Merging Social Work and Social Advocacy in Response to...

Merging Social Work and Social Advocacy in Response to the Plight of Unaccompanied Child Refugees in the United States Introduction More than any country in the world, the United States has been a haven for refugees fleeing religious and political persecution in their home countries. Linked forever to the phrase inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the United States, in the eyes of persecuted people throughout the world, has been idealized as a land of freedom and new beginnings. However, the changing face of refugees seeking asylum in the United States in the past several decades has exposed stark gaps in the legal, administrative, and social treatment of†¦show more content†¦The United States Response Administratively and legally, the United States has been slow in responding to the changes in refugee and asylum-seeking patterns. Until very recently, United States federal policy toward undocumented aliens and refugees was still largely influenced by post-World War II United Nations conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) and the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1954). As dated guidelines for dealing with the asylum claims of refugees, these international norms treat all refugees according to adult standards of proof. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) refugees guidelines, however, have for many years failed to account for the growing numbers of unaccompanied children entering the United States. United States domestic family law and juvenile justice have recognized that children should be held to different standards of proof, evidence, and culpability than adults. This standard of dual proof is not evident i n United States policy regarding immigrant asylum seekers. United States immigration policy has only in the past year begun to think of children as different from adults.3 Due to the relative newness and slowness of reform, children asylum seekers in the United States continue to be routinely detained, like adults, in INS and INS-contracted state detention facilities as they await hearings before immigration judges to

How Your Personal Learning Style Enhanced Your Learning Free Essays

string(159) " the Gregorc Style Delineator \( GSD \) ; the Dunn ‘s Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic theoretical account \( VAK \) ; and the Honey and Mumford Scale\." When my University grade class began in September I had really few of the accomplishments necessary to finish it successfully. In the November of that twelvemonth an initial assignment was completed which outlined the strengths and failings present at the clip, and suggested a program for developing those which were missing. It is now March and the terminal of the first twelvemonth is fast nearing. We will write a custom essay sample on How Your Personal Learning Style Enhanced Your Learning or any similar topic only for you Order Now So looking back, how have I improved? Have I managed to derive any new accomplishments, or polish my older accomplishments? This assignment focuses on those inquiries. However, it must be pointed out that in order to reply these inquiries fundamental alterations to my apprehension of the construct of survey accomplishments had to alter. As a consequence, farther development to my thought manners, larning environment, ability to debate and concise clip direction besides occurred. Using these freshly refined accomplishments I will travel back and analyze my first twelvemonth at university and determine whether or non the program I created to heighten my acquisition was effectual. As is widely reputed â€Å" all accomplishments improve through pattern, feedback and monitoring † ( Cottrell, 1999:30 ) . I hope to demo how I have capitalised on this construct, foregrounding how this twelvemonth has made me more cognizant of my preferable learning manner and what I need to make to better further still. Becoming a more effectual scholar is non something I was able to sit down and larn by reading a book on survey accomplishments, I had to larn to read my work objectively and be able to knock constructively. I will besides explicate subsequently on in this assignment why depicting a personal acquisition manner utilizing merely those theoretical accounts presently available is non ever good to a scholar. That alternatively, cognition should be used to make a individualized and adaptative model which you are in control of ; enabling you to â€Å" aˆÂ ¦learn about yourself and how you perform to your possible under any circumstancesaˆÂ ¦ † ( Cott rell, 1999:44 ) . By composing this assignment chronologically I hope to demo that development has both taken topographic point since September, and is still taking topographic point now. This assignment will get down with a brief reappraisal of the survey accomplishments already present at the start of the class, upon which an initial assignment was completed. The work of Stella Cottrell proved to be an priceless plus while researching for that assignment. Trusting chiefly upon her Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats ( SWOT ) analysis to assist with the designation of my survey accomplishments, it has since become apparent that this showed a deficiency of ability to be able to objectively analyze myself. The personal strengths her analysis brought to visible radiation included puting mini-goals, believing logically, debating with a friend, and organizing a physical workspace. Since so, nevertheless, it has become clear that these were non skills in themselves, but instead subskills. Thes e are all properties that a individual learns to develop in order to heighten a chief survey accomplishment ; such as assignment authorship, or general apprehension of a subject. I shall return to analyze these findings, and the importance they played in my hereafter development subsequently on in this assignment. Having reviewed the accomplishments present at the start of the class, this subdivision of the assignment will concentrate on those which have been developed since. Using the programs I created to attach to the initial assignment three key survey accomplishments have now been enhanced. These include reading ability, administration and the ability to debate. As mentioned earlier, accomplishments are made up of subskills, and it is the subskills which are developed to heighten the survey accomplishment. Reading ability and thought manners are frequently found manus in manus as a combined survey accomplishment. Last semester I lacked the ability to expeditiously pick out the salient points in a text, due in portion to my inflexibleness when reading. The program designed to keep fluidness and flexibleness when researching and reading helped heighten this accomplishment ( Appendix One ) . In bend, this helped to develop the next subskills of concentration, its lastingness and attending ; every bit good as memory capacity. However, the ability to debate a subject with a broader circle of people was non enhanced straight by utilizing either of the programs proposed last semester. Alternatively, this accomplishment came as an indirect consequence of an improved concentration, and wider reading and believing abilities. Attending regular categories and seminars, every bit good as take parting in group work, has seen the circle of people with whom I am able to debate class content addition. In bend, nevertheless, heightening the accomplishment of debating has encouraged farther development in all the survey skills antecedently mentioned ; there are now extra grounds to read widely and understand what I am larning. Finally, when heightening the survey accomplishment of administration, changeless appraisal of how my clip could be best spent was needed, turn outing Cottrell ‘s diagrammatic representation of a twenty-four hours, divided by activity, to be important ( Appendix Two ) . Every clip I referred back to it I reminded myself of merely how much clip I could potentially blow, and how much clip I could liberate up if I merely re-prioritised my day-to-day undertakings. By default this helped to develop the subskills of maintaining an organized physical workspace ; invariably puting come-at-able mini-goals ; and, when combined with the program to keep fluidness, my concentration. The importance of these survey accomplishments, every bit good as an account of how they have led me to look at other more advanced accomplishments, will be discussed in more item in a ulterior subdivision of this assignment. Having identified the accomplishments with which I began this class and contrasted them against those accomplishments which I have since learned, it is logical to turn to next the controversial topic of acquisition manners. For the intent of this assignment, I narrowed the available acquisition typologies down to the three most popular among instructors and pupils: the Gregorc Style Delineator ( GSD ) ; the Dunn ‘s Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic theoretical account ( VAK ) ; and the Honey and Mumford Scale. You read "How Your Personal Learning Style Enhanced Your Learning" in category "Essay examples" Upon finishing the GSD, of the four classs available, I placed myself most strongly into the ‘Abstract Sequential ‘ group. The given standards for this group is the understanding that such a scholar is at their optimal if they can â€Å" analyze a state of affairs before doing a determination † , but that they would happen it hard to follow â€Å" specific regulations and ordinances † and to be â€Å" sentimental † in idea. It is apparent from such stiff classification that this peculiar acquisition theoretical account Acts of the Apostless against developing accomplishments and more in favor of placing accomplishments. Sing each strength and failing in bend, it became clear that I really span all four of Gregorc ‘s classs. A categorization which he suggests is non healthy for a scholar to hold ; this averment straight opposes the political orientation of the Honey and Mumford Scale. When sing the VAK theoretical account it transpired that I am non a strong scholar in any one class ; being every bit able to larn in all Fieldss they propose. Again, they would propose that a scholar in such a place would endure troubles as it is non favorable to cross multiple classs. While this agrees with the GSD in its political orientation, it has a much heavier focal point on practical acquisition. Learning can take topographic point outside of the context of a book or other likewise formatted text, information learned through drama or music, for illustration, is besides valid. Finally, of the three theoretical accounts evaluated, it was the Honey and Mumford Scale that was most broad in its attack and actively encouraged a spanning of classs. Although this is the most clip devouring theoretical account to finish, it is more thorough for being so. I pulled in front strongly in two of the four classs, with a 3rd non far behind. Their advice upon such a categorization is to work to better the classs which score most ill. This last typology, as I have stated, seems the most utile to any scholar in detecting failings and strengths in larning and taking to develop those failings. The theories underlying the political orientation of the Honey and Mumford theoretical account will be explained in more item within a farther subdivision of this assignment, alongside which will be my ain ideas on how the acquisition typologies presently available can be combined to make a more personal acquisition manner. To analyze in more item the first subdivision of this assignment, in which the accomplishments present at the clip of composing the initial assignment are reviewed, the construct of soul-searching will be farther discussed. Although it can be said now that the trust upon Cottrell ‘s SWOT analysis showed an inability to objectively analyze myself, it must besides be pointed out that my apprehension of what a survey accomplishment is has besides changed. In the initial assignment such strengths as ‘setting mini-goals ‘ were identified without associating them to the overall accomplishments they helped to heighten. Following this illustration, the subskill of puting mini-goals improves administration, as does holding a designated physical workspace. Given that the initial assignment focused to a great extent on all the subskills linked to administration I will seek and broaden the focal point with this assignment. While it is true to state that my administration has im proved over the last twelvemonth, it is no longer a subject that requires such an extended analysis. Herne, Jessel and Griffiths ( 2000 ) explain that presuming active control of larning ensures that mental constructions will develop to help apprehension. Over the continuance of the last two semesters I have managed to develop one of their suggested productive survey schemes based on doing connexions: the construct map, or head map. This has proved to be utile in organizing non merely my ideas, but besides my essays and instance surveies. Deriving a better criterion of administration has helped me see that there were other countries of my personality that needed to better in order to profit more successfully from a university class. Once the significance of ‘study accomplishments ‘ had been adjusted and applied objectively, I was able to expeditiously utilize the programs developed with the initial assignment to develop those accomplishments which were missing. An inability to be flexible when reading – to merely pick out the salient points – was identified as a failing. In trying to heighten this accomplishment the program to keep fluidness and flexibleness was the more effectual of the two programs created. As Dominic Wyse ( 2006 ) , among others, has said â€Å" The individual most of import thing you can make to better the opportunities of success on your class is to read widely † . This cognition made it even more important to be able to utilize any clip exhausted reading more efficaciously. I followed the practical advice written by Herne, Jessel and Griffiths ( 2000 ) to enable me to read with purpose. They advise that text should be scanned foremost, paying peculiar atten ding to any headers every bit good as looking for familiar constructs. This plays on the theory that â€Å" understanding can be helped if relevant constructions are ‘activated ‘ by anterior cognition † ( Herne, Jessel, Griffiths, 2000:4 ) . I have besides increased the sum of H2O I drink during a twenty-four hours as Cottrell ( 1990 ) suggested that this may assist my organic structure relax ; when relaxed I will hold better reading comprehension. Reading widely is besides a subskill that helps to heighten other survey accomplishments, such as the ability to take part in argument ; a accomplishment I said was of most importance to me to be able to get the hang in the initial assignment. When reading both widely and on a regular basis a larger vocabulary is established, as written text uses a different signifier of the linguistic communication to talk text. To be able to expeditiously utilize a deeply larger cognition base when connection in treatments besides requires the ability to follow different values and individualities ( californium. Baynham and Maybin, 1996 ) . As is a common characteristic when working hand in glove, the sharing of such values and cognition is increased as each individual contributes a alone position to a treatment ( after Cottrell, 1999 ) . In bend, this development enhances the survey accomplishment of critical thought, something Edward Glaser defined as â€Å" aˆÂ ¦a relentless attempt to ana lyze any belief or supposed signifier of cognition in the visible radiation of the grounds that supports it and the farther decisions to which it tends † ( Cottrell, 1999:221 ) . Whilst it has already explained why this assignment will non concentrate intently on the survey accomplishment of administration, it is necessary to explicate whether the program created last semester to assist prioritize how I spend my clip was of any usage. Rather than follow the representation of my most efficient twenty-four hours ( Appendix Two ) as if it were a regulation, I was able to understand the political orientation behind it. This meant I invariably assessed my twenty-four hours and the undertakings I had to finish to see if I could do better usage of the clip available. It is as a consequence of these appraisals that I now feel confident to non hold to pay excessively much attending to how I spend my clip. Associating all these subskills and freshly enhanced survey accomplishments together is the metacognitive attack of changeless self-reflection and rating, for which â€Å" aˆÂ ¦you need some apprehension of the procedures of survey † ( Northedge, 1990:17 ) . This is an attack which I have taken chiefly from this faculty, hence a natural patterned advance from self-evaluation and contemplation would be to see the ‘habitual ‘ . Can I acquire to the phase, where at the terminal of my 2nd twelvemonth, I do non hold to measure myself so consciously, but instead that it becomes a wont? To be able to develop any survey accomplishment to the degree of ‘habit ‘ will necessitate a enormous sum of difficult work and dedication, it will besides demand a natural boundary ; my personal acquisition manner. Once I have an thought about how I learn, and in what conditions I learn best I will hold, in consequence, produced a model in which to concentrate the farther development of my survey accomplishments. Since the innovation of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) machine in the 1980s the Fieldss of neuroscience and psychological science have progressively overlapped. In the last 20 old ages many scientists and psychologists have combined the consequences of MRI scans with psychological development theories to bring forth learning manners. In one study over 71 such typologies were identified ( Revell, 2005 ) . However controversial the outward visual aspect of a learning manner may be, there seems to be a common consensus that a individual develops best when their acquisition is structured and everyday. The dissensions begin over merely what the best modus operandi is, and how to learn within its model. Earlier in this assignment three typologies were focused on ; the Gregorc Style Delineator ( GSD ) ; the Dunn ‘s Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic theoretical account ( VAK ) ; and the Honey and Mumford Scale. Each of these theoretical accounts returned rather different consequences about my personal learning strengths and failings. Upon reading legion independent studies on these larning typologies it has been highlighted that they still require a monolithic sum of independent rating, and that without more conclusive grounds, they should non be entirely embraced and utilized. In one such study, my ain ideas about the GSD theoretical account were supported by statements like: â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the GSD is flawed in its constructionaˆÂ ¦ [ and ] does non hold equal psychometric belongingss for usage in single assessmentaˆÂ ¦ † or in mention to the VAK theoretical account an even more damnatory statement: â€Å" aˆÂ ¦this instrument is a psychometric disaster aˆÂ ¦ † ( Learning Skills and Development Agency, 2004 ) . However, despite the discouraging studies on both of these theoretical accounts, the Honey and Mumford Scale seems to follow with traditionally accepted and trusted educational teaching methods. The theory of constructivist larning developed from knowledge theory, and it describes larning as a construct which can be continuously built upon and developed ( Herne, Jessel and Griffiths, 2000 ) . There besides seems to be a close nexus between larning in this manner and utilizing both left and right hemispheres of the encephalon, the logical and Gestalt facets ( californium. Cottrell, 2000 ) , in unison to supply the scholar with the best opportunity at their topic. It has been suggested that if anterior cognition of a capable exists, so the scholar will make better in understanding it. Likewise, the more adept the leaner at utilizing both sides of the encephalon, the more memory pathways they have available to them when accessing a subject ( after Herne, Jessel and Griffiths, 2000 ) . T herefore, a much more effectual usage of the current acquisition typologies would be to utilize their political orientation as a usher, to detect which accomplishments and subskills I can develop and heighten to assist me go capable of both wide and balanced acquisition. This is something I will take to hold achieved by the terminal of my grade. To reason so, this assignment has shown the patterned advance I have made throughout the first academic twelvemonth. It opened with an analysis of the accomplishments present at the start of the class discoursing how, six months subsequently on, they had helped to develop more advanced survey accomplishments. This assignment so offered a brief account of how learning typologies can impact the development of survey accomplishments ; they define how a individual understands a subject and besides define the position the scholar has of himself, a position which is non ever good when trying to better survey accomplishments. By mixing the findings of all the typologies available I have been able to nail farther failings that can be worked on throughout my future old ages at University. I have greatly enjoyed the chance to return to reflect on my personal acquisition manner within the parametric quantity of a pronounced faculty. It has become clear to me, through the reading I have undertaken as portion of this class and the unfavorable judgment I have had returned through this faculty, that I have now become more cognizant of myself and how I express what I have learned to others. It has besides given me the opportunity to reflect upon a acquisition and development scheme which was imposed instead hurriedly in the first few months of a class ; when I was still comparatively diffident as to what was expected of me. Mike Metcalfe ( 2006 ) summarises this whole procedure neatly when he explains how: Philosophers, research workers and experient direction theoreticians seem to hold noticed that worlds, when faced with a job, leap to a probationary solution and so take to move to rationalize that speculation utilizing more critical thought such as observation, concluding and experimentation. ( Pg123 ) If this construct is applied to the attack I used to turn to this faculty it would explicate how the initial program proposed in November was adopted over the two semesters. The initial assignment was designed to enable me to develop and heighten failings in survey accomplishments. However, without giving much idea to my existent apprehension of how such failings related to my acquisition, it has non been until this contemplation, some six months subsequently, that I have been able to to the full understand the importance of how I learn and integrate a stronger nucleus of advantageous survey accomplishments. I am now confident that any future development of survey accomplishments will organize a lasting foundation for acquisition. Appendix One Appendix Two How to cite How Your Personal Learning Style Enhanced Your Learning, Essay examples

Payless Shoe Source free essay sample

Payless ShoeSource is an American discount footwear retailer founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1956 by brothers Louis and Shaol Pozez that is owned by Collective Brands, Inc, on a revolutionary idea selling shoes in a self-select environment. In 1961, it became a public company as the Volume Shoe Corporation which merged with the May Department Stores Company in 1979. More than 50 years later, Payless continues the self-select model combined with leading customer service to provide a fun and engaging shopping experience for our customers. Today, Payless serves illions of consumers through its powerful global network of stores in all 50 U. S. tates, as well as in Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, the U. S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. The company also has an expanding presence in the Eastern Hemisphere through franchising arrangements. History Circa 1962-63, Volume Shoe company purchased the original Hill Brothers Shoe Company based in Kansas City, Mo and converted approximately all 295 of their stores to the Payless name. In 1971, Volume Shoe obtained the second Hill Brothers Shoe Store chain that was started in St. Louis, Mo in 2012 by A1 Melnick and Sol Nathanson with the assistance and aid of the original Hill Brothers in Kansas City. The St. Louis version of Hill Brothers Self Service Shoe Store' went from 3 to 001 stores in the Midwest and South between 1956 and 1971. Volume Shoe originally operated the 103 stores under the Hill Brothers Self Service name. Starting in 1972, Volume Shoe began to consolidate stores in proximity and convert others to the Payless brand. The St. Louis operation of Hill Brothers Self Service' stores were known for their bare bones minimalism and the slogan two for five man alive! That is, women and childrens shoes were two pair for five dollars. On June 27, 2006, Payless announced that it was launching a new logo created to represent a more stylish and contemporary company. This is the first rollout of stores in 2012 and beyond. Mission Payless mission is to be the first choice for budget-conscious consumers who shop for shoes and accessories. The company offers a wide range of trend-right and essential shoes and accessory items at affordable prices to help every family member look good every step of the way. Payless is dedicated to providing incredible value ricing for popular styles of footwear and accessories for the entire family to enjoy. Payless seasonal collection includes shoes for every need † dress, casual and athletic styles for women, men and kids, as well as special footwear like dance shoes, sport cleats, water socks and slip resistant footwear, among others. Brands are always important for shoppers and Payless has a strong portfolio featuring designer label Christian Siriano for Payless, heritage skate brand [emailprotected], American classic [emailprotected], the popular athletic brand [emailprotected], American Eaglew by [emailprotected], the outhful edgy fashion brand, Brash. best to Paylesss new strategy? The strategy for setting a products price often has to be changed when the product is part of a product mix. Companies usually develop product lines rather than single product. Product mix means in the same companies have many type product with they are brands it sold. Product mix pricing strategies consist of five elements which is product line pricing, product bundle pricing, by- product pricing, captive product pricing and optional-product pricing. In this case, the product mix pricing strategy Payless use is product line pricing. Product line pricing is setting the price steps between various products in the product line based on cost differences between the products, customer evaluations of different features and competitors prices. Payless have strategy product line, from one comprised almost entirely of store brands to one dominated by well-known national brands. Payless now sells shoes under numerous brand names that it either owns or licenses, including Airwalk, Champion, Spalding, Dexter, Shaquille ONeal-endorsed Dunkman, and various Disney brands. Customer can buy many types of products with different prices by looking at size, idth, color and design. For example, for boys shoes, they have many shapes, size, color, design, and numerous brands which they can get with difference price from $ 12. 99 until $26. 99. For girls, there are shoes in differences brand like Fioni, Amerian, Eagle, Dexter, Lela Rose, and Smartfit from $14. 99 until $24. 99. Most products Payless offers are under $50. Other than that, Payless have relationship with top New-York based designers Laura Poretzky, Lela Rose, Stacey Bendet and Patricia Field. The four are designing everything from pumps to boots to handbags for Payless. Payless sets most of the tores product line below $15. The companys CEO, Matt Rubel also has suggested that in many cases, price increases may be as little as 50 cent per pair of shoes. But the expansion of its brand portfolio to include famous labels will certainly give payless greater pricing flexibility. How do concepts such as psychological pricing and reference pricing apply to the Payless strategy? In what ways does Paylesss strategy deviate from these concepts? By definition, psychological pricing is a pricing approach that considers the psychology of prices and not simply the economics. The price is used to say something about the product. Psychological pricing occurs when sellers consider the psychology of prices and not simply the economics. In the other hand, reference pricing is prices that buyers carry in their minds and refer to when they look at a given product. Consumers usually perceive higher-priced products as having higher quality. But what happen in Payless is, they did not increase the price of their product to gain cheap footwear into the fun, hip, merchant of fashion. In addition, Payless even re-designed their logo for the first time in 20 years. They then launched new Fashion Lab and Hot Zone store format. It was a drastic improvement. As the result, Payless store now have more open, light, and airy thus creating a more satisfying consumer experience. Payless is now looking forward into style and design rather than price. This is where Paylesss strategy deviate from psychological pricing concept. Payless focuses more towards style and design of their product rather than price. They even upgrade their store environment into more comfortable places which then create customer satisfaction. With the new store environment, it makes the $12 shoe looks like a $20 shoe. However, Paylesss manipulating the reference pricing by implementing a drastic mprovement in their store. They launched a new Fashion Lab and Hot Zone store format to create more open, light, and airy with a more satisfying consumer experience built around style and design rather than price. The new format not only attracts more customers, but they even make the customer willing to pay a little bit more than they have in the past. All new Payless stores now have one of the two new formats and old stores are being progressively remodeled. Discuss the benefits and risks of the new Payless strategy for both Payless and the designers. Which of these two stands to lose the most? With the new strategy implemented by Payless, they have the ability to produce shoes at the most affordable price. Even though the price is slightly increased, customers are still willing to pay more. Compared to competitors, the price offered by Payless is still affordable by customers. payless has made a decision to redesign their logo and launched a new store format, Fashion Lab and Hot Zone. Payless are now transforming and introducing their new image as more trendy and more modern. This strategy will change the image of Payless from the dusty dungeon of cheap footwear into the fun, hip merchant of fashion. Payless are now making the store more open, light, and airy. This strategy can attract more customers and this will result to more satisfying consumer experience built around style and design rather than price. By implementing the new strategy, Payless has to face a risk if they fail how to handle the situation. In order to democratize fashion, Payless spend a lot of money to launch the new store formats. They also re-designed their logo. Payless have to face a risk which is to make sure that the new image they bring should capture their customers attention whether they are old or new customers. If they fail to do so, they will lose their customers. Payless also hired top designers as full-time employees to head the new team and they also began running full-page ads in magazine such as Elle, Vogue and W, featuring the tagline, Look Again. This efforts cost a lot of money The designers get tremendous exposure, a large customer base, and the power and budget of a mass retailer. When the designers design the new shoes, their previous followers are failed to follow their designers new design. And this will cause the designers hard to get the new followers. Another risk for the designer is that they will lose their Job if Payless cannot survive in this field. As they are becoming the full-time employees at Payless, they are being tied with Payless contract and it is hard for them to find another opportunity to show their talent. By comparing the benefits and risks, Payless stand to lose the most. If the new strategy that they are implementing is set to fail, Payless will face big problems in terms of financial problems and their reputation will go down. Their old customers will lose their confidence to this company and Payless will face bankruptcy. Consider the scale on which Payless operates. How much of a price increase does Payless need to achieve in order to make this venture worthwhile? Price changes should depend on several factors: company expenses, competitors and cost inflation. To make the stores more open, light, and airy, Payless had to spent a lot of money to launch the new Fashion Lab and Hot Zone store formats. It also recruited a few top designers from New York as full-time employees. Besides that, Payless also regularly advertises on television, radio, on-line and magazines. All of these attribute to higher cost for the company. Thus, Payless needs to increase the price to cover the expenses. Secondly, Payless should adjust the price based upon prices of the similar competitor products. It must first consider the price range of their products, then set its own products at a lower price. This is not only helping to attract more customers, but also helps to remain its low pricing policy. but also helps to remain its low pricing policy. In addition, Payless can provide discount during season clearance. Some of the products can be set at a lower price and sometimes even below cost to act as a loss leader to stimulate other profitable ales. Voucher and mystery gift can be given off to the customers who purchased more than a specific amount. This will increase the sales of the products. Payless can also come out with a series of limited edition products which are slightly higher in price in order to gain more profits. At the end, cost inflation. In the recent years, the increase. Because of this, Payless have to increase their price to protect the profit of the company. Payless can use consumers reference prices to set the price. For example, it can place its stores in some higher-end malls in the country. Many onsumers use price to Judge the quality. They usually perceive higher-priced products as having higher quality. Hence, they are willing to pay more. Vision Style is no longer measured by a price tag or designer label. Now, fashion forever stepped off the runway and into the street. More and more, its coming from Payless, with fun fashion footwear and accessories at surprisingly affordable prices. Its a stylish liberation of sorts. Their vision is to democratize fashion and design in footwear and accessories for the world. How exactly are they doing that? By sending their buyers and other merchandise ssociates to fashion centers in Europe to uncover the latest trends. They then work to interpret those trends and give them their very own signature style. While they clearly are paying a lot of attention to their shoes and accessories, their true focus is on their customers. Their mission is to become the first choice for style and value in footwear and accessories for their target customers. They understand their customers and share their passion for fashion. Thats why they are committed to having the latest styles at a value that allows everyone to make a stylish statement. Conclusion Payless ShoeSource is the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere. Targeting budgetminded families, Payless was serving up more than 1 50 million pairs of shoes each year, approximately one in every ten pairs of shoes purchased in America. As of the end of second quarter 2012, Payless operated 4,107 stores throughout the Americas and an online store (www. payless. com) and also has approximately 174 franchised stores located in the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe in such countries as Russia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, among others.