The Goal of ELT in Outer or Expanding Circle Essay

The Goal of ELT in Outer or Expanding Circle - Essay Example At present, English could well be called as a multi-ethnic, multi-national and, multi-cultural language. It is still the connecting thread of the shrinking world, which is a product of advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs). English language teaching too has become a complex and controversial issue as the influence of English continues to grow. In this essay I am going to provide evidence that the goal of ELT in Outer or Expanding Circle should not be the Native-Like use of language. Since we are living with not only 'English' but indigenized varieties of 'Englishes' in today's world, this, in my view, is better understood with greater grasp of the concepts of World Englishes (WEs) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Later on, the paper will probe more to the conceptual similarities and differences of WEs and ELF and the very common controversies around these phenomena. Further, I would look more closely into the implications of WEs/ELF on Teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). This would be a segment where this essay deals with the association, inclusion and involvement of them both in today's ELT. Then, the paper will also deal with the (in)appropriateness of native Standard English in expanding and outer circles with arguments for and against the native norms. At the same time, the need to incorpo rate World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca in testing would be discussed. Finally, the paper will hold a critical view of the native versus non-native teachers of English.The traditional view had that the correct form of English was the language used by educated British or American natives the so called Native Speakers (NS). Thus, indicating that the learners of the English language, who are, in fact, Non-Native Speakers (NNS) must follow the norms of the NS. So, one began consider NS to be the best teachers of the language, as they were the best models of the language using and they had reliable linguistic knowledge. As a result, Parents were willing to pay huge amount for their children to be taught English by native teachers, while schools considered it as abetter investment to employ native English teachers than the local English teachers.However, now the scenario has widely changed, though Rinvolucri (2008) believe we should continue to use the current 'standard native ' model in language teaching and learning, others, for example Barbra Seidlhofer (2004) and Jennifer Jenkins (2005) believe we must take stock of what is happening to English and its users, recognise the change and begin to describe and codify a new model such as a lingua Franca (ELF), which reflects how English is used by the majority of users in the world. The Concept of World Englishes (WEs) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) The history of world Englishes is backed to the end of the region of Queen Elizabeth I in sixteen century when English language was spoken by 'a relatively small group of mother-tongue speakers born and bred within the shore of British Isle' Jenkins (2003: 2) but nowadays it is spoken in almost all over the world. According to Jenkins (2003), the global spread of English has been viewed as two Diaspora.

Quesions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quesions - Assignment Example The other type of leadership is bureaucratic leadership where the leaders follow the set rules and regulations rigorously and the same goes for their followers (Class Notes, 2015). This type of leadership is most common in organizations, government agencies and industries. The other type is the delegative leadership, also known as the Laissez-Faire type of leadership. The leaders who use this type of leadership do not offer any assistance to the followers and in most cases the followers are their own supervisors. The followers make their own decisions and carry-out their activities without too much supervision. Among these leadership styles, I believe that I am suited well as a democratic leader. For example, when I join study groups I tend to prefer it when everyone participates in solving the academic problems even though the teacher has the final say about solutions we get. I am aware that such type of leadership ensures that followers are motivated because they feel like they are part of the decision made. It also makes followers feel extremely important in a group or in organizations which results to increased commitment and work output or performance for students. The challenges are there because I know most followers under his type of leadership tend to be less productive than those who may be in an authoritarian group. The climate of a campus is critically important for the success of students (Gorton & Alston, 2011). By climate, this refers to a school environment that is like to foster the continuity and successful learning process. Hence, if the climate is favorable for students and teachers, learning becomes a continuous process and success is guaranteed when students and teachers do their best. For example, if there are riots in a school the teachers and students are not in a good position to undertake their tasks. Teachers cannot teach when students are rioting and students also hamper their learning process. There are

Health Insurance and Managed Care Essay Example for Free

Health Insurance and Managed Care Essay There are a myriad of issues that concern current federal health policies. These new issues emerged from a number of health policy agendas. Several issues are emerging as of late due to the notion that health care is usually perceived as prelude to issues concerning physical health problems. Federal health policies range from mental illnesses and physical therapy issues. The four central issues concerning federal health issues are: Health Insurance Access, Primary Care for Patients, Quality Management in Hospitals, and the Advancement of Healthcare Organizations. These issues constitute a broader set of issues, which concerns federal health policies. The advancement of new medical techonology has generated many opportunities for managed care spcecially in hospitals. These advances in the field of medical health allows medical practitioners to be more adept in handling patients. Furthermore, advanced technology has made precise diagnosis and apt treatment for complex illnesses. With this in mind, human diseases are given remedies in order to treat patients. However, a bevy of issues have emerged regarding managed care. This makes the issue of medical technology complicated in many ways. Healthcare providers are affected by such issue. Medical technologies that reduce costs and present high cost benefit ratio are eventually reimbursed. Such issues are taken into consideration by major health sectors. Wireless Devices and Applications The global proliferation of wireless devices and applications has been surpising. Wireless communications has seen an upscale growth due to the clamor for fast-paced business communications nowadays. Trends like carries and Bluetooth techonology are one of the most discussed issues whenever wireless applications come into mind. The issues of carriers are still similar since they wireless communication first emerged. However, wireless carries demand extra payments for consumers. Carriers are supposed to augment the services of telecommunication companies, though they are also responsible for revenue-sharing arrangements of telecom companies. Emerging trends of wireless communication include: †¢ Integration with native phone Apps (Camera, Media Gallery etc) †¢ Rich and more engaging user experience †¢ Faster access †¢ Reduced clicks †¢ Low latency †¢ Lower bandwidth requirement Nowadays, the use of mobile web is increasing. Wireless devices are being used people ranging from students to company executives. The proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots have been evident. The use of 3G mobile broadband increased as well. These and other issues indicate that the wireless telecommunications industry is sustaining a sporadic growth and progress.

Defining brand identity of Indian milk producer

Defining brand identity of Indian milk producer Amul is the brand name for milk-based products manufactured by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation a state level apex body of milk cooperatives in Gujarat started in 1946. Its major functions involve collection of milk from farmers, procuring and processing the milk and most importantly, marketing of milk and milk products. Amul is synonymous with White Revolution, instrumental in making India worlds largest milk producer India. Its product range includes milk powders, milk, butter, ghee, cheese, curd, chocolate, ice cream, cream, shrikhand, paneer, gulab jamuns, basundi, Nutramul brand and others. PART I DEFINING BRAND IDENTITY OF AMUL USING KAPFERERS MODEL According to Kapferer, more than the concepts of brand image and positioning, brand identity is more important. It is an identity which the brand defines for it self. The identity of a brand is important to ensure durability of the brand and make it more coherent and realistic. There are 6 aspects to brand identity which are addressed by Kapferers Prism Physique Refers to physical features which generate instant recall and awareness Personality A characterisation of the brand, providing it qualities and mannerisms of a human being to explain its products and services Culture Values that inspire the brand and are reflected in its products and its communication Relationship The brand in a way represents the transactions and exchanges that take place between people and forge a bond between them Reflection The brand builds an image of the user/buyer that it is addressing the image as a result of brand usage by the customer Self-Image The consumer of the brand makes an image of himself as a result of the usage of the brand Kapferers Prism for Amul Physique The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect are the unique taste of its milk products, the utterly, butterly Amul girl and the butter. Personality The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect are the facts that it is a completely Indian product, traditional and innovative, simple yet honest someone who will never cheat the consumer and only take what is its due Culture The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect are that there is a co-operative culture with emphasis on sharing and being socially responsible Relationship The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect is reliability which consumers perceive on basis of product experience. Another feature that is associated with this aspect is being sociable Amul is a part of the consumers social lives as experienced by the extensive use of Amul products Reflection The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect is the feeling of care and concern for loved ones and also, a deep respect and orientation for values. Self-Image The connotations associated with Amul with respect to this aspect include being fun-loving, a proud Indian, who at the same time, believes in quality and is a firm believer in values. PART II CHARTING THE PRODUCT LIFE-CYCLE OF AMUL Amul is the brand representation for Gujarat Cooperative Milk Federation formed in 1946 to give farmers their due and protect them from unscrupulous middlemen. Apart from collecting milk, Amul had to find ways to make efficient use of the surplus milk it had which gave rise to launch and marketing of milk-derived products, starting with butter Launched in 1955, butter was one of the first milk products offered by Amul which also helped it to beat its rival, Polson Dairy. The same year, it launched ghee and skimmed milk powder which also garnered success. In 1959, came processed cheese from its stable followed by cheese powder in 1970s which by 80s, had become popular Economic reforms of 1990 brought lifestyle changes and changes in tastes. The management of GCMMF thus, wanted to go with the trends. Thus, there was emphasis on higher quality and diversification of product portfolio. An increase in milk production meant that an increase in consumption base of milk -based products was important to make its products more regular in the households. In 1996, an IMRB survey for GCMMF showed that the consumers wanted that Amul should come out with the following products ice cream, curd, paneer3, cheese, and condensed milk. Thus, the next few years were focused on these In 1997, Positioned as the Real Ice-cream, Amul Ice cream was one of the few milk-based ice creams in the market. Branded yoghurt got a start in India for the first time, when Amul came out with Masti Dahi in 1999. In January 2000, Amul launched Amul Taaza non sweetened, low fat, carton milk which served functional and lifestyle purposes. In November same year, came mozzarella cheese which had use in pizzas. 2001 saw Amul tie-up with Tata Coffee for instant coffee distribution in July while in August, they entered ready-to-eat segment with parathas, cheeseburgers and sandwiches under Snowcap brand which also had ketchup. Soon, Snowcap came out with pizzas in flavours like tomato-onion-capsicum, fruit pizza (pineapple-topped), mushroom and Jain pizzas'(pizzas without onion or garlic). Amul also entered the domain of soups called Masti in tetra packs with flavours like Hot n Sour and Tomato. In 2003, Amul discontinued its flavoured milk brand Shakti and launched Amul Kool instead in an attempt to target the youth with its cool and trendy positioning but with a nutritional base In 2007, bottled water segment caught Amuls attention and it looked to launch Narmada Neer brand of water, in the aftermath of its failed attempt earlier to market Jaldhara brand of bottled water of NDDB. In July 2008, bakery segment became the next area to venture in with the plans of GCMMF to manufacture biscuits and cakes In February 2010, GCMMF declared plans to launch a tea brand having already sold it to their milk producers at concessional rates. In July same year, came the plans to market a milk-based sports drink called Stamina which would compete directly with Gatorade and is aimed at sports professionals More recently, Amul has announced plans to launch pro-biotic lassi by the coming summer season in major metros of India having already test marketed it in Ahmedabad. PART III THE CHANGES IN COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF AMUL OVER THE YEARS The crux of all promotional strategies used by Amul is the concept of rotation. With every new product that Amul comes out with every 3-4 years, a new promotional campaign for the same is launched which helps it to stay in touch with its customers. Since Amul markets a wide range of milk-based beverages and products, it aims to move the consumers through this value chain from loose milk to better quality products with Amul providing those to the consumer The communication strategy follows a pattern of umbrella branding which means that Amul became the common name for most of its products and the promotional campaigns also tend to focus on the same aspect Amuls main strategy has always been to advertise the Amul brand and not the products as such. The communication of Amul dates back to 1966 when Sylvester Da Cunha got the account for Amul butter as before that, the advertisements were corporate in nature and quite boring. Sylvester, along with designer Eustace Fernandez, gave birth to the famous Amul moppet which since then has become the symbol for Amul. The utterly, butterly campaign began with hoardings and bus panels as media vehicles as with limited resources, that was the only possible option and also provided a much better frequency to the campaign. In its early years, Amul continued to advertise through billboards for its butter but in the late 90s, it came to realise that its image was not as savvy as its competitors and its forays in chocolates was taking a beating against rivals like Cadburys and thus, it looked to other media like TV soon leading to its all-pervasive Taste of India campaign which linked to its inherent Indianness and also became an underlying, consistent theme for its future communication strategies. In 2000, Amul got into other strategies of brand-building when it sponsored a nation-wide contest to find Amul Butter girl and Amul Cheese boy through its program Surabhi All these efforts, coupled with Amuls outstanding product quality and distribution network, meant that with just an ad budget spend of 1% of its revenues, it was able to gain significant mileage and visibility. But with passing time, came up concerns that with respect to increasing competition from players like Brittania, Nestle and others, Amul was compromising on its visibility and its effectiveness was now restricted to point-to purchase advertising. Therefore, in the last 3-4 years, Amul has gone all out in its communication strategies. In places like Delhi and Chennai where they cant put up hoardings, they are moving their topical advertisements to print. Amul is also looking to actively use digital media to its advantage with its venture into virtual world Second Life in form of virtual parlours where it intends to showcase its earlier ads and even replicate its co-operative model. Its below-the-line activities, in form of Amul Vidya Shree awards to school students and Amul Food festival are already going strong In TV, Amul is going in a completely new form as it looks to attract the youth actively to its products and has thus, rolled out campaigns like Hey Dude Wheres The Dudh? and Chill Your Dill. But amongst all this, the legendary Amul moppet will continues to hold its place as it still has legacy value for Amul and a symbol despite its efforts to woo the younger generation. With the Amul topicals continuing to draw its inspiration from contemporary events, it continues to maintain its status and relevance amongst every age group of consumers

European Animals Incite Ecological Changes in the New World Essay

European Animals Incite Ecological Changes in the New World When Columbus and the first landed in the Americas, he was confronted with a totally new world. This was not just new in the sense of people and land, but also in an ecological one as well. Columbus had stumbled across a land that, although already populated by people, was basically untouched. The people who lived in these new lands were completely in sync with nature. They valued the land for what it was worth and as such, they preserved it. Then came the waves of Europeans, and as we all know, things changed. Not only were the lives of the Amerindians drastically changed, but also the ecology of the Americas was completely and permanently altered. Although the Europeans helped in these changes to the ecosystem, their part was minor when compared to the true criminals: the European animals. It was the European animals that were introduced into the New World that had the most destructive effects on their new environment and forever altered the ecology of the Americas. Before taking a look into the effects the European animals had on the environment, we must first view the way things were prior to their introduction. During the time which pre-dated the arrival of the Europeans, the Americas were basically untouched. The land was populated with not just Indians, but also vast numbers of plants and animals. The land provided almost all of the needs of the Indians and in return, the Indians took care of the land. The Amerindians used animals sparingly in work. The domesticated animals which they had included: dogs, guinea pigs, and various types of fowl (Crosby, 74). They had no types of ridden animals and they chose to use themselves as beasts of burden. Thi... ...lear huge tracts of land. They were able to outcompete their American counterparts and the Amerindians by taking food from them and out-breeding them thus taking up more space. This caused not just destruction to the land, but also a decline and in some cases, extinction in the native plant and animal species. These animals not only had a destructive effect on their new environments, but also permanently altered the ecology of the Americas thus forever marking their spot in history. Works Cited Crosby, Alfred W. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1972. Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986. Roberts, Neil. The Holocene: An Environmental History. New York: Basil Blackwell, 1989.

The War between Scotland and England in the Reign of Edward I Essay exa

Why did War break out between Scotland and England in the Reign of Edward I? On the 14th of May 1264, the forces of Simon de Montfort, Gloucester and the Londoners were set arrayed against the loyalist forces of King Henry III, Richard of Cornwall and Prince Edward (later to become King Edward I). The loyalists suffered a massive defeat at this Battle of Lewes and among those captured, aside from Richard of Cornwall and perhaps the King (Prestwich indicates the unsure nature of the King's capture 46), were the northern barons (Scottish lords) of Balliol, Bruce and Comyn. (Jenks 132) Prince Edward also became a hostage as part of an exchange after the battle. These same men who fought together and were held captive by the de Montforts would war against each other thirty years later. King Edward I (whom will be referred to as Edward) was not set on instigating a war against Scotland, nor were any of these Scottish lords interested in battling against such a formidable opponent as England. So why did war occur if none of these men were initially motivated for wa r? A series of unfortunate, but potent events led to the chrysalis of war, which was then allowed to grow and fully develop into a war by the specific actions of individuals. This essay will attempt to draw attention to many of the events which gave rise to war and investigate the complex nature of the individuals who in the end caused war through their acts (intentional and non-intentional). During Henry III's reign the baronial reform movement was renewed once again. The Provisions of Oxford attempted, among other reforms, to "reform the household of the king and queen" (Baker 10), which undoubtedly included the household of the King and Queen's son, Edward. This le... ...tic Scotland and the Middle Ages (Edinburgh, 1997) Vickers, K. H. A History of England: (Volume III) England in the Later Middle Ages (London, 1937). Webster, B. Scotland from the Eleventh Century to 1603 (London, 1975) *All primary documents from this text come with this preface in mind (especially that which I have bolded): In this volume, as in its predecessor, I have tried to keep both footnotes and editorial comment to a minimum, the only real problem occurring with documents written in the emerging literary English of the period. With most of these I have used modern versions, but one or two I have left in the original, to instance the spelling and form of the language. With these some notes have been necessary, but by and large they are intelligible with a little effort, and should be interesting to read. Such mistakes, as exist are of course, mine.

Costco Case Study Essay

Jim Sinegal and Jeff Brotman in Seattle Washington founded Costco Wholesale in 1993. Costco merged with Price Club, and doubled their market share in the wholesale industry. They became an immediate leader in the industry. Costco’s sales model is to sell a wide variety of products for low prices at a high volume. These brand-name products are sold at a discounted price to their members. Customers of Costco must pay a membership fee in order to purchase their merchandise. Their focus is on customer satisfaction and a guaranteed low price for its members. They have managed to maintain a large customer base using this balance where both small business and personal needs can be met simultaneous. Problem Statement Costco could increase their shareholders return on investment by making changes to their business model. They are currently doing favorably with their customers and employees, but need to maximizing their potential and increase revenue. Costco seeks to increase more of the market share in the industry from Sam’s Club, their largest competitor. This can be accomplished by continuing with their growth strategy to open more warehouses, increase their membership, and to upgrading their merchandising techniques to motivate members to shop more often. Analysis * Costco currently has 429 warehouses US; 82 warehouses in Canada; and 81 warehouses internationally * They have realized an increase in comparable warehouse sales of 7% in the US and 16% internationally * 14.2% increase in net sales * Costco currently employs 92,000 full-time employees and 72,000 part-time employees * Members include: Gold star 25,000; business 6,300; business add-on primary4,000; and additional card holders 28,700 * The gross margin has increased by 10.69% as a percent of net sales Alternatives * Costco can increase revenue by raising membership fees * Revenues can also be increased by removing the 15% on product markups * Reducing the number of employees receiving health benefits will increase revenue Recommendation The recommendation for Costco is to implement changes in their wages for their employees, benefits packages, and raising membership fees. Implementation The recommended changes can be gradually implemented throughout the company. The increase in membership fees would be the easiest to do first. Negotiating new rates for employee benefits will help reduce these costs associated with providing insurance. Costco can pay their employees less to be more competitive with the wages of Sam’s Club. Summary Costco’s current growth strategy is to open warehouses, execute merchandising techniques to increase customer shopping, and to increase their membership. These efforts are an attempt to increase their shareholders return on investment. Costco has focused more on customer satisfaction and pleasing their employees. They have managed to increase their revenues annually without building many stores as Wal-Mart. Costco has 417 US warehouses while Wal-Mart has 3,800. Wal-Mart has been aggressive in pursuing international acquisition by increasing the human spirit South Africa and the UK. Strategy to attract more members relies on the members doing a larger percent of their shopping with Costco. Chief Executive Officer Craig Jelinek has been keeping prices low and adding more service areas, such as vision centers, to increase store visits. (Townsend, 2012) They want to reward these members by allowing them the opportunity to purchase big-ticket items at a low price. The members will be motivated to return on a weekly or monthly basis in order to have the opportunity to purchase these limited deals. Costco has been using the term â€Å"treasure hunt† for years to explain why up to a fifth of its stock is limited-quantity items that are in the store for as little as a week. (Gibson, 2011) This strategy has shown some increases, but will need modifications. Strengths Costco currently has about 64 million cardholders and members. The company has managed to provide great customer service, which has resulted in members renewing their subscriptions. Employees receive an array of benefits within a month of their starting date. The generous benefits package that employees receive help build loyalty to the company and its mission to their customers. Members are taken care of by the employees, and employees are taken care of by the organization. This is fostered a positive environment that has landed Costco several awards. Costco provides their customers with one-time opportunities to purchase products and services that may not be available at other warehouses. The merchandise sold to Costco’s members has value to be of high quality and low price. They continue to be dominant in the retail wholesaler market because of the selection and quality of the merchandise offered. Weaknesses Costco faces the burden of finding adequate merchandise in the current financial crisis. Consumers are not buying large ticket items due to a decrease disposable income. The demand for large volume purchases has decreased with the increase of single-parent families. The high-volume low price model has continued to work, but the economic recession has slowed its growth. Costco’s employees make a higher wage than Sam’s employees do. These employees also benefit from a multitude of costly benefits. These expenses have caused the company to accrue less revenue. It will be difficult to maintain their profit margin under the circumstances. Any decline in membership renewals would decrease revenues. The plan to increase warehouses may infringe on their current stores. The expenses associated with building the warehouse could negatively affect their sales in such tough economic times. Although they are behind Sam’s Club in number of facilities, this is not the best time to expand. Opportunities Costco has the potential to continue to expand on their diverse offerings. By refining their business model, Costco have the opportunity to ride the broader economic trends to bigger profits and take customers from their rivals. Consumers are being more selective among the discounters such as Costco and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has seen an increase in competition from Costco for market share. Despite efforts by rival Sam’s Club, a unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., to improve merchandise in its warehouse clubs, Costco continues to notch higher revenue out of fewer stores in the U.S. (Zimmerman, 2011) Providing value to its members could result in Costco stealing Sam’s Club’s customers. There are still opportunities for Costco to expand the number of warehouses. This is a major part of their growth strategy to assist in building a larger customer base. There are reasonable expansion ideas that will help Costco. They can increase their brand internationally through expansion and by becoming a leader in social responsibility. Threats A major threat for Costco is potential for continued economic downturns. Customers are being more selective with their disposable income, and have chosen to downsize. Smaller quantities products have become more attractive due to these bad economic times. Costco must continue to market to the more affluent customers. The presence of price competition amongst customers and vendors will require Costco to carefully negotiate reasonable prices for the merchandise. Costco has to walk a fine line between absorbing the costs and passing them to customers because of its positioning as a warehouse club that, while catering to generally higher-end consumers, does have a reputation for offering decent prices. Competing internationally, poses the threat of economic instability abroad. Costco does not have a global presence and Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club and BJ’s will always pose a threat to Costco. Solution Our recommendation to the Costco management would be to implement an increase in the membership fees. â€Å"While the increased fees could add 20 cents to 25 cents to earnings per share over the next two years as memberships are renewed, Janney analyst David Strasser expects roughly half of the fee increase will be used to hold down prices†(Wohl, 2011). Costco employee’s compensation should be adjusted competitively to their competitors. The number of employees receiving benefits reduced to relieve expenses. We recommend that Costco increased to 15% placed on the product markups to 20%. Implementing these recommendations will result in an increase in company revenue and the shareholders return on investment. Implementation * A 10% increase in membership fees will begin in the next quarter * Increased the product mark up from 15% to 20% * Adjust the employee compensation to 10% of the market value * Increased revenue will be added to the shareholders return on investment References Gibson, E. (2011, July 09). Stores find success by focusing on the bargain hunt. USA Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-07-09-stores-bar gain-hunt_n.htm Talley, K. (2011, May 26). Costco feels inflation’s effect.WSJ. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576344900721794900.html Townsend, M. (2012, October 10). Costco profit tops estimates as low prices drive traffic. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-10/costco-profit-tops-analysts-estimates-as-prices-drive-traffic Wohl, J. (2011). Costco raises membership fees; profit misses view. Reuters, Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/05/us-costco-idUSTRE7942D620111005 Zimmerman, A. (2011, September 02). Costco ceo to step down. WSJ. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903895904576544883964721042.html