Laboratory Informstion System for Academic Medical Center Coursework

Laboratory Informstion System for Academic Medical Center - Coursework Example pag). Also, it is more convenient to use considering the speed and the volume of data available in the system (Robinson n. pag). Lastly, it facilitates more efficient project management: a single service provider gives more detailed, responsive, and coordinated action in times of system errors or even, in the regular maintenance of the system. B. An example of a fully integrated solution is the HNA Millenium  ®, a system built to automate electronic medical record, patient care ordering, review of resident orders, closed-loop medication management, health information management, and access management (Krishna 18). For its laboratory system component, it seeks to reduce the average turn-around time for laboratory and radiology reports (â€Å"The Gemini Project† 117). Diagnostic results are expected to be made available to the physician within seconds after verification. Another example of an integrated solution is Matrix’s Tafnit ERP system, a comprehensive solution fo r laboratory functions. It installs the â€Å"Autolab† LIS that is used to issue referrals and obtain data for billing (â€Å"Assuta Medical Centers† n. pag). ... pag). Scenario 2 Detailed Requirements Document i. Stakeholders The most essential initiative in an organization is to provide the needs of its stakeholders--for without them [stakeholders], an organization works as good as nothing. Incorporating radiology images into the Personal Health Record System would further advance this initiative and is expected to benefit various stakeholders. Below is the list of the prospective stakeholders with their corresponding needs: 1. Patients- More than anyone else, they are the ones who would want timely and easy access to services. Remarkably, patients today have low levels of tolerance for delayed or lost reports and films. Patients’ minimum expectation [that needs to be served] is to receive quickly generated, readily available, and reliable radiological reports (Thrall). 2. Referring physicians- As much as possible, physicians would like to have timely access to patient information. For decades, film handling and delivery systems for h ard-copy reports have frustrated physicians because of these systems’ inefficiency and poor reliability (Thrall). 3. Hospitals- Primarily confronted with severe cost-cutting pressures, hospitals seek to find cost-cutting measures: lowering the average lengths of stay, cutting the length of care-process cycle, as well as eliminating some unnecessary inpatient days. Interestingly, hospitals are eyeing on the radiology department to achieve the aforementioned objectives (Thrall). 4. Radiologists- Similar to physicians, these key stakeholders are also confronted with unreliable and inefficient hard-copy film management systems. A more improved infrastructure for practice-support and implementation of systems is vital for their tasks (Thrall). ii.

Eye Tracking in Usability Evaluation

Eye Tracking in Usability Evaluation   In this literature review I have talked about experiments conducted on usability of various interfaces and designs using eye-tracking. The authors of the papers focus on various types of eye movements for usability evaluations like saccades, pupil dilation, fixation, scanpaths etc. Based on these measurements the try to infer the point/area of interest of the users, point on entry, the cognitive load etc. about the user. These conclusions help in understanding the mindset of the users which can be generalised to a larger population within the proximity of time and space and help in making recommendations for better design of the interface. Benefits of eye tracking: Eye tracking has many benefits. Using eye tracking methods for usability evaluation one can track how the users interact with a given interface or environment. They help in measuring the effectiveness of a visual element on the interface. The measurements recorded can give an insight into the users mind while making a decision regrading searching or navigating an interface. This can be done by measuring what users are interested in, what they are ignoring and what is distracting them from their current tasks. They help in figuring out the Area of Interest which I a randomly shaped box that may contain some information or object or potential interest to the user. The quantitative data collected through eye tracking gives a visuals representation usually in the form of heatmaps(hotspots) which help in better understanding the results. Eye tracking equipments used now-a-days like Tobii and SMI are easy to set-up, calibrate and handle. They are unobtrusive and p rovided accurate real-time feedback. The fast passed usability testing of the software development industry, test conducted using eye tracking can of valuable and useful input providing benefits what will help the users. Eye Tracking in Usability Evalusation: A practitioners Guide [1] This paper is a general guideline on the use of eye tracking used for usability evaluation. The author talks about the specialists who conduct the study, the metrics used with the testing, the protocol followed to conduct a test. They also talk about when eye tracking can come in handy as compared to the normal usability test which usually include heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough, checklist, remoter-usability testing, click-tracking etc. The authors talk about the different types of eye movements that are measured like saccades, fixation, pupil dilation, scanpaths etc. These movements provide a log of the visual attention of a user on the interface. It is also interesting to know that the eye tracking gadgets only track the movement of one eye, usually the dominant eye of the beholder. Saccades: rapid eye movements. Fixation: A linger at a point for more than 300ms. Scanpath: established by the sequence of saccades and fixations. Most of the studies conducted analyzed the fixation pattern. Which can be realized through heatmaps. Red indicates the highest level of fixation followed by green yellow. The areas which are not colored drew no attention. F-Shaped Pattern for reading web content[4] The author says that a eye tracking study was conducted on 232 users on their reading behaviour on webpages. They found a governing F shaped pattern which was undeviating among most of the users. The participants of the experiment were fond to first adhere a long horizontal gaze across the screen, followed by a short horizontal gaze on the area below and finally giving a quick vertical scan of the content of the webpage. Occasionally there were a few cases of an E and an L shaped pattern but mostly F was dominant with variation in the placement of the horizontal bars. These patterns suggest hat usres dont read the text on a website line by line. They like to give a scan to see if any of the content available if of interest or not. Such reading patterns suggest that first paragraph should contain important and catchy information. While scanning vertically users generally users generally read the first two words of the text. Visual Hierarchy and Viewing Behaviour: An eye tracking study[2] The authors of this paper aim to suggest effective improvements in the design of a web page to attract more users and to disperse important information in an effective manner. For this purpose, they have analyzed the gazing patterns of users. The author have tried to decipher the reason behind the F shape viewing pattern by most users which could be due to the arrangements of element on the interface or the task at hand. To test this they used 4 prototypes of a webpage with each having a different visual hierarchy. The prototypes differed in the form of being well structed or not and 2 had images of people and 2 did not. 48 participants were used for the study which were from different field of the industry and each one was given either a searching task or a browsing task on one of the 4 prototypes. Fixation patterns using heatmaps was used to analyze the data. It was found that users fixate more on the part of the page which is above the fold. The F shaped pattern was not apparent w ith any of the conditions as the website was more visually complex as compared to a text based simple website. The well structured and organized pages drew more attention. During searching users tend to gaze in a scattered manner with more focus on the left side of the page where the navigation links are usually located. Browsing is less scattered with few fixations time and is usually defined within the center of the interface. Faces drew more attention only when they were placed above the fold of the page and during browsing. They concluded that these insights into a users viewing pattern can help make better designs for different type of websites to attract users. No subjective ratings were used to access users comfort while dealing with the different types of interfaces. Efficiency Trust and visual appeal: Usability testing through eye tracking[5] The authors conducted a research on the efficiency, trust and visual appeal of a website and made recommendations on what kind of an interface would attract more customers to an e-commerce website and what type of user experience would make a first-time visitor a customer. The author believed that an element of social presence will give a more satisfying experience while navigating an automated website which lack humane warmth. This accompanied with a aesthetically pleasing interface will make the users trust the website more. To test this the authors came up with a set of tasks for the users and two hypothesis which were related to images of people on a website and the visual appeal of a website. 522 users were recruited for an online study and each of them were provided with a different prototype of a website. Users were asked the visual appeal and the level of trust on the website using seven point Likert scales. After performing p on the online study, authors concluded that websi tes with images of people are more visually appealing and in turn elicit a higher level of trust. It was fond that the users conduct the search from left to right. The online study was followed by an eye tracking experiment to confirm the results of the online study. They used a count heat map and a fixation heatmap. 40 were recruited for the eye tracking experiment. The experiment confirmed that images of faces are more helpful in drawing attention. Gender Preferences in Web Design: Usability Testing through Eye tracking[6] The authors of this papers tried to investigate the visual predilections of male and female users. They have tried to detect he noticeability of bricklets(small box containing useful information) based on their background colour images by male and female users. Since men and woman have different notion of attractiveness, an hypothesis was made on the noticeability of the different prototypes of the bricklets. Men have a tendency to like dark colors and women have a tendency to like light color. 36 participants were chosen for the study out of which 17 were male and 19 were female. 4 type of bricklets were designed with dark and light background color and with and without images. Tasks were designed in such a way so that the users were tested on their ability to detect certain kind of bricklets. It was found that both male and female fixate less on images and more on the bricklets without images. Female users were attracted more towards the darker background bricklets and male users w ere not biased towards a specific colour. The study concluded that what users find appealing is not necessary noticeable this was supported by the discrepancy in self report survey and the fixation duration on the bricklets by the users. Generation Y and Web Design: Usability through Eye tracking[7] The aim of the authors of this paper is to come up for better design recommendation for retail web sites to attract the millennial generation also knows as generation Y. This generation poses the strongest internet skills and spend around $200 a year on online retail. An hypothesis is made that Generation Y like large images preferably of celebrities and with search features and as little text as possible. Top 50 retail pages were selected. These pages were ranked on the characteristics posed by them based on the predilections of generation Y. A self report study and an eye tracking study was conducted to compare both the results. 99 participants were selected who possessed strong internet skills for the self report study. 9 participants were selected for the eye tracking experiment. The survey and the data provided by the eye tracking device supported the hypothesis made. Eye tracking in Web Search Tasks: Design Implications [3] The authors of this paper conducted an eye tracking usability testing for a web portal application which was developed by Oracle portal software. Seven users were selected to complete six tasks for the study. The users came across 15 screens while completing their tasks and had to spend around 360 seconds to complete one task. The authors recorded the key presses and mouse clicks on the interface and eye movements like saccades and fixations and the dwell time on the Area of Interest were diligently recorded. Every task started with a set of scenario and required the user to perform them based on his understanding. The results in this study were not in the form heatmaps but rather in the form of screen bitmap files, fixation file and object file. These files were amalgamated to perform data analysis. The study was performed in a very systematic way. The authors studied the eye movements of the users at the task level then at the screen level and then finally at the object level with the focus on Area of Interest. In-depth study was conducted regarding screen visits and distribution. The authors analyzed the pattern for navigating within and between portlets and concluded that there is an inclination for the users to notice the portlets on the left and the upper part of the screen in view. The authors tried to discover a relationship between user action, scene sequence and the data derived from the eye movement. Age-related Differences in Eye Tracking and Usability Performance: Website usability for Older Adults [8]. The authors of this paper conducted usability study of websites through eye tracking to make design recommendations which keep in mind the needs and ease of usability and navigation of older adults. 5 websites were used for the experiment. And a comparison was made on how you and old people interact with the environment. Around 3-7 young adults and 2-3 older adults were recruited. All of them a possessed a working knowledge about using the internet. The participants were given predefined tasks and their fixations were recorded using the unobtrusive eye tracking device. The participants also filled out a questionnaire to report their satisfaction level. It was found that older adults focus more on the center portion of the screen and ignore the information located on the peripheral areas. Cluttered periphery results in performance hindrance for the old users. The ignorance of the edge of the screen can be related to the cognitive decline encountered due to growing age. Older adults we re less accurate and efficient as compared to younger adults. Older adults who are ususally unfamiliar with the environment get easily distracted by unnecessary elements. Seven users are very less as compared to the recommendation of 10-30 participants made by [1]. There were often stements made by the authors that there is presently too little evidence to support the notion [3] suggesting that clearly 7 participants for the experiment was not enough and the results produced can be a threat to external validity. [1] also suggest to recruit 20% more participants in case there are problems with calibiratio of the equipment with the users. [2] used 48 users from different fields of the industry sector age not mentioned. 40 people in [5]. [6] 99 participants were recruited. [8] small number of users. Limits on generalizations made. Users were tested for their visual acuity The users were made to sign demographic, consent and disclosure forms. The authors conducted initial training tasks They used a head mounted system. Although these systems are good for tasks which may require a lot of head or body movement, they are obtrusive. They obstruct a certain portion of the of the field of view of the user and can interrupt a user in hi cognitive process or task at hand as he is constantly reminded of a apparatus being setup on his head. Since this experiment was conducted in 2002 the eye tracking instruments used that time were not technologically that advanced. Therefore, a lot of time and effort went into analyzing the data. Tape recorders were used to capture users comments and a video recorder was also used for in depth analysis. While conducting the experiment it was found that one of the users took very less time to complete the task as compared to others. The authors concluded that users learned about the interface while performing the tasks. But since one of the users showed less reaction to time to the given task at hand the inference suffers from a threat to internal validity because he possessed previous knowledge about similar interface. Threats to generalizibilty as an intrusive setup was used. Dis advantages: tedious, requires extensive data reduction, focus on micro-level behaviours, too much noise in the data. Lots of work required to narrow down on the data that is needed Eye tracking study is usually conducted where results of traditional software usability results are compared with that of the results from the eye tracking derived results. The traditional usability tests are usually done using five point Likert scale. In many experiments authors have concluded that users are inclined towards noticing the upper left side of the interface. It maybe possible that users in these experiments are used to languages that goes left to right and hence are natural disposed to look at the upper left side of the screen. If there experiments were conducted on a subset of population that are used to languages that go from right to left then there could have been different results. Most of the papers have conclude that users tend to ignore important information what is located at the bottom of the page which if below the fold. It could be father investigated that is that information is accompanied with an image of a person then would it attract users or not. While investigating the usability of an interface mostly two types of tasks were used: browsing and searching. This is because it the viewing behaviours of the users change depending on their task. In searching the users try to find a point of entry into a page and then from their he scans the near the point of entry for relevant information. In the heatmap the areas that are red could be the point of entry for those elements of the interface and the yellow and green areas in the heatmap are the surrounding locations where the users try to locate relevant information. Since the search process is majorly influenced by the factors such as, images, color and text. Designers can make use of these factors to guide the searching process of the users A trend was found that larger images attracts more attention as compared to smaller images. This can be used to attract user attention towards information that need immediate attention. Studies suggest that images of people tend to attract more attention. For [2] more prototypes of the web pages could have be formulated and compared to see if that was really true. Heat maps are created using data from several participants and are used to analyze the pattern of fixation on an area on the interface. The findings in [2] are in contrast with the one in [4] where the author has concluded on a dominant F shaped pattern. It can be absorbed what for a text based website with a simple visual hierarchy an F shaped pattern of viewing is more visible but for websites that have a complex visual hierarchy the viewing pattern in more scattered although focusing a lot on the left side if the interface which again is dominated by the users reading style form left to right. Different results will most certainly be produced with users who are habitual in reading from right to left. In general websites with good visual appeal and easy navigation elicit trust worthiness and are major contributing factors towards an enhanced user experience. [5] says that when since images attract attention, can be used to draw users attention to important information below the fold of a page. But the author of [2] contradicts this by saying that even though images of human faces were placed below they fold they attracted very little attention. [5] says that there is no effect of the gender of the image of the face on the website but in [?] notice a lot re spots on the heat map over the images of a female. Also, further studies can be conducted to see male images are more appealing than female image and which gender of the images attract the male users and which gender of the images attract the female users. The analysis of the heat maps performed by [5] was more structured as they used a standardized heatmap. Such a map puts a limit on the number of fixations to be considered as a red zone across different prototypes. Although in [5] the authors conclude that users trust level can be enhanced by the increasing visual appeal it should be noted that visual appeal is not all that matters, functionality of a website also plays a major role. the authors of [5] said that users are attracted toward the area where the images of faces were located but little fixation on the images. This is opposed by [?] where the authors have concluded that generation Y is then to fixate on the images of faces more. Then again the age difference between the participants in [5] was spread out therefore the two papers made contradictory statements. Also, since [5] is making recommendations for a e-commerce website which is mostly used by generation Y they could have narrowed down the are limit of the participants of the experiment. Papers [5] and [2] concluded that images of faces attract more attention but it maybe possible that images of different genre may be more effective. These images when paired with a lowers aesthetic quality webpage may not attract any attention at all. Keeping the ethical issues in mind [],[], and [] did not made the users sign Informed consent form and no information is provided if the participants were briefed or not. [7] suggest that generation Y is more attracted towards images of celebrities. But the study may fail external validity as it has not considered the population of the people who are not familiar with those celebrities. To extend this study a search task could have been given to the users to gain a more indepth understang of likes and dislikes of generation as done ny authorss in [2] and [3]. [7] conducted a research on generation Y but we know that baby boomers are constitute major part of the population that uses the internet. Results form [2], [7] and [5] can be combined to make recommendations for designs that would attract more users and increase user satisfaction. These designs would generally contain more images of faces, important information will be located on top left corner of the screen. To draw attention towards the part of the page below the fold images of celebrities can be used in an effective manner. Most studies concluded that users tend to focus on the left side of the interface but the studies conducted in[8] concluded that older adults ignore the left navigation area. This suggests that younger users who are more familiar with the interface know where to look at for navigation but this lack of knowledge and experience hinder the performance of an older adult. To help out the tease out the age effect designers can do a dual placement where navigation information can be placed in the center and the peripherals of the screen. All the eye tracking studies performed were under a laboratory condition. Here the users are asked to perform task in which they might be interested. These results maybe different in a real world situation when users are performing tasks of their own interest and are aware that the are not being monitored.

PESTEL and SWOT Analysis of Homebase

PESTEL and SWOT Analysis of Homebase Homebase is the UKs second largest home improvement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service across the wider home enhancement market. It has more than 300 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, and is planning to add to its store chain with around 15 new stores a year. It sells over 30,000 products across DIY and decorating, home and garden ranges, and has a growing internet offering. Homebase serves over 70 million customers per year through its stores and offers customers the convenience of home delivery for bulky, high-value items. Its Ideas magazine is the number one home interest magazine in the UK, with a circulation of almost half a million. In 2006 Homebase won Britains Best Superstore Manager of the Year at Britains Best Retailer Awards and in 2005 it was awarded DIY Retailer of the Year in the National Home Awards. Homebase was the first UK DIY retailer to achieve Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certificati on. More information on Homebase can be found on Situation analysis With sales of nearly  £6bn in the past financial year, Home Retail Group is the leading home and general merchandise retailer in the UK. Although company is already the number one in many of its product categories, there is still potential to increase its market share. Our combined position accounts for just 10% of a market valued at  £60bn. As many of these markets are fragmented and its market share has built quickly, there are further opportunities for growth. Homebase proves theres No Place Like Home for charities In August 2006 Homebase launched its first two year partnership with Marie Curie Cancer Care (www.mariecurie.org.uk) and the Irish Cancer Society in the Republic of Ireland (www.cancer.ie), under the banner of Theres no place like home ; The charities were chosen in a company-wide staff ballot where 39% of Homebase staff voted to support them ; The aim of the two year partnership was to raise  £500,000 to pay for 25,000 hours of home nursing. Homebase staff and customers have exceeded all expectations in the first year of the partnership, smashing the original target and raising an astonishing  £78 5,000 already ; Over the past 12 months, the campaign has seen everything from head shaves and dress down days to staff abseiling down buildings for the charities. The money raised in the first year will help to provide a fantastic 39,250 hours of nursing. External Analysis-Macro Environment Political Employment rate in UK is increased to 74.7% since the last year and it is suppose to increase as well at the end of the current year which could be beneficial for the company because the purchasing power of the customers has increased and at the same time it will increase the cost of the company by increasing the pay rate of their own employees. Terrorism is also affecting the customer little bit but it increases the online sale. If the company go in the developing countries for manufacturing, it may reduce the cost because the low pay rate in the developing countries at the same time it may affect the reputation of the company. Economical Consumer price inflation rose up to 2.2% in January 2008 influenced by the oil and food prices which can influence the price strategy of the organization as well as the promotion and distribution and also can effect the purchasing power of the consumer. Oil prices are increasing rapidly in these days and the prices has been reached to its record which increases the cost and in return the high prices. The value of dollar against Euro is decreasing which can affect the profit margin. Social The rate of population in UK is increasing dramatically which is a big cause of unemployment. Increasing number of visitors especially on London Olympics 2012 can be a opportunity to sponsor time or individual and increase globally the companys image and recognition. Technological Due to the increasing internet awareness among the customer the online sale is increasing day by day. It saves the time and cost as well. 52% of business suffered a malicious premeditated e-security breach during 2005 which can affect the customer data, as well as the customer trust to by online. It can affect the reputation of the brand. After the introduction of the new security system PayPalà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¢ the online payment from credit card has become more secure which increase the customer confidence on the brand which increase the reputation of the brand. Legal The World Trade Organization members countries have the right to impose the safeguard measures and it has a legal processing to imports. When the company goes to importing it should be aware and follow the changes in the regulations. Environmental By following the government waste strategy the company should increase the amount of recycling which strengthen the reputation of the company. The public of UK is environment conscious and may be a burning issue of the world in near future so the company should improve its recycling policies. External Analysis-Micro Environment The micro environment also known as task environment are the internal forces that have a direct affect in the companys strategies. These factors include buyers, suppliers, all type of competitors, new entrants and substitutes employees and marketing intermediaries (media). Industry analysis The following analysis is based on Michael Porters 5 Forces Model (1996) and it helps understand the competitive environment for HomeBase Threats of New Entrants Factors Level of threat implication Product differentiation High Home products are very common products so the marketing of the company sells. Capital requirement Medium A lot of capital require to introduce a new product to compete the existing products Brand identity Low Home base has a strong brand name in whole US and UK Distributional channel Low Franchisee will be consider the brand identity in the first step Economies of scale medium New entrant have to entrant in a large scale to compete in the market Threats of substitute products Factor Level of threat Implication Few substitute products Low In household products there are very few products which can be replaced Bargaining power of customer Factors Level of threat implication Product quality High Some of the competitors claim to provide similar quality products to the customer Type of customer high As the management of the store is responsible for a good sale so there is a strong customer bargaining Brand identity Low Marketing strategy is strong thats why the brand is recognized all over the US and UK Bargaining power of supplier Factors Level of threats implication Cost of supplier High This company is in developed countries thats why the labour cost quite high Supplier concentration Low The company support community traders Competitive rivalry Factors Level of threats Implication Brand identity high The brand value of each company as well as the target market makes the differentiation to the customer Industry grown High Due to the recent growth in the household items the competition is very high Cost of structure High Competitors follow the same scheme of economies of scale with relatively low cost and high profit Diversity of competitors High Now a days there are some companies who are introducing the efficient products Conclusion: after analysing the Porters 5 forces in this company it is noticed that the retail market is attractive for Homebase. Though Homebase is a leader in the market the company has to develop more technological and attractive products to compete the other companies as well as company has to improve its growth strategies to keep the customers and to fulfil their needs. Market segmentation Consumer market The Homebase has become the leader in its market because it covers almost every household item like from gardening to decorating. Now a days due to development in technology the customer is becoming more and more aware of the quality so they demand for high quality products because they have choice. Products Homebase concentrate on household products and the is still trying to cover everything regarding home. Company deals with the following types of products. Kitchen items Bathroom products Furniture and homewares Lighting Flooring and tiling Decorating Home electrical Heating and cooling Tools Building and hardware Gardening Outdoor living Main competitors following are some principal competitors for the Homebase, Home Depot, Inc.; Eagle Hardware and Garden Inc.; Hechinger Stores Co.; Builders Square Inc.; Payless Cashways Inc.; Orchard Supply Hardware Corp.; Lumbermens Building Centers. Though Homebase has quite strong competitors but still it is leading the market and providing the quality products as well as quality service to its customer and also it is successful to keep its customers till now. The company has to continuo the performance to maintain the standard. Brand Since last few years Homebase has worked focused on customer favour by providing products in low rates with a shopping experience that combines excellent service with a comprehensive range of household items. Homebase proves theres No Place Like Home for charities In August 2006 Homebase launched its first two year partnership with Marie Curie Cancer and the Irish Cancer Society in the Republic of Ireland, under the banner of Theres no place like home ; The charities were chosen in a company-wide staff ballot where 39% of Homebase staff voted to support them ; The aim of the two year partnership was to raise  £500,000 to pay for 25,000 hours of home nursing. Homebase staff and customers have exceeded all expectations in the first year of the partnership, smashing the original target and raising an astonishing  £785,000 already ; Over the past 12 months, the campaign has seen everything from head shaves and dress down days to staff abseiling down buildings for the charities. The money raised in the first year will help to provide a fantastic 39,250 hours of nursing. After doing this Homebase has become a strong brand in all over the UK and Irish republic. Internal analysis Resources Physical resources Number of stores: 310 Countries operating: UK IRISH REPUBLIC 2. Human resources More than 8400 employees including stores and offices are working in Homebase 3. Financial resources Pro forma of 52 weeks to 3 march 2007 4 march 2006 Sales  £1,594.2m 1559.0 benchmark Operating profit  £53.4m  £51.4m Benchmark operating margine 3.4% 3.3% Like-for-like change in sales 1.4% 3.1% New space contribution to sales change 3.6 3.1% Total sales change 2.2% 0.0% Benchmark operating profit change 4% n/a Number of stores at period end 310 297 Of which contain a mezzanine floor 165 144 Competences and capabilities Using the 5Ms is possible to analyse the competences and capabilities of the company. Market The Homebase is the leader in the retail market and it is providing quality products in cheaper rates and due to this Homebase is being recognized all over the uk as well as Irish republic. Materials The company is investing a lot of capital to introduce new stores so that the customers can buy quality products from their locality. The key element to the new store design is part of the business strategy to make-up merchandising fixture. Men More than 8400 employees including stores and offices are working on Homebase. Money Financial resources Pro forma of 52 weeks to 3 march 2007 4 march 2006 Sales  £1,594.2m 1559.0 benchmark Operating profit  £53.4m  £51.4m Benchmark operating margine 3.4% 3.3% Like-for-like change in sales 1.4% 3.1% New space contribution to sales change 3.6 3.1% Total sales change 2.2% 0.0% Benchmark operating profit change 4% n/a Number of stores at period end 310 297 Of which contain a mezzanine floor 165 144 Machines Number of stores à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ 310 Countries operating à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¾ UK IRISH REPUBLIC S.W.O.T Analysis Strengths Leverage purchasing scale High loyalty Strong brand name Increase share in large product markets Expand homebase store network Extend and exploit multi-channel leadership Weaknesses More capital require for new stores High supply cost High operation cost Opportunities Further to go on importing Opportunity to explore other overseas sourcing locations Additional benefits to come from supply chain Other cost reduction processes Threats Strong competition in retail market Customers are becoming more and more aware of quality due to improvement in technology and want high quality products on cheap prices Increase in the sales of competitors Though there is competition in the market the Homebase has a strong brand name and the company is improving their performance as well as it is investing in the product quality and opening new stores. There are still lot of opportunities for the company. Market plan On the basis of the previous audit marketing and the company strengths the objectives and the targets of the company are as follows; Objectives and targets Reduce plastic bag consumption by 25% by the end of 2008 Attain ISO 14001 status for 5 Distribution Centres Attain recycling rates of 50% across the Group Energy Achieve energy accreditation for the Group from the Carbon Trust Reduce energy consumption by 2% KwH/sq ft Purchase at least 30% green power Products Review current policy guidelines for product selection Attain accreditation for sustainable paper sourcing Maintain existing recycled paper content of catalogue at 13% Community Raise at least  £1.6m for charity partnerships Achieve gold status for payroll giving ( at least 10% of workforce) Establish arrangements for community investment Establish a volunteering policy for the Group Workplace and HR Improve employee engagement scores. Improve take up of share save schemes Reduce average absence per employee Reduce RIDDORS by 10% Customers Increase levels of customer satisfaction (reduce no of orders which  generate one complaint) Group growth strategies Growth through leveraging purchasing scale Growth through increasing market share in targeted large product market Growth through extending and exploiting multi- channel leadership Growth through expanding the store network (10 homebase stores in a year) Marketing mix To implement the above strategies the following points can be applied: Product / branding Homebase is working efficiently in these days by following their strategies and because of this it is leading the market in all over the UK and Irish republic. Well I believe that regarding to the objectives of increase the brand image is recommended that the company is to associate the environmentally friendly image such as reducing the use of plastic bags. And further more the company should go on importing as well as explore the other overseas resources locations so that the brand can win the global recognition. Though the company has started its own recycling program in which some products are totally recyclable and some are partly, but in future environment will be a burning issue so organization should do some more for this which protect as well as beneficial for the brand in future. Price The differentiation strategy allows the company to implement a value-based pricing approach. Place Develop a multi-channel distribution has been successfully implemented in the company. On the other hand company should increase its online sale. Promotion target People concerning about environmental issues House wives Communication To promote the product benefits To make the product known To increase online buyers The massage It is suggested to use the objectives that concern with the knowledge or awareness in the mind of the customer. Media selection Advertisement on the magazines which are usually being sent to the houses monthly or weekly Attracting customers by making sales on special occasions Online advertisement Using the logo in other web sites to link with the companys web site Series of the press releases to be sent to magazines and access online TV campaign to roll out nationality on terrestrial TV Posters People To monitoring services online as well as make available news tools to the customer shopping online To incorporate orders online, to store products and others To help increase the sells and to ensure the customer service quality Process Products purchase online delivery with in a week Credit card to be charged at time on the shipment of the order and confirmed by e-mail Use the latest security methods such as PayPalà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¢ Return policy should be with in the existing 30 days after the purchase Physical evidence Receipts and inventory bills Software to develop the e-commerce Budget breakdown To achieve the above marketing planning objectives it is set an overall cost of  £8.5 million. And this overall cost is divided into the following categories; Product 16% of the total cost is for the market research and for the development of the product, RD. The estimate cost in  £1360015.7 Place 8% of the cost is to be spend on the continuous refurbishment and maintenance of the stores, distribution and transportation, and the estimate cost is  £680,000. Promotion 60% of the total cost is to be used for the promotion of the product which includes the media advertisement such as advertisement in TV programs, magazines, posters in public transport, etc. The estimated cost is  £5100,000. People 10% of the cost is to be spent on HR, training, recruitment and IT outsourcing. The estimate cost is  £850,000. Process 4% of the total cost will be spent on the development of the operation processes and for this the estimate cost is  £394400.63 Physical evidence 2% of total cost is to be spent on the reservation for the physical evidence and process to maintain the e-commerce. And the estimated cost for this is  £170000 Total cost The total cost for the whole process of the above marketing planning to achieve the mentioned objectives is estimated as  £8500000.

E-mail Privacy At Work :: essays research papers

E-mail Privacy at Work E-mail at our company is for work purposes only. The computers and software are company property, and therefore are used for everyday office use only. We reserve the right to monitor all e-mail use, even if you are using a private e-mail account. This is to ensure that our employees are acting in a professional manner, and not giving out any company secrets. Also, employees should never consider anything they write as private, no matter what the circumstance. If you write it on the company’s computers, it is considered public, even if you place the e-mail in a private folder. According to NOLO.com, a Texas court ruled that unlike a private employee locker where an employee can expect a certain degree of privacy, they have no expectation of privacy in a â€Å"private† folder. Another example, is if you are on your own time, but still at work, such as a lunch break. Regardless of when you write the e-mail, if you write it at work, it is public. You may be asking, â€Å"What is appropriate e-mail?† Obviously, slandering other members of the company or clients, as well as e-mails that contain secret information is prohibited. A good rule of thumb is this. If you are not, for whatever reason, comfortable with printing the e-mail out on your computer and then leaving it on your desk so anyone can read it, then you probably shouldn’t write or send that e-mail. Consequences If an employee, through e-mail, is found to have violated one or more of the company’s policies, appropriate action will follow. Depending on the case, the employee may even be terminated. In fact, a company in Pennsylvania assured its employees that e-mail would not be intercepted and used against them. Despite this claim, the company reviewed e-mails from a supervisor and used it as a basis for termination. According to the Federal court in Pennsylvania, that was perfectly legal (NOLO.com). The court ruled that the company’s interest in preventing inappropriate or illegal activities outweighed the employee’s right to privacy. Also, any e-mail can be used against our company in court. A judge can use any private or personal e-mail against us, and it would be legally upheld.

Health Care Reform in the United States Essay -- health care reform, P

â€Å"We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year.† The preceding is a powerful statement from the newly elected President Barak Obama. One of the main aspects of both political campaigns was health care reform. The above quote shows passion and encouragement, but the quotes about health care do not end there. Georgian republican gubernatorial candidate and health care policy maker John Oxendine expressed: â€Å"Their proposal would virtually devastate the private healthcare sector in this country along with competition and patient choice, by replacing it with bureaucratic planning and government control. The result of this plan and its one trillion dollar price tag will bring harm to those the president and Congress are ostensibly trying to help.† Furthermore, another powerful statement was issued by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi: â€Å"I th ink it is pretty clear that we want a strong public option in the legislation. Insurance company’s full force carpet-bombing and shock and awe against the public option — so much so that the American people doubt the plan or are uncertain about it, until you tell them what is in it.† These three powerfully worded quotes embody the argument that is being derived on Capitol Hill. It is almost hard to conceive that one document can be perceived in such a wide variety of ways. This pending reform is important to every United States Citizen. As the debate climaxes over the next few months, words will be put into votes. It’s clear that everyone has an opinion about how health care reform should or should not work, but the real question is who will be the loudest in the end. The ... ...and generous health care to a people that are fed up! With already partisan action in the House of Representatives that passed the first ever health care reform legislation to the Senate, Americans are closer than ever to having safe and affordable health care. As the college age population enters the work force and starts a family, there is still that uncertainty of where all this talk will lead. Will they be faced with insurmountable debt by big business pleasing deputies of our government, or will they finally wake up one day health care cost free, healthy individuals and look back on the greatest fight in American politics since the drawing of the actual constitution itself. America needs the public option and more control over the health care industry! Over the coming weeks, that dream will turn more and more from the â€Å"Yes we can† to finally, â€Å"Yes we did!†

Write a film review of ‘Spirited Away’ directed by Miyazakiand write comments on the style of reporting

She has puffy cheeks and downcast expression and can be seen as having an awkward personality – angry and miserable, and unwilling to do anything out of the ordinary. However in the course of the film, she matures and finds the things she truly values – though not in the usual obvious manner of similar stories. As with all of Miyazaki's films, Spirited Away is an experience in which along with Chihiro, we discover the weird and magnificent world in which she finds herself: a wonderland of bizarre and fantastic creatures, which are so real you can almost reach out and touch them. The movie begins with a downhearted 10-year-old Chihiro sitting in the back seat of her parents' car when soon enough, a shortcut down a forgotten woodland road, leads Chihiro and her family to a decrepit old temple with a strangely beckoning tunnel entrance. Chihiro, partly out of intuition and partly out of fear, suspects danger ahead. Against her bidding, the parents walk on investigating, discovering what they take to be a theme park. Along the empty streets, they are strangely drawn towards a delicious scent of food at an unattended kiosk and Chihiro's parental units begin to help themselves to the abundant food. Chihiro rejects the feast, wanders off and a boy of about her age appears mysteriously and angrily bids her to leave at once. The sky suddenly falls dark and rushing back to her parents, Chihiro is horrified to discover that the indignant spirits that inhabit the place transformed her parents, leaving her on her own, trapped in a bizarre world of spirits. All around her ghosts begin to appear. Chihiro initially thinks she in a nightmare but shortly the spirits notice her and her life is in danger. She gets some help while running for her life – namely, from the young boy named Haku who seems to know her from another time and place. It is Haku who tells Chihiro what she must do in order to rescue her imprisoned parents and return to her normal life: she must find work at the bathhouse that overlooks the landscape. Amazing imaginative creatures inhabit the bathhouse: gods and spirits, leisurely spending their time there, and a busy staff of servants who attend them. Gaining employment at the bathhouse forces Chihiro to sign a binding contract with Yu-baaba and relinquish her original name. Named â€Å"Sen† by the malicious witch, her servitude life is exhausting and unappreciated, but if she would like to save her parents, it's her only option and she has got to change – she'll have to face her deepest fears and attempt to remember her own identity and find a way to break her parents' spell, which is the only escape from the firm control of the spirits. Sen discovers an inner strength she never suspected she had which enables her to carry on in the realm of the spirits. What follows is a fantastic journey into a wondrously imagined world and lucky for us, we get the opportunity to follow her through her struggle to the other side and hopefully back. Not knowing how the story will turn out means that you go on the same journey as Chihiro, and all the wonders of the realm she walks into will be new and surprising. This course is what can distinguish between the film being good to the film being great. But Sen's adventures are just beginning! The film is filled with characters that are absolutely new to our expectations – no wicked characters like we're used to see, but instead: flying Yu-baaba with an overgrown head and her gigantic baby locked away in a room stuffed with toys. There are spirits that drift in and out, gigantic figures and tiny soot-balls – there are boys who transform themselves into flying wolf-faced serpents, and tiny pieces of paper that fly around and hurt people. Visually, the film is a feast for the eyes. The animation quality is excellent. The colours are richer than anything found in any American animated film. The magnificent animation is cleanly simple yet loaded with a level of detail truly astounding, intricately rendered in Studio Ghibli. There is a limited use of CG animation, but they are never prominent. While it provides a breathtaking illusion of Chihiro pushing through a blossoming flower garden, the electronic imagery blends skilfully with the beautiful hand-drawn characters and backgrounds in a vibrant manner. In many cases, characters convey emotions with subtle changes of expression rather than dialogue. Everything is perfectly calculated to the mood of the scene, even scenes that have no music at all add to the effect. The music is as good as any Studio Ghibli film — that is to say, excellent. Likewise, the voice acting fits the characters perfectly. A superb job is done by the English-language cast in reinterpreting Miyazaki's original dialogue where individual lines are contended with to synchronize with the existing animation. In the Japanese version, Rumi Hiiragi voices Chihiro, and Daveigh Chase being her English counterpart, both skilfully communicate Chihiro's determination and bright outlook. Spirited Away draws loosely on Japanese mythology and a never-ending imagination to create a small yet elaborate universe inhabited by all types of creatures. It's a fantastic fable like that of Alice in Wonderland. In fact, in Alice in Wonderland there are several references to characters eating things that transform them. Also, the movie shares all the peculiar characters of the fable, as well as featuring the journey of a character into a strange world. Spirited Away is absolutely more cheerful and entertaining which only adds to the fascination of the film. When Spirited Away won the 2002 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, the film continued to enjoy an impressive collection of honours, including best animated film success from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, and the National Board Of Review, not to mention the Golden Bear Best Picture Award from the Berlin Film Festival and the Best Film prize from the Japanese Academy Awards. To date, Hayao Miyazaki's distinctive fairy tale Spirited Away has acquired more than twenty awards at film festivals around the globe, made the Japanese box office and resolutely secured its place in the chronicles of film history. Spirited Away will appeal to older children as well as adults. While both parents and children can enjoy the absolutely breathtaking animation, the adults will appreciate the story while their kids will most likely be left a little confused. It's not that the plot is complex, but it is the film's characters and world that are complicated. The film is elaborate on an emotional level, something that probably most of its audience will not be expecting. But for all its layered aspects, the film is driven by a wonderful innocence that makes it quite appealing and ultimately very satisfying. There is nothing overly frightening in the film (maybe the masked-face monster may be intense for very young children, but it's nothing too frightening for kids six and up), so parents should not have a problem taking their kids to see this. Viewers in search of an excellent story will not be disappointed. What distinguishes Miyazaki's work from his sources of inspiration is a lighter mood and a true understanding of childish wonder. â€Å"I would like to make it a film in which 10 year old girls can find their true wishes†, Hayao Miyasaki declares. This remarkable drama about a girl who continuously challenges herself and matures significantly over the course of a few days makes Chihiro a heroine. She is a heroine, because she fulfils and builds around her a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve world due to her matchless heart. She gets trained, learns about friendship and loyalty, and survives by using her wisdom because she gained the power to live. It is the main theme of this film to describe such a world clearly in the form of a fantasy. Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest animators and directors in Japan. The amusing plots, believable characters and astounding animation in his films have earned him international recognition from critics as well as public gratitude within Japan. Miyazaki has outdone himself as this film has all the wonder and brilliance of the other Miyazaki films and is in some ways one of his most compelling. Since it is better than Totoro, it may also be the greatest family film of all time. Both the artwork and animation quality are absolutely magnificent and actually surpass the heights seen in Princess Mononoke. Like some of Miyazaki's previous work, there are no definite ‘good' or ‘evil' characters. This is a rare thing to find in most animated films. The characters are out for their own self-interests. Yu-baaba is not a villain, she is a profiteer. She wants to get the money from the spirits who come to the bathhouse to relax. The masked-face monster is a lonely soul, who, when over stimulated becomes an fanatical eater of anything or anyone that gets in it's way. I found this to be a revitalizing use of character; especially considering how many films we see where the typical villain is nothing more than being bad for the sake of being bad. Now this masterpiece from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli is available on DVD edition distributed by Walt Disney Studios. The two-disc set combines attractive presentation with a remarkable collection of bonus features. The film is presented in wide screen format with very sharp colours. Gladly, both English and the original Japanese soundtracks are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Spirited Away is an unquestionable masterpiece, a work of breathtaking beauty and strong emotional quality. Chihiro's journey into the unknown will undoubtedly entertain you as much now as it will ten years from today. With Chihiro, the audience too journeys along, awed and grateful for the chance to be part in an imagination so rich. This movie must be seen as an allegory of how devotion, friendship, and love can conquer greed and liberate one's spirit. From the way the film looks to the way the story develops, even to the way it sounds – Spirited Away is the best and most exceptionally rewarding film so far. This review was intended for a magazine because: o Magazines usually tend to go deeper and wider than a newspaper feature, since generally there is more space available. Because of this, the various topics could be expanded more. o In a magazine familiar words are preferred over the unfamiliar, therefore the style could easily be combined with the magazine style. The Title: o The title chosen reminds us immediately in the fable of Alice in Wonderland. In fact only the girl's name is changed in the title. o Both Alice in Wonderland and Spirited Away have parallels between them. These parallels are also referred to later in the body. o To make clear the use of the word ‘Wonderland' in the title, the reason for its usage is given straight away in the introduction: â€Å"a wonderland of bizarre and fantastic creatures† The Introduction (Lead): o Its purpose is to continue the work of the title by holding the readers' attention. o It teases the readers to guess what is coming so as to awaken their curiosity and persuade them to continue reading. o The first line starts off with a description of the movie's main character so that the readers are made familiar her instantly. It also arouses curiosity as ‘She' is still mysterious and her name is not yet revealed. This urges further reading. o A contrast between words is used to imply and describe the realm of the spirits: â€Å"weird and magnificent†; â€Å"bizarre and fantastic†. The reader might be perplexed and so reads on to answer the question aroused in his / her mind. The body: o Unity – the main theme is threaded through the article and has a flow throughout. o Coherence – all material used is shown to be related to the theme, especially by linking techniques and orderly arrangement. The narration of the story has continual interest so as to sweep the readers along. o Emphasis – the main purpose of the article is identifiable throughout. o Order – straightforwardly chronological; the descriptive parts are used to heighten the drama. o As a review it is short and concise, objective and impartial. It was kept in mind so as not to give the ending of the movie away! The Ending: o It tries to be fulfilling and satisfying to the reader in some way. o It is a summing up of the review and ends with an emotional atmosphere. Narration technique: o Suspense was used a lot, especially in the narration of the story of the film so as to make the reader constantly ask of what will happen to the protagonist. This was achieved through a lot of link words (e.g.: and, which, what fallows, this is, while, in fact, likewise), which are useful in helping to keep the thread of narration running. o There is often a fair amount of description mingled in, so that the reader can clearly understand what is happening and become interested in the protagonist. Style: o The style makes readers feel at ease in the writer's company, makes them listen attentively. Most words used are very flowing, objective with a sufficient pace to keep the reader hooked.

Fitting of Engel Curve

Fitting of Engel Curve: Rural Maharashtra Managerial Economics I: Section D Group 6 Completed Under the Guidance of Prof. Kaushik Bhattacharya September 2011 Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow Submitted on September 5th, 2012 ? Executive Summary This study aims to estimate and analyze the relationship between the monthly per capita expenditure on food and the monthly per capita total expenditure for households in rural Maharashtra. This relation is estimated by using the Engel Curve Model which proves that as the income levels rise the percentage expenditure on food items decreases.The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) conducted an all-India survey of households and unorganised service enterprises in the 63rd round of NSS during July 2006-June 2007. Surveys on consumer expenditure are being conducted once in every five years on a large sample of households from the 27th round (October 1972 – September 1973). For this project Data from the 63rd Round of the Nation al Sample Survey was used as a sample for analysis. The regression analysis was carried out using Linear, Working-Lesser and Double Log Models.The income elasticity was calculated in each case which confirmed the fact that food is a necessity good. Qualitative factors such as seasonality, occupation and social group were also incorporated into the regression analysis using dummy variables. A multivariate regression analysis revealed the prominence of occupation as a relatively more significant factor compared to the others factors. The analysis is subject to certain limitations due to the assumptions made with the most primary assumption being that the total expenditure on all goods is representative of the income of the individual.Other limitations arising out of the content of the survey have also been listed. Contents Executive Summary2 Introduction4 Understanding the Data6 Data Collection6 Data processing6 Function Formulation6 Regression Analysis7 ? Introduction The nature of a particular good can be determined by an important parameter known as Income elasticity which helps us classifying the good as either inferior, a necessity or luxury. This parameter allows us to predict what goods will be determined by a society during various stages of development and provide insights into the behaviour of various sections of society to that good.In today’s economic scenario Income elasticity of food in particular is of major significance. From a production perspective, it is important to determine the relationship between the food expenditure and income. This will help in predicting the demand in a growing economy and thus reduce the demand-supply gap. Form a policy perspective, the income elasticity becomes all the more important as government aims to have an inclusive development. Knowing the income elasticity with respect to food expenditure will help in framing policies which fulfil their aim of better economy.Income elasticity can be estimated empirica lly through Demand curves and Engel Curves. Engel curves describe how household expenditure on particular goods or services depends on household income. The name comes from the German statistician Ernst Engel (1821–1896) who was the first one to investigate this relationship systematically in an article published about 150 years ago. The best-known single result from the article is â€Å"Engel’s law,† which states that the poorer a family is, the larger the budget share it spends on nourishment.Engel curves may also depend on demographic variables and other consumer characteristics. Empirical Engel curves are close to linear for some goods, and highly nonlinear for others. Engel curves are used for equivalence scale calculations and related welfare comparisons, and determine properties of demand systems such as agreeability and rank. Engel curves for normal goods Engel curves for inferior goods The relationship between the food consumption and income on the Enge l Curve has been analysed through various models, each with its own benefits.The three models used in this study are: 1. Linear Regression Model: It assumes a linear relationship between the two variables. It uses the equation: Y = A0 + A1X. The elasticity is calculated through this model using the equation ? = ( X/Y) dy/dx = (X/Y) A1 2. Working-Lesser Model: This model uses the equation Wi=A0+AilnX. Working-Lesser Model is the first empirical model applied in the study of consumption analysis In the Working-Leser model, each share of the food item is simply a linear function of the log of prices and of the total expenditure on all the food items under consideration.Here i represents each food items , wi is the expenditure share of food i among the n food items and x is the total expenditure of all food items included in the model. This model can be estimated for each food item by the ordinary. 3. Double Log Model: This model assumes linear relationship between logarithms of the dep endent and independent variable. The greatest benefit of this relationship is that the coefficients of the income variable directly represent the income elasticity. Its equation is lnY = A0 + A1 lnX.The elasticity is directly available as the co-efficient of the independent variable i. e. ?= A1. Understanding the Data Data Collection The data collected by The National Sample Survey (NSS), during its 63th round of data collection during July 1st 2005 to 30th June 2006, has been used in this project. The survey contained data regarding the expenditure of a on various items such as food, clothing, medical, alcohol etc. It also contains demographic information about each family pertaining to the religion, caste, occupation, age, sex etc. The survey is divided into two samples for data validation.We first analyzed both the samples individually and then combined them to verify the validity of the results obtained. Data processing We calculated the per capita total expenditure on food for 1702 families from Rural Maharashtra. Instead of income, which wasn’t available, we calculated and used the monthly per capita total expenditure for each family to find the Engel Curve. The consumption of food of a family can depend on numerous variables. The variables that we included in our analysis are the social group or caste, occupation and seasonality. The factors which were excluded are__________________________.Rural Maharashtra is fairly homogenous and hence the region or district of the respondent wasn’t considered as a variable. Function Formulation We did a multivariate regression where the monthly per capita expenditure was the independent variable (i. e. X) while the per capita food expenditure was the dependent variable (i. e. Y). The factors of seasonality, caste and occupation were taken as dummy variables as they have only a qualitative and not a quantitative effect. ValuesDummy Variables SeasonalityJul-Sep, Oct-Dec, Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun CasteSC/ST, OBC, Others Occupation Self-Employed, Salary/Wage Earning,Casual Labor, Others Monthly per capita food expenditure = f (monthly per capita total expenditure, dummy variables) This functional form was used to model the various regression models namely linear regression, double log regression and the working-lesser form. Weighted least square method was used to factor in the weights assigned to each household. Regression analysis was carried out for using the SPSS tool which was also used for extracting data from the flat file. A scatter plot of food versus total expenditure was also plotted to prove the Engel’s law. Regression Analysis