 0. 15 N N = 1 + N (E)2 500500 1 + 5000 (0. 15)21 + 500 (0. 0225) 500 12. 25 8. = 41 So the number of questionnaire distributed is 41 3. 5RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS For this research project to be successful the researcher made use of the following instruments: i. Oral interview ii. Personal observation iii. Questionnaire 3. 5. 1ORAL INTERVIEW This is method instrument, which was prepared and used to elicit information for certain contradicting issues.This is imply face to face asking and answering question between the researcher and the staff of NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT. 3. 5. 2PERSONAL OBSERVATION This simply means the general perceptive or over view of the aggregate performance of the company and analysis of data so far collected and thereby value judgment and interpretations made. 3. 5. 3QUESTIONNAIRE The researcher used the structured or closed from of questionnaire where questions are asked and below it the expected responses to the answers are stated for the respondent to close any one that suit lim. 3. 6AREA OF STUDYThe area of study of this research work is the product planning, distribution, and management in NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT. 3. 7VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENT The instrument used was constructed by the researcher on the directive of the supervisor who retted it and made necessary. Correction before it was finally type out and di stributed as research instrument (the questionnaire)> 3. 8RELIABILITY OF THE INSTRUMENT The various instrument used in this research work are very reliable because the researcher made use of liable and reliable instrument like the questionnaire which is sample in it’s approach and method of application. . 9METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS the data collected using the research instrument were analyzed using simple percentage and descriptive methods. Some response to the question were grouped and recorded so that frequencies and percentage could be computed. REFERENCES Odo P. O. Et Al (1999) Introduction to Project Writing Enugu, Sunny Enterprises Publishers. Melynk M. (1984) Principles of Applied statistics, New York Pergamon Press Inc. CHAPTER FOUR 4. 1 PRESENTATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF DATAThis chapter will deal with analysis and interpretation of primary data which was collected by administering questionnaire to the sample size in accordance with the research methodology stated in chap ter three. To make the analysis and interpretations meaningful some of the questions were grouped together table and descriptive method were used as shown below. TABLE 4. 1 DISTRIBUTIONS OF RESPONDENTS BY DEPARTMENT |Department |Response |Percentages | |Administration |13 |31. | |Marketing |7 |17. 1 | |Account |9 |21. 9 | |Distribution |5 |12. 2 | |Computer |7 |17. | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 from the above table 13 of the respondents that completed and returned the questionnaire were in administration department with 31. 7% were 7 of them are in marketing department with 17. 1%, 9 of them in accounts dept with 21. 9%, 5 in distribution with 12. 2 and the finally ones in computers dept is 7 with 17. 1%. TABLE 4. 2 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BY CUSTOMERS, DEALERS AND STAFF Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Customers |15 |36. 6 | |Dealer |14 |34. 2 | |Staff/mgt |12 |29. 2 | |Total |41 |100. 0 | Source:Field survey 2005 The table above shows that 15 q uestionnaires were distributed to customer with 36. 6 why 14 were given to dealers with 34. 2%, and 12 to staff with 29. 2%. TABLE 4. 3 QUESTION:DOES NBC PLC ENUGU DISTRICT OPERATES A GOOD DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |30 |73. 7 | |No |11 |26. 83 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | SOURCE:survey data From the above table 30 respondents representing 73. 17% agreed that Nigerian Bottling company (NBC) PLC operates a good distribution system why 11 disagrees with 26. 83%. TABLE 4. 4RESPONSE ON THE IMPACT OF DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN CREATING CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION. |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Very effective |15 |36. 6 | |Ineffective |5 |12. 2 | |Indifferences |10 |24. | |Effective |11 |26. 8 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 The above table shows that 15 respondents agreed that the impact of distribution/management strategy in creating customer satisfactions is very effective with 36. 6% while 5 disagrees, that if ineffective with 12. 2%, while 10 are indifference with 24. ^ and 11 agreed that it is effective. TABLE 4. 5 DOES ALL THE CUSTOMER AGREES ON THE PRICE OF THE COMPANY’S PRODUCT. |Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |30 |73. 17 | |No |11 |26. 83 | |Total |41 |100. 0 | From the above table, it shows that 30 respondents agrees that all the customers are aware of the price of the company’s products with 73. 17% while 11 disagrees that they are not aware with 26. 83%. TABLE 4. 6 DOES CUSTOMERS AGREES WITH THE QUALIFY OF THE COMPANY’S PRODUCT. | Response |No of questionnaire |Percentages | |Yes |32 |78. 5 | |No |9 |21. 95 | |Total |41 |100. 00 | Source:Survey data 2005 The above table shows that 32 respondents agreed that customers are satisfied with the qualify of the company’s product with 78. 05% while 9 disagrees with 21. 95%. TABLE 4. 7 ARE THERE FACTOR FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCT PLANNIN DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGEMENT. Response |No of questi onnaire |Percentages | |Yes

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay on Ecuador’s Land

Essay on Ecuador’s Land Essay on Ecuador’s Land My country for the World Expo is Ecuador. Ecuador is located in South America and my areas of interest on this country are land, people, and historical places. First, I would like to talk about Ecuador’s Land. In Ecuador, the Andes almost dominate the country cutting across two ranges. Earthquakes are very frequent and often disastrous, an example is in 1949 when the city of Ambato was leveled. East of the Andes is a region of tropical jungle through which run the tributaries of the Amazon River. In the Pacific region, hot, humid valleys north of the Gulf of Guayaquil are the source of Ecuador’s chief exports, including oil and coffee. Also, large deposits of oil are located in the northeast, with Guayaquil and Esmeraldas as the chief ports. Furthermore it is home to the remote Pacific Islands of Galapagos, a very special place for evolutionary biology. The Galapagos archipelago is located about 1000 kilometers west of the mainland of Ecuador. When the Galapagos islands were first discovered soon after they were perfect hideouts for pirates and later sealers and whalers followed to exploit the rich hunting grounds. Naturalists became soon amazed by them for their remote location and their unique â€Å"fauna† and â€Å"flora†. Among them was Charles Darwin who spent a month there and afterwards reflecting on the native animals and plants and came up with his evolutionary theory of natural selection. Ecuador’s land is great with one of the highest biological diversity. Second, I would like to inform about Ecuador’s people. Ecuador’s population is estimated to be 13,927,650 with less than an annual growth rate. Most of the population live in the highlands. About 65% of the people are mestizo, and 25% are indigenous, 10% Caucasian, 7% African and 3%

Monday, October 21, 2019

Economic Deflation in the Euro Zone

Economic Deflation in the Euro Zone Introduction Between 2009 and 2011, the entire world experienced a global recession that decreased the purchasing power of most people. The trend mostly affected the US; an idea borrowed from the initial crisis experienced in Europe. Notably, the number of people who spent on luxurious goods and services was minimal.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Deflation in the Euro Zone specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most statisticians establish that the cause of the great recession, which the society felt a little later in 2008 was because many banks issued loans to clients enabling them to flood the real estate business. Mortgages became affordable in East Asia, the US, and the Euro zone. Most investors constructed houses whose occupants they are less likely to establish even today. When the world overcame the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2011, most banks including the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to low er its loan interests in order to accommodate the rising needs of borrowers within the euro zone (Ferrero 2014). In turn, the bank that largely depends on taxation, lending, and borrowing fails to achieve its objective in the society. The paper intends to explain how reduction in the prices of goods and services after the GFC is likely to cause a major deflation, and efforts underway to avoid the trend at the microeconomic and macroeconomic level. Deflation Economists equate deflation to a period in which the demand for goods and services grows because of a decrease in prices. They associate deflation with a falling aggregate demand (AD) and an increase in the aggregate supply (AS) (Gnos and Rochon 2011, p. 103). It results in an increase in the potential GDP over the actual GDP of a country. It means that a market experiencing high rates of deflation have high supply of commodities, which emanates from an increase in the purchasing power because of decreased prices. The following i llustrations explain how a decrease in the prices of goods and services influences the purchase decisions, which results in an increase in supply. Causes of deflation are assumptions made by different economists because it occurs differently across diverse regions. Two possible causes are a fall in aggregate demand and an increase in aggregate supply (The autumn statement: ‘Tis not the season 2014). The illustration summarises the fact that when manufacturers increase the production of different products and services, they should match the same with consumer demand.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the microeconomic level, consumers find economic stimulus in price, place, product, and promotion (Jones 2014). The four elements of marketing are very important in determining consumer decision, but the price strategy is an obvious catch when marketers seek to increase the demand levels. After the 2008 to 2011 GFC, manufacturers believed that increasing the supply of products and services would increase the demand. Breaking such economic rules might cause the European Central Bank a great deflation.  Most European countries are capable of borrowing from the central bank with an almost negative interest rate, in order to increase the number of people interested in national bonds and other credit facilities for the development of the Euro zone. This followed decrease in demand for credit facilities after the GFC. The intention was to reduce loan acquisition austerity implemented by most governments after the GFC (Burda and Wyplosz 2013, p. 19). Deflation is not only a problem of the European Central Bank (ECB), but for various manufacturers. In a normal price sensitive market, customers will always wait for a period in which the prices are very low. Delays in purchases reduce the value of the products in the market. When ECB decided to in crease credit finance for the people of Europe, it meant that the euro zone would later subject itself to debt increment. The euro zone has many debt problems within the private sector and the government (Mayes and Viren 2004, p. 17). Through bureaucratic principles, the euro zone survives the bouts of the deflation even though fears continue to increase over the economic stability of the region in the next few decades. A decrease in aggregate demand and an increase in aggregate supply are results of both benign and malign deflation. The 2008 increase in interest rates and prices of commodities was evident because of the increased intake of loans in 2001 and 2007. Benign deflation occurred between 2001 and 2007 determined by a higher supply or productivity and a low demand for loans (Langdana 2009, p. 95).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Deflation in the Euro Zone specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such lev els of excess result in an increase in production capacity that exceeds the demand, and it causes a financial slump. In 2008, the demand for credit facility acquisition reduced because of the increase in the rate of interest on various loans. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank among other fiscal, but non-profit oriented institutions played limited role in reducing the risks associated with the deflation rates. The real estate bubble, low consumption power, and high productivity rates created an environment of confusion since the supply extremely exceeded the demand. Benign deflation signified most parts of the 19thcentury especially in relation to the GFC of the 1930s (Basci, Togan, and Hagen 2007, p. 144). A repeat was obvious in 2008 when the world was in the process of experiencing another GFC. Malign deflation occurred past the 19th century, and most European countries experience the effects of the economic concern. Arguably, there is no demand for the manu factured products and services.  Manufacturers and credit firms are very many and the competition is very stiff. Much concern is on the value and the security of a product or a bank offering the loan instead of the interest rates or the product quality. Malign deflation mostly results in organisational layoffs in order for companies to pay the employees. The exchequer also suffers because it has to collect taxes from the taxpayers who do not display the willingness to pay taxes. The negative multiplier scenario becomes evident because the country or the entire euro zone lacks a platform for increase in income, but has to spend on paying workers and outsourcing in order to increase supply of products and services (December 2014 euro system staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area 2014, p. 5). In essence, the productivity levels of countries increase, but there is no demand for the finished products and services. In return, the society fails to account for the needs of empl oyees across diverse industries. Euro zone’s below target inflation While the US had the Federal Reserve respond to its GFC, the euro zone had to seek the intervention of the ECB. Between 2009 and 2010, Europe experienced the worst case of inflation that made the population refrain from home or business ownership. The FOMC Federal Open Market Committee began creating an appealing environment for mortgage acquisition by august 2010, and the ECB had to create an assurance for the security of investment in most banks within the euro zone. Characterised by the benign deflation, most credit facility acquirers relied on security and value. Price sensitivity became an issue mostly sought after by the societal minorities. In the US, the Federal Reserve (FDR) took a bold step in making credit facilities attractive to the populace between August and December in 2010 (Mankiw 2007, p. 112). Like a security bond or an initial public offer, the FOMC created an opportunity for LSAP (Large S cale Asset Purchases) within the euro zone. The intention was to create an environment of economic stability or stimulus in order to encourage an increase in credit acquisition within the euro zone. In the US, the Federal Reserve ensured that by the end of the year 2010, it recovered fiscal investments while empowering the public to continue accessing credit facilities for mortgage acquisition.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many questions arise concerning euro zone’s preparation for low inflation by following in the footsteps of the FDR. According to the EIB (European Investment Bank), the euro faces the risk of depreciation. Arguably, the euro zone is in the process of transforming into a new Japan. Before the GFC in 2008, the region’s economy was 2% less than its current state, and the same seems to be the trend to date (Bentley 2008, p. 31). EIB mentions that the euro continues to weaken, while the Southern states continue to gain prowess for their efforts geared at stabilising the troubled economies. For instance, in Germany, industrial production reduced immensely one year after the euro zone experienced the GFC. The following graph illustrates the way recession affected the euro zone between August and December 2009. From the graph, the month of August 2009 presented a period in which many countries within the euro zone faced deflation. In most cases, supply increased while the pur chasing power decreased. The reason was that few people took interest in loan acquisition in order to get mortgage or real estate services in an already flooded market. Germany is yet to recover with a steady rising GDP of about 0.2% annually. Russia, Belgium, France, and Britain are in the process of increasing consumption power by producing quality and security driven products and services instead of concentrating on the price strategy. Russia, Greece, and Turkey experienced conflicts with the IMF as they had to respond to fiscal sanctions put in place after the countries became incapable of repaying their debts (Fertekligil 2001, p. 49). Euro zone’s concerns and risks associated with the deflation The 2009 global credit crunch resulted in an increase in the cost of energy and basic commodities. Consumers refrained from increased purchases and loan acquisition in order to spend on basic commodities. Houses became very expensive because real estate businesses owners who init ially gained from the deflation in 2008 increased the prices of houses in order to earn high profit margins. The rationale was also to repay the increased loan interest rates, which they would raise from the houses. Even though the ECB reduced the loan interest rates in 2011 in order to attract consumers into loan acquisition, few people displayed interest in loans. Most businesses used capitalist means to set prices for their commodities instead of depending on government controls or other avenues of consumer watch. Banks also resisted loans from the ECB, and in 2009, they only acquired only 0.19% of the offer. Out of the 42 billion Euros offered by the ECB, only 82 million Euros facilitated banks in the euro zone. Other associated risks include improvement of other continents, both household and national debt increase, and reduced expenditure (Minerd 2014). The central bank and domestic banks face the risk of losing clients to microfinance institutions that offer less secured, but prompt loans (Wolfson 2014) Mitigation measures The euro zone strived to find long term solutions to the problem of inflation by reducing the cost of product and service acquisition. It resulted in an increase in supply based on low costs of production, and decrease in demand. Most economics sceptics feel that the reduction in interest rates might be a risky step for the euro zone. The ECB governing council should be completely in support of the process, but few members feel that the deflation awaiting the region will be irreconcilable in the future. Besides reduction in loan interest rates, the ECB promoted the bond worth 10.5 billion Euros, whose response remains low. Initially, the inflation rate within the region was 0.2%, but today it is 0.4% meaning that the euro zone has to continue increasing interest in ECB credit facilities. With a low inflation rate displayed by a 2% annual decrease, chances are that the euro zone could end up with the greatest rate of deflation in the w orld history (Mankiw 2007, p. 128). In France, the central bank decided to issue out a 10-year bond period with an annual 2% reduction in inflation rate since 2006. By 2010, the euro dropped to $1.2437 affecting parts of Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, and Austria. ECB critics mention that the euro zone should strive at reflating the economy in order to reclaim the rightful fiscal position of the region in the world. Other mitigation measures include the introduction of prolonged loan repayment periods in order make loan repayment manageable for most credit facility acquirers. Continued efforts geared at increasing cash flow within the euro one create losses for the ECB (Herman n.d., p. 92). The effects of the malign inflation increase the rates of unemployment because the excessively low consumer demand translates into low rate of tax collection. On the other hand, the government has to fulfil the needs of the growing labour market while the rate of unemployment increases. Macr oeconomic variables Macroeconomics represents fiscal discussions involving an entire country. It encompasses the makeup of microeconomic debates resulting from household expenditure and its effects on the national expenditure. Variables at the macroeconomic level include economic input and economic output. The euro zone assesses such measure within the private and the public sector with much emphasis on the economic equilibrium, economic sustainability, and rates of employment. Economic Output Experts always measures economic output based on the amount that the society effectively contributes towards the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (Gertler and Rogoff, 2004, p. 13). By 2010, the amount of imports exceeded imports in Scotland, and it meant that the UK GDP slightly reduced by about 1.8% from 2008 to 2009. The measure of economic output results from the rate of unemployment, inflation rate, and interest rates among other factors. Unemployment rates The rate of unemployment in the UK is twice the rate of unemployment in the US today. About 16% of the entire employable population lacks the capability to work in an initially unemployed environment. Unemployment refers to the ratio of the population that has stable job opportunities over the population that lacks placement in a stable institution in which they earn income (Banerjee, Marcellino, and Masten 2005, p. 31). Through employment, people pay taxes, which earn the government revenue through the UK revenue authority. The UK over the past decade strives at creating an environment of a zero unemployment rate, which is extremely difficult to achieve if not impossible. The International Labour Law (ILO) uses the claimant count to measure the rate of employment and unemployment in the UK. According to the claimant count measure, only counts the potential population of workers who have requisite qualifications, but lack placement in the proper job positions (Armstrong, Caselli, Chadha, and Haan 2014). It als o establishes the rate of unemployment based on the population of workers who are seriously looking for employment and the benefits that accompany such positions without success.  Self-employed people who do not earn social security benefits do not qualify for the unemployed in the UK, because they have sources of income from the private sector. The following graph explains the rate of unemployment in the UK from the 1980s to 2001, which market the beginning of the global benign deflation. The rate of unemployment increased when the purchase power of the UK residents reduced in 2009.   The society made little contributions through taxations, which reduced the rate of human resource acquisition and retention within the public sector. As many people lack jobs, they do not contribute towards the economic development through tax contribution. In addition, the self-employed individuals in the private sector only get enough resources to fulfil basic needs. Most of them operate in non -regulated industries based on freelance engagement meaning that the government cannot ensure tax compliance. Without tax contribution or a society defined by tax evasion faces the risk of economic underdevelopment. It happens because the exchequer lacks enough resources to pay employees in the public sector (Ller 2013, p. 47). Recession and interest rates Consumer indices determine the level of inflation in different countries. In the UK, the society determines an increase in inflation rates when the consumer index reduces. It means that the people cannot afford basic commodities because of an obvious increase in the prices. When the retail price index (RPI) increases, it means that the rate of inflation is equally on the increase (Minerd 2014, p. 2). Most statisticians use the existing interest rates to determine the level of inflation in the banking sector. Today, for a country within the UK to acquire credit facilities, it should follow the due procedures set by the central bank . When the interest rates in the central bank increased, most banks feared getting loans, and business people equally feared seeking similar services from the local banking institutions. When the trend continues, the UK begins worrying about its macroeconomic position. High interest rates mean that the euro weakens against the dollar and investors are likely to shift gear towards continents that perform well. Nobody would face a high risk of credit acquisition in a bank or country with very high interest rates. When interest rates increased in 2009, most people in the UK shifted towards sustenance of their businesses instead of acquisition of homes, luxuries, and mortgage facilities (Main Macroeconomic Indicators n.d.). The UK reduced the interest rates in order to avoid the real estate bubble that affected the euro zone and the US after the GFC. The UK believes in the creation of a stable macroeconomic environment by maintaining stable prices of commodities even in the face of a GF C, but the mitigation plan remains unachievable (Bentley 2008, p. 34). When inflation occurs, the cost of production increases, and only the companies dealing in consumables have the assurance of making profits. Non consumable products especially in the luxury sector face the risk of immobility in an inflated market. Concerns include the possibility of a global deflation already signified by a reduction in the aggregate demand for goods and services. The price strategy remains very relevant in the determination of quality assurance for goods and services in the market. When consumers fail to create a link between product benefits and prices then the purchasing power automatically reduces. Economic input Economic input signified by what the exchequer and the banks do to avoid inflation remains very important in microeconomics discussions. The variables under investigation include the economic equilibrium, equality, and fiscal sustainability. Economic sustainability The UK measures ec onomic sustainability through its actual and potential GDP. The actual GDP represents that the real measure of economic growth annually after eliminating the aspects of recession that affected the potential GDP (Akers 2014). A steady growth in the GDP signified by the 2% growth rate of the UK for the past 8 years means that the region has the potential of creating a sustainable employment environment. In 2009, the growth rate was reverse as the economy of the UK indicated a 0.2% growth rate, which resulted in low rates of full employment. Underemployment became a concern as most companies lay off workers in order to cater for the needs of a section of employees. In 2011, the economic stimulus process adopted and the labour law adopted by the employers in the UK resulted in the absorption of many unemployed people. Equality and equilibrium The UK has a huge number of immigrants, but it still strives at creating an environment in which its citizens are capable of enjoying the resource s without any form of discrimination. In order to provide an excellent environment of growth while still sustaining its Foreign Direct Investment, the UK has to imitate Japan. Currently, Japan leads in the production of surplus commodities even when the demand dies not match the supply (Fall in euro zone inflation rate fuels deflation concerns 2014). At the macroeconomic level, surplus production attracts interest from investors and foreigners who are likely to acquire the affordable products and services (Objectives of government macroeconomic policy 2014, p. 2). When FDI fails to solve the problem of recession in a country, high probabilities include the possibility of countries running into financial deficits as indicated in the graph. The graph gives credit to Japan that has a sustainable growth rate in the GDP enabling many people to get equal employment opportunities even in the face of a GFC. Establishment of a state of equilibrium remains a high priority for most countries including the UK. The UK displays interest in creating demand for the supplied products and services contrary to initial marketing strategies in which the supply responded to the prevailing demand. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) qualifies a steady economic growth and the market equilibrium as elements of macroeconomic growth (Riley 2012, p. 4). The WTO mentions that competition between countries creates an environment of sanity because countries have to understand that consumer satisfaction at the microeconomic level has a direct impact on growth at the macroeconomic level. As such, competition between Japan and the UK should continue until the UK is capable of surplus production. Maintenance of equilibrium between demand and supply is the only solution to inflation because the RPI will also reduce automatically. In summary, at the macroeconomic level, countries have to assess the economic outputs and inputs that are relative depending on the type of market involved in the discu ssion. Most countries within the euro zone have relatively close GDPs except for the few facing financial sanctions by the IMF. At the macroeconomic level, politics, technology, and socio-environmental factors have a direct impact on the economics of a country (Wickens 2011, p. 36). Conclusion The GFC affected different parts of the world; the responses towards the economic crisis were different. The euro zone might face a worst economic deflation in an attempt to lower the risks of the 2008 recession. The mitigation measures adopted by the euro zone are short term, but the most appropriate for the season. However, the changing economic environment that calls for increase FDI efforts makes it impossible to have unique ways of dealing with global financial crises that affect everyone in the world. References Akers, H 2014, What Are Key Macroeconomic Variables?, ehow.com/info_8180727_key-macroeconomic-variables.html Armstrong, A., Caselli, F., Chadha, J., and Haan, W 2014, Eurozone de flation could derail UK recovery: Results of the second Centre for Macroeconomics survey, voxeu.org/article/eurozone-deflation-survey-uk-based-macroeconomists Banerjee, A., Marcellino, M., and Masten, I 2005, Forecasting macroeconomic variables for the new member states of the European Union, European Central Bank, Frankfurt. Basci, E., Togan, S., and Hagen, J. V 2007, Macroeconomic policies for EU accession, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK. Bentley, D 2008, Inflation: Roles, targeting, and dynamics, Nova Science, New York. Burda, M. C., and Wyplosz, C 2013, Macroeconomics: a European text, Oxford University Press, Oxford. December 2014 euro system staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area 2014, ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/eurosystemstaffprojections201412.en.pdf Fall in euro zone inflation rate fuels deflation concerns 2014, bbc.com/news/business-25976377 Ferrero, A 2014, Desperate times, desperate measures, The Economist, economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/01/def lation-euro-zone-0 Fertekligil, M 2001, European monetary union and its impact on the Turkish economy, http://edoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/HALCoRe_derivate_00005724/196-414-1-SM.pdf Gertler, M., and Rogoff, K 2004, NBER macroeconomics annual 2003, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gnos, C., and Rochon, L. P 2011, Credit, Money and Macroeconomic Policy a Post-Keynesian Approach, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham. Herman, S 2012, The recession Kama sutra, Summersdale, Chichester. Jones, C 2014, Dovish Draghi boosts hopes of ECB stimulus, The Financial Times, ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e2bcc510-7160-11e4-818e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NTjAZVPR Langdana, F. K 2009, Macroeconomic policy demystifying monetary and fiscal policy, Springer, New York. Ller, J 2013, The global economy in transition: Debt and resource scarcities, World Scientific, Hackensack, N.J. Main Macroeconomic Indicators n.d., markets.com/education/fundamental-analysis/main-economic-indicators.html Mankiw, N. G 2007, Brief principles of macroeconomics, Thomson South-Western, Mason, OH. Mayes, D., and Viren, M 2004, Asymmetries in the Euro area economy, Suomen Pankki, Helsinki. Minerd, S 2014, Europe must act now to avoid ‘lost decade’, The Financial Times, ft.com/cms/s/0/cf718a1c-5a0a-11e4-be86-00144feab7de.html#axzz3NTjAZVPR Objectives of government macroeconomic policy 2014, tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/macroeconomy/government_policy.htm Riley, G 2012, Deflation, http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-macro-deflation.html The autumn statement: ‘Tis not the season 2014, The Economist, economist.com/news/britain/21635617-george-osborne-makes-up-lack-giveaways-bold-tax-reform-tis-not-season Wickens, M 2011, Macroeconomic theory: a dynamic general equilibrium approach, Princeton University Press, Princeton. Wolfson, P 2014, Coming soon?, The Economist, economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/12/euro-zone-qe-0