Analysis of Financial Proposal

Investigation of Financial Proposal (1) investigate money related information; assess the outcomes and define ends (2) set up a financial plan and clarify how it would be arranged and checked. (3) produce a money related proposition and present a sound business case to make sure about theâ required monetary assets. The figures can be invented. Section 1) Technique utilized: Ratio Analysis Allude to the Appendix Gainfulness Ratios These proportions help us to judge how great the firm’s benefit execution is. The two key proportions to show gainfulness are: Profit for Capital Employed This estimates the degree of benefit of the business contrasted with the measure of capital that has been put resources into it. It is successfully the arrival the business has made, and financial specialists will need this to be higher than the pace of intrigue they could have somewhere else. The spending plan is demonstrating a sound 68% profit for capital which incorporates proposed bank borrowings. Net revenue This estimates the degree of benefit contrasted with the turnover, it consequently shows the rate benefit on the deals. It tends to be estimated as either a gross or net overall revenue. The Gross Profit edge is 66.5% yet the Net Profit edge is just 11.3% because of high wages and buys costs. These could be decreased by mass purchasing and arranging unique terms. Liquidity Ratios These are proportions that measure the liquidity of the business. Business needs to guarantee that they can meet their duties as when they fall due by changing over adequate resources into money. A business ought to maintain a strategic distance from a circumstance where a ton of money or capital is tied up in elevated levels of stock. Current resource and Acid Test proportion shows that the business has all that could possibly be needed advantages for spread its liabilities and it is extremely fluid as the stock and account holders can be transformed into money rapidly. Current Ratios This proportion looks at the present resources and current liabilities. Unmistakably a business needs to have more present resources than liabilities, thus at the very least the figure ought to be mutiple. Here it is 1.54 which is marginally higher and in this manner guarantees adequate liquidity. Basic analysis Ratios This proportion investigates the business’s liquidity. One of the present resources is stock, and this obviously not in every case simple to transform into money. Truth be told the firm may have high stock levels since they can’t sell every last bit of it. So the basic analysis proportion takes the present resources and takes away the stock. This is a trial of prompt dissolvability. In the event that the estimation of this proportion is considerably less than 1 the business may have a liquidity issue, as it might have deficient resources for meet every one of its liabilities. Account holders and Creditors Payment period The borrowers installment period shows how long it takes on normal for the indebted individuals to take care of the owed cash. The lender installment period shows how long it takes on normal for the business to pay its banks. In a perfect world the indebted person time frame ought to be shorter than the loan boss period for better effectiveness. Here this isn't the situation and steps ought to be taken to pursue the indebted individuals to pay rapidly. Outfitting Ratio This worries the business’ long haul money related solidness. It gauges the amount of the business is financed by obligation. The higher the outfitting rate, the less secure it will be. Typical figure is half. Section 2) It is basic that for any business to exchange viably and have the option to develop, it needs to develop enough money holds. Hence it is imperative to guarantee money developments, that is the planning of money inflow and money surge, are overseen so that it brings about a general positive income position. The spending plan would be haggled based on estimated deals income, anticipated use and any arranged capital use. The Bank supervisor should be pursuaded that the money estimate is sensible and not over idealistic. The spending plan would be checked and looked into all the time and any material changes would be followed up on. The dealings would be founded on the reality, for example, unwavering quality of the client and providers, area of the bar. Likewise the way that being an open house, the business is lasting through the year and not occasional and there will be top seasons, for example, Christmas and other open holdiays. Moreover, the bar would build its takings by having extraordinary occasions and offers. The financial plan should fabricate a possibility subsidize for most dire outcome imaginable, for example, cost over-runs or loss of unwaveringness of its clients. It needs to show unmistakably that the proprietor has contributed his/her cash as a capital in the business and arranged to chance it, and has a solid reputation in this field and that the marketable strategy is sound. A bank consistently requests a duplicate of current administration accounts with an income estimate so as to evaluate a business’s liquidity and afterward concludes whether to concede the overdraft office or not. Accordingly, they are of most extreme significance while arranging an advance from a bank. Money spending gives a guidance ahead of time of any liquidity issues. It is frequently an absence of money that makes most organizations come up short. It will offer you a chance to choose when and how to increment or lessening your overdraft with the bank. Section 3) The aggregate sum required is  £50,000 yet the business doesn't have to draw down the entirety of the cash on the double. It ought to be worried to the bank chief that you have number of years’ involvement with a similar business and you realize the exchange well. Likewise you have great relational aptitudes and the capacity to continue ahead with a wide range of individuals This is significant for running an effective bar. You additionally need to pressure that you have accomplished your home work, arranged a strategy and have thoughts to help the business by holding unique occasions consistently. You have to do some examination about the market for a bar around there. In the event that there are just a couple of bars in the neighborhood nothing inside, state 15 mile sweep, at that point an extra bar around there is going to have an awesome potential for success of achievement. Reference section The accompanying table shows the proportions for the year 2005: Proportion Productivity ROCE68% Net Profit Margin66.5% Net Profit 11.3% Direct Wages20% Account holder installment days28 days Current Ratio1.54:1 Corrosive Test1.1:1 Gearing52% Book index 1. www.qck.com/business-loans.html 2. Cox, 0 and Farndon, M (1997) Management of Finance (second Edition) Worcester: Osborne Books. 3. Dyson, J (1998) Accounting for Non-Accounting Students London: Pitman 4. Http://www/bized.ac.uk Learning assets contain rundown notes on primary subjects. 5. The executives and Cost Accounting, fourth Edition, by Colin Drury, Thomson Business Press. 6. Dynamic Accounting by Brammer, Cox, Fardon, Penning. Osborne books.

Exotica and feminisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Conversational Commerce Why Consumers are Embracing Voice Assistants

Conversational Commerce Why Consumers are Embracing Voice Assistants When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was to ask Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, to switch on my coffee maker so that a fresh cup of coffee would be ready for me after I got out of the shower.As I had my breakfast, I had Alexa read out my latest emails, as well as highlights of the latest news.I had an early morning meeting in a section of the city I’ve never been to before, so I asked Siri, the voice assistant on my iPhone to give me directions to my destination.I followed Siri’s voice directions till I got to the meeting location, without worrying about getting lost even for a minute.I believe I am not the only one who relies on voice to interact with technology today.Unless you just time travelled from the 18th century, I am willing to bet that you have used voice to interact with a voice assistant at least once in your life.Today, voice assistants have become all the rage.All the large technology companies have invested heavily in voice technology. Google has Google Assistant. Microsoft has Cortana. Apple has Siri. Amazon has Alexa.Owing to the recent and rapid growth of voice technology, a lot of people have adopted voice assistants in their daily life, and the trend is set to continue.According to a report published by Juniper Research, it is estimated that more than half of US households (55%) will have a voice enabled smart speaker by the year 2022.Another report by Adobe Analytics reports that of those who currently own smart speakers such as Google Home and Amazon Echo, 71% interact with the voice assistant at least once every day, and 44% of them interact with the voice assistant several times a day.The use of voice assistants is also changing.As these voice assistants become more prevalent in our lives, they are also making their way into the business world.They are changing the way consumers interact with brands and creating a new aspect of business known as conversational commerce.Conversational commerce started with chatbots, which allowed consumers to interact with brands by way of messaging apps.However, the emergence of voice assistants has greatly expanded conversational commerce and created new opportunities for brands to brands to build greater intimacy with consumers. Currently, conversational commerce is still in its early stages.With the adoption of voice assistants set to increase in the coming years, however, conversational commerce will greatly revolutionize how consumers interact and engage with brands across various stages of the customer relationship lifecycle, from marketing to sales and service.Already, customers have started interacting with companies through voice and are showing a strong preference for this mode of interaction.According to a survey carried out by Capgemini, 24% of those surveyed reported that they would prefer interacting with a brand through a voice assistant rather than through a website.The survey, which involved more than 5000 consumers across Germany, France, UK and the United States, estimates that this figure will rise to 40% within the next three years.20% of the respondents said that they would prefer interacting with a voice assistant rather than visiting a physical shop or bank branch, with the figure set to increase to 31% in the next three years.According to the report, consumer expenditure via voice assistants will grow about six fold within the next three years, from the current 3% of total consumer expenditure to about 18%.Currently, music streaming and searching for information are the most popular uses of voice assistants.However, the use of voice assistants for shopping is steadily growing, with 35% of those who currently use voice assistants reporting that they have used a voice assistant to order clothes, homecare, and groceries.28% of those currently using voice assistants also reported that they have sent money or made a payment through a voice assistant.As voice technology becomes better at handling tasks such as credit c ard payments, it is expected that this number will increase in the near future.WHAT IS DRIVING THE ADOPTION OF VOICE ASSISTANTS BY CONSUMERS?There are a number of factors contributing to the adoption of voice assistants by consumers. These include:Users are Satisfied with their Voice InteractionsBefore fully embracing a technology, users will usually try it out first and then adopt it based on their satisfaction with the technology.Consumers who are already using voice assistants give a very positive report of their experience with voice interactions, regardless of the kind of activity they performed via voice assistant, from ordering groceries to making payments.According to the survey by Capgemini, 71% of those currently using voice assistants are satisfied with their overall experience.For instance, one respondent reported that he found it easier to have his cell phone read out directions to him instead of constantly looking at street names.In addition, four in five of those usin g voice assistants for purchase-related activities are satisfied with their experience.Voice Assistants Provide Speed, Convenience and the Ability to Multi-TaskAccording to the report by Capgemini, 52% of consumers prefer using voice assistants over mobile apps and websites owing to the convenience offered voice assistants, while 48% prefer them because of the ability to carry out tasks hands free.Users also like the fact that there are no restrictions with voice assistants â€" they can be used anywhere and anytime.Capgemini’s survey also found that 41% of consumers prefer shopping through a voice assistant instead of a mobile app or website since the voice assistant allows consumers to automate their routine shopping tasks.Other reasons why users go for voice assistants instead of apps and websites include better personalization to the customer’s needs, better security of customer data, and the fact that interactions with voice assistants feel more natural compared to apps and websites.It almost feels like the customer is speaking to a real person.Ironically, some consumers also prefer interacting with voice assistants in shops and call centers instead of actual humans.People who prefer voice assistants over speaking to a real person feel that voice assistants are faster, more convenient, they provide better quality of service, they understand their concerns better than human assistants, and they are better at automation of shopping tasks.Some users also prefer voice assistants to humans because they feel it is a smarter way to shop and because they don’t want to interact with a sales or customer care representative.Users Find Voice Assistant’s Understanding of Context to be Quite EffectiveContext is a very important aspect of human interactions.Something with a seemingly definitive meaning might have an entirely new meaning in a different context.With the recent advances in voice technology, voice assistants are becoming even smarter.They are learnin g to not only understand what was said, but also to recognize the context in which it was said.A high number of users reported that they would be more likely to use voice assistants for shopping provided the voice assistants can display understanding of context.Users feel that voice assistants that have great understanding of context should be able to understand the users’ accent and diction, provide relevant recommendations based on the users’ needs, create a personalized experience for them, and hold a sensible conversation.Users also feel that voice assistants should be able to anticipate their needs and contribute to the conversation by providing any additional and relevant information that might be helpful to the user.WHY ARE NON-USERS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT ADOPTING VOICE ASSISTANTS?While the use of voice assistants is steadily growing, a lot of people are still quite apprehensive about using this new technology for shopping and transaction-related tasks.The top reason kee ping people away from voice assistants is security concerns, with 65% of non-users reporting that they don’t trust voice assistants to keep their personal data safe and secure, according to the report by Capgemini.Aside from personal data security concerns, some non-users also don’t feel the need to use voice assistants.In other words, there are no incentives for them to start using voice assistants.Many people also feel like voice assistants are intrusive and want access to personal information that might not even be necessary to ensuring a successful shopping experience.Some people are also apprehensive to voice assistants because they are not comfortable with talking to machines, while others feel that voice assistants are not very good at understanding them.IS CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCE GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS?We have already seen how conversational commerce is growing, and some of the reasons why consumers are adopting voice assistants, but is it a good idea to provide consumer s with the option of interacting with your brand through voice?Does conversational commerce offer any tangible benefits to businesses and brands?In their survey, Capgemini found that giving consumers the option to interact with your brand through voice assistants can increase your brand’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) by up to 19 points.The advantage of conversational commerce is even more pronounced in the United States, where brands that provide consumers with voice assistants have an improvement of 25 NPS points on average compared to brands that do not have voice assistants.This shows that voice assistants provide brands with a great opportunity to drive customer satisfaction.Aside from a better Net Promoter Score, providing consumers with a voice assistant has several other benefits. These include:Generating Positive Word-Of-Mouth and Attracting More BusinessThe survey by Capgemini found that consumers who regularly use voice assistants are more likely to do more business with bra nds that provide voice assistants and recommend these brands to their friends compared to brands that do not offer voice assistants.After a positive and satisfactory experience with a voice assistant, consumers who regularly use voice assistants have done one of the following:Started transacting more frequently with the brandMentioned their positive and satisfactory experience to family and friendsIncreased the amount of money they spend with the brandGiven the brand higher ratings and left positive feedback about the brand on social mediaPurchased more products from the brandIronically, this is not only restricted to consumers who regularly use voice assistants.Even non-users of voice assistants reported that on having a positive experience with a brand’s voice assistant.They would increase the number of transactions with the brand, increase the amount of money they spend with the brand, buy more products from the brand, rate the brand highly and leave positive reviews of the bra nd on social media, and mention their positive experience to family and friends.Securing Bigger Consumer SpendThe survey by Capgemini also sought to determine how much consumers were willing to increase their spending with a brand owing to a positive experience with voice assistants.The survey found that, on average, consumers were willing to increase the amount of money they spent with a brand by 5% in return for a positive voice assistant experience.The survey also found out that consumers who already use voice assistants today will increase their spending in consumer products and retail, and services by about 8% on average.HOW TO DEVISE A SOUND CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCE STRATEGY FOR YOUR BRANDSeeing how fast conversational commerce is going mainstream, and the benefits you stand to gain, it is wise to start devising a conversational commerce strategy for your brand.Question is, how exactly do you do this? There are four key steps to devising a sound conversational commerce strategy . These are:Design and Execute Compelling Voice Customer ExperiencesIn a previous research about customer loyalty, Capgemini found that customer loyalty is based on emotions.Brands that can connect with their customers on a human level are able to secure long-term engagement and loyalty from their customers.Fortunately, conversational commerce provides brands with an opportunity to connect with their customers on a human levels and create an emotional connection, thereby enhancing the customer experience while at the same time cultivating customer loyalty.In order to design and execute a great voice experience for your customers, you need to start by understanding what your customers expect from your brand.According to a study done by Cornell University, people’s comfort interacting with a machine-generated voice depends on whether the voice has any human-like characteristics.The more human-like the voice sounds and feels, the more natural the conversation will be perceived to be, and the more likely customers are to feel comfortable interacting with it.Therefore, when building a voice experience for your customers, you should make sure that the experience is as human-like as possible.First and foremost, the voice assistant should be able to understand your customers’ accent and diction. For brands that operate across different geographical regions, this might mean creating a localized voice experience for each geographical market.Aside from the ability to understand accent and diction, the voice assistant should also be able to recognize and respond to context and provide fast, relevant and accurate responses.Designing and executing a great voice experience also requires the elimination of any impediments that might keep potential users from adopting the technology.Use Conversation Intelligence to Better Understand Your CustomersThe rise of digital commerce granted brands access to a lot of information about the likes and dislikes of their customers. Conv ersational commerce takes this a notch higher.Using personal voice assistants allows brands to engage in dialog with consumers and gain better insights into the needs and preferences of the customers, as well as the context that influenced a purchase.This is a treasure trove of information that brands can use to make their voice experience even better for customers.Using this information, brands can customize the voice experience even further and make sure it is tailored for each of the brand’s customer segments.The needs, preferences and usage patterns of each customer segment should be researched, and then the voice experience created to match these needs.For instance, if your voice experience is focused on older people who are not very savvy with digital channels, the voice experience should be focused on simplicity and being as natural as possible.If the target segment is younger people, the voice experience can be focused on offering a highly personalized service and offering deals and promotions that allow them to save money.Come Up With Sound Business Operations Voice SolutionsThe greatest mistake most brands make when implementing a conversational commerce solution is to view the solution in isolation.Conversational commerce should be designed in collaboration with other brand channels, with the aim of providing omni-channel fulfillment.Conversational commerce should also be integrated with other internal business operations of the organization, such as order management, supply chain, marketing and customer relationships management, as well as the touch points through which customers interact with the brand.According to the Capgemini survey, some of the customer touch points where voice assistants can be effectively implemented include searching for products and services, making a shopping list, adding items to a shopping cart, making a purchase, checking the delivery status of orders, providing feedback about products and services, using the custome r support service and making recommendations for the product or service to other potential customers.Implement Technology Solutions that Make the Voice Experience More EfficientTo make the voice experience as efficient and effective as possible, brands need to implement other technology solutions that allow for a seamless, simple, and hyper-personalized customer experience.For instance, retailers like Target and Walmart partnered with Google to create voice experiences that allow consumers to order products using voice via Google Home.This provides a much more seamless experience since consumers are already conversant with Google Home and therefore don’t need to spend any time learning how to use a new service.On the other hand, the information Google has about the consumer makes it easier to provide a more personalized service.When creating a voice experience, it is also important for brands to be proactive in ensuring the security and privacy of consumer data. We saw earlier tha t concerns over the safety and security of personal information is the greatest hindrance to the adoption of conversational commerce by consumers.Lack of trust not only keeps consumers from embracing your brand’s voice experience, it might also affect your brand reputation.To avoid this, brands should alleviate concerns about the safety and security of customers’ personal information by creating strong and transparent privacy policies and ensuring that they stick to these privacy policies.Organizations should also ensure that they have robust security measures in place.Consumers will not share their personal information if this means spending their time worried about your systems being hacked and their personal data getting exposed.By keeping these four key things in mind, your brand can devise and execute a sound conversational commerce strategy.It’s good to keep in mind that the best approach is to building a great voice customer experience is to start small, test what is wo rking and then keep iterating and improving based on your results.PREPARING THE ORGANIZATION FOR CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCEIf your organization is thinking about implementing conversational commerce, it is important to make conversation commerce an integral part of your organization’s overall digital customer experience strategy.If you view it as an isolated project, you will not be able to take full advantage of this new channel.In addition, organizations should also ensure that the implementation of the voice strategy is driven by the top leadership.The adoption of conversational commerce might have significant changes for the organization, such as the complete replacement of human interactions with voice assistants.This might call for a change in the organization’s hiring practices and a need for upskilling in the teams whose tasks will be taken over by voice assistants.All these changes might present a challenge if the digital strategy is not driven by the top leadership.WRAPPI NG UPConversational commerce has created new opportunities for businesses and brands to interact with their customers in new and innovative ways and create deeper connections that drive long-term customer engagement.As voice technology becomes more advanced and more commonplace, it is inevitable that voice will become the dominant channel through which consumers interact with brands.If they want to remain competitive, brands must start taking advantage of this new opportunity and increase the available options for consumers to engage with and interact with the brands.

A Comparison of Christian Symbols in Song of Solomon,...

Although religion does not exist as a central theme in Toni Morrison’s work, it does set premise for a richly intertwined web of symbolism. Morrison’s novels focus on the lives of characters acting in the present day or recent past. For African Americans, events of the past are a crucial facet of culture as they seek to remember their history, the most influential of these events reaching far back into the years of slavery. Historians argue that for incoming slaves, Christianity offered a religious ground for the displaced individual, a soil in which to replant the symbols of their native spirituality. In interviews and articles regarding her works, Morrison seems to take on a tone of rejection towards the idea that the civilization of†¦show more content†¦Africans are certainly spiritual in their worship, but why doesn’t anyone refer to their native cult as African Religion? Catholic rituals are obviously religious, but does one have to be spiritual to participate? These example are clearly overly-generalized, but the true matter of principle lies in the fact that we do refer to African religion as African Spirituality and other denominational rituals can in fact become far too routine. Morrison’s texts recognize the relationship between religion and spirituality and attempt to address the critical issue of African Americans embracing Christianity, the religion of the slaveholders (28). The point has to be addressed as to whether Morrison’s references to Christian belief and symbolism are purposeful or unconscious. Because she is writing with the motive to prove a point regarding the struggles of African Americans, clearly some references (like for example her character’s names) are direct and premeditated. However, as Morrison herself claims to have read the Bible and made it an active part of her life (Unspeakable 32), fragments of Christian dogma filter through into her writing almost unconsciously. This autobiographical interlay of Christian symbols gives Morrison freedom to express her ideas more directly through personal insight. Evidence in support of these hypotheses is found throughout Morrison’s literary cannon. Four novels most worthy of discussion are Song of Solomon, Sula,

The Police Criminal Intelligence Bulletin - 1973 Words

To control gangs, law enforcement agencies have used preventive approaches, including community organization, social intervention, opportunity provision, suppression and organizational change (Spergel, 1990). Not unlike the ones that were talked about earlier. Suppression has historically been a major strategy used by police and involves targeting gang leaders and hard-core members for surveillance, arrest and prosecution. However, the Illinois State Police Criminal Intelligence Bulletin (1992), noted that even though street gangs are involved with drugs, murders, sexual assaults, armed robberies, burglaries and automobile thefts, almost 60 percent of local and county police agencies did not have officers assigned to gangs on either a†¦show more content†¦1998). Citizens around the country, in their communities have to endure with the fear of gangs that terrorize the area. In the first ten months of 1993, there were over 500 calls for service in the two block area contr olled by the gang. Law enforcement officers would not enter the area other than in teams and the local fire department would not answer calls without police assistance. Street lights were constantly shot out and the darkened area, along with some tall trees, provided a perfect environment for the gang s activities. Although law enforcement officers arrested gang members, the intimidation of witnesses made their tasks more difficult. To reduce the gang s illegal activities in the neighborhood and begin renovating the neighborhood, an innovative four phase program called Operation Roundup was designed and developed (Torres, S. 1998). Research indicates that fear of crime, whether self-imposed or realistic, can immobilize individuals, harm the local economy and negatively impact social interactions as well as the quality of life (Albanese, 1990 Skogan (1987) argues that crime victims believe that more crime exists, are worried about victimization and attempt to protect themselves. Parker and Ray (1990) as well as Krannich et al. (1989) revealed victimization to be a predictor related to fear ofShow MoreRelatedThe Police Criminal Intelligence Bulletin1705 Words   |  7 Pagesearlier. Suppression has historically been a major strategy used by police and involves targeting gang leaders and hard-core members for surveillance, arrest and prosecution. 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Police had a finally had a name and witnesses to put with a disappearance. The discovery of the two womens remains about a month later, mixed in with the bones of other women, cemented the fact that a serial killer was on the loose. The hunt

Swot in China Free Essays

Carrefour  has  taken  a  bold,  consistent  stance  on  developing in china. Carrefour is simply side – stepping the  laws. SWOT analysis Carrefour in China: Strength Operating localization strategy in both operation and management 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot in China or any similar topic only for you Order Now Human resource: Decision-makers can make a variety of decisions which are suitable for the local conditions. 2. Purchasing: a) Raw  material  procurement  process  follows  stringent  quality  checks  and  cost  reduction  methods. b) cutting the cost of the cost in the  procurement  channels c) increasing the competition between suppliers . operation: Managers in each shop are authorized. Don’t need to many levels of transmission, which to avoid the distortion and delay of the information. 4. Business model: a) Cutting the purchasing price, this adapts China’s economic and market environment. b) Relatively large stores with broad non-food lines c) Store openings are progressing well d) High proportion of locally sourced products e) violating  the  policy of retail sector in china , like keeping opening illegal shop in china Weakness 1. Bad relations with the Chinese government . Having an individual shop-management mode, Having no  tran sparency  and  poor  project  management, this reduces consumer’s loyalty to Carrefour. 3. The tense relationship with some suppliers, damaging Carrefour’s image. 4. The majority of the retailors are small and medium-sized enterprises, which are lack of bargaining ability with the big companies. 5. Carrefour’s Own-brands don’t sell well in china. 6. High â€Å"entrance† fee, which is not allowed in the countries which are well-developed in the retail market. Opportunity 1. China’s accession to the WTO 2. The increase of senior personnel in the retail market 3. Withdraw from the Japanese market, and focus on China Threat 1. The Policy and economic environment in china 2. The biggest competitor – Wal-Mart 3. The majority of China’s local supermarkets 4. The markets(grocery markets) in china Expansion into the Asian market is now top priority, as it is believed that this region, especially in china, offers the largest opportunities for growth. However, there is a really big change in the Chinese market. After joining the WTO, The Chinese market is opening wider while the competition is also getting tougher. Foreign retailers need to plan and implement their strategies tightly according to market conditions and their firm-specific resources. Carrefour closed four stores last year. It is said their closure was all due to bad location choice and poor management. The Carrefour China press office says that Carrefour currently has 180 stores, therefore the closing down of unprofitable ones is normal and in accordance with its strategic adjustment. But i think Carrefour is now adjusting its strategy, choosing to open new stores in second and third-tier cities. And it’s a trend in china. The most important issue is that Carrefour needs to attach importance on the relationship with customers and suppliers. Compared with Wal-Mart, Carrefour received more complaints from customers and suppliers, and warning from government. Although the prices of products in Carrefour are widely considered to be cheaper than Wal-Mart, the customer services are also vital for survive of a retailer. In addition, Carrefour always reaps great profits from suppliers, and hence suppliers can obtain a small profit margin. Therefore, it is dangerous for Carrefour if these suppliers leave and stop supplying in the future especially when Wal-Mart have a stronger buying power. In addition, Carrefour needs to focus on its long-term development and plan strategies to create values resources in order to achieve competitive advantages Empowered purchasing and distribution rights and management hinder the delivery quality of goods, which is critically important for retailers. In addition, Carrefour should develop advanced information systems on communicating with suppliers and stocking, which will save significant costs and benefit Carrefour’s stock management in the long-term. |Table1: Consumer Age Distribution in Hypermarkets in shanghai | | | | | | |Age distribution | Item |RT-MART |Century Mart |tesco |carrefour |Wal-Mart | | | | | | | |Commodity(whether it isabundant and has acomplete range? ) |4. 15 |3. 96 |3. 93 |4. 21 |3. 55 | | | | | | | |price |3. 47 |2. 22 |3. 03 |2. 82 |2. 32 | | | | | | | |service |3. 53 |3. 14 |3 |3. 07 |2. 8 | | | | | | | |shopping environment |4. 04 |4. 17 |3. 83 |4. 03 |3. 62 | | | | | | | |shopping convenience |4. 01 |3. 76 |4. 01 |3. 64 |3. 69 | | | | | | | |staff mental outlook |3. 77 |3. 59 |3. 36 |3. 49 |3. 47 | | | | | | | |aggregation |22. 97 |20. 84 |21. 16 |21. 26 |19. 45 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | How to cite Swot in China, Essay examples

The Downy Woodpecker Essay Example For Students

The Downy Woodpecker Essay HabitatDownies take home in the United States and southern Canada. They have beenrecorded at elevations of up to 9,000 feet. The downies are not deep-forestedbirds, preferring deciduous trees. Open woodlands, river groves, orchards,swamps, farmland, and suburban backyards are all favorite haunts of the downy. Downies will also nest in city parks. About the only place you wont find themis deserts. The most attractive human dwelling sites are woodlands broken up bylogged patches in a waterside area. Downies also enjoy open shrubbery withgroves of young deciduous trees. Call(s) Like the hairy woodpecker, the downy beats a tattoo on a dry resonanttree branch. This drumming is the downys song, though they do make some vocalnoises. They have several single-syllable call notes which include tchick, anaggressive social note; a tick and a tkhirrr, which are alarm notes. There isalso a location call, known as a whinny, made up of a dozen or more tchicksall strung together. We will write a custom essay on The Downy Woodpecker specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Scientific Names The downy woodpeckers scientific name is Picoides pubescens. Thereare also six particular downies with six particular scientific names all fromdifferent regions of the United States and southern Canada which I have listedbelow:southern downy / Dryobates pubescens Gairdners woodpecker / Gairdneri pubescensBatchelders woodpecker / Leucurus pubescens northern downy / Medianus pubescensNelsons downy / Nelsoni pubescens willow woodpecker / Turati pubescensThe downy woodpecker is sometimes reffered to as little downy.Behavior Towards Humans The downy is unquestionably the friendliest woodpecker. A bird loverin Wisconsin described downies at their feeding station: The downies will backdown to the suet container on the basswood tree while I sit only a few feet awayon the patio. Even when I walk right up to them, most downies will not fly away,but will simply scoot around the backside of the tree trunk and peek around tosee what I am doing. If I press them, they will hop up t he backside of the treetrunk and then fly to a higher branch. FoodBesides being friendly, downy woodpeckers are our good friends foranother reason. Most of the insects they eat are considered destructive to mansorchards and forest products. About 75% of their diet is made up of animalmatter gleaned from bark and crevices where insect larvae and eggs lie hidden. While standing on that unique tripod of two legs and and a tail, downies hitchup and down tree trunks in search of a whole laundry list of insect pests. Withtheir special chisel-like bills and horny, sticky tongues, downies are adept atplucking out great numbers of beetle grubs, insect cocoons, or batches of insecteggs. They also eat spiders, snails, ants, beetles, weevils, and caterpillars,with other local insects included. 25% of a downys diet are plants made up ofthe berries of poison ivy, mountain ash, Virginia creeper, serviceberry, tupelo,and dogwood. Downies also eat the seeds of oaks, apples, hornbeams, sumac,hickory, and beach. Acorns, beachnuts, and walnuts are the particular favorites. Dr. John Confer and his students at Ithaca College have studied thedowny woodpeckers use of goldenrod galls as a source of food. They discoveredthe downys little jackhammer is just the tool needed to drill a hole in theside of the one to two inch goldenrod gall and extract the tiny grub containedinside. In fact, Confers studies show that the goldenrod grubs form animportant part of the woodpeckers winter diet. PlumageTap, tap, tap! Tap, tap, tap! It is interesting how the downy woodpeckerprops itself with those stiff tail feathers while clinging to the bark. The tailrelieves the birds weight. This unique tripod allows the downy to hop up thetree trunk with ease, but it must back down in the same position, a more akwardmotion. The downy woodpecker gets its name of downy because of its soft finefeathers. The downy, smallest of the woodpecker clan, is not even as big as arobin. It is only about the size of the of a house sparrow at six inches tall. The downy can be separated from all other woodpeckers ~ except the hairy ~ bythe broad, white strip down its back. The downy and the hairy are often confusedsince their markings are quite similar. Both range across the same territoryexcept the lower southwest where the downy is less often seen. There are reallyonly two ways to distinguish the downy and the hairy. (1) Look at the bill ofthe two birds. The downy will have a much shorter, stubbier bill. (2) The downyis about 2/3 the size of the hairy. That is another good clue to look for. The downy is most likely to be the one that you see at the feeder, sincethe hairy keeps more to the forest than the downy. However, both will feed atfeeders in the winter months, on suet especially. The tail, wings, and back of both the downy and hairy woodpeckers have ablack hue intermingled with white spots. A black cap adorns each, below whichthere is a white stripe. A small scarlet patch appears on the lower~back of thehead. Another black stripe is below this. The downies have barred outer tailfeathers not found on the hairies. CourtshipRegardless of the elevation, downy woodpeckers begin thinking aboutnesting earlier than most birds and several months before they actually nest. After spending the winter alone, the downies seem to come to life in earlyFebruary, moving more quickly and taking more interest in their own species. Their normal tap, tap, tap becomes a quite different unbrokentrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, lasting several seconds. The tapping is no longersimply an effort to find food but a means of communicating to other downies thatthis is my territory. It is also the first attempt to attract a mate. Bothsexes drum. So early does this drumming begin that it is not unusual to hear iton sub-zero mornings. Some ornithologists believe that downy woodpeckers retain the same mateas long as they live. In this case, all the pair has to do in the spring is torenew their pair bonds. This fidelity, however, seems to be a result of anattachment to the nesting site rather than between the birds. After the drumming has united the pair, the actual courtship begins witha curious dance or weaving action by both sexes. With their neck stretched outand bill pointed in line with their head and body from side to side balancing onthe tips of their tail. Their entire body is elongated. There is also a lot offlitting and chasing from one branch to another, and more waving and weaving ofhead and body. Sometimes with wing and tail feathers spread. Considerablechattering accompanies these gyrations. NestingSometime during the courting period the actual selection of a nestingcavity occurs. The female is usually, though not always, the dominant bird andselects the nesting site. Ounce selected, both birds dig the hole. Downies willcharacteristically place the nesting cavity 3-50 feet above the ground on theunderside of an exposed dead limb. The pair will alternate digging because onlyone bird at a time can fit into the cavity. As the hole is cut deeper, the birdworking may disappear into the hole and remain out of sight for 15-20 minutes,appearing only long enough to throw out chips. (This is unlike chickadees, whichwill carry their chips away from the nesting site, downies are not concernedabout predators finding chips at the base of the nesting tree.) Then the pairwill change shifts for 15 or 20 minutes while the other bird digs. Though thefemale does most of the work, this may vary with individual pairs. Regardless,the cavity is finished in about a week. .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .postImageUrl , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:hover , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:visited , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:active { border:0!important; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:active , .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78 .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub49c7e4a77f86fdfae6088664a17ab78:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Follow Your Heart EssayWhen the cavity is completed, sometime in mid~May, it is shaped muchlike a gourd. The entrance is 1 !/4 inches in diameter. It is dug straight aboutfour inches, then curves down 8-10 more inches and widens to about three inchesin diameter. At the very bottom, the the cavity narrows to about two inches,where a few chips are left to serve as a nest. It is believed that woodpeckershave been nesting in cavities so long in evolutionary time that nesting materialis no longer used. Chickadees and bluebirds have been nesting in cavities for ashorter period of time, and still build a nest at the bottom of the cavity asthey did when they built their nests in t he open. The eggs, too, reflect this. Species that have been using cavities formany thousands of years, like the woodpeckers, lay pure white eggs. Noprotective coloration is needed when they are hidden in a cavity. Bluebirds andchickadees, on the other hand, still lay eggs with some protective coloration onthem~specks in the case of chickadees and pale blue in bluebirds eggs. Downy woodpeckers lay four to five pure white eggs, which are incubatedby both parents through the 12 days required for hatching. They take turnsduring the daylight hours; the male incubates at night. The downy, like other woodpeckers, will seldom use the same nestingcavity year after year. Instead, the site is taken over the next year bychickadees, titmice, tree swallows, wrens, and sometimes bluebirds. This forcesthe downy couple to drill another nesting cavity each year. Young Downies When the young hatch, they are naked, blind, helpless, red-colored, andquite unattractive. During the first few critical days after hatching, theadults take turns in the cavity, one brooding the young while the other bird isgathering food. The male usually broods at night. Downies swallow and regurgitate their food to the young for only fourto five days. After that they carry insects and other bugs, primarily spiders,ants, and moths, to the youngsters in their bills. The older the chicks get, themore food the adults must provide. It isnt long before the young can be heardchippering in the cavity and both parents are feeding from daylight until dark. At times they are feeding as often as ounce a minute! A few days after hatching, feathers start to grow on the young, and bythe time they are 14 days old, their tail feathers are long enough to supporttheir weight. It is then that they make their first appearance at the cavityentrance. For the next week, the youngsters spend a great deal of their timetaking turns at the cavity entrance, heads out, chippering loudly, awaiting thenext meal. At 21 to 24 days, the young are ready to leave the cavity on theirfirst flight. A New York observer gave a good acount of a downy familys lastfew days in the cavity: The young chattered most of the time during the lasttwo days of nest life. One at a time they looked out a great deal at thestrange outer world. They left the nest on on the eleventh of June. The last two,a male and a female, left during the afternoon, each after being fed at theentrance and seeing the parent fly away. The young male flew from the nestinghole straight to a tree 60 feet away. His sister quickly followed, lighting onthe trunk of the same tree and following her parent up the bole in the hitchingmanner of their kind as though she had been practicing this vertical locomotionall of her life. The observer could distinguish male youngsters from female because theyalready had a slightly different appearance. Like their adult counterparts, theyoung males have red on their heads and the females do not. The red on the headof the juvenile male is not a small spot on the back of the head as in the adultmale, but a much larger area of red and pink on the whole crown. The youngstersare also somewhat fluffy or downy looking. The juvenile female looks like thejuvenile male, without the red crown. This juvenile plumage will be worn but a short time, for all downies,young and adult, molt into winter plumage in September. Ounce the young have fledged, the parents divide the brood and onlytake care of their charges. The male will usually take one or two of the young,while the female takes the others. According to study, young downies becomeindependent at the age of 41 days. Many people have seen youngsters on suetfeeders in late summer with no apparent adult escort, nor any interest in otherdownies in the area. In fact, the adults will drive off the youngsters at thesuet feeders. Downy woodpeckers have only one brood a year in the north, butsometimes two in the south. Winter for a Downy By September the downy woodpecker family has broken up, the young ofthe year look like adults, and all become solitary and quiet. As cold weather approaches, the first order of business is to locate awinter roosting cavity. Apparently, downies do not use their nesting cavities aswinter roosts; most birds drill fresh roosts in anticipation of the long winterahead. These preparations, however, are not made at the fast pace of mostother birds in autumn. The species that must migrate to warmer climates seem tobe restless and in such a hurry about everything. But not the downy. It remainscalm in the midst of the hustle. Such is the personality of the permanentresident. Despite this, there are some studies which indicate that some downies,particularily females, do leave the breeding territory; others dont. Thereasons for these variations are not clear. The downs winter is spent quietly and alone, searching the doormantwoodland for food. The pace of life has slowed, and often its tap, tap, tap isthe only sound to be heard above the wind in the trees. The downy is wellequiped to survive the coldest weather. It even takes playful baths in the snowpiled high on branches. A woman in Canada described one such incident: Thismorning a female downy flew to a horizantal branch and proceeded vigorously tobathe in the loose snow lying there. Like a robin in a puddle. Mrs. Downy duckedher head, ruffled her feathers and fluttered her wings, throwing some of thesnow over her back and scattering the rest to the winds. The downy woodpeckers winter food is not unlimited. The insects aponwhich it survives stopped multiplying when cold weather arrived. As time passes,the bird must search more and more diligently to feed itself. It gets some helpfrom the bands of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches with whom it shares thewinter woods. Downies will oft en stay loosely associated with these species asthey cruise the woodlands in search of hidden morsels. But the downy is tiedsomewhat to the area near its roosting hole, since it will return to it everyevening at sunset. Therefore, the feeding areas surrounding the roosting cavitybecome a downys individual winter feeding territory, which it will defendagainst other downies. .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .postImageUrl , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:hover , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:visited , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:active { border:0!important; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:active , .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0 .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u36bc46e3755c523bc291a22c363958c0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Shakespeares character Juliet Essay Backyard feeding stations are the exception. For some unexplainedreason, feeding stations are a common ground for all birds in all seasons. Usually (in the right conditions) there will be between six and ten downies atsuet feeders at various times every day during the winter. There will be fewerduring the summer. That is probably because there is more natural food in thesummer and breeding territories are more rigorously defended. Regardless, thedownies take turns at feeders, abiding by some kind of truce at the suet, thoughthere are often fights over who feeds first. Territorial Disputes When two males or two females come face to face over a territorialdispute, they spread their wings, raise their crests and assume a challengingattitude and scold each other. Most of this is bluff, of course, for they soonsettle down, unless one or the other advances toward a female. Flight Like the other members of the woodpecker clan, the downy has adistinct undulatin flight that is most evident when it crosses open areas orswoops through woodlands. The dips are not as deep as those of a goldflinch, butas ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent said, It gives the effect of a shippitching slightly in a heavy sea. A few strokes carry the bird up to the crestof the wave~ the wings clapping close to the side of the body~ then, at thecrest, with the wings shut, the bird tilts slightly foward, and slides down intothe next trough.Enemies ; Camouflage Though no songbird is totally safe from predators, not many downywoodpeckers fall prey to hawks, owls, and other winged hunters. When attacked,downies are quite adroit at dodging raptors by flitting around the branches oftheir natural habitat. They can also flatten themselves against the bark of atree trunk and become almost invisible to any pursuer. Maurice Thompsondescribed a downys defense against a goshawk: The downy dart ed through thefoliage and flattened itself against a large oak bough, where it remainedmotionless as the bark itself. The hawk lit on the same bough within a few feetof its intended victim, and remained sitting there for a few moments, searchingin vain. The black and white feathers of the downy blended perfectly with thebark and lichen on the tree. Other enemies, strangely, include house wrens, which have been knownto wait until downies have completed work on their nesting cavaties beforeappropriating the site for themselves. Unbelievable as it may sound, the housewren can be aggressive enough to attack a pair of downies and drive them fromtheir own nesting site to procure the cavity for its own. Squirrels, particularly red squirrels, will destroy the eggs and youngof downy woodpeckers. Attracting Downies Food, cover, and water are the three basic needs of all wildlife anddowny woodpeckers are no exception. Food and cover definitely take priority overwater, as downies seldom drink at birdbaths. Mature trees in an open woodland are the preferred habitat, but anykind of natural cover is better than none at all. A mixed stand of oaks,basswood, maples, and willows will suit downies perfectly. Food is simple. Downy woodpeckers love beef suet. Be sure that you getreal beef suet at the butcher shop. So often a butcher will give or sell youbeef fat, which downies will reluctantly eat in the winter. They prefer realsuet, which is the hard, white, opaque fat surrounding the beef kidney. Regularbeef fat has a greasier, translucent appearance. It will also decompose in warmweather and attract flies. Suet will not. That is why beef suet is reccomendedall year long. It is every bit as successful with downies in summer as winter. Plus, the suet feeder is the place where most of the baby downies are first seenby humans. They are so cute with their red caps and roly-poly appearance. Atfirst a parent bird feeds the youngster suet. Then it tries to get the youngsterto feed itself. All that free entertainment is yours to enjoy if you put up asuet feeder. Other feeding station foods that downies will eat include peanutbutter (its a fallacy that peanut butter sticks in the throats of birds),doughnuts, nutmeats, sunflower seeds, corn bread, and cracked corn kernels. Butbeef suet is by far the most popular with all the woodpeckers. Will a downy woodpecker nest in a bird house? Though most books onattracting birds or building birdhouses give dimensions for downy woodpeckerhouses, there does not appear to be any record of a downy nesting in a man-madehouse. However, there are records of downies using birdhouses as winter roosts. Special Adaptations The downy has many adaptations, ranging from the tail feathers to thetongue. First of all the downys toes are different than most other birds. Instead of having three toes in the front and one in the back, the downy has twotoes in the front and two in back. This arrangement makes the downys uniquetripod of two feet and stiff tail feathers more effective. The toes have alsoadapted another way. The outer hind toe is longer than the rest of the toes tokeep it from swaying. The downys tail is also special. Unlike most birds the downys tailfeathers are long and stiff. This helps balance the birds weight as it standsvertically on a tree. Another adaptation of the downy woodpecker is their unusual bill. Itis not pointed like most other birds, but it is chisel-shaped. A chisel- shapedbill makes the downys work of carving a nesting and roosting cavity easier. Thebill also helps the downy chip the wood around the insects buried in a tree. Thetongue is also worth noting. At twice the size of the downys head, the tongueeasily spears small morsels with a horny tip of recurved barbs. Yes, even the skull has changed to fit the downys needs. The skull ofthe downy is stronger and thicker than most other birds. So logically it is alsoheavier. This extra weight makes the little jackhammer more effective. But most amazing is not how the downy has adapted, it is its skill toadapt. When European settlers invaded the downy woodpeckers territory 200 to300 years ago, the birds did not retreat as did many of our native species. Instead, they accepted as a home the orchards and shade trees with which manreplaced the forests. Our early ornithologists were in agreement when theycharacterized the bird. Audubon remarked in 1842 that it is perhaps notsurpassed by any of its tribe in hardiness, industry, or vivacity. Alexander Wilson said ten years earlier that the principalcharacteristics of this little bird are diligence, familiarity, perseverance,and spoke of a pair of downies working at their nest with the mostindefatigable diligence. And so it is today. The downy woodpecker remains unspoiled andunconcerned by the threats of man. It just quietly flits around the backyardwoodland, tap, tap, tap-ing its way through life. Category: Science