Student Support in Open and Distance Learning Essay

Student Support in Open and Distance Learning - Essay Example Quoting Nonyongo (2002), Tait (2003) said the UNISA was not successful due to low success in terms of completion and throughput rates, the correspondence nature of programmes in comparison with well-functioning distance education, and inadequate learner support which is exacerbated by the lack of a co-ordinated regional network of learning centers. From here, Tait (2003) emphasizes the dangers of developing distance education without learner support. In contrast to UNISA, Tait (2003) describes the Open University UK established in 1969 with modern distance education endowed with a range of teaching and learning media and forming an integrated student support system. The characteristics of the systems included a personal tutor for each student (one tutor for every 25 students), tutor feedback, computer-mediated tutorials, 260 study center networks, residential school experience at a minimum of one week, and career advice. Tait (2003) then explains the main reasons for having student support integrated in an ODL system. First, the students want support. Second, drop-out rate can be reduced; and third, the nature of learning is such that the use of the Web has expanded the potential for learning outside or independently of teaching materials provided. He then summarizes the rationale for student support as being cognitive, affective, and systemic altogether. In other words, learning is both supported and developed; it relates to emotions supporting learning and its success; and the students themselves help manage the rules supporting their persistence (Tait, 2000). In particular, Tait (2003) espouses Michael Moore's (1993) theory of transactional distance as a framework that may be used to understand student needs in a web-based learning environment. Accordingly, Moore believes that the space between the learner and the structure of teaching must be mediated by dialogue, giving the chance to the learner to participate actively in his learning. Tait (2003), however says, the theory needs to be challenged as all theories do by the application of new cases. As the article opened up, I get the feeling that Tait (2003) is plugging for the Open University of UK because he worked there as faculty. As the article progressed, however, he presented many points valid from experience, and he became more credible. Words like, "power of mere asynchronous text to create and sustain interpersonal engagement" is true to the experience of many in this cyber-age. This now highlights the truism that face-to-face interaction may also suffer from various "distance" like psychological, interpersonal, cultural, linguistic, environmental, and the like. Tait (2003) is well-versed with his topic on student support in web-based learning environments. Prior to this writing, he had already written scholarly publications on student support and distance learning from 1996 to 2000 to 2002. By the time he wrote this reflective item, Tait (2003) had already sharpened his arguments over much. In fact, although he was espousing Moore's (1993) theory of transactional distance, he was laying it down for examination and possible criticism. It appears that Tait (2003) is ready for new developments. I would rate the article a 4 because of his readiness

Shampoo Market Analysis

Shampoo Market Analysis The shampoo market is one of the fastest moving and innovative sectors of the FMCG market. It represents 35 of the EU hair-care market and is lead by three main competitors, Procter and Gamble, Unliver and LOrà ©al who own corresponding market shares 44.9%, 17.7% and 11.4%. The attached report discusses the following points: Main market competitors Growth, decline, trends and developments in the shampoo market Strengths and weaknesses of the main competitors Segmentation of the market and differences between competitors segments Customer profiling and behaviour Shampoo purchasing process It is recommended that in order to achieve a substantial share of the market competitors must cater for as many of the different needs of customers as possible. Wella caters for a wider spectrum than the other competitors: various mens needs, various womens needs and even the elderly. It supports this theory as it has the highest market share as a company. They must also take into consideration the disposable income and current family situation of the customer. They must price products adequately in order to enable the correct targets to purchase their specific product whilst still making profit as a business. Introduction This report was commissioned to analyse the size, structure and segmentation of the UK shampoo market. Shampoo is a Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) that is the cheapest and fastest moving good within the FMCG industry. Within this we focused on the three main competitors; Proctor and Gamble with a 44.9% market share, Unilever with 17.7% and LOrà ©al with 11.4%.We analysed each competitors strengths, weaknesses, methods and processes to target each segment of its market. Main competitors Globally shampoo is the leading segment of the hair care industry holding a 40% share of the market. The leading competitor of this sector is Proctor and Gamble (P G). Similarly, the same trend follows within the EU as it is again the most profitable segment of this market with a 35% share of the hair care market. The same competitor, P G, also leads the EU industry with 24% of the market value. Growth And Decline Since the recent recession, the hair care industry has not emerged unscathed. According to Mintel the recession led to a quarter of shampoo users spending less on shampoo, thus contributing to the  £15 million slide in market value between 2008 and 2009. However, revenue statistics from 2012 show that there was a 3% expansion in hair care products between late 2010 and early 2012, this is supported by the predictions of analysts that shampoo revenue will reach  £19 billion by 2015. Innovation and an ability to adapt helped the hair care market to survive the economic crisis demonstrated by the 165% increases in new product launches between 2006 and 2008. Trends And Developments There has been a number of developments to Shampoo over the years since it first became a product in 1762. In 1890, this then developed into a detergent product, and then the product became further enhanced when in 1903, Shampoo became a powdered product for the first time. The first shampoo product to appear as it does nowadays came about in the 1960s. Most recently, consumers who are looking for a quick beauty fix have helped the dry shampoo market double in size in the past two years. Sales have rocketed by 140 per cent year on year, and research by Mintel found 23% of women and 13% of men own a bottle of dry shampoo. According to Mintel it is especially popular amongst younger women, with nearly 4 in 10 of those aged 16 to 24, compared to 1 in 10 of the over-55s. They also predict that dry shampoo sales will reach up to  £17million this year. A trend that we noticed whilst researching was penetration pricing which is when a business initially sets a low price when entering a new market. When the product becomes established, the company gradually increases its price. We found that around 80-85% of companies launching a new shampoo in the market use penetration pricing as their entry mode strategy. An additional significant trend that we can see in the shampoo market sector is the constant demand for innovation; a brand must maintain its competitive advantage by continuously promoting its brand and undertaking research development. This helps to avoid losing market share and customers to its competitors. Out of all the products that are launched in the UK, a 1/4 of those are new shampoos. One example is the launch of Tescos new affordably priced, high quality range called HBM which targets those most affected by the crisis, offering them professional, salon quality formulations on a budget. Strengths and Weaknesses In order to compare the companies, we analysed their strengths and then their weaknesses. Firstly we studied the strengths of the global leaders Proctor and Gamble being that they operate on a large scale and have a strong brand portfolio which includes the well-known Wella brand. A further strength is that not only do they offer shampoos; but they also offer a wide variety of other household goods: Pampers, Ariel and Duracell. We then studied Unilevers strengths. The group contains many successful brands including shampoos such as VO5 and Tresemme and other FMCGs (Pot Noodle, Comfort, Vaseline and Lynx); if one brand were to suffer fluctuations in sales, it would be supported by the success of another. Within Unilever, each brand is successfully advertised and promoted. A further strength is that there is constant research and development suggesting that Unilever is competing to offer the best they can. Lorà ©al doesnt have the support of being a brand within a group however; it is more concentrated in one market (the cosmetics market) therefore bases its strengths in its portfolio. It is a global competitor and supports its UK market with sales in other countries (130) and employs very successful promotion and marketing techniques through celebrity endorsements. The primary weakness evident with all three main competitors is the stiff competition that they are subject to within the cosmetics market resulting in constant research and innovation. When studying the weaknesses of these organisations we found that Unilever and PG share similar weaknesses as they are groups which are not concentrated on one market. This can mean they have less expertise and experience possibly being a hindrance. (subivision) LOrà ©al has a competitive advantage to these two due to its one market focus. LOrà ©als decentralised organisational structure can be considered an internal weakness as it causes difficulties in managing their world-wide spectrum, a weakness also shared by Unilever and PG. High promotional expenses, primarily from celebrity endorsements, mean that higher investment is taking a substantial risk when launching a new product range. Segmentation This market sector can be segmented in many ways. Firstly it is segmented via demographics; the gender, age, race, religion and income of a person, within which it can be segmented further into life stages. For example an employed bachelor with a house and only himself to provide for, therefore having a higher disposable income, is able to spend money on luxury products including shampoos. However on the contrary in a Full Nest 1 situation, the disposable income is allocated to the needs of others e.g children. A further method of segmentation is through psychographics. This segment considers: the activities, interests, opinions, attitudes and values of customers. In relation to shampoo industry, the attitudes and values of customers are considered greatly importance. The psychographic segment has recently become more importance to companies as customers wanting organic and animal friendly products has become an increasing segment with sales increasing by 24% between 2011-2012. LOreals purchase of the Body Shop in 2006 also opened its doors to a wider customer market. By adopting some of The Body Shops policies such as no animal testing, the refusal to use chemical and products made with natural ingredients, Loreal has recently launched a new line of product befitting to the profile of customer whos psychographics influence their purchase choice. Thirdly there is behavioural segmentation via occasions. However we found that this is not a role taken by the company but a decision taken by the customer. It can be suggested that women in particular tend to use a specific shampoo for a specific occasion. We found that only one shampoo, Tresemme, catered for this type of segmentation, selling their range of salon quality shampoo. Competitor Differentiation Within the shampoo market, the competitors segments differ somewhat. LOrà ©al have always been known to have more of a focus on women, as do most shampoo brands including Wella, which we can see through their recent adverts. However, in recent years as men have started to place more of a focus on self-grooming, LOrà ©al has developed both shampoos and beauty products for them as have Wella. Wellas range is segmented into more specific needs of men than LOrà ©al, whose range is less extensive. Vo5 however, have equal gender segmentation within the brand but not with their shampoo range. Customer Profiling Wella segments its range into two main sections; men and women. Within its range for women it profiles its customers by further segmenting into different needs. Its main focuses are: sun damaged hair, condition improving, older age depleting hair and protection for coloured hair. Its focus is similar to those of other brands however it demonstrates some product differentiation in being the only one of the three main competitors which provides a shampoo to care for sun damaged hair. The bottles retail at  £4 each showing that although the needs of the customer may differ, the price remains constant. Wella has a rather extensive range of 10 shampoos to suit the needs of men all of which also have their corresponding conditioners. Their range includes: Hydrate, Repair, Volumise and again SP Sun like with the womens brand. They are more expensive shampoos than other brands on the market for men as they retail at around  £9 per 250 ml bottle. The 3 most famous brands in the Unilever group are Vo5, Tresemme and Sunsilk. Vo5 are the most recognised brand used by many people and focus on two main segments; gender and styling. As previously mentioned the gender segment is divided equally within the brand, however, they only offer shampoo for women but styling products for both. It can also be noted from publicity that the brand target a young audience of teens and young adults. LOrà ©al has 4 main segments for its shampoos which are directed at: women (selling through a company called LOrà ©al Paris), men (selling through a company called LOrà ©al men expert), the elderly and children (selling through companies called LOrà ©al kids and LOrà ©al Elvive Age Defying).It also has a small expert range of supposedly higher quality products at higher prices aimed at a higher class. Within these demographics its products are split into the different needs of its consumers. Expert Loreal also produce a higher quality, higher priced and ultimately higher class shampoo called hair expertise consisting of: Everpure includes a range of 9 products of which 3 are shampoos: colour cair and moisture, colour care and volume and colour care and smoothing Eversleek includes a range of 6 products of which 2 are shampoos: smoothing and moisture and smoothing and intensely nourish Everstrong includes a range of 3 products including only one shampoo : reinforcing and vitality These are separated into the various needs of the consumers; colour care, nourishment, volume, smoothing and moisture similarly to other loreal shampoos but these are aimed at a more affluent customer retailing between  £6 and  £8 a bottle 16Loreal women- Emma Loriel Elvive for women is broken down into 5 different needs within the demographic They are: coloured hair consisting of a range of 6 products of which 2 are shampoos; Colour protect and Nourish and Shimmer which both retail at  £4 a bottle Hard to manage hair consisting of a range of 7 products of which 2 are shampoos; smooth silk light and smooth silk intense which also both retail at  £4 a bottle Dry and damaged hair consiting of a range of 15 products of which 4 are shampoos; damage care ,triple resist, full restore 5 and re-nutrition which again all retail at  £4 a bottle Long or dull hair consisting of a range of 10 products of which 2 are shampoos; nutri gloss, nutri gloss light and nutri gloss crystal which like all the ranges we have seen so far for women retail at  £4 a bottle And normal hair consisting of a range of 9 products of which 3 are shampoos; multi vitamins and the nutri gloss range is also directed at this group. Again these shampoos all retail at  £4 for a 400ml bottle. So as we can see although the target market for each type of shampoo changes for the specific needs of the consumer, the price doesnt and remains consistent throughout. also: conditioners, sprays, serums, 2 in 1s, hair masks 17LOreal men- Jade Within the demographic for men Loreal Elvive Men Expert is broken down into only three different segments: Anti dandruff intensive 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner, Anti dandruff normal to greasy hair shampoo and regenium xy body building shampoo. These all retail at the same price as womens shampoos  £4 for a 400ml bottle. There are other products in these ranges for mens haircare mainly being styling products, but it is noticeable that the spectrum of products is much wider for women than it is for men. 18Loreal young and old- Yaz Loreal have a product range targeted specifically at children called Loreal Kids, each bottle retails at around  £2.20 Rather than having many products targeted at the various needs of its consumer, in this case as the consumers are children and their hair is less varied in type, they focus more on different aromas of shampoo to meet the different tastes of the children. The one need which children have with shampoo and which is catered for is that their shampoos do not sting their eyes, hence their no more tears slogan. Also to meet the needs of the customer- the parents helping with their childrens hair care routine it is also designed for no more tangles hence the second part of their slogan no tangles They do however have a specific shampoo designed to remove the smell of chlorine and salt from hair after swimming. Other products in the range include sprays and conditioners There is a very limited range available specifically designed for the elderly called age defying which is for those with depleted or thinning hair as they grow older. It retails at the same price as all other loreal shampoos but one will find it when looking, on the womens section of their UK website. This could largely be due to the assumption that men will lose their hair when they age rather than have a depleted amount or quality and therefore dont present much demand for such a product. Customer Behaviour Customer behaviour specifies the amount of involvement in a purchase decision and how frequent certain products are bought. Looking at two types of customers we can distinguish that shampoo can fall into both the variety seeking and the brand loyalty/repeat purchase categories. In the purchasing of a shampoo we have come to the conclusion that there is often low involvement in the decision making process. Sometimes people prefer to variety seek meaning that they will search for and try different shampoos, until they find the one that suits their hair the best. In this category price can be seen as an influential factor. On the other hand there are habitual buyers who may take longer in the purchase decision and prefer to repeat their purchases. This could suggest that they have found the shampoo that suits their hair and prefer to remain loyal with that one brand. Price may be a less significant factor in this process as people are willing to spend extra for a better service/product OR better quality. Purchasing Process The purchasing process that a consumer goes through first begins with the recognition of a problem, such as the need to treat hair in a specific way. The next stage is to search for information about the shampoo necessary for your hair. After this, the consumer then has to do an alternative evaluation looking at other shampoos based on factors such as recommendations and price. The fourth stage of the purchasing process is the store the consumer chooses to buy the shampoo from and whether they purchase the shampoo online or in store. The final stage of the purchasing process is the post purchase activities such as whether the consumer is happy with the results of the shampoo on their hair. Evaluation Conclusion Through our extensive research we have come to conclude that the hair care industry, especially shampoo, is fast moving and innovative. We expected this due to it being an FMCG but not to the degree that we found. Any company in this market must constantly research and aim to improve its products as competition is high. Not only does this demand come from within the industry but also from the customers. They must produce various versions of their product to fit the consumers requirements which has resulted in such broad segmentation. We have seen this through gender, age and other circumstantial means, and considering how many different types of people there are in the world it is not hard to believe that there is a corresponding shampoo for each and every one of us. Appendix Who are the main competitors in this market sector? pg 44.9 unilever 17.7 loreal 11.4 kao brands compaNT- 10.7 own lable- 5.2 jhonson- 5.2 others 2.7 pz cussons 2.2 The main competitors are firstly PG, which contain the very well known brands Pantene prov, head and shoulders and wella Secondly Unilever who own the likes of vo5 tresemme and sunsilk And then Loreal

Grendel By John Gardner Essay -- essays research papers

Grendel lives in a dark and gruesome underground cave with his mother and dozens of cold, unmoving creatures. He is very curious and, in his early years, finds a way to escape this terrible place and enter the world. Every night he wanders outside his cave, exploring the land around him. One night, he gets trapped in a tree. A band of human beings led by King Hrothgar approaches and, after some hesitation, attacks Grendel. They close in for the kill, but Grendel's mother arrives just in time to save him. Years after his encounter with Grendel, Hrothgar's power and influence grow until he rules an immense territory. He builds a glorious meadhall, the greatest in the land, and names it Herot. He builds roads to connect his kingdom and hires an immensely gifted Harper to play at special occasions. Grendel is fascinated by the Harper's music and tries to join the humans, but he is attacked by the frightened guards and must flee. Feeling lonely and rejected, he visits an ancient dragon that lives within the kingdom. The dragon speaks for some time, and his wicked, tired cynicism infects Grendel. He puts a charm on the young monster, making him impervious to human blades. After this, Grendel becomes a creature of pure destruction. At the onset of each subsequent spring, Grendel carries out several raids on Hrothgar's meadhall. He is very careful about this, leaving just enough men behind to rebuild and grow for the next spring. Several years after he builds his meadhall, Hrothgar ...

Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History The novel, Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History, by Laurel Ulrich is about women who never intended to make history but did in different ways. History is usually always revolved around men, and not many mention about the women who have helped in creating history. Through the early modern era women showed progress in making the United States a better place. With writers and activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Christine de Pizan and Virginia Woolf, the contributions from these individuals they influenced others with bettering our country with different movements that have changed the view of what we see today and what we could have seen if these women did not take any action. From the beginning I knew this novel was about women who rarely make history and this got me thinking. Men are always acknowledged for what they do, but you don’t really hear much about what women have done for this country. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was first inspired by a Quaker â€Å"who believe[d] in the equality of sexes and who did not believe in the popular orthodox religion. â€Å" As time passed, Stanton met Lucretia Mott at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London and when the conference refused to seat them and other women delegates from America because of their sex, Stanton and Mott called a convention to address the condition of women, called The Seneca Falls Convention. This convention began her public career. Stanton wrote â€Å"articles for the press, letters to other conventions† and even gave speeches. This group of women grew immensely until the time had finally arrived where the national victory came in 1920 after 72 years it was first organized. The author focuses a part of the book on Stanton’s book called Eighty Years and More. Her book was an autobiography of herself was mostly on her connection between her life and slavery. Many white people are not considered slaves, but she considered herself a slave. Stanton helped numerous people during her time; she helped the Harriet’s, a lot. They made it into history and pretty popular, but the one that helped, Stanton, is still rarely known. This is why the author writes her book, so show awareness of women who do much work in history, but are not as well known for their movements. Christine de Pizan started her writing journey by â€Å"using her skills in penmanship to work as a scribe and copyist† then over time becoming a writer. She wrote the book The City of Ladies to prove others her point where not only because she is a women but a scholar too, why should she be considered less of a person. Her writing also raises the issues like violence against women. In her book, she refers to the â€Å"classical mythology [where] Amazons [who were] female warriors who fought against the Greeks in the Trojan War. † She makes note of good Amazons and bad Amazons, like the Joan of Arc and Elizabeth I who fought against men and the social order. Ulrich mentions that in the last thirty years the â€Å"Amazons have inspired archaeologists, historians, poets, scriptwriters, feminist activists, and pencil-trotting travelers† and which all started with Pizan making a note of that in her own book. This shows how these people have been recognized but still Pizan is still rarely known and under all their successes. Virginia Woolf being the third women mentioned in this novel by Ulrich; her story is based on the book she wrote called Orlando. Woolf’s writing journey started when she moved with her brother and sister in the Bloomsbury district of London and became a writer of fiction. Her story concludes that â€Å"a revelation [of] that a woman could be as tolerant and free-spoken as a man, and a man as strange and subtle as a women. † As from this book, the idea spread and Sally Fox launched a project which became a personal passion. She made her move and was recognized for her work, but Woolf remains in the dust barely known still. This novel written by Ulrich, I found really interesting because of the way she acknowledges the work these three women have done to inspire others in what they believe in. Although, those women get recognized for their work, but these three women who begin the works under cover do not. Even though this novel is very hard to understand because the author skips around leaving incomplete ideas which left me hanging in trying to figure out what her big picture was. From my understanding of this novel, I believe the author is trying to make a point of where there are women in history that do not get recognized for their work, but others that carry on their work do.

FUTRONICS Inc CASE

Introduction Background of the Case FUTRONICS Inc. is a private company located in Lexington mainly categorized for modems, monitors, disk drives and terminals. It is moreover in to sales and services. This case is about the replacement of Futronics’s central office stores by an outside service provider. In this case supply management manager have an opportunity for investigating selected outsourcing in-house services. Cost Status of the Company Description| Making Cost in Total| Buying cost in Total| Size of company: Raw | 2 Billion Dollar| | Cost of Goods sold| $ 900,000| | Average Inventory (500 items in stocks)| $ 140,000| | Cost of Personnel and Space| $ 200,000| | Period of performance (Time Line) Description| Year| Target Serving Areas| Central Store Created| 1950 (middle of)| 21 area sites| | Present| 42 area sites| Place of performance Futronics Inc. is located at Lexington, Massachusettes. Stakeholders Analysis: 1. FUTRONICS Inc. 2. Central stores 3. Supply Management Department 4. Manager of Supply Management 5. Employees 6. Consumers 7. Government bodies 8. Vendors 9. Financial department 10. Outside store services 11. Litton 12. Boise-Cascade 13. L. E. Muran 14. Bay state office 15. New England supply 16. Other firms in Boston Focus areas 1. Make or buy decision 2. Multi-functional team 3. Risk analysis 4. Cost Estimate 5. Time Estimate 6. Ethics Scope of work The company has been into the supply chain management business for more than 60 years but in the recent years there has been decrease in sales due to heavy competitions. So the company is thinking of outsourcing central office stores as a part of their cost reduction programme. Now the company is in the initiation and planning stage of procurement and contract management. The procurement division manager is into the through research and analysis on the all the external and internal factors to see whether this outsourcing step would be beneficial for the company in terms of cost, time schedule, risk, quality and ethic The case shows that the company still is in the Plan Procurement Phase and has been doing a deep analysis and research from different perspective and angle to see whether outsourcing is a good strategy to move ahead to increase sales and cost reducing mechanism. Plan Procurement Management Plan Procurement Management deals with two phases of procurement management initiating and planning. Initiating * The company came up with an initiative (idea) on how to reduce the overhead corporate cost to increase the profit margin. * Carried out some research to analyse how other competitors are addressing this issue. Planning * Develop vendor analysis comparative chart with selection criteria – Scoring Framework. Refer Annex 1. * Analysis on Risk Management Areas such as risk identification, risk involvement in the process, etc. * Analysis on quality management areas – whether they could get the same quality or not. How much they need to compromise on the quality * Developed the comparative analysis chart on decision making process based on the focused areas: Advantages and Disadvantages analysing from both perspective Make Decision| Buy Decision – Outsourcing| Advantages | Advantages| Cheap price of goods when bulk buy| Less overhead cost| Quality Control| More concentration on other portion of the work| Transparency| | Good quality raw materials – quality output| | Chances of getting more business| Faster delivery service| Good name and reputation – Goodwill| | Product price – less expensive| | | Make Decision| Buy Decision – Outsourcing| Disadvantages| Disadvantages | High operating cost| Conflict might arises with vendors| Lay off of staff| Less Transparency| Unethical (as one of the employee is physically challenged)| Not timely delivered| More manpower required| Less quality raw materials | Loose the existing customer – Risk| High profit margin| | Finish goods might be expensive| | Long term contract | | | Acceptance criteria The company is taking a crucial decision although through analysis has been done using various tools and techniques. But there is always a fear that what happens next. How would be the response from the consumer and stakeholders? Since now the company has become dependent, what would be the level of trust? Annex 1: Comparative Evaluation Sheet for Selecting Vendor Evaluation Criteria| Company Name| | Litton| Boise-Cascade| L. E. Muran| Bay State Office| New England| Total Score| Weighted Score| Sample Catalogues| | | | | | | | Price List| | | | | | | | Ranges of costs for certain delivery| | | | | | | | Contract Term – 3 year| | | | | | | | Order Cycle Times – 10 Working days| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Levels:5 – Execellant4- Good3- Average2 – Fair1 – Not Satisfactory| The Report After analyzing all these risks and criteria Id like to present some points to demonstrate why we should go for outsourcing: * Closing stores operation the labour cost (4 employees) and space can provide $200,000 savings per year. * The employees can be allocated to another area or retired. I recommend one of them to work supporting with the contract management and for this job the disability worker can be trained to perform it. The costs related to the inventory can be reduced by 6%. * All the stores areas will become available for rent or designed for other operations. Also the management of those stores won’t be necessary, saving time to focus on other issues. * Another strong advantage of outsourcing is the delivery time that changes from three to four weeks to less than ten working days. This can also become an advantage among the competitors. * The launch of new items can be time shortened since we don’t have all the inventory and distribution tasks anymore. Will not be necessary to plan and create other stores to support our business as long it is growing. The contract will take care of it. These points clarify and justify the outsourcing procurement we should develop and administer. Cost and competitive advantages are the main points indicating our company to go for this project. References: Flemng, Q. W. (2003). Project procurement management: Contracting, subcontracting and teaming. (First ed. , p. 273). America: Mayori, F. (2013). Procurement slides – course study . Toronto, Canada: Centennial College, Progress Campus. www. centennialcollege. ca