Egyptian Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Egyptian Religion - Essay Example The people would revere the king as a person having a divine person. The king is also described as a human being. Also, the king is also depicted in movies and storybooks as a dictator king. The people bow down and obey his commands without hesitation. The following paragraphs explain the three interconnecting functions of the king or pharaoh. The king’s role in Egyptian religion is three -pronged. First, the king has a divine function. Second, the king is has a human form. Lastly, the king has an influential political role to implement on his subjects. First, the king has a divine function. The king is considered a god. The Egyptians were believed to have conceived the world as a social process that from dawn to dusk. The Egyptian king helps maintain the balance of the universe after its original maintainer was treacherously killed. The king is also helped by the Egyptian priests in the maintenance of a universe that moves in complete harmony. This theory of the delicate balance that the Egyptian universe hangs shows that the king plays a very precarious role indeed. The King’s power then extends beyond the horizon in Egypt because the sky also extends to the far reaches of the king of Egypt. The king is also called by such names as gods of the provinces, gods of the towns of the earth and other names (Quirke 70). As a god, the king grants prizes and rewards to his subjects that follow his every command.The book Ancient Egyptian Kings states that the kings were revered as gods through the construction of monuments like the landmark Pyramid. Egyptian society looked at the king as an elite member of society. Many quarters in Egypt even consider their king as more important than their gods in heaven. The country could not run without the king god ruling over them. In fact, the king is considered as the unifying apex of any dualities that form the Egyptian society. The king services as the mediator between the people and the Egyptians gods up in the sky. The king god of Egypt is replaced by heredity. This means that the next King -god must be the son of the current king. In addition, the god Horus was worshipped in Egypt by many people. The goddesses namely Wadjet and Buto, Saisin were linked to the Egyptian king (Baines, 100). The king gods were often helped by their temple priests.The king built temp les in the form of pyramids. And the province of Fayoum is one of the largest oases in Egypt. This is located Southwest of the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. The temple in antique for. "the kings of the 12th Dynasty (1991-1786 BC) chose to build their capital city here, and to be buried in pyramids built nearby, on the edge of the desert. Subsequently, priests and other personnel were employed in the pyramid temples, where the king's mortuary cult was performed after his death and burial. Around this nucleus, the community soon developed and lawyers, doctors, scribes, craftsmen, tradesmen and all the other elements of a thriving society came together.1" The above quote shows that a major portion of an ordinary Egyptian's life is spent constructing the pyramids. The pyramids have always caught the amazed and awe of its spectators. For, the ordinary people of today do not know how such a huge mammoth building was built with the primitive instruments that the Egyptians used during those time period. The pyramid is the resting place of the pharaoh or king when he dies. It has a locking mechanism so that no one can enter the tomb after the king is buried. For, this pyramid lock is used to prevent the looting of the treasures hidden inside the dead king's pyramid chamber. For."throughout the ages,

Topic of the week explain the development of self-concept, Coursework

Topic of the week explain the development of self-concept, self-esteem, and self efficacy - Coursework Example causes improved performance, or vice-versa† (1). In this regard, the discourse would initially differentiate and define the meanings of the abovementioned terms in conjunction with delving into a discussion to explain their development. Self-concept has been defined by Neill (2005) as â€Å"the nature and organization of beliefs about one's self.   Self-concept is theorized to be multi-dimensional† (1). The depiction that one conceptualizes on oneself is perceived to be one’s holistic understanding and knowledge of the self. Shivakumar (2009) acknowledged this concept as parallel with self-identity where distinct components of physical, social and psychological attributes compromise its existence (5). This concept is indicated to be learned, can be organized and experienced in its dynamic form. On the other hand, self- esteem is the term synonymous with feelings of self-worth and value. As averred by Shivakumar (2009), self-esteem â€Å"encompasses both beliefs and emotions† (34) where certain factors contribute to their development. Childhood experiences were noted to provide a crucial role in its development depending on the quality of events and learning potentials.

Nature of Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nature of Conflict - Essay Example This makes the employees enter into hitch with the management or higher officials. They may go on strikes or do other sorts of protests. Major conflicts occur when, for example, employees experience gender discrimination, work overload, forced overtime, short deadlines, and no opportunities for promotion, reward or compensation. These factors reduce job security and the employees suffer from work related stress. Other major causes may include dissatisfactory wages and salaries, and poor communication between the management and employees due to which the latter feel that their problems are not being considered. Also, when employees feel that they are not being able to participate in the decision-making process, they may acquire conflicting views about the project at hand. All of these conflicts may get serious enough to be requiring a mediation plan for resolution. No matter the conflict is small or big, the management should make serious efforts to resolve it as soon as possible so t hat employees do not lose their morale (Wilmot & Hocker, 2011). Negotiation or Mediation Negotiation is necessary to solve conflicts. Sometimes, this negotiation is done through mediation. We define mediation as a process in which a third party intervention is sought for reconciliation between individuals or groups. The purpose of negotiation is to make possible the re-establishment of mutual tolerance between the parties involved. However, negotiation itself depends upon the friendly signals shown by the opponents leading to friendly re-union and cooperative bonding. Strasser and Randolph (2004, p.22) affirm that mediators should â€Å"accept conflict as an inescapable facet of human existence, with the possible consequence of reconciliation.† Negotiators and mediators should understand that conflict cannot be eliminated entirely. If negotiators start thinking that they will be able to eradicate conflict completely, then this perception will be a barrier to an effective impl ementation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process. It will also make the negotiators forceful and aggressive toward resolution. Thus, the negotiators need to adjust their behaviors and attitudes so that they can efficiently deploy conflict management techniques. Personal Experience This section of the paper describes my own case as an example of workplace conflict and negotiation process. I worked as an internee in a company in my city. As I stated, most conflicts occur due to unfair treatment or policy changes from the management side, this incident also involves a conflict between the manager and I. It was about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). For reader’s information, the major responsibility of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is to make accommodations for disabled employees, under the title I of the Act. ADA makes sure that the disabled employees do not have to face discrimination by their seniors or co-workers when they are at the workplace. In order to get protection by ADA, the individual must have a disability which is defined by the Act as â€Å"a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities† (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005). All persons who have in their medical history that they have been or are going through such a disability, or people perceive him as

Multistate Regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multistate Regulation - Essay Example g practice is expanded on a daily basis through technology, and the new modalities in place that encourage the practice by nurses, wherever they are, or might go (Hann, 2007). This paper will examine the pros and cons of multistate regulation on the health care fraternity, and what it means to have rules in place to regulate the profession over state lines. Once one is a licensed medical practitioner, it is their right to practice their profession in any state they want to practice. This is one advantage brought on by the multistate regulation. If a medical practitioner is willing to conduct their business electronically, or physically, it is their right to do so, provided the licensing board in their state has approved of their practice (Hann, 2007). Also, if their practice is in agreement with the procedures and guidelines of the state in which they want to practice. Under mutual recognition, the multistate regulation ensures that medical practitioners may practice their profession across state lines (Hann, 2007). This is if there are no restrictions. Another advantage of the multistate regulation is the creation of diverse experiences. The nursing profession essentially benefits from the enhancement of opportunities created through regulation. It is imperative that medical practitioners get the exposure from different areas so as to bring diversification to the table. This is possible through multistate regulation policies. Health insurance companies are incurring tremendous losses as they tend to obey the different guidelines in the respective state (Milstead, 2013). This is a different scenario present, because, if these insurance companies would comply with a single regulatory body, it would be easier to conduct business. They would incur fewer costs by getting compliance from a single body, than multiple regulatory standards, which each state requires. The costs incurred drive up a company’s expenses, which are unnecessary. If the insurance companies

Management Accounting and Financial Accounting Essay Example for Free

Management Accounting and Financial Accounting Essay The differences between management accounting and financial accounting include:[1] 1. Management accounting provides information to people within an organization while financial accounting is mainly for those outside it, such as shareholders 2. Financial accounting is required by law while management accounting is not. Specific standards and formats may be required for statutory accounts such as in the I.A.S International Accounting Standard within Europe. 3. Financial accounting covers the entire organization while management accounting may be concerned with particular products or cost centres. Managerial accounting is used primarily by those within a company or organization. Reports can be generated for any period of time such as daily, weekly or monthly. Reports are considered to be future looking and have forecasting value to those within the company. Financial accounting is used primarily by those outside of a company or organization. Financial reports are usually created for a set period of time, such as a fiscal year or period. Financial reports are historically factual and have predictive value to those who wish to make financial decisions or investments in a company. Management Accounting is the branch of Accounting that deals primarily with confidential financial reports for the exclusive use of top management within an organization. These reports are prepared utilizing scientific and statistical methods to arrive at certain monetary values which are then used for decision making. Such reports may include: * Sales Forecasting reports * Budget analysis and comparative analysis * Feasibility studies * Merger and consolidation reports Financial Accounting, on the other hand, concentrates on the production of financial reports, including the basic reporting requirements of profitability, liquidity, solvency and stability. Reports of this nature can be accessed by internal and external users such as the shareholders, the banks and the creditors.

Techniques of Research in Health Essay Example for Free

Techniques of Research in Health Essay STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Immigrants to the United States represent a substantial and rapidly growing group that totaled more than forty-three million people or 13.5 percent of the U.S population in 2015 (Migration Policy institute (MPI), 2015). Since 1970, this percentage has almost tripled rising from 4.7% of the population to the current 13.5% in 2015 and shows no signs of decreasing (MPI Immigration over time 1850-2015). The inflow of immigrants even into smaller states is having a profound effect on a growing number of local communities as immigrants settle in non-traditional destinations like Minnesota and North Dakota. States that had relatively low percentages of immigrants are seeing these populations grow by big margins up to 90 percent in some cases  (Derose, K. et al, 2007). The make-up of this immigrant population is diverse, for instance, India was the leading country of origin for recent immigrants, with 179,800 arriving in 2015, followed by 143,200 from China, 139,400 from Mexico, 47,500 from the Philippines, and 46,800 from Canada. In 2013, India and China overtook Mexico as the top origin countries for recent arrivals. While Minnesota still has proportionally fewer immigrants than the U.S. as a whole with 8.3% of its population being immigrants compared to 13.5% nationally, the state’s foreign-born population is actually increasing faster than the national average. (Immigration Overview Minnesota Compass)In Minnesota, the number of immigrants has tripled since 1990, but nationally it only doubled. Immigrants are among the fastest growing populations in Minnesota, growing by 76 percent since 2000, compared with a 12 percent growth rate for the states population overall. This translates to around 457,000 Minnesota residents who are foreign-born by the end of 2015, including many refugees who fled their home countries. Over 80% of these immigrant groups are concentrated in the 7-county twin cities metro area. (Immigration Overview Minnesota Compass) Immigrants are often identified  as a vulnerable population, that is, a group at increased risk for poor physical, psychological, and social health outcomes and inadequate health care. The vulnerability is shaped by many factors, including political and social marginalization and a lack of socioeconomic and societal resources. Addressing the health care needs of immigrant populations is challenging both because of the heterogeneity of this group and because recent federal and state policies have restricted some immigrants’ access to health care. These policies have exacerbated existing differences in access, for example, legal residents versus undocumented and long-term residents versus recent arrivals. The stigma associated with some forms of immigration status; for example, undocumented versus refugee, can also contribute to vulnerability. (https://studymoose.com/issues-facing-latino-immigrants-in-todays-political-climate-essay). Given immigrant’s concentration in the 7-county twin cities metro area, a major public health concern is their access to health services. At present in the United States, health insurance is the best way to ensure access to health care. A key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the requirement that private insurance plans cover recommended preventive services without any patient cost-sharing. This provision is important because it increases access to preventive healthcare by lowering costs and eliminating some costs. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, uninsured individuals are less likely to receive preventive care or care for routine medical conditions and injuries. Lack of preventive health care and lack of treatment for medical conditions can lead to more serious illnesses and health problems. This, in turn, can result in hospitalizations and deaths that could have been prevented. (Health Key Measures Minnesota Compass). As these Immigrant groups assimilate and acclimatize into the system, the issue of Immigrant access to health care falls off as they begin to work and can gain access to health insurance through their employers. Existing literature suggests that there is a disparity in the utilization of healthcare in general and even preventive health care. Statement of the problem Preventive care includes health services like screenings, check-ups, and patient counseling that are used to prevent illnesses, disease, and other health problems, or to detect illness at an early stage when treatment is likely to work best. Getting recommended preventive services and making healthy lifestyle choices are key steps to good health and well-being. The existing literature on preventive care tends to focus on access to these procedures and even those few that are focused on utilization are mainly leaning towards individuals already diagnosed with specific disease states such as diabetes. However, since preventive care utilization recommendations are intended for all eligible individuals, it would seem more appropriate to apply a broader view on the use of preventive care services among healthy, disease-free individuals. (Prevention | Office of the Associate Director for Policy | CDC) The significance of the problem The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in the utilization of preventive care services among eligible immigrant groups in the twin cities area and comparing it to that of the non-immigrant population. Findings from this study will assist in identifying subpopulations that are not utilizing preventive care services adequately, thereby increasing their risk for developing chronic conditions. Taking a broad approach through predicting the use of preventive care services for all eligible individuals will draw the attention of policymakers towards individuals less likely to use health promotion and prevention services, and thus enable appropriate health care intervention recommendations. Research questions This study will seek to answer the following research questions: What are the rates of utilization of preventive health care among these different immigrant subgroups in the twin cities? What is the rate of utilization of preventive health care among the non-immigrant population in the twin cities? What are the differences or similarities in preventive healthcare utilization rates among the different subgroups and the non-immigrant population? Assumptions The study assumes that all participants will answer truthfully to all the questions, to this end, all participants are informed of their anonymity and confidentiality that will be preserved. The participants are informed about their right to withdraw from the study at any time and with no ramifications. Limitations This study depends on self-reports of participants, it is possible for participants to provide answers that they deem to be socially acceptable even if not true. The interviewer will prod for more accurate answers by trying to reformulate the question where they believe this to be the case. Access to these subgroups is dependent on social contacts information and although helpful, it may not be representative of the subgroups. A profile of each subgroup can help eliminate potential variations created by this limitation. This study also designates a geographical region, the 7-county twin cities metro area. The study assumes that the sample in the metro is representative of those in the greater Minnesota. Given the cultural heterogeneity of the participants, the researcher may not be culturally competent in the different cultures and may have to depend on a guidance from social contacts. The time needed to conduct this study is limited and therefore requires a limited sample size. Delimitations Focus on Immigrant groups in the twin cities metro area provide convenience in location of residence and the concentration of immigrants as opposed to those living in the greater Minnesota. Some immigrant groups originate from areas where healthy practices are automatically built into their lifestyles. For instance, if you cannot afford to buy a vehicle, then you will have to walk to and from the nearest means of public transportation. Likewise, some immigrant groups do not go to visit a doctor or a hospital unless they are unwell. These differences inspired the focus on gauging utilization of preventive health care services. The sample size will be determined by the subgroups population proportion to the population of Minnesota. This research will focus on adults with health insurance; this is so as to eliminate access to preventive health procedures as a variable in the study. Definition of terms Preventive healthcare: Health procedures including screenings, immunizations, and counseling. The study will select six overall procedures two from each category. Utilization: The measure of the populations use of the health care services available to them. The term immigrants also are known as the foreign born refers to people residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. This population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, certain legal nonimmigrants like persons on student or work visas, those admitted under refugee or asylee status.( U.S. Immigrant Population and Share over Time, 1850 ) References: Derose  KP,  Escarce  J,  Lurie  N.  Immigrants and health care: sources of vulnerability.  Health Aff.  2007;26(5):1258–1268. Migration Policy Institute (MPI) tabulation of data from U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2015 American Community Surveys (ACS), and 1970, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Census. All other data are from Campbell J. Gibson and Emily Lennon, Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 1990 (Working Paper no. 29., U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999). U.S Census Bureau, Selected Characteristics of the Native and Foreign-Born Populations: 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_16_1YR_S0501prodType=table. L.J. Larsen, â€Å"The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2003,† Current Population Reports no. P20-551, August 2004, Fuseya, Y., Yamamoto, Y., Takahashi, T., Naito, D., Shima, K., Takahashi, K., Sakai, N. (2016). A62 CLINICAL ASPECTS OF CAP, HCAP, HAP, AND VAP: Social Factors On Hospitalization Period Of Elderly Patients With Pneumonia In Japan. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 193, 1.

An organisations process

An organisations process Introduction Strategic planning is an organisations process of defining its corporate strategy, making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue its strategy, including its capital and human resources. In this modern and competitive era growing business, means taking timely, quick and accurate decisions about the way we want to grow our business. As an organisation grows, it becomes more and more complex for management to control. In this case, strategic planning is the key component for all type of organisations, which help them to keep on track. All organisations depend on strategic plan to keep the long-term focus synced up with day-to-day decision-making. From Board level to front line staff, everyone is aligned with the organisations strategy and vision. Because it is a road map to lead organisation from where it is now to where it would like to be in future. It is very important for management that they make sure, that all those who involved in any activity are clear about what that o rganisation is looking to achieve and how they are planning to do it. The main source of information is included from official websites and reports published by companies. Moreover, references from different books, published journals articles, research reports and internet have been used to support the arguments. Critical Analysis of Strategic Planning of Primark Company profile Primark is an Irish clothing retailer. It opened its first store in Dublin in 1969 under the name of Penneys. The company head office is based In Dublin, and operates 193 stores in Ireland, UK and other European countries. Primark is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc (ABF) and positions itself as marketing (selling) fashionable clothing at cheap prices, targeting women, men, children and supply home decoration goods. Primark aim is to focus on latest fashions and sell to its customers with the variety of design at affordable prices. Primark mission statement is to provide customers with high quality, fashion basis at value for money prices (Primark 2009). Critical Analysis of Primark According to clothing market review 2008, the United Kingdom retail clothing market was worth  £42.45 billions in 2007. It account for almost 6% of total consumer spending which is lowest proportion in the history of UK. The reasons for decline in market were the declining prices and intense competition in the industry. Survey also shows that the cheap clothing market consumers will increase in the future and there is no sign of growth in market value over the next five years (Market Report 2008). Primark face intense competition due to number of competitors (Appendix 1). According to Bowmans Strategic Clock (1996), Primark is position itself in competitive environment at low price in his strategic clock (Appendix 2). This strategy helps Primark to analysis it competitive position in other competitors. Primark is fashion conscious targeting under 35s with the slogan Look good pay less at Primark. It offers good quality fashion clothes at very competitive prices. According to Porter Generic Strategies (1980) Primark is following cost leadership Strategy in retail clothing market. The success of this strategy is based on access to cheap resources and buying in bulk. Michael Porters Five Forces (1979) Model of competitive position helps Primark to analyse its competitive position in the industry. Cost leadership strategy helps Primark to create barrier for new entrant to sell same products at lower price. Primark imports from Asian countries where cost of production is very low and buying in bulks help Primark to improve its Bargaining power. On the other hands, bargaining power of the customers is not very strong because no other retailer is selling trendy and fashionable products at such a low price. So all this help and provide a platform to Primark for expansion both gaining market share and entering into new markets. PEST analysis can be used to examine the factors affecting on Primarks external Environment. All four factors have a considerable impact on Primarks environment. Political factors such as labour law, environmental, trade restrictions, tariffs, tax policy restrict Primark to operate within the limits. Economic factors such as interest rate, inflation rate, exchange rate, economic growth and disposal income affect Primark business operation and day-to-day decision-making. Social and cultural factors help Primark to take into account trends, fashion, growth rate in population, age, gender etc. Finally, technological factors helped Primark to reduce cost, improve quality and lead to innovation. In UK, clothing market is very competitive and credit crunch made it worse. Primark is the only clothing retailer who gets benefit from credit crunch. According to Igor Ansoff (1957), Primark is penetrating the clothing market to targeting competitors customers and retaining existing customers. Sean Poulter (2008) report says, Primark sales rose over 25% in 2008 and gave Primark overall 10% market share of UK clothing industry. It made second biggest seller after MS (12% Market Share). Primark has a very clear market positioning at the cheap end of the market. For Primark internal environmental analysis, SWOT analysis is used to assess Primarks internal capabilities, core competences while threats and opportunities assess external environmental factors. Primark SWOT analysis is shown in appendix 3. Critical Analysis of Strategic Planning of Woolworths Group Plc Company Profile F.W. Woolworths Company founded Woolworths in UK in 1909. In 1982 it was acquired by Paternoster Stores ltd, the subsidiary of Kingfisher Plc. Woolworths Group Plc was formed by the demerger of Kingfisher and began trading as listed company in August 2001. It inherited a mountain of  £200 million debts, and costly lease agreements. Right from the beginning, it sold a variety of goods such as childrens clothes, toys, stationery, electronic goods and confectionery. Pic n mix sweets and Woolworths have always gone together until went into administration. In first four years company really took off but after 2005 it faced constant decline in business and finally it went into administration on 27 January 2009 (Times Online 2008). This company was one of the biggest victims of recession. Mission and Vision Woolworths mission was to be at the heart of the community and the best loved retailer for kids, home and family leisure. Vision was to provide quality products and services to customer all the time through price strategies Elrico (2002). Critical Analysis of Woolworths Group Plc My aim is to analyse strategic planning process of Woolworths to analyse past seven years performance by using various strategic tools. Woolworths performance has been variable over the past few years and in 2005 private equity group Apax made a takeover bid, which was rejected by the board, and four weeks later they received another offer and it made Woolies future uncertain in retail sector. Strategic planning is usually begins with external environmental analysis of the organisation. Competitors are the primary external consideration for strategic planning. For Woolworths Porter Five Forces (1979) can be used to analyse external environment. Woolworths failed to respond the threats of it competitors. They never made any strategy to build barrier for competitors such as ASDA, Tesco, Argos, Discount Stores etc. Its management always depend upon advertisement and customers loyalty. Perfect competition brought more choices for customers and due to intense competition (Rivalry) in the industry, profit squeezed and market demand saturated. Woolworths customers switched to its competitors. Woolworths faced huge problems with suppliers in last couple of year of trading and they forced to pay cash at the time of purchases because of lack of security. According to Michael porters (1980) Generic Strategies to obtain competitive advantages, organisation must have one of the following strategies: Cost Leadership strategy Differentiation strategy Focus strategy Woolworth get stuck in the middle without having any competitive strategy as a result competitors (ASDA, Argos etc) took advantages of that and stole all customers form it. They never released the importance of competitive strategy and had growth strategy to compete with competitors by opening new stores in different parts of the country. According to Igor Ansoff (1957), Woolworths had Market development strategy to target new customers. Woolworths internal environmental analysis, SWOT analysis is the best tool, which can be use measure internal and external factors that affected on its strategic planning. Internal analysis examines Woolworths capabilities and external analysis examines factors that bring opportunities and threats (Appendix 4). Comparison of Strategic Planning of both organisations In the highly competitive environment in which all UK retailers are in war to sustain their position against competitors in this recession, Primark is doing remarkably well. The key of success in based on its well-planned strategies that evaluate internal and external factors that affect on it environment. On the other hands, Woolworths group Plc failed because, they were never thought about any strategy that gave them competitive advantages over any of its competitor. People and media said that Woolworths was the victim of recession but I would say it was the victim of bad management. My aim is to compare and contrast the strategic planning of both organisations. For this purpose, I have discussed few strategic planning models in critical analysis and now I am going to compare them and find out the reasons of success and failure. Pricing (Competitive) Strategy According to Michael Porter (1980) to get competitive advantages organisation must follow one of its generic strategies. Primark slogan is look good pay less, means cost leadership strategy. Cost leadership strategy does not mean low prices but it lead to emphasize on efficiency by reducing cost in all departments. This strategy gave competitive edge to Primark over it competitors. According to Jonathan Prynn (2009), Primark has boomed in the recession with the British biggest discount clothes chain unveiled big increase in revenue and profits. Primark revenues increased from  £1.17bn in 2007 to  £1.6bn in 2008 and it jumped to  £2.31bn in 2009. On the other hand, Woolworths was trading without having any competitive strategy, which help its management to focus on the ways in which it can achieve the competitive position in the retail industry. Its revenue declined since 2004 and in final year of trading, Woolworths announced pre-tax loss of  £99.7m for the first six months. This is just because of Woolworths was stuck in the middle of competitive strategies for long time and management was not sure what price they charge to customers for particular products. Woolworths products were comparatively expensive than its competitors and customers realised their products are not good quality compare to the prices Woolworths charged. Affects of competition Competitors are the real enemies for all organisations. Successful organisation always makes plans ahead to avoid the consequence of any threat from its competitors. Both organisations operate in highly competitive environment. Competitor analysis is very important for both organisations strategic planning. Sometimes organisations think that they are doing well and it is best to carry on with their plans and other become obsessed with monitoring every action of competitors. Woolworths Group Plc was well aware about competition. In Woolworths financial reports 2008, directors mentioned competition is a big risk for Woolworths but they did not come up with any strategy (carry on their own plans) that help Woolworths to maintain and improve it competitive position in the market. They lost most of there business to competitors. In clothing retail industry, Primark is also facing intense competition. Most of Primarks competitors hold same percentage of market share as Primark have. Nowada ys fashion has become disposable and to avoid competition Primark has led fast fashion revolution at lowest prices taking the fast fashion retail industry into new era. I would say Primark has emerged as the McDonalds of the fast fashion retail industry. Customers Analysis Customers analysis is an operative tool, which helps organisations to understand the specific customers demand, preferences and loyalty to the organisation. To keep competitive in todays environment, organisations need to take an in depth look at customers to explore and identify opportunities and threats. I would say Primark is the market leader to understand customers demand and response quickly to the fast fashion requirements of customers. Primarks time-to-market has been very fast, both in terms of copying designs rapidly after they come out in terms of getting the new stock into their stores while items are still hot' (R. M Grant, Blackwell 2009). New style, quality and low prices keep customers coming in and encourage them to come back again. All these help Primark to increase its market share and revenue. On the other side of the picture, Woolworths failed to focus on what they were good at, to sell to there customers and failed to identify their core products and customers. From customers point of view, Woolworths was a complete mish mash with hundreds different types of products, but low product ranges. As a result, Woolworths did not have enough selection of any product to attract customers (John McMillan 2008). All these factors forced customers to switch to Woolworths competitors. Marketing issues Organisations used marketing tools to create, keep and satisfy customers needs and demands. To get competitive advantages in the target market organisations use segmentation, targeting and positioning tools. These tools help organisations to differentiate there goods and services from their competitors. Market Segmentation and targeting Market segmentation help organisation to split customers or potential customers into different groups. Primark segments it customers on socio-economic (disposable income) and demographic (age, gender, lifestyle) bases. Robert Stockdill (2007) says in his report, Primarks target customer is young, fashion conscious and under 35 years old. So like many other retailers chasing that demographic or the broader value end of the market, Primark is now targeting a four to six week turnaround from design to shelf, sourcing primarily from Asia. Primark also target low-income group who have less disposable income to spend on latest fashion. Woolworths was also segmented its customers on demographic bases but there aim was to target all customer in the market. They never identified their target customer, market and which income group they were targeting. Market Positioning In market positioning, my aim is to create an image in the target market for both organisations, their products, and brands. Primark is known as cost leadership retailer in the market, which has over fifteen own brands (Appendix 5). Customers think that Primarks products are good value for money. Woolworths also had very rich and successful long history with the number of brands such as Chad Valley, Ladybird, Winfield and Worthit etc. Form customers point of view both organisations market-positioning image can be mapped in the following Bowmans Strategic Clock (1996); Business Seasonality Most organisations are affected by the fluctuation in business activity at different part of the year. According to directors 2008 report, Woolworths was highly seasonal business. Most of its revenue, profit, and cash flow have been come from Christmas season. Lower than expected performance in the Christmas period may have adverse impact on overall Woolworths results. It happened continuously after 2004 with Woolworths and it performance was very unstable un-till it went into administration. Woolworths never made any strategy to avoid adverse affects of Christmas sales. Primark business is all four seasons. Although most of its sales come from Christmas season but other three seasons of the year its make good profit. According to (James Hall 2009) report, Primark total revenue reaches it highest level of  £1 billion in first six months of trading, which is 18 % more than last year. Primark is the only largest fashion retailers around the world, who produce solid performance in cre dit crisis due to strong strategic planning. Conclusion Strategic planning is directional map, key instrument for strategic management for deciding where their company is headed and how they are planning to get there. Strategic planning is known as a process of defining strategy and making decisions on allocation of organisation resources to pursue strategy. It is a dynamic tool of continuously looking at organisational current position, examine and plotting future move. All this need in-depth knowledge and understanding about organisation and its internal and external environment in that operates in. the best organisations like Primark always engaged in some form of strategic planning to keep themselves update about internal and external environmental factors. Based on my detailed strategic planning analysis of Primark, i would say that Primark has comprehensive strategy planning, which considers all-important factors that affects on its business environment. From my above research, I conclude that, there are number of reasons behind Primark success. Firstly, they understand customers specific requirements and always come up with the solution of latest fashion at low price. Secondly, Primark has a very clear market position at the cheap end of the market and target customers who have low disposal income and fashion conscious. All this gave Primark competitive advantage over its competitors. Third, Primark has access to cheap resources and has very tight control over costs, which help them to increase profitability. Many people say Woolworths was the victim of credit crises. Other says Woolworths faced financial pressures (received over  £200 million debts in inherent and seasonal business crises) and severe competition from day one, so that is why it failed to survive. From my above discussion and analysis, I conclude that Woolworths was the victim of bad management and poor strategy planning. From my above discussion, I have mentioned several reasons of Woolworths failure. Woolworths completely failed to respond the threats of competitors, new technologies, customers buying patterns and target market. The world change very fast in 21st century and strategy worked in 1990s does not work today. Woolworths was keeping the old fashion strategy and planning to run business successfully in 21st century, where yesterdays strategy could be out date today. World has become global village and customers have many choices to buy products from any were in the world through internet. Ignorance of all thes e external factors have leads Woolies to lose their business to competitors. Finally I would say the key of success is to do few things right like Primark, not 100s things badly like Woolworths, keep ears and eyes open, monitor your internal and external environment, and response best to the threats and convert into opportunities. 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