Barnes and Noble Case Study

Management Project 10th of december 2010 History In 1873, Charles Barnes opened a book-printing business in the USA. The first bookstore was set up by his son, William, in partnership with G. Clifford Noble, in 1917 in New York and it is the advent of Barnes and Noble. In 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, the bookstore was moved to its current location on Fifth Avenue. Barnes & Noble was acquired by Leonard Riggio in 1971, who oversaw the growth of the business. Leonard Riggio, the company's chairman, began his bookselling career while attending New York University in the early 1960s.Working as a clerk in the university bookstore, he became convinced that he could do a better job serving students,  and he opened a competing store of his own. With a small investment, Mr. Riggio established the Student Book Exchange (SBX) in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1965. The store quickly became one of New York’s finest bookstores, known for its knowledgeable staff, wide se lection and great service. In 1974, Barnes & Noble became the first bookstore to advertise on television.In 1975, the company became the first bookseller in America to discount books, by selling New York Times best-selling titles at 40% off the publishers’ list price. During the 1970s and 1980s, Barnes & Noble opened smaller discount stores, which were eventually phased out in favor of larger stores. They also began to publish their own books to be sold to mail-order customers, enabling them mail-order to reach new customers nationwide through mail-order catalogues. In 1979 Barnes & Noble acquired a chain of retail stores called Bookmasters, and then bought up Marboro Books Inc. , a remainder company with discount retail outlets.Barnes & Noble continued to expand throughout the 1980s, and in 1987, the company made its largest acquisition when it purchased B. Dalton Bookseller from Dayton Hudson. This acquisition of 797 retail bookstores thrust the company onto the national sc ene, making Barnes & Noble a nationwide retailer overnight and the second-largest bookseller in America. The company also acquired Doubleday Book Shops from the Bertelsmann Company and the rights to the Scribner’s bookstore trade name from Macmillan. Barnes & Noble purchased BookStop, a company operating discount book superstores in Texas, in 1989.This acquisition gave the company key insights into the ingredients behind a successful superstore strategy, from real estate to operations to marketing and merchandising. In the late 1980s, Barnes & Noble tested selling books online in an early generation venue called Trintex, a joint venture with IBM. In the early 1990s, the company refined its superstore concept and established the modern generation of Barnes & Noble superstores, which today represent over 96 percent of their retail sales. Barnes & Noble became a publicly traded company in 1993, listed in New York Stock Exchange.In the mid-1990s, it sold books on CompuServe and l ater opened a full-fledged book superstore on America Online in March 1997. Before Barnes & Noble created its web site, it sold books directly to customers through mail-order catalogs. It first began selling books online in the late 1980s, but the company’s website was not launched until May 1997. According to the site, it now carries over 1 million titles, as well as a vast selection of music CDs and DVDs. (5) In the beginning of the millenium the company has made two acquisitions that expanded its publishing capability. * In 2001, Barnes & Noble purchased SparkNotes. om, a leading study aids website, offering free online access to literature notes and more than 1,000 study guides on everything from literature to chemistry to computer science. SparkNotes converted its top study guides into print publications, and they have rapidly become bestsellers. * In 2003, Barnes & Noble purchased Sterling Publishing. For 60 years, Sterling has been one of the world's leading publishers of non-fiction books. Sterling strives to publish high-quality books that educate, entertain and enrich the lives of their readers. In March 2009, Barnes ; Noble acquired Fictionwise, a leader in the eBook marketplace.Headquartered in New Jersey, Fictionwise was founded in 2000 by Steve and Scott Pendergrast. In July 2009, Barnes ; Noble launched the world's largest eBookstore as  part of its overall digital strategy. In October 2009, Barnes & Noble introduced Nookâ„ ¢, the world’s most advanced eBook Reader. It was awarded as the Best New Gadget of 2009 in January 2010. Institutional structure Stakeholders A stakeholder is defined as â€Å"an individual or group with an interest in the success of an organization in delivering intended results and maintaining the viability of the organization's products and services. Analyzing the economic interactions of Barnes ; Noble closely, it can be seen that there is a great variety of internal as well as external stakeholders t aking part in the economic and financial decision making of the company as a whole. Internal core stakeholders of Barnes ; Noble first of all include its 40,000 nationwide employees, which contribute to the economic functioning of the company by their direct interaction with customers in Barnes ; Noble’s 720 stores and 636 college bookstores.Also they are likely to contribute directly with their ideas, creativity and expertise. Their expectancies can be identified as job security, financial compensation of their contributions in terms of a salary, esteem, pensions, extended involvement in profit and a health care insurance, as well as a pleasant working atmosphere. Further internal core stakeholders of Barnes ; Noble, who are vital for its business making through their contributions of not only risk capital, but also of ideas and control, are its various shareholders.The expected reward of shareholders concerns capital gain in terms of dividends or a rising stock price, which usually is obtained through sustainable economic growth and a reasonable business strategy of Barnes ; Noble. Besides internal stakeholders, there are also many external forces and groups which indirectly influence the decision making of Barnes ; Noble. Especially competitors play an important role, as their decision-making might directly influence or initiate changes concerning Barnes ; Noble’ operating markets.Besides its fundamental core business, which concerns selling books through its 720 local bookstores in all 50 States of the USA, Barnes ; Noble’s online appearance, www. barnesandnoble. com, has gained on importance over the last years. Especially this sector is highly competitive as big players such as Amazon. com Inc. dominate the market. Possible interactions amongst competitors concern eventual collaborations in innovation. Another absolutely important group with respect of Barnes ; Noble’s stakeholders are its clients. Their contributions to the c ompany concern not nly purchases but also loyalty and most importantly feedback, which can be used to adjust Barnes ; Noble’s business plan depending on consumer preferences. The expectations of customers include quality, special offers and, in case of the book market Barnes ; Noble operates in, a broad variety of books available directly on demand. In a more general sense, also the American government takes part in Barnes ; Noble, as it ensures a fair competition in the market through regulations and a framework of rules which has to be accepted by not only Barnes ; Noble but also by all its competitors.Rewards, which are expected by the government, include tax payments, employment, and economic growth. Also banks are part of Barnes ; Noble’ shareholders, as they provide loan capital upon request as well as advisory in exchange for interest and mortgages. However, as Barnes ; Noble rents most of its stores, there has not been any significant need of loan capitals over the last decades. Ownership Structure The ownership structure of Barnes ; Noble is determined and ranked by the amounts of shares owned by a certain individual or group.The assembly of shareholders is therefore the most important event in terms of power and decision making for Barnes ; Noble, as it is symbolizes the top entity in the hierarchy of power distribution. First of all, 49% of the total available Barnes ; Noble’s shares are in the possession of Insiders and the Top-5-Percent Owners. The most significant position, equivalent to 27. 8% of the total distributed shares, is held by Barnes ; Noble’s chairman Leonard Riggio, as it can be seen in the underneath graph. Also the American business magnate Ronald Burkle is heavily invested in Barnes ; Noble with roughly 18. % of Barnes ; Noble shares in the possession of his Investment firm Yacaipa Cos. Another 49% of total Barnes ; Noble’s shares are held by Institutional ; Mutual Fund Owners, such as Aletheia R esearch ; Management Inc. which holds 15 % on Barnes ; Noble as seen in the underneath graph. The total number of Institutions holding Barnes ; Noble’s shares was 161 in June 2010. Governance Structure and its Mechanism Barnes ; Noble governance structure is equivalent to the standard American governance model: the assembly of shareholders elects the board of directors.Then, it is the task of the board of directors to successfully control Barnes ; Noble’s top managers (the executive committee) according to the expectations and conclusions of the shareholders and the board of directors. Therefore, the top managers are the ones who effectively control the daily business of Barnes ; Noble and who give feedback to upper entities upon developments. The underneath model summarizes the simple interconnection of Barnes ; Noble’s managerial entities: Assembly of Shareholders Board of Directors Top Managers Members of the Board of Directors Barnes ; Noble can be seen in t he underneath diagram:It can be seen that the chairman Leonard Riggio together with his son Stephen Riggio, controls the Board of Directors, whereas William J. Lynch, /as the CEO, is in charge of the executive committee of Barnes ; Noble. The members who are listed as â€Å"Director† are so called independent directors, who worked for other companies over the last years and who contribute mainly with their experience to the overall decision making. The power within the Executive Committee is distributed between three major committees, which are dealing with different areas of Barnes ; Noble economic functioning: The Audit Committee, which is in charge of assuring the integrity and reliability of the ? nancial records and the protection of assets though internal control as well as the external control through an annual independent report of BDO Seidman. -The Nominating Committee, which controls the composition of the members through recommending and selecting qualified individ uals to the full board in order to elect them as new members. -The Corporate Governance Committee, dealing with the overall economic efficiency of Barnes ; Noble, as well as with the distribution of rewards for employees.Core Institutional Goals Core institutional goals of Barnes ; Noble describe the overall strategy of the Board of Directors, to be carried out by the Executive Board. Primarily, Barnes ; Noble wants to become the biggest bookseller in the United States and therefore increase its market share. Also Barnes ; Noble wants to expand its product line by not only focusing on book sales, but also by successfully selling its eBook Reader Nook. Even though the expansion on international markets was already under discussion, this is not yet part of its core objectives.Also Barnes ; Noble wants to invest in restructuring its stores in order to make the stay at a Barnes ; Noble Book Store an experience and thus increase its loyal customer base. Interaction of Elements The interc onnection of the mentioned elements is vital for the understanding of the functioning of not only Barnes ; Noble but of every company. Metaphorically it can well be compared to the mechanism of a automatic watch – if one element is missing or separated from the others, the whole mechanism will not work.Despite their different contributions and expectations, all stakeholders together form the base of the company Barnes ; Noble. Essentially it is the interaction of provided capital, a business plan and employees, which forms the first preliminary framework of a company. However, power within a company has to be distributed, as only a structured hierarchy amongst employees ensures an efficient functioning of all sectors. Therefore a governance structure has to be developed in order to distribute tasks effectively.In order to be able to plan ahead and give investors an outlook in the potential future, institutional goals have to be stated. Thus, all these core elements are absolu tely vital for not only Barnes ; Noble but for all companies in order to successfully compete in their market environment. Institutional Components influencing the Financial Performance Having analyzed the ownership structure of Barnes ; Noble, it can be seen that Leonard Riggios amount of shares owned combined with Ronald Burkles proportion of shares together sum up to almost 50 % of the total shares in the market.Therefore the entire governance structure mechanism is heavily dependent on their, eventually subjective, opinions, which makes the mechanism inefficient. Even though this is a very particular observation, I personally think it might be of significant importance, as the poor performance of the organization in my opinion is mainly due to a lack of innovation. As the founder and chairman Riggio is said to be a very conservative shareholder, he might hinder Barnes ; Noble to modernize as well as to eventually readjust its institutional goals.Corporate strategy The Companyâ⠂¬â„¢s principal business is the sale of trade books (generally hardcover and paperback consumer titles, mass market paperbacks, children’s books, eBooks and other digital content, eReaders and related accessories, bargain books, magazines, gifts, cafe products and services, music and movies direct to customers through its bookstores or through its subsidiary Barnes ; Noble. com.In October 2009, Barnes ; Noble also launched NOOKâ„ ¢, the Company’s proprietary eReader that the firm considers the world’s most advanced eBook reader, because â€Å"it features groundbreaking lending technology, a color touchscreen and lets readers download books in seconds†. In addition Barnes ; Noble has expanded its approach to bookselling and the products it offers through its self-publishing program and through its Sterling Publishing and through the acquisition of SparkNotes.The company publishes over 500 titles annually, under a variety of imprints including Sterling, Sterling Children’s Books and Barnes ; Noble Classics. In 2009, the Company also acquired Fictionwise, Inc. (Fictionwise), a leader in the eBook marketplace, enabling the launch of one of the company’s eBookstore. Finally, as a result of the acquisition of B;N College (2009), the Company sells textbooks and course-related materials, emblematic apparel and gifts, trade books, school and dorm supplies, and convenience and cafe items on college and university campuses.B;N College sales account for approximately 14% of the Company’s fiscal 2010 sales. Products and Services Because Barnes ; Noble retail business is very complex, a deeper analysis is crucial to understand its main features: Since 1997 Barnes ; Noble has started redesigning its position in the business from a store-based model to a multichannel model centered in internet and digital commerce by launching its website barnesandnoble. om, but the biggest step forward has been done in July 2009 with the o pening of its Ebookstore and digital newsstand, which now allows customers to purchase over one million eBooks, electronic newspapers and magazines. Barnes ; Noble’s eBookstore is available on a wide range of digital platforms, including iPadâ„ ¢, iPhone , iPod touch and several smartphones, as well as most laptops or desktop computers. In Barnes ; Noble retail stores the company offers a huge selection of books, ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 titles.Complementing this extensive on-site selection, all Barnes ; Noble stores provide customers with access to the millions of books available to online shoppers at Barnes ; Noble. com while offering an option to have the book sent to the store or shipped directly to the customer. The online channel also offers the supplemental opportunity to buy not only common hard covers but also out-of-print, rare and used books. Moreover, many of the Barnes ; Noble stores have music/DVD/BluRay departments that typically stock over 20,000 titl es.The Company’s DVD and BluRay selection is focused on foreign films, documentaries and episodic TV shows. The music selection is focused on classical music, opera, jazz, blues and pop rock. The music department features RedDotNet, an advanced listening station technology that is connected to the Company’s online electronic music catalog and enables customers to listen to any compact disc in the store, sampling up to 300,000 music titles using scanner technology.In every store it is also possible to find an Home ; Gift section that offers items for the office and electronics and also Toys ; Games and PC ; Video Games departments with a selection of thousands of titles as well as consoles, accessories and strategy guides. Many stores are also have some cafes inside that offer costumers Starbucks beverages, and other products such as candies and sandwiches. Although the cafes are owned and operated by Barnes ; Noble, servers follow Starbucks' standards in beverage prepa ration.From 2004 all the stores offer a free Wi-Fi access using the AT&T FreedomLink network. Horizontal and Vertical Boundaries: While the company has a complete control on sales and hence has never franchised its retail stores, it has anyway signed many different trading agreements with third parties concerning purchases of most of the products sold, manufacturing, logistics and IT complements with the objective to reduce its operating costs. Below the most important are enlisted: NOOKâ„ ¢, the Company’s eBook reader, and other Company products are manufactured by a third-party manufacturer outside the United States and Barnes & Noble relies on components provided from a number of different manufacturers both within and outside the United States. Many of these manufacturers are concentrated in geographic areas outside the United States.. Barnes & Noble relies also on third-party digital content and applications. * The company is provided with national freight distributio n, including trucking services by Argix Direct Inc. The company’s B&N Retail segment purchases physical books from over 1,700 publishers and over 50 wholesalers or distributors. Barnes & Noble also acquires rights to distribute digital content from publishers and distributes the content on Barnes & Noble. com. * The company uses Intel-based server technology in a fully redundant configuration to power its website, which is hosted in two locations. At these locations, the company maintains computers that store its web pages in electronic form and transmits them to requesting users (known as hosting).The Company utilizes two hosting locations. One location is hosted internally by the company and the other is maintained by a third-party hosting vendor. Instead, the company decided to invest in the purchasing of two huge distribution centers: one in Monroe Township, New Jersey, which ships merchandise to stores throughout the country and to online customers and one in Reno, Nevad a, which is used to facilitate distribution to stores and online customers in the western United States.The company also owns another distribution center capacity for facilitating sales by Sterling Publishing to third parties. This investment has clearly enabled the company to source an increasingly larger percentage of its inventory through its own distribution centers, resulting in increased direct buying from publishers rather than wholesalers. Greater volume through the company’s own distribution centers makes it possible to lower distribution costs per unit, to increase both inventory turns and product margins.This has also led to improved just-in-time deliveries to stores and the ability to offer â€Å"Fast&Free Delivery† through its website and for in-store orders placed by customers for home delivery. The improvement in technologies and the changes in culture and society are making books obsolete goods whose demand is getting lower and lower, this reality force d an institution in book retailing like Barnes and Noble to change its strategy and to concentrate in new markets such as e-books production and selling as well as e-book readers manufacturing.This change in the course of action also drove the company to transform its superstores into community centers that host the most important social events as well as to turn into a multichannel distribution company by strengthening its position in the e-commerce industry. These improvements have made Barnes & Noble the only enterprise that nowadays offers readers the option of store visits, e-Commerce, and digital delivery of books to Barnes & Noble-branded devices or other devices of their choosing.The company also makes big effort in marketing and merchandising campaigns in order to drive traffic to both its stores and website: at the center of this program is Barnes & Noble. com, which receives over 450 million visits annually and most of all leverages the power of the Barnes & Noble brand b y offering online customers a premier destination for all the products sold by the company. In this way, Barnes & Noble. com serves as both the Company’s direct-to-home delivery service and as an important broadcast channel and advertising medium for the Barnes & Noble brand.Geographical scope From the point of view of the geographical scope, the aim of B&N has always been to collocate its retail stores and its college stores only in the USA in order to gain the leadership in the book-retailing market of the country. The firm has reached its goal thanks to its huge number of retail stores (720 located in all the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and 637 college stores) and has still no plans to open its stores anywhere else. Concerning the e-commerce B&N hasn’t instead created any geographical boundaries: in the USA b&n. om has a consolidated power that is still overcome just by Amazon. com whereas in Europe the firm is trying to gain shares in the market especia lly through a joint venture created in October, 1998, with the German publishing giant Bertelsmann AG. The purposes of this venture are mainly two: Bertelsmann wants to compete with Amazon. com in the U. S, while Barnes & Noble expects its partnership with Bertelsmann to help it expand into European markets. Organizational structure David Deason V. P. of Development Barnes & Noble, Inc.Chris Troia Chief Information Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Alan Kahn President of Barnes & Noble Publishing Group Leonard Riggio Founder and Chairman Barnes & Noble, Inc. William F. Duffy Executive V. P. of Distribution and Logistics Barnes & Noble, Inc. . Allen Lindstrom Control Allen W. Lindstrom V. P. , Corporate Controller Barnes & Noble, Inc. William J. Lynch Chief Executive Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Andy Milevoj Manager of Investor Relations Joseph LombardiChief Financial Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc Jaime Carey Chief Merchandising Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mary Ellen Keating Senior V. P. o f Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Barnes & Noble, Inc. Stephen Riggio Vice Chairman Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mitchell S. Klipper Chief Executive Officer Barnes & Noble Retail Group Barnes & Noble, Inc. Michelle Smith V. P. of Human Resources Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mark Bottini V. P. and Director of Stores Barnes & Noble, Inc. Marcus E. Leaver President Sterling PublishingThere are no direct information about the organizational structure of the firm, but by looking at the chart it is quite clear that the company is divided in several functions that deal with both the two main operating segments: B&N Retail and B&N College; anyway the Company board of directors has decided to treat these two businesses as independent from one another, considering the manner in which the business is managed (focusing on the financial information distributed) and the manner in which its chief operating decision maker interacts with other members of management.The company has seasoned management te ams for its digital business and retail stores, including those for real estate, merchandising and store operations. According to its main strategy, the Company management team employs exclusively highly skilled professional with both media expertise and supply chain management skills in order to guarantee a positive customer’s experience regardless the preference for either physical or digital products.Field management includes regional directors and district managers supervising multiple store locations: Each store generally employs a store manager, two assistant store managers, a cafe manager and approximately 50 full and part-time booksellers. Many Barnes & Noble stores also employ a full-time community relations manager.Field management for all of the company’s bookstores, including regional directors, district managers and store managers, participate in an incentive program tied to store productivity. The company believes that the compensation of its field manage ment is competitive with that offered by other specialty retailers of comparable size. Store managers participate in annual merchandising conferences, and district managers participate in semi-annual training and merchandising conferences.Store managers are generally responsible for training other booksellers and employees in accordance with detailed procedures and guidelines prescribed by the Company utilizing a blended learning approach, including on-the job training, e-learning, facilitator-led training and training aids available at each bookstore and for adjusting the buyers’ selection to the interests, lifestyle and demands of the store’s local customers.Organizational Culture Since its foundation, the Firm has been trying to reach mainly one aim: to make its stores centers and active parts of the community life, places where people can meet, interact with the others, feel at ease and share their common passion for books.To achieve this goal the Company firstly h as built imposing bookstores in highly visible areas open seven days a week, secondly has focused on creating a warm and cozy environment with ample public spaces, comfortable settings, including lounge chairs and reading tables, a cafe, public restrooms and also children playgrounds, thirdly has added a calendar of ongoing events, including author appearances and children’s activities and also supports communities through efforts on behalf of local non-profit organizations that focus on literacy, the arts or K-12 education.As well as its stores, also the website reflects the efforts made by the company to offer a pleasant shopping experience: it is easy to browse thanks to a clear site map and a useful search bar and moreover is it organized in order to show to the visitors all the ranges of products and most of all the special offers. It is common knowledge that the artifacts are the direct expressions of some values that every company considers crucial and strives to teach to all the employees, from just a superficial analysis of the firm some of them appear quiet clearly: firstly the importance of quality and customers’ satisfaction.But what is considered absolutely vital for the effectiveness of the firm’s performance it’s both the collaboration among colleagues that can be maintained and strengthened by respecting, supporting and helping each other and the alignment with Barnes and Noble commitment and ethics. As it has already been said, the company has always believed that by concentrating its efforts on becoming a community institution and by satisfying in every aspect the customers it would encourage customer loyalty, word-of-mouth publicity and media coverage and it would have a successful and effective performance.This strategy has clearly worked and hence allowed the firm not to bother too much on competitors’ strategies and become anyway a leader in the book retailing market and one of the most powerful firms in the e-Commerce field. It is evident that the stores haven’t been created to be considered Just as dealers: the relationship that the customers establish with the company is rather more complex: per excellence books- buyers are hesitant, but in B&N stores they have the chance not only to be helped by highly skilled booksellers but also to feel at ease in special relax areas where they can peruse a book over some coffee.Also analyzing the company strategy in the e-Commerce field, the satisfaction of the customer is still the unique priority. The exploitation of the well furnished distribution centers through fast deliveries to all the USA guarantees an standoffish online service. Punctuality and fast delivery made Barnes & Nobles a leader in the e-Commerce. Competitive strategy Barnes & Noble competes in the book selling industry. The industry can be examined by using the five basic competitive forces.The threat of new entrants depends on the barriers to entry and the threat o f retaliation. There is low capital requirement for the industry, because the books can also be sold online, but the economies of scale is significantly high, because of its large inventories and diverse selection capacity. The book selling industry is a highly competitive market. The company has to compete with e-Commerce businesses (Amazon. com, Apple), mass merchandisers such as Wal- Mart, growing market for electronic books and digital distribution of book content.Additionally, it has to face a challenge because of specialty retail stores, furthermore, it competes with large bookstores such as Borders and Book-A-Million, as well as smaller bookstores such as Waldenbooks. That is why, the threat of retaliation in the book selling industry is low, because the profitability in the industry is already low due to intense competition. Legal restrictions are low for the e-commerce business and brand loyalty is also low for the industry. All of these factors approve that the barriers to entry for the book selling industry is low.The suppliers for Barnes&Noble are the third party manufacturers located outside the United States who are the producers of the books and store leasers. The threat of integration for the book manufacturers is low, so their barganing power can not be high also depending on their quantity. Besides, all of Barnes&Noble’s retail stores which are leased premises effects profitability in a very essential way. Its profitability depends on the company’s ability to find the optimum point for its store lease portfolio. number of retail store, store locations, lease terms &conditions). On the other hand the customers’volume of purchase is not that high, but the availability of information is pretty high especially for the Internet. Consequently the bargaining power of customers is high. There are no substitutes for real books except e-books, but Barnes & Noble also exists in that business. Barnes & Noble retail stores primarily c ompete on the store experience, quality of shopping and the price and availability of the products.Barnes & Noble’s most powerful competitor is Amazon. com. Amazon. com is the firm that dominates in the online book selling market, as well as web shopping. It has many advantages over Barnes&Noble, such as easy access and a highly secure information system. Also it has a book recommendation system which keeps the information of every customer by collaborative filtering and recommends books depending on the customer’s previous purchases. Unlike Barnes&Noble, Amazon. com does not have a physical bookstore.The firm has a very small inventory, but Barnes&Noble has to have a large inventory to provide a variety of selection to satisfy customers and it has to pay to the distributor within (at most) 3 months after the purchase which means that the firm has to carry the cost of the inventory for up to four months. This situation creates a disadvantage for Barnes&Noble, against i ts strong competitor Amazon. com. On the other hand, having many stores can be an advantage, because it reduces the advertising expenses of the firm.Only online book seller Amazon. com, has to advertise by links from other web sites and it has to have an advanced information technology which can offer individualized recommendations for the customers, billing and shipping systems. Barnes&Noble’s information system is worse than Amazon. com’s but it also has brick and mortar stores which can never face any technical problems that can lock up all of its sales for a period of time. Therefore, these stores have both advantages and disadvantages for the company.Another specialty that Barnes&Noble has is related to its horizontal boundaries. It majorly sells books but it also sells DVDs, toys, games and music albums. Therefore it does not have a narrow horizontal boundary. So just like Amazon. com it also has to compete with eBay, which is a very popular online auction site. As it can be understood from Amazon. com’s features, it has the market dominance, with the contribution of being the first one in the online book selling market. Still, Barnes&Noble has an advantage over Amazon. om, because Barnes&Noble is a profitable company unlike Amazon. com. It does not have high marketing expenses, because it markets its merchandise by creating a nice atmosphere and opening a coffee shop inside the stores, letting customers have a nice experience which increases their willingness to buy. Nevertheless, Barnes&Noble has to compete with â€Å"Borders† which is an international book and music retailer located in United States. Barnes&Noble is the largest bookstore chain in the US, but it still increases the concentration of the industry.One of the main competitive disadvantages of Barnes&Noble is its high overhead expenses and high cost of production, because the company has more than 1000 stores and 40,000 employees. (Amazon. com has only 7600 emplo yees, and 1600 of them are for book sales) On the other hand, its size allows it to offer some discounts to its customers and lets it have highly diverse selections, which also means that high economies of scale is an important factor for the companies in this industry.Therefore, another effective competitive strategy of Barnes&Noble is its nationwide discount pricing strategy. The current pricing is 30% off publishers’ suggested retail prices for hardcover bestsellers and 20% off select feature titles in departments such as children’s books and computer books. The Barnes & Noble Member Program offers members greater discounts. For an annual fee of $25, members receive discounts of 40% off publishers’ suggested retail prices on hardcover bestsellers, 20% off adult hardcovers, and 10% off on almost all other merchandise.These discounts are available to members for purchases made at Barnes&Noble stores. Barnes&Noble. com implemented an â€Å"everyday low pricingà ¢â‚¬  model that provides a single, low price for each item site wide for members and non members and enables the Company to offer better value to its customers. Members also receive free express shipping on eligible purchases made on Barnes&Noble. com. In addition, members receive exclusive offers and promotions via direct mail and email. Consequently, the switching cost of the industry gets higher.Barnes&Noble’s online customer base is a lot lower than Amazon. com’s. Therefore it developed or copied some strategies to overcome this dominance. For example, it made a deal with Microsoft to become â€Å"the exclusive book seller† for the book shopping category on the MSN network, which is an imitation strategy, because also Amazon. com has a similar agreement with Microsoft. Also, it sold 50% of its shares to the German Publisher Bertelsmann AG, right after Amazon. com’s similar partnership with it. Barnes&Noble’s main purpose was to grow into Euro pean markets.Besides, Barnes&Noble started to move into other markets such as the sales of dvds, toys and music albums, after Amazon. com. Amazon. com, manages to sell a lot in these areas with no profit, because of its high advertising expenses. So it is pretty useless for Barnes&Noble to copy this strategy of Amazon. com. Since Amazon. com has the dominance for the online book selling industry, only a few consumers prefer Barnes&Noble on its new market, unless it does not make any differentiations about it. Also this situation, prevents both companies to have a significant brand recognition.To sum up, Barnes&Noble, uses the Wal- Mart strategy to compete in this industry, which includes huge stores, low prices and a sophisticated technology to track its inventory and get rid of the undemanded products from its supply, but this situation can not actually help the firm to raise its profit, because an innovation is needed in this kind of a highly competitive industry. The company need s essential differentiation. Another copycat like strategy of Barnes&Noble was to create Nook (which looks like an imitation of Amazon. om’s Kindle). But this time there was a difference about this copying strategy, the company created an additional e-book software for PC, Mac and iPad and its own content library. With this strategy the company has vertically integrated. (only by a single layer which is content) Moreover, Barnes&Noble, sells content and makes its platform available to IREX and Plastic Logic devices’ users. This stack strategy, brings additional revenue to the firm and also makes the company’s options unavailable for its competitors.Unfortunately, this strategy is not good enough for the firm to dominate in the market, because scale, efficiency and little differentiations is not enough for a market with many competitors. The increased competition is likely to reduce Barnes&Noble’s sales and profits Finances Consolidated balance sheet of Ba rnes & Noble Inc. (2010-05-01) (in thousands of USD) Assets| Current Assets| Cash And Cash Equivalents| 60,965| Short Term Investments | -| Net Receivables | 106,576| Inventory | 1,370,111|Other Current Assets | 181,825| Total Current Assets | 1,719,477| Property, Plant and Equipment | 812,034| Goodwill | 528,541| Intangible Assets | 580,962| Accumulated Amortization | -| Other Assets | 64,672| Deferred Long Term Asset Charges    | -| Total Assets | 3,705,686| Liabilities| Current Liabilities| Accounts Payable | 1,624,408| Short/Current Long Term Debt | 100,000| Total Current Liabilities | 1,724,408| Long Term Loans | 260,400| Other Liabilities | 505,903|Deferred Long Term Liability Charges | 311,607| Minority Interest | 1,550| Total Liabilities | 2,803,868| Stockholders' Equity| Issued Common Stock  Ã‚  ($0. 01 per share)| 89| Retained Earnings | 681,082| Treasury Stock | -1,052,356| Capital Surplus | 1,286,215| Other Stockholder Equity | -13,212| Total Stockholder Equity | 901 ,818| Total Liabilities + Equity| 3,705,686| Consolidated Income Statement of Barnes ; Noble Inc. (2009/05/02 – 2010/05/01) (in thousands of USD) Total Revenue| 5,810,564| Cost of Revenue| 4,133,819|Gross Profit| 1,676,745| Operating Expenses| Research Development| -| Selling General and Administrative| 1,392,207| Non Recurring| 3,518| Depreciation and Amortization| 207,774| Earnings Before Interest And Taxes| 73,246| Interest Expense| 28,237| Income Before Tax| 45,009| Income Tax Expense| 8,365| Net Income| 36,644| Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments| -| Net Income Applicable To Common Shares| 36,644| Barnes;Noble Inc. financial ratios of the latest annual report (2009/05/02 – 2010/05/01) Return on equity| 4. 06%| Return on total assets| 1. 1%| Return on sales| 0. 77%| Asset turnover| 1. 57| Current ratio| 0. 99| Quick ratio| 0. 2| Debt/equity ratio*| 2. 2| Interest cover| 1. 29| Cost of capital| 1. 42%| *debt = long term loans + current liabilities Barnes;Noble Inc . financial performance evaluation The profitability of Barnes;Noble Inc. is very and despite it is mainly competing in the retailing business ROE = 4. 06% is unacceptable comparing to the average 5-year ROE=10. 5%. The same tendency can be seen looking at the ROTA which is 2. 7 times lower than the 5-year average.Company‘s profit margin is even below 1% and this means that Barnes;Noble does not manage to earn enough money but at least they are able to cover all their expenses on time without losses. Low profitability ratios as well as asset turnover can be partly explained that market was facing a sharp decline, which was caused by global financial crisis and even though it did not cause the reduction in sales which actually increased but made larger costs (i. e. interests) which increased more than sales and caused some financial problems for the company.Barnes;Noble Inc. current ratio is almost 1 and this theoretically allows for the company to cover all their short term fi nancial operations but quick ratio is very low (only 0. 2) and this means that company has much inventory which is about 80% of current assets. This means that company could possibly improve its‘ profitability ratios by increasing sales of the inventory but since Barnes;Noble is in the shrinking market which cannot buy all the goods it is almost impossible to reduce high inventory significantly.Turning to Barnes;Noble Inc. financial strength ratios situation is a bit better. Company‘s debt/ratio (2. 2) looks quite normal and we can deduce that it exploits all the available financial resources to keep its‘ sustainability as well as possible. On the other hand, interest cover is particularly low (only 1. 29) and since company is facing the shrinking market this can cause trouble in the near future and lead to negative net earnings. On of the factors which allows Barnes;Noble Inc. o have positive net earnings is low cost of capital and this means that average interest rate is 1. 42% and is lower than return on the risk capital. In overall, Barnes;Noble Inc. financial results are not very pleasant and acceptable since company is facing decreasin market there is not much it could do in order to improve its‘ situation: firstly, it should try to reduce their administrative expenses, maybe close less than the average profitable which generates higher costs.Secondly, it could try to reduce inventory by lowering prices but as I have mentioned before it is a very dfficult task to acomplish since it is facing shrinking market. Finally, it could try to use their cash which even though does not count much of current assets but this could allow company to pay at least part of their debt and increase its‘ liquidity in the short run. Bibliography http://www. google. com/finance http://www. barnesandnobleinc. com/ http://www. fundinguniverse. com/ www. barnesandnoble. com www. maths. tcd. ie/~nora/FT351-3/CS. pdf www. ichnet. org/glossary. htm

Should the Right to Assisted Suicide be Legal?

Persuasive Essay Should terminally ill patients have the right to doctor-assisted seclude? The right to assisted suicide Is an Important topic that concerns people all around the e united States. Debates go back and forth on whether or not a dying patient should continue to suffer or die to relieve all that pain. I think assisted seclude should be legal, because what If the person wants it, what if it makes them shriek from the pain.It's their body and they c loud do whatever they want to it and we can't control that. Terminal patients should be given the right to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering and pain, give them an option to De termini their own life and what they want to do with it, and it reduces financial problems of h capital care on their families. First off terminally ill patients have the fight to doctor assisted suicide because it can end their suffering and pain.Imagine being in a hospital for a long time, getting treatments, take inning medicine, and Jus t feeling like crap. The doctor says you don't have much time to live, wouldn't you Just want to end all the pain quicker? This spring, arrear old, Brittany Maynard learned that she had terminal brain cancer. After careful assessment of her prognosis s and ended life choices, she and her family reluctantly decided to move from their San Francisco Bay Area home to Oregon, that authorize death with dignity.

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur Essay

Regardless of your definition of success, there are, oddly enough, a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful businesspeople. You can place a check beside each characteristic that you feel that you possess. This way, you can see how you stack up. Even if you don’t have all of these characteristics, don’t fret. Most can be learned with practice and by developing a winning attitude, especially if you set goals and apply yourself, through strategic planning, to reach those goals in incremental and measurable stages. The Home Business Musts Like any activity you pursue, there are certain musts that are required to be successful in a chosen activity. To legally operate a vehicle on public roadways, one must have a driver’s license; to excel in sports, one must train and practice; to retire comfortably, one must become an informed investor and actively invest for retirement. If your goal is success in business, then the formula is no different. There are certain musts that have to be fully developed, implemented and managed for your business to succeed. There are many business musts, but this article contains I believe to be some of the more important musts that are required to start, operate and grow a profitable home business. 1. Do what you enjoy. What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put into your business. So if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, in all likelihood it’s safe to assume that will be reflected in the success of your business–or subsequent lack of success. In fact, if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, chances are you won’t succeed. 2. Take what you do seriously. You cannot expect to be effective and successful in business unless you truly believe in your business and in the goods and services that you sell. Far too many home business owners fail to take their own businesses seriously enough, getting easily sidetracked and not staying motivated and keeping their noses to the grindstone. They also fall prey to naysayers who don’t ake them seriously because they don’t work from an office building, office park, storefront, or factory. Little do these skeptics, who rain on the home business owner’s parade, know is that the number of people working from home, and making very good annual incomes, has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. 3. Plan everything. Planning every aspect of your home business is not only a must, but also builds habits that every home business owner should develop, implement, and maintain. The act of business planning is so important because it requires you to analyze each business situation, research and compile data, and make conclusions based mainly on the facts as revealed through the research. Business planning also serves a second function, which is having your goals and how you will achieve them, on paper. You can use the plan that you create both as map to take you from point A to Z and as a yardstick to measure the success of each individual plan or segment within the plan. 4. Manage money wisely. The lifeblood of any business enterprise is cash flow. You need it to buy inventory, pay for services, promote and market your business, repair and replace tools and equipment, and pay yourself so that you can continue to work. Therefore, all home business owners must become wise money managers to ensure that the cash keeps flowing and the bills get paid. There are two aspects to wise money management. The money you receive from clients in exchange for your goods and services you provide (income) The money you spend on inventory, supplies, wages and other items required to keep your business operating. (expenses) 5. Ask for the sale. A home business entrepreneur must always remember that marketing, advertising, or promotional activities are completely worthless, regardless of how clever, expensive, or perfectly targeted they are, unless one simple thing is accomplished–ask for the sale. This is not to say that being a great salesperson, advertising copywriting whiz or a public relations specialist isn’t a tremendous asset to your business. However, all of these skills will be for naught if you do not actively ask people to buy what you are selling. 6. Remember it’s all about the customer. Your home business is not about the products or services that you sell. Your home business is not about the prices that you charge for your goods and services. Your home business is not about your competition and how to beat them. Your business is all about your customers, or clients, period. After all, your customers are the people that will ultimately decide if your business goes boom or bust. Everything you do in business must be customer focused, including your policies, warranties, payment options, operating hours, presentations, advertising and promotional campaigns and website. In addition, you must know who your customers are inside out and upside down. Become a shameless self-promoter (without becoming obnoxious). One of the greatest myths about personal or business success is that eventually your business, personal abilities, products or services will get discovered and be embraced by the masses that will beat a path to your door to buy what you are selling. But how can this happen if no one knows who you are, what you sell and why they should be buying? Self-promotion is one of the most beneficial, yet most underutilized, marketing tools that the majority of home business owners have at their immediate disposal. 8. Project a positive business image. You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business. Home business owners must go out of their way and make a conscious effort to always project the most professional business image possible. The majority of home business owners do not have the advantage of elaborate offices or elegant storefronts and showrooms to wow prospects and impress customers. Instead, they must rely on imagination, creativity and attention to the smallest detail when creating and maintaining a professional image for their home business.

Managing Financial Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Financial Decisions - Essay Example On the other hand, sole proprietorship and partnerships have unlimited liability for shareholders. Although, it is easier to set up sole proprietorship or partnership as compared to the limited company, but limited companies have better access to external markets for funding and business opportunities. This implies that there is a separation of the business and individuals holding interests in the company. This type also has the advantage of being able to raise large amounts of funds from external sources. Also, the business is managed by a group of professional directors who have the experience and knowledge to operate different affairs of the business (Bendrey, Hussey, & West, 2004). In addition, only those profits, which are taken out from the limited company’s accounts are taxed as compared. Whereas, the entire profit of sole proprietorship is taxed. 1b Types of Source of Finance Types of Finance Definition Advantages Disadvantages Short Term Finance Trade Credit Credit ob tained by business for inventory and receivables management. It is less costly. It is easier to arrange. It does not require security. It is difficult to arrange large amounts. It is only trade related. Factoring Sale of receivables for cash in advance. It allows transfer of risk associated with credit sales. It frees up cash of businesses tied up in receivables. It is highly costly. It is not available to all kinds of industries. It involves complicated legal terms. Bank Overdrafts Short term borrowing from banks. It is not fixed for a specific period of time. It is suitable for businesses requiring finance occasionally. It is less costly for large companies. It is difficult to manage in periods of high interest rate volatility. It requires personal guarantees from owners or directors of the company. Medium Term Finance Loans Medium term borrowing from banks. It is for specific period of time and less fluctuation in interest payments. It allows businesses to ascertain the cost of f inance in advance. It allows businesses to negotiate terms of repayment according to their projections. It is faster to arrange such loans. It is costlier as compared to overdrafts. It can affect creditworthiness of the business if fails to meet loan obligations. Lease Obtaining the right of use of asset without purchasing them. Allows a business or individual to preserve liquid assets. Fixed repayments are required and the lender can not cancel the agreement on its own. It is difficult to arrange. It is difficult to record and report leases. It may not be possible to acquire all types of assets on lease. Long Term Finance Debt Finance Long term borrowing from banks or other finance providing companies. It allows access to larger pool of funds. It allows to upgrade equipment and machinery on regular basis. It requires security. It involves high interest charge due to its long-term nature. It is difficult to obtain loan for assets other than property in some countries. The accessibil ity to this type of finance depends upon assessment of creditworthiness of companies. It is finance against future profits of the business and can therefore restrict utilization of internal funds for business growth. Debentures and Loan Stock By issuing debt instrument in the secondary market.

We are what we read Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

We are what we read - Essay Example In order to read, many people prefer a silent environment that is free from disturbances. These individuals get used to being alone and secluded, resulting to anti social behavior. When people spend more time reading books than interacting with people, they generally become prone to solitary lives. This kind of people will have challenges interacting with others and will prefer spending their time reading than interacting with people, thus undermining the importance of maintaining healthy relationship with others. When reading, one encounters a large number of characters in the book being read. For the reader to be able to flow well with the stories, the reader needs to remember all the characters involved in the book. Exercising this ability to remember huge volumes of details about characters in a book ends up improving the memory of the reader. Many readers will end up enjoying a good short term memory, which makes them better placed to remember the faces and names or people they meet. In relationships, such memory enables readers to be able to remember the birthdays of their loved ones as well as the anniversaries, making them better lovers. According to Portillo PenÃŒÆ'a (2008), the urge to read more books increases when the reader is able to practice what they have read on their day to day life, making them reader eager to experiment with the information acquired. As a result, their behavior in hampered and they tend to be addicted to books to an extent of searching for answers to everything they are facing in books. This is however beneficial to the readers, since they will be in a position to use other people’s experience to solve their own problems and thus reducing the time taken to make decisions as well as the uncertainty of making uninformed action. The most productive individuals in the work place are the ones who are able to

Korean Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Korean Art - Essay Example One of the leaders in the Monochrome Art Movement, Ha Chong-Hyun (1935) used landscaping techniques in his works so to express the way he saw man as not being separable to nature (Art World of Ha Chong-Hyun). Kwon Young woo (1926) on the other hand, used simple composition out of paper by tearing, sticking, perforating, and coloring paper to create abstract modern paintings. His purpose was to break down the gap between Korean painting and the Western painting - This was obviously what the Minjung Art Movement was against (The 11 Great Korean Artists). Minjung artists, on the other hand, used a more revolutionized technique in painting. This is one of the biggest differences between the two movements. They used different vivid colors and facial expressions in their works to show their feelings toward capitalists and imperialists. Their techniques though were adopted from Buddhist paintings and narrative art. In this image ECRITURE NO. 000105, Park Seo-bo used one color pattern only although it dramatically shows the lights and shades, as well as for image 2 - Ecriture 000105 2000. ... Both paintings resemble nature. They show movement and harmony. Although the works of Minjung Art painters were quite different from those of Monochrome Art Movement because of their use of colors, they are similar in the use of patterns. Both painting techniques use patterns in design and color as well. In the next images, you can see vibrant colors in the Minjung Art paintings, but still, they follow a certain pattern as to the color of the clothes used, accessories, and background. The next images represent the Minjung Art Movement: (SoRi-MoRi Philadelphia Korean Cultural Troupe www.sorimori.org/eng/aboutus/mission.php) ("The Kabo Peasants' War" koreaweb.ws/minjungart) Both paintings used different colors and detailed faces. It is also similar in some way to the Monochromatic Art technique because it also follows a certain pattern in direction. Both have symmetry and balance. Works Cited Jung, Jun-mo. The 11 Great Korean Artists. Kim, Yong-na. 20th Century Korean Art. NJ: Laurence King Publishing, 2005 Seo-bo, Park. "Ecriture 000105" Online image. "Ecriture 000105 2000" Online image. Park Ryu Sook Gallery. Path: Galleries; Asian Artists Smith, Edward Lucie. Art World of Ha Chong-Hyun. 2007/08/02Path: Criticism; Art World of Ha Chong-Hyun-Edward Lucie-Smith l Art Critic "SoRi-MoRi Philadelphia Korean Cultural Troupe" Online image. Yon'guso, Kyore Misul. "The Kabo Peasants' War" Online image. Our People's Art

Performance management and high performance working Essay

Performance management and high performance working - Essay Example Therefore, performance is the process which adds to the effective management of individuals and teams so as to attain levels of organization performance. In addition, performance management initiates a shared understanding about what is to be attained and a vital approach to leading and improving peoples’ skills that will ensure achievement of company’ objectives (Foster, 2008). Therefore, performance management is a strategy which is related to every activity of the organization set up in the perspective of its human resources culture, policies, style and communication systems. The character of the strategy majorly relies on the organizational context and is dynamic from one organization to another. Consequently, the way in which employees are managed at work place tends to make a big difference in organizational performance (Jesuthasan, 2011). In today’s organizations, there is considerable evidence that a coherent style to manage people provides the foundation for significant gains in performance. Recently, a modern approach to manage organizations has cropped up that places employees and their skills at centre stage. This approach is referred to as high performance working. ... In addition, there should be fair treatment for individuals who leave the company as it changes and engages in the demands of the external community thus showing trust and commitment based on relationships within and outside the organization. A high performance working entails embracing greater employee involvement in order to achieve high levels of performance. The correct dimension this takes varies, however it entails activities in human personnel management for example, appraisal, workforce development, pay and incentives (Jesuthasan, 2011). It also involves work organization such as job design and team working, employment relations, management and leadership activities encompassing strategic management and business advancement as well as line management and organizational development. In high performance work places, all of these practices and policies are underpinned by a philosophy of individuals’ management that emphasizes on learning participation and autonomy. Many o rganizations have already initiated a high performance working approach and are harvesting the fruits of doing so, otherwise for those who have not; it can sometimes seem an expensive and discouraging possibility (Foster, 2008). In spite of the proven gains, the perceived difficulty of enhancing such comprehensive transformation can be a real obstacle. Skill utilization involves maximizing the contribution that individuals can make in the work place and the level of which people’s abilities have been deployed, developed and harnessed optimizes organization output capacity. Whatever takes place at work place is thus considered crucial to utilization of the available skills and this justifies why various organizations should run to achieve a high performance working (Foster, 2008).

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet Research Paper

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet - Research Paper Example The Internet provides terrorists with several advantages. For example, terrorists could operate in a clandestine manner from a distance. Such endeavors could be across national and continental borders, and could be conducted without fear of detection or regulation. The expenditure and risk involved in cyber – attacks are significantly lower than a physical attack. Furthermore, cyber – attacks tend to attract the attention of the media to a considerable extent (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). These advantages are off setted by several disadvantages. For instance, the intricacy and distributed nature of the Internet makes it very difficult to control a terrorist attack and achieve the sought for objectives. Terrorist attacks on the Internet chiefly cause economic damage, and there is very little scope for employing such attacks to cause physical harm (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). As such, a terrorist attack that does not entail death and injury attracts less attention and is therefore less effective in spreading terror. Moreover, terrorists host websites that display terrifying videos of their brutal murders. One such video showed the brutal killing of an American journalist by the Islamic terrorists. The Islamic terrorist group, Al Qaeda employs advanced communication technology in conjunction with multimedia, in order to engage in a highly sophisticated form of psychological warfare (Weimann, 2004). The al Qaeda has unremittingly declared; via its websites that its attack on the World Trade Center served to significantly damage the US economy, in addition to causing severe psychological damage to the populace. This contention has been borne out to some extent by the weakening of the dollar and the diffidence generated in the US economy, at the national and international level (Weimann, 2004). Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient means for raising funds for not only political organizations, but also terrorist groups. In a ddition, terrorist groups employ the Internet to recruit and mobilize cadres. Terrorist organizations not only use the various web technologies to enhance their allure, but they also collect information about the entities that browse through their websites (Weimann, 2004). In addition, technical information regarding the manufacture and use of explosives is readily available on the Internet. For instance, there are several websites that post The Anarchist Cookbook and The Terrorist’s Handbook. These are detailed manuals for manufacturing a vast array of explosive devices (Weimann, 2004). A major use of the Internet made by terrorist groups is for planning and coordinating terrorist attacks. The September 11 attacks were witness to the large scale use of the Internet by the al Qaeda to mount its murderous attacks. A large number of encrypted messages were retrieved by federal officials from the computer of the al Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubaydah, the monster who had masterminded t hese iniquitous attacks (Weimann, 2004). Realizing the benefit being derived from the Internet, by the terrorists, the US Government embarked upon a counterterrorism strategy. This strategy was aimed at infiltrating the message boards of the Islamic terrorists. In addition, the staunch ally of the US, namely the UK was successful in hacking an English language online magazine of the al Qaeda (Ackerman, 2011). Moreover, in the UK, the Home Office had proposed that filtering software was

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT - Essay Example For providing a flexible work approach and induce engagement among employees, result oriented employee programme was implemented. Also, an innovative employee incentive programme was initiated by the company where employees were asked to make choices with respect to rewards and incentives. Contents Introduction 4 Answer 1- Best Buy Employee’s Programmes 4 Answer 2: Assessment of Best Buy’s Job Listings 5 Answer 3: Employee Recognition Program 7 Answer 4: Motivation of Store employees 8 Conclusion 9 Reference List 10 Introduction In order to succeed in a business, effective management of employees is essential. Employee management programs are one of the few important HR strategies included in every stage of the overall human resource management process. The objective of the present report is to evaluate the various employment as well as customer retention strategies used by Best Buy. The case study has been evaluated as various strategies have been identified. The advan tages and disadvantages of the various employee programs implemented by Best Buy have been discussed. The study also analysed various theories relative to employee management and their applications in real business environment. With an understanding of the various theories and successful management of employee programme, a new employee recognition programme was also developed. Answer 1- Best Buy Employee’s Programmes Best Buys initiated three different employee programmes with the objectives of increasing overall growth and performance of the organisation. These are: 1. Customer- Centricity Customer centricity approach was implemented by the CEO of best buy in order to find out the most profitable customers of the organisation and giving maximum attention to them so that they become regular and loyal customers. This approach is based on Maslow’s need hierarchy theory. Thus, the company is aimed at satisfying the highest order needs of their customers. Advantages- thoug h it is difficult to identify the needs of different customers, through regular feedback, conversations and observations, it is possible to identify the exact requirements of important customers. This will help the employees as well as the store managers to prepare specific strategies for customer retention as well as increasing loyalty towards the products and services. Disadvantages- the major disadvantage is that it cannot be tested empirically and the theory does not apply to all form of jobs or work. In case of organisations set of needs which govern different customers might be different. 2. Results Oriented Work Environment Results oriented work environment or ROWE was implemented in the organisation so that employees are able to perform job in their most creative as well as efficient manner. The application of the programme is based on Vroom’s expectancy theory. According to the expectancy theory, individuals act in a particular way because they expect that choosing a particular behaviour over other will give them the desired or expected result. Advantages- the major advantage of expectancy theory is that it helps in achieving maximum satisfaction and minimum dissatisfaction within the interest of an individual. Since the psychological focus is ultimate satisfaction, individuals will always be willing to rectify their mistakes and take correct steps in order to achieve results. Disadvantages-

Marketing Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Managment - Essay Example This paper approves that organizations buying behavior is dissimilar to the consumers. Organizations are affected by environmental, organizational, interpersonal and individual factors. These individuals have their own set of behaviors and tend to influence others through interpersonal contact. In the environmental factors side, economic conditions is considered, the state of technological change is monitored, political and social factors are kept in mind and competitive developments play a major role in the company’s decision. At present, green marketing/ environment marketing has no strategies for the conventional process of segmenting, targeting and positioning. This is due to the fact that green marketing is a relatively new phenomenon with not set rules therefore the process is constantly updated, shifted, revised and new rules are created. One can use the traditional way marketing works with segmentation, targeting and position and merge newer reforms into this. This essay makes a conclusion that research conducted in the field of environment marketing, needs to be extensive and experimental. Organizations that declared their own selves to be socially responsible should understand the transitional phase green marketing in undergoing. Universities etc need to implement details about green marketing into their curriculum. Countries that are remote need to be made aware of their natural resource and taught the proper implementations of these. Above all green market is a profitable theory which needs to be realized by governments of other countries. Organizations such as The Body Shop have shown to their competitors that ozone-friendly products are in demand and appreciated by the public. However the publics of developing countries do not have this option and must be given so.

Choking in Sports Essay Example for Free

Choking in Sports Essay In 2007, Reeves, Tenenbaum, and Lidor conducted research in order to study what causes talented athletes to often fail to perform to the best of their abilities when placed under stressful situations. The purpose of the study was to discover whether athletes who participate in self-consciousness training adapt to pressure situations better than players who do not. To measure this, the researchers examined â€Å"choking† during kicking a soccer ball with participants of two different skill levels, low-skill and high-skill. The participants had to complete two different tasks, kicking a soccer penalty and a breakaway. They were placed under two pressure situations, both low and high, and the experimenters also had three different training conditions – single task, dual task, and self-consciousness. The high-skill players were members of a NCAA Division 1 women’s soccer team at a southeastern, United States university with at least ten years playing experience. There were 18 participants in the high-skill group ranging from 18 to 22 years of age. The low-skill players were junior varsity girl soccer players from two southeastern high schools. There were 19 participants in this group, ranging from age 14 to age 16. All of these participants were randomly assigned to one of the three training conditions. On the first day of the experiment, participants were told the purpose of the study and were asked to fill out performance information sheets as well as sign informed consents. Participants then warmed up and began performing the simple task of penalty kicks under low-pressure conditions. Before each kick, participants filled out the part of the psychological grid for that kick, and then performed the task. On the second day, the participants were split into two teams and told they would be competing for a prize. They were told that their competition would be videotaped and that a sports psychologist would evaluate their mental performance in front of the goal. The psychological grid was again filled out before each penalty kick. On the third day, the participants completed the complex task (breakaways) under low pressure conditions. On the fourth day, participants were told that the competition involving penalty kicks was unfair and that the competition needed to be replayed but with breakaways. The researchers found that choking occurred in the simple task of penalty kicks, but not in the more difficult task of breakaways. Also, the single-task and dual-task treatments experienced a decrease in performance under high-pressure situations. Meanwhile, participants who underwent self-consciousness training improved their performance under high-pressure situations. Reeves et al. used a repeated measure ANOVA with skill level and treatment as between-subjects factors and pressure condition and task complexity as within-subjects repeated measures on perceived pressure. This ANOVA was used to check for the effect of pressure on the participants, and a significant effect was found (F (1,31) = 32. 32, p . 001). Repeated measures ANOVAs were also used to assess performance and perceived performance during the shooting tasks. There was a significant interaction of task difficulty and pressure condition on performance such that participants performed the simple task better under low-pressure (M = 12. 63, SD = 3. 35) than under high pressure (M = 11. 17, SD = 3. 24). However, they also found that the more difficult task was performed equally well under low- (M = 11. 08, SD = 2. 64) and high-pressure (M = 11. 25, SD = 2. 90) conditions. A significant interaction was also found between pressure condition and treatment as they affect performance. Participants in the dual-task treatment suffered decreases in performance when shifting from low- to high-pressure situations, whereas participants in the self-consciousness treatment group increased performance. The single-task treatment had the highest decreases in performance from low- to high-pressure situations. Significant interactions were also found between skill level and treatment condition such that low-skill players given self-consciousness and dual task training perceived their performance as higher than those in the single-task condition. However, high-skill players in the self-consciousness treatment perceived their performance as being lowest of all three treatments. Yet another analysis of the data showed a significant interaction between pressure and treatment on perceived arousal and pleasantness levels. One limitation of this particular study is that it only examined the effects of high pressure situations in female soccer players. Although this study did account for differences in skill level, players of a different sport may have had dissimilar results. Also, there may be gender differences when it comes to choking during performance. The authors discussed the possible limitations of this study in the discussion section. There it says, â€Å"Further explanation of what constitutes a simple and complex task under pressure situations and of the ability to generalize to other task types is needed to enhance our understanding of the choking phenomenon. The researchers go on to say that there was no significant difference in skill level shown. The results reported by the experimenters and the discussion section did seem to be consistent in their findings. Using the statistical analysis and results from the ANOVAs, the researchers explained what they found using previous theories on choking in high pressure situations. The results of this study supported the explicit monitoring theory to explain choking under pressure in proceduralized skills. On the other hand, distraction theories explain choking under pressure in cognitive skills. Both of these conclusions were supported by data in the results section of the paper. This study not only has implications for athletes, but for everyday life as well. Athletes should be aware of the pressure they are experiencing in different situations and be able to regulate their arousal when necessary. If an athlete is facing a difficult task under high pressure conditions, they should consider undergoing self-consciousness training to help increase their performance. Similarly, if a student is studying for an extremely difficult exam that will determine whether they pass or fail a course, they should use self-consciousness training to help them obtain the best grade possible. For simple tasks, both athletes and students should realize that being under an increased amount of pressure can result in lower performance. Therefore, when completing mundane tasks, athletes and students alike should decrease their arousal and be under as little pressure as possible to achieve optimum performance. In a study by Wang in 2004, researchers were examining â€Å"dispositional self-consciousness and trait anxiety as predictors of choking in sport. Sixty-six basketball players completed the Self-Consciousness Scale and the Sport Anxiety Scale prior to completing 20 free throws in low-pressure and high-pressure conditions. A manipulation check showed that participants experienced significantly higher levels of state anxiety in the high-pressure condition. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis that self-conscious athletes were more susceptible to choking under pressure. The best predictors of choking were private self-consciousness and somatic trait anxiety that together accounted for 35% of the explained variance. † If one is self-conscious, they are putting themselves under even more pressure than the situation at hand already is. Therefore, these athletes are already at a disadvantage when it comes to reaching optimum performance. The best athletes in the world have no trouble stepping onto the biggest stage and performing well on a consistent basis. Also, in terms of choking, another factor that seems to be important is how high one’s approach motivation is. Choking is the concept that one performs worse than expected in a situation that carries great importance. This is Michael Jordan hitting a game winner in game six, or Mr. October Reggie Jackson going yard to give the Yankees the lead, or even a young intern at the FBI figuring out the biggest case of his life that makes his career; except it’s not. Choking is bricking that shot, grounding out to the second baseman, and having someone else figure out your case for you and thus getting your promotion. Recent questions have been raised about the major causes of choking. Some believe that â€Å"motivation to avoid failure often may predict choking under pressure† (Jordet 2008). â€Å"In achievement motivation theories, avoidance motivation typically refers to behavior directed by negatively valenced events, whereas approach motivation refers to behavior directed by positively valenced events† (Jordet 2008). People who avoid failure often get worried more and are more likely to perform poorly (choking). People who approach it, are often more confident and have less anxiety and thus, tend to have better performance (Dweck 1988). In this study, the researchers hypothesized that, â€Å"elite performers who are in negative valence situations engage in avoidance behaviors and these behaviors may contribute to low performance† (Jordet 2008). This study uses the high pressure situation of a penalty kick in a soccer match to fill the gap in knowledge on real-world choking. A penalty kick occurs when two teams are tied after two overtime periods. Especially in big games such as the World Cup final, these shots are very high pressure moments. Studies on these shots suggest that the more important the shot, the worse people performed because of elevated stress and anxiety levels. Researchers for the current study hypothesized that players in negatively valenced situations would attempt evading the situation, while players with positively valenced shots would take their time to look at the goal keeper, line up their shot, and take the necessary time to prepare. The negatively valenced shots would have their back turned to the goal keeper and would get the shot over with as quickly as possible (Jordet 2008). The results of this study showed that whether one takes an approach or avoidance motivation can have an effect on whether professional athletes choke under high pressure situations. They found that soccer players especially tended to use avoidance behavior and thus made 30% less shots than with the positively valenced shots (Jordet 2008). Despite prior research that suggested that professionals who choked tended to take longer to shoot, the present study found that the athletes who shot quickly actually performed worse. There are two possible situations. Either, through hurrying up, the athlete is able to time their shot and put it where they want, or they rush their preparation and don’t focus in enough on where they need to place the ball and can therefore choke. Jordet states that more research needs to be done on the relationship between dreading the shot, waiting to shoot, and the result or performance on the shot. Researchers in this study included a neutrally valenced condition in which they found it was most related to the negatively valenced condition. Therefore they concluded that athletes in the positively valenced group simply strive under pressure i. Michael Jordan, etc. Jordan approached failure face to face and more often than not came away successful as a result. It is all dependent on what sort of success and patterns a player has developed over his or her career (Dweck 1988). If a player shows a pattern of stepping up and hitting a key shot, you can expect that he or she will perform better on a big stage because they are self-confident. If I were to perform further research on this subject, I would first attempt to create a model that would help explain the complex reasons for choking while performing tasks during different situations. This would help other teachers, coaches, and researchers use this information to foster the highest level of performance in athletes and others. Another possible direction for these findings is to have three conditions in a study, one in which a participant completes a proceduralized task, one for a cognitive task, and one for a task that is both cognitive and proceduralized. Using this design, I would be able to examine if the two theories interact or if they are separate. Another possible direction for research is to see if low-, moderate-, or high-skilled players are more likely to choke under pressure rather than simply studying the choking habits of just elite athletes. Finally, a personality psychologist could assess if different personality dispositions make an athlete more or less likely to choke than others. With further research and increased understanding of the choking phenomenon, sports psychologists could discover a technique to help decrease the chances of choking under high-pressure situations. This could help improve athletes’ confidence, self-esteem, and performance while competing.

Chicano Mexican-American Movement Essay Example for Free

Chicano Mexican-American Movement Essay Chicano a political term made popular in the sixties with the Chicano Civil Rights Movement which followed the example of the Black Civil Rights Movement. The people of the Movement adopted the word Chicano for themselves just as the African Americans had adopted Black. The Chicano Movement fought for all people of the Southwest of Mexican descendancy. These people included those whose ancestors had been citizens in the southwest when it was Mexico before the United States occupied it in 1848. Chicano a political term made popular in the sixties with the Chicano Civil Rights Movement which followed the example of the Black Civil Rights Movement. The people of the Movement adopted the word Chicano for themselves just as the African Americans had adopted Black. The Chicano Movement fought for all people of the Southwest of Mexican descendancy. These people included those whose ancestors had been citizens in the southwest when it was Mexico before the United States occupied it in 1848. These people became citizens by default with all rights guaranteed to them under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The Chicano Movement also included three waves of immigrants from Mexico: those who migrated because they were escaping the Mexican Revolution between 1900 and 1914; those who came between World War I and 1930, mainly for economic reasons; and those who came between World War II and the 1960s. Several of those who came in the 1940s came with organized labor programs such as the Bracero Program and decided to stay, even if undocumented. The Chicano Movement and the Treaty of Gudalupe Hidalgo After the United States won the Mexican American War the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was executed on February 2, 1848. Under the treaty, Mexico ceded to the United States a large area including, California, Arizona, New Mexico, parts of what we know today as Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah. The annexation of Texas was also approved. All the citizens who had resided in what had been Mexico were given one year to make a choice to remain in what was now the U. S. or go to what was now Mexico. It is estimated that 75,000 Mexicans decided to stay and became citizens of the U. S. by default. The treaty provided specific guarantees for the property and political rights of the native population and they were given the right to retain their language, religion and culture. Almost immediately, the treaty was broken and these people were treated like foreigners in their own land. When they lost their land, they lost their economic base, thus had to turn to wage labor to survive. They were subjected to great discrimination practices, as were the three waves of immigrants who came later. By the time World War II ended Chicanos were an oppressed people; poor, uneducated, with no political clout; and menial jobs with little hope for upward mobility. It was after the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 and after soldiers came back from World War II that the foundation for the Chicano Movement was built. The veterans and other concerned Chicanos refused to be treated like second class citizens. The groundwork was laid for the battle of equality for Chicanos. When the 1960s came about Chicanos recognized that like the Blacks, they, too, had a cause and initially emulated the Black Civil Rights Movement. Scholars consider the year 1943 as the beginning of an new period of Mexican American history and culture. When the so-called Zoot Suit Riots occurred in the Los Angeles area it marked a stage in the cultural development of the Mexican American in which there was a consciousness of not belonging to either Mexico or the United States and an effort to assert a separate independent identity. It introduced the Pachucos, young Mexican-American young men who were not accepted in their schools, nor at home. They sought their own identity. Also after World War II Mexican American veterans who had fought and died side by side with their other American counterparts now felt they had earned their rights and were ready to participate equitably. Thus the quest for identity in modern American society was initiated and by the 1960s a younger generation made up of the children of the veterans took up the pursuit of democracy and equity in the Civil Rights Movement and explored the question of identity in all the arts. There had been very little Chicano Literature in the past so the 60s was considered a Chicano Renaissance. Hispanic an umbrella term that reduces groups of people into the lowest common denominator of Spanish speaking peoples. This can be people who speak Spanish or whose ancestors spoke Spanish and includes, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans and other ethnic groups. It is a most unfair label because it denies the different histories, and dilutes the importance of each different culture by lumping them all under one umbrella. The term was given by the government during the Nixon administration. Mestizo for the scope of this class half-Spanish, half-Indian. When the conquistadores arrived in the Americas miscegenation took place between the Spaniards and the Indigenous women, thus produced a new race, the Mestizo, a mixture of Caucasian and Indian. Much of Chicano Literature is based on Indian folklore. The Mestizo is an element in Mexican American Studies meaning both the Indian and Spanish side of the Chicano. Therefore we will be studying literature that takes us back to ancient Mexico and Spain and brings elements of both cultures to produce Chicano literature. I am Joaquin, written by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales in the 1960s elaborated a version of cultural nationalism that would typify what is called Movement Poetry. It was Mexican American history all wrapped up into one poem. It was monumental because up until then there had been very little written about the Chicano. When something was written, it was usually derogatory or stereotypical. It stands alone as an epic poem of the Chicano Movement. A new breed of writers were born because of the Chicano Movement. Their writings were related to a political and social movement. They wrote about cultural identification with the Mexican American heritage within the general framework of American society. It became the most intense expression of the creative spirit of the movement. It first saw the light in print in angry journals or newspapers such as El Grito Magazine or El Gallo Newspaper. There were many. The writing was cause writing, not just literary. It was also inspirational. The first Chicano writers of Chicano Literature in the 60s committed their literary vices to the political economic and educational struggles. Their works were often inspirational and read at organizational meetings, boycotts and before protest marches. The first Chicano poets included: Abelardo Lalo Delgado; Ricardo Sanchez and Alurista (Alberto Urista). Alurista coined the term Aztlan as the Chicano homeland. It gave Chicanos a sense of place. Aztlan had been the mythical homeland of the Aztecs which was north from Mexico, probably somewhere in the southwest United States. In 1967 appeared the most influential Chicano Literary Magazine, El Gallo, initiating the publishing house El Quinto Sol (The Fifth Sun). El Quinto Sol emphasized the Chicano culture, language, themes and styles and a Mexica/Aztec identity and promoted the Spanish Language. The fifth sun referred to the Aztec belief in a period of cultural flowering that would take place some time in the future, in a fifth age that coincided with the rise of the Chicano movement. One of the first books published by Quinto Sol was an anthology in 1986, El Espejo/The Mirror, edited by Dr. Octavio Romano Paz and Herminio Rios. In 1970 El Quinto Sol instituted a national award for Chicano Literature, Premio Quinto Sol (Fifth Sun Award) which gave the winner $1000 and published their winning manuscript.

Diagnosis and Management of Bronchopleural Fistula

Diagnosis and Management of Bronchopleural Fistula Introduction A bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a communication between the bronchial tree and the pleural space. More than two thirds of BPFs are postresectional, with an incidence ranging from 1.5-28 % after pneumonectomy, and 0.5% after lobectomy. Postresectional BPF is associated with mortality of 20-50 %.[1] BPFs can present early (1-7 days), intermediate (8-30 days), or late (more than 30 days) after pulmonary resection. Early fistulas are usually associated with dehiscence of the bronchial stump, while late fistulas are usually associated with failed healing or infection.[2] Besides postresectional etiology, BPFs may be idiopathic, or secondary to necrotizing lung infections, persistent spontaneous pneumothorax, thoracic trauma, Adult respiratory distress syndrome, Tuberculosis, or postprocedural e.g. lung biopsy or bronchoscopy.[3] Diagnosis and management of BPF is a major challenge for clinicians. Diagnosis and localization of BPF may require multiple chest computed tomography (CT) imaging and bronchoscopies.[4] A BPF is usually a manifestation of the underlying lung disease, therefore, measures to reduce the air leak are generally unsuccessful until the patients underlying lung disease has improved. Once there is diminished need for mechanical ventilation, the BPF almost always resolves without specific therapy, apart from controlling active infection and draining the pleural space adequately. Definitive repair using surgery or various bronchoscopic methods has been used to close BPF if either conservative management fails, or is not expected to succeed.[5] Case Description A 69 year old male with squamous cell carcinoma of the right lower lobe (RLL) of the lung underwent thoracotomy and RLL resection. The patient was discharged home on the 6th postoperative day after an uneventful hospital course. The patient presented to the emergency department of an outside hospital ten days later with fever and respiratory distress. Chest X-ray showed a large pneumothorax, and a right sided chest tube was placed. Pleural fluid was sent for culture and sensitivity, and later grew staphylococcus aureus. The patient’s breathing continued to be labored, and was intubated urgently after failing a short trial of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (PPV). A large air leak was observed through the chest tube with each positive pressure breath, even after placing the chest tube on continuous suction. Placement of an endobronchial valve to minimize air leak was attempted in the interventional bronchoscopy suite, but failed and was reported to be technically dif ficult. The patient was subsequently transferred to our hospital for further management. On admission, ventilatory management in the intensive care unit (ICU) was geared towards lowering the tidal volume and plateau airway pressure to minimize the air leak. This was accomplished by providing partial ventilatory support using low rate synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) and a high inspiratory flow rate, as well as decreasing PEEP, inspiratory to expiratory (I/E) ratio, and the tidal volume of each ventilator delivered breath. We used the least amount of chest tube suction that maintains lung inflation, treated bronchospasm aggressively, and continued appropriate antibiotics. We suspected that the patient had a RLL airway stump dehiscence resulting in a BPF, and complicated with staphylococcus aureus empyema. Chest CT (Figure 1) showed a properly placed right sided chest tube surrounded by residual hydropneumothorax. Bronchoscopy showed a defect in the suture line of the RLL airway stump. The patient was taken to the operating room (OR) to close the BPF through a right thoracotomy after switching the single lumen endotracheal tube to a left sided double lumen tube. The abscess cavity was cleaned revealing a 0.6 cm airway stump opening at its base. The stump opening was sutured and mattressed with intercostal muscle pedicle. A Clagett window was created, the cavity was packed tightly, and a vacuum assisted closure dressing was applied. The patient was extubated in the OR to minimize PPV. Antibiotics and dressing changes were done until the patient was discharged from the hospital on the 6th postoperative day. The wound was ultimately closed five months later when the Clagett window decreased in size and healed appropriately. Diagnosis Signs and symptoms of BPF include fever, productive cough, hemoptysis, subcutaneous emphysema, and persistent air leak or purulent drainage from a chest tube. Late fistulas with empyema may be associated with nonspecific symptoms e.g. fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Chest radiographs usually demonstrate a new air-fluid level (hydropneumothorax) in the pleural space.[6] Both chest CT and bronchoscopy are useful in establishing diagnosis, identifying the cause and localizing the bronchopleural fistulous track.[4] Chest CT can also define the empyema cavity and assess the severity of coexisting lung disease. Bronchoscopy can also be used to inspect the bronchial stump, obtain cultures, and assess the contralateral airway. In addition to direct visualization of central BPFs, bronchoscopy can localize peripheral ones by passing a balloon into suspected bronchial segments separately and then inflating for 30-120 seconds. A reduction in air leak through chest tubes would identify the bronchial segment communicating with the BPF.[7] Management Management of BPF is difficult and depends on the underlying cardiopulmonary reserve, nutritional status, fitness to undergo a major surgical procedure, surgical expertise available, and the size and location of the fistula. Conservative management: The primary goals of BPF management include treating the underlying lung disease, reducing the air leak through ventilator adjustments to minimize the tidal volume and plateau airway pressure, and avoiding contamination of the contralateral lung by either positioning the patient with the affected side down or controlling the airway with a double lumen endotracheal tube if needed. Small fistulas can be managed conservatively if the patients clinical condition is stable and the pleural space is well drained. This is achieved by insertion of a chest tube in the pleural cavity, with either minimal or no suction to allow the lung to expand without encouraging air leak through the fistula. Conservative management is safe as long as empyema is drained promptly, but might not be suitable for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.[8] The chest tube can be connected to a one-way valve and the patient can be treated as an outpatient.[9] Ventilatory management: [9,10] Ventilatory management of BPF is geared towards keeping airway pressures below the critical opening pressure of the fistula by reducing the respiratory rate, tidal volume, inspiratory time, PEEP, plateau airway pressure, and transpulmonary pressure gradient. This can be achieved by implementing the following measures: Provide partial ventilatory support e.g. low rate SIMV or Pressure Support. Decrease the tidal volume of each ventilator-delivered breath (5 to 8 mL/kg) Use a high inspiratory flow rate e.g. 70 to 100 L/min. Decrease I/E ratio. Minimize inspiratory time to decrease mean airway pressure, avoid end-inspiratory pause and inverse-ratio ventilation. Minimize PEEP (both dialed-in and auto-PEEP). If previous adjustments are not possible or insufficient, a strategy of permissive hypercapnia is appropriate (decrease minute ventilation and allow arterial PCO2 to rise). Use the least amount of chest tube suction that maintains lung inflation. Avoid patient positions that increase the leak, and keep patient heavily sedated (and paralyzed if needed) if spontaneous movement exacerbates air leak. Treat bronchospasm and other causes of expiratory airflow obstruction. Wean and extubate patients as soon as possible. If the measures mentioned above failed, consider unconventional ventilatory measures e.g. independent lung ventilation,[11] high-frequency jet ventilation,[12] or airway pressure release ventilation.[13] If ventilation continues to be problematic, veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used temporarily until further bronchoscopic or surgical control of BPF is done.[14] Bronchoscopic Management: Interventional bronchoscopy is usually reserved for BPF in patients with high surgical risk and poor general condition, or small fistulas in stable patients after drainage of the pleural space has been achieved and infection is controlled.[15] These procedures are limited to isolated case reports or short case series; the current literature does not allow adequate comparison of different bronchoscopic techniques. Peripheral fistulas (post-lobectomy) tend to be more amenable to this family of techniques compared with more centrally located fistulas (post-pneumonectomy). Bronchoscopic management of BPF is based on the delivery of different materials and small devices into the BPF sites.[16] Examples include: A plug composed of Gel Foam, fibrin, autologous clot, or tissue glue. An endobronchial one-way valve. (Figure 2 3) An expandable endobronchial stent. Local application of silver nitrate. Coagulation of the injured site with the Nd:YAG laser. Antibiotics e.g. Doxycycline, or tetracycline injections. Silicone fillers, coils, and amplatzer devices. Surgical Management: Surgical management has a success rate of 80-95 %, but it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Surgery can be performed as a one or two stage procedure. A one stage procedure is indicated when the BPF occurs within the first few days after surgery. Management usually includes closure of the BPF by reclosure of the bronchial stump reinforced with omental or pedicled flaps, and obliteration of the residual pleural space.[2,17] Management of late occurring fistulas or if an empyema is present involves a two-stage approach. Drainage of the pleural space and debridement of empyema cavity is followed by repair of the air leak once the pleural space is sterile (e.g. Modified Clagett Technique).[18,19] Chronic empyema may need thoracoplasty with removal of a part of the chest wall.[5] If the BPF cannot be identified, open window thoracotomy and daily dressing may be helpful. Success of surgical management is improved by ensuring appropriate antibiotic therapy, adequate nutritional support, and proper care of chest tubes, as inadvertent occlusion can be complicated by tension pneumothorax.[8] Conclusion BPFs offer many management challenges in a complex patient population. The aforementioned case report demonstrates the spectrum of morbidity associated with this serious problem. A post-resection occurrence is the most common etiology, and the diagnosis is usually confirmed with chest CT and bronchoscopy. BPFs require a multimodal management strategy and should be handled in centers with experience with this complex problem. Management includes control of infection, pleural drainage, proper pain control, nutritional support, and ventilatory management tailored to minimize air leak. Both surgical and non-surgical options can be utilized for management of BPFs. Bronchoscopic procedures such as endobronchial valves are emerging as viable treatment options but should be used on a case-by-case basis. Figure 1: Chest CT: Panel A shows a residual hydropneumothorax around a right sided chest tube. Panel B represents a coronal reconstruction that shows the BPF (The arrow points to the communication between the right lower lobe airway and the right pleural space). Image courtesy of Dr. Ahmed El-Sherief. Figure 2: A bronchoscopic image from another patient with right upper lobe BPF. The image shows 2 endobronchial valves seated in the anterior and posterior segments of the right upper lobe. Image courtesy of Dr. Thomas Gildea. Figure 3: The Spiration Valve System (SVS) is self expanding and conforms to the airway. During inspiration (A), the valve blocks distal airflow. During expiration (B), the valve allows trapped air and secretions to escape. Reduction in airflow may accelerate resolution of an air leak. Copyright  © 2013 Spiration, Inc. Reprinted with permission.