Tuesday, November 26, 2019
10 Things to Know about Dating Your College Classmate
10 Things to Know about Dating Your College Classmate 1. You Change Throughout College Whether itââ¬â¢s the kids that come in fresh out of high school or those that wait until later in their twenties, four years of undergraduate studies changes a human being. Youââ¬â¢re one way when you arrive, and another way when you leave. Think about how much youââ¬â¢ll have learned! With that said, it makes dating somewhat more difficult for most students. Thereââ¬â¢s so much going on. So many deadlines. So many choices. Typically a large dating pool where everyoneââ¬â¢s hooking up with someone. Just remember that if you hook up with someone early on in your freshmen year, the relationship must be able to adapt as you both change as people. 2. Many Different Shades of Grey Youââ¬â¢ve got to be precise when it comes to college dating. Letââ¬â¢s look at the four most common types or definitions: Courting: Youââ¬â¢re both digging on one another and itââ¬â¢s obvious to everyone thereââ¬â¢s something going on, but itââ¬â¢s not serious yet. Youââ¬â¢re still getting to know both yourselves and each other. Exclusive: Itââ¬â¢s official, everyone else has to keep their hands off of both of you. Social lives can easily begin to suffer here, which isnââ¬â¢t necessarily a great idea in college where youââ¬â¢re supposed to be getting out there and involved. Temporary: Youââ¬â¢re exclusively dating but thereââ¬â¢s no illusions. Once the graduation dates come youââ¬â¢re both going your separate ways. It means you wonââ¬â¢t have to deal with being single, but there isnââ¬â¢t a post-college long-term commitment either. However, there are still some ways to save your relationships after graduation. Fling: Also known as the fresh, sophomore, junior and senior year fling. Yeah, they can happen every year. Typically around spring. Youââ¬â¢ve been eyeing one another all year in college or passing by in the halls or whatever, and finally youââ¬â¢re hooking up for the summer. 3. A Long Term Question In America, more than half of the ladies walking around campus everyday secretly or publically hope to meet their spouse while in college. As you might have guessed, that number tends to be a bit lower with college guys. Most of them arenââ¬â¢t thinking much farther ahead than mid-terms, or this coming Friday night. 4. Dating can get Expensive! Unfortunately, for the vast majority of college students out there today, dating isnââ¬â¢t really a viable financial prospect. Not serious dating anyhow. Going out get be pricey enough. When possible, keep dating as humble as possible. 5. Grades Could Suffer Once people begin throwing the ââ¬Å"Lâ⬠word around, things could get complicated. What if thereââ¬â¢s a pregnancy? If grades are a high priority, then keep it that way and make sure that dating doesnââ¬â¢t cause you to completely divert from your long term goals. 6. Guys and Girls Are not at the Same Page While most girls think of relationships as committment to the other person and love, most guys dont strive for anything serious in college and approach relationships as fun. This is about not about good or bad its just the fact caused by differences in gender psychology. Both boys and girls should find balance between having fun and serious commitment and discuss their expetations from the relationships before jumping into things too quickly. 7. Be a Yes Person Itââ¬â¢s college. If someone asks you out you nod and say, ââ¬Å"yes.â⬠Simple. Obviously there are exceptions, but as a general rule you should be taking every single opportunity that comes your way to make friends, learn about new people and set up college networks of friends. Give people a chance you normally wouldnââ¬â¢t. Remember, after college itââ¬â¢s all about who you know. 8. Expectations are Poisonous When dating in college itââ¬â¢s best to keep the expectations at a minimum for the first few months. Is it a fling? Are you expecting a relationship from someone who is in a transitional phase of their life? Are they expecting you to wait and be faithful while theyââ¬â¢re in Europe for six months without you? Itââ¬â¢s best to keep your priorities in line and go with the flow. 9. Date Outside Your Major Whenever possibly try to dating someone in finance or marketing. If youââ¬â¢re in finance or marketing, go for a philosophy major. Iââ¬â¢m kidding. But honestly, try not to get yourself stuck inside a little bubble where you never leave your own area of study. Date someone from a completely different major. Mingle! Get to know and make friends with people in as many different majors as possible. 10. Online College Dating? Is it really even online dating if you go to the same college? Hey, these days if you have issues with going to parties or trying to ask out people in your classes, then hop online and reach out to them that way. At this point, thereââ¬â¢s nothing abnormal about it. ââ¬Å"Hey, arenââ¬â¢t you in my 9am English class?â⬠You can engage people in texting conversations and Facebook updates without having to get up close and personal. Overall, dating in college can be tricky for some, and easy for others. Make sure to live it up! Have you ever dated someone in your class? What that easy or not? Share your experience in the comments section!
Friday, November 22, 2019
Spanish Words Without a One-Word English Equivalent
Spanish Words Without a One-Word English Equivalent Here are some Spanish words for which there is no good one-word English equivalent: Amigovio/amigovia This word is fairly new and has various meanings dependent on context, but it often refers to a live-in girlfriend or boyfriend, or a friend with benefits. Katrina era mi amigovia, pero desde que estoy con Belà ©n no la vi ms. (Katrina was my friend with benefits, but since Ive been with Belà ©n I dont see her any more.) Anteayer The day before yesterday, formed by combining ante (before) and ayer (yesterday). Ese es el restaurante al que fuimos anteayer. (That is the restaurant we went to the day before yesterday.) Aprovechar Although this verb can often be translated simply as to use, it often carries a strong connotation of getting the most out of something. No pude aprovechar de la piscina del hotel porque prefiero la playa. (I couldnt take advantage of the hotels swimming pool because I prefer the beach.) Bimestre As a noun, a bimestre is a period of two months. El ahorro en un bimestre fue de 2,500 euros. (There was a savings of 2,500 euros in two months.) As an adjective, bimestre means bimonthly (every two months). Cacerolazo A type of protest in which participants bang on pots and pans. Los cacerolazos comenzaron ayer temprano en Buenos Aires. (The pots-and-pans protest began early yesterday in Buenos Aires.) Centenar A group of 100. The word is often used as an approximation for a large group. Un centenar de inmigrantes de origen subsahariano han intentado saltar la valla de Melilla. (About 100 sub-Saharan immigrants have tried to jump the fence at Melilla.) Concuado/concuada Someone married to a sibling of your spouse is a concuà ±ado or concuà ±ada. La esposa del hermano de mi esposa is mi concuà ±ada. My wifes brothers wife is my concuà ±ada. Consuegro/consuegra If you have a child, his or her spouses parents are your consuegros. For example, your sons wifes mother would be your consuegra. No sà © si mi consuegra es mi amiga or mi enemiga. (I dont know if my childs spouses mother is friend or foe.) Decena Just as a docena is a dozen or group of 12, a decena is a group of 10. Puedes comprar flores por decena. (You can buy flowers 10 at a time.) Desvelarse This reflexive verb refers to not getting sufficient sleep. Cuando nos desvelamos, el cuerpo obtiene energà a de una fuente ms accesible: la comida. (When we dont get enough sleep, the body gets energy from the most accessible source: food.) Someone who is sleep-deprived is desvelado. Empalagar To be excessively sweet, either literally (as of some candy) or figuratively (as with personality). Te voy a enseà ±ar mi receta particular, por causa de que la original me empalaga. (Im going to send you my own recipe, because the original is too sweet for me.) Entrecejo The area above the nose, below the forehead and between the eyebrows. Quiero quitarme sin dolor los pelos del entrecejo. (I want to painlessly remove the hairs between my eyebrows.) Estrenar To wear, use, perform or display something for the first time. Estrenà © las zapatillas que mi marido me habà a regalado. (For the first time, I put on the slippers that my husband had given me.) A noun form, estreno, can refer to a movie or play premiere or similar events. Friolento Sensitive to cold. Era friolento y se cubrà a los hombros con un suà ©ter. (She was sensitive to the cold and covered her shoulders with a sweater.) Friolero has the same meaning. Estadounidense From or of the United States. American is a common equivalent but is sometimes ambiguous as it can also refer to someone or something from the Americas. La cultura estadounidense est construida por la clase media. (U.S. culture was built by the middle class.) Internauta Internet user. Internauta is not capitalized and can be masculine or feminine. El acceso a Internet para la poblacià ³n mexicana representa al menos 55.3 millones de internautas. (Internet access for the Mexican population is available to at least 55.3 million Internet users.) Manco Having one arm, either from birth or as an amputee. Un dà a conocà una muchacha manca. (One day I met a one-armed girl.) Quincena This is a period of 15 days or two weeks. British English has fortnight, which is seldom used in American English. Esta quincena es la ms tranquila del aà ±o en Pamplona. (This two-week period is the quietest of the year in Pamplona.) The word can also refer to the 15th of the month, when many workers in some countries get paid. Sobremesa After-meal conversation, from sobre (over) and mesa (table). Con poco tiempo para la sobremesa volvemos a la carretera. (With little time to chat after eating, we went back to the highway.) Trasnochar To stay up all night or put in an all-nighter. Nos trasnochbamos jugando juegos como Islander y Super Mario. (We would stay up all night playing games such as Islander and Super Mario.) Tuerto Having only one eye, or seeing with only one eye. Se llama Pirata por ser tuerto. (He was called Pirate because he had one eye.) Tutear To speak to someone using tà º, the familiar form of you. A cultural equivalent might be to speak with someone on a first-name basis. Nunca habà a llegado al punto de tutear a alguien. (I never have reached the point of using tà º with someone.)
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Burning Man outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Burning Man outline - Essay Example ve such a large number of individuals across the world spending so much of their efforts and their time to construct something that will only last a few weeks? Why would the same people spend a junk of their resources on things that do not have any monetary gains? What compelling force was behind the formation of the Burning man and what powers make it possible to spread as fast as it did soon after its foundation? The last question is what importance does the festival of burning man have on our lives? The answers to such issues relate to the creativity of the founders of the movement, who developed an idea that replicated and extended on itself to form one of the strongest movements. As such, the founders of the ceremony talk of the importance of the ceremony on the sensitization of humans on the need for identity. The body of this work will discuss a number of implications of the ceremony of burning man on the lives of people. For instance, there will be a demonstration of how the whole idea of the ceremony developed in relation to propaganda. As such, the work will describe the usefulness of idea novelty in the manipulation of the minds of individuals. There are those people who participate in the without understanding the needfulness of the same. Essentially, the creative extremities that the ceremony holds are a result of its differentiating ethos (Johnson 20). The ceremony could be one that satisfies the truthfulness of the quotation that what matters to the lives of people Is not what happens to them, but what they remember as well as how they remember it. What people do in life in relation to the burning man ceremony is, therefore, an emphasis on the usefulness of propaganda in the development of life-binding ideologies. The movement is now among those that inspires people across the world on the need for identity and personality. McRae, Kateri, et al. "Context-Dependent Emotion Regulation: Suppression and Reappraisal at the Burning Man Festival."Ã Basic
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Tesco in Chinese Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words
Tesco in Chinese Market - Essay Example Question 2: To consider the risk and additional difficulties involved when a UK based retail supermarket expands its outlet to include wider Europe and Central Asia. The aim of the question is to get suitable answers that will aid in the reduction of some particular risks. The discussion will flow in the direction by first providing evidence of research which inform regarding the implications of expanding business in the said geographies and especially expanding in foreign markets. An analysis of the possible risks and steps involved to mitigate such risks will also be mentioned. Question 1: The proceedings of the RICS foundation construction and building research conference stated the following with regards to the client and stake holder briefing during the pre design phase of construction. "Client briefing is considered to be one of the most important stages in the life of a project .. Research in the UK has identified the need for the clients and advisers to be aware of the importance of what can be commonly termed, the strategic level of decision making."(Smith 2002) The research resulted in indicating that client briefing at the strategic level had the most potential for cost savings in the project. The outcome of the briefing can be maximized positively if client advisers at the time of meeting place high priority on: 1. Understanding the project priorities and business objectives 2. Providing advice which assist clients to gain competitive advantage. 3. Being client oriented rather than focusing too much on the details of the project to the detriment of the broader issues and objectives. (Hapanova et. al 2005) The briefing at the pre design stage should no doubt be one that is wholesome and involve all the participants in an active manner. This can be achieved only if the needs and concerns of everyone are addressed. Eventually there arises a need for the development of a process that will systematically solve issues and clarify doubts raised. The process must be useful well organized and sensitive to client and stakeholder needs. Thus any briefing process designed must have the following essentials in order to improve outcomes for the client, the stake holder and the members in the design team. 1. Create various strategic options for the future direction of the organization 2. Actively involve a range and number if different types of stake holder; 3. adopt fair and rigorous means of decision making 4. To allow each participant (the client, stakeholder and the members in the design team) to contribute to the decision making process irrespective of their position and their role in the organizational hierarchy. 5. Involve external stakeholders so that they can contribute to the development of a strategic decision. 6. Provide commitment to decisions made to improve their chances of implementation. 7. be supported by senior management in the process and through the decision makin
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Failure Of Materials Essay Example for Free
Failure Of Materials Essay Failure of materials is an analysis in engineering world, to approach and determining about how and why a materials has failed, like iron bar, why it can crocked or porous. Some general causes of failure are structural leading, wear corrosion and latent defects. Failure of materials must be known by an engineer, safety is the first word when engineer working building structure. They can not take random about materials that is used. They must know strength, flexibility, and endure of materials. For adding, with developing and updating software or research that had be done by company, weââ¬â¢ll more easy to know the characteristic of materials that we use. TYPICAL OF FAILURE OF MATERIALS Fatigue Failures Metal fatigue is caused by repeated cycling of the load below its static yield strength. It is a progressive localized damage due to fluctuating stresses and strains on the material. Metal fatigue cracks initiate and propagate in regions where the strain is most severe. The process of fatigue consists of three stages Initial crack initiation, Progressive crack growth across the part, and Final sudden fracture of the remaining cross section. Corrosion Failures Corrosion is chemically induced damage to a material that results in deterioration of the material and its properties. It is most coming from environment. Corrosion is normal, it is can not be removed, but can be minimized with several strategy like proper choice of material, design, coatings, and occasionally by changing the environment. Various types of metallic and nonmetallic coatings are regularly used to protect metal parts from corrosion. If corrosion can be minimized, materials be able to use and more advantage. Ductile and Brittle Metal Failures Ductile metals experience observable plastic deformation prior to fracture. Brittle metals experience little or no plastic deformation prior to fracture. At times metals behave in a transitional manner partially ductile/brittle. Ductile fracture is characterized by tearing of metal and significant plastic deformation. The ductile fracture may have a gray, fibrous appearance. Ductile fractures are associated with overload of the structure or large discontinuities. High Temperature Failures In physics theory, when a materials is being warm, they will expand than original size. We know about boilers, gas turbine engines, and ovens are some of the systems that have components that experience creep. à An understanding of high temperature materials behavior is beneficial Failures involving creep are usually easy to identify due to the deformation that occurs. Failures may appear ductile or brittle. While creep testing is done at constant temperature and constant load actual components may experience damage at various temperatures and loading conditions. in evaluating failures in these types of systems. High temperature progressive deformation of a material at constant stress is called creep. High temperature is a relative term that is dependent on the materials being evaluated. Liquid Metalà and Hydrogen embitterment Failures à Liquid metal embitterment is the decrease in ductility of a metal caused by contact with liquid metal. The decrease in ductility can result in catastrophic brittle failure of a normally ductile material. Very small amounts of liquid metal are sufficient to result in embitterment. The liquid metal can not only reduce the ductility but significantly reduce tensile strength. Liquid metal embitterment is an insidious type of failure as it can occur at loads below yield stress. Thus, catastrophic failure can occur without significant deformation or obvious deterioration of the component. Hydrogen embitterment failures are frequently unexpected and sometimes catastrophic. An externally applied load is not required as the tensile stresses may be due to residual stresses in the material. The threshold stresses to cause cracking are commonly below the yield stress of the material. Very small amounts of hydrogen can cause hydrogen embitterment in high strength steels. Common causes of hydrogen embitterment are pickling, electroplating and welding, however hydrogen embitterment is not limited to these processes. There are causes of materials failure, but not disease that not have medicine. Every materials that we use have a protection, protection come from our knowledge about characteristic of materials as chemical composition, using guide or calculation and appointment the materials for our structure. Addition, many factory,à metal ââ¬â producing majority, also publish list of their product that have content about characteristic ( strength, elasticity, endure and treatment). Bibliography Omens, J. H., MacKenna, D. A., and McCulloch, A. D. Measurement of Strain and Analysis of Stress in Resting Rat Left Ventricular Myocardium. à J. Biomech Press,1993. TCR Engineering Services Technical Team. White Paper: Investigating Material and Component Failure. à TCR Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. India, 2004. Haut Donahue, T. L., Gregersen, C., Hull, M. L., and Howell, S. M. Comparison of Viscoelastic, Structural, and Material Properties. ASME, 1994.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions Essay
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions Who would have ever thought the way a radioactive particle decays would relate to whether or not we have bad attitudes towards life? Who would have ever suspected that the structure of space-time would be so closely linked to whether or not we would marry rich wives? And who indeed would have ever expected that the properties of light might affect whether or not we go on homicidal rampages? Perhaps Kurt Vonnegut did. Could it be possible that a writer known more for his pictures of assholes than his knowledge of advanced physics actually centered some of the deepest concepts in his works on the philosophical implications of general relativity and quantum mechanics? Two of his greatest novels, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, both seem to hint at the relationship between modern physics and an idea philosophers call determinism. Vonnegut readers might well scratch their heads and flip through their copies of these books, searching the stories of the fragmented life of a war veteran and the deranged antics of a mad car salesman for a chapter on the Schrà ¶dinger wave equation they may have skipped. I freely admit that their search will be in vain, and that no truly concrete proof exists that Vonnegut based the ideas in these books on the latest discoveries of science. But I also contend that the parallels between Vonnegutââ¬â¢s work and advanced physics are a little too perfect to be a series of very lucky accidents. From this perspective, it seems likely that Vonnegut used ideas based on physics to support the idea of determinism in Slaughterhouse-Five and destroy it in Breakfast of Champions. But perhaps before arguing about the ways Von... ...e and what he saw made him more optimistic. Or maybe it was all due to copious consumption of the ââ¬Å"little pill[s]â⬠he takes to ââ¬Å"cheer upâ⬠(Vonnegut, Breakfast ofâ⬠¦ 4). Even Vonnegut might not know for certain. All that can be said with confidence is that Vonnegutââ¬â¢s idea of truth evolved between Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, just like the theories and concepts of physics do even now. In the end, so too must all human knowledge die and be reborn. As Vonnegut might say (Vonnegut, Slaughterhouseâ⬠¦ 34), ââ¬Å"So it goes.â⬠Works Cited Rachels, James. Problems from Philosophy. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2005. Vonnegut, Kurt. Breakfast of Champions. New York: Dell Publishing, 1973. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Dell Publishing, 1969. Zukav, Gary. Dancing Wu-Li Masters. New York: William Morrow and Company, inc., 1979.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Lascelles Chin ââ¬Â¦. the Journey of a Jamaican Entrepreneur
Lascelles Chin is founder, chairman and Chief executive officer of the Lasco Group of Companies in Jamaica. The Lasco group is made up of Lasco Distributors, Lasco Foods Successors Ltd, Lasco Foods Ltd, Lasco Barbados Ltd, Lasco Financial Services Limited and Lasco Remittance Services. The range of products and services delivered by the companies is diverse. Lasco Foods Successors Ltd is responsible for the manufacturing and exporting of soy based products while Lasco Foods Ltd is responsible for the packaging of milk powders. Lasco Distributors Ltd is responsible for the local distribution of the ever expanding range of consumer and pharmaceutical products that has made Lasco a household name in Jamaica. These companies currently run by Lascelles Chin marks the present milestone on an entrepreneurial journey by Lascelles Chin that has stretched for more than forty years, Mr. Chin intends to continue this quest for another forty years and beyond. His entrepreneurial journey started in 1961. According to Mr. Chin, he started business with ?175 and was at a great disadvantage as many prominent families were dominating the commercial landscape in Jamaica at the time. He persevered, did his research and learnt as much as he could about manufacturing and distribution practices, importation and various related fields. His policy was to deal honestly with his customers, work very hard and most importantly, avoid spending more than he earned, (Observer 2009). Accordingly this helped him to achieve success. He also realized quite early in life that the only way to maintain success as a business entrepreneur was by honing his skills, hard work, determination, perseverance, clarity of vision and the ability to see obstacles as challenges, (Observer 2009). After graduating from high school in the 1950s Lascelles Chin worked as a lab technician for a short period before taking up a job as a salesman. He did well, and focused on saving portions of his earnings which he later used to start National Trading Company. This principle of not spending more than you earn or saving as much as you can from your earnings would set the stage for his development as an entrepreneur. With this business he sold peas and powdered pepper on a commission basis. He later became a distributor of Henkel products upon recommendation from a visiting representative. The business did well by targeting furniture manufacturers with the Pattex brand of adhesive. Later, during the 1970s, when people were leaving Jamaica in droves, Mr. Chin decided to stay and expand his warehouse and factory. Here Mr. Chin demonstrates the strength and resolution to move against the tide and lay foundations for the future when others were packing up and calling it quits. With time the business moved from Orange Street, downtown Kingston to East Street and then to its current location on Red Hills Road, (Gleaner 2006). He later went on operate other lines of business, Kingston Heirlooms, manufacturing and exporting furniture, Datrex Limited, computer supplies and parts, Triple A Car Rental, Zenith Insurance Brokers, Soft Sheen and Exotic Farms Limited to name a few, (Gleaner 2006). It was however the LASCO branded businesses LASCO Foods Limited and LASCO Distributors Limited operated by Mr. Chin from the 1980ââ¬â¢s which made him and his businesses household names within Jamaica. The motivation behind his businessesâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. the unfulfilled needs identified A journey which started with a man selling peas and powered seasoning on a commission basis had now developed into a number of businesses driven by the same man fuelled with a passion to deliver the best value for money to its customers. According to the companyââ¬â¢s website, Lascelles Chin founded LASCO in 1988; its initial operation included the importation of bulk skimmed milk powder and repackaging of sachets for distribution within the Jamaican market. Chinââ¬â¢s intention was to provide a source of milk protein which was affordable for all. Since then Lascelles Chin business has grown from packaging and distributing skim milk to the corporate entity it is today providing a wide range of pharmaceutical, food, household and personal care products to Jamaica the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and England, (LASCO website, 2010). Lascelles Chin apparently influenced by his daily and close interaction with the grass root people on the streets of Kingston during his earlier days as a Salesman, having seen their need for an improved nutritional intake sought to source and deliver products at prices which could be afforded by all. By doing so he has made valuable contribution to the development of the Jamaican society and its labour force with his delivery of nutrition or nutritious products within the reach of the poor and needy. His drive in this area has lead to the pioneering of a number of soy based protein products again with an emphasis on nutritious value and affordability. Procurement of resources Lascelles Chin was able to start his first business, National Trading Company with a few pounds, an accumulation of his savings from his job as a lab technician and sales person. Along the way his business grew due to his timely and astute business decisions which included ventures some of which were risky at the time. Some of those businesses have failed due to changes in the Jamaican landscape, for instance Kingston Heirlooms, his furniture business which was a good earner of valuable foreign exchange at the time suffered from changes in government policies which made conditions difficult for manufacturers. In order to deliver affordable products LASCO has gone to great lengths to source raw materials, consumer and pharmaceutical goods from cost effective sources. LASCO has formed allegiance with major international manufacturers. One of those searches led LASCO to Solae Incorporated, a subsidy of the DuPont Group. With their help LASCO was able to pioneer its current and growing range of soy protein isolate products, facilitating the delivery of highly tasty, nutritious products at an incredible low price to consumers across the Caribbean, (LASCO website, 2010). According to LASCOââ¬â¢s website, ââ¬Å"the popularity of their soy based product has made LASCO the Number One customer in the world for soy protein isolate from Solae Incorporated. Additionally, the American Soybean Association has hailed the LASCO Food Drink line as the tastiest soy product in the worldâ⬠. Bolstered by this success, LASCO continues its global search for the most affordable, best quality products and have branded corned beef from Argentina, mackerel from Chile, ketchup from the Eastern Caribbean, and vitamins from an outstanding US supplier, whole milk from Ireland, and Corn Flakes from Germanyâ⬠(LASCO website, 2010). LASCO Distributors has also formed an important strategic alliance with Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited on April 2, 2001. As a result of that arrangement, LASCO Distributors handles the distribution of all Johnson & Johnson products while LASCO Pharmaceutical Division is esponsible for Lifescan, Contact Lens, and Pharmacy sales. (LASCO website, 2010) According to an interview conducted by Gleaner Lifestyle Editor, Barbara Ellington with Lascelles Chin in 2006 and published in May 2006, a lot of effort is placed in sourcing by the LASCO group. Approximately 50% is purchased locally, 15% within the CARICOM countries and the rest from international firms. According to Mr. Chin in that interview, part of his strategy lies in the fact that he sources well and is not greedy for huge profit margins, this strategy facilitates giving the customers value for money, considering the poorest in the society at all times. He effectively reaps the benefits of the eventual sales volume by keeping his prices one tenth, one fifth or even half of others, (Gleaner, 2006). Lascelles Chin takes pride in the LASCO team who support and execute the corporate strategy on a daily basis in their respective roles. According to the Gleaner Article, May 2006, he indicated that his team is a hard working and dedicated one which operates like a family; they are treated well and are willing to go beyond the call of duty. He believes he has some of the best workers in Jamaica. Challenges faced and overcome The challenges faced by Lascelles Chin during his entrepreneurial journey have been as varied as each of the over forty years since he started National Trading Company. He has faced numerous challenges with financing, security cost, government regulations, changing technology, and the ever changing Jamaican economic landscape to name a few. According to Mr. Chin in his interview with Barbara Ellington, ââ¬Å"In the early days, he wanted a line of credit of ?1,000, and the banks would not give it to him. They thought he was crazy, he eventually got it from Scotia bankâ⬠. His problems with pilferage downtown forced a movement of his earlier operations from East Street to Red Hills Road. Today his operations on Red Hills Road and those at his expansive distribution plant at White Marl Central Village, due to their location in two troubled communities have created high security cost. The LASCO team in a bid to mitigate this cost at these locations takes steps to ââ¬Å"work with the communities, establish good relationships and avoid going home lateâ⬠. Faced with the high manufacturing cost of the 1990s Lascelles.Chin was forced to shut down and bear the losses associated with his furniture and data processing companies. Mr. Chin has however graciously accepted the philosophy that ââ¬Å"failure in a business is an opportunity to learnâ⬠. In his bid to He has fought and loss battles with the government pertaining to government regulations geared towards protecting the local milk industry by its imposition of tax levies on powdered milk. LASCO imports a lot of its raw materials and finished products, this creates a demand for foreign currency to service those foreign accounts. In a bid to lessen this strenuous demand compounded by the ever depreciating Jamaican dollar LASCO has leverage its business with the inclusion of LASCO Financial services, a licensed cambio and LASCO Remittance Services a Money Gram representative in Jamaica. These two businesses along with LASCO Successors, which manufactures and exports soy-based, products helps to generate the foreign exchange needed by the LASCO Group. Financial Performance and Customerââ¬â¢s Perception of the business To date LASCO has been doing well. Lead by its founderââ¬â¢s philosophy of giving back from the profits made, the corporation has made numerous and continuous sponsorships and contributions to various areas of nation building, The National Policeman, Nurse, Teacher and Principal and Pharmacist of the Year Awards, are just a few of the many such programmes that LASCO has been associated with over the years. It contributes to various school feeding programmes, school related competitions, it makes donations to various government programmes, mothers and various charities. In return LASCO has gain customer loyalty which keeps the wheels of their business turning. The LASCO brand is currently a household name, synonymous with the provision of healthy nutritious and affordable products and services. According to its website, ââ¬Å"LASCO is renowned for its quality beverages, cereals, canned meats and sauces, personal care items, household products and pharmaceuticals. The company has pioneered a range of products, which utilizes soy protein and delivers to the consumer a highly nutritious product at an incredible low priceâ⬠. Future Outlook In the earlier operations of his business, Lascelles Chin was supported by is then wife Audrey Chin and other family members at different points along the journey. Today, his eldest daughter holds a senior position in one of the divisions. The LASCO business is a going concern and will remain that way whilst it continues to offer and deliver the kind of products and services that has led to its significant growth over the last two decades. The core business has grown from offering three products to ove r an hundred items. Its consumer and pharmaceutical lines continues to grow with the addition of a range of products each year. The LASCO brand now includes the LASURE, LASCARE and LASMED range of products. Its focus is still on the provision of ââ¬Å"best quality for the consumerââ¬â¢s moneyâ⬠. Steps have been taken to expand their warehouse and distribution plant in White Marl. They have also invested heavily in a new information technology system. Their distribution network continues to spread across the Caribbean, Latin and Central America, The UK and Canada. Though it is dogged by constant competition from major players in the respective markets, LASCO continues to carve out a niche for itself by being the low cost, and value for money supplier of consumer and pharmaceutical products within Jamaica. Conclusion and Opinion of the entrepreneurââ¬â¢s journey Lascelles Chin journey has been one that strongly demonstrates the power of determination mixed with consistent effort in spite of adverse circumstances. Though he has won numerous awards and worn various civic hats including, The Order of Jamaica, The 2001 Business Leader of the Year, The 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Jamaica Institute of Management, The President of the Jamaica Exporters Association and is considered to be one of Jamaicaââ¬â¢s leading philanthropists, he remains humble in his quest to make ââ¬Å"Living Affordable ââ¬Å"for the Jamaican people. He is an inspiration to all; he has in no uncertain way demonstrated that much can be gained, even with a small start. His entrepreneurial prowess were not garnered in academia, but were nurtured nonetheless by a quest to understand the business landscape and environment ensuring that he understood clearly what he was shaping and the factors that would ensure a successful execution of those ventures. He was unsuccessful in some of his ventures but was not deter from his quest to make a valiant contribution to the development of Jamaica. If I were to have taken the journey taken by Lascelles Chin, before I understood his process and his strategy for success, I probably would have stopped from the 1970ââ¬â¢s and become a part of the massive tide of migrants leaving the island for a better opportunity elsewhere. I believe I have a bit of persistence and perseverance but probably would have been deterred from pursuing ventures geared towards improving the quality of life of the Jamaican society by the negative elements within the same society who would have pilfered by business place. The challenges presented by the lack of effort from the different governments to preserve manufacturing or keep the exchange rate stable or exercise the measures needed to curb crime and criminality would have probably led to my ââ¬Å"locking shopâ⬠and leaving Jamaica. However, based on the lessons learnt from the journey of Lascelles Chin who started out with his savings, made prudent decisions, braved the economic times and conditions, focused on his goal of improving the quality of life of the poor and needy, through various economic, governmental and technological and social changes, I would take up the mantle of entrepreneurship, having the understanding that success can be achieved, through perseverance, determination, clarity of vision, whilst taking one step at a time, spending less than I earn and treating each failure challenge or obstacle as an opportunity to advance. References Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin ââ¬â Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin ââ¬â Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin ââ¬â Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Ellington Barbara May 22, 2006, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin ââ¬â Brand Domination at its Best. Retrieved on June 17, 2010 from http://www. jamaica- gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html Kumar, S (June 2003), Transformation: A Journey. Retrieved on April 26, 2010 from http://www. caibinc. org/files_custom/3176_2350. df National Commercial Bank Annual Report 2009, Retrieved on May 04, 2010 from http://www. jncb. com/docs/NCB_Annual_Report_2009. pdf http://zenithbrokers. com/about_us. html https://www. jamaicaobserver. com/news/161017_Question-Time Ellington Barbara, The Monday Interview: Lascelles Chin ââ¬â Brand domination at its best http://www. jamaica-gleaner. com/gleaner/20060522/business/business1. html http://www. lascojamaica. com/site/company-profile. htm
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