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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : After World War II, life for the Americans started improving. The economy started recovering from the effects of the great depression. However, the Americans did not change their approach to life. They did not take advantage of the improving economic situation to improve their situations. Instead, they just applied conventional wisdom; those ideas acceptable by the society, and which the society finds difficult to change.

After World War II, life for the Americans started improving. The economy started recovering from the effects of the great depression. However, the Americans did not change their approach to life. They did not take advantage of the improving economic situation to improve their situations. Instead, they just applied conventional wisdom; those ideas acceptable by the society, and which the society finds difficult to change.

Recovery in “The Affluent Society” by Galbraith Essay After World War II, life for the Americans started improving. The economy started recovering from the effects of the great depression. However, the Americans did not change their approach to life. They did not take advantage of the improving economic situation to improve their situations. Instead, they just applied conventional wisdom; those ideas acceptable by the society, and which the society finds difficult to change. They ignored creativity and innovation, which would have allowed them to generate new ideas to improve their economic situation. In his book, The Affluent Society , Galbraith advocates for restructuring of the US post-World War II economic systems, to enhance economic recovery and steer the economy towards growth. However, Galbraith starts his book with a completely different topic, where he first discusses conventional wisdom and strategies for arguing. Although it is unusual, there are various reasons why he does this. Galbraith argues that conventional wisdom is problematic and can hinder successful structuring of the economy. Therefore, he wants the audience to be open to his ideas and accept them, since he has enlightened them on the flaws of conventional wisdom. According to Galbraith, conventional wisdom is those ideas that are widely accepted and approved by the society, which are necessary and almost indispensable (Galbraith, 1958). According to Galbraith, conventional wisdom is detrimental to economic growth, since it hinders people from think widely and being innovative, thus hindering development. Thus, conventional wisdom seeks to maintain the status quo, at the expense of looking for ways to improve the situation or devise ways of solving problems. The problem with conventional wisdom is that, it hinders people from thinking widely and generating new ideas. It makes people reluctant to think about progressive ideas that can propel them forward. Galbraith (1958) perceives that there is a difference between normal life trends, and the way the economy operates. According to him, “Economic like other social life does not conform to a simple and coherent pattern,” (p. 6). Therefore to grow the economy of the United States, it is necessary to do away with conventional wisdom. The danger posed by conventional wisdom is that, it has the potential of corrupting creative and progressive individuals, rendering them less proactive in generating and advancing ideas that can enhance economic growth. Since conventional wisdom does not surrender, it can catch up with people who had good ideas on improving the situations, and corrupt their way of thinking, making them remain redundant (Galbraith, 1958). For example during the great depression, people used to live a life of poverty, with minimal resources to survive. Therefore, they gave up most of the progressive ideas they had, since they could not get the requisite resources to implement those ideas. The US post-World War II economic systems have improved, thus creating many opportunities. However, people have been corrupted by the laxity they had adapted during the great depression, thus they are not proactive in taking available opportunities presented by the improving economic conditions (Galbraith, 1958). Considering “the fact that an almost infinite variety of goods await the consumer’s attention,” (p. 120), it is vital to think carefully on how to commit the available resources (Galbraith, 1958). Poverty enhances broad thinking and generation of ideas on how to overcome it (Galbraith, 1958). A poor person does not have sufficient resources to meet all his/her needs, and, therefore, will constantly devise ways of improving his/her situation by seeking remedies to his/her shortages. Additionally, a poor person will always seek for ways to use his/her few resources so that he/she can multiply them and improve his/her situation. Contrary, the rich has a tendency of using their resources for wrong purposes as they have not keenly thought on how to utilise them. Thus, poor people apply creativity and innovation to improve their situation (Galbraith, 1958). It therefore follows that structuring the economy to enhance its growth applies the same principles. If economic structuring is to be successful, there is a need “to divorce economics from any judgment,” and stop approaching it with conventional wisdom (Galbraith, 1958). Galbraith observes that there has been affluence in the United States, mostly possessed by the Europeans (Galbraith, 1958). He further observes that this affluence is shaping the future of the United States, since it has been accepted as the basis of the future economy (Galbraith, 1958). Accepting affluence as the basis of the future will be detrimental to economic improvement of the United States, since it will not create room for creativity and innovation. Human wants cannot be satisfied fully. According to Galbraith (1958), “The more wants are satisfied the more wants are born,” (p.124). This means that human beings are always striving to satisfy their needs. The same way, man should adapt creativity and innovation since they will spur growth and economic improvement. On the contrary, conventional wisdom will hinder this advancement, since it does not promote generation of new ideas. Originality is, therefore, one of the pillars of economic development, where new and creative ideas are generated through strategic reasoning to better the economy (Galbraith, 1958). In conclusion, without new ideas, there is no growth. Therefore, strategic arguing can be applied to enhance economic growth, through generating new ideas. Conventional wisdom, which deals with preserving the current situation, is detrimental to economic advancement. Since human needs cannot be fully satisfied, the need to constantly improve the existing situation creates an avenue for better economy. Thus, wealth and affluence are detrimental to economic improvement, since they hinder the generation of creative and innovative ideas. Galbraith has articulated these ideas well, through backing them up with valid arguments. Therefore, people will understand and agree with his arguments. Reference Galbraith, J. K. (1958). The Affluent Society. Boston, USA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: Redbox in the Future of DVD Rental Business Case StudyWith the emergence, of digital communication Redbox can distribute movies to clients efficiently, however, that is not the case; it delivers physical DVDs. Redbox will lose its status as a market leader; unless and until it takes advantage of technology to deliver movies.

Redbox in the Future of DVD Rental Business Case Study With the emergence, of digital communication Redbox can distribute movies to clients efficiently, however, that is not the case; it delivers physical DVDs. Redbox will lose its status as a market leader; unless and until it takes advantage of technology to deliver movies.

Redbox in the Future of DVD Rental Business Case Study With the emergence, of digital communication Redbox can distribute movies to clients efficiently, however, that is not the case; it delivers physical DVDs. Redbox will lose its status as a market leader; unless and until it takes advantage of technology to deliver movies. People are turning to technology as a tool to gather information and buy goods and services; as such, technology makes it possible to save time that will otherwise be used in looking for goods and services. Technology enables customers to gather information on a variety of products as well as the price at which they are selling. In addition, technology ensures that clients access information at the comfort of their homes or office. Redbox focuses on selling DVDs to clients who must physically collect them from Redbox vending machines kiosk; it, therefore, will not attract potential clients who desire to have movies delivered online. Technology enables business organization to capture new markets while retaining existing customer. Technology being a critical opportunity, Redbox can use it to stay ahead of its competition. Redbox currently purchases physical DVDs; this ties up a significant amount of capital. Digital distribution of movies will reduce operating cost without compromising the quality of services offered. Storage cost has a negative impact on the Redbox profitability, since this increases the Company’s cost of operation. The current plan by Redbox to have vending machines in various locations limit its ability to reach clients who cannot access vending machines or those who are in Europe, Australia, Africa or the Middle East. This is a deficiency which can easily be overcome by utilizing technology to reach as many people as possible. Although Redbox has been able to generate attractive revenue, online delivery of movies will make it realize improved sales. The Advantage of Redbox current policies of positioning vending machines in places frequented by many people enables Redbox to supply movies based on the demographics. As a result, Redbox can plan ahead by stocking DVDs, which sell, thus minimizing slow moving DVDs. In addition, the physical infrastructure of vending machines is an unbeatable competitive advantage because delivery of movies through streaming is yet to reach its full potential. The disadvantage of Redbox current model of selling Physical DVDs includes the possibility of clients poorly handling or destroying DVDs. Besides, Redbox has to have many employees to monitor stock and deliver movies to vending machines in different locations. Redbox will continue to be a market leader by ensuring it adopts and grows its ability to deliver movies online especially through streaming. Video streaming has the advantage of enabling the company to sell movies to clients who are not within the geographical location of its vending machines. It will also release resources currently used stock DVDs. Besides, it is convenient for Redbox clients to buy movies without having to go to a vending machine. In conclusion, Redbox is going to remain a market leader when it takes advantage of technology to expand its market share, lower operating cost and ensure efficient delivery of movies. Online sale of movies will guarantee the future of Redbox by enabling it to minimize operating cost while expanding market share. It has to retain vending machines while developing online movie sales. Online distribution of movies is the only way to ensure Redbox remains a market leader in the movie distribution business.

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Write the full essay for the following summary: The text discusses the importance of developing a comprehensive strategic plan for the actualization of a business plan.The text also discusses the need for a mission statement, which is the basic blueprint for the actualization of a business plan. Finally, the text discusses the need for success measurement parameters at the micro and macro business environments as attached in appendix 1.

The text discusses the importance of developing a comprehensive strategic plan for the actualization of a business plan. The text also discusses the need for a mission statement, which is the basic blueprint for the actualization of a business plan. Finally, the text discusses the need for success measurement parameters at the micro and macro business environments as attached in appendix 1.

Regency Drycleaners Limited’s Strategic Plan Essay Executive Summary To establish a successful business, it is important to develop a comprehensive strategic plan which is the basic blueprint for the actualization of a business plan. Reflectively, the strategic plan is inclusive of the SWOT of the business environment, penetration strategies, and success measurement parameters at the micro and macro business environments as attached in appendix 1. This strategic plan is for the proposed Regency Drycleaners Limited located in the UAE within the region of Abu Shagara, Sharjah. The mission of the business is to provide the most cost-effective and reliable laundry services within the targeted region and beyond. The business will serve customers from the high, medium, and low economic ends since laundry services are used across all classes. The laundry services will be the most affordable within the Abu Shagara region. At present, the laundry service industry within the targeted region is relatively noncompetitive since very companies are offering these services. Thus, Regency Drycleaners Limited is projected to penetrate this market within very minimal resistance. General Company Description This business will be called the Regency Drycleaners Limited abbreviated as DCL. This business will be located in the UAE in the region of Abu Shagara, Sharjah. The business will accept all kinds of dirty clothes and promises to deliver clean clothes within 24 hours. The form of ownership of the Regency Drycleaners Limited will be through sole proprietorship. This choice is informed by the fact that the starting capital is relatively small. Besides, the business does not need a lot of commitment from many managers. Besides, a sole proprietorship will enable the owner to take all the profits. The Regency Drycleaners Limited targets customers from high-end and low-end economic classes. However, due to low prices that will be charged for the dry cleaning services, the business focuses to gain more from the lower-income bracket. Specifically, the business targets customers in the age bracket between twenty years and above since this age group often have clothes that require dry cleaning. Besides, the business intends to make sure that customers receive their clothes within twenty-four hours. Moreover, the business will introduce discount cards such as the premium, regular and ordinary cards to customers. Customers who get these cards will have to pay even lower for the services as long as the conditions within the cards are met. The business will collect the dirty clothes from the homes and houses of clients and offer free delivery to clients with premium cards. Also, the business will charge an average of only AED 20 for every dry cleaning service. The Regency Drycleaners Limited will follow the following principles as guidance for sustainable business; 1. Honesty and integrity in handling the need and concerns of the customers and the business environment. 2. Professionalism and respect to the personality and foundation of the relationship between the business and customers. 3. Quality assurance and quick response to any request of the customers. The mission of the Regency Drycleaners Limited will function on being the leading business in the dry laundry cleaning in Abu Shagara. The goals of the proposed Regency Drycleaners Limited are summarised into short-term goals as listed below. 1. The marketing goal will be to acquire 100 clients per week for the first 12 months. With a typically well-organized commodity pool, this business is geared to quickly increase its market share since the beneficial interests can be distributed across the commodity users. This strategy will facilitate the restructuring of effective sales and public awareness to develop product knowledge. 2. One of the product strategies that the business will utilize is to make sure that it attributes the dry cleaning laundry services to convenience and affordability. The business will charge the laundry services at AED20 as a strategy to attract consumers within the second quarter of the first years of operation. 3. The business aims to expand its customer base to regions outside the Abu Shagara by recruiting five salespersons who will double up as pick and delivery service providers within the first six months of operation. Products and Services The proposed Regency Drycleaners Limited will offer dry cleaning services to customers within the targeted region. The products will be segmented into premium, gold, and standard to target the high-end, middle-income, and low-income customers. The products will be differentiated based on extra services such as free delivery, time taken to dry clean, and method of dry cleaning. The rationale for creating multiple products is to attract customers from all classes and create an environment of their competition, thus locking out potential rivals. Marketing Plan Target market The Regency Drycleaners Limited targets customers from the high, middle, and low income ends. However, due to low prices that will be charged for the dry cleaning services, the business focuses to gain more from the lower-income bracket (Mariotti 46). Specifically, the business targets customers in the age bracket between twenty years and above since this age group often have clothes that require dry cleaning. The customer base area for the customer segment is within the targeted region. Product features and benefits The Regency Drycleaners offers the most reliable, dependable, and affordable dry cleaning services. The business will adopt the product development strategy of constantly modifying its services to suit the demands of the customers. Being a customer of the Regency Drycleaners would mean having a lifetime membership card that promises free laundry services after every ten visits to this store within six months. The business will also offer a series of discounts to customers. Product differentiation The laundry service business will be the first of its kind in the business location area. Moreover, the business will introduce discount cards such as the premium, regular and ordinary cards to customers. Customers who get these cards will have to pay even lower for the services as long as the conditions within the cards are met. The business will collect the dirty clothes from the homes and houses of clients and offer free delivery to clients with premium cards. The business guarantees money back for justifiable dissatisfaction. Pricing Through the good, better, best pricing strategy comprising of discounts for every laundry service, the target client segment is projected to increase their dependence on the company. Therefore, applying the costing strategy, the company will be able to attract customers and achieve the aim of the quantity maximization by the increasing number of laundry services. The business will use a promotional price of AED20 per service. Place (Distribution) issues For the Regency Drycleaners to reach the target market, the company will hire three vehicles fitted with loudspeakers to announce the product across different estates where the target market is easily found. These automobiles will also be fitted with visible posters of the company’s services and discounts (Cheverton 33). The automobiles will be allocated to different regions of Abu Shagara where the availability and visibility of the company’s products are minimal. Advertising The marketing plan will comprise of a detailed calendar of the business advertisement. The year will be divided into three segments January-April, May-August, and September-December. To create customer awareness about the product, it will run daily advertisements on the television to make sure that consumers know about its activities. As consumers get to know about the product, the company will relax its advertisement program. Therefore, the second segment will entail running the advertisements thrice per week. This will aid in keeping the clients aware of the product. Besides, it will target those consumers that might not have heard about the products. The last segment of the calendar year will involve running the television advertisement once per month. By this time, the majority of the consumers will have known about the products (Rhim and Lee 161). Promotions The company chooses to use sales promotion through discounts and issuance of redeemable points. This choice was made since it will help the company to increase its sales volume within a short period. In this case, the company will apply a sales promotion strategy such as push-up sales. This will facilitate in attracting and retaining new customers by issuing them with free laundry and other after-sales services such as free delivery (Cheverton 44). Sales promotion will ensure that consumers return to the company whenever they need laundry services. Operational Plan The Supply Chain The supply chain determines the success of a company’s marketing strategy and ease of business sustainability. This company will adopt the pseudo marketing strategy to further penetrate the market and sustain its captured market. Accessibility and transition in the marketing plan will ensure efficiency and proactive response analysis to further improve on the demands of prospective clients. To increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the market entry plan will encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate healthy and lifetime relationships between the business and its clients. Among the new development elements that will be incorporated to build trust are the establishment of a strong distribution, fair retribution process, and passing accurate information to the target audience to restore confidence within the new networks. Therefore, customer retention is achievable through the creation of a reliable and affordable marketing channel that is essential in monitoring a matrix that maps out potential competitors and identifies the weaknesses and strengths of the clients. Moreover, the reporting criteria will reflect the success of the marketing calendar and set targets generated from time to time. Quality Assurance Strategies Production efficiency is critical in the production line since it is characterized by optimal utilization of allocated factors of production within the least possible cost. Quality improvement will be used to measure, assess, and improve client service delivery outcomes. The success of quality improvement and organizational change management will be dependent on the alignment of the production soft skills and sustainability strategy for the proposed business. If well organized, the strategy will complete the response projections for the company which shall be addressed in the proposed quality service delivery system. IT resources The Regency Drycleaners will require 6 computers, three office telephones, four laundry machines, and a network connection. The network connection will facilitate interaction between the general manager and other employees of the business. Besides, the telephones will be instrumental in communicating with the customers and the sales team when they are in the field. Customer services The Regency Drycleaners will compile a database of the potential and actual customers on the computers. Besides, the telephones will have a backup of contacts of the regular customers. Also, the company will open a social site from where customers will be in a position to see the latest promotional activities and price discounts. Management and Organization Management The main determinants of success metrics in business production activities are the production strategies and the aspect of human input. The labor output will eventually determine the productivity of business activity at the micro and macro levels of business operations. In the case of the Regency Drycleaners, the business manager will be tasked with the duty of ensuring that the business guidelines are met within an efficient utilization of resources. Under the business, the manager will be the coordinator. The business coordinator will form the primary link between the general manager and other units of the business. Under the coordinator will be the logistics officer and the marketing manager. The head of logistics and the marketing manager will ensure a smooth flow of the business activities in the company through constant coordination with the sales team consisting of 6 salespersons (Rhim and Lee 188). Organizational chart Corporate culture Quality planning of work specialization is an important policy that aims to promote long term success in business objectives since it is focused to enhance the effective exploitation of human resources (Osterman 404). The Regency Drycleaners business will adopt the professional approach and each employee will have specific duties to perform. A performance review will be carried out every three months to ensure that the employees obey the culture of hard work, quality, and transparency in serving the interests of the business. The organization structure of the Regency Drycleaners business will be characterized by a streamlined chain of bureaucracy in the chain of command from the general manager down to the sales team. The structure will encourage security, comfort, and safety, and the prevailing physical convenience of the staff. Measuring factors such as interpersonal relations, working conditions, support and trust, welfare provisions, and work environment will greatly contribute to the organizational effectiveness within the business’ corporate culture (Bowden 67). Leadership philosophy The Regency Drycleaners’ leadership philosophy will operate on the periphery of Patagonia’s philosophies of management as mere guidelines for rationale rather than rules cast on stones (Kotler and Keller 42). Basically, this philosophy of ethical conduct code functions on responsible business undertakings with moral worth. This philosophy will create a sense of responsibility among the employees to promote business environmental sustainability through the preservation of professionalism and the general business environment for success. Job descriptions Business manager * Administrative role. * Planning and organizing sales drive in different regions. * Setting targets within the business. * Planning of the strategies and monitoring progress of the previous plans. * Registering and receiving bi-monthly sales reports. Business coordinator * Planning and organizing sales drive in different regions. * Implementing the set targets within the business. * Answer questions about the products. * Being the company’s brand ambassador to new clients. Marketing Manager/Logistics officer * Promoting and marketing the company’s products. * Planning and organizing sales drive in different regions. * Setting personal targets for the sales teams within the company’s targets. * Planning of the sales strategies and monitoring the progress of the previous plans. Retail sales associate * Promoting and marketing the company’s products. * Planning and organizing sales drive in different regions. * Executing the sales strategies and monitoring the progress of the previous plans. * Registering and receiving bi-monthly sales reports. * Collecting products that are defective from customers within a defined region. * Being the company’s brand ambassador to new clients. Job specifications Business manager Qualification for Job: * University degree in business management. * Language skills: Fluent in English and the local language. * Two years of experience in a senior management position. * Proficient with the latest sales and marketing applications. Business Coordinator Qualification for Job * University degree in sales and marketing. * Language skills: Fluent in English and the local language. * Two years of experience in a senior management position. * Proficient with the latest sales and marketing applications. Logistics/Marketing manager Qualification for Job * University degree in sales and marketing. * Language skills: Fluent in English and the local language. * Two years experience in a mid-management position. * Proficient with the latest sales and marketing applications. Retails sales associate Qualification for Job * College diploma in sales and marketing. * Language skills: Fluent in English and the local language. * One year of experience in sales and marketing. * Ability to work under pressure. Training employees Developing a training and development strategy requires the creation of relevant objectives and a realistic budget. The training and development strategy is continuous but periodically executed after every six months. The first phase of training will be on personal development while the second phase on teamwork and production quality skills. The two phases will target the Intra and interpersonal development of the employees about performance in the work environment (Cheverton 39). This is summarised in the table below. Strategy Goal setting Feedback Channel Exception Criteria Evaluation Criteria Empowering employees to participate more in the sales process Setting attainable assignments and allowing employees to consult on the same Creating interactive sessions for the workforce Establishing the organization culture and ethics Review of performance periodically after every stage of training Creating more motivational programs involving teamwork activities Fixing motivational programs in the annual calendar Performance comparison between teams Defining limits for responsive training Testing team spirit and insight Compensation The compensations that will be offered to employees of the Regency Drycleaners Limited will be in the form of monthly salaries payable after every thirty continuous days of labor provision. The proposed salary package for each position is presented in the table below. Position Monthly Salary Rationale General Manager AED1400 He or she will be responsible for the major decisions in the business Business Coordinator AED1000 He or she will have to carry out administrative and technical duties in the business Logistics/Marketing Manager AED800 He or she will have to design marketing plans and manage their implementation Sales executive AED500 plus commission The success of the business will depend on their attitude and ability to sell the services offered by the Regency Drycleaners Incentives To motivate the staff of the Regency Drycleaners, it will use a mixture of motivation enhancing practices promotions, rewards, and recognition. For instance, the sales team will be given a commission on top of their salary for meeting the monthly targets. The management team will be entitled to an annual salary increment and end year gratitude which will be five percent of the annual returns. Also, the business will give the first employees a five percent stake in the business. Personal Financial Statement The Regency Drycleaners Limited 12-Month Income Statement Forecast Monthly Cash Flow Budget Statement for the Year 2017 Particulars Start up Jan Feb March April May June Estimated Sales Units 200 200 300 350 400 400 Sales Revenue 4,000 4,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 8,000 Cash Inflow Accounts Receivable 4,000 4,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 8,000 Initial capital 27,000 Long-term Loan 60,000 Total (A) 87,000 4,000 4,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 8,000 Cash outflow Accounts Payable 1,000 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,400 2,400 Worker wages 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 Rent 300 300 300 300 300 300 Electricity and Utilities 300 300 300 300 300 300 Other Admin expenses 600 600 600 600 600 600 Sales Promotion 500 500 500 500 Interest 300 300 Property, Plant, and Equipment 40,000 Loan Repayment Total (B) 40, 000 5,700 5,700 6,100 800 6,600 7,400 Net cash (A) – (B) 47,000 -1,700 -1,700 -1,100 800 1,200 600 Opening balance 47,000 45, 300 43, 400 42,300 43,100 44,300 Closing Cash 240,400 45,300 43, 400 42,300 43,100 44,300 44,900 Particulars July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total Estimated Sales Units 400 500 500 600 800 400 5,000 Sales Revenue 8,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 16,000 8,000 100,000 Cash Inflow – Accounts Receivable 8,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 16,000 8,000 100, 000 Initial capital 27,000 Long-term Loan 60,000 Total (A) 8,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 16,000 8,000 187,000 Cash outflow Accounts Payable 2,000 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,000 4,000 31,400 Worker wages 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 36,000 Factory Rent 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600 Electricity and Utilities 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600 Other Admin 600 600 600 600 600 600 7,200 Expenses Sales Promotion 500 500 500 1000 500 4,800 Interest 300 300 3,400 Property, Plant, and Equipment 40,000 Loan Repayment 5,700 5,700 6,100 800 6,600 7,400 4,000 Total (B) -1,700 -1,700 -1,100 800 1,200 600 141,500 Net cash (A) – (B) -1,700 -1,700 -1,100 800 1,200 -1000 45,500 Opening balance 47,000 45, 300 43, 400 42,300 43,100 46,500 Closing Cash 45,300 43, 400 42,300 43,100 44,300 45,500 The Regency Drycleaners Limited Balance Sheet As of 30 th December 2017. Assets Current Assets Cash in Bank 2,000 Cash Value of Inventory 25,000 Prepaid Expenses (insurance) 4,800 Total Current Assets 31,800 Fixed Assets Machinery & Equipment 4,800 Furniture & Fixtures 7,200 Real Estate / Buildings – Total Fixed Assets 12,000 Total Assets 43,800 Liabilities & Net Worth Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 2,000 Taxes Payable 2,000 Notes Payable (due within 12 months) – Total Current Liabilities 4,000 Long-Term Liabilities Bank Loans Payable (greater than 12 months) 1,000 Less: Short-Term Portion – Total Long-Term Liabilities 1,000 Total Liabilities 5,000 Owners’ Equity (Net Worth) 37,800 Total Liabilities & Net Worth 45,500 Start-up Expenses and Capitalization Cost of doing business. Expenses Expected Monthly Cost (AED) Expected Yearly Cost (AED) Rent 300 3,600 Salaries and Wages 3,000 36,000 Technological Equipment 1000 12,000 and Furniture Advertising and Other Promotions 500 4,800 Utilities: Heat, Electricity, etc. 300 3,600 Telephone and Internet 300 300 Insurance 500 4,800 Miscellaneous 300 3,600 Total 6,200 74,400 From the above estimations, the business will need start-up capital of AED74, 000. Therefore, the owners of the business will have to apply for a long term loan of AED74, 000 repayable within three years. Part of the loan will be used for expansion in the second year of operations. Financial Plan Business financing has become a challenge for those aspiring to expand an existing business or start a business. Thus, this part attempts to explicitly review the sources of funding options available for the Regency Drycleaners Limited. Besides, the treatise explores the cost aspects of each source of business financing and the importance of financial planning. Business financing has become a challenge for those aspiring to expand an existing business or start a business. Thus, this part attempts to explicitly review the sources of funding options available for the Regency Drycleaners Limited. Besides, the treatise explores the cost aspects of each source of business financing and the importance of financial planning. Internal Sources The internal financing options available for the company include personal sources such as retained profits and share capital. Basically, the retained profit is the funds generated by the initial business when it profitably trades. Reflectively, retained profits are necessary is financing the further expansion of the company since the business has the potential of making consistent sales. Besides, the company has the option of acquiring funding from the share capital which has been the main source of funding for the start up (Kotler and Keller 34). Through share capital, the owner will be in a position to retain full control and ownership of the company, especially if he or she is the sole contributor. External Funding Sources Among the most viable external funding sources available for the Regency Drycleaners Limited include loan capital in the form of bank overdraft or bank loan, engaging external investors, and convincing business angels to be part of the company. Bank loan/Overdraft Under a bank loan option, the Regency Drycleaners Limited will be in a position to receive funding that is fixed over some time. The loan(s) will attract different interest rates, depending on the type and amount that the business will borrow. Reflectively, bank loans are repaid over a longer period and repayment schedules are fixed. Besides the bank loan, the Regency Drycleaners Limited has the option of acquiring financing through a bank overdraft. Basically, a bank overdraft is a short term loan. Bank overdrafts are a very flexible source of business financing since they can be used to handle temporary cash flow fluctuations in the company (Bowden 69). Besides, bank overdrafts may offer the company a lifeline when it experiences temporary cash flow challenges. Share Capital from Outside Investors Another source of financing available for the Regency Drycleaners Limited is the use of funds from outside investors such as contributions from family, friends, and interested investors who will be given shares in the company according to their contribution (Cheverton 29). The fund contributors will be allocated shares in line with the total capital that the company requires for the expansion of the business. Debt Financing Securing Plan Full knowledge of the business costs will be instrumental in deciding the most cost benefits funding sources available for the business. This implies that financial planning at the Regency Drycleaners Limited will ensure an easy cash flow forecast and managing internal funds flow. Considering the nature of the business and industry, the most appropriate source of funding would be bank overdraft and share capital from external investors funding (Bowden 68). Bank overdrafts will give the business leverage against temporary cash flow problems and under or overestimations. Besides, bank overdraft is a flexible source of funding for the Regency Drycleaners Limited. Works Cited Bowden, John. “The Process of Customer Engagement: A Conceptual Framework.” Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice , 17.1 (2009): 63-74. Print. Cheverton, Philip. Key Marketing Skills: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques for Marketing success, London: Kogan Page, 2009. Print. Kotler, Philip, and Kevin Keller. Marketing Management , New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. Print. Mariotti, Steve. Entrepreneurship: Starting and Operating a Small Business , New York: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. Osterman, Paul. “Job Design in the Context of the Job Market.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 31.2 (2010): 401–411. Print. Rhim, Hosus, and Chan Lee. “Assessing Potential Threats to Incumbent Brands: New Product Positioning Under Price Competition in a Multi Segmented Markets.” International Journal of Research in Marketing , 22.1 (2005): 159-182. Print. Appendices Appendix 1: SWOT Summary Market force Strength Weakness Threat Opportunity Strategy Customized services Small market niche Changed preferences Business expansion Technology Local magazine easily accessible Target client relatively traditional Changing media forms Online marketing Competitive advantage Affordable prices Sustainability of the entry pricing Changing customer loyalty Business expansion Political and economic conformity Free market Unstable business model Economic swings Establishment of more branches Legal conformity Limited conformity requirements Sensitive business environment Tax regime Structured operations Cultural aspects Conformity to Glace Bay culture Challenge of wining clients Changed customer preferences Opportunity for expansion Process and systems Simple but effective system Limited scope of the system Limited staff due to low business turnover Opportunity for expansion Refining the Plan The aspect of financial and market feasibility will be examined before the business is declared viable.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The study analyzes the concept of religion and secularism in the context of materialistic benefits.The study analyzes the concept of religion and secularism in the context of materialistic benefits. It estimates the sources of religious commercialism in America and emphasizes the significance of Easter parades and the movements of church decoration, in the initiation of stable marketing strategies, which affect both the national economy and the well-being of separate retailers.

The study analyzes the concept of religion and secularism in the context of materialistic benefits. The study analyzes the concept of religion and secularism in the context of materialistic benefits. It estimates the sources of religious commercialism in America and emphasizes the significance of Easter parades and the movements of church decoration, in the initiation of stable marketing strategies, which affect both the national economy and the well-being of separate retailers.

Religious Commercialism and Secularism in America Essay Introduction: The Marketing Culture of American Christianity & Secularism The study analyzes the concept of religion and secularism in the context of materialistic benefits. Mainly, the sources of religious commercialism in America are estimated. Thus, the work emphasizes the significance of Easter parades and the movements of church decoration, in the initiation of stable marketing strategies, which affect both the national economy and the well-being of separate retailers. Secondly, the overview of the elements, which differentiate traditions within religion and secularism, is made. In other words, the work presents an attempt to outline the limits of religious and non-religious patterns, which exist in American society and affect commercial progress. Finally, the work analyzes the general social, which is evoked by religious commercialization, in the USA, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of church-related retailing. The Sources of Religious & Secular Marketing Celebration as the Means of National Reuniting The traditions of celebrating religious holidays, in America, were shaped by long centuries of struggles and misunderstandings. Until the 17 th century, there were no common Christmas festivities, and the celebrations were rather sporadic and multi-traditional. In the 17 th century, the USA appeared in the middle of a strong Puritan impact, according to which religious celebrations were strictly forbidden. At this time, any type of communal festivities was banned, and the citizens were forced to work on Christmas and Easter. Thus, the primary transition to Christmas and Easter as national holidays appeared only in the 18 th century after the collapse of the Puritan regime. At this time, the new colonists, who were inspired by the American attachment to religious celebrations, started bringing into the USA such traditions as Christmas tree decoration, caroling, and exchanging gifts. Accordingly, by the end of the 19 th century, Christmas and Easter became two critical moments in the lives of Americans. As a result, the retailers and separate businesses started the promotion of multiple fest attributes, which turned into extensive religious commercialization. Looking Luxurious as the Secular Pattern The commercial side of church traditions relates to the incorporation of religious figures into ordinary life. Thus, the celebration of multiple Christian holidays, in America, is combined with a set of secular customs such as organizing Christmas markets, initiating Easter and New Year parties, launching church-related media projects, etc. One of the ideal representations of making religious holidays a part of marketing positioning is the musical Easter Parade (Butler & Stout, 1997). In this work, Irving Berlin reveals the environment of shopping, in the context of pre-Eastern fuss. The characters of the musical, which encourage the customers to buy bonnets because they are perfect for wearing, at the time of celebration, embody the symbolism of religious commercialization. In fact, the absurdity of the scenes proves that the correlation between secular and religious traditions, in fact, started separating people and church values by turning spiritual customs into the monetary experience. One could even claim that the distorted picture of Easter marketing violates the leading Bible principles since, according to Christian persuasions, excessive attachment to materialism is a sin. Conclusively, the parody on Easter commercialization shows that linking religion to business is a purely secular construction, which invalidates the basis of church persuasions. A substantial part of American winter marketing relates to Christmas traditions. The experts claim that exchanging presents has gradually become the core of the Christmas holidays. Indeed, the world of markets and shopping centers turns into an over-crowded area in pre-Christmas days. Americans agree that a consistent part of customers, who spend huge sums on money on Christmas presents, do not relate to the holiday itself as to the occasion to celebrate Christ’s birthday since they do not identify themselves with the world of religion. Consequently, the miracle of Christmas gradually turns into the reason for getting together with close people and sharing presents. A similar tendency refers to the custom of organizing celebrations at workplaces, corporations, as well as enriching the media world with the products that relate to the Christmas holidays. As it follows, the absurdity of the analyzed pattern stems from the fact that a lot of non-religious people started benefiting from church holidays since their popularity offers new flows of commercialization ideas. For instance, in the last years, a separate domain of the so-called “holiday fashion” evolved. The movement extended from the old persuasion, according to which our ancestors used to meet every Easter, in church, wearing new clothes. The modern Americans, notwithstanding their evident separation from the church, still keep the tradition of buying new Easter attire. The tendency offers the new source of money to retailers, who, subsequently, create the culture of Christmas and Easter sales with the aim of gaining financial profit from the distorted custom. Still, neither the buyers nor the sellers bind the tradition with their religious persuasions. Fancy Decorations in Church Environment: Tradition or Business Trend? The second source of religious commercialization extends from the festivity of Gothic church styling, which gave birth to such prominent centers of religion as Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The luxury of church facades stimulated the development of decoration tradition inside the religious institutions as well. In today’s America, special emphasis is given to religious decoration at the time of Christmas and Easter. The business of festive styling was developed according to the simple mechanism: the retailers overtook the primary symbols of religious celebrations and turned into the boosting selling objects. Specifically, the elements of willow trees were bounded to Easter as the sign of Christ’s salutation. As a result, decorating rooms, workplaces, and even the streets with willow brunches, in combination with flowers and bands, became the critical element of Easter celebrations in the USA and the other countries. Since church regards Christ’s resurrection as the happiest moment, in a Christian calendar, the centers of religion are likely to encourage the visitors to bring flowers into cathedrals as the sign of congratulating churches with this sacred event. The pattern, in fact, can also be regarded as a commercialization issue, for it is a subject of financial profit for floristic retailers. The concept of decorating is peculiar for the Christmas celebration as well. Mainly, one can view Christmas trees, garlands, and fancy candles in every cathedral, in the period of winter festivities. The support of marketing strategies, which embrace religious holidays, in fact, stems from the development of competitiveness in cathedral styling. Thus, it is claimed that different churches, which concern the same confessions, are interested in attracting visitors. That is why the church figures often speculate with decoration strategies trying to make churches as luxurious as possible, in order to supersede their “rivals.” The tradition became so deeply-rooted into American reality that it gave birth to a figural language expression “cathedral effect.” In this way, modern Americans call every fancy decoration since church styling became officially related to excessive luxury. The Effects of Church Commercialization on Religious and Secular Society Leaving Church: Marketing Crisis vs. Manipulation of Faith The tendencies of religious commercialization have diverse impacts on different target groups of Americans. If one analyzes the ways in which religious marketing influences Christians, in the USA, one can note a gradual decadence of church visits, with the growth of monetary traditions that are attached to that. In this context, two major groups of citizens are distinguished. The first target group embraces believers, who, in fact, can not afford to provide support to holiday commercialization, which, gradually, provokes their disapproval of church laws and discourages them from visiting religious centers. Concerning the second congregation, it relates to the citizens, who perceive church commercialization as the pretence for religion rebuttal. The devoted Christians, who are well-acquainted with Bible scripts, in general, have a common opinion about religious monetarism, which stems from the gospel about the encounter of Lord with a rich man. According to it, the man, who was looking for God’s mercy, posed a question to Christ, in which he wondered if there is anything he could do with his money so that to please God. The Christ answered that God never requires money but it can be desperately needed by some people, who can not afford food. That is why, God gave the man the advice to sell his property and sacrifice it for beggars (Johnson, 2011). Therefore, if one analyzes the tradition of spending money on church décor and holiday outfits, it, evidently, contradicts the Bible. Consequently, when Bible-readers come to church and are said that they have to bring in donations for Easter decorations, they start questioning church laws and, in most cases, abandon religious traditions, notwithstanding their faith in God remains unbreakable. The second target group involves people, who feel comfortable with church commercialization since the recent attachment of American churches to monetary side of life seems to appear as the justification for dropping religion as the concept. The citizens from this group are, mostly, individuals, who embrace hateful attitude to any revelations of church life and expose church servers as bribers. Approval of Commercialization among Americans One can distinguish a group of Americans, who provide consistent support to commercialization trends and perceive such holidays as Christmas and Easter as the means of sustaining the so-called “celebration” type of social interaction. Thus, the organization of holiday festivities, decorations, and showing off with the newly-purchased attire, usually, applies to the interests of wealthy social class. However, the deep appreciation of traditions does not always relate to religion. According to the interrogation of Americans, only 34 % of citizens, who approve holiday commercialization, believe in God or attend church (Leone, 2011). In fact, the existence of all target categories of individuals, who embrace either skepticism or delight about religion commercialization, contributes to the decadence of church reality, in America. Thus, eventually, both groups come to the conclusion that turning religious holidays into the sources of financial benefits detaches people from church. According to the diversity of opinions on the correlation between holidays and church, Americans started protests on the so-called multicultural sensitivity. In this way, the concept of “war on Christmas” appeared. Due to this idea, the citizens stand for the identification of Christmas as a national holiday, which is dissociated with religion. The tendency appeared when pupils and students, in the USA, were bound to take part in Christmas ceremonies. In other words, the acknowledgment of traditional Christmas tree decoration, lights installation, and gifts’ exchange remains stable but the shift in the justification of celebration grounds is required. In the 19 th century, it was offered to change the name “Christmas” for the neutral work “Holiday.” Despite the attempt on title exchange was not successful, the controversy is still gaining prominence, in American society. Religious Populism: The Impacts of Commercialization on Businesses The growth of holiday commercialization, undeniably, stemmed from the extension of media advertizing. Thus, in the 19 th century, mass celebrating commercialization campaign was launched. Since the influence of Puritan movements was totally liquidated, in America, the holidays were extensively popularized in newspapers, diaries, and trade journals, particularly, in the pre-holiday periods. The strategic advertising embraced a consumer-oriented form. As a result, some of the holidays became fully desacradized. For instance, the Valentine’s Day, which, originally, related to honoring one of the church saints, who gave birth to marriage, was deprived of religious character and became a secular holiday, in America. Consequently, Valentine’s Day became the first instance of creating a holiday brand, which was sustained through distributing Valentine cards with greetings verses. America Profile: Being Commercialized or Looking for Commercialization? The second critical implication of religion commercialization embraces the stimulation of competitive spirit. The experts often claim that over-commercialization of holidays has never been forcefully imposed on America since its culture was, initially, susceptible to such changes. Indeed, the USA is correlated with the citizens, who have a competitive spirit in their heart. Thus, no matter whether it concerns human genome race, technological innovation or space race, America has always strived to be the first in everything. Conclusively, when religious holidays became the subject for marketing, both common citizens and big businesses started a global holiday race. Mainly, the neighbors started competing with each other for the most luxurious decoration of houses and windows; the retailers initiated a race for the fanciest products, the designers, and small businesses began looking for ideas of the creative Christmas and Thanksgiving presents (Leone, 2011). Thus, it may be concluded that commercialization embraced America because the country was eager to accept this commercialization since it complied with its culture. The Meaning of Theological Commercialization for American Economy The tendency of spiritual commercialization appeared in the sphere of global economy with the spreading of the so-called “capitalism logic.” The tendency formulated a type of world markets, which are driven by profit orientation. As a result, commodification has gradually acquired expressional means, in all spheres of human activity, including church-related domains. From capitalism, the American market started transforming in commercialism-consumerism, which gave birth to the extensive modification of spirituality. If one analyzes the effects of the mentioned trends on the life level in the USA, one may notice a stable increase in American economy since the all-embracing commercialization was established. Indeed, the growth of state economy is directly dependent on the production of goods and consumption of these goods. In fact, any type of commercial material, which may become good-selling production, is the subject for economic enrichment. In America, the realization of commercialization strategies has optimal perspectives, due to the fact that the citizens are highly perceptive to materialism. The national survey proves that material values gain the center of attention, in Americans. Mainly, each one in 14 citizens of the USA is eager to commit a murder for a huge sum of money while 65 % of Americans would spend one year in a desert, with the same purpose (Bernice, 2001). Conclusively, turning religion into materialism contributes to the general growth of American economy. The Influences of Religious Commercialization in American Media The extensive commercialization of religion relates not only to the attributes of church holidays and decorations but to the popularization of religious tendencies, in general. In America, popularization is sustained through the fact that multiple newspapers, journals, and television programs target islamophobia and other religion-related issues. The patterns of terrorism, which evolve in the history of America, give birth to religious hostilities, fear, and hatred to Muslims. Indeed, the topic of Islamisms is one of the hottest themes of social discussions, in America. The area of concern received special emphasis in 2001 when the ill-famed terroristic attack 11/9 was committed. Accordingly, the popularization of islamophobia-related issues became a successful subject for American media. As a result, a number of commercialized publicist editions appeared. Despite the editions bring consistent monetary profits, the issue has explosive effects. The condemnation of Muslim world evokes intra-social tensions and oppositions within American community, which results in the stimulation of sporadic terrorism attacks. A bright example of such disruptive commercialization is the Charlie Hebdo shooting, which targeted a highly-sarcastic newspaper and led to the explosion of the publishing house, in Paris. In this way, one may conclude that the exploitation of religious conceptions with the aim of gaining monetary benefits may be dangerous for the American society, which is one of the most culturally-diverse world communities. Conclusion: Summing Up the Implications of Commercialization The study relies on the analysis of religious commercialization, in America, on the basis of exploiting such examples as holiday decorations, sarcastic media strategies, and the creation of a fashion movement that relates to Christian festivities. In detail, the paper explores the idea that acquiring holiday attributes became a strongly-rooted tradition, in the U.S. community. The pattern embraces the luxury of Easter and Christmas festivities, both in churches and at homes. According to the analysis, the primary implication of the tendency refers to the support of the American spirit of competitiveness. Secondly, the idea of commercialization has diverse effects on different target groups of consumers but, in a sum, it contributes to the detachment of citizens from church centers. The issue outlines the problem of faith crisis. Thirdly, the study dwells on the implications of commercialization, in the context of economy effects. In detail, the work concludes that the perceptiveness of Americans to materialism provides a strong support for the spreading of commercialism, in the country. Finally, the study takes into account the issue of media commercialism, which extended from the idea of islamophobia and bias as well as discovers the dangers of religious commercialization. To sum it up, religious marketing, in America, is a prerequisite of a multi-level social change, which relates to both country profile and individuality implications. References Bernice, K. (2001). Are you normal about money? New Jersey: Bloomberg Press. Butler, J., & Stout, H. (1997). Religion in American history: A reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Johnson, G. (2011). The restoration of Christmas. The Living Church, 21 (1), 13-18. Leone, M. (2011). The commercialization of Christmas in American society. The Living Church, 34 (2), 23-32.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : The impact of religious diversity on public safety and community policing has been some of the most popular topics of discourse in the last couple of decades. This was primarily caused by a growing share of ethnic immigrant communities in the developed countries of Europe and the United States. It is, therefore, crucial for public service workers to understand the difficulties associated with the management of multi-religious communities and to learn more about how to address these difficulties effectively.

The impact of religious diversity on public safety and community policing has been some of the most popular topics of discourse in the last couple of decades. This was primarily caused by a growing share of ethnic immigrant communities in the developed countries of Europe and the United States. It is, therefore, crucial for public service workers to understand the difficulties associated with the management of multi-religious communities and to learn more about how to address these difficulties effectively.

Religious Diversity’s Impact on Public Safety Essay Background Paper Religious diversity and its impact on the community have been some of the most popular topics of discourse in the last couple of decades. This was primarily caused by a growing share of ethnic immigrant communities in the developed countries of Europe and the United States. It is, therefore, crucial for public service workers to understand the difficulties associated with the management of multi-religious communities and to learn more about how to address these difficulties effectively. Rationale Religious persecution and the widespread neglect of religious diversity originated from the increase in terror attacks and the events of 9/11, which led to the increased alienation of religious minorities, religious persecution, and even hostility (Friedman and Cannon 1379). However, whereas there are a lot of provisions aimed at protecting the public from possible terror attacks, there are no widespread practices to address religious diversity and religious persecution that were also the results of terror attacks. For example, Spalek argues that the lack of proper jurisdiction to address religion-based hate crime in the UK led to an increase in the said offenses due to the fact that they are not charged as severely as gender-based or race-based hate crimes (4). The primary goal of this project, therefore, is to explore the impact of religious diversity on public safety and community policing and to articulate the need to address religious persecution in order to promote public safety. Review of Primary Sources Given that Muslim groups are among those most affected by religious persecution in the western world, one of the primary forces of this study was Spalek’s work, Islam, Crime, and Criminal Justice. The book provides an overview of the struggles faced by Muslim communities in Europe and the west and outlines the existing policies that are used to promote the safety of multi-religious communities in Britain. Another important source for this paper is Hodge’s article “Social Justice and People of Faith: A Transnational Perspective,” which explores the intersection between social justice and religion, as seen in the field of social work. The article is particularly useful in outlining the challenges that religious diversity poses for public work: for instance, the author argues that the offenses are usually directed to religious people with low social status, that are often marginalized in both international and community policing (Hodge 139). An article by Friedmann and Cannon, which compares public safety policies before and after the 2001 attacks, is also a useful source in outlining the gaps in policing that have to be addressed to promote the security of all people in the community, regardless of their religious beliefs. Finally, articles by Smith and Putnam provide a summary of religious diversity today and its perception in public. For example, Putnam argues that increased diversity leads to social issues, such as “Lower confidence in local government, local leaders and the local news media” (149) and “Less happiness and lower perceived quality of life” (150). Smith, on the other hand, claims that the US attitude towards other religions can be characterized as religious orthodoxy, the notion that “society, […] ought to try to ensure that its members adhered to a single faith” (2), which also poses complications for religious integration and cooperation. Overall, I believe that this project will help me to get a deeper insight into the issues associated with increased religious diversity and their impact on public safety policing. Obtaining more information on the ways to counter these difficulties, on the other hand, will help me in my further work and studies. Interview Questions Introduction: Hello, my name is (…). I am here today to talk about your opinion on religious diversity in multicultural communities. Your answers will be used as part of a research study to determine the effects of religious diversity on public safety and policy. Your name and personal detail will not be disclosed in the paper unless under you provide informed consent. Q1. What religious community are you part of (Christian, Buddhist, etc.)? Given that Christianity is the primary religion in America, the answer will determine whether the respondent is from the main religious group or part of a minority religion, which can help to evaluate the answers to further questions. Q2. What other religious groups are there in your community? The project is focused on religious diversity, so it is crucial to ensure that the respondent is living in a multi-religious community. Q3. What is your personal opinion on religious diversity? Determining the respondent’s opinion on religious diversity, in general, gives more insight into his or her answers to further questions. Q4. What, in your opinion, is the impact of religious diversity on public safety and security? According to the study by Algan, Hemet, and Latin, many people see religious diversity as a threat to public safety (2). Understanding the respondent’s personal views can be useful in evaluating this finding. Q5. Are there any religions that you believe pose a threat to public safety and security? As noted by Spalek, Islam has been widely perceived as a threat to public safety in recent years (7-9), whereas other religions are considered to be more peaceful, although they are more victimized (2). Q6. What do you think determines the perception of religion in the community? Spalek argues that the terror attacks of 2001 were largely responsible for the demonization of Islam and Muslims in multi-cultural settings (1). The answer to this question will help to determine how widespread the problem is and whether the respondent shares the same view. Q7. What are the effects of the negative perception of a religious group? Do you feel like a negative image of a certain religion extends to the people who practice it? This question is based on research by Friedmann and Cannon, who argue that people who have an ethnic or religious resemblance to the terrorists may face distrust and alienation when living in a multicultural community (1379). The answer will help to identify whether this is true in the respondent’s community. Q8. How prevalent are religious persecution and religious-based hate crime in your community? According to Vine, religious persecution remains a widespread issue that affects the people of all religions (35). Religious persecution may lead to hate crime, thus impairing public safety and security (Spalek 4). Q9. What are the ways in which the public and social workers address religious diversity and religious persecution in your community? As noted by Brintnall, public workers have to be aware of the issues that might affect the safety of the community (40). However, few efforts to determine the impact of religious diversity on public policing, which is why most areas do not have sufficient provisions to deal with persecution and minor religious hate crime. Q10. What do you think are effective ways of addressing religious diversity in public policing? The answer may provide useful suggestions for further research or support the existent findings regarding the policing of multi-religious communities. The Implications of High Religious Diversity for Public Safety Management Religious diversity is increasing throughout the world, particularly in developed countries that have large immigrant communities (Putnam 137). Despite the number of benefits that interreligious cooperation and integration have for the future of the community, such as increased solidarity, equality, and the promotion of human rights, religious diversity proved to be one of the most critical challenges that multicultural societies face (Putnam 137). In particular, religious diversity was shown to increase social isolation (Putnam 141), as well as provoke distrust, hostility, and hate crimes against certain religious groups that are viewed as threatening public safety (Friedmann and Cannon 1379). Understanding the development of religious diversity, as well as its effects on multi-religious communities, can equip social workers with the information necessary to develop strategies for reducing the adverse effects and promoting social and cultural cohesion. In the long run, the implementation of appropriate social justice practices for people of all religions can decrease the instances of religious persecution, thus helping to ensure public safety and security in developed countries. Origins and Benefits of Religious Diversity The main reason for the increase of religious diversity is the globalization of the world, which leads to an increase in immigration (Putnam 137). Current events, such as the refugee crisis, can also promote immigration and thus facilitate religious diversity in some European countries, as well as in the US. Putnam claims that the increase in cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity has a lot of opportunities for social and economic development (139). For example, the author states that there is historical evidence of the relationship between diversity and creativity: “Throughout history, for example, immigrants have accounted for three to four times as many of America’s Nobel Laureates, National Academy of Science members, Academy Award film directors and winners of Kennedy Center awards in the performing arts as native-born Americans” (Putnam 140). Moreover, in the long run, immigration has a positive influence on the economic development of countries, including an increased income of the native population (Putnam 140). Furthermore, businesses that employ workers from a variety of backgrounds have more opportunities to grow globally, as employees may become a source of valuable cultural knowledge that can facilitate expansion to certain countries. Religious freedom is also one of the basic human rights (Smith 1), which means that the provisions allowing the free exercise of religion and the protection of religious groups that are under threat of alienation and discrimination promotes the social values of the community and ensures its stability. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the 21st century, religious diversity is widely viewed as a threat to public safety rather than an opportunity for growth (Algan et al. 1). The main reason for the fear of religious diversity in developed countries is the rise in terrorism. Terrorism and Public Safety Issues Terrorism became a widespread issue after the 9/11 terror attacks on the buildings of World Trade Center in New York City. The attacks took the lives of almost 3000 people and left thousands more injured. Such a massive incident shook not only the United States but the entire world, prompting most countries to impose stricter public safety controls to prevent future attacks. For instance, in the US, “Encompassing a variety of functions and responsibilities, the DHS has recognized the value of local police forces and has supported these agencies through increased training and monetary funding” (Friedmann and Connan 1373). In fact, the entire working of the Department of Homeland Security was changed after the attacks to incorporate new goals (Friedmann and Connan, 1376). Another effect of the incident was the increased focus on anti-terrorism training of law enforcement and other public service agencies since the attack proved that the current resources were insufficient to provide the necessary aid during such a large-scale crisis (Friedmann and Connan, 1378). The 9/11 attack was one of the reasons for the US to start a war on terrorism (Pastor 11). The war on terrorism is still on-going, and it affected many countries, as well as their economies. Most importantly, however, it affected the people’s perception of the Islamic religion – since it is deemed to be the source of terrorists’ ideology. Pastor argues that the people’s fear of Muslim people is understandable, especially in the aftermath of the terror attacks: “the message that is conveyed [through the attacks] is this: Anyone, anywhere, at any time may be the target of the next attack” (46). In fact, the personalization of the attack, or the thought “it could have been me” is one of the goals of terrorism, as it helps to raise the fear and incite the conflict between different nations and religions (Pastor 46). Repercussions of Terrorism for Multi-Religious Communities Therefore, terrorism is the primary reason for the public’s negative attitudes towards the people of other religions, particularly Islam. Despite the fact that radical activists only represent a very small share of the Muslim population, the fear extends to anyone who shares “ethnic, religious, and immigrant resemblance with individuals involved in terrorist organizations” (Friedmann and Cannon 1379). The fear causes disruptions to the public perceptions of minority religions, which is why religious diversity in the contemporary settings often leads to lower cohesion, decreased social trust, impaired investment into public goods (Putnam 143). Even when people of the minority religions are accepted by the wider society, it is preferred that their religious identity remains invisible to the public. For instance, in the Netherlands, there were major debates about Muslim women wearing veils and other religious attire in public places (Saharso and Lettinga 455). In particular, “The court argued that headscarves threaten people’s trust in the neutrality of the courts” (Saharso and Lettinga 460), whereas the public saw veiling “as a symbol of radicalism and of a cultural threat to Western or Dutch values” (Saharso and Lettinga 468). Algan et al. argue that evidence suggests that religious diversity is now perceived by many as the biggest obstacle to social peace (2). Such social attitudes have led to the increase in hate crimes based on religion and to religious persecution that affected the people of all the religions, thus increasing tensions between the religious groups living or working in the same community. Religious Persecution and Religion-Based Hate Crime According to Vine, people all over the world today suffer from religious persecution as a result of increased inter-religious tensions. For instance, in some countries, governments seek control of all the religious groups: in these countries, “religious groups are often viewed as enemies of the state” (Vine 35). In the countries where multiple religious coexist, on the other hand, certain minority religions become the target of hate crimes. For examples, in Britan, violence against all ethnic minority and religious groups is persistent (Spalek 63). In Mauritania, on the other hand, the Muslim majority often shows hostility towards Christian religious groups: “It may be argued that governments tolerate this social hostility, either to further their own religious or political objectives or to divert social hostility away from themselves to convenient scapegoats” (Vine 35). The US also became a major scene of religious hate offences after the events of 9/11: “These attacks had serious repercussions among Muslim communities in the western world in that many individuals were attacked (some were killed) or subjected to abuse, and mosques also became the targets of hate crime” (Spalek 53). As such, religious hate crimes pose a threat to public safety which is no less crucial that terrorism. Moreover, whereas there are multiple counter-terrorist measures in place to control terror attacks and decrease their incidence, there are currently no distinctive policies to promote the safety of religious minorities and to prevent religious hate crimes. Spalek argues that in most developed countries, religion-based offenses towards minority groups are often overlooked, and the victims of religious crime often decide to claim that the crime was based on racial or ethnic hate in order for the offender’s misconduct to be taken seriously (5). Thus, the increase in religious intolerance calls for public policy measures to promote justice and security for people of all religions. Implications for Public Service and Safety Brintnall argues that “Successful governance of multiethnic democracies and advancement of social and political equity for minorities” has become one of the most important goals of social work in developed countries (39). Policymakers must have an understanding of the particular circumstances of the citizens that their policies are aimed at, as well as of the issues appropriate to the various groups of the community (Brintnall 40). Field workers, such as law enforcement, on the other hand, have to be equipped with the necessary training to be able to address the variety of problems generated by multicultural and multi-religious groups (Brintnall 39). Both the community policies and the training provided should promote “(a) assurance of rights for everyone, (b) equitable delivery of services, and (c) movement toward full” (Brintnall 40). One way of completing these goals is by developing new regulations for religious persecution and religious-based hate crimes and to provide the necessary training for the law enforcement to enable the workers to identify religion-based crime from common offense (Brintnall 41). Another practice proposed by Brintnall is to recruit people from minority religions into social structures (41). Indeed, social workers that come from minority religions may offer new ways to adjust the existent approach that will improve the ways in which social workers address religious issues in the community. Finally, Hodge proposes the practice of self-education and the spreading of information regarding religious-based crime as one of the ways in which social workers may help to address the issues (143). Religious Diversity in the Franciscan Tradition The issue of religious diversity applies to the Franciscan Tradition as it has a wide history of facing and coexisting with other religions all over the world. For example, Botta provides an overview of the Franciscan views on polytheism. He claims that the Franciscan views helped to alleviate the theological conflict between the indigenous people of New Spain and the colonialists: “the Franciscan offered a clear theology of history that achieved the result of nullifying the scandal generated by the emergence of a plurality of cultures” (Botta 17). Warner, on the other hand, provides another historical view of the relationship between Franciscans and the people of other religions. Drawing on the experience of St. Francis of Assisi, the author argues that the Franciscan tradition was tolerant of a wide variety of people, including those of other religions (Warner 69). One of the main doctrines of the contemporary Franciscan tradition, for instance, is that “God is understood as expressing agency through other social actors to further or deepen one’s own conversion” (69). In this sense, an encounter with people from other religious backgrounds is understood as a favorable experience that does not incite alienation or hostility, but rather facilitate the development of Franciscan values. Moreover, since social cohesion and avoidance of conflict are also important provisions of the Franciscan tradition, ensuring a safe environment and promote cooperation for people of all backgrounds is also a goal that fits the Franciscan understanding of the world. Conclusion Overall, I believe that religious diversity is a concept that is widely undervalued in the contemporary world. The instances of interreligious hate and crime become more and more widespread after terror attacks or threats. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities for social workers to promote cohesion and understanding in multi-religious communities. The correct implementation of appropriate education, employment, policing, and training practices will have a positive influence on the quality of life of people from religious minorities, while at the same time allowing a variety of people to enjoy the benefits of diversity and religious freedom. Annotated Bibliography Algan, Yann, et al. “Diversity and Public Goods: A Natural Experiment with Exogenous Residential Allocation.” Institude for the Study of Labor Discussion Paper Series , no. 6053, pp. 1-40. This is a quantitative research study aimed at examining the effect of ethnic and religious diversity on the quality and safety of public places. The authors use French Housing conditions to explore people’s social interactions in a heterogeneous community. The results show that diversity leads to lower levels of sanctions for anti-social behavior, but can impair public efforts to improve housing conditions. The effect on public safety in this setting was rather minimal. Botta, Sergio. “Towards a Missionary Theory of Polyethism: The Franciscans in the Face of the Indigenous Religions of New Spain.” Manufacturing Otherness: Missions and Indigenous Cultures in Latin America , edited by Sergio Botta, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, pp. 11-35. This chapter outlines the history of the Franciscans’ attitudes towards other religions. The study was done in a qualitative research setting using a literary review method. The chapter provides a good overview on how the religious diversity was viewed in the Franciscan tradition, thus helping to link my project to the Franciscan values and history. Brintnall, Michael. “Preparing the Public Service for Working in Multiethnic Democracies: An Assessment and Ideas for Action.” Journal of Public Affairs Education , vol. 14, no. 1, 2008, pp. 39-50. This article is especially relevant to contemporary multiethnic communities in developed countries. The author explains the challenges of working with people from various backgrounds and provides suggestions for public safety workers to address some of the common issues. Moreover, Brintnall explains the importance of understanding the specifics of multiethnic communities in developing long-term public service solutions. Friedmann, Robert R., and William J. Cannon. “Homeland Security and Community Policing: Competing or Complementing Public Safety Policies.” Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management , vol. 4, no. 4, 2007, pp. 1372–1391. In the article, the authors compare and contrast the notions of Homeland Security and Community Policing in the aftermath of 9/11 terror attacks. The authors present a qualitative article that reviews the previous literature on the subject of terrorism and the counter-measures to it. The article is particularly useful for the project as it defines the threat that the people who have an ethnic or religious resemblance to terrorists face and how the hostility and distrust towards them affect the community policing. Hodge, David R. “Social Justice and People of Faith: A Transnational Perspective.” Social Work , vol. 52, no. 2, 2007, pp. 139-148. In this article, the author aims to equip social workers with a basic understanding of religious persecution today. The article draws on a variety of human rights resources to argue that the limitations on the free exercise of religion are some of the most pressing concerns of contemporary social work. Moreover, the author also outlines the framework for addressing the issues that seems promising in promoting social justice to people of all religions. Pastor, James F. Terrorism and Public Safety Policing: Implications for the Obama Presidency . CRC Press, 2009. In this book, the author describes the modern terrorism in terms of its implications for public safety policing. Pastor offers an outline of the definitions and concepts associated with terrorism, as well as a section on the larger issues evoked by terrorism. This source is useful for the project as it shows how, even though most extremists are not religious, people that practice minority religions are still viewed as a threat to public safety. Putnam, Robert D. “E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century.” Scandinavian Political Studies , vol. 30, no. 2, 2007, pp. 137-174. Putnam’s work on religious diversity has been one of the most influential recent studies on the effect of religious diversity on contemporary communities all over the world. In this article, the author presents the result of his qualitative survey study that aimed to determine the common problems faced by people living in diverse religious communities. Among the effects outlined was the lower trust in the government and a decreased feeling of social security. Saharso, Sawitri, and Doutje Lettinga. “Contentious Citizenship: Policies and Debates on the Veil in the Netherlands.” Social Politics , vol. 15, no. 4, 2008, pp. 455-480. This article provides an analysis of the debates and policies regarding Muslim women’s religious attire, which started in Netherlands back in the 1990s. The authors use a qualitative research technique to provide a thorough historical and literary review of legal and public sources on the issue. They explain the reasons for the negative view of Muslim people and the impact that the debates had on public policy in the Netherlands. Smith, Steven D. “Religious Freedom and its Enemies, or Why the Smith Decision May Be a Greater Loss Now Than it Was Then.” Social Science Research Network Electronic Paper Collection , no. 10-037, 2010, pp. 1-33. In this article, the author describes the attitudes towards religious freedom in the United States. Smith provides a thorough literary review of the issue of religious freedom from a legal point of view. Most importantly, the author offers an explanation of the notion of imposed religious orthodoxy, arguing that in most countries, people from religious minority might be pressured into conversion to other religions. Spalek, Basia, editor. Islam, Crime and Criminal Justice . Routledge, 2013. In this book, Spalek presents a range of articles on the current issues surrounding the Islamic religion. The authors explain that one of the effects of the rise in terrorism was the change in the public perception of Islam, which became the most demonized religion in the contemporary world. The authors outline the effect of these issues on public safety in diverse communities. Vine, Conrad. “Discipleship and Suffering: The Christian Response to Persecution.” Journal of Adventist Mission Studies , vol. 12, no. 2, 2016, pp. 35-52. The author of the article provides another view on religious persecution in the contemporary society. He draws on a literary analysis of the Bible to understand the reasons for persecution and find ways to deal with it that apply to people of all religions, particularly to Christians. The author also discusses the statistics of Christian persecution and the history of the issue, which I use in the project to define the scale of the issues linked to religious diversity. Warner, Keith Douglass. “The Farm Workers and the Franciscans: Reverse Evangelization as Social Prompt for Conversion.” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality , vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 69-88. This article provides a review of the process of religious conversion as seen in the eyes of the Franciscans historically. The author uses literature review to draw the information from different historical and theological sources. The article adds to the exploration of religious diversity in the Franciscan tradition by exploring the meaning and motives for conversion to Franciscanism.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: The social role of religion and religious philosophies can hardly be underrated since it introduces the foundational values to the society and allows maintaining order while also being the source of continuous inspiration and spiritual growth. Religious Theories and Philosophies of the Axial Age Essay

The social role of religion and religious philosophies can hardly be underrated since it introduces the foundational values to the society and allows maintaining order while also being the source of continuous inspiration and spiritual growth. Religious Theories and Philosophies of the Axial Age Essay

Religious Theories and Philosophies of the Axial Age Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Zoroastrianism 3. Buddhism 4. Jainism 5. Confucianism 6. Legalism 7. Conclusion 8. Works Cited Introduction The social role of religion and religious philosophies can hardly be underrated since it introduces the foundational values to the society and allows maintaining order while also being the source of continuous inspiration and spiritual growth. Therefore, religions and religious philosophies that emerged during the Axial Age (5-6 BC) served as essential factors contributing to the further development of the society. Among the crucial ones that defined the further evolution of the humankind, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Legalism need to be mentioned (Bowman 7-11). Despite the fact that the identified religions and religious philosophies appeared at different points in time, in different cultures, and based on different ethical and moral systems, each of the philosophies rendered a specific idea of social interactions and suggested similar rigid value systems, therefore, introducing order into the early societies. Zoroastrianism The proponents of Zoroastrianism worshiped a single deity (Ahura Mazda) and was based on the teachings of Zoroaster, who was an Iranian prophet. When considering the unique properties of the identified religion, one must mention that it is monotheistic in contrast to the ones such as Buddhism. In fact, the focus on a single identity that is defined as the superior creature, as well as the mentioning of the prophet that made it possible for the religion to become well-known and widely accepted by a significant number of people makes Zoroastrianism similar to the current religions such as Christianity and Islam. Viewing Ahura Mazda as the be-all and end-all of the universe, in turn, also sets Zoroastrianism apart from the rest of the religious beliefs mentioned above since none of the said philosophies tends to focus on a single deity (Voorst 10). That being said, Zoroastrianism serves the purpose of saving people’s souls and introducing a very specific order into the social interactions. Particularly, the fact that Zoroastrianism views the promotion and enhancement of order as the foundational concept of societal interactions deserves to be mentioned. Buddhism Unlike the rest of the religions on this list, Buddhism is closer to philosophy as opposed to an actual religion. Therefore, it stands aside from the rest of the religious movements such as Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Confucianism. In some respect, the lack of emphasis on the role of a particular deity in the context of the religion makes Buddhism close to Legalism. However, unlike the latter, which does not have the supreme person that its proponents follow, Buddhism introduces its proponents to the idea of Enlightenment and the opportunity to join the ranks of spiritual leaders. Furthermore, Buddhists make extensive use of statues, pictures, and other representations of their religious leader. Finally, reincarnation as a crucial concept in Buddhism is what makes it unique among other religious philosophies such as Zoroastrianism, Legalism, Confucianism, and Jainism (Zhao 97). Jainism In its attempt to explore the relationships between people and the universe in which they exist, Jainism comes very close to Zoroastrianism, with a rather heavy emphasis on cosmology and the exploration of people’s place in the universe. However, unlike Zoroastrianism, which focuses on the said analysis of people’s place in the universe, Jainism promotes the concept of karma as the foundational principle of social interactions. In fact, Jainism has a lot in common with Buddhism. For instance, both religious philosophies have rather charismatic leaders (the Buddha and Mahavira) as the role models that promote a set of specific values to the proponents of the religions. It should be noted, though, that, unlike Jainism, which is more lenient toward its opponents, Buddhism rails the very idea of ritualism, as well as asceticism, therefore, emphasizing the significance of focusing on the spiritual aspects of salvation. Jainism, therefore, can be classified as rather orthodox, which makes it close to Zoroastrianism (Athyal 133). Confucianism As a rule, Confucianism is often compared to Buddhism as the religious ideology that focuses on its philosophical aspects rather than religious ones. For instance, similar to Legalism, both religions aim at introducing a rigid structure into the society. Furthermore, both have rather charismatic leaders as the role models based on which the believers shape their behavior (i.e., Buddha and Confucius). However, when considering the goals that each of the religions pursues, one must admit that there is a significant difference between the two. Buddhism views reaching the state of enlightenment as the ultimate goal whereas Confucianism merely promotes the introduction of orderliness into the society. In this respect, Confucianism is quite close to Legalism seeing that both focus on the significance of order as the basis for proper social interactions. Furthermore, much like Zoroastrianism, Confucianism is a monotheistic religion that does not imply worshipping several deities (Rambo and Farhadian 3). Legalism One might argue that Legalism as philosophy stands aside from the rest of the ideas mentioned above. Indeed, Legalism does not imply the presence of any superior being, unlike Jainism does, for instance. Similarly, legalism does not require the presence of a spiritual teacher, which is an essential component of Buddhism and Confucianism teachings. Instead, it focuses on order as the glue that keeps the society together and allows maintaining order within it. At this point, one might argue that Legalism rubs shoulders with some of the postulates of Zoroastrianism. Indeed, according to the latter, the order must be viewed as the crucial concept that defines people’s behavior, their roles in the society, their ethical choices, etc. However, unlike Zoroastrianism, which also implies considering the variety of opinions regarding a particular dilemma, Legalism demands that every choice must follow the letter of the law. Therefore, in some way, Legalism can be viewed as restricting people’s ability to think independently and develop personally, taking new viewpoints and ideas into account (Zhao 118). Conclusion Even though Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Legalism, when considering the religious philosophies closer, one will find that the said religious philosophies were founded on entirely different ideas and concepts, the steady system of values, a rigid concept of social interactions, and a very detailed description of the role and place of a human being in the grand scheme of events. Therefore, it will be reasonable to state that Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Legalism share a range of similar ideas on a certain level. That being said, there are significant differences between the philosophies and religious listed above, the details regarding the role of people in the universe and the relationships between people and the central deity or deities being the key ones. Placed in the context of specific cultures and developing in unique environments, the identified philosophies and religions served not as a moral compass to their proponents but also as the foundation for the further growth and self-identification. Works Cited Athyal, Jesudas M., editor. Religion in Southeast Asia: An Encyclopedia of Faiths and Cultures: An Encyclopedia of Faiths and Cultures . ABC-CLIO, 2015. Bowman, Jonathan. Cosmopolitan Justice: The Axial Age, Multiple Modernities, and the Postsecular Turn . Springer, 2015. Rambo, Lewis Ray and Charles E. Farhadian, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion . OUP, 2014. Voorst, Robert E. Van. Anthology of World Scriptures . Cengage Learning, 2016. Zhao, Dingxin. The Confucian-Legalist State: A New Theory of Chinese History . Oxford University Press, 2015.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: Renaissance poetry: Sonnets of William Shakespeare are the true masterpieces of the world's classic poetry. First published nearly four centuries ago, Shakespeare's sonnets remain the most popular, but, perhaps, little-understood literary work. What makes Shakespeare's poetry special and popular among a wide range of readers? He wrote at a time when lyric poetry was full of trite metaphors as well as pompous, pretentious, and still empty conundrums. Shakespeare broke these literary conventionalities and gave a new meaning to old forms, creating his own unique and vivid images. Undoubtedly, sonnets of William Shakespeare are the true masterpieces of the world's classic poetry. First published nearly four centuries ago, Shakespeare's sonnets remain the most popular, but, perhaps, little-understood literary work. What makes Shakespeare's poetry special and popular among a wide range of readers? He wrote at a time when lyric poetry was full of trite metaphors as well as pompous, pretentious, and still empty conundrums. Shakespeare broke these literary conventionalities and gave a new meaning to old forms, creating his own unique and vivid images.

Renaissance poetry: Sonnets of William Shakespeare are the true masterpieces of the world's classic poetry. First published nearly four centuries ago, Shakespeare's sonnets remain the most popular, but, perhaps, little-understood literary work. What makes Shakespeare's poetry special and popular among a wide range of readers? He wrote at a time when lyric poetry was full of trite metaphors as well as pompous, pretentious, and still empty conundrums. Shakespeare broke these literary conventionalities and gave a new meaning to old forms, creating his own unique and vivid images. Undoubtedly, sonnets of William Shakespeare are the true masterpieces of the world's classic poetry. First published nearly four centuries ago, Shakespeare's sonnets remain the most popular, but, perhaps, little-understood literary work. What makes Shakespeare's poetry special and popular among a wide range of readers? He wrote at a time when lyric poetry was full of trite metaphors as well as pompous, pretentious, and still empty conundrums. Shakespeare broke these literary conventionalities and gave a new meaning to old forms, creating his own unique and vivid images.

Renaissance Poetry: Sonnets of William Shakespeare Essay Undoubtedly, sonnets of William Shakespeare are the true masterpieces of the world’s classic poetry. First published nearly four centuries ago, Shakespeare’s sonnets remain the most popular, but, perhaps, little-understood literary work. What makes Shakespeare’s poetry special and popular among a wide range of readers? He wrote at a time when lyric poetry was full of trite metaphors as well as pompous, pretentious, and still empty conundrums. Shakespeare broke these literary conventionalities and gave a new meaning to old forms, creating his own unique and vivid images. Apparently, the wide variety of themes that he chose for his writings also contribute to their popularity: the complexity of human soul, its ability to rise and fall, wisdom and vanity, purity and vice, the brevity of human life, transience of time, fear of death, hope of salvation, and, of course, the eternal need for love and beauty. No author of the Renaissance era could express a complex set of human experiences associated with the realization of time transience brighter and stronger than Shakespeare did in his sonnets. He interprets time as the subjective fact of human existence that requires no explanation but resignation. Like a force that is beyond control, time threatens humanity with physical destruction, strictly regulates its status and possibilities. A flash of youth, the prime of life, gradual withering, and death constitute the eternal cycle of human existence. In Shakespeare’s philosophy, fear of time and death, as opposed to the theme of immortality can be obtained through art. Art lives through centuries and retains the memory of people that were glorified by a poet and image of the poet as well. A person acquires immortality in the works of art. The poet lives eternally in his lyrics. The themes of time, death, youth, and immortality are brilliantly intertwined in Shakespeare’s Sonnets 18, 60, 63, and 73. The Renaissance era took its origin in the 14th-century Italy. Over 100 years, the cultural movement spread across Europe and came to England only by the end of 15th century. The flourishing of the Renaissance in England fell in the Elizabethan era. At that time, all prerequisites for the development of legendary Shakespearean theater and literature had been formed. One cannot say, however, that these cultural spheres were in great decline before William Shakespeare: his elder contemporaries made a significant contribution to the development of literature and drama. Marlowe invented a truly elevated literary style and a new type of hero – a common person that did not have the royal blood. Robert Greene created a “mild tragedy”, the type of drama that featured captivating cordiality and psychological authenticity. Thomas Kyd started to develop the basics of dramatic art (Cousins, 2014). Shakespeare simply had to deepen everything that was invented before him, and he did it with astonishing success. He enlarged English vocabulary with approximately 1,700 words, not to mention numerous idioms (Schiffer, 2013). Thanks to Shakespeare, the English language obtained plasticity and freedom of expression that made it more eloquent and vivid for drama. Shakespearean plays became the symbol of the English Renaissance: partly because of the introduction of ancient motives (classic Latin and Greek plots), and partly because of Shakespeare’s philosophy that allowed him to create authentic, deep, and true-to-life characters. It was at the time of Shakespeare when the main scenic principles were formed: the central focus was shifted now to the message and acting. Owing to William Shakespeare, the Renaissance theater became a versatile, ahistorical model of the universe that concentrated on the perpetual conflict between person and society. We know 154 Shakespeare’s sonnets that can be divided roughly into two big groups: Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to an unknown young man, who eventually became referred to as a Friend among critics, and Sonnets 127-154 are devoted to an unknown woman that eventually acquired a name of the Dark Lady (Leishman, 2013). In the first 18 sonnets, Shakespeare admonishes and persuades his Friend, a young man of astonishing beauty, to marry a woman and procreate. The main theme of first sonnets is the great value of beauty that is threatened by Time. The theme of time is the building line of the whole cycle of sonnets. The reader observes that in the course of time, the Bard changes his attitude to this subject. Initially, in Sonnet 18, he is self-confident and believes that time and death have no power over humans: “So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long lives this and this gives life to thee” (Shakespeare, 2002, 18.13-14). Such confidence vanishes over time, and in Sonnet 146 Shakespeare is full of humble resignation “So shalt thou feed on Death, that feeds on men / And death once dead, there’s no more dying then” (Shakespeare, 2002, 146.13-14). The theme of time in Shakespeare’s poetry is not incidental; it is determined by the epoch in which he lived. During the Renaissance era, all art was conditioned by predominating at that time dichotomy of perfection and imperfection. Perfection was expressed in terms of permanence of beauty, while the change was a synonym of imperfection. This view was formed by such external factors as high rates of mortality and shift from the West to the East (as a result of numerous geographical discoveries). As a response to such instability, the Renaissance artists were trying to find any kind of immortality; a guarantee that humans can live forever. Thus, Shakespeare’s interest in the themes of time and death may be explained by the omnipresent instability of the Renaissance epoch. As it was already mentioned, Sonnet 18 features the themes of destructive and uncontrollable time and permanence of beauty. It starts with a rhetorical question that directs the whole piece of poetry. In this question, Shakespeare connects the subjective perception of time with nature. Although time and nature are eternal, their representations in the human mind are different. We used to imagine nature as a dynamic cyclic process in which one season gives way to the other. Time is also a dynamic and constantly changing phenomenon, however, we imagine time as a serial line of events that has the beginning but does not have the end. But in Sonnet 18 Shakespeare suggests that time has common features with nature, he likens youth of a young man to summer, implying that both summer and youth are rather short: “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date” (Shakespeare, 2002, 18.4). The word choice is not accidental: the legal term “lease” used as a metaphor “summer’s lease” creates the necessary impression of illusory freedom and eternity of youth. In this context, Shakespeare expresses the idea that human life completely depends on time; it is limited since it has its “lease term”. Further, in the second quatrain Shakespeare likens life to the sun, to which he refers as “the eye of heaven” (Shakespeare, 2002, 18.5). He suggests that life passes by too quickly; a person experiences so many emotions and feelings that they feel the “hotness” of life. The sun gives energy to everything, as life gives a wide range of opportunities to humans. However, “Every fair from fair sometimes declines” (Shakespeare, 2002, 18.7), and all opportunities and possibilities that life gives eventually kill us. In this line, Shakespeare suggests that despite the playfulness that humans feel at the time of their youth, despite the power that they feel at the time of maturity, by the end of their lives they are exhausted and tired of everything that they experienced. Therefore, time has its price, and by the end of life, humans pay their ticks. In the third sextet, Shakespeare resolves the problem of “lease term” and finds the way to escape from the inevitability of death. Maintaining the metaphor that likens youth of a young man to life, Shakespeare now refers to it as the “eternal summer” and uses a set of anaphoric negations “nor lose”, “nor shall death brag you” to express his flat denial of life limitedness (Shakespeare, 2002, 18.8-10). He decides that “eternal lines” will help the young man to live through centuries, and in these lines, he will always be young and beautiful. Such idea introduces the theme of art that is closely connected with the theme of time and death. Although Time controls everything including the life of humans, it cannot control art. By means of poetry, Shakespeare aims to fight against the power of Time. Thus, in the last lines of the sextet, the Bard concludes that the young man will live until this piece of poetry exists. One should pay attention to the expressive means, such as alliteration of a sound [s] that creates emotionality and passion of Shakespeare’s faith in Art. The intensiveness of sounds is aimed to contrast the silence that will follow the recitation of the sonnet. Perhaps, Shakespeare’s interest in the theme of time is conditioned not only by the instability of the Renaissance era but also by his age. Loosely speaking, most of the sonnets he wrote when he was 40 years old. At this age, people tend to evaluate their life and think about the coming death. Probably, Shakespeare was worried by how quickly time passes and reluctant to admit the fact of the forthcoming end. Striving for the eternal life, he weaves time and art together, believing that it will ensure immortality. Sonnet 60 opens a sequence of lyrics in which themes of time, death, and art entwined together. In the first quatrain, Shakespeare refers to the image of water that symbolizes death. Considering the epoch in which the Bard wrote his sonnets as well as the influence of Latin and Greek literature and mythology on his poetry and prose, water is closely connected with the image of unnatural death. Shakespeare often used this image in his other writings. In Hamlet , for example, Ophelia committed suicide by drowning herself in the river, and in The Tempest Gonzago claimed that the most inhospitable land is better than the ocean (López, 1996). In Sonnet 60, water symbolizes the sequence of minutes that pass, bringing a person closer to death. In the second quatrain Shakespeare again, as in Sonnet 18, refers to the stages of human life, expressing the idea that youth is fleeting as the light, and maturity is connected with crawling to the end of life. Here Shakespeare restates the thesis of Sonnet 18, claiming that Time and life will take everything that was given to humans in the beginning: “And Time that gave does now its gift confound” (Shakespeare, 2002, 60.8). The third quatrain is fully devoted to the theme of time. The Bard describes it as powerful and yet indifferent force that “transfix”, “delves”, and “feeds” on the human life. Thus, Shakespeare personifies Time, perhaps, in order to fight with it. As a rule, people are afraid of obscurity, but when they are able to imagine the threat, to make it visible and similar to what they already know, it becomes less fearful. The narrative reaches its climax at the end of the third quatrain with a common image of the scythe. Although it is commonly accepted that scythe is an attribute of death, Shakespeare uses it in the other context, thus equating time that flows like a deadly river with death. The whole piece of poetry is rather dramatic and pessimistic, and yet the Bard does not leave hope for life. In the last two lines he addresses to the young man, claiming once again that the art of poetry will save his beauty and will immortalize it: “And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand / Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand” (Shakespeare, 2002, 60.13-14). The pessimistic mood changes; the sonnet acquires joyful and festive tone when Shakespeare assures his Friend in the power of his lines. Sonnet 64 resembles Sonnet 60 in many perspectives: the images of water and time, fear of the forthcoming and inevitable death, fear for the young man, or Friend, and the general pessimistic atmosphere of the narrative. The only thing that is different is the conclusion that Shakespeare makes. If Sonnet 60 ended with the strong belief in the power of art that can win the merciless time and death, Sonnet 64 concludes that death is inevitable and there is no power that can counteract it. In the first quatrain, Shakespeare makes reference to Horace’s ode Exegi Monumentum Aere Rerennius , stating that “the rich proud cost of outworn buried age”, or monuments of previous ages fell by the hand of Time (Shakespeare, 2002, 63.2). The Bard expresses the idea that even stone that seems to be eternal is the subject to the destructive influence of time. The former passion that Shakespeare had in Sonnet 18 comes back, and the Bard rages against nature and time that lead humanity to the eventual death, enslaving and enthralling it. The image of water as the powerful force that in its omnipotence is equated to time and death appears once again after being mentioned in Sonnet 60: “When I have seen the hungry ocean gain / Advantage on the kingdom of the shore” (Shakespeare, 2002, 63.5-6). Shakespeare is convinced that time, “the hungry ocean”, may obliterate all kingdoms and states that were raised by people, implying that nothing lasts forever and all things will eventually surrender to the power of time. Again, the word choice is not accidental. Shakespeare repeats the verb “confound” referring to Sonnet 60. What is more interesting is that the verb “ruminate” resembles the noun “ruin” in line 11: “Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate” (Shakespeare, 2002, 63.11). Shakespeare highlights the idea of destruction caused by Time, focusing on its visual representation in the form of ruins. In the end, he concludes that Time will take his friend, and nothing can prevent it. Even art is powerless in the face of time and death; now the Bard sorrowfully resigns to the laws of nature. Shakespeare’s apprehension of the inevitability of death reaches its climax in Sonnet 73, in which the careful reader may observe the signs of autobiographical tone: first-person pronouns and conversational constructions. In this sonnet, the Bard reveals his sorrow and grief that time causes in him. The fear of death has never been expressed so distinctly. Shakespeare creates vivid images so that the reader could see and feel the Bard’s grief. He also resorts to the gradation of verbs of perception: “seest” to “perceiv’st” to achieve the highest point in the expression of his apprehension of time and death. In the first quatrain, the reader is presented to another simile where Shakespeare compares time with nature. However, if Sonnets 18 and 60 used the image of summer, Sonnet 73 features the image of fall. Here the description of the season is not aimed at praising the young man’s beauty, but at symbolizing Shakespeare’s mood. Moreover, the fall as an intermediate season between summer and winter may imply the “crawling” of a person from their youth to death. In the second quatrain, time is presented as a constant change of day and night, implying that a person lives peacefully through these moments mostly unaware of the number of years, months, or even days that are left to them. The end of this quatrain is sudden and even sharp. It contrasts with a smooth sequence of the preceding lines and cuts them unexpectedly by direct introduction of the Death’s image. This whole quatrain may be projected to life where day goes after day and then suddenly comes death. This suddenness, sharpness, and directness together with the alliteration of a sound [s] in the last line of the second quatrain cause the ringing silence after it: “Death’s second self that seals up all in rest” (Shakespeare, 2002, 73.8). In the third quatrain, the reader finds the same idea as in Sonnets 18 and 60: “Consummed with that which it was nourished by” (Shakespeare, 2002, 73.12). If one compares it with lines “And every fair from fair sometimes declines” (18.6) and “And Time that gave does now its gift confound” (Shakespeare, 2002, 60.8) then they will see that Shakespeare is convinced that eventually a person should compensate for all happiness, love, and joy that was given him with his life. The themes of time and death are closely connected in this sonnet. In fact, in Sonnet 73 Shakespeare concludes that time and death may be interchangeable because both refer to the mortality of human existence. Yet, he finds a solution to this dramatic problem. If in the first sonnets Shakespeare could state that only childbearing helps to prolong human life; that only art is able to immortalize a person, in Sonnet 73 he claims that the key to immortality is the strong, passionate, and self-sacrificing love. Shakespeare’s sonnets convey the poet’s philosophy that can be characterized as existentialism. Apparently, the Bard was not a philosopher in the real sense of this word. As Dostoevsky, Shakespeare simply expressed his thoughts in his works. His poetry reveals the pessimistic view of life and more often than not features almost complete negation of possibilities. He presents time as an external, inimical force that is beyond of control but follows the universal laws of nature: everything must have its rise, fall, and disappearance. The theme of time in Shakespeare’s sonnets is connected with the themes of death, art, and immortality. Despite the sorrow and apprehension, the Bard does not relinquish hope and suggests his own solution to mortality. He believes that art and love lead to eternity and help humans to become immortal. Nevertheless, grief and despair prevail in most of his works. Sonnets 18, 60, 63, and 73 present a series of gradual change of Shakespeare’s perspective on time and death. In the beginning, the Bard believes in omnipotent art as a means of fighting death and gaining immortality. Then, he starts to analyze the concept of time and realizes that it is rather powerful, but still, Shakespeare is sure that the poetry will protect his beloved ones from its influence. Further, the Bard deepens his analysis in which he begins to compare time and death and concludes that nothing can last forever and that everything will eventually come to an end. Finally, Shakespeare realizes the omnipotence of time over humanity and all its creations; he also concludes that time is an alter ego of death. In this sequence, the reader may observe the way in which Shakespeare’s existentialism developed over time. Perhaps, the Bard was right that art is not all-powerful; however, one should not forget that Shakespeare wrote almost six centuries ago but the images and characters that he created live up to these days and remain popular among a wide range of readers. References Cousins, A. D. (2014). Shakespeare’s sonnets and narrative poems . New York, NY: Routledge. Leishman, J. B. (2013). Themes and variations in Shakespeare’s sonnets . New York, NY: Routledge. López, M. M. (1996). Teaching Shakespeare’s sonnets: Time as fracture in Sonnets 18, 60, 73. SEDERI: yearbook of the Spanish and Portuguese Society for English Renaissance Studies , 1 (7), 287-296. Schiffer, J. (2013). Shakespeare’s sonnets: Critical essays . New York, NY: Routledge. Shakespeare, W. (2002). The complete sonnets and poems . (C. Burrow, Ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: Rene Descartes' essay "Ontological Reasoning" explores the nature of knowledge and how it can be used to support the existence of God.Rene Descartes' essay "Ontological Reasoning" explores the nature of knowledge and how it can be used to support the existence of God. He argues that the path to philosophy lied precisely in doubt in connection with the need to question both feelings and thoughts. In this case, the actual fact of doubt

Rene Descartes' essay "Ontological Reasoning" explores the nature of knowledge and how it can be used to support the existence of God. Rene Descartes' essay "Ontological Reasoning" explores the nature of knowledge and how it can be used to support the existence of God. He argues that the path to philosophy lied precisely in doubt in connection with the need to question both feelings and thoughts. In this case, the actual fact of doubt

Rene Descartes’ Ontological Reasoning Essay Table of Contents 1. Descartes’ Reasoning 2. Another Argument 3. Counterargument 4. Core of Reasoning 5. Conclusion 6. References It is worth noting that, guided by the scientific methods of cognition, Rene Descartes came to a skeptical but boundless trust in human mind. He argued that the path to philosophy lied precisely in doubt in connection with the need to question both feelings and thoughts. In this case, the actual fact of doubt will be unquestionable (Ariew, 2014). The thinker considered this approach to philosophy more reliable than mathematical intuition. Assuming that the presence of thinking presupposed the existence of spirit, Descartes had built his ontological approach based on this relationship. One of the branches of his ontological thought was the discussion of the existence of God. The philosopher searched for an explanation for this phenomenon and tried to argue for the existence of the Supreme Being. The purpose of this paper is review and analyze the arguments Rene Descartes provided to evidence the existence of God. Descartes’ Reasoning Trying to find an explanation for the existence of God, Descartes came to an idea of an innate nature of knowledge. Despite the fact that many researchers emphasize the fallacy of such reasoning, this understanding was not absurd due to the fact that people, as a rule, rely on the knowledge of previous generations and do not question the truthfulness of admonitions or beliefs (Ariew, 2014). However, the philosopher sought for a comprehensive explanation, looking for the proof of the authenticity of human knowledge about the external world. Initially, Descartes tried to find arguments proving the existence of God explaining it by the fact that God was an essential intermediary element between humans and nature. Moreover, God acted as a guarantor of the existence of the world. In this connection, Descartes assumed that God was the source of truth and was opposed to lies and deceit (Croft, 2013). Therefore, the first proof of the existence of the Supreme Being Descartes considered the inadmissibility of lies. The next argument was that it was God solely who was able to instill in people’s souls an understanding of what was a supremely perfect being. In addition, another evidence was the concept of rationalism. Respectively, according to Rene Descartes, no thinking or rational person could assert that there was no God (Hatfield, 2014). Notably, many successive thinkers, as well as researchers, indicated that the latter argument was of medieval scholastic character. Another Argument It is worth noting that all the three arguments described above can be considered subjective and questionable, and they are not logical enough because of the lack of evidence to sustain such reasoning. In this regard, Rene Descartes introduced another justification in support of his position. He derived this argument from his theory of doubt. According to the thinker, the essence of doubt (as the basis of thinking) confirmed the intuitive existence of supremely perfect being; respectively, God existed beyond all doubt (Croft, 2013). Thus, introducing this fourth argument, Descartes summed up all the previous principles. Referring to the facts that God was the guarantor of reliability and intuition generated the truth, God existed in connection with the allusion to the intuitive discretion of the human mind. Counterargument Nevertheless, this approach to ontology revealed another perspective, which proved the dependence of God’s existence on the human mind and its actions. It is important to emphasize that following this rationalization, the philosopher came to the principle of deism. Deism states that the existence of God cannot change the actual composition of the past and cannot affect the laws of nature that were also determined by God (Jaspers, 2013). In this context, God is the creator who has endowed the world with the essence, though the Supreme Being is unable to influence the further development of nature. God preserves nature and the truth of knowledge and ensures the inviolability of natural laws. Nevertheless, in parallel with his argument, Descartes called into question the fact whether God created the world. The structure of the physical world presupposes the possibility of the emergence of nature without the initiative and power of God. It is essential to emphasize that Rene Descartes noted the extensiveness and space that nature occupied, in which there were no voids, and only material objects had such a characteristic according to his philosophy and worldview (Williams, 2014). Therefore, the presence of physical structure and mathematical properties of the world indicated that God did not create the nature. Core of Reasoning It should be noted that in his philosophy, Descartes stressed that he did not have a criterion for determining whether he was conscious or in a state of a dream. Relying on this leitmotif, the only statement, which could be made, was that doubting the reality of the existence of the external world was reasonable. Descartes was convinced that the idea of God as a perfect being was a natural conclusion of human thinking (Dicker, 2013). The experience acquired by a person has proved the imperfection and limitations of people and their mind; however, this idea was inherent in people due to the fact that the notion was embedded in them from outside. Descartes came to an understanding that the idea of humans’ imperfection was instilled by God solely as the creator who designed humankind and put into their minds the notion of God as a perfect being (Dicker, 2013). In turn, this approach implied the existence of an external world as an object of human cognition. God could not deceive people, and the created world had to follow to the immutable laws that the human mind needed to comprehend. Thus, God served as a pledge of understanding the world and the objectivity of knowledge, and the recognition of the Supreme Being would allow people to attain confidence in human mind. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that Rene Descartes provided several arguments to prove the existence of God. Firstly, he emphasized that God was a perfect being while people were imperfect and this idea suggested that it should be perfect to exist rather than the reverse. This argument was ontological in character. The second reasoning lied within the distinction between two types of reality the finite and infinite one. According to this concept, objects or things that have concrete or formal nature belong to finite reality. For instance, a stone has formal reality; therefore, it is finite. In the same manner, the idea of Supreme Being is objective as well as its infinite formal substantiality. The third argument rooted from logical principles. Rene Descartes considered that it was impossible that an idea could emerge out of nowhere and this notion had such attributes as cause and effect. Therefore, due to the fact that people had a concept of the Supreme Being, it evidenced the existence of God. References Ariew, R. (2014). Descartes and the first Cartesians . London, UK: Oxford University Press. Croft, N. (2013). The Descartes legacy . London, UK: Entangled Publishing. Dicker, G. (2013). Descartes . New York, NY: OUP USA. Hatfield, G. (2014). The Routledge guidebook to Descartes’ meditations. New York, NY: Routledge. Jaspers, K. (2013). Leonardo, Descartes, Max Weber . New York, NY: Routledge. Williams, B. (2014). Descartes . New York, NY: Routledge.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: Rene Descartes is one of the most important philosophers in modern times. He is best known for his work "Meditations on First Philosophy", which was first published in 1641 in the French language as Meditationes de Prima. In this work, he provides a truth-seeking foundation for the possibilities presented by science. Descartes employed lots of rationalism in coming up with most of his philosophies. Rationalism, as per his definition, is any view that appeals to reason and, more specifically, as being the spring of knowledge or an explanation. He believed that reason has preference over other ways of acquiring knowledge. He, therefore, used this to come up with lots of explanations, especially on political enlighten, as he emphasized on political reasoning.

Rene Descartes is one of the most important philosophers in modern times. He is best known for his work "Meditations on First Philosophy", which was first published in 1641 in the French language as Meditationes de Prima. In this work, he provides a truth-seeking foundation for the possibilities presented by science. Descartes employed lots of rationalism in coming up with most of his philosophies. Rationalism, as per his definition, is any view that appeals to reason and, more specifically, as being the spring of knowledge or an explanation. He believed that reason has preference over other ways of acquiring knowledge. He, therefore, used this to come up with lots of explanations, especially on political enlighten, as he emphasized on political reasoning.

Rene Descartes’ Rational Choice Theory Essay Rene Descartes is arguably the father of modern philosophy; he is the one philosopher who is heralded for the introduction of algebra and the connection that lay between algebra and the scholarly subject of geometry. His most famous artwork, however, is “Meditations on first philosophy”. This is a short work that was first published in 1641 in the French language called Meditationes de Prima. In work, he provides a truth-seeking foundation for the possibilities presented by science. Skepticism is one tool that Descartes uses to offer the underlying issues of education and knowledge. Personally, he is not a skeptic but uses this to raise the curiosity of the reader to try and find out the possibilities that scientific knowledge offers. He asks questions such as: how true is the fact that the world revolves in a solar system. This skeptic approach leaves the reader with no alternative but to undertake studies to determine the truth behind the analogy of the solar system. There developed a number of critics of his works, especially his skeptic approach, and in a way, he achieved his objective of adding unto knowledge as thereafter in an attempt to prove him wrong, the critics set about running researched and writing books of concepts determining the truth behind the scientific knowledge. Such great critics of Descartes’s works included theologians and fellow philosophers key among them being Arnauld, Hobbes, and Caterus, all of whom wrote back books trying to determine the truth behind the allegations that Descartes had leveled against their fields of specialization. In coming up with most of his philosophies, Descartes employed lots of rationalism. Rationalism, as per his definition, is any view that appeals to reason and, more specifically, as being the spring of knowledge or an explanation. Descartes believed that reason has preference over other ways of acquiring knowledge. He, therefore, used this to come up with lots of explanations, especially on political enlighten, as he emphasized on political reasoning. Politics is currently just a pile of rational reasoning upon which a state is governed. Parliaments all over the world are constituted of law makers, the law in its earnest is a pile of rational ideas that are well spelt out and aimed at guiding the actions that should be taken given any eventuality. This was one of the ideas that Descartes forged for. Rational choice theory was one of the theories that he put forward and this is a theory that has found lots of relevance in several spheres of life politics and microeconomics today. In politics and microeconomics the theory dictates that human nature calls for more rather than less of good it is meant to help model both social and economic behavior. It is this philosophy that democracy and free market economies are pegged on. Democracy calls for the free and fair election of legislators and other people who are to occupy positions of leadership. In doing this, the electorate normally looks for more good in the individuals to be elected and the people perceived to be the best in character and trait with more good than others normally get elected. In a nut shell the community wants more of the good. The good is again relative and subject to determination by the populace. In one way or the other, the populace always has a way of determining that individual with averagely more good in his or her traits that the rest of the contenders. These finally get elected into office through a majority vote. In the subject of micro economics, rational choice refers to the act of searching an affordable way to complete a task with no regard to value of achieved goal. In several economies what would benefit a majority of the people has often been considered at the expense of the cost of its application. Financé windows that let a currency lose value while trade is boosted and the prices of commodities fall drastically is a common practice in the microeconomics discourse. In his definition, the term ration is not as it is in dictionaries and has been used by several people in the academic spheres. To most people, rational is synonymous to “sane” or “sound” in a thoughtful or clear minded manner. Descartes in his philosophy adopts a narrower perspective of the term rational. According to him, the term refers to the act of balancing one’s actions between cost and gain. The choice of the decision arrived at should be that which benefits a majority. Most of the ideas that Descartes put forward to offer explanations to most of the occurrences around the daily human lives were built upon some of his mentors, people that he largely borrowed their ideas. Such a person that he quoted in most of his books and used lots of his ideas was Plato. Plato ascribed to the school of thought that believed in rational thinking as well. He put forward most of his philosophical reasoning in the course and effect formula and this is a style that was so adversely adorned by Descartes. Descartes therefore used this to provide reasoning in areas that were largely ignored such as education. This therefore justifies the topic that reads that he was the Pluto of the caves. “The caves” referring to the dark and ignored discourses that he undertook to offer explanations in.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: A resort is a business entity organized to host people who are on a planned vacation. The business is designed to attract, maintain, and satisfy its guests so that they can become regular visitors or ambassadors of the business. Resorts have been playing a key role in promoting travel and tourism sector. Many business organizations operate resorts in a market segment. The management of each resort puts consistent efforts to capture a big market share.Creating A Sustainability Management PlanDeveloping a sustainable management

A resort is a business entity organized to host people who are on a planned vacation. The business is designed to attract, maintain, and satisfy its guests so that they can become regular visitors or ambassadors of the business. Resorts have been playing a key role in promoting travel and tourism sector. Many business organizations operate resorts in a market segment. The management of each resort puts consistent efforts to capture a big market share. Creating A Sustainability Management Plan Developing a sustainable management

Resort Sustainable Management and Technologies Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Creating A Sustainability Management Plan 3. Training Staff and Visitors 4. Adopting Internet and Mobile Technology 5. Developing Environmental Initiatives 6. Works Cited Introduction A resort is a business entity organized to host people who are on a planned vacation. The business is designed to attract, maintain, and satisfy its guests so that they can become regular visitors or ambassadors of the business. Resorts have been playing a key role in promoting travel and tourism sector. Many business organizations operate resorts in a market segment. The management of each resort puts consistent efforts to capture a big market share. The stiff competition in the market leaves them with the option of initiating effective management skills. Target market and valued experience are generic approaches to resort management that every business will try to achieve. Therefore, to maintain a competitive edge and remain the best in the market, a resort management team must consider other management strategies rather than the target market and value experiences. Creating A Sustainability Management Plan Developing a sustainable management plan is the initial step that a resort business should consider. The plan helps in creating a management system with a clear decision-making structure. It also allows for the continuous improvement of performance by implementing processes that integrate easily into the system. An organization must develop vision and mission statements to guide its operations. These must conform to the customer needs in the target market and the policies that guide business operations in the country. The business should also set its objectives, targets, and policies (Pavlatos 757). These act as the guiding principles for its operations because they state what the business stands for in the market. The adoption of a sustainable plan begins with the implementation of the stated objectives and targets. At this point, the management needs to include all stakeholders in the process. When the implementation process includes all parties, it will take into consideration the interests of everybody. During the process, people are assigned responsibilities to undertake (Ali, Amin, and Ryu 48). When everyone fulfills their duties according to the stated objectives, production, and delivery of services to customers will improve. It is important to note that the main aim of a business is to be profitable and able to maintain quality services (Prud’Homme and Raymond 118). The business environment in the travel and tourism sector changes based on issues such as government policies, weather changes, economic status, and technology, among others. Sometimes, unexpected changes might have negative effects on the implementation processes. To bring the business back to the track, the management should conduct a regular monitoring process(Pavlatos 762). The process is vital in assessing the status of the business in the market. An internal audit system helps in evaluating the progress of the business. During the evaluation, external factors that have direct effects on the resort are considered. These may include government policies, international flights, weather change, new services, and emerging technology, among others(Ali, Amin, and Ryu 56). After that, corrective measures and preventive actions are suggested as a way of improving the business structure and service delivery. Continuous improvement of the system is essential in addressing emerging issues in the travel and tourism sector. In this context, the resort management team can introduce new facilities or services to meet the new needs in the market. They can make changes in the business operation to meet the specific needs of their guests. Continuous improvement enhances the maximum utilization of resources. It minimizes the impact of the resort’s activities to the surrounding environment through a waste recycling program(Pavlatos 764). Consequently, the cost of operation reduces as the business strives to gain more profits. Training Staff and Visitors Resorts are established in major tourist attraction sites such as national parks, forests, historic buildings, geographical sceneries, and beaches. In addition, visitors come from around the world to spend holidays and tour those regions. In the process, they use the services offered by the resorts in the regions. A resort needs to develop a long-term strategy that would help in providing continuous services to customers. To stand out among competitors, resort management can inspire its employees and visitors to promote a sustainable environment around the resort(Ali, Amin, and Ryu 67). Training employees and visitors about the importance of keeping the environment clean will reduce the carbon footprint of the organization. In addition, the training program will enhance the smooth running of the business. It will enhance efficient operations and cost-effective delivery of services. Providing high-quality services at low costs is the best way to attract more visitors and earn high profits(Prud’Homme and Raymond 121). When working with well-trained and experienced staff, services are delivered fast and effectively. Quick customer services are directly proportional to low costs and high profits. On the other hand, training ensures long-term protection and improvement of the environment on which the resort depends. Tourism and travel are all about the clean and attractive environment. A resort can only thrive when its surrounding meets the recommended standards for tourists and travelers. Therefore, it must meet the expectations of the guests and maintain its reputation. Adopting Internet and Mobile Technology The advancement in mobile technology has changed the way individuals and business organizations interact. Resorts deal with tourists who travel from other parts of the world to their destinations. Smartphones and tablets have changed the way people interact (Wang et al. 164). Through the Cloud Computing platform, the possibilities of immediate access to information are limitless. Tourists and travelers use these devices to access information about their intended destinations. To gain popularity in the market, a resort can use the mobile platform to market its business, communicate with customers and offer services to them. In the current world where technology dominates, a business needs to establish an online presence to attract and maintain new customers(Anuar, Mushaireen, and Khalid 553). A resort should have a well-established website where it markets its products and services. A good website should rank high in the main search engines such as Google. Therefore, a customer who searches for hotels and resorts in that area can access the business with ease. An elaborate website will provide fundamental information about the resort including the services it offers to customers (Wang et al. 169). A prospective customer is more likely to choose the resort with better services compared to others. Therefore, a company should add substantive features of its business and all services it provides. A resort should apply the latest mobile technologies with the best practices in order to take big market shares. A well-established mobile based service will decrease the resort’s dependency on its online travel agents. Through a mobile application integrated with the business website, a resort can allow its customers to book for accommodation and other services online. A good mobile platform allows its customers to pay for the services online. The application will reduce the aspect of physical interactions, which are time consuming and expensive(Anuar, Mushaireen, and Khalid 556). A well-established mobile strategy is a vital weapon in the travel and tourism industry, which evolves at a rapid rate. Developing Environmental Initiatives Although profit is the key objective of a resort, it is necessary to create a good relationship with stakeholders and communities around the business. Environment pollution is a health concern to everyone including visitors and guests. To attract and maintain guests, the business must establish initiatives to conserve and protect the ecosystem within its surrounding. It must respond to the issues of climate change as a way of addressing emerging needs for sustainable practices. These include the sustainable consumption of energy and effective management of wastes(Ali, Amin, and Ryu 65). To achieve the objective, a resort must comply with the relevant environment policies. It should integrate environment issues in its decision-making processes and promote environmental awareness through education of staff, customers, and communities. Through, reuse and recycling processes, a resort is able to reduce wastages and environmental pollution. Consequently, the cost of production and services are kept low. A responsible use of energy within the business enhances energy efficiency (Pavlatos 765). On the other hand, the energy options influence the effectiveness of the environmental initiatives. Preferably, a resort should use renewable energy resources such as solar and the wind energies. Wildlife conservation program should be part of a resort. It should protect the endangered native wildlife in the surrounding because they can form part of the tourist attractions and increase customers (Gössling 233). It should conserve all its resources to reduce wastes, improve services and attract more customers. In conclusion, a resort business operates in an environment influenced by rapid changes in trends. These include climate change, adoption of new technology, government policies and economic status of a country. Therefore, it is challenging to maintain effective service delivery throughout. Identifying target market and provision of valued experience are the fundamental practices in a resort business. However, all resorts in the same market strive to achieve the two objectives. In order to gain a competitive advantage and maintain business reputation, the strategic management of a resort should go beyond the target market and valued experiences. It should create an elaborate sustainable management plan, offer to train staff and guests, adopt modern technology, and conserve the environment. Works Cited Ali, Faizan, Muslim Amin and Kisang Ryu. “The Role of Physical Environment, Price Perceptions, and Consumption Emotions in Developing Customer Satisfaction in Chinese Resort Hotels.” Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism 17.1 (2015): 45-70. Print. Anuar, Jazira, Mushaireen Musa and Khazainah Khalid. “Smartphone’s Application Adoption Benefits Using Mobile Hotel Reservation System (MHRS) among 3 to 5-star City Hotels in Malaysia.” Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 130 (2014): 552-557. Print. Gössling, Stefan. “New Performance Indicators for Water Management in Tourism.” Tourism Management 46 (2015): 233-244. Print. Pavlatos, Odysseas. “An Empirical Investigation of Strategic Management Accounting in Hotels.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 27.5 (2015): 756-767. Web. Prud’Homme, Brigitte and Louis Raymond. “Sustainable Development Practices in the Hospitality Industry: An Empirical Study of Their Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Intentions.” International Journal of Hospitality Management 34 (2013): 116-126. Print. Wang, Yi-Shun, Hsien-Ta Li, Ci-Rong Li and Ding-Zhong Zhang. “Factors Affecting Hotels’ Adoption of Mobile Reservation Systems: A Technology-organization-environment Framework.” Tourism Management 53 (2016): 163-172. Print.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: The essay is a book review of "Revolt Among the Sharecroppers" by Kester et al. The book describes the revolting process, which initiated the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU). The organization was focused on uniting the white and black farmers of the Southern states to end their struggles with the higher class.

The essay is a book review of "Revolt Among the Sharecroppers" by Kester et al. The book describes the revolting process, which initiated the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU). The organization was focused on uniting the white and black farmers of the Southern states to end their struggles with the higher class.

“Revolt Among the Sharecroppers” by Kester et al. Essay (Book Review) The book includes Howard Kester’s work Revolt Among the Sharecroppers and supplements it with commentary and introduction by Alex Lichtenstein. The book describes the revolting process, which initiated the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU). The organization was focused on uniting the white and black farmers of the Southern states to end their struggles with the higher class. Overall, the work aims to provide a detailed account of the revolt, as well as of its political, social, and economic reasons and consequences. The first part of the book is written by Lichtenstein in order to give the readers a thorough introduction to the subject of Kester’s work. For instance, Lichtenstein explains the social processes that shaped the workings of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union: “In a segregated society, the STFU brought together white and black agricultural laborers in common cause… The southern tenants, sharecroppers, and day laborers who constituted the STFU’s rank and file represented the very bottom of American society, yet they managed to attract the attention” (Kester and Lichtenstein 16). Lichtenstein also develops a thorough image of Kester and his involvement with the Union. He clearly places Kester in the context of political and religious radicalism, as well as socialist and internationalist movement, to illustrate the origin of his views and his impact on the work of the organization. Lichtenstein also describes Kester as a great strategist: for instance, he explains the effectiveness of the activist’s position of unionism and justifies why this was a suitable practice for the society of the time. The second part of the book contains Kester’s original story, separated into six distinctive chapters. The first chapter of the book starts in a narrative form, where the author describes how the movement started and what was the reaction of landlords and officials to it. Throughout the work, the author pays great attention to develop the portraits of the participants in order to strengthen the socio-historical context of the movement. In the later chapters, Kester also provides a detail description of the rural life that was shaped by the Great Depression and the New Deal: “For all our talk about democracy and the high standards of living of American workmen, virtually millions of our fellow-citizens are living in practical slavery” (Kester and Lichtenstein 36). In his description of the difficulties that the farmers and the workers were facing, Kester also provides a certain justification for the revolt. The author states that the uprising of this layer of society was “as inevitable as the cultivation of cotton” (Kester and Lichtenstein 53). In Kester’s view, the revolt was more the result of the previous struggles and socio-historical factors than the everyday lives of the sharecroppers. The author emphasizes that the life that the poor were experiencing was not a short-term situation but an entire process of marginalization that lasted for the vast part of the past century. The last two chapters are focused on the farmers’ attempts to fight for a better future, passive at first, but then developing in urgency and scale. Overall, the work is an excellent illustration of the struggles faced by the poorest levels of American society. Where it might not be objective enough to be used as an academic reference, it provides a thorough account of the reasons and consequences of the unionism movement, as well as on the lives of its activists. Works Cited Kester, Howard, and Alex Lichtenstein. Revolt Among the Sharecroppers. University of Tennessee Press, 1997.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: This is a poem that describes feelings of loneliness and sadness by a student who has gone abroad or a far place to seek education. The student fondly recalls the peace that was at home and how that is different from the place he is currently in. There are moments of tears and nostalgia as the time to go home is what appears to be an eternity away. As the poem proceeds, there is glimmer hope by the student that he will one day return home upon successful completion of his education

This is a poem that describes feelings of loneliness and sadness by a student who has gone abroad or a far place to seek education. The student fondly recalls the peace that was at home and how that is different from the place he is currently in. There are moments of tears and nostalgia as the time to go home is what appears to be an eternity away. As the poem proceeds, there is glimmer hope by the student that he will one day return home upon successful completion of his education

Rhetorical Figure in “Fond Memories of Home” Poem Essay Fond memories of home At the moment of loneliness, With the torment of sadness, Memories boil in brain neigh madness, Patient like a princess with calmness, I await the hour home is near, Am caught contemplating curiously of time to bear, I can’t wait any longer, nostalgia claims my tear, What seems like centuries is barely a year, I miss the hooting of the owl, That reminds me of a place without a foul, Home is a serenity to the soul, Family is love like a cocktail bowl, Tick tock I am coming home, It beckons me, comes to the quiet storm, Summary This is a poem that describes feelings of loneliness and sadness by a student who has gone abroad or a far place to seek education. The student fondly recalls the peace that was at home and how that is different from the place he is currently in. There are moments of tears and nostalgia as the time to go home is what appears to be an eternity away. As the poem proceeds, there is glimmer hope by the student that he will one day return home upon successful completion of his education. Figures of speech Personification is evident in the poem where home beckons the student. This shows that the home of the student is calling him from a far place to return. The aim of personification in this line of the poem is to give life to the poem. This activates the mood of the poem to give it an interesting twist. Personification is also used to show that nostalgia, which is a feeling of longing for good gone times, claims the tears of the student. The student is crying because he misses home fondly and seems lost in his current place of learning. Thoughts of the home seem to take over the life of this student to the extent of interfering with his life. This is a didactic poem; the moral of the story behind this poem is that home is a place where there is family and family is love. This goes hand in hand with the old adage that either east or west, home is still the best. This poem calls on people to value their homes as plenty of love is found there. Onomatopoeia is present in the poem where the line “tick-tock” is used to symbolize the actual sound made by a chiming clock. This gives the poem a sense of slow-moving time which is counting down. In this line of the poem, readers can clearly see that time is the constant factor separating the student and his home. Paradox is also used in the poem. The poem depicts that home is a quiet storm. A storm is considered as havoc or something serious with uncontrollable happenings. However, as we come to understand, the statement “a quiet storm” makes sense that despite what difficulties take place around home, it still remains a good place to settle and be at peace. Home is serenity, is a metaphor used in the poem. Home is used to symbolize calmness, peace and love. These three attributes are combined to come up with serenity. In this case our homes and that of the student are likened to such a situation. A simile in the line: “patient like a princess with calmness” is used to compare the situation that the student is facing with that of a princess. In many old stories princesses had to be patient especially with suitors until they find the perfect one. Alliteration is used; ‘caught contemplating curiously’ to give the poem a musical tone.

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Create the inputted essay that provided the following summary: Richard Nixon and Sino-American Relations: 1971-1972 EssayIn 1971, Richard Nixon announced plans to visit China the following year. The former commander-in-chief gave his Chinese counterparts ample time to prepare for a historic visit. Thus, one can argue that the announcement was a good example of a skillful use of diplomacy. In addition, Nixon's successful diplomatic campaign strengthened Sino-American relationship and provided a face-saving strategy to end the Vietnam War.

Richard Nixon and Sino-American Relations: 1971-1972 Essay In 1971, Richard Nixon announced plans to visit China the following year. The former commander-in-chief gave his Chinese counterparts ample time to prepare for a historic visit. Thus, one can argue that the announcement was a good example of a skillful use of diplomacy. In addition, Nixon's successful diplomatic campaign strengthened Sino-American relationship and provided a face-saving strategy to end the Vietnam War.

Richard Nixon and Sino-American Relations: 1971-1972 Essay Table of Contents 1. Diplomacy 2. Negotiations 3. Coercive Diplomacy 4. Spiral Model vs. Deterrence Models 5. Balance of Terror 6. Hegemony 7. References Diplomacy Diplomacy is a fancy word describing the process of managing international relations (Bozo, 2012). Experts in this field are called diplomats. Skillful diplomacy is as important as an effective military strategy (Senese & Vasquez, 2008). Notable landmarks in history offer spectacular examples of the adroit use of diplomacy. However, there was a period when it felt as if diplomacy was the best solution to the world’s problems. At the height of the Cold War, when the world was at its lowest point due to the threat of a nuclear holocaust and the numerous proxy wars held in different areas of the globe, diplomacy was like a beacon of hope for many people. Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger provided a master class on how to use it when they announced plans to visit China in a press conference that was held in 1971 (Ladley, 2002). In the said press conference, Nixon made known his intention to visit China the following year. The former commander-in-chief gave his Chinese counterparts ample time to prepare for a historic visit. Thus, one can argue that the announcement was a good example of a skillful use of diplomacy. Advance preparations were necessary steps considering the ideological differences between China and the United States. Negotiations Effective diplomats are characterized as having impressive people skills (Goh, 2005). However, the ability to make friends is a useless skill-set if they do not know how to negotiate. In diffusing conflicts and crafting mutually beneficial trade agreements, diplomats are expected to use the language of negotiation (Goh, 2005). Political issues in the home front and the moral responsibility to escalate another major land war in Asia brought Nixon to the negotiating table. Nixon suffered from a sagging popularity due to the president’s failed promise of ending the Vietnam War. Furthermore, the Vietcong’s victory in its military struggle with U.S. soldiers was not an assurance that North Vietnamese leaders had reached the satiety level to end their appetite for expansion. Vietnam is a short distance away from countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Thus, the need to negotiate a favorable peace treaty with the Vietcong was at the top of the agenda (Ladley, 2002). Once again, Nixon demonstrated his diplomatic skills by hitting two birds with one stone so-to-speak. Nixon’s successful diplomatic campaign strengthened Sino-American relationship and provided a face-saving strategy to end the Vietnam War. Coercive Diplomacy Forceful persuasion is another name for coercive diplomacy (Small, 2011). In most cases, national leaders manifest the use of coercive policy through a calibrated military response. The best example of the said tactic was John F. Kennedy’s containment effort in blocking the arrival of nuclear warheads that the Russians were stockpiling in Cuba. Kennedy’s coercive diplomacy was the use of naval blockade. Thus, one can see how force was applied. However, the use of force was minimal with a threat to escalate the use of the same in the event of an unfavorable response (Small, 2011). Nixon had the option to use coercive diplomacy when he embarked on a diplomatic trip to China in the year 1972. However, before the planned visit to Asia, Nixon’s foreign policy approach with regards to China was going through a radical transformation as a result of a paradigm shift. Henry Kissinger wrote in his memoirs the following lines: “The reorientation of our strategy signaled to the People’s Republic of China that we saw its purposes as separable from those of the Soviet Union’s, that our military policy did not see China as a principal threat” (Ladley, 2002, p.25). As a result, there was no clear incentive for using coercive diplomacy at that point. Instead of using forceful persuasion for the purpose of accomplishing critical goals, Nixon decided to establish friendly relations with China. Nixon’s gamble paid off at the end. However, he had a lot of ground to cover in the days and months leading to the historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. Spiral Model vs. Deterrence Models Seasoned diplomats are aware of the ramifications of the Spiral Model and the Deterrence Model as conceptual frameworks explaining the steps leading to war (Senese & Vasquez, 2008). The Spiral Model points to the use of punitive force or coercive measures as the root cause of war. In other word, the target of military attacks and other punitive measures was compelled to react in a hostile manner due to fear or anger. On the other hand, the Deterrence Model points to the unexpected root cause of military conflict due to the decision of national leaders to give concessions as acts of appeasements (Senese & Vasquez, 2008). In other words, the said acts of appeasements were viewed as signs of weakness. Thus, the other party attempts to exploit the said weakness by not giving in to the demands made earlier. Nixon had a clear understanding of the futility of using punitive force in order to persuade China to go along with his plan for Vietnam. Several years before the scheduled trip, Zhou Enlai made known his commitments to send Chinese troops to Vietnam if the United States government decided to attack Chinese military bases (Christensen, 2011). Punitive action and threats of escalation was out of the question. However, appeasements were also seen as counterproductive. Nixon had no intention of revealing any form of weakness. He resolved the dilemma created by the Spiral Model vs. Deterrence Model argument when he created the Nixon Doctrine (Small, 2011). The Nixon Doctrine radically altered U.S. foreign policy with regards to allies under the threat of a communist invasion. In the said framework, Nixon made a commitment to pull out American troops from Vietnam. As a result, he succeeded in removing the use of force or the threat to use force. However, it was not seen as a form of appeasement, because Nixon made a commitment to support U.S. allies from within without having to send troops from an external source. Balance of Terror Balance of Terror is another way to express mutual deterrence, a concept describing the ability of one state to completely wipe out the enemy state due to sheer military power (Gelber, 2007). The said theoretical framework was realized through the availability of nuclear weapons. America’s capability to annihilate the Union Soviet Socialist Republic and vice versa created an environment of mutual deterrence (Christensen, 2011). However, it was a costly endeavor as both countries had to stockpile nuclear weapons. Expanding nuclear arsenals never ensured long-lasting peace. Thus, Nixon had to find another way to compel the Soviets to reduce the volume of nuclear armaments (Gelber, 2007). His surprise visit to China in 1972 was calculated to take advantage of a rift between Chinese and Soviet relations that grew even wider in the 1960s (Bozo, 2012). Nixon’s strategy was effective in causing alarm at the Soviet camp. Russian leaders cannot afford the strengthening of Sino-American relations without having the same level of relationship between Russia and the United States. Nixon’s long-term goal paid off when he also engineered the Moscow Summit after a face-to-face encounter with Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong. Nixon’s one week stay in Beijing created the impression that China was siding with America (Goh, 2005). However, the agreements that were made during the Moscow Summit revealed that in reality, Nixon was able to neutralize both China and the USSR with his unexpected political moves. Hegemony One can make the argument that the fear of American hegemony was the compelling factor in China’s decision to support North Vietnam (Senese & Vasquez, 2008). Therefore, the secondary goal of Nixon’s Beijing visit was to persuade Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong that he can do something to lessen the threat of an American hegemony in the Asia. Nevertheless, Nixon was in a bind. He had to find a way to explain the need for a military base in Japan, a nation with a long history of conflict with both Russia and China. Nixon once again displayed extraordinary diplomatic skills when he made the Chinese leaders understand that the Soviet Union was the bigger threat (Christensen, 2011). The said perception was strengthened by border clashes between Chinese and Russian troops and the continued Russian buildup within the region (Christensen, 2011). Thus, it was to the best interest of China to allow continued U.S. military presence within Japan for the purpose of reducing the military capability of Japan. China also feared the implications of the improvements in diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union. China preferred a Japanese government tethered to the United States as opposed to the alternative scenario of an emerging Russo-Japanese alliance. In other words, Nixon persuaded his Chinese counterparts to believe that it was mutually beneficial for both parties to prevent a Russian hegemony in the said region. References Bozo, F. (2012). Visions of the end of the Cold War in Europe, 1945-1990 . Oxford, NY: Berghahn Books. Christensen, T. (2011). Worse than a monolith: Alliance politics and problems of coercive diplomacy. New Jersey, NJ: Princeton University Press. Gelber, H. (2007). The dragon and the foreign devils: China and the world, 1100 B.C. to the present. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. Goh, E. (2005). Constructing the U.S. rapprochement with China, 1961-1974 . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Ladley, E. (2002). Nixon’s China trip . Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, Inc. Senese, P., & Vasquez, J. (2008). The steps to war: An empirical study . New Jersey, NJ: Princeton University Press. Small, M. (2011). A companion to Richard M. Nixon . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: This recommendation report analyzes the production and logistical system of Richard & Trench to identify its major flaws and weaknesses, as well as propose a program of improvement to ensure that the company can produce and supply a set amount of semiconductors in a given time frame.The report found that Richard & Trench's production and logistical system has several critical weaknesses. These include the lack of quality control criteria for raw resources, an error in the automated quality control that could send a large number of half-completed semiconductors back, and the inefficient design of the warehouse for complete products.The report concludes that repairing the existing errors, as well as implementing the WCS system of management, would greatly enhance the company's production rates and the quality of the product.

This recommendation report analyzes the production and logistical system of Richard & Trench to identify its major flaws and weaknesses, as well as propose a program of improvement to ensure that the company can produce and supply a set amount of semiconductors in a given time frame. The report found that Richard & Trench's production and logistical system has several critical weaknesses. These include the lack of quality control criteria for raw resources, an error in the automated quality control that could send a large number of half-completed semiconductors back, and the inefficient design of the warehouse for complete products. The report concludes that repairing the existing errors, as well as implementing the WCS system of management, would greatly enhance the company's production rates and the quality of the product.

Richard & Trench Company’s Logistic Report Executive Summary This recommendation report analyzes the production and logistical system of Richard & Trench to identify its major flaws and weaknesses, as well as propose a program of improvement to ensure that the company can produce and supply a set amount of semiconductors in a given time frame. The necessity for this report was brought upon by a large contract signed between Richard & Trench and a leading electronics company, requiring 3 million semiconductors to be supplied to them annually. It is a very important contract that could define the company’s future as a leader in the market of semiconductors. The preliminary analysis of the company’s production, management, and logistics operations indicated several critical weaknesses. These weaknesses are the lack of quality control criteria for raw resources, an error in the automated quality control that could send a large number of half-completed semiconductors back, and the inefficient design of the warehouse for complete products, which could potentially be improved to house 6 million conductors instead of 3 million. Other weaknesses of the system include the overreliance on one supplier for raw materials and inefficient supplying schedules that require the use of large warehouses. The transportation system is also inefficient, as the distances between the factory, the packaging facility, and the warehouses are too long and cause unnecessary time delays. Two potential models could be adopted by Richard & Trench to counter these areas of weakness; the JIT model, which stands for Just-in-Time management, and the WCS model, which stands for Work Control System. The former relies on lean management and tight coordination between the production team and the suppliers to bypass the need for warehousing, while the other operates within the confines of the standard supply system but regulates the input and output of production to hold leaner stock and improve production times. As the analysis showed, JIT would offer a cheaper alternative and help improve production times greatly, while at the same time solve the warehousing problem by rendering it obsolete. However, JIT is also prone to critical malfunctions and increases the overall production costs of the products. WCS would require greater investment in the construction of all necessary facilities near the factory, but will prove to be more stable and efficient in the long run, and would require fewer resources and training to implement. The report concludes that repairing the existing errors, as well as implementing the WCS system of management, would greatly enhance the company’s production rates and the quality of the product. The estimated costs for the implementation of the WCS model, warehouse construction, and personnel training, is estimated at 1,500,000 dollars. Richard & Trench Recommendation Report Introduction Production planning and optimization play an important part in any production enterprise, big or small. Optimizations allow the company to reduce costs, improve production levels, increase the quality of the end product, reduce the number of workers required in the process, and promote labor safety. Periodic assessments of production efficiency are necessary, as no system is perfect and there are always ways to improve. This recommendation report involves a case study of a company called Richard & Trench – a rising semiconductor company based in the USA. It has a 14-year history in the market and produces high-quality semiconductors, which are highly sought-after by many of the leading electronics companies. The company acts as a first-tier supplier to many high-tech ventures and manages to attract the attention of large contractors. This case study illustrates a plausible real-life scenario. Large companies often employ services of smaller sub-contractors to supply all the necessary components. This is done to diversify its supply chain and becomes less dependent on just one supplier. The client company set up an annual production order of 3 million semiconductors, with a hard condition of not accepting any setbacks or delays. The purpose of this paper is to assess the company’s production chain, develop recommendations based on the initial assessment, calculate possible optimization costs, improvements, and drawbacks to the system, and, ultimately, develop a working change model for the company. Current Production Chain Assessment The assessment process was conducted over 2 months and involved a team of 5 people – two mechanical engineers, one finalist, one quality management expert, and the operation supervisor. The team was granted access to all areas within the company, use of their research facility, and a research fund of 10,000 dollars. This inspection team made several key discoveries. The current production system involves four facilities – the raw materials warehouse, the packaging facility, the complete product warehouse, and the factory itself. These facilities, however, are not located in the same place. The raw materials warehouse is located 1 km away from the factory, the complete product warehouse is 3 km away, and the packaging facility, 1.5 km away. This creates complications and adds time to the production process as the raw materials and the products have to be transported to and from the factory. The choices of locations for the packaging and the warehouse facilities, as well as their sizes, are motivated by the current supply and production system. As it stands, the materials are supplied by a local company on a bi-monthly basis. The production capabilities of the factory are large, capping at 6 million semiconductors a year, meaning that the number of materials supplied each time is also significant and requires a large storage facility. At the same time, the packaging facility needs to be equally large, as it has to deal with large amounts of products simultaneously. Actual production rates for the factory are at 5 million semiconductors a year, with 1 million lost due to imperfections in the raw resources supply and delivery, as well as the distances between the facilities. The holding capacity of the complete product materials warehouse is 3 million semiconductors. The report concluded, however, that the redesign of this warehouse space could potentially double its holding capability. The investigation of the actual production process discovered serious flaws in the processes of the raw material and final product quality control. Silicon, which is one of the key raw materials for the production of semiconductors, is investigated manually, but with no official protocols followed for quality control. This can potentially result in a decrease in the quality of the end product. Another flaw involving the production process involves an error in the automated semiconductor manufacturing that sends a significant number of half-finished semiconductors back should the machinery detect an error in a finished semiconductor during the testing phase. The estimated time and costs for the reparations are 15 days and 350,000 dollars. Although the potential production errors may cause unnecessary delays and pauses in the process, fixing the issue will not directly improve the production values of the company. However, it would increase the quality of the final product and diminish the chances of a malfunction shutting down the manufacturing schedule. Aside from the abovementioned issues, the review found no other potential problems that might hinder the completion of the 3-million yearly order from the client company. Even with the 1-million difference between the potential and the actual production values, Richard & Trench can complete the full order, and even have a production reserve ready, in the case of a sudden increase in workload. Weaknesses of the Current Logistics and Production Model While the current logistics and production model has been operating for some time, several possible weaknesses may jeopardize the new order and put the reputation of Richard & Trench at risk. The first flaw in the current model is the overreliance on a single supplier for the raw materials that enable the company to produce semiconductors. This puts the production schedule at great risk, as it relies not only on the company’s own ability to produce semiconductors but also on the supplier’s ability to supply the raw materials in large quantities. The production of larger quantities of goods requires the involvement of greater production values on the part of the supplier and is thus prone to setbacks on a larger scale. For example, if the supplier suffered a malfunction or a large-scale accident that would halt its production, Richard & Trench would be left without any raw materials for an uncertain amount of time. The same would happen if the supplier’s storage facilities were to suffer an accident. Lastly, any accidental payment issues on the customer’s part, as well as sudden changes in the order, are also likely to cause unnecessary delays. Another problem involves the size of the complete product warehouse. As it stands, it can hold 3 million complete semiconductors. While this is sufficient to satisfy the customer’s order, it is only one-half of the maximum production value of the company, thus meaning that other orders may find themselves without storage space. Depending on the logistics model, the warehouse would need to be remodeled to fit greater volumes of products, which would cost time and money. Lastly, storing large amounts of products and materials in warehouses potentially increases the damage dealt from an accident or an emergency, such as a flood, fire, or a large-scale equipment malfunction. Large distances between the factory and the facilities increase the chances of deliveries being delayed or damaged due to traffic accidents. Potential Solutions Potential solutions to the weaknesses of the logistics and production system may involve implementing a different inventory management system. This could smooth out the production and supply flow, as well as make it less reliant on the suppliers, and less susceptible to potential disasters that may result in Richard & Trench being unable to provide the semiconductors on time and, thus, violate the terms of the contract with their client. The two working inventory management systems that could be applied for this kind of organization are the JIT system and the WCS system. The JIT system revolves around a lean management model. This means that the materials are delivered from the supplier and are immediately put into the production process, with little to no warehousing required. This system is implemented by many companies across the world as it allows savings on warehouses, warehouse employees, and transportation fees. Also, it creates a more fluid system and eliminates extra wait times and manipulations with the product and the material, which would enable increasing the production value of the company (“Just-in-Time”). A comparison between the traditional production system and the JIT production system is well-illustrated by the diagram below (Pic. 1): Pic. 1. “Continuous Flow Production” Another system that could be implemented by Richard & Trench is the WCS management model. This model revolves around managing the customer’s demand and adjusting the input and output of the system according to each customer inquiry. It is a system largely implemented by small and medium-sized companies, as it allows them to reduce lead times, control the capacity of the enterprise, and control work-in-progress and the inventory, thus resulting in leaner warehousing and management. It is also relatively simple to implement (“Workload Control”). For easier understanding of how WCS works, see Pic.2 below: Pic. 2. “WCS Management Model” Pros and Cons of JIT and WCS As has been mentioned, the JIT system would allow the company to remove warehousing facilities from the equation, as they would be able to receive the raw materials upon demand and send the products to the customer as soon as they were manufactured. As it currently stands, the company has four major facilities, two of which are warehouses. With this system, these warehouses require modernization and expansion, particularly in the case of the warehouse for storing the finished products. The adoption of the JIT system would allow the company to close down these warehouses and open smaller ones within the vicinity of the factory, thus saving money on both the maintenance and transportation of the larger warehouses and potentially speeding up the production. However, this system has certain risks. A smooth and steady supply of materials on demand requires greater cooperation between the company and the material supplier. Instead of only having to rely on the supplier for large shipments twice a month, the company has to rely on the supplier every day to produce semiconductors on-demand. The number of transactions is thus increased, and so is the chance of these transactions failing and causing a material shortage. This could jeopardize the company in the event of a major accident or a disagreement between Richard & Trench and the suppliers. WCS, on the other hand, can be applied to the current system without significant modifications. The company would still operate in terms of warehouses and large-scale orders. By managing customer orders and inquires, the company would be able to reduce warehousing, though not eliminating it, as well as reduce lead times, which would help save money. This system is easier to implement than JIT and does not require the same levels of coordination. At the same time, producing in larger quantities would help reduce the individual price for the semiconductor, as the company would operate economies of scale – the price of production per individual product will decrease with the increase in production. Also, the company would be more resilient to sudden changes and increases in production. However, there is a downside to this method as well. WCS would require closing the existing warehouses and constructing new ones in the direct vicinity of the factory. These warehouses would be bigger than with the JIT system and would cost money, time, and land to build them on. Applying JIT and WCS to the Richard & Trench Case When comparing JIT and WCS in regards to the Richard and Trench case, it is important to consider both short-term and long-term perspectives. JIT will provide immediate monetary savings for the company, as the necessity for having warehouses will vanish. The majority of employees working there would thus become unnecessary, all maintenance costs will be cut as these warehouses would no longer need to be supplied with water and electricity, and all the machinery utilized in the warehouses could be repurposed or sold. Much smaller warehouses for managing insignificant loads and material stockpiles could be set up within the factory building or right next to it, which would significantly cut transportation times and improve the workflow. However, switching from the standard operational and logistics management towards a leaner system of management like JIT will take time. Working schedules would need to be rehashed, and the suppliers would also need to adjust to the new supply schedule. Warehouse workers would need to be remunerated for losing their jobs, the warehouses themselves would need to be sold or rented, and the management system would have to be reconfigured to operate at peak efficiency, to prevent materials from stockpiling, instead of being sent directly into production. This would cost time and money. It is estimated that the shift towards JIT would take from two weeks to about a month. Another potential downside of JIT is that it will diminish the overall profits of Richard & Trench while working with a large order of 3 million conductors per year. The Just-in-Time system is geared towards manufacturing and managing of multiple small orders coming in at different and unexpected times. Some examples of successful JIT implementation include companies like Toyota, Dell, and McDonald’s (see Pic. 3): Pic. 3. “Companies that Adopted JIT” These companies adopted the JIT strategy for a specific reason – they have to serve a great number of clients with different demands, in different areas around the world, and at different times. In the case of McDonald’s, JIT is a forced measure, as food supplies cannot be left in storage for a long period (Kiger). Richard & Trench is not a very large enterprise, and as per the contract with the client, it will supply semiconductors primarily to one company. Due to a lack of large storage facilities as per JIT logistics strategy, the company would need to send batches of semiconductors to the client as soon as they are ready, and at the same time order new batches of raw materials to be delivered to the factory to continue production. This means that an additional price on production will be put into transportation expenses – the supplier will have to impose these to compensate for the large amounts of small orders, as it is more beneficial for the supplier to deal with big orders rather than small ones. Charging extra to compensate for the additional expenses may make the client reconsider the offer and find a different supplier of semiconductors. Also, since JIT does not suggest stocking extra supplies, the entire system is vulnerable and overly reliant on the capabilities of the supplier to provide the required materials on-demand and in time (Kiger). The supplier would need time to adjust from having to deal with one large order every half a month to a multitude of orders, potentially within the same day. This is a much more complex operation and requires managerial prowess from both Richard & Trench and its supplier. Should any major incident happen, the company would be left without stock? This can be remedied by diversifying the supplier pool. That, however, will require time and financial expenses. It would also create an additional problem of having to manage numerous different suppliers at the same time. Lastly, switching over to JIT would require Richard & Trench to vastly upgrade the quality of training of its managers and employees. JIT is a very intensive logistics model that does not allow any slip-ups or delays, as these could potentially disrupt the entire operation. Investing in recruiting managers familiar with JIT, or providing in-house training for current managers to ensure they are up to the new tasks, means additional expenses. To summarize, switching over to JIT will provide short-term gains in saving money from the abolishment of the warehouse system and general efficiency of the process, but will induce long-term expenses in training personnel, upping the production price of an individual semiconductor, and increase the potential of production freezes in case of an accident. Switching over to JIT would also require up to one month cross-over time (and, so, potentially, up to 1 month of loss of production as well). The immediate expenses with JIT would amount to 500,000 dollars, with 350,000 dollars spent on repairing the automatized quality control sequence, and 150,000 dollars spent on staff training, worker remuneration, and other expenses. Should the logistics management system be updated to WCS, Richard & Trench will encounter a different set of benefits and disadvantages. While the company would benefit from leaner warehousing needs under WCS, that benefit would be reduced by the necessity of opening warehouses closer to the installation. The construction of these new warehouses in the direct vicinity of the factory will cost about 1,000,000 dollars. The transition from the old warehousing system to the new one would be less disruptive than with JIT, however, as the staff from the old warehouses could be employed to work in the new ones, and the old warehouses could still be used until the new ones are built. The transition to WCS will be smoother and easier than with JIT, as this model does not require the same amount of coordination and timeliness between agents to be effective. While the warehousing process is made leaner, the company will still be able to retain a certain amount of resources in stock, so that any supplying interruption would be compensated, if only for a short amount of time. Lastly, the system is more efficient in handling large orders from a single client, as the output of production and resources can be adjusted to fit both the client’s and the company’s needs. While Richard & Trench will still rely on its suppliers for raw materials, a failure to provide the resources on time would not be as catastrophic as it would be in a JIT system. Building new warehouses near the factory would help minimize transportation expenses and greatly improve the production process, as transfers of materials between the raw materials warehouse and the factory, as well as between the factory and the warehouse for complete products, would be sped up considerably. The immediate expenses with WCS would amount to 1,500,000 dollars, with 350,000 dollars spent on repairing the automatized quality control sequence, 1,000,000 dollars for the construction of warehouses and packaging facilities near the factory, and 150,000 dollars spent on staff training, and other expenses. Final Conclusions and Recommendations To prepare Richard &Trench for a long-lasting and lucrative partnership with the large client, and to ensure the quality and security of the products and orders, some changes in the production and logistics system are essential. These changes include solving the problem of the automatic quality control of the finished product. This issue can cause an unacceptable setback and jeopardize the contract. This change will benefit the company from both long and short-term perspectives, as it would improve the quality of the product and remove the potential issues with singling out defective semiconductors. The other change involves the creation and enforcement of quality standards when controlling the quality of raw materials such as silicon, which is very important in semiconductor production. Developing a set of standards and enforcing them will not cause any major expense for the company, though it may force the supplier to improve the quality of the material to adhere to these standards. Between JIT and WCS, the latter presents itself as a more appropriate logistics management method for Richard & Trench. Although it requires greater investment in the short-term, involving the construction of two warehouses near the factory, the company would benefit in the long term from having dedicated facilities located so close. JIT has a set of weaknesses that may compromise the order and generate delays, which are unacceptable to the client as per the contract demands. Even large companies, such as Toyota and Dell, have encountered major failures related to their suppliers, which paralyzed the company and resulted in millions of dollars in financial and material damage (Kiger). JIT is not fit to handle large orders from a single client, as the branching of the production process into a multitude of smaller sub-processes is simply unnecessary. Also, the implementation of the WCS will not cause any major disturbances in current working schedules, and the factory will be able to maintain its current workflow while the new warehouses are being built. The WCS management system can be maintained until the contract with the major customer expires, and can be switched to a different system if necessary. An alternative solution, which requires the least modifications and changes to the current method of operation would involve simply increasing the capacity of the warehouse for the finished product. As it stands, with the actual yearly output of 5 million semiconductors per year, Richard & Trench is capable of producing several semiconductors prescribed by the order without any improvements to the current production line. The only necessary measures, thus, would require investing in the redesign of the warehouse. This solution is the most effective from a short-term perspective. However, it does not solve any of the fundamental issues behind the current system which hinders the company’s growth. The expenses associated with switching to WCS, JIT, or any other management system would eventually have to be dealt with, but doing so right now would not only improve the company’s capabilities and the quality of the product, but it would also give it more time to reap the benefits of improved transportation, management, and production changes for the duration of the order. Works Cited “Just-in-Time – JIT.” Investopedia. Web. Kiger, David. “Analyzing Top Examples of Just in Time Inventory and Production Management.” WordPress, 2017. Web. “Workload Control.” Workload Control. Web.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: Richard Wright's "Big Black Good Man" essay examines the use of point of view as a literary device in his short story "Big Black Good Man." The essay highlights how the device can be used to develop tension and understanding between characters.

Richard Wright's "Big Black Good Man" essay examines the use of point of view as a literary device in his short story "Big Black Good Man." The essay highlights how the device can be used to develop tension and understanding between characters.

Richard Wright’s “Big Black Good Man” Essay The verbal structure of a text should always be given great attention since it reveals not only the lexical and stylistic capabilities of language, but it also allows readers to draw conclusions about the intentions of the author and helps them to understand the thoughts of characters better. Importantly, some literary devices can be taken apart and examined easily, while some of them affect the reader’s comprehension or analysis indirectly. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the literary device of point of view is utilized in Richard Wright’s short story entitled “Big Black Good Man”. Use of Literary Device First of all, it is essential to mention that this short story has a third-person narrator (Scott 49). The setting is revealed to the reader from the standpoint of Olaf Jenson, who is one of the story’s main protagonists. Notably, Jim is another crucial character in the story; however, the narrator remains uninvolved in terms of Jim’s thoughts. Therefore, the use of point of view as a literary device enables the reader to understand and analyze the thought process of one person, Olaf, while remaining unaware of the intentions of Jim. The man’s fear arises with Jim’s “deliberate movement of his gorillalike arms, he lifted his mammoth hands to Olaf’s throat” (Kirszner and Mandell 244). Interestingly, Olaf cannot comprehend Jim’s wishes or intentions and can only guess what he means by committing these actions. At this point, it is important to stress the fact that the literary device allows the reader to make his or her own personal assumptions and form an opinion based on the individual judgment and thoughts of Olaf. In addition, this form of narration enables the reader to observe the setting through Olaf’s eyes, using his thoughts to influence the reader’s personal position. The use of third-person narration in this short story contributes greatly to the development of tension throughout the reading. On the one hand, the reader faces the terror that the main hero has when meeting and dealing with Jim, despite the fact that this feeling turns out to be groundless and ambiguous. In addition, the narrator highlights that Olaf is not racially or nationally prejudiced and always welcomes men of various backgrounds. Nevertheless, Olaf refers to the visitor as a “black beast” (Kirszner and Mandell 244). Therefore, the reader’s attitude to Jim can be formed based on Olaf’s feelings and emotions, while Jim’s intentions are not specified directly through his thinking. On the other hand, the reader must also rely on his or her individual background, and this comprehension can either coincide or conflict with Olaf’s experience. It can be stated that the use of point of view as a literary device attempts to resolve the strain between the two characters as well as between Olaf and the reader (Kvanvig 11). The final revelation occurs only after Jim speaks openly and explains his underlying intentions himself. Conclusion Overall, it can be concluded that the third-person narration of “Big Black Good Man” challenges the reader to question his or her justifications for forming certain attitudes. Looking at the setting through Olaf’s eyes and being unaware of Jim’s intentions, the reader has to confront the heroes and their personal perceptions. In this way, point of view is a powerful literary device that creates growing tension, which would have been impossible if Jim’s thoughts had been revealed directly and the reader had not been able to question him or herself and the way attitudes can be wrongfully formed in the context of uncertainty. Works Cited Kirszner, Laurie, and Stephen Mandell. Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing . 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015. Kvanvig, Jonathan. Rationality and Reflection . OUP Oxford, 2014. Scott, Jeremy. Creative Writing and Stylistics . Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: This paper discusses the term 'risk' and associated insurances, focus on the concepts of the 'third party administrator' and 'reinsurance,' and report on the financial results of the major insurance companies operating in the UAE and GCC countries.Insurance is the provided financial protection that is aimed at mitigating risks and actual results of negative events with the focus on the financial compensation.

This paper discusses the term 'risk' and associated insurances, focus on the concepts of the 'third party administrator' and 'reinsurance,' and report on the financial results of the major insurance companies operating in the UAE and GCC countries. Insurance is the provided financial protection that is aimed at mitigating risks and actual results of negative events with the focus on the financial compensation.

Risk, Insurance, and Third-Party Administrators Report Introduction Risk and insurance are notions that are closely connected, and risks should be discussed in the context of the expected insurance that differs depending on the type of risk. These aspects need to be discussed in detail with the focus on insurance companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the term ‘risk’ and associated insurances, focus on the concepts of the ‘third party administrator’ and ‘reinsurance,’ and report on the financial results of the major insurance companies operating in the UAE and GCC countries. Risk and Mitigation with the Help of Insurance A risk can be defined as a threat of negative circumstances for a person or business. In the context of personal life, risks are associated with the probability of injuries or traumas. In the context of business, risks are associated with the probability of financial or material loss for the company. Insurance is the provided financial protection that is aimed at mitigating risks and actual results of negative events with the focus on the financial compensation (Cummins & Santomero, 2012; Zietsch & Von Harpke, 2014). Thus, health risks are usually mitigated being covered by health insurance, and business risks can be addressed by a range of corporate insurance types. Third-Party Administrators The Third Party Administrator (TPA) is an organization that addresses the insurance claims and cooperates with insurance companies in order to administer the insurance cases effectively (Wollan & Brook, 2015). Thus, the TPA has a range of administrative responsibilities in order to guarantee that risk management is conducted appropriately, and insurance companies cover their obligations in a proper manner (Clarke, 2013). In the UAE, the functions of TPAs are performed by Next Care, NAS network companies (NAS Administration Services Ltd.), MSH International LLC, FMC Network UAE Management Consultancy, Inayah TPA LLC, and WapMed TPA Services LLC among others. Risks Associated with Providing Passenger Boats Renting Services There are many risks that are associated with providing boat services. The risks to the life of passengers are most typical, and the main way to mitigate them is to refer to the boat or airboat insurance provided by insurance companies in the context of additional programs. This type of insurance covers such risks as accidents, threats to life, and damages related to the property (Gorge, 2015). The health risks and accidents are also covered by third party liability insurance for passengers that guarantee the provision of financial assistance in cases of accidents that are not caused by the malfunctioning of the boat. There are also risks associated with fishing and violation of safety rules (Borch, Sandmo, & Aase, 2014). These risks are not covered by insurance provided by the organization, but they are under consideration by the programs providing life and health insurance. If the fishing risks are not associated with the passengers’ violation of norms, such cases are covered by the specific fishing insurance provided by the organization. Reinsurance and Selection of the Insurance Company Reinsurance is a specific type of insurance acquired by an insurance company from any other company in order to resolve all possible problems associated with addressing the clients’ claims. Thus, using the reinsurance procedure, insurance companies share their obligations with other companies while reducing the risk of the finical loss (Cummins & Derrig, 2012). It is appropriate to choose those insurance companies that use reinsurance practice with the focus on the assistance of reputable and reliable companies with high financial and insurance rating. Insurance Companies in the UAE and GCC Countries: Financial Information Table 1. Financial Information for Insurance Companies and TPAs. Insurance Company ADNIC Arab Orient Insurance (Next care) Abu Dhabi National Takaful Emirates Insurance (NAS network) TPA (Yes or No) No No Yes No No Yes Establish Year 1972 1996 1999 (Next Care, 2016) 2003 1982 2002 (NAS, 2016) Insurance rating and the source a- (Business Wire, 2016) bbb+ (Business Wire, 2015a) N/A bbb+ (Business Wire, 2015c) a- (Business Wire, 2015b) N/A Net Profit/Loss in 2013 AED 156,000,000 JD 4,108,479 N/A AED 35,755,627 AED 85,702,834 N/A Net Profit/Loss in 2014 AED (280,000,000) (Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company, 2016) JD 5,027,365 (Arab Orient Insurance, 2016) N/A AED 35,173,681 (Abu Dhabi National Takaful, 2014) AED 103,371,490 (Emirates Insurance, 2014) N/A Gross Premium Written 2013 AED 2,410,000,000 JD 86,019,536 N/A AED 235,124,382 AED 720,846,573 N/A Gross Premium Written 2014 AED 2,630,000,000 JD 94,949,636 N/A AED AED 840,072,954 N/A 265,676,459 Reinsurance ceded 2013 AED (956,328,000) JD (44,029,614) N/A AED (32,980,232) AED (366,693,238) N/A Reinsurance ceded 2014 AED (1,048,350,000) JD (40,354,780) N/A AED (46,069,138) AED (408,810,910) N/A Total claims collected from reinsurance 2013 AED (1,575,077,000) JD (61,633,012) N/A AED (59,463,382) AED (362,776,426) N/A Total claims collected from reinsurance 2014 AED (2,706,559,000) JD (70,717,236) N/A AED (84,367,757) AED (384,617,259) N/A Total commission from reinsurance 2013 AED (121,978,000) JD (8,005,650) N/A AED (65,751, 173) AED (57,170,129) N/A Total commission from reinsurance 2014 AED (144,528,000) JD (9,722,612) N/A AED (74,933,879) AED (77,765,524) N/A Gross premium Written minus (reinsurance ceded) 2013 AED 1,450,000,000 JD 41,989,922 N/A AED 202,144,150 AED 354,153,335 N/A Gross premium Written minus (reinsurance ceded) 2014 AED 1,600,000, 000 JD 54,594,856 N/A AED 219,607,321 AED 431,262,044 N/A Table 2. Financial Information for Insurance Companies. Insurance Company Al Dhafra Insurance Al-Ain Ahlia Oman Insurance Co. Al Khazna Insurance TPA (Yes or No) No No No No Establish Year 1979 1975 1975 1996 Insurance rating and the source bbb (Reuters, 2015a) A3 (Moody’s Investors Service, 2015) a (Reuters, 2015b) b (Oxford Business Group, 2014) Net Profit/Loss in 2013 AED 48,811,568 AED 42,177,000 (Al Ain Ahlia, 2014) AED 247,118,000 (Oman Insurance Co, 2014) AED (162,866,289) Net Profit/Loss in 2014 AED 42,383,871 (Al Dhafra Insurance, 2014) AED 64,950,000 AED 229,371,000 AED (68,442,597) (Al Khazna Insurance, 2014) Gross Premium Written 2013 AED 303,139,619 AED 516,529,000 AED 2,919,594,000 AED 95,417,609 Gross Premium Written 2014 AED 346,689,456 AED 600,135,000 AED 3,248,944,000 AED 127,927,415 Reinsurance ceded 2013 AED (117,193,116) AED (289,829,000) AED (1,471,496,000) AED (56,512,872) Reinsurance ceded 2014 AED (119,652,377) AED (358,557,000) AED (1,670,261,000) AED (57,429,725) Total claims collected from reinsurance 2013 AED (198,962,105) AED (218,146,000) AED (1,811,801,000) AED (42,545,932) Total claims collected from reinsurance 2014 AED (189,498,921) AED (278,766,000) AED (1,923,813,000) AED (75,818,415) Total commission from reinsurance 2013 AED (15,291,644) AED (37,798,000) AED (205,251,000) AED (2,476,222) Total commission from reinsurance 2014 AED (19,673,400) AED (39,983,000) AED (362,898,000) AED (1,940,062) Gross premium Written minus (reinsurance ceded) 2013 AED 185,946,503 AED 211,558,000 AED 1,448,098,000 AED 38,904,737 Gross premium Written minus (reinsurance ceded) 2014 AED 227,037,079 AED 208,321,000 AED 1,777,448,000 AED 70,497,690 Conclusion: The Best Insurance Companies While referring to the results of the analysis of financial statements for several insurance companies popular in the GCC countries, it is possible to provide the list of the most successful and reputable organizations. According to the data of 2014, the most successful insurance companies are Emirates Insurance and Oman Insurance Co. It is important to note that ADNIC lost its positions in comparison with the year of 2013. References Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company. (2016). Annual reports . Web. Abu Dhabi National Takaful. (2014). 2014 Annual Report . Web. Al Ain Ahlia. (2014). 2014 Annual Report . Web. Al Dhafra Insurance. (2014). 2014 Financial Statement . Web. Al Khazna Insurance. (2014). 2014 Financial Statement . Web. Arab Orient Insurance. (2016). Financial results . Web. Borch, K. H., Sandmo, A., & Aase, K. K. (2014). Economics of insurance . New York, NY: Elsevier. Business Wire. (2015a). A.M. Best affirms ratings of Arab Orient Insurance Company. Web. Business Wire. (2015b). A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Emirates Insurance Company P.S.C . Web. Business Wire. (2015c). A.M. Best revises outlook to positive for Abu Dhabi National Takaful Company P.S.C. Web. Business Wire. (2016). A.M. Best comments on ratings of Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company P.S.C. Web. Clarke, M. A. (2013). The law of liability insurance . New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Cummins, D., & Derrig, R. A. (2012). Classical insurance solvency theory . New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media. Cummins, D., & Santomero, A. (2012). Changes in the life insurance industry: Efficiency, technology and risk management . New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media. Emirates Insurance. 2014 Annual Report . Web. Gorge, G. (2015). Insurance risk management and reinsurance . New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Moody’s Investors Service. (2015). Moody’s affirms the A3 IFSR for Al-Ain Ahlia Insurance Co. Stable outlook . Web. NAS. (2016). Claim processing . Web. Next Care. (2016). Company profile . Web. Oman Insurance Co. (2014). 2014 Annual Report . Web. Oxford Business Group. (2014). The report: Abu Dhabi 2014 . Oxford, UK: Author. Reuters. (2015a). A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Al-Sagr National Insurance Company P.S.C. Web. Reuters. (2015b). A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Oman Insurance Company P.S.C. Web. Wollan, E., & Brook, A. N. (2015). Business Insurance Law and Practice Guide . New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Zietsch, D., & Von Harpke, M. (2014). A reader in insurance and reinsurance metrics . New York, NY: Verlag Versicherungswirtsch.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: Robert Schumann as a Romantic-Era Composer Research PaperIn this paper, the writer focuses on Robert Schumann in exploring Romantic era. The author observes that Schumann redefined Romantic era music in various ways. He crafted his compositions with originality, incorporated literary devices in his music and widely embraced themes and vocals to differentiate his songs from other composers.

Robert Schumann as a Romantic-Era Composer Research Paper In this paper, the writer focuses on Robert Schumann in exploring Romantic era. The author observes that Schumann redefined Romantic era music in various ways. He crafted his compositions with originality, incorporated literary devices in his music and widely embraced themes and vocals to differentiate his songs from other composers.

Robert Schumann as a Romantic-Era Composer Research Paper Introduction Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Romanticism was mostly used to portray novel thoughts in literature and painting. However, musicians adopted the word to define their musical style and composition. Romantic musicians evoked emotions in their music. The emotions had a substantial impact on the perceived listeners. Romantic music was not entirely about love and passion; it was also characterized with negative connotation such as hate feelings. Nationalism, emotionalism, subjectivity and pragmatic composition defined romantic music. Distinguished composers of the romantic period included Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, among others. Robert Schumann stands out as a unique writer during this time. He was the first composer to venture into the souls and minds of young children, although others had tried and failed. In this paper, the writer focuses on Robert Schumann in exploring Romantic era. The author observes that Schumann redefined Romantic era music in various ways. He crafted his compositions with originality, incorporated literary devices in his music and widely embraced themes and vocals to differentiate his songs from other composers. To date, most of the Romantic songs are being studied by scholars in institutions of higher learning. Besides, their songs attract many listeners across the globe to date. Robert Schumann Schumann was a Romantic music composer of German origin. He began the musical career at a tender age of seven when he felt love for music. This love made him compose his songs. Under the influence of his father, a novelist, publisher and a bookseller, Schumann’s interest in literature increased. He, therefore, juggled between music and literature (Burkholder and Claude 70). Undoubtedly, this was a demonstration of his mastery in embracing literary ambition in his future music career. According to Burkholder and Claude (77), Schumann innovatively crafted his composition with originality using canons of Viennese classicism and emulating exceptional legends of classical romanticism. Composing music only for piano, he began composing on other genres in preceding years. His compositions imitated and modeled the works of Beethoven. These approaches enabled him to craft multifarious piano sounds. In some occasions, he creatively expanded sonata form by rearranging character pieces in cycles. In his songs, the piano characteristically and independently stands out in depicting his poetic inspirations. His composition widely encompassed narrative techniques which previously belonged exclusively to literature. These aspects of composition made him unique from the rest of the composers who embraced the traditional methods of music composition. Schumann incorporated scenes from plays, novels, and poems in his composition (Burkholder and Claude 110). In some cases, scenes depicting musical crossword puzzles with major musical scenes referring to places and people reflected in his composition. In one of his collections, popularly known as the “Carnaval”, Schumann widely used characters to invoke different moods in a person. In fact, Bonds (113) explains that this form of creativity was a characteristic of the romantic period and differentiated Schumann’s compositions with classical music. Moreover, he composed his music with coded meaning which required an intellectual mind to understanding what he was singing about. The notes present in most of his music were symbolic (Bonds 142). Schumann’s compositions were unique and exciting. This aspect differentiated his work from other composers during the Romantic period. The intellectual use of symbolism as well as combining the works of other composers prompts me to assert that Schumann was innovative (Hanning 162). Schumann experimented with novel genres either by using descriptive titles, developing distinctive narratives or by embracing conventional genre titles while dismantling musical expectations of those titles (Bonds 124). Schumann’s piano music for young children defined his romanticism music era. He skillfully used generic hybrids like the piano sonatas to fix generic relations that promoted change and communicating unknown through his compositions (Bonds 164). Burkholder and Claude (89) illustrate that Schumann’s compositions were defined through themes and harmony. Thematic and balance elements were the essential features of Schumann’s songs. Schumann used this style to embrace a sense of unreciprocated love, longing, and suffering. This aspect is demonstrated in the song Dichterliebe (Daverio 123). Also, tonal instability is also evident in Schumann’s songs. There is a remarkable swing from anguish to acquiescence and from flat keys to sharp keys in some of his songs; an obvious example is the Dichterliebe. Schumann addressed dissension with amplified liberty. Schumann creatively used rhythm to endear to his audience. He extensively used polyrhythm between melody, accompaniment and text fixing coexistence of opposing ideas. Also, Daverio (141) mention that Schumann’s has masterly embraced recurrent themes in his songs to connect musical thoughts. An obvious example is the Dichterliebe where he uses narration. The theme he uses embodies symbolic significance besides inspiring narrative connection in his works. Transformation and repetitions of themes present in the songs link the ideas together, which is a major constituent of a song sequence. Schumann uses the piano and voice to improve his composition. He has carefully used voice to borrow themes from the piano. The piano and voice complement each other and help in expressing the text as well as the song’s atmosphere. Piano and vocals echo a link between the piano music and the vocal, and thus Daverio (167) indicate that songs are an annex of Schumann’s music and thus express his world of emotions and feelings. Schumann’s songs are embedded in poetry. In his words, Schumann demonstrated that a poem needs to be crushed, and its juice expressed; the poem must dress in the music as a “circlet” (Daverio 172). This assertion by Schumann reflects his intimate attachment with text in most of his songs. Conversely, the songs reflect Schumann’s personal life trajectory from birth, growth to maturity and eventually decline. According to Rosen (26), Schumann’s songs transcended three significant periods in history, thus reflecting on his life and musical development. In conclusion, the romantic music composers redefined the music industry. It reflected the pre-conceived moods of both the composers and the audience. Music at this period was characterized by subjectivity, programmatic composition, emotionalism as well as nationalism. Besides, music composition was anchored on the composer’s emotions and feelings. Robert Schumann was the significant contributor to romantic music. Beginning as a solo pianist, Schumann rose to become one of the greatest songwriter and composers of all time. He was innovative and was among the pioneers of romantic era composers to embrace literary devices such as poem in music writing. His music was characterized by symbolism, poetry, themes, harmony and vocals among other stylistic devices. Schumann’s immense contribution to the music industry still lives to date where his works are being studied by scholars, romantic music enthusiasts and institutions of higher learning among others. Works Cited Bonds, Mark Evans. A History of Music in Western Culture. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2013. Print. Burkholder, J. Peter and Claude V. Palisca. Norton Anthology of Western Music. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print. Daverio, John. Robert Schumann: Herald of a New Poetic Age . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. Hanning, Barbara Russana. Concise History of Western Music. 5th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014. Print. Rosen, Charles. The Romantic Generation . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995. Print.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: Roman Catholicism in American History and Culture EssayAmerican culture has been closely tied to religion. Christianity, in its multitude of forms, has shaped the values and moral behavior of Americans and had a major influence on cultural and social developments. Roman Catholicism, alongside Protestantism, has played a crucial part in this process. Being initially introduced as a minor factor, it subsequently grew in both magnitude and significance, ending up among the most influential forces behind the shaping of American society, benefiting its social infrastructure, education, medicine, and democratic values.

Roman Catholicism in American History and Culture Essay American culture has been closely tied to religion. Christianity, in its multitude of forms, has shaped the values and moral behavior of Americans and had a major influence on cultural and social developments. Roman Catholicism, alongside Protestantism, has played a crucial part in this process. Being initially introduced as a minor factor, it subsequently grew in both magnitude and significance, ending up among the most influential forces behind the shaping of American society, benefiting its social infrastructure, education, medicine, and democratic values.

Roman Catholicism in American History and Culture Essay American culture has been closely tied to religion. Christianity, in its multitude of forms, has shaped the values and moral behavior of Americans and had a major influence on cultural and social developments. Roman Catholicism, alongside Protestantism, has played a crucial part in this process. Being initially introduced as a minor factor, it subsequently grew in both magnitude and significance, ending up among the most influential forces behind the shaping of American society, benefiting its social infrastructure, education, medicine, and democratic values. Roman Catholicism was present in America since the sixteenth century but started emerging as a formidable phenomenon only from the middle 1820s (Butler, Balmer, & Wacker, 2011) when first waves of Irish immigrants began arriving at the New World. By the end of the 1840s as much as two million Irish Catholics, driven from their homeland by both the changes in the agricultural sector and the Irish potato famine, has found their home in the USA. They were soon followed by German immigrants in forties and fifties and Italians in the seventies. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the flow has reached such a massive scale that it has triggered the introduction of strict laws controlling immigration in the 1920s. Nevertheless, by that time, the percentage of Roman Catholics in the US is estimated at 17% of the population in 1906, compared to 10% in 1861 and only about 2% in 1790, before the immigration wave of the 19th century. This has had an inevitable impact on the society of the time. Firstly, the Catholics were very different ethnically both among themselves and from the contemporary American population. The twenty-eight languages spoken among Catholics by 1916 illustrates the situation perfectly. (Butler & Stout, 1998). This has led to tensions or even open antagonism. For example, the Irish, being the first to arrive and speaking the same language as the Americans, had blended in relatively easily. The Germans, on the other hand, had more trouble adapting to the new environment. For the Italian Catholics, the language gap was complicated by the fact that their understanding of Catholicism differed from the German or the Irish. The had not fully recognized the authority of the Pope, and their religious practices had been influenced in part by their ethnicity. In the New World, they felt it was even more important to adhere to their tradition, preserving their carnivals on saints’ days. In this way, we can say the diversity of ethnic groups in the Roman Catholic World was the primary force that held their religion and community together, dictated by the need to preserve the national identity from the hostile environment. The immigrants, being at a disadvantage and having the obligations to the newly arrived Catholics, were also largely responsible for building the social infrastructure, including educational and medical institutions, which would ease the adaptation of the newly arrived brothers in faith. While being the direct value primarily to the Catholics, it subsequently had a social impact on a national level. Another key factor in the process of solidifying the Catholic community was the rivalry of the antagonizing Christian denomination that was dominant in America at the time – Protestantism. While the internal rife was largely over by the end of the nineteenth century, the enmity of both Protestants and the general public was noticeable throughout the first third of the twentieth century. The Ku Klux Klan has targeted Catholics alongside its other victims in the middle of 1910s, and the book American Freedom and Catholic Power by Paul Blanshard, published in 1949, has contributed to the alienation of the Roman Catholics though by that time it was on a far smaller scale than 30 years earlier. Thus, the external quality of the Roman Catholicism, characterized by ethnic and national diversity, has contributed to the endurance exhibited by the immigrants in preserving their faith. By the beginning of the 20th century, the distancing and resistance gradually gave way to adaptation and incorporation into American culture. The ongoing hostility towards the community mentioned above was the major factor for this shift, as the immigrants struggled to show they were not that different from the Americans. Besides, by that time, the infrastructure they were building primarily for their own needs was noticeable enough on a state scale. For example, their system of private schools initially intended to help the children who did not speak English became the largest system in the world. The same could be said about the medical establishment known as the Sisters of Mercy (Butler et al., 2011). The Catholic priests and people were heavily engaged in the social activities like labor struggles. Dorothy Day, a prominent Catholic convert and social activist, has contributed to building homes and shelters for the poor. The participation in the Civil War and later both World Wars also contributed to lessening the alienation. In all, by the first third of the twentieth century Roman Catholics’ participation in the life of America was unmistakeable and much appreciated. Finally, the pressure of the Protestant church has yielded its results. Among the chief concerns of the Protestants was the fact that Catholic Church was canonical and could not embrace democratic values of the American society. Such concerns were not completely unfounded, but by the beginning of the twentieth century the strictness of the canon lessened noticeably, both as a reaction to the pressure from Protestants and as a natural effect of exposure to American values, especially on the younger generation. The major breakthrough, however, came in the sixties. The Second Vatican Council, conducted by Pope John XXIII between 1962 and 1965, resulted in changes that defined the incorporation of Catholic Church into American Culture. The Masses were allowed to be said in local language instead of Latin, the authority of the Pope was lessened and distributed between local bishops, and, most importantly, the stance towards other Christian denominations has changed from distancing to searching for common grounds. This has led to the modernization of religion and the emergence of the new phenomena that are deemed as distinctively American today: the guitar masses and group confessions. While one might argue the changes are not caused by Roman Catholicism but are rather a result of americanizing it, the fact that these changes were the result of Vatican II suggests that Catholic Church is at least partially responsible for the changes. In other words, the American society absorbing the Catholic society was also affected by this process. Defining the process of social change and distinguishing cause and effect is a complicated process. Some of the changes brought to America by Roman Catholicism can be conclusively deemed as unique while others look more like the effect resulting from the exposure to American culture. However, the impact of Roman Catholic immigrants on America in both 19th and 20th century is unmistakeable, as it benefited the social infrastructure, education, medicine, and the general principles of American religion. References Butler, J., & Stout, H. (1998). Religion in American history . New York: Oxford University Press. Butler, J., Balmer, R., & Wacker, G. (2011). Religion in American life. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: Is it possible to make classic characters live their own life and seek for answers to existential questions? Yes, it is possible.

Is it possible to make classic characters live their own life and seek for answers to existential questions? Yes, it is possible.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” by Tom Stoppard Term Paper Is it possible to make classic characters live their own life and seek for answers to existential questions? Is it possible to make absurd be credible? Of course, it is possible. Beyond all doubt, Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead that was put on stage by the Department of Visual and Performing Arts of Clarion University has proved this point. The first thing that comes to my mind when I recollect all the impressions after watching the performance is that the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is meant for the prepared audience that regularly attends the theater or at least reads classic and modern dramatical pieces. I must admit that after long and confusing dialogues of main characters in the first act I was not sure that I was ready to see the rest of the performance. However, I decided that a work of art cannot be judged if one sees only some part of it. Indeed, in the second act, the plot started to develop literally by leaps and bounds, and I did not regret my decision to stay until the end of the performance. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead may be considered as a modern play in which two minor characters from the classic world of Shakespeare’s Hamlet occupy the central role in the plot. This play is rather debatable since the very idea of taking the classic characters and providing them with their own theatrical space seems somewhat preposterous and even absurd. However, on reflection, I concluded that perhaps it is the most brilliant feature of this play. If one attempts to understand the essence of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s wanderings, they will see that these two characters struggle in their search for the meaning of life in the world that does not have any sense. The inner absurdity of the play that concerns the plot corresponds to the external absurdity that is explained by the author’s idea to write the so-called sequel to Hamlet . Putting such existentialist tragicomedy as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead on the stage requires much effort. The director, drama group, and assisting crew that included sound technicians, lighting technicians, and dressers carried out a magnificent work that cannot be considered as merely entertaining but thought-provoking. The most surprising thing for me was the acting of the drama group. Prior to this experience, I was convinced that there is one type of theatrical acting, “classical” acting in which actors use standard intonations, tones, gestures, mimics, etc. Since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the modern existentialist play, curiously enough, the “classical” acting would create an impression of artificiality. However, the actors have their style of acting that did not turn the absurdist play into farce. On the contrary, they managed to interweave the absurdity with stunningly touching truthfulness, putting a special sense in all words so that the dialogs ceased to seem meaningless and eventually assumed the witty character. On the whole, the performance makes the audience to take a new look at the well-known plot and forget about the familiar “to be or not to be” (Shakespeare 3.1.60). Suddenly, the phrase “Every exit is an entry somewhere else” acquires a new meaning (Stoppard 1.207). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead made it possible for me to reconsider my attitude to the theater and modern plays. When I left the theater auditorium, I realized that the modern plays give people the brilliant opportunity to take a new look at the familiar things and provide substantial food for thought. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” World Wide Web Consortium , Web. Stoppard, Tom. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” My Chandler Schools , Web.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : The text discusses how DSM used a technology transformation strategy to develop an information technology strategy that aligned with their vision and mission statements.2. vision - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 3. mission - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 4. strategy - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 5. execution - Write a 2

The text discusses how DSM used a technology transformation strategy to develop an information technology strategy that aligned with their vision and mission statements. 2. vision - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 3. mission - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 4. strategy - Write a 2 sentence title that would also make a good summary of the essay. 5. execution - Write a 2

Royal DSM Company’s Information Technology and Strategy Essay Vision, Mission, and Strategy DSM decided to use a business strategy that falls under the category: Technology Transformation. The type of strategy used was technology transformation because there was a need to develop an IT strategy that will align with the company’s vision and mission statement. At the turn of the 20 th century, corporate leaders at DSM recognized the company’s need to diversify to ensure its survival. DSM’s vision statement calls for a radical shedding of the organization’s image as a petrochemical company, and through a process of complete divestiture, transforms it into a business enterprise that manufactures life sciences and performance materials products. DSM’s Vision 2005 calls for a commitment to reach €10 billion in sales. Also, corporate leaders were compelled to reach the said target with a mixed bag of sales, such that eighty percent of the said total revenue must come from specialties markets, while the rest must come from the sale of chemicals like caprolactam and melamine (Applegate, Watson, and Vatz 4). Newly hired CEO, Peter Elverding understood the importance of a critical strategy that calls for the development of a new Information Communication Technology in the context of DSM’s stated goals. Thus, Elverding hired Jo van den Hanenberg to overhaul the company’s ICT, to support the said corporate strategy. In response, van den Hanenberg pointed out the challenges caused by the decision to diversify, as well as the inevitable outcome of the acquisition of new companies. As a result, van den Hanenberg developed a solution to the IT and business alignment debacle that calls for the standardization and simplification of the company’s IT infrastructure (Applegate, Watson, and Vatz 6). The said solution’s comprised of three critical concepts: 1. global standardization of ICT infrastructure and enterprise models; 2. a service delivery-oriented ICT organization; 3. an ICT organization that was not only business-oriented but was itself governed by the business (Applegate, Watson, and Vatz 5). The first component calls for the acceptance of a streamlining protocol, such as the use of a common system to handle the company’s business processes (Jamil and Lopes 25). The second component requires the creation of a communication technology infrastructure (Antonopolous 249). The final component ensures that every IT-related initiative was justified based on the business model (Wang 133). The end goal is to integrate every single profit center under one platform, while at the same time, allowing efficient communication, information sharing, and collaboration between different departments under the DSM umbrella. Maturity Alignment Luftman’s maturity alignment framework is comprised of five levels of growth and improvement. The company must reach certain milestones to see the improvements, and this is measured through the following six elements: 1. communication; 2. competency 3. governance; 4. partnership; 5. scope and architecture; 6. skills. To experience growth and maturity in integration and alignment of business processes, the company must move up from Level 1: Initial Process to Level 5: Optimized Process (Verweire and Berghe 149). After examining the information provided in the case study, one can argue that DSM reached Level 3 in terms of the alignment of the IT system with the company’s business model. Although DSM’s corporate leaders had to go through a complicated process of integrating newly acquired corporations. DSM reached this level of IT alignment maturity due to the impact of three factors. Six Elements Score Rationale Communication 3 The stakeholders involved had a good understanding as to the purpose of the integration and standardization program, and they are willing to come aboard. Competency 3 DSM experienced a level of cost-effectiveness. However, the company struggles to increase the organization’s level of cost-efficiency because of the redundancy caused by the acquisitions. Governance 4 DSM’s CIO succeeded in establishing a relevant IT process across the whole organization. In other words, it was the appropriate system that they need to experience effective IT alignment with the company’s business model. Partnership 3 The new system is seen as a process driver. At the same time, the stakeholders perceive the new IT system as an asset for the organization. Scope and Architecture 4 DSM’s CIO was able to remove all impediments to integrate the new system across the whole organization. Skills 3 Not everyone was convinced that the one-jump transition strategy would work. However, a significant number of players saw the importance of the new IT system. It is now seen as an emerging value service provider. Ave. Score = 3.33 Fig. 1 Measuring DSM’s Level of Maturity in Terms of IT Alignment First, the company’s CIO decided to implement the one-jump transition strategy. For example, after acquiring Roche Vitamins, this unit was immediately disentangled from its parent company, and without delay integrated into DSM’s branded ICT infrastructure (Applegate, Watson, and Vatz 8). Secondly, the CIO of the newly revamped ICT organization was robust enough to go through the testing phase unscathed, so that there was no major disaster throughout the integration process. Finally, the workers and managers saw positive results. DSM enjoys an established focus process. Therefore, there is a good understanding between the CIO and other corporate leaders about the need and critical importance of the new protocols. Besides, the company is in the 3 rd level of alignment maturity, because the leaders can confidently say that they have experienced a certain degree of cost-effectiveness. However, there is much work to do, because they need to pare down the number of employees doing the same type of work. The company’s CIO was able to implement a strategy that leads to an established focus process in the context of governing the ICT process. Furthermore, DSM’s CIO managed to develop a partnership between the different departments and the different stakeholders within the company. There was no longer any confusion as to the rationale for decoupling old systems. DSM’s major players are willing to go through the transition process. As a result, the new CIO was able to establish an integrated system that works well with the company’s business model. About the skills aspect, leaders and workers appreciated how the refurbished ICT enhanced their capabilities to accomplish goals and hit production quotas. The leaders acknowledged this fact after the integration and standardization protocols revealed that multiple product codes were describing the same set of products. They also discovered overlapping processes pulling down DSM’s cost-efficiency metrics. DSM’s corporate leaders can enhance the alignment process by communicating the success stories described by leaders that came from different business units. After sharing positive information a new culture will be established within the organization. They need to highlight the success of the one-jump transition strategy. They need to communicate correctly the overall impact of the new ICT process. Corporate leaders and workers alike must appreciate the impact of the new system when it comes to the company’s cost-efficiency goals. They need to understand how they can become more productive using an integrated and standardized process compared to the old model that makes it difficult to accomplish collaboration and information sharing within the organization. Works Cited Antonopolous, Nick. Handbook of Research on P2P and Grid Systems for Service Oriented Computing . Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2010. Print. Applegate, Lynda, Edward Watson and Mara Vatz. Royal DSM N.V.: Information Technology Enabling Business Transformation. MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. Print. Jamil, George and Sergio Lopes. Handbook of Research on Effective Project Management through the Integration of Knowledge and Innovation. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2015. Print. Luftman, Jerry. Competing in the Information Age: Align in the Sand . New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Verweire, Kurt and Lutgart Berghe. Integrated Performance Management . CA: Sage, 2004. Print. Wang, Victor. Handbook of Research on Technologies for Improving the 21 st Century. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2013. Print.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: Introducing a companyThe company under investigation is Royal Dutch Shell PLC, commonly known as Shell. It is a multinational corporation specialising in fulfilling the global need for energy resources. Sustainability programs are a response to the growing green awareness and a way to reduce the impact of the company's products on the natural environment. They are also a part of the effort to solve the climate change issue.

Introducing a company The company under investigation is Royal Dutch Shell PLC, commonly known as Shell. It is a multinational corporation specialising in fulfilling the global need for energy resources. Sustainability programs are a response to the growing green awareness and a way to reduce the impact of the company's products on the natural environment. They are also a part of the effort to solve the climate change issue.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Sustainability Programs Report Table of Contents 1. Introducing a Company 2. Literature Review 3. Climate Change Issue and Sustainability 4. Cost-Benefit Analysis 5. Future of the Subject of Sustainability 6. References Introducing a Company The company under investigation is Royal Dutch Shell PLC, commonly known as Shell. It is a multinational corporation specialising in satisfying the global need for energy resources. Operating in more than 70 countries and employing more than 93,000 people all over the globe, Shell incorporates internationally dispersed energy and petrochemical firms involved in gas and oil industry ( Shell global: who we are 2016). The company produces refined gas and oil products such as engine oils, lubricants, liquefied petroleum gas, and wide range of fuels including “standard fuels, Shell FuelSave Unleaded and Shell FuelSave Diesel as well as premium, performance fuels, Shell V-Power Unleaded and Shell V-Power Diesel” ( Shell fuels n.d., para. 3). The specificity of Shell is that it offers both synthetic technology and mineral oils ( Shell engine oils and lubricants n.d.). Shell’s fuel is used for refuelling cars, motorcycles, and aircraft. For this reason and within the growing green awareness, Shell has faced the need to implement sustainability programs aimed at reducing the impact of its products on the natural environment and solving the climate change issue. Literature Review The necessity to introduce the concept of sustainability to the development of businesses derives from the fact that the population of Earth has reached 7,3 billion people, and the further increase is projected ( the U.S. and world population clock 2016). Such spectacular increase in population and, respectively, production and consumption rates without the change in the number of available resources resulted in the establishment of catastrophic statistics – while almost 50% of world’s produced food is never eaten but thrown away (Smithers 2013), every one in nine worldwide is starving (World Hunger Education Service 2016). Moreover, the invention of the Internet and introducing it to everyday life altered the face of consumerism making it more ethical through raising the level of overall green consciousness and bringing up concerns about the current and future condition of the natural environment. According to the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), sustainability is about meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (p. 41). It means that the present generations take care of future ones. There are three primary dimensions of this concept: social, environmental, and economical. The social feature means that sustainable development is such that requires the society to cooperate to meet its primary needs such as healthcare, shelter, nutrition, education, etc. The economic aspect is limited to the financial feasibility of development. Finally, the environmental dimension is about preserving the natural resources to the maximum possible extent; for example, extracting and using renewable resources at the same rate they are renewed (Avlonas & Nassos 2014). There are several drivers of sustainability. First, it is the rise of ethical consumerism. Nowadays, customers, for the most part, are seeking to purchase environmentally friendly products. For this reason, they are interested in seeing the companies’ sustainability reports to know that the goods were produced using green technologies and with minimum negative influence on the natural environment. It changes demand, and the firms are forced to follow the tendency of becoming eco-friendly. Second, media and non-governmental organisations significantly contribute to the level of customers’ environmental awareness and, thus, to the shift towards sustainability. Third, what drives eco-friendliness is the change in the environment. As the population grows, the pressure on finite natural resources increases, raising the companies’ concern regarding the more efficient use of natural resources. Fourth, there is the environmental aspect of laws and regulations. Today, companies are forced to follow particular rules related to the acceptable level of impact on the natural environment, such as gas emission into the atmosphere or the amount of water consumed. Finally, sustainability is driven by business benefits because using resources more efficiently and becoming eco-friendly, companies manage to increase incomes and their overall performance (Sahota 2014). These drivers turned sustainability into some kind of mainstream. According to recent studies, about 60% of senior managers take sustainability into account when designing and introducing new products and services marketing them as ‘eco-friendly’, ‘ sustainable’, and ‘environmentally friendly’ (Dangelico & Pujari 2010). Among the major steps taken, there are fostering cooperation with suppliers positioning themselves as sustainable, controlling gas emissions into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of water and resources used in the production process as well as falling upon the use of recyclable materials, minimising wastes, etc. There are various strategies for introducing sustainability to companies’ activities. They can be either based on one of the dimensions of sustainability mentioned above or more comprehensive covering all of them. In fact, they are all divided into four types: introverted, extroverted, conservative, and visionary. Introverted strategies centre on risk mitigation. It is the minimum level of becoming eco-friendly because the primary focus is made on reaching the standards developed by the environmental laws. This strategy helps the company gain the status of sustainable and operate in the market, but it does not imply the realisation of the firm’s eco potential to the maximum extent. The second strategy is extroverted, and it is primarily referred to as legitimisation. It aims at reaching a little bit higher levels of environmental friendliness if compared to the first one to gain credibility in the eyes of customers and competitors. This strategy preaches the absence of cartels, corruption, relatively high level of safety standards in the production process, etc. The third strategy is known as conservative. Its primary idea is that the company focuses on preserving natural resources by controlling gas emissions and decreasing the consumption of materials to the maximum possible extent. The primary strategic objective is to increase performance and reaching cleaner production. Finally, there is what is called the visionary strategy that involves becoming market leaders through integrating sustainability at every level of company’s activities from using recyclable materials and following all rules and regulations to involving the newest technologies that would benefit performance (Baumgartner & Ebner 2010). As companies’ integrate sustainability into their operations, choosing one of the above-mentioned strategies, what gains extreme value is sharing information with the consumers. That said, firms are highly recommended to design roadmaps for sustainable development in which they would highlight their plans and expectations regarding the changes in their sustainable policies. Moreover, they are suggested to issue sustainability reports so that the community knows of their progress in following the provisions of their roadmaps and on their way towards eco-friendliness (Kashmanian, Wells & Keenan 2011). Taking these steps would help companies improve their reputation in the eyes of both consumers and competitors and inevitably lead to generating higher levels of income and improving performance. Climate Change Issue and Sustainability The link between climate change issue and sustainability is extremely strong. In fact, it is one of its pillars that can be devoted to all three dimensions of the concept – environmental, social, and economical. From the economic perspective, addressing the challenge of climate change through manufacturing eco-friendly products and using recycled materials for packaging is a guarantee of winning new customers, i.e. increasing incomes and improving performance. From the social standpoint, if the company positions itself as such that minimises its influence on the natural environment, it leads to the customers’ psychological satisfaction because they believe that they help save the planet spending money on this particular company’s goods. Finally, it is most related to the environmental aspect of sustainability because of the desire to guarantee a safe and healthy future for the coming generations. Climate change might have numerous potential risks for the wellbeing of the global community. The specific hazard of this issue is that it has both long-term effects and, in fact, happens right now. What is the most significant about this issue is that it will lead to changes in the global economy. Because of the climate change, the countries traditionally specifying in agriculture will suffer losses because they will have either to switch to growing new cultures or adapt plants to new climate falling upon breeding and changing their genes. It will inevitably entail health concerns and poverty if a country fails to implement the needed alterations. Moreover, climate change is characterized by the increase of temperatures. It means that winters are becoming warmer and shorter. It might not have been a matter of concern if it had not led to deglaciation that, in turn, results in global sea level rise. It implies shortages of fresh water and potential environmental catastrophes, e.g. coastal floods and island inundations (Yohe et al. 2007). The only solution to the climate change issue is promoting sustainability programs and global cooperation. For the sake of guaranteeing the safe future, every country and internationally influential company should determine the areas of responsibility and steps it can take to handle the problem. It can only be done through the transition towards renewable sources of energy, decreasing gas emissions into the atmosphere, and further development of green technologies. Cost-Benefit Analysis Bearing in mind everything that was said about the nature and implications of sustainable development, it is possible to conduct cost-benefit analysis. At the beginning of this transition, it will require vast amounts of investments focused on involving the newest technologies into the process of production, hiring teams that would work on developing sustainability programs and issue sustainability reports, upgrading offices and fulfilment centres with energy-efficient technologies and purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles, etc. Nevertheless, the potential benefits undoubtedly outweigh the costs. There are several justifications for such statement: most companies have already become sustainable and produce eco-friendly products, so, it is vital to follow the overall tendency, especially in the case of global corporations; it helps reduce production and operation costs and increase incomes and performance in the long run; sustainability is beneficial for winning new customers and retaining existing because of the propaganda of green consciousness. Future of the Subject of Sustainability I believe that the subject of sustainability will gain further development in the future. I think that significant attention will be paid to tightening environmental rules and regulations in the area of transparency of sustainability reports that would be compulsive for every company, especially if it operates at the international scale. I find this step justifiable and possible because, nevertheless there have been numerous initiatives designed to reduce the influence of industries on the natural environment, the challenge of pollution and deterioration of the state of environment remains, as the extraction of raw material continues and the transition towards recycling and sustainability is not widespread enough. References Avlonas, N & Nassos, G P 2014, Practical sustainability strategies: how to gain a competitive advantage, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey. Baumgartner, R J & Ebner, D 2010, ‘Corporate sustainability strategies: sustainability profiles and maturity levels’, Sustainable Development, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 76-89. Dangelico, R M & Pujari, D 2010, ‘Mainstreaming green product innovation: why and how companies integrate environmental sustainability’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 95, no. 3, pp. 471-486. Kashmanian, R M, Wells R P & Keenan, C 2011, ‘Corporate environmental sustainability strategy’, The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 107-130. Sahota, A 2014, Sustainability: how the cosmetics industry is greening up, John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Shell engine oils and lubricants n.d. Web. Shell fuels n.d. Web. Shell global: who we are. 2016. Web. Smithers, R 2013, ‘ Almost half of the world’s food thrown away, report finds ,’ The Guardian. Web. U.S. and world population clock . 2016. Web. United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, Our common future, Oxford University Press, New York, New York. World Hunger Education Service 2016, 2015 world hunger and poverty facts. Web. Yohe, G W, Lasco, R D, Ahmad, Q K, Arnell, N W, Cohen, S J, Hope, C, Janetos A C & Perez, R T 2007, ‘Perspectives on climate change and sustainability’, in M L Parry, O F Canziani, J P Palutikof, P J van der Linden & C E Hanson (eds), Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability . Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 811-841.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The selection of a running mate by a presidential candidate is largely influenced by electoral concerns. The main criteria for evaluating vice presidential contenders is whether they bring additional votes to the presidential ticket of the party or not. Size of the home state of a vice presidential candidate is one of the factors considered. Selecting a running mate from a region that is different from the presidential candidate has also been the norm.

The selection of a running mate by a presidential candidate is largely influenced by electoral concerns. The main criteria for evaluating vice presidential contenders is whether they bring additional votes to the presidential ticket of the party or not. Size of the home state of a vice presidential candidate is one of the factors considered. Selecting a running mate from a region that is different from the presidential candidate has also been the norm.

Running Mates in Presidential Elections Essay Mitt Romney, the Republican Party presidential candidate in the forthcoming November 2012 presidential elections, has chosen Paul Ryan as his running mate. There are several criteria that presidential candidates use in selecting their running mates, as analyzed by Baumgarter (765-772). This essay will analyze the factors considered in the selection of a running mate by a presidential candidate, as examined in the article, and will try to make a case for why Paul Ryan was chosen as Mitt Romney’s running mate. According to Baumgarter (765), the vice presidential selection has been historically influenced by electoral concerns. The main criterion for evaluating vice presidential contenders is whether they bring additional votes to the presidential ticket of the party or not. The size of the home state of a vice presidential candidate is one of the factors considered. Selecting a running mate from a region that is different from the presidential candidate has also been the norm. The idea behind this is that the vice presidential selection provides some consolidation, support, and recognition for those factions and interests within a party that had not been present during the presidential balloting. Paul Ryan hails from a hotly-contested district in Wisconsin. To date, he has managed to defeat every candidate he has contested against since he first contested in 1998. As Mitt Romney is currently trailing in popularity in Wisconsin, it makes the state almost equally up for grabs. In June 2012, a poll of Wisconsin voters showed incumbent president Obama defeating Romney by 50 per cent to 44 per cent. However, when Paul Ryan got the vice presidential ticket, Obama’s lead dropped by one percentage point. Baumgarter (766) is of the opinion that another factor that is largely ignored by literature is the exposure that the vice presidential nominee gets from the national media. This is vital in the first instance since the more a candidate gets media exposure, more recognition for him. Putting scandals aside, this could add to the ticket some electoral appeal, although this does not apply in all cases. Additionally, since the potential vice presidential candidates’ vetting process has become intensive of late, the media plays a vital and informal role in this process. Ryan has faced numerous attacks in the past from his opponents but emerged from them unhurt. A few months ago, Ryan debated entitlement reform with a Republican named Barney Frank, who appeared ill-informed and rude. Ryan won the hearts of the audience by remaining calm all through the debate. Ryan manages to keep his composure when everyone else is on fire. He is non-threatening and reasonable, something that voters admire. Democrats are engaged in faultfinding and attacking the so called “Romney-Ryan” budget plan. With his reputation, Paul Ryan is the best person to defend it up front. In conclusion, presidential candidates consider several factors when choosing their running mates. Some of the factors most commonly looked at are the nominees’ home region, and their exposure to the national media. Paul Ryan hails from Wisconsin, where he is popular despite his party not doing so well there. He will certainly secure the region’s votes for Romney. Additionally, Paul Ryan is popular with the national media, owing to his uncontroversial manner of dealing with issues. These attributes justify his selection as Mitt Romney’s running mate in his race to White House. Works Cited Baumgarter, Jody C. The Veepstakes: Forecasting Vice Presidential Selection in 2008. Political Sciences and Politics. 41 (4) (2008), 765-772.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The book of Ruth narrates a touching story about Ruth's devotion, love and faith.Ruth was a Moabite widow who left her family and friends to come to Israel with Naomi, her mother-in-law. The book seeks to instruct, as well as entertain. Going by its genre, the book is a narrative and a poetic art. The book's setting is significant in locating the events that occurred during the time of judges.

The book of Ruth narrates a touching story about Ruth's devotion, love and faith. Ruth was a Moabite widow who left her family and friends to come to Israel with Naomi, her mother-in-law. The book seeks to instruct, as well as entertain. Going by its genre, the book is a narrative and a poetic art. The book's setting is significant in locating the events that occurred during the time of judges.

Ruth, Saul, and Egypt in Bible Essay Table of Contents 1. Ruth 2. Saul 3. Egypt 4. Reference list Ruth The book of Ruth narrates a touching story about Ruth’s devotion, love and faith. The book’s author is unknown. However, the Talmud credits it to Prophet Samuel. The ancient writing style utilized in the book shows that it was written during the early monarchy, which occurred between 1200 and 1000 BC; this can also be attributed to the fact that Ruth’s genealogy was only three generations to David. The main personalities in the book include Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, Orpah, Obed, and Elimelech, among others. The book outlines how Ruth, a Moabite widow, left her family and friends to come to Israel with Naomi, her mother-in-law. The book seeks to instruct, as well as entertain. Going by its genre, the book is a narrative and a poetic art. The book’s setting is significant in locating the events that occurred during the time of judges. The book portrays ordinary events in Naomi and Ruth’s life to be the sight of God’s ingenious providential doings. The themes portrayed in the book include pathos, delight, faith, love and devotion. In essence, the story views God’s actions through the lenses of a woman. Major events include Naomi’s grief for her sons and Ruth’s emotional loyalty and devotion to her. Through Ruth’s loyalty, God accepts her among His chosen people. Moreover, God honors Ruth by including her in the family line of King David and Jesus Christ (Goodman, 2006). Saul Saul was the first King of Israel. According to 1 Samuel, Saul was loved by all for his looks and tall figure. Saul was a Benjaminite, the son of Kish. He was born and raised in Gibeah. It is estimated that Saul was born in 1080 BC. Besides, the estimations also confirm that he passed away in 1010 BC. Saul became king when he was 30 years old, and he ruled Israel for 42 years. Saul became King just after prophet Samuel retired as the last judge of Israel. He was anointed King at Ramah by the prophet. Saul won many battles for Israel through God’s help. He organized an army, and he won the battle of Michmash against the philistines. He also won the war against Amelekites. In the process, Saul disobeyed God by making sacrifices to God by himself as opposed to the requirements in law. Moreover, Saul became disillusioned and withdrawn. He even tried to kill his servant David. He saw David as his inevitable successor. Saul wanted to eliminate him so that his lineage would continue the Kingship. Saul had divided his energies since he was fighting David from within and fighting Philistines on the outside. In the process, he lost track. He abandoned his God and consulted a median. The Battle of Gilboa killed all his sons who went to the battle. Saul took his life to avoid suffering at the hand of the enemy (Hindson, 2003). Egypt Egypt is considered to be a place of refuge and bondage in the Bible. Egypt has rich history that transcends to pre 3100BC. The country’s history is categorized in six main periods, namely prehistoric Egypt, Ancient Egypt, classical antiquity, middle ages, early modern Egypt and modern Egypt. Egypt is one of the oldest countries in the world. The country was located along the lower part of Nile River. Even though its expanse was large in Ancient history, modern Egypt has retained its central location in lower Nile (Anderson, 2007). The country’s civilization began in 3150 BC when both Upper and Lower Egypt came together under Menes, the country’s first Pharaoh. The Kingdom attained its pinnacle of power in the New Kingdom. The Bible notes that Egypt was a dreamland for the Israelites during drought as indicated in exodus. At the same time, according to the Bible, Egypt was a place of torment and bondage for the Israelites during the slavery period as indicated in exodus (Hindson, 2003). Egypt has been utilized as a symbolism for torment and anguish. While Ancient Egypt existed between 3100 BC and 332 BC, the classical antiquity period lasted between 332 BC and 629 AD. Moreover, the middle ages existed between 641 and 1517 AD. Similarly, early modern period span between 1517 AD and 1914 AD. Modern Egypt began with the British occupation in 1882 AD to date. Egypt excelled in administration, agriculture and commerce. Egyptian temples were also important in administration. The country was divided into 42 regions whose heads reported to the vizier. The vizier reported to the Pharaoh (Wilkinson, 2003). Reference list Anderson, D. (2007). Egyptian history and the biblical record: A perfect match? Web. Goodman, H. (2006). A literary Analysis of the book of Ruth . Web. Hindson, E. (2003). Courageous faith: Life lessons from Old Testament Heroes . Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. Wilkinson, R. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt . London, England: Thames and Hudson.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: The industrial revolution in the early twentieth century changed the world in terms of production and distribution of the products to consumers. The invention of automobile engines changed the transport sector. People and property could easily move from one place to another. The development of information technology in the twenty-first century has also changed the way people conduct business transactions. Currently, people from across the world can use the internet and social media platform to interact and conduct businesses across the world. As technology advances, the production processes become cheaper and faster. Consequently, the varieties of products offered in various markets have significantly increased. The same modern technology and its applications have made it easier to move products and services from one part of the globe to another. With several transportation options in the current world, freight logistics has become more complex. Safety management of people, property, and environment in the industry has become a challenge. On the other hand, the complexity has made it difficult to control external costs associated with the outbound shipment.

The industrial revolution in the early twentieth century changed the world in terms of production and distribution of the products to consumers. The invention of automobile engines changed the transport sector. People and property could easily move from one place to another. The development of information technology in the twenty-first century has also changed the way people conduct business transactions. Currently, people from across the world can use the internet and social media platform to interact and conduct businesses across the world. As technology advances, the production processes become cheaper and faster. Consequently, the varieties of products offered in various markets have significantly increased. The same modern technology and its applications have made it easier to move products and services from one part of the globe to another. With several transportation options in the current world, freight logistics has become more complex. Safety management of people, property, and environment in the industry has become a challenge. On the other hand, the complexity has made it difficult to control external costs associated with the outbound shipment.

Safety and Profits in Freight Logistics Research Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Safety Issues in Freight Logistics 3. Corporation Profits and Losses in Freight Logistics 4. Conclusion 5. References Introduction The industrial revolution in the early twentieth century changed the world in terms of production and distribution of the products to consumers. The invention of automobile engines changed the transport sector. People and property could easily move from one place to another. The development of information technology in the twenty-first century has also changed the way people conduct business transactions. Currently, people from across the world can use the internet and social media platform to interact and conduct businesses across the world. As technology advances, the production processes become cheaper and faster. Consequently, the varieties of products offered in various markets have significantly increased. The same modern technology and its applications have made it easier to move products and services from one part of the globe to another. With several transportation options in the current world, freight logistics has become more complex. Safety management of people, property, and environment in the industry has become a challenge. On the other hand, the complexity has made it difficult to control external costs associated with the outbound shipment. Safety Issues in Freight Logistics The technological development has helped in improving the production of goods and services in all industries. Besides, it has enhanced the connection between individuals and business entities across the world. Transactions of products and services across the world have increased. As a result, logistics has continued to be part of the daily operations in many industries. However, the aspect of logistics in business operations is based on its efficiency. People who handle consignment at the port and during transit use a combination of machines, technology, and human power. The safety of human resources and the natural environment is important (Kant, Quak, Peeters, & Woensel, 2015). Improving safety standards helps in increasing the effectiveness and productivity of human resources in the freight logistics sector. Physical activities such as the transfer of items can cause body injuries leading to accidents and ergonomics related illnesses. Factors that cause injuries and accidents depend on the nature of activities in which a worker engages. Several factors lead to accidents in the freight logistics industry. The types of tools and equipment people use to determine their safety. The working environment also determines the safety of people and other resources. Conditions of the vessels used to transport products and services influence the safety of people using them, the product they transport, and the environment in which they operate (Yoshida, 2011). Lastly, the nature of the transportation medium such as water, air, and the road significantly influences the effectiveness of safety measures. An organization should consider all the above factors when establishing safety guidelines. Building materials are among the heaviest and the bulkiest products handled in the transportation sector. In the contemporary context where technology thrives, how companies to transport bulk materials has changed. The introduction of automobile technology made it possible to transport heavy materials from one place to another. The materials could be easily transported over a long distance by the road (Govender & Thokozani, 2014). With the introduction of air cargos, such heavy materials are transferred across the world. When in transit, heavy products are susceptible to damage and destruction because of weather changes and other factors. Some materials such as chemicals may have dangerous effects on the crew. Also, certain materials can be destroyed. In the process, they can cause harm because of poor packaging. The increase in the number of transit options has posed serious threats to freight logistics in terms of safety. Because of accidents on the roads, transportation trucks often overturn. They cause deaths, destruction of other property, and environmental pollution, especially when they carry chemicals. Water transportation is one of the options used in the transportation of both heavy and light commodities over a long distance. It is difficult for big water vessels to capsize. However, they take a long time to deliver products to their destinations (Kant et al., 2015). Many accidents in water transport occur at the ports. Congestions and inadequate organizations in the port cause many accidents. Inappropriate management of machines such as cranes, hydraulic lifts, and trucks among others makes many ports unsafe for both human and nonhuman resources. With the increase in the production and distribution of goods on the global platform, many ports receive consignments that they are unable to manage. Once the management plan fails to address safety and operational issues, the probability of becoming a victim of unsafe environments is high (Govender & Thokozani, 2014). Transportation of fluids and chemical present various issues. Many countries use pipelines to transport oil and gas products. Commodities transported through pipeline reach their delivery destinations within the shortest time possible. However, some of them are highly flammable and toxic (Yoshida, 2011). Oil spillages cause significant losses to companies. They also cause environmental pollutions and tragic accidents. The main challenge is the inability of the companies to control pipeline connecting places that are several kilometers apart. Load safety continues to become a serious issue because users do not comply with the established codes of practice. The scenario closely relates to inadequate competence and ownership of the risks. Those who create consignments leave the load safety responsibility on the hands of their drivers. However, how a vehicle is packed determines its safety. For instance, an overloaded vehicle could cause an accident even if the driver carefully observed road safety rules (Govender & Thokozani, 2014). Logistics managers need to develop a health and safety strategy that would ensure all players are responsible for their actions. Currently, the idea of passing responsibilities to the subsequent handlers of a consignment exposes people and property within the freight logistics industry to danger. Corporation Profits and Losses in Freight Logistics Significant costs are incurred to satisfy the demands of customers in different industries. However, firms within these industries do not fully understand these costs. It is because the traditional accounting and financial analyses focus on the production costs and omit the costs needed to meet customers’ demands. The costs of logistics vary from one company or industry to another. However, the total costs of logistics determined as a percentage of the gross domestic product have significantly increased in various markets (Yoshida, 2011). Apart from the external aspects that increase expenses, operations within the logistic sector provide revenues through the delivery of products and services to the users. Therefore, apart from safety and operational issues, it is important to understand the impacts of decisions in the profits made in logistics and supply chain context. In terms of financial issues, logistics activities need resources such as working and fixed capitals (Kant et al., 2015). Therefore, freight logistics strategies should consider safety and financial issues that affect business operations. The executives in the logistics sector need to provide accurate and timely information on operations, planning, purchases, sales, and finances. Effective management of transits, destinations, arrival times, and freight costs need appropriate documentation of information. These could be done through internal paperwork, internet tools, and communication strategies. The traditional frameworks used in tracking the logistics made it difficult to predict various aspects of the system. The lack of predictability has created many negative impacts on the industry (Govender & Thokozani, 2014). Consequently, negative results such as obstruction to sales, surplus inventory, and varied operational performance occur during the transportation of products and services. Many organizations within the freight logistics sector lack reliability and accessibility to real-time data on supply chain operations. They have no choice apart from contacting the suppliers for details such as shipment information, legal issues, and tariffs. Such approaches are ineffective and labor-intensive. Subsequently, they create additional costs for the company and its suppliers (Quak & Nesterova, 2014). The inability of companies and non-profit organizations to control logistics processes is a recurring problem. Many organizations have created optimized logistics plans with routine policies. Their objective is to provide specific guidelines on the way their suppliers and users should transport their products and services. Nevertheless, these organizations have limited control over the entire process. Even though they pay the freight charges, firms cannot determine whether the freight firms and other stakeholders follow their established policies. Instead, they rely on their employees and suppliers to execute the routine policies and guidelines on their behalf (Yoshida, 2011). They do not have any legal or management means through which they can enforce their logistics strategies. The cost control problems have little effects on the outbound shipping. It is because organizations have the capability of controlling their outbound consignments. However, their main terms of purchases are Ex Works. In this case, the buyer incurs the costs of inbound shipping. As a result, they assume the risks related to the delivery of their consignments. In this circumstance, the buyer depends on the supplier to follow the expected freight routines (Quak & Nesterova, 2014). The main problem is that many suppliers do not adhere to these routine guidelines because their focus is on many customers they serve daily. The workload and a large number of customers they serve make suppliers put their attention to services rather than guidelines. In such cases, the purchasing company would incur additional freight costs and those related to delays within the supply chain. The situation might be worse when a catastrophic incident occurs during shipping. Not all these additional costs can be traced back to the value of the product or services being shipped when calculating the accurate cost of products. The buying company has no capability or means of making changes once the products have entered the supply chain system. These include the impossibility of responding to external factors such as weather conditions and the necessity of separating consignments for different destinations (Smil, 2007). Many firms do not realize the instant effects of these extra costs. However, the increase in costs becomes visible after some weeks. The company must pay the amount indicated in the invoices of the inbound shipment before it can generate an expenditure report. Even in such situations, the company’s financial records will still indicate the total cost. Breaking down the information needs extensive work such as manual paperwork and accessing multiple portals of shipment carrier (Vogel, 2016). The gathered information must be compiled for analysis. All these works are cumbersome and the inbound shipment costs will remain unknown unless a firm decides to engage in the strenuous activity. Another issue that affects the logistics is the continuous rise of the freight costs. The freight rates have been increasing steadily in all transportation sectors for the last five years (Yoshida, 2011). The situation poses a serious challenge to international business organizations. As indicated earlier, the rates imposed on external shipping cannot be controlled by the logistics executives. Nevertheless, effective management of inbound shipping and all related activities are significant to companies involved. Apart from trying to increase the company’s visibility in the logistics platform, the management also focuses on staff reduction. They tend to decrease the budget for the IT-based services and an increase in the centralization of the shipment services (Smil, 2007). However, many of those changes and strategies create further problems for those organizations. To deal with the situation, the logistics managers should undertake several actions to control external costs. An increase in external costs causes constraints of internal resources. One of the recommended actions is to conduct a systematic analysis of the freight data to establish sources of external losses. Instead of trying to control external factors, logistics managers can devise strategies to avoid them (Karimi, Srinivasan, & Han, 2013). In the contemporary business environment, technology has taken the center stage. Logistics is a complex field with several operations taking place simultaneously. Appropriate technology will enhance faster operations and execution of processes. All departments need a robust system to manage data and other relevant information. Therefore, a freight logistics system requires a robust technology platform. That way, it is possible for the managers to gather appropriate information and initiate the correct response at the right time (Kant et al., 2016). On the other hand, they can work with logistics professionals who render services aimed at reducing external costs. Companies face several challenges in their attempts to manage inbound shipping. Fortunately, technology has provided practical solutions, which help companies in the management of the processes. Organizations that have adopted the modern systems have increased their visibility and gained substantive control of the costs related to inbound shipment services (Yoshida, 2011). An inclusive management service has the required technical aspects to deal with the complex nature of logistics. The use of technology is essential in serving customers in modern markets with on-demand services. However, it is important to conduct thorough research and analysis to come up with a technological solution that answers specific problems. Some of the issues that derail global logistics are capacity, congestions, and costs. As the number of organizations taking part in production and freight logistics increase, the capacity of the infrastructure also reduces. Because of limited capacity, the transport service providers tend to raise the costs of deliveries. Subsequently, transportation costs increase without considering the consumer costs. Congestions cause delays in the delivery of products and services to their destinations. Customers can easily switch to the readily available substitutes because of constant delays in delivery (Vogel, 2016). Coupled with the uncontrollable costs of outbound shipments, it is easier for a company to incur huge losses. A serious problem occurs in the road transport sector, which is characterized by intense labor and limited capacity. The problem is magnified when bulk carriers are involved. Coupled with the difficulty of determining qualified drivers, the probability of making losses remains high. Even with qualified drivers, the conditions encountered on the road such as traffic jams and accidents are still uncontrollable. The few qualified drivers and conditions faced on the road are deterrents to the effective management of road carriers and shipments. The idea of having an optimum capacity is the dream of every organization (Karimi, Srinivasan, & Han, 2013). However, creating such a capacity in road transport is difficult. Therefore, companies that deliver their products through roads have limited choices of safety. Conclusion Logistics is an important sector for all industries across the world. Local and international companies rely on logistics to reach their customers. However, the inability of firms to control certain aspects of freight logistics cause serious safety and cost-related issues. Before choosing a carrier, a company should weigh options and select the safest and most cost-effective mode of transportation. The move would reduce the extra costs incurred because of uncontrollable factors. The collaboration of all stakeholders can assist in addressing the general problems in the industry. With the increased volume of bulky consignments, domestic firms need to develop robust systems. It will be simple to handle consignments by eliminating external costs and safety issues. In conclusion, the effective use of technology could help in improving deliveries and services. Technology is essential in gathering and analyzing logistics information. It can also be used to manage the activities that take place during shipment. Choosing the right management solutions would help in detecting problems and identifying the most appropriate solutions. References Govender, N., & Thokozani, M. (2014). Dynamics of intermodal logistical systems on containerisation and road transportation in Durban, South Africa. Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management, 8 (1), 1-10. Kant, G., Quak, H., Peeters, R., & Woensel, V. (2015). Urban freight transportation: challenges, failures and successes. Logistics and Supply Chain Innovation Lecture Notes in Logistics, 3 (1), 127-139. Karimi, A., Srinivasan, R., & Han, L. (2002). Unlock supply chain improvements through effective logistics. Chemical Engineering Progress, 98 (5), 32-38. Quak, H., & Nesterova, N. (2014). Towards zero emission urban logistics: Challenges and issues for implementation of electric freight vehicles in city logistics. Transport and Sustainability Sustainable Logistics, 14 (8), 265-294. Smil, V. (2007). The two prime movers of globalization: History and impact of diesel engines and gas turbines. Journal of Global History, 2 (14), 373–394. Vogel, P. (2016). Service network design as a logistical challenge in the reliable provision of service in bike sharing systems. Service Network Design of Bike Sharing Systems Lecture Notes in Mobility, 1 (2), 31-48. Yoshida, Y. (2011). Pricing, capacity, and construction boundary of a congestible highway with an elastic demand: Social optimum, second best, privatization, and vertical disintegration. The Japanese Economic Review, 62 (3), 401-424.

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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: Saint Tropez is a medieval resort town known for various tourist attractions and the ultramodern facilities. Yachting activities that are held along the coastline are a major tourist attraction. The town has modern hotels and restaurants with various recreational facilities like discos for the fun-loving tourist.

Saint Tropez is a medieval resort town known for various tourist attractions and the ultramodern facilities. Yachting activities that are held along the coastline are a major tourist attraction. The town has modern hotels and restaurants with various recreational facilities like discos for the fun-loving tourist.

Saint Tropez Resort and Tourism Issues Report (Assessment) Table of Contents 1. Tourism in Saint Tropez 2. The Contribution of Tourism to the GDP of France 3. France Travel and Tourism Indicators 4. Tourism Demand and Supply 5. List of References Tourism in Saint Tropez Saint Tropez is a medieval resort town known for various tourist attractions and the ultramodern facilities. Yachting activities that are held along the coastline are a major tourist attraction. The town has modern hotels and restaurants with various recreational facilities like discos for the fun-loving tourist. Examples of hotels at Saint Tropez include; Gassin and the Cogolin hotels which are world-class hotels. The residents engage in festivals, like the Fete de la Bravade. This is a festival held in honor of the town’s patron saint and it dates back to the 15 th century. During this festival, people carry the bust of the patron saint around while singing and dancing. This is a tourist attraction particularly to those tourists who visit the place because of its medieval history (Arfin 2011, p.33). Saint Tropez town is also characterized by attractive beaches and the surrounding hills that add to the town’s scenic beauty. The outskirts of the town have various vineyards. The tourists visiting the town can engage in wine tasting events at the Gassin hotel (Novakovich 2012, p.44-46). Various sporting activities like cycling are also held here. The cycling paths are along the coastline and by the roadside. Bicycles and motorbikes are usually rented for competitions. Hiking activities are also common. This is a major tourist attraction particularly to those who love hiking. The town has roads that go up to the forested hillside, making it suitable for hiking. Saint Tropez has trails which around the peninsula, along the beaches and the capes, forming short loops that are best suited for hiking. Yachting activities are also common and tourists hire motorboats so as engage in pleasure trips and competition. Skiing is another activity held at Saint Tropez. The town has world-class hotels that make it attractive to tourists (Porter 2007, p.100). With an influx in the number of tourists visiting the area, the culture of the Saint Tropez residents is likely to be degraded. Tourists might introduce their foreign cultures that in some cases entail the topless fashion where they engage in topless sunbathing. Many of them might be seen along the beaches while they are nude and this might significantly erode the moral values of the residents’ culture. In some cases, tourists might engage in erotic ventures that are contrary to the moral values of the natives. The influx of tourists might also result in environmental degradation hence interfering with the ecological balance (Facaros 2006, p.201-209). On the other hand, an influx of tourists to the town can have some positive effects on the society in Saint Tropez. For instance, tourism can lead to improved infrastructure and other social amenities. The recreation facilities can be improved due to the blossoming industry. Health facilities and schools can also be built from the revenue earned from the tourism sector. Tourism can enable world-class libraries, cinemas halls as well as discotheques to be constructed owing to the blossoming tourism industry. To minimize the negative effects of tourism, it is important to ensure that the indigenous culture of the people is preserved to maintain their moral values. Responsible and value-based tourism should be encouraged. Laws should be enacted and those found to be engaging in erotic behavior should be prosecuted. Constant patrols and surveys have to be carried out to ensure that tourists do not engage in detestable acts. There is a need to preserve and protect endangered species of trees and animals to keep a balance on the ecosystem. The natives need to be mobilized to engage in environmental conservation and preserving the existing tourist attraction sites (McPhee 2010, p.25-30). The town has a small population and an influx in the number of tourists visiting the place is likely to result in environmental degradation. During the peak season, the beaches are might be full of people beyond their capacity. This might adversely affect the environment. An influx in the number of tourists visiting the area might lead to an increase in traffic and the result is environmental degradation. The town might be prone to greenhouse emissions and hence have adverse effects on the environment. The influx is likely to strain the waste management system and if this is not well taken care of, it might result in an environmental disaster (Swarbrooke 2009, p.39-40). Some tourists might not engage in responsible tourism and their activities are likely to increase the carbon footprint. They might litter the streets, beaches, and forested areas with garbage and hence negatively affect the environment. Numerous construction projects and an increase in emissions due to the influx of tourists are likely to increase the levels of air pollution. Increased traffic, as well as discotheques, might increase the levels of noise pollution. Water pollution might also increase due to the oil leakages from vessels along the coastline and this can adversely affect aquatic life. Most trees might be in danger of being destroyed as a result leading to the destruction of other tourist attraction sites (Thomson 2008, p.88). On the other hand, tourism might have some positive effects on the environment. Ecotourism, for instance, might contribute significantly to the protection of wildlife, aquatic animals as well as trees which are major tourism assets. Through tourism, the authorities are in a position to get funding for their environmental conservation projects. Tourism can also contribute to the creation of jobs at Saint Tropez. Through this, people do not solely rely on fishing and deforestation for their survival and this helps in ensuring environmental conservation (Ferguson-Kosinski 2009, 57). To maximize the positive impact of tourism on the environment, there is a need to educate the natives on the significance of environmental conservation. The reduction of carbon emissions is quite important. The authority must engage in energy and water conservation. This can be achieved by employing the appropriate technology to conserve energy, as the use of the Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), and encourage the use of energy-saving bulbs. Occupancy sensors should be used in most buildings. This will help to automatically switch off the lights whenever there is no one in the respective rooms. Efforts to recycle water and should be encouraged. The construction of green buildings will enhance the conservation of energy. Recycling and waste management is quite important. There is a need to encourage reuse and recycling policy. There is a need to enhance the recycling programs by encouraging the recycling of paper, plastics, metals, bulbs, and other products. The natives, venders, and visitors should be educated concerning environmental conservation (Courter 2010, p. 44-46. The Contribution of Tourism to the GDP of France Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Tourism Contribution to the GDP in US$ billion 90.91 91.39 96.53 108.19 115.14 103.44 100.00 97.07 95.79 International Tourism Previous Numbers Last Numbers Arrival numbers in France 80853000.0 79218000.0 Number of departures in France 22226000.0 21080000.0 Receipts (US dollar) in France 63771000000.0 67116000000.0 Receipts (% of total exports) in France 9.1 8.7 Receipts for passenger transport items (USD) in France 9492000000.0 10551000000.0 Expenditures for passenger transport items (USD) in France 7768000000.0 8744000000.0 Receipts for travel items (US dollar) in France 54279000000.0 56565000000.0 Expenditures for travel items (USD) in France 38238000000.0 41067000000.0 Expenditures (US dollar) in France 46006000000.0 49811000000.0 Expenditures (% of total imports) in France 6.3 6.0 From the above statistics, it is quite evident that tourism contributes significantly to the country’s GDP. From 2004 the country has been receiving more than US$ 90.00 billion annually from this sector. This can be attributed to the various tourist attractions like in the country, with Saint Tropez being the best example. France Travel and Tourism Indicators FRANCE 2012 2012 2013 EURbn 1 % of Total Growth 2 Direct contribution to GDP 77.7 3.8 0.7 Total contribution to GDP 197.6 9.7 1.1 Direct contribution to Employment 1189 4.4 0.1 Total contribution to employment 2925 10.9 0.4 Tourism in Saint Tropez can contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth hence earning the country the much needed foreign exchange. The money earned in the sector can be put in developing other sectors like the education and medical sector. The appropriate facilities can be bought or put in place and the existing infrastructure improved, hence raising the living standards of its people (Apostolopulos 2001, p. 99). Tourism can also significantly contribute to the propensity of Saint Tropez to import those goods that are not produced locally yet are required by the tourists. They vary from foodstuffs and other equipment like cameras that enhance the comfort of the tourist. This might strain the country’s budget at the expense of other significant projects. There might also be a tendency to sideline other economic activities, and this might lead to overdependence on tourism and other economic activities might be sidelined. Most projects might be geared towards improving the tourism sector while other sectors are not given much attention (Jackson 2003,p 14). To minimize economic leakages, there is a need for the authorities to focus on improving the local industries. This ensures that they produce most goods needed by the tourists locally to reduce the cost of importing most of these goods hence benefiting the country’s economy. The authorities should also allocate a significant percentage of the money earned from tourism into benefiting the natives by improving their infrastructure and other amenities. Tourism Demand and Supply Being a medieval town, Saint Tropez is a preferred tourism destination by most people in Europe and beyond. The town witnesses an influx of tourists. This has made France a major tourist destination. The tourism generating countries are mostly from Europe and they include; Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Portugal. There are also other tourism generating countries beyond this region and they include the United States of America and Japan. This has posed a challenge to the transport sector given that the major access point to the town is by water using the ferry and other water vessels. The town does not have an airport and it is mostly accessed by helicopter. There is a need to construct airports to facilitate this. The nearest airport, Saint Tropez Airport, is at La Mole and it is 15 Km from the town. There is a need to have more airports and have air transport service providers. The nearest railway station is 39KM from Saint Tropez. To facilitate the ease of tourists visiting the area, there is a need to enhance air transport from different countries to Saint Tropez. Political stability can affect tourism in Saint Tropez in different ways. Political stability is quite vital for the flourishing of the sector. Even though tourism is a large industry, it is quite volatile. Political instability shows that the concerned authorities are unable to take charge of the events that happen. This tends to dent the image of the country. This can in turn affect the tourism sector and economy. With political instability, wars, or terrorism activities, tourists are likely to shun the area and hence the town might lose the needed foreign exchange. A reduction in the number of tourists visiting the area can result in the loss of jobs especially those in the hospitality industry. This might in turn result in a reduction of funds allocated to the vital areas of the economy like the medical and education sector as well as the funds allocated to other social amenities. This might result in people living under deplorable conditions. Political stability on the other hand results in the town witnessing an influx in the number of tourists visiting. The money earned here can be used for the development of other sectors of the economy and hence the people’s living standards are improved. There is a need for the authorities to aim at ensuring political stability at all times. List of References Apostolopulos, G. 2001, Mediterranean tourism, London, Routledge. Arfin, F. 2011, The French Riviera Adventure Guide, Madison, Hunter Publishing, Inc. Courter, G. 2010, Code Ezra, New York, Gay Courter. Facaros, D. 2006, Cadogan Guide Cote D’azur, Auckland, New Holland Publishers. Ferguson-Kosinski, L. 2009, Europe by Eurail: Touring Europe by Trail, Connecticut, Globe Pequot. Jackson, R. 2003, Geography of travel and tourism, New York, Cengage Learning. McPhee, L. 2010, A Journey Into Matisse’s South of France, London, Macmillan. Novakovich, M. 2012, Frommer’s Provence and the Riviera, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. Porter, D. 2007, France For Dummies. New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. Turner R. 2013, International Tourism number of Arrivals in France . Turner R. 2013, Travel & Tourism Economic impact 2013 France. Swarbrooke, J. 2009, Sustainable tourism management, London, Macmillan. Thomson, R. 2008, Framing France, Manchester, Manchester University Press.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: The purpose of the proposed business is to provide customers with opportunities to have healthy lunch or snacks without having to stand in a queue or wait for their orders.

The purpose of the proposed business is to provide customers with opportunities to have healthy lunch or snacks without having to stand in a queue or wait for their orders.

Salad Vending Machine Business Plan Proposal Introduction: Reason/Rationale Ideas and Opportunities It is recognized today that successful businesses start with a good idea. At an early stage of business development, it occurs to an entrepreneur what can be invented or created to address existing demand that is not sufficiently addressed, meet uncontested needs of certain customer groups, or create new demand (Ward 2016). However, it should not be overlooked that ideas may not always be feasible, which is why more emphasis is placed in today’s business planning on opportunities, i.e. actual conditions in which an idea can become a reality. In the presented business plan, the idea is to provide more people with access to healthy snacks and lunches; the opportunity is the existence of many organizations and facilities in which people are deprived of such access despite their willingness and readiness to eat more healthily daily. Creating Opportunities Opportunities are not always existing conditions or settings; there is also the concept of creating opportunities, i.e. creating conditions for a business idea to be implemented. A major component of creating opportunities for a new business is exploring the demand, i.e. examining and assessing customer groups, conducting marketing research, and spending more time communicating with potential customers via various available media. Communication will be an integral part of creating opportunities for the implementation of the presented business plan, as it is recognized that more potential customers should be reached to be informed of the new service—the salad vending machines—and feedback should be collected from them on how the vending machines should be designed to address customers’ needs optimally. Resources and Information Asymmetries Information asymmetries, i.e. situations in which one party has more sufficient and more relevant information concerning planned transactions than the other party, are a threat to successful cooperation. Extensive communication is a way to reduce risk. In the presented business plan, the need is recognized to communicate constantly with suppliers, organizations that will host the vending machines, and customers. Concerning resources, it is necessary to establish strong relationships with suppliers because the vending machines are to be refilled daily. Also, an important resource is a workforce: it will be needed to hire people to maintain the vending machines, i.e. fill the jars, deliver all the products to the vending machines, and collect revenue. Career-Relevance The purpose of the proposed business is to provide customers with opportunities to have healthy lunch or snacks without having to stand in a queue or wait for their orders. Primary locations that will be considered for placing salad vending machines are organizations that do not have cafeterias in their buildings or food services around them, i.e. those organizations the employees of which may find it difficult to have lunch during their breaks and they, therefore, have to bring food with them (if it is allowed), order delivery, or travel rather long distances to have lunch. Apart from organizations, educational facilities will be considered—first of all, universities. The vending machines will offer a variety of options. First, customers will be able to buy packed salad mixtures in glass canning jars or plastic containers. Dressings will be supplied along with the mixtures and placed under the lids in separate containers. Also, customers will have options to choose different dressings. Further, there will be options for customizing the content of a salad, i.e. people will be offered separate ingredients, and the machine will provide them in plastic jars, after which a customer can combine them on his or her own in a plastic plate; any dressing can be chosen for these custom mixtures. Also, healthy vegetable-based snacks will be offered in the vending machines in smaller containers; they can be bought separately or in addition to the chosen salad. One of the advantages of vending machines is that, unlike cafés or stores, they are available around the clock, which is why it is proposed that the vending machines are not disabled at any time during the day or at night. There is also the need for powering the vending machines constantly due to the nature of products contained in them: to be preserved in an appropriate condition, vegetables, and other ingredients need to be stored under low temperatures, which is why the vending machines will function as refrigerators, too; this is particularly relevant for hot countries. However, the around-the-clock functioning of the vending machines will not mean the around-the-clock availability of salads; the machines will be refilled daily in the morning, but not too early so that the products remain fresh by the time when the highest point of customer activity is expected, i.e. during lunchtime. The proposed business plan describes a business that is to be launched and not an existing one. However, it is taken into consideration that similar services have existed for years in many places around the world (see Appendix 1). What is specific about the proposed business plan is that, along with addressing the universal need of customers that can be found virtually everywhere, i.e. the desire to have tasty and healthy food available for lunch, it will explore the local market of the United Arab Emirates and potentially the markets of the GCC countries to adjust the business idea to the context of these countries. Description of Business The proposed business is to be operated based on three major components: preparation stations, delivery, and vending machines maintenance. A preparation station is a place where products are received from suppliers, appropriately processed (washed, dried, chopped, possibly roasted, boiled, grilled, or otherwise cooked, and mixed) and packed into different types of containers. It is expected that one person will be capable of preparing all the necessary products to be supplied to one vending machine for one day. Apart from being supplied food products, the business will also require a supply of containers (glass canning jars and plastic containers of different sizes) and labels. The labels will display the name of an item, the business’s logo, and additional information, such as nutrition details so that a customer can track his or her consumption of calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Also, detailed information on the content of a jar should be written on the label so that a customer can avoid consuming products to which he or she is allergic or of which he or she is intolerant. The same information is to be displayed on the screen through which customers will interface with the vending machines. Preparation stations are to be situated according to the network of vending machines’ locations so that one preparation station could service several locations, which will increase the speed of delivery and raise the efficiency of operation. The delivery element of the business primarily involves transportation. Vehicles used for delivery are to be equipped with refrigerators to ensure that the food products are not affected by the heat outside and brought to the vending machines for refilling fresh and with all the nutrients preserved. Upon delivery, the person responsible for this part of the business should suspend the work of a vending machine, i.e. limit the access of customers to it, remove all the items that are about to expire, i.e. that will be expired by the next time the vending machine is attended by this employee, which is 24 hours later, and refill the vending machine by placing fresh items into appropriate rows. Items whose expiration dates are sooner will be placed closer to the upfront end of the rows so that they are dispensed first. It is expected that some items will be more in demand, which is why the rows of products will not be equal, and there will be the need to prepare more of some mixtures or ingredients than other; this consideration is to be constantly monitored by assessing which items are consumed more, and which ones are often removed because they expire before customers buy them. For this purpose, the employee responsible for delivery and refilling will be asked to keep track of the consumption dynamics, i.e. to keep a record of those items of which the vending machines run out fast and of those which regularly stay in the machines until their expiration dates. The maintenance of the vending machines will mostly consist in refilling and checking the technical performance characteristics; the latter is not difficult and can be performed by a person who is not a technical specialist, which is why this responsibility will be listed in the job description of the person responsible for delivery and refilling. However, the vending machines may have hardware- and software-related issues that will require the attention of specialists. It is not expected to have a technician as a full-time or part-time employee as part of this business. Assistance from technical specialists will be needed on the stage of installing the vending machines (apart from the stage of designing them), and occasional maintenance services will be carried out by outside service providers. Product and Services The products of the business are salads, dressings, breakfast dishes, and snacks. The service is enabling customers to purchase the products from vending machines that make the process easier, more accessible, and expectedly more gratifying. Concerning products, the proposed business mustn’t purchase ready meals from suppliers. Every item will be prepared in preparation stations according to approved recipes. To design the menu, nutrition and healthy food specialists need to be consulted. Consultations are expected to be regular, as it is expected that the menu can be modified for several purposes; for example, different menus can be created for different seasons according to the availability of seasonal vegetables and fruits; also, the menu can be reconsidered according to customers’ preferences and feedback; finally, new items can be launched once in a while to attract the attention of more potential customers and increase the interest of existing and loyal customers. Not only ready meals will not be purchased from suppliers (but prepared in preparation stations instead), but also dressings will be custom; by preparing custom dressings, the business will, first, ensure their freshness and, second, create recognizable tastes; it is acknowledged that the recognizability of a product contributes to building customer loyalty. Concerning services, the main aspect of introducing vending machines is increasing the availability of healthy food. The proposed business will not only supply healthy snacks and salads but also make it much easier for customers (especially those who may find it difficult to find a place to have lunch) to access those products. Apart from easiness, another aspect of customer experience that is expected to play a significant role in business development is the enjoyability of using a vending machine. In a café, people are served food by other people; in a store, people buy food—again, mostly from other people; vending machines, on the contrary, are pure self-service. There has been a debate among researchers on what factors contribute to the customers’ choice between self-service and personal service. For example, it has been observed that such factors include ‘[p]erceived waiting time, perceived task complexity, and companion influence’ (Wang, Harris & Patterson 2012, p. 54). As part of such studies, it is emphasized that customers may find gratification in using self-services. From the experience of interfacing with a vending machine, seeing the automatic movements inside it, and collecting items, customers develop stronger feelings toward the products they purchase that way; they tend to feel that they ‘earned’ the product they buy more than they would feel from buying it from a store or ordering it in a café. This psychological consideration is important for understanding the potential mechanisms behind promoting the salad vending machines. Another important psychological consideration consists of the benefits of having the option of customizing one’s salad. By contributing more effort and more creativity to their lunch, people may develop certain attachments to the vending machines because using the machines gives them the gratification of preparing their lunch in a way, for which they may not have time or opportunities (Hrudka 2012). This principle of customer participation in the process of preparing food for his or her can, therefore, be a mechanism of increasing customer loyalty. A particular aspect of the service provided by salad vending machines is the interface. The machines will have large touchscreens on which available options will be displayed in a user-friendly manner. The menu will be divided into categories: breakfasts, salads, snacks, custom dishes, and dressings. It should be noted that some dressings are placed in separate containers inside the salad jars, but a customer can order additional containers with dressings in case he or she likes more seasoned salads or orders a customized meal. When choosing a particular dish, a customer will see on the screen the contents of the dish, a picture of it, nutrition information, and prices. When choosing the custom dishes options, a customer will be offered a list of available ingredients. It is planned that the system will be ‘smart’ in terms of advising certain combinations and calculating nutrition indicators. For example, after having a customer choose the first ingredient for his or her custom dish, the system will advise what ingredients go well with it. As the customer chooses ingredients, the nutrition information will be calculated in real-time, updated, and displayed on the screen with each alteration of the custom dish’s content (adding or removing an ingredient). When the combination is completed, the customer will also be recommended a kind of dressing that will fit the custom salad the best. The vending machines will accept cash and bank cards; for cash payments, they will be able to give back change. Target Market In launching a new product, market research is an integral component because it should be clearly explained how the service will meet the needs of customers and what demand it will address. For the proposed business, it is proposed to primarily target those groups of people who work in organizations that do not have cafeterias in their buildings or places where they can go for lunch near them. It is expected that these people will help establish the business and the recognizability of the salad vending machines and will enable further expansion by introducing the vending machines to those organization the employees of which do have lunch options, and a new one will be provided to them; it is expected that salad vending machines will be capable of competing with existing food services. Apart from organizations, it is also proposed to place the vending machines in universities where students are also in need of more easily accessible options to have lunch. What shapes the confidence that the salad vending machines service will be in demand and will be able to compete is that targeting is not based solely on geographical and logistical factors, i.e. the service will not be offered to people solely based on the consideration that, without this service, they would have to bring lunch from home, order delivery, or travel long distances to have lunch. Another important targeting and positioning factor is that the salad vending machines will offer healthy food. The benefits of eating healthily are widely known, and it can be assessed that more and more people in the world commit to healthy food. Moreover, there is a shift described by researchers from viewing unhealthy food as something tasty (Werle, Trendel & Ardito 2013), i.e. more people acknowledge that healthy food can be tasty and enjoyable. Using the benefits of healthy eating in targeting and marketing research is therefore pivotal. The proposed business will not offer people something to eat; it will offer something healthy, diverse, and tasty to eat. The benefits of this are most evident for office workers because their lifestyles often exclude active physical exercising, which is why many of them acknowledge that they should pay more attention to what they eat. Another possible target group is people who want to lose weight: the service will allow them to consume balanced combinations of products in reasonable portions and with the consideration of nutrition indicators of each ingredient; all this will contribute to their healthier lifestyles and higher chances of losing weight. Marketing research, therefore, will consider two major groups that may overlap: people who have limited lunch options and people who are interested in eating more healthily. Market Analysis and Entry Strategy Market analysis and market entry strategy are closely connected to targeting explored in the previous section. Market analysis more closely examines potential customers and, apart from their interests, assesses their willingness, readiness, and opportunities to buy new products and services. It is expected that a major factor that will attract customers in the early stages of launching the proposed business is its extraordinary nature. Salad vending machines are rather rare, although they have been introduced in several countries around the world, such as the United States (see Appendix 1), it is still rather unusual to encounter a vending machine that dispenses salads, especially in the UAE. This initial interest is expected to boost further development and expansion of the proposed business. Market analysis necessarily should take into consideration the local specificity of a given market, and entry strategies should be based on it. For the UAE, the main topic to be explored in this regard is people’s attitudes toward healthy food, as those attitudes largely shape healthy eating-relating behaviors. A major question to be asked in this context is ‘What can stop people from eating more healthy food?’ In asking this, an assumption is being made that more people should commit to eating healthily because this practice brings many benefits, but there are barriers. Those barriers have been studied, and, according to Musaiger et al. (2013, p. 1), ‘lack of information on healthy eating, lack of motivation to eat a healthy diet, and not having time to prepare or eat healthy food [are] the main barriers to healthy eating among both genders [in seven Arab countries, including the UAE].’ These three factors provide important market insight, as they can be used as the basis for building promotion strategies for the salad vending machines. First of all, a lack of information is to be addressed through extensive communication with targets and potential customers. Social networking services campaigns will be integral for launching the proposed business, as it is recognized that more people should be reached and told the benefits of eating healthily so that their interest in the vending machines is higher. The third factor, the lack of time to prepare healthy food, is exactly the barrier that is particularly addressed by the introduction of the salad vending machines: people no longer have to prepare healthy food themselves or wait in line for it or go to places where it is served. Instead, they can approach a vending machine and receive a portion of healthy food, optionally customized, within a minute or even less. The second factor, i.e. the lack of motivation, appears to be the most challenging one because even communication campaigns and increased accessibility of healthy food do not guarantee higher motivation to consume such food. From a psychological perspective, it can be assessed that increasing motivation is about demonstrating positive outcomes. It is expected that motivation can be raised by communicating different benefits of eating healthily to targets; for example, it can be done through personal stories from people who have committed to the healthy salad diet and thus improved their health, lost weight, or started feeling better and more energetic every day. These three components will constitute the basis of the market entry strategy for the proposed business. Sales and Revenue Each salad will cost differently based on the cost of ingredients. It is planned to sell salads in glass canning jars starting from 18 AED (approximately 5 USD); the average price will be 25 AED (approximately 7 USD). The custom salad option will cost starting from 22 AED (approximately 6 USD). Breakfasts and snacks will cost a little less due to their smaller net weight. The price of custom dishes will be calculated automatically and displayed on the screen in real-time as the customer chooses ingredients. The cost of dressings will be included in the cost of ready salads; for custom options, however, it will be required to buy the dressing separately. Cutlery, i.e. plastic knives, spoons, and forks, will be placed in separate sections outside the vending machines so that customers can take them for free along with plastic plates needed to mix custom salads. All the information on products, such as nutrition information displayed on the screen, will be provided for free, too. Revenues will be collected from the vending machines by the person responsible for refilling the machines every day; however, a certain amount of money will need to stay in the machine so that it can give back change. An additional source of revenue is the mobile application that will be created as part of the proposed business. Customers will be charged a small fee for downloading the app, through which they will be able to familiarize themselves with the menu and to create their stock, i.e. order certain salads or other dishes to be placed in the vending machine that they use. It is also expected that customers will be interested in downloading the application because it will provide them with special offers that will be available only to those who have the application. Financials Two types of financial documentation will be provided as part of the presented business plan: pro forma income statement (Table 1) and a pro forma balance sheet (Table 2). Table 1: Pro Forma Income Statement for the Salad Vending Machines Business for the Year Ending on December 31, 2017 (in USD) End of End of End of End of End of 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Gross Sales 300,000 1,440,000 2,160,000 2,880,000 3,600,000 Cash Discounts 5,000 24,000 36,000 48,000 60,000 Net Sales 295,000 1,416,000 2,124,000 2,832,000 3,540,000 Total Available for Sale 240,000 1,152,000 1,728,000 2,304,000 2,880,000 Cost of Goods Sold 200,000 960,000 1,440,000 1,920,000 2,400,000 Gross Margin 95,000 456,000 684,000 912,000 1,140,000 Salaries 28,000 134,400 201,600 268,800 336,000 Supplies 60,000 288,000 432,000 576,000 720,000 Advertising, Consulting, and Promotion 20,000 24,000 24,000 24,000 24,000 Delivery 2,000 9,600 14,400 19,200 24,000 Maintenance 2,500 2,400 2,400 2,400 2,400 Total Operating Expenses 102,500 458,400 674,400 890,400 1,106,400 Net Operating Profit (Loss) -7,500 -2,400 9,600 21,600 33,600 Income Taxes 0 0 0 0 0 Net Profit (Loss) After Income Tax -7,500 -2,400 9,600 21,600 33,600 The general assumption made in the calculations is that ten salad vending machines are initially launched; their number by the end of 2018 is 20; 30 by the end of 2019, 40 by the end of 2020, and 50 by the end of 2021. Other assumptions are as follows: 50 items at the average price of 6 USD are sold daily from each machine out of 60 items put in each machine; the average cost of producing each item is 4 USD; items are mostly sold during workdays; salaries include payments to people who work on the preparing stations and deliver items to the machines; advertising, consulting, promotion, delivery (cost of transport), and maintenance are counted separately. Table 2: Pro Forma Balance Sheet for the Salad Vending Machines Business Opening End of 2017 End of 2018 End of 2019 Total Current Assets 55,000 250,000 440,000 650,000 Total Fixed Assets 65,000 200,000 250,000 250,000 Total Assets 120,000 450,000 690,000 900,000 Total Liabilities 111,000 408,000 615,000 790,000 Owner’s Equity 9,000 42,000 75,000 110,000 Total Liabilities and 120,000 450,000 690,000 900,000 Owner’s Equity Organization Until the end of the current year, it is expected to hire two people part-time, which is expected to be sufficient to operate one preparation station, which will service all ten salad vending machines, and the machines themselves, i.e. have an employee to deliver items to the machines’ locations. As the business grows, and ten more machines are launched each of the four upcoming years, it will be needed to expand the staff according to machines’ locations, which will be a consideration in launching new preparation stations and planning the logistics. A manager will be initially appointed to overlook the process on every stage. Exit Plan It is recognized that value can be lost due to inadequate exit planning, i.e. lack of proper strategy concerning the transfer process. Today, the role of intermediaries in the process grows to be more appreciated, especially for small businesses (Battisti & Williamson 2015). For the proposed business, it is planned to hire professional assistance in terms of consulting on successful exit planning at the early stages of launching, and the cost of such consulting is included in the expenses along with professional healthy eating consulting. An integral part of exit planning for the proposed business is succession planning, i.e. planning from the very beginning who will manage the business in the future. However, further prospects should be considered, too, such as acquisition, e.g. transferring to potential buyers, including current employees. For this purpose, the business will be organized in a way that will allow transactions and enable hired managers for purchase in the future by providing them with appropriate instruments of currently managing all the aspects of the operation. Reference List Battisti, M & Williamson, AJ 2015, ‘The role of intermediaries in the small business transfer process’, Small Enterprise Research , vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 32-48. Hrudka, B 2012, Custom food product preparation apparatus . Musaiger, AO, Al-Mannai, M, Tayyem, R, Al-Lalla, O, Ali, EY, Kalam, F, Benhamed, MM, Saghir, S, Halahleh, I, Djoudi, Z & Chirane, M 2013, ‘Perceived barriers to healthy eating and physical activity among adolescents in seven Arab countries: a cross-cultural study’, The Scientific World Journal , vol. 2013, no. 1, pp. 1-11. Wang, C, Harris, J & Patterson, PG 2012, ‘Customer choice of self-service technology: the roles of situational influences and past experience’, Journal of Service Management , vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 54-78. Ward, JL 2016, Keeping the family business healthy: how to plan for continuing growth, profitability, and family leadership , Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Werle, CO, Trendel, O & Ardito, G 2013, ‘Unhealthy food is not tastier for everybody: the “healthy= tasty” French intuition’, Food Quality and Preference , vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 116-121. Appendix 1: Farmer’s Fridge Salad Vending Machines in Chicago

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The paper analysed how kairos and the other rhetorical appeals are used in an advertisement with the case study being the Salem cigarettes. It was found that the first advert used pathos to appeal to the emotions of the audience while the second one used logos to make total sense. The third one used kairos to ensure that the audience got the message at the right time.

The paper analysed how kairos and the other rhetorical appeals are used in an advertisement with the case study being the Salem cigarettes. It was found that the first advert used pathos to appeal to the emotions of the audience while the second one used logos to make total sense. The third one used kairos to ensure that the audience got the message at the right time.

Salem Cigarettes Ads and Rhetorical Appeals Essay Advertisements incorporate the three rhetorical appeals which are logos, pathos, kairos, and ethos. The ethos analyses the moral principles or the ethics of a given statement or display (Jefkins 88). The pathos, on the other hand, appeals to ones emotion or is inclined towards empathy. As for the logos, it appeals to the logic which means that an advertisement should make total sense (Lyons and Magnus 47). Lastly for the kairos, it mainly pertains to establishing whether it is the right time or place that an appeal to timeliness (Ginzburg 93). This paper analyses how kairos and the other rhetorical appeals are used in an advertisement with the case study being the Salem cigarettes. In the first advert, there is a handsome gentleman holding a pack of cigarettes in his arms. During the 70s and the 80s, a man was perceived to be handsome when he had a cool hairstyle and an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of jeans. The advert is trying to persuade both the male and female of the tender age that it is fashionable to smoke cigarettes. ‘If one can smoke Salem and look handsome and cool why not me?’ that is the question that the seller of this brand intends the audience, or the public to ask after reading the advert. The advert is meant to insinuate that the guy is this cool just because he smokes Salem. The question posed in the advert also is meant to make the audience associate with this guy especially the phrase “enough fresh menthol to keep things interesting”. Since the guy looks cool, it is expected that he always loves to have fun and is more outgoing; therefore, the phrase that the cigarette makes him make things interesting is appealing to all people of his age. This advert is, therefore, depicting what was considered cool in the 70s and 80s by the young men and ladies. In this advert, one can note that the picture is more appealing than the words. The second advert depicts a young, attractive blonde lady. She is seated smoking a cigarette and looks to be relaxed and full of confidence. Her beauty is breathtaking to everyone looking at the picture and the word “Salem refreshes naturally” just complements her beauty. For everyone who was a lady in the 70s and 80s this was the look admired by all and for all the young lads she was the perfect lady. Again this was the face of Salem, and it had the perfect timing. Having a beautiful blonde face like this lady complements the cigarette since, the seller wants to assume that the cigarette comes with the beauty, or it is the cigarette that is making her look this fabulous. The writings on this advert and the lady are complementing each other, and this advert is using kairos very well. In the 70s and 80s, this cigarette would have sold due to this advert especially to the young ladies and young men. In the third advert, it depicts three black teenagers with one holding a basketball who look to be relaxing after a workout in the gym or the court. In the 70s and 80s, for the blacks, there was nothing as cool as playing basketball. This was appealing to all the young black lads and was the targeted group by the seller. This shows that the rhetoric used is kairos in this advert. The advert is using the young lads to show that, after a workout, one may use Salem cigarette to refresh. The writing “Salem refreshes naturally” is complementing the photo as the photo is more appealing in this case. The advert is, however, disregarding the logos as there is no logic in smoking cigarettes and playing basketball as it affects the lungs badly and reduces the performance of the athletes. The advert is, however, effective in relaying its message to all those young black lads playing or not playing basketball. In the fourth advert, we have a young, attractive couple who are smoking. They seem to be enjoying each other’s company fully and also seem to be enjoying the cigarettes. The seller is using the advert to reach out to all the young couples. The young couple was an ideal couple in the 70s and 80s since they are both attractive and are being complimented by the clothes. This advert is appealing and used kairos as this couple was ideal in the times this advert was released. In the fifth advert, we have a black couple in an environment where they look to be enjoying a cool breeze as depicted by the trees. This advert has the writing “Salem special high porosity paper air softens every puff”. This implies that the advert is based more on the environment rather than on the couple itself. The seller wishes to communicate an enhancement in the product and show that it gives a freshening taste due to the paper. The couple is simple and is meant to enforce the indigenous natural taste. This advert uses pathos as the rhetoric it shows an environment and a feeling that one should feel after smoking. The writing is, therefore, in connection with the illustration given. Works Cited Ginzburg, Natalia. The Advertisement , London: Faber and Faber, 1969. Print. Jefkins, Frank. Advertisement Writing , Plymouth: Macdonald and Evans, 1976. Print. Lyons, and W. Magnus. Advertisement Control , Leigh-on-Sea, Essex: Thames Bank Pub. Co,1949. Print.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: In 1995, it was decided to create a single Samsung company in China, for previously, various operations were conducted separately by different Samsung units.The Chinese market was strategically important. At the time, China's market was the third greatest in the world after NAFTA and EU in TV sales. This caused stiff competition. Sony and Matsushita dominated the high-end market; companies such as Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, JVC, Sanyo, and Hitachi were

In 1995, it was decided to create a single Samsung company in China, for previously, various operations were conducted separately by different Samsung units. The Chinese market was strategically important. At the time, China's market was the third greatest in the world after NAFTA and EU in TV sales. This caused stiff competition. Sony and Matsushita dominated the high-end market; companies such as Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, JVC, Sanyo, and Hitachi were

Samsung as Color TV Manufacturer in China Case Study Table of Contents 1. The Chinese market 2. The situation at home 3. Samsung in the U.S. 4. Samsung’s initial plans for the full-scale entry into China 5. Recommendations In 1995, it was decided to create a single Samsung company in China, for previously, various operations were conducted separately by different Samsung units. The Chinese market The Chinese market was strategically important. At the time, China’s market was the third greatest in the world after NAFTA and EU in TV sales. This caused stiff competition. Sony and Matsushita dominated the high-end market; companies such as Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, JVC, Sanyo, and Hitachi were also influential. Furthermore, over 20 companies worked with the low-end market. In 1995, China produced 16 million color TVs, and 2 million out of these were exported to other countries. The small (<17-inch) color TVs were becoming unpopular, whereas the demand for medium and large screen (18-21-inch) sets was rising; together, they accounted for 83% of sales in 1994. In 1994, there were 80 million urban households in China; ≈80% had a color TV, so the urban market was almost saturated. Simultaneously, only 28% of the 220 million rural households had a color TV. It was predicted that there would be more than 200 million people whose official purchasing power was more than $1000 (i.e., who could afford such products as TVs and washing machines). Furthermore, many Chinese did not report their full income, so their purchasing power was even greater. And still, rural consumers preferred cheaper TVs with reasonable quality (mainly local manufacturers), whereas urban buyers preferred functionality and good brand names (e.g., Japanese products). As for the market environment, the first mover enjoyed major advantages such as the loyalty of the customers in China; the first impression was long-lasting. Importantly, Japanese manufacturers of color TV received significant recognition in this market. China also implemented a strong protectionism policy. The tariff for color TVs dropped from 100% to 50-65% in 1995. The rates were to be decreased further (to 36% in 1997, and to 15% in perspective), but in 1995 they still were high. In addition, the entry to the market was hindered by the product differentiation via the recognition of brand name; it was hard to establish a new brand name. A crucial method for the competition was obtaining cost competitiveness via the economies of scale and the learning effect; before a firm gained such an advantage, the scale and learning effects were a barrier. The situation at home Simultaneously, in the 1990s, in Samsung’s “homeland” (South Korea) labor costs were rising, the government’s subsidies were cut, and the economy was being significantly restructured, which led to decreased competitiveness in low-end products at home. In addition, Korean market entry barriers were lifted, which increased the competitiveness of the internal market and forced firms such as Samsung to seek compensation for the competition abroad. Samsung in the U.S. Samsung entered the U.S. market in 1979, focusing on the low-end segment, using Korean advantage of low labor costs; it adopted the “buyer brand name” policy, simultaneously creating a strong image. In 1984, Samsung also created a subsidiary in the USA to address the trade barrier. By 1995, it became one of the top companies in the U.S., having ≈3% of the market share. Samsung’s initial plans for the full-scale entry into China Samsung first penetrated the Chinese market in 1985 (indirectly, via Hong Kong), but, due to governmental barriers, it only started moving there actively in 1992. In 1995, Samsung China Headquarters (SCH) was established to coordinate the dispersed operations of the company in this country. It is stated that SCH planned to become oriented to the high-end market, but Seoul was skeptical about this and proposed to aim at the low-end market and to employ a volume-oriented strategy. Recommendations Based on this information, it is possible to provide the following recommendations: 1. Endeavor to establish a strong brand name in China. 2. Focus on selling 18-21-inch TVs. 3. Focus on the high-end market initially, but diversify the products offered to cover the low-end market as well once the protectionism policy in China is lightened.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: The essay discusses the challenges faced by Samsung Electronics Canada under the stewardship of Park. These include the amount of capital to invest in promotions, whether the budget should be increased or retained, and the reasons behind either of the decisions. Additionally, the essay talks about the challenge of abolishing low-end products, and whether SECA should change its distribution style to emulate Sony.

The essay discusses the challenges faced by Samsung Electronics Canada under the stewardship of Park. These include the amount of capital to invest in promotions, whether the budget should be increased or retained, and the reasons behind either of the decisions. Additionally, the essay talks about the challenge of abolishing low-end products, and whether SECA should change its distribution style to emulate Sony.

Samsung Electronics Co.’s Challenges in Canada Case Study The Samsung Group of companies ran various subsidiaries among them Samsung Electronics that owned Samsung Electronics Canada. As much as the company has been a success in Canada, it faced various challenges when the management under the stewardship of Park set up the strategy for branding in Canada. The first was the amount of Capital to invest in promotions. The challenge was whether the budget allocated on promotional services was to be increased or retained. There was another issue of the reasons behind either of the decisions. In 2003, the management had introduced new brand-building initiatives, yet the amount allocated to advertisements and promotions had remained constant for half a decade. Over that period, more than half of the amount had been channeled to promotional services. In the same year, Park had to make a decision on whether the $ 15 million allocated to the sector was enough considering the new developments. To arrive at a progressive decision, Park had to consider two other issues. First, SECA was enjoying advantages of advertisement by SEA that had increased advertising coverage following a decision to increase expenditure in that business division. Secondly, the head office was planning to sponsor global events such as the Olympics. The decision to take full advantage of the spillovers was well advised. This is because to a large extend it cut down on the expenditure. The second challenge was associated with company products and their distribution. New developments had indicators of abolishing low-end products that were valuable in Canada. The challenge for Park was that these goods formed the primary source of profits for SECA. The decision by Park to continue the production of the same was wise as it would not have made sense to kill the products that formed the base of the profits. In the same breadth, a challenge was whether SECA would change its distribution style to emulate Sony. As much as the system had merits, the challenge was that, the system was already associated with the rival. Allowing the chain stores to operate under the Samsung brand was wonderful while the company owned production part. The third problem was related to pricing. A choice had to be made between retaining the existing retail prices and increasing them. In adopting the former, SECA would have to find other sources of funds for its repositioning efforts. In the latter, the company faced the risk of losing clients to competitors. Categorizing the products into various classes did the magic in differentiating the prices. Stages of brand building Brand Positioning Samsung always endeavored to make sure that customers put great value on their products. Most goods were sold to end consumers using retailers. LCD monitors had to be sold directly to consumers since they became popular. Goods with real value were produced so that they capture customer interests. SECA however, used special stores such as future shops and Best Buys to release their products to the markets. Attribute The company products are characterized by their nature that falls into two categories. Consumer electronics that include appliances are on one hand and the Information Technology products on the other end. The basis of this strategy takes two dimensions. It puts into consideration the interests of retailers and the customer. The aim is to maximize sales volumes against the profit margins. SECA uses prearranged factory transfer prices. The VCRs were considered price-valued, Conventional televisions and appliances were premium-priced. Other products were categorized as mid-range. In the Information Technology division, LCDs recorded impressive records because of its fame and increased demand. Benefits SECA enjoys the use of various marketing mixes to promote its different brands. Most of them however, depended on the happenings in the US. The focus was to make sure that both current clients and target clients got information about products. Although the company profited from spillovers of advertisements, it became difficult to get tailor-made adverts for its Canadian market. High definition television sets and cable networks were flagship projects specifically for Canada. Beliefs and values Samsung’s values and beliefs are pegged on the production of a range of products under its brand. Television sets both audio and video, camera and their recorders, mobile phones, Home appliances and the PCs make up the various groups of products. The company has put together a team of professional experts to produce these goods. The designers segment the products to suit dynamic markets while at the same time keeping the quality high. Mobile phones, Television sets, laptops, and consumer electronics are priced to fit the disposable incomes of people in various cadres. Market segments The top management of SECA grouped the consumer electronics market in Canada into four. The segments were the young generation, hobbyists, high-income families and the business users. The company targeted the high-income consumers because from them bigger profit margins could be realized. This group was characterized by large, one-time purchases of goods whose durability was high. High quality televisions are some of the products that were common to these customers. The decisions made by this group were guided by the brand image. Statistics had shown that these consumers preferred associating with established brands. The result of this was that the company experienced twenty percent increase in sales from this group. This was more than the overall increase by the whole company. SECA categorized the young generation as the second high-growth segment. Buyers in this grouped were teenagers and others barely thirty years of age. The catch was in their interests and enthusiasm for change. This group was however, hampered by limited resources. They therefore, tended to buy small gadgets. To cater for them the company vigorously marketed MP3 player and other high- tech digital products. The business user group was ranked third. It went for goods that were reliable and could satisfy their needs. Quoted here was when the banks replaced all their CRT monitors with LCD monitors in all their branches. Hobbyists were smaller group whose profit margin was modest since most of them were price sensitive. Analysis of the Marketing Mix Samsung Electronics owns the Samsung Electronics Canada. It is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. Most of its products come from Korea and US. The duties of the company include advertising and promotions, Sales force management and Customer service. The company uses various marketing mixes in all this. Product pricing is one method that it needs to improve. More categories of this should be added. This would make the company expand its idea of profits. It would maximize both sales volume and profit margins. The company also uses its positioning and distributions as another mix. Adopting a wholesome approach where goods will be sold both in bulk and to individual consumers would open avenues for increased profits and customer contacts. In using promotion as a marketing mix, the company should develop specific promotional activities to suit their Canadian markets. SECA finally, uses its products as another mix. The range of products produced by the company must be increased. The company should learn from some of its flagship products that have done well in Canada. This area will make SECA venture into new market areas in addition to holding tightly in areas they fully control.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: In 2009, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition waged the marketing campaign against Samsung. They accused Samsung of the lack of environmental responsibility. The company was attacked for the lack of Recycling Programs for old electronic devices, which may contain toxic metals. Samsung began the development of eco-friendly products.

In 2009, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition waged the marketing campaign against Samsung. They accused Samsung of the lack of environmental responsibility. The company was attacked for the lack of Recycling Programs for old electronic devices, which may contain toxic metals. Samsung began the development of eco-friendly products.

Samsung Electronics Co.’s Ethics and Greening Report Corporate social responsibility is a burning issue for any big corporation, and Samsung is not an exception. Samsung Electronics is one of the leading companies in the industry of Information Technology. In 2008, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition waged the marketing campaign against Samsung. They accused Samsung of the lack of environmental responsibility. The company was attacked for the lack of Recycling Programs for old electronic devices, which may contain toxic metals. The Coalition underlined the fact that Samsung spent millions on the advertisement during The Olympic Games in Beijing, while the Recycling Programs were in need of investments (Milovanović, 2009). To fulfill the environmental responsibility Samsung Electronics started the ‘Eco-Management 2013’ initiative in 2009. According to this initiative, they started the promotion of environmental programs concerning the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Samsung also began the development of eco-friendly products. They claim that during the period from 2008 to 2011 the emission of greenhouse gas was reduced by 40%. Samsung Electronics has the purpose to increase the number of eco-products up to 100% by 2013. For now, 97% of the product lines are environmentally friendly. Moreover, the company develops the low-power devices to reduce the energy consumption (Song, 2012). Samsung Electronics also undertakes the social responsibilities. The Company claims that besides producing electronics they try to tackle global problems as polarization of society, poverty and famine. One of their targets is to spread positive values in the society. Samsung employs about 220,000 people in different countries. The company takes part in various social programs supporting children, teen-education and healthcare for low-income families. The company has also launched the ‘Samsung Hope for Children’ global initiative (Song, 2012). Governmental Influence on Apple Apple Inc. as well as other companies and corporations, is subject to various external influences such as customers’ loyalty and tastes, general technological progress, expectations of shareholders and investors, civil organizations and government. Legislative decrees concerning taxation, information technologies, consumer rights, environmental protection and the like, influence the company’s strategies and operational policies. Apple is one of the most prominent companies in the IT industry and its actions are under constant control of the government. The company has received a number of antitrust regulations in recent years. For instance, in 2009 the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Apple and some major book publishers. They were accused of fixing prices on e-books with the purpose to reduce the competition from Amazon (McDougall, 2012). This occasion forced Apple to change its strategy and the company suffered considerable losses. In 2010, Apple was forced to loosen the restrictions for the software developers and music labels. The reason for this was the pressure on the part of U.S. Government. The company took measures to avoid new lawsuits and save its reputation with the customers. In 2010, Apple hired the firm of Fierce, Isakowitz and Blalock to lobby its interests in Washington. It was reported that Apple spent about $1.6 million in lobbying the government, not much comparing to its competitors as Microsoft, $ 7 million (Apple, 2011). This enabled the company to promote a number of bills that could support its development. All companies in the world from a small business to an international corporation are in constant interrelation with the society. They always regulate their strategies in accordance with the tastes and requirements from the society and government. Reference List Apple hires new lobbyists to influence federal government. (2011). Web. McDougall, P. (2012). U.S. Targets Apple, Publishers On E-Book Price Fixing. Web. Milovanović, G. (2009). Corporate Social Responsibility in the Globalization Era. Economics and Organization, 6 (2), 89 – 104. Song, S. (2012). 2012 Sustainability Report . Seoul, Korea: Samsung Electronics.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : In the case of Samsung Electronics v. Apple Company, the petitioner asked to revise the decision because the design of the screen does not constitute the whole product, the smartphone, and thus it was argued that the infringer should not return the whole profit for selling the product. The Supreme Court of the U.S. decided that the term "article of manufacture" could mean both the end product that is sold to the customer, and a component of that product.

In the case of Samsung Electronics v. Apple Company, the petitioner asked to revise the decision because the design of the screen does not constitute the whole product, the smartphone, and thus it was argued that the infringer should not return the whole profit for selling the product. The Supreme Court of the U.S. decided that the term "article of manufacture" could mean both the end product that is sold to the customer, and a component of that product.

Samsung Electronics v. Apple Company: Legal Case Analysis Case Study Case Name Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., et al. v. Apple Inc. (2016). The Court Deciding the Case Supreme Court of the United States. Case Citation 15–777 (2016). Key Facts The case 15–777 (2016) pertains to a patent. In the current case, the petitioners were the company of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; they petitioned to revise the previous court decision, in which the plaintiff, Apple Inc., won the case. The crux of the case is as follows: Apple claimed that Samsung manufactured several models of smartphones which infringed the design patented by Apple; that design included a front face of a smartphone in a rectangular shape with rounded edges, as well as a grid of multi-colored icons on a screen that was black. According to the previous decision, Apple was awarded approximately $399 million in damages, which constitutes the entire profit of Samsung for selling the smartphones that were found to be infringing. The previous case was decided according to 35 U. S. C. §289, which states that if a patented design or a colorable imitation of it was applied to an “article of manufacture,” then the offended party is eligible for a compensation of damages of up to the entire profit of the offender for selling the infringing “article of manufacture,” but not less than $250. Issue The petitioner, Samsung, asked to revise the decision because the design of the screen does not constitute the whole product, the smartphone, and thus it was asserted that the infringer should not return the whole profit for selling the product. Such claims were made previously by the petitioner, but were rejected, because it was stated that the design of the screen could not be sold to consumers separately, but only as a part of the entire product (smartphone). Rule The legislation according to which the case was decided is 35 U. S. C. §289 (Section 289 of the Patent Act). Decision The lower court decision was reversed; the case was remanded for further investigation; the following proceedings were to be consistent with the decision of the Supreme Court pertaining to the definition of “article of manufacture.” Reasoning The Supreme Court of the U.S. decided that the term “article of manufacture” could mean both the end product that is sold to the client, and a component of that product. Thus, it was decided that the previous court’s interpretation of the term “article of manufacture” was too narrow because it only included the end product which is sold to the customer, whereas it might also pertain to a component of that product. Critical Analysis On the whole, it might be possible to state that the decision of the Supreme Court of the U.S. seems reasonable because the term “article of manufacture” does not specifically denote the end product which is sold to the customer, and parts of the end product are also manufactured, so they can apparently be considered “articles of manufacture” as well. Furthermore, the term “parts” used here can also be interpreted not only in the sense of a complete part, but also as an element of design – because elements of design can be patented. In this case, the infringing design did not constitute the whole end product; in fact, it might be possible to state that “the work done by a smartphone” for the consumer is done not by the design, but by other parts of the smartphone. In addition, as was soundly observed in the case 15–777 (2016), it is unlikely that the infringed design was the only element of smartphones that allowed for selling them, gaining profits. Even though it is difficult to decide which part of Samsung’s profits is due to the infringed design, it appears clear that a significant part of this profit is due to the elements of the infringing smartphones other than their design. Work Cited Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., et al. v. Apple Inc. 2016.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: The article discusses the launch of Samsung Gear VR from different perspectives, including the product development model, the business analysis, its technical implementation, and the potential outcomes that this implementation will have for the company's performance in general.

The article discusses the launch of Samsung Gear VR from different perspectives, including the product development model, the business analysis, its technical implementation, and the potential outcomes that this implementation will have for the company's performance in general.

Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Product Launch Essay (Article) Introduction The launch of a new product is a complicated and multi-level process that requires considering all the aspects of the market activity. While working on product development, a company necessarily carries out the relevant market research, targets its audience, works out SCM strategy, and evaluates potential risks. Product development always has some practical aims whether it is the sales’ increase or positions’ strengthening. The paper at hand is devoted to the analysis of the launch of Samsung Gear VR from different perspectives: the product development model, the business analysis, its technical implementation, etc. The key focus is put on the potential outcomes that this implementation will have for the company’s performance in general. Idea Generation and Screening Every product that appears in the market is initially developed in response to the relevant demand. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that Samsung Gear VR was introduced to meet the demand of keen gamers and those who would spend hours playing the Sega VR in the early nineties. It is essential to note that Samsung was not the first one to enter the VR market – by the time it appeared, such products as Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and HTC Vive had already occupied the niche (Lowe par.1). Moreover, according to the latest annual report produced by Samsung, the innovative sphere is “critical for the company’s survival” (Samsung 6). The launch of the VR product is a successful attempt to support their innovative strategy. Hence, the prerequisites of Samsung Gear’s appearance are the following: the launch of the similar products developed by competitors, the need to introduce some innovations, and the intention to engage new clients. Concept Development While developing a product’s concept, it is critical to ensure that it possesses some unique characteristics that will guarantee a certain competitive advantage in the relevant market. In the case of Samsung Gear VR, its key distinguishing feature resides in the fact that it is the first time that the virtual reality option is available through a mobile device. As long as their product line already comprises different mobile versions – Galaxy S7, S6, etc. – it is only necessary to develop the relevant hardware. Hence, in terms of costs, the company managed to fit in a relatively moderate budget as there was no necessity to start from scratch. The product engineering was carried out in close collaboration with Oculus, an experienced market player in the field of innovative technologies. It is essential to note that the company chose a highly beneficial strategy ensuring that the new product would be compatible with the most expensive products – Galaxy versions. Business Analysis The success of the company’s performance is based on an effective and consistent strategy. Thus, every product produced by the company is aimed at expanding the product line, the targeted audience, and the type of the occupied market niches. Moreover, the introduction of a new product is often determined by the increase in demand for the already existing items. As a result, before the concept of Samsung Gear VR was designed, it was essential to understand in what way it might contribute to the business’s development. First and foremost, Samsung Gear VR is expected to assist in extending the targeted audience. Thus, gamers and high-tech lovers are likely to join the Samsung club. Also, the project was outsourced with the help of another professional in the relevant market. Hence, the cooperation with Oculus also opens new prospects in terms of the clients’ engagement – the loyal customers of the latter will necessarily get interested in the commonly produced innovation. Moreover, according to the company’s forecast, their smartphone sales were about to fall in 2016 (McCormick par.5). Keeping in mind the fact that their innovation is compatible with smartphones only, it is rational to presume that product development is partially determined by the attempt to push up the smartphones’ sales. Lastly, the environment within which Samsung has to operate is highly competitive. Thus, the gap between Samsung and its key rival, Apple, in terms of the market share is very insignificant (see Figure 1). Figure 1 (“Marketing budget of Samsung Electronics and its major competitors for 2013”). Therefore, to keep up with its competitors, the company is obliged to introduce some innovations once in a while. Otherwise stated, the appearance of Samsung Gear VR is a strategic trick aimed at strengthening the brand’s positions in the market. Beta Testing and Marketing Beta-testing and marketing testing are important stages in the process of a product launch as they allow eliminating some critical flaws that might hurt the product’s performance. The first pilot test carried out by Samsung and Oculus showed that the product had some disadvantages that would essentially impede its promotion. Thus, for instance, the first version of Samsung Gear VR was only compatible with Note 4. Besides, the cost of the pilot variant was not competitive – thus, the customers were supposed to spend about 200 dollars on the innovation (Lee par.1). Taking into account the fact that a potential client might also have to purchase the relevant mobile phone, this price is excessive. As a consequence, Samsung and Oculus have incorporated the essential modifications so that the final version is compatible with a larger number of smartphone versions and its cost is twice lower. Technical Implementation Samsung has one of the most efficient Supply Chain Management (CSM) strategies in the relevant market. Thus, the company has developed a complex and multi-level chain that ensures a prompt and cost-effective operation. According to experts, Samsung relies on the principle of the so-called “six sigma” which implies extra effort in terms of the innovation activity (Emerald Management First 2). From this perspective, the developed SCM strategy turned out to be highly assistive in the framework of promoting Samsung Gear VR. The company saw to the fact that their loyal clients were particularly encouraged to purchase the product by making it compatible with the largest number of Galaxy versions possible. Moreover, all the official distributors were engaged as soon as the so-called “clients version” appeared so that the product became immediately available both in the shops and at the online platforms. Pricing It is essential to note that the price of the product is highly competitive. Thus, in comparison to the products of a similar type, Samsung Gear VR is a low-cost innovation (see Table 1). Company Product Name Price Samsung Samsung Gear VR 99$ Oculus Oculus Rift 599$ HTC HTC Vive 799$ Table 1 “Cost Comparison”. Assuming that along with buying Samsung Gear VR one is also required to purchase the relevant Galaxy version, the price will turn out to be almost twice higher. In the meantime, even taking into account the extra expenses, this product remains the cheapest in this line. Launch The launch of the product was accompanied by a powerful advertising campaign. Thus, Samsung decided to introduce Samsung Gear VR on Christmas Eve; as a result, the first revenues were quite considerable. Further revenues depend largely on the competitive capacity of this product. At the current point, its key benefit resides in the low cost. However, if the quality parameters turn out to be lower than those of the rivals’ offers, the revenues are apt to fall by the second year of sales. According to experts’ forecasts, the general demand for VR products has been initially overestimated; thus, the revenues are expected to be gradually decreasing (Grubb par.1). Conclusion The analysis of the product development of Samsung Gear VR has shown that its launch is a perfect pitch in terms of marketing. Thus, first and foremost, the introduction of this product has assisted Samsung is strengthening its positions in the innovative sphere. Moreover, the company is likely to push up its smartphones’ sales as the owners of Gear VR will necessarily have to purchase some versions of the Galaxy mobile phone as well. Also, the developed product possesses a consistent competitive advantage from the pricing standpoint. In case it manages to show good quality characteristics, it will remain the leader in the relevant niche. From the revenue perspective, it is problematic to forecast the potential impact as the VR market is a relatively new field and, thus, it is highly difficult to make any predictions. In the meantime, an insignificant increase is likely to be seen in the course of the first two years. Works Cited Emerald Management First. Supply Chain Management Six Sigma at Samsung , 2007. Web. Grubb, Jeff. Super Data trims virtual reality revenue outlook for 2016 by 30% , 2016. Web. Lee, Nicole. Samsung Gear VR review (2015): A no-brainer if you own a Samsung phone , 2015. Web. Lowe, Mike. Samsung Gear VR Consumer Edition review: The Stepping-Stone to Oculus Proper , 2016. Web. “Marketing budget of Samsung Electronics and its major competitors for 2013” 2013. Web. McCormick, Rich. Samsung confirms its first profit growth since the Galaxy S4 , 2015. Web. Samsung. Sustainability Report , 2015. Web.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The paper examines the difference between investment and commercial banks. It finds that commercial banks have more product offerings than investment banks and that there exists a significant difference in risk-taking behavior of the two types of banks.

The paper examines the difference between investment and commercial banks. It finds that commercial banks have more product offerings than investment banks and that there exists a significant difference in risk-taking behavior of the two types of banks.

Saudi Arabian Commercial and Investment Banks Research Paper Executive Summary This paper seeks to establish a difference between investment and commercial banks. The literature on banks has mostly concentrated on the credit risk taken by banks, or encroachment into the functions of investment banks by commercial banks. However, no studies have attempted to understand what happens when an investment bank undertakes the traditional roles of a commercial bank, such as lending. This paper seeks to understand the difference between the products and lending habits of commercial and investment banks. Qualitative and quantitative analysis tools are used to deconstruct the data. Data from five commercial and five investment banks are gathered and are examined using ANOVA and regression analysis. The result of the research shows that commercial banks have more product offerings than investment banks and that there exists a significant difference in risk-taking behavior of the two types of banks. The research is restricted in scope as it leaves areas unattended. Lending propensity can be studied concerning other variables such as interest earnings, the interest charged on loans, duration of maturity of the loans, and so on. Introduction In 2006, the investment-banking arm of the Saudi Arabian banks split from the commercial banks. Capital Market Authority was set up to regulate the operations of the investment industry. In 2007, CMA approved the first investment bank, NCB Capital. The demand for capital loans from the expanding real estate sector and large infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia was the driving force behind the expansion of the banking sector. Consumer lending in Saudi Arabia has shown robust growth since 2009 (“The Report: Saudi Arabia 2014” 84). In 2013, a study on the banking sector conducted by AlJazira finance shows that there has been a growth in the sector even though the global economy and the macroeconomic environment were challenging. Lending in the Kingdom was believed to have grown and the average bank lending to the public and private sector showed a 16.7% year-on-year increase in 2013 (“The Report: Saudi Arabia 2014” 84). The report shows a growth prospect in the country in client lending because of the increase in the borrowing capacity of the people. Further, lowering of an interest rate for a retail loan to increase penetration (interest rate is 12% in Saudi Arabia as compared to 19% in the UAE and 55% in Europe) has made the market more attractive to borrowers (“The Report: Saudi Arabia 2014” 84). The question that arises is which banking sector will drive the growth – commercial banks or the industrial banks. Some industrial banks, for example, the real estate investment companies, have shown a steady increase in the contribution in total consumer lending which, according to the IMF report, has increased by 25%. One reason for the growth in the consumer lending market is the rise in the local salaries and the expansion of consumer credit provides an extensive opportunity for Saudi banks to expand their loan books. Most of the Saudi banks have provided strong growth rates indicating a rise in their loan books in 2015 (Spong par. 3). The report points out that most of the banks such as the National Commercial Bank, Samba Financial Group, Saudi Hollandi Bank, and Sabb have posted growth in their profit (Spong par. 2). The only bank that has shown an 11% decline in 2014 was Al Rajhi Bank (Spong par. 2). The report also suggests a decline in the expansion of the consumer lending market in the country in 2013. This is due to the bonus salary paid to the people and the slowdown of the infrastructure projects (Spong par. 7-8). However, banks believe that government infrastructure projects are the main area where lending will grow. The growth in the consumer lending market raises inquiries regarding the structure of the market and the loan share of each kind of bank. Here, kinds of banks imply commercial and investment banks. In 2016, the Saudi banking sector has shown a continued growth lending market as institutional lending in the infrastructure sector requires $10 million from banks to finance their projects because of the fall in oil prices (Parasie par. 1). This shows an imminent boom in the lending market in the country. The banks operating domestically in the country expect to expand their lending. Further, both commercial and investment banks are competing in the lending market in the country. This paper, therefore, tries to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the Kingdom’s banking industry. It will compare and contrast the lending market for the banks that are segregated as commercial and investment banks. The Saudi banking sector is divided into two distinct banking systems – commercial and investment banks. Both banks are engaged in the lending market in the Kingdom. Investment banks are those banks that operate in various areas such as retail businesses such as real estate lending and insurance trading. On the other hand, commercial banks are the ones that provide financial service to individuals and/or groups of clients. To understand the mechanism of these sector’s operations, it is necessary to understand the difference between the two. A universal banking model is one wherein a commercial bank can pursue the functions of both the commercial and investment bank, while a separate banking system is one that makes a distinction between the two. In this case, the separation of roles occurs. However, in recent years, commercial banks have encroached into the traditional underwriting function of investment banks. Thus, the entry of the commercial banks in the underwriting market has affected the prices of the bond issues, underwriting fees, etc. (Fang 2735) Invest market plays a critical role in the capital market to bridge the gap between firms looking for finance and investors eager to invest. Such intermediation function is important as it helps to reduce the transaction cost due to the investment banks’ specialization is sales and marketing of securities (Fang 2729). This role is crucial as it creates symmetry between the firms and the investors. Investment banks are the best possible tools to reduce the asymmetry that plagues the capital finance market. Financial institutions can provide both banking and underwriting services to their clients because they enter into the investment bank’s arena (Drucker and Puri 2763). In recent years, it has been increasingly common for both commercial and investment banks to provide loans as well as underwrite for their customers. This raises interesting questions regarding the lending services provided by the commercial and investment banks. Research states that concurrent underwriting and lending may be profitable to the financial institutions (Drucker and Puri 2764). First, concurrent transactions may ensure efficiency gains as the banks deliver a joint service to the customer, and second, costs of the service may be lowered due to informational economies (Drucker and Puri 2764). Previous researchers have compared the scope, efficiency, and benefit of underwriting done by commercial and investment banks. However, no research, as to my knowledge, has presented a comparative study of the lending function of commercial and investment banks. Further, no studies have tried to understand the lending market mechanism in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the booming lending markets as demand for credit in the country has increased even when the global economy faced a recession. This paper will compare the lending structure, practices of the commercial, and investment banks in Saudi Arabia. The paper aims to understand the nature of banking services provided by the banks, both commercial and investment, in the country and compare their consumer lending from 2010 to 2015. Research Purpose or Problem Traditionally, investment banks have operated in the capital market and acted a bridge between firms in search of capital and people in search of investment opportunities. However, when commercial banks entered this specialized area of the investment banks, they too started exploring avenues standard for the commercial banks. This is because many investment banks entered the consumer lending market. When two players, previously operating in two distinct markets, suddenly compete with one another in a particular area is bound to create an interesting outcome for scholarly research. As investment banks started operating in the lending market, it directly competed with the commercial bank and fought for a part of the market. This created varying competition mechanisms in the commercial loan market. The reason being, investment, and commercial banks differ in many ways, a few primary ones being – fund sourcing, government regulations, relationship with the customers, economies of scope, and practice of accounting rules (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 51). A few other noticeable differences are their products and customers. Investment banks cater to the capital finance market and they usually lend to businesses while commercial banks lend to both businesses and for personal purposes. The purpose of the paper is to set up a comparative study that will describe the differences in products of commercial and investment banks. Then the research will provide a comparative study of the loans granted by the banks (both investment and commercial) from 2010 to 2015. Now the question that arises is why study these questions. Research indicates that “one-stop” lending and underwriting services when provided by banks ensure greater profitability to the financial institutions (Kanatas and Qi 1167). However, many critics believe that such universal banking structures where commercial and investment banks operate concurrently will hurt the financial market. However, the banking industry leaders argue that an amalgamation of services in the baking industry will help the institutions to provide better services to their clients. Evidence from the market shows financial service integration has boosted the syndicated lending market in Saudi Arabia. Besides, despite government regulations, Saudi SMEs find it hard to borrow from the market and hence an integrated financial market will increase avenues for funding for small businesses. Further, with an increase in consumer borrowing in the country, changes in lifestyle choices, and so on, and the reason for borrowing money from banks has changed. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) has recorded new avenues of lending based on the demand expectation of people. Thus, lending has become more reason-oriented such as education, home, automobile, traveling, durable, and healthcare. With the entry of foreign financial institutions in the country, the competition for capital financing had become immense. To face the challenges of globalization, in the financial market, integration was inevitable. That is opening of the functions is necessary as has been found in the USA and Europe. However, whether this is a sound option of the consumer lending market or not is questionable. This question has not been addressed in any other research, to my knowledge, and hence provides a gap in the previous studies that need to be addressed. This area will further be examined in the literature review section of the paper. Research Questions and Objectives The present situation in the country’s financial market shows a rise in syndicated loans, which are actually a pool of money collected by different financial institutions for a particular client (Kassem par. 2). The market is supposed to show considerable opportunity for both commercial banks and investment banks in terms of lending. Further, the source of funding for commercial and investment banks varies. Commercial banks have a reliable and stable source of funds. In Saudi Arabia, commercial banks can deposit a large amount of money in overseas banks and can divert those funds when the bank faced financial difficulties. However, investment banks mostly rely on their investment function to gather funds for lending. This establishes a difference in the prices of the products. However, it is unknown if the prices for lending differ for commercial and investment banks in Saudi Arabia. Hence, an understanding of the lending function of both types of banks is essential. The paper aims to find out the difference in the product structure of the commercial and investment banks in Saudi Arabia and a comparison of the loans given by them from 2010 to 2015. The objective of the paper is to understand the overall banking system and structure in Saudi Arabia and then draw a comparison between commercial and investment banking products and lending. Further, the paper will also try to find out if the rise of syndicated lending has helped the banks or not. The research questions that the paper raises are: 1. What are the various products and services provided by commercial banks and investment banks in Saudi Arabia? How distinct are these products? Why do the products differ? 2. Is there a difference in the annual loan amount lent by the commercial and investment banks operating in Saudi Arabia? What are the differences in the loan amount and characteristics? 3. Is there a difference in the relation between an aggregate loan of the country and that of the banks for commercial and investment banks in Saudi Arabia? Literature Review Previous research has compared the underwriting function of commercial and investment banks. For example, Drucker and Puri have tried to understand the benefits of concurrent lending and underwriting for commercial and investment banks (2763). They point out that the entry of commercial banks into the underwriting market has increased the scope of the financial institutions to offer both underwriting and lending services (Drucker and Puri 2763). Many of these banks serve the dual purpose of underwriting and providing loans to their clients. This is termed as concurrent lending (Drucker and Puri 2763). Drucker and Puri’s findings suggest that banks gain an advantage when dealing with concurrent lending (2764). Their study into the benefits of concurrent lending shows that issuers actually benefit from these kinds of transactions and lower financial costs in two areas – first, underwriter fee is reduced, and second, “discounted yield spreads concurrent loans” (Drucker and Puri 2764). Their research suggests that concurrent lending is important for investment banks as this not only is beneficial for one-time transactions but also for future transactions as it forges a strong relationship between the financial institution and the client (2766). However, this research suggests that investment banks venturing into the lending functions have not received much academic attention (Drucker and Puri 2767). Though the researches into underwriting by commercial banks have tested the plausibility of coexistence between commercial and investment banks little attention has been given to investment banks entering the lending function that was traditionally done by the commercial banks. A study conducted by Kanatas and Qi showed that the universal banking system and the scope of economies such institutions have (1168). They show that a universal banking system, i.e. a system of banking where the functions of commercial and investment banks are not regulated and may overlap, helps to lower information costs resulting in a gain inefficiency. Kantas and Qi quote the vice chairman of J.P. Morgan to show that investment banks are in a better position to gather information about the customers: “… financial services providers are better able to access information about a customer’s total account relationship to offer products best suited to the customer’s needs” (1169). Thus, when making a bank loan, investment banks already know their clients that they have gathered while proving underwriting services. Universal banks forego the information cost that commercial banks may incur to collect information about their clients. These information costs are a fixed cost that the investment banks sustain to maintain a relationship with the customers. Thus, once the universal bank gathers this information, it will not be incurred in further transactions with the client. A study into the loan policies of commercial and investment banks for syndicated loans shows that there is a stark difference in the policies of the two institutions (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi). Investment banks are new entrants in the commercial lending market, so they lend to less profitable more leveraged firms (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 59). The research findings suggest that investment banks give long-term loans while commercial banks are more prone to give short-term loans. Evidently, investment banks are more inclined to transaction-oriented business. Investment banks create a higher spread of loans than commercial banks. However, when in a syndicated loan arrangement, this spread declines considerably (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 60). Thus, credit spread based on the type of institution, shows that the pricing model of commercial and investment banks are the same. Further, on discounting the borrower-specific data, their research shows that investment banks charge less for borrower specific data than commercial banks (60). Further, the research shows that investment banks have higher loan rates. This is due to the lack of special funding sources of investment banks. Further, research suggests investment banks be less prone to credit risks than commercial banks as the former’s trading is based more on relationships (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 61). Studies related to the lending practices of commercial and investment banks raise the question that what affects the pricing of banks (commercial, investment, or universal). A study conducted by Lepetit et al. investigated 602 European banks from 1996 to 2002 to understand the expansion of the services (or products) and its effect on loan pricing and interest margin (Lepetit et al. 2325). Their study shows that there are various linkages between the loan pricing and expansion of services of banks. The expansion of bank’s activity beyond deposit-taking and lending has facilitated in portfolio diversification and incentive approaches (Lepetit et al. 2325). Their research is aimed at studying the implication of product diversification for banks in the European market. It showed that when there is a greater reliance on fee-based activities, lending rates are less. This results in the underpricing of the borrower default rate (Lepetit et al. 2331). The term relationship lending has evolved with the prevalence of universal banks that provide the services of both a commercial and investment bank. Research has explored the relationship between corporate lending and loan contract and borrower characteristics (Elsas 33). Relationship lending is defined as a “long-term implicit contract between a bank and its debtor” (Elsas 34). Since this is a long-term relationship, banks accumulate private information on the clients. This helps in forging a close tie between the client and the bank. The research findings show that in German universal bank’s payment transactions provide valuable personal information about the clients and bank monopoly power is an essential tool to determine relationship lending. Further, the higher the competition in the lending market, the lower is the tendency towards relationship lending (53). Kashyap, Rajan, and Stein point out that how the traditional banking functions of depositing and lending are interlinked and complementary (65). The study posits that the main function of commercial banks is to provide liquidity to the borrowers on demand. However, when lending and deposits are viewed as similar products, the synergy of offering both of them becomes apparent (65). The paper points out that a mutual fund cannot give term loans (66). They believe that bank lending is essentially different from bank depositing function (Kashyap, Rajan, and Stein 67). The study of the literature about the overlap of functions of commercial and investment banks suggests that lending, as a function has not been researched thoroughly by previous researches. Further, no study is available to establish a comparative relationship between the commercial bank and investment bank’s lending policies. From the literature review, a few of the areas that need to be understood related to the bank lending process are – 1. source of funding, 2. government regulations, 3. product and services spread. These factors are important to study in the case of commercial and investment banking lending functions because they help us to understand if there is a relation between the difference in any of the factors that might affect the interest rate or loan amount dispersed by the banks. Financial sources are important to understand as they help to understand the nature of loans given and the interest rates taken on them. Commercial banks have a secure source of funding for their lending, which is derived from their clients’ deposits. Deposits entail low-interest rates and are usually for a long period. They also entail low risk. The other side of the deposit as a source of the lending fund may entail certain costs such as regulatory cost that is imposed on banks by the local regulatory bodies such as the central bank to safeguard the people’s money. Thus, this may offset some of the interest-earning from lending. Investment banks, on the other hand, do not have access to customer deposits. However, some investment banks like Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley have chartered commercial banks to have stable access to deposits (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 51). Also, commercial banks have subsidiaries of holding companies that help them to fund their lending activities, which investment banks lack. Further, large commercial banks have the advantage over investment banks in terms of subsidiaries of holding companies that serve as a source of funding. Thus, without access to deposits or capital funds, investment banks must fund their lending from returns from money and capital market. These sources are more prone to risk than deposits. Local government regulations are stronger for commercial banks as they hold the deposits of the common people. Thus, ensuring the safety of the deposits is paramount for the regulators. Hence, commercial banks require their lenders to back up their loans with equity or other forms of security. As commercial banks cannot take high risks, due to regulations, their loans come with equity or other forms of insurances. However, investment banks are not subject to government regulations and therefore can offer lower interest rates for their lending. However, the effect of regulation on the lending rates of commercial and investment banks is not clear (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 52). Economies of scope are an essential factor that influences the bank’s lending decisions. When a borrower purchases an additional product, the banks are in a better position to offer discounts on loans. This arises due to the economic scope of services. Kanatas and Qi point out that economies of scale can rationalize the lending and underwriting combination (1171). However, research has been unable to show a relationship between loan prices and concurrent lending. Ducker and Puri show that commercial banks use underwriting primarily as a tool to reuse the information about the clients for further business (Drucker and Puri 2769). This can be an advantageous alliance for both the commercial and investment banks. Though many types of research have shown the effect of concurrent lending for commercial banks, no such research has been undertaken for investment banks. Besides, commercial banks are more likely to provide bundled products, though both the banks may have such services (Drucker and Puri 2769). Product and services provided by the commercial and investment banks have a clear effect on the lending propensity and the interest rates charged. The literature on overwriting by commercial banks shows that when a bank overwrites and lends concurrently, it helps reduce its interest rate (Drucker and Puri 2771). Further, a diversified portfolio of products offered by the bank results in greater lending power and lower interest rates. Moreover, if the other services or products are fee-based, this immediately reduces the interest charged on commercial loans. Hence, when banks engage in a diversified product mix fee-based product mix, it increases the revenue volatility, total leverage, and earnings (DeYoung and Roland 54). Thus, when the product portfolio of a bank is fee-intensive, it will reduce its reliance on loans on interest earnings and hence, can reduce the price of loans. Thus, the key to giving loans more competitively is to increase the portfolio of the bank’s service into fee-based products and services such as mutual fund sales, insurance, investment banking activities, etc. The above literature review shows that commercial banks and investment banks traditionally operated in two separate markets, catering to different needs of the market. However, due to increased competition, stronger regulations, and volatile economic conditions, it has become necessary for the banks to venture into the other’s markets. For instance, commercial banks have entered the investment banking arena of overwriting and investment banks entered the commercial lending market. Research suggests that both these banks, when encroaching into other’s areas of specialization, can coexist. Many types of research have concentrated on understanding the implications of the overwriting function of commercial banks (Drucker and Puri 2768), quality of overwriting (Fang 2732), and cases of concurrent overwriting and lending functions (Drucker and Puri 2770). No research has shown any relation between combined or bundled products provided by investment banks on their loan pricing. Further, commercial banks usually provide a large combination of products and services, much more than the investment banks (Drucker and Puri 2769). Others have studied the lending functions of banks separately. However, no research to my knowledge compares the scope of lending practices of commercial and investment banks. Also, all these studies have concentrated on the US or European banks. No research has been conducted on the banks in the Middle East or more specifically Saudi Arabia. Hence, there is a gap in research in this specific area. This paper aims to compare the lending function and the products of commercial and investment banks in Saudi Arabia. After identifying the gaps in the previous literature, we come across three research questions. First, what are the basic differences in the products offered by commercial and investment banks? Second, do commercial banks provide more products than investment banks? Third, are regulations more for commercial fewer for investment banks, and does that affect the former’s lending capacity? These research questions are answered with the aid of qualitative data analysis gathered from secondary sources. The literature review does not provide any comparative study between commercial and investment banks. Previous research has shown that commercial banks have been very successful in bundling their products with that provided by investment banks and that has increased their lending. In this paper, we will try to see which banking sector has provided more loans – commercial or investment. Further, the other question that arises is how the loans are priced. This paper will try to establish a relation between commercial lending, lending prices, and several financial products. * Hypothesis 1: Commercial banks provide more consumer loans than investment banks. * Hypothesis 2: There is an indirect relationship between the income of the firm and the risk taken by firms, but it has a positive relation to non-performing assets. * Hypothesis 3: Credit risk taken by the segment is directly related to the loan losses and aggregate loan growth of the country. Research Methodology To compare the lending, products of the commercial, and investment banks we undertake an understanding of secondary and primary research. First, we do secondary research to understand the methodological tools used in past researches for understanding lending trends and comparison tools used in banking academic researches. The qualitative research will entail an understanding of the commercial and industrial banking sectors, their operations, and the segments as a whole. This will help us to answer the first research question. The second section will entail studying primary sources, which are the websites and the financial reports from 2010 to 2015 of five commercial and five investment banks in Saudi Arabia. Secondary Research The research methodology followed for the analysis of loan comparison between commercial and investment banks, we use the methodology used by (Foos, Norden, and Weber. They provide a model of understanding loan growth and riskiness of individual banks. Loan growth (LG) is the total percentage change in one bank’s total consumer loan from year t-1 to year t (Foos, Norden and Weber 2932). Lending to other financial institutions is not included in the commercial loan segment. Further, a comparison between banks that have increased their total consumer loan to those who have reduced their consumer loans. Further, the growth of the loans also depends on its competitors. Thus, we will try to find the abnormal growth rate (AGL) following Foos, Norden, and Weber. AGL is defined as the difference between loan growth and the growth rate of aggregate country’s loan (Foos, Norden, and Weber 2933). Thus, this is then compared within the five commercial banks and then, they are compared between segments i.e. commercial and investment banks. Loan to asset and loan to net income ratio is defined as the ratio of loan to total asset and the ratio of net income to the loan (Foos, Norden and Weber 2935). Loan losses (LL) are defined as the relation between loan losses in period t to total customer loans in period t-1 (Foos, Norden and Weber 2933). Given these variables, a comparative regression analysis is done within the commercial bank segment and the investment bank segment. Then a comparison is done between the inter-segment banks. Qualitative Research The commercial banking sector in Saudi Arabia is one of the most dynamic sectors in the country’s economy. It plays a vital role in the dynamic development in the growth of the economy. The qualitative research is undertaken with the aid of data from newspapers, websites, and the Annual Report of the five commercial and five investment banks studied. Information related to product spread is obtained from the websites and annual reports. This indicates the kind of products that the company offers and the price at which they are offered. This provides a thorough understanding of the spread of the product and the companies are presented to their degree of spread. The qualitative analysis will look at the regulations for commercial and investment banks in Saudi Arabia. Information on banking regulations may be obtained from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), news of banking regulations, and annual reports. Once the information is obtained, a comparative analysis of the products for commercial and investment banks will be done along with the difference in the laws related to these two banking segments. This will assist us in understanding the difference in the products and regulations. Experimentation The research method adopted for the study shows a degree of experimentation, as it does not strictly follow any previous research in developing the comparative analysis of investment and commercial bank loans. The performance of loans given by investment and commercial banks is measured in terms of comparison of the loans and the number of products provided by the banks. Further, a comparison of the loans and the total deposits in the bank are measured. The ratio between the loan and total assets gives the business risk (BR). The result is then regressed concerning the number of products offered by the bank and loan prices. Loan prices are determined the rate interest of the loans. A comparison of the loans and the regression analysis of the commercial and investment banks will provide a comprehensive understanding of factors that influence the loans for the two segments of banks. Quantitative Research Data for secondary research will be collected from various sources. As this research is based on previous years’ lending amounts by banks from 2010 to 2015, no primary data is required for the analysis. The data for this research are assembled from the annual reports of five commercial banks and five investment banks. The list of commercial banks and investment banks of Saudi Arabia is listed in table 2. We consider loans given by banks from 2010 to 2015. The prices of the loans are derived from the annual reports for these years. This will divide the loans taking into account their maturity period. The maturity period is the number of days within which the consumer loans have to be repaid. The maturity period differs into five-period loans – within 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 1 to 5 years, more than 5 years, and no fixed period. Further, we compute the number of products that banks offer each year. The effect of loan prices on the loan amount for each bank is computed. Regression analysis is done for commercial bank and investment banks separately factoring for loan prices and the number of products. This will provide a comprehensive comparison between loans given by consumer and investment banks. Data Analysis Qualitative Analysis The banking industry in Saudi Arabia comprises of commercial banks and financial institutions that offer loans, savings deposits, mortgages, and other financial services. The market grew by 12.4%in 2014 and attained a value of $568.6 billion (MarketLine 8). The industry has posted a growth of 10.8% CAGR between 2010 and 2014 (MarketLine 7). According to S&P, a decline in oil prices will show its effect on the banking sector in 2016 and the percentage of bad loans may increase (MarketLine 7). The lending segment of banks in the country has been very strong in 2014 and has posted total assets of $265.1 billion, which is almost 46.6% of the overall industry (MarketLine 7). The different segments of the banking industry of the country are bank credit, trading assets, cash assets, other assets, and inter-bank loans (MarketLine 9). The largest segment in the Saudi Arabian banking industry is bank credit that constitutes more than 45% of the market. The trading assets segment comprises only 20% of the overall banking earnings. This shows that the lending sector of the banking industry is the most important segment and hence a more deep understanding of the various banking functions of the commercial and investment banks is necessary. The annual report of SAMA shows that the major reasons for which loans are given are home and renovation, car and automobile, and others (SAMA 59). This does not include credit card loans. The loans are of three maturity period – short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Table 1 shows that the majority of loans given by banks – commercial and investment – are mostly short-term loans. In 2010, 59% of the loans given by banks were short-term loans, however the percentage share of this loan has declined, and in 2014 it was 50%. The lending market saw a marked increase in the long-term loan. Table 1: Percentage of loans based on loan maturity. Source: (SAMA). End of Period Short Term Medium Term Long Term 2010 59 16 25 2011 57 16 27 2012 54 20 26 2013 54 19 27 2014 50 19 31 Banks’ specific information is derived from their websites and annual report. Table 2: The name of the banks, segregated by their type, and the number of products they offer. Commercial Banks Number of Products Investment Banks Number of products (Personal Banking for commercial banks) Saudi Hollandi Banks 30 (“Saudi Hollandi Bank”) Saudi Investment Bank 3 (brokerage, investment banking, and custody) (“The Saudi Investment Bank”) Saudi British Bank 11 (“Saudi Arabia British Bank”) Albilad 5 (“Bank Albilad”) Riyad Bank 4 (“Riyad Bank”) Samba Financial Group 8 (“Samba”) National Commercial Bank 28 (“National Commercial Bank”) Banque Saudi Fransi 3 (Personal, Corporate, Investment) (“Banque Saudi Fransi”) Bank AlJazira 19 (“Bank AlJazira”) Alinma Bank 4 (Ijarah, Murabaha, Musharaka, Bei Ajel ) (“Alina Bank”) The qualitative comparison of the two segments of banks shows that commercial banks provide a larger array of products and services to the customers than the investment banks (see Table 1 above). However, a quantitative analysis of the data collected for the five commercial and investment banks will demonstrate how these banks differ and in what areas. Quantitative Analysis The data for the commercial and investment banks are shown in table 1 in the Appendix. The descriptive statistics presented in table 3 for a commercial bank’s average loans, deposits, and total assets’ data for five banks and the same for the investment banks are provided. The data for the banks computed from the financial reports of the banks are presented in the Appendix. Each variable such as loan, deposit, assets, non-performing loans, and net income are aggregated into two categories – commercial and investment bank. For example, average commercial loan (CL) is computed by finding the mean of loans given by commercial banks for a particular period (for example period t). This is performed for commercial bank loans and investment bank loans from 2010 to 2015. This is again calculated for the other indices. Table 3: Descriptive Statistics. CL CA CD IL IA ID Count 6 6 6 6 6 6 Mean 98,438.27 1,69,630.97 1,33,114.73 62,987.23 1,62,663.70 86,274.27 Mean LCL 76,745.79 1,35,997.72 1,11,203.38 47,648.29 29,720.57 59,048.36 Mean UCL 1,20,130.74 2,03,264.21 1,55,026.09 78,326.18 2,95,606.83 1,13,500.18 Standard Deviation 20,670.61 32,048.89 20,879.18 14,616.37 1,26,680.60 25,943.38 Mean Standard Error 8,438.74 13,083.90 8,523.89 5,967.11 51,717.14 10,591.34 Coefficient of Variation 0.20999 0.18893 0.15685 0.23205 0.77879 0.30071 To compare the loans of commercial and investment bank loans, we will compare the credit risk ratios. These ratios are loan to deposit ratio that is calculated by dividing the loan to deposits of the bank. * Hypothesis 1: commercial bank loans are significantly different from investment bank loans. To understand, the loan data for all the commercial banks are compared to that of the investment banks from 2010 to 2015. ANOVA is done to understand if there is a perceived difference between the loans of commercial banks and that of industrial banks. We test the two variables – CL and IL. CL is consumer bank loans and IL is investment bank loans. Here, we do not aggregate the loan amounts. Rather, we use the raw statistics. The null hypothesis for this two-sample ANOVA was that the mean CL is equal to mean IL. The p-value for the ANOVA is 0.64 (>0.5). Hence, we cannot reject the null hypothesis and accept the hypothesis that there is a significant difference between commercial bank loans and that of investment banks. However, when we address the same test to loan to deposit ratio that gives the risk of lending, we find a statistically significant result. The p-value of the ANOVA on loan to deposit ratio for commercial and investment banks is 0.25 (<0.5). Thus, we can accept the null hypothesis in this case i.e. the mean value of CLDR and ILDR are equal. Thus, we believe when the risk of lending money is concerned, which is measured by the loan to deposit ratio, there is a significant difference between the lending strategy of commercial and investment banks. * Hypothesis 2: There is a direct relationship between the income of the firm and the risk taken by firms, but it has a positive relation to non-performing assets. We do a regression analysis to understand the risk spread of the commercial and the investment banks. The credit risk is computed by the loan to deposit ratio. This parameter is taken as the independent variable and we take net income, non-performing loans, aggregate loan growth (AGL), and loan losses (LL). When the regression is done for the consumer bank’s statistics, we get the following equation: * CLDR = 14.50703 + 0.00077 * CA + 0.0001 * CNPL – 0.02425 * CNI + Here, CLDR = consumer bank loan to deposit ratio + CA = consumer bank total asset + CNI = consumer bank net income + CNPL = consumer bank non performing loans The regression shows (see Table 2 in the appendix) that the loan to deposit ratio has a statistically significant (at 0.5%) positive relation to total asset and non-performing loans. It has a negative relation with net income. The result is statistically significant as the p-level value is 0.26. This is regression is done for the investment bank data, using investment bank’s total assets, net income, and non-performing finances. The regression analysis gives the following equation: * ILDR = – 175.91836 + 6.36879E-6 * IA + 0.09896 * INPL + 0.07491 * INI + Where ILDR = investment bank loan to deposit ratio + IA = investment bank total asset + INPL = investment bank non-performing loan + INI = investment bank net income The regression analysis (see Table 3 in Appendix) for an investment bank loan to deposit ratio does not give statistically significant results. However, for individual intercepts, the p-value is less than 0.5, giving a significant relation between ILDR and the rest of the independent variables. Contrary to the regression results for CLDR, ILDR has a positive relation with investment bank net income. However, this has a high negative intercept. We hypothesized that the higher the income of a firm higher will be the willingness to take risks. On the contrary, consumer banks tend to have an indirect relation between net income and loan to deposit ratio. This shows that when the net income grows, banks are less inclined to spread their credit risk. However, in the case of investment banks, the relation is positive, indicating a higher propensity of these bankers to spread their credit risk when their net income grows. * Hypothesis 3: Credit risk taken by each segment is directly related to the aggregate loan growth of the country. CLDR is regressed to CAGL and ILDR is regressed concerning IAGL. The first regression is done on consumer bank loan to deposit ratio. The regression gives the following equation: * CLDR = 76.14153 + 1.59311 * CAGL + Where CLDR = consumer bank loan to deposit ratio + CAGL = consumer bank aggressive growth loan The regression (see Table 6 in Appendix) gives a statically significant relationship between the two variables. This analysis shows that if there is an increase in CAGL then there will be a substantial increase in CLDR. Intuitively, when there is an increase in the ratio of the growth of bank loans to that of the country’s average loan growth, there will be an increase in the credit risk taken by commercial banks. Therefore, when the growth of the loan of the bank is relatively higher than the average growth of the country’s loan then there will be an increase in the loan given vis-à-vis deposits in the bank. Thus, banks will engage in greater risk. Further, the R-value is calculated to be 0.8 implying an 80% chance of the variables to act similarly in any other situation. Similarly, when regression analysis is done on the investment bank LDR and AGL, the equation that we derive is ILDR = 75.59007 + 1.75169 * IAGL * Where ILDR = investment bank loan to deposit ratio * IAGL = investment bank aggressive growth loan ratio. The overall regression is not statistically significant. However, the equation’s coefficient is statistically significant with a p-value lower than 0.5. The regression establishes a positive relation between ILDR and IAGL but the analysis is not statistically significant. Research Findings or Results The qualitative research shows that the number of products offered by commercial banks is larger than investment banks. This is significant for the study, as we have seen that commercial banks are more open to spread their risks. So intuitively, one can argue that because there is a substantial product spread, commercial banks can spread their credit risk. In other words, a larger number of products imply greater earnings from these services in the form of fees and commissions. Thus, commercial banks then do not have to rely on their deposits to make loan commitments. This results in a greater loan to deposit ratio, as banks willingly take more credit risk as they have other means of building funds. However, this is not observed in the case of investment banks that do not offer many products. The number of products offered investment banks is limited below ten. One reason for this narrow product portfolio might be an investment bank’s tendency to concentrate on specialization. However, these banks have a high-risk spread as they specialize in investment. Their portfolio is risk-taking and so are their ventures. We find support for this finding in research by Drucker and Puri who states “commercial banks are in a position to generate larger economies of scope than investment banks due to their well-established lending businesses” (2764). The quantitative analysis consists of three parts. The first hypothesis stated a significant difference between a commercial bank and investment bank loans. This research has found no significant difference between commercial and investment bank’s loan amounts from 2010 to 2015. However, the research has found a significant difference in the credit risk taken by the two banking segments. Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi agree that there exists a change in the lending habits of commercial and investment banks because of the variance of the source of funding (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 54). Kashyap, Rajan, and Stein point out as lending as a ratio of bank deposit show that amount of risk that banks are willing to take, a higher credit risk ratio will indicate a risk-taking bank (67). This research shows that there is a difference in risk-taking behavior in terms of lending between commercial and investment banks. However, no conclusive relation can be established between the amounts of loans given by the two types of banks. The second hypothesis, a positive relationship between a bank’s income and credit risk-taking behavior, was found valid for commercial banks but not for investment banks. To appreciate this difference, one must look at the philosophy of the two types of banks. Commercial banks can increase their funds by collecting more deposits and lending it out to clients to accumulate interest earning. On the other hand, investment banks are also profit-motivated but they aim to provide finance and investment to other units. Hence, they are ready to cater to high-risk behavior when it comes to lending, such that they can gain higher profits. But commercial banks are regulated by the central bank (SAMA in the case of Saudi Arabia) and cannot lend arbitrarily. Thus, their loans are generally less risky. That is why when a consumer bank’s credit risk (CLDR) is regressed against total assets, net income, and non-performing loans, they all showed a positive sign except for net income. This showed that commercial banks were more inclined to increase their lending if their total asset increases. Further, a rise in the non-performing loan will increase its tendency to increase lending. On the other hand, the investment bank’s loan risk has a positive relation vis-à-vis the total asset and non-performing loans but shows a positive relation to net income. We hypothesized that the higher the income of a firm higher will be the willingness to take risks. On the contrary, commercial banks tend to have an indirect relation between net income and loan to deposit ratio, negating our hypothesis. However, in the case of investment banks, the relation is positive, indicating a higher propensity to spread their credit risk when their net income grows. This follows the result findings of other researches that showed a positive relationship between income growth and a higher propensity to take risks (Harjoto, Mullineaux, and Yi 61). The third hypothesis posits that when there is a growth in aggregate loan of the country, there will be an increase in the loan given out by the banks. To test this hypothesis, CLDR and ILDR were regressed for CAGL and IAGL, respectively. The regression analysis showed that there is a statically significant positive relation between commercial bank loan risks to the growth of aggressive loan growth. Though we found a positive relation, for the investment-banking loan to deposit ratio the result was not statistically conclusive. Intuitively, it can be argued that when there is an increase in the ratio of bank loans to total loans in the country, there will be a tendency to push the growth of the future loans that are given. That is why we calculated AGL for the t-1 period and LDR for period t. This is significant at the present risk-taking propensity of the banks will depend on the previous period’s growth of aggregate loans. If there is higher growth, then it will boost lending in the present period and vice-versa. Research Limitations The research has certain limitations because it was carried out in a very short period. Given the scope of a longer time, this thesis can be expanded into various other areas that have not yet been tested in similar literature. Lending can be compared with interest earnings from loans that will give an idea as to how lending varies with changes in interest earnings. Further, due to the paucity of data, we could not establish a relation between lending and loan prices. These two aspects can be explored in future researches. Moreover, we could not look into the bundling of products by commercial and investment banks. This can be an area of research for future studies. Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations The present research sheds considerable light on the commercial bank and investment bank loans and provides a comprehensive comparison between the two. With the increase in demand for loans in the Saudi Arabian market, this comparative study between commercial and investment banks shows that as these two banks are structured differently, offer different products, their propensity to take credit risk differs significantly. The ANOVA analysis showed that there is an important difference in the credit risk-taking propensity of the two banks. Further, the study also shows how the lending habit of both the type of banks differs when related to net income, total asset, or non-performing loans. Moreover, the study shows that an increase in the loan of the country tends to push the growth of future loans that are given. The implications of the research are immense. No studies have established the differences between commercial and investment bank lending. Further, no studies have concentrated on banks from Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. This study will be a resource for those who plan to further study the growing Saudi banking sector. This paper indicates the difference in the products that are offered and how they affect the lending decision of the banks. Based on the current research, we recommend that banks can spread their risk based on the number of products that they offer. Further, the influence of the aggregate market must be taken into account when making lending decisions. Further, non-performing assets of the bank are a hindrance for banks and reduce their profitability. They must be kept under check as they tend to increase the risk-taking behavior of the banks, which may lead to a continuous spiral of the non-performing credit trap Works Cited Alina Bank . 2016. Web. Bank Albilad. 2016. Web. Bank AlJazira. 2016. Web. Banque Saudi Fransi. 2016. Web. DeYoung, Robert, and Karin P. Roland. “Product mix and earnings volatility at commercial banks: Evidence from a degree of total leverage model.” Journal of Financial Intermediation 10.1 (2001): 54-84. Print. Drucker, Steven, and Manju Puri. “On the Benefits of Concurrent Lending and Underwriting.” The Journal of Finance 60.6 (2005): 2763-2799. Print. Elsas, Ralf. “Empirical determinants of relationship lending.” Journal of Financial Intermediation 14.1 (2005): 32-57. Print. Fang, Lily Hua. “Investment bank reputation and the price and quality of underwriting services.” The Journal of Finance 60.6 (2005): 2729-2761. Print. Foos, Daniel, Lars Norden, and Martin Weber. “Loan Growth and Riskiness of Banks.” Journal of Banking & Finance 34.12 (2010): 2929-2940. Print. Harjoto, Maretno, Donald J. Mullineaux, and Ha‐Chin Yi. “A comparison of syndicated loan pricing at investment and commercial banks.” Financial Management 35. 4 (2006): 49-70. Print. Kanatas, George, and Jianping Qi. “Integration of lending and underwriting: Implications of scope economies.” The Journal of Finance 58.3 (2003): 1167-1191. Print. Kashyap, Anil K., Raghuram Rajan, and Jeremy C. Stein. “Banks as liquidity providers: An explanation for the coexistence of lending and deposit‐taking.” The Journal of Finance 57.1 (2002): 33-73. Print. Kassem, Mahmoud. “Low liquidity leads to rise in syndicated loans.” 2015. The National . Web. Lepetit, Laetitia, Emmanuelle Nys, Philippe Rous, and Amine Tarazi. “The expansion of services in European banking: Implications for loan pricing and interest margins.” Journal of Banking & Finance 32.1 1 (2008): 2325-2335. Print. “Banks in Saudi Arabia.” MarketLine (2015): n.pag. EBSCO. Web. National Commercial Bank. 2016. Web. Parasie, Nicolas. “Saudi Arabia Set to Secure $10 Billion Loan to Address Budget Shortfall.” 2016. The Wall Street Journal . Web. Riyad Bank. 2016. Web. SAMA. “Fifty First Annual Report.” 2015. Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. Web. Samba. 2016. Web. Saudi Arabia British Bank. 2016. Web. Saudi Hollandi Bank. 2016. Web. Spong, Rebecca. “Saudi banks post strong results.” 2015. Middle East Business Intelligence. Web. The Report: Saudi Arabia 2014. Duabi: Oxford Busienss Group, 2014. Print. The Saudi Investment Bank. 2016. Web. Appendix Table 1: Loan statistics data Financial Reports of the Banks for years 2010 to 2015 Commercial Banks Saudi Hollandi Bank (SHB) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 53652 37410 45276 53652 65148 76144 Total Assets 53882 57197 68506 80468 96619 1,08,070 Deposits 41604 44689 53914 61875 76,814 88,832 Due to Banks 2494 1475 1611 2857 3055 1357 NPL 931 735 722 739 364 534 NPL% 2.6 1.9 1.6 1.3 5.6 7 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 129.0 83.7 84.0 86.7 84.8 85.7 Net Income 1252.0 1501.0 1820.0 2022.0 Loan to Asset (%) 99.6 65.4 66.1 66.7 67.4 70.5 Saudi British Bank (SBB) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 74248 84811 96,098 1,06,115 1,15,221 1,25,424 Total Assets 125372 138657 1,56,652 1,77,302 1,87,609 1,87,750 Deposits 94673 105577 1,53,138 1,51,135 1,44,244 1,24,939 Due to Banks 4661 5894 1,874 4,164 3,879 6,072 NPL 2614 16678 1,598 1,525 1,494 1,517 NPL% 3.5 19.7 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.2 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 78.4 80.3 62.8 70.2 79.9 100.4 Net Income 1883 2888 3240.0 3773.0 4266.0 4330.0 Loan to Asset (%) 59.2 61.2 61.3 59.8 61.4 66.8 Riyad Bank (RB) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 106035 112973 1,17,471 1,31,191 1,33,490 1,44,674 Total Assets 173556 180887 1,90,181 2,05,246 2,23,316 2,23,316 Deposits 126945 139823 1,46,215 1,53,200 1,64,079 1,67,090 Due to Banks 4688 6085 6,163 7,578 3,790 4,496 NPL 1813 1,879 2,037 1,264 1,041 1,321 NPL% 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.0 0.8 0.9 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 83.5 80.8 80.3 85.6 81.4 86.6 Net Income 2825 3149 3,466 3,947 4352 4049 Loan to Asset (%) 61.1 62.5 61.8 63.9 59.8 64.8 National Commercial Bank (NCB) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 125597 135289 163461 187687 220722 251351 Total Assets 282371 301198 345249 377280 434878 449340 Deposits 229160 239458 273530 300602 333095 323282 Due to Banks 14332 19940 25574 24715 35449 47719 NPL 5162 4271 4932 2919 2851 3681 NPL% 4.1 3.2 3.0 1.6 1.3 1.5 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 54.8 56.5 59.8 62.4 66.3 77.7 Net Income 6,613 7,988 8793 9148 Loan to Asset (%) 44.5 44.9 47.3 49.7 50.8 55.9 Bank AlJazira (BAJ) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 18704 23307 29,896 34,994 41,244 41,863 Total Assets 33018 38898 50,956 59,976 66,553 63,264 Deposits 27344 31159 41,675 49,082 55,596 50,673 Due to Banks 389 1305 3,286 4,359 3,736 4,054 NPL 1330 1031 1,040 429 369 355 NPL% 7.1 4.4 3.5 1.2 0.9 0.8 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 68.4 74.8 71.7 71.3 74.2 82.6 Net Income 285 302 500.0 650.0 572.0 1287.0 Loan to Asset (%) 56.6 59.9 58.7 58.3 62.0 66.2 Investment Banks Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 31001 27114 34050 47566 57472 60024 Total Assets 51941 51945 59066 80495 93626 93633 Deposits 37215 36770 40413 57043 7033 70328 Due to Banks 4896 4224 6269 9828 5002 5321 NPL 1791 1802 450 395 436 447 NPL% 5.8 6.6 1.3 0.8 0.8 0.7 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 83.3 73.7 84.3 83.4 817.2 85.3 Net Income 439.0 711.0 912 1286 1436 1328 Loan to Asset (%) 59.7 52.2 57.6 59.1 61.4 64.1 Samba Financial Group (Samba) SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 80,251 89,111 104786 113455 124079 129818 Total Assets 18,74,156 192774 199244 205036 217398 235243 Deposits 1,33,462 1,37,256 148736 158337 163794 171395 Due to Banks 19,800 20,628 11956 7473 9385 19191 NPL 3,138 2,764 1899 1921 1659 1113 NPL% 3.9 3.1 1.8 1.7 1.3 0.9 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 60.1 64.9 70.5 71.7 75.8 75.7 Net Income 4,432 4,304 4332 4510 5010 5214 Loan to Asset (%) 4.3 46.2 52.6 55.3 57.1 55.2 Banque Saudi Fransi SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 80,976 92,325 102785 111306 116540 123442 Total Assets 1,23,218 140479 157777 170056 188776 183724 Deposits 93,529 1,09,963 115571 131601 145275 141751 Due to Banks 2,312 2,063 14570 10797 12994 8270 NPL 1,015 1,128 1045 1517 1182 1129 NPL% 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.4 1.0 0.9 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 86.6 84.0 88.9 84.6 80.2 87.1 Net Income 2910 2801 3015 2405 3516 4036 Loan to Asset (%) 65.7 65.7 65.1 65.5 61.7 67.2 Albilad SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 12290 13779 18255 23415 28355 34254 Total Assets 21117 27727 29777 36323 45229 51220 Deposits 16932 23038 23742 29108 36723 42179 Due to Banks 382 422 570 975 1191 1421 NPL 708 685 752 460 430 514 NPL% 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.02 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 72.6 59.8 76.9 80.4 77.2 81.2 Net Income 92 329 941 729 864 788 Loan to Asset (%) 58.2 49.7 61.3 64.5 62.7 66.9 Alinma Bank SAR million 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Loans 15,593 25,258 37187 44924 53636 56570 Total Assets 26,548 36,783 54014 63001 80861 88724 Deposits 8,315 17,776 323213 42762 59427 65541 Due to Banks 2,254 2,442 2414 201 32 2263 NPL 0 10 122 302 350 405 NPL% 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.7 Loan to deposit Ratio (%) 187.5 142.1 11.5 105.1 90.3 86.3 Net Income 15 431 733 1004 1264 1469 Loan to Asset (%) 58.7 68.7 68.8 71.3 66.3 63.8 Table 2: Regression of CLDR with respect to CA, CNPL, and CNI. ANOVA d.f. SS MS F p-level Regression 3 141.50277 47.16759 2.76233 0.27696 Residual 2 34.15056 17.07528 Total 5 175.65333 Coefficient Standard Error LCL UCL t Stat p-level H0 (5%) Intercept 14.50703 24.62122 -91.4295 120.44357 0.58921 0.61541 accepted CA 0.00077 0.00033 -0.00064 0.00217 2.34479 0.14369 accepted CNPL 0.0001 0.00213 -0.00906 0.00926 0.04667 0.96702 accepted CNI -0.02425 0.01246 -0.07785 0.02935 -1.94692 0.19092 accepted Table 3: regression analysis of investment bank’s loan to deposit ratio. ANOVA d.f. SS MS F p-level Regression 3 732.23439 244.07813 0.93499 0.55398 Residual 2 522.0965 261.04825 Total 5 1,254.33 Coefficient Standard Error LCL UCL t Stat p-level H0 (5%) Intercept -175.91836 158.07126 -856.04409 504.20737 -1.11291 0.38158 accepted IA 6.37E-06 0.00007 -0.0003 0.00031 0.0903 0.93628 accepted INPL 0.09896 0.07347 -0.21717 0.41509 1.34692 0.31033 accepted INI 0.07491 0.0454 -0.12043 0.27025 1.64993 0.24074 accepted T (5%) 4.30265 LCL – Lower value of a reliable interval (LCL) UCL – Upper value of a reliable interval (UCL) Table 4: ANOVA analysis of the loans of two segments. Analysis of Variance (One-Way) Summary Groups Sample size Sum Mean Variance CBL 30 20,79,569 69,318.97 4,66,98,63,849.96 IBL 30 18,89,617 62,987.23 1,51,36,88,135.97 ANOVA Source of Variation SS df MS F p-level F crit Between Groups 60,13,62,705.00 1 60,13,62,705 0.1945 0.66083 4.00687 Within Groups 1.79E+11 58 3,09,17,75,993 Total 1.80E+11 59 Table 5: ANOVA analysis of LDR of two segments. Analysis of Variance (One-Way) Summary Groups Sample size Sum Mean Variance CLDR 30 2,344.60 78.15333 199.10395 ILDR 30 3,228.20 107.60667 18,727.62 ANOVA Source of Variation SS df MS F p-level F crit Between Groups 13,012.48 1 13,012.48 1.37504 0.24574 4.00687 Within Groups 5,48,874.95 58 9,463.36 Total 5,61,887.44 59 Table 6: Regression analysis of CLDR with CAGL. Regression Statistics R 0.80894 R-square 0.65439 Adjusted R-square 0.53919 S 4.48939 N 5 ANOVA d.f. SS MS F p-level Regression 1 114.48406 114.48406 5.68028 0.09732 Residual 3 60.46394 20.15465 Total 4 174.948 Coefficient Standard Error LCL UCL t Stat p-level H0 (5%) Intercept 76.14153 2.25016 68.9805 83.30255 33.83822 0.00006 rejected CAGL 1.59311 0.66844 -0.53416 3.72038 2.38333 0.09732 accepted T (5%) 3.18245 LCL – Lower value of a reliable interval (LCL) UCL – Upper value of a reliable interval (UCL) Table 7: Regression analysis of ILDR with IAGL. Regression Statistics R 0.21868 R-square 0.04782 Adjusted R-square -0.26957 S 19.94439 N 5 d.f. SS MS F p-level Regression 1 59.93231 59.93231 0.15067 0.7238 Residual 3 1,193.34 397.77856 Total 4 1,253.27 Coefficient Standard Error LCL UCL t Stat p-level H0 (5%) Intercept 75.59007 8.92123 47.19874 103.98139 8.47306 0.00345 rejected IAGL 1.75169 4.51281 -12.6101 16.11347 0.38816 0.7238 accepted T (5%) 3.18245 LCL – Lower value of a reliable interval (LCL) UCL – Upper value of a reliable interval (UCL)

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The text discusses the importance of innovation as the foundation for the company's choices, including the operational processes and the overall development. It also highlights the role of resbots as the crowning achievement of the firm.

The text discusses the importance of innovation as the foundation for the company's choices, including the operational processes and the overall development. It also highlights the role of resbots as the crowning achievement of the firm.

Saudi Aramco Company’s Engineering Innovation and Ethics Report Executive Summary ARAMCO has been known as a very successful company operating in the oil industry for quite long. The company has been exploring new opportunities in obtaining crude oil that will help reduce the negative impact on the environment and at the same time, allow using the resources available to the maximum capacity. ARAMCO has been putting a very strong emphasis on the significance of its innovations as the primary tool for promoting the further growth of the organisation. The emphasis on innovation as the corporate philosophy and the key principle that the firm’s operations and decisions are based on has created premises for progress in the identified organizational setting. As a result, the creative thought of its members has been encouraged extensively, which has led to a string of discoveries and innovative solutions in the designated realm. The firm should be credited for maintaining the pace of its innovation process high. Delivering outstanding performance, ARAMCO has been engaging in the promotion of innovations across the company. The blend of innovation and ethics that the firm has been promoting as the current tendency in its operations should be viewed as the primary course of its further evolution. When evaluating the significance of innovation as the foundation for the company’s choices, including the operational processes and the overall development, one must mention resbots as the crowning achievement of the firm. The design of resbots is the pivotal point in the company’s progress, showcasing the company’s ability to produce innovative solutions. To date, the use of nano-agents as the means of exploring the properties of oil deposits and locating the means of obtaining oil from there remains the most efficient tool. More importantly, the creation of the nano-agents mentioned above has prompted a range of other solutions including nanotechnology that will help improve the overall quality of the end product and at the same time maintain the firm’s integrity by reducing the harm done to nature and people living in the vicinity. Introduction Saudi Arabia ARAMCO not only tops the charts of Saudi Arabia’s leading organizations in the oil industry but also is one of the world’s top successful companies. The organization has been operating in the environment of the global market since 1933 and has gained a reputation of the company that promotes technological innovation as the foundational tool for attaining high-quality rates (ARAMCO, 2016a). With a very tight focus on the search for innovative solutions, ARAMCO has been credited as one of the leading organizations in the oil industry. Its research has made it possible for the company to identify the engineering choices that allow meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved, including its customers, shareholders, the general audience, the state government, environmentalists, etc. Therefore, by focusing on the nature of the firm’s innovations, in general, and its engineering breakthrough, in particular, one will be able to identify the pattern of its progress. The outcomes of the analysis will inform one about the means of staying relevant and up-to-date in the contemporary environment of the global economy. More importantly, it will show how to retain credibility in the target environment by promoting a consistent improvement in quality. Finally, the issue regarding innovation, in general, needs to be brought up. There is no secret that an organization operating in the oil industry field needs to evolve consistently so that it could improve the quality of its performance and keep all stakeholders satisfied. Therefore, with the adoption of a range of innovative technological solutions, one will be capable of reducing the harm made to nature to a considerable degree and deliver the best outputs possible, as ARAMCO’s experience has shown.By identifying the patterns of the strategy that the entrepreneurship has developed to address the environmentalist issues, one will be capable of defining the sustainability approach that other organizations can also utilize to reduce the harm done. The aim of the report, therefore, is to identify the innovative concepts that the entrepreneurship has produced. The subsequent evaluation of these innovations will allow identifying the company’s potential. Recent Innovative Achievements of Saudi Arabia ARAMCO Identifying the areas that the organization has attained the greatest success in so far, one must mention the field of nanotechnology. The agents that the organization has created to research oil deposits have broken new grounds in the industry. Specifically, the process of locating oil deposits and identifying the tools that can be used to obtain the resource has been improved significantly. Another area that ARAMCO has been studying deeply, the concept of laser fingerprinting should be mentioned. Being the brainchild of ARAMCO’s R&D experts, the subject matter helps carry out the process of drilling with unparalleled precision and efficacy. The accuracy of the tool has set new quality standards in the industry, bringing ARAMCO to another stage of its development and heralding a new era in the oil industry. The peculiar detail about the innovation above is that it allows introducing the oil industry to the concept of sustainability and environmentalism: The Research and Development Center (R&DC) has built a truly unique instrument, designed to identify oil with a laser. The laser excites the fluorescence spectra of oil within extremely short time frames – 2 to 5 nanoseconds. All the fluorescence data is coalesced, producing two-dimensional diagrams that serve as oil spectral fingerprints. It was designed and produced in Saudi Aramco’s R&DC. ( Saudi Aramco – energy to the world , 2010, p. 21) Particularly, the use of laser fingerprinting technology increases the precision of the related operations, thus, preventing oil spills. Therefore, one must give the company credit for preventing the drilling process from having deplorable effects on the environment. Although the increased precision of oil identification does not guarantee the subsequent impeccable retrieval of the resource, it still creates prerequisites for a safer drilling process. GigaPOWERS is another essential innovative tool that ARAMCO has recently introduced to the oil industry to improve its score and enhance the process of oil extraction. In order to create models that represent the operation processes in reservoirs, the R&D Department of ARAMCO came up with the concept of GigaPOWERS, a simulation tool that designs models of oil reservoirs. Consequently, the prerequisites for improving the process of producing oil have been created. The tool is claimed to yield much more accurate images of the sites than the previous ones as the models created in the course of the simulation contain a larger number of cells than any of the previous devices could provide ( Saudi Aramco unveils GigaPOWERS , 2010). Apart from GigaPOWERS, the company has been working on a range of technological advances that are likely to help it reinvent the field of oil production. According to the recent records, ARAMCO has been exploring its opportunities in downstream with its recent concept of SmartWater Flooding. The subject matter is defined as the approach that is aimed at increasing the percentage of oil extraction from carbonate reservoirs. By definition, the tool above is bound to lead to a rapid rise in the volume of oil extracted from the above reservoirs by “tuning the ions of the injected water” (Maitland, 2016, par. 5). In other words, the process of recovering oil from the carbonate rocks becomes much more efficient. One must admit, though, that the approach designed by ARAMCO is far from being flawless. Currently, at the stage of development, it still needs further improvements. It is highly likely that the promotion of the SmartWater Flooding concept will require that the entrepreneurship should overcome a range of obstacles on its way to promoting changes in the oil industry, in general, and the oil extraction process, in particular. Nevertheless, the research carried out in the designated area has proven that the current approach can, in fact, be improved significantly: “A recent trend in chalk reservoirs has shown that seawater depleted in NaCl can even be a “smarter” fluid compared to the ordinary seawater as the incremental recovery of 10% of OOIP was recorded in relative to seawater injection” (Awolayo, Sarma, & AlSumaiti, 2014). Therefore, ARAMCO has gone a long way from a minor company to huge entrepreneurship that defines the further course of the industry’s evolution. The firm has introduced a range of changes to the oil industry realm, thus, changing its landscape significantly. Moreover, its engineering innovations are currently affecting the process of oil extraction and processing. Saudi Arabia ARAMCO: Resbots Breaking New Grounds in Upstreaming Although ARAMCO evidently keeps its focus on the production processes, the R&D issue and especially the pursuit of innovative solutions in the designated area has not slipped the attention of the company leaders, either. According to the recent update on the company’s website, the entrepreneurship is currently seeking the ways of improving the up- and downstream processes by integrating the principles of operational reliability into the current design thereof: “We operate three research centres (RCs) in the United States to support our innovation-oriented culture as well an energy research, technology development, and upstream and downstream operational reliability” ( ARAMCO, 2016b, para. 1). As a result of its focus on nanotechnology, the organization has come up with the solution that was defined as the technology of tomorrow ( Nano resbots: Navigating the reservoirs of tomorrow, 2010 , par. 5) by modern media. One of the first entrepreneurship to explore the properties and adopt the use of resbot sensors, the organization literally heralded a new era in oil production. Resbots are translated as reservoir robots and can be defined as nanomachines for reservoir mapping. They are suggested to be used as the means of identifying the material that they contact with (i.e., water, hydrogen sulphides, crude oil, etc.) as well as locating the environmental conditions in a particular area (EXPEC Advanced Research Center, 2009). The significance of nanomachines as the tool for improving the quality of the production process can hardly be overrated. Seeing that the specified devices are of microscopic size, they can be applied to literally any environment and, therefore, serve as the means of probing the areas that would have been inaccessible otherwise. The very idea of using nanorobots as the tools for researching the properties of specific areas was, in fact, inspired by the properties of oil deposits. Since the latter are represented by solid mass with tiny pores in it, which oil travels through, the process of retrieving the resource from its deposit is beyond painstaking. The application of nanorobots, in its turn, permits a detailed analysis of the area with a concise yet essential information regarding the possible obstacles in the process, the components of the area, the tools to use in order to retrieve the resource from its deposit, etc. It is also essential that nanorobots can be injected into the reservoir by travelling in water (EXPEC Advanced Research Center, 2009). As a result, the devices under analysis can infiltrate practically any environment and conduct an analysis of the components of the deposit under any circumstances. Also referred to as geophysical nanorobots due to their contact with and the exploration of soil and its properties, the devices are constructed in a rather intricate manner despite their extraordinarily small size. As the sketch provided above (Fig. 1) shows, a nanorobot includes the elements such as propulsion devices allowing it to move in the environment of an oil deposit, a processor performing the analysis of the soil components, a radio frequency transmitted serving as the means of data transfer, and a sensor that helps locate the required substances. Figure 1. Geophysical nanorobot (a sectional view) (Sectional view of a geophysical nanorobot, 2013). The significance of the reservoir nano-agents mentioned above is ample. According to the description provided by ARAMCO’s experts in nanotechnology, the nano-agents will help identify the properties such as the pressure within the reservoirs, the type of fluid and its temperature, etc. As a result, extensive data necessary for the collection of oil can be provided to the company. Due to the extraordinarily small size of the new devices (1/1000 th size of a human hair, according to the official statement made by the company (EXPEC Advanced Research Center, 2009), they can penetrate oil deposits despite the porous structure thereof, which contains microscopic orifices. More importantly, the recent modification of resbots has created prerequisites for altering the properties of reservoirs. While the modifications of the kind used to be impossible previously, they have become a reality at present. Thus, new opportunities for locating oil deposits with high precision and retrieving it in a manner as harmless to the environment and as efficient to the company as possible have emerged. Moreover, the focus on nanotechnology as the area for the company to explore has led to the design of nano-based drilling fluids (EXPEC Advanced Research Center, 2009). The substances above permit the study of the areas that used to be unreachable for oil companies. Consequently, an adequate use of exhaustive resources, especially oil, has been created. Apart from opening new horizons for the entrepreneurship in terms of improving its efficacy, resbots may serve as the means of introducing a more sustainable use of the existing oil deposits. By putting a very strong emphasis on the nanotechnological advances, ARAMCO creates the foundation for its further stellar success. While the rest of companies still rely on the traditional technology, ARAMCO makes a giant leap on the way to technological progress by enhancing its R&D processes. Therefore, it can be assumed that the firm promotes innovation on the engineering level, thus, creating premises for its further success. Diffusion, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation By definition, the concept of diffusion implies that an organization should be able to promote a particular concept in the target market in order to attract the target denizens of the population and gain even more credibility. ARAMCO has been diffusing its innovations in the target market quite efficiently so far. From the international perspective, the approaches that ARAMCO adopts to integrate into the environment of the global economy successfully can be deemed as rather reasonable. Instead of forcing its way into the designated realm, the corporation combines two rather unobtrusive techniques. Particularly, the firm establishes itself as innovative and full of ideas in the target environment, at the same time making it evident that it supports multiculturalism as the pathway to essential R&D processes and the subsequent groundbreaking discoveries. The readiness of the company to cooperate with the representatives of foreign entrepreneurship makes it one of the most influential enterprises in the industry. As a result, the statements that it makes in the target field, including the R&D-related ones, are taken with great attention. Thus, the process of the diffusion of the firm’s innovative solutions into the global market is facilitated. Cross-Cultural Awareness Operating in the environment of global economy requires communicating with people belonging to different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Correspondingly, it is essential that entrepreneurship working in the designated realm should promote the principles of multiculturalism and cross-cultural awareness among its members to avoid the threat of a culture clash or any other misunderstanding. The managers at ARAMCO have been reinforcing the significance of the concept in question by offering the staff a range of negotiation and conflict mitigation strategies. On the one hand, the importance of cross-cultural awareness might seem minor in the realm of the oil industry. The processes involved, such as up- and downstreaming, do not seem to involve a large number of interactions between people of different cultures and, therefore, does not imply the problems related to intercultural communication. On the other hand, the consistent growth that the entrepreneurship is experiencing and the subsequent expansion into different markets demands that the corporation should consider different communication tools to get essential messages across to its target customers and the representatives of the company abroad. This is the point at which the firm’s ability to encourage multiculturalism factors in. Although focusing primarily on technology, ARAMCO also promotes efficacy in multicultural communication, putting a very strong emphasis on the significance of negotiation. In fact, the firm considers it one of its most important conflict resolution tools. The adoption of tolerance and negotiation as the cornerstones of communication between cultures at ARAMCO, the company creates premises for an outstandingly successful cross-cultural communication process. Engineer as an Innovator In ARAMCO, engineers are provided with enough room for creativity. By offering its staff ample opportunities to excel in the designated area, the entrepreneurship prompts their creative thinking. As a result, engineers take an active part in the process of promoting innovation in the company. Particularly, the promotion of innovative approaches that the entrepreneurship is currently relying on has made it possible for the company to break new grounds in not only the area of oil extraction but also the realm of corporate sustainability. Indeed, a closer look at the subject matter will show that the innovative technological tools used by the firm allow for a significant reduction of the harm done to the environment, in general, and people’s health, in particular. Therefore, the innovative approaches suggested by the engineers working at ARAMCO create prerequisites for a more sustainable approach to the oil extraction process. In other words, the role of an innovator is one of the crucial aspects of an engineer’s operations in the ARAMCO organization. Although sustaining the current system and making sure that it provides impeccable outcomes on all stages of its operation is an important part of an engineer’s job in the target company. However, it is the ability to consider the future threats and opportunities that makes the work of an engineer at ARAMCO so complex and challenging. Circumstances Hindering and Facilitating Innovation in ARAMCO Being ahead of a range of companies in the market as competitive as that one of oil production is beyond challenging. However facing tough competition is a moderate challenge compared to the threat of being ousted from the market by safer resources due to the safety issues. However, ARAMCO has been displaying an impressive resilience to the negative factors preventing its growth. Using the culture of safety as the key tool in enhancing innovation processes in its setting, ARAMCO has gained the reputation of a formidable competitor among its rivals. It should be noted that maintaining safety rates high is not easy for a company operating in the oil industry. Seeing that the process of oil extraction implies a certain amount of damage to the environment, it is expected that people should choose other options of energy retrieval than the extraction of oil. As a result, a significant drop in the demand for oil can be expected. The reduction in the number of customers, in its turn, is likely to affect the revenues of the entrepreneurship. As a result, the resources that the firm identifies as the financial support for research and development will shrink significantly. The drop in funding, in its turn, will have a largely negative impact on the quality of research, the precision of the outcomes, the significance of results, and the efficacy of recommendations. Engineering Innovation Processes: A Summary (the Diagrammatic Model) (Kamal, Sanni, & Kanj, 2010). Challenges Locating the latest data concerning the company’s progress was the key challenge. It was necessary to consider both the company’s reports and the information available in media. Although the information regarding the performance of the entrepreneurship cannot be technically considered as classified, locating the exact data regarding the firm’s technology, innovative practices, and other data included in its financial statement was rather difficult. Nevertheless, a combined analysis of the existing information represented by the organization and the company assessment carried out at the corresponding trustworthy sites was incorporated into the evaluation process. Furthermore, the veracity of the information retrieved had to be evaluated. Seeing that not all pieces of data retrieved in the course of the analysis was received from the official website of the entrepreneurship, the necessity to identify the sources used for the assessment and define their credibility emerged. However, after a close evaluation thereof, it became obvious that the information represented in the corresponding databases could be deemed as credible. Finally, the identification of the scale of the company’s innovations should be viewed as an impressive challenge. In the wake of the technological breakthrough, the significance of a range of technological advances made by businesses is often downplayed as it is taken for granted. Therefore, it was crucial to make sure that the firm’s progress a far as its technology is concerned is assessed properly and that the entrepreneurship should be given credit for its evolution. Recommendations It is strongly recommended that the organization should consider the idea of lean management as the primary tool for costs management. Thus, it will be possible to invest in R&D and reinforce its further development. Consequently, the company will be able to evolve. The issue regarding the identification of the financing sources may become a problem. At this point, the issue of sustainability brought up above needs to be mentioned one more. Although typically linked to the concept of environmentalism, the phenomenon of sustainability may be introduced to the firm’s financial strategy as the tool for allocating costs and using resources as sparingly and efficiently as possible. The phenomenon of lean management factors in the specified idea as the primary tool for leading the entrepreneurship toward a more reasonable manner of using the resources available. As soon as the company accepts the concept of lean management as the means of using the resources available to their maximum capacity, the firm will be able to sustain the current technological progress. Competencies The research experience has provided me with a plethora of essential information and opportunities for training skills. Particularly, I have learned to carry out an assessment of an organization’s innovativeness. Measuring the progress may be tricky as there are no rigid standards for it. Thus, it is necessary to make comparisons to the previous state of the firm and its technology to the current one, locating the differences and identifying the areas that need further improvements. Moreover, it is crucial to track down the latest trends in the industry, applying them to the target environment. Moreover, I have found out about the tools that can be used to support innovations in a company. Promoting technological progress in an organization is a complicated task that needs an elaborate use of the existing resources and a well thought out strategy of spurring initiative among the company members, particularly, the employees in the R&D department. Therefore, the significance of managing the human resources in an appropriate manner as a tool for enhancing progress has also become obvious to me. Conclusion With a very close focus on R&D and the development of a range of innovative approaches to both up- and downstreaming, ARAMCO pushes the envelope of technological development in oil industry. The emphasis on nanotechnology as the next step in the development of the oil extraction process has made it possible for the entrepreneurship to enter a new era of development and become even more powerful. The significance of engineering is huge to ARAMCO as it serves as the foundation for creating a unique approach to the oil extraction process. Although the very industry implies a significant damage to the environment, the tools that ARAMCO uses and develops to update its production processes permits reducing the harm to nature and people. As long as ARAMCO maintains its R&D processes it is likely to remain successful in the target area. Thus, it is imperative that the focus on R&D should remain strong. For these purposes, the significance of engineering must be consistently high. Reference List ARAMCO. (2016a). Our history . Web. ARAMCO. (2016b). Our research centers . Web. Awolayo, A., Sarma, H., & AlSumaiti, A. M. (2014). A laboratory study of ionic effects of smart water for enhancing oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs . Web. EXPEC Advanced Research Center. (2009). Developing technical solutions to upstream challenges . Web. Kamal, R. A., Sanni, M. L., & Kanj, M. Y. (2010). System, method, and nanorobot to explore subterranean geophysical formations . Web. Maitland, R. (2016). Saudi Aramco advances industry with technology innovation . Web. Nano resbots: Navigating the reservoirs of tomorrow. (2010). Web. Saudi Aramco – energy to the world . (2010). Web. Saudi Aramco unveils GigaPOWERS . (2010). Web. Sectional view of a geophysical nanorobot . (2013). Web.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The essay discusses the background to the study and how there has been a change in emphasis from learning to performance support in organizations. It also talks about how training departments have transformed into learning and development department and how they are progressively coordinating the idea of performance support into their trappings and procedures. The essay concludes by discussing how e-learning has become more popular as a way of delivering training.

The essay discusses the background to the study and how there has been a change in emphasis from learning to performance support in organizations. It also talks about how training departments have transformed into learning and development department and how they are progressively coordinating the idea of performance support into their trappings and procedures. The essay concludes by discussing how e-learning has become more popular as a way of delivering training.

Saudi Power & Energy Companies’ Knowledge Management Report Introduction Background to the study In the last ten years, there has been a change in emphasis from learning to performance support in organizations. Performance support is the term used to depict anything that empowers people to effectively complete tasks or undertakings without depending too much on other individuals, and training departments having transformed into learning and development department are progressively coordinating the idea of performance support into their trappings and procedures (McDermott, 1999, p. 104). Conventional training departments are persistently being approached to account for how different learning initiatives and procedures add value to the business. Training and development functions, with the aim of providing performance backing, are utilizing technological advancements and apparatuses to convey content and assess learning in a more compelling manner for both the learner and the organization. The instructors are turning out to be more predominant and noticeable and are extending the learning and development function to beyond simply conveying instructional components. They are relating investment in learning and development to the execution and achievement of the general business policy (Vera & Crossam, 2003, p. 21). Spirgi and Gebavi (2007) stated that it is uncommon to have the learning and development function completely incorporated into one division. Most associations have a corporate learning and development group in charge of business-wide training (for example, leadership development and project management), and specialized or well-designed training expert or divisions that are integrated into the business. This sort of devolved model is prevalent and proficient (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007, p. 34). The research and development function likewise regularly dwells in the HR structure and is generally seen to be responsible for the design, execution and assessment of prescribed training programs. The majority of these training are instructor driven and classroom-oriented (Vera & Crossam, 2003, p. 23). In the recent past, there has been an increasing pressure for learning and development to leverage current information and communication technologies so that training and learning can take place through various conveyance techniques and in substantially less formal setting than a tutorial room (Vera & Crossam, 2003, p. 23). The developments in web innovation, combined with cutting edge visual designs and applications, have led to the introduction of web-based training (also referred to as e-learning). E-learning has become more popular owing to the fact that it can propagate training to a large number of people in an appealing but also in a more financially savvy and proficient way, when the conditions are spot-on (Rosenberg, 2001, p. 97). Elements such as organization’s specialized framework, organizational culture and enthusiasm, the rate of embracing new innovation, management support and so forth all define the success of web-based training in organizations. The role of the learning and development is progressively centered on how to tap web-based learning and constantly enhancing technologies in a manner that conveys significant learning encounters to the individuals, groups, and associations (Schein, 1993, p. 48). Information and communication departments are in charge of keeping up with the latest innovation patterns and devising novel tools and frameworks available to the organization. The approval and use of the new technologies, in any case, relies upon various functions with the organization (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007, p. 35). It is the learning and development function’s obligation not to just comprehend what these novel technologies are, but also to utilize them and incorporate them into the existing model and conveyance of knowledge content. The learning and development department plays a key role in modeling coveted conduct and involves others in learning to improve performance (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007, p. 36). Learning and development through knowledge management system are turning into a key weapon for power and energy companies in the current information-driven markets. As indicated by Serban & Luan (2002), there are numerous success stories of companies that have achieved competitive advantage through effective knowledge management. They define knowledge management as an array of methodologies utilized by companies to acquire the correct information and pass it to the right individual at the right time. It also describes the process where a company completely assembles, methodically share and assesses its knowledge which has been categorized as human resource, reports, and other basic assets relevant in accomplishing organizational goals and objectives (Chong & Besharati, 2014, P. 171). E-learning needs systems that consider such intricacies as course level complications, whether the essential requirements have been met by the learner, and whether the learner acquires the right information or content through the system (Robertson, 2003, p. 7). Robertson (2003, p. 7) reinforces the notion that the main objective of knowledge management system is to offer an integrated repository for a limited volume of information for easy retrieval, amendment, and delivery. He argues that the most significant aspect of knowledge system management is the content itself. The main obstacle to learning and development in most companies is the presence of weak/unfavorable organizational culture. They classify obstacles to knowledge building into three categories, namely: individual (persons), hierarchical, and technological obstacles. In order for learning to be successful, these obstacles should be incorporated in a manner that they supplement each other. Nevertheless, there are many other obstacles and impediments that each and every organization must tackle so as to take full advantage of the new system of learning (Chong & Besharati, 2014, P. 174). Take a case of power and energy companies which are operating in a knowledge-intensive industry where there are numerous challenges that impact their access to greatly valued information. In addition, there are other challenges like performance improvement in the dangerous and costly ventures, creating a client-based knowledge base, minimizing capital expenditure and overhead costs, enhancing usage and uptime, and effective market positioning in the international market (Tucci, 2013). Problem Statement Conventional classroom training is no longer the only area that organizational learning emphasizes on, and the change from prescribed customary strategies for training to mixed methodologies utilizing innovation and combined systems has placed learning and development functions in a different turf (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007, p. 36). Regardless of the value that learning and development fetches, during difficult times, organizations often consider transient cost cutting measures and in many occasions do away with or hold back learning and development initiatives. The main test then turns out to be the means by which to preserve knowledge and sustain learning in these settings, and how to keep individuals posted with constrained resources and time (Chong & Besharati, 2014, P. 173). In addition, whereas the technology and instruments might be accessible, the usage and incorporation into the organization’s values and principles is a process that requires an organizational learning curve on the off chance that individuals in the organization are not acquainted with this type of learning. For organizations that do not have extremely entrenched values and principles of learning and development, the problems in the organization are amplified, and distinct objectives and assessment techniques need to pinpoint the effect of such programs in the association (Schein, 1993, p. 43). In power and energy companies, the main obstacle to learning and development, as well as knowledge management is organizational culture. Their corporate cultures more often than not do not promote knowledge sharing practices (Tucci, 2013). These companies also deal with numerous intricate tasks that are considered knowledge-intensive. However, globalization, subcontracting, advanced technologies, new partnerships, and government policies have enhanced the need for knowledge sharing practices for speedier and enriched work procedures (Chong & Besharati, 2014, P. 177). It is because of these developments that the study aims to explore the various initiatives that power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia are undertaking to enhance knowledge management system and information sharing. Significance of the research The significance of the study will include but not limited to the following: 1. The study results will assist power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia to develop effective learning organization through knowledge management system. 2. The findings of the study will also assist the policymakers in coming up with new ways of enhancing knowledge management in the power and energy sector. Research Purpose and Rationale The purpose of this study is to explore various initiatives that power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia are undertaking to enhance knowledge management system. This study is essential in the way that it adds to the existing knowledge in the field of knowledge management, particularly in power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia. The eventual outcomes of this study are extremely important to the business administrators in light of the way that they can use it for attracting and retaining key talent. Research Objectives The primary objective of this research is to establish an effective learning organization for power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia through knowledge management system. In accordance with this, the specific objectives are: 1. To determine the impact of training and development on knowledge management system. 2. To establish the relationship between enhanced communication and collaboration and knowledge management system. 3. To find out the effect of effective knowledge performance on knowledge management. 4. To determine the significance of increased leadership capability on knowledge management. 5. To find out whether learners-focused strategy affects knowledge management. 6. Lastly, to discover the impact of expanding knowledge and authority on knowledge management system. Research questions The above research objectives will be assessed by taking into consideration the following research question. * What is the role of various corporate initiatives on knowledge management systems in power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia? Research Hypothesis The paper is based on the following research hypotheses to achieve the research objective. 1. There is a high correlation between training and development and knowledge management system. 2. Enhanced communication and collaboration is the cornerstone of knowledge management system. 3. Organizational learning through knowledge management system cannot be achieved without effective knowledge performance. 4. Increased leadership capability is directly linked to knowledge management system. 5. Learning organization through knowledge management system significantly depends on learner-focused strategy. 6. Lastly, expanding knowledge and authority plays a key role in the establishment of new systems of learning. Limitations of the study Limitations allude to confinements that the investigator has no influence over. There may be stresses on additional budgetary expenses for gathering the data, paying little regard to whether the gathered data is genuinely affirmed or not. Additionally, a couple of agents may be reluctant to offer a few information they regard confidential and could jeopardize their relationship with the association’s executives. The nature of work and the bustling calendar by the top administration as respondents led to questionnaires not being filled in time. To avert the first limitation of the study was to strictly adhere to the budget. The second confinement was averted by guaranteeing the respondents that the data they gave will be dealt with extreme secrecy. The third confinement was avoided by drawing in the respondents in a brief meeting before issuing them with the survey as a procedure to improve participation. Literature Review Theoretical Framework History of Learning Management System (LMS) Learning Management System is an automated pedestal that can be utilized to dispatch and track electronic learning and improve personalized training through network components (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 41). Learning Management Systems have evolved contrastingly for formal and corporate training to address diverse issues (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007, p. 35). The most widely recognized frameworks utilized as a part of instruction are WebCT, Blackboard, and Moodle (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 41). They are regularly referred to as course administration frameworks. This term is often confused with content administration framework. Therefore, learning management system is applicable to both educational and corporate setting. In most cases, the two are usually identified as corporate LMS and educational LMS. The latter is commonly referred to as virtual learning environment (VLE) (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 41). The objective of making education simpler, superior and speedier through computerization has been around for many years. The history of learning management system started in the early 20 th century with basic devices that looked like typewriters to very complex cloud-based systems. The evolutionary history of learning management system is narrowly linked to the advancement of digital technologies and the World Wide Web. Each breakthrough in the learning management system’s history was manifested by a development that enhanced speedy transfer of knowledge and self-directed learning (Martin, 2009, p. 2). The first milestone in LMS history was in 1924 when a lecturer at Ohio State University invented a learning device that looked like the typewriter and could be utilized for giving instructions and administering multiple-choice questions. In 1945, Vannevar Bush, an engineer/innovator, came up with an enhanced memory machine known as “memex”. The machine could store information that was speedily and easily accessible. The machine is credited for the development of hypertext, the networking process that is the core of the World Wide Web (Martin, 2009, p. 3). In 1965, the self-adaptive keyboard instructor was invented by Gordon Pask and McKinnon Wood to assist in enhancing typing speed and precision. This was the first adaptive instructional system, which imitated the instructor-student relation (Martin, 2009, p. 4). Nine years later the first computer-based teaching program known as PLATO was presented by the University of Illinois. PLATO stands for Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operation. It was a host to the initial web-based community. In the late 1960s, the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned the advanced research project agency network (ARPANET), which came up with numerous protocols that were later utilized in the World Wide Web (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 46). One of the greatest milestones in the history of LMS is the commissioning of Project Athena by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983. The eight-year project produced many computer-based educational tools that permit third party instructional programs to be incorporated into the course (Tucci, 2013, p. 11). The first LMS class was held in 1990 following the introduction of “First Class” by Soft-Arc. This program was tailored for Apple Macintosh instead of a mainframe computer. The UK’s Open University used the program to convey web-based learning all over Europe (Tucci, 2013, p. 12). In 1997, Course Info developed an Interactive Learning Network, which is the first LMS to utilize the relational MySQL database. The network was set up in a number of universities, including Yale and Cornell. The present LMS standards are based on the SCORM 2004. SCORM refers to Shareable Content Object Reference Mode (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 46). The cloud-based LMS program was released in 2008. The program was known as the Eucalyptus which was the first API to be deployed in a private cloud. API stands for application programming interface. Eucalyptus enabled LMS to runs exclusively online without installing it on the PC or in-house network (Martin, 2009, p. 14). Last but not least, the up-to-the-minute LMS is the SaaS Learning Management System which takes full advantage of cloud technology. Cloud technology is a term that is coined from the way the wide area network and the Internet have been drawn as a cloud in the network diagrams. To be specific, cloud technology is a system that facilitates shared computing resources with the potential for expendable enterprise scalability and on-demand provision. The term resources refer to networks, servers, applications, services and storage with easier provision and release. The SaaS Learning Management System has freed companies from the cost of setting up internal systems (Martin, 2009, p. 18). Types of Learning Management Systems There are countless types of Learning Management Systems utilized by companies to facilitate learning and to convey course material to workers. Given the fact that these frameworks ordinarily share mutual objective, which is to oversee and manage educational modules to an extensive and in some cases distributed personnel, the components of each of these systems varies considerably (Coates, 2007, p. 213). When picking a Learning Management System, a lot of consideration should be given to the means of delivering the course content to the end users. In addition, the system should match the needs and the budget of the organization (Tucci, 2013, p. 3). There are even free learning administration frameworks, for example, open source programming that by description are unreservedly accessible for use and can be adjusted to match specific needs. Numerous clients of open source programming often make improvements or utilize add-ons to match specific needs Open source Learning Management System can progress very fast on the off chance that they receive adequate attention and input. Whereas it is not likely for the end-user to get formal support for an open source LMS, there is always a robust on-line community with various forums where an individual can request for or provide assistance (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 83). Obviously, there are also commercial categories of learning administration frameworks. Most commercial types of LMS are more robust, well documented and have an excellent level of support. Furthermore, they are more stable and free of viruses, but there are few exceptions (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 83). The commercial versions can either be deployed solution system or hosted system. Deployed solution systems have vendor developed programs and are generally installed on the company’s own server. They are relatively expensive because the company has to incur the cost of setting up the system internally or in-house. Additional costs include costs of maintenance, the cost of hiring a support team, and exorbitant power bill due to increased ICT infrastructure (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 84). Hosted systems are web-based. For this system, a lot of work and expenses are taken off the hands of the end-user because the system runs on the service provider’s server. The end-user only has control over the application on a pay as you use rate, and is not responsible for set up and maintenance (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 84). SaaS Learning Management System is an example of a hosted system. SaaS denotes Software as a Service, which basically means that the user has the ability to access the applications over a network for a fee (Gorelik, 2013, p. 8). What is Content Management? This is an arrangement of procedures and advancements that support the gathering, administration, and distribution of information in any structure or medium (Rockley, 2002, p. 12). When stored and retrieved through computers, the information is often known as digital content. The content may be in the form of texts audiovisual records, or some other record that takes after a content lifecycle that should be well-managed (Rockley, 2002, p. 13). Content management activities and objectives differ from one organization to another depending on their mission and hierarchical structure (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 762). Media organizations, e-business sites, and academic institutions all utilize content management, but in various ways. In addition, the content may be tailored to match the needs of a particular group or customized for a specific individual. Last but not least, the content may be superseded by another version and, therefore, forced into resignation or removed altogether (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 763). Content management is a naturally collective procedure. The key stakeholders include content developers, editors, publishers, administrators and end-users. The content developers are responsible for developing and altering content. The editors are in charge of fine-tuning the message of the content and the style of conveyance, including interpretation and confinement (Rockley, 2002, p. 15). The publishers are simply in charge of discharging the content for utilization. The administrators are in charge of managing access consents to the content, often achieved by allotting access rights to individuals or organizations. Administrators may likewise help and bolster clients in different ways. Last but not least, the end-user is the individual or organization that peruses or generally takes in content following its publication and distribution (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 765). The most fundamental facet of content administration is the capacity to oversee different versions of the content as they develop. Content developers and editors are frequently forced to reinstate the original versions of the content because of procedural failures or objectionable sequence of editions. Another similarly essential facet of content administration includes the creation, maintenance, and utilization of review guidelines (Rockley, 2002, p. 16). Every individual involved in the creation and editing process has an exceptional role and set of obligations in the improvement or distribution of the content (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 765). Types of Content Management System There are countless sorts of content management system for various kinds of content. However, the principal types of content management systems include Web CMS, Enterprise CMS, Mobile CMS and Compound CMS (Tucci, 2013, p. 14). Web CMS A standout amongst the most well-known sorts of content management system is a Web CMC which allows individuals to develop, amend, publish and preserve the content of a website. This is the kind of CMS that the vast majority consider when questioned about content management as a whole. Most people think that Web CMS only applies to web content, neglecting the fact that the term “content management system” envelops a more extensive scope of content such as digital resource administration (Tucci, 2013, p. 14). The principal benefit of Web CMS is that it is intended for the learner or non-specialized client. This is perfect for a business or large corporates where there is likely to be a group of individuals responsible for the corporate website. Their obligations include transferring content, editing an article, uploading pictures, updating registers and eliminating outdated content. These vast sites frequently comprise of a huge number of pages which stock a variety of corporate data that is accessible to the workers as and when required (Tucci, 2013, p. 16). The system also allows end-users to circumnavigate individual pages without utilizing the navigation button. In addition, the content can be availed to the clients within a short notice. Lastly, it creates a dynamic experience for the end users as they are able to network with others (Tucci, 2013, p. 17). Enterprise CMS This is a term given to a sort of content administration framework which is particularly intended to address the needs of a commercial entity or organization. The primary facet of these systems is that they can deal with a lot of content which are specifically identified with the organization. It also incorporates information linked to the processes and hierarchical structure of the organization (Martin, 2009, p. 16). An enterprise CMS utilizes an assortment of tools, work processes, and strategies to deal with the lifecycle of the content. This includes Web CMS, as well as media administration and content arrangement (Coates, 2007, p. 121). The main objective of the enterprise system is to reorganize access to personnel and organization data in order to get to the content as quick and easy as possible as opposed to compelling them to comb through various programming applications. This likewise has the impact of improving organizational procedures which save both time and resources (Coates, 2007, p. 121). Additionally, enterprise CMS allows clients to use the site without affecting the content and configuration (Coates, 2007, p. 122). Mobile CMS The existence of mobile CMS is not a surprise given the current growth in mobile technology and gadgets. The increase in popularity, complexity, and sophistication of these gadgets has heightened demand for content that can fit in these devices. The mobile CMS oversees and conveys content on an extensive variety of gadgets, which includes smartphones. The primary targets of the mobile CMS are business and consumer market with its emphasis on the universality of the cell phones (Tucci, 2013, p. 19). The main benefit of mobile CMS is that they are tailored to fit the requirements of specific mobile devices, for instance, tablet PCs. The mobile content developers always take into consideration the components and precincts of every mobile device so as to come up with templates that can be accommodated by any device (Coates, 2007, p. 128). There are two sorts of mobile templates, that is, multi-webpage and multi-users. These templates enable websites to be accessed through a particular sub-domain or various editions of the website to be accessed through a similar domain. In the last case, the templates showed to the client are pegged on the kind of gadget they are utilizing to access the website (Coates, 2007, p. 128). Another benefit of mobile CMS is that they provide area-specific content, for instance, maps, bulletins, and advertisements, which can be accessed through mobile devices based on the location of the end-user. An example of the mobile CMS is the Global Positioning System which is the most famous area based framework, but can be incorporated into mobile technologies (Coates, 2007, p. 132). Component CMS Component CMS is the less known type of content system management. The system only stores minor components or items of a document as opposed to the document itself. This is described as managing document in a reduced form in which it is divided into a smaller component, for instance, words and images. These components can be utilized or re-utilized while making a document. Each and every component is stored once in the system. The system guarantees security and reliable access to information/ data. The components can be used for various purposes, for example, creating a company logo (Tucci, 2013, p. 20). Component CMS works similarly as other types of content management system in that it utilizes an array of procedures to manage content. In this case, each component has its own lifecycle that can be observed independently or as a constituent of a larger content. The lifecycle incorporates the name of the content developer, publication, authorization, and utilization (Tucci, 2013, p. 20). The advantage of the component CMS is its ability to re-utilize content in various documents. A word or image can be retrieved from the system and reused severally. This eliminates the need for perpetual replication that can compromise the quality and credibility of a document. It additionally guarantees a predictable approach (Tucci, 2013, p. 21). Another merit of component CMS is the capacity to utilize a component in a specific context and after that re-use it in a different context (Tucci, 2013, p. 21). A decent case of this is the issue of interpretation: a component CMS can decode a piece of content into an alternative language which is then utilized in different ways. This does not have any significant bearing to contents such as links and bibliographies. This is especially helpful for organizations that are venturing into global markets and need to interpret their content into various languages to appeal to different languages (Tucci, 2013, p. 22). E-learning using smartphones As already been stated, the growth and popularity of mobile devices among users has prompted system developers to come up with products that are well-suited for these gadgets, for example, the GPS system. E-learning through smartphones is helping to break the traditional barriers to education, especially in the developing economies (Chu, 2013, p. 5). One of the main barriers to education in the developing economies is low attendance. Owing to the current socioeconomic conditions, many students are forced to join the workforce so as to supplement the family income and, therefore, compromising their capacity to attend lessons (Chu, 2013, p. 6). To overcome these challenges, the mushrooming mobile networks and increased availability of mobile gadgets have been leveraged to deliver interactive content through smartphones. The first e-learning using smartphones was a project known as VLEM (Virtual Learning Environment for Mobiles). VLEM utilizes iPhone and a relatively complex open-source web instructional system known as Moodle. It is used as the back-end for managing script files. A voice-based program was incorporated into the Moodle for content delivery and interaction between teachers and students (Chu, 2013, p. 8). Mobile learning otherwise known as m-learning is becoming more popular among the youths who have become so attached to the mobile devices. Nonetheless, m-learning is only acting as a supplement to e-learning since there are numerous contents that are still complex for mobile platforms (Chu, 2013, p. 13). Mobile e-learning framework consists of (a) a simple user interface on the smartphone for presenting and recording materials and (b) a server for managing and disseminating content. The content is created using customary workstations linked to the server, and conveyed by the instructor to the content manager (Chu, 2013, p. 14). Pros and Cons of E-learning using Smartphones E-learning using smartphones is part of the wider mobile learning (also known as m-leaning) where users can access digital content from any location. Mobile learning has a massive prospect for learning organizations with regard to reaching and engaging end-users. It provides a vibrant learning experience for users owing to the rapid evolution of smartphones. It also provides easy access to digital material, especially new content on demand. Last but not least, mobile devices are very popular among the youthful generation. As a result, it can easily maintain high levels of interaction for the youths (Chu, 2013, p. 20). Conversely, despite the growth and popularity of mobile devices across the globe, its usage in learning is still low. This is mainly attributed to the fact that there are numerous contents that are still complex for mobile platforms. There are also no pure learning programs that are intended for smartphones. What is more, very few organizations are ready to embrace mobile learning (Chu, 2013, p. 21). How is e-learning compared to classroom learning? The efficiency of electronic learning and classroom learning has become a subject of major debate. Could we say unquestionably which is more successful? Whereas classroom learning provides actual interaction with a trainer, electronic learning gives individuals space in an adaptable way. Therefore, choosing between the two approaches is not an easy task (Rashty, 2009). In terms of the nature of their modalities, classroom teaching permits learners to physically interact with trainers and their colleagues in a real environment, while in e-learning interaction is through the electronic media. There is a dependable person in a classroom to inspire and gauge learners in classroom training, while e-learning require learners to be self-disciplined and self-motivated to fully enjoy its benefits (Rashty, 2009). With regards to just giving information to improve learners’ comprehension of different concepts, e-Learning is certainly superior to classroom learning (Rashty, 2009). Moreover, e-learning can be a powerful tool for communicating about qualities and vision of organizations or preparing individuals with respect to change management. Likewise, it can guarantee a predictable training experience for learners (Rashty, 2009). Pertaining to cost-benefit analysis, many studies have shown that e-learning is more efficient than classroom learning. With e-learning, companies can save up to 70 percent on training. Unlike classroom learning that requires the presence of teacher each and every time there is a lesson, eLearning can be created one time and utilized numerous times for training purposes (Coates, 2007, p. 149). Another significant aspect of e-learning pertains to learners’ progress. This is another area where e-learning surpasses classroom learning. E-learning courses can be delivered through learning management systems that have been proven to be more efficient in following and screening students’ progress (Rashty, 2009). Estimated Number of E-learning Users in the Middle East Generally, the Middle East was late with regards to the implementation of electronic learning. This can be ascribed to the deferral in the approval of the Internet in general by most administrations. Subsequently, few studies with respect to the benefits and acceptability of e-learning in the Middle East have been conducted. Nonetheless, a number of studies appear to point out a high endorsement level by learners (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 41). Different governments have hurried to set up e-learning programs and ventures. This incorporates electronic learning for primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges (Tubaishat, 2008, p. 42). For example, the government of Oman entered into a contract with Edutech Middle East, a supplier of e-learning technologies, to integrate all the public schools in the country with e-learning solutions. However, some countries like Saudi Arabia have been slower in the adoption of these technologies (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 86). The aggregate e-learning market in the Middle East is estimated to be around $560.7 billion with over 50 million e-learning users. The growth of e-learning in the region is attributed to the market makers, particularly public school, private schools and companies. Oman has the highest e-learning growth rate at 20%, followed by Lebanon (17%), Turkey (13%) and Qatar (11.5%). Over 55 percent of the users are pupils and students from private and public institutions. The rest are employees of various companies (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 83). The region has adopted three models of e-learning, that is, virtual e-learning model, the hybrid model, and the conventional school model. The virtual model involves the setting up of specified online colleges, for instance, the Syrian Virtual University and the Mediterranean Virtual University. On the other hand, the hybrid model involves the application of course management system by actual colleges. The traditional model is the most common model. It simply refers to the incorporation of learning management system to classroom learning (Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016, p. 85). Technical Issues in Learning Management System Even though LMS offers greater information and enhanced access to content, it is usually affected by a number of obstacles (manipulative and non-manipulative) that limits its usage. Manipulative factors are associated with academic institutions. For example, in the Saudi Arabia, the adoption of e-learning is considerably low due to a number of factors such as lack of IT knowledge from a section of the students and inadequate support from the instructors (Archambault, 2010, p. 13). Studies have found out that many instructors are used to the conventional classroom approach and, therefore, the use of new technology is proving to be a daunting task for them. Additionally, the majorities of instructors have little experience in the usage of LMS. As a result, they lack technical expertise (Archambault, 2010, p. 14). The digital divide or gap between students who are tech savvy and those who do not have IT knowledge is a major challenge. The digital divide is not only based on the availability of computers and the internet but also the support systems. Even though many countries have strived to minimize the digital divide, it is still a challenge in the education sector and more particularly in the adoption of LMS (Chu, 2013, p. 55). Another big issue affecting LMS is the lack of technical consistency with regard to the ICT infrastructure. As a result, it is not always clear when the server will be up or down. Learners often use this as an excuse when they are late with their assignments. The infrastructural challenge can also be in the form of incompatible content and technical limitations. The instructors may develop contents that are incompatible with the learners ‘devices or gadgets. For instance, the instructor can create web pages with excess graphics which cannot be accessed using small monitors or mobile devices (Archambault, 2010, p. 15). Mitigation of Technical Issues Lack of technical consistency can be solved by availing backup materials to students. The backup materials can be in the form of soft copies (e.g. CDs and flash disks) and hard copies (e.g. books and journals) (Martin, 2009, p. 16). The instructors should also ensure that the contents developed are tailored to match the needs of the learners, as well as the requirements of specific devices. This will increase access to digital content (Papastergiou, 2006, p. 594). Since e-learning is still a new concept and most instructors are not well-versed in this area, constant training is necessary. The training should be a continuous process not spontaneous. In addition, the training should aim at finding the solutions to the current challenges and developing new ideas (Martin, 2009, p. 18). Administration of LMS and Contents Learning management is the arranging, sorting out, persuading, and controlling of individuals, procedures and frameworks in the association to guarantee that its information related resources are successfully utilized. Learning related resources incorporate information as printed archives, for example, licenses and manuals, information that is held by groups who have been taking a shot at centered issues and learning that is implanted in the association’s items, procedures, and connections. The processes of LMS include information procurement, creation, refinement, stockpiling, exchange, sharing, and usage. The objectives of LMS are the use and change of the association’s information advantages for better learning practices, enhanced organizational practices, better choices, and enhanced hierarchical execution. Despite the fact that people unquestionably can by and by play out each of the learning organizations forms, LMS is to a great extent an organization action that spotlights on what the management can do to empower learning objectives. There are a number of programs or applications that are normally utilized to develop and manage digital contents. These set of applications or software are commonly known as content management system (CMS). The content management system can also be referred to as data storehouses that may likewise comprise of content development, sequencing, and collection instruments, with a purpose of streamlining the formation and management of digital content (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 768). Content management systems include enterprise and web content administration. An enterprise content management expedites cooperation in the working environment by incorporating document administration, advanced resource administration and records maintenance functions, and offering role- based access to the company’s computerized resources for the end-users. On the contrary, web content management encourages the collective creation of web content (Glushko & McGrath, 2005, 769). Enterprise content managers often incorporate web content management distribution functionality, but their pages remain behind the in-house firewall. However, both systems have two parts, that is, content administration software and content conveyance software. The LMS permits users to regulate the development, adjustment and deletion of content from World Wide Web without any basic knowledge of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) (Rockley, 2002, p. 18). On the other hand, the constituents of content conveyance software offer the back-end service that bolster administration and conveyance of the content once it has been developed (Rockley, 2002, p. 19). According to Rosenberg (2001, p. 6), LMS can bolster content being developed once and utilized a number of times. Robertson (2003) explains that LMS can manage petite, interlinked components of data where every component is characterized by its position on a site. On the other hand, content management system emphasizes mainly on website page design and editing with cross-ties between website pages. The content management system provides a close-fitting blend between content development and the storage alongside a proficient distribution engine. Whereas many authors maintain that content management system stores and conveys the correct content to the right end-user at the precise time (Mauthe & Thomas, 2004), a section believe that content management systems are not the best learning tools because they are intended for essential data exchange. They essentially recognize the client and convey bits of content linked to that client (Rockley, 2002, p. 19). On the contrary, e-learning needs systems that considers such intricacies as course level complications, whether the essential requirements have been met by the learner, and whether the learner acquires the right information or content through the system (Robertson, 2003, p. 7). Robertson (2003, p. 7) reinforces the notion that the main objective of content management system is to offer integrated repository for limited volume of information for easy retrieval, amendment and delivery. He argues that the most significant aspect of content system management is the content itself. In addition, he explains that the sorts of content that can be warehoused and circulated through the content management systems include: less complex pages, complex pages with clear format and appearance, dynamic data retrieved from data bases, instructional materials, online guidebooks, wide-ranging commercial papers, huge number of pages altogether, and links between pages. Figure 1 below highlights the components of content management system (Robertson, 2003, p. 8). Figure 1 below highlights the components of content management system (Robertson, 2003, p. 8). Figure 1: Components of content management system. Empirical Studies Previous studies on Learning Management System Numerous studies have been conducted on learning management systems. Most of these studies have been carried out on K-12 schools (Tubaishat, 2008; Martin, 2009; Mizra & Al-Addulkareem, 2016) with limited studies on corporate e-learning (Spirgi & Gebavi, 2007; Chong & Besharati, 2014). Irlbeck and Mowart (2015) carried out a case study of two companies and a community college with respect to learning content management systems. The companies included We Deliver Call Centre Ltd (a courier company based in Canada), U-learn Community College and PLG International Insurance Company. Their study concluded that LMS and CMS are suitable solutions, but their adoption depends on the needs of an organization. They found LMS to be more cost-effective and efficient than the conventional classroom learning. Besides being less expensive, the information stored in the learning management system can be easily and speedily accessed. Additionally, learners’ progress can easily be recorded and assessed (Irlbeck & Mowart, 2015). Kelly (2009) conducted a study to compare the efficiency of Moodle and the conventional classroom learning at San Francisco State University. Moodle is an open-source web instructional system. The study targeted five tutors and 300 students, including disabled students. The study established that Moodle offers the flexibility to meet both the needs of the students and the faculty in a timely manner. Nearly all the sampled students and instructors endorsed the use of Moodle in learning. The study recommended an exclusive usage of the LMS program in learning due to a number of factors: first, they are less costly and accessible to all persons; second, they can convey large volume of diverse content to different individuals at the same time and; last but not least, the use of technology in learning appeals to many youths, especially college students (Kelly, 2009, p. 89). Kim et al. (2004) carried a study to determine the effect of LMS on adult education. According to the study, e-Learning courses that are created on the premise of sound instructional outlining systems and stick to adult learning standards, can be exceedingly valuable for mature learners. These mature learners, who are experienced, disciplined and expected to be more occupied, tend to be more inclined towards learning with an aim of improving their work performance. They tend to follow such courses which can permit them to try, practice, carry out, and obtain requisite aptitude Previous Studies on LMS on Power and Energy Companies Magd and Hamza (2012) conducted a comparative analysis of the knowledge management process and corrective action at SOFCOM LTD. SOFCOM LTD is a Saudi Arabian company dealing in oil and gas. The study concluded that quality management system plays a significant role in the establishment of knowledge management platform. According to the study, learning management system can be enhanced by combining value-added frameworks. This simply implies to the development of an integrated management system hinged on unified evaluation concept. Therefore, successful implementation of learning management system depends on a continuous assessment of corporate strategy, structure and systems quality. This enables employees to take part in the system regardless of technical hitches that they must address (Magd & Hamza, 2012, p. 126). Qwaider (2011), on the other hand, did a research on how power companies in the Middle East are using learning management systems to improve knowledge management. The found out that most power companies in the Middle East are using deployed solution system. Even though these systems are relatively expensive compared to hosted systems, they have been well-received by company employees. The high endorsement level is attributed to the flexibility of these systems Gallarotti and Al Filali (2013) found out that the dwindling oil prices in the global market are making power and energy companies to be more concerned about their future. Among them is Saudi ARAMCO which has decided to invest immensely in alternative energy sources. Such changes demand new knowledge and skills. As a result, power and energy companies like ARAMCO are in the forefront in the quest for new knowledge. ARAMCO has set up a modular architectural LMS based on the state of the art technologies, which is aimed at integrating learning management system and content management system with a cloud-based software, as well as the social networking platforms (Gallarotti & Al Filali, 2013, p. 5). Methodology Introduction This is the strategy of coordinating the procedures of doing the study. It is, in this manner, supportive for driving the investigation and for separating the examination addresses. Methodology demands that much care ought to be given to the sorts of processes to be followed in fulfilling a given plan or a goal (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). The reason for this study is to make a space for further study that will survey the affiliation between identified variables and the knowledge system management. Therefore, the study is exploratory in nature. An exploratory Study gives others a chance to survey zones that have not been widely scrutinized (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). For this reason, participating in exploratory studies add extra information on the issue or marvel under scrutiny. This has been accomplished by examining the specified hypotheses. To embark on this study, a wide-ranging methodology has been assimilated, which incorporates study plan, the sample and the strategies that were utilized as a part of assembling data. Research Design There are three sorts of research design: an exploratory study, descriptive study and causal study (Chester 70). Exploratory research predominantly investigates on the aspect of the problem to draw deductions. In this situation, the analyst is in a decent position to comprehend the issue under scrutiny. The stream of exploratory examination includes distinguishing the issue and trying to locate the suitable arrangements and new thoughts (Chester 73). Exploratory examination is for the most part pertinent in circumstances where the structure of the research problem is not defined. The interview is a decent example of the techniques that is often utilized to accumulate data in this sort of examination (Chester 70). Then again, descriptive study is generally pertinent in circumstances where the structure of the research problem is definite. This sort of study is utilized when the analyst hopes to differentiate the different discernable facts in a specimen or a populace (Chester 72). What’s more, descriptive study is ordinarily utilized by the scientist when the researcher has an earlier comprehension of the issue under scrutiny. The causal examination is the sort of exploration whereby there is a clear structure of the problem under study. In this situation, the scientist is intrigued to investigate the cause-impact relationship. The causes are recognized, investigated and the degree of the impacts is looked into (Chester 70). Research Philosophy Research philosophy alludes to the change of the exploration establishment, research data and its inclination. It is also described with the help of research paradigm. Research paradigm is the extensive structure, which contains insight, feelings, and cognizance of a couple of theories and practices that are used to lead an examination. It is depicted as a definite technique, which incorporates diverse steps through which an expert makes a relationship between the examination targets and inquiries. Paradigm is a specific perspective about coordinating an investigation. It is not by any means a system, but rather all the more a rationale that associates how the investigation is to be driven (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Research philosophy and rationale contains distinctive variables, for instance, the perspective of an individual, his perspective, the combination of feelings towards reality, et cetera. This thought affects the feelings and estimation of the researchers, with the objective that he can give considerable arguments to give strong results. There are three sorts of the exploration paradigm. They include authenticity, positivism, and interpretivism (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Positivism is particularly associated with objectivism. With this philosophical strategy, scientists give their point of view to survey the social world with the offer of objectivity set up of subjectivity. This suggests the investigators are captivated to accumulate general information and data from a significant social case rather than surveying inconspicuous components of the examination. As showed by this position, the investigator’s specific feelings cannot affect the investigation. The positivist philosophical approach is generally associated with the discernments and examination to accumulate numeric data (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Interpretivism can be described as the social constructionism when concentrating on research administration. According to this philosophical approach, interpretivism offer importance to their feelings and worth to give an agreeable guard for an issue in exploration (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). With the help of interpretivism, researchers focus on the genuine statistical information as demonstrated by the research problem. Interpretivism fathoms specific business condition. In this technique, experts use a sample and evaluate them in point of interest to fathom the points of view of the populace. Authenticity (or credibility) mainly assembles the reality and feelings in nature. There are two essential procedures that focus on prompt and fundamental genuineness. Prompt reality suggests the substantial traits that a man can see, touch or feel. On the other hand, in essential genuineness, individuals fight about their experiences for a particular situation. This is associated with the condition of social constructivism, in light of the way that a man tries to exhibit his feelings and qualities (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Quantitative and Qualitative Approach A qualitative study, generally known as subjective exploration is a type of exploratory research (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). It is used to get a perception of shrouded reasons, conclusions, and motivations. It gives bits of learning into the issue or makes considerations or theories for potential quantitative analysis. A qualitative study is also used to uncover designs in thought and assessments, and dive more significantly into the issue. The subjective data collection frameworks vary using unstructured or semi-sorted out techniques. Some normal schedules include focus groups, individual gatherings, and participation or discernments. The sample size is usually small, and respondents are selected to fulfill a given share (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). On the other hand, quantitative exploration is used to assess an issue by a technique for creating numerical data or data that can be changed into usable bits of knowledge. It is used to assess perspectives, suppositions, hones and other described variables. In addition, it provides the results from a greater sample of the populace. Quantitative research uses quantifiable data to arrange facts and uncover plans in the study (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). Quantitative data aggregation schedules are more sorted out than the subjective data collecting methodologies. Quantitative data gathering procedures includes diverse sorts of diagrams – online studies, paper audits, telephone interviews, longitudinal studies, webpage interceptors, online studies, and methodical observations (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). The primary study addresses the objective issues. The research organization has the general control of the method and the investigation is molded correspondingly as its destinations and degrees are concerned. In addition, the research organization can be requested to focus their attempts to discover information with respect to particular market instead of fixation on the mass business sector (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). The description of data is better in the primary investigation. The accumulated data can be examined and deciphered by the clients depending upon their requirements rather than relying upon the explanation made by powers of discretionary data. Typically, auxiliary data is never considered late and it may not be specific to the spot or condition that the client is concentrating on. Primary research has turned into a more scrupulous tool since the scientist can use data which is useful for him. The data collector in primary research is the proprietor of that information and he/she needs not to bestow it to various associations and contestants. This gives favorable position over contestants responding to discretionary information (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). Nevertheless, gathering data using primary investigation is a costly issue as the client must be incorporated all through and must layout everything. Because of far reaching nature of the action, the period expected to do research specifically is long when compared to secondary study, which can be assembled in much lesser time. If the investigation incorporates taking criticism, there are high dangers that information given may be wrong. Criticism by their vital nature are ordinarily uneven or given just for the purpose of it. Aside from expense and time, distinctive resources like HR and materials too are required in major studies and data gathering (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). Methodological Choice This includes is the output of a progression of choices of the researcher in regards to how the study will be directed. The research design is nearly connected with the system of the study and aides making arrangements for executing the study (Blanchard and Cathy, 2002). It is an outline for directing the study that emphasizes on control over variables that could interfere with the legitimacy of the discoveries. The research designs differ as to the amount of structure the analyst forces on the examination circumstance and the amount of adaptability is permitted once the study is ongoing. Many quantitative studies have more structured research designs than qualitative studies, which have more fluid research designs. A strategy that is regularly utilized to acquire data on social and behavioral elements and the connections between these elements is a research survey. In this case, the specialist chooses a specimen or subgroup of individuals and gets some information about issues identified with the examination. The responses to these inquiries are then viewed as a depiction distinguishing the suppositions and states of mind of the entire populace from which the example was taken. The study will adopt a descriptive research design or an exploratory research design. Depiction can be a noteworthy motivation behind both subjective and quantitative explorations. The descriptive research design enables the specialist to acquire data regarding any phenomenon. Exploratory studies give an inside and out an investigation of a solitary procedure. On the other hand, the descriptive research design analyses the attributes of a particular populace. Both exploratory research design and descriptive research design start with the problem statement. Exploratory study goes for researching the research problem, the way in which it is showed, and alternate components with which it is connected. An exploratory research design is embraced when another zone or theme is being researched. Research Strategy The study will adopt a case study approach. A case study (or a contextual analysis) examination incorporates a nearby and point by point investigation of a subject (the case), as well as its related sensible conditions. Contextual examinations appear with amazing recap all through renowned works. Just about anyone with training can put forth a defense for having done a relevant examination at some point or another in their life. Relevant investigations also can be conveyed by taking after a formal investigation strategy (Noor 2008, p.1603). The consequent arrangement of contextual examination has long had a distinctive spot in various orders and callings, reaching out from science, humanities, human science, and political science to training, restorative science, social organization, and administrative science. In carrying out a contextual examination, the “case” being focused on might be an individual, association, event, or exercise, existing at a specific point (Noor 2008, p.1603). For example, therapeutic science has conveyed both comprehended contextual examinations of individuals and relevant investigations of medicinal practices. Regardless, when “case” is used as a part of a dynamic sense, as for a situation, a suggestion, or a dispute, such a case can be the subject of various investigation schedules, not just relevant examination research (Noor 2008, p.1604). One methodology sees the contextual investigation described as an examination method, a precise solicitation that analyzes an issue within its veritable setting. Contextual examination can mean single and different logical examinations. It can likewise fuse quantitative verification and relies upon various wellsprings of affirmation; the methodological benefit from the previous progression of theoretical proposals. In light of current circumstances, contextual examination should not to be mixed up for subjective investigation, as logical examinations can be established on any mix of quantitative and subjective data. Meanwhile, the constant trials can give a real structure to making instigations from quantitative data (Noor 2008, p.1606). Population and Sampling The overall collection of items that fulfill a dispensed arrangement of criteria is called a population. There is a disparity between the target populace and the existing populace. The target populace includes every one of the subjects about which the researcher might want to make conjectures. The existing populace involves every one of the cases that conform to the assigned criteria and are open to the researcher. The process of picking population sample to reflect the entire population is sampling (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Exploratory design requires a small sample to reflect the entire populace. In subjective exploration, individuals are selected to take part in the study bearing in mind their direct experience of the problem under study (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). In keeping with this study, the population comprised of the personnel of the organization under study. Purposive sampling was utilized in this study. This is a non-probability sampling technique. Despite the fact that this method expands the likelihood of population samples that do not represent the whole population, it is simple to reach all the respondents. Since it was hard to access the official registers or records containing the names of the workers, the researcher chose to utilize snowball testing to distinguish the respondents. Purposive sampling and snowball testing are linked and have a common aspect: a suitable sample is selected at an appropriate. Snowball testing is imperative in subjective study since it is synchronized by individuals that are difficult to differentiate (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). In snowball testing, the researcher collects information on a number of individuals from the objective populace he can discover and after that seeks for data from those individuals that enable him/her to categorize the population accordingly. Such strategies enable the researcher to select specific subjects who will give the broadest data about the problem statement. Data Collection and Instrumentation The researcher used questionnaires to collect data. A total of 200 questionnaires were filled by the respondents. The questions in the questionnaire are available in Appendix 1. This study technique corroborates the need to minimize the cost of the research. This is due to the fact that respondents are physically detached (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Questionnaire Survey Questionnaires are pre-composed course of events requesting respondents to record their reactions. Questionnaires can be utilized to contact the respondents either through the letters or in person. Before delineating a study, there are three measures to consider, namely benchmarks of wording, standards of estimation, and the general set-up of the study. The guideline of the content incorporates the content and reason for the solicitation. For example, the researcher needs to comprehend the technique for variables to be tapped. In case a variable is subjective, for example, where a respondent’s conviction, observations, and points of view are to be measured, the request ought to draw the estimations and parts of the considerations. Additionally, where target variables, for instance, age and pay are tapped, a solitary direct question would be appropriate (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). The wording and language are unmistakable components of this rule, for example, the overview ought to assess the viewpoint of the respondent. In this manner, the decision of words ought to rely upon the guideline. The principle of estimation includes the models to be utilized to guarantee that the information gathered is fitting to test the speculations (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Data Analysis and Presentation The gathered information was examined quantitatively. This was accomplished by using quantitative data examination instruments. Considering the way that the study has included the quantitative exploration design, the information investigation and presentation strategy involved the appropriation of the printed presentation system. The strategy was executed by utilizing articulations that contain numerals. One of the printed presentation instruments that were utilized as a part of dissecting the information incorporates the Likert scale. By utilizing this instrument, the examination was in a position to assess the information utilizing point scales. Notwithstanding the above method, the exploration also involved the use of SPSS break down. The use of SPSS assumed a crucial part in enhancing the viability and proficiency with which the gathered information was dissected. Additionally, SPSS examination assumed a key part in enhancing the simplicity with which the exploration information was translated. Ethical considerations Just before the study was directed, the researcher initially built up a proposition and submitted it for endorsement. The proposition involved the review and the objectives of the study. Moreover, the proposition involved how the respondents of the examination would be enrolled and taken care of. The responses of the respondents will be treated with secrecy so as to uphold the wellbeing and the right to privacy of the respondents. Once the endorsement was given, the researcher proceeded to direct the examination while holding fast to the stipulated rules (Saunders, Thornhill, and Lewis, 2009). Research limitation The cost of conducting the survey was expensive. Also, there were instances when the respondents provided false and incorrect responses. The process of data collection was time-consuming and tedious. What’s more, a few company representatives were hesitant to offer some data that was private and perilous in the hands of their rivals. This translated to an extraordinary test in the examination as the researcher needed to take more time to find workers who would willingly give out sufficient data. Conclusion This chapter has provided the outline of the study process, approach and design. Since the research involved a case study, the researcher adopted an exploratory approach. The study also adopted a positivist approach to reassess the existing studies on the same. In addition, a qualitative approach was preferred over quantitative approach because it captures all the variables, thereby, producing reliable results. There were potential limitations of this study in the area of reliability and validity. However, they were minimized by the use of suitable research strategies and processes. Ethical issues affecting this study process are highlighted with appropriate mitigation in place whenever a breakdown occurs. Findings, data analysis and interpretation Introduction This area covers data analysis, presentation and elucidation. The study outcomes were analysed using SPPS computer package, paying much attention on regression and correlation analysis. Characteristics of the sample In order to comprehend the demographic information of the participants, the distribution of gender, age, education level, income, and the number of years employed in the business are summarized in the following sections. Gender Table 1: Gender distribution. gender N=200 female 92 (46.2 %) male 108(53.8 %) Total 200 (100%) Figure 1: Gender percentages The distribution of gender is summarized in table 1 and figure 1, according to the results there are 92 females and 106 males, composed 46% and 54% of the sample respectively. Age Table 2: Age distribution. age N=200 (%) 18-25 10(5%) 26-35 40(20%) 36-45 100(50%) 46-55 30(15%) above 55 20(10%) Total 200(100%) Figure 2: Age percentages. The distribution of age is summarized in table 2 and figure 2 above. According to the results, there are 20% of the participants aged between 26 and 35, which is the largest proportion, followed by participants aged between 36 and 45, composed 50% of the sample, and participants aged between 46 and 55, accounted 30% of the sample. Finally, participants aged above 55 or between 18 and 25 composed 10% and 5% of the sample respectively. Education level Table 3: Education distribution. education N=200(%) High school or below 10(5%) Diploma 80(40%) Bachelor degree 60(30%) Postgraduate degree or above 50(25%) Total 200(100%) Figure 3: Education percentages. In terms of the education level, over half of the participants (55%) have a degree or postgraduate degree, which is the largest proportion, followed by participants who have a diploma, composed 40% of the sample. There are only 5% of the participants have high school or below degree. Income Table 4: Income distribution. income N=200 (%) <2000 20(10%) 2000-5000 4(2%) 5000-10000 36(18%) 1000-15000 80(40%) >15000 60(30%) Total 200(100%) Figure 4: Income percentages. Regarding the income of the participants, 40% of the participants indicate that they have income between 10000-15000, which is the largest proportion, followed by participants who have income above 15000, composed 30% of the sample, and participants who have income between 5000-10000, composed 36% of the sample. About 10% of the participants have income below 2000 and 2% of the participants have income between 2000 and 5000. The number years of employment Table 5: Number of years employed. Times N=200 (%) less than 4 years 42(21%) 4-8 years 44(22%) 8-12 years 48(24%) more than 12 years 66(33%) Total 200(100%) Figure 5: Number of years employed. Table 5 and figure 5 above summarized the number of years that the participants have been employed. According to the results, 33% of the participants have stayed more than 12 years, which is the largest proportion, followed by participants who have stayed between 8 and 12 years, composed 24% of the sample, and participants who have stayed between 4 and 8 years, composed 22% of the sample. In addition, there are 42 participants have stayed in employment for less than 4 years, composed 21% of the sample. Reliability Analysis Reliability analysis is frequently used to assess whether the various instrument items are gauging the similar variable or concept. In SPSS, the Cronbach’s Alpha value is usually used to gauge the reliability of the numerous variables. The least requirement for the value of Cronbach’s Alpha is 0.7 to guarantee that the items are internally reliable and unswerving. In an investigative study, the Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.6 can also be accepted. In this research, the various measurement items are adopted from previous studies, thus, the minimum value is set as 0.7. The corrected-item total correlation (CITC) is also incorporated to assess the dependability of particular item. If the CICT is underneath 0.5, then the item cannot dependably gauge the resultant variable and should be omitted from other analysis. The Cronbach’s Alpha for variables is summarized in the table below. Table 6 Reliability Analysis for Variables. According to the results, the Cronbach’s alpha value for effective knowledge performance, expanding knowledge and authority, increasing leadership capability, learner-focused strategy, enhancing communication and collaboration, improving training and development, and knowledge management systems are 0.887, 0.834, 0.781, 0.747, 0.886, 0.844, and 0.842, which are all above the minimum requirement of 0.7. Furthermore, the corrected-item total correlation for specific items are all exceeding the least requirement of 0.5 and the Cronbach’s Alpha if scrapped for specific items are all beneath the Cronbach’s Alpha value. These outcomes show that these items are internally reliable and consistent, and can be utilized for more analysis. Frequency analysis Effective knowledge performance frequency analysis Table 7. Effective knowledge performance frequency analysis. As shown in table 7 above, more than half of the respondents are acquainted with the effective knowledge performance. There are 69% of the respondents indicate that “the company applies a merit-based system to determine the top performers” and 75% of the respondents indicate that “the company has a fair reward system”. From the total score of these 3 items measuring effective knowledge performance, a large group of respondents have a score of 111 or 114. To gain a clearer picture of the respondents’ effective knowledge performance, the items measuring effective knowledge performance were aggregated. The aggregate mean score is classified into three levels: low (below 50), medium (50-100), and high (100 and above). The aggregated mean value was 113.12, suggesting that respondents have high level perception of measuring effective knowledge performance. Expanding knowledge and authority frequency analysis Table 8: expanding knowledge and authority frequency analysis. Table 8 shows the overall responses to the expanding knowledge and authority among Respondents. According to the results, the mean value for all measurement items was between 97 and 112. Thus, the respondents’ attitude concern was at a high level. By analyzing the frequency, it can be seen that more than half of the respondents have expressed their concern regarding expanding knowledge and authority. The aggregate mean score was 102, suggesting a high level of expanding knowledge and authority. The overall scores from the items measuring the variable ‘expanding knowledge and authority’ were summarized, and it is found that the range was 15, with scores ranging from 97 and 112. The majority of the Respondents have an overall score between 98 and 112. Increasing leadership capability frequency analysis Table 9: increasing leadership capability frequency analysis. Table 9 summarized the frequency analysis for items measuring increasing leadership capability. According to the results, a majority of the respondents concur or strongly concur that “the company provides regular motivation to employees”, the mission of the company is clear to all employees”, and “the company inculcates a culture of trust and mutual respect”. The aggregated mean value of increasing leadership capability is 103.11, suggesting that respondents have a positive attitude towards the increasing leadership capability factors of the business. As can be seen from the results, the majority of the score ranged between 99 and 104, indicating a relatively higher level positive attitude towards ‘increasing leadership capability’. Learner-focused strategy frequency analysis Table 10. Learner-focused strategy frequency analysis. Table 10 summarized the frequency analysis for items measuring learner-focused strategy. According to the results, more than half of the respondents concur or strongly concur that “the employees are reliable and helpful”, “the employees are professional”, and “the employees respond to the customers’ inquiries quickly”. The aggregated mean value of learner-focused strategy is 127.22, suggesting that learner-focused strategy is at a high level. As can be seen from the outcomes, the majority of the score ranged between 126 and 129, which also indicate a high-level learner-focused strategy perception. Enhancing communication and collaboration frequency analysis Table 11. Enhancing communication and collaboration frequency analysis. Table 11 summarized the frequency analysis for items measuring enhancing communication and collaboration. According to the results, more than half of the respondents concur or strongly concur that “there is coordinated communication”, “the top managers understand the effectiveness of communication”, “there is enough follow up for the communication”, “the problems are solved collaboratively”, and “the trust levels among the employees are strong”. The aggregated mean value of enhancing communication and collaboration is 114.34, suggesting that enhancing communication and collaboration is at a high level. As can be seen from the results, the majority of the score ranged between 112 and 114, which also indicate a high-level of the perception on enhancing communication and collaboration. Improving training and development frequency analysis Table 12: improving training and development frequency analysis. Table 12 summarized the frequency analysis for items measuring improving training and development. According to the results, more than half of the respondents concur or strongly concur that “the Company invests in training and development”, “the company sets up the employees for success”, “the employees’ talents as assets to the company”. The aggregated mean value of improving training and development is 113.10, suggesting that the improving training and development is at a high level. As can be seen from the outcomes, the majority of the score ranged between 112 and 114, which also indicate a high level improving training and development perception. Summary of Descriptive statistics Descriptive statistics using the measures of central tendencies were computed from the results gathered from the questionnaires. The questionnaires focused on the elements that power and energy companies in Saudi Arabia utilize to enhance knowledge management system. Summary of Results Respondents who were majorly employees of an energy company in Saudi Arabia which is well-known for successful implementation of knowledge management system were issued with questionnaires in order to express their responses regarding the initiatives that the company was undertaking to enhance knowledge management system. The summary of the results is in table 6 below. The results show that from the sample of 200 respondents, the mean for effective knowledge performance is 113.20 with a standard deviation of 14.30. From this computation, it can be deduced that effective knowledge performance has a significant impact on knowledge system management; this is indicated by the higher value of the standard deviation. In addition, the calculated arithmetic means for improving training and development, enhancing communication and collaboration, effective knowledge performance, increasing leadership capability, and expanding knowledge and authority is less than the calculated arithmetic mean for learner-focused strategy. It is, therefore, evident that learner-focused strategy has more impact on knowledge system management than other existing initiatives. Learner-focused strategy (Mean=127.22, SD=15.31) is more effective than addressing it through enhancing communication and collaboration (Mean=114.34, SD=14.23), increasing leadership capability (Mean=103.11, SD=10.81), effective knowledge performance (Mean=113.12, SD=14.29), improving training and development (Mean=113.10, SD=14.27), and expanding knowledge and authority (Mean=102.10, SD=11.28). Table 6 Summary of the descriptive statistics. Mean Standard deviation Effective Knowledge Performance 113.12 14.29 Expanding Knowledge and Authority 102.10 11.28 Increasing Leadership Capability 103.11 10.81 Learner-focused strategy 127.22 15.31 Enhancing communication and collaboration 114.34 14.23 Improving training and development 113.10 14.27 Inferential statistics The results of inferential statistics were used to establish the relationship that exists among the initiatives that the company was undertaking and the knowledge system management; inferential statistics was utilized to establish the link among the variables. The results are summarized in Table 7 below. Table 7 Pearson correlation matrix for the variables. The results in the table above demonstrate that there are major correlations between expanding knowledge and authority and the knowledge system management (r = 0.594, p < 0.01), learner-focused strategy and the knowledge system management (r = 0.584, p < 0.01), enhancing communication and collaboration and the knowledge system management(r = 0.387, p < 0.01), between increasing leadership capability and the knowledge system management (r = 0.266, p < 0.05), and improving training and development and the knowledge system management(r = 0.272, p < 0.05). There was also a significant relationship between effective knowledge performance and the knowledge system management (r = 0.272, p < 0.05). A regression analysis to analyse how the variables predict the employees’ resistance was done and the results are summarized in Table 4.3 below. Table 8 Summary of regression analysis. The result established that the multiple R-value is 0.601. The R-Square value of 0.360 indicates that 36% of the variables explained the dependent variable. The F-statistic (5.294) is statistically significant at 0.01 level; meaning that the independent variables significantly enlighten 36% of the variance in addressing the knowledge system management. Increasing leadership capability is the best predictor of the knowledge system management as it has a beta coefficient value of -0.3188 and is statistically significant at the 0.01 level. In addition, expanding knowledge and authority, effective knowledge performance, and enhancing communication and collaboration are statistically significant at 0.05. The negative value of the beta coefficient of enhancing communication and collaboration indicates that the knowledge management system in energy companies is very critical than other companies operating in different industries. In the same manner, the negative beta value of improving training and development, , effective knowledge performance, increasing leadership capability, learner-focused strategy, and expanding knowledge and authority show that they have a significant impact on the implementation of knowledge management system. Conclusion and recommendations Introduction This part demonstrates the outline of the revelations and examination of the results in comprehension to the objectives of this study. Finally, the segment contains the conclusions and recommendations. Conclusion The last one hundred years saw Information Communication Technology (ICT) turning out to be a core service enabler. The “dot.com” recession of 2001 followed by the Great Recession of 2007, saw an increasing demand for information technology systems to maintain a competitive advantage at a low cost. At the same time, Technology and connectivity evolved very fast with the introduction of numerous electronic platforms and high-speed internet. From a narrow perspective, it is difficult to assess the impact of these technologies since they have transformed how individuals and institutions operate. The continuous evolution of ICT has helped companies to come up with new systems and discover new ways of delivering service to the consumers. Knowledge management system is one of the systems that have been developed by organizations to help in the acquisition and delivery of information. The system also assists in assembling, assessing and sharing of information among the employees and the management. In addition, knowledge management system plays a significant role in organizational learning and development. As a result, many companies are undertaking numerous initiatives to improve the system, which include enhancing communication and collaboration, learner-focused strategy, and expanding knowledge and authority among others. In our case, the company was involved in the following activities and practices to improve its knowledge management system: enhancing communication and collaboration, effective knowledge performance, increasing leadership capability, learner-focused strategy, and expanding knowledge and authority. The results of the study show that these initiatives had a high level of impact on knowledge system management. Among these initiatives, learner-focused strategy had the highest impact on knowledge system management with a mean value of 127.22 and standard deviation of 15.31. Expanding knowledge and authority and increasing leadership capability had the lowest score. Nonetheless, all the above mentioned variables had a very high influence on the dependent variable of knowledge system management. The study outcomes also show that the knowledge system management in the company had a significant positive correlation with these variables. Increasing leadership capability is the best predictor of the knowledge system management as it has a beta coefficient value of -0.3188 and is statistically significant at the 0.01 level. The negative value of the beta coefficient of enhancing communication and collaboration indicates that the knowledge management system in energy companies is very critical than other companies operating in different industries. It should be remembered that energy companies operate in a knowledge-intensive industry. Moreover, information and communication departments are in charge of keeping up with the latest innovation patterns and devising novel tools and frameworks available to the organization. The execution of effective performance management is among the variables that have a great impact on knowledge management systems. Be that as it may, many organizations still focus on inflexible, old-fashioned management strategies. The top performing organizations, however, focus on performance that uses a fair procedure to reward the top performers. They also convey the organizational goals appropriately to the employees. These elements promote equity and inclusiveness in the organization. Expanding knowledge and authority enables the companies in Saudi Arabia to reinforce the empowerment levels in all the sections of the organizations hierarchy. In a company characterized by lack of trust and accountability, there are low levels of empowerment and authority. A higher level of empowerment and accountability enables the organization to inculcate an innovative and adoption of e-learning among the workforce and develop a strong relationship with the clients in order to stimulate product diversification and improve the consumers’ experiences. In addition, employee empowerment and accountability helps in developing learning tools and management of digital contents through innovation, hence reinforcing knowledge management systems. In organizations where the employee engagement is higher through enhanced leadership capabilities, the mission is shared among all the employees regardless of their positions in the hierarchical level. The top management offers inspiration and motivation to the employees through constant communication. The top managers also inculcate a philosophy of trust and all the employees are incorporated in the development of the business strategies, which include e-business and e-learning. It is only through leadership capabilities that the organization will streamline its visions and goals with the current knowledge and state of the art technologies. Effective knowledge performance is a significant element in the success of e-learning since it emphasizes on ingenuity and novelty. This shows that effective knowledge performance impacts the means by which ingenious and groundbreaking solutions are promoted. In other words, it is the core of competitive advantage, especially when it is linked to sustainable high performance. Increased knowledge and authority calls for a comprehensive transformation in all facets of human activities, for instance, global view, social values, technical knowhow, and authority among others. In short, increased knowledge and authority basically refer to all actions that strive for a balance in the course of relations between the organization and its employees. The organization should be able to empower its employees in a way that they can be able to express themselves fully without badly and irrevocably impacting the holding capability of the shareholders and the surroundings on which the organization hinges. The knowledge and authority contribute towards the attainment of organizational goals or objectives through innovation and novelty. The use of new technologies in the management of knowledge often leads to proficient and compelling solutions. However, whereas the technology and instruments might be accessible, the usage and incorporation into the organization’s values and principles is a process that requires an organizational learning curve on the off chance that individuals in the organization are not familiar with this sort of learning. In addition, the adoption and implementation of knowledge management systems demand self-discipline and self-motivation on the part of employees so as to enjoy the full benefits of e-learning. Recommendations This study provides information that is pertinent to knowledge management systems. A lot of emphases should be put on the learner-focused strategy. The study found that learner-focused strategy has the greatest impact on knowledge management system, especially in the energy companies. Communication and collaboration should be improved so as to give an easy time for the implementation and adoption of e-learning. Improved training and development and leadership capability amenities should also be given a lot of priority so that they can be up to standard and fit the specifications and the requirements of the organization. Last but not least, organizations should have an extremely entrenched values and principles of learning and development to pinpoint the impact of the new system of learning. References Archambault, L. (2010). Identifying and addressing teaching challenges in k-12 online environments. Distance Learning , 7 (2), 13-17. Blanchard, K., & Cathy, T. (2002). 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J. (2001). E-Learning: Strategies for delivering knowledge in the digital age . New York: McGraw-Hill. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Study Methods for Business Students (4th ed). London: Prentice Hall. Serban, A. M., & Luan, J. (2002). Knowledge Management: Building a Competitive Advantage in Higher Education. Institutional Research J ournal , 4, (113-120. Schein, E. H. (1993). On dialogue, culture and organizational learning. Organizational dynamics , 22 (2), 40-51. Spirgi, H. & Gebavi, A. (2007). Growing a viable LMS governance model. Chief Learning Officer , 6 (8), 34-37. Tubaishat, A. (2008).Adoption of Learning Technologies to Alleviate the Impact of Social and Cultural Limitations in Higher Education: Proceedings of the 1 st E-Learning Excellence Forum (pp. 40-50). Dubai, UAE. Tucci, C. (2013). Business model innovation . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Vera, D. & Crossam, M. (2003). 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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: The paper analyses the recent researches on the problem of schizophrenia. The works that study the historical, statistical and medical aspects are reviewed. Particular attention is given to the positive, negative, and psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia like delusions, hallucinations, poor speech, confused thinking, etc. The importance of their early identification is underlined, as timely diagnosing increases the chance for the positive outcome of the illness.

The paper analyses the recent researches on the problem of schizophrenia. The works that study the historical, statistical and medical aspects are reviewed. Particular attention is given to the positive, negative, and psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia like delusions, hallucinations, poor speech, confused thinking, etc. The importance of their early identification is underlined, as timely diagnosing increases the chance for the positive outcome of the illness.

Schizophrenia in Young Men and Women Research Paper Abstract The paper analyses the recent researches on the problem of schizophrenia. The works that study the historical, statistical and medical aspects are reviewed. Particular attention is given to the positive, negative, and psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia like delusions, hallucinations, poor speech, confused thinking, etc. The importance of their early identification is underlined, as timely diagnosing increases the chance for the positive outcome of the illness. The approaches to diagnosing this disorder are presented. It is underlined that not only the symptoms but their duration are essential for diagnosing schizophrenia. The epidemiology and the possible preconditions for this disorder both in men and women are outlined. The gender differences in schizophrenia development are considered. The research reveals that schizophrenia most frequently develops in early adulthood. That is why special attention should be given to the study of this disorder in young men and women. Besides, the treatment methods which take into account the gender peculiarities are stated. The causes of the differences in schizophrenia development in young men and women are analyzed. Introduction Many people in the modern world experience depression, panic attacks, and other mental disorders. These symptoms are the subject of abnormal psychology which studies the pathologies of the mind. Schizophrenia is among the common mental disorders. It occurs in people regardless of culture or status. Butcher, Hooley, and Mineka (p.444, 2013) state that this “disorder is characterized by an array of diverse symptoms, including extreme oddities in perception, thinking, action, sense of self, and manner of relating to others.” Still, the major sign of schizophrenia is a critical loss of connection with reality. Miller (2015) mentions that the diagnosis of schizophrenia is usually applied to the people who behave so differently from the way they used to, that they look like different people. This state is also called psychosis, which is a psychological condition of breaking or delusion of the person’s mind. The majority of researchers agree that the symptoms of this condition are hallucinations, incoherent speech, delusions, bizarre behaviors, disregard for personal safety, erratic dangerousness to self or others, becoming immobilized or completely withdrawn, or being uninterested in self-care and personal hygiene (Miller, 2015). The psychotic symptoms (like hallucinations and delusion) usually appear in men in early adulthood, or just after the age of 20. In women, they are revealed between the age of 25 and 30. The occurrence of schizophrenic symptoms after 45 is rare as well as before adolescence. That is why schizophrenia should be considered first of all as the illness of young men and women. The early disclosure of characteristic symptoms, further diagnosing together with adequate treatment increase the chance of the positive outcome. Thus, the research of the problem among the young people is the primary task. Literature Review According to Long et al. (as cited in Comer, 2015, p. 467), about 1 of every 100 people in the world has schizophrenia at some time in his or her life. The statistics of 2010 estimated the number of people with schizophrenia in the world as 24 million, among them 2.5 million people in the United States (Comer, 2015, p. 467). Apart from moral and financial resources, this illness increases the risk of other diseases which are often fatal. Laursen (as cited in Comer, 2015, p.467) states that people with schizophrenia live on average 20 years less than other people. McNally (2016) investigates schizophrenia in the historical context. He studies the symptoms suggested by researchers throughout the history. He also analyses the problem of defining the notion of schizophrenia by different scholars and psychiatrists. He mentions “the historic lack of agreement and inability to find an essential characterization of schizophrenia” (2016, p.199). Still, McNally mentions the numerous approaches to schizophrenia treatment already as of 1936 (2016, p.208). Abel and Nickl-Jockschat (2016) consider schizophrenia “a severe neuropsychiatric disorder that not only causes a high burden of disease but also challenges our understanding of how the mind and brain work” (p.3). If a healthy person controls actions or thoughts, the one suffering from schizophrenia cannot do it. Thornicroft, Brohan, and Kassam (as cited in Barlow & Durand, 2014, p.477) define schizophrenia as “a complex syndrome that inevitably has a devastating effect on the lives of the person affected and on family members.” This illness disorganizes the individual’s perception, thought, language, and activity. Thus, it affects almost all components of everyday life. In spite of numerous researches and substantial progress in the treatment of schizophrenia, the number of absolute recovery examples is limited. This destructive disorder demands a lot of emotions from the sufferer and the surrounding people. Apart from emotions, it is a very expensive illness. According to Barlow and Durand (2014), schizophrenia costs about $60 billion to the United States every year. This amount includes the cost of treatment, care in the family, and the loss of earnings, for the people with this disorder do not work. Symptoms It is certain that schizophrenia is a clinical diagnosis. It has definite symptoms and signs, but there is still no test to discover and prove this disorder. International Classification of Diseases of World Health Organization (as cited in Castle & Buckley, 2015, p.4) states the following symptoms of schizophrenia. If a person observes at least one of those: “thought echo, insertion, withdrawal, broadcast; passivity phenomena or delusional perception; third-person conversing or running commentary hallucinations” or at least two of the following: “persistent hallucinations in any modality, with delusions; disorganized speech; catatonia” or any negative symptoms (which are primary), a visit to a doctor should be planned. Comer (2015) speaks of three types of schizophrenia symptoms. They are positive, negative, and psychomotor. Positive Symptoms Positive symptoms usually are the extremities and strangeness in an individual’s behavior. Among these symptoms are delusions, confused thinking and speech, heightened perceptions, and hallucinations. Delusions are observed by most people with schizophrenia. Those ideas seem true but confuse the people. Some patients experience one dominating delusion during the illness. The others may have various delusions. Among the most frequent delusions is that of persecution. People believe they are chased or spied on. Other common delusions are those of reference, grandeur or control. Confused thinking and speech mean that people lose the ability to think logically, and speak unusually. It complicates the communication with the ill person. As for heightened perceptions and hallucinations, the researchers agree that some people with schizophrenia observe the intensified perceptions and attention (Comer, 2015). Consequently, any important event becomes a torture for them. The problems with attention and perception may appear long before schizophrenia develops. Thus, they can be a signal of the coming disorder. Another frequent symptom of schizophrenia is hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations are the most common. People may hear voices or other sounds in their heads. The voices often give directions, thus stimulating the people for certain actions. Hallucinations can also be tactile, somatic, visual or gustatory (Comer, 2015). Apart from the mentioned above, people with schizophrenia demonstrate emotions inappropriate to the situation. For example, they may smile when telling bad news, or be sad in a situation happy for a healthy person. Negative Symptoms Negative symptoms can be explained by the absence of certain characteristics in people, or “pathological deficits” (Comer, 2015, p.474). Among the typical characteristics of schizophrenia are poor speech, weakened affect, lack of volition, and retraction from society. These deficits certainly influence the life of a person. The poor speech, or alogia, is usually characterized by little speech content. The people experiencing this disorder do not speak and think much. Some people may speak more, but their utterances lack sense. A lot of individuals with schizophrenia observe a blunted or weakened effect. It means that they are less sad, angry or happy compared to other people in their reactions to the reality. Some of them are unemotional. They are characterized with little eye contact and monotonous voices. As for the loss of volition, it is also observed among the people with schizophrenia. It is often called avolition, or apathy. The people with this symptom feel exhausted, uninterested, and having no aim. As a rule, it is typical of the people who have had schizophrenia for a long time. As a result, they are drained and purposeless. The feelings of people with schizophrenia are contradictory and uncertain. Another negative symptom is social withdrawal. The individuals with schizophrenia often prefer to retract from the society. They are obsessed with their fantasies and ideas; thus they do not need anyone. This withdrawal takes them even further from reality, as their ideas are disorganized and absurd. Such retraction may result in the loss of major social skills, which in its turn can make the treatment more complicated. Psychomotor Symptoms Apart from positive and negative, people with schizophrenia may observe psychomotor symptoms. The examples of those symptoms may be slow or strange movements, repeated grimaces, and unusual gestures. They pretend to have a certain magical or ritual purpose. The ultimate form of the psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia is known as catatonia. The individuals in a catatonic stupor do not react to the surrounding. They may not move and be silent for long periods of time. People who experience catatonic rigidity can stay in a fixed, upright position for hours. Moreover, they turn down the attempts to move them. Besides, other people with schizophrenia may take clumsy and strange poses and hold that way for long periods of time. Another type of catatonia, the catatonic excitement, is characterized by excited and uncontrolled movements of arms and legs (Comer, 2015). Diagnosing Schizophrenia Both physical and mental illnesses have a set of characteristic symptoms. The discovery of symptoms, their correct interpretation, and the resulting timely diagnosing is half the way to the successful treatment. Some mental disorders are harsh. As a result, the people who experience them do not realize that their beliefs are not real. Consequently, they are not aware of the problem at all. Oltmanns and Emery (2015, p.4) define schizophrenia as “a form of psychosis, a general term that refers to several types of severe mental disorders in which the person is considered to be out of contact with reality.” A set of symptoms that are observed simultaneously during a certain period characteristic of a definite disorder is called a syndrome (Oltmanns & Emery, 2015). Every separate symptom is an untrustworthy indicator of a disease. Every feature here is important. The complex of person’s behaviors is unique for every disorder. Apart from the complexity of symptoms, their duration is also significant. Constant inadequate behavior may be a sign of a mental disorder. Some accidental awkward behaviors disappear if ignored. Still, if they are repeated, they may be the symptoms of problems. A problem with diagnosing mental disorders is that the symptoms are varied. Very often two people diagnosed with schizophrenia experience essentially different symptoms. The American Psychiatric Association (as cited in Awad & Voruganti, 2016, p.3) states that “the degree of suffering and the degree of subsequent disability varies among individuals similarly diagnosed.” Schizophrenia is a symptom-based diagnosis at the moment. The symptoms are confirmed by certain questionnaires. The most significant criterion for diagnosing is the functional decline (Awad & Voruganti, 2016). It means that people see the individuals with schizophrenia as disabled. The American Psychiatric Association (as cited in Comer, 2015, p.476) considers a diagnosis of schizophrenia true only when the symptoms of the disorder last for at least six months. An individual should be in an active phase in minimum one of these months. This period is characterized by serious delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech. Moreover, the degradation of the person’s performance in work and social life is observed. Some scholars believe that there is a possibility to predict the way of schizophrenia development. The so-called Type, I and Type II schizophrenia, should be distinguished (Comer, 2015). The individuals having Type I schizophrenia usually reveal mostly positive symptoms. Among these symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and some thought disorders. The individuals with Type II schizophrenia observe mainly negative symptoms, for example, those of restricted affect, poverty of speech, and loss of volition. Marchesi et al., Corves et al. (as cited in Comer, 2015, p.478) mention that patients with Type I on the whole show more improvement, particularly with the application of medical treatment. Epidemiology Schizophrenia is a widespread disorder and is diagnosed all over the world (Awad & Voruganti, 2016). The illness has influenced approximately 50 million people in different countries. Men show a little higher incidence than women. Also, they may first experience this disorder in the earlier age. They also observe more negative symptoms, greater neurologic deficits, a worse course of illness (Awad & Voruganti, 2016). Thus, sex-specific factors are implied. During one’s lifetime, the risk of having schizophrenia is less than 1 percent, about 0.7 percent in fact (Butcher et al., 2013, 445). Certainly, the statistics do not mean equal risk for everyone and just evaluates the average risk. There are certain categories of people who are under the high danger of developing schizophrenia. Among them are, for example, the individuals whose fathers were aged 45 to 50 years or more when they were born. Most of the schizophrenia cases start in late adolescence or early adulthood, within the age range of 18 to 30 years. There are the cases of schizophrenia onset in the middle age, but they are rare. Speaking of men, schizophrenia is discovered between ages 20 and 24. As for women, the age range is almost the same. Still, the peak is less obvious. As a rule, after the age of 35, the number of schizophrenia cases among men decreases. At the same time, the number of equal women remains the same. The discovery of sex differences in neuropsychological measures is not new (Li & Spaulding, 2016). It has already been described. Still, the appearance of strong differences on tests could be connected to certain brain systems. The discrepancies discovered look like “sex differences in height and weight rather than sexually dimorphic differences… Men on average are taller and heavier, yet we can readily think of women who are taller and heavier than most men or men who are shorter and lighter than most women” (Li & Spaulding, 2016, p.210). Schizophrenia in Men and Women: The Difference Generally speaking, the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia in men and women are the same. Nevertheless, certain differences can be observed between the two genders. As it was mentioned above, there is a slight difference in the age when schizophrenia first develops. For men, it occurs at the age of 15-20. Women may face the illness later, between 20-25 years. Another fact apart from the earlier occurrence for men is that schizophrenia in men often runs harder than in women. Probably, a female hormone estrogen has a protective function and prevents schizophrenia (McNally, 2016). The symptoms of schizophrenia also have some gender differences. When it comes to men, they observe the lack of will and low energy; they are not able to make decisions and plan their actions. As a rule, men with schizophrenia are less affected by medical treatment. As for women, the symptoms they experience are not so serious. The women are likely to give up the job and not make a problem of it, while men suffer the loss of the job severely. On the whole, men are expected to develop more severe forms of schizophrenia than women. While estrogen is efficient, the women have less risk of severe disorder than men (Butcher et al., 2013). Still, with the beginning of the menopause when the quantity of estrogen decreases, the percent of women observing schizophrenia symptoms increases. Speaking of the preconditions of this mental disorder, the gender differences are also noticed. Women who were born to mothers with a viral infection have more chances to develop schizophrenia. At the same time for men, a birth trauma is a more probable reason to have schizophrenia in adulthood. It may be interesting to deal with male and female peculiarities of schizophrenia in more detail. Schizophrenia in Men Schizophrenia in men is a widespread mental illness. In fact, it is a group of progressing illnesses which can develop both slowly and rapidly, resulting in changes in personality, thought disorders, alterations in emotion and volition. Schizophrenia in men is a chronic illness which demands longitudinal observation of a specialist. The symptoms of schizophrenia in men scare their family and may cause the denial of the sufferer. Still, the disorder may be cured only with the support of the close people. The reasons for schizophrenia in men may be various. One of them is an inherited predisposition. It results in the functional disorder of brain cells performance. The statistics prove that often the relatives of the man observing schizophrenia also suffer from some mental disorders. Then signs of negative inheritance may be obsessions, character oddness, alcoholism, the seasonal change of mood, suicides in the family. In addition to inheritance theory of schizophrenia development, the autoimmune and virus theories should be reviewed (Castle & Buckley, 2015). The symptoms of schizophrenia in men can be both positive and negative. The positive ones are evident symptoms like hallucinations. The men start behaving strangely. This odd behavior usually includes delirium, pseudo-hallucinations, automatic actions, catatonia, unmotivated foolish behavior, obsessions, mood disorders, and depersonalization. The negative symptoms result in restraint, indifference, unsociable demeanor, the loss of emotional and volition qualities. They have more diagnostic value that the positive ones. However, these are not the only mental disorders characteristic of men with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia in men is often characterized with alcohol addiction. It can also be influenced by the previous traumatic brain injuries, which interfere the effective treatment (Castle & Buckley, 2015). If the illness develops in adulthood, the functions of memory and intellect are not affected. The non-standard perception and thinking may have striking results. There are famous scientists, writers, musicians or poets among the men with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be diagnosed and treated by a qualified and experienced psychiatrist. The disorder may have various cases, both mild and severe. The modern techniques allow treatment out of clinics. The initial treatment stage includes intensive therapy necessary for the general condition stabilization. It is crucial to reduce the major symptoms as they have negative impact on the quality of life. Nevertheless, the treatment within a specialized clinic may have its benefits. In this case, there is no need to transport the patient who is often inadequate. After the basic stabilization, a further complex therapy is applied. It is aimed at the restoration of mental processes and is designed considering individual symptoms. The necessary corrections should be made in the course of treatment depending on patient’s reactions. In case of early diagnosing and appropriate treatment, the patients can restore their self-care skills and the social status. Schizophrenia in Women Schizophrenia in women is a complicated mental disorder with multiform clinical picture. Often it is a smoldering illness characterized by periodic attacks and remission periods. One of the theories of schizophrenia development in women is that of defective gene inheritance. The gene is considered to provoke the personality disorder. The obvious symptoms are observed in adolescence. It may include the low maternal instinct and hormonal disorders. Together they lead to the misbalance of perception, both of the surrounding world and the personality. The initial complex provoking personality pathologic changes is connected with the dissatisfaction of one’s appearance. The denial of the social role is the next step. The first symptoms of schizophrenia in women reveal at the age of 25-30. The development of the disorder after the age of 50 is very rare. Apart from genetics, the roots of schizophrenia in women may be found in the change of family atmosphere, lasting stress, post-natal depression, various phobias and complexes (Castle & Buckley, 2015). Up to 2% of the diagnosed cases have virus or bacterial nature. In this case schizophrenia in women may develop as a result of bacterial or virus meningitis. Among the symptoms of schizophrenia in women are hallucinations (both audial and visual), the persuasion in the influence from outside, the poorness of thoughts and emotions, apathy, the inability to make decisions, etc. The first symptoms are usually revealed in adolescence. Sometimes they may be conditioned by the lack of attention, both in family and from the opposite sex. In some cases, mental disorders lead to the physical ones. For example, bulimia is diagnosed together with schizophrenia among teenage girls. After some time, the symptoms of schizophrenia are followed by some personality changes. The patient may experience bad depression and aggressive behavior. The other symptoms of schizophrenia in women include the characteristic appearance, repetitive movements, delirium, monotonous voice, poor emotions. The patient is not able to feel joy or grief. The hygiene habits also suffer. The treatment of schizophrenia in women should be organized in a clinic. However, a long stay in a medical institution may have negative results (Awad & Voruganti, 2016). The treatment usually includes biologic and social therapy. Particular attention should be given to prevention of recrudescence, as they make the illness more complicated. Conclusions The examination of schizophrenia symptoms, types, and possible variations of this disorder development gives an opportunity to evaluate the risks of the illness. Generally speaking, the disorder development is characteristic of the young age. The illness is widely spread and is not influenced by the race or place of living. It has certain genetic and gender-related roots. The core idea is that the knowledge of the symptoms and their correct interpretation may help to diagnose the disorder timely. As a result, the probability of the successful treatment increases. The treatment should consider the patient’s peculiarities, which include age, sex, personal characteristics, and the individual symptoms observed by a sufferer. Special approach and the professionalism of a doctor are the factors that influence the illness outcome. Despite the complexity of the disorder, the suitable treatment at the right time may result in the patient’s recovery and the return to the usual life. References Abel, T., & Nickl-Jockschat, T. (Eds.). (2016). The neurobiology of schizophrenia . London, UK: Elsevier. Awad, A.G., & Voruganti L.N.P. (Eds.). (2016). Beyond assessment of quality of life in schizophrenia . Basel, Switzerland: Basel, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. Barlow, D.H., & Durand, V.M. (2014). Abnormal Psychology: An integrative approach. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Butcher, J.N., Hooley, J.M. & Mineka, S. (2013). Abnormal Psychology (16th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Castle, D.J., & Buckley, P.F. (2015). Schizophrenia (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Comer, R.J. (2015). Abnormal Psychology (9th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Li, N., & Spaulding, W.D. (2016). The neuropsychopathology of schizophrenia: Molecules, brain systems, motivation, and cognition . Basel, Switzerland: Basel, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. McNally, K. (2016). A critical history of schizophrenia . Hanpshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Miller, R.B. (2015). Not so abnormal Psychology: A pragmatic view of mental Illness . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Oltmanns, T.F., & Emery, R.E. (2015). Abnormal Psychology . (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson College Division.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The Second Industrial Revolution was a rapid development period in the industrial segment in the last decades of the 19th century. This era began in 1820, although it slowed down up to the 1870s and picked up again up to 1900.The Second Industrial Revolution was a rapid development period in the industrial segment in the last decades of the 19th century. This era began in 1820, although it slowed down up to the 1870s and picked up again up to 1900.

The Second Industrial Revolution was a rapid development period in the industrial segment in the last decades of the 19th century. This era began in 1820, although it slowed down up to the 1870s and picked up again up to 1900. The Second Industrial Revolution was a rapid development period in the industrial segment in the last decades of the 19th century. This era began in 1820, although it slowed down up to the 1870s and picked up again up to 1900.

Second Industrial Revolution in Europe Essay The Second Industrial Revolution was a rapid development period in the industrial segment in the last decades of the 19th century. This era began in 1820, although it slowed down up to the 1870s and picked up again up to 1900. During this period, there was tremendous transformation of the European society in most aspects of development. Technological Revolution, a term also used to refer to the Second Industrial Revolution, refers to increased productivity and higher quality of products. These improvements depend on the minute, collective, and anonymous changes called micro inventions. However, the major inventions in energy, chemicals, and materials such as steel increased the efficiency of research and growth of the micro inventions. The First Industrial Revolution had introduced a lot of changes to Europe that made the second revolution successful. Steel, electricity, chemicals, and oil were the principle identifiers of this revolution as new ways of their production and use came to light. According to Merriman (756), the Second Industrial Revolution brought about the rise of new scientific inventions and their products, as well as new markets for the products and more developed industries to handle increased production. There is a significant difference among the inventions of the first and the second Industrial Revolution. The inventions of the Second Industrial Revolution provided more understanding of the dynamics among science and technology, as well as a wider scope of activities and products than the First Revolution. The effects of the Second Revolution included higher living standards in the society as individuals had more access to employment. The value of money also increased as more people gained access to advanced technologies. The changing nature of the organization of production is also another feature that characterizes the trajectory of Europe during the Second Industrial Revolution. During this time, there was immense growth in some large scale industries throughout Europe. This resulted from the emergence of immeasurable concerns regarding significant economies related to manufacturing (Merriman 821). These concerns involved the relationship among production organizations in terms of fuel consumption, engine sizes, and production capacities. For instance, the sizes of containers used in the chemical and oil industries became a significant factor in the growth of these industries, thus a point to consider when setting up an organization. Some of the economic regulators were organizational in nature, others focused on marketing advantages, while others targeted monopolizing the industry. Large and growing industries had to come up with ways of coping with the changes arising from the Revolution and, therefore, had to organize their production (Merriman 901). The growth of steel and iron industry during the Second Industrial revolution spearheaded the growth of other industries. New developments in the chemical industry also led to discoveries in productions of medicine, fertilizers for agricultural use, and artificial raw materials in industries. There was also the discovery of economic potential of electricity in power transmission, communication, transport, and its use as a form of industrial power (Merriman 747). Other developments noted in this era involved the transport sector, production engineering, food processing, agricultural techniques, textile industry, and household technology. The rise of technological systems resulted from the changes made in production technology. The whole technological system became a commonplace and not an exception as known earlier. There were many changes that required coordination of the different participating organizations thus the realization that the various components of technology required working together (Merriman 732). Works Cited Merriman, John . A History of Modern Europe: From the French Revolution to the Present. 3rd ed. 2007. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Print.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : The essay discusses how the selection of a Security Systems Engineer for a technological company can be improved through the use of a powerful staffing model. The third attribute is that the strategy should involve the use of technology to shorten the hiring process.The essay discusses how the selection of a Security Systems Engineer for a technological company can be improved through the use of a powerful staffing model.

The essay discusses how the selection of a Security Systems Engineer for a technological company can be improved through the use of a powerful staffing model. The third attribute is that the strategy should involve the use of technology to shorten the hiring process. The essay discusses how the selection of a Security Systems Engineer for a technological company can be improved through the use of a powerful staffing model.

Security Systems Engineer for Technological Company Essay Introduction The selected technological organization markets and installs remote surveillance cameras. Recently, the company won a contract to provide similar services to government agencies. If the firm is to remain successful, it must hire competent employees and empower them to achieve every objective. The implementation of a powerful staffing model can make it easier for the human resource (HR) department to meet the needs of more employees and promote performance. Appropriate plans can also be used to deal with various problems such as increased turnover, reduced morale, and lack of empowerment. As the company plans to expand its operations and become sustainable, the suggestions presented below will ensure that it hires a competent Security Systems Engineer. Three Job Requirements The proposed position is that of a Security Systems Engineer (SSE). The targeted candidate should be able to manage, monitor, and guide different workers to install, inspect, and maintain security systems and surveillance cameras. The successful person should fulfill three unique requirements. The first one is the possession of a security systems engineering degree from a reputable university. The second requirement is that the candidate must have worked in a similar position for not less than 24 months. These two requirements will ensure that the candidate has adequate experiences for the position (Ekwoaba, Ikeije, & Ufoma, 2015). The third one is that the individual should be confident, obedient, self-motivated, and a critical thinker. He or she should possess adequate communication skills. Such requirements will guide the person to focus on the goals of the company. Impacting Staffing It is agreeable that HR departments should be keen to develop powerful staffing models to ensure that every potential candidate possesses the right competencies and skills (Banfield, Kay, & Royles, 2018). The above three requirements have the potential to impact staffing in this organization in several ways. The first one is that such credentials could set the tone for future hiring procedures. This means that every job applicant in the future should possess adequate communication skills such as attentive listening, problem-solving, and decision-making. These attributes will empower different workers to focus on the organization’s goals. The second way is that the outlined requirements can be met by many engineers in the region. That being the case, the company will be in a position to identify and recruit a skilled person with ease. The development will support its business model and expansion strategy. Strategy for Applicants An efficient strategy is needed in the organization to ensure that every applicant fulfills the above job requirements. The strategy will be characterized by three attributes. The first one is making sure that all applicants send their resumes to the HR department. The second attribute is that every resume should have three referees. The third attribute is organizing for interviews. This powerful strategy will deliver the targeted goal due to several reasons. Firstly, the referees will be contacted to offer useful information regarding the competencies of the applicants (Sun, 2015). Secondly, the outlined interviews will be used to examine and crosscheck every applicant’s qualifications and competencies. Long-Term Recruitment Plan A long-term recruitment strategy can dictate the performance (or failure) of a given organization (Sun, 2015). The leaders at the company should implement a potent plan that can ensure that skilled individuals are hired to support its business agenda. The first component of the suggested long-term recruitment plan is the identification of the current workforce shortage. This information will always be used to inform the second element. This component is the desire to align the organization’s workforce needs and goals. The third component (or step) is identifying potential individuals from the workforce or hiring competent individuals from different regions. The fourth component is known as succession planning. This aspect will be used by the HR department to identify competent people to fill specific positions and rehire retirees to minimize recruitment costs. Such practices will be used to identify potential job skills or credential shortages (Banfield et al., 2018). Continuous monitoring is the final component of the plan. This aspect will be used to make appropriate changes and amendments depending on the emerging needs of the company. Branding Companies that have poor brand images find it hard to attract and hire competent employees (Sun, 2015). Three appropriate branding strategies will be used to attract qualified applicants to this organization. The first strategy will entail the use of the company’s culture. Potential applicants will be informed about the best practices and values associated with the company such as work-life balance, equality, competitive salaries, and empowerment. The second branding approach will be the use of different social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Glassdoor to popularize the company’s image. The third strategy will focus on the company’s website to inform more people about its business model, goals, desirable working conditions, and employees’ experiences. Such strategies will encourage more people to apply for the advertised position. Communication Methods The use of efficient communication methods will sensitize more potential candidates about the advertised position. Three powerful methods will be considered throughout the process. The first one will be the use of the company’s online presence. This technological approach will inform more people about the company’s brand image and the benefits associated with the intended position (Ekwoaba et al., 2015). The second method to consider is the use of mass media outlets such as radio stations, newspapers, and television channels. Such avenues will ensure that more applicants are aware of the position. The third method is that of social media networks. These platforms continue to attract more users every single day (Sun, 2015). From this analysis, it is evident that the proposed communication methods will not be isolated from the above branding strategies. Consequently, the mixed approach will deliver the intended message to the greatest number of applicants. The rationale for this argument is that the approaches will work synergistically to promote the company’s brand image while at the same time informing more persons about the vacancy. Selection Processes and Criteria Several selection processes can be used whenever recruiting new employees. The presented scenario can benefit from the power of evaluation and hiring. This process can be executed by inviting job applicants and interviewing them to hire the best candidate (Ekwoaba et al., 2015). The second process that can be applied in the organization is identifying a competent engineer from the current workforce. After settling on the most appropriate selection, it will be easier to get an experienced person for the position. A powerful and sustainable approach can be used to hire new employees at the company. The best selection criteria can be constituted of five approaches. The first one is evaluating organizational needs to identify the right vacancy or position. This second step is giving a detailed description of the post. The third approach is developing a recruitment plan (Ekwoaba et al., 2015). The fourth step is identifying, inviting, and interviewing potential applicants. The final phase is analyzing their submissions in an attempt to identify the most suitable candidate. The hired individual should then be supported and empowered using adequate resources. Effect of the 5 Selection Criteria The above 5 selection criteria are aimed at hiring competent individuals who can support the goals of the company. The decision to match organizational needs to individual skills is what makes the approach sustainable. This means that the company will hire individuals whose skills are needed. Additionally, such employees will be supported by different stakeholders and leaders. The justification is that such practices will improve the level of employee retention. The hired person should receive adequate support and resources (Ekwoaba et al., 2015). This initiative justifies why the approach is capable of preserving organizational knowledge. The recruited individuals are empowered to continue focusing on the goals of the company. Assessment Methods As indicated earlier, the current position is that of a Security Systems Engineer. The organization must use powerful assessment methods to select competent persons for this vacancy. The first assessment method is the use of an interview. This strategy is recommended since it is valid and reliable depending on the nature of the position. The method will empower the interviewer to collect adequate information from every applicant. Additionally, the approach can expose the competencies and communication skills possessed by the individuals (Banfield et al., 2018). Since the mode of interviewing is face-to-face, the applicants will offer useful information that can inform the HR manager’s decision. The second assessment method is the use of monitored tasks. For instance, applicants can be required to install surveillance cameras and examine if they are working efficiently. They should also write a report that can guide the interviewer to make appropriate inferences and conclusions (Ekwoaba et al., 2015). This method is practical and can ensure that the right candidate for the job is hired. Job Predictors Several job predictors will be used to assess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other skills/experiences (KSAOs) of every applicant. The first one is known as job fit (Sun, 2015). This predictor focuses on a person’s past accomplishments and how he or she can support the company’s business model. This predictor will reveal an applicant’s skills and competencies. The second predictor is the achiever pattern (Banfield et al., 2018). This attribute helps recruiters identify competent candidates who will support the company’s objectives. The third predictor is known as an aptitude test. This kind of analysis predicts a person’s ability to complete various activities depending on his or her competencies. The last predictor is the ability to make appropriate career decisions. A person who focuses on professional growth will possess adequate skills and experiences that can support the goals of the organization. Conclusion The success of any company depends on its ability to identify, interview, and hire competent employees who can support its business model. This proposed organization can use powerful selection and hiring processes for the targeted position and achieve its objectives. The HR department should also focus on every aspect and approach to make the recruitment process efficient. Consequently, the organization will address its current staffing issues and eventually remain profitable in its industry. References Banfield, P., Kay, R., & Royles, D. (2018). Introduction to human resource management (3rd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Ekwoaba, J. O., Ikeije, U. U., & Ufoma, N. (2015). The impact of recruitment and selection criterion on organizational performance. Global Journal of Human Resource Management, 3 (2), 22-33. Sun, L. (2015). Exploring the causes of recruiting failure. Journal of Service Science and Management, 8, 42-45. Web.

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Write the full essay for the following summary: The study has compared how control and autonomy affect performance and wellbeing of firms and their employees. It was found that when employees are given more autonomy, they tend to perform better and feel more satisfied with their jobs.

The study has compared how control and autonomy affect performance and wellbeing of firms and their employees. It was found that when employees are given more autonomy, they tend to perform better and feel more satisfied with their jobs.

Self-Determination Theory and Its Limitations Case Study Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Elements of Self Determination Theory 3. Application 4. Problems of the Theory 5. Critical Assessment 6. Limitation of the Theory 7. Conclusion 8. List of References Introduction Self-determination theory (SDT) is concerned with human motivation and personality. The main focus is how an individual’s behaviour is self-motivated and also how well it is determined. In other words, motivation is the driving force toward human behaviour. Individual behaviour is motivated by the dominant role of intrinsic motives. The research of intrinsic motivation has made a definition of the theory as the initiation of an action for its own reason and concern or purely because the people who are involved in the activity enjoy it. Extrinsic motivation is defined as performing or doing an activity to obtain an external goal by getting a reward or benefit from it. Some different types of motivation have been explained based on how they have been internalized. They could be referred to as the active ability to change an extrinsic idea into an individual’s beliefs and values that utilize behavioural regulations that are initially external. Some of the benefits of intrinsic motivations are obtained from within. People who get motivated to feel confident and are interested in what they do (Deci & Ryan 1985, p. 2002). Elements of Self Determination Theory Psychologist Ryan and Edward Deci of the University of Rochester classified types of motivation in a continuum. For cognitive evaluation theory, ‘intrinsic’ is defined as regulatory. People identify it with activities that are important as their personal goals. Integrated regulation has specific identifiable rules that are accepted by the individual and concluded together with other values and needs (Deci & Ryan 2002, p.113). Intrinsic motivation as an activity is done for the purpose of increasing the morale of employees. On the extrinsic category, motivation is classified into three categories. First is the motivation that is lack of an intention to act on something, and a person may refuse to act because there is no specific reason or purpose. Some work or activities may be done to satisfy a certain external demand whereby a person is controlled or forced to work due to external regulation. Interjected regulation involves activities performed to get a reward, get recognized, or even avoid punishment. To develop intrinsic motivation, there is a need to meet psychological needs, maintain them by competence, autonomy, and relatedness, which is regarded as a stimulus for the growth of human motivators (Deci & Ryan 2002, p.113). Application The study has compared how control and autonomy affect performance and wellbeing of firms and their employees. Autonomy is the urge to have control over what you do and come up with your own decisions and choices. Autonomy involves accepting values from others, and these new values must be understood with the prevailing goals that are self-centred (White 1959, p. 232). External pressure may interfere with the process, and in this case, Madeline wanted all nurses under her supervision, irrespective of their knowledge, experience and profession to adhere to her final rule without criticizing her management style just like those of Molly and Margret. To support autonomy, Madeline should increase her control by finding ways to direct her actions and see if she could be able to control it. The intervention methods must be effective in bridging the gaps between behaviour and attitude. The behaviour of Madeline on her staffs should be persuasive and motivational. This should be achieved within a short period of time, but when intervention is removed, her behaviour will change without motivation. Some of the intervention strategies are difficult to maintain and expensive (Lepper & Nisbett, 1973, p. 230). By applying the skills of interrogation, Madeline should find ways to accept the ideas of Margret without ignoring some of her requests and, in return, she could have motivated Margret by her ideas incorporated in the management of the ward. On the other hand, the relationship between Margret and her supervisor should help her establish her goal and should help her improve the entire hospital. Margret should also act as a motivator to other nurses like Molly, who, though experienced, did not know some modern methods of maintaining a positive approach to work. Madeline should think of ways how to accept or act on the actions she has chosen. Therefore, she should put in mind the values of her behaviour to help her in work. As a supervisor, Madeline should do some alterations at work as she should change the shift of Margret and Molly in a different manner to make sure they are not in the same shift together. This is because they affect the motivation of other nurses while performing their duties. Supportive social connection to patients from their families and friends may encourage choices made by nurses like those of Molly and Margret made to give them a positive feedback and encouragement. Self determination theory further explains that environmental behaviour that is not motivated intrinsically is not persistent (Chirkov & Kaplan 2003, p. 312). Problems of the Theory Madeline should do without some of the deadlines that tend to reduce intrinsic motivation like those of being intrusive and following up the staffs especially while checking their performance and allocation of some duties. However, she should make sure that the patients are taken to her ward after the doctor has completed their examination, given that she has enough experience in patient care. Such duties will enhance her relationship with other nurses, patients and the surrounding community. Molly is more experienced in handling patients as observed by Madeline. Madeline should have assigned Molly to handle patient too as she has a commendable relationship in handling the patients’ family who were proud and happy of her good job. She was also good in general patient care. This attribute could help Madeline to do away with high pressure evaluation, which could increase her motivation to work even harder. The relationship between Madeline and Molly could be strengthened if only Madeline would agree to swap her responsibility of checking on the patients before being taken to the ward with Molly, who never criticized her as compared to Margaret (Harter 1978, p.78). According to Vallerand and Reid (1984, p.150), competency is an inner drive that engages in new challenges and experiences to get good things in the right way. It is a positive feedback on a person’s performance and competency. Madeline applied the motivational value of competency on commending on Margret’s abilities when performing her duties as a professional and as a registered nurse who was experienced. On the contrary, Madeline should not have been annoyed on Margret’s critics who tried suggesting how the ward should be managed. However, Madeline should have given Margret a positive feedback and her motivation could have created a positive impact on her performance. Positive impacts should be informational rather than controlling as this will kill the morale of employees. As a supervisor, Madeline should avoid these negative impacts, they may block intrinsic motivation. For instance, it happened to Molly and Margret who were dissatisfied by Madeline’s performance of supervisory duties especially when she passed over their duties to other nurses. This decreased their motivation to work including the morale of other employees in the organization (Vallerand & Reid 1984, p.413). According to Deci and Ryan (2002, p.115), relatedness is a natural obsession a person feels toward the other that merge into social groups. This feeling can be achieved individually. Madeline should improve interpersonal relationship of her staff by finding and organizing social groups that embrace the psychological behaviours that she wanted in the hospital. Supportive social connection to patients from their families and friends may encourage choices made by nurses like those of Molly and Margret made to give them a positive feedback and encouragement (Zuckerman & Deci 1978, p. 601). Relatedness is not enough to avoid external motivation and control, and requires the existence of a relationship between the supervisor and the nurses. Therefore, the hospital should build a caring atmosphere for both the supervisor and employees that will help to support the staffs’ autonomy. Madeline controlled and intruded in the nurses’ activities, meaning that relatedness was not applied and instead the nurses were emotionally affected Deci (1971, p.109). The support for competence and relatedness in this case is seen as interactive in strengthening the relationship of Madeline and her staffs within the hospital. This has led to specific techniques being developed to improve the performance of the health facility including ways of communication and socialization. The methods have proven effective in promoting self motivation. By focusing on intrinsic motivation and integration, self determination theory plays a unique role in psychology in understanding people’s behaviours that benefit socialization and promoting the morals of the society (Deci & Ryan 1985, p.129). Critical Assessment According to self determination theory, the relationship between the patients and nurses might initiate the efforts of change, which implies that it is advisable to move ahead in considering the patients’ level and quality of motivation. Autonomous type of motivation is seen to yield more positive outcome compared to other types specifically controlled motivation in this study. Researchers suggest that patients can endorse this change such that they are willing to pursue it rather than control it to make these changes. The relationship between the supervisor and her staff can be improved by the psychological use of competency, relatedness and autonomy. Through competence, some of the roles should be shared among competent nurses to reduce the roles of the supervisor that are already too many. Intrinsic motivations related with more difficult behaviours. Molly with her high internal motivation performed her duties well compared to other nurses with low intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation supports ecological wellbeing and supports high level of happiness (Vallerand & Reid 1984, p. 321). Limitation of the Theory In a hospital setting, not all employees are competent in their work. Unlike Margret who is experienced for more than seven years in different health care environments, Madeline is not very experienced in dealing with different people because not all nurses’ work is supervised. That puts pressure on her and making her report early and leave late to check on the performance of other nurses. Madeline works under pressure from patient families’ impatience as they want to make sure the patient is taken to the ward after the doctors check the patient. This could be reduced if she changes the duty roster to suite an autonomous nurse like Molly, who knows how to handle the patients well and is commended for the work. This could bring a difference and wellbeing of patients in paedriatic wards. The other limitation of the theory is the cost of organizing social forums for employees in order to train them on creating good relationships with their patients, workmates, and the management. It was also expensive to install some systems like computer software, as advised by Margret. However, she received criticism from her staff thereby lowering her motivation. In this case, autonomy was not applied effectively because Margret’s ideas on the suggestion of some changes on the supervision management were not taken into considerations (Deci & Ryan 1985, p.132). Conclusion According to White (1959, p.76) the quality of life and wellbeing in the pediatric hospital based on self determination theory was to examine the need of satisfaction in caring relationship and wellbeing in general, and high quality relationship results to good quality performance. It has been observed that relationship between the patients’ family and the nurses makes the quality of caring relationship of importance to the patients’ individual needs. The communication between staff and patients results to social emotional communication concerning personal talk and other effective behaviour, as observed from Molly the old nurse in the ward. Molly used secondary baby talk in handling children in the ward that is characterized by little eye contact, a high pitch like childish talk. In this study case psychological needs are identified, competence, autonomy, and relatedness that are important for psychology growth and wellbeing. Fulfillment of this psychological needs results to high level of wellbeing to the patients. In this pediatric hospital, need of fulfillment is seen to be difficult to achieve because the patients are confronted with physical limitations on dependence on others that may influence competence and relatedness (Chirkov & Kaplan 2003, p.503). List of References Chirkov, V & Kaplan, U 2003, Differentiating autonomy from individualism and independence: A self-determination perspective on internalization of cultural orientations, gender and well being, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , vol. 84, pp. 97-110. Deci, E & Ryan, 2002, Handbook of self-determination research , University of Rochester Press, Rochester. Deci, E & Ryan, R 1985, Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior , Plenum, New York. Deci, E 1971, Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , vol. 18, pp. 105-115. Harter, S 1978, Effectance motivation reconsidered: Toward a developmental model, Human Development , vol. 1, pp. 661-669. Lepper, M & Nisbett, R 1973, Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: a test of the overjustification hypothesis, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , vol. 28, pp. 129-137. Vallerand, R & Reid, G 1984, On the causal effects of perceived competence on intrinsic motivation: a test of cognitive evaluation theory, Journal of Sport Psychology , vol. 6, pp. 94-102. White, R 1959, Motivation reconsidered: the concept of competence, Psychological Review , vol. 66, pp. 297-333. Zuckerman, M & Deci, R 1978, On the importance of self-determination for intrinsically motivated behavior, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , vol. 4, pp. 443-446.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: The separation between girls and boys in the classroom is a controversial topic that has been debated for many years.While some people believe that the separation is necessary to prevent distractions and promote learning, others believe that it is a form of discrimination. The essay discusses the pros and cons of the separation, and concludes that it is a necessary practice to prevent distractions and promote learning.

The separation between girls and boys in the classroom is a controversial topic that has been debated for many years. While some people believe that the separation is necessary to prevent distractions and promote learning, others believe that it is a form of discrimination. The essay discusses the pros and cons of the separation, and concludes that it is a necessary practice to prevent distractions and promote learning.

Separation between girls and boys in the classroom Analytical Essay Introduction Sex separation is becoming a common practice in most learning institutions globally. The practice is widespread generally in high schools as compared to primary schools. Indeed, separation of boys and girls is considered vital especially among teenagers since it holds the capacity of fostering moral values, sanity, and development of basic human principles. It also eradicates the occurrence of sexual cases among students that have been increasing in various settings. The concept has presented immense benefits to teachers, students, and parents. At the outset, it has enabled every stakeholder in the education sector to understand his or her role in promoting delivery of quality education. Likewise, it has fostered discipline and instillation of proper ways of living among individuals of diverse sexes. The practice has also been contributing in reducing teenage pregnancies that has been at a record high of 46% in US (Woolston, 2012, p. 1). Most studies report high level of pregnancy among teenagers especially in mixed schools as compared to those who are separated. The studies also indicate that girls are more vulnerable and prone to getting premature pregnancies and other chronic diseases if they are exposed to boys. The findings show that boys and girls especially in high schools cannot stay and study effectively since they are sexually active at the stage. Their studies normally get disturbed since boys always seek to make advances to girls. Girls too are always impatient at this stage given that it remains the appropriate stage when, they tend to discover themselves including their potentials (Larsson & Svedin, 2002, p. 263). Proponents of sex segregation hold that the practice should be considered as a matter of principle and not a discriminatory practice. Stakeholders in the education, sector should view it holistically and weigh its benefits that are immense (Gurian, 2011, p. 23). They should consider it as a performance strategy since boys and girls have different styles of learning. This paper gives comprehensive and insightful discussion about separation of boys and girls in classrooms. Necessity of gender separation in the classroom As noted by Cole (2006, p. 102), single sex schools are being established at a rapid rate to cater for the rising need for students’ separation. Their rising development is due to the high demand for the schools, as most parents prefer enrolling their children to such institutions. This is evident as depicted in the statistics from the US education sector that indicate an increase of single sex schools in most states (Gurian, 2011, p. 23).. The increase stands at 64% up from 57% in the year 2012. The statistics also indicate that higher enrolment has been recorded in schools that provide single sex services. The schools remain attractive to most individuals including students who prefer them to mixed schools (Arum, Beattie & In Ford, 2011, p. 2). Currently, single sex schools holds more than 80% of the students as compared to mixed schools that account for only 20% of the total students. These figures are replicated in most nations in the world including Australia and UK. Notably, most single sex schools are high school level institutions that offer o-level certification. Students who are at the age group of between 13 to 18 years who require proper guidance and monitoring attend the schools. The institutions best suits them and their needs considering the stage of life that they are in at the age group. Most education stakeholders affirm that gender separation is necessary especially in high schools (Paechter, 2007, p. 5). This is because of its relevance in boosting discipline and sanity in schools. Cole (2006, p. 106) stated that separation of boys and girls should not be a mater of discussion due to its benefits. He attributed the practice to better performance for students, a remedy to inferiority feelings and a contributor to talent identification (Thorne, 1997, p. 9). In particular, gender separation promotes performance of students in diverse fields of operation. Firstly, the practice ensures that diversionary issues that normally occur when boys and girls are together do not occur (Larsson & Svedin, 2002, p. 263). It ensures that students operate in a favorable environment where feelings or individuals of the opposite sex do not bother them. Secondly, it enables students to learn comfortably and focus on their education holistically. This is apparent since individuals of diverse sexes have their own styles of doing things (Rivers & Barnett, 2011, p. 36). For instance, boys have their own ways of learning that entails faster internalization of issues as compared to girls who learn at a lower pace. The learning styles differ greatly hence feelings of incapacity may come up and affect some individuals especially girls. According to various empirical studies, girls do perform better, when they operate on their own and in favorable environments in comparison to when they are mixed with boys. Consequently, gender separation is imperative since it assists in averting feelings of inferiority among girls and boys. Girls normally suffer from inferiority complexities when they are near boys. The inferiority feelings come definitely, since boys are known to be good academically and they are fast learners (Rusby, 2005, p. 69). Their capability in tackling more demanding subjects such as mathematics make girls to feel inferior hence lose focus. However, if they are separated from boys their performance tends to look up. Most boys and girls who are in high schools have affirmed this aspect. They indicate that they prefer sex separation in schools due to its relevance especially in the contemporary society where cases of girl child abuse are in the increase. They note that gender separation enables them to execute their duties and obligations with minimal interference. They also indicate that gender separation enables them to be more focused in life and identify what they want without influence from other sexes. Likewise, the students indicate that separation of students is one major way of restoring discipline and order in schools (Strasser, 2002, p. 59). Despite the nobleness of the practice, its critics read malice and mischief in its objects. The critics state that the strategy is a clear way of denying teenagers the right to mingle, share experiences and be creative. They hold that the practice reinforces harmful stereotypes especially about boys and girls that detriments social cohesion. The critics hold that there is nothing wrong when students are not separated in learning institutions. Gender friendly schools enable them to know, understand each other, and build strong bond that is necessary for social cohesion. The critics also hold that sex segregation concept is not based on fundamental aspects, but sheer fallacies. They reason that variances in performance cannot be attributable to sex mixture (Spielhagen, 2013, p. 42). This is because female and male personalities have their own ways of understanding including execution of various activities. Particularly, the critic’s state that sex mixture is the best strategy to encourage others to perform well. It brings a healthy competition among students that is good for academic and social advancement (Martin, 2006, p. 6). Similarly, critics of the concept assert that it is based on misconstrued conception and not scientific finding. No scientific proof has been provided that justifies the fact that gender combination enhances or is a major cause of pregnancy among teenagers. In fact, teenage pregnancies occur mostly when students are not in schools. The right age for the separation of the sexes in the primary or high schools There are various schools of thought on the issues that appertain to the age limit that is recommended for separation of sexes. Some individuals think that age is not an issue and should not be a consideration while, others think that the practice should start when boys and girls are at their teens (Wootan, 2010, p. 59). Those who subscribe to the idea that separation of sexes should not be pegged on age limits, hold that boys and girls should be nurtured separately from their childhood. They indicate that the practice should start from primary schools to enable them inculcate strong male and female character traits. Individuals who are nurtured separately from childhood grow with noble characters that define them and their gender very well (Berman, 2009, p. 9). Boys who are nurtured in a male dominated environment grow with quality principles and character traits of male gender. They become strong, decisive, competitive, and aggressive. Likewise, girls who grow up in an environment dominated by women becomes rich in female related potentials that include being hospitable, kind, loving, caring and understanding (Stoll, 2013, p. 46). However, those who are against the idea hold that students should not be separated at tender ages. They should be allowed to mingle and play around with others. This is essential in enabling them to be friendly and recognize the existence of persons of the opposite sex in the environment. Ideally, separation of sexes should occur when children are at their teens. This should happen normally when they are in high schools. The categorical age or minimum age that should inform separation is eleven to fourteen years. This age limit is appropriate for sex separation as opposed to tender ages for various reasons (Gray, Nasta & Griffin, 2000, p. 4). Firstly, separation of sexes is prudent when students are at their early teens to avoid cases of intimacy and early sexual encounters. This is a crucial reason that informs separation in most settings globally. Parents and teachers are always keen to separate boys and girls since they are likely to engage in unbecoming activities early in life. The stage is very crucial in their life cycle given that they tend to discover themselves. It also remains the period when their sexual activeness start. Hence, they may be tempted to get involved in activities that are not enhancing value to their lives especially for girls who may become pregnant at the stage. This may jeopardize their learning and education in general as evident in most settings. Girls at this age bracket should be handled with care as compared to boys (McInerney & Liem, 2008, p. 53). They should be exposed to a lot of teachings on how they relate with boys at the stage, how they should manage their menstrual periods and how they should make decisions pertaining to social issues. For these teachings to be effective girls, should be separated from boys. They should be taught separately at places where they do not feel embarrassed at all. The second reason why separation at this age is important is that it helps in eradicating inferiority feelings especially by girls based on academic performance. Girls are known for being inferior in various aspects as compared to boys. Their inferiority nature makes them vulnerable and less productive when they are mixed with boys (McKinley, 2010, p. 4). Therefore, sex separation gives them the opportunity to develop as strong individuals who are brave to encounter various challenges in life. Studies show that girls who are learning in their own environment perform better that those in mixed schools. The exemplary performance is attributable to low levels of distraction and feelings of inferiority or unfair competition. Most scholars hold that if you want to identify your potentials and compete effectively, be in a favorable environment. This is essential since environmental factors are major elements that influence individual’s productivity (Gordon 2010, p. 6). In US, most learning institutions are developing modalities of ensuring that learning environment is made more conducive and encouraging for students. They are keen on promoting performance of students and make them competitive including enabling them to identify their talents (Hill & Robertson, 2009, p. 177). The institutions embrace separation as one of the strategies to facilitate sex orientation and inculcation of noble ideals among boys and girls when they are still young. Separation is meant to enable them become more forecast and determined in their activities. Physical and psychological differences between boys and girls with the curriculum Indeed, sex segregation is informed by physical and psychological differences between boys and girls. Boys are known to be physically active in most cases as compared to girls. They are very impatient, aggressive in diverse aspects, and they always seek to know new things. Their ability and first learning capacity makes them more superior to girls who are considered perfectionists who execute diverse activities systematically and with caution (Unterhalter & Aikman, 2007, p. 36). Girls are not physical in nature; they are soft spoken and cautious beings who expect high level of protection. They like doing less demanding jobs and activities that requires limited involvement physically. For instance, physical nature of boys enables them to engage in certain sporting activities that are considered unsafe such as rugby as compared to girls (Unterhalter & Aikman, 2007, p. 37). Statistics from education department in US and other nations indicate that boys are normally good performers in complex subjects as compared to girls. Learning pace of boys especially on these subjects is also high compared to girls. This is why their separation is good especially for girls with an aim of fostering their learning under favorable conditions without any pressure. Consequently, differences in psychological and social needs of boys and girls are major contributors of sex segregation. This is evident since girls are socially inclined personalities as compared to boys. The differences lead to immense conflict of interest that brings about social disharmony between boys and girls (Schmidt & McKnight, 2012, p. 3). Under the circumstances, they spend more time fighting over petty issues that in turn jeopardize their well being or cordial relations. The need to avoid social disharmony and physical conflicts explains why sex segregation in schools is preferred especially in the modern world. It is also gaining momentum because parents require their children to develop as morally upright individuals. Equality levels in one classroom and studying the same curriculum In review of the reasons that informs the idea of sex segregation in schools and its benefits, there is nothing strange especially being that students study under the same curriculum. The curriculum applies to everyone but underlying issues that determines holistic growth and performance of students is based on various factors that must receive effective management. It is not justifiable that separation of sexes is a practice that fosters injustice and unfairness (Schmidt & McKnight, 2012, p. 36). The reasoning is deemed flawed since the main aim of the practice is to facilitate performance, help in eradicating inferiority feelings and create favorable environment for learning. Curriculum is just a guideline that educators follow as they teach. The curriculum is not in any way a major factor that can impede sex segregation. This is because curriculum is developed to help in nurturing quality individuals with immense capability intellectually and socially (Eliot, 2012, p. 1) Secondly, curriculum is put in place to facilitate learning activities and nurturing of talents. The content of the curriculum is effective if it is delivered under favorable conditions and where there is no constraint of any nature including sheer discrimination. According to Hill & Robertson (2009, p. 177), there is no harm in separating boys from girls in schools despite that fact they are taught under the same curriculum. It is completely fair since the strategy is aimed essentially at ensuring that everyone receives the best out of the curriculum. The proponents note that there is no need to mix boys and girls when some of them will not achieve academically due to undue pressure (Cook, 2010, p. 1). It is common knowledge that girls perform dismally in most instances despite the gains that they are making currently. Hence, any attempt to avoiding their separation may severely hamper girl’s chances of recording god performance. This may in turn render the effectiveness of the curriculum or its purpose useless. Stakeholders in the education sector should do everything within their power to ensure that every individual irrespective of gender benefit optimally from the curriculum that is designed. They must design credible modalities that are socially acceptable and economically viable. One of the strategies that they should encourage is the segregation concept that has yielded best results especially in areas where its practice is eminent. They should also sensitize individuals to view the practice as a performance enhancement measure, but not a practice that promotes inequality. People should understand that sex segregation does not compromise quality of education. Even though it affects inter social development, it promotes quality in an exclusive manner given that it focuses on eliminating common diversionary issues that limits individuals academic performance. General difference between educational attainment and social interaction in the classroom Social interaction is an aspect that contributes in developing holistic students or personalities. However, it is not integral as compared to academic achievement. One can be socially sound, but without strong academic prowess, he may not achieve much. This is because academics is a paramount element in human life as compared to social aspect. Therefore, it is prudent if its acquisition is emphasized effectively. As noted by Eliot (2012, p. 1), classroom interaction is good in nurturing students to be socially responsible and reliable people. If such an interaction is not doing any good to students then its relevance is insignificant. Cook (2010, p. 1) noted that the dangers of social classroom interaction have been immense and severe. Such interactions have led to early pregnancies and school dropouts in most settings that is not encouraging. It is only relevant if facilitates cordial relations Conclusion Evidently, most single sex schools are high school level institutions that offer o-level certification. The schools are attended by students who are at the age of between 13 to 18 years who require proper guidance and monitoring. The institutions best suits them and their needs considering the stage of life that they are in at the age group. There is no doubt that gender separation is necessary especially in high schools. This is because of its relevance in boosting discipline and sanity among students in such institutions. This explains why the practice should not be a mater of discussion due to its benefits. It is attributable to better performance for students, a remedy to inferiority feelings and a contributor to talent identification. In particular, gender separation promotes performance of students in diverse fields of operation. Firstly, the practice ensures that diversionary issues that normally occur when boys and girls are together do not occur. Secondly, it enables students to learn comfortably and focus on their education holistically. This is apparent since individuals of diverse sexes have their own styles of doing things. References Arum, R., Beattie, I. R & Ford, K. (2011). The structure of schooling: Readings in the sociology of education . Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, an imprint of SAGE Publications. Berman, J. (2009). Death in the classroom: Writing about love and loss . Albany: State University of New York Press. Cook, J. (2010). Similarities and Differences Between Boys and Girls . Web. Cole, M. (2006). Education, Equality and Human Rights. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31 (2). 98-175. Eliot, S. (2012). The Truth about Boys and Girls . Web. Gray, D. E., Nasta, T & Griffin, C. (2000). Training to teach in further and adult education . Cheltenham: Thornes. Gurian, M. (2011). Boys and girls learn differently!: A guide for teachers and parents . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gordon B. (2010). Comparison of Aggression in Boys and Girls . New York: Teachers College Press. Hill, D & Robertson, L. H. (2009). Equality in the primary school: Promoting good practice across the curriculum . London: Continuum. Larsson, I & Svedin, C. (2002). Sexual experiences in childhood, Young Adults Recollections, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31 (2). 263-73. Martin, D. B. (2006). Sex and the single Savior: Gender and sexuality in biblical interpretation . Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press. McInerney, D. M & Liem, A. D. (2008). Teaching and learning: International best practice . Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Pub. McKinley, J. (2010). Raising Black students’ achievement through culturally responsive teaching . Alexandria, Va: ASCD. Paechter, C. F. (2007). Being boys, being girls: Learning masculinities and femininities . Maidenhead: Open University Press. Rivers, C & Barnett, R. C. (2011). The truth about girls and boys: Challenging toxic stereotypes about our children . New York: Columbia University Press. Rusby, J. S. M. (2005). Childhood Temporary Separation: Long-term Effects of Wartime Evacuation in World War 2 . Boca Raton, Fla: Dissertation.com. Strasser, M. P. (2002). On same-sex marriage, civil unions, and the rule of law: Constitutional interpretation at the crossroads . Westport, Conn: Praeger. Spielhagen, F. R. (2013). Debating Single-Sex Education: Separate and Equal? . Lanham: R&L Education. Stoll, L. C. (2013). Race and gender in the classroom: Teachers, privilege, and enduring social inequalities . Lanham: Lexingon Books. Schmidt, W. H & McKnight, C. C. (2012). Inequality for all: The challenge of unequal opportunity in American schools . New York: Teachers College Press. Thorne, B. (1997). Gender play: Girls and boys in school . New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ. Press. Unterhalter, E., & Aikman, S. (2007). Practising gender equality in education . Cowley, Oxford: Oxfam GB. Wootan, F. C. (2010). No Fear In My Classroom: A Teacher’s Guide on How to Ease Student Concerns, Handle Parental Problems, Focus on Education and Gain Confidence in Yourself . Cincinnati: F+W Media. Woolston, C. (2012). Brain development: Is the difference between boys and girls all in their heads? Web.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The paper discusses in detail the aspect of service management with special focus on one of the world's leading news broadcaster, Channel Television Network (CNN). The paper designs a proposal for a new services offering for the company, as well as gives recommendations on the alternative ways through which CNN can improve its services offerings.

The paper discusses in detail the aspect of service management with special focus on one of the world's leading news broadcaster, Channel Television Network (CNN). The paper designs a proposal for a new services offering for the company, as well as gives recommendations on the alternative ways through which CNN can improve its services offerings.

CNN’s Service Offerings and Differentiation Strategy Problem Solution Essay Introduction Services providing firms, just like the goods manufacturing companies, need to establish sound strategies and operations in order to develop their overall businesses. Such strategies may involve determining new services, identifying a perfect competitive strategy, and defining target markets to serve the market effectively. This paper seeks to discuss in detail the aspect of service management with special focus on one of the world’s leading news broadcaster, Channel Television Network (CNN). The paper designs a proposal for a new services offering for the company, as well as gives recommendations on the alternative ways through which CNN can improve its services offerings. Thesis Statement CNN’s differentiation strategy can provide the company with more competitive advantage globally if it is integrated with a focus strategy. Components of CNN’s Service Offerings CNN is a TV channel that mainly broadcasts news for 24 hours. The TV channel is based in the United States of America, but it has a global outreach across all the continents. The services are mainly categorized into two, that is, CNN America and CNN international. CNN America is customized for the local US market, while CNN international includes content for the global market. News by the channel is structured into several categories to appeal to varying audiences. The categories include politics, justice, entertainment, and technical news. Other categories are health, living, travel, money, and sports. CNN international runs dedicated channels that focus on specific countries or regions. These specialized channels include CNN Chile, CNN Airport, CNN enEspanol, CNN TURK, CNN IBN, which is dedicated for the Indian subcontinent, and CNNj for Japan. The n-tv channel is a dedicated CNN affiliate that is focused on the German news market. CNN also provides its news services through the online platform via the web address cnn.com. Users can read news articles on the website or watch video clips directly. A highly interesting and interactive feature of the online news services, iReport, allows users who are amateur journalists to upload videos and photos. The firm has launched a recent service, CNN Films, which distributes and produces TV, as well as feature documentaries. Target Markets Different CNN service components target varying market categories. The TV platform particularly targets viewers with a minimum of 45 years. Most people falling within this age bracket often consider TV as a traditional news channel. The younger generation of CNN’s viewers, mainly falling in the 15-40 age brackets, considers the online platform as more accommodative than the traditional TV platform. Additional features of the online platform, such as iReport, allow users to increase their interaction by allowing them to send videos and photos that are later on uploaded on the company’s website. CNN International (CNNI) is a 24-hour global channel that specifically focuses on news (CNN, 2013). Up to 212 countries throughout the world can watch the channel through 23 satellites (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2006). CNNI has further been regionalized in order to narrow down its content to specifically suit specific regional markets. The regions include CNN International Europe/Middle East/Africa, for the general European, Middle East, and African markets. Other regional markets include CNN International Latin America, for mainly the Southern American market, CNN International Asia Pacific, for countries in the Asia Pacific region, as well as CNN International South Asia for the Southern Asia market. Finally, CNN International USA also exists, with its special focus being to provide international news to the local US viewers (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2006). CNNmoney, on its part, delivers comprehensive news about business for 24 hours for every weekday. Viewers enjoy broad range news on business, consumer, and financial news, which specifically targets both small investors, as well as business professionals (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2006). The details are credibly analyzed for purposes of helping viewers to enjoy high quality content that is not offered in other rival channels (CNN, 2013). CNN’s HLN service, which was previously referred to as CNN Headline News combines all top stories on health matters, technology, entertainment, breaking news, travel, as well as sports, and weather information (Ireland, Hoskisson, & Hitt, 2006). This service targets an audience in need of relevant comprehensive news for purposes of their urgency and schedules. The news is delivered by a team representing four anchors, who interactively engage to ensure a lively delivery of the news content (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2006). The specialized CNN channels have been particularly designed to focus on the national audience markets of the specific countries involved. CNN Chile, for instance, is customized for the Chilean market, as is the same case for CNN TURK, which specifically targets Turkey as a market (CNN, 2013). Competitive Strategy CNN employs a differentiation strategy in order to achieve competitive advantage in the industry and market (Gershon, 2009). CNN has sought to create a unique operation and service delivery that makes it stand out exceptionally compared to other cable networks. CNN has succeeded to establish itself as a global leader in terms of delivering news that covers the entire world. The news coverage by the channel is more global, creating the feel, as well as look similar to a news magazine. This tends to vary with the positioning attained by its main rival Fox News, for instance, which is looked at as being mainly conservative and earning the “proAmerican news organization” tag. This is more evidenced by the presence of a US flag in its studio background (Gershon, 2009). Tools and Processes Supporting Differentiation Strategy Specialized channels CNN has introduced specialized channels that seek to customize its services for specific national markets in order to enhance its strategy of differentiation. Although CNN is an American firm, its focus and attention has been to cover international news comprehensively, in the same breadth that it covers local news, in order to effectively differentiate itself as an international news channel. Currently, there are up to eight specialized channels that are run by the broadcaster. CNN Chile, CNN TURK, CNN-IBN, CNNj, and n-tv, all represent efforts by the company to support its competitive strategy (CNN, 2013). While CNN may still be regarded as foreign to the national markets represented by these channels, which include Chile, Turkey, India, Japan, and Germany, the company has sought to drop the tag by introducing special channels. These channels broadcast in the local languages, as opposed to English which is CNN’s main language of broadcasting, and give priority to events and features that occur within the countries. The specialized channels have been structured in a similar format to CNN/US, which mainly focuses on local US news. While distribution of international news remains the main purpose of CNN, the company realizes the importance of customizing each national market in order to effectively serve the specific needs. Bureaus CNN operates several bureaus, both within the US and on the international scene, to enable the firm to differentiate its service delivery to the diverse market that it serves. In the US, the bureaus are set up in ten states, including Atlanta, which also doubles up as the company’s headquarters, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington DC (CNN, 2013). While the US is a single national market, CNN seeks to achieve more competition in the delivery of its news by giving all the country’s regions special attention. This ensures that the audiences residing in all the US regions are able to find services that have been specially designed to suit their interests. With the US being CNN’s home country, the company has given it special attention mainly because of the intense competition that exists within the country. Other well established cable channels, such as Fox News, have given the market more attention, which makes it critical for CNN to equally give it special attention. On the worldwide scene, CNN runs several bureaus that are mainly established in the specific country’s capitals. In Africa, CNN has run bureaus in Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg in a bid to effectively cover regional news within the African continent. The Indian sub-continent, with a massive population exceeding one billion, is served by the New Delhi bureau. Other bureaus established within the region include Islamabad in Pakistan, Jakarta in Indonesia, as well as in Istanbul Turkey (CNN, 2013). Northern America, other than the USA market, is also served by an established bureau in Mexico City, while the European regional market relies on bureaus in Italy, Paris, Moscow, Madrid, London, and Berlin. Another significant market in the Asian continent, China, is served by an existing bureau in Beijing. Several other bureaus also exist in the Middle East region, South America, as well as in the Pacific region that includes Australia. In other regional areas where no established bureaus exist, CNN relies on affiliate station reports as strategic sources for filing their stories. CNN Films CNN’s latest launched operations target the film industry, which highlights the company’s competitive strategy more elaborately (CNN, 2013). Although films may appear to be a departure from the company’s main business objective of distributing news, CNN targets to increase its competitive capability by venturing into the operations. The company intends to distribute news through this new feature, where it will report on social, political, and economic aspects using documentaries. This represents a new business idea that has not been employed traditionally by news companies. Recommendations for Service Improvement CNN should consider employing a strategic scope to integrate it with its differentiation strategy in order to improve on its service delivery. In other words, CNN should consider narrowing down its target market such that it only focuses on a niche market. Currently, the firm focuses on a wide market that eventually affects its ability to tailor the marketing mix to the specialized market. With its global target market, and a wide service component, CNN cannot efficiently achieve its objective of emerging as the market leader in a more effective manner. The company should begin by identifying distinct groups amongst its wide audience base and determine their special needs before coming up with ideal services for the groups. Using a focused strategy, CNN should narrow down its market segmentation to consider audience groups that are less susceptible to substitutes (Xiang et al., n.d.). The news broadcasting industry is highly competitive, and it is difficult for firms to be highly competitive in their delivery of service unless players adopt a focus strategy. BBC news, which is one of CNN’s main competitors, has aggressively employed the focus strategy by launching various specialized channels across the world in order to serve its wide audience effectively. To succeed in this new focus strategy, CNN must create high efficiency and skill where completion of value chain activities, both primary and secondary, is involved (Xiang et al. n.d.). CNN must also narrow the target market by increasing the number of its specialized channels throughout the regions that it serves. Only Chile, India, Germany, Turkey, the USA, and Japan enjoy a more focused service delivery from CNN at the moment. CNN has established local channels that are more dedicated for these markets, which also use the local language in their services. However, other significant global markets receive less focused service delivery, which gives too much room for competitors to create more competitive advantage over the firm. In China, for instance, CNN has not considered focusing its differentiation strategy to specifically suit its needs, yet there is a market potential of more than 1.2 billion people. A specialized news channel for China should adopt the local Chinese dialect and focus more on the events happening in the country. The idea should be to minimize the attention on CNN International service component, and instead seek to establish more specialized channels that focus on national markets. Priority should be given to market sizes since it is not capable to establish specialized channels in all the countries of the world. Regional specialized channels, on the other hand, should focus on several national markets with common unifying factors. These may include language, especially where the countries use a similar language for communication. The ‘international news channel’ differentiation position that CNN currently enjoys will be enhanced further through specialized channels that focus on specific national markets. Collecting news within smaller national market areas will be more elaborate in a focus strategy, while this news can be shared throughout the other existing specialized channels to make the news content international. With CNN’s elaborate service component, a focused differentiation strategy will cement the company’s position as the world’s leading international news channel. Conclusion CNN has successfully established itself as a global leader in the distribution of international news. The company employs a differentiation strategy with the main focus of attaining a leadership position in international news. This is sustained through the establishment of its several specialized channels that exist in Germany, Chile, India, Japan, and Turkey. It also runs several bureaus across selected capital cities in the world, including in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America regions. However, CNN should consider integrating its main strategy of differentiation with focus strategy. This will allow the company to improve its service delivery by introducing additional specialized channels for specific national and regional markets in order to achieve market customization. Equally, a focused strategy will enhance the company’s position as an international news-broadcasting channel by ensuring more elaborate news content for its audience. Special emphasis should be given to significant markets, such as China, that have huge populations. References CNN. (2012). CNN . Web. Gershon, R. A. (2009). Telecommunications and business strategy . New York, NY: Routledge. Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., & Hitt, M. A. (2006). Understanding business strategy: concepts and cases . Mason, OH: Thomson-South Western. Xiang, Z., et al. (n.d.). Multi-focused strategy in value co-creation with customers: Examining cumulative development pattern with new capabilities. International Journal of Production Economics , 132, 122-130.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: The text discusses how scientists have fronted different reasons to support the different theories they have come up with concerning the issue of which group has the best abilities in gathering and/or which one has the best abilities in hunting. It also talks about how nature did it for them.

The text discusses how scientists have fronted different reasons to support the different theories they have come up with concerning the issue of which group has the best abilities in gathering and/or which one has the best abilities in hunting. It also talks about how nature did it for them.

Gender Studies: Gathering and Hunting Abilities Term Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Men as better Hunters 3. Females as Better Gatherers 4. Advantages that Males have for Hunting 5. Gender Roles and Spatial Abilities 6. Influences of Age on Spatial Abilities 7. Conclusion 8. Reference List Introduction Human abilities are wide and varied in many aspects that can be used to define people. The difference in sex has been found to drive the disparity in human abilities by apportioning certain gifts to the male sex and others to the female gender. Although both sexes can do certain tasks equally, research indicates that people of a specific sex do specific tasks better relative to the opposite sex. One area that scientists have come up with a hypothesis about the abilities in sex difference is the gathering hypothesis, which tries to find out, which group has the best abilities in gathering and/or which one has the best abilities in hunting. This paper will provide evidence to prove that members of the male gender are better hunters relative to women who on the other hand are also better gatherers. The paper therefore explores the spatial abilities of the two sexes. Men as better Hunters The theory that men are better hunters can be traced to the ancient world of both primitives and civilization by looking at the roles that society had apportioned to the two sexes. The primitive society did not have an opportunity and ability to make any studies that would then allocate duties to men and women. However, nature did it for them. This case can be attributed to the need to survive and self-preservation. Scientists have fronted different reasons to support the different theories they have come up with concerning this issue. The division of labor in males and females underpin the development of abilities in both sexes by allocating capacities. Neave et al. (2005) reveal how males naturally adopt Euclidean strategies when trying to find ways meaning that they have good geographical knowledge (p. 147). Good geographical knowledge is essential in hunting because it is used for locating prey whenever it is. Without geographical knowledge, it might be difficult for males to do hunting because it involves figuring out direction and movement, as well as figuring out the shortest and worth following distance. Direction enables males in their hunting because it helps them use the shortest distance to get to the possible location of their prey. Neave et al. also argue that males have an advantage in navigational and way-finding abilities (p. 147). Although women can also make hunters, their hunting skills and abilities fade before those of males when the two groups are put to competition. One of the advantages that males have over females, which give them better hunting skills, is in the throwing/interception abilities (Neave et al. 2005, p. 147). Hunting requires the ability to aim accurately at a target for one to hit it. It also requires one to strike it with the first instance so that it does not escape. This aspect is the biggest difference between males and females because a bigger sample of men can hit the target better relative to a bigger sample of women (Cashdan et al., 2012, p. 278). For instance, the hunting skills of men can be attributed to their being dominant in the arm simply because they have a better chance of hitting the target than women do because of their better accuracy and interception skills. Stoet (2011, p. 420) confirms that men have many skills that are in line with hunting techniques thus automatically making them hunters. They have the ability to focus and direct their minds on an object they are working on. With this, they are able to achieve accuracy. Stoet (2011) concludes that throwing skills, focused attention, and general spatial abilities of men make them better hunters (p. 420). Males employ different strategies to women in accomplishing their tasks are usually found to be more innovative in doing their tasks relative to women. Therefore, in the natural setting, which is governed by the theory of survival for the fittest, males tend to become more aggressive in their mindsets whenever they are working on an issue. The natural setting gives males a better chance of survival in relation to females. Thus, males tend to work hard to secure their offspring and generation hence tending to be more antagonistic in getting food for their own to secure their survival. This case can be attributed to the instinctive nature that males acquire whenever they are doing their hunting. Females as Better Gatherers Under the natural setting, females take the responsibility of giving birth and taking care of the young ones, which therefore relegate them to laser roles that would not take away all their attention. The need to take care of young ones makes females concentrate on this task. They cannot go out the way males do to hunt (Ecuyer-Dab & Robert, 2007, p. 370). The physical abilities of females also limit them in the tasks they can do. In this case, they become good at foraging and gathering because this task is less intensive compared to hunting. Ecuyer-Dab and Robert (2007) argue that sexual division of labor is credited with the present-day division of labor too, with traditional tasks for men and women being distinct. In this case, women developed foraging skills over a period. It required locating food within a complex array of vegetation. This finding calls for spatial configuration of objects because, in the wild where there are so many different types of vegetation and also where most vegetation is similar, configuration of objects comes in handy as a tool for differentiating the different plants to make out which ones are edible and/or which ones are not edible. Women tend to have a memory for fixed location. They will thus be able to point out the exact location of an object, especially if the object is important to them (Ecuyer-Dab & Robert, 2007, p.366). Food in society is important. Due to the need for self-preservation that happens with all species, males and females have an instinctive drive to preserve their generations through food security. Women tend to remember locations well especially if the places are associated with high calories (New, Danielle, & Steven, 2007, p. 2682) because women tend to think about feeding their families as a role and responsibility bestowed on them by nature. They have been found to have vividness for static things, which enable them to make good foragers and gatherers because they are able to locate these things easily as long as they are not moved. Movement of the same complicates matters for women because they tend to lose their vividness for moving things. This case can be attributed to natural abilities that come with physiological features for females that make their movement less fast in relation to that of men. Females cannot move as fast as males. This issue can be attributed to their biological set up because females’ bodies are meant to carry babies and in the end give birth. Therefore, their bones, especially their pelvic bones, are not completely joined together as one unit to allow their hip to expand further during childbirth. This disjoint makes their movement a bit slower than that of males because they have a sort of play that reduces their speed. Therefore, with these inhibitions, females have specialized in what they can do best, which does not allow them to make many quick movements. Thus, foraging becomes their best option. Although females are known to hunt in some selected cases, they are not known to hunt big games. Their hunting is mostly restricted to traps as a way of catching prey. Therefore, the limitations brought about due to physiological features have made females take to foraging and gathering as the best way to find food. Stoet (2011) observes that the link between object location memory and gathering is guided by the fact that edible objects are found at given locations. (p. 421). Immobile resources require different computational skills for them to be located. It takes a lot more memory retrieval for one to relocate locations where food resources were once found. The tendency for the female mind to stick with foraging has developed to the extent that it becomes automatically guided to earlier locations where food was previously found. An advantage to this case is because, in most instances as stated above, edible objects can be found in the same location repeatedly. According to New, Danielle, and Steven (2007), an experiment to asses memory for location of immobile food resources found that females’ location of such food resources is more accurate than that of males (p. 2680). Advantages that Males have for Hunting Males have better computational requirements for mobile prey as compared to women. This has helped to advance their abilities to hunt prey. Their vividness for dynamic moving things enables them to have better shots that can bring big prey down, which is something that females lack. Males have more power and thrust when shooting, which has enabled them become better hunters due to their ability to shoot objects such as spears over a long distance as they require great momentum to hit a prey with an impact (New, Danielle & Steven, 2007, p. 2679). On the other hand, when comparing this ability to that of women, one finds that females have less power to shoot things like spears over an extended space. Whenever females do the shooting, it is usually over a very short distance and off target. This case can be attributed to lack of steadiness due to their physiological features. Only in exceptional cases are females found to have as good hunting skills as those of men. Nevertheless, it is a feature that cannot be replicated to a larger group of females. Navigational skills in men are found not only in finding direction, but also in directing the tools of work (Cashdan et al., 2012, p. 278). This finding is found in the way men can throw a weapon for hunting with accuracy to hit the target. Men apply men’s spatial abilities of navigation for hunting prey. In so doing, they become better hunters. The same spatial skills in throwing are combined in such a way that males are able to hit moving targets better relative to women. In hunting, not all the time the prey is mobile. Thus, males’ ability to intercept is made better by their ability to calculate the speed of a moving target and throwing a weapon at such a speed that will meet the moving target at some point (Stoet, 2011, p. 420). Males’ physiological features also enable them to make better hunters due to the formation of their body muscles as well the pelvic bone structure. It gives them better movement as compared to females. When it comes to navigation, males prefer using vectors to landmarks (Piccardi et al., 2008, p. 128). In the use of vectors to navigate, males apply orientation in their movement, which offers them a good hunting strategy because they are able to determine the movement of prey without following it directly. Therefore, they can find shortcuts that would enable them intercept the prey using the shortest distance possible. According to New, Danielle, and Steven (2007), males can make a better direction decision, which at the end of the day gives them a better ability to direct. This element is important in hunting because, other than navigation, they are able to throw weapons in the right direction with good precision (p. 2679). Research findings by New, Danielle, and Steven (2007) indicate that the foraging ability by women is informed mostly by nutritional contents in food (p. 2681). Gender Roles and Spatial Abilities According to research findings by Ecuyer- Dab and Robert (2007), when one is using incidentally locations in trying to recognize objects, women tend to surpass men in their abilities to recognize objects that have not been moved from one location to another and for those whose location has been moved. This confirms that, as part of women’s foraging abilities, memory for static locations is important because it enables them to forage and gather better (Stoet, 2011, p. 422). The role of women in child rearing also sets them to become better foragers than men because females are always under pressure to provide for the young ones as a way of ensuring their survival. Survival for the fittest requires individuals to apply ingenuity in their need to survive and hence having to find the simplest means of getting food as the basic object for survival. Therefore, females will tend to try many different things that would ensure their offspring survives and/or will not force themselves into activities that are tedious when trying to find food because this matter would be too much a burden when they add it to child caring (Stoet, 2011, p. 422). On the other hand, men spend a lot of time away from their families especially from children thus are not burdened by the need to do things at the pace of their young ones (Stoet 2011, p. 422). In this instance, males are able to take care of their activities without disturbance and with a lot of concentration. Hunting as a skill and practice requires the hunter to move in a stealth manner to be as close as possible to the prey as a way of getting a better shot at the target. This step cannot happen when in a company of young ones because they would not understand the activity taking place thus scaring away the prey. Brown (2013) finds that a female’s mind has a higher tendency to capture objects in to its attention thus making it easy for them to locate with precision where certain objects of interest to them are found (p. 726). On the other hand, males’ mind has very little space for capturing objects and their locations and storing them in mind. This ability can be informed by the tendency of males to have more interest at moving objects than on stationary ones. Hunting entails chasing after animals that do not take a single direction and hence not predictable in their flight. This case negates the need to memorize exact locations for prey because, at the end of the day, the prey will not be found on the same exact location. Influences of Age on Spatial Abilities When it comes to object location memory, one fundamental aspect that cannot be ignored, which is very important, is the age and sex. Females start training at a very early age on object location. The higher the age, the more experienced they become (Cashdan et al., 2012, p. 279). Females gain more experience over a period in memorizing object location hence making them better gatherers because time will always allow them to get to know many more locations that have food objects to allow them to differentiate them better. Age for males is an advantage especially when they advance in age (Cashdan et al., 2012, p. 280). As age is an advantage to females in foraging, it is also an advantage to males because it enables them to develop better skills for hunting. The hunting technique is something that develops with time. Through practice, a male can become a better hunter. Although age in males might become a disadvantage again because, the more advanced the age, the more the drop in energy in the male bodies, males depend on energy as one of the most important elements for their hunting skills because, for them to throw a weapon with potent force, they must be energetic enough. Males also require speed for them to make better hunters. This speed only grows with age and consequently subsides with age (McBurney et al., 1997). Therefore, with good skills but without energy, males’ hunting capabilities wane significantly. Therefore, age is a very big determinant in the abilities of both sexes to either hunt or gather Conclusion Different research has been done to prove the spatial abilities of the male and female sex. Different researchers have come out with different conclusions. What cannot be disputed is that, naturally, the spatial difference between men and females is more of a natural thing than of an acquired one because different people believe in different theories, which at the end of the day tend to draw the same conclusion. The convergence of the same conclusion therefore negates the same theories that try to explain the same phenomenon. A simple fact remains that men and women have different spatial abilities. On the other hand, one theory that comes closest to explain the difference without raising much dispute is the biological theory that tries to explain the working of the brain and how it informs the female and male minds to takes up certain practices. This difference can be attributed to hormonal distribution as a basic way of explaining the male and female variations. Reference List Brown, J. (2013). A sex difference in location-based inhibition-of-return. Personality & Individual Differences, 54 (6), 721-725. Cashdan, E., Marlowe, W., Crittenden, A., Porter, C., & Wood, M. (2012). Sex differences in spatial cognition among Hadza foragers. Evolution And Human Behavior, 33 (4), 274-284. Ecuyer-Dab, I., & Robert, M. (2007). The Female Advantage in Object Location Memory According to the Foraging Hypothesis: A Critical Analysis. Human Nature, 18 (4), 365-385. McBurney, H., Gaulin, C., Devineni, T., & Adams, C. (1997). Superior spatial memory of women: Stronger evidence for the gathering hypothesis. Evolution And Human Behavior, 18 (3), 165-174. Neave, N., Hamilton, C., Hutton, L., Tildesley, N., & Pickering, T. (2005). Some Evidence of a Female Advantage in Object Location Memory Using Ecologically Valid Stimuli. Human Nature, 16 (2), 146-163. New, J., Krasnow, M., Truxaw, D., & Gaulin, S. (2007). Spatial adaptations for plant foraging: women excel and calories count. Proceedings Of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274 (1626), 2679-2684. Piccardi, L., Iaria, G., Bianchini, F., Zompanti, L., & Guariglia, C. (2008). Walking in the Corsi test: Which type of memory do you need?. Neuroscience Letters, 432 (2), 127-131. Stoet, G. (2011). Sex differences in search and gathering skills. Evolution And Human Behavior, 32 (6), 416-422.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: The paper presents a literature review on the conflicting findings of how evolutionary theories and social psychology theories explain sex differences in the gathering hypothesis.It is argued that women do better in some specific spatial jobs such as object location than men.

The paper presents a literature review on the conflicting findings of how evolutionary theories and social psychology theories explain sex differences in the gathering hypothesis. It is argued that women do better in some specific spatial jobs such as object location than men.

Spatial Ability Studies on Men and Women Term Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Literature Review 4. Conclusion 5. Reference List Introduction Gathering hypothesis is an evolutionary term that gives details on how people have changed gradually over generations. Tools in earlier times were primarily used for digging and harvesting crops and not for hunting. Later, people acquired complex tools, which they used to hunt, remove skin, and cut things. According to Mcburney et al. (1997), one of sources of proof in support of the gathering hypothesis is the good spatial memory of women. The scholars argue that women do better in jobs that are associated with recalling unlike their male counterparts who do better in rotation jobs. The theory of gathering and hunting on sex differences states that women’s knowledge and capability to understand things has gradually changed to suit gathering while men’s capability has evolved to suit hunting (Ecuyer-Dab & Robert, 2007). The differences in sex can be referred to as spatial abilities. However, results on spatial ability studies on men and women are normally conflicting. For instance, Ecuyer-Dab and Robert (2007) maintain that the degree of spatial ability is practical and that the difference in men and women in specific spatial test is big and strong. Based on their empirical research findings, Piccardi et al., (2008) argues that present findings show that women are good in some specific spatial jobs such as object location than men. The aim of this paper is to present a literature review on the conflicting findings of how evolutionary theories and social psychology theories explain sex differences in the gathering hypothesis. This aim is achieved by focusing on two main research questions. Do women truly have better object location skills relative to men? Do women do better in gathering as opposed to hunting that is associated with men? In the effort to provide ample response to these questions, it is hypothesized that women and men have spatial differences, which influence their abilities in participating in hunting and gathering, with neither of the two being suited for both tasks. Research Methodology This research paper uses literature review of peer-reviewed journals as the main research methodology. The selection of this research methodology is done in full awareness of the demerits of using secondary materials as sources of data for use in a research process. One of such drawbacks is the incapacity of the data to reflect current trends in a particular area of research. However, this demerit is addressed sufficiently through a careful selection of articles for review. Indeed, the journal articles chosen are peer reviewed. This means that requisite bodies of knowledge have already evaluated their quality and reliability in the presentation of data about the research in sex differences in the gathering hypothesis. In the context of this research, these bodies are social psychology and evolutionary theorists. Since the goal of the research is to compare the research findings, it is anticipated that such articles are helpful and reliable in drawing inferences for the research. Proofs or arguments against the hypothesis utilized in this research are also expected to be reliable based on the assumption of the quality and reliability of the peer-reviewed journals. Literature Review One of the theoretical hypotheses in the studies of sex differences in the gathering-hunting theory is that women truly have better object location relative to men. Silverman, Choi, and Peters (2007) sort to verify this hypothesis through their empirical study that analyzed of whether sex-related competencies akin to spatial differences are universal. As they had forecasted in their study hypothesis, their empirical study revealed that males were at the top in comparison to females in three-dimensional assessment based on psychological alternation tasks given to people from 40 nations and from 7 cultural classes of individuals. According to their research findings, women “scored significantly higher than men on a test of object location memory in all 7 ethnic groups in 35 countries” (Silverman, Choi & Peters, 2007, p.261). These findings confirm the existing body of knowledge that men have advantages in successful performance of hunting-related tasks together with rotational tasks. However, the differences between sexes in terms of spatial abilities are not centrally divided as may be evident from the evolutionary theory for gathering-hunting hypothesis. The difference is explicitly expressed in linear terms where men are positioned on the highest scale in terms of their magnitude of spatial abilities (Piccardi et al., 2008). Contextualizing these differences in spatial abilities, Joshua, Max, Danielle, and Steven (2007) present their arguments on the evolutionary theory by holding that spatial differences in sex can be explained in explicit terms through consideration of qualitative differences in abilities of different sexes as opposed to quantitative levels of abilities. The evolutionary theory with regard to the explanations of spatial sex differences is rooted in the Pleistocene era in which divisions of labor had the repercussion of rendering men to function principally in hunting roles while women engaged in roles such as participation in food gathering. The degree of existence in which the Pleistocene era holds significant representations of the splitting of spatial abilities along sex spatial differences is dependent the empirical finding on the manner in which different abilities are segregated and distributed depending on sex. This case can be explained by consideration of two main sources of evidence on the differences in spatial skills dating back to primitive time of human development history. Reseachers such as Silverman, Choi, and Peters (2007) have demonstrated that there exists a positive relationship between various scores acquired from spatial test and accuracy of throwing objects (p.265). This skill is paramount when it comes to addressing the issue of the ability to capture a prey. In a different empirical research, McBurney et al. (1997) reveal a positive correlation between the ‘way finding through orientation’ and 3DMR. Way finding through orientation without the help of landmarks is a crucial skill for helping to pursue and track a prey randomly in terrain that is not familiar to the hunter while not losing the track for getting back home. Empirical research deploying virtual maze and research conducted using physical forest area by an evolutionary researcher (Moffat) in 1998 determined whether the participants could trace their original position using the shortest path after being taken through a random and circuitous path. It indicated that the ability to do so was dependent on the sex of the participants (Silverman, Choi & Peters 2007). Referring to this research, Silverman, Choi, and Peters (2007) concludes, “In the latter study, regression analysis showed that the male advantage in way finding by orientation could be fully explained by sex differences” (p.261). Way finding being a significant skill for hunting in an unfamiliar territory implies that the evolutionary theory on spatial abilities, as it relates to sex differences, holds substance in terms of explaining the differences in skill level abilities of men and women from the context of hunting and gathering. Attempting to explain the differences in spatial skills abilities between males and females from the approach deployed by Silverman, Choi, and Peters (2007) infers that sex influences the hunting or gathering skill of an individual. Deployment of biological research in evolutionary theory suggests that sex is permanent and that an individual has no control over it since it is determined by the genetic makeup of the individual (Joshua, Max, Danielle & Steven, 2007). Does it then mean that the genetic makeup of an individual can influence the gathering and hunting skills he or she possesses? The above position is refuted by social psychologists who see sex as a mechanism of determining the gender of an individual and not a set of tasks that a given person should execute by virtual of belonging to a given sex. In the context of spatial differences, social psychologists argue that attributing gathering to women and hunting abilities to men is a mechanism of determination of gender roles, which according to them are merely normalizations of the society (Hardy-Fanta & Sierra, 2009). The argument is that attribution of certain behaviors and tasks such as gathering or hunting to a specific sex is misplaced since people from either sex can equally perform any task as long as environmental training is done on the individual. This claim implies that the ability to do certain tasks and not others is acquired from the environment through social interaction, which is the theoretical inclination of social psychologists (Hardy-Fanta & Sierra, 2009). From social psychologists point of view, spatial differences in sex abilities are a phenomenon that is enhanced through behavior training. Hence, men and women can equally perform well in the gathering or hunting tasks on equal training. While there is the need to appreciate and understand the need for equal participation of persons of different sexes in the modern era for different social tasks in equal thresholds, evidence on sex differences in the gathering and hunting reveals otherwise. For instance, Hazda women have better object location than men (Cashdan et al., 2012) do. Therefore, women tend to do better in gathering relative to men. The empirical research conducted by Cashdan et al. (2012) on sex differences in terms of spatial competencies mentions the Hadza people (hunter-gatherers group of people living in Tanzania). The authors sort to determine whether Euclidian perceptions of spatial abilities can be located in this group of people in terms of their mobility levels. They also sort to know whether women from the population were better equipped with location memory skills in comparison to men as an important skill for possession of gathering abilities as predicted and argued by the evolutionary theory (Cashdan et al., 2012). The empirical study also determined whether women who are identified by other women as having the highest skills in gathering bush foods would also possess high memory for location of objects. The researchers deployed “object location memory with a version of the memory game using cards of local plants and animals” (Cashdan et al., 2012, p.274) to realize their research objectives. This testing methodology was essential in helping to determine whether men and women from the Hadz population would possess the same spatial memory capacity for animals together with plant cards. The research findings indicated that Hadz men performed exemplary well in three main tests for spatial ability: “water-level test, targeting, and the ability to point accurately to distant locations” (Cashdan et al., 2012, p.275). In particular, possession of higher targeting skills among men shows that men are better hunters in relation to women since hunting is an essential skill in catching a prey. Although Cashdan’s et al. (2012) empirical research on women who were regarded as the best bush foods finders comprised old women, gathering was as a task was best suited to women in comparison to men. However, this case was not attributable to good object location memory since “there was a trend towards male advantage at the object location memory” (Cashdan et al., 2012, p.274). This verdict opposes past research findings that indicated that women have better object location skills hence making them better gatherers in comparison to men. These mixed findings create a room for social psychologists to advance their theoretical paradigms that both sexes can equally perform well in all tasks that are predominantly believed as the province of one sex and not the other depending on the context and level of training through environmental interactions,. The above position is subject to scholarly interrogation especially by considering the mixed findings on the evidence of possessing better gathering skills among women as discussed by Stoet (2011). The empirical researcher argues, “Existing studies corroborate that men excel in hunting-related skills, but there is only indirect support for women excelling in gathering tasks” (Stoet, 2011, p.416). This aspect supports the conflicting findings on spatial differences in sex abilities introduced by Cashdan et al. (2012). Upon integrating the findings of Cashdan et al. (2012), Brown (2013), and Stoet (2011), it is arguable that the spatial ability of men in hunting is recognized by the evolutionary hypothesis scholars amid the existence of evidence, especially from social psychologists against the perception of contributions of gender differences in the performance of societal roles. The gatherer-hunter hypothesis argues that sex differences are organized such that women cognitions are adapted evolutionarily so that they are better gatherers while men are better hunters. While this hypothesis is verified from the context of Joshua, Max, Danielle, and Steven (2007), it does not pass the verification test based on empirical evidence findings from Stoet (2011). Stoet (2011) conducted three experimental tests to verify whether men are well adapted to hunting while women are well adapted to gathering tasks by testing whether women would outperform men in some laboratory chores, which require gathering skills. From the findings of the first experiment, men were able to locate target objects at a higher pace relative to women. Men did this with minimal errors when “a classic visual search study” (Stoet, 2011, p.416) was conducted. In the second experiment, men and women participants were required to gather various items including letters depicted on a screen. Men again outperformed women. Lastly, in the last experiment, “incidental learning of object locations in a search experiment was studied, but no statistically significant sex differences were observed” (Stoet, 2011, 418). This finding again disapproves that women cognitions are adapted to gathering tasks as advanced by the evolutionary hypothesis. The theory that men can perform better in tasks that are for women is supported from the position of social psychologist, the argument that women can equally perform in tasks that are predominantly perceived as the chores for men is nullified based on Stoet’s (2011) findings. Amid conflicts of the evolutionary hypothesis emanating from Stoet’s (2011) findings and Cashdan et al. (2012), Neave, Hamilton, Hutton, Tildesley, Pickering, (2005) argue that such conflicts emanate from utilization of methodologies, which are void of ecological validity in the attempt to conduct empirical studies to verify the evolutionary theory. The five researchers conducted two studies “in which object recognition and object location memory were addressed using real plants within naturalistic arrays” (Neave et al. 2005, p.146). They report that, in the first study, female participants identified particular plants that were located in small arrays faster and with few mistakes in comparison to their male counterparts. Similar results were obtained in the second experiment where complex and bigger arrays were used to test object location skills between the male and female participants. These findings confirm the validity of the gathering hypothesis. Nevertheless, it is opposed the social psychological arguments that men and women can equally perform in similar tasks subject to erosion of gender roles profiling (Hardy-Fanta & Sierra, 2009). While noting the heated scholarly debate on empirical evidence for validity of the gathering hypothesis, Ecuyer-Dab and Robert (2007) appreciates the need for verification of the hypothesis via meaningful ecological tests. The empirical researchers do this by reviewing evidence “after surveying the main anthropological information on ancestral sex-related foraging” (p.365). The aim of the research was to evaluate the degree of robustness of the theoretical paradigm that women have peculiar advantages in object location memory in comparison to men. Tantamount to Neave, Hamilton, Hutton, Tildesley, Pickering (2005), their findings verified the gathering hypothesis since women were found to be better object locators as opposed to men. Conclusion The evolutionary hypothesis depicts sex as having the ability to determine various abilities between men and women. Women sex differences are cognitively adapted to engage in activities that relate to gathering due to their possession of cute object location skills. Conversely, men are well cognitively adapted to gathering due to their orientation, targeting, and navigational skills without losing the direction to get them back to their initial point of origin. As argued in the literature review section, several attempts have been made by various evolutionary scholars to conduct empirical studies to verify this pure evolutionally hypothesis. Nevertheless, different empirical researchers have obtained different results from these studies leading to conflicting and similar conclusion about the validity of the evolutionary theory. Through discussion of various research findings on empirical studies on the evolutionary theory, the study finds significant points of contention and departure from the postulation of gathering-hunter hypothesis. The researchers considered in the literature review verify the applicability and validity of the evolutionary theory in explaining the spatial abilities of men in hunting. In case of association of women with spatial gathering abilities, different researches provide different empirical evidence for the hypotheses’ validity. In the attempt to interpret the social psychological theory based on aspects of spatial divisions of labor, the study finds it insignificant since men are presented as possessing spatial abilities, which are contended upon by the empirical evidence provided by different scholars whose empirical studies have been deployed to conduct the literature review. Reference List Brown, J. (2013). A sex difference in location-based inhibition-of-return. Personality & Individual Differences, 54 (6), 721-725. Cashdan, E., Marlowe, W., Crittenden, A., Porter, C., & Wood, M. (2012). Sex differences in spatial cognition among Hadza foragers. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33 (4), 274-284. Ecuyer-Dab, I., & Robert, M. (2007). The Female Advantage in Object Location Memory According to the Foraging Hypothesis: A Critical Analysis. Human Nature, 18 (4), 365-385. Hardy-Fanta, C., & Sierra,C. (2009). Gender, race, and descriptive representation in the United States. Findings from the gender and multicultural leadership project. Journal of women politics and policy 28 (3), 7-41. Joshua, N., Max, M., Danielle, T., & Steven, J. (2007). Spatial adaptations for plant foraging: women excel and calories count: Proceedings of the Royal Society. Biological Sciences, 274 (1626), 2679-2684. McBurney, H., Gaulin, C., Devineni, T., & Adams, C. (1997). Superior spatial memory of women: Stronger evidence for the gathering hypothesis. Evolution and Human Behavior, 18 (3), 165-174. Neave, N., Hamilton, C., Hutton, L., Tildesley, N., & Pickering, T. (2005). Some Evidence of a Female Advantage in Object Location Memory Using Ecologically Valid Stimuli. Human Nature, 16 (2), 146-163. Piccardi, L., Iaria, G., Ricci, M., Bianchini, F., Zompanti, L., & Guariglia, C. (2008). Walking in the Corsi test: Which type of memory do you need? Neuroscience Letters, 432 (2), 127-131. Silverman, I., Choi J., & Peters, M. (2007). The hunter gatherer theory of sex differences in spatial abilities: data from 40 countries. Arch sex behavior, 36 (3), 261-268. Stoet, G. (2011). Sex differences in search and gathering skills. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32 (6), 416-422.

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Write an essay about: This paper examines the external environment of Sherwin Williams Company, especially the threats and opportunities to which this enterprise is exposed. It is also important to discuss the way in which this company mentors its employees in order to promote their professional development.

This paper examines the external environment of Sherwin Williams Company, especially the threats and opportunities to which this enterprise is exposed. It is also important to discuss the way in which this company mentors its employees in order to promote their professional development.

Sherwin Williams External Environment Term Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. External Environment 3. Trends and Threats 4. Opportunities in the External Environment 5. Sherwin Williams Employees Mentorship 6. Conclusion 7. Reference List Introduction Sherwin Williams is engaged in manufacturing, distributing as well as selling building materials such as paints and coatings. This company operates in America and Europe. Currently, this organization consists of four segments, namely Global Finishes, Paint Stores, Consumer Group, and Latin American Group. This paper is aimed at examining the external environment of this company, especially the threats and opportunities to which this enterprise is exposed. Furthermore, it is vital to discuss the way in which this company mentors its employees in order to promote their professional development. Moreover, one should examine the way in which the competitors of Sherwin Williams approach the mentorship of new hires and their professional development. These are the main questions that should be examined. External Environment Sherwin William’s external environment includes four essential elements; in particular, one should speak about customers, economy, competition, and government (Kefalas, 2009). First of all, it should be mention that clients are critical for critical for the sustainability of Sherwin Williams because their demand determines the financial performance of this enterprise and its market share. There are four distinct groups; in particular, one can speak about retailers, commercial, professional, and industrial customers. In addition to that, clients can be direct and indirect. For example, commercial, professional, and industrial customers buy the products directly from the company while the retailers obtain them from the commercial customers. The management should consider the interest of these stakeholders in order to remain sustainable. The management should remember that these customers can have various needs. The development of the U.S. economy is another factor that forms the external environment of Sherwin Williams Company. For example, one can mention that the demand for the products of Sherwin Williams depends on the performance of the construction industry. Moreover, one should focus on the purchasing power of individuals or groups that may need to buy housing or building materials. This is one of the trends that influence the financial performance of this business. The government affects the operation of the company since it sets policies that govern the corporate entities (Ryu, 2006). Much attention should be paid to the fiscal policies of the state. For instance, at presently, the state charges a tax of about 12 percent on income (Kefalas, 2009). However, some of the company’s activities such as merging and acquisition are exempted from taxation in the United States. Additionally, the government has promoted the embracement of corporate social responsibility which Sherwin William must adopt in order to meet the standards set by policy-makers (Kefalas, 2009). Therefore, it is possible to argue that the government can raise the performance standards that Sherwin Williams has to reach. Finally, one should not overlook the importance of competition. Among the main rivals of this company, one can distinguish Benjamin Moore, PPG, and BASF. These companies share the market with Sherwin Williams. Their activities prompt Sherwin William to improve the quality of their products or decrease their prices in order to remain competitive. Trends and Threats Sherwin William and its competitors should pay attention to several trends. For instance, the governments and public organizations advocate the use of sustainable building materials. For example, UNEP and IESD support the use of green paints, rather than the synthetic paints. These organizations invested in the production of paints which will pose a great challenge for Sherwin Williams and its competitors. Moreover, the Asian countries have adopted the doctrine of sustainable architecture which might challenge the economic viability of the current paints that Sherwin Williams is producing. This trend can be an extremely significant threat to the existing companies that produce synthetic paints which can produce harmful effects on people’s health. Therefore, one can say that this organization should develop alternatives to existing products; otherwise this company can become very vulnerable in the future. This is one of the suggestions that can be made. The competitors of Sherwin William attach importance to mentoring of employees since these activities are critical for the organizational performance. For example, BASF enables trainees to take several positions within the organization. Moreover, senior managers help the trainees to understand the challenges that they will have to overcome in the future. These orientation programs can last for twenty-four months and during this period new employees can learn more about the functioning of this organization. For example, they can better understand the production process. Secondly, they can learn more about the needs of clients. In turn, PPG Industries conducts workshops that are aimed at developing mentorship skills of senior managers. These people should help new hires to gain a better understanding of the way in which this organization functions. Thus, one can say that these companies understand the importance of mentoring. This is one of the details that can be singled out. Opportunities in the External Environment There are various opportunities that Sherwin William can use in order to improve its performance. First, the company can rely on its commercial customers while distributing and selling their goods to retailers and industrial customers. This strategy can save the company the costs of distribution which are incurred since the retailers will obtain the products through commercial customers. Moreover, the projects carried out by the government can also offer many opportunities to businesses like Sherwin William because the state is a potential customer of the company. In turn, the company should secure governmental contracts. Public projects can generate significant revenues for Sherwin William because they receive significant funding. Lastly, the economy of the United States and many other countries around the world is oriented toward construction of affordable housing due to the rising population and increasing demand for infrastructure. Therefore, the company should take advantage of this opportunity and supply construction materials for the companies that implement these projects. This strategy should not be restricted only to the United States. Instead, the company should focus on the global economy as a whole and expound its economic boundaries. This strategy can help the company to increase its market share. Sherwin Williams Employees Mentorship Sherwin mentorship is based on various techniques that that encourage employees to develop their skills and attain professional growth. For instance, the company adopts the so-called bottom-up approach. This method implies that junior employees should make decisions and pass them to the seniors for approval. This system enables the junior employees to participate holistically in decision-making process. In this way, they can learn more about ethical issues, leadership, and responsibilities of senior managers. Moreover, this interaction between colleagues helps trainees to understand their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, this organization enables workers to translate their theoretical knowledge into practical decisions (Nunez, Dean, & Ottino, 2010). Moreover, they are more ready to take initiatives. Furthermore, the management of this organization encourages employees to continue their academic career because it is closely related to their professional activities. Lastly, the company has inspirational leaders who act as role models to employees. For example, one can mention the company’s CEO, Christopher Connor who can inspire and motivate new hires. These people set examples for employees since they are usually admired by trainees. These leaders are agents of transformation because they can help followers turn into leaders. In addition, the leaders create personal bonds with the employees by creating an environment of mentorship and inspiration (Beckett, 2010). In this way, the management helps employees to adjust to the requirements of the company. These are the strategies that Sherwin William currently adopts. Conclusion This discussion shows that there are several external factors which influence the performance of Sherwin William. Much attention should be paid to the performance of the construction industry, the policies of the state, the attitudes of customers, and the strategies of competitors. This organization can derive several opportunities from such trends as increasing population or growing number of public construction projects. Yet, Sherwin Williams should concentrate on the production of ecologically sustainable products because the demand for them can increase in the future. Furthermore, the examples discussed in this paper show that Sherwin William and its competitors focus on the need for effective mentoring programs. The senior executives of these organizations understand that the professional development of workers is important for the sustainability of businesses. This is why they develop various mentorship programs. Reference List Beckett, J. (2010). Mentorship is the Key Career to Success. Strategic Finance , 9 4 (4), 21. Kefalas, A. (2009). Analyzing Changes In The External Business Environment. Strategy & Leadership, 9 (4), 26-46. Nunez, A., Dean, R., & Ottino, J. (2010). The Role of Mentorship in Project Performance. Nature Journal, 465 (7298), 622. Ryu, S. (2006). The Effect Of External And Internal Environments On Inter-firm Governance. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 13 (2), 67-90.

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Create the inputted essay that provided the following summary: Shifting the Centre: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing about Motherhood is an article that seeks to look at the impact interlocking oppressions by different systems. The focus of the article, in its long and dense theories, as well as thorough research, seeks to look at the impact interlocking oppressions by different systems on individuals in a society. The article by Collins forms the best mechanism of understanding and explaining individuals' feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in society especially in relation to the issue of oppression based on race.

Shifting the Centre: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing about Motherhood is an article that seeks to look at the impact interlocking oppressions by different systems. The focus of the article, in its long and dense theories, as well as thorough research, seeks to look at the impact interlocking oppressions by different systems on individuals in a society. The article by Collins forms the best mechanism of understanding and explaining individuals' feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in society especially in relation to the issue of oppression based on race.

Shifting the Centre: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing About Motherhood Essay Patricia Collin’s article “Shifting the Centre: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing about Motherhood” is a clear castigation of the feminist theory of the white woman which widely makes standard personal autonomy and other experiences related to emotional nurture of the economically secure white middle-class nuclear families. The author starts by bringing into the limelight the role of mothers. The liberal dichotomies of these roles are broken down into individual, community, private and public experiences. The author is very categorical in that it is necessary to put the role of the woman of color in the same position as that of the white one since this ensures that cultural identity is maintained, women are empowered equally and children survive well mentally and physically even in the midst of racism. The focus of the article, in its long and dense theories, as well as thorough research, seeks to look at the impact interlocking oppressions by different systems. On the issues of oppressions within interlocking systems, Collins is of the view that a paradigmatic shift is created at the thought of black feminists. In this case, it shows that there is a particular structure of dominance of oppression upon which other variables such as disability, sexual orientation; class and race are dependent upon. These systems, therefore, interconnect with individuals in a society. The view created by the author from this argument rejects the feminist theory by citing that not all who appear oppressed are at stake. The article by Collins forms the best mechanism of understanding and explaining individuals’ feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in society especially in relation to the issue of oppression based on race. This is the case because it views and explores them within the social context such as institutions, friends, families and the broader societal consideration that affect social behavior. The concept of sociology as modern scientists concur, anchors, the earlier Aristotle’s ideology that human beings instinctually congregate to facilitate their demands and objectives achievement in the society in terms of work. It is worth noting that the understanding of the notion that feminist oppression in terms of race, gender are influenced by or the imagined actions of others have led to the current debate of the actual magnitude of particular external and internal effects. It is from this consideration that relatedness and relation of the different people in the community, at the family, and other extended areas of considerations provoke unusual reactions towards different societal requirements and responses. Autonomy, according to this theme, is critical in facilitating logical assessment both at the individual and community level. Following this autonomy, the concept of the self is further brought out with re-conceptualizing mechanisms being employed to match the previous experiences and the necessary life objectives in the society. In ethnicity context, its application would be depicted in generation of identity of people with a particular system, object, or even values. Identity theory postulates that it would create a universal system that further seeks to refute their inferiority consideration. Therefore, it would come out as a critical talking point and essential platform for liberation to the oppressed ethnic groupings.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The essay examines the decision making process at Shoe Corporation of Illinois and how it can be improved. The author suggests that the company should adopt new technology and revise its organizational structure to improve communication and speed up the decision making process.

The essay examines the decision making process at Shoe Corporation of Illinois and how it can be improved. The author suggests that the company should adopt new technology and revise its organizational structure to improve communication and speed up the decision making process.

Shoe Corporation of Illinois Report Table of Contents 1. Relevant facts 2. Problem definition 3. Critical analysis of the problem 4. Recommendations 5. Works Cited Relevant facts The company manufactures low price ladies’ shoes that change its styles frequently in order to have an advantage of the flexibility associated with a small firm. The change in style of the company’s products is to meet the ever changing customer preferences for shoes. However, conflict in the organization is a must thing due to the nature of the decision making process. In this regard, the flow and pattern of doing work require re-examination and adjustment to achieve the required efficiency. The profitability of the company per shoe has been declining over the years. The company has different line of products enabling it provide 100 to 200 shades of products in its two factories. Problem definition The major problem is the management leadership style and the decision making process which fails to advocate for use of technology, lack of horizontal management style in the structure, failure to meet the emerging needs of the customers in the ever changing market due to poor channels of communication, there is a lot of interdepartmental conflict which delays the process of decision making and poor penetration of technological development due to resistance from employees, The external environment poses another problem as it is unstable calling for proactive measures. Critical analysis of the problem The organization structure of Shoe Corporation of Illinois (SCI) is characterized by functioning departments. “Large shoe houses hold the market for “stable” shoe market because of economies of scale, SCI offers trendy styles and their organization structure allows for them to be flexible for this” (Child 2008, p. 48). The environment in which SCI operates is so polarized that it leads to conflict between managers. In the recent past, a new department headed by Olsen was established to cool down the friction between the employees. The e-commerce department did not yield the required results since the employees resisted any change in the organization and they are reluctant in adopting new technology. The e-commerce was meant to ease communication between the employees through the use of the intranet as well as improving internet sales. As Olsen came to learn, this never happened as the process of designing new styles remained unchanged since 1980’s. Olsen was of the opinion that the improved technology was efficient in communication and creating effective product awareness while at the same time decreasing delivery and manufacturing times. SCI has all along used obsolete methods when it came to making decisions on new styles and there have been confusing manufacturing procedures. “According to Allison, the average time from design to the pilot run is too long but could be reduced and there is too much conflict in the styling phase” (Child 2008, p. 98).Allison is involved in many departments. His involvement in many departments leads to work overload which in essence is counterproductive. For example, there have been major delays in the approval of styles due to his bad judgment as a result of over involvement. Another problem on management is failure to honor its promise to employees. According to Lawson, an employee deserves motivation such as pay rise and bonuses if he has worked for the company for long. This is because he will have gained experience like what Flynn has done. He was promised a pay rise in the previous year which he never received up to date. There has been lack of autonomy to employees as pointed out by Flynn. There is lack of motivation which leads to job dissatisfaction since there is no creativity. Flynn would like to have more autonomy in the design of new styles but Lawson believes that the status quo must be maintained and that the process currently being used is the proven process. Also the design division has lacked autonomy in the process of finalizing their designs. “The other problem on management and decision making is seen when Ferguson is bypassed in the process of maintaining historical statistics on shipments which subsequently leads to delay and ambiguity” (Child 2008, p. 50). The assistant to the superintendent of the Centerville plant has a friction with the manager of the styling department. There has been a communication breakdown and a misunderstanding between the two departments. Recommendations “The production process should be streamlined. This would be achieved by dividing the production department into two units that would work simultaneously to reduce the workload in the division during changes in style of the product” (Child 2008, p. 101). The outcome is that efficiency will be enhanced which will guarantee sufficient supplies. SCI should develop and introduce an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERPS) system. It can be observed that, the process from the time Research and Development is instituted to the time the final sale is done is too complex. This should be broken down onto a platform that would help in capturing and recording tasks and generate reports that would be used to improve performance. The ERPS would be efficient in harmonizing the intricate and mutually supporting workflow. This would be achieved by centralizing all the information concerned with product design between Lawson, Richards, Flynn; processing orders from the sales representative and production role between Robbins and Lawson. There should be a committee that would act as an arbitrator with full representation from all the departments, that is, production and styling divisions. This would help remove differences and facilitate smooth running of the company. The structure of the organization should also be restructured with top managers overseeing the processes in the organization. Works Cited Child, John. Organization: A Guide To Problems and Practice . New York: SAGE, 2008. Print.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The significance of Chinese Revolution Led by Mao Zedong in terms of the search for modern China was discussed. The revolution was used as means of socialism, which assisted in creating new power structure best referred to as bureaucratic capitalism. The new power structure was associated with inequality and exploitation, whereby Cultural Revolution created fresh wounds against the new power structure.

The significance of Chinese Revolution Led by Mao Zedong in terms of the search for modern China was discussed. The revolution was used as means of socialism, which assisted in creating new power structure best referred to as bureaucratic capitalism. The new power structure was associated with inequality and exploitation, whereby Cultural Revolution created fresh wounds against the new power structure.

Significance of Chinese Revolution Led by Mao Zedong in Term of the Search for Modern China Exploratory Essay According to Zhou (1996), Cultural Revolution was introduced in China by Communist Party in the 1960s. The cultural aspect was incorporated into policies of the New Democracy, which was responsible for claims of a new state for legitimacy. However, there were various anomalies identified within the New Democracy. A good example is undertaking land reforms for purposes of ending feudalism, where land was to be redistributed to landless citizens for equity purposes. Land reform issue was applied differently in towns and countryside, whereby labour and bureaucratic regulations were enhanced in cities as opposed to the countryside. There was need for reinforcing individual entrepreneurship which was measured against public requirements and control. All these were as a result of penetration of the ruling Party within society and based on class alliance and democracy (Scott, 1985). The Party’s ideological commitment to socialism granted them the concentration of political and economic power, which was applied through forceful interventions. Inclination to socialism was as a result of country’s cooperation with Soviet Union. This collaboration assisted in the building and development of an industrial base through mobilization of internal resources (Blecher, 1989). It resulted into building of heavy industries within the agricultural sector through collectivization. The Chinese countryside was collectivized in the mid-1950s, which resulted into communes. At the same time, reorganization of the countryside was followed by abolition of private ownership within industrial estates (Zhou, 1996). However, despite achievement in moving from New Democracy to Socialism, there was accumulative impatience amongst people based on their disastrous welfare. Crisis amongst people led to intra-Party conflicts and struggles, which eventually led to Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The revolution was used as means of socialism, which assisted in creating new power structure best referred to as bureaucratic capitalism (Blecher, 1989). Such power structure was associated with inequality and exploitation, whereby Cultural Revolution created fresh wounds against the new power structure. The mass Cultural Revolution practiced by Maoists was viewed as means of creating cultural habits in support of socialists and their power game rules. Such revolution as experienced by Chinese community introduced new dimension within the socialist political theory which focused on culture as a central ingredient for change as opposed to material change, which formed the core ingredient in the creation of socialism (Garnaut, 2009). The demise of Mao in 1978, led to a period of ‘reform and opening’ which resulted into China being amongst the emergent global capitalists. Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, there were pronounced hesitations as well as contradictions of policies that were characteristic of New Democracy between the 1940s and 1950s. However, such desired change was introduced in the late 1980s and led into dispute between Party and urban constituencies (Blecher, 1989). The disputes and policy contradictions experienced was resolved by deep concentration on capitalism resulting into eminent progress despite betraying promises of socialism (Bernal, 1976). This led to current spread of inequalities within Chinese society built upon ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ as expressed by political vocabulary and grammar. Despite being included in a global capitalism, Cultural Revolution experienced within socialist society, still have elements of its presence to-date. Increasing unrest and inequality within rural society led to the formation of political movements aimed at establishing a stable society. Also, various development activities within the community acted as potential paths through which cultural, ecological and social contradictions emerged. The current situation considers the world of a global capitalism as accommodating to socialism provided it considers adhering to rules of capitalism. According to Garnaut (2009), the communist grasp in China has strengthened for the last sixty years. The current celebrations marking rule of Mao has seen beefing-up of security within major avenues within cities. Strict political rules safeguarding Communist Party governance were set against any political troublemaker. The policies championed for the denial of access to Beijing upon any migrant worker. There is also flooding the film industry with patriotic movies, documentaries and use of symbolism. Policies applied by Mao led to sidelining of millions of democrats and entrepreneurs who championed for freedom and equality within China. Garnaut (2009), recorded that Communist party have every reason to pride based on various achievements, which made China a wealthy and powerful nation. According to Pye (1986), formation of the Great Proletarian Revolution caused disastrous results where millions of people lost their lives as well as property. The ten years revolution left several victims traumatized and so much during that era could not be defined through conventional theories of politics. Individuals could describe the experience only through personal tragedies. The Cultural Revolution affected Chinese citizens in a multi-dimensional way through various institutions within the country, including families and learning institutions. Mao’s policies resulted in an ideologically purer group of individuals best referred to as revolutionaries. However, there was always a great wave of violence and sufferings of the people from the countryside which was entirely ignored by the Chinese government and considered merely part of the inevitable cost of revolutionary (Blecher, 1989). Mao’s regime was characterized by a reckless and ruthless attack on ‘capital roaders within the Party’ who were considered as spear headers of ‘revisionism’. Some of the victims happened to be writers who endured humiliations and violent torture involving imprisonment in labour camps situated within the countryside. Mao refused to acknowledge the extent to which human rights were violated. Even western scholarship was unable to establish the adverse effects of Cultural Revolution, including suicide claims, mistreatment at labour camps as well as within prisons (Pye, 1986, p. 604). Memories resulting from Cultural Revolution consequences can be traced to the government’s lack of control on the price structure. There are also numerous negative effects on economic grounds, which includes; worthiness of Yuan within currency markets, preventing use of subsidies within the market and contributing to the decline of foreign exchange reserves. Other consequences of Cultural Revolution included extensive disloyalty towards authorities. This was as a result of allowing citizens to indulge intensely into politics with cultural freedom. Such political liberalization produced anarchy and uncontrolled change (Pye, 1986, p. 610). The new Chinese government led to ceasefire amongst civilians leading to peace after a century of political feuds and wars within the nation. The leadership which emerged after defeat of Guomindag regime and Japanese invaders became dictators of their system. They used farmers as representation base for power as well as a channel for Communist access to power. However, Chinese earned greater percentage of foreign exchange from agrarian products which supported bureaucratic elite leading to affordable urban life. Cultural Revolution made it possible for farmers to rebel against any oppressing authority, hence using force for purposes of improving their lot. Consequently, communist rule under Mao and associates sought support for themselves and farmers. Communists had to disseminate surplus from the farms in favor of livelihood within cities. In education sector, China has attracted hosts of Australians willing to invest and study within the country. Mao’s policies led to creation and development of the middle class with the same styles as that of Sydney. Such developments have enabled a lucrative partnership between China and non-communist countries such as Australia. There has been an exchange of labour between the countries; for example, a Sydney architecture firm won the contract of constructing significant buildings within China (Dirlik and Chan, 1991). Also, there have been innovative architectural constructions within the capital, such as sports halls used for international events such as Olympics. Education is known as potentially delivering significant private benefits to employees within China and partner countries such as Australia. This is since training has provided personal investments within earning capacities. In Australia, the government has expense deduction reprieve on those studying at universities but not yet secured formal employment. Suggested deductions ensure that many professionals and employees are trained further to ensure that they are updated within their various field of work. The existing income tax law provides that deductions be made only on costs incurred in the process of producing income. The Act provides the arrangement of work-related expenses liable to deductions. According to tax assessment act, there is a clear guideline concerning various deductions associated with assessable incomes. Under the same provision with respect to education expenses, the deduction is claimed in such a case where educational programs can be directly traced to taxpayer’s current employment and are utilized for acquiring specific knowledge (Dirlik and Chan, 1991). However, deductions are not made in cases where education activity is perceived to be for the purposes of enabling the taxpayer to become employed or for the purposes of opening new opportunities for earning. The current policies within modern China provide the fact that there is no change in the development of compulsory Marxist studies within learning institutions. The learning process embraces issues on rapid economic growth as opposed to original Marxism. Deductions within education sector are allowable to the taxpayer with respect to expenses of self-education with the net amount of expenses being valued at affordable rate. However, there are some categories of expenses included in the amount considered as inevitable, such as bus fares. Such cases present anomalies to the amendment since the non-claimable expenses are ultimately claimed by taxpayers as deductible expenses (Needham, 2006). Mao’s strategy on economic world proved to be suitable in cases where the country experiences intense pressures in line with cost reduction and less pressure in the process of introducing new ventures within countryside and urban centres. In such cases, all strategies applied by the government and all decision-making processes are centralized. This strategy emphasizes on nature of monitoring, integration and coordination of activities within governance. This has ensured that the right policies access targeted cities as well as the countryside. Besides, there is also emphasis on creation of efficient development channels (Selden, 1995). Various disadvantages of Mao’s strategy included government institutions’ limitations to satisfy citizen needs both within cities and countryside. There was also increased costs and expenditure on the movement of goods and services from a centralized location to across borders. The challenge was based on high tariff costs on exports, which largely depended on country’s legislation rules. Mao’s Rectification Movement resulted in the destruction of various influences within Party brought by two groups of intellectuals; Russia-trained and Western democratic liberals (Liang, 2003). Mao’s revolution led to rising of ‘fifth generation’ of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership who majorly operates on princeling background. Such a crop of young leadership is expected to take the leading role in the Chinese political arena in the next two decades. The young leadership is being trained for top government positions with more authority as they vie for posts within CCP Party Congresses (Dotson, 2012). Western democratic liberalism allows for decentralized decision making for the purposes of easier modification of policies depending on local demand. In this case, policies were modified for specific target groups hence leading to affordable costs of living within major cities. At the same time, such a strategy forced the government to utilize local knowledge and capabilities, for the purposes of satisfying needs and taste of local consumers (Liang, 2003). This strategy easily led to loss on distinctiveness since local adaptation kept changing over a long period of time. Additionally, there was increased spending owing to complexity experienced in coordinating a range of strategies across boundaries within Chinese territory. Such a strategy was used in cases where political parties required more power to overcome pressures emanating from cost-effectiveness as well as adaptation with Maoist rules. However, the government allocated assets and capabilities depending on benefits obtained from each specific activity. Most activities within ‘upstream’ value chains experienced centralization with such strategy for satisfying citizen’s needs. Conversely, activities within the countryside were decentralized. Mao consolidated his authority before Yan’an was fully established through the military as well as political forces. There was extensive reassignment concerning those in opposition to Mao’s governmental policies. These were performed through educational institutions as well as universities. Consequently, life revolved around sports within basketball court, military duties, entertainment, class-work and other productive work within the society. The original central participants within this work were artists and writers from Lu Xun learning institution (Apter, 1995). Various conflicts were experienced within China as a result of Cultural Revolution. These included complete fallout between political parties based on ideologies. However, the nature of the approach adopted by modern China ensured existence of strong national security bodies capable of considering civilian affairs on an equal basis. Policies used within these institutions regarded as a possible dichotomy between competition and complementarities. According to Chongyi (2012), there is a resultant claim for Chinese uniqueness through political and economic guidance amongst the ‘fifth generation’ within CCP. The concerned leaders were made to draw much power from intensive authority created by communist regime. Various shifts experienced within the political arena, including growing assertiveness, were as a result of opposition from other political parties. This led to disruption on several strategic representations which signified settled democracy. There were increased experiences on a clear-cut division of labour within institutions which led to political-diplomatic interactions between political parties. The effectiveness of oppression prevention programs as introduced by Mao through learning and economic institutions largely depended on governmental policies. For instance, any intervention program applied in either middle or high school will show little outcomes if combined intervention of policymakers, administrators, parents, teachers, students, and educationists is not available. Therefore, some factors favour the effectiveness of an intervention program in either middle schools or high schools. References Apter, D1995, Discourse as Power: Yan’an and the Chinese Revolution , New Haven: Yale University Press. Bernal, M1976, Chinese Socialism to 1907 , Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press. Blecher, M 1989, Socialist Transition , Durham, NC, Oberlin College. Dirlik, A & Chan, M1991, Schools into Fields and Factories: Anachists, the Guomindang and the Labour University in Shaghai, 1927-1932 , Durham, NC, Duke University Press. Chongyi, F 2012, ‘China’s New Dawn’, Review guide to the world of issues, ideas and opinion. Dotson, J 2012, “The Chinese Communist Party and Its Emerging Next-Generation Leaders,’ U.S-China Economic and Security Review Commission Staff Research Report. Garnaut, J 2009, ‘ Surviving a longer march ’ , The Sydney Morning Herald. Web. Liang, K 2003, ‘The Rise of Mao and His Cultural Legacy: the Yan’an Rectification Movement’, Journal of Contemporary China , Vol.12, No. 34, pp 225-228. Needham, K 2006, Rising dragon still sees red-World. Web . Pye, L 1986, ‘Reassessing the Cultural Revolution,’ China quarterly No. 108, pp 597-612). Scott, J1985, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance , New Haven, Yale University Press. Selden, M1995, ‘Yan’an Communism Reconsidered’, Modern China , Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 8-44. Zhou1996, The “Feudalization” of Chinese Farmers: Bound to the Land , New Haven, Yale University Press.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The text discusses the significance of shifts fostering lifelong learning and human capital formation. It reiterates the importance of education in human capital formation, discussing the impact of globalization, conflict on education, performance measurements for the various stages in education and knowledge transfer with the aim of creating a knowledge economy.

The text discusses the significance of shifts fostering lifelong learning and human capital formation. It reiterates the importance of education in human capital formation, discussing the impact of globalization, conflict on education, performance measurements for the various stages in education and knowledge transfer with the aim of creating a knowledge economy.

Significance of Shifts Fostering Lifelong Learning and Human Capital Formation Synthesis Essay Literature Review Importance of education in human capital formation is subject to debate in formulating education policies. The influence of globalization, impact of conflict on education, performance measurements for the various stages in education and knowledge transfer with the aim of creating a knowledge economy form the basis of discussion in instilling lifelong learning and forming human capital. Borghans and Heijke (2005) argue that governments have had structures to link education to the labor market for a long time. The authors reiterate these using six points of view regarding the informing nature of economies and labor market demands on education. Green (2002) who seems to share similar sentiments with Borghans and Heijke (2005) argue that political and economic efficiency of the production process of education are critical to its success. Although globalization centers on policymaking in divulging knowledge, Jallabe and Mora (2001) digress. They argue that universities’ adherence to Lifelong Learning is hampered, to some extent, by national policies, academic traditions and financial pressures. The manner in which international discourse on Lifelong Learning affects policy-making remains vague and subject to the above factors. This contrasts with Aucoin (2011) who critically elucidates on the massive opportunities and threats that globalization and embracing of ICT has brought to human capital formation and policy formulation. Aucoin (2011) compares knowledge societies and knowledge economies of developing nations and developed nations. Developed nations pursue knowledge economies, which is the basis for comparative advantage. Doyle (2008) compares systems of education in France and England based on the PISA 2000 benchmark. She looks critically at the PISA program concerning inequality in attainment of education and inequality levels. The study finds the PISA program useful for comparison of inequality but finds fault in its use as a performance tool in comparing pupils and students. Doyle (2008) finds that the traditional setting of a country is a contributor to the performance of students. Previous studies echo the same sentiments (Green 2002, Borghans and Heijke 2005). Additionally, the study questions the universal applicability of the parameters PISA uses to measure the level of proficiency in reading literacy. This includes retrieving information, interpreting texts and reflection. Fuchs and Wößmann (2007) dissect the PISA program as a tool to measure students’ performance. The study finds that institutional contribution to students’ performance is significantly low compared to other factors such as family backgrounds, inputs from home and availability of useful education resources. They term these as ‘student characteristics’. In contrast to Doyle (2008), this study analyzes the effect of external exam and budget formulation. Additionally, the two look at the autonomy of a school while selecting crucial learning materials (such as textbooks), hiring tutors and the allocation of budget within the school. This has been contentious and empirical evidence has not conclusively supported or negated the findings of this study. Over time, the definition of education concerning policymaking and its consequences has been a subject of many studies (Carpenter and Hughes 2011). Carpenter and Hughes (2011) examine the speeches of political leaders and policymakers over a period of seven years. This gubernatorial rhetoric, as Carpenter and Hughes (2011) find, centers on the efficiency that education brings to the economy. The two conclude that the rhetoric that seems to define education with an economic dimension ignores other important needs for education. They state other crucial educational benefits such as self-realization, civic responsibility, development of human relationships and economic efficiency (Carpenter and Hughes 2011, pg 6). Fuchs and Wößmann (2007) discuss the issue of exit examinations thoroughly. They conclude that performance in math and science subjects have a positive correlation with exit exams. They also find that private institutions have a higher performance than public institutions. Fuchs and Wößmann (2007), however, note that public institutions with private finding do not measure up with private institutions. Other empirical studies had concluded as such with a little digression when it comes to the science subject. Currently, the world is constantly engulfed in fear of war. Selected countries have had long spells of unrest especially in the developing world. The effect of war on education has been passively mentioned in various studies (Borghans and Heijke 2005, Fuchs and Wößmann 2007). Davies (2005) takes an in-depth look into the effects of war on education and the ways in which education contributes or propagates wars. The study argues that education creates divisions (religious, ethnic, status) which make some people feel inferior (Lindahl and Cain 2012). The root of this is selective application of education, distortion of curricula, creation of fear and competition. She reiterates that this may not be obvious to curriculum developers. However, continued emphasis in media, and at the society level makes education seem like a demigod (Lindahl and Cain 2012). However, Davies (2005), who looks at it from a positive and negative side, (Carpenter and Hughes 2011) empirically, proves that sentiments of this nature do not solve the underlying problems. Additionally, Aucoin (2011) digresses by saying that this view is archaic. His study on the globalization and education impact on war, suggests that time has come for each person to have an education. However, the study states clearly that advancement of knowledge societies should be the concern of governments. Rather, governments should not focus on knowledge economics since this creates divides and hence sentiments towards educated segments. Davies (2005) points out positive aspects such as global education citizenship and peace education initiatives. The study outlines initiatives that the author finds possibly useful in quelling the fear of the educated. However, these initiatives may not be universally applicable according to Carpenter and Hughes (2011). However, it is evident that Davies (2005) laments the fact that war and aggression will never cease in the world. This means that education may continue to be threatened or it may continue to threaten peace in the world. Although many international organizations have been trying to enact universal education (Jallabe and Mora 2001) through LLL, majority of countries have disseminated national LLLs. They are specifically configured to make the countries more competitive. This includes EU and US. The two main objectives of LLL are social and economic. However, in countries where precedence over the proposed LLL has been overlooked, there are other priorities. This includes solving unemployment problems, labor market development and career development. This is similar to the situation in the United States (Carpenter and Hughes 2011). In Canada according to a study by Aucoin (2011), policies tend to be geared towards nationalization. However, there is a relaxed adherence to LLL. Lifelong learning in the education sector benefits nations that have increasingly seen the need for universal education (Lindahl and Cain 2012). The disadvantage with LLL is that there are countries that are barely able to meet the needs of the basic education, let alone other issues like health care and infrastructure developments (Jallabe & Mora 2001, 369). Making these countries take on LLL exposes them to financial difficulties. Learning on a globalized scale has various effects on different countries. With the practice, demography change and globalization are seen to determine the education system and its influence in the lives of the individuals (Green 2002). Evidently, human capital formation is the central theme in the dissemination of knowledge (Green 2002). However, it has taken an economic and national dimension (Jallabe and Mora 2001). Although this may be the formula for solving national, economic and political problems, it does not auger well in the globalization of education (Aucoin 2011). Production and use of human capital should not have one goal (Borghans and Heijke 2005). Additionally, it should reflect the need to have a safer world (Davies 2005). According to Borghans and Heijke (2005), the growing need for knowledge, labor market uncertainties and complicated ways of acquiring education (Aucoin 2011) requires explicit investigation into production and use of human capital. This is because there is an economic dimension to it. The two echo earlier studies by Green (2002), Jallabe and Mora (2001). In my own opinion, the education sector will not be standardized in the future since it has failed in the past. Globalization will bring more options to the education sector without necessarily standardizing it. The need to have economic and labor market superiority will continue to dampen efforts at making education to be all-round. Additionally, education will propagate more wars than before especially in the developed nations. In the developing nations, the same may happen but this means that resources will be redirected which may cause an international outcry. Reference List Aucoin, R 2011, ‘Information and Communication Technologies in International Education: A Canadian Policy Analysis’, International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, vol. 6 no. 4, pp 1-11. Borghans, L & Heijke, H 2005, ‘The Production and Use of Human Capital: Introduction’, Education Economics , Vol. 13 no. 2, pp 133. Carpenter, D M & Hughes, H 2011, ‘Gubernatorial rhetoric and the purpose of education in the United States’, International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership , vol. 6 no. 6. Davies, L 2005, ‘Schools and War: Urgent Agendas for Comparative and International Education’, Compare , Vol. 35 no. 4, pp 357–371. Doyle, A 2008, ‘Educational performance or educational inequality: what can we learn from PISA about France and England’? Compare , vol. 38 no. 2, pp 205. Fuchs, T. & Wößmann, L 2007, ‘What Accounts for International Differences in Student Performance? A Re-examination Using PISA Data’, Empirical Economics , vol. 32, pp 433-464. Green, A 2002, ‘The Many Faces of Lifelong Learning: Recent Education Policy Trends in Europe’, Education Policy, Vol. 17 no. 6, pp 611-626. Jallabe, J & Mora, J 2001, ‘Lifelong Learning: International Injunctions and University Practices’, European Journal of Education, vol. 36, pp 361-377. Lindahl, R A & Cain, P M 2012, ‘A Study of School Size among Alabama’s Public High Schools’, International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership vol. 7 no. 1, pp 1-27.

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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: Singapore Airline (SIA) is a widely recognized and celebrated brand name in the air transport industry for over 50 years. This is attributable to its route network that covers over 90 cities in more than forty countries and up to date air transport system.

Singapore Airline (SIA) is a widely recognized and celebrated brand name in the air transport industry for over 50 years. This is attributable to its route network that covers over 90 cities in more than forty countries and up to date air transport system.

Singapore Airline Research Paper Introduction Overview of the Company Singapore Airline (SIA) is a widely recognized and celebrated brand name in the air transport industry for over 50 years. This is attributable to its route network that covers over 90 cities in more than forty countries and up to date air transport system. In addition, SIA is a member of the Star Alliance which has increased its global presence to roughly 140 countries. All in all, the company’s strong brand name is mainly attributed to its excellent customer service (Singaporeair.com, 2013). For nearly four decades since SIA was detached from Malaysian Airway Limited it has continued to grow rapidly to become a world class airline. Experts attribute this to the company’s values and culture. Singapore Airline has impressed many people due to its creativity, diversity and constant growth. In addition, the company has been able to meet customers demand as well as gaining competitive advantage in both local and international market (Singaporeair.com, 2013; Ayob, 2004, P. 2). However, the journey has never been smooth throughout. The company has experienced numerous challenges both internal and external. The most notable predicament was the Asian economic crisis created by the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2003. The crisis forced the company to cut down wages and lay-off nearly 500 workers. As a matter of fact, this was considered as the largest number of employees to be ever laid-off in the company’s history. As a result, the relationship between the top management and the labor union started to worsen (UK Essays.com, 2012). So as to attain a world class status SIA went through the following chronology: SIA was established in 1947 under the name Malayan Airways; in 1963, SIA was rebranded to Malaysian Airways owing to the formation of the Malaysian Federation. The name was later changed to Malaysian-Singapore Airline when Singapore became independent; in 1972, the company acquired the current name when it splits up from Malaysian Airways. In 1986, the girl wearing sarong kebaya (the company’s famous logo) was born. The young elegant, friendly and kindhearted girl on the SIA’s famous logo represents the culture that the company forever wants to devote to its customers (Singaporeair.com, 2013). From 1990 to 2001, the company purchased 178 aircrafts and expanded its route networks extensively. In 2004, Singapore Airline broke a world record by launching the longest ever commercial flight from Singapore to Los Angeles and New York. In 2007, SIA broke another world record by purchasing the largest passenger plane-A380. At the moment, SIA’s route networks spans more than 90 destinations and nearly forty countries. In addition, the company has the most modern fleet in the industry and dominates the South East Asian market (UK Essays.com, 2012). SWOT Analysis of the SIA SWOT analysis is an instrument that is often used to assess an organization and the environment. SWOT is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis is commonly used in business studies to explore the existing conditions in order to come up with possible solutions or strategies of addressing both internal and external challenges (OCBC Investment Research, 2011, p. 11). In this case, SWOT analysis will focus on Singapore Airline. The main objective of the analysis is to have firsthand experience of the problems facing the company and gain knowledge concerning probable developments and potentials. Strength and Weakness The main foundation of any company is their staff (Kotler, 2001, p. 6). SAI boasts of highly trained and disciplined personnel whose main focus is passengers comfort and satisfaction. Service quality and customer satisfaction have always been the core of SAI as enshrined in its vision and mission statement. The company has managed to achieve all these because of its highly competent staff, which includes the pilots and mechanics. This has benefited both the company and the customers. For instance, SIA’s service quality has attracted other users like institutions, tourism sector, VIPs among others. In addition, the company also has state of the art training facility for its human resource (OCBC Investment Research, 2011, p. 11). SIA is a well established airline with a very sound background. The company has always remained profitable despite of numerous challenges both internally and externally. Most of the company’s profits have always been invested back to expand the business. In addition to the strong financial base, SIA also has numerous other resources that have given it an edge over its rivals. For example, SIA has one of the leading freight handling facilities in the region. The company also has over 95 aircrafts and communication systems which are replaced after every five years. In addition, SIA’s flight kitchen based in Changi is one of the largest in the world. Last but not least, the company’s brand quality is in all probability the most potent resource. The brand has been nurtured for over three decades to be the most acknowledged and distinguished in the aviation industry (Ayob, 2004, p. 3). Singapore airline is devoted to the idea of open skies where consumer demand determines the flight destination. However, the company has been unable to access certain countries and airports due to their protectionist policies. For instance, it took the company a lot of years to access Heathrow and Manchester airports. At the moment, it is still struggling to access transatlantic routes from the United Kingdom. Other weaknesses include lack of growth opportunities for the Flagship Singapore Airline and agility to deal with global crisis (OCBC Investment Research, 2011, p. 11). Threats and opportunities The main opportunity for Singapore Airline is the growth of passenger and cargo transport in South-East Asia and the world at large. At the moment, much smaller and remote places are becoming open to the globe. This provides an opportunity for SIA to expand its services. The introduction of lost-cost carrier (LCC) is aimed at capturing this new market segment (UK Essays.com, 2012). The major threat facing SIA is the increased competition from the Middle East airlines, for example, Tiger Airways and Jestar Airlines. The airline also faces restrictive regulations in certain countries, for instance, the United Kingdom. Another threat is the probable economic depression and pressure on fuel prices (OCBC Investment Research, 2011, p. 11). Porter’s five forces analysis of the SIA This model is based on the comprehensive outlook on the company’s strategies that meets the opportunities and threats within and without the industry. The five forces as identified by porters include: threats of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and customers, threat of substitutes, and the rivalry within the industry. Porter’s five forces analysis not only offers a significant foundation for strategic analysis but also examines the viability of the industry to come up possible course of actions (Porter 1980, p. 3). Singapore Airline is regarded as a distinct industry in Singapore market. As a result, the Porter’s five forces and other externalities have considerable impact on the airline. Regionally, the airline is regarded as the market leader because of its outstanding service delivery and distinguished brand. However, over the recent past, Singapore Airline has been faced with stiff competition from the Middle East airlines and other news entrants. For that reason, industry analysis is very crucial for the company in order to cope with the current and prospective challenges (Singaporeair.com, 2013). The ease of entry into a market dictates the level of competition. The threat of entry significantly depends on the barriers put in place to ward off the new entrants (Kotler, 2001, p. 33). SIA controls the largest share of the South East Asian market to a near monopoly. Despite of the fact that Singapore has not restricted access to its route networks, smaller airlines have always found it very difficult to access this market. Nevertheless, the rapid development of the region’s economy and the tourism sector has attracted global airlines into the market (UK Essays.com, 2012). Customer’s bargaining power in the airline industry are very high. This is due to the fact that buyers have numerous options to choose from. Therefore, Singapore Airline needs to focus most of its attention on consumer satisfaction and provision of exceptional services. The power of the supplier in the airline industry is also important and has significant impact on the company’s competitive capacity. For this reason, Singapore Airline has established strong ties with its suppliers and other airline companies (UK Essays.com, 2012). The airline industry has highest threat of substitutes, particularly Singapore where the sole means of international movement is air transport. The threat increased with the introduction of the low-cost carriers. Therefore, SIA must take notice of the threats in different market segments (UK Essays.com, 2012). Lately the company has been experiencing stiff competition not only from the Middle East airlines but also from major global players, for instance, Cathay Pacific Airways, British Airways and Fly Emirates among others. However, Singapore Airline has been able to maintain a competitive edge over its rivals by improving its apparatus, increasing fleet network, offering exceptional services and promoting its brand (Singaporeair.com, 2013). Conclusion Industrial analysis of the Singapore Aviation industry provides an empirical overview of how external factor impacts the operations of the Singapore Airline. The main purpose of this analysis is to explain the external business environment, its dynamics and forces that propel the changes. The fundamental idea behind the two tools of analysis is that businesses have to adjust to the externalities. This reflects the idea that business strategies and goals have to fit in between the capabilities and externalities and therefore it is necessary for an industry/ entity to adjust to the changes. References Aaker, D.A. (2005). Strategic Market Management . Hobeken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Ayob, A.M. (2004). Singapore Airlines Limited: Building a Culture of Service Excelle nce . Web. Kotler, P. (2001). Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win and Dominate Markets . New York: Free Press. OCBC Investment Research. (2011). Singapore Airlines Limited. Company Report (MITA No. 022/06/2011). Singapore: OCBC. Porter, M.E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors . New York: Free Press. Singaporeair.com. (2013). Singapore Airline: Our History . Web. UK Essays.com. (2012). Pestel and Five-Force Analysis of Singapore Airline . Web.

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Create the inputted essay that provided the following summary: The article explores the nature of prejudice and their effect on foster parent-child relationships.The article explores the nature of prejudice and their effect on foster parent-child relationships.

The article explores the nature of prejudice and their effect on foster parent-child relationships. The article explores the nature of prejudice and their effect on foster parent-child relationships.

Single Black Custodian Fathers: Revealing the True Nature of Stressors and the Basic Obstacles Critical Essay Introduction: About the Chosen Article Prejudice has always stood in the way of efficient communication and developing trustworthy relationships (Chin, 2004). The communication issues between Africa American population and the American population are, unfortunately, no exception to this rule. The current state of affairs is hardly tolerable already; however, when it comes to prejudice standing in the way of African American people becoming foster parents, it becomes obvious that the issue needs further research. In her article Just doing what they gotta do: Single Black custodian fathers coping with the stresses and reaping the rewards of parenting , Coles explores the nature of prejudice and their effect on foster parent-child relationships. Article Methodology, Argument and Conclusions In her paper, Coles adopts a rather questionable approach towards the research of the problem. On the one hand, the researcher obviously uses case studies as the means to get the key message across, which helps the audience define the methods rather precisely. On the other hand, Coles does not establish the research methods in her articled clearly, which begs a question concerning the validity of her conclusions and the significance of the results. It could be argued, though, that at some point, Coles mentions that she is going to use the longitudinal approach in her study: “a longitudinal methodology comparing father’s and children’s narratives on stress and coping and measuring child outcomes would add depth to the literature” (Coles, 2009, 1335). However, either the effects of the longitudinal approach, or its efficacy, are nowhere to be found in the rest of the paper. The same can be said about the results of the research – the latter are not tied in with the research methodology, which brings one to questioning the reasonability and the specifics of the methods adopted. Relevance of the Article: Single Parenting in the XXI Century Unfortunately, single parenting persists no matter how hard the corresponding services try to bring these rates down. In many respects, the rates of single parenting are related to the rates of divorces; as a matter of fact, the latter is often the key reason for single parenting, though the death of one of the parents can also be the reason. Therefore, the article in which Coles explores the peculiarities of single parenting is especially relevant in the XXI century. One might argue, though, that single fathers are a much less recurrent case than single mothers. However, the choice of the topic for the given research can be explained logically. Since single mothers have never been anything out of the ordinary, there has been a ton of pieces of advice on how a mother can raise a son (Panettieri & Hall, 2008). As for the relationships between a father and a child, especially a daughter, the existing sources seem rather scarce (Harrison, Henderson & Leonard, 2007). Hence the topicality of the given paper emerges. When Ideas Cross: Cherlin and Coles, Back to Back It is worth mentioning that there are alternative viewpoints on the issue of single parenting and the specifics of the cultural background as one of the defining factors of the parenting processes. For instance, Cherlin offers a different viewpoint on the problem. It is worth noting, however, that Cherlin (2013) does not consider the problem of African American people adopting children as single parents; instead, he views the problem in a wider scope, i.e., considering the issue of single parenting in general. Judging by the arguments provided by Cherlin, the true reasons for single parents in general and Black single fathers in particular to bump into obstacles when adopting certain parenting strategies to raise their foster children can be related to the age gap and the associated misunderstanding between the representatives of different generations. Therefore, it must be admitted that, for the most part, the issues faced by single Black foster fathers can and must be related to the cultural background of the latter (Meezah & Shireman, 1995). Indeed, when considering the way in which Cherlin covered the subject in question, one must mention the briefness, as well as the fact that Cherlin’s arguments are very generic, much like his approach towards the problem. Coles, on the contrary, asks a specific question and looks for a particular answer, which makes her research all the more ample and thorough. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Argument Needless to say, the given article has its doubtless strengths and its obvious weaknesses. Like any other research, it manages to convey a particular message in a very impressive manner, yet the author’s attempts to go beyond the assigned material fall unfortunately flat. To start with, the strongest aspects of the article should be listed. Among the evident strengths of the paper, one must name the fact that the author has actually used case studies to research the problem instead of relying on theory and the information provided by other scholars. The very fact that Coles actually bothered to consider original case studies makes the paper unique and helps evaluate the problem more adequately. Since the case studies in question have been conducted comparatively recently, they allow for defining the scale to which the problem has grown by now. The fact that Coles uses several case studies and considers the problem of single parenting among the representatives of Black population makes the research all the more valuable. With the help of the unique data acquired in the course of an authentic research, one is able to provide an original solution to the problem of single parenting, and Coles uses this opportunity fully. However, the paper also has several problems. The basic one concerns the research methodology, which has been referred to previously. Sadly enough, the part that was supposed to be the strongest element of the research turned out its basic weakness. Despite the fact that Coles clearly uses the elements of qualitative research in her paper, she never stares how she is going to acquire the data, nor does she comment on the trustworthiness of the sources that she gets the information from. Though the given remark might be regarded as a nitpick, it is still important to know how the research is being carried out, and, without the proper introduction of the research tools and methodology, the paper is most likely to appear quite jumbled, which Coles’ article displays in a rather explicit way. Arguing Against Coles’ Point: The True Reasons for Avoiding Certain Strategies It is worth noting, however, that not only Coles’ methodology, but also her argument has its flaws. Attacking the article from a logical standpoint, one should reconsider the key idea that Coles is attempting at conveying in her paper. According to Coles, these are the cultural differences between the American and the Black American people that prevent the successful adoption of parenting strategies within different social and cultural settings. However, Coles seems to miss a very important issue. When it comes to defining the way in which Coles addresses the problem of single parenting in foster care, one will notice inevitably that Coles tends to view the problem through the lens of parents; as a result, the factors inducing the foster fathers’ behavior are attributed to the personal and social chances, including the behavioral patterns change, the change in communication manner, etc., as the fathers see it. Herein a major misunderstanding might be lying. Apart from considering the specifics of the fathers’ behavior as the changes induced by the outside factors, such as the influence of the society, Coles should have considered the aforementioned changes as a result of foster fathers having a unique experience of communication with foster children. The process of creating ties is not easy by definition; when enhanced by the stress that both the parent and the child are going through, it becomes a major obstacle in the evolution of relationships between a foster father and a child. However, the given remark does not mean that Coles’ argument should be considered invalid; quite on the contrary, the two level each other perfectly, allowing for two different opinions to exist and spawn numerous theories. The more complex the problem is, the more numerous its alternative solutions are, and the idea of single Black fathers raising adopted children belongs to the category of extremely complicated ones. True, while there are many social factors that can be regarded as the ones in favor of the given solution, there are even more factors that point at how risky the given solution is. The key argument, however, concerns the fact that most of the “threat factors” are spawned by the stereotypes created by the American population. As a result, the seemingly simple dilemma turns out rather difficult to approach, not to mention being solved. Conclusion: Single Parenting and the Related Issues With that being said, Coles’ argument must be recognized as rather valid. It is stupid to assume that race has anything to do with the right upbringing of foster children; however, social and, more importantly, cultural issues, which prevent the African American single fathers from raising foster children, are to be considered closer. It goes without saying that Coles has done a great research and embraced a number of issues concerning the problem of tension in the relationships between a foster parent and an adopted child. However, Coles’ key problem is that she does not try to push the envelope and view the problem outside the stereotypical image of the Black population. To give Coles credit, she did outline the basic social prejudice that the Black population has to face on a regular basis, as well as display the way in which these prejudice can affect the relationships between a foster parent and his adopted daughter/son. Coles conducts a massive research by defining the key stereotypes that affect the way in which the Black population is perceived by the society and describes what might happen once these prejudices are off limit in a very impressive manner. However, the given paper still seems to be focused on the social aspect too much and, therefore, leave the personal one out. Even though it is clear that society affects personal vision and shapes individuals’ behavior, the interpersonal relationships between the foster parents and their children deserve being considered closer. Reference List Cherlin, A. J. (2013). Public and private families: An introduction (7 th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Chin, J. L. (2004). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Coles, R. L. (2009). Just doing what they gotta do: Single Black custodian fathers coping with the stresses and reaping the rewards of parenting. Journal of Family Issues, 30 , 1311–1338. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Harrison, J., Henderson, M. & Leonard, R. (2007). Different dads” Fathers’ stories of parenting disabled children . Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Meezah, W. & Shireman, J. F. (1995). Care and commitment: Foster parent adoption decisions . New York, NY: State University Plaza. Panettieri, G. & Hall, P. S. (2008). The single mother’s guide to raising remarkable boys . Avon, MA: Adams Media.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: The film Sisters of Gion directed by Kenji Mizoguchi in 1936 shows the way in which two women cope with the experience of being a geisha.The film contrasts two opposing views on the issue of geisha. One view is willing to accept the responsibilities of a geisha, while the other does not think that servitude is an inseparable part of her fate.

The film Sisters of Gion directed by Kenji Mizoguchi in 1936 shows the way in which two women cope with the experience of being a geisha. The film contrasts two opposing views on the issue of geisha. One view is willing to accept the responsibilities of a geisha, while the other does not think that servitude is an inseparable part of her fate.

Sisters of Gion: A Conflict of Value Systems Essay The film Sisters of Gion directed by Kenji Mizoguchi in 1936 shows the way in which two women cope with the experience of being a geisha. It should be borne in mind that the main characters are sisters who have different educational backgrounds and values. In this movie, the director confronts two opposing views. In particular, Umekichi is able to reconcile herself with the world of prostitution. In her opinion, it is her duty to serve men. In contrast, Omocha does not think that servitude is an inseparable part of her fate. In the film, Kenji Mizoguchi contrasts these worldviews and shows none of these approaches can safeguard an individual against pitfalls in a society in which a person may be treated like a mere object by other people. This is the main thesis that should be examined in greater detail. Overall, this movie can be analyzed from the perspective of feminism since it throws light on the hardships that women had to encounter at the beginning of the twentieth century. Yet, this cinematographic work is a good illustration of how a society can come to the point when its traditional norms are no longer relevant. These perspectives are helpful for gaining better understanding of this cinematographic work. These are some of the questions that should not be overlooked. It should be kept in mind that this movie throws light on different systems of values that existed in Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century. In particular, Umekichi’s behavior represents such a concept as giri which can be translated as obligation, commitment or duty (“Early Sound Film and Mizoguchi Kenji”). To a great extent, this moral code is rooted in Japanese culture for many centuries. In this case, one can speak about Umekichi’s duty to her patron Shimbei Furusawa who is a bankrupt entrepreneur ( Sisters of Gion ). Umekichi is willing to accept the responsibilities of a geisha whose major concern is supposed to be the pleasure of a patron ( Sisters of Gion ). In contrast, her sister Omocha thinks that such a duty cannot be imposed on a person. To some degree, she represents a feminist perception of women’s role as well as their duties. She is convinced that Umekichi has to leave Shimbei. These distinctions between the two sisters can be partly explained by the fact that they were educated in a different way. From her childhood, Umekichi was trained to be a geisha, while Omocha had a chance to attend a public school. Moreover, she is more familiar with urban culture. This issue is critical for explaining the behavior of the protagonists. Overall, one can say that Omocha is often described by scholars and critics “a schemer and a user” (McDonald 23). Certainly, she does not deny that she is a geisha, but she is not content with the role of a “plaything” (McDonald 24). She believes that in the society, which is dominated by men, a woman has to think primarily about her own interests. Therefore, she cannot accept the idea that Umekichi has a relationship with a bankrupt businessman who cannot offer anything to her. This is one of the main issues that should be considered. Omocha makes everything possible to make sure that her sister can derive some benefit from other people. The two sisters do not come into direct conflict with one another, but their behavior is aimed showing that a certain value system is more effective. This is one of the main points that can be made. One can say that Kenji Mizoguchi does not give an answer which can help the viewers determine which system of values is more acceptable. One can say that he prompts the viewers to reach their own conclusions. At the end of the film, both sisters suffer misfortune. In particular, Umekichi is abandoned by her lover Shimbei ( Sisters of Gion ). Shimbei leaves her as soon as he is offered a new job. However, he feels virtually to attachment to a woman who cared about him, even at the time when he was penniless. So, her devotion to the principle of giri does not bring her any rewards. This is one of the main aspects that can be identified. In her turn, Omocha is heavily injured in the course of an accident. It should be mentioned that he is abducted by a shop clerk who she deceived in the past. Omocha falls from the car, and she is in the custody of her sister (Burch 226). One can say that she no longer produces the impression of self-sufficiency and independence. This is one of the issues that should be taken into account by the viewers because Kenji Mizoguchi does attempt to evaluate this character’s behavior from an ethical viewpoint. To a great extent, Omocha can be described as a moga. This is the term which was used to describe women who adopted a different attitude toward the duties of culture, fashion, and gender roles (Kirihara 36). The director does not attempt to criticize her values or attitudes. However, the film demonstrates that these values cannot be easily incorporated into the society dominated by males. Moreover, the main characters belong to a group of people who are not allowed to express their discontent. This is one of the main issues that can be distinguished. It is possible to say that this movie can be used for explaining the changes that took place in the Japanese society at the beginning of the twentieth society. The film-makers portray Japan a country with rigid ethical and behavioral norms. Nevertheless, it is also transformed due to various factors such as economic development or growing familiarity with western culture (Kirihara 36). These trends profoundly affected Omocha’s attitudes and values. However, one cannot say the same thing about her sister. This theme plays a critical work in this movie, and it is important for the assessment of this film. This is one of the main points that can be made. One can say that Sisters of Gion is a film that throws light on the transformation of a very conservative society. The two protagonists represent a conflict of values and worldviews. This cinematographic work explores the experiences of women who have to live in the world of prostitution. One of them is content with the role of a geisha, while the other does not want to admit that her existence should be submitted to the will of men. Yet, both of them have to live in the world in which women can be treated like objects or playthings. The main characters respond to this challenge in different ways. This is the main argument that can be put forward. Apart from that, this movie is helpful for understanding the trends within the Japanese society in the early thirties. Works Cited Burch, Noel. To the Distant Observer: Form and Meaning in the Japanese Cinema , Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979. Print. Early Sound Film and Mizoguchi Kenji . Quizlet. 17 Jun. 2011. Web. Kirihara, Donald. Patterns of Time: Mizoguchi and the 1930s , Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1992. Print. McDonald, Keiko. Reading a Japanese Film: Cinema in Context. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2006. Print. Sisters of Gion. Ex. Prod. Kenji Mizoguchi. Tokyo: Minoru Miki, 1936. DVD.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: Samsung has adopted the six sigma model in order to improve its supply chain management. The model has been successful in enhancing the company's operations and general business performance.

Samsung has adopted the six sigma model in order to improve its supply chain management. The model has been successful in enhancing the company's operations and general business performance.

Six Sigma: A Case of Samsung Supply Chain Management Case Study Introduction Businesses are working toward limiting their operation costs to achieve competitive edge against competitors in their respective industries. One area where quality management has been focused on by organisations is supply chain management, which is considered as a perfect way of managing inventory. Supply chain management has increasingly received recognition as a strategic means of re-inventing an organisation’s entire business operation and planning (Evans & Lindsay, 2008). Samsung Group, which manufactures electronic components as well as financial and services corporation, has a complex global supply chain that has in turn integrated advanced planning mechanisms and scheduling. This report highlights on Samsung’s adoption of the six sigma model and how the company has used the model in enhancing its operations and general business performance. Supply Chain Management Six Sigma Black Belt The initial course in adoption of six sigma at the Samsung Group is the establishment of the methodology through a training program that lasts for four months. The training program mainly focuses on training and mentoring, and it is referred to as the Supply Chain Management Six Sigma Black Belt (Choi et al., 2012). As part of the training programme, full-time training is offered for a period of one week each month for four months. This is supplemented by guiding of supply chain management Black Belts as appertains to their selected projects. Prospective employees at the Group have to finish three similar projects before receiving a supply chain management Black Belt full certification. Leveraging of six sigma within the established human resource belt system enables Samsung to alleviate supply chain management talent shortage. This has been the most significant obstacle in improving the performance of supply chain management. The anticipation of the Samsung Group is that the supply chain management six sigma will lead to enhancement of performance within the supply chain management function owing to greater understanding of the supply chain in general (Choi et al., 2012). Samsung equally expects that its move to adopt the supply chain management six sigma will in turn lead to an improved Return On Investment (ROI). The existing training program is structured within Samsung’s Six Sigma Academy with the objective of developing talent, as well as future leaders at the company. As Bae and Kim (2004) assert, the Group’s establishment of a Six Sigma Academy was done with an aim of educating employees and building up a team of specialists empowered with the ability to solve problems. Basis of Samsung’s Supply Chain Management six sigma Samsung’s Supply Chain Management Business Team drew up the main methodology that was used to develop the supply chain management six sigma at the company. The eventual six sigma model that was adopted at Samsung was an integration of the various approaches that had been made at different companies. The companies that had successfully adopted and integrated six sigma included General Electric (GE), Honeywell, and DuPont. Tailoring of methodologies GE’s most critical approach in adopting and implementing six sigma was based on tailoring the motivating methodologies in as far as specific needs together with characteristics of the business units were concerned. Samsung’s Business Team focused its research on GE’s business, which in turn has taken six sigma’s process innovation generic methodology. GE has tailored the methodologies in such a way that they reflect specific needs in as far as product development activities and system plan and implementation are concerned. GE medical system’s definition, measurement, analysis, design, and verification (DMADV), in particular, attempted to take into consideration the process redesign and process management within its six sigma model. According to Hammer (2002), GE’s method and procedure attempted to move beyond the DMAIC that was originally designed for the development of high-quality products. The GE’s definition, architect, build, testing, and launching (DABTL) is an approach of the six sigma model that was designed for the development of systems. Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Samsung’s main reason for analysing DuPont’s six sigma approach and design was based on the company’s combination of its six sigma principles through the SCOR model. The SCOR model acts as a good model for enhancing communication amongst players in the supply chain management. The most integral management processes of SCOR include plan, source, make, as well as deliver, and return. Burgess and Singh (2006) highlight how important it has been to use the SCOR framework in undertaking supply chain analysis. According to Burgess and Singh (2006), DuPoint’s six sigma utilizes the “function deployment tool (QFD)” as a quality tool for customizing services and processes to meet customer specifications. Lean Methodologies Samsung Business Team’s interest and focus on Honeywell mainly bordered around the latter’s extensive and successful application of lean operation methods. Honeywell’s successful development and eventual ownership of the Six Sigma Plus, also known as DMAIC, was the main influence behind Samsung’s decision to borrow a leaf from the firm’s approach. DMAIC model utilizes functions of lead manufacturing together with six sigma concepts. Some of the commonly used lean manufacturing tools are the value stream and thought process maps (Flight Global, 2003). The Samsung Business Team arrived at a decisive conclusion after analyses of the different six sigma approaches and models. This conclusion consequently led to the development of the supply chain management six sigma methodology at the Group. The Samsung Supply Chain Management (SCM) Six Sigma SCM projects to involve both design and improvement Often, six sigma projects target to improve the performance standards of an existing system or redesigning the processes and systems. When talking about six sigma considerations and terminologies, redesigning of systems and processes are addressed through defining, measuring, analysing, improving, and controlling; DMADOV in short (Yang & El-Haik, 2009). On the other hand, improving the performance levels of the existing systems is often addressed through defining, measuring, analysing, improving, and controlling, referred to in short as DMAIC. According to the estimates by the Samsung Business Team, it anticipated that close to 75 percent of the supply chain management projects would involve redesigning, with the remainder of the projects focusing on process improvement. After the above findings by the Business Team, Samsung resolved to adapt the extant approaches of its six sigma model, where both improving and redesigning processes were settled upon. With the anticipated mix of projects as highlighted, this new approach pursued by the company closely supported process redesign compared to improving the processes, although it continued to incorporate other relevant elements that targeted process improvement. DMADOV This methodology proved to be inadequate in offering the necessary support that was required at Samsung in order to execute the whole range of the supply chain management projects (Yang et al., 2007). DMADOV’s origins are from the design of a product, with the basis of supporting projects within the supply chain. However, its major variation is in the fact that the project team’s tasks would be to give specifications on how a suggestion on improvement would eventually be realised after conducting analyses. This is opposed to expecting the project team to optimise or focus on design as the case is with DMADOV (Yang et al., 2007). System Development Option It is common to realize successful system management following pursuant of six sigma projects under supply chain management. This calls for a new approach to be taken to facilitate processes that would realize successful system building. Nevertheless, most projects undertaken to revolutionize supply chain management call for changes to be done in the current system. Consequently, it is important to have an approach in hand such that it is possible to come up with an alternative enablement activity that can see system implementation take effect. DMAEV Samsung pursued the DMAEV approach, where five design parameters including process, organisation role and responsibility, operation rule and policy, as well as system, and performance measure were incorporated within the six sigma model. Other critical aspects that were also incorporated included the supply chain management-related methods of investment value analysis and process modelling, as well as the map techniques of the value chain. Define phase The phase seeks to name the entire project, with an inclusion of the problems that require being tackled, the goal and scope of the project, together with the expected outcomes and the project schedule (Kumar, Wolfe & Wolfe, 2008). The initial step is identification of critical issues via the customer’s voice (VOC), together with the business’ voice (VOB). An analysis of the supply chain management’s related processes is also undertaken. As a result, the customer’s critical to quality characteristic (CTQ) is identified, while also determining the CTQ-dependent variable. Measure phase This phase determines the CTQ-dependent variable, establishes a different target level, while also finding the important explanatory variables. Other specific indicators are also identified after verifying the CTQ-dependent variable. The indicators can substitute the dependent variable. The current CTQ-dependent variable is then measured before an enhanced target level of the same index is established. The potential problem causes of each of the five parameters are also deduced (Kumar & Sosnoski, 2009). Analyse phase At this stage, the hypotheses of the potential problem causes are generated and effectively evaluated in order to reject or prove them. Evaluation of the hypotheses considers both quantitative, as well as qualitative methods. Various statistical tools are used in the quantitative analysis, and they include ANOVA correlation, and Pareto analysis (Kumar, Strandlund & Thomas, 2008). Qualitative analysis, on the other hand, makes use of process mapping, value stream maps, as well diagrams that reflect cause and effect. The objective of this phase is to decide on the vital few variation causes. Enable phase The various ways of improving the ‘as-is’ are identified in this phase, with a ‘to-be’ plan also drawn out. The use of qualitative function deployment (QFD) is undertaken at this juncture in order to pick on the subjects for improvement as appertains to the vital few variation sources. Detailed action items are also elicited for purposes of achieving improvement. Verify phase The final phase in this process seeks to establish a test plan, with the main objective of validating and verifying the solutions selected in the previous ‘enable’ phase (Kumar & Sosnoski, 2009). The change management plans, as well as control mechanisms are developed here before operationalisation of the optimal solution. Supply Chain Six Sigma Application Define Investigations of the internal, as well as external business environments formed the basis of the VOC/VOB analysis at Samsung. A major aspect of the initial stages of the application involved identifying the project’s clients. The external business environment turned out to be challenging as the devaluation of the local currency, the won, as well as a rise in the prices of crude oil offered challenges to the business operations for the company (Miltenburg, 2005). Additionally, Samsung endured a challenging moment as operation costs, particularly those related to holding surplus inventory, affected the firm’s profitability. The company identified its business units, including planning and administration, top management, sales, purchasing, production, transportation, and global operation centre as the primary clients of the project. The definition stage also involved identifying inefficiencies and problems that affected the supply chain management business processes. This involved production-related activities such as manufacturing and material purchasing, global operation activities such as weekly production plan, order fulfilment, and inventory management. The sales activities included order management, forecasting, transportation, sales, and transportation. Up to eight inefficiencies were realised. They included lack of visibility in all the critical areas of process replenishment, forecasting of inventory and demand, packing and shipping, as well as weekly production planning. From the above analysis of the VOC/VOB process, two probable CTQs were drawn out. They centred on demand stabilisation on the one hand, and inventory stability on the other hand (Miltenburg, 2005). Samsung evaluated the priority of the two aspects elicited in line with the VOC/VOB findings of the process analysis. This saw the development of a management process pegged on the inventory being settled upon as the CTQ aspect. Measure The surplus inventory rate’s baseline level was established at over 10 percent after making the appropriate definitions. This led to the establishment of a new target, which was put at 6 percent. The new changes required that Samsung reduces its surplus inventory by 42 percent. Five design parameters that included operation rule and policy, process, performance measure, system, as well as organisational responsibilities and roles were established as the probable root causes of variation (Miltenburg, 2005). A consideration of the project owners that also involved client groups’ representatives eventually settled on seven causes of variation. These seven causes encompassed the three critical parameters of role and policy, process, and system. Thus, the three parameters formed part of the variation sources. Analyse The selected variation sources had the respective data collected in order to enable the firm undertake an extensive data analysis. The results included both qualitative and quantitative analyses, including the inclusion of statistics, graphs, Delphi method, benchmarking, document review, and on site visit. According to the data results that were obtained from the analyses, three variances exceeded the surplus inventory level, which was also established as the standard excess inventory management (Miltenburg, 2005). The factors were considered to have had a significant effect on the CTQ. Enable Out of the three vital few variance factors, Samsung came up with three probable solutions as a way of improving the supply chain management. Each solution had extensive improvement subjects that were elicited with regard to the established five parameters. The entire information was formulated via a quality function deployment, abbreviated as QFD. Samsung thereafter used benchmarking to develop the three probable solutions of what it anticipated in solving the challenges it faced. The company determined how highly relevant a web-based user interface that had been designed for purposes of managing inventory turned out to be. This was with regard to the improvement subjects that had been identified in the quality function deployment. Necessary changes were eventually designed and implemented using optimal solution. The basis for this included the five parameters that had previously been identified. An illustration on the ‘process’ parameter involved identification of all the processes that were listed for purposes of requiring improvement. DABTL was employed in the case of the ‘system’ parameter in order to identify the system requirements, as well as architect, build, conduct tests, and operationalise the web-based system (Choi et al., 2012). Verify Pilot tests were carried out in two stages within the company in a selected business unit. The initial stage focused on providing proof concerning the applicability of processes that had newly been proposed, roles and responsibilities, rules and policies, as well as performance measure. The system’s pilot test did not feature in this initial stage. In the second stage, all the improvement subjects that were linked to the previously established five parameters were piloted (Choi et al., 2012). The results of the pilot test saw a reduction in the range of 37 percent in as far as the level of the surplus inventory was concerned. The actual changes in figures reduced to 6.5 percent from a high of 10.4 percent. The drop in inventory levels fell short of the anticipated target, but it saw associated costs drop to $1.9 million from a previous high of $2.7 million. Samsung later developed a control and change management plan. The control plan comprised of performance indicators, such as inventory consumption rate, the methods that needed to be followed to control, the respective business unit that was responsible for every of the individual factor, and the necessary actions required for unexpected events. In particular, the change management took into consideration important aspects, such as the critical success factors needed for systems to register success, training, communication among different groups, incentive systems, and ways through which potential conflicts could be resolved. Conclusion Samsung Group’s adoption and eventual implementation of the supply chain management six sigma was purposely meant to improve process and quality performance at the company. The company equally sought to synchronise its value chain with regard to inbound logistics and customer services, as well as sales in general. Samsung has attained growth and high levels of innovation by implementing the six sigma model. The implementation of the six sigma model within the company’s supply chain management has seen Samsung reduce and eliminate costs that were previously associated with holding surplus inventory in some cases. Another critical focus of the company even as it implemented the six sigma model was to produce workers with the highest skills and knowledge that could enable the company compete effectively in the market with its rivals. This has in turn created a deep knowledge reservoir in the company, which is used to equip employees for purposes of enhancing their performance going forward. References Burgess, K., & Singh, P. (2006). A proposed integrated framework for analyzing supply chains. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 11 (4), 337-44. Choi, B., Kim, J., Leem, B., Lee, C., & Hong, H. (2012). Empirical analysis of the relationship between Six Sigma management activities and corporate competitiveness: focusing on Samsung group in Korea. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 32 (5), 528-550 Evans, J. R., & Lindsay, W. M. (2008). Managing for quality and performance excellence, 9 th edition . Mason, OH: Thomson Flight Global (2003). Honeywell proves benefits of strong business focus . Web. Hammer, M. (2002). Process management and the future of six sigma. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43 (2), 26-32. Kumar, S., & Sosnoski, M. (2009). Using DMAIC Six Sigma to systematically improve shopfloor production quality and costs. International Journal of Productivity & Performance Management, 58 (3), 254-273. Kumar, S., Strandlund, E., & Thomas, D. (2008). Improved service system design using Six Sigma DMAIC for a major US consumer electronics and appliance retailer. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 36 (12), 970-994. Kumar, S., Wolfe, A. D., & Wolfe, K. A. (2008). Using six sigma DMAIC to improve credit initiation process in a financial services operation. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 57 (8), 659-676. Miltenburg, J. (2005). Manufacturing strategy: how to formulate and implement a winning plan, second edition . New York, NY: Productivity Press. Yang, H. M., Choi, B. S., Park, H. J., Suh, M. S., & Chael, B. K. (2007). Supply chain management six sigma: a management innovation methodology at the Samsung Group. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 12 (2), 88 – 95. Yang, K., & El-Haik, B. (2009). Design for six sigma: a roadmap for product development . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

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Write an essay about: The author reflects on their own experiences with education and how they have applied those experiences to their current work.The author reflects on their own experiences with education and how they have applied those experiences to their current work. They discuss how the skills and experiences they gained from education have been beneficial in their workplace health and safety career.

The author reflects on their own experiences with education and how they have applied those experiences to their current work. The author reflects on their own experiences with education and how they have applied those experiences to their current work. They discuss how the skills and experiences they gained from education have been beneficial in their workplace health and safety career.

Skills & Experiences from Educational Activities Reflective Essay Introduction Skills and experiences play vital roles during recognition and determination of the best workers. The modern world is competitive and requires people who are motivated when working to facilitate high achievements in life. Consequently, learners must be accurate and precise about the knowledge they possess in regard to various issues. Personal evaluation could exemplify the strategies suited for determining this preciseness and accuracy. Apparently, personal reflection allows me to distinguish between the ideas I have from those that I need to learn. This essay will review the assessment aiming at revealing the skills I have attained from my educational activities. In a bid to perform this task, I will lay each argument according to a personal reflection before discussing other attributes of the subject topics. Workplace Health and Safety, and PPE Personal Reflection Apparently, I have identified that participative management style establishes assertiveness in working environment. This interactive style allows employee to appreciate the work and feel motivated to fight all working challenges (Muir 1996). Precisely, the negative attitude driven against the management is transformed to a system of delivering ideas to the management and helping the management to solve issues. Unlike most directive and authoritative management techniques, participative technique does not assume the employees versus the management stigma. Instead, it develops a harmonized system where employees work together with the management. Essentially, my perspective argues that authoritative style is inappropriate, less productive and mean to the employees. Consequently, managers ought to take the role of motivating employees and showing them how much they appreciate good performances in work. They need to change their models of management which serve as constraint to motivation. Interaction between the managers and employees boosts motivation. Consequently, I would like to address the strategies of socialization at workplace through studies and practices during work. Topical Discussion Managers control and evaluate the advancements attained from workplace through gaining access to employees trust (Vanderheijden & Verhagen 2004). Basically, employees do not relay sensitive information to managers who are not open and sociable. Logically, expression of workers to their bosses depends on how they relate. Managers appreciate the loyal employees and reward the best performers to facilitate the success of their motivational role. In regard to Workplace Health and Safety (WHS), managers set high health standards to be followed by the employees. Therefore, they act as the pacesetters and the directors who tell people how an organization operates. McCloskey (2008) identified that workers follow practices that are acceptable to their managers. McCloskey argued that the surest way for workers to please managers is by acting in accordance to their directions. Additionally, managers are responsible of organizing health back up, placing health meeting, addressing health issues and fixing WHS in team planning. However, managers’ operations are not always successful or unchallenged in the construction sites. First, large construction sites cannot receive close supervision from the managers. Consequently, employees who are arrogant on safety issues could pose threats to other people. Secondly, communication is not efficient due to noise and lack of accessible information that could be retrieved from the employees. Additionally, efficient and appropriate equipments for construction are limited or unavailable. However, it is possible to nullify these challenges by hiring many supervisors and adopting radio communications between the managers and supervisors. In fact, communication could be facilitated through writing and sending text which factors out the effects of noise. Otherwise, equipments producing little noise could be used to perfect the communication strategies. Resources should be accounted for during the initial budget of arranging the construction. Therefore, proper planning and budgeting could remove the effects caused by lack of sufficient equipment (Danzon & Viscusi 1983). Proper designing and use of quality standards are vital in ensuring the safety of both employees and the public. According to Danzon and Viscusi (1983), unprofessional building strategies cause twenty three percent of the total deaths during construction. They identified that the problems arise due positioning of the building, poor mixing of building materials, use of weak strengthening metals, and lack of qualified personnel to direct the construction. Essentially, the buildings collapse when residents or workers are in the building. In other cases, the exposure of the building sites give the public a right to pass through without considering the risks of falling items from upper floors. When a construction site is exposed, workers and other people do not distinguish between the points that are risky to stay. However, creating boundaries could help every person to identify the risky construction site from other areas in the field. For instance, constructions at Jordan springs ought to consider creating these boundaries to warrant safety of worker and other people. In regard to professionalism, Jordan Springs must hire qualified and experienced personnel to ensure secure buildings. This must consider all workers, supervisors, architects and managers participating in the constructing. Moreover, construction materials must be of high quality to prevent weaknesses in buildings. Marketing Personal Reflection Desires have an attribute that motivates a people to fulfil their goals. My aspirations have never been further from becoming an engineer who could make new inventions in the world. After completing my high school education, I knew that the journey to achieve my ultimate goals was coming close. Therefore, I made the fastest step to join the University of Western Sydney (UWS) which was close and offered the degree of my choice under quality standards. Apparently, I knew that attending this university was effective due to the short distance from home. Moreover, engineers arising from this university have aroused fame depicted by their achievements. In fact, I visited an engineer from this university to seek advice about the engineering course. He encouraged me and facilitated my final decision. However, challenges of adapting to the new environment and different mode of leadership. Writing note during lectures and attending classes punctually were among the many problems that demanded adaptation. However, after attending classes late and skipping notes for approximately one month, I adapted to the system and continued my course. Topical Discussion Marketing facilitates the dispersion of information to call upon people who could be interested something (Danny 2005). The previous paragraph has described how achievements of engineers from UWS influenced my choice of university and course. This approves the idea that quality building and high appreciation of the Jordan springs plot value could trigger investors into selecting the area. Apart from advertising, spread of information through customer based appreciation is vital and productive. These strategies could call investors into Jordan spring to facilitate growth of businesses and raise the economy of the country. Additionally, basic services and products required by the residents are offered by the investors. Moreover, the construction industry markets its qualified personnel and shows their achievement through marketing. This attribute enables architects, managers, and engineers to receive international jobs that bring foreign income to Australia. Also, new skills are introduced into the country when foreign investors bring international experts dealing wing construction and management. Apart from the investor, the construction industry must apply marketing strategies to facilitate buying or hiring of the buildings and plots (London & Hart 2004). In fact, marketing allows new estates to establish by informing buyers to occupy the houses. If the buildings are recommended by industries and stakeholders, such projects could be given to the distinguished construction industry. Popularity of the industry increases the chance of receiving more internal jobs from businesspersons and people within the country. The construction ideas are sold to other parties leading to profit increment. Marketing could be done through publishing pages, using media, posting of websites, using social media, and passing information through word of mouth (Danny 2005). In other cases, launch events are held to popularize the buildings. This could be done by announcing winning events where people compete to win a house from Jordan Springs. Moreover, marketing could also be used to educate people about construction through posting educative information during advertisements. The construction industry consists of many businesses that could facilitate conclusive and penetrating strategies of information delivery to the stakeholders. For instance, marketing could be done by informing the material suppliers about the advances made by the industry. For instance, a business that supplies steel for building reinforcement could have adequate connections with the stakeholders. Therefore, they could recommend the industry to work for their customers due to high and qualified construction techniques. Finally, Penrith City Council should provide checkups and licenses for qualified building. The council should sign the legal documents to approve the constructions and to clarify that the plots are well situated. This assurance will remove doubts about whether the plots are proper positioned. Additionally, the council should play part in announcing the plots to the public and recommending them to buyers. The council could try to reduce the taxes imposed on the industry as a way of reducing the buying costs. Also, it the role of the city council to provide standard security services to this region. Security is a factor that influences stakeholders’ decision when buying houses. Most stakeholders prefer secure, clean and quite areas than noisy, insecure and polluted zones. The council must ensure that these attributes are catered for by all possible means to please the stake holders. Otherwise, the stakeholder will be pulled towards other competitive estates that offer better provisions than Jordan Spring. However, Jordan Springs is quite clean and quite to present significant competition among of areas. Communication and Interpersonal Roles Personal Reflection My communication strengths lie behind identifying the mood of people and their social class. I can manage to identify and utilize most communication methods such as voice calls, emails, and text messages among others. Moreover, I pay attention to the ideas of other people without distracting them when talking. However, I must recognize my poor identification of cultural and educational distinction with other people. This ineffective communication happens when I apply complex terms when instructing. This leads to poor delivery of information to the people concerned and wrong outcomes due to misinformation. Avoiding this problem has demanded close supervision of my English term through recording speeches and determining the points where information was not relayed appropriately. Topical Discussion Conflict resolutions require a person possessing good listening and communication skill to ensure proper outcomes. Most participative managers apply informal resolutions that are not demanding or authoritative to the employees. For instance, a manager identifies a conflict and makes arrangements to debate about the conflicting ideas between employees. The managers follow a system of resolution involving 5 steps. First, there is identification of the problem that is causing a conflict. Secondly, various solutions are assessed and determined according to their vulnerability. This step allows the manager to weigh the most suited solution that allows implementation of the solution. Finally, an evaluation is performed on the solution to approve or disapprove its efficacy. Other cases require review of information to approve a claim. Even though a conflict could favour the idea of one employee, it is vital to facilitate an understanding between the two parties by acknowledging the strength of each point given. Otherwise, siding too much with one individual could initiate a repellent perspective from the person opposing the argument. Additionally, Hope and Mearns (2007) identified that conflicts are sources of new discoveries where people think differently due to different practical experiences. This implies that close examination of conflict should be performed to determine the root causes. The investigation could lead discovery of construction problems or discovery of critical faults. Formal resolutions could be authoritative where the conflicting individual are fined or warning. Rules are set to prevent conflicts through requesting presentation of conflicting ideas. These ideas are assessed to determine the appropriate resolutions. This model prevents conflicts because employees avoid warnings and fining from the management. Construction worksites have equipments and heights that could harm any person. Aggressiveness could lead to fights and use of working equipment to fight opponents. The management of construction sites must pay attention to educating workers and discouraging conflicts in the worksite. The manager should give clear instruction about how conflicts are resolved to prevent employees form fighting. The worksite must have a supervisor to give directions and handle questions regarding work. If conflicts arise, quick response should be taken by other employees to inform the supervisor. However, preventive strategies could be applied to avoid conflict. This involves determination of possible causes of conflicts and addressing them by providing rigid solutions. Mangers must ensure that work is divided well among the employees without favour. These work categories prevents the employees from having adequate chance to conflict as they work independently. Edgar (2005) describes that lack of work division creates conflicts and fight between employees. He indicated that employees do not understand the work portion they should take without working for other lazy employee. Essentially, lack of work division avoids the determination of quality work from poor work. Managers should set resolution styles and educate employee about conflict handling. They ought to show employees the necessity of listening to ideas and applying courtesy when speaking to other employees. These attributes could prevent distractions when arguing and avoid aggressiveness aroused by misunderstanding other people during dialogue. Managing in the Global Environment Personal reflection My educational performance is usually driven by the desires to attain the goals of studying. Therefore, attending assignment and other task is motivated by the inspirations to understand and gain the necessary skills of my future job. Encountering worldwide engineers and reading about people who have made discoveries in this field keeps me motivated towards achieving my goals. Moreover, my performances have shown capabilities and revealed the possibilities of being the best engineer the world has ever produced. If I attain these goals that I have desired for long, my life would be successful because I would be working on the area I love most. Topical Discussion Computer technology has enabled studies to people who are not available during class sessions. People can download learning materials and receive assignments from instructors through phones. Online learning facilitates the access of information and enables class interaction at any time. It reduces the distances travelled when attending classes. Moreover, assignments are accessible and could be submitted at any time without awaiting specific lessons. Face to face classes require a person to be present for assignment submission that occurs during class time in most cases. Online learning could be done from distant area where people argue point and participate to discussion sessions during their activities. In other case, learning from all over the globe is able to take courses from foreign countries without going to the country for the studies. In fact, online learning has allowed workers to study because they can access information when they are not working. Construction worker have the advantage of studying degree program without being in the university. They could be 200 miles away and still study similar issues with people who are close to the university. Distance and work are the factor affecting studies of most employees. However, online learning will facilitate learning through I-pads and other gadgets. Online learning provides efficient and unrestrictive access of information unlike class work that demands punctuality and excludes most people with other duties in the country. Use of the I-pads will allow many first year students to access the online learning and participate during various discussion forums. However, we cannot ignore the loss of facial expressions that are available during class sections. Also, practical sessions cannot operation well on online classes because practice is not applicable. Similarly, this technology could be employed by managers to supervise and deliver information to the workers. A manager could monitor several constructions when working from a control room with videos indicating the operations of employees. The videos keep record for misconducts, conflicts, and good performance of the workers. The funds required to hire supervisors would be allocated to other departments. Also, the manager could meet with stakeholders on Skype to deliberate on sale of houses. Organizations are able to contact the manager and describe their requirements. However, modern constructions require the manager to be near the construction site. Availability at the construction site ensures rapid response to injures and resolutions to conflicts. When the manager is far injures could lead deaths and fights. Workers require accessible advice and available points to deliver idea. They need a manager to boost their confident by participating in their working environment. Additionally, employees require a manager who can set the pace for them to follow when working. Sustaining the spirits of workers from the virtual environment requires assurance of safety setting reward for high performance. Security assurance and provision of quality houses play vital roles in the popularizing the organization. These technological advances have participated very well in the development and appraisal of profit, and selling houses to interested individuals. In future, technology is expected to play bigger roles of assisting organizations to market houses. Working with People and Quality Management Personal reflection I am a democratic leader who allows the participation of other people before making a decision. The style allows me to collect information from employees and interacting with them the gain their trust. However, I have a limited socialization that demands active participation in the construction site. This participation will give me enough time to talk and socialize with employees. Therefore, I will improve my ability to work with other people after interacting with worker for some time. Topical Discussion Total quality management (TQM) is applied by construction industries by seeking advices from customers. After receiving adequate prove that customers are interested in something. They plan and improve the earlier techniques to satisfy customer’s requirements. Finally, the industry produces a quality house with all the requirements of the customers. TQM makes distinction between organizations by determining those that produce better products than others. It describes the quality of materials applied, qualification of personnel, equipments used and the final appearance of the house. Distribution of ownership is vital for organizations that require a lot of funding (Rice & Emery 2003). This outsourcing allows sharing of cost to prevent collapsing of an organization if one person went bankrupt. However, outsourcing requires depiction of trust. This implies that a manager must create elaborate explanations regarding how an organization will succeed to facilitate funding from other people. Moreover, proper management and donors must be available to enhance funding. Use of quality materials facilitates the quality of a house. The right standards must be followed to approve houses that have accurate examination of using qualified materials for their construction. Most buildings are built using low quality materials that compromise the final building. In fact, these building end up collapsing and causing high losses. Usually, managers apply low quality material when trying to save money that could facilitate completion of the building. In other cases, unqualified managers are employed to direct the construction leading wrong directions involving the mixing of sand and cement. For instance, a manager who is not conversant with the alignment of buildings could build a slanting house that is prone to collapsing. Some of these issues could be addressed by proper planning that considers the right materials and personnel. Other challenges could be handled through attracting investors through giving building lands among other attractive attributes. The manager could ensure that the organization has been having proper progress before call investors or donors. An organization could face unfortunate events that either degrade its reputation or cause high losses (Grabler 2000). High losses could be caused by collapsing of buildings due accidents or occurrences such as earthquakes. On the other hand, reputation could be degraded through collapsing of building made by the organization without significant causes. When the quality of an organization product is compromised, its market share reduces. This reduction causes low profits to the organization and deprivation of trust. Furthermore, the organization incurs extra costs when rectifying the established mistakes. If the mistakes arise quite often, the chances of rectifying the errors could be little in case there are competing companies. For instance, housing issues are long term contract that cannot afford errors. The money use when letting or buying the house is also huge and cannot accept any doubts. However, an affected organization could boost their accuracy to prevent such issues from occurring often. In a competitive world, regaining trust might be a tough thing to attain. In fact, some organizations have decided to change their names to attain trust and new customers. References Danny, P 2005, ‘Market Watch’, Nature , vol. 435. No 7041, pp. 411-411. Danzon, P & Viscusi, W 1983, ‘Risk By Choice: Regulating Healtah And Safety In The Workplace’, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management , vol. 3. no. 1, pp. 154. Edgar, J 2005, ‘Book Review: 4. Workplace Environment, Health And Safety Management: A Practical Guide’, The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health , vol. 125. No. 2, pp. 96-96. Grabler, A 2000, ‘Managing The Global Environment’, Environmental Science & Technology , vol. 34. no. 7, pp. 184A-187A. Hope, L & Mearns, K 2007, ‘Managing Health Risks In The Offshore Workplace: Impact On Health Climate, Safety Climate And Risk Identification’, International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management , vol. 7. no. 2, pp. 152. London, T & Hart, S 2004, ‘Reinventing Strategies For Emerging Markets: Beyond The Transnational Model’, Journal of International Business Studies , vol. 35. no. 5, pp. 350-370. McCloskey, E 2008, ‘The Health and Safety of Young People at Work: A Canadian Perspective’, International Journal of Workplace Health Management , vol. 1. no 1, pp. 41-49. Muir, C 1996, ‘Workplace Readiness For Communicating Diversity’, Journal of Business Communication , vol. 33. no. 4, pp. 475-484. Rice, K & Emery, N 2003, ‘Managing Microevolution: Restoration In The Face Of Global Change’, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , vol. 1. no. 9, pp. 469. Vanderheijden, H & Verhagen, T 2004, ‘Online Store Image: Conceptual Foundations And Empirical Measurement’, Information & Management , vol. 41. no. 5, pp. 609-617.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: A brief history of Skype and how to use it from A to Z.

A brief history of Skype and how to use it from A to Z.

Skype: All you Need to Know Exploratory Essay What is Skype? The word “Skype” underscores a computer service and software application that permits its users to create videos as well as voice calls to someone else at no cost, by means of the Skype network. Nonetheless, some of its features come at a cost (Hanna, 2012, p.241). A number of features of Skype comprise Skype to Skype calls, SMS messaging, video calls, immediate messaging, and the capability to forward calls to cell phones of the users when the user is offline. A brief History about Skype Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, a Dane and Swedish respectively, established Skype in the year 2003. Estonians Heinla, Jaan Tallinn, and Priit Kasesalu built up the Skype software. Accompanied by Zennström and Friis, Heinla, Tallin, and Kasesalu initiated the peer-to-peer service software. The initial public beta edition came into being in the year 2003. In the year 2005, eBay accepted to obtain Luxembourg-founded Skype Expertise SA for about 2.6 billion US dollars in direct cash, in addition to eBay supply and possible performance-founded deliberation (Strang, 2012, p. 23). In the year 2011, Microsoft Corporation obtained Skype statements, S.à r.l for 8.5 billion US dollars. Skype was fitted in as a part of Microsoft, while Microsoft obtained the entire expertise of the company with the purchase. The conclusion of this deal was on 13 October in the year 2011. Explain from A to Z how to use Skype! The first of the many steps towards the use of Skype is going to the website www.skype.com and select the download option. This move is followed by clicking on the option ‘download now’. When using a Mac, the users need to check in the menu feature on the right part of the screen, and choose the version of Skype they require for their particular operating system. The next view is a concurrence to install. Selecting the option, ‘I agree-install’, takes the user to the browser highlighter’s screen. On this screen, the user is supposed to unselect the ‘Yes’ option before selecting on the option ‘Next’, which will direct the user to the downloading screen after which a screen with the message ‘Thank you for installing Skype appears’ appears. On this screen, the user is supposed to click on the ‘Finish’ option. The user will at that point have installed Skype on his/her computer. After installation, Skype will spontaneously come to view in its own screen, which will be the log in page for users who up to this point had a Skype name. In the login page, users will be required to provide their Skype name and password before clicking on the option ‘Sign in’. New users of Skype, who lack Skype name and password, need to select the option ‘Don’t have a Skype Name?’ after which a screen requiring them to fill in their full names, Skype name, and Password appears. After filling in these details, new users need to click on the ‘Yes’ box before selecting the option ‘Next’, which will direct users to a ‘Welcome’ screen after signing in. It is necessary to note all the information concerning Password and Skype name somewhere secretly. It might be necessary to make use of the option ‘Take a minute to get set up’. In particular, the user is supposed to select the option ‘Check your sound works’ first to make sure that sound settings are working appropriately from the start. The options ‘find friends and import contacts’ is as well important to select. The set up options explained above can be completed at whichever time the user finds convenient. On a Skype session, contacts marked with color green and a tick stands for users who are online (reachable to make a call to or chat with). In addition, contacts marked with color gray and an “x” signifies that users are not available, and still others that signify occupied or gone can be obtained in the ‘Online Status’ option under the option ‘Skype’. To look for Skype users, selecting ‘Search for Skype Users’ under the option ‘Contacts’ will direct to a section of filling out required details for accurate search. After clicking on any contact, the screen that comes to view will have the options; call, write message (chat), and video call. Users can select on either option they want to use. To add or change a picture, users should select the option ‘Personalize’ and click on ‘Change Your Picture’, which will allow them to ‘take a snapshot’ or ‘browse’ for pictures on the computer. You now Skype! What are the new features added recently and does Skype record or not Some of the features added recently on Skype comprise video calls beginning by 640 x 480 resolutions, as from January in the year 2011. With the aid of this feature, video calls on advanced computers begin in 30 frames for every second. Moreover, some applications like ‘Create a Group’ were advanced. In March 2011, another feature was added to assist altered mobile phone dialog having incorporated contact search. Through this new feature, there was improved appearance of the call button and contacts, as well as advanced call management when users finish their credit (Hwang, & Vrongistinos, 2012, p. 173). In April 2011, a new feature was added for better quality of video sent to cell phones from Skype. In July 2011, Skype incorporated a new feature that permitted sending of instant messages to Facebook, which as well supported advanced call management, better video calls dependability, and advancements while making video snapshots (Thomas, & Brown, 2010, p.98). In September 2011, a feature to back Windows 8 was added to Skype and another for screen sharing advancement; however, in October the same year, Google merchandise bundling was eradicated. In February 2012, Skype included the complete HD video-calling feature that assisted such applications as Facebook audio and Push to communicate. In April 2012, Skype added a feature for an affirmation message while sending a given contact to a grouping chat, which assisted applications like making snapshots and video calls simultaneously. In mid 2012, Skype added another feature to enable choose and pin a preferred contact (Hwang, & Vrongistinos, 2012, pp. 176-179). Regularly, hotfix has been added with the latest being added in July 2012. Despite the fact that Skype does not offer native application for recording voice chats so far, users can simply record sessions by means of intermediary accompaniments, hardware tools, or software in the computer. Skype calls on mobile devices are recorded as audio files such as MP3 that the user could later edit and distribute to friends. What are the free features and the features that are by money on Skype? Some of the free features of Skype comprise Skype to Skype calls, instant messages, screen sharing, and video calls. Skype to Skype calls are at no cost in spite of place or period. Skype permits its users to observe the other individual throughout a voice call on condition that, the two have Skype-attuned video cameras with permitted video attribute in Skype. Through Skype video, the user can commune face-to-face with the other individual in spite of the distance between the two, and at no cost. Skype users can move a file to other Skype users in their contacts register at whichever instance or with any person for the period of a chat session, or Skype to Skype call (Quinn, 2012, p.69). In addition, Skype users can perform all these activities by just right clicking on their mouse, or through dragging. The features that are by money on Skype comprise call forwarding and SMS. Who are the people using Skype? By the close of September 2011, Skype boasted of 663 million users; the numbers are undoubtedly higher today. Even though Skype is a profitable product, teachers and learning institutions keen on international learning projects are making use of its free edition with a rising incidence (Bozarth, 2010, p. 168). For instance, Skype usage assists language sharing. Students who use Skype in various regions of the globe are matched; every one of them is an indigenous orator of the language others desire to know. Additionally, features of Skype permit peers to commune via instant messaging, voice, and video. Family members and friends use Skype to be in contact. Lastly, business people use Skype to share information with clients and other businesses, locally and internationally. References Bozarth, J. (2010). Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Publishing. Hanna, P. (2012). Using internet technologies (such as Skype) as a research medium: a research note. Qualitative Research, 12 (2), 239-242. Hwang, Y. S., & Vrongistinos K. (2012). Using Blackboard and Skype for Mentoring Beginning Teachers. American Journal of Distance Education , 26 (3), 172-179. Quinn, C. N. (2012). Designing mLearning: Tapping into the Mobile Revolution for Organizational Performance. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Publishing. Strang, D. K. (2012). Skype Synchronous Interaction Effectiveness in a Quantitative Management Science Course. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 10 (1), 3-23. Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2010). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change . Washington, DC: CreateSpace.

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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: Slum Regeneration in Sheffield Essay discusses the history of slum regeneration in Sheffield from the 18th century to the present day.Sheffield City, however, suffered subsequent challenges following increase in its population, especially following the industrialisation era of the 19th century. This paper seeks to elaborately analyse and report on the series of slum regeneration programmes that have been held in the city of Sheffield since the early 20th century to the present date.

Slum Regeneration in Sheffield Essay discusses the history of slum regeneration in Sheffield from the 18th century to the present day. Sheffield City, however, suffered subsequent challenges following increase in its population, especially following the industrialisation era of the 19th century. This paper seeks to elaborately analyse and report on the series of slum regeneration programmes that have been held in the city of Sheffield since the early 20th century to the present date.

Slum Regeneration in Sheffield Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. First Phase of Development 3. Second Phase of Demolition 4. The 19th and 20th Centuries 5. Response from the Council 6. Multi-Story Building Option 7. Refurbishment and Rebirth 8. Conclusion 9. List of References Introduction Like many cities across the world, the presence of slums in Sheffield has presented challenges to the authorities and different efforts have been made to address the situation in different ways. The slum menace began in Sheffield in the middle of the 18 th Century as the city’s population expanded and reached 10,000 people (Greenwood, 2010, para 1). Several slum regeneration programmes have been generated since the 18 th century in order to eliminate the slums from the within the city’s jurisdiction. The first slum regeneration plan was adopted in 1860 (Greenwood, 2010, para 1), with its main target being to improve the life of the city’s inhabitants who had been living under the squalid conditions. Sheffield City, however, suffered subsequent challenges following increase in its population, especially following the industrialisation era of the 19 th century. This paper seeks to elaborately analyse and report on the series of slum regeneration programmes that have been held in the city of Sheffield since the early 20 th century to the present date. First Phase of Development Sheffield’s expansion towards the end of the 18 th century saw the city encroach outside the township boundary. This resulted into previous open fields being turned into residential areas. These open fields were referred to as crofts. The total population had risen to more than 30,000 inhabitants (Greenworld, 2010, para 1), with the crofts being turned into both residential, as well as industrial activity areas where cutlery manufacturing was the predominant practice. Pressure began to mount as the crofts were singled out as dens of immorality, especially involving the young people. Death rates among the inhabitants soured as the living conditions and general hygiene deteriorated, with every four children born in the area failing to see their first birthdays. This prompted reformers to identify the need for improving the slum conditions as a remedy for the poor conditions of living. Demolitions were sanctioned and began from 1898, lasting through to 1899. Three crofts were singled out for demolition during the first phase. These included Hawley Croft, School Croft, and Sims Croft. The first slum regeneration programme saw the introduction of three-storey modern housing. The new project began in 1903/1904, and is what is presently known as Hawley and Townhead Street housing. The housing project was the first rental property that were developed by the local council (Greenworld, 2010, para 1). Second Phase of Demolition The second phase of the demolitions affected the remaining slum areas, mainly Lee Croft. The demolitions continued up to 1907. A section of the area that was previously Lee Croft was developed into present day northern Hawley Street junction with both Lee Croft and Campo Lane. The original Lee Croft area was never fully developed following the demolition, with a significant section of the area remaining under developed (Greenworld, 2010, para 3). The Alexandra Skating Rink was developed in 1909 on the area that remained underdeveloped following Lee Croft’s demolitions. The 19 th and 20 th Centuries The 19 th century brought with it new challenges to Sheffield authorities and the inhabitants of the city. The increased pace of industrialisation that peaked particularly during the second half of the 19 th century saw an increase in population as workers moved into the city in search of job opportunities. The rapidly growing population was putting pressure on the available housing units, thereby increasing demand for accommodation units. The population pressure led to a deterioration of the existing housing conditions, particularly the sanitary provisions as well as the general health situation. Similar challenges that had faced the first slum settlements in the city emerged, with death rates increasing to between 20 and 26 for every 1,000 inhabitants. Equally, the infant mortality rate soured to between 153 and 179 deaths for every 1,000 deaths. The population density, particularly in the lower Park district, rose to between 100 and 400 people on every acre of land. This prompted plans to demolish buildings around the lower Park district in order to address the deteriorating situation. Sheffield City’s population had surpassed the 400,000 mark by the turn of the 20 th century (Lambert, n.d., para 20). Growth in population was further influenced by the extension of the city’s boundaries to include Wadsley and Handsworth. Further boundary alterations in 1935 included the addition of Beauchief, Greenhill, Totley, and Dore to be included under the city’s jurisdiction (Lambert, n.d., para 23). A new challenge was once again faced by the authorities in the city as growth of slums became a menace. The 1920’s and 1930’s witnessed difficult moments for the city, with Sheffield being a heavily industrialised centre and a significant section of the population being workers employed in the industries. The end of the First World War in 1918 affected the city’s and indeed the entire country’s economy negatively (Mearns, n.d., para 8). The economy entered into a recession, with the industries lacking business to sustain their activities. The unemployment rate soured, meaning that many residents lacked sufficient income to afford decent lifestyles and accommodation. However, Sheffield City authorities also begun a massive programme in 1934 that aimed at conducting large-scale slum clearance. The era witnessed the building of decent and modernised council houses to replace the slum areas that had been cleared (Lambert, n.d., para 23). The period between the First and Second World Wars was short-lived and Sheffield was to suffer the consequences yet again. As the council worked towards establishing modern housing and eliminating slum areas, up to 3,000 housing units were destroyed following a bombardment of the city by German forces (Visitor UK 2013, para 8). The housing situation was affected significantly as the council still struggled with the pressure on housing units. Slum clearance started after the end of the Second World War, with the actual programme beginning in the 1950s through to the 1960s. The council built new houses in estates such as Gleadless Valley, council flats at Hyde Park and Park Hill (Yorkshire Film Archive, 2011, para 1). The problem of population growth between the 1950s and 1960s persisted with the entry of immigrants from Western India and other Asian communities into Sheffield. A 1937 Development Plan that included the development of flats was later in the year abandoned after the authorities thought that this kind of housing would not be probable as a normal housing method (Lambert, n.d., para 24). A second interim report in 1941 on the city’s planning by the Town Planning Assembly identified the need to undertake a redevelopment scheme of the areas including Duke Street, as well as the City Road. However, the plan did not mention the particular form that the redevelopment would adopt (Lambert, n.d., para 25). Response from the Council In 1930, the council authorities agreed to the fact that the worsening living conditions in the city were being influenced by limited housing units that could not accommodate the population demand. The Estates Committee issued a report in September 1930, promising to increase up to 1,250 new housing units annually. The report also suggested the introduction of a Clearance and Improvement proposal whose main objective would be to eliminate at least 500 housing units that were declared as unfit. This was in accordance with the Housing Act of 1930 (Parliament n.d., para 3). Up to 500 new housing units would be provided to accommodate the people who had been displaced. Recommendations in the report involved adoption of new practices that had been included in the new Housing Act. The Sheffield Council committed itself to considering housing conditions that existed in the area, with plans to issue proposals to the Ministry of Health after every five years beginning in 1930. The Council consequently established clearance schemes, where property would be compulsorily purchased and demolished for purposes of creating room for the development of new buildings. An example of the scheme includes the present day flats and maisonettes that sit on the piece of land bounded by Bernard Street, Broad Street, Duke Street, as well as Old Street and Bard Street. The scheme targeted housing up to 290 families, following its recommendation to the Estates Committee (Sheffield City Council 2010, p 5). The new projects introduced in Sheffield had been copied from other similar projects in London and Liverpool. Sheffield authority officials, including the mayor and the chief architecture, made visits to London in mid 1934 as part of a fact-finding mission to inspect buildings that had been developed under the 1923, 1924, as well as 1930 Housing Acts (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 7). John Rennie, Sheffield’s City Council Medical Officer of Health influenced the compulsory acquisition and demolition program. In November 1933, the officer recommended that the council should demolish buildings to pave way for the Duke/Bard/Benard Street scheme. In 1935, John Rennie made further Representations to the council, which would later influence the reconstructions of properties on Long Henry Street, South Street, Colliers Row, Stafford Street, Lord Street, Hague Lane, Anson Street, as well as Gilbert Street and Norwich Street. The Park Hill flats, as they stand today, occupy the areas that these streets criss-crossed in the past. G. C. Craven, Sheffield City Planning Officer prepared a report in November 1936 that further pointed at the problem of housing density around Central Scheme (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 6). This particular report specifically noted other challenges, including width of streets, existing services, adequate air and light, open spaces, as well as the height above the sea level in the case of residential buildings, as some of the immediate issues that needed redress. The planning officer emphasised on the need to undertake wholesale redevelopment in order to finish a single complete scheme. The idea did not favour the establishment of storey buildings that exceeded 5 storeys (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 6). Multi-Story Building Option Subsequent reports and minutes by the Sheffield City Council immediately after the Second World War identify a gradual focus on multi-storey form of housing. The authorities had banked on the experience witnessed in other cities’ architectural forms both within and outside the country. On the 28 th of April 1949, the committee on housing at the council decided to build multi-story flats that would require to be serviced by lifts. Sheffield’s authority representatives sought to carry inspections in other cities, mainly in London and the Scandinavian countries, to ascertain how similar programmes could be replicated in the city. The multi-storey building project gathered momentum at the beginning of the 1950’s as a report by the Planning Committee of the town identified the need for the city to have an addition of 79,000 new houses (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 10). The new inclusion, however, would still leave Sheffield City with a requirement of 55,000 more houses to cater fully for the population. The report took note of the over 12,000 housing units that had suffered destruction following the World War II, as well as an additional 7,000 units that had been declared unfit for occupation by the Medical Officer of Health during the period between 1939 and 1947 (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 10). The report, taken as an Extension Bill for Sheffield, suggested the need to have good and consistent planning in order to address the huge overspill. The plan was to take place in the areas within the city centre, as well as the industrial areas in order to retain the city’s initial population figure. The plan to establish multi-storey buildings continued further as city representatives and officials visited several other European countries to establish the measures they had put into place after the World War II. Compulsory Purchase Orders were recommended in a bid by the authorities in the city to repossess the entire areas that were bounded by Duke Street lane, Anson Street, South Street, as well as Henry Street. This measure aimed at providing new modernised housing accommodation for the city’s inhabitants. The Housing Committee eventually approved the multi-storey building scheme in March 1955, further approving a recommendation to redevelop the Park Hill area. Early estimates at the time indicated that the Park Hill redevelopment scheme, previously known as Duke Street area, would result in 2,000 new housing units. This would have provided an extra 1,200 new housing units that would comfortably allow the city authorities to demolish another 800 units that had been earmarked for demolition to pave way for further regeneration (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 11). The report emphasised on the need for the multi-storey development project to be pursued towards realising the council’s goal basing on the figures that the planning department had availed. The Park Hill redevelopment project became the first to benefit from the report’s findings following its approval in August 1955 (Sheffield City Council 2010, p. 8). Other areas that were developed include Netherthorpe, Burngreave, as well as Pitmoor. These areas comprise of Woodslide Lane. Park Hill redevelopment targeted a demolition of up to 369 housing units, among them 271 redhouses. The demolitions were intended to pave room for the establishment of public open space. The council earmarked an additional 282 units that were identified as being unfit for habitation together with another 63 fit units, all of which were to be acquired under Compulsory Purchase Orders. The building scheme was undertaken in three phases, with the first two programmes having their planning permission issued within the first half of 1956. The first phase was planned to have 990 dwellings that would be developed in four blocks of between four and thirteen storeys. The area under which this development was to be undertaken included the section bounded by Duke Street, Anson Street, and the Southern Street that overlooks Sheffield’s railway station. The second phase was to be completed in two stages, where two three-storey terraces were to be built amounting to 152 units. The project was to stretch from the eastern side of Bernard Street all the way to covering the northern part. The second section of the second phase involved 1,160 units housed in four blocks, with the least containing five storeys while the highest having up to nineteen storeys. The new redevelopment programmed was officially referred to as the Park Hill Redevelopment Scheme. However, this later changed in May 1961 following the City Council of Sheffield’s decision to rename it as Hyde Park Estate. Sections of the development that were terraced were officially renamed as Hyde Park Terrace and Hyde Park Walk respectively. Refurbishment and Rebirth Demolitions were executed on the largest Hyde Park blocks in the beginning of the 1990’s (Meinhold, 2011, para 1). The remaining sections of the block were refurbished in order to be used to offer accommodation for participants who took part in the 1991 edition of the World Student Games. Sheffield City Council further formulated a plan that aimed at refurbishing Park Hill estate. The authorities were to undertake the program in cooperation with English Partnerships. The thirteen-storey block had its tenants evacuated by the end of 2003 to enable the refurbishments to take place. In October 2007, an artist’s plan to undertake the refurbishment was approved. The plan included a proposal to have 257 flats available for sale. Up to 56 flats were to be rented out, with 12 others being prepared for a sharing project. Conclusion Urban centres and cities across the world have traditionally grappled with an upsurge of slum areas, which are mainly characterised by overpopulation, poor sanitation services, and lack of modernised amenities. Sheffield City experienced the first existence of slum houses towards the end of the 17 th century as the city grew gradually. Population growth forced the city’s expansion to exceed its initial boundaries, with areas that remained plain fields in the past experiencing an upsurge of informal settlements. These areas included Hawley Croft, School Croft, and Sims Croft. The worsening conditions of living prompted authorities in the city to schedule plans for the first ever slum regeneration in the city. However, the 19 th and 20 th centuries posed more challenges to the city authorities as growth in population was hastened by industrialisation during the time. The pressure and demand for housing made the city authorities sanction for more slum regeneration programmes to eliminate the sub-standard housing, while at the same time replacing them with modernised housing units. The World War I affected the program by creating a recession that affected industries in the city, causing unemployment amongst its residents. The unemployment denied residents the financial power to afford decent housing, thus creating room for growth and expansion of slums. In World War II, the Sheffield housing suffered greater consequences as up to 3,000 housing units were destroyed following bombardments by the German forces. List of References Greenwood, A. 2010, Local history: Clearing the slums and the start of the Sheffield jungle . Web. Lambert, T., A brief history of Sheffield, England . Web. Mearns, N., Rural village to Suburbia . Web. Meinhold, B. 2011, Massive Park Hill Post-War project being regenerated into a colorful and bright housing complex . Web. Parliament. Living heritage: Improving towns . Web. Sheffield City Council 2010, Sources for the study of Park Hill and Hyde Park Flats, pp 4-48. Web. Sheffield City Council 2013, Compulsory Purchase Orders . Web. Visitor UK 2013, Timeline history of Sheffield. Yorkshire Film Archive 2011, Park Hill Housing Project . Web.

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Write the full essay for the following summary: Evaluation of Dan's Auto and Trucks Repair Company's marketing plan and how it has been implemented.

Evaluation of Dan's Auto and Trucks Repair Company's marketing plan and how it has been implemented.

Small business marketing plan. Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company Term Paper Introduction Marketing forms one of the most important factors that dictate the progress that an organization can make since it constitutes the last step in the chain of production. Marketing analysts generally concur that the process of marketing brings consumers and an organization together, a consideration that makes it crucial to establish the correct face of products, service, and most importantly, the company making the products. An effective execution of marketing however requires a closely coordinated and a highly analytical application of marketing plans and special skills to win customers. Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company has continued to grow and widen its market since it was formed. The latter has been attained through active marketing of its products both in the United States and across the globe (Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair, 2013). This paper provides an evaluation of the company and particularly its marketing plan. Besides, an effective SWOT analysis of the company has been conducted by exploring the key strengths and opportunities. In addition, possible threats and opportunities have been addressed in the paper. A brief company background- Dan’s auto and track repair The ability of any business to assimilate the correct productivity and profitability is highly dependent on its ability to formulate and apply the mission, goals, and objectives in its management plans. According to Johnson (2002), a business should formulate its marketing objectives in line with its long term strategies upon which it intends to deploy technology, human resources, and funds to enhance the realization of its mission. Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company is one of the fastest growing small auto and truck repairs businesses in the United States. The owner who is known as Dan Wozniac began this business in 1991 in Arlington, Texas. It is worth mentioning that Dan’s business is family-owned and it provides wide range of vehicle service repairs to its customers (Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair, 2013). Its channels of primary sales and services are the regular customers and roadside assistance services conducted on a 24-hour basis. It also offers fleet services which includes state certified vehicle inspection, wrecker services, vehicle products, fleet priority service, DFW Metroplex area, vehicle repair and on-site maintenance. Its staff includes a small group of highly qualified technicians. The company’s management structure has undergone major reviews that push it towards decentralization and greater responsibilities to workers and customers. Ahenkora and Peasah (2011) indicate that a lean hierarchy allows employees to have direct touch with their top management and contribute to long-term planning. Besides, it reduces the overall time used to respond to workers, environmental, and consumers’ issues. In order to further emphasize on lean management, it is vital to mention that the inventories are greatly reduced while additional focus is given to corporate social responsibility. The structure has created important arms that reach out all stakeholders and therefore makes it easy to understand issues affecting them. The latter is a crucial consideration in defining the point of entry by the company. The company has seen significant growth in its market changes over the years. The latter has been accompanied by eventual success in business. This has been due to its efficient leadership, marketing skills and innovation. In addition, it focuses on improved and a wide range of service delivery and expertise of workers. This has attracted the attention of truck and vehicle owners as well as several other well established and successful companies. It has also been attributed to the adaptive enterprise and corporate marketing strategies that provide the type of technology and services as well as the efficient marketing practice to apply. Other important services include diesel and electronic and non-electronic repairs, complete service and repair of clutch, air brake systems, axle, front-end, undercarriage among others. It has several business segments such as vehicle care segment, inspections for all vehicles, preventive maintenance and product segments, having new and used tyres, engine parts and other assorted vehicle spares. Mission statement Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company has immensely benefitted from the intimate relationship with its workers, consumers and the environment since it was incepted. It is one of the most important components that drive its success (Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair, 2013). As a result, it has taken great strides in ensuring that the provision of better and unmatched services and sustainability are carefully ingrained in its mission and leadership structure. This has been used as a mechanism of ensuring that the company’s ideology and principles are implemented. The company’s mission is built on core values that define its services and products. Its mission can be summarized as the provision of outstanding customer service. This denotes the responsibility of the company in fostering effective service delivery. Statement of goals and core competencies Johnson (2002) points out that a small business can be able to explore the successes in its environment by developing or focusing on its core competencies. Dan and his team of workers have come to develop effective strategies in catapulting their business to success over the past few years. In their provision of services, they have been able to aim towards exploiting, leveraging, strengthening, maintaining and developing core competencies. Core competencies as in a firm may include an organization’s functional skills such as research and development, technology, finance, marketing and manufacturing. A decision to develop a strategy via exploiting core competencies might in the next three years ensure that the firm does not merely produce quality products. It may also deliver valuable services and unique benefits to customers. Additionally, exploiting core competencies as a means of developing strategy requires that resources in a business are shared equally across all existing units. Johnson (2002) points out that the best and effective core competencies that should be shared need to be the intangible ones. Dan has showed a deeper understanding in his practice in the sense that intangible competencies are important in the sense that his competitors are not be able to see them because they are invisible. The company has been able to utilize competencies relate to skills and knowledge which its employees have. The business knowledge potential perspective currently entails viewing the business marketing strategy and provision of services through embracing technology as the driving force behind organisational success. The top management has sought to provide vision regarding technology-focussed service provision and marketing which involves designing and implementing the required IT infrastructure. The latter takes into consideration the external IT strategy components such as competencies, scope and governance. Competitive potential alignment perspective in the next three years appears to focus primarily on exploitation of the emerging IT capabilities in order to bring about new products and services. This can expand the business scope. It is also concerned with influencing the critical attributes of the strategy which involves distinctive competencies, and the development of new types of customer relationships. This perspective is considered unique because it allows business marketing strategy to be modified using the emerging IT capabilities. Overall marketing strategy Janicijevic (2010) posits that developing a marketing strategy that is effective and oriented for long term requires key strategic planning and effective leadership methods. Developing a marketing plan gives a firm enough time to meet its goals. As a strategy, it reflects Hamel and Prahald’s view in their model of strategic intent. Hamel and Prahald argue that planning is a strategic marketing intent which is aimed at leveraging core competencies, capabilities and internal resources a firm has in order to accomplish unattainable goals a competitive market environment presents (Ahenkora & Peasah, 2011). On the same breath, Strategic scholars point out that while strategic intent is crucial for higher levels of performance, its effects can only be realized when employees in an organization show commitment to a vision or a specific performance criterion. SWOT analysis Strengths Since its inception in 1991, Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company has continuously grown its marketing activities and processes to become one of the major providers of diesel vehicle and truck service providers in Texas (Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair, 2013). Analysts have pointed out that the services the company provides which ranges from computerized diagnostics of all diesel and other engines to a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance have immensely attracted customers who have in turn developed preference and confidence to the company’s available services. Besides, it is worth mentioning that its variety of unique fleet services and its ability to meet the convenience of its customers have enabled it to gain competitive advantage over the competitors. This has aided it in enhancing its profitability due to repeat customers. Weakness Marketing analysts indicate that the availability of substitute products and increasing demand for cheaper products and services presents small and growing businesses such as Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company. Such a company may be faced with massive difficulties of lowering cost to ensure economies of scale. While many local auto shops and garages around Arlington Texas have opted to lower their product and service costs prices to gain a competitive edge, Dan’s business has maintained its service charges over others. This has had a negative impact on its expected gains as many of its customers opt for alternative service providers. Its fleet service costs are not reflective of the affordable prices necessary for capturing the ready market in the region. Opportunities Modern sales and marketing operations for products and services that a company provides demand the application of better technological platform. The company has been known to offer quality services. It uses technology to enhance the effectiveness and quality of its marketing plans and service provision. This in turn presents it with numerous opportunities to reach the market and introduce fresh ideas in the market. Threats One of the major threats facing the company is the nature of the highly competitive market environment where the company is carrying out its operations. The company is exposed to a stiff competition from its competitors. It is worth mentioning that since its competitors are selling similar vehicle products and lowering the cost of their services, Dan’s business faces a great threat of losing =its marketing strategy. An analysis using Porter’s five forces model New entry threat Though services provided by Dan’s company are exceptional, many similar companies have come up to in Texas to provide auto services. The fast increase in Dan’s profitability has agitated their concerns for a share of profits. Indeed, the market was insatiable by the company’s services and therefore provided a ripe opportunity for new entrants to fill the gap. However, the company still enjoys the advantage of a large number of customers who have developed loyalty due to its special services. Buyer and supplier power Winer (2009) notes that the bargaining power of consumers and suppliers dictate the ability of a company’s products to trade effectively in the market. The management of the company has sought to ensure that its customers, as indicated in the mission and goals, obtain the highest quality of the product possible at the best prices that could be able to effectively compete in the market. This is therefore essential for the company to stabilize its service provision and raise prices with time to encourage better production. Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry on the other hand, forms a major business consideration that dictates the overall ability to forcefully infer the much needed impact in the market. The company suffers strongly from its general lack of enough resources that dictated the overall ability to reach its consumers. This has given larger companies the general advantage to maintain bulk of the market share. Threat of substitution Since its conception, Dan’s company has been faced with strong forces of other vehicle products in the market. Though Dan has sought to infer the best method to counter the products that are in the market by use of unique technology, the threat of substitute products requiring greater knowledge continues to be very strong owing to their demand in the market. In addition, it cements their overall preference by ccustomers. Target market In his publication, Winer (2009) points out that segmentation and targeting of a market is an important component since it boosts the competitive advantage, increases product identification, and improves market segment and marketing mix. In the case of Dan’s company, it should be able to select potential locations where a mixture of low class, middle class and upper class car and truck owners can buy its products and services. In these segments, it may be able to market and carry out promotions of its products. Product strategy Dan’s company product ought to be transformed so that it can win the market and build the brand in the US and other parts of the globe. Its services include repairs of engines, brakes and exhausters. The company must adopt a new and unique style to attract customers. This may include ensuring efficiency and speed in carrying out services. Distribution strategy A producer to consumer channel has been lauded by scholars of chain management studies as a channel which enhances a distributor’s profit margin. In agreement, the option by Dan’s company to adopt a producer consumer channel can be considered to be attractive in the sense that it can maximize profits. Indeed, as Mary Jo Hatch Posits in her model of business dynamics, direct selling or provision of services is a key business concept that enables a producer to favorably manage sales and enjoy all the profits without having to share with distributors or other intermediaries (Winer, 2009). Promotional strategy Promotional methods should be purposefully designed in a manner that more consumers are able to get the message on the availability of the services that Dan’s company is offering. A good consideration at this point is intensification of online promotion and use of billboards to reach more consumers alongside the current methods. Notably, intensified online promotion would enable the company to reach more consumers even beyond its already established locations. However, greater care should be taken to ensure that the system is secure and its brand carefully guarded. Pricing strategy The pricing of Dan’s services and products has always been a key consideration for the company because it determines their affordability. As a result, Dan should establish a clear method of determining the prices of different products in a manner that several people are able to afford the products. In order to further promote accessibility, different products and services should be priced differently depending on complexity of their production and design. Conclusions To sum up, developing marketing plan requires managers to employ strong systems of control for their companies so that they can enhance objectivity. There is need for a change in Dan’s company mode of marketing operations. It should be made a key platform for continuous improvement. As such, putting in place a new marketing plan is very crucial if the pre-established objectives are to be met. Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair Company should gradually increase its marketing goals while heightening the much needed promotion to inform and persuade the consumers to seek its services. References Ahenkora, K. & Peasah, O. (2011). Crafting strategy that measures up. International Journal of Business and Management 6 (10), 278-283. Dan’s Auto and Trucks Repair (2013). Full Service Automotive and Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck and Trailer Repair Facility. Web. Janicijevic, N. (2010). Business processes in organizational diagnosis. Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues , 15(2), 85-106. Johnson, L. (2002). Issue selling in the organization. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(3), 8-9. Winer, S. (2009). New communications approaches in marketing: issues and research directions. Journal of Interactive Marketing 23(2), 108-117.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The demand for electric energy has been on the increase both in the industrial and domestic cycles. This rising demand implies that additional generation stations ought to be put in place.The latter is flexible and allows interconnection with Renewable Distributed generation. The paper also investigates the effects of renewable distributed generation on power system stability and distributed generation on Smart Grid technology.

The demand for electric energy has been on the increase both in the industrial and domestic cycles. This rising demand implies that additional generation stations ought to be put in place. The latter is flexible and allows interconnection with Renewable Distributed generation. The paper also investigates the effects of renewable distributed generation on power system stability and distributed generation on Smart Grid technology.

Smart Grid Technology: Power System Stability Research Paper Abstract The demand for electric energy has been on the increase both in the industrial and domestic cycles. This rising demand implies that additional generation stations ought to be put in place. The latter is flexible and allows interconnection with Renewable Distributed generation. Nonetheless, integrating distributed generation to power systems may lead to myriads of technical challenges such as the system stability. The integration of distributed generation challenges can be lowered by employing the concept of Smart Grid. This piece of research essay focuses on system stability and the impact of interconnecting distributed generation into Smart Grid systems. This was executed by simulating various perspectives of the grid. In addition, examining the primary stability parameters of the IEEE 9 bus test system is critical in this paper. The paper also investigates the effects of renewable distributed generation on power system stability and distributed generation on Smart Grid technology. Introduction Since the modern world has advanced in terms of technological well being, the production and dissemination of electric energy is critical to several economic sectors across the globe. Besides, the use of fossil fuels is quite rampant in the modern electricity generation and transmission of electricity. However, these fossil fuels have proved to be significantly inefficient due to the growing demand for clean sources of energy. Besides, there is inadequate energy supply across the globe. This has increased pressure on natural resources. Power loss in terms of energy transmission has also been rife. The main cause of this loss is lack of efficiency. This power grid should be in a position to meet quite a number of requirements as far as energy production and demand are concerned. When electric grids are being loaded, the use of smart grids technology is highly effective. Load levelling of the grid can be executed more effectively using this type of technology. It is one of the technologies that can be used to generate clean sources of energy thereby limiting the evolution of carbon-emitting gases (Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, 2011). Development of Smart Grid Smart Grid is an integral aspect in the growth and development of electricity production. Scientist drawn from developed economies were among the first experts who tried to work on smart grid. Irrespective of the challenges that they went through, significant success was attained. Other nations have followed suit in the development of smart grid technology. Some of these countries include Australia, South Korea, Canada and China. There are quite a number of smart grid research-driven factors that take place at the national level. These include energy and environmental challenges, complex grid structure, lack of improvement on safety and efficiency of the power grid operation, and poor service quality of the entire power industry. Statement of the problem There is a steady rise in renewable distributed generation. Therefore, it is being integrated into the power system network in order to suffice the high demand for electric energy. As a result, myriads of challenges regarding the power system stability and more specifically voltage stability may be experienced. In addition, disturbances in the power networks might be an issue that DG units are not adequately equipped or prepared to handle effectively. Therefore, smart grid technology should be embraced so that the current challenges may be reduced. If modern technology in the production of electricity is not adopted, then the current challenges may continue to hamper the needs of consumers and the expected profitability expected from this type of establishment. Structure of the Report There are seven sections in this research paper. The growth and development of smart grid has been tackled in the first section. In the second section, further information about the smart grid has been explored in order to assist in comprehending the concept of smart grid as well as the requirements. The solar energy and integration to power grids has been explored in the third section while the fourth section offers some basic description of Static VAR Compensator and how it works. In section five, Case studies, the set up of Smart Grid experiments, outcomes of simulation and discussions have been addressed. Lastly, the final section has been used to summarize the paper desire for future research that can be carried out to expand this body of knowledge. Background Theory of Smart Grid Definition Smart grid has been defined differently in various schools of thought. According to the Ontario Smart Grid Forum, smart grid is a contemporary form of technology that makes use of computing knowledge in order to boost the efficiency of producing electricity (Murphy, 2010) On the same note, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (2010) indicates that the smart grid can be defined as a system that can be employed in the production of electricity by connecting and putting into use the seamless communication system. Such a system is capable of collecting and storing vital information that can later be used to transmit intelligent information in the course of generating electricity. Smart Grid benefits Benefits in implementing smart grid could be as follows: * Reduction in congestion and accumulation cost. * Minimal likelihood of blackout and compelled power interruptions. * Reduction in restoration time, operations and maintenance due to predictively. * Analytics and self-healing attribute of the grid. * Reduce the price of electricity. * Create new products and services. * Decline in pinnacle demand. * Improves the incorporation of distributed of the quantity of electricity generated before being utilized. * Enhanced level of the much needed security * The improved flow of power leads to capacity improvement, system availability, reliability and power quality. * Efficiency due to increased capital investment. * Electricity users have new alternatives for controlling their cost and consumption of electric energy. The Main Features of Smart Grid According to Xue-song et al (2010), the key features of the smart grid technology include the following: * Self-healing: It is continuous on-line assessment and pre-control of power grid failure, as well as the failure of the automatic recovery. * Interactive: The system can achieve the intelligent interactions between grid Corporation and customers to achieve energy flow, information flow and capital flow two-way interaction. * Strong: Namely better identify and respond to man-made and natural disasters, protection, information security. * Optimization: Means Improve asset utilization, effective in reducing operation and maintenance costs and investment costs, reduce power losses. The Smart Grid Capabilities Demand Response The above can be defined as the process of controlling the quantity of electricity that is required by consumers. The latter is achieved by making use of real-time data. This type of response may be depicted in various ways. For instance, the cost of electric energy at the point of distribution and the manner in which consumers behave are critical when responding to demand factor. It is possible to automate the system by integrating smart appliances and customer devices that often respond to signals remitted from the utility based on system stability and load parameters. Distributed Generation and how it can be facilitated In order to enhance the distributed generation, proper planning and management is required. Elements of the smart grid permit movement and measurement in both directions. Therefore, it permits generators that are located locally to produce electric energy that can be transferred to the grid system. The amount of energy produced should be compensated for accordingly. Optimization of Asset Use Losses in energy can be minimised by the monitoring process. The entire system has the ability to minimise energy that may be wasted during the whole process of generating electricity. In addition, monitoring makes it possible to make timely maintenance of the system and environmental protection. Problem Detection and Mitigation There are myriads of customers who utilize electricity that have not come into the realisation of the minimal data that can be accessed by those who operate the grid. The most vital part of this information is found at the level of distribution. Whenever there are power outrages, the calls made by consumers are given special mapping that eventually aids in identifying the regions affected by the blackouts. As a result, the affected switches, transformers and transmission lines are then repaired by engineers on duty. As a matter of fact, it is common for customer care representatives to request callers to investigate whether the neighbourhoods have been equally affected by the power outage. This does not imply that the transmission systems lack proper monitoring systems. There are quite a number of energy management systems such as SCADA that have been employed in the past even though they are not very effective in regards to thorough visibility. In some cases, the capacity of the grid is usually overloaded up to even four times its ability (Moghaddam & Seifi, 2010). Nonetheless, the distribution network and a real time model will be needed by those who undertake dispatch work so that the following three competencies can be met. * Instantaneous monitoring and reaction. * Expectation or carrying out effective forecasting * Carrying out the process of isolation whenever inadequacies are noted. Smart Grid Technologies The concept of smart grid has been categorised into several groups. Examples include SCADA/DMS (distribution management systems), designing advanced control methods, advanced sensing, metering and measurement devices and technologies, Real-time situational awareness and analysis of the distribution system, Substation automation (SA) and designing main and local supervisory control units along with suitable human interfaces and integrated communications Grid technologies have the following requirements: Integrated communications The process of making decision and flow of information is facilitated by the standardized and high-speed system attached to the grid components. Measurement and Sensing This component makes it possible for users to give instant feedback based on the information obtained from energy producers. Advanced elements This type of technology is capable of enjoying several latest technological platforms in the production and distribution of energy. Advanced methods of control Information is gathered, stored and analysed more easily by the advanced control systems of the grid. The Integration of Solar Energy with the Smart Grid Introduction Solar energy is received on the surface of the earth on a daily basis. There is adequate amount of energy that emanates from the sun at any given time. In addition, it is pertinent to note that energy conversion in a solar thermal plant starts with collecting the sunlight, converting it into heat which is then powering a thermodynamic engine. In the last stage, the engine drives a generator which produces the electricity. The heat conversion path is similar to any other conventional fossil or nuclear power plant. Merits of Solar Energy Economic merits 1. Fast installation since the process is not complex 2. The energy curve is predictive 3. No complex infrastructure is required during installation 4. Highly reliable especially when used for a long time 5. The pricing is predictable and easy to determine Environmental merits of Solar Energy 1. does not pollute the environment 2. Compatible with several geographical regions 3. Relatively cheap and efficient Social merits of Solar Energy 1. Limits energy disruption and thus enhance national security 2. Increases the independence of a nation in energy production 3. Decent local employment opportunities are created 4. Conserves other natural resources such as water. Photovoltaic Background and definition This form of electric energy is made up of cells that can transform radiation from the sun into direct current. A material that is receptive of solar radiation is used to convert the raw energy from the sun into a direct source of electric energy. эDoping is carried out on the material so that the charge carriers can be increased. These carriers can either be negative or positive. There are several panels used to make Photovoltaic systems and they may be arranged either in series and parallel. Types The PV power systems are categorised into three typical configurations. These are grid-connected, hybrid and autonomous. Stand alone applications make use of both the hybrid and autonomous systems and are mostly applicable in locations that cannot be easily reached. However, the grid-connected systems, the generation of electricity is undertaken where it is supposed to be used. Later on, the transportation and distribution capacity can be improved. the excess power can then be fed into the national grid system for future use (Australian Clean Energy Council, 2011). Solar Energy Integration with Smart Grid Operational methodologies that are advanced and high-tech are required when running solar energy systems that are driven by weather. However, in the case of the fossil fuel plants which are conventional in nature, the requirement of the power system is always put into consideration. It is imperative to mention that variability exists whenever solar energy is used in the production of electric energy. For instance, the alteration of fuel supply is a major determinant when solar energy is used in the generation of electricity. This implies that regulating the solar system is quite cumbersome compared to the conventional system. Challenges of Integrating Solar Energy Fluctuation in the amount of Voltage When solar energy is used in generating electric current, the main challenge that is usually experienced is the fluctuation in voltage. When fluctuation takes place, the delicate electric equipments are affected as well. As a result, the durability of such equipment is significantly lowered. Harmonic Distortion The power system grid is usually injected with harmonics using the electronic devices. When distortion in harmonics takes place, distortion in voltage also occurs. Therefore, the operating harmonics ought to be minimised significantly when the grid is being used. The required range of harmonic distortion should be used so that the overall harmonic distortion is reduced to the minimum. In order to reduce the distortion in harmonics, an appropriate design of the control algorithm should be adopted. Better still, it should be done on the control loop being used at that particular time. There are quite a number of filter types that cane employed in order to lower the interruptions. These have been explained below: Reactive Power Compensation The power systems are affected by induction generators that usually consume reactive power. A lot of reactive power is consumed by induction generators bearing in mind that there is a gradual increase in the amount of power generated. This implies that the demand level and reactive power should be brought as close as possible to each other. A fixed capacitor can then be used in order to attain a typical power compensator. Synchronization The production of high quality power has been a key area of concern for a lengthy period of time. Some of the common research challenges include phase, voltage and grid frequency. The phase-locked loop (PLL) is the key method of synchronization. In addition, the non-linear transformations, filters and grid voltage detection can also be used. Storage of energy The ability to deliver power without significant disruption is a crucial factor when considering energy storage options. When electric energy is produced using energy from the sun, there are lots of uncertainty and instability. This explains why the storage system adopted should be as reliable as possible. Surplus energy should be stored in order to meet demand when power is unstable. Some of the storage facilities used include the superconducting magnetic energy storage, super-capacitors, flywheel and batteries. Scheduling and Forecasting The long term weather patterns should be known so that the variability of solar energy can be established. The smart national grid can only be penetrated if the weather patterns are understood well. The network security should be safeguarded at all costs in order to lower the intermittent energy. Forecasting and scheduling should be done in the most accurate manner. Load Demand Management System Uniform supply of energy is critical in the entire production of electricity. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that solar energy is intermittent and as such, should be planned and managed in the best way (Energy Response Pty Ltd, 2011). Energy can be significantly wasted if the load and output of solar energy are not made compatible. Distributed Generation Definition When the source of electric power is directly linked to the network of distribution in order to reach consumers on the other end, it is referred to as the distributed generation. However, the generation source rating is not included in this definition (Rujula et al.,2008). Technologies of Distributed Generation Technology Typical available size per module Combined Cycle Gas Turbine 35 MW – 400 MW Internal Combustion Engines 5 kW – 10 MW Combustion Turbine 1 MW – 250 MW Micro-Turbines 35 kW – 1 MW Small Hydro 1 MW – 100 MW Wind Turbine 200 Watt – 3 MW Photovoltaic Arrays 20 Watt – I00 kW Solar Thermal, Central Receiver 1- 10 MW Solar Thermal, Lutz System 10- 80 M W Biomass Gasification 100 kW – 20 MW Fuel Cells, Solid Oxide 250 kW – 5 MW Geothermal 5 MW – l00 MW Ocean Energy 100 kW – 1 MW Stirling Engine 2 kW – IO Kw Battery Storage 500 kW – 5 MW Table 2: Sizes of distributed generation modules (Rujula et al.,2008). The Penetration of DG It is necessary to design the network in such a way that the distributed generation can be embraced. The equipment technology will undergo new demand especially if the small power generators will be used in the production of electricity. Hence, communication concepts and novel management units will have to be developed in order to enhance the process of distributed generation. Moreover, the low reserve capacities will be coupled with the installation of the electric equipment in a new environment. The ability to secure network stability ought to be part and parcel of the on-going research activities. In any case, there are several fluctuating generators that are being used to produce power even though they are not reliable or stable at all. Supply reliability can only be attained if the fluctuating generators are improved using the latest set of technologies. The most appropriate mix in energy is also a vital pre-condition that ought to be put into consideration. If the planning process is proper coupled with efficient communication and directional energy management, it will be possible to attain the most accurate energy mix. Communication technology should also be advanced accordingly. Some of the technical constraints include: 1. Technical hindrance of the existing network 2. Design methodologies 3. Safety concerns 4. Auxiliary equipment and potential disturbance. 5. Control protocols and complex metering It is necessary for utilities to assume the following features in future: 1. Site demand loads should be connected and gathered properly 2. Tools needed for simulation and modelling ought to be developed and improved 3. The voltage grid that supplies low amount of electric energy ought to be improved. 4. The energy grids should be strengthened and re-designed. Power system stability When the planning process is on-going, analysing the stability of a smart grid is critical. The same system of analysis is also required during both the operation phase and the design phase of the smart grid technology. There are quite a number of methods that can be used to interpret the stability of an electric power system. Both the status of operation and system configuration determine the type of analytic method to be used. The manner in which the system performs under different situations is evaluated using the methods adopted. In order to define the strength of a smart grid, both of the aforementioned conditions ought to be assessed thoroughly. In case any faults are noted, it is possible to restore the condition of the system. This can only be necessary when dynamic features of the grid are understood well. There are two categories that can be used to classify the aspect of stability. These include the transient and steady state types. When large scale production of electric energy is required, synchronous generators are used. These generators also ensure that parallel operation can be executed effectively. The ability of a system to remain stable for a significant length of time is necessary since there is increasing demand for electric energy. There are three classifications of stability analysis as noted below: 1. The stability of Rotor Angle: this entails both the tiny and large stability types that are anchored on rotor angle. 2. Stability of the voltage: this consists of both the small and large disturbances. 3. Stability of the frequency: encompasses both the short and long term stabilities. The three types of classifications are particularly necessary when the smart grid technology is being adopted for bulk production of electricity. In addition, all the above classifications are workable when stability of the system is kept on check or controlled. Figure 3: Сategorization of power system stability Stability in voltage will be integral in the following area of discussion since power system stability is a critical part of a grid system. Stability in Voltage When the desired amount of voltage is permitted through a system without any form of significant fluctuations, it is referred to as voltage stability. All the buses are supposed to be supplied with permissible range of voltage at any given time. Hence, severe system perturbation should not be allowed to take place within the system at any given time. When some buses receive remarkable fluctuations in the amount of electric power that passes through them, instability may take place. However, voltage drop is the main cause of voltage instability within a system. This usually takes place power flows that are both reactive and active are inducted through power lines. As a result, voltage support across the power lines that are used to deliver electric energy is limited. In other words, power cannot be transferred easily without experiencing challenges. Furthermore, voltage instability can also be occasioned by dynamic loads especially when any slight disturbance takes place. When the consumed power is restored, a response is received by the load. This may boost the consumption of reactive power. Worse still, additional reduction in voltage may be caused by extra pressure on high voltage network. There are two distinct classifications of voltage stability. The first type is referred to as the large disturbance while the second one is known as the small disturbance. In the first case, large perturbations can be regulated by a system. Examples of large perturbations include failure in the system and diminished generation. In the case of small disturbance stability, small perturbations can be swiftly regulated by a system. A typical example is the load change that takes place in a gradual upward trend. Challenges posed by voltage stability may take a few seconds to several minutes before coming to an end. Stability of the Grid and Effects of Distributed Generation Voltage is increased at the grid when the photovoltaic DG is integrated to the grid system. This addition is supposed to take place between the utility grid and the DG where the PCC is positioned. It is possible for unacceptable level of voltage to rise especially if there is coincidence between light load demand and the optimum power production at the PV. When the later is not controlled in good time, it may occasion system instability or destroy the neighbouring equipment. Moreover, the grid voltage is influenced by the presence of PV DGs to the system especially when the grid is in its normal working condition. Methods of Analysis The investigations into the impact of distributed generation on power system stability by looking at voltage stability will be carried out using power system simulation software. The software must be capable of performing different voltage stability simulations and therefore must carry out complex nonlinear calculations. For this reason, the Power Factory software (DIgSILENT) will be used in order to achieve the desired simulations as well as building and modelling test power systems and electric generator models. DIgSILENT is a powerful simulation tool which will provide the majority of the stability analysis for the work carried out on this paper. The system that will be used the simulation in this paper is based on the standard IEEE 9 node test system (Kumar et al, 2012). This test system has also been provided with data for the transmission lines, transformers, bus voltages, and load power (see the appendix). Using Static VAR Compensator as a smart grid In order to supply the load demand, it is necessary to appreciate the aspect of renewable energy and demand of electric energy at any given time. Both the input and output in voltage is also expected to be relatively stable. The effects of distributed generation can be minimised when the grid system is upgraded. In order to improve the stability of voltage, SVCs were employed. Background It has been shown previously that large or small penetration of distributed generation may cause some significant issues regarding the power system stability. The system may be grossly experience destabilization due to quite a number of factors. For example, when the reactive power is not regulated appropriately, it may lead to system instability. This challenge can be managed by making use of a reactive power compensator that is shunt in nature. A good example is a system that has been made using the SVC technology. The latter is controlled by a thyristor. It has no gate turn-off capability. A response time is also offered within a very short time. Figure 5.1: Basic Structure of SVC (Watanabe, 2007) From the above figure, it is evident that the SVC I made up of the following aspects: 1. Capacitor that has been switched using a thyristor 2. A reactor that has been switched and controlled using a thyristor Both the above components are made up of a reactor that has been to a shunt and is regulated using a thyristor that has been connected back-to-back and in a parallel system. When a phase angle control is employed, a non-changing reactive power is generated by the TCR. The amount generated ranges from 0 to maximum. On the other hand, the phase angle control is not required when controlling the TSR. As a result, resistance is changed and thereafter a constant inductive admittance is offered. The operating features of the TSR are quite similar to its composition (Watanabe, 2007). Control of SVC Figure 5.2: Block diagram of SVC controller (Alinezhad and Ahmed, 2009) From the above figure, we can see that the SVC is shown. Key V t is the amount of voltage that passes through the controller. V ref is the amount of voltage that is supposed to be retained through the control apparatus. K SVC refers to the gain of regulator T 1 and T 2 refer to the values used to adjust the gains. B max and B min are used to denote the range compensated by the controller B SVC refers to the absolute susceptance of the controlling device. In order to calculate SVC, the following formula is used: Eq. (5.1) (Tahri, 2000) Figure 5.3: Mathematical Model of SVC (Tahri, 2000) Voltage Stability Enhancement As it was suggested that the SVC could be used to enhance the voltage and improve the stability of the power system (Yome et al, 2007). From the diagram given below, there is a lparticular trend in the aspects of receiving voltage. For instance, the lag ranges from zero to nine while the lead aspect ranges from zero to nine as well. Voltage instability is represented by dashed lines with maximum values. The condition of the system is also responsible to this voltage stability. The manner in which voltage is received has been shown in figure 5.4. Voltage collapse can take place when the nominal rate is surpassed by the voltage limit. Therefore, the voltage stability margin can be enhanced significantly by regulating the terminal voltage. Figure 5.4: The characteristics of receiving voltage end (Tahri, 2000) Experimental Setup and Results Analysis Network Model The power system, figure.1 that was used to perform the simulations was based on the standard IEEE 9 node test system (Kumar et al, 2012). This test system has also been provided with data for the transmission lines, transformers, bus voltages, and load power. The data is provided in the appendix. Figure 6.1: IEEE standard 9 bus test system (Kumar e.t al, 2012) Location and Sizing of the Distributed Generation Distributed Generation (DG) has the potential to provide technical merits such as the reduction of power losses and power quality improvement. On the other hand, it should be noted that, if the DG is misplaced, it may easily cause degradation of power quality, reliability, and control of the system or it may increase losses and affect voltage regulation. Therefore, it is essential to consider approaches for deciding the location of distributed generation units in distribution systems. The analysis is performed on this section using a steady state power flow studies which can evaluate voltage at each node of the distribution system. Different busbars have been tested to identify the best location of DG. A load flow solution for the system using Newton-Raphson load flow method was performed and the results are provided in the table below. The results of the load flow are used to indicate the optimal location of the DG in our network. V/ (pu) V bus1 V bus2 V bus3 V bus4 V bus5 V bus6 V bus7 V bus8 V bus9 Location Of DG Bus 1 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.027 0.997 1.014 1.026 1.016 1.032 Bus 2 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.026 0.995 1.013 1.025 1.015 1.032 Bus 3 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.026 0.996 1.013 1.026 1.016 1.032 Bus 4 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.026 0.996 1.013 1.026 1.017 1.032 Bus 5 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.035 1.022 1.023 1.032 1.022 1.035 Bus 6 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.030 0.990 1.020 1.027 1.017 1.034 Bus 7 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.026 0.995 1.013 1.025 1.015 1.032 Bus 8 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.027 0.997 1.014 1.029 1.023 1.035 Bus 9 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.025 0.994 1.010 1.024 1.013 1.027 Table 6.1: Voltage profiles at each bus with different DG location It could be seen from table 2 that the voltage profiles have been improved when the DG is installed at bus 5. Therefore, it could be concluded that installing DG at bus 5 is the best location on this network from the steady-state viewpoint. Another important factor has to be considered is the penetration level of DG. The penetration level of distributed generation can be defined as the percentage of distributed generation power supplying the total system load demand (Morren and Sjored, 2008). Mathematically, it is defined as: Penetration Level (%) = ( P DG / P L ) x 100 Where: P DG = DG Power P L = Load Power Demand The load power demand of this network is 497.45 MVA in the first three cases and the DG will be supplying 10 % of the total power demand. In the last case, the load demand power will be increased to 746.18 MVA and also the penetration level will be increased to about 15 %. SVC Controller The most appropriate location for shunt reactive power compensation for voltage stability is the weakest bus of the system (Yome et al, 2007). Therefore, identifying the weakest bus is essential in order to maximize the benefit of installing SVC. Voltage stability indices are several in terms of classifications. These are categorised in terms of their stability and strength. Some of those indices will be briefly explained below. Voltage Sensitivity Factor The system voltages are checked with respect to the change in loading, which results in a Voltage sensitivity factor (VSF). VSF = The magnitude of the voltage is caused by the minimal variations in loading. This leads into an increased level of sensitivity. Thus, the highest sensitivity factor indicates the weakest bus (Saadat, 2004). L- index A voltage stability index was developed by Kessel et al in order to seek answers for the power flow equations. The actual state distance is determined a quantitative measure of the L index. The latter measurement must also be aligned to the limit posed by the level of stability. The entire system stability is described by the L index using the following equation: From the above equation, a L represents the load nodes while a G represents the generator nodes. On the other hand, L j represents the local determinant which acts as the indicator. Reactive Power Margin In order to take an accurate bus measurement of a reactive power margin, the figure below has been used to show the procedure (Qin et al, 2009). According to Saadat (2004), the level of loading on any specific bus is indicated by the reactive power margin and can be boosted before exhaustion of the limit used for loading can be attained. Additionally, the collapse in voltage is also measured at the same time. The differences experienced are largely occasioned by quite a number of factors such as synchronous, condensers, SVCs and reactive reserves. Figure 6.2: Example of Q-V curve and Reactive power margin (Qin et al, 2009). Qin et al. concluded that the weak buses rankings using the different methods for the normal condition according to the different approaches are similar. The technique was employed in investigating buses that were considered to be relatively weak. A code was written in DIgSILENT which was varying the load and measuring the voltage at the buses to observe the voltage deviation. The load was increased gradually until the iteration process cannot converge which indicates the load reaches its maximum values. The table below shows the voltage at the buses when the load was at the initial values and when it reaches the maximum value. V(pu) V bus1 V bus2 V bus3 V bus4 V bus5 V bus6 V bus7 V bus8 V bus9 Base Case 1.04 1.025 1.025 1.035 1.022 1.023 1.032 1.022 1.035 Maximum Load 1.04 1.025 1.025 0.970 0.958 0.733 0.959 o.821 0.911 Table 6.2: Voltage profile with different loads In the table above, voltage profile of each bus has been obtained for different load values. It was found from the results and the simulation that bus 6 and bus 8 were the weakest bus as they have the highest voltage deviation. Reducing the reactive power load in the system or adding new reactive generation is essential to solve this problem. Therefore, knowing the amount of reactive power support required at the weakest bus is essential in order to determine the needed shunt compensation capacity. This could be found by placing a synchronous condenser without any limit on the reactive power at the weakest bus and observing the amount of reactive power generated at the maximum loading point (Mithulananthan and Yome, 2004). Figure 6.3: The synchronous condenser connected at the weakest buses After connecting the synchronous condenser at the weakest buses and run power flow simulation, the optimum capacity required for SVC is 28.44 MVAr at bus6 and 40.50 MVAr at bus 8. The test system was used to run the simulations to observe the voltage stability improvement after integrating a distributed generation with static VAR compensator. Figure 6.4: Test System with the integrated DG and SVC

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Write an essay about: Snowboarding in the United States has undergone a series of evolution. New snowboarding tricks have been developed to replace or improve the old ones. In addition, advanced sporting equipments have been designed to advance the sport to high levels.

Snowboarding in the United States has undergone a series of evolution. New snowboarding tricks have been developed to replace or improve the old ones. In addition, advanced sporting equipments have been designed to advance the sport to high levels.

Snowboarding in the United States Informative Essay Snowboarding has seemingly become one of the most popular sports in the United States, especially after the launch of the Winter Dew Tour at Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort five years ago. Since then, snowboarding sport has undergone a series of evolution. For instance, new snowboarding tricks have been developed to replace or improve the old ones. In addition, advanced sporting equipments have been designed to advance the sport to high levels. On the other hand, some prominent riders have emerged in the last five years, leading to a steep competition among competitors in the sport. However, a number of fatal outcomes have been recorded, owing to the adoption of dangerous snowboarding tricks. Therefore, an aesthetic analysis of snowboarding appears significant for a comprehensive evaluation of the sport. In general, snowboarding is believed to have recorded a remarkable progress over the last five years. Stakeholders in the snowboarding sport reaffirm that, the sport has evolved extensively to reach the highest level of progression, ever since the sport was invented. A recent report indicates “eight years ago few, if any, adaptive snowboard lessons were offered; today, there are adaptive schools at most resorts and many offer snowboard lessons along with adaptive skiing techniques” (Disabled Sports par. 44). From a practical approach, the observed progression in snowboarding is attributable to the establishment of advanced training courses and adoption of new snowboarding tricks, which have offered riders with new opportunities to endure the strenuous episodes of the sport. Ordinarily, it is believed that, popularity of snowboarding has led to the development of adaptive equipments, which are ability-oriented to suit the needs of the riders. It is claimed “as snowboarding grows in popularity, options in equipment and teaching aids increase” (Disabled Sports par. 36). In recent years, snowboarding seems to have attracted more riders than it was the case one decade ago. Consequently, new snowboarders are introducing new snowboarding tricks to achieve fun and victory in the game day-by-day. Some of the new snowboarding tricks which have been developed in the last five years include the double cork and triple cork tricks. These tricks have earned several snowboarders immense prominence, owing to their success in attempting the tricks in risky environments. For instance, the double cork snowboarding trick was first attempted by Shaun White at the 2010 Winter Olympics. This trick had not been practised before, but it gained popularity in the sport after the Olympics. Richards claims “It has been no time at all since we were wowed by Shaun White throwing down double corks in Whistler’s super-pipe at the 2010 Winter Olympics; it is crazy that such an insanely technical trick was to become out-dated” (par. 1). Shaun White had faced immense competition from Kevin Pearce. Therefore, the tragic elimination of Pearce gave White high chances of achieving victory in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Shortly, after the 2010 Winter Olympics, attempts for triple corks begun in the month of May when Nils Arvidsson attempted the trick successfully although he nearly missed the footage. Torstein Horgmo was the second to attempt triple cork tricks successful in June 2010. Horgmo achieved success in trying the new trick; hence he is known to be the world’s first rider to attempt the triple cork trick in the history of snowboarding. “It was not long after the Olympics in 2010 that triple corks were being attempted. There was a lot of excitement around an attempt by Nils Arvidsson in May 2010, the near-miss footage” (Richards par. 4). It is believed that, double cork and triple cork tricks are the most challenging snowboarding tricks. Since their invention, only a few snowboarders have attempted them successfully without sustaining injuries. They require extensive skills in landing to prevent injuries to the riders. Therefore, those who have attempted the tricks successfully gained auspicious acknowledgement from the snowboard team; that is probably why Dave Richards, the Operations Director of the Nonstop Club remarks that triples are “massive tricks, and [they earn] full respect to anyone who attempts them” (par. 3). The remarkable successes in double cork and triple cork tricks are regarded to as immense progress in snowboarding in the last half decade. However, these tricks have attracted immense criticism from the public and the sporting community across the United States, owing to their health risks. Despite the prominence accorded to the snowboarders who applied the tricks successfully with safe landings, double cork and triple cork tricks are quite dangerous. Dangers of the double cork and triple cork snowboarding tricks can be explained by the two fatal outcomes which have been reported since 2009. In the first outcome, Kevin Pearce sustained traumatic brain injury on Dec. 31, 2009 while preparing for the Vancouver Olympics, leading to a tragic end of his snowboarding career. Pearce fell from the super-pipe and hit his head on the ground while he attempted to rotate; thus, becoming unconscious, owing to the brain injury. During an interview with Rachel George early this year in February, Pearce remarked, “I was so sick and so dizzy and so gone after that” (par. 3). Pearce’s mental trauma is believed to have been caused by the two successive falls he experienced during his training for the Vancouver Olympics in which he was attempting to qualify for the U.S Olympic team (George par. 2). The second fatal outcome in snowboarding sport was the death of Sarah Burke in 2012, owing to injuries she suffered during training on Jan. 10, 2012 which was run in Park City, Utah. She had contributed immensely to the progress of snowboarding by pushing for the acceptance of super-pipe triple cork in the Olympics (DeBruin and Pells par. 2). In a brief conclusion, snowboarding has recorded remarkable progress in recent years, owing to advanced training courses. However, the two fatal outcomes involving Sarah Burke death and Kevin Pearce have aroused immense outcry from the sporting community and the public at large. It is argued that double cork and triple cork tricks expose the riders to health risks as it was the case with Kevin Pearce and Sarah Burke. Snowboarders lament that snowboarding used to be quite safe before the introduction of the double cork and triple cork tricks although minor injuries were recorded. Double cork and triple cork tricks involve a high level of athletic skills; thus, making it difficult for new riders. Currently, the popular criticism of the risky snowboarding tricks seems to have made progress in snowboarding games, not worth appreciation. Consequently, new policy guidelines have been established to prevent unsafe practices in sports, primarily in snowboarding sport, which had not been given significant priority in the past. Ideally, progress is worth successful healthy outcomes in sporting activities. Works Cited DeBruin, L. and Pells E. Sarah Burke Dead: Skier Dies after Accident during Training at Park City, Utah. 2012. Web. Disabled Sports. Snowboarding . Web. George, R. Head Injuries a Rising Danger for Snowboarders, Skiers . 2013. Web. Richards D. Re: Doubles are so Winter Olympics 2010. 25 May, 2012. Web.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The social work paper focuses on Magda, a Polish woman who has been married to Sean for the past ten years. Sean had an accident, and he experiences bouts of depression following the death of her first wife. Sean is also worried about his current disability.As a result, she has resumed drinking heavily, at least every morning. This paper applies cognitive behavioural theory and crisis intervention to control Magda's stress, depression, alcoholism, and help her to cope with

The social work paper focuses on Magda, a Polish woman who has been married to Sean for the past ten years. Sean had an accident, and he experiences bouts of depression following the death of her first wife. Sean is also worried about his current disability. As a result, she has resumed drinking heavily, at least every morning. This paper applies cognitive behavioural theory and crisis intervention to control Magda's stress, depression, alcoholism, and help her to cope with

Social Analysis of Magda Case Study Introduction This social work paper focuses on Magda. Magda is a Polish woman who has been married to Sean for the past ten years. Sean had an accident, and he experiences bouts of depression following the death of her first wife. Sean is also worried about his current disability. She left an abusive relationship in Poland to seek a good life for her son and herself. Magda started drinking at the age of 16 years old when she moved in with her abusive boyfriend. Magda’s father was alcoholic. She currently works as a marketing manager, provides for the family, and travels to Poland every month to be with her dying mother. Magda is under strain to cope with her roles and kids. As a result, she has resumed drinking heavily, at least every morning. This paper applies cognitive behavioural theory and crisis intervention to control Magda’s stress, depression, alcoholism, and help her to cope with the crisis in her current situation. The paper also takes into account the UK’s Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) guidelines and standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, applicable laws to social workers, anti oppressive, as well as anti discriminatory practice. Application of Cognitive Behavioural Theory and Crisis Intervention in the Case of Magda Before the beginning of the therapy, a social worker must operate within the law of the UK with regard to anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive practices, and observe the HCPC standards on performance, conduct, and ethics and best practices in the field of social work (Ferguson, Jones and Cooper, 2007). These are inclusive standard, which relate to health care professions in the UK that the HCPC regulates (Health and Care Professions Council, 2012). The HCPC regulations and standards would ensure the safety and protection of Magda. Moreover, they protect clients from discrimination and oppression from social service providers. They also ensure that a social worker has competency, skills, values, and right behaviours for the profession. The client is a Polish. According to Dominelli, a social worker should recognise feminism theory in the case of Magda (Dominelli, 2002). The social worker must recognise uniqueness of Magda as a woman. In other words, the care provider should not classify Magda in the general category of other clients (Adams, Dominelli and Payne, 2002). Instead, the social worker must display sufficient sensitivity to Magda as a woman and as a Polish. Brid Featherstone warns that social workers should consider the local contextual situation when providing care to women (Featherstone, 2001). In this context, they must not consider men as sources of pain, distress, and exploitation that women experience. Hence, a social worker must understand the role of Sean in the case of Magda. A social worker can apply cognitive behavioural therapy to treat Magda’s alcohol dependency. In this regard, the social worker must focus on two aspects, which include Magda’s functional analysis and skills training. Functional Analysis of Magda Magda and the social worker must work together in order to determine thoughts, situations, and feelings of Magda before and after she consumes alcohol. This process would help Magda to identify risks that have led her back to increased drinking and relapse. The process of functional analysis would also allow Magda to understand why she drinks alcohol. In addition, the social worker would identify what leads to coping difficulties in the client’s life and formulate effective interventions. Skills training for Magda Currently, Magda uses alcohol to cope with her job, children, Sean’s pain, and the condition of her dying mother in Poland. At this point, the social worker must recognise the need for professional treatment for Magda. The major aim of cognitive behavioural therapy is to help Magda to learn and relearn how to cope with her current situation. The role of the social worker is to help Magda to unlearn her old drinking habits. The social worker must also help Magda to learn new habits and skills in order to cope with her life. Therefore, the major aim of the cognitive behavioural therapy is to train Magda to change her thoughts about alcohol consumption. This would help Magda to learn new ways of coping with her current situation in order to avoid drinking. Cognitive behavioural therapy will also help the social worker to treat comorbid depression and alcoholism. According to a study by Brown and Ramsey, cognitive behavioural therapy is “particularly effective when treating alcohol abuse with a depressive patient” (Brown and Ramsey, 2000). It is imperative for the social worker to initiate the treatment in early stages. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a non-intrusive intervention. Hence, it will not present any danger to Magda. The application of cognitive behavioural therapy for treating depression will help to reduce depression and manage alcohol. This improves the patient outcome. The aim of the social worker is to determine why Magda takes alcohol to cope. Moreover, the care provider must also determine effects of alcohol on the overall quality of Magda’s life and the entire family. The social worker must challenge Magda’s beliefs, values, and thoughts that relate to alcohol dependence in order to change her habits and behaviours. Crisis Intervention Crisis intervention involves immediate psychological supports given to patients in a crisis in order to stabilise their biopsychosocial functioning and reduce possibilities of developing psychological trauma (Jackson-Cherry and Erford, 2010). Currently, Magda experiences a crisis because of sudden events in her family. The client faces an intolerable situation, which has exceeded her ability to cope effectively. In this regard, the social worker will use crisis intervention to enhance Magda’s stabilisation. Crisis intervention is appropriate for Magda’s situation because she can develop trauma at any moment (Roberts, 2006). Although the situation may be temporary, its consequences may last for several months or years based on the effectiveness of treatment and counselling strategies. Magda has turned to a maladaptive behaviour of depending on alcohol in order to cope with the situation. The client faces unusual stress from different areas of relationships in her life. The care provider must interrupt the maladaptive behaviour of alcoholism and help the client to return to her normal life before the crisis started. The social worker will use the following stages to treat Magda as provided by Roberts and Ottens (Roberts and Ottens, 2005). Stage one: biopsychosocial and lethality analysis The social worker must plan and carry out a thorough assessment of Magda’s “environmental supports and stressors, medical needs and medications, current use of drugs and alcohol, and internal and external coping methods and resources” (Roberts and Ottens, 2005). Stage two: building rapport and collaborative relationship The social worker must aim to establish rapport with Magda through respect, genuineness, eye contact, and acceptance. The care provider should not judge, oppress or discriminate Magda based on her gender, nationality, or social status. Stage three: Identification of the problem The social worker must focus on the cause of Magda’s crisis and their sources. It is important to understand why Magda requires help now. Stage four: understanding the client’s feelings and emotions The social worker should allow Magda to express her feelings and provide an account of her current situation. This process involves “active listening, asking probing questions, reflecting, and challenging some of the responses” (Roberts and Ottens, 2005). However, the social worker must be careful when testing some of the Magda’s answers. Stage five: generating and exploring alternatives and coping mechanism Both the social worker and Magda must generate their intervention options. These may include a no-suicide contract and safety of Magda. Magda may not leave home for a temporary housing because of Sean’s condition and the children. This is a collaborative process between Magda and the social worker. In addition, Magda must own these options. Stage six: Implementation of an action plan The process involves working with the client in order to restore her normal functions. This is an empowering process, which involves integration of plans to remove the means, negotiating the client’s safety, lessening anxiety, and hospitalisation if necessary. Stage seven: follow-up The social worker must conduct follow-ups in order to assess the progress of Magda after treatment and be certain that Magda’s progress is effective (Roberts and Ottens, 2005). The care provider must also assess the post-crisis condition of Magda. The advantages of the theories as they apply to Magda Cognitive behavioural therapy The social worker applied cognitive behavioural theory because of its instructive strategy. Magda can understand the counselling process rationally and develop confidence about her progress with the therapy. The cognitive behavioural therapy is a short-term strategy for managing alcoholism. In most circumstances, clients only require up to 16 sessions in order to get well. However, Magda may require more than 16 sessions based on her progress and the care provider’s recommendations. Hence, the intervention is cost-effective for the client. Social workers use cognitive behavioural therapy to make the client to get better, rather than feel well. The social worker solves all the difficult underlying assumptions in order to establish long-term outcomes because the focus of the intervention is on solving the cause of alcoholism. A social worker comes from the UK while the client is from Poland. Cognitive behavioural therapy relies on universal principles of human behaviours. In this regard, a cross-cultural intervention applies to all clients. Moreover, it focuses on the client rather than trying to compel the social worker’s goals on the client. A social worker presents a structured cognitive behavioural therapy plan. This reduces any possibilities of turning interventions into ‘chat sessions’. Hence, the structured nature of the intervention allows the social worker and the client to achieve positive outcomes during therapies. It is possible to conduct scientific studies to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy on Magda because it is based on scientific principles. The social worker follows clearly defined methods to focus on specific issues during therapy sessions. Finally, the intervention is adaptive. The main principle of cognitive behavioural therapy is that mental processes are responsible for individuals’ behaviours and feelings. Crisis Intervention The core advantage of crisis intervention is prevention of trauma and promotion of the patient’s health. Magda experiences stressful life and situations from various relationships in her life. Existing studies demonstrate that a lack of coping skills and stress correlate strongly with mental problems. In most cases, such clients have received care services through admission or outpatient services. However, hospitalisation has not been the best strategy for managing a crisis because it is expensive, ineffective, and does not control the crisis. The intervention averts a situation from developing into trauma. The social worker must prevent Magda’s situation from becoming a threat to her mental status. They must avoid unnecessary hospitalisation. Crisis intervention is a flexible procedure, which can allow the social worker to help Magda at any time or place, by the use of telephone, or even visiting Magda’s place of work. The social worker uses a crisis intervention to concentrate on the ‘here and now’. This is a deliberate strategy to avoid long-term processes in managing a crisis, which requires immediate attention. Magda requires a short-term intervention. The social worker must empower Magda by helping her to solve the problem and acquire coping skills. This would lead to Magda’s self-reliant. The disadvantages of the theories as they apply to Magda Cognitive behavioural therapy Magda may find it difficult to follow the steps involved in the treatment of her alcohol dependence because intervention relies on the power the client to change. Cognitive behavioural therapy requires the commitment and involvement of both the client and the care provider in order to be effective. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a structured program. The detailed nature of the intervention might not be effective if Magda has learning challenges, or if she has some underlying psychological health problems. Some critics of the cognitive behavioural therapy claim that the therapy only focuses on current and specific issues. As a result, it fails to address underlying problems, which are responsible for the client’s alcoholism. For instance, it will not explore the unhappy childhood of Magda and her past abusive relationships, which led to her drinking problems. Crisis Intervention In some cases, a social worker may fail to recognise that a crisis intervention works within social systems (Sheppard, 2008). In other words, it is appropriate to include the family of Magda in the intervention process because it is a social system she relates with closely (Bridgett and Polak, 2003). Magda has unresolved and unexpressed emotions from her childhood and past marriage. This can result in tension and make the process potent during the first meetings. The social worker must recognise the need for medication if required. It is not suitable for the care provider to regard the medical treatment as contraindication of the meeting. Instead, intervention medications are appropriate and supplementary to meetings. In some instances, there are incongruities in verbal and non-verbal behaviours of the patient. For instance, what Magda might say may be at odd with her physical appearance or behaviours. Generally, alcoholics tend to deny their status. An open communication may overcome such discrepancies. Reflection on the suitability or otherwise of chosen theories in relation to Magda Several studies have documented the suitability and effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy in managing comorbid depression and alcoholism (Cilente, 2010). Cognitive behavioural therapy is suitable for Magda because it will empower her to initiate changes, which are within her control. The social worker guides the client to recognise the cause of her alcoholism and start new skills of coping with her current situation (Healey, 2005). Moreover, the therapy aims to help the client to avoid circumstances that trigger the use of alcohol for coping. During various stages of the therapy, the social worker may conduct an evaluation to determine if the client has learned or forgotten coping strategies. The feedback allows the social worker to adjust the therapy and intervention appropriately. Both cognitive behavioural therapy and crisis intervention are flexible. Hence, the social worker can adjust interventions to meet various needs of Magda. The flexible nature of these interventions also allows the social worker to conduct treatment sessions anywhere. In addition, the social worker can perform both treatments in a short-term and give the client an opportunity to practice new coping skills. Crisis intervention will prevent Magda from developing trauma because of early intervention to manage the current crisis. It will help to avert any emergencies and hospitalisation of the patient. The social worker chose a crisis intervention because alcoholics rarely admit their behaviours. This provides an opportunity for the social worker to recognise the problem. For this reason, the social worker may use crisis intervention to understand the underlying causes of alcohol consumption in the case of Magda. The structured characteristics of these interventions ensure that the client and the social worker do not spend several sessions in irrelevant issues. Instead, they allow the social workers and the client to focus on defining the problem and generating the best alternatives for interventions. The social worker must provide guidance and procedures that Magda requires in order to develop new coping skills. This would guarantee high chances of success. Reference List Adams, R, Dominelli, L and Payne, M (eds), 2002, Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, 2nd edn, Palgrave, Basingstoke. Bridgett, C and Polak, P 2003, ‘Social systems intervention and crisis resolution. Part 2: Intervention’, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, vol. 9, pp. 432-438. doi: 10.1192/apt.9.6.432. Brown, R and Ramsey, E 2000, ‘Addressing comorbid depressive symptomatology in alcohol treatment’, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, vol. 31, pp. 418-422. Cilente, J 2010, Cognitive Theory and Therapy in Substance Abuse Treatment . Web. Dominelli, L 2002, Feminist Social Work Theory and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, UK. Featherstone, B 2001, ‘Where to for feminist social work?’, Critical Social Work, vol. 2, no. 1. Ferguson, H, Jones, K and Cooper, B 2007, Best Practice in Social Work, Sage, London. Healey, K 2005, Social Work Theories in Context, Palgrave, Basingstoke. Health and Care Professions Council , 2012, Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) takes over the regulation of social workers in England . Web. Jackson-Cherry, R and Erford, T 2010, Crisis intervention and prevention, Pearson Education, Inc, New Jersey. Roberts, A 2006, ‘Assessment, crisis intervention, and trauma treatment: the integrative act intervention model’, Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-22. Roberts, A and Ottens, A 2005, ‘The Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model: A Road Map to Goal Attainment, Problem Solving, and Crisis Resolution’, Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 329–339. Sheppard, M 2008, Social Work and Social Exclusion: The Idea of Practice, Ashgate, Aldershot.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: Facebook is a social media networking site that has become highly popular due to its multiple applications and the ease of communication it offers to the user. The platform is also highly informative due to the multiple pages on a host of topics, including but not limited to health, education, science, exercise, etc. It is also perfect for keeping in touch with relatives and friends who can stay connected to a single platform.

Facebook is a social media networking site that has become highly popular due to its multiple applications and the ease of communication it offers to the user. The platform is also highly informative due to the multiple pages on a host of topics, including but not limited to health, education, science, exercise, etc. It is also perfect for keeping in touch with relatives and friends who can stay connected to a single platform.

Facebook Essay To make this Facebook essay easy to understand for any reader, the author will start with terminology. Facebook is among the most popular social media networking sites today. It is popular due to its multiple applications and the ease of communication it offers to the user. It allows people to share pictures, events and statuses on a single platform. Facebook has several benefits, such as forming groups, chatting with friends and finding information on multiple topics. The platform is also highly informative due to the multiple pages on a host of topics, including but not limited to health, education, science, exercise, etc. It is also perfect for keeping in touch with relatives and friends who can stay connected to a single platform. Below, this essay about Facebook will dive deeper into the platform’s advantages and how it can help kids, students, and adults communicate. More recently, mobile companies have enabled users to connect to Facebook through their phones. Mobile phone technology such as GPRS now allows users to access Facebook from any location. This feature has made Facebook extremely popular among today’s generation. Staying connected has never been so simple and effective than it is on Facebook. Talking to friends and relatives or family members is now possible with a single Facebook account which is a perfect platform to chat and communicate. A more recent addition to the online chat program is the video calling feature which has gained immense popularity. Not only can one talk to people but also see them live with the help of this video chat feature. Individuals no longer have to yearn to keep in touch with their friends and dear ones. A single Facebook account enables users to achieve several functions all at once. Another very important feature of Facebook is the online gaming portal which it offers to its users. There are hundreds of thousands of games on Facebook which one can play at any given time. The interesting aspect is the ability to play these games with friends. There are multiple games like Poker, Diamond Dash, Zuma, Farm Heroes Sage and others on Facebook. Playing these games is a unique and special experience since it allows users to interact with friends and engage in healthy competition. There are no additional costs and users can play games absolutely free of cost. Facebook is becoming a highly successful platform not only for making new friends and finding old ones, but for accessing global and local news as well. Most of the news and media companies have launched their Facebook pages. This feature has added the extra benefit to Facebook, making it educational and purposeful. Besides being a medium to interact and communicate, Facebook has become a marketing platform for many popular brands. Today, one can easily access all the famous global brands on Facebook. Several small time businesses have become successful on Facebook. People, who do not have the capital to open a store, have launched their products on Facebook, gaining financial success and recognition. One can buy practically anything on Facebook from shoes, bags, accessories, clothes, phones, laptops, electronic etc. Many of these online stores offer the facility to make online payments and deliver goods to the buyer’s home. Thus, through Facebook, people can engage in a host of activities such as playing games, interacting with friends, chatting, video conferencing, marketing, buying, selling and numerous others. Facebook is no longer only a social networking site to stay connected with friends and family. It has become a platform with online marketing options for the users. When used responsibly, Facebook is an excellent medium for several purposes with extremely low cost and high benefits to the users.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The exploratory essay discusses the importance of social media marketing and how it has become a popular tool for advertising. The essay also highlights the need for social media marketing to be done within the confines of the law. Finally, the essay concludes by discussing the characteristics of a good social media marketing manager.

The exploratory essay discusses the importance of social media marketing and how it has become a popular tool for advertising. The essay also highlights the need for social media marketing to be done within the confines of the law. Finally, the essay concludes by discussing the characteristics of a good social media marketing manager.

Social Media Marketing and Consumer Transactions Exploratory Essay Introduction Social media is one of the most used mediums of advertising today. Social media is not only easy to use, but it also enables the company involved to create a strong relationship with the consumers. This is possible through interacting with the consumers on the social media sites. Many loyal consumers have agreed to the fact that this interaction is relevant in forging relationships with one’s clientele. A site like Facebook allows for different types of interactions with the consumer. One such type of interaction is the ‘liking’ of products or pages on this social media site. The people who have liked these pages get to comment on some of the projects that the specific company has, they can give their ideas, and send messages directly to the company that is producing these products in question. This allows for active consumer participation. Characteristics that a legally shrew social media marketing manager should possess An excellent manager in social media marketing should possess elements that ensure the aspect of social media marketing is a success and within legal limits. One such component is that the manager should be engaging. This is with reference to engaging with the clientele. As mentioned, the idea of social media management as a tool for communication revolves heavily around engaging with the consumer. The marketing manager can ensure that they interact with the clientele by allowing them to comment on their statuses or the pictures that they upload about products and respond quickly to their queries and messages, among other things. Interacting with the client should ensure that disputes are resolved amicably because the manager has already created a strong relationship with the clientele. The communication process between the company and the consumer should also be easy and convenient. This should lead to more amicable problem solving processes. It should also help the company avoid litigations due to violation of given regulations governing social media marketing. It is also important for the social media marketing manager to give the client the upper hand on the site. This is terms of making the clients feel like they are right and appreciated. This can be done by engaging and interacting with the client. The manager can do this by creating company blogs where the consumer can both read what the company is all about and give ideas or healthy criticism of the company at the same time. There are many companies that do not like criticism. They end up shutting down the consumer who has been criticizing them. This presents a bad image to the other consumers, thus hindering communication between the company and its clientele. The astute social media manager in question should also be good at managing. Managing involves the use of communication to do a specific task and do it well. The manager can do this by ensuring an active role in bringing up discussions about the specific company. For example, in Twitter, the social media manager can start a trend about the company. The trend can be informative, or it can be funny. Whichever type of trend the manager decides to choose, it will spark conversations about the company. Being a good arbiter is also among the many characteristics that a good social media marketing manager should have. All these components are helpful in ensuring that social media acts as a communication tool that links the consumer and the company involved. Alternative dispute resolution methods for social media There is a lot of crime that takes place in the social media and the Internet in general. Consequently, a set of alternative dispute resolution ideas have been established to help curb this problem. This is very useful in social media because products are usually sold on an international level. This means that a product from the north of Africa can be sold to a person living in Canada. There are four main types of alternative dispute resolution techniques. Disputes can be resolved by arbitration or negotiating the matter. A mediator may also be involved, or collaboration law be applied to resolve the dispute. The four techniques are different and have different advantages and disadvantages. Of the four types, negotiation and collaborative law are the best for solving disputes that involve cyberspace (Frey, 2002). Negotiation involves communicating, specifically talking and coming up with a suitable action that will solve the problem. At times, both parties have to compromise, but reaching the terms of this compromise might be difficult. In a case where an individual bought a product that was never delivered, the company would send the product again for free but the client would have to wait longer to get the product. This shows that both parties have had to compromise. Collaborative law, on the other hand, involves the parties hiring lawyers, who then control the resolution process. This is usually the case when a negotiation has failed. Role of the federal government in regulating transactions across states Business transactions happen within and outside the borders of a given state. It is usually very difficult for the federal government to control these transactions. One way the federal government can control these transactions is by ensuring that all the companies that deliver goods and services across state lines are registered. This will ensure that they pay taxes. The fact that the companies might transport one product at a time or do one service at a time means that they will evade some tax. Registering these companies will also ensure that the con marketers are filtered out. The federal government can also request such companies to report and register with their state governments. This is prudent as it will show where a specific company is located, even though it might not have a physical store. The branches of government and how they impact social media trading The three main branches of government are the executive, legislature, and the judiciary. These three arms of government have different roles and duties. The executive comprises of the cabinet ministers and the president. The legislature is the law making body of the government, while the judiciary is the court system and the arm that enforces the laws that are made by the legislature. The arm that is most likely to deal with consumer transactions via social media outlets is the legislature because it is the law making body in the country. The legislature will be able to set rules and punishments for breaking those rules. These rules will then be used to regulate the consumer transactions. The legislature will also be able to regulate these transactions because they actively affect both the executive and the judiciary. The legislature will provide the executive with the need to create the laws that govern social media trading, while providing the judiciary with legal punishments for those who violate these laws (Newson, Houghton, & Patten, 2009). Relationship between social media providers and businesses There are a lot of companies that do not have time to start their own social media campaigns. Such companies use the services of a social media marketing provider in order to communicate and build a relationship with their clientele. A social media marketing provider is the person who speaks of the specific company’s dealership, but he is not an employee of the company. There are various pros of hiring a professional social media marketing provider. One of these advantages is that they have experience, thus they know how to get the highest number of clients from social media marketing. Another advantage is that the social media marketing providers know the best ways to create a strong relationship with the company’s clientele. The manager is able to interact with the company’s clientele when the company itself cannot. The relationship between the social media providers and businesses allows the social media marketing provider to interact with the company’s clientele on the company’s behalf. These social media marketing providers are tasked with ensuring that the public image of the company is spotless. They are also tasked to ensure that the relationship between the company and the clientele is as strong as it can be. Conclusion Social media trading is increasingly becoming popular as companies take advantage of an increasing population in the social media platform. Companies are, therefore, finding it necessary to have social media marketing managers who are legally astute. A social media marketer should be able to use the social media platform to connect and interact with the clients. Whenever there is a dispute, the flexibility of social media allows for alternative dispute resolution methods like arbitration and mediation to be used. The government should be involved in influencing social media marketing by making laws to govern social media marketing. References Frey, M. A. (2002). Alternative methods of dispute resolution . Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar Learning Newson, A., Houghton, D., & Patten, J. (2009). Blogging and other social media: exploiting the technology and protecting the enterprise. Farnham, England: Gower Publishing Scott, D. M. (2007). The new rules of marketing & PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile application, blogs, news releases and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: Social networks have many advantages that have resulted in increased demand and use. They provide information, enable businesses do things in new and more efficient ways, facilitate communication, and enhance collaboration.Advantages of social networksSocial networks have many advantages that have resulted in increased demand and use. They provide information, enable businesses do things in new and more efficient ways, facilitate communication, and enhance collaboration.

Social networks have many advantages that have resulted in increased demand and use. They provide information, enable businesses do things in new and more efficient ways, facilitate communication, and enhance collaboration. Advantages of social networks Social networks have many advantages that have resulted in increased demand and use. They provide information, enable businesses do things in new and more efficient ways, facilitate communication, and enhance collaboration.

Social Networks in Modern Business Report (Assessment) Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Advantages of social networks 3. Disadvantages of social networks 4. Conclusion 5. Works Cited Introduction In recent past, social networking has been on the rise. Many companies and individuals have embraced use of social networks because of their many benefits. For example, companies are using social networks to interact with customers. Many companies have successfully used social networks to improve their understanding of the modern marketplace (Jue and Kassotakis 45). For example, Del Monte uses social networks to reach out to its customers in a process referred to as customer intimacy (Rainer and Ceglieski 160). The company has developed three platforms to facilitate communication and interaction with customers. Social networks are beneficial to both individuals and companies. However, they have several disadvantages that limit their reliability and efficiency. Disadvantages include exposure of data to security risks, possible reduction in employee performance, reduced ability to monitor employees, and reduced organizational efficiency and productivity. Advantages of social networks Social networks have many advantages that have resulted in increased demand and use. They provide information, enable businesses do things in new and more efficient ways, facilitate communication, and enhance collaboration (Jue and Kassotakis 55). Common social media tools that organizations and individuals use include Twitter, Facebook, blogs, MySpace, and others that allow free interaction with customers. Social intranets area common aspect of communication in many organizations. Many organizations sue them as a tool for internal communication. Social networks transform computers into reliable and efficient sources of information. As such, individuals can access information from numerous sources on the internet. On the other hand, companies and individuals can conduct research because adequate information is available on different topics and disciplines (Haigh 77). Availability of adequate and relevant information has transformed ways in which organizations conduct business. Reliability of social networks is the main reason why many organizations choose them as primary sources of information. In addition, retrieval of information is fast and cost-effective (Haigh 78). In olden days, organizations hired research companies to collect information from customers. However, with advent of social networks, organizations collect first hand information from customers through social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Another advantage of social networks is that they facilitate communication (Rainer and Ceglieski 167). They promote communication channels such as chat rooms, emails, call centres, and voice messages that reduce costs of operations. A study conducted on more than 290 organizations located in America, Asia, and Europe found out that more than half of them rely on use of social intranets for communication within the organization (Rainer and Ceglieski 169). Among them, the most common social networking tool used was instant messaging. It was used by 77 percent of surveyed organizations. Other commonly used tools included streaming audio and video. However, the study found out that even though many organizations use social networking tools for internal communication, their use among employees is still poor. In many organizations, social media is used to facilitate communication between employees, and team members. It has been used for top-down communication between employees and management. For example, blogging promotes communication between employees and managers in organizations that have large teams of employees (Rainer and Ceglieski 169). One advantage of use of social networks is because many of them do not compromise privacy. In addition, communication between employees and managers promotes effective organizational dialogue between different levels in an organization (Jue and Kassotakis 58). Another advantage of using social networks for communication in organizations is enhancement of relationships and efficiency. It is easy for employees to give their ideas, opinions, and feedback regarding any organizational mater without fear of victimization by supervisors or managers (Haigh 81). For example, during a crisis, communication between different levels of an organization is quick and effective in solving the crisis. Social networks support new ways of conducting business (Rainer and Ceglieski 160). For example, they support new ways of marketing and advertising, supply chain management, customer service, and human resource management. New methods of conducting business enable organizations and businesses develop competitive advantage strategies that enhance survival in the highly volatile and uncertain modern business environment (Haigh 41). For example, many organizations save a lot of money that was traditionally used to advertise products by using social networks. Instead of conducting expensive marketing and advertisement, organizations rely on social networks to share experiences with customer on certain products introduced in the market (Haigh 44). In addition, customers share information regarding products and companies on social networks. This serves as an efficient marketing strategy for many organizations. On the other hand, many organizations use social networks to build their corporate images. For example, organizations use twitter to share short messages with customers on their corporate social responsibility activities and projects (Jue and Kassotakis 61). These messages improve the images of organizations thus attracting and more customers and investors. In addition, they have introduced a new business paradigm that is necessary in the social media era. Companies and organizations that were little known have become famous in many areas because of use of social networks. They facilitate use of new communication methods, new ways of developing relationships between managers and employees, and facilitate new ways of solving organizational problems and challenges. Many organizations embrace use of social networks because they promote open communication, strong relationships, and transparency among employees and employers (Jue and Kassotakis 63). Finally, social networks facilitate collaboration between employees in achievement of organizational goal and objectives (Rainer and Ceglieski 168). Social networks have made collaboration between virtual teams easy. Teams in different locations can conduct virtual meetings and perform certain tasks together. This has contributed to cost reduction and proper use of time by organizations (Rainer and Ceglieski 168). For example, social networks facilitate crowd sourcing, which is a new concept that has improved efficiency and productivity of many organizations. Disadvantages of social networks Social networks have disadvantages that limit their reliability and usefulness. They include feelings of isolation from other employees, lack of socialization, reduced chances of promotion at the workplace, and exposure of data to online fraudsters (Golden 48). Many organizations conduct many business activities on social networks. Activities such as research, marketing, human resource management, and recruitment are now conducted through social networks. Therefore, employees spend a lot of time online interacting with customers and potential employees. This has reduced physical interaction and as a result created a feeling of isolation in employees (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 83). It is important for employees to feel that they are part of an organization and corporate culture. However, social network have widened the gap and facilitated development of isolated work environments that have affected employees adversely. There is no physical contact between employees and customers or potential employees. This has reduced socialization because many activities and tasks are executed virtually. Socialization between employees is one of the most important aspect of improving employee performance and productivity. However, social networks promote virtual socialization that does not offer benefits of social interaction. In traditional marketing, employees interacted physically with customers. This was a very effective way of convincing customers because employees could use emotions to connect with customers (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 85). In contrast, social networks do not facilitate emotional connection between employees and customers, which is an important marketing strategy (Haigh 47). Even though successful, use of social networks has reduced effectiveness s of certain organizational activities. Use of social networks has reduced employee monitoring. Therefore, it is difficult for an employer to promote an employee because social networks do not facilitate measurement of employee performance. In addition, employees may lose certain benefits and be subject to lower remuneration (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 84). This is because social networks have made execution of tasks easier and faster. For example, employees do not need to travel or make phone calls to convince customers to buy their products. These activities are conducted online through social networks. Employee monitoring is important in order to measure employee performance and productivity, parameters that are used to promote and demote employees (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 88). However, these activities have become difficult with advent of social networks in organizations because managers cannot monitor employees virtually. Another disadvantage of social networks is threat to data security. Sustained use of social networks exposes an organization’s data to risk of compromise (Golden 50). With absence of fraudsters on the internet, companies risk losing data that could be used to compromise their operations. Many rival organizations hire fraudsters to obtain data illegally form companies that rely on social networks to perform organizational activities. For example, marketing and strategic data of organizations may be obtained from social networks during interaction between managers and employees. In most cases, data and useful information is compromised in cases where competition is stiff between organizations or companies. Certain organizations hack into databases of other organizations and obtain information that helps them gain competitive advantage in the market. In addition, information on customer and marketing strategies could be used to compete with companies that dominate certain markets. Use of social networks makes it difficult for employers to monitor employees (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 86). This may lead to poor performance and low productivity. In addition, cost of purchasing, installing, and maintaining technological gadgets is high. Additional costs arise from training employees on ways of using social networks effectively in order to achieve organizational goals and objectives in desired ways (Dahln, Lange, and Smith 87). Conclusion Social networking has introduced new business concepts in the field of communication that have benefited organizations and individuals. Social networks are used for communication and information retrieval. In addition, they allow organizations do business in new ways. They present cost-effective ways of doing business such as cheap marketing and advertisement. Organizations save a lot of money by avoiding traditional methods of marketing and advertisement by focusing on marketing and advertising using tools availed by social networks. However, they have disadvantages too. They contribute to low employee performance, increase costs of operations, create a feeling of isolation in employees, and expose organizations’ data to online fraudsters. For example, rival companies hack into each other’s databases and gain access to useful information that enables them gain competitive advantage over each other. Works Cited Dahln, Micael, Lange, Fredrik, and Smith Terry. Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach . New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Print. Golden, Michelle. Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships . New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print. Haigh, Paul. Social Network Websites: Their Benefits and Risks . New York: Optimus Education eBooks, 2009. Print. Jue, Arthur, and Kassotakis Mary. Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print. Rainer, Robert, and Ceglieski Casey. Introduction to Information Systems: Enabling and Transforming Business. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: Social stratification is the process by which a society groups people into sets of status groups according to their socioeconomic, political, or religious standing.Social stratification affects the entire life of an individual through a myriad of factors. These factors may include positions held in the society, life expectancy issues, and the level of accessing resources within the society.

Social stratification is the process by which a society groups people into sets of status groups according to their socioeconomic, political, or religious standing. Social stratification affects the entire life of an individual through a myriad of factors. These factors may include positions held in the society, life expectancy issues, and the level of accessing resources within the society.

Social Stratification Forms and Functions Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Forms of social stratification and their legitimating rationales 3. Roles played by legitimating rationales 4. Functions of social institutions 5. List of achieved and ascribed statuses Introduction Social stratification entails the arrangement of a cluster of people in a society as depicted by their social status. Power, wealth, and prestige are the major determinants of social stratification in any given society or nation. It is important to note that social stratification affects the entire life of an individual through a myriad of factors. These factors may include positions held in the society, life expectancy issues, and the level of accessing resources within the society. Social stratification assumes different shapes and forms depending on the mode that is applied. The three major forms of social stratification are identified as class, caste, and estate. These forms depend on legitimating rationales that are held by a given society. Forms of social stratification and their legitimating rationales “Caste” is a term that emanated from a Portuguese word known as “calta.” The word denotes a particular group of items or people. “Caste,” as a stratification system, is not common in many parts of the world. India is probably the only place that embraces the system. Individuals maintain a given caste throughout their life and, thus, it stays irrevocable. In other words, once an individual is born in a particular caste he cannot switch to another level or category in the society. This implies that social status in this particular case is inherited and, thus, it lacks social mobility. The caste system remains intact as a result of different castes that do not support any kind of mixture. People from different castes are not allowed to do things together. Religion is the main enhancer of the caste system in India and it has existed for over three thousand years. It was abolished in 1949, but traces of its prevalence are still evident. “Estate” is a form of social stratification which emerged much later, especially in Europe. The system basically comprised of the commoners, the nobility, and the clergy. It is important to note that legitimization in this particular case is enhanced by legal justifications where the feudal believed that they had an upper hand over the commoners. The feudal basically comprised of the serfs and the clergy and they owned most of the land. Ascription is the biggest method of placement as opposed to achievement. Unlike the caste system where people from different castes have limited contact, here, contact is evident though impersonal. The Class system does not necessarily portray many restrictions as it is seemingly evidenced by other systems. Here, individuals are free to move up the ladder of opportunities as much as they want. It basically depends on an individual’s hard work and dedication in his/her endeavors. The system is quite open and achievements are facilitated by constant struggle. Its legitimization also lies in legal justification. Roles played by legitimating rationales The legitimating rationales that influence social stratification play a major role in this discussion. They not only enhance particular placements in the society, but they also serve to maintain or change a particular individual’s classification in the society. The legitimating rationales basically influence an individual’s reasoning, and in most cases they remain psychologically unprepared to take advantage of changing circumstances. These circumstances can easily lead to important social changes. For instance, legitimating rationales psychologically encourage some members of the community to enslave others and vice versa. These indications are generally embraced across the society and, thus, inequality is bound to continue for longer periods. Functions of social institutions The basic function of a social institution in the society is to help that particular society or nation to grow. Strong social institutions serve to discourage corruption and typical vices that weaken the society. It is evident that strong social institutions base on merit as opposed to personal satisfaction. This aspect is evident in progressing countries. Lack of effective institutions indicates that the society will most likely suffer from illiteracy, huge debts, poverty, and corruption. Social institutions are typical relational structures that create relationships and obligations. There are several social institutions in a society namely; family, religion, government, education, and economy. For example, the functions of the economy help pave way for production of services and goods. On the other hand, the functions of religion are meant to instill a moral code among the members of a particular society. List of achieved and ascribed statuses There are two categories of statuses that an individual can portray at any given time. The two include achieved and ascribed statuses. An achieved status is basically acquired through merit; it is made by a person and portrays his/her expertise, efforts, and talents. Doctors, nurses, and teachers are examples of individuals with an achieved status. The issue of race is a typical example of an ascribed status. An ascribed status is depicted by an individual’s limited possession of control over that same status. Currently, my prowess in athletics, my writing skills, and my career in music, stand out as achieved statuses. These were achieved as a result of hard work and intensified practice. Sex and race, on the other hand, qualify as my ascribed statuses. The difference between the two categories is that the former entails abilities and talents that I worked so hard to achieve, whereas, race and sex are issues that I had little control over. In other words I did not choose my gender or race, but this automatically happened at birth.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : Social work is a professional area of practice which applies knowledge, skills, research techniques and social theory to improve the lives of individuals, communities and groups. Social work is considered as a helping profession because it is majorly concerned with the plight of people who are in difficult situations with an aim of helping them overcome those difficulties.

Social work is a professional area of practice which applies knowledge, skills, research techniques and social theory to improve the lives of individuals, communities and groups. Social work is considered as a helping profession because it is majorly concerned with the plight of people who are in difficult situations with an aim of helping them overcome those difficulties.

Social Work Practice Reflective Essay Introduction Social work is a professional area of practice which applies knowledge, skills, research techniques and social theory to improve the lives of individuals, communities and groups. Social work is considered as a helping profession because it is majorly concerned with the plight of people who are in difficult situations with an aim of helping them overcome those difficulties. Social workers work in diverse fields both in the private and public sectors such as in rehabilitation centers, child welfare institutions, humanitarian organizations, borstal institutions and homes of the elderly among others (Hare, 2004). Social workers go through the formal education system with a special bias in the social, biological and behavioral sciences. During training, they are exposed to field practicum in which they get an opportunity to work with various organizations where they merge theory with practice (Healy, 2008). Just like other professions such as law or medicine, social work is guided by values, ethics and codes of conduct. Some of the values include competence, integrity, professionalism, social justice and value for human dignity. Some of the core principles include confidentiality, controlled emotional involvement and client self determination among others. Some of the skills include self awareness, observation and critical thinking (Healy, 2007). In this paper, I will explore social work practice by looking at oppression of women by men. I will also look into the knowledge, values and skills which are associated with culturally sensitive practice with diverse populations. Eventually I will engage in a self-awareness exercise by self-administering a value-based assessment and cultural competency inventory; and finally engage in a thoughtful analysis and discussion of my strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to my cultural competency and how I plan to improve on the weaknesses. Gender and oppression of women Gender refers to the roles associated with a particular sex, either male or female. Males and females are born with physical and biological differences. Some physical differences include height, appearance, weight and physical strength. Biological differences may include sexual reproduction organs and hormonal processes. These differences between males and females have been misused to oppress women in several aspects of life like in education, career, power, leadership, employment and management (Connel, 2009). In the field of management for example, women have been oppressed by men through various ways. For example, the issues of masculinity and femininity have played a role in gendering the field of management (Crosby, Stockdale, & Ropp, 2007). Many organizations are guided by the principles of masculinity which do not have respect for women. In these organizations, the authority of women managers is not respected as the authority of men managers. This leads to a situation whereby the leadership or management by a woman may not be as effective as that of a man because the employees in those organizations do not recognize women as a source of authority and therefore, any guidelines, instructions or regulations given by a woman manager may not be taken seriously by the employees (Hartl, 2003). In many organizations, women do light jobs such as secretarial work or marketing. The central roles are dominated by men who are responsible for planning, policy making and moving the organizations towards the realization of their mission and vision (Rivas, 2013). Many professional women or the “working mothers” are faced with role multiplicity. At home, they are supposed to be good mothers and wives. They are supposed to ensure that the children are well fed, are healthy and clean (Gregory, 2003). They are also supposed to take good care of their husbands. At the work place, they are supposed to produce good results either as managers or as normal employees. This makes them fall short of what is expected of them at the work place. The men on the other hand have very few roles to play at home which leaves them with a lot of time to concentrate on their roles in the work place. Due to this, they are able to meet the set targets or expectations of the organizations (Mason, 2002). For the women, reproduction is part of labor which they are not compensated for yet if they do not reproduce children, there would be no human resources to work in the organizations. Women have also been oppressed through promotions in organizations. Some women have to engage in sex with male directors so as to get promoted to the positions of managers. In the work place, women may be sexually or physically abused by their bosses due to the fact that they are perceived as being inferior and not able to resist the harassment or abuse (Coin & Budapest, 2010). In some communities especially in the African continent, girls are denied the opportunity to gain education with the belief that women’s role in the society is to give birth to as many children as possible and also entertain the men with sex. In Kenya for example, the enrollment rates for girls in some communities like the Turkana is less than 10%, meaning that in every 100 girls of school going age, only 10 go to school. The others are betrothed to elderly men as wives after undergoing female genital cut. This has made women lack leadership, political and technological skills (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). In the developing countries mostly in Africa and Asia, poverty is very rampant. The economies are poorly managed and therefore there are few job opportunities. Many people depend on rain fed agriculture which is not sustainable due to lack of rainfall. In these countries, most men flee their homes to search for jobs and leave their wives at home with young children. These women are not able to take care of the welfare of the children and they strain a lot to ensure that the children are fed, clothed and schooled. Some women are forced to engage in prostitution as a source of income for their families. The women in these countries suffer silently because there are very few women in positions of power and leadership who can advocate for their rights. Women have also been oppressed through being denied the opportunity to inherit property. In the developing countries especially in Africa, women are not supposed to inherit any property from their parents. Among the Turkana of Kenya for example, if a wife does not give birth to a male child, the husband marries another wife who will give birth to a male child. It is this male child who will inherit all the properties of the parents when they die or when they grow old. The reasoning behind this is that women are not supposed to own any property but are instead supposed to be owned as property by men. Since 1974, some improvement has been realized in increasing the number of women in management positions. In the UK for example, the percentage of women who held management positions in 1974 was only 2%. In 2008, the percentage rose to 34.5% (Meulders, 2010). In other parts of the world, women are almost at par with men in various aspects such as leadership, education and technical know how. This is not however to say that oppression of women does not exist but what it means is that many people are slowly realizing that women are just like men and what men can do, women can also do it provided that the playing field is leveled. Effects of women oppression One of the effects of women oppression in the work place is that it leads to role conflict which eventually leads to stress. Role conflict refers to a form of disagreement among the roles held by one individual; that is, roles which correspond to various statuses of the same individual. Role conflict pulls an individual in different directions at the same time. It may be short lived or long lived. A good example to illustrate role conflict is by a working mother. As explained earlier, the mother is expected to deliver good results at the work place and also be a good wife at home through taking care of the children, husband and doing other domestic chores. At the family level, women are oppressed through various ways such as wife battering, marital rape, female genital cut, being denied opportunity to gain education and inherit property, men running away from home among others. Domestic violence is the most common form of women oppression at the family level especially in the developing countries. Domestic violence has traumatizing effects on women. Such women need advocacy, empowerment and counseling for them to heal. There is also need for social workers to agitate for policy change to enable women get education and inherit property. Social workers should also educate the communities to avoid cultural practices which have been used to oppress women. Social work knowledge Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations need to have social work knowledge in specific areas. One of the areas of social work knowledge is the knowledge of human behavior. Having knowledge of human behavior helps the social workers understand the cultures, values and norms of specific communities. This in turn helps the social workers package their intervention in such a manner that it does not conflict with the cultural practices, beliefs and norms of the particular communities. Such knowledge also helps the social workers to understand the cultural prejudices in various communities. This understanding of the cultural prejudices enables the social workers to help the people differentiate the facts and fictions in regard to certain prejudices. For example, in a community which believes that women are not allowed to go to school, the social workers can help the people understand that women in other parts of the world are allowed to attain eduction and challenge them to change that kind of perception. Another social work knowledge which is useful for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the knowledge of social justice. Social workers need to have an understanding of social justice so as to help people in communities who suffer social injustice. The social workers should also educate the people about the concept and show them the importance of embracing social justice. Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need social work knowledge about the code of conduct for social workers and the ethics which govern the profession of social work. This knowledge can help the social workers avoid unprofessional conduct which might conflict with certain values, norms and practices of particular groups. Social workers working with such populations also need an understanding of human rights. For example, they need to understand the various international laws, treaties and conventions which stipulate various human rights for different categories of people such as employees, children and women among others. This understanding can help the social workers educate the populations for them to know when their rights are violated and what they are supposed to do. However, the social workers must do it in a professional manner so that they are not accused of incitement. Social work values One of the values for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse communities is the value of service to humanity. This value is very important for the social workers because it enables them to serve the populations irrespective of their cultural, religious, economic and historical orientations. Social workers without this value may have difficult time and in some cases, they may find it almost impossible to work with some cultural groups. The value of service to humanity also enables the social workers to appreciate and empathize with the populations without necessarily sympathizing with them. Another value which is important for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the value of human dignity. Social workers must understand that they have an obligation of respecting the clients and their cultural practices. They have to put aside their personal biases against a certain group for them to help the clients. Some times social workers may consider some practices as weird. However, with the value of human dignity, they are able to acknowledge the fact that clients have a right of self determination. When they understand this, they are able to assist the clients without any obstacles. Social workers also need to have the value of competence and integrity. They need to apply their knowledge, skills and techniques in a professional manner when dealing with clients. The essence of this is that competence and integrity enable the social workers to avoid any questionable behavior or practice. It also enhances the trust and confidence of the clients in the social workers. This also enables the clients to open up to the social workers and give as much information as possible. With the information and cooperation from the clients, the social workers are able to solve the problems affecting the clients or refer those which they cannot handle. This enhances the acceptance of the social workers by the communities (Morreau & Benson, 2012). Social work skills One important skill which social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations should have is the skill of observation. Observation has to do with going beyond what people say and focusing on their body language and reaction to some social situations. The skill also has to do with doing more listening than talking. This is because the social workers are supposed to treat the clients as the best teachers of their own problems. If the social workers do more listening and observing than talking, they are able to gather as much information as possible which is very crucial for the interventions. Another skill for dealing with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of critical thinking. This has to do with how social workers interpret the information they gather from clients either through interviewing, listening, observing or reading. The social workers should apply critical thinking in order to interpret the information correctly. Lack of critical thinking may lead to wrong diagnosis, treatment and intervention. The social workers should therefore understand the information correctly without any personal biases Another skill which is important when working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of self awareness. Social workers need to understand how their background, perceptions, biases, motivations and prejudices may affect their relationship with clients. If social workers have low levels of self awareness, chances of acting improperly are increased. It is therefore very important that the social workers put aside any subjective reasoning and replace it with objectivity for them to be able to effectively assist the clients. The skill of self awareness also helps the social workers to identify transference in clients. Transference is a situation in which clients associate their fate with the social workers. For example, a female client whose husband is violent may easily confuse a male social worker for her husband; she may do this through making statements such as ‘you men are really bad’. In such a situation, the social worker is supposed to counter the transference by helping the client understand that his role is to help her out of the problem and not to take the blame of others (Tsui, 2010). Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need to have excellent verbal communication skills. This is because communication is the only way that the social workers can use to understand the clients and for the clients to understand the social workers. They must be able to understand how to communicate with different groups at different times. For example, the way a social worker is supposed to talk to an elderly refugee woman is not the same way he or she can talk to a young child who is a school drop out. Verbal communication is an important asset for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations because it enables them to effectively advocate for the clients especially those who are oppressed or marginalized. The skill can enable social workers to influence policy change or development for the improvement of people’s welfare. Apart from verbal communication, social workers need to have the skill of documentation. Proper documentation enables social workers to keep track of every aspect of their interventions and this becomes an asset for them when they want to influence the development or change of a certain social policy. Cultural competency inventory My total score for the value based assessment and cultural competency inventory is 75. What this means is that I am headed in the right direction as far as embracing cultural diversity is concerned. I would have wished to score 80 and above but this is not the case, probably because I am yet to cover some topics in therapeutic approaches and the relationship between myself as a therapist and clients. My strengths and weaknesses in cultural competency Based on my value based assessment and cultural competency, there are the areas which I scored poorly and others which I scored well. Those which I scored well are my areas of strength while those which I scored poorly are my areas of weakness. One of my strengths in cultural competency is that I like meeting new people especially those who are different from me in terms of race, gender and culture. Being a Russian lady for instance, I like associating myself with African or Asian men. I also love and embrace the culture of non whites such as the African Americans and Asian Americans. Another area of strength is the fact that I understand that I am independent and do appreciate the views of other people even if those views are in contrary to my own views. I am able to control my personal biases when interpreting the actions of those who are different from me. I also appreciate various communication methods used by various groups of people. Similarly, I am able to understand that other people may stereotype against me and therefore I am able to work against those stereotypes in order to interact with such people in a harmonious manner. I am also good in sorting out my values to know which one to compromise in order to communicate with others without losing my integrity as a social worker. I am also able to seek clarifications from people in regards to what they are saying so as to get the correct meaning of what they say. I like and accept others they way they are and avoid any remarks which may hurt certain groups in the community such as women, the people of color or those who are less fortunate in the society. One of my main weaknesses is that I do more talking than listening. This is because sometimes I listen as I talk. This is not good because I may not be able to capture what the other person is saying. I may also not be in a position to observe the body language of others which is also part of listening. Sometimes I also use my cultural jargon or slag when talking to people from other cultural backgrounds. This is a weakness because others may mistaken my language jargon as lack of respect for them. I am also weak in judging people based on the fluency of their languages. This is a weakness because it amounts to biases which may lead to wrong interpretation of messages by those who are from other cultural backgrounds. Sometimes I use some ethnic jokes when referring to some groups of people who are from different ethnic backgrounds but I get offended when others use the same language on me. This is a weakness because some ethnic jokes may hurt or provoke some people. I plan to improve my areas of weakness by doing further reading on the area of human behavior. I also plan to gain more knowledge in interpersonal skills and how to gain and apply them in various cultural settings. Also in my plan is to learn how to appreciate others and how to avoid judgmental attitudes towards particular populations. I also need to check on my listening skills by learning the art of doing more listening than talking. This is because doing so would boost by ability to get as much information as possible from others and especially from clients. My conceptual framework for practice My future conceptual framework as a social worker is the strength based perspective of social work practice. This perspective has to do with using people’s strengths as a basis of therapy. The perspective aims to capitalize on the strengths of clients (individuals and groups) to form a strong foundation for therapy. It is based on the belief that despite the fact that people have problems, there is something which they are good at or they have some useful information, history or practices which can be used to overcome the problems which they are faced with. It is also based on the belief that empowering people with information is useful for successful therapy (Rapp, 2007). Implications of the perspective to practice One of the implications of the strengths based perspective to practice is that it has reversed roles between the therapists and the clients. What this means is that the therapists must restrain their expertise and make the clients be the experts in solving their problems. The therapists are supposed to play the role of empowering the people to become experts in addressing the problems which face them. In other words, the therapists’ role is to create a sustainable intervention such that the clients are able to handle their problems even without the assistance of the therapists. Social workers using this perspective must therefore refrain from using stigmatizing language, having negative perceptions and labeling when dealing with clients. This is because such negative language or perceptions interferes with the ability of the social workers to effectively capacity build and empower the clients (Rapp, 2007). When capacity building and empowering clients, social workers must be realistic; that is, they must ensure that the clients actually have those strengths which can be used as a starting point for a sustainable intervention. They must also consider the magnitude of the problem affecting the clients and evaluate the clients’ ability to effectively handle the problem when empowered (Rapp, 2007). Oppressed women usually suffer from stigma and feelings of inadequacy. They also undergo through emotional, psychological and social distress due to oppression. As a social worker working with oppressed women, I will apply the strengths based perspective to empower such women with information so as to resist oppression by men. For instance, I will educate them about their rights to education, employment and fair treatment. I will also highlight their areas of strength when dealing with men. For example, the fact that women are very good in negotiations, have patience and do not easily lose their temper can be used by a woman who is a victim of domestic violence to talk to the husband to avoid such violence. I will also empower the oppressed women with information, skills and tactics of resisting male oppression both at the family setting and at the work place. For example, I will inform them of the relevant agencies where they can report any form of oppression without the fear of victimization. Through this perspective, I will go a long way in fighting the vice of women oppression. References Connel, R. (2009). Gender.( 2 nd ed).Washington DC: Polity Press. Coin & Budapest.(2010). COIN 2009 international workshops: revised selected papers. Volume 5 of Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in agent systems . Secaucus, NJ: Springer. Crosby, F.J, Stockdale, M.S. & Ropp, S.A. (2007 ). Sex Discrimination in the Workplace: Multidisciplinary Perspectives . Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Gregory, R.F. (2003). Women and workplace discrimination: overcoming barriers to gender equality. New York: Rutgers University Press. Hare, I. (2004). Defining Social Work for the 21st Century: The International Federation of Social Workers’ Revised Definition of Social Work. International Social Work , 47: 407-424. Hartl, K.(2003). Expatriate women managers: gender, culture, and career. Volume 12 of Schriftenreihe Organisation & Personal . 10117 Berlin: Rainer Hampp Verlag. Healy, L.M. (2007). Uni-versalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International Social Work , 50: 11-26. Healy, L.M. (2008). Exploring the history of social work as a human rights profession. International Social Work ,51: 735-748. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics . (2011). Population and Housing Census. Web. Mason,L. (2002). The Working Mother’s Guide to Life: Strategies, Secrets, and Solutions. New York: Three Rivers Press. Meulders, D. (2010). Meta-Analysis of Gender and Science Research . Web. Morreau, W., & Benson, K. (2012). Human trafficking: Improving victim identification and service provision. International Social Work, 55: 488-503. Rapp, R.C. (2007). The Strengths Perspective: Proving “My Strengths” and “It Works” Soc Work , 52(2): 185–186. Rivas, F.S. (2013). Burnout, workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers in Spain: A structural equation model International Social Work, 56: 228-246. Tsui , M. (2010). From resilience to resistance: A reconstruction of the strengths perspective in social work practice. International Social Work , 53: 233-245.

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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: The essay discusses how the word "fag" is used differently by different groups and how it is often seen as a form of bullying.The word "fag" is often used as a form of bullying by groups of people. The essay discusses how the word is used differently by different groups and how it is often seen as a form of violence.

The essay discusses how the word "fag" is used differently by different groups and how it is often seen as a form of bullying. The word "fag" is often used as a form of bullying by groups of people. The essay discusses how the word is used differently by different groups and how it is often seen as a form of violence.

Sociology In-class: Dude You’re a Fag Essay Thesis and support to the argument Penetrated men represent masculinity that lacks power. Contrary to expectations, this is a threat to the social and psychic chaos. As far as gender among the adolescent boys in America is concerned, penetrated masculinity acts as the regulatory mechanism. The repeated denial of the fag identity among the American adolescent boys results in their masculinity. It is worth pointing out that the fag insult does not only have multiple meanings but is also raced and sexualized. Symbolic interaction theory in racialized and gendered homophobia The fact that a majority of the participants found the words gay or fag appropriate for girls as opposed to boys is not stringently homophobia. On the contrary, this is gendered homophobia since it is only connected to the male and female gender. This is a part of the adolescent masculinity and has nothing to do with adolescent femininity. The male consider female lesbians to be good, which is attributable to the place they hold in the heterosexual male fantasy. At River High, girls were only recorded three timesusing the term fag. It is used eight times more compared to the term slut. Although the words fag and gay shared similar sexual origins, gay was commonly used at River High, meaning mean stupid (Teegen, Doh and Vachani 2004). The difference between the African-Americans’ and white boys’ dancing and clothing brings about the racialized homophobia perspective. The dress code used by the African-American boys is a reflection of the hip-hop culture. According to Richard Majors, this is a cool pose that comprises of exceptional, noticeable, and sensitive styles. All these were created by the African-American men as a symbol that reacted to institutionalized racism. White boys who possess characteristics of the African-Americans such as giving keen care and attention to clothing are identified as fags. The argument given is that only fags are attentive to their appearance and clothes and white boys should not care too much (Schaefer, 2011). How the fag epithet is situational Fags are associated with a lot of resentment. For a person to be a guy, the homophobia aspect has to be present. One of the participants asserts that he supports the fact that guys have to be homophobic. However, he goes on to explain that it is not only the homophobic aspect but gendered homophobia. A number of students argued that the homophobic insults were only applicable to boys as opposed to girls. This is brought out by the fact that Jake admits that he hates gay people but is okay with lesbians. In addition, Cathy admits that lesbians are acceptable since guys think they are cool. After confessing that boys are advised not to be faggots, another participant confirms that there is no problem if girls are lesbians. How different groups use the word fag differently A majority of the boys and girls who were interviewed asserted that the fag epithet was the worst when directed to someone. In some situations, boys used the fag epithet in reference to gay people who were never accepted in the society. The term gay or fag was also used as an insult to mean that a person was useless. Lies my teacher told me The Constitution sets forth a balance of power where each branch is granted some power. In addition, some of the power is reserved for states and individuals. It is worth pointing out that the federal government is no longer the citizens’ servant. Furthermore, it is unmanageable and intractable. There is a need for textbooks to recognize the obligations private citizens and nongovernmental bodies play in matters concerning social issues, education, race relations, and the environment (Agranoff and McGuire, 2004). Role of the federal government in improving significant social matters The US federal government abandoned its revolutionary ideology and is presently viewed as the most powerful nation globally. The nation tries to retain its hegemony through self-determination attempts to other people and countries. The federal government is not concerned about important social matters that affect other countries. On the contrary, its concern is to ensure that other nations look up to it for protection of human rights, democratization, and upgraded living standards. The federal government might appear to be the moral and responsible peacekeeper. However, it does not take other nations’ concerns with keen interest. Some textbooks claim that the US plays a great role in offering foreign aid to other countries. However, this is untrue since the Arab and European countries contribute a greater portion of their entire governmental expenditures or GDP as opposed to the United States. Irrespective of the fact that the federal government made commitment offer humane and financial assistance as well as military leadership, there has been no dedication to achieve this goal. The focus has only been on ensuring the intellectual growth of their volunteers. Collaboration between the non-governmental agencies and the government The role of multinational corporations cannot be underrated. For instance, the ITT (International Telephone Telegraph) played a significant role in persuading the government and overseeing the destabilization of the Salvador Allende’s socialist government. This resulted in exceptional impacts compared to the efforts made by the Peace Corps workers. Other exemplary multinational corporations that are renowned include Guatemala’s United Fruit and India’s Union Carbide (O’Connell,2012). It is worth emphasizing that the multinational corporations and nongovernmental agencies play a unique role in influencing the government policies in the United States. Consequently, multinationals that were based in America achieved greater impacts in assisting other countries. At one time, President Gerald Ford tried convincing the Congress to support the United States military intervention as far as the UNITA rebels in Angola were concerned. GulfOil was against this intervention. This is a perfect example of lack of cooperation between nongovernmental agencies and the government. During this period, the Marxist government in Angola had a partnership with Gulf where they were producing oil. It is worth noting that some nongovernmental agencies and multinational corporations seek the government’s intervention so as to guard their corporate as opposed to the nation’s interests (Loewen, 2007). The main concern of the United States government should be protection of its citizens. This will prevent cases where the government is lured by multinational corporations and nongovernmental corporations to send citizens to fight in other countries. Another concern is that these corporations and agencies may decide to move their factories to developing countries, which would create unemployment in the US. Therefore, there is a need for the government to be fully equipped to manage the country without depending on multinational corporations and nongovernmental agencies. References Agranoff, R., & McGuire, M. (2004). Collaborative public management: New strategies for local governments . New York: Georgetown University Press. Loewen, J. W. (2007). Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Touchstone. O’Connell, C.(2012).Reader for Introduction to Sociology. New York: Pearson Learning Solutions. Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Sociology Matters . New York: McGraw-Hill. Teegen, H., Doh, J., & Vachani, S. (2004). The importance of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in global governance and value creation: An international business research agenda. Journal of International Business Studies, 35 (6): 463-483.

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : The ICT industry is made up of four main sub-sectors, including software and computer services, ICT wholesaling, ICT manufacturing, and communications services. Softchoice falls under software and computer services sub-sector, which is also the largest among the sub-sectors with an 86.8 percent volume cover of the entire industry. In 2011, both CGE and Rogers Communications recorded modest gains in their business operations, where each of the companies increased their sales by approximately

The ICT industry is made up of four main sub-sectors, including software and computer services, ICT wholesaling, ICT manufacturing, and communications services. Softchoice falls under software and computer services sub-sector, which is also the largest among the sub-sectors with an 86.8 percent volume cover of the entire industry. In 2011, both CGE and Rogers Communications recorded modest gains in their business operations, where each of the companies increased their sales by approximately

Softchoice Corporation is an Information Communication Technology Research Paper Industry Profile Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology (ICT) firm. The firm particularly deals with programming tools, database products, and obscure software, and has been authorized to deal with corporate, government, as well as educational licensing programs (Government of Canada, 2013). Canada’s ICT industry mainly comprises of small companies, numbering about 33,300 in total. A bigger percentage of this number, 86.9 percent (Government of Canada, 2013), deal in computer services and software. On the other hand, a paltry number of 6.2 percent is within the wholesaling industries (Government of Canada, 2013). Larger companies operating in the industry are comparatively few, with close to 75 companies only employing a workforce of over 500 employees in 2011. In comparison, more than 28,300 companies employed not more than 10 employees, translating to 85 percent of all companies in the industry (Government of Canada, 2013). The ICT industry comprises of four main sub-sectors, including software and computer services, ICT wholesaling, ICT manufacturing, and communications services. Softchoice falls under software and computer services sub-sector, which is also the largest among the sub-sectors with an 86.8 percent volume cover of the entire industry. Industry structure and financial performance According to the “Branham top 250” (2012), the software and computer services sub-sector had combined revenue of over $ 4.997 billion in 2011. This was a marked improvement from the previous year’s revenue amount of $ 4.274 billion, representing a percentage growth rate of 16.92. The top performers in the industry, who also comprise of Softchoice’s biggest competitors, include BCE, Rogers Communications, TELUS, CGI Group, and Open Text (“Branham top 250”, 2012). In 2011, both CGE and Rogers Communications recorded modest gains in their business operations, where each of the companies increased their sales by approximately 2 percentage points (“Branham top 250”, 2012). TELUS, on its part, registered approximately 9 percent growth in Internet and wireless sales, posting $7.98 billion. These companies, also referred to as the big three, have tight business competition amongst them. This increases the possibility of other smaller companies in the sub-sector to consolidate together (“Branham top 250”, 2012). During the same year of 2011, CGI Group worked towards building its new acquisition, Stanely, which was worth $923.15 million (“Branham top 250”, 2012). The company closed the year with its total sales figure amounting to $4.32 billion, representing a percentage growth rate of 15.84 percent from the previous year (“Branham top 250”, 2012). In a bid to enhance its performance even further, CGI Group has established new independent business units, focusing on health and government areas. The health business area generated about $350 million in global sales in 2011, which represent 8 percent of its entire sales revenue (“Branham top 250”, 2012). Open Text recorded a landmark performance in 2011 when the company’s annual sales exceeded the $1 billion sales mark in the company’s history. The company’s revenues grew by 13.30 percentage points from the previous year (“Branham top 250”, 2012). Open Text’s main strategy of business involved acquisition deals that were completed in 2011, which saw the company obtain Metastorm, StreamServe, and weComm. The graph below highlights the cumulative performance posted by Canada’s leading 250 ICT firms (“Branham top 250”, 2012). Source: “Branham top 250” (2012) From the graph above, it is observable that the ICT industry’s cumulative revenue performance has been increasing over the years. For instance, between 2003 and 2006, the annual revenue figures for each year exceeded the previous year’s sales results. The average growth indicates that the industry is set to continue with its annual growth in the future, where the companies are set to make additional sales. Although there are secluded years, specifically 2007 and 2009, where the total annual sales made were less than the previous year’s, these are isolated cases and are not expected to affect the growth pattern going forward. Competitive Strategies within the Industry Buyer power The buyers have a modest bargaining power in the industry. The software and computer services sub-sector comprises of 86 percent of the total 33,000 companies in the ICT industry in Canada (“Branham top 250”, 2012). This implies that the buyers have many choices from where they can seek to acquire their software products. It is evident that the firms compete with each other as they seek to win over the market because of relatively large number of companies in the sub-sector. This competition, in turn, provides the buyers with the necessary bargaining power advantage because the firms use such aspects as price to base their competition. However, the firms also enhance their business positions because firms such as Softchoice specialize in obscure software products. This lowers the buyers’ overall power to bargain, making it generally modest. Supplier power The suppliers’ bargaining power is equally modest in this industry. With the high number of industry players exceeding 33,000, it means this huge number of ICT firms is depending heavily on the suppliers to enable them achieve their business objectives (“Branham top 250”, 2012). The suppliers deal with a large clientele base, thus making them to enjoy high frequency business. However, it is also important to note some of the players in the industry, such as BCE, TELUS, and Rogers Communication are well established and have the potential of integrating backwards (“Branham top 250”, 2012). With Softchoice’s specialization in obscure software, the company enjoys more bargaining power over suppliers. Only a few suppliers can serve the company’s needs fully, giving it the necessary bargaining power. New market entrants The industry has fewer barriers to entry. Although the five leading industry players have consolidated the market, many other smaller players still exist and do their business. There are numerous sub-areas within the software and computer services sector, where firms can specialize in and still establish themselves (“Canada information technology”, 2012). Although the established firms in the industry benefit from the economies of scale advantage, they focus their attention on a larger area of the ICT industry. This, in turn, gives the smaller industry players room to penetrate into the industry as they only focus on smaller areas of the industry. The smaller industry players most likely provide high quality products and services, which attracts a significant portion of the market. Threat of substitution The threat of substitution is low. Although the wider ICT industry has many players concentrating on the same market, each of these companies has focused on specialization in different areas. Thus, customers with particular ICT need may find it difficult to locate an alternative ICT firm that deals in the exact area. Although many software and computer services firms exist in the industry, Softchoice specifically deals in obscure software. The major companies in the industry may be dealing with a wide range of service and product areas, but they also specialize in specific business areas to improve the quality of their performance (“Canada information technology”, 2012). Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is high in the industry. There are many companies in the industry that have a great potential and power to compete in the market. The large established companies have resorted to acquisitions to increase their competitive edge over other industry rivals (“Canada information technology”, 2012). With the industry trends indicating growing cumulative revenue each year, the players are working hard towards ensuring that they capture a significant portion of the total market revenue. Companies are also differentiating their services to limit competition by focusing on particular areas as a way of enhancing their quality performance. Industry Trends and Emerging Opportunities Increasing Expenditure on R&D ICT industry players have been setting apart an increased volume of their revenue for funding research and development activities. In 2010, for instance, the ICT firms increased their R&D expenditure to 15.44 percent compared to 14.78 percent in the previous year (Anderson, 2013). This trend highlights the fact that the industry players recognize the importance of investing in their core expertise, as well as the products and services that they deal with to increase their competitive edge within the global playing field (Anderson, 2013). With ICT relying heavily on research and development activities because of its continuous growth and advancement, there is a higher likelihood that the ICT industry players will continue experiencing a growing need to spend more revenues on the R&D activities. Increased spending on research and development increases the opportunity of the ICT firm to grow even further. It increases the probability of enhancing quality and general performance, which will in turn attract more buyers. With an increase in the number of the buyers, the firms are likely to make more sales and improve their revenues. Increased R&D activity is also likely to expand the Canadian ICT market to include the international buyers. Increasing Value of the Canadian Dollar over the US Dollar The Canadian dollar gained value over the US dollar towards the end of 2010 (Anderson, 2013). This was the second time that such a trend had been noticed over a period of 30 years. Over 40 percent of the Top 250 companies generated more than 50 percent of the total sales from the international market during the same year (Anderson, 2013). In particular, over 30 percent of the listed firms produced in excess of 50 percent of their total revenues within the US. This played a critical role in increasing the Canadian dollar’s value with respect to the US dollar (Anderson, 2013). A continuation of this trend will subject the Canadian ICT firms concentrating on the international market into increased competition. This is due to the high product cost influenced by the increasing value of the local currency over that of the US dollar (Anderson, 2013). In essence, the Canadian firms seeking to position themselves as efficient near-shore alternatives compared to the traditional outsourcing destinations must rely on other significant strengths. This may include looking more into innovation and leadership aspects, instead of concentrating on overall savings on labor cost (Anderson, 2013). In other words, the increase in value of the Canadian dollar over the US dollar is a threat to business for the ICT firms because it diminishes the overall profitability of the firms. Mergers and Acquisitions The ICT industry in Canada is experiencing an increase in mergers and acquisitions. Several of the established firms in the industry have acquired other companies, including both emerging startups and established firms to complement their existing technologies and entrance into new markets (Anderson, 2013). Foreign players have also acquired several other small and medium sized Canadian ICT firms to earn leverage into the market. In 2010, for instance, ICT players BreconRidge, Coretec, Protus, Brainhunter, as well as Fusepoint Managed Systems and Clarity System were all acquired by other firms (Anderson, 2013). This trend is likely to continue going forward as uncertainty in the industry pushes firms towards seeking to strengthen their presence in the market. This creates additional market opportunity for the established firms pursuing the acquisitions and mergers because it helps them to expand their potential market. It also increases their areas of specialization as the acquired firms could be specialists in different ICT areas. However, this trend is a threat to the smaller firms that seek to remain independent. It consolidates the market and gives the established firms more power to manipulate the industry to their advantage, leaving the smaller firms with little capability to challenge them. Importance of Information Technology to the Industry Technology is a critical aspect of the ICT industry. ICT as an industry will be non-existent without technology. Presently, the world is considered as a global village, where information flows very fast from one region or part to another. The entire globe is interconnected, where networks play a critical role in generating large amounts of data flow that accumulate on a daily basis (van Weert & Tatnall, 2005). Technology has had its immense share in supporting and enabling this to be a reality. Improved computing devices with high performance power, including laptops, desktop computers, and Smartphones all have the ability to browse the Internet at fast speeds and enhance the ICT interconnectivity (van Weert & Tatnall, 2005). As advancements in technology continue to be witnessed, the ICT capacity is also growing. There is an emergence of a new technological trend, Internet of Things (IOT), which has made it virtually possible to connect anything via such methods as Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) (Giusto et al., 2010). The new network is sustained by new technological developments where information sensors are embedded in home appliances, houses, machines, cars, as well as extended to such social infrastructures as transportation and energy systems. Technology is also enabling unprecedented progress where meaningful patterns are found from undertaking an analysis of the diverse and vast data flow from the Internet (Giusto et al., 2010). ICT has been settled upon as the appropriate means of enhancing back office productivity within public organizations. Many organizations are increasing their efficiency. Consequently, they are able to deal with real time information and details that they require for their operations. Technology is playing a critical role in exploiting new business areas, which have made ICT to be a virtual boundary-less area. ICT is expanding in both quality performance and reliability as more technological innovations come into play (van Weert & Tatnall, 2005). By extension, the quality of life is also improving as individuals are able to learn fast, products can be produced more efficiently, firms can avert losses at the opportune time, and the health sector is capable of enhancing its performance. References Anderson, D. (2013). Canada’s ICT industry: a work in progress . Web. Branham top 250 Canadian ICT Companies 2012. (2012). Backbone Magazine . Web. Canada information technology report Q1 2012 . (2012). Research and Markets. Web. Giusto, D., Iera, A., Morabito, G., & Atzori, L. (2010). The Internet of things: 20th Tyrrhenian workshop on digital communications (1 st ed.). New York, NY: Springer. Government of Canada. (2013). Information and communications technologies (ICT). Web. van Weert, T. J., & Tatnall, A. (2005). Information and communication technologies and real-life learning: New education for the knowledge society. New York, NY: Springer.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The essay discusses the importance of ethical behavior in the public relations field and how it can be applied in a real world setting. The case study presented is used to illustrate the concept of ethical behavior in public relations and possible solutions to dealing with ethical dilemmas that may arise.

The essay discusses the importance of ethical behavior in the public relations field and how it can be applied in a real world setting. The case study presented is used to illustrate the concept of ethical behavior in public relations and possible solutions to dealing with ethical dilemmas that may arise.

Solving Ethical Dilemmas in Public Relations Research Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Ethical dilemmas in public relations: case study 3. Possible solutions for case study 4. Conclusion 5. Works Cited Introduction The profession of public relations involves the control and dissemination of information in a corporate setting. It also involves control of information to the public from individuals or a company. The main objective behind this profession is to ensure that the public maintains a certain image of an individual or company’s products, governance, or policies through persuasion (Smith 62). However, during the process of persuasion, it is important for professional communicators in the public relations field to maintain some level of ethics to prevent tarnishing the very image they hope to create through the dissemination of certain information to the public. Ethics are rules that comprise notions on individuals, corporate morality, and best practices, which are usually dependent on societal views (Seitel 88). Although most laws do not govern business ethics directly, they provide for the creation of codes of conduct specific to a company or an individual with which the corporate relationship should comply. Ratification of codes of conduct enables a party to have justifiable cause to seek legal redress in case there is a breach of the code of conduct by the involved parties. Ethical dilemmas in public relations: case study In the case study, the main problem arises from the client’s deceit concerning the independent nature of the scientist testing the products in a bid to ensure a favorable public image of the products to the distributor’s stakeholders. Although the problem is clear, some dilemmas rise in how to deal with the issue appropriately in a bid to obtain the best solution for all parties involved. Patricia J. Parson, in her book, Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice, identifies the issue of morality as one of the reasons such dilemmas occur. In chapter two of the book, Parson analyzes the concept of truth and the role it plays in the decision-making process (15). She explains that in order for a public relations communicator or firm to maintain integrity, the communicator should develop the habit of telling the truth starting from an individual level. Article 1 of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) reinforces this concept by stating, “Professional communicators should uphold the credibility and dignity of their profession by practicing honest, candid and timely communication and by fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with public interest” (IABC Para. 4). Article 12 further states, “Professional communicators are honest not only with others but also, and most importantly, with themselves as individuals; for a professional communicator speaks the truth first to the self” (IABC Para. 6). Although the concept is straight forward, establishing what truth is often leads to a dilemma, as truth is a subjective concept dependent on individuals and circumstances. Truth also changes when factors such as additional information come into play. For instance, in the case study, the PR firm conducted the press conference according to the information that the distributor gave and this aspect formed the truth at the time. However, circumstances changed when the firm received additional information indicating that the alleged independent scientist was actually an employee for the distributor working under its manufacturing section. In addressing the issue, the firm should investigate the matter and establish all the facts before making a determination on the truth. Various possibilities arise including the fact that the alleged scientist may actually be an independent scientist hired by the distributor for a specific period or he may not even be a scientist, but just a mere employee at the company. Another dilemma that Parson identifies is the conflict between personal perceptions of morality and corporate perceptions codified in codes of conduct. The different levels of morality exist amongst different individuals depending on their social background, prevailing circumstances, and their interpretations of the codes of conduct. Utilitarianism is one of the theories that individuals apply in their interpretation of actions that comply with the concept of morality. Parson refers to utilitarianism as the “Robin hood ethic” (44). In essence, the theory suggests that moral behavior constitutes acts that result in the greater happiness for the largest number. John Stuart Mill, the main proponent of the theory, states that individuals should do what results in the greatest happiness and the least pain for people living in a community (Mill 31). For instance, if a person decides to burn his or her own house, the act is moral if it does not harm the rest of the people neighboring the house. It is noteworthy that the theory bases its premise on the outcome of an act instead of the intention. Therefore, application of the theory to the case study involves an evaluation of the outcome rather than the intention of the action available to remedy the situation. According to the theory, the firm should choose a course of action that results in the greatest happiness for everyone involved, including the public, the firm, and the client. For instance, the favorable results on the products might be authentic even though the distributors lied on the independent nature of the scientist. In addition, Code 4 of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) states, “a member shall deal fairly with past and present clients, fellow practitioners and members of other professions (CPRS Para.4). Therefore, it is imperative that the firm seeks redress that is fair to the distributor regardless of its deceit. Parson (67) also mentions the theory of moral relativism and explains the dilemma it creates for individuals who subscribe to the theory in consideration to rules. Article 5 of the IABC holds, “Professional communicators should refrain from taking any undertaking which the communicator considers to be unethical” (IABC Para.4). While rules make it easy for some people to make decisions, they create dilemmas for others, especially in relation to morality. Parson states, “The trouble with rules is their specificity to situations and people’s relative views on which circumstances certain rules should apply” (38). The theory of moral relativism, as proponents such as William Sumner explain, suggests that there is no universal right or wrong as such concepts depend on individual circumstances and factors such as culture (Lukes 32). For instance, some cultures take legalizing prostitution as a moral act, while others view the same as immoral. In the same way, some individuals in the firm may view the distributor’s actions as moral, thus negating the need for any further action. Parson refers to the act of withholding bits of information in order to create a favorable outcome as a ‘spin’ and she adds that the morality and subsequent legality of ‘spinning’ information is relative to individual perceptions (Parson 163). Others may view the situation as immoral, thus leading to a need for remedial action through the application of the codes of conduct. For instance, a person who chooses to view the entire scene from the point of view of the distributor and its need to increase sales through the legal use of a PR firm may view the company’s need to retain information on the independence of the scientist as moral. On the other hand, a person who chooses to focus on the introduction of new information concerning the alleged scientist and its effect on the firm may regard the same situation as immoral. Application of a code of conduct is voluntary. Oliver (56) suggests that individuals should seek objectivity by exploring all available factors and looking at the entire situation as opposed to specific scenes when forming a decision coupled with seeking advice from independent sources with no stake in the matter. Thirdly, determination of codes of conduct that apply to specific situations may result in dilemmas, especially when a PR practitioner subscribes to different codes. Cohen (138) points out that sometimes, ethical dilemmas develop out of technicalities in situations. For instance, if the practitioner subscribes to the IABC rules and a client to the CPRS rules, sometimes provisions in the rules create a conflict that presents difficulties in resolving, especially if the two parties have conflicting views on the ethicality of a situation. For instance, in the case study, if the firm and the client turn out to have conflicting views on the morality of withholding information or the course of action appropriate to the situation, they may need to seek legal assistance to resolve the stalemate. However, the move would require an analysis of the relevant code of conduct. In case both parties happen to use different codes of conduct, it would be necessary to find a way of establishing which one applies, usually by choosing the one that best favors either sides or the application of an international code of conduct neutral to both sides. The same dilemma may also occur if the firm subscribes to more than one code of conduct. Choosing the appropriate code may require the application of the one that is most favorable to the client. Parson (120) suggests an analysis of each case on an individual basis when making decisions as each case thrives on different merits, involves different individuals, and different circumstances. Although cases regarding ethics sometimes bear certain similarities, some details in the cases vary and in the same case, circumstances differ, often requiring a change in approach. For instance, in the case study, the PR firm finds out about the client omitting information, which may have a significant impact on the public’s view of the distributor’s products. Under similar circumstances, had the firm discovered the information before the press conference, it would have taken a different approach. Even with cases bearing identical facts, a PR practitioner should look at the entire situation, including external circumstances such as the political atmosphere. Trevino and Nelson (104) suggest that weighing the costs and benefits of disseminating information to the public assist practitioners in making objective decisions in chaotic situations. For instance, while revealing the truth about the scientist may clear the firm from future blame in case the products exhibit harmful effects on the population, the same information may cause panic to members of the public, especially considering the sensitivity of drug-related issues attracts. It may also cause a rise in fraudulent claims against the distributor, thus ruining the reputation of the company and future business opportunities for the PR firm. Possible solutions for case study The appropriate solution for the case study depends on several elements, including the PR firm’s objectives and priorities. Proper consideration of the outcome of every possible option is dire. One of the firm’s possible solutions is to hold another press conference and correct the era. The firm would need to do it in a sensitive way that does not attack the client, viz. the drug distribution company, for omission of information. The main reason behind this decision is compliance with codes of conduct such as Article 2 of the IABC, which urges professional communicators to, “disseminate accurate information and promptly correct any erroneous communication for which they may be responsible” (IABC Para. 3). Further, Article 6 of the same Act calls for professional communicators to “obey laws and public policies governing their professional activities and, should any law or public policy be violated, [they] should act promptly to correct the situation” (IABC Para. 4). In addition, Code 5 of the CPRS states, “members shall be prepared to disclose the names of their employers or clients, on whose behalf public communication is made. Members shall not associate themselves with anyone claiming to represent one interest or professing to be independent or unbiased, but who actually serves another or an undisclosed interest” (CPRS Para.5). In the case study, the distributor presented the scientist to the public, through the press conference, as an independent scientist with full knowledge that he was not what he claimed. It is the firm’s duty to present the truth to the public as a matter of public interest in order to ensure that the public makes an informed decision. Presenting the truth to the public would also exonerate the PR firm from blame and a possible ruin of its reputation in the instance that the drugs present harmful effects on uses in the future. The second possible solution involves the use of another form of media announcement other than a press conference by the firm. The benefit of this move is that it allows the firm to present the truth in an appropriate manner that does not result in an attack on its efficiency in carrying out its responsibility. Some of the questions that may arise in a press conference situation involve matters of due diligence, which require the firm to investigate the truth of information before sharing the same with the public. Preparing a well-thought announcement would allow the firm to explain its viewpoint without distortion of information famous with press conferences. Thirdly, the firm may choose to settle the matter with the client and request its management to make the announcement to the public as a damage control measure that allows the client to defend its credibility. Although presenting the information may result in an attack on some of the drug company’s policies, it also gives the company the opportunity to explain its position to the public. In addition, this option exonerates the PR Company from blame and situations that cause dilemmas in deciding which information is appropriate for the public to know. Lastly, the firm may choose to institute legal proceedings against the client for misrepresentation. However, this decision should be the last resort as court cases sometimes drag on for years, thus costing the client and the firm valuable time and money. It may also cause negative or dark PR for the firm. Conclusion Choosing a decision depends on various elements and sometimes it results in dilemmas that make decision-making strenuous. However, it is advisable for PR practitioners to look at situations in their entirety when forming decisions and make decisions that appear most favorable for all parties without compromising the practitioner’s credibility, dignity, and goals for the firm. Works Cited Cohen, Martin. 101 Ethical Dilemmas, New York: Routledge, 2007. Print. CPRS: Code of Ethics 2013. Web. IABC: IABC Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators 2013. Web. Lukes, Steven. Moral Relativism (Big Ideas/ Small Books), London: Picador Publisher, 2008. Print. Mill, John. Utilitarianism, New York: Dover Publications Inc. , 2007. Print. Oliver, Sandra. Public Relations Strategy, London: Kogan Page, 2009. Print. Parson, Patricia. Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice, London: Kogan Page, 2004. Print. Seitel, Fraser. The Practice of Public Relations, Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Smith, Ronald. Strategic Planning for Public Relations, New York, Routledge, 2009. Print. Trevino, Linda, and Katherine Nelson. Managing Business Ethics: Straight talk on how to do it right, Hoboken: Wiley, 2011. Print.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The issue of crime is one of the most contentious issues in the society that permeates every aspect of human identity such as age, gender, race or tribe. As a big problem in the society, the concept of its solution calls for adoption of cost effective strategies.The question for research in this scenario should be hinged on establishing cost effective methods of solving the proliferation of violent street gangs in the county. When solving criminal behavior in the society, it is cardinal to identify the immediate causes of crime that can easily lead to criminal behavior. However, this may depend on other factors such as age, race, and ethnic affiliation.

The issue of crime is one of the most contentious issues in the society that permeates every aspect of human identity such as age, gender, race or tribe. As a big problem in the society, the concept of its solution calls for adoption of cost effective strategies. The question for research in this scenario should be hinged on establishing cost effective methods of solving the proliferation of violent street gangs in the county. When solving criminal behavior in the society, it is cardinal to identify the immediate causes of crime that can easily lead to criminal behavior. However, this may depend on other factors such as age, race, and ethnic affiliation.

Solving the issue of crime Problem Solution Essay The subject of crime is one of the most contentious issues in the society that permeates every aspect of human identity such as age, gender, race or tribe (Anderson, 2009). As a big problem in the society, the concept of its solution calls for adoption of cost effective strategies (Anderson & Taylor, 2010). Therefore, the question for research in this scenario should be hinged on establishing cost effective approaches to the issue. As the director of the county juvenile court, the research question related to the problem at hand should state as follows: What are cost effective methods of solving the proliferation of violent street gangs in the county? Causes of the Problem The above research question will therefore provide the guideline in solving the issue of crime. Before designing the methods of ending the problem, it is cognizant to identify the route courses of violent gangs. The most common causes of violent gangs are lack of employment opportunities for the youths, peer pressure, lack of access to basic human needs such as shelter, idleness among the youths, poor moral standards due to lack of parental guidance, and drug use among the youths (World Youth Report, 2003). Based on the aforementioned causes, the issue of research in this case is to establish cost effective methods that will significantly reduce the causes of violent gangs in the society. When solving criminal behavior in the society, it is cardinal to identify the immediate causes of crime that can easily lead to criminal behavior (Anderson & Taylor, 2010). However, this may depend on other factors such as age, race, and ethnic affiliation. For instance, with regards to age, youths are likely to be involved in delinquent criminal behavior depending on the social factors such as peer pressure and parenting style. However, with regards to tribe, race or ethnic affiliation, youths may be involved in crime due to lack of access to basic commodities such as shelter, employment or education. This condition has been observed among the African American youths. When particular groups of people in the society lack access to basic human needs, the rate of crime is likely to increase (Anderson, 2009). Cost Effective Methods The solutions adopted to end crime in the society must embrace the issue of diversity. They should take into account all the causes of crime regardless of age or any other form of identity (World Youth Report, 2003). The issue of cost should be applied in evaluating every strategy that is aimed reducing the problem. For instance, to reduce the issue of unemployment, the cost effective approach is to encourage the youths to participate in community based programs and provide vocational training. The long term solution to unemployment is to encourage the youth to pursue public education and also reducing the cost of public education. The other cost effective approach to end the problem is to provide guidance to the parents and their children through community based guidance initiatives. Such programs should be aimed at reducing the influence of peer pressure and drug use among the youths. The other solution towards the problem is to collaborate with the municipal authority to provide affordable housing units for the homeless. These solutions will answer the research question and hence solve the problem at hand (Anderson & Taylor, 2010). References Anderson, E. (2009). Code of the Street: Decency, violence, and the moral life of the inner city . New York: Norton and Company. Anderson, M., & Taylor, H. (2010). Sociology: The Essentials . New York: Cengage Learning. World Youth Report (2003). Juvenile delinquency . Web.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: Despite its title, Born and Livin' with the Blues does not harp on the economic, racial or financial issues of the city, but, in fact, allows seeing the U.S. with the eyes of a person, who used to live in a happier place and, thus, makes one feel the loss of this place all the stronger.

Despite its title, Born and Livin' with the Blues does not harp on the economic, racial or financial issues of the city, but, in fact, allows seeing the U.S. with the eyes of a person, who used to live in a happier place and, thus, makes one feel the loss of this place all the stronger.

Sonny Terry and His Harmonica: Teaching People to Laugh Again Essay People rarely expect this kind of an instrument and this kind of a performer on stage, and the U.S., caught in the grip of the Great Depression, amidst the I and the II World Wars, could hardly believe that a plain Georgian man with a plain harmonica would win over the hearts of his audience in a millisecond. Sonny Terry, however, did not expect anything, either; he just did what he could do best – he simply told his Southern blues stories to the accompaniment of his harmonica. Surprisingly enough, his songs were exactly what America of the post-WWI depression needed. Although traditional commonplace phrases also occurred in Terry’s songs, most of his repertoire consisted of his observations of the United States at the verge of a major change, which made these songs documentaries of the U.S. of the 1930ies. I’m a Stranger Here might seem a weird choice for a song that will make the audience feel happier about their lives. Indeed, the song tapped into the pace that was set by Guthrie, Moses Asch, and many other musicians of the decade. However, even with a song title that sounded no merrier than knell, Terry still managed to jazz the tune up a bit by introducing an upbeat rhythm and an optimistic “Woo-yes!” (Terry and McGhee). More to the point, the song represents the needs and wishes of the people of the epoch, therefore, serving as a documentary of people’s emotions: “I’m gonna write home to daddy, / send me my railroad fare” (Terry and McGhee). It is truly amazing how both economical (“railroad fare” (Terry and McGhee) and social (“write home to daddy” (Terry and McGhee) aspects of a documentary are intertwined in a single line. Despite its title, Mean Ole Frisco does not harp on the economical, racial or financial issues of the city, but, in fact, allows seeing the U.S. with the eyes of a person, who used to live in a happier place and, thus, makes one feel the loss of this place all the stronger. Although technically, the song does not render any obvious economical or social issue, when taking a closer look at the lyrics, one will be able to see what lies beneath the surface and read an idiom of men and women losing their homes, hopes and each other as they roam to larger cities in search for a job to earn some pennies into the image of a girl luring the leading character into San Francisco. Thus, the girl in the song appears to be a metaphor, which stands for a more promising fate, which the residents of the U.S. were so mercilessly ripped off. The “ole dirty” (Terry and McGhee) San Francisco does not have much to offer, either, which tells the audience that for most Okies, the search for the “Promised Land” did not end well. However, Terry still manages to add more vivacity into the gloomy context of a seemingly silly song. One of the songs that Sonny Terry is known best for, Born and Livin’ with the Blues might not sound as happy as one would expect it to, given some of his early and more upbeat performances; however, it still hit the chord with the post-WWI American audience, who wanted to hear about the family values, the strength of a community, faith in God, and the rest of the unshakeable elements of the life that they strived for. On the one hand, the song appeals for the numerous Okies, who abandoned or, more probably, lost their property due to the economical disaster: “I’d use my guitar for my pillow” (Terry and McGhee). On the other hand, it shows people the glimpse of hope that they wish they could see: “From my childhood, where I am now, / I ain’t gonna worry, I’ll get by somehow” (Terry and McGhee). While seemingly describing his childhood, starting, properly enough, from the time when he was a kid, to the point when he grows up into a disappointed adult: “Just look at what a hole I’m in” (Terry and McGhee), Sonny obviously refers to the situation that the entire South, predominantly “Okies,” was trapped in. Classified as a mix of a social documentary and a traditional one, the song provides an account of both the historical events (though in a metaphoric way) and the emotions of the people who suddenly lost everything. With Sonny Terry on stage, the darkest times of the American history did not seem as gloomy as they were. While other musicians of the era explained though their songs that it was all right to cry, Sonny Terry showed that it was fine to laugh – and the audience smiled as soon as the first chords of his songs started ringing. While remaining a striking contrast to what most artists of the epoch preferred to perform on stage, Terry’s songs gave people lust for life, which was truly a breeze of fresh air for the United States of the 30ies, when every single citizen was caught in the Dust Bowl, with no ray of sunshine getting through. Works Cited Terry, Sonny and Brownie McGhee. “ Born and Livin’ with the Blues .” YouTube . 1 Mar. 2009. Web. Terry, Sonny and Brownie McGhee. “ Mean Ole Frisco .” YouTube . 2 Jun. 2010. Web. Terry, Sonny and Brownie McGhee. “I’m a Stranger Here.” YouTube . 28 Jun. 2010. Web.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: The essay explores the major concerns for a South African FDI planning to invest in Venezuela. Despite the exciting potential investment in Venezuela, some of the concerns evident include varying financial systems, potential agency problems, and political risks.

The essay explores the major concerns for a South African FDI planning to invest in Venezuela. Despite the exciting potential investment in Venezuela, some of the concerns evident include varying financial systems, potential agency problems, and political risks.

South Africa vs Venezuela Essay The essay explores the major concerns for a South African FDI planning to invest in Venezuela. Despite the exciting potential investment in Venezuela, some of the concerns evident include varying financial systems, potential agency problems, and political risks. The essay will first compare South Africa’s and Venezuela’s corruption percentage index followed by an overall political risk of both countries. In both the developed and the developing world, the most credible and appropriate tool used to measure the level of corruption in the public sector is the corruption perception index (CPI) (Aguilera 2009). This tool is used to determine the corruption percentage index of an economy. In regards to the current CPI statistics, South Africa has a CPI of 4.9 while that of Venezuela is 1.9. The diagram below compares the corruption index of both countries as provided by Transparency International (2011). Figure 1: CPI comparison for South Africa and Venezuela From the figure above, Venezuela is more corrupt country compared to South Africa. The current findings show a slight decrease in the ranking of CPI. For example, in 2007-08, South Africa had a CPI of 5.1 while Venezuela’s CPI was 2.0 (Radwan & Pellegrini 2010). The major differences in CPI of the two countries could be caused by poor corporate governance, poor laws, and legal frameworks. This is supported by Aguilera (2009) who observes that most of the underlying legal systems in Latin America (inclusive of Venezuela) have issues related to corporate governance. The issues in these countries have resulted in high corruption levels which may hinder foreign direct investors. In their study, Leuz, Lins and Warnock (2008) established that countries with poor corporate governance have poor disclosure, ownership structures, and outsider protection laws, which hinder foreigners from investing. Political risks have negative effects on foreign direct investors. They also discourage FDI from investing in developed and developing economies. Compared to South Africa, Venezuela is ranked highly in terms of political risk. From a political perspective, Venezuela has more political risks which may discourage foreign direct investors. The most common political risks experienced in both developed and developing economies are expropriation/ nationalization of foreign assets, policy instability, and political violence. For example, nationalization of the privately owned oil reserve by President Hugo Chávez in 2007 resulted in tensions with major FDI investors such as Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp, ConocoPhillips, and BP PLC (Baek & Qian 2011). With regard to South Africa, the political unrest as a result of continuous strikes and stoppages by trade unions in the mining sector deterred willing FDIs from investing. Expropriation could be minimized through legal protection of the investor, which in return could promote effective corporate governance. However, Porta, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, Shleifer, and Vishny (2000) warn that expropriation technology becomes less efficient when legal protection is provided to outside investors. For example, it becomes much easier to undertake insider trading, which makes the company more vulnerable to outside investors. Legal protection could also be used to ensure that external investors are protected from biased tax laws and shareholders regulations (Porta, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, Shleifer, & Vishny 1998). Issues related to political volatility could be prevented through policies which promote democracy, transparency, and governance. On the other hand, policies could be used to reduce expropriation risk coupled by strong property rights, so as to attract more FDIs. We conclude that South Africa has a low level of corruption compared to Venezuela. This has been promoted by underlying legal issues, which have resulted in poor corporate governance, transparency, and ethics. Compared to South Africa, Venezuela is highly ranked in terms of political risk level. The common political risks are expropriation/ nationalization of foreign assets, policy instability, and political violence. Reference List Aguilera, R V 2009, A Comparative Analysis of Corporate Governance Systems in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, In Robert McGee, Ed. Corporate Governance in Developing Countries, Springer, New York. Baek, K & Qian, X 2011, An analysis on political risks and the flow of foreign direct investment in developing and industrialized economies , Buffalo State College, SUNY. Leuz, C, Lins, K V & Warnock, F E 2008,’ Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?’, The Review of Financial Studies, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 3244-3285. Porta, R, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, F, Shleifer, A & Vishny, R W 1998,’ Law and Finance’, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 106, no. 6, pp. 1113-1155. Porta, R, Lopez‐de‐Silanes, F, Shleifer, A, Vishny, R W 2000, Investor protection and corporate governance, Journal of Financial Economics , vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 327. Radwan, I, Pellegrini, G & World Bank, 2010, Knowledge, productivity, and innovation in Nigeria: Creating a new economy, World Bank, Washington, DC. Transparency International 2011. Corruption perception index (CPI) . Web.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: Spanking has been a method of disciplining children in China for quite some time because it is believed that it is the best approach to educate a child. However, it involves intentionally inducing temporary pain to the buttocks of a child using the hand. Spanking has been globally identified as child abuse and its administration to children should be stopped.

Spanking has been a method of disciplining children in China for quite some time because it is believed that it is the best approach to educate a child. However, it involves intentionally inducing temporary pain to the buttocks of a child using the hand. Spanking has been globally identified as child abuse and its administration to children should be stopped.

Spanking Should Not Be Allowed Reflective Essay Spanking has been a method of disciplining children in China for quite some time because it is believed that it is the best approach to educate a child. It involves intentionally inducing temporary pain to the buttocks of a child using the hand (Ferguson 196). There are other forms of spanking where parents use other objects to inflict the pain. At this point, it is referred to as corporal punishment that has globally been identified as child abuse. In most countries, child abuse is considered violent because it involves physical punishment that results to pain. As such, both spanking and violence are forms of child abuse because they are administered with the sole aim of inflicting pain to the child (Straus 7). The major difference between spanking and violence is that spanking does not lead to physical injuries as in case of aggression. Therefore, the act of spanking children is a method of teaching children to become aggressive and should not be allowed (Straus 7). This paper will discuss the reasons why spanking should not be allowed. Young children learn how to handle conflicts in life through the association with their parents. Research has shown that parents who spank their children affect their conflict resolution behavior because such children become hostile (Taylor 57). For example, I grew up in a family where my mother based her discipline method on spanking. This was normal until I became used to it as a way of life. Every day I would expect to be hit because I liked playing with the neighbors’ children something my mother had forbidden me from doing. On several occasions I would also do the same to my younger sister when we had been left alone. As if this was not enough, every day I had a fighting case at school because I would strike anybody who appeared junior than me whenever they wronged me. Ever since, I have solved my issues through cruelty. This proves that children brought up in families that practice spanking became vicious in the future. Therefore, spanking should not be allowed in children. Most parents take spanking as a right because the same was administered to them when they were young. Supporters of the act claim that it enables a child to grow and learn to behave in a proper manner. This is not the case because it does not allow a child to understand why he or she is spanked in the first place (Straus 10). My experience when I was a young boy supports the fact that this act does not facilitate learning, but it instills a sense of fear. One day I wanted to touch a stove while my mother was preparing tea in the morning. I had seen her touch the stove several times and I wanted to feel it too. My mother slapped me immediately as I attempted to do it. Since that day I have never wished to touch the hot stove although I wondered why I was not allowed. As I grew up I learned that the stove was hot and it would have burnt my hand something my mother never told me. Therefore, spanking does not support learning, but it is just an approach to instill fear in children. The major role of parents is to provide protection and nurture their children to become good and responsible individuals in the future. Children take their parents as their role models because they value their parents so much. This routine by parents leads to a situation where a child lowers their self-esteem (Ferguson 196). Most parents do not highlight the reason why they occasionally hit their children. This makes the child wonder why he or she should be taken through this by a person who is supposed to give him or her protection. As a result children develop fear against their parents, which in turn lowers their self esteem. Additionally, the value of the parent to his child is considerably reduced because such acts affect the psychological well-being of a child (Taylor 57). In addition, it does not change or improve the behavior of the child. Children do not understand why they are slapped and parents are not bothered to tell their children the truth. Although spanking may be used as a caution, when a child does not understand the mistake there will not be a change in behavior. There are various alternatives to spanking that parents can use. When spanking is spontaneous, the parent should explain the reason for that act to the child immediately. This should be followed by apologies that he or she lost control. The child will understand the mistake and adjust accordingly. Children should also be allowed to learn from experiences because it helps to develop their decision making skills in the future. In conclusion, spanking does not improve the behavior of a child or develop learning. As such, it should not be allowed. Works Cited Ferguson, Chris (2013). “Spanking, corporal punishment and negative long-term outcomes: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies.” Clinical Psychology Review 33.1(2010): 196–208. Print. Straus, Murray. The primordial violeizce: Corporal punishment by parents, cognitizie dezi~dopmenta, nd crime . Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 2004. Print. Taylor, Catherine. “Mothers’ spanking of 3-year-old children and subsequent risk of children’s aggressive behavior.” Pediatrics 125.5(2010): 57–65. Print.

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Write the original essay that generated the following summary: Spatial planning in China ThesisSpatial planning in China has been considered as one of the most challenging roles with the current developments of urban centers across the world. As the cities grow, it is important to note that they are always overstretched if their capacity to handle the increased population is not enhanced. Sustainability of the cities is a factor that should be given priority when planning for these cities.There is need to understand how the industrial area, residential area, the

Spatial planning in China Thesis Spatial planning in China has been considered as one of the most challenging roles with the current developments of urban centers across the world. As the cities grow, it is important to note that they are always overstretched if their capacity to handle the increased population is not enhanced. Sustainability of the cities is a factor that should be given priority when planning for these cities. There is need to understand how the industrial area, residential area, the

Spatial Planning in China Thesis Introduction Planning of the cities is one of the roles that have been considered as very challenging with the current developments of urban centers across the world. As the cities grow, it is important to note that they are always overstretched if their capacity to handle the increased population is not enhanced. Sustainability of the cities is a factor that should be given priority when planning for these cities. There is need to understand how the industrial area, residential area, the trading centers, recreational centers, schools, and other facilities should be located within a given city (Grijzen 2010, p. 82). The role of architectures is therefore, pivotal in spatial planning. They will help in designing the city in a way that will not only allow for the expansion, but also ensure that the city is self-sustaining. Spatial planning involves land use and how it should be managed to yield maximum output, yet remain sustainable for the future generation. Land has been defined as an asset that is scarce and very delicate, and therefore should always be used with a lot of care to ensure that it is protected. Spatial planning helps to understand how a government can plan for its cities in a way that would ensure that they are sustainable (Ren 2013, p. 23). Development of cities can only be considered sustainable if nature is protected, and all the stakeholders are accommodated. This paper focuses on spatial planning in China, especially in Beijing City, in comparison with spatial planning in Scotland. Comparing and Contrasting Elements of China’s Planning Policy and Practice with that of Scotland China has been considered as one of the fastest developing economies in the world. Currently ranked as the second largest economy in the world, China has had a massive development of cities especially due to increasing number of urban dwellers (United Nations 2001, p. 8). However, some of these cities have experienced massive challenges that are directly related to pollution of air, land, and water sources in this country. In most of the cities such as Beijing, people are at times forced to stay indoors because of the dangers posed by polluted air. This is a clear indication that this city is soon becoming unsustainable if this trend is not changed. The case is very different in Scotland. In Edinburgh, the government has come up with policies that help in ensuring that the city is sustainable (Lu & Robinson 2008, p. 62). The following elements of planning policy and practice between these two countries show the existing similarities and differences. National Planning Framework According to Brink (2007, p. 90), the Chinese government has passed a number of policies that would help in spatial planning for its cities. In China, the system of spatial policy is categorized into three broad areas. They include socio-economic development plans, the national spatial plans that define plans for land use, and urban-rural plans (Hillier 2007, p. 88). These three areas are managed at four administrative levels. The highest level is the national level that is monitored by the national government. Other levels include provincial levels, county level and township levels. Each of the administrative levels has a role to play in ensuring that the three components of spatial system policy are implemented as defined by the law. The national planning framework in this country defines the role of the national government in spatial planning, and the roles that are left to other administrative levels. This spatial planning structure is similar to that of Scotland as was defined in the Planning Act of 2006 in section (e). The National Planning Framework, which was published on 25 June 2009, further clarifies how Scottish ministers are expected to coordinate in a way that would help in ensuring sustainability. It is important to note that in both countries, the planning policy defines the following factors that should be observed when the relevant authorities are involved in spatial planning. Socio-economic development: the policies state what should be done to ensure that the country’s socio-economic development is protected. To this extant, the policies of the two countries define the housing system that should be adopted in urban centers and rural set-ups, the retailing centers, transport systems, the coastal planning, natural heritage, the open space, the green belts, flooding management and drainage system, waste management, onshore gas and oil operations, and the communication infrastructure. These basic planning policies are shared in spatial planning in both countries. The main difference between the elements of Chinese planning policy and practice, and that of Scotland comes in two ways. The first one is that in Scotland, most of these planning policies and practice have been entrenched in the laws of the land through Acts of Parliament, while in China they are mostly based on ministerial decrees. This has made the Chinese planning policies easier to skip. It explains why some of its cities such as Beijing are chaotic as far as the rate of pollution is concerned. Designing Places According to Altrock (2006, p. 98), spatial planning has been used generally to refer to planning on land use in a way that would not only ensure that it is useful today, but also sustainable for the future generation. In the two cities, it is clear that efforts have been made to ensure that land in both urban and rural centers are planned for in a way that would yield maximum output while still remaining sustainable to the current and future generation. In China, the government has made a lot of effort in designing places by setting out policies for the structure of its cities. Larsson (2006, p. 98) says that China’s spatial planning policies have been more concentrated in the urban centers. The government has involved technocrats, especially the architects in designing streets, recreational centers, residential hub, the industrial hub, and other sub-elements to make the cities self-sustaining. This is the same policy practiced in Scotland. For instance, within the residential hub are sub-elements such as schools, religious centers, medical facilities, recreational facilities, and other facilities that may be needed by the city dwellers for their normal livelihood (Campanella 2008, p. 43). Inasmuch as the two countries share a lot in these policies, some difference can be witnessed on various policies. For instance, China does not have a clear plan of its rural setting. Those who are responsible for developing and implementing these policies in these areas have not taken interest in planning for China’s rural set-ups. In the Scottish cities, it is almost impossible to find schools near the industrial area, something that can be witnessed in some of the Chinese cities (Yumin & LeGates 2013, p. 78). Scottish rural setting is also well planned, with statements clearly defining how schools, homes, religious buildings, and recreational centers should be built. Recommendations China needs a lot of improvement in order to make its cities and even the rural settings sustainable. The national government should review its waste management policy, and the level of emission of greenhouse gases. It may even need to develop policies that would regulate usage of private cars because they massively contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. The national government should not ignore its rural set-ups in its spatial planning process. On the same note, the government of Scotland should come up with new policies that would help in regulating the usage of personal cars. The government may even consider encouraging cycle-to-work policy. This will not only reduce pollution, but also improve health and physical fitness of its members of society. This will be in line with the element of spatial planning which focuses on socio-economic well-being of members of the society. Review of how Carbon Management is affected by the National, Strategic, and Local Planning Policies Carbon management is one of the central issues in spatial planning. According to Alterman (2001, p. 75), carbon management is very important in in ensuring that the environment is protected from damages caused by the associated pollutants. China is one of the leading countries in the world in emission of carbon. Although the entire world shares the negative consequences brought by this pollution, China bears maximum consequences. There are policies that are developed at national or local levels that have direct influence on carbon management in this country. According to Janssen and Veen (2008, p. 49), spatial plans in China is mainly done at national and regional levels. The national spatial plans, which involve the land use plans, are always done under the Lands and Resources Ministry. These plans specify issues of safe development of the ecosystem, effective national land resource distribution both in the cities and at the rural set-ups, preservation of natural resources including land, and safe use of energy resources. It is important to note that at national levels, the policies have clearly stated how the environment should be protected from a possible destruction caused by human activities. This has helped a lot in carbon management. One of the national policies that have been keenly observed in this country is the Green Wall of China, which was developed in 2001 (Palermo & Ponzini 2010, p. 41). This policy seeks to create a green belt of about 2800 miles to increase vegetation and fight desertification. This policy has helped a lot in fighting carbon presence in the air. Morphet (2010, p. 24) observes that China’s current forest cover stands at 20%, making it one of the countries that have the highest percentage of forest cover. The government invested about $ 8 billion into this project. This is a clear indication that these national policies can positively influence environment safety policies if they are well tuned towards environmental conservation. Faludi (2002, p. 56) says that the high rate of carbon content in Chinese atmosphere is caused by lack of goodwill from the government to protect the environment. This scholar says that there is need to balance development and environmental protection. According to Gunder and Hillier (2009, p. 25), most of the Chinese spatial plans at the national level have failed to focus on carbon reduction in the atmosphere. These policies give priority to industrial development at the cost of a pollution-free atmosphere. The outline of China’s National Spatial Plan 2011-20130 is elaborate on how the government plans for its strategic growth and land use in the major cities in this country, but very limited in the effort to be made in managing carbon. This deliberate omission of clear strategies of fighting carbon in the air makes it easy for the industrial sector to continue with their emission of greenhouse gases into the air. Areas under the greatest threat are the major cities such as Beijing. The State Council approved the recent National Spatial Plan despite the red flag raised by environmental agencies of their failure to give enough focus on carbon management within the borders of the country (Wilson & Piper 2010, p. 112). At the regional level, there are cases that have clearly demonstrated that policies of the local authorities can positively influence carbon management. During the Summer Olympics of 2008 that was held in Beijing, the government issued a decree that limited the number of private cars on the road within this city and other neighboring regions months before the onset of the games. The government also ordered that large industrial firms could only operate for 12 hours during the day when trees were capable of trapping the carbon (Yumin & LeGates 2013, p. 71). A survey confirmed that this policy reduced the amount of carbon in the air within this city by a wide margin. It was very unfortunate that this policy was abolished soon after the end of the games. The city came under massive pollution once again (Gill 2009, p. 78). This points out to the fact that national, strategic, and local planning policies have direct influence on carbon management campaigns. Environmental sensitive policies are the only solution that can help in the fight against environmental degradation. Recommendations on appropriate carbon management policies It is important to win the fight against carbon emission in order to ensure that the environment is protected (Fingerhuth 2004, p. 50). The current environmental hazard experienced in the City of Beijing is a clear demonstration that efforts should be made to protect the environment. The following recommendations should be considered. * The government and other environmental agencies should create awareness among the stakeholders of the importance to reduce carbon emissions in the country. This awareness should also target the public because their activities play part in increasing carbon emissions. Awareness creation among the public should make use of both the mass and social media. When targeting other organizations such as large industrial firms, it is important for the policy makers to make direct contact with them because they will find it easy to ignore mass communication. * The government should encourage balanced development and environmental sustainability. The current developmental projects should not be done at the cost of future environmental sustainability. The government should make direct effort to reach industrial sector by developing policies that regulate industrial emissions. * The government, and other stakeholders involved in this program, should reach out to the public with policies on how to protect the environment, and increase vegetation cover. Trees and other vegetation will help in managing carbon level in the air. * Carbon management should not be considered as an exclusive duty of the government or environmental agencies. All stakeholders should come out in their own ways to manage levels of carbon emissions. Institutions such as schools and colleges should be involved in tree planting activities as part of the effort to fight excessive presence of carbon in the air. * In its spatial policies, the government should define some punitive measures against individuals or entities that contravene environmental-friendly laws. Improving the interface between the two areas of practice According to Bowman (2009, p. 67), development is an unavoidable factor within any given setting. This means that China may not stop its development strategies. However, unsustainable development is perilous because it reaches a moment where consequences outweigh benefits. This means that there must be a sustainable development. This can only be achieved when there is a balance between development and environmental sustainability (Yumin & LeGates 2013, p. 57). Policy planners must ensure that laws are developed that would protect the environment while still encouraging development. Spatial planning should be given enough relevance in the government. All the three elements should be given emphasis in order to ensure that success is achieved in all fronts. Conclusion Spatial planning has gained a lot of relevance in the near past. There has been a concern that development was coming at a cost to the environment. Land has also been under a lot of pressure as the world’s population continues to increase. China realized that the only way through which it could manage its land resource, and protect its environment from pollution is through spatial planning. References Alterman, R 2001, National-level planning in democratic countries: An international comparison of city and regional policy-making , Liverpool University Press, Liverpool. Altrock, U 2006, Spatial planning and urban development in the new EU member states: From adjustment to reinvention , Ashgate, New York. Bowman, E 2009, Greens Scottish Planning Factbook , Greens Professional Publishing, Edinburgh. Brink, A 2007, Imaging the future: Geo-visualisation for participatory spatial planning in Europe , Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. Campanella, T 2008, The concrete dragon: China’s urban revolution and what it means for the world, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. Faludi, A 2002, European spatial planning , Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge. Fingerhuth, C 2004, Learning from China , Springer, New York. Gill, B 2009, Scottish Planning Encyclopaedia , Sweet and Maxwell, Edinburgh. Grijzen, J 2010, Outsourcing planning: What do consultants do in a regional spatial planning in the Netherlands , Vossiuspers UvA, Amsterdam. Gunder, M & Hillier, J 2009, Planning in ten words or less: A Lacanian entanglement with spatial planning , Ashgate, Farnham. Hillier, J 2007, Stretching beyond the horizon: A multiplanar theory of spatial planning and governance , Ashgate, Burlington. Janssen, L & Veen, M 2008, New instruments in spatial planning: An international perspective on non-financial compensation , IOS Press, Amsterdam. Larsson, G 2006, Spatial planning systems in western Europe: An overview , IOS Press, Amsterdam. Lu, X & Robinson, H 2008, China, China–: Western architects and city planners in China , Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern. Morphet, J 2010, Effective Practice in Spatial Planning, Wiley, New Jersey. Palermo, P & Ponzini, D 2010, Spatial planning and urban development: Critical perspectives , Springer, Dordrecht. Ren, X 2013, Urban China, Polity Press, Cambridge. United Nations, 2001, Integrating geology in urban planning: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam, United Nations, New York. Wilson, E & Piper, J 2010, Spatial Planning and Climate Change , Cengage, New York. Yumin, Y & LeGates, R 2013, Coordinating urban and rural development in China: Learning from Chengdu , Cengage, New York.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: For many years, Starbucks spent its time brewing black coffee to its consumers. The company promoted dark roasted coffee with rich and highly caffeinated taste than other coffee varieties found in retail stores, which consumers had become accustomed. When Starbucks introduced the Blonde Roast coffee, it was targeting a segment of coffee consumers who did not prefer dark roasted coffee.

For many years, Starbucks spent its time brewing black coffee to its consumers. The company promoted dark roasted coffee with rich and highly caffeinated taste than other coffee varieties found in retail stores, which consumers had become accustomed. When Starbucks introduced the Blonde Roast coffee, it was targeting a segment of coffee consumers who did not prefer dark roasted coffee.

Starbucks Management and Pricing Essay Table of Contents 1. Blonde Roasted Light Coffee 2. A Price Premium Coffee Shop 3. Starbucks’ growth strategy in India 4. Happy employees at Starbucks actually lead to greater sales 5. Works Cited Blonde Roasted Light Coffee For many years, Starbucks spent its time brewing black coffee to its consumers. The company promoted dark roasted coffee with rich and highly caffeinated taste than other coffee varieties found in retail stores, which consumers had become accustomed. The company has been promoting black coffee for many years, but a significant number of “coffee consumers (nearly 40 percent) insisted that they preferred lightly roasted coffee” (Satran 1). Starbucks noted that most of these coffee consumers were coffee connoisseurs who had experiences with coffee for many years. This implies that this segment of coffee consumers consisted of opinion leaders, who could possibly influence other coffee consumers. They also held the view that dark roasted coffee lost its flavor during roasting (Satran 1). The company hoped that by introducing its Blonde Roast, it would gain a significant market share with a potential of over one billion USD in revenues (Satran 1). When Starbucks introduced the Blonde Roast coffee, it was targeting a segment of coffee consumers who did not prefer dark roasted coffee. Berfield noted that Starbucks executives believed that there were “more than 40 percent of coffee drinkers in the US, or some 54 million potential customers, who preferred a mild roast coffee” (Berfield 1). The company believed that this segment of coffee consumers did not prefer the original black roasted coffee of Starbucks. Obviously, this was a strategy to fight for the market share and increase competition for customers, who took their light roasted coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s. Starbucks has promoted its new Blonde Roast coffee through various ways. First, the company encouraged coffee consumers to taste its Blonde Roast coffee by “offering free samples in several venues for a limited time” (Satran 1). This free offer consisted of the new Vanilla Blonde Roast coffee too. Second, Starbucks used social media, Facebook to promote its new brand. It offered, a free “tall cups of Blonde and Vanilla Blonde coffee via a new Facebook app for the purchase of eGifts” (Satran 1). Customers had to sign up for the app and get an electronic coupon, which they would then redeem for a free cup of the new Blonde Coffee. Finally, the company opened strategic pop-up stores in “Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and Dallas that offered free cups of Blonde and Vanilla Blonde coffee, together with coupons for a dollar of packaged beans of the two varieties” (Satran 1). A Price Premium Coffee Shop Starbucks continues to dominate the retail coffee business with relatively premium prices yet its coffee products are almost like other coffee products from competitors. The company is a high-priced coffee retail outlet because it offers value, quality, and authority in the retail coffee market. Over the years, Starbucks has managed to differentiate itself from other coffee shops. Customers can easily note the differences in terms of coffee shop design, music, coffee machine, and Wi-Fi among others. The company uses latest technologies to promote its products and maintain premium prices (O’Farrell 1). The company started with black roasted coffee and positioned itself as the leader and authority in coffee retailing. This strategy has allowed Starbucks to charge its coffee at premium prices relative to competitors. On this note, when the company introduces a new coffee product at relatively higher prices, coffee consumers are willing to pay premium prices because they relate Starbucks coffee with quality and as the best coffee brand in the market. Starbucks believes in high value at slightly high prices. This makes consumers to believe that they receive quality products at Starbucks than at other coffee shops. The company maintains quality processes throughout its supply chain. Moreover, customer service has touted Starbucks as the best coffee shop. These realizations make Starbucks to maintain high prices. Finally, Starbucks uses a pricing strategy based on relative value. The company provides premium coffee products, as well as low-end coffee products. Although many customers would prefer low priced coffee products, the company believes that highly priced coffee products have distinct advantages in terms of quality relative to other products in the market. Starbucks’ growth strategy in India Coffee consumption in India has surged significantly. India is a part of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) with high growth potential for Starbucks (Loeb 1). This is a long-term growth strategy of Starbucks in emerging economies where it hopes to take the advantage of the huge growing middle class (Allison 1). However, Starbucks’ entry into India had its challenges. First, the company took into account the local taste of Indian coffee consumers. Starbucks had to localize its coffee to account for local tastes, which no Western brand has been able to escape” (Parameswran 1). For instance, when McDonald’s and Taco Bell entered India, they had to adapt some of their menus to account for the local market. In fact, they also adjusted prices downwards considerably. In addition, many coffee outlets in India also offer food items alongside coffee in order to draw traffic. On this note, the company has customized its coffee products, practices, and adjusted its prices to meet prevailing Indian market conditions and introduce some tea products (Allison 1). Starbuck did not face fierce competition in India as expected. In fact, long-term coffee retailers, such as Cafe Coffee Day and Costa Coffee, had to rethinking their strategies. However, these competitors believe that coffee market in India is huge and has high potential to grow. Starbuck had to improve on socialization and strategize the coffee shop as a meeting place. The company exploited its high quality products, excellent customer service, relaxed ambiance, and other competitive advantages to attract many coffee consumers. Indian culture is not about materialism or consumerism, which is common in the US and other western countries (Allison 1). Starbuck realized that it could not transform that culture. Hence, the company introduced lower prices as a “part of a long-term plan to operate stores beyond a handful of the major urban area” (Allison 1). This also gave the company an advantage to overcome high price fears among its potential customers. Happy employees at Starbucks actually lead to greater sales Since its inception, Starbucks management has focused on making its employees happy by paying higher wages than others have paid and providing benefits, which employees cannot find in other coffee shops or retail stores. This was a strategy of attracting well-educated employees, who could communicate the company’s passion for coffee to its customers (Hartley 29). Starbucks has used this concept to create happy employees who love their jobs and would like to grow with the company as Jinlong Wang, the President of Starbucks, Asia-Pacific notes (Veach 1). In turn, these employees communicate the company’s passion for coffee through superior customer service. Hence, Starbucks has managed to keep loyal consumers who generate high volumes of sales. Works Cited Allison, Melissa. Starbucks brews following in India where tea is supreme. 2013. Web. Berfield, Susan. No Jokes, Please: Starbucks Says Blonde Is Catching On. 2013. Web. Hartley, Bob. Management Mistakes and Successes , 10th Ed. New York: Wiley, 2011. Print. Loeb, Walter. Starbucks: Global Coffee Giant Has New Growth Plans. 2013. Web. O’Farrell, Renee. Starbucks Pricing Strategy. Web. Parameswran, Prashanth. India is Starbucks’ cup of tea. 2011. Web. Satran, Joe. Free Starbucks Blonde Samples Aim To Sway Light-Roast Coffee Drinkers . 2013. Web. Veach, Emily. Good Brew: Happy Employees, Local Flair. 2012. Web.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: The essay discusses how Starbucks grew from a small coffee retailer to the largest in the world, and how it can continue to grow in the future. It focuses on the company's global quest 2006: is the best yet to come? and how economic factors could affect this quest.

The essay discusses how Starbucks grew from a small coffee retailer to the largest in the world, and how it can continue to grow in the future. It focuses on the company's global quest 2006: is the best yet to come? and how economic factors could affect this quest.

Starbucks Coffee Business Evaluation Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. An Economic Assessment 3. A Marketing Assessment Plan 4. A Financial Plan 5. An Organizational Structure Recommendation 6. Supporting Rationale 7. References Introduction Starbucks started its coffee outlets in 1971 at Seattle. The founders of the company included Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker. Howard Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as the heading of marketing and overseeing retail division (Thompson and Gamble, 1997). Schultz had a different vision for the company. He wanted to create a community of coffee consumers. Under Schultz’s leadership as the CEO and chief global strategist, Starbucks has become the world’s largest coffee retail outlet. It is gaining international presence in most emerging economies due to reorganization of the company’s business strategy since 1987. Starbucks has grown as the premier coffee retailer with happy employees, quality coffee products and satisfied customers. The report focuses on the Starbucks’ Global Quest 2006: Is the Best Yet to Come? in order to develop a strategic management proposal for the company’s board of directors. The proposal focuses on the future of the company through an economic assessment, marketing assessment plan, a financial plan, an organizational structure recommendation, and supporting rationale. An Economic Assessment Today, Starbucks is a strong company in the US and other regions as shown through its success. Hence, the company needs to expand to other emerging markets. This expansion would require understanding of economic factors in the coffee retail business. The coffee retailer would be able to seize opportunities in emerging economies early enough to make it a market leader. The BRIC countries would be critical for the Starbucks’ global growth in years ahead because of the large number of a growing middle class with disposable incomes. The expansion will ensure that Starbucks gets new customers, follows its global customers, and becomes cost-effective in its operations. Although the company is already in some parts of the global market, it will have to consider economic factors as it expands into other BRIC countries because they could have both short-term and long-term effects on the Starbucks’ global quest. Specifically, Starbucks will evaluate inflation rates, tariffs, interest rates, monetary policies, economic growth, freedom of conducting business, and exchange rates. In addition, the company will also have to evaluate unemployment rates in foreign countries, qualified labor, and labor costs. Still, the company will have to focus on changes in political leadership of various countries because these changes in leadership may or may not encourage foreign investments due to rigid policies. Starbucks will evaluate entries into new markets. It shall have to consider a Greenfield foreign direct investment or a strategic alliance. Foreign entries would be easier through strategic alliances rather than a Greenfield investment. In this regard, Starbucks would evaluate what other partners can bring to the business. Local firms already understand the local market, culture, and business activities than Starbucks. Starbucks will have to consider reputable firms in the coffee retail business, with good brand names, and firms that show strong relationships with coffee consumers. Starbucks will also have to review its position in the global retail coffee market and available opportunities. The global expansion presents significant opportunities for the company in terms of revenue growth and customer retention. Starbucks can take the advantage of the growing middle class and create communities of coffee consumers around the globe. The BRIC countries also have growing populations with large numbers of coffee consumers. On this note, it must focus on India and Brazil. However, Starbucks must account for consumers’ preferences in these countries. The international coffee prices have risen considerably. This has attracted other big brands like McDonald’s into the retail coffee business. Starbucks must face fierce future competitions and fluctuating coffee supplies in the global markets. Any interruption could have negative impacts on the brand’s name. In other words, the company must have reliable suppliers in order to cater for its globe strategies and a huge number of coffee consumers. The study shows that the Asian market is growing rapidly, particularly China. Starbucks must focus on expanding its outlets to other areas within China. This shows that economic elements favor the company’s growth strategies. Although Starbuck is likely to face competitions in the future, effective global strategies will ensure that the company maintains its leadership position in new markets. Starbucks would achieve competitive advantages through its expertise, employees, and product positioning strategies. Conversely, Starbucks must note that international markets could be repulsive against high prices. On this note, the company will have to review its premium coffee prices in order to meet the prevailing economic conditions of various countries. The quest for a global strategy also involves considerable costs. The company will have to evaluate whether it is cost-effective to venture into some globe markets. It will also review entry requirements and any factors that could hinder its smooth operations. A Marketing Assessment Plan From the Starbucks’ global quest, the growth has been impressive. The company’s goal would be to maintain its image in all markets in which it shall operate. Starbucks has recognized that it has a huge growth potential in oversea markets. For this reason, the company should accelerate growth, promote its brand, maintain its global leadership position, and become a globally respected brand. The company must formulate new growth strategies and a marketing plan for the global market. Starbucks must look for strategies that would allow it to continue to explore new opportunities in foreign markets. For instance, it can acquire small coffee shops in foreign countries and develop its brand. This strategy may help the company to avoid negative publicity or total rejection as witnessed in Primrose Hill, London (Kotha and Glassman, 2003). The market analysis shows that Starbucks commands a large share of the market. Coffee retail business is likely to improve globally, and this presents a good opportunity for the company to grow too. The growth may even be resilient to changes in economic situations like recession. The company must continue to provide great services to its consumers in order to maintain them and attract new ones. Starbucks will have to consider new products to cater for consumers who do not prefer dark roasted coffee. This would increase its customer base and revenue growths. However, this process requires a thorough market study. In the global quest, the company must maintain the design of its coffee outlets and its brand in order to provide consumers with the same environment available in the US. The quest for the global market will require the company to differentiate its market. Marketing segmentation would ensure that Starbucks has different products for various coffee consumers. Marketing segmentation would ensure that the company caters for low-income earners, students, and other consumers who may not be able to afford premium coffee. This is a strategic marketing strategy in new markets, which would ensure that Starbucks draw new consumers from various segments of the market. The company will formulate new target market strategies in new locations. Starbucks must never forget that it will expand into emerging economies in which high prices may not attract its target consumers. The company will have to review its prices downwards in order to accommodate these segments. Many consumers would like to have premium coffee, but high prices have been major hindrances. The company should diversify with regard to locations in order to accommodate majorities. Emerging markets have discerning coffee consumers, who may prefer good coffee but do not go for premium coffee due to pricing. Starbucks will conduct a constant industry analysis in order to determine the rate of growth, competitions, and changes in external conditions. From the study, the coffee industry has grown steadily as global sales and revenues rise. The company must study the international patterns of coffee consumption in various locations in which it intends to run new outlets. Although Starbucks holds the leading position in the retail coffee market, the company must understand impacts of competition on its business growths. It must understand the fraction of the market segment that buys from its competitors. In new markets, Starbucks will outdo the small local brands. Although they present competition challenges, small local coffee outlets shall retain a small share of the market because small brands in foreign markets do not present biggest threats to Starbucks. The case study shows that Starbucks has been able to establish close and intimate relationships with its customers. The company has been able to experience such a growth because of its employees, who have established close relationships with customers. Starbucks believes that happy employees lead to happy customers, increased revenues, and growth. In this regard, the company should focus on quality coffee and services and implement favorable employment policies in all its global market outlets. The company believes that happy employees are critical for its success and competitive advantages. Therefore, the company must continuously review its employment practices and improve them if necessary. This is a culture of empowering employees in order to ensure that they are productive. Starbucks employees in other parts of the world will have to receive generous compensations, training, and employee stock ownership just like others in the US. The company will also focus on multiple channels of product distribution. In other words, Starbucks must rise above its stand-alone retail outlets and offer new areas of distributing coffee to its consumers. Hence, it must consider other popular spots like supermarkets, airports, banks, and office buildings among others. The company will have to seek for strategic partnerships with service providers, suppliers, grocery stores, airlines, and other firms, which can distribute coffee to consumers throughout their designated areas. The company will also improve its corporate social responsibilities, particularly in areas in which it sources its coffee. This is important for reducing the notion that Starbucks pays poorly to farmers (Kotha and Glassman, 2003). It will improve the focus on environments, workers’ welfare, and children’s rights. Any controversies about the company’s interactions with these critical parts of the supply chain could damage its global reputation. For instance, there should be no negative publicity that the company exploits farmers while making huge profits from the same coffee. On this note, the company must improve its public relations and manage bad publicity, particularly by paying attention to the media. The company will have to focus on the use of technology to retain its customers. In the future, many consumers will use technologies and social media for interacting and conducting online purchases. Online platforms will drive customers’ feedback and by extension customer service. They will be able to post and criticize the company openly. The company will have to integrate effective online platforms and loyalty programs to drive customers to its outlets. Online platforms will also act as distribution channels for Starbucks. In addition, these are also strategies for improving customer loyalty, growing the brand, providing excellent values, and customer convenience. They also result in increased revenues and profits for shareholders. Technology will be a differentiating tool for Starbucks. The social media, mobile apps, loyal cards, and e-gift cards will differentiate the company and drive the global growth for Starbucks ( Starbucks Unveils Accelerated Global Growth Plans , 2012). On the same note, Starbucks will use technologies to enhance efficiency in product delivery and develop quality products. It will invest in advanced coffee equipment. These are coffee machines with precise technologies to maximize the coffee flavor at an ideal temperature during preparation. Technologies will create competitive advantages for Starbucks because not many competitors will have the financial strength required to acquire such equipment. They will enhance product management and operational details of the company. A Financial Plan Today, Starbucks’ business and financial activities are healthy. This gives the company an opportunity and a better position to execute its global strategies. The company generates enough revenues and profits, which can support its growth plan in all continents. This would make the company one of the most successful coffee retails globally. Table 1: Income Statement (2009-2012) – these growths over the years indicate that the best is yet to come for Starbucks 2012 2011 2010 2009 Period End Date 09/30/2012 10/02/2011 10/03/2010 09/27/2009 Stmt Source N/A 10-K 10-K 10-K Stmt Source Date 09/30/2012 11/16/2012 11/16/2012 11/22/2010 Stmt Update Type Original Updated Updated Updated Currency Code USD USD USD USD Total Revenue 13,299.5 11,700.4 10,707.4 9,774.6 Cost of Revenue 5,813.3 4,915.5 4,416.5 4,324.9 Gross Profit 7,486.2 6,784.9 6,290.9 5,449.7 Selling, General and Administrative 4,719.3 4,344.2 4,176.5 3,878.1 Depreciation, Amortization and Depletion 550.3 523.3 510.4 534.7 Special Income/Charges 0.0 0.0 53.0 332.4 Other Operating Expenses 429.9 392.8 279.7 264.4 Operating Expenses 5,699.5 5,260.3 5,019.6 5,009.6 Operating Income 1,997.4 1,728.5 1,419.4 562.0 Net Interest Income -32.7 -33.3 -32.7 -2.1 Other Income/Expense, Net 94.4 115.9 50.3 0.0 Pretax Income 2,059.1 1,811.1 1,437.0 559.9 Provision for Income Tax 674.4 563.1 488.7 168.4 Minority Interest 0.9 2.3 2.7 0.7 Net Income 1,383.8 1,245.7 945.6 390.8 Dividend Per Share 0.68 0.52 0.23 0.00 Tax Rate 0.327522 0.310916 0.340084 0.301144 Basic EPS 1.83 1.66 1.27 0.53 Diluted EPS 1.79 1.62 1.24 0.52 ( Starbucks Corporation , 2013) Starbucks will expand globally in order to succeed and grow its balance sheet, revenues, and profits. However, this process will bring about many issues, specifically financial. Starbucks will have to focus on global budgeting, forecasting, planning, and reporting. In addition, the company will also have to conduct financial risk assessment and promote global accountability (Castellina and Jan, 2012). The company will conduct workforce planning, maintain profit and loss accounts, balance sheet, and financial planning in different systems. Moreover, it will have to set global sales targets. However, these financial details may present challenges because of their fragmented nature. They are likely to increase operational costs, maintenance costs, and compliance costs. These are internal issues. On the other hand, Starbucks will also have to deal with fierce competitions from coffee retails in foreign markets and others at home. These competitions will also exert financial pressure on the company. Starbucks will not rely on the traditional annual budget alone. Instead, it will be flexible and track daily sales to quarterly sales in order to understand financial growths in foreign countries. This may also require a knowledgeable financial team and efficient financial tools. Starbucks will also meet many, global statutory requirements, including employees’ welfare and benefits, GAAP, and IFRS. This implies that the company will need to integrate all its financial activities at various levels and consolidate financial reports for reporting. In short, Starbucks will invest in financial tools, which would streamline financial management and reporting in order to improve efficiency. An Organizational Structure Recommendation The complex nature of global operations may require slightly different organizational structure. Figure 1: Proposed Starbucks global organizational structure This is a Starbuck’s basic structure of managing home and global operations. The company’s senior managers and executives will control all operations from the head office at Seattle, Washington. The district managers will be responsible for domestic operations in their designated states or areas. As the company expands to different continents, it will introduce regional managers or presidents to oversee operations across different continents or regions. Regional presidents and district managers will report directly to senior executives at Seattle. The store managers may take the role of the outlet chiefs, and they work alongside shift supervisors. Shift supervisors may also assume the role of chiefs in their absence. Starbucks has other employees below the supervisors, who will be responsible for running daily operations of the company. These are baristas. The company also has licensed stores, which would be strategic areas like bookshops, airports, grocery stores, and in locations where Starbucks may not be available. Starbucks will still control all licensed stores and other distributors. Moreover, they must maintain all Starbucks’ standards and stringent company’s guidelines. Starbucks must approve all their products. This is critical for protecting the Starbucks’ brand globally. Starbucks considers all employees who work in retail outlets as partners. The company believes that this is an integration process for all employees into the system irrespective of their role or title in the company. Partners are responsible for repeat business, happy customers, excellent services, products, and other activities that involve contact with customers. Supporting Rationale Since Howard Schultz took over Starbucks, it was clear that the company would grow significantly. However, it was not until 1990s when industry observers noted that the company was expanding rapidly. The company focused on domestic expansions within a specific period. Starbucks aimed to be the most recognized coffee retailer in the world. As a result, the company has achieved global recognition and established itself as the most respected coffee brand. Today, the company has expanded its operations to several continents with many retail outlets. Financially, the company can achieve global expansion because it has the capital for strategic partnership, joint ventures, or as a sole investor. Management has focused on improving the ways in which the company does business globally. As a result, Starbucks has increased its presence in most of the emerging economies. Financial statements indicate that the company is still profitable despite widespread investments in new ventures. Strategic alliances and licensed stores have facilitated the company’s growth and profitability. From the analysis of economic factors, the industry is favorable and most foreign countries encourage foreign investors. This presents good opportunities for Starbucks’ global expansion strategies. The company’s marketing plan recognizes critical areas for its global expansion. It has premium products. However, Starbucks has learned to adjust prices to fit emerging economies where high prices may hinder acquisition of new customers. The market mix has worked for Starbucks while the focus on technologies has improved customer services and operations. Starbucks controls the largest market share in the coffee retail business. Hence, competition may not be a major hindrance to expansion and profitability. Schultz believes that the company must strive for the best in order to develop and maintain the global brand, take meaningful risks, and establish new market segments. From such risks, the company has developed elegant coffee outlets, developed better rewards, and compensation for employees and improved customer satisfaction. Starbucks has provided a new line of products in order to create new experiences for customer and attract potential coffee consumers. Such new products have resulted in new coffee products, which have attracted customers who were not coffee consumers. Starbucks continues to search for new strategies for the global expansion in order to establish its coffee brand as the most recognized and respected globally. References Castellina, N., and Jan, W. (2012). Effective Financial Management for International Expansion . Web. Kotha, S., and Glassman, D. (2003). Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market . Web. Starbucks Corporation . (2013). Web. Starbucks Unveils Accelerated Global Growth Plans . (2012). Web. Thompson, A., and Gamble, J. (1997). Starbucks Corporation . Web.

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Write the full essay for the following summary: The essay discusses the macro factors that would impact Starbucks' decision to enter the Luxembourg market. These factors include the political, economic, social, and technological environments of Luxembourg.

The essay discusses the macro factors that would impact Starbucks' decision to enter the Luxembourg market. These factors include the political, economic, social, and technological environments of Luxembourg.

Starbucks in Luxembourg: Macro Factors Report Table of Contents 1. Political environment 2. Economic environment 3. Social environment 4. Technological environment 5. List of References Starbucks is a large American coffee company with a global market coverage. The intention of this firm to enter into Luxembourg market is timely, given its plans to expand its operations. However, Schneider (2011, p. 71) says that before getting into a new country, it is important to conduct a research in order to understand the macro environmental factors that could impact on its operations in this country. It is important to understand all the macro factors that may affect its normal operations either positively or negatively. In order to understand the macro environmental factors of this new market better, PEST analysis would be an appropriate tool for the management to know what to expect once in this country. Political environment Luxembourg is a democratic nation that gained full independence in 1890. This country has experienced a very stable political environment for a very long time. Successive governments have been very keen to ensure that the country remains very peaceful. This will offer Starbucks a good environment for trading. It will boost its operations if it enters this market (Simerson 2011, p 38). The political class in this country is known to avoid any direct interference with business operations. This means that Starbucks operations will not be affected by politics. Economic environment The economic environment in Luxembourg is very attractive for this firm. The report by Simerson (2011, p 38) shows that Luxembourg has the highest living standards in the world. This means that people of this country has a higher purchasing power. If Starbucks makes an entry into this market, it will be assured of a market for its products. This firm can also consider charging premium prices for its products in this market because of this high purchasing power. When in this market, Starbucks should focus on satisfying the need of high-end consumers. This is because they make the majority of the people in this country. Social environment The social environment of Luxembourg constitutes the rich Europeans. It is important to note that the social environment of a country is always defined by the cultural practices of people within that environment. This means that the social environment that this firm will experience in Luxembourg will be based on the practices of the citizens of this country. The total population of this country is slightly over half a million people, most of whom are Christians (Griffin 2010, p. 37). Most of the citizens of this country are relatively rich, a fact that makes the market very attractive. They also like spending a lot. The government has enacted laws that define the relationship between business society and consumers. Starbucks must know these regulations to operate efficiently in this country. Technological environment According to Booker (2006, p. 78), technology plays an important role in a business set-up. Starbucks must understand that in order to be successful, it must embrace the emerging technologies. The emerging technologies have made business environment very dynamic in this country, and in order to manage the unpredictable nature of this business environment, it is important to be flexible. Most firms in Luxembourg are currently using electronic marketing to reach out to the market. This means that Starbucks must have clear plan on how it will embrace electronic marketing if it expects to be successful in this country. Technology is very advanced in this country and therefore, Starbucks cannot ignore it. List of References Booker, J 2006, Financial-planning fundamentals , CCH Canadian Limited, Toronto. Boutellier, R 2008, Managing Global Innovation: Uncovering the Secrets of Future Competitiveness , Springer, Berlin. Griffin, D 2010, Business with a purpose: Starting, building, managing and protecting your new business , Outskirts Press, Denver. Henry, A 2008, Understanding strategic management , Oxford University Press, Oxford. Schneider, G 2011, Electronic commerce , Cengage, Learning Boston. Simerson, B 2011, Strategic planning: A practical guide to strategy formulation and execution , Praeger, Santa Barbara.

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Write an essay about: Starbucks Corporation is an American coffee company situated in Washington. It was founded by three scholars at the University of San Francisco who had ambitions of selling high quality coffee beans and equipment. The company began by providing only food stuffs such as coffee and ready-made sandwiches. As time went by the company widened its scope of operation and currently the company also offers beers, wines and appetizers.

Starbucks Corporation is an American coffee company situated in Washington. It was founded by three scholars at the University of San Francisco who had ambitions of selling high quality coffee beans and equipment. The company began by providing only food stuffs such as coffee and ready-made sandwiches. As time went by the company widened its scope of operation and currently the company also offers beers, wines and appetizers.

Starbucks Corporation in American Evaluation Essay Starbucks Corporation is an American coffee company situated in Washington. It was founded by three scholars at the University of San Francisco who had ambitions of selling high quality coffee beans and equipment (Simon, 2009). During that time the company provided only foodstuffs such as coffee and ready-made sandwiches. It was also involved in entertainment. As time went by the company widened its scope of operation and currently the company also offers beers, wines and appetizers. Apart from these, it is believed to be the largest coffee house in the world with branches and outlets in over 62 countries worldwide and an estimated employee population of about 150,000 people. It is also one of the major stakeholders of the World Cocoa Foundation (Gordon & Schultz, 2011). Starbucks Corporation has drawn much attention from economic investors and the worldwide business community due to its unique structure and expansion rate. The corporation has exhausted every avenue at its disposal related to the coffee industry to increase its revenue collection. The corporation has diversified its products to the entertainment sector as well as provision of wines and beers which is a sharp contrast to the mono product supplier it was years back (Schultz & Yang, 1997). It also offers incentives and perks to its clients enabling it to maximize on customer loyalty as well as expanding the market for its products. The corporation’s management is also designed in a way such that only individuals at the top must work hard to attain the overall success of the company. For instance, in the year 2007 when coffee sales went down, Jim Donald was asked to step down after only two years in office as the chief executive officer of the corporation (Behar, 2007). This has largely contributed to the rapid expansion of the corporation amidst tough financial times. Howard Schultz is one of the brains behind the success of Starbucks Corporation. He is the founder and current chairman and chief executive officer of the corporation. Schultz is an American businessman and writer. His superb managerial skills and entrepreneurial skills have earned him several recognition awards (Schultz & Yang, 1997). His key contribution was that he championed the advent of espresso coffee. It is this idea that introduced coffee restaurant business and which finally saw the founding management of Starbucks sell their retail unit to Howard Schultz. His determination in business and a keen interest also saw him ranked the 134 th richest person in the United States of America (Watts, 2008). Howard Schultz rose in rank until finally he took over as the chief executive officer in 2008 from being the marketing director. He was appointed chief executive officer when the corporation had started to realize a downward sales trend and his immediate task was to stabilize the sale and help increase returns under severe economic circumstances. Under his management, the Starbucks Corporation has expanded its scope of operation as far as Mexico, Japan, Turkey and Germany (Fiedler, 2007). Having started as a sports club owner, Howard Schultz has vast knowledge of economic trends in the United States, hence he is better positioned to cope with tough conditions at the managerial level. One of his outspoken key concerns is the desire to address unemployment and building consumer confidence. These are perhaps his core pillars of success as a top most manager of a world class business corporation. One of the major ethical concerns for Howard Schultz is the need to tackle unemployment. Under his tenure at the helm of the Starbucks, he has relentlessly fought to eradicate unemployment; a fight he has partially won. In one of his talks as a guest speaker at the University of Kellogg, he pointed out that the reason behind opening up so many outlets worldwide is not only to attend to the larger customer fraternity but also to offer employment to as many people as the corporation can employ (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Schultz says that Starbucks Corporation is in the process of making programs that not only aim at selling coffee but also helping the country recover from regression. The corporation has an estimated current employee population of close to 200,000. Schultz believes that creation of employment opportunities is the key strategy towards economic development. Although he was once afraid of competition from other high quality coffee brands, Schultz has pointed out that he does not care as long as by offering lighter roasted coffee, the corporation was offering jobs for the people. This paints him as both an entrepreneur concerned with civilian economic empowerment through job creation (Watts, 2008). Howard Schultz has also steered rapid expansion of Starbucks through cordial customer relations. In order to counter competition from other restaurants, he helped the corporation adopt the idea of offering perks and incentives to its customers. Customers are given cash discounts, free internet services as well as free yoghurt. At one point, the Starbucks premise was faced with a serious problem of customers entering with guns. This really worried other customers within the premises and some even opted for other restaurants thus avoiding the Starbucks. The dilemma here was between telling the customers who owned guns to keep off and subsequently lose them or letting customers without guns find other options besides the Starbucks. Howard Schultz opted to write to all the customers on the need to avoid entering the Starbucks’ premises with guns and the effects the same impacted on other customers. In the long run, he was able to retain both customers with and without guns. Thus, good customer relation is a key principle exhibited by Howard Schultz and he has successfully applied this to win the corporation’s customers (Simon, 2009). Furthermore, while addressing the annual stakeholders meeting, Howard opted to address moral issues affecting the corporation. The shareholders had complained to the chairman that the corporation had lost many customers due to its stance stand in regard to gay marriages in which the corporation supported. In response, Howard pointed out that not every decision taken by the management is necessarily an economic decision. He insisted that the corporation employs thousands of people and must strive to embrace diversity at all cost. At that point, the chief executive officer reiterated that the Starbucks Corporation will stand to support gay marriage and whoever was not satisfied with the decision was at liberty to sell his or her shares in the corporation and invest anywhere else (Behar, 2007). This is one of the key decisions that led to a lot of criticism of Schultz’s leadership since he took over from Jim Donald. It is believed that the stance taken by the chief executive officer of the Starbucks has consequently seen the support for gay marriage in the United States rise to 58% against 36% of those against it (Gordon & Schultz, 2011). Howard Schultz also presents himself as an example to emulate in leadership corridors. He is trustworthy and always working to fulfil his promises. For instance, in an attempt to increase the number of shareholders, he raised their subsequent bonuses to 38% per annum. Amidst tough financial strains, many thought this rate could be reviewed downwards; a move that could be welcomed by the stakeholders. However, he managed to sustain the same high rates until the situation normalized. The employee perks including medical and insurance covers have been in place despite the hard economic times. This has increased not only the shareholder but employees as well as the customers’ faith in his management (Watts, 2008). Faithfull and trustworthy leaders are vital for survival and development of any enterprise as depicted by Howard Schultz since they offer the benchmark for evaluation of the enterprise in terms of customer satisfaction and the surety of the stakeholder recouping their investments. Through such personal virtues, more capital has been made available for expansion of the corporation into various other countries worldwide (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). It is clear from the above illustrations that the success of any business venture goes hand in hand with the management. Managers with great moral and ethical virtues will always speed up the expansion rate of the enterprise since the employees and other stakeholders feel secure working under such managers. Howard Schultz, though criticized at some point, proves to be the pillar behind the success and rapid expansion of Starbucks Corporation. He founded the corporation and is still available to offer the best management to ensure that the corporation attains its core missions and objective. References Behar, H. (2007). It’s Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Fiedler, F. (2007). A theory of leadership effectiveness. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers Inc. Gordon, J., & Schultz, H. (2011). Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul . New York, NY: Rodale. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2002). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, SF: Jossey-Bass. Schultz, H., & Yang, D. (1997). Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time . New York, NY: Hyperion. Simon, B. (2009). Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks. London, UK: McGraw Hill. Watts, T. (2008). Business Leaders’ Values and Beliefs Regarding Decision Making Ethics. Los Angeles, CA: LULU.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: Starbucks is an American company that started in 1971 in Seattle, America. The company started with roasting and retailing both whole bean and ground coffee. As well, the company sold tea and spices starting with one outlet at Pike Place Market. As of now, Starbucks sells to several million customers daily over an expanded geographical region.

Starbucks is an American company that started in 1971 in Seattle, America. The company started with roasting and retailing both whole bean and ground coffee. As well, the company sold tea and spices starting with one outlet at Pike Place Market. As of now, Starbucks sells to several million customers daily over an expanded geographical region.

Starbucks Company Structure in a Nutshell Case Study Starbucks is an American company that started in 1971 in Seattle, America. The company started with roasting and retailing both whole bean and ground coffee. As well, the company sold tea and spices starting with one outlet at Pike Place Market. As of now, Starbucks sells to several million customers daily over an expanded geographical region. Starbucks also sells other goods and services far from what it started with. Statistically, Starbucks has over 18,000 retail outlets spread in over sixteen countries. The company operates in Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, some parts of Africa and North America. With its mission “to inspire and nurture the human spirit-one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time”, the company continues to provide high quality products to its customers. It buys coffee from countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and roasts it at its own facilities (Morris 2006). The company offers a number of products to its customer base throughout the world, which includes different blends of coffee, handcrafted beverages, merchandises such as mugs, brewing equipment, gift items, and music. As well, the company offers fresh food, consumer products such as coffee and tea, Ready-to-Drink drinks, and ice cream. The company continues to sustain a responsibility policy through its three pillars of responsibility, which are ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. Concerning ethical sourcing, the company supports its farmers through loans and supporting forestry programs. The company also commits to conserving the environment with the use of recyclable materials for making cups. Starbucks has invested in research with the view to making all its cups reusable by 2015. The company also supports community service projects (Morris 2006). A job description is an outline of the expected functions, roles, and responsibilities of a candidate during a recruitment process. Both the job description and the job requirements are specific to the open position. One of the most important job positions at Starbucks is that of a barperson. The barperson is the “face” of Starbucks since she is the person who deals with customers first hand. The barperson receives and helps customers to their seats and proceeds to take orders. Another important function of a barperson at Starbucks is recording the transactions and maintaining such records in a proper form for purposes of bookkeeping. A job description is a summary of the roles and functions that an employee serves in an organization. As well, a job description lists out the requirements of the job (Morris 2006). The barperson reports to the café manager and is responsible for providing superior and customer friendly service to customers. Among the duties and responsibilities of a barperson, include taking customers’ orders and fulfilling them, recording all cash and credit transactions while maintaining the balances, reporting to duty for the allocated shifts, and displaying new information concerning Starbucks’ services for the customers’ attention. As well, the barperson coordinates with the other employees of the company whereas attending all trainings and seminars offered by the company. Importantly, the barperson should diligently follow all instructions and orders from the café manger. In order to qualify for this position, a candidate should have cleared high school and should hold over one year experience in a similar environment. In addition to these requirements, the person should have the following person specifications: be passionate about coffee and customer service, and as well be energetic, detail oriented, and enjoy working with people (Reilly, Minnick & Baack 2011). Starbucks should choose a geographic departmentalization whereby it categorizes departments according to geographical locations. With this kind of departmentalization, a number of retail outlets make up a district. A district manager who reports to the head office in Seattle heads this district. This way, the company is able to maintain its high standards of quality and as well promote its mission and growth statement. The company should maintain its café concept where customers can relax over a cup of coffee whereas finishing on their undone work, as well as send emails and listen to music from the comfort of a restaurant. However, the company should streamline its operations with a view to cutting down costs if it is to maintain a competitive edge over its competitors. The management should handle the different geographic departments differently, with regard to cultural and economic backgrounds of the areas the company is in operation. Ideally, the central management at Seattle should encourage the individual geographical departments to carry out research concerning the dynamics of their operating environments. This should be with a view to identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth for each operating environment (Reilly, Minnick & Baack 2011). In the event that the company experiences financial problems, the company should adopt a twofold strategy in terms of decision-making and the exercise of power. The company should both apply decentralization and centralization of power appropriate to individual cases. First, the head office must ensure that every geographic department meets its strict and ambitious goals and objectives. All geographical departments should adhere to the financial and operational directives of the corporate office. As well, they must maintain quality at an all time high. The corporate office should see to it that all retail outlets follow its directives and operational procedures. On the other hand, each geographic department must be responsible for its own success. Every department should align its marketing objectives to the specific geographical consumer demands but within the wider view of the Starbucks’ corporate brand image. The geographic department must understand the unique customer characteristic specific to the region, and align its strategies towards meeting and sustaining the demands of its customers. This way all the geographical regions remain attached to the headquarters and conform to the company’s corporate standards (Reilly, Minnick & Baack 2011). In order to increase efficiency and reduce costs, the company should automate its service line. The company should automate its service delivery activities in order to save on costs whereas reducing the service time for its customers. Currently, Starbucks is operating at high costs causing it to charge more for its services. By mechanizing and automating the whole value chain process, Starbuck will have a competitive advantage over its competitors since it will be able to charge less. This way, the company will be able to increase and sustain its market share and in which way operate profitably. The company should also standardize its norms so that every employee of the company is able to follow and individually drive the company’s corporate objectives. The head office should devise standardized training programs for all employees of the company. In order to achieve this, a team of experts from the headquarters should drive these training programs (Reilly, Minnick & Baack 2011). References Morris, T. (2006, September 1) Understanding Starbucks . Coriolis Research . Web. Reilly, M., Minnick, C., & Baack, D. (2011). The Five Functions of Effective Management . San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education Inc.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: The paper presents a SWS analysis of the Starbucks Corporation by focusing on the internal environment of the corporation and the external environment.In the analysis, the paper presents an assessment of the operational conditions within and without the organizations. The paper also assesses the possible impacts of these operating conditions or strategies on the competitive positioning of the company in the industry in which it operates.

The paper presents a SWS analysis of the Starbucks Corporation by focusing on the internal environment of the corporation and the external environment. In the analysis, the paper presents an assessment of the operational conditions within and without the organizations. The paper also assesses the possible impacts of these operating conditions or strategies on the competitive positioning of the company in the industry in which it operates.

Starbucks SWOT Analysis Evaluation Essay Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Strengths 3. Weakness 4. Opportunities 5. Threats 6. Conclusion 7. References Introduction The Starbucks Corporation has expanded its operational capacity by establishing its business across all regions of the world since it began its operations in 1971 in Seattle. The company’s revenue has expanded greatly with direct operations in more than 60 countries across the world currently. As at the end of 2012, the revenue of the company stood at $13.29 billion, with the company’s profits crossing the billion dollar mark to reach $1.38 billion. The paper presents a SWOT analysis of the Starbucks Corporation by focusing on the internal environment of the corporation and the external environment. In the analysis, the paper presents an assessment of the operational conditions within and without the organizations. The paper also assesses the possible impacts of these operating conditions or strategies on the competitive positioning of the company in the industry in which it operates. Strengths Research ascertains that the corporation has managed to establish itself as a brand that is highly respected in the industry across the entire world. The basis for brand positioning in the company began with the managements decisions to concentrate and dominate the North American Market, which is one of the wealthiest markets in the world. This has been followed by the aggressive opening of new stores across the world, especially in the first decade of the 20 th century. At a certain stage in 2005, the company managed to open stores at the rate of 32 per week. This depicts the aggressiveness of the top management of the company. It denotes the desire of the management to expand the brand across the world (Shah, Thompson, & Hawk, 2006). Therefore, it can be noted that the company sought to increase its presence in the markets in which it had penetrated, increasing the corporation’s chance to establish a larger customer base in its operating regions (Shah, Thompson, & Hawk, 2006). As of today, the Starbucks Corporation enjoys the largest market share in the global coffee chain industry, having been rated as the largest coffee chain store across the globe. The ability of the company to attain this position is attributed to the aggressive expansion strategy in the management of the company. Under its Chief Executive, Howard Schultz, the company is planning to open more stores. This is bound to help the company to cement its position not only as the largest, but also the most widespread brand in the coffee chain industry across the world. This is an indicator of strategic and visionary leadership, which is critical in the substance of business operations in a competitive business environment. However, the company needs to learn how to moderate its pace of expansion by assessing the economic conditions (Mangold, 2012). The company has also been able to build its capacity around the production of different coffee brands. Among these coffee brands is specialty coffee. Patterning the strong coffee brands in the company is the fact that the company has created a customer friendly environment in all its stores, which is depicted by the friendly employees and premium music. This is a marketing strategy that enhances customer experience and satisfaction. The sound financial record is another important thing to note as far as the competitiveness of Starbucks is concerned. The company has been witnessing an incremental growth in profits due to sound management policies. The increment in profits had risen to 14% as at the end of 2012 (Shah, Thompson, & Hawk, 2006). This is a remarkable performance considering the recent economic crisis that affected its major markets. This enables the company to maintain a higher percentage of return on investments. This puts the company far much higher than its competitors (Mangold, 2012). The deployment of strategic human resource management practices in the company enables the company to record a higher level of employee satisfaction. Starbucks gives its values a lot of benefits such that they are not easily poached by competitors. This implies a low rate of employee turnover and a higher rate of employee efficiency and quality delivery (Mangold, 2012). Weakness In as much as the brands of the company are highly rated, one of the main undoing for the company is that most of its brands are offered at higher prices than the competitor brands. Therefore, an economic evaluation of the coffee brands in the market ends up resulting in higher ratings for competitor brands. The company should reconsider the fair adjustment of the pricing rate for its products, although it is bound to have a negative effect on return on investments (Mangold, 2012). The company has a poor record of embracing sustainable practices. Starbucks still appears in the news for embracing unethical practices like tax evasion and exploitation of its suppliers in the modern economic environment where most companies are striving to gain the ‘green’ tag. The company is bound to lose touch with its customers if such practices continue to be witnessed. The company needs to hasten the rate at which it is embracing ethics and corporate social responsibility. This begins with the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships with its suppliers for the sake of sustainability in supplies (Mangold, 2012). The operation of the company depends on products, whose prices keeps fluctuating. The company has no capacity to control the prices of coffee beans. Therefore, frequent rises in the prices of coffee are caused by natural and economic forces in the international market. Therefore, the estimation of coffee prices as the major product used by the company is quite challenging. However, the fact that the company has operated in the industry for an extended period of time means that it can use its records to project on the future prices of the coffee beans. This enables the company to adjust its operations for the sake of sustaining its profitability (Mangold, 2012). Opportunities The emerging markets offer a great opportunity for the company. In the recent times, the company has been seen extending its operations in the Asian region, Eastern Europe, South America, and the Middle East region where most economies are experiencing a transition from low to middle and from middle to large income economies (Shah, Thompson, & Hawk, 2006). The concentration of the company in producing coffee brands has aided the company to attain a commanding position in the market. However, there are opportunities for growth and expansion through broadening the range of products that are offered by the company. This strategy has been under implementation in Starbucks’s mother market. Some of the products that can be introduced by the company include energy drinks, fast food offerings, alcohol, and juices (Shah, Thompson, & Hawk, 2006) Starbucks does not only focus on operating its coffee houses, but it also develops business partnerships with other retailers who help the company sell its products. The development of such strategic partnerships with more retailers like supermarkets and restaurants should be embraced (Curtis & Williams, 2008). Threats There is immense competition in the coffee chain market. Starbucks faces immense competitive pressure from other world’s renowned restaurants and chain stores. These include McDonald’s, Caribou Coffee Company, Dunkin’ Brands Group, Costa Coffee, Nestlé S.A, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. These companies offer a wide variety of coffee, thereby causing a good level of competition for customers. Most of them, like Macdonald’s, are at a higher advantage because coffee is not their main product offering. Competition is worsened when it comes to the other local competitors who offer coffee at a relatively lower price. Moreover, customers seem to be more familiar with the menus in local cafes. There is a high probability of significant loss in market share without diversification of the range of products and product offering to the customers (Mangold, 2012). According to Mangold (2012), the inability of the company to predict and control prices of dairy products and coffee products is another possible impediment to the successful operation of Starbucks. The prices of these products are often externally controlled, implying that the company is only left with the option of responding to price changes. Venturing in other product offerings can serve as a key strategy for cushioning the company from this threat. This impediment can be related to constant political and economic challenges that are witnessed in the developing market economies from which the company gets most of its supplies, especially coffee. The fact that the company has established a strong brand across the world implies that it has many admirers. This has resulted in cases of copyright infringement that involve the illegal use of the Starbucks trademark by other businessmen in the industry. This also translates to a possible loss in market share if the company does not enhance a crackdown on such businessmen (Mangold, 2012). Conclusion From the analysis conducted in the paper, it can be concluded that the establishment of stronger brands and expansion of the company into other markets has been key in maintaining Starbucks’s market share. This has sustained the competitiveness of the company. References Curtis, T., & Williams, J. (2008). CIM coursebook 08/09 marketing management in practice . Burlington: Elsevier Ltd. Mangold, C. (2012). Starbucks: Success strategy and expansion problems . Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Shah, A. J., Thompson, A. A., Hawk, T. F. (2006). “Case 29: Starbucks’ global quest in 2006: Is the best yet to come?” In Thompson, A. A., Strickland, A. J., & Gamble, J. E. Crafting & strategy executing: The quest for competitive advantage- concepts and cases . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

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Create the inputted essay that provided the following summary: The text discusses the definition of big data and how it is gathered using digital sensors. It also highlights some of the challenges big data faces, such as the issue of privacy.

The text discusses the definition of big data and how it is gathered using digital sensors. It also highlights some of the challenges big data faces, such as the issue of privacy.

Big Data: Statistics as an Evidence Exploratory Essay “Big Data” is a large amount of data involving billions of people gathered over social network sites like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Google by using digital sensors. Example of digital sensors used for collecting both structured and unstructured data that measure behavior of people and their patterns include mobile phones, automobiles, tablets, shipping crates and electrical meters. These sensors play a vital role in gathering “Big data”. All the activities that a person does using the digital sensors are stored somewhere in hard drives or social network servers and collectively avail “Big Data” that is just there, waiting for analysis. A new thing about “Big Data” is that any bit of information regarding activities of people such as their thoughts on specific issues at a particular time, at a particular place every single moment are recorded and stored in servers. Data collection and storage of tiny bits of information pertaining to human behavior is done using digital sensors on a global scale. What makes this a question of importance is the fact that researchers have been given permission to access “Big Data” for analysis. They gather the “digital breadcrumbs”, clean it and structure it to learn trends of behavior. Analysis of “Big Data” is a vital process whose outcome can be used to learn patterns of behavior that are useful in predicting the future. This analysis is important in the modern world because major world problems and challenges may be anticipated and avoided. An example is people in a given area talking about a common cold or flu, in social networks. The mention of flu and common cold will be captured by the “digital sensors” and analyzed by researchers. They will then recommend all hospitals to equip themselves with flu medicine and vaccines, which in turn may prevent an epidemic. “Big data” creates more opportunities in all sectors of the government. All challenges such as crime trends, crime hotspots, plans, diseases, accidents and political malice can be prevented by proper analysis of “Big Data”. Although “Big Data” has all the desirable advantages, it can create a few problems. Computer scientists and data analysts note that there is amplified likelihood of “false discoveries” when dealing with a large quantity of data. They note that it is difficult to find an accurate outcome by analyzing tones of data. This implies that researchers can easily come up with false information arising from “Big Data” if thorough research is overlooked. Another challenge “”Big Data” face is the issue of privacy. Many people will not like it if their patterns of behavior and communication details are released out there for others to access. People value their person privacy in the modern society, and there are laws to protect the same. Ethical considerations such as using this data for an undesirable manner by authorities to spy on citizens should be considered before it is availed for everyone to access. The fears related with the use of “Big Data” are enough to make people rebel and force laws against access to such data for any use. Privacy is a sensitive issue that should be handles with caution. Information regarding “Big Data” is vital for the course of statistics. Both structured and unstructured data needs to be mined and analyzed using correct statistical methods learnt in class. “Big Data” needs people with statistical knowledge to make it meaningful and useful in the society. Statistical methods of data analysis learnt in class are important for students aspiring to become “Big Data” analysts.

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Revert the following summary back into the original essay: The text discusses the importance of statistics when it comes to understanding medical issues. It also warns against the potential dangers of misinterpreting statistics.

The text discusses the importance of statistics when it comes to understanding medical issues. It also warns against the potential dangers of misinterpreting statistics.

Statistics matter when it comes to interpreting and understanding medical issues Critical Essay People visit doctors to obtain nutrition advice from them in order to gain tools that can be used to optimize health. However, it seems that certitude of health cannot be found in this manner. Apparently, all advice sought in this way is regarded as pure conjecture and educated guess work. It seems that numbers and statistics have all the answers to answers aimed towards optimizing health. The interpretation of health tests, treatments and staying well are all based on probability and statistics. An immense measure of statistical appeal in this sense comes from numerous real examples that aid in understanding the underpinnings of health. However, statistics has the likelihood of being misinterpreted which affects attitudes in regards to survival. In his essay, Stephen Gould affirms that statistics matter when it comes to interpreting and understanding medical issues. Through the real life examples he offers, even the most reluctant person is able to see that statistics does play an important part in every area of life. According to him, survival is simply a game of probability. A person can live based on a number of factors that play a part in his or her life. At the same time, he argues that correlation is not always a function of causation. By deftly whisking his audience through the median distributions, he plunges into a lot of regression analysis that separates cause and effect. He also utilizes regression analysis as an engine to explain these two aspects quite clearly. Through this, random statistics can be obtained, which can be used for either good or evil. This apt demonstration of the success or failure of numbers and statistics is useful for interpretation of various issues. Just like statistics, he also cautions that nothing is certain in this world, but there is also a time for everything to happen. Dunn insists that those who consider statistics useless are rebellious, and they are missing the point in many aspects. It seems that statistics is of central importance in the interpretation of both present and past events. For instance, he says that past statistics can be used to infer a present situation (Dunn n.p.). This is probably why statistics should be given a lot of importance. In addition to this, statistics motivate and guide both researchers and scholars as they provide the most reliable options. However, Dunn argues that statistics should be handled with a lot of care. This is because some of the information unearthed by statistical evidence can be quite grim. Statistics should be interpreted and understood in the correct way before being dismissed. Dunn further agrees with Gould that statistics is just like probability. It should not under any circumstance be used to interpret individual preferences or lives. Statistics is but just a range of possibilities or even a chance of certain events occurring. The two essays present a nuanced and sophisticated position that recognizes the necessity of statistics or the lack of it in all aspects of life. Not only do the essays unearth significant positions of critical thinking, but they also offer ethical problems to be corrected in the society. It is evident that most doctors are trained to make the worst interpretations from statistical evidence. They do this without the consideration of differences in individuals, and they can easily mislead patients. This practice of quote mining or quoting out of context is probably what changes attitudes in patients suffering from various chronic diseases. It seems that death is inevitable once this happens. The two authors (Gould and Dunn) advice against this practice. The problem is the way human beings interpret statistics and not statistics itself. References Dunn, Steve. “CancerGuide.” CancerGuide: Cancer Information Page . N.p., Web. Gould , Stephen Jay. “CancerGuide.” The Median Isn’t the Message . N.p., Web.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The stock market is a market in which shares are traded. This trading may either be through exchanges or sometimes it might be carried out through over-the-counter markets. The stock market is also referred to as the equity market and it serves as one of the most important areas of a country's economy. A stock market offers an opportunity to companies to gain more investors while being able to access more capital.

The stock market is a market in which shares are traded. This trading may either be through exchanges or sometimes it might be carried out through over-the-counter markets. The stock market is also referred to as the equity market and it serves as one of the most important areas of a country's economy. A stock market offers an opportunity to companies to gain more investors while being able to access more capital.

Stock Market and Small Investors Expository Essay Introduction The stock market is one in which shares are traded. This trading may either be through exchanges or sometimes it might be carried out through over-the-counter markets. The stock market is also referred to as the equity market and it serves as one of the most important areas of a country’s economy (Bogle, 2010). A stock market offers an opportunity to companies to gain more investors while being able to access more capital. The stock market can either be primary or secondary. In a primary market, there is issuance of shares whereas subsequent trading of shares takes place in the secondary market (North & Caes, 2011). The stock market offers excellent investment opportunities where the money invested earns a good return either in form of capital appreciation or regular income from dividends. Stocks are preferably purchased for investment purposes when their prices are low so that they produce relatively high profits through dividends. Factors that determine the quality of stock To determine the quality of various stocks, an investor should consider a number of factors. These factors include management of the company, the products offered by the company, the competitive position of the market, the asset base, the company’s liquidity, the volatility of the stock, and the strength of the company’s corporate governance (North & Caes, 2011). Depending on the number of shares held by different investors, the issue of ‘big’ investors and ‘small’ investors come up. As the words suggest, ‘big’ investors are those who hold more shares while ‘small’ investors refer to those holding a lesser number of shares. The question that arises is, who between the ‘big’ or ‘small’ investors enjoy the most benefits or endure the most disadvantages? Disadvantages faced by small investors when investing in the stock market Small investors are faced with the difficulty of building a diversified portfolio. Whereas big investors may have enough money to purchase as many stocks as they want, small investors lack these funds and they are only able to purchase a few stocks. This becomes very risky since they concentrate all their money in that investment (Fisher, 2012). In addition, the administrative costs that are charged on these few stocks may at times be too high for the small investors to afford their upkeep. Some firms may also set a very high minimum opening requirement as the deposit. This makes it very difficult for small investors to navigate their way in the stock markets. Small investors are also faced with the problem of high fees which are charged as a percentage of their total investment (Lensink, Bo, & Sterken, 2001). This in turn reduces the dividends they receive at the end of a financial period. Advantages enjoyed by small investors when investing in the stock market Ironically, small investors derive their benefits from their portfolios size. As earlier discussed, small investors are just that, small. In fact, they are advised to remain just as small as they are. Unlike the ‘big’ investor, ‘small’ investors can just purchase the top picks when they are on offer in the sector (DePorre, 2007). This is mainly because the purchases of the small investor do not largely affect the prices of the shares in the market since they only deal with a few stocks unlike the big investors who would influence the share prices in the market. In addition, the small investors are able to act with greater speed to every available opportunity in the sector than the big investors since they manage their own undertakings (Cohen, 2012). Furthermore, the risk endured by small investors is very minimal since only a few stocks are involved unlike the big investors who deal in massive stocks. In conclusion, the misconception that small investors do not stand a chance against the big investors in the stock market should be cleared. On one hand, there are advantages to them remaining just small while on the other hand, there may be some advantages that tag along these small investors. References Bogle, J. C. (2010). The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Cohen, G. (2012, August 12). How Small Investors Gain Such a Big Advantage Over Wall Street . Web. DePorre, J. R. (2007). Invest Like a Shark: How a Deaf Guy with No Job and Limited Capital Made a Fortune Investing in the Stock Market. New Jersey: FT Press. Fisher, P. A. (2012). Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits, Paths to Wealth through Common Stocks, Conservative Investors Sleep Well, and Developing an Investment Philosophy. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Lensink, R., Bo, H., & Sterken, E. (2001). nvestment, Capital Market Imperfections, and Uncertainty: Theory and Empirical Results. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing. North, C., & Caes, C. J. (2011). The Stock Market. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: The financial sector of Toronto has played a significant role in Canada's economy and therefore, holds a significant importance for investors and businesses.

The financial sector of Toronto has played a significant role in Canada's economy and therefore, holds a significant importance for investors and businesses.

Strategic Analysis of Toronto’s Financial Sector Report Introduction Toronto is one of the fasting growing financial economic centers of the world. Toronto’s economy plays a vital role in the economy of Canada. According to the Global Financial Centre Index, Toronto ranks at12 th amongst 46 most renowned financial centers of the world. The financial services industry of Toronto has acted as a critical economic engine for the city generating great employment opportunities and yielding higher GDP. According to the World’s Economic Survey, Toronto ranks as the third largest stock exchange in North America. The financial sector of Toronto has contributed about 13.2 percent directly and 7.9 percent indirectly to Canada’s GDP (Bullen et al., 2011). This indicated that Toronto’s financial sector plays a prominent role in locally and internationally. Toronto contributes about half of Canada’s GDP that is about $1.736 trillion. Furthermore, last year Toronto’s economy posted a growth rate of 2.7 percent. Its financial sector has played a significant role in Canada’s economy and therefore, holds a significant importance for investors and businesses. Toronto’s economy is a mixed economy with no single dominating industry. Three major industries of the region ranked by the percent of GDP are the financial industry, real estate, and wholesale and retailing trade (Careless, 2002). The major contribution to GDP is made by its financial industry i.e. 14 percent. During last three years, the financial sector of Toronto provided major opportunities for businesses and has attracted major investments, which have positively affected its position in the global arena. This paper shall analyze different aspects of the financial sector of Toronto, and it shall also critically analyze its economic significance. This report aims to study the financial industry of Toronto (Canada). The main highlight of the report is to determine the significance of the city at both domestic and international economic platforms. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis In this section of the report, the micro- and macro-environmental factors that have an impact on the Toronto’s financial sector and its performance are analyzed with the help of Porter’s Five Forces Model and PESTL model of strategic analysis. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The incentives offered by the government to investors affect how suppliers of financial resources behave. The Canadian government offers two types of incentives to financial institutions and their suppliers, i.e. the investors. Firstly, it offers incentives to investors who are involved in entrepreneurial activities. Secondly, it offers tax incentives to suppliers. With the government support, these investors or suppliers of the financial sector of Toronto enjoy more power. However, they demand high gains on the capital invested and less amount of taxes to be deducted from their invested amount. Moreover, fluctuations in interest rates also determine the behavior of suppliers in the financial sector of Toronto. If the interest rates are high, suppliers tend to invest in low risk bearing options and vice-versa (Eggert, 2012; Morden, 2007). Rivalry among Competitors The intensity of rivalry among competitors in Toronto’s financial sector is moderate. This is because companies within the financial sector of Toronto do not favor practice of aggressive marketing tactics. Another reason is that the industry is fragmented and relies mainly on conventional tools for generating investments without significant differentiation, so there is very little evidence of innovative financial services offered in Toronto. Global economic downturn is another reason why there is a moderate intensity of competition because financial institutions operating in Toronto tend to maintain themselves at lower levels of risks. The arrival of international financial institutions in Toronto has also neutralized the competitive landscape of Toronto’s financial service sector (Eggert, 2012; Morden, 2007). Threat of Substitute The threat of substitute to Toronto’s financial sector is very high as customers of this industry have numerous other forums where they can acquire financial services at lower costs. Instead of going to a financial consultant or investment manager, clients are now using the internet to reach out financial consultants in other countries who charge less and provide financial solutions within no time. Moreover, major financial companies in Toronto are now employing their own financial consultants and investment experts which reduces chances of independent financial institutions in Toronto to attract a large number of customers. Barter trade, investments, and transactions are substitutes to the financial sector’s services in Toronto which could shrink the market share of the financial sector (Eggert, 2012; Morden, 2007). Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers in Toronto’s financial sector is high because the customers now understand trends in the market due to their exposure to knowledge available on the Internet and also acquired through academic experiences. Even the financial packages that are offered to customers are customized and are made after analyzing each customer’s portfolio and affordability. Moreover, customers also have various options offered by a number of local and international financial institutions to choose from which reduces the bargaining power of financial institutions in Toronto (Eggert, 2012; Morden, 2007). Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants in Toronto’s financial market is moderate. Usually, it requires a bulk amount of capital to be invested to start a financial institution. Besides, the exit barriers are also very high which bring down the morale of investors who may be thinking to start a financial business in Toronto. On the other hand, the financial profile of both local and international businesses in Toronto enables them to divert their investments to other avenues (Eggert, 2012; Morden, 2007). PESTLE Analysis of Toronto’s Financial Sector Political & Legal With the government and compliance institutions’ support, Toronto’s financial sector has grown to a magnificent level. The Canadian financial sector has grown to a position of being worlds’ most organized financial system – a system to back all businesses present within the country and generating great returns (Sable, 2008). With complementary government policies, Toronto’s stock exchange has become the third largest market in North America. It has come near to compete with the New York stock exchange, which is the largest stock exchange in the world. This is all because of the political stability of Canada which has invited financial institutions to do their business in Toronto (the growing financial hub) (Sable, 2008). Economical When it comes to cost cutting and cost effectiveness, Canada is a place where businesses are established on the highest cost effectiveness level. According to a report by KPMG (2010), operational cost of businesses in the city of Toronto is lower than an average business cost of America’s twenty largest cities. Furthermore, the economic position of the country is on the rise and it is still attracting huge investments every year. The Canadian GDP stands at $1.736 trillion in which the proportion of Toronto’s GDP is 11%. The economic stability is the reason for major investments made in Toronto’s financial sector, which has world’s top ranking banks and other financial institutions (COT, 2013). Apart from all, Toronto is a diversified business economy where there are 11 key sectors including the financial sector contributing to the progress of the economy (Invest Toronto, 2013). Social Canada’s population is majorly educated, and people are aware and ready to invest in products offered by financial institutions. Financial institutions like banks are well developed in the region. They have grown rapidly just because people have trusted their professional financial services over many years (Sable, 2008). Moreover, people living in Toronto are willing to build professional relationships with financial service providers and seek their services. This generates an attraction for other financial institutions which are planning to make their way into Toronto’s financial center. This is how the city of Toronto invites new financial businesses with new ideas and knowledge to deliver the best financial services (Sable, 2008). Technological As far as the technology is concerned Toronto’s financial sector is more adaptive to technology and innovation. The financial businesses in the region have invested heavily in information communication technology development, which allows them to perform effective knowledge management practices (Wolfe & Davis, 2011). The trend in the region and particularly in the financial sector is that of wide acceptance and adaption of technology. This is to increase the effectiveness of the financial business sector, which is competing in a highly competitive and evening changing global financial market (Wolfe & Davis, 2011). According to contemporary researches, Toronto’s financial services are linked significantly with the ICT service sector. There is a close association found between financial institutions and information technology companies which has allowed financial institutions to grow to their highest potential (Wolfe & Davis, 2011). The potencies are of Toronto’s financial sector are prominent and these are just because of the integration of ICT technologies in operations (Wolfe & Davis, 2011). Conclusion From the above information and data, it can be determined that the financial industry of Toronto is one of the fastest growing industries on the global level. The easy access to financial resources and talented human capital has allowed the city’s financial sector to overcome challenges and hurdles of several financial crises in the past. Toronto holds a significant importance at both domestic and global levels. At the domestic level, Toronto yields about half of the country’s GDP and is the hub for financial services. Financial services offered by various local and foreign companies operating in Toronto are considered to be offering finest financial services on the international level world (Konzelmann & Davies, 2013). The magnificent performance of the region has allowed the region to emerge as a global player supporting the entire country’s economy. The banking sector has played an essential role in enhancing the financial services of the country. The city has continued to maintain highest standards of service quality and low risk profile as a result of stringent and effective policies of the country’s central bank and its government. The financial management services of the region have further enhanced the popularity of the region in the global financial services arena (Coulbeck, 2013). This has allowed the financial industry of Toronto to gain the confidence of foreign investors and as a result, contributing massively in Canada’s GDP. Appendix Appendix-I Main Economic Sectors in Toronto Appendix-II Contribution of Toronto’s Financial Sector Contribution of Toronbtos Financial Sector in Percentage of Contribution Regional GDP 25.8% Regional Employment 7.9% National Industry’s Assets 90% Improvement in Employement Rate Over 230,000 employees recruited List of References Bullen, J, Richardson, D, Williams, M & Volpe, S 2011, OECD Territorial Reviews . Industry Profile, OECD Publishing OECD Territorial Reviews, Toronto. Careless, J 2002, Toronto to 1918: An Illustrated History , James Lorimer and Company, Toronto. COT 2013, Business and Economic Development facts . Web. Coulbeck, N S 2013, The multinational banking industry , Routledge, London. Eggert, C 2012, A Strategy Analysis Of The “Big Five” Canadian Banks . Web. Invest Toronto 2013, Toronto Financial Services Sector. Web. Konzelmann, S J & Davies, M 2013, Banking Systems in Crisis: The faces of liberal capitalism , Routledge, London. Morden, T., 2007. Principles of Strategic Management . NY,London: Ashgate Publishing. Sable, A 2008, Sector Note on the Canadian Business Services Sector , Research Report, HEC Montreal, Montreal. Wolfe, D & Davis, C 2011, Innovation and Knowledge Flows in the Financial Services and ICT Sectors of Toronto , Research Report, Toronto Region Research Alliance, Toronto.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: The essay discusses the development of a strategic plan for a small dog boarding business called Dog Nest Centre to compete with the local Wessier Dog Boarding business. The plan includes elements such as vision, mission, values, communication plan and a balanced scorecard.

The essay discusses the development of a strategic plan for a small dog boarding business called Dog Nest Centre to compete with the local Wessier Dog Boarding business. The plan includes elements such as vision, mission, values, communication plan and a balanced scorecard.

Strategic Business Plan: Small Size Dog Boarding Business Problem Solution Essay Introduction The conceptualization of a successful small dog boarding business demands a broad strategic blue print. The strategic plan should internalize the aspects of business vision, mission, values, communication plan and a balanced scorecard. Thus, this reflective paper develops a strategic plan for the proposed small dog boarding business called Dog Nest Centre to compete with the local Wessier Dog Boarding business. Dog Nest Centre’s Strategic Plan Vision and Mission For an organization to succeed in marketing, it has to have both vision and mission for its marketing. They act as the guideline and reference point. The business refers to the vision and goals to determine if it is making positive progress. The business’s vision will be to be the leading business in the dog boarding services to pet owners who have no dog handlers. On the other hand, the marketing goal will be to acquire ten clients per week for the first six months. Besides, the business will have a mission of adding value to the life of its target consumers by offering free pick services and delivery of dogs upon the return of its clients. Through its marketing, the business will strive to ensure that consumers continue benefiting from the dog boarding services at all time (Scarborough, 2012). Values of the Dog Nest Centre To be able to achieve the mission and the set goals, the proposed dog boarding business will require having a captivating position value statement and superior product strategy. In this case, the business’s positioning statement will be as follows; We have what everyone wants, and at considerable prices. The dog boarding services is unique and of high quality. They are supremely stylish, trendy and certainly the latest in the market. Those that subscribe to these services will have series of discounts and offers besides life membership. The prices are also considerable; one will get the friendliest and professional services for his or her dog at an affordable price. One of the product strategies that the business will utilize is to make sure that it attributes the dog boarding services to convenience and affordability. The business will charge dog boarding services at affordable prices as a strategy to attract consumers and not scare them away with high prices as at the local Wessier Dog Boarding business. The Sense and Business Ethics in the Dog Nest Business The majority of its competitors relies on local consumers. Therefore, they do not run promotional campaigns or advertise their products. Consequently, this business will have an advantage since it will create consumer awareness through its promotions and advertisements. Besides, the competitors charge high prices unlike this business that will form the pinnacle of affordable services. To surmount this competition, the business will use strategies like consumer education on how to get the best from the services by using it appropriately (Scarborough, 2012). With a typical well organized commodity pool, this business is geared to quickly increase its market share since the beneficial interests can be distributed across the commodity users. This strategy will facilitate the restructuring effective sales and public awareness to develop product knowledge. If well merged with appropriate market mix, the strategy will secure a continuous quantitative increase of the market by constantly maintaining relatively fare prices of the services it is offering as well as the maintenance of up to per competition levels from other competitors. The Balance Scorecard for the Dog Nest Centre Business The balanced scorecard for this business summarizes the internal processes, customer, financial, and strategies for growth as summarized in the table below. Elements Objective Measurement Target Internal Process Effectiveness of the strategies of the business in the market The price charged $40 per day for each dog The customer responses to services provided The time that elapses before customers respond Within one day of business encounter Customer The acquisition of customers The number of new customers An average of 25 customers per day Retention of customers The frequency of same customers Five out of each 15 new Accomplishment of pre-set goals and objectives Surpassing the revenue target Monitor quarterly Financial Initial funding The proportion of financing sources Debt to Equity financing ratio – 3:2, because debt financing is the best option. Revenue growth The percentage sales growth Growth rate – 5% Cash flow/profitability Percent of income from operations 10% Learning and growth Business self improvement Areas that require monitoring Internal inspection two times per day. External inspection one time per week. Skilled employees Number of staff with prior dog care experience Training complete within two weeks of hire date. Refresher training bi-monthly. Development of e-marketing The number of new online customer inquiries. 25 customers per day Social Responsibility and Entreprenuership Skills Knowing how to improve quality is crucial in the growth of a business. In fact, consumers normally go for products that preformed best. Besides, quality improvement will serve the organization’s needs to improve on performance, durability, maintain economic viability, maintain visual and aesthetic appeal, maintain superiority in service delivery, and keep good reputation due to quality assurance. Thus, quality improvement deployment and organizational change action plan present an action plan that would facilitate the business gain in long term operations is value and quality improvement (Scarborough, 2012). The success puzzle for quality improvement and dog boarding business change implementation management strategy delivery operates on the periphery of the soft skills involving the timeless vision of organizational principles. Besides, defining value of the business, determining requirements, clarifying the vision, building teams, mitigating task, resolving issues, and providing direction complete the response projections which shall be addressed in the proposed quality service delivery system as opposed to the disorganized system of the Wessier Dog Boarders business. Furthermore, quality planning focuses on benchmarking of efficiency of the operations and service delivery initiative, accreditation initiative, and staff performance and skills assessment initiative which this business will endeavor to expound on (Scarborough, 2012). Business Ownership Being a very small business with a relatively low capital requirement, sole proprietorship will be the ideal form of business ownership for the Dog Nest business. The owner will have the enticement of keeping all the profit and making decision faster to suit the preferences of prospective clients. The Business Plan for the Dog Nest Centre Business Purpose The communication plan has the purpose of supporting the business’ strategic objectives within the code of operation of the dog boarding business. Basically, the communication plan is a conceptual map for external and internal decoding and encoding channels for pet owners targeted. Mission/Vision The mission of the communication plan is to expand to the marketing team the approaches that should be adopted in implementing the strategic plan informed of the rationale of authenticating the cost effeteness element and ensure good response from the targeted pet owners. Situation Analysis Despite communication being rated as a high corporate strategy, action planning of communication method is of essence to create solution oriented task and strategy implementation secession. The main issues that will be addressed by the communication plan include customer acquisition, customer retention, quality services, and proactive response to different business situations. The head of marketing will lead the plan for the next six month period. Business Goals/ Objectives The goal is to transform the speed of the entire business structure and the business environment that affects every sphere of the internal communication issues in the business. This will ensure efficiency and professionalism in service delivery. Corresponding Communication Goals/Objectives In line with the vision of this business, the corresponding communication goal is sustainability and stability of the business through efficiency. Key Themes/ Messages Theme: Paradigm shift in service delivery Message: Elements of service methodology for sustainable business management. These elements are expected to align organization culture, employee behavior, business etiquette, and knowledge of business solutions. Media, Audiences, Schedules Face to face communication will be used to pass the information to the staff in a series of weekly meeting for the next six months. Training Managers to Communicate Communication through reports and schedules in different departments within a business can coordinate and integrate their functions. The business leader and his or her team will establish the use of formal communication methods such as responsiveness, negotiable, and reflective approach in decoding and encoding feedback. Evaluation The main success measurement parameters include full house attendance by the stakeholders, full participation of all the stakeholders in attendance, and acceptance of the proposal and complete endorsement of the strategic plan. Sources of financing the business The internal financing options available for the business include personal sources such as retained profits and share capital. Basically, the retained profit is the funds generated by the initial business when it profitably trades (Shim & Joel 2008). Considering the duration that the business has taken, the shared profits will substantially contribute to the funding for the Dog Nest business. Reflectively, retained profits is necessary is financing further expansion of the company since the business is likely to make profits within a few months upon conceptualization. Besides, the business has the option of acquiring funding from the share capital which has been the main source of funding for the previous years. Through share capital, the owner will be in a position to retain full control and ownership of the company, especially if he or she is the sole contributor (Cheverton, 2004). Positioning and Branding Strategies Through re-branding and good-better-best pricing strategy, the market segment of the business is projected to increase their use of the dog boarding services as a result of improved quality and reliability of the services. Therefore, applying the costing strategy, the business will reduce the prices to a certain minimum in order to attract customers from this segment and achieve the aim of the quantity maximization by the increasing number of services sold at low prices. At the same, the strategy can help in revenue maximization that results from the large amount of service purchases made. Since the target market is specific, the success variable for the market share expansion strategy will be measured through an increase in sales by an eighth of its current output. Sale records will be reviewed bimonthly and revised after every six months. In the first six months, the market share is projected to grow by a quarter of the one-eighth mark. Factoring the current inflation rate and other market dynamics, the same is then projected to follow the normal graph growth as advertisements are expected to sustain the market share expansion (Shapiro, 2005). Budget Sales projection and breakeven analysis The business targets to offer dog boarding services to 1000 dogs within six months. Since service charge per dog will be $50, the business targets to collect revenue of $50,000 within the six months of operation. This is summarized in the table below. Time allocation for the business From the above calculations, the business is likely to break even within six months. Reflectively, cost leadership strategy is vital in business management especially in an industry with stiff competition. Reflectively, the concept, as proposed by Porter, is a means of establishing a sustainable competitive advantage over other player in the industry. Conclusion This dog boarding business will adopt the cost leadership strategy to improve its efficiency through streamlining operations. As a result, this venture will develop a cumulative experience, optimal performance, quality assurance, and full control of its operation chain. References Cheverton, P. (2004). Key Marketing skills: strategies, tools, and techniques for marketing success . London: Kogan Page. Scarborough, M. N. (2012). Effective Small Business Management: An Entrepreneurial Approach. New York: Pearson Education. Shapiro, A. (2005). Capital Budgeting and Investment Analysis . New Delhi: Pearson Education India.

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Convert the following summary back into the original text: The article explores strategic culture-sensitive therapy as an effective approach when dealing with cases that exhibit client-therapist differences in all religious and cultural backgrounds. The fundamentals of traditional and modern approaches of treatment are the myth and rationale models. When therapists and patients belong to different cultural, ethnic or religious groups, conflicts may arise. This necessitates therapists to abandon their disbelief regarding the patients' perceptions and learn their culture, including their treatment explanatory models and worldviews.Based on three sample cases of therapy with the ultra-orthodox Jews, the two authors create a strategic and integrative cultural-sensitive model of treatment.

The article explores strategic culture-sensitive therapy as an effective approach when dealing with cases that exhibit client-therapist differences in all religious and cultural backgrounds. The fundamentals of traditional and modern approaches of treatment are the myth and rationale models. When therapists and patients belong to different cultural, ethnic or religious groups, conflicts may arise. This necessitates therapists to abandon their disbelief regarding the patients' perceptions and learn their culture, including their treatment explanatory models and worldviews. Based on three sample cases of therapy with the ultra-orthodox Jews, the two authors create a strategic and integrative cultural-sensitive model of treatment.

Strategic Culture Sensitive Therapy with Religious Jews Essay (Article) Overview Witztum and Buchbinder article (117-124) explores strategic culture-sensitive therapy as an effective approach when dealing with cases that exhibit client-therapist differences in all religious and cultural backgrounds. The fundamentals of traditional and modern approaches of treatment are the myth and rationale models. These models explain the treatment process, including health, illness, deviance and normalcy. When therapists and patients belong to different cultural, ethnic or religious groups, conflicts may arise. This necessitates therapists to abandon their disbelief regarding the patients’ perceptions and learn their culture, including their treatment explanatory models and worldviews. Based on three sample cases of therapy with the ultra-orthodox Jews, the two authors create a strategic and integrative cultural-sensitive model of treatment. The Ultra-Orthodox Living in Israel The Ultra-Orthodox people living in Israel are fundamentalists. Therefore, they face the challenge of coping with secularization and modernization. Besides, they comprise of various streams with differing worldviews, religious priorities and social structures, thus lacking homogeneity. These differences may seem insignificant to the wider public but they have the potential of generating tension among the streams. Moreover, the traditional Jewish law fully informs their way of life. As a result, they unify to reject secular life approaches by living in secluded and self-sufficient communities. Mental Health Services Among the Ultra-Orthodox The ultra-orthodox seek psychiatric help as their last option due to religious concerns, such as using drugs during fasting. In most cases, they prefer consulting the rabbis. Unfortunately, most classical rabbis perceive God as the ultimate healer and discourage doctor’s help. Besides, they associate mental health problems with stigma, prejudice and immorality. This makes medical intervention irrelevant. More so, therapists use scientific and rationalistic approaches which some ultra-orthodox perceive as anti-religious, thus frustrating their efforts when seeking treatment. However, the new generation of informed rabbinic leaders is encouraging the American Jews to seek medical help. The rabbinic leaders are neutralizing the tension that exists by perceiving doctors as God’s messengers. Cultural Influences on Idioms of Distress and Narrative Construction Idioms of distress are the culturally unexpected ways through which people express distress and cope with pain. For example, after marriage, some cultures take wives to their husbands’ homesteads where they are isolated. This stresses the newly married women because they cannot communicate with their families. In some cases, culture does not allow them to express their distress openly. As a result, they express their distress in culturally unexpected ways, such as having irregular menstrual periods. Idioms of distress may differ across cultures because different cultures express distress through different ways. Ideally, cultures may express stress through cognitive, emotional, behavioral, interpersonal and experiential symptoms. This depends on how factors, such as history and physiology determine the acceptable distress idioms of a culture. Idioms of distress in the ultra-orthodox society Religion and overtone strongly influence the idioms of distress exhibited by the ultra-orthodox. Some of the ultra-orthodox idioms of distress include compulsive rituals, depression, delusions and obsessive thoughts. These idioms involve religious content, practices and symbols, including purity and prayers. For instance, patients with depression report self-criticism and guilt associated with religious practices. Those with psychosis experience delusions associated with Jewish mysticism. This informs that culture-sensitive therapy should consider the religious association of idioms expressed by the ultra-orthodox. Working With The Ultra-Orthodox The ultra-orthodox therapist-client conflict is more intense because the focus is on moral ideological foundations. The ultra-orthodox Jews are not ready to integrate with the “others.” They separate themselves religiously and geographically by creating ultra-orthodox communities and avoiding any interaction with secular persons. Hence, according to them, the therapists are impure and secular. Based on this, a therapeutic dialogue should commence with a religious framework that provides patients with the platform to express their distress. Interventions that interweave ultra-orthodox cultural aspects should follow to help therapists nurture cooperation and trust. The Treatment Situation Difficulties in treatment arise due to conflicting therapist-patient symbolic realities and models that explain illnesses. This creates the challenge of ensuring that religion and medicine do not contradict. This could be achieved by employing professionals from the same ethnic group to lessen symbolic reality. To minimize contradictions, secular therapists should learn about patients’ culture to create an emotional connection with patients. They should transform cultural knowledge into practical interventions. They should also know how to use the “ritual language.” This helps in isolating metaphoric idioms and expressions. In addition, therapists should acknowledge that counter-transferential and transferential reactions develop during therapy. Having enough cultural knowledge will help reduce the reactions by reducing distorted stereotypical thinking. Case 1— If I can’t pray, what’s the point of living? This case involves a 35-year-old man who is a devout religious observance for 10 years. Allan becomes depressed after he sends his brother on an errand that results in his death after a traffic accident occurs. He blames himself and is unable to work. However, his key complaint is his inability to pray. Therapists find clinical signs of depression, such as sleep problems and appetite. The examination reveals a major depressive disorder. Although the examination reveals a connection with experiences of loss and guilt feelings, Alan refrains from providing insight regarding the connections. The therapists employ cognitive behavioral intervention and pharmacological treatment and after six weeks, Alan’s ability to pray returns. Allan perceives this as spiritual revival. Case 2—The dead Rebbe’s reluctant messenger Joel, a 23-year-old man of Gur Hasidic sect claimed that Rabbi Pinchas, a Hasidic leader who had died 4 years ago was communicating to him. Joel, who is a devoted follower, claimed that Rabbi gave him private and public instructions. The Rabbi directed him to observe speaking fasts and read mystical writings for hours without interruptions. Therapists employed a cognitive narrative intervention that did not include pathological content. This involved taking the patient’s system of belief and reframing visitations to help him cope better. They acknowledged private domains and asked him to avoid passing the messages to the public. The client consulted Rebbe on the issue of passing messages to the community. He was also given tranquilizers to lower his anxiety levels. Case 3—The punishing angel (Witztum et al., 1990a) Ezra, a 24-year-old man exhibited strange behaviors such as self-mortifications and hearing voices after his daughter was born. He was diagnosed with major depression characterized by psychosis. Ezra felt guilty for his alcoholic father’s death. The night that his father died, Ezra declined sitting beside his father as his father had requested. He gave him a glass of water and walked out. Out of guilt and depression, he started using drugs. Getting a baby girl made his condition worse because he hoped to get a son that would remind him of his father. Therapists targeted the angel that appeared to demand that Ezra harm himself. They formed a small Jewish court to summon the angle. Ezra’s brother demanded that the angel never appear again. In the coming therapy sessions, Ezra’s condition improved. Discussion The cases show how mystical and religious beliefs construct and shape idioms of distress, which appear as dramatic narratives that provide a voice to personal suffering. They derive their features from social milieu, symbols and Jewish narrative genres. Fundamentally, they show that culture, interpersonal and personal factors shape idioms of distress. In this regard, to plan cultural-sensitive, narrative interventions, therapists need to ‘read’ the idioms correctly and comprehend the processes that shape dramatic narrative. This also goes for examining cases using multi-dimensional perspectives. Such perspectives include phenomenological, psychodynamic and biological perspectives. For instance, from a psychodynamic perspective, the first case shows a connection between guilt feelings and losing a brother, and depression signs and inability to pray. From a phenomenological approach, Ezra dissociates from his true personality and acquires the angel’s alter-personality. Whichever the approach, cultural and symbolic background should be considered. In all the cases, therapists use cultural sensitive approaches, such as symbolic healing and co-therapists. For instance, during cognitive narrative, therapists do not confront Joel’s behavior, but join the narrative of distress to reframe situations. In addition, delusional beliefs, including angel visitation are not confronted. Therapists help patients to ‘dialogue’ with the angels. Ultimately, this shows that the basis of the cultural sensitive approach is acquiring patients’ cultural knowledge and respecting their traditions and culture during interventions. Works Cited Witztum, Eliezer, and Jacob T. Buchbinder. “Strategic Culture Sensitive Therapy with Religious Jews.” International Review of Psychiatry 13 (2001): 117–124. Print.

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Provide the full text for the following summary: Quantum Corporation is a company that manufactures and markets computer hard disk devices throughout the world. The company has managed to maintain profitability since its formation in 1980. It has achieved this mainly through its differentiation strategy that focuses on high quality.The HR strategy at Quantum is one of its strongest areas, with the critical dimensions being quality, time-to-volume, as well as being easy to collaborate with in terms of business.

Quantum Corporation is a company that manufactures and markets computer hard disk devices throughout the world. The company has managed to maintain profitability since its formation in 1980. It has achieved this mainly through its differentiation strategy that focuses on high quality. The HR strategy at Quantum is one of its strongest areas, with the critical dimensions being quality, time-to-volume, as well as being easy to collaborate with in terms of business.

Strategic HRM at Quantum Corporation Case Study Summary of the Case Quantum Corporation manufactures and markets computer hard disk devices throughout the world. The company has managed to maintain profitability since its formation in 1980. It has achieved this mainly through its differentiation strategy that focuses on high quality. The HR strategy at Quantum is one of its strongest areas, with the critical dimensions being quality, time-to-volume, as well as being easy to collaborate with in terms of business. The HR singles out increase in the company’s value, increase in market share, and building an extraordinary work environment as Quantum’s operational goals. Important behaviours have been identified to enable employees achieve the corporate target of maintaining a competitive edge over the rival firms in the industry. Emphasis has been placed in teamwork efforts instead of individual performance in order to ensure targets are achieved speedily. The computer peripherals industry is characterised by short product life cycles owing to the fast-paced nature of the overall information technology industry. Performance of teams is managed in five main stages that include planning, coaching, performance review, as well as developing and rewarding the employees. The integration of IT capabilities in the firm’s HR function has seen the successful establishment of a human resource information system (HRIS). This, in turn, has enhanced automation of staffing and other performance management tools, thereby improving on quality performance. Quantum, however, faces numerous challenges in its business performance. The company has turned global by establishing operations in other parts of the world other than its main offices in Silicon Valley. Thus, it has been forced to replicate all its operation systems and practices in these multiple locations in order to sustain its growth and development. There is also scarcity of quality talent in this area of expertise, which tends to slow down the growth process of Quantum. With the firm having acquired another firm, Digital Equipment, Quantum has grappled with the problem of an enlarged workforce, as well as challenges in integrating the firm’s operations into one. Other areas that have proved to be of a challenge to the firm include acquiring and retaining quality talent, expanding the competence to cover change management, as well as developing employees to achieve continuity in performance and general operations. Problems Facing the Company Managing explosive growth at the global platform Like many other companies seeking to expand their markets and tap on other advantages for growth, Quantum has adopted a global business framework that has seen the firm establish operations in other parts of the world other than its operations in the USA. However, the new business model poses challenges to the firm in the sense that its operations are no longer of a small-scale that can easily be managed. As competition persists within the industry, an expanded business could easily fail to achieve some of the growth targets that are associated with leanness and quality (Barber, Huselid & Becker, 1999). Achieving the appropriate structure to accommodate the new model, especially for the HR function, stands out as a challenge to Quantum. In addition, there are other challenges that will most obviously result from the global company, including staffing and developing of new employees from different countries. Maintaining the cultural base of the firm will definitely turn out to be a bigger challenge for the management of the firm. Employee development The computer peripherals industry, and indeed the entire IT industry are facing a challenge of scarcity of employees. Thus, Quantum is facing a challenge of developing its workforce in order to enable individual workers maintain their value addition to the firm. Workers will only stay at the firm for longer and, thus, sustain continuity if they feel valued in their contributions. However, for this to be achieved the firm needs to train the workers such that they can do meaningful work under an enabling environment (Barber, Huselid & Becker, 1999). Managers may not be at hand to fully provide this support, particularly owing to the fast-paced growth that Quantum is undergoing in its business. In other words, achieving the rightful balance of developing workers at the appropriate rate is proving to be too difficult for the firm. This might see workers only stay for a short stint at the firm before moving to other employers or career fields, which is a very costly practice in the end. Managing new acquisitions and joint ventures Growth in business often involves acquiring other business ventures or entering into joint operations. However, this may not be an easy engagement for Quantum because of its short cycles in product development. Equally, Quantum puts more emphasis in team development, which eventually makes it difficult to implement joint ventures with success. Specific issues related to joint operations and acquisitions that pose a challenge to Quantum include how to achieve improvement in “soft asset due diligence” quality before entering into such arrangements. In addition, Quantum is also concerned with the aspect of integration after entering into such joint ventures or making new acquisitions. Formalizing relations as well as procedures could be tough in instances where the capabilities of the partner are not evaluated accurately. There needs to be structures in place, which should provide for knowledge transfer between Quantum and its partner and provide for means through which the acquired firm can be anchored easily by Quantum. Such a structure, however, is not easy to develop prior to such acquisitions or mergers. This is because different companies have their own unique model, which may require time to study before eventually designing the structure of association (Barber, Huselid & Becker, 1999). Acquiring and retaining talent Companies in the IT industry must continuously gain access to talent and have a high employee retention capability to be able to achieve a critical success factor. However, this is not the case at the Silicon Valley, where there is considerably low unemployment. Other parts of the world also suffer from an acute shortage of talent in this area of expertise. The high qualification thresholds by Quantum further make it difficult for the firm to identify the right employees for its operations. As a remedy, Quantum has resorted to identifying key employee capabilities (Barber, Huselid & Becker, 1999). Part of this strategy involves developing its HR systems as a way of closing the gap. This venture requires huge amount of financial resources, as well as adequate bench strength in order to enable the teams attain their mission. The company, however, suffers from inadequacies on both fronts, and this could not be achieved any time soon. Expanding competence to cover change management processes Quantum’s strategy has continuously been involving the idea of adopting change as a way of enabling the firm to achieve its objectives. Part of this strategy involves constantly ensuring that the firm maintains a workforce with appropriate flexibility and skills. Given that change management has to involve the idea of expanded competence to make it a reality, Quantum’s challenge in achieving this lies in the fact that the company operates in an industry with thin margins. In essence, the resources by the firm are not adequate to sustain a long-wave employee development (Barber, Huselid & Becker, 1999). Unless the firm builds its HR competencies for purposes of managing large-scale change processes, the dream of achieving this objective at Quantum will remain farfetched. Appropriate Concepts Relevant to this Case Group behaviour and dynamics One notable HR policy at Quantum involves its overreliance on groups and teamwork. While teams can be effective in enhancing an organisation to achieve its objectives, the management must handle numerous issues that relate to teamwork and groups to expedite performance (Armstrong, 2011). The best groups at Quantum are determined by their achievements in relation to the goal or target of the firm. To achieve high efficiency in the groups and teamwork, the management at the firm must ensure that workers understand the expectation that the firm has over them. It is important that the management help the individual employees to realign their goals to work in tandem with those of their groups. The decision-making procedure should be aligned with the particular situation at hand. This implies that the management must be flexible in ensuring that different methods are applied at varying times. This can only be the case if healthy norms are set up in such a way that they achieve a balance between spontaneity and structure. Another important issue should be to inculcate high levels of trust, safety, as well as cohesion within the groups. When honesty and openness is eventually achieved in a group, it creates a perfect environment for the sharing of constructive feedback (Armstrong, 2011). Information must be shared readily in groups. Teams work as a unit and they can only achieve their targets if individuals within the teams have the same information and awareness. In terms of leadership, a democratic style of guidance will be the most appropriate for enhancing Quantum’s overall objectives and targets. Individual members should be provided with responsibilities within the groups for purposes of goal accomplishment, developmental change, as well as internal maintenance. Managers at Quantum must be ready to handle disagreements and conflicts within the groups. This should not be viewed negatively, but rather as appropriate means of achieving creative and high quality decisions (Armstrong, 2011). It is also the perfect alternative for solving problem situations in the firm. This approach will help in achieving the target because Quantum operates in an industry where quality is paramount. What the managers should be aware of is the fact that they need to work through the conflicts rather than ignore them. The challenge of conflicts of interests is also likely to crop up within the teams, which could deter goal achievement. In such instances, the management should promote negotiation and mediation in order to reach agreements that optimise outcomes, while ensuring that the members are fully satisfied (Armstrong, 2011). Communication is also important and should be in all directions as a way of emphasising expression of feelings in an open and accurate manner. Power and control distribution within the teams should be in an equitable manner (Armstrong, 2011). Contribution should be encouraged from all members because eventually power of the individuals will result from their abilities and how well informed they are. The management should ensure consistent observable growth, as well as change amongst all the members is achieved. This should not only centre on the groups, but rather it should be expanded to include their day-to-day lives. Lessons Learnt from this Case Organisations must explore on their strong areas to ensure that they achieve and sustain competitive advantage. It is important that the organisations build on their critical success factor as a way of achieving their growth. One area through which competitive advantages can be achieved in organisations is the human resource. Workers run the operations in the organisation, which eventually links it with the market. The level at which workers add value to the organisation will reflect on the performance of the organisation in the market. High performance can be achieved through organising workers into teams or groups. This enables the individual employees to share their values, while also enhancing learning within the groups. Teams must be managed well to enable the organisation benefit from their existence. In the contemporary world, critical skills and talent in some areas are lacking and organisations must strategically plan on how they can rely on their internal workers to achieve their objectives. With the fast globalisation currently taking place, companies must restructure themselves such that they do not appear to be rigid in their frameworks; instead, they should remain flexible always. With a flexible structure, companies can easily manage mergers and acquisitions and easily address the challenge of talent shortage. While developing talent for organisations is important, it is upon the organisations to ensure the workers feel valued in their careers and overall contribution to the organisation. References Armstrong, M. (2011). Armstrong’s handbook of strategic human resource management, 5th edition. London: Michael Armstrong Barber, D., Huselid, M. A., & Becker, B. E. (1999). Strategic human resource management at Quantum. Human Resource Management, 38 (4), 321-328

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The text discusses the importance of performance indicators in strategic management accounting, and how they can be used to assess the accomplishments or the success of specific events or activities in which the organizations are involved.The text also critically evaluates the methods of dealing with product and service costing and budgeting in the higher learning institutions and then explains a number of alternative strategies that may be more useful in the perspective of operational and strategic administration in the modern universities.

The text discusses the importance of performance indicators in strategic management accounting, and how they can be used to assess the accomplishments or the success of specific events or activities in which the organizations are involved. The text also critically evaluates the methods of dealing with product and service costing and budgeting in the higher learning institutions and then explains a number of alternative strategies that may be more useful in the perspective of operational and strategic administration in the modern universities.

Strategic Management Accounting Analytical Essay Introduction Strategic management is founded on strategic fundamentals. Management accounting provides a theoretical framework and a language of discourse for three levels of approaches including pre-enactment, declaration and implementation. Performance indicators are linked to the benchmarking practices and are often identified using specific piloting procedures in order to ensure best higher education programs that meet the needs of the public and responds appropriately to the relevant priorities. The indicators provide data and information regarding the cost of operating and providing public services. Much attention is increasingly being focused on defining what is expected of higher education institutions and the students as well as the best mechanisms that can be used to achieve the expectations. A range of potential variables is needed to effectively evaluate the quality of an educational institution or the program it uses to offer public services. The performance indicators refer to quantitative data that give a measure of some characteristics of the organization’s performance (Thomas 2005, p. 75). This paper begins by analyzing some key measures of dealing with performance indication, especially in the modern universities. It then critically evaluates the methods of dealing with product and service costing and budgeting in the higher learning institutions and then explains a number of alternative strategies that may be more useful in the perspective of operational and strategic administration in the modern universities such as the University of Newland in the Midlands UK. Dealing with performance indicators According to Baldoni & Chockler (2012, p. 209), the term Key performance indicator is an industry terminology that is used to describe some element used to quantify success or organizational performance. Indicators have been used for a long time to define the economic state and labor market. However, the influences of the indicators on other aspects of the society have become a significant phenomenon (Baldoni & Chockler 2012, p. 209). In education, the indicators are commonly used by the organizations at various levels to assess the accomplishments or the success of specific events or activities in which the organizations are involved. In some cases, success is described in terms of the progress toward some particular objectives. However, most organizations consider success as the repeated accomplishments of some degree of operational objective. Performance indicators have been largely integrated into the administration of higher education in various levels. Many educational organizations now understand better the importance of dealing with key performance indicators. The advancements of the public indicators as a mechanism of public policy have gradually emerged as the interaction between the technical developments and the political significance and missions. One significant thing about indicators is that they have to be differentially weighted depending on the discipline in which they are involved. Cave (1997, p. 2) explains that different applications of performance indicators (PIs) can be described using four variables which include technical progress, the influence of stakeholders, the implementation of policies that PIs can advance and the political structures that allow and promote the use of the PIs (Planty, Planty & Carlson 2010, p. 23). Corporate performance indicators These indicators measure what is important to the management to attain the corporate dream. The indicators often need the whole organization to direct the efforts towards attaining the corporate vision. The indicators vary from organization to organization depending on the prevailing market situation, company life-cycle, and the business financial position. Even different portions of the corporation may be evaluated using different indicators. Maintaining the university’s high performance and research culture depends on the manner in which the university respects diversity in its problem formulation and approaches. The research environment presented by the modern university must be adequate to support doctoral researchers to reimburse for the shortage of the local researcher. Universities receive specific government financing that is more uneven and accompanied by the fast transforming and increasing firm output limitations in which there is an affinity to lay excessive emphasis on the short- term outcomes. These forces activate flexible creativeness within the research community (Planty, Planty & Carlson 2010, p. 15). National and global indicator efforts At the national level, information on the educational conditions is gathered over time. A detailed collection of the historical statistical data and indicators is presented in the form of a report. The reports illustrate the progression of what started as a small training center to what it has become over time. Historical statistics act as important resources to the educators and school administrators as well as policymakers. The reported information derived from administrative accounts and collected through large scale regimented examinations often address matters regarding schooling, academic performance, determination and achievement of the appropriate indicators about schooling environment, status, facility and finances (Planty, Planty & Carlson 2010, p. 10). Indicators of valuable teaching The aim of teaching surveys is to establish the problems that confront the teaching process in the higher learning institutions and to enable appropriate solutions to be formulated in time in order to attain complete and high quality teaching. Reliability analysis is an essential instrument that is used to ensure plausible and effective teaching evaluation. Reliability describes the regularity, solidity and steadfastness of the evaluation results, which is illustrated in the pattern of the internal consistency. The greater the reliability coefficients, the more dependable, steady and satisfying the results are likely to be. According to Lin & Huang (2011, p. 46), lesser reliability coefficients lead to less reliable, less steady and less satisfying evaluation outcomes. Reliability analysis as a mechanism for dealing with performance indication and it acts as a significant guide to the teaching process in modern universities and many other production and service organizations. It helps improve the process and quality of teaching, evaluation and attainment of more convincing results through several years of educational activities (Lin & Huang 2011, p. 47). Educational trend indicators There are considerable distinctions between the part-time and full-time courses in the universities and between the postgraduate and undergraduate programs in various subjects. The educational progress and achievements are the result of growing investment in education by the government and individuals. With the increase in the number of individuals enrolling for courses, the university and the individuals obtain returns for their investments (Planty, Planty & Carlson 2010, p. 25). Higher education levels are associated with the higher labor market participation and organizational employment rates. The instruments used to measure educational performance in the present times in the modern universities are how the students perform in the regional examinations at the end of the university and college semesters. One significant challenge in institution building practice in higher education is the need to address the impacts of educational trend (Gregg & Wadsworth 2011, p. 10). Institutional performance indicators The initial step is to evaluate progress toward achieving the objectives established in the university’s strategic plan. The objectives differ from institution to institution. However, most plans have several similar elements that are easy to assess. The most common of these is to raise the total research expenditures hence increasing the various national rankings above peers. The definitive target is to look like standard institutions. The institutional analysis data should be articulated on a per faculty constituent basis whenever that is necessary. For example, the university may have only a few active researchers but happen to receive large grants and produce high impact articles. A superficial evaluation may not identify an underperforming faculty. For this reason, the universities that direct resources on a few rewarding programs to optimize the spending number may achieve an institutional objective of increased research expenses but the strategy may disprove the actual status of the general university’s scholarly performance. The average level of research financing generated per faculty at a high research action acquires two or three times much research financing compared to the high research activity colleagues (Planty, Planty & Carlson 2010, p. 12). Gender gap indicators Determining the results regarding the academic workforce involves acquiring information about people’s enthusiasm and contentment. All the aspects of academic careers, structures and cultures directly relate to the people’s chances and positions within the organization. The people’s results provide an essential indicator for the quality of the organizational services and products. European universities suffer from the large gap between the need and provision of human resources and therefore raising the prettiness of the scientific careers and keeping individuals contented are important managerial duties in all the academic institutions. The other significant aspect of the people’s outcomes regards the working environment. Among the employees in academic institutes there is a rising need for flexible work-life arrangements which currently appear odd with the prevailing work mind-sets in many of the modern universities. The work attitude is still wholly based on the notion of the full-time work patterns. Part-time working is not a common idea. Universities that give the working personnel more freedom to decide their own choice between work and personal life will often find this as a winning tool in the efforts to increase the people’s contentment and to improve the institutional attractiveness. The labor markets increasingly comprise of employees including men and women who desire part-time appointments of at least three days in a week rather than full-time employment (Hansen, Mowen & Guan 2007, p. 6). Indicators of student characteristics and educational programs These indicators provide information about characteristics of student enrollment and the enrollment patterns for different student categories which vary across the university. For example, the indicators on participation in education and the learning programs explain whether the university is a preferred choice for students compared to other learning institutions. Changes in enrollment patterns reflect the changes in attendance requirements, the value of the cost of learning and the time spent on the courses. The modern universities must continue to look for creative ways to capture the concerns and the imaginations of the capable students who have little correlation to the courses. A number of students have little or no idea that educational practices contain excitements of continuous innovations as well as the enthrallment of the technological functions (Hansen, Mowen & Guan 2007, p. 7). Dealing with product and service costing The necessities for fulfilling the initial objective depends on the nature of the item whose cost is to be determined and the reason why the management wants to define the cost. For instance, product costs determined in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles are required to value the inventories for the balance sheet and to determine the cost of products in the income statements. The product costs include the expenditure for the materials, overheads and labor. Managers may want to determine all the costs linked to the products and services for the sake of deliberate and premeditated productivity. Additional cost information may, therefore, be necessary concerning product plans, developments, distribution and marketing. Product and service cost information also helps in planning and management. It helps managers determine the best action to be taken, reasons for taking the actions, and the ways of executing the actions (Hansen, Mowen & Guan 2007, p. 5). Direct costs, indirect costs and overheads When considering the cost of products and services, some costs are identified with the commodities as distinct from others. For example, a course on introduction to French uses an interactive disc to teach elementary grammar. The actual disc is particularly constructed to be used in that particular course. Therefore the cost of making the appropriate design, manufacturing and distributing the disc is directly linked to the course. Such kind of a cost is described as a direct cost. On the other hand, indirect cost is the cost of running an organization rather than making or providing products and services (Rumble 1997, p. 22) Fixed costs variable costs and semi-variable costs Institutions providing products and services often react to demand. The increase or reduction in the volume of services or goods supplied leads to the either a rise or a fall in the total cost of products and services. Some costs are, however, unaffected by these adjustments in the volume of supplies. For instance, the university has only one vice-chancellor; those adjustments in the amount of activity do not affect the number of vice-chancellors the university has. The costs that are not affected by the adjustments in the activity levels are described as fixed costs (Hansen, Mowen & Guan 2007, p. 22). Dealing with budgeting According to Butz (2011, p. 2), budgeting is a key area in management accounting. Researchers largely centralize their studies on the design of budget schemes and the process of constructing the organizational budgets. Budgeting helps in planning and control within the organization. They serve as tools for predicting productivity, allocating resources or communicating particular knowledge regarding one section of the organization (Butz 2011, p. 2). Financial administration in the modern universities is an extensive and difficult task that includes planning, investments and coordination among other financial activities. The university budgeting system should be supported by various budgeting principles and should be steadfast and rational. This implies that the underlying predictions should be based on realistic or slightly distrustful assumptions; the budgets should be organized on multiyear and multi-within-year patterns to maintain the practicality and stability of the short-term and long-term decisions, communications with all essentialities should be complete, precise and credible and should maneuver between scenarios. The system should be favorable to the various academic divisions that contribute to the overall mission and financial well being of the university. This implies that there is a strong link between the student enrollment and the budget agreements and approvals. It also implies prevention of ineffectiveness by means of the budgeting. When the budget is founded on realistic suppositions and when it incorporates an efficient system of regulations and rewards, it should be possible to support the distributed financial authority of the academic departments. Deans of department heads should be in a position to approximate on their own the advantage that will mount up from the structural and curricular modifications. Within their area of accountability, they should be in a position to tap the benefits of reallocating the expenses from one budget category to another (Butz 2011, p. 2). Incremental budgeting Incremental budgeting process involves placing of annual appropriations with respect to the previous year’s budget as the base from which small modifications including additions or subtractions are made to reflect the rate of inflation. Incremental budgeting helps reduce risks and to minimize faults; hence, it discards excessive alternatives and untested techniques. As opposed to other budgeting methods such as zero-budgeting, incremental budgeting supports gradual adoption of adjustments over comprehensive program-by-program analysis. The increments can either be negative or positive. It is considered positive by the insertion of new programs or increases in the existing programs and negative by the decrease in other programs (Elliot & Ali 2007, p. 254). Traditionally, nations established higher education based on prevailing costs, student enrollments and inflation associated issues. Incremental budgeting has been the most preferred for higher education and government organizations. The process involves annual budgeting at the previous year allotment and additions or subtractions are implemented with regard to a few established decision regulations or budget strategies. The traditional budgeting is done on a cash basis in which revenue is acknowledged and verified when cash is obtained and deposited and expenses are recorded in the accounting period that they are paid. The budgeting format is conducted by departmental line items and it incorporates costs to continue with the items and at times funds new plans. The budgeting process is more manageable because it basically focuses on additional funding or any decrease in financial support (Dove & Capella University 2007, p. 33). A major criticism of the incremental budgeting process is that most of the existing budgets are never reviewed. It has also been largely criticized for lack of reasonableness, being vulnerable to political impulse and that it frequently perpetuates past inequities. The budget process functions on the grounds that the business will continue in the same manner and that the budgets do not expire. Therefore it gives minimal room for new ideas. It is also known to apply no incentives for cost reduction from year to year. The traditional budgeting centralizes on inputs rather than outputs, enumerating expenses by standard classifications and assumes efficient and justified spending. It also ensures safekeeping of funds and control rather than effectiveness. Its major weakness is that it describes a little description of the institutional spending. The expenses are linked to departmental goals or outcomes that are accomplished and there is no suggestion of how funds are utilized within the programs or academic units (Dove & Capella University 2007, p. 33). Zero base budgeting A zero-based budget works from the bottom up. It begins with individual revenue, expenditure, asset and owner’s equity report and examines the particular report including postage expenditure and then attempts to employ logic to formulate a proper postage spending budget amount (Drury 2009, p. 100). The budgeting person calculates the amount by taking one thousand letters and multiplies with some postage cost value. One notable advantage of the zero-based budgeting is that it helps individuals benefit from or use some budgeted amount responsible for the budgeted funds. This budgeting is however criticized on the grounds that it is easy to make calculation errors (Nelson 2008, p. 315). Conclusion For several years, strategic management accounting has been treated as a potential area of development that would improve the future role of management accounting in organizations. Drury (2007, p. 570) explains that In spite of the publicity that the strategic management accounting has attained, there is still no complete theoretical framework that accurately defines strategic management accounting. The strategic management accounting systems are designed to support the general organizational business strategy using powerful tools such as information technology to formulate more refined costs of products and services. Performance indicators are obtained in many multifaceted systems which deliver services such as education. The indicators are not without faults or difficulties of characterization but they are very essential pointers to the operations and functions of a system and analyzing them is one aspect of ensuring quality control (Drury 2007, p. 570). The product and service costing methods are useful in estimating product and service prices. Managers and organizational leaders, however, need to understand how the total costs are linked to specific objects on a particular unit level. Costing systems help in the estimation of these unit costs. In order to achieve its institutional objectives and to ensure that the external reviewers are thoroughly aware of what the university is trying to achieve, the university must be willing to undertake the major efforts including the establishment of strong goal-linked budgetary processes that ensure maximum efficiencies and improved profitability (Hoenack 1990, p. 74). References Baldoni, R., & Chockler, G. 2012. Collaborative financial infrastructure protection: tools, abstractions, and middleware. Springer, New York. pp. 209-300. Butz, C. 2011. Role and effects of budgeting in managerial practice. GRIN Verlag. Munich. pp.20-29. Cave, M. 1997. The use of performance indicators in higher education: the challenge of the quality movement (3 rd ed.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers. London. pp.1-20. Dove, T.w., & Capella University.2007. Analysis of funding inequities in texas higher education . ProQuest, Ypsilanti. pp. 100-125. Drury, C.2007. Management and cost accounting (7 th ed.). Cengage Learning EMEA,Boston. pp.570-620. Drury,C. D. 2009. Why teams don’t work, Harvard business review ,. EBSCO, Massachusetts. 87(5), pp.98-105. Elliot, J.M., & Ali, S.R. 2007. The state and local government political dictionaryClio dictionaries in political science. Wildside Press LLC, Pennsylvania. pp. 254-310. Gregg, P., & Wadsworth, J. 2011. The labor market in winter: the state of working Britain. Oxford University Press, New York. pp.2-100. Hansen, D.R., Mowen, M.M., & Guan, L.2007. Cost Management: Accounting & Control Available Titles CengageNOW Series (6 th ed.). Cengage Learning, Boston. pp.5-25. Hoenack, S.A. 1990. The economics of American universities: management, operations, and fiscal environment. SUNY Press, New York. pp.74-120.. Lin, S., & Huang, X. 2011. Advances in computer science, environment, ecoinformatics, and education. Springer, New York. pp.46-120. Nelson, S.L. QuickBooks 2008 all-in-one desk reference for dummies for dummies (4 th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. New York. pp.315-400. Planty, M., Planty, M., & Carlson, D. 2010. Understanding education indicators: a practical primer for research and policy. Teachers College Press, New York. pp.10-30. Rumble,G.1997. The costs and economics of open and distance learning open and distance learning series. Routledge, London. pp.22-59. Thomas, L. 2005. Widening Participation in Post-Compulsory Education Continuum Collection. Continuum International Publishing Group, New York. pp.70-100.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: Glenmark's decision to pursue drug discovery business was not the best of choices. Although the company had the capabilities required to succeed in its current business, it ventured into the discovery business that was evidently out of its capabilities.The company needs to consider forming partnerships with other firms to sustain its funding activities. This will eliminate the need for the company to enter into contacts with third party firms for further research development activities.

Glenmark's decision to pursue drug discovery business was not the best of choices. Although the company had the capabilities required to succeed in its current business, it ventured into the discovery business that was evidently out of its capabilities. The company needs to consider forming partnerships with other firms to sustain its funding activities. This will eliminate the need for the company to enter into contacts with third party firms for further research development activities.

Strategic Management Case Analysis: Glenmark Report Executive Summary Glenmark is an Indian pharmaceutical firm that has broadened its business portfolio to involve high-risk research for new drug invention. Poor global economy situation between 2007 and 2008 affected the company as sales dropped. Glenmark encountered further business challenges as its venture into high-risk research failed to generate the requisite revenues for its business. The company should have considered pursuing generics business, instead of considering the drug discovery business. Generics business requires less capital and does not entail high skill in employee capabilities. Generics business also requires a short period before a firm can recoup its initial business capital. Drug discovery business takes between 10 and 12 years before firms break even. Glenmark had only $40 million in capital raised from IPO when it decided to venture into research vusiness. This strategy is expensive for the company because the firm has to readjust its operations to fit well into the foreign business market environment. The firm pursues a chemical leasing type of business model as it supplies its original product idea for further manufacturing to third parties. However, it retains the original ownership of the product. The company needs to consider forming partnerships with other firms to sustain its funding activities. This will eliminate the need for the company to enter into contracts with third party firms for further research development activities. Operating as a single entity currently subjects Glenmark to more vulnerability, including high losses because of the uncertain business scenario involved. Comparison between the Generics and Drug Discovery Businesses The decision by Glenmark to venture into drug discovery business was not the best of choices. Although the company had the capabilities required to succeed in generics business, it ventured into the discovery business that was evidently out of its capabilities. A comparison using VRIO framework Valuable The drug discovery business requires a huge amount of resources and time to succeed. Given the uncertainty involved, this alternative was eventually going to consume a large amount of the company’s financial resources and increase its operating costs at the end (Greenwald, 2010, p. 118). Acquiring and maintaining skilled personnel who were not part of the organization at the start was a costly affair that would use more funds. The research procedures taking between 10 and 12 years imply that the company’s capital base must be large enough to sustain steady operations (Monappa & Deepali, 2013, p. 68). Glenmark’s paltry $40 million raised during its IPO in the year 2000 is by far less an amount to sustain operations for this grace period. With 99% of the company’s profits coming from India in 1998, it is critical to point out that Glenmark lacked a steady financial base that would have sustained its new business area comfortably. India is a developing country whose buying power is low compared to developed countries. It means firms relying on the market for their business also suffer from relatively low revenues. Glenmark was also moving out of India to attract skilled workers, a move that required more funds to achieve. Such experts are rare and definitely are compensated highly to retain them, which further diminished the firm’s thin capital base. On the other hand, the generics business would have increased the company’s revenues by a greater margin. This business area does not involve research, which is expensive and time-consuming (Cox, 2012, p. 293). Glenmark would have enjoyed the lucrative opportunity to make significant revenue amounts over a very short period, given that India is one of the leading global markets for generics. Rare Glenmark does not possess the unusual skill needed to venture into the discovery business. India has very scarce expertise in high-risk innovation in drug manufacturing (Lin et al., 2012, p. 1396), a fact highlighted by the firm’s relocation from India. The generics business, however, requires no complex skills to pursue. Many global drug-manufacturers are seeking the Indian market, indicating the obvious availability of such skills in the country. Imitable It would take long for other industry players to imitate the drug discovery business. Because of the strict regulatory framework established in this industry, it is difficult for firms to copy and produce the same drugs as produced by the company that conducted the original research. This implies companies are poised to earn the high revenue amounts that are associated with new researched drugs, for as long as they have the funds to sustain their operations during the 10-12 grace periods of research. This differs from generics business, where players can easily imitate the drugs manufactured by another player. More than one pharmaceutical can manufacture the same generic drug for as long as they obtain the license from the copyright holder (Angell, 2010, p. 7), which makes imitation a reality in this instance. Organization Glenmark was not efficiently organized to undertake the drug discovery business in terms of strategy. The firm was forced to spend its entire $10 million profit on the strategy, meaning it had no extra funds set aside for emergency. It implies that any slight complexity would have seen the firm declared bankrupt because it had utilised all its available funds to try out the research business. The high demand for more funds required to uphold the firm’s research activities, and the limited capital base point out to the fact that Glenmark lacked strategic organisation to back up its new business venture (Barney & Clifford, 2010, p. 2). In terms of the generics business, nonetheless, it had all the efficient organization to undertake the strategy. The financial position of the company was healthy enough to enable it fund all the prerequisite obligations. Glenmark’s long stay in the drug business and industry provided it with the right experience to venture into generics business, thus giving it the opportunity to come up with a good strategy (Sachan & Dhanaraj, 2013, p. 3). A comparison using Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Buyers’ Power Buyers in the drug discovery business industry have low bargaining power. Thus, firms can manipulate prices to their advantage because of the unique market discovery. In the generics business, however, buyers have more bargaining power because there are many firms manufacturing generic drugs. Glenmark, in essence, would enjoy greater market power by pursuing high-risk discovery research than would be the case if it focused on generics business. Suppliers’ Power Suppliers have a higher bargaining power within the drug discovery business or industry than in the generics business. There are fewer supplier firms in existence because of the limited number of pharmaceuticals pursuing new drug research (Burke, van Stel & Thurik, 2010, p. 6). By pursuing generics business, therefore, Glenmark would have more bargaining power against the suppliers than the case is within the drug discovery business. Barriers to Entry There are higher entry barriers in the drug discovery industry in terms of higher capital and highly competent skills (Kim & Mauborgne, 2004, p. 5). The long research period and uncertainty involved also discourages many firms from venturing into this business area. This is different in the case of generics business where firms can easily venture into the business. Threat of Substitutes There are minimal threats of substitutes in the case of drug discovery research business. Relatively few firms have ventured into the business, making the availability of original and unique drugs limited in the market. The generics business, however, has numerous possible substitutes because more pharmaceutical firms manufacture generic drugs (Porter, 2008, p. 12). Competitive Rivalry There is less rivalry in the drug discovery business area compared to the case with the generics business. The limited number of firms venturing into new research and the consequent amount of time eliminates high rivalry and competition. Compared to generics business, however, more firms are competing for the same market (Kim & Mauborgne, 2004, p. 6). A comparison using SWOT Analysis Strength Glenmark has been in existence since 1977, where it succeeded to establish over 60 pharmaceutical products. This significant period in business gave it a better understanding, especially in the generics business area, as opposed to a new venture in research that it had little knowledge. Weakness Glenmark was purely focused on generics business, where its business involved reproducing products copyrighted medicine. This business required very little research and development activities, as the copyright holders handed down all the production procedures to the company. Initiating a research business, therefore, was an unlikely business area for Glenmark because it had little capacity in this area. Opportunity India is an emerging market, which offers a better market opportunity for generics than it does for researched drugs. Because of the country’s relatively weaker economy, Glenmark had a promising market if it had focused on generics business, which is comparatively affordable in the market than venture into research. Threats Research business is highly unpredictable, which can result to firms losing their businesses altogether. Glenmark’s DPP4 (Merck molecule) lost its $1 billion market value to only $200-300 million following Merck Serono’s decision to restructure its operations. The unpredictability of the research business increases the business risk faced by the firm, more than would have been had the company focused on generics business. Specific Constraints Faced by Emerging Market Firms when they pursue High-Risk Discovery Research Company Incapability Firms in the emerging markets lack the adequate financial power or capital base to sustain high-risk discovery research. The buying power within the emerging markets is far less superior to the case in the developed world markets (Sachan & Dhanaraj, 2013, p. 10). In essence, firms in the emerging markets make relatively inferior sales that translate to relatively inferior revenues and minimal profits. Such firms equally cannot attract significant foreign markets, further limiting their resource base. In the case of Glenmark, the company could only rely on the local Indian market up to 95 percent for its sales. Emerging market firms also lack competitive employee capability to enable them to pursue high-risk research discovery (Brown, Bush & Norberg, 2001, p. 15). Industry Challenges High-risk discovery research takes a long duration before firms can recoup their initial capital and benefit from the profits. This long duration between 10 to 12 years means that firms have to have a stable financial base to sustain their operations meanwhile as they pursue their research activities (Kaplan & Norton, 2007, p. 6). Such industry dynamics deny the firms originating from emerging markets an ample opportunity to pursue this type of business. They lack the adequate financial muscle to allow them to take the risks for a long duration (Arora, 2010, p. 43). Glenmark Business Model Glenmark is pursuing the chemical leasing type of business model (Scott, 2010, p. 14) where it supplies its product idea for further development. The firm, however, retains the original ownership of the product idea. Its new drug ideas formulated after the initial phase of research is transferred to a third party drug developer to continue with the advanced phases of research. Glenmark sustains an out-licensing model because of the long duration involved in research. In this model, Glenmark receives a down payment for its product idea. However, the firm retains the original ownership of the product idea such that it would continue earning from the sale of the product once it is released into the market. Recommended Action Plan for the Company in terms of its Discovery Research Glenmark should consider forming business partnerships to aid its discovery research (Sull, 2009, p. 2). New drug research business area requires a lot of funds to sustain it. Lack of these funds is currently affecting the firm negatively. Glenmark will get support in terms of combining resources by agreeing to work in partnership with other firms, mainly pharmaceutical enterprises. Glenmark has already built a name for itself, emerging as a formidable and competent company in research. This position will enable it to attract other competent and capable firms to form a formidable partnership. Pharmaceutical firm such as Eli Lilly can form a highly competent partnership with Glenmark and help both companies to cut down on high research expenses. Conclusion Glenmark considered venturing into drug discovery business as a way of increasing its business potential in pharmacy. This business alternative, however, has affected the firm’s business performance negatively. The research activity requires expenditure of a significant amount of financial resources and expertise, both of which the firm could not afford at the time it ventured into this type of business. A generics business alternative would have been Glenmark’s best option had the firm considered it as an option. With its new discovery research portfolio, Glenmark should consider forming a partnership to enable it venture into the business efficiently. List of References Angell, M 2010, ‘Big Pharma, bad medicine: How corporate dollars corrupt research and education’, Boston Review , vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 7-10 Arora, A 2010, Collaborative competition and other readings, Himalaya Pub House, Discovery eBooks, Mumbai Barney, JB & Clifford, TG, 2010, Real world strategies for analyzing the value chain, applying the VRIO Framework (resource based view), and recognizing core competencies , Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, MA Brown, T, Bush, P & Norberg, L 2001, Building executive alignment, buy-in, and focus with the balanced scorecard SWOT , Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA Burke, A, van Stel, A & Thurik, R 2010, ‘Blue Ocean vs. five forces’, Business Harvard Review , pp. 6-12 Lin, C, Tsai, H-L, Wu, Y-J, & Kiang, M 2012, ‘A fuzzy quantitative VRIO-based framework for evaluating organizational activities’, Management Decision , vol. 50, no. 8, pp. 1396-1411 Cox, KL 2012, ‘The medicines patent pool: promoting access and innovation for life-saving medicines through voluntary licenses’, Hastings Science & Technology Law Journal , vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 293-327 Greenwald, HP 2010, Health care in the United States: Organization, management, and policy , John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY Kaplan, RS & Norton, PD 2007, ‘Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system’, Harvard Business Review , pp. 1-14 Kim, WC, & Mauborgne, R 2004, ‘Blue Ocean strategy’, Harvard Business Review , pp 1-10 Monappa, RS, Deepali, RG, & Tenpe, CR 2013, ‘Study of drug regulatory approval process and comparative requirement of common technical documents (CTD) in Europe, USA and India in coordination with drug developmental process’, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review & Research , vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 68-79 Porter, ME 2008, ‘The five competitive forces that shape strategy’, Harvard Business Review , pp.1-17 Sachan, N & Dhanaraj, C 2013, Organizing for innovation at Glenmark (A), Indian School of Business, ISB028 , pp 1-13 Scott, A 2010, ‘Chemical leasing: an emerging financial and environmental opportunity’, Chemical Week , vol. 172, no. 14, pp. 18-19 Sull, D 2009, ‘How to thrive in turbulent markets’, Harvard Business Review , pp 1-11

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Provide the inputted essay that when summarized resulted in the following summary : IDP Education Australia is a report on the company's strategic management. The report discusses the company's overview, the development of IDP Education, its current situation, and a strategic issue.IDP Education Australia is a report on the company's strategic management. The report discusses the company's overview, the development of IDP Education, its current situation, and a strategic issue.

IDP Education Australia is a report on the company's strategic management. The report discusses the company's overview, the development of IDP Education, its current situation, and a strategic issue. IDP Education Australia is a report on the company's strategic management. The report discusses the company's overview, the development of IDP Education, its current situation, and a strategic issue.

Strategic Management: IDP Education Australia Report Table of Contents 1. Company Overview 2. The Development of IDP Education 3. Current Situation 4. Strategic Issue 5. Bibliography 6. Footnotes Company Overview IDP education is one of the world’s leading institutions that offer assistance to foreign students wishing to pursue their studies in oversees countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The institution engages in student enlightenment regarding various courses offered in universities abroad. The company is based in Australia with branches all over the world. One of the responsibilities of the organization is to offer English tests to students aspiring to further their studies in foreign countries. In this regard, it owns one of the best language tests referred to as IELTS. With time, the company has been able to form global partnerships in order to compete effectively in the highly unpredictable market 1 . Currently, the company is the largest student recruitment institution with offices in various parts of the world. The company is considered one of the rapidly growing institutions in the Australian economy given the fact that it operates in various developing economies, such as Brazil, China, India, and Russia. Studies show that the company has grown to be a multinational company since it is entrusted with the role of administering higher education fund and aid in various countries. The management of the company realized that forming partnerships with oversees governments would be the best practice towards realizing educational needs of the soaring number of students hoping to pursue studies abroad 2 . The mission statement of the organization clearly demonstrates its desire to engage in the best practices that would convene the needs of various students. One of the mission statements of IDP Education Australia is to offer quality international student services through provision of timely advice to clients pertaining to the admission requirements in the Australian institutions of higher learning. Moreover, the organization engages in assessment and evaluation of student services, such as provision of portfolio of review and offering essential credential tools, including the English test. The Development of IDP Education The company has gone through a number of developmental challenges to be what it is today. It was established in 1969 as an Australian agency in charge of coordinating higher education activities in the country. The main task of the organization was to offer help to various students in need of higher education in the country, particularly those from South-East Asia. The initial name of the organization was AAUCS (Australian Asian Universities’ Cooperation Scheme), but the name was changed to IDP (International Development Program) in order to reflect its diversity. Since its inception, a number of stakeholders, including the Australian agency in charge of education, various oversees governments, established funding agencies, other international institutions of higher learning, and the corporate sector have been its major developmental partners. With time, the company has formed a constructive working relationship with parents and students, who are considered the company’s major stakeholders. To achieve its goals, the company appreciates the fact that meeting the demands of the market is paramount to success 3 . In this regard, the management of the organization incorporated a number of values into its managerial agenda, one of the values being leadership. The kind of leadership espoused meets the international standards since it observes the issue of cultural diversity. In the global society, any organization intending to operate at a global level must respect the values and beliefs of other people. Other values, such as customer service, quality assurance, focus, empowerment, risk-taking, reliability, sincerity, ingenuousness, and development of teams are attributed to the growth of the company. Formation of teams is one of the critical tools of strategic management since it enhances goal achievement and attainment of the major objectives. With time, the company grew to be one of the most respected international companies offering professional advice on matters related to education. Its desire to meet the requirements facilitated the achievement of its status as the market leader in issues to do with higher learning education 4 . Current Situation Currently, the organization offers a number of free online services, such as admission choices and professional support services at no cost. This gives the company a competitive advantage in the highly aggressive market that does not favour any player. Apart from offering online support services at no fee, the company provides extensive services on visas through partnerships with relevant agencies in oversees governments. Small-scale companies and individuals who had inadequate capital previously dominated the international educational services market. IDP education has played a critical role in shaping the education sector globally, especially in connecting Australian institutions of higher learning to the global market. Analysts observe that IDP education is the major contributor to exports. It is surprising to note that services offered by the IDP education globally surpass the wool exports, even though wool the most exported product in the country. The proceeds from student travel and fees, including the living expenses, increases significantly each year. Currently, the organization is engaging in various programs to ensure that Australian universities establish strong links with foreign institutions and students. The introduction of the English language test service is considered an advantage, as it has helped the company gain popularity even in developed countries 5 . Many universities around the world appreciate the role of IDP education meaning that its English tests are valid and applicable all over the world. The organization applies a unique business model that has attracted foreign students to the Australian universities. Student recruitment has been shaped globally, with some analysts observing that this has a direct and a significant impact on the mobility of students in various nations. The institution has had a positive influence to the higher education in the country, as well as in other region. Recently, New Zealand has engaged in marketing activities to promote their universities globally. In this regard, it is observed that IDP education is a market leader locally, regionally, and globally. The United Kingdom and Canada are some of the countries that are also engaging in marketing strategies to attract students to their local universities 6 . Based on the current position of the company and its market share, it is observed that the future is bright for IDP education. In 2005, the company had various visitors who were mainly investors inquiring on whether they can pump their capital to help the organization expand. Negotiations are ongoing to make the company one of the Australia’s prime employers. The company is able to withstand any form of competition in case capital is pumped into some of its established projects. Strategic Issue IDP education is an established company that employs various strategic management methods, one of them being cost advantage strategy while the other is differentiation strategy. Cost leadership strategy suggests that products should be offered at an affordable cost to encourage many customers to make purchases. However, the strategy is faced with several problems, among them being operating at a loss. IDP education operates at a large-scale meaning that it is able to offer services at a low cost while at the same time making a profit. Other multinational companies, such as Wal-Mart applied the strategy successfully to compete effectively in with established chain stores. While other institutions charge students in offering support services, IDP does not demand anything from clients whenever they need support services. Additionally, clients are able to access visa services at no cost, even though the organization spends considerable finances on arranging for these services. Studies show that a customer will always use a service based in its price. An expensive service might be of interest to high-end market, but the quality of service should be higher to sustain such a market. IDP education is the most reliable to many clients, as its prices are avoidable and the type of the service offered meets the needs of many clients 7 . The organization is known to employ differentiation strategy whose main aim is to offer a various products and services to clients. Some of the services that IDP education offers are out of reach to many competitors 8 . Based on this, the company is able to outmuscle competitors hence giving it an advantage. Dell is one of the companies operating in the electronics company that launched mass-customizations on computers specifically to convene the needs of customers. Many organizations specializing on differentiation strategy have registered massive sales that have played a role in realizing their aims and objectives. In this case, differentiation strategy has a positive impact on the performance of the organization. Bibliography Clulow, Val, Gerstman, Julie, and Barry, Carol. “The resource-based view and sustainable competitive advantage: the case of a financial services firm”. Journal of European Industrial Training, 27.5 (2003): 220–232. Erica, Olsen. Strategic Planning Kit for Dummies . John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Grant, Robert. Contemporary Strategic Management: An Australasian Perspective . Milton: John Wiley and Sons Australia, 2011. Hitt, Michael, and Hoskisson, Robert. Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization: Cases . Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2013. Lau, Ronald. “Competitive factors and their relative importance in the US electronics and computer industries”. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22.1 (2001): 125–135 Powell, Thomas. “Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations”. Strategic Management Journal, 22.9 (2001): 875–888. Rijamampianina, Rasoava, and Russell, Yumiko. “A framework for concentric diversification through sustainable competitive advantage”. Management Decision, 41.4 (2004): 362-372. Warf, Frederick and Stutz, Barney. The world economy : resources, location, trade and development . Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007. Footnotes 1 Frederick Warf and Barney Stutz, The world economy: resources, location, trade and development (Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007), p. 14. 2 Thomas Powell, “Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations”, Strategic Management Journal, 22.9 (2001), p. 888. 3 Val Clulow, Julie Gerstman, and Carol Barry, “The resource-based view and sustainable competitive advantage: the case of a financial services firm”, Journal of European Industrial Training, 27.5 (2003), p. 12. 4 Michael Hitt, and Robert Hoskisson, Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization: Cases (Mason: Southwestern, Cengage Learning, 2013), p. 45. 5 Ronald Lau, “Competitive factors and their relative importance in the US electronics and computer industries”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22.1 (2003): 125–135 6 Olsen Erica, Strategic Planning Kit for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, 2012), p. 23. 7 Robert Grant, Contemporary Strategic Management: An Australasian Perspective (Milton: John Wiley and Sons Australia, 2011), p. 19. 8 Rasoava Rijamampianina and Yumiko Russell. “A framework for concentric diversification through sustainable competitive advantage”. Management Decision, 41.4 (2004): 362-372.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: The House of Ajmal is a family heritage and a sensational force in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business entails a perfumery, which is based in Dubai and it has been inexistence for close to six decades.The House of Ajmal is a family heritage and a sensational force in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business entails a perfumery, which is based in Dubai and it has been inexistence for close to six decades.

The House of Ajmal is a family heritage and a sensational force in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business entails a perfumery, which is based in Dubai and it has been inexistence for close to six decades. The House of Ajmal is a family heritage and a sensational force in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business entails a perfumery, which is based in Dubai and it has been inexistence for close to six decades.

Strategic Management in the House of Ajmal Case Study Introduction The House of Ajmal is a family heritage and a sensational force in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business entails a perfumery, which is based in Dubai and it has been inexistence for close to six decades. It has its origin in India and it is rumored to have come into existence when the very first Arabians visited India and developed a liking to the oriental scents that typify the Asian continent. However, contemporarily, the accuracy of this rumor is insignificant in the face of all the business that the House of Ajmal is closing at the end of the day. The business features amongst the leading perfumeries in the United Arab Emirates, alongside household names such as the Arabian Oud, Zahras Perfumes, Swiss Arabian perfumes, and the Royal Diwan Group. Its formidability as a competitor is evident to its rivals especially when there are international rewards such as the FIFA Perfume Awards that were sponsored by the Fragrance Foundation (founded in 2008), where Ajmal won a number of awards based on its fragrances and exemplary retailing techniques. On the global level, the competitors are numerous ranging from Coty to Elizabeth Arden to Dolce and Gabbana and Chanel. What is of concern is that even other non-perfume sectors such as the clothing lines and celebrity names are entering the race and they have the luxury of sailing past entrance resistors under the glamour of their names. These factors and many more are justification enough for the house of Ajmal to reconsider its development strategy in light of ensuring continued relevance, sales, and profitability in the future. Superficially, it may not seem to be in jeopardy of becoming irrelevant especially considering that presently the House of Ajmal runs a $200 million 150000 square foot factory in Dubai, which produces over 50000 bottles of perfumes consisting of an array of Arab and French fragrances daily. However, the new entrants pose a threat to its very existence especially considering that traditionally, most of its products have been targeting the affluent Middle Eastern clientele. External Environment It is interesting to note that the perfume industry is becoming as dynamic as the fashion industry, which is to say that it changes all the time. This versatility has to do with the fact that increasing percentages of consumers are in fact younger than twenty-five years, a fact that can be explained by the ever-evolving market trends that have now seen youthful entrepreneurs taking over the role of production in the society and not necessarily relying on being employed to earn an income. The industry players on the other hand seem to have some sort of retarded growth, and whereas some have seen the wisdom of adapting to suit this new clientele, others are still set in their ways, much to their loss and doom. For comparative purposes, it is evident that in the fashion industry, designs keep changing and the only way to stay relevant is by producing chic and trend outfits that are affordable and desirable to the targeted consumers. The same principle applies in perfumery industry. The House of Ajmal has its backbone in the affluent Middle Eastern clientele, but even this phenomenon is rapidly shifting on a negative tangent. Today, only 10 per cent of the United Arab Emirates residents are actually nationals with the rest of the 90 per cent being expatriates. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that even if the House of Ajmal is making many dollars selling to the Middle East, most of its clientele is comprised of expatriates of various nationalities, with conflicting interests in scents. A bonus to the House of Ajmal is that Arabian scents have always been a favorite amongst most consumers, specifically the ouds, ambers, and musks. Another advantage for Ajmal is the fact that their production is not only limited to perfumes, but they have their tentacles spread into air fresheners, body sprays, lotions, essential oils, and even soaps. However, with incumbent brands and designs based on other factors such as celebrity status and seasoned distribution lines such as Burberry’s Clothing line, the house of Ajmal needs a strategy that shall keep it afloat and abreast despite the raging competition. Key Success Factors Introduction With the perfume industry and particularly in the Middle East, there is the advantage of automatic popularity of perfumes among Arabs. This group of people likes to wear layers of perfume that leaves their scent behind even an hour after they leave a room. Additionally, they prefer ouds, masks, and amber perfumes, which are produced locally in the UAE. With this knowledge in mind, to stay relevant, all that a perfumery has to do is to produce a line in these tastes. However, with globalization, there has been emigration and now 90 per cent of the UAE population comprises expatriates. However, this element does not seem to remove from the consumption of perfumes in the Middle East and if anything, it simply adds to the appeal of the United Arab Emirates as a forum for launching new perfume products. The House of Ajmal vs. competition In view of its regional and immediate competition, the House of Ajmal is not faring so badly. As noted above, it boasts revenue of 200 million dollars. Additionally, it has over 100 different varieties of perfumes and an exquisite 70 brands to its name. These brands are distributed locally and internationally through its various retail outlets. In the United Arab Emirates, there are 35 outlets and in Malaysia, which is the newest reach out point for Ajmal (launched in 2010) there are already four new outlets. The other areas of interest under the House of Ajmal’s influence include India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. In total, this House boasts a sum of 141 outlets. An immediately interesting competitor is the Arabian Oud, which is a perfumer that came into existence in 1982. Simple arithmetic indicates that the Arabian Oud is only three decades old and thus young enough to be a progeny of the House of Ajmal, but this perfumery already has 620 stores in fifty cities, across 30 countries. Whereas initially the Arabian Oud operated only in the Middle East as the House of Ajmal does now, in 2000, it created a flagship store in the United Kingdom, which was followed closely by launching another store in Paris in 2004. Rivaling the House of Ajmal’s 100 fragrances, the Arabian Oud has 400 individual fragrances. Slowly but surely, the Arabian Oud seems to be bent on taking over the perfume market in the Middle East and beyond. In 2012, it launched the largest perfume store in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and it has made it clear that it intends to carry on in the same trend. Nevertheless, this development is not such a major cause of worry for the House of Ajmal for brand loyalty is still on its side. Despite the Arabian Oud’s mogul like expansion, the House of Ajmal maintains its clientele among the affluent Middle Eastern population. Therefore, it is important to note that brand loyalty is the only factor that is keeping the House of Ajmal standing. Change is inevitable and it is encouraging that Ajmal has already realized this and is working towards appeasing the newer generation of clientele that demands trendy and contemporary scents. An illustration of this positive attitude towards change is in the design and layout of Ajmal stores. They have an open air feeling that is enhanced by the spacious, stylish, and contemporary surroundings to give a “unique and interactive sensory experience,” which is proof that Ajmal is aware of the new demands of the new generation clientele. It is even more encouraging that the new stores were not designed from scratch, but instead were made over, which implies that the idea is to reform and repackage the new product to suit the targeted consumers. This move is advantageous as it shall mean a reduction in the overall costs as more revenue would have been required if the House of Ajmal were launching an entirely new product. Additionally, it cuts out the risk of hiking the prices of the new products in case the consumer reaction was not as anticipated, in order to cover the advertisement, promotional, and marketing costs related to the new product. As it is, consumers are getting a refurbished version of what they are accustomed to and probably at lower costs and better packaging, which probably explains why they are giving out millions of dollars to secure the same. The final factor is the opportunity of growth that the House of Ajmal can seize. Presently, most of its clientele is the affluent Middle Eastern population as aforementioned. However, it reserves the option of going intercontinental and launching its products into the European, Asian, American, and even African markets. It has the raw materials necessary for such a move as it runs a factory in the UAE, which is the hub of raw materials for perfume ingredients and nosers. All that is lacking at present is establishing its presence in these new segments. In the quest to facilitate such an expansion, there are the revolutionized technological advances that have seen to the increased efficiency of distribution throughout the world within a maximum 48 hours, not to mention the Internet as a means of advertising in social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Conclusion This section has looked into the key success factors behind the perfumery that is the House of Ajmal. It has noted the fact that the Middle Eastern population prefers scents rounded about ouds, ambers, and musks and that being in the hub of the UAE, the House of Ajmal can easily access these raw materials for production. Secondly, the fact that the House has been in existence for over 60 years grants it credibility and preference in the eyes of most consumers, thus ensuring brand loyalty and securing specific consumers. Third, the fact that the House of Ajmal is a diversified enterprise as it deals with several products including lotions and air fresheners gives it a competitive hedge in the market. This aspect guarantees the perfumery a secure place in the market as it has a variety of products and places it almost evenly with other perfumes that are branded either on celebrity status such as Justin Bieber’s Someday or on famous distribution lines such as Yves Laurent or Burberry Clothing Line. The fourth key success factor is the fact that the House of Ajmal is currently reforming or refurbishing its products to stay relevant as opposed to coming up with an entirely new product as this aspect cuts out many risks related to product development. Finally, Ajmal’s restricted presence to the Middle East presents it with the option of expansion as a means of increasing profitability and sales and the various markets that it could easily launch into would be the European, Asian, American, and African markets especially with the revolution in technology and the Internet capabilities. Porter’s Five Forces Introduction In any market, there are constant paradigm shifts as new players enter or old players leave the market. The factors that determine how the paradigm shifts are constant and they can be easily surveyed in light of the House of Ajmal, which is the case study in this strategic management paper. An analysis of these five factors concerning the house of Ajmal shall indicate its credibility as a competitor in the versatile perfumery market in the UAE. Threat of New Entrants In any market, monopoly is never a preference to competitive trading and so there is always an advantage if the market presents opportunities for new companies to join other players. However, apparently, too many companies in the market reduce the profit margin and makes the company less viable and so it is in the case of Ajmal. The perfume industry, especially in the Middle East, is a luxurious business to engage in; however, there is the issue of qualifications, which requires training and at least six years of apprenticeship. This element is already a barrier to new entrants as the House of Ajmal is 60 years old and before new entrants can make their presence felt, close to another decade shall have passed by in the process. However, this qualification does not bar wealthy business people from acquiring failing businesses, integrating them, and forming a formidable rival for Ajmal, and so this factor has moderate significance regarding Ajmal’s standing in the market. Moreover, the competition that jeopardizes Ajmal’s standing, viz. Arabian Oud, has been in existence for close to thirty years already and if brand loyalty is the only variable that is being looked upon to even the odds, Ajmal has no cause for worry. Threat of Substitutes In the perfume industry, substitutes may or may not be rampant. The reason for this on-the-fence conclusion is that several reasons trigger consumer preference in scent. Good advertising may induce brand loyalty especially if emphasis is laid on the quality of the brand in terms of consumer and environment protection. However, brand loyalty may also be induced by the specificity of consumers’ tastes. Nevertheless, the latter reason is a less persuasive argument as many times, consumers prefer the perfume based on the name rather than the scent and they would never choose it in a blind testing procedure where the perfumes are not branded. Consequently, it is safe to posit that there are multiple substitutes in the perfume industry and especially in the Middle East. Consequently, this element is a strong factor in determining Ajmal’s competitiveness and it should be regarded with special concentration when coming up with a strategic plan. Bargaining power of Buyers In most markets, the power of the buyer can never be underestimated, and especially in the perfume industry where as noted above there are a myriad of substitutes, it is important to keep buyers happy. Zeroing in on Ajmal reveals a tendency to charge exorbitantly for its goods mostly due to the quality as well as the targeted consumers. It may not seem necessary to cut these costs presently as that class of consumers actually grades goods based on price at times. However, it is also apparent that a new generation of consumers, which is trendy, is coming up and it would prefer affordable prices. As it is, Ajmal only has two viable options and the first is to introduce products that are amenable to this group, which means the products should entail trendy, chic, and affordable perfume splashes and body lotions or soaps among others or to shun this new generation at its own peril. It is encouraging that Ajmal seems to be working towards satisfying the demands of this new generation of consumers by simply refurbishing its products. In a way, this move achieves two goals as it keeps the older generation ensnared and captures the attention of the new clientele. Consequently, the bargaining power of buyers is definitely a strong factor in determining competitiveness. Bargaining Power of Suppliers This element is another indefinite factor because for instance, the natural oud that is used in the manufacturing of perfumes is said to have run out completely and so most of what is used today is synthetic. Consequently, the scale shifts based on the preference of the manufacturer, viz. between synthetic and natural. Most vintage bestsellers, as Ajmal, prefer to use natural raw materials to produce their perfumes. Consequently, the suppliers of such raw materials have a great bargaining power. In the case of Ajmal, the bargaining power of suppliers is definitely a strong factor in determining her competitiveness. However, in view of the refurbishment of its products to meet the demands of a new generation, it is safe to say that in pursuance of a cheaper or rather more affordable product, Ajmal may decide to use synthetic raw materials. Such a move would reduce the suppliers’ bargaining power. However, it may not be necessary for Ajmal to stoop that low as the perfume itself only takes 3 per cent of production and the rest of the cost is due to packaging, marketing, and distribution. Consequently, if Ajmal were to cut on these three costs, it may not need to resort to synthetic raw material and the bargaining power of suppliers of raw materials remains a strong factor whereas that of the suppliers of the packaging and the other factors shall be reduced considerably. Competitive Rivalry In the arena that is the United Arab Emirates, there are few, but very potent competitors in the perfume industry. Presently, Ajmal is doing a good job by holding up its edge in light of all the new entrants and if it manages to overcome local competition completely, it shall be well on its way towards succeeding internationally. This aspect is a real possibility especially given that all the competitors seem to be focused on the affluent population in the society, which leaves room for groundbreaking development among the poor to middle class population. Conclusion This segment has dealt with Porter’s five forces in analyzing the viability of the House of Ajmal as a competitor in the United Arab Emirates. The issue of new entrants is of moderate importance to Ajmal’s position in the market for whereas new entrants cannot displace her overnight, acquisitions and mergers are unpredictable, hence they may dominate the market. The threat of substitutes is not a significant factor for Ajmal mostly because it has brand loyalty. The bargaining power of buyers is definitely a strong factor as the new generation consumers have triggered the refurbishment of Ajmal’s stores and products in a bid to remain relevant. The bargaining power of suppliers is two fold, viz. it divides the suppliers of the ingredients of the perfumes and those of the packaging. The new generation demands can cause either suppliers bargaining power to have greater relevance, but this element is a significant factor. Finally, competitive rivalry is a significant factor and Ajmal’s standing seems to be sure. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Ajmal is a market leader as it has been in existence for sixty years and so has brand loyalty Opportunities * Has not ventured into other continents and so it is more manageable * Could easily increase its fragrances by hiring better and more nosers * Has other products besides perfumes so relevance wider outreach * Could integrate technology and internet into its business plan to increase its outreach * Has its own factory and so production costs are reduced * Could easily expand into the international market * Has its own outlets and so the middleman that is department stores is cut out * Could easily target the new generation of consumers and increase its market hold * Is flexible to accommodate demands of new generation * Comfortably stayed afloat for sixty years with its clientele purely affluent Weaknesses Threats * Has only 100 fragrances while competitors have 400 * Rigid stance on the use of natural raw materials as ingredients when e.g. oud no longer exists naturally * Its product is customized for the purely affluent consumer * Arabian Oud as a competitor that is targeting her strongholds in the UAE * Its scope of business is presently only limited to the middle east * New legislation by the European Union and other standard boards on quality control Recommendations Generic strategy Market Expansion Ajmal has a solid impression on the consumers in the Middle East. However, it is apparent that the only reason why the competition seems to be catching up is that competition has spread its outreach to other continents and regions and so it is harnessing a greater aggregate market. Consequently, if Ajmal were to follow suit and create new branches in countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Spain, and France, its sales and profitability rations would rocket. This assertion holds because the House has the advantage of a long period in business – 60 years and natural quality products to back it up. Additionally, it should be cheaper to produce for these new markets, as European consumers prefer lighter perfumes that require less natural raw materials. Grand strategy This scheme is also called a master strategy and it provides the general direction for a business action. Specifically, I recommend market development as the grand strategy to be applied. This strategy is both affordable and less risky and it entails marketing the same product, which in Ajmal’s case entails the perfumes, the air fresheners, the lotions, soaps, and body oils and other fragrances, but under a different cosmetic package. In other words, it is simply refurbishing the packaging or by changing the channels of distribution or the contents of advertisements or promotions. Ajmal could adopt this strategy by opening new branches in other cities and countries outside the Middle East. On the advertisement perspective, an example of a solution would be to issue free pamphlets to lure young customers with the impressive depictions of the products therein, in a way akin to what mobile phone suppliers catch the young generation’s attention. Additional advertisement could also be done by creating a fan page on Facebook or a username on Twitter and have millions of followers to comment on the products. Product Development The element of product development could also be implemented as a strategy. In this case, the House of Ajmal could either modify a current product or perfume or create an entirely new product and use established channels to distribute it. As established in the earlier analysis, it would be wiser to simply refurbish existent products as this aspect would reduce the risk of poor turnover ratios incase consumers are not impressed by the new product. Strategy justification The market expansion, market development, and product development strategies proposed for Ajmal are the most viable options in terms of affordability and risk management. Conclusion Ajmal is a market leader in the Middle East perfume industry. However, currently, it faces serious regional and global competition from companies such as Arabian Oud and Coty, respectively. In a bid to avoid being overtaken, the House of Ajmal should utilize several generic and grand strategies namely the market expansion, market development, and product development strategies. These strategies are advantageous due to their affordability and low-risk quality and it would be wise to avoid starting a new product entirely when the brand loyalty has kept consumers attached for close to 60 years. Whereas it is true that the company should evolve to be in a position to cater for the younger generation that now makes up to 65 per cent of its consumers. Therefore, it is important to strategize and evaluate how to go about meeting the needs of the young generation. The performance indicators of success shall be visible in the feedback from the surveys that the company shall carry out to measure consumer satisfaction as well as in an increase in the growth and sales rates. Moreover, by creating new branches in new cities and countries, especially outside the Middle East, shall add value to the brand prestige. Soon enough, the company shall enter the league of other global producers of perfume and be in a position to compete at that level.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: This paper provides an evaluation of Airedale Air Conditioning Company and its international marketing practice in both India and Saudi Arabia. Since there are various entry strategies for new businesses, it is vital to mention that each business entity may experience unique challenges when integrating the marketing mix strategies. The sustenance of Airedale business in India will greatly rely on its ability to provide product variations such as design and product inventions through innovative techniques.

This paper provides an evaluation of Airedale Air Conditioning Company and its international marketing practice in both India and Saudi Arabia. Since there are various entry strategies for new businesses, it is vital to mention that each business entity may experience unique challenges when integrating the marketing mix strategies. The sustenance of Airedale business in India will greatly rely on its ability to provide product variations such as design and product inventions through innovative techniques.

Strategic marketing – foreign market analysis and entry Research Paper When exploring the foreign market analysis and entry of a new business, the most fundamental consideration to make is usually the strategic marketing. The latter has been regarded as one of the most effective processes that businesses rely on in order to grow the sale of their products. Various studies reveal that the effectiveness of international marketing strategy calls for a closely coordinated and a highly analytical application of market analysis and entry. It requires effective identification of the best methods of addressing market entry strategies. Sun and Wu (2011, p. 338) indicate that understanding a marketing environment is critical for a business when establishing better and effective relationship with consumers. This can be attributed to the forces and factors of a marketing environment comprise which may also impact the ability of a firm to develop relationships with customers. This paper provides an evaluation of Airedale Air Conditioning Company and its international marketing practice in both India and Saudi Arabia. Since there are various entry strategies for new businesses, it is vital to mention that each business entity may experience unique challenges when integrating the marketing mix strategies. The sustenance of Airedale business in India will greatly rely on its ability to provide product variations such as design and product inventions through innovative techniques. Its marketing function should mainly be how customers in India will regard its products and their effectiveness. Markle (2011, p. 285) indicates that a business should always focus on satisfying customers’ diverse needs. Market selection and environmental analysis Choice of Airedale Air Conditioning Company and international market Airedale Air Conditioning Company is one of the most successful British air conditioning manufacturing companies. Since its inception, the company has acquired great experience in the manufacture and provision of IT cooling solutions, precision air conditioning and chillers. The company was formed in 1974 and has since been able to make huge sales from its products worldwide. In 2004, it made sales of up to £ 38.2 million from air conditioning products (Johnson 2001, p. 275). The market selection for this case study is south Asia (India). The choice of this geographical location is critical in marketing of Airedale air conditioning products due to demand for similar products and a large customer base. Studies indicate that a market environment is a location in which a business experiences similar conditions of competition over same products as shown below: Marketing environment It is worth mentioning that market environmental factors are divided into three significant levels which include a national environment which is also the macro-environment, a meso-environment, commonly understood as the industry a business is in, and the internal or micro-environment. Airedale Company supplies its products to the USA and other countries faced with diverse and adverse political issues. Political stability or instabilities within the environment a business intends to market its products may affect its marketing activities. Due to this, entering into this international market requires a keen analysis of the market to tackle the tough changing political environment. This requires adjusting and re-strategizing its marketing plans and actions. Figure 1: A diagram showing a marketing environment Environmental analysis of India and Saudi Arabia Airedale Company has been able to enjoy massive benefits from the sale of its products both in the local and international markets. Toegel and Barsoux (2012, p. 52) cite that in international marketing, a business’ success in promoting or publicizing its products and services indirectly or directly relies on the various forces in its environment. At this point, it is imperative to highlight that at Airedale Co., marketing decision-makers have been keen in diagnosing and analyzing critically its local and international business environment. PESTEL Analysis of Airedale Company Political environment India has been ranked as the leading populous democracy in the whole world. It has seven union territories and 28 states with the capital city called Delhi. Politically, the Indian government plays a vital role in the growth and development of business in the region. Its government intervenes in business matters being conducted in its borders by determining to what extent demerit and merit goods or services are provided. Valentine (2012, p. 41) cites that these interventions call for a business to devise strategies that focus on diagnosing and analyzing various political factors in the international circle. Economic environment An economic environment plays a major role in the growth and expansion of a business’ international marketing activities and sale of products. Johnson (2002, p.11) indicates that economic factors include inflation rates, interest rates and economic growth. The latter has been a major pillar of success for Airedale Company marketing activities in the USA. India’s economic environment is made up of impacts of profitability, competitiveness, pricing factors, situations of supply and demand dynamics. Other factors impacting this environment include financing decisions, criteria of investments and policies related to taxes and money. Even so, in 2008 its GDP was at $ 1.25 trillion with a growth of 9.4% in the financial year ending in 2007. Economic challenges like those in India may negatively impact the promotions and sales of Airedale products because buyers may easily stop purchasing its products or shift to alternative and cheap products. Socio-cultural factors and buyer behavior Relying on social ties and understanding diverse cultures in marketing is an effective means of success in international marketing. Allen (2001, p. 54) indicates that the effectiveness of international marketing largely depends on satisfaction of consumers. India is a nation with unique culture, social ties and great use of technology. An understanding of these aspects in marketing enables an organization intending to expand in this region to come up with marketing ideas that meet the social and technological demands. This will enable a consequent passage of the same information of product effectiveness to others. In its international marketing endeavors, Airedale Company has strongly relied on the strategy of marketing through people and social media in a community to pass their product experiences to others who would equally seek to achieve the same. On the same note, buyers of Airedale products in China and the United States have great preference for air conditioners for personal and commercial use. They prefer high tech equipment for their cooling processes as opposed to other regions. In Africa, for example, preference is low due to varied economic development. Research indicates this is a factor that is determined by economic status of a region and the level of development. This could be the same case for India, which is fast adapting to current technology. Technological environment Modern marketing operations demand the application of better technological considerations to ease operations while promoting objectivity. Allen (2001, p. 54) notes that technology remains the greatest force that determines the direction of marketing activities and operations conducted by businesses. Indian businesses have massively benefited from technological developments in terms of manufacturing, marketing and distribution of their products. There are several companies in India that market their products online and more people are able to access their air conditioning product information online and make correct decisions on whether to visit the company physically of via its website. Legal environment India’s legal environment has been considered as an indispensable factor for the success of any business. Its legal aspects provide a statutory framework, policies and structures for businesses to operate in. Moving business to India will require Airedale to understand these crucial aspects and make them fit within the marketing objectives of the company. This is important because for a business to experience healthy business operations, it should understand its rights and responsibilities as per the legislations adopted by a country. India adopted the Companies Act of 1956, Trade Unions Act and Industries Act of 1995(1) among others that have various requirements a company must adhere to. The PESTEL analysis is shown below: Marketing mix strategy Developing an international marketing mix is an important aspect that is critical towards the success of a business in selling its products abroad. Streeter (2003, p. 71) notes that this requires businesses to conduct market research so as to gain a thorough knowledge of how global markets operate. Bowman and Gatignon (2010, p. 50) assert that information gained from the research aids a business in determining product designs, customer preference and cultures. Effective articulation of analysis of international markets to gain better approach of marketing mix by Airedale Air Conditioning Company forms the best platform on which it understands its market environment, designs its products based on customer needs, and explores newer market niches. Appropriate marketing mix methods are critical for determining whether a business ought to sustain a global marketing standardization. Indeed, this is vital in the sense that an organization gets to choose whether to conduct product invention or simply retain its products. The emerging global effect driven by forces of demand and supply calls for more articulate market analysis aimed at outdoing competitors. Product In international marketing, determining the nature of a product or a service is very important for a business that intends to capture a market. Bowman and Gatignon (2010, p. 122) indicate that some of the factors which a business must strategize include brand name, warranty, packaging, support and repairs, safety of the products, style and effectiveness in functionality. Over the years, Airedale Company has effectively cut a niche and built its brand on both products and services in the US market and other parts of the globe. Figure: A diagram showing a cool alpha product from Airedale Company Its products include precision air conditioners like Alpha Cool, EasiCool and Smart Cool; IT products like Echo, InRak and OnRack, and chillers which include DeltaChill Free Cool, OptiChill Free Cool and TurboChill Free Cool. Figure: a diagram showing an EcoChill 6-46kW R410 product by Airedale Company At Airedale Company, the element of its products can be summed up as the product of nature. It focuses its marketing energy on devising a wide range of improved products. Price Pricing as a marketing mix is very important in setting up pricing decisions. In international marketing, understanding the market economy is critical because it determines how to establish prices and make huge sales. Proper pricing of products has always been a key consideration for companies in international markets because it determines their affordability. Airedale Company should establish a clear method of determining prices of its different products in a manner that customers in India can be able to afford. It should be able to strategically analyze its decisions on price discrimination, flexibility, bundling, seasonal pricing and wholesale pricing. Promotion Promotion involves communication between a business and customers after entering a market with the right products. Palmer, Dunford and Akin (2009, p. 129) indicate that promotion is one of the most important aspects in marketing practice because it informs consumers on the products available in the market and their prices. Promotion is a practice that is affected by the culture of a host country. India has diverse communities having different cultures. Being a cultural phenomenon, analyzing its culture is necessary in order to ensure effectiveness in international marketing practice and avoiding negative response from customers. Besides, the cost of promotion in India might be different when compared to advertising in other international markets. Place The cost of a product is mostly determined by the cost of transportation from one place to another. Janicijevic (2010, p. 100) notes that one-fifth of the cost of transportation is normally attached to a product. Therefore, place is an important factor that is concerned with making goods available, storage and transportation. Following the continued expansion of population across the globe, making products more available, especially in countries where it has its stores involves strategizing for a distribution system. The company will be forced to build stores in India or plan to spend on transporting goods from USA, China or Africa to this destination. Airedale Company marketing management has ensured that it caters for cost challenges by creating large stores in its three major locations in Africa, China and United States. The determination of place in international marketing requires analyzing the marketing environment. Marketing in other regions is an activity that demands distribution of products to various retail outlets and markets. Using an effective distribution channel has become a central pillar for the marketing practice of Airedale Company as it has aided it in doling out its products far and wide and capturing the market. Hopkins (2009, p. 30) argues that some of the key strategic marketing decisions businesses make regarding a destination like India include setting up distribution centers, effective distribution channels, warehousing, channel members, reverse logics, transportation, inventory management and market coverage. Management based on evidence can be used, as shown in the chart below: Strategy and tactics In order for a business entity to succeed in an overseas location, it is necessary to include the strategy and tactics in its marketing mix. In other words, it is not proper to undertake the ordinary mode of marketing when reaching out the external markets for the first time. The tactic employed should be effective enough to include strategic focus. When the latter is put into consideration, any new business entity started will be treated as a unique establishment that ought to be independent. Hence, business tactics and strategic focus are integral factors that cannot be done away with. Positioning and the target audience The target audience is primarily the clientele base which supports the operations of a business entity. When market positioning is done in the right manner, then it will be possible for a business entity to reach out to clients or the target audience. Proper market positioning will even be more productive if it is taken as part and parcel of the marketing mix. Bowman and Gatignon (2010, p. 60) indicates that setting up a budget is a strategy aimed at availing resources for meeting the high costs of international advertising. This goes hand in hand with market positioning. At Airedale Company, promotion includes advertising conducted in the media such as newspapers, internet and television. An effective place strategy as Johnson (2002, p. 8) highlights is critical in easy distribution of products, a factor that enhances the capacity to link consumers with respective products. The same position is reflected by Bowman and Gatignon (2010, p. 45) who posit that levering demand for continued market dominance, branding and profitability can be attained in cases when distribution is conducted properly. Market entry strategy In international marketing, conducting an analysis of the best market entry mode remains crucial because it allows a business to weigh its options carefully. The need to make correct entry into new and foreign markets has become one of the most vital strategic marketing decisions facing many businesses intending to expand to foreign countries and compete favorably in the international market. Strategic management scholars indicate that different businesses have diverse strategic orientations that reflect the manner in which they are willing to organize, control mechanisms, prioritize resource allocations and take risks. International market entry techniques adopted by businesses vary and are mainly categorized into different types such as complete ownership, joint ventures, franchising, contract manufacturing and assembly (Ahenkora & Peasah 2011, p. 279). The entry mode opted by a business entity depends on equities such as acquisitions and joint ventures, and non-equity entities like licensing and exports. The use of Social networking tools Studies reveal that social media has become an important platform for businesses to carry out their marketing practices (Winer 2009, p. 110). It is a tool that both local and international businesses use to reach potential consumers in the global marketing arena. Winer (2009, p. 110) points out that the advertisement of products and services began with the increase of the social networking users and it later became an open door for large business firms to launch their advertising platform. In India, the use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, among others, are widespread and businesses that are using social media for marketing effectively reach many people. Entry into India and marketing Airedale’s products to the larger population will be effectively conducted by adopting the strategy of social network marketing. Indeed, social media platforms will become a key base where Airedale Company’s online promotion of products and competition for advertising will thrive. This will subsequently enhance its ability to reach the broad market of South Asian region easily. The high technological revolution has pushed several international marketers to adopt social media as powerful and potential platforms for establishing marketing links (Winer 2009, p. 112). The use of traditional methods of conducting marketing will not be profitable for Airedale Company due to the fact that it is expensive and time-consuming. The strategy of using social networking tools will be critical in the sense that through these tools, the company will establish a solid marketing foundation in India. Besides, it will enable it to reach out potential buyers and sellers. As a matter of fact, appropriate engagement and better approach to customers through social media will aid it in making large volume of sales. It is evident that conducting foreign market analysis and articulating effective marketing mix in organizations enable adequate understanding of markets, designing products based on customers’ needs, and exploring new market niches. Careful application of marketing mix, product, price, promotion and place enables greater cooperation and response to consumer needs. How the assignment has enhanced my life After conducting this research study, I learnt a lot about the foreign market analysis and entry. Throughout my life, I have been thinking how I can become an international business person. I had never had such a clear insight on how a business can be started and run in a foreign nation. When I was in the process of researching and compiling the report, I continually developed additional interest on this subject area. I have now decided that even if I start off a small business enterprise in the near future, my final goal will be to reach out into the international marketing arena. Conclusion The paper calls for lower pricing so as to meet diverse economic capabilities of the Indian communities, creation of diversified products, aggressive promotion and continued assessment of competitors. Airedale Air Conditioning has been using direct export as one of the modes of ensuring that its products enter the new markets. Experience and availability of resources have been key factors that influenced it to adopt this method of entry. Its strategy has also been centered on an analysis of pricing, export documentation, physical distribution and market research. The effects of the analysis have been critical for Airedale Company’s distribution and marketing practices. References Ahenkora, K. & Peasah, O 2011, ‘Crafting strategy that measures up’, International Journal of Business and Management vol.6 no. 10, pp. 278-283. Allen, M 2001, Analyzing the organizational environment , Select Knowledge Ltd, Oikos, UK. Bowman, D & Gatignon, H 2010, Market Response and Marketing Mix Models: Trends and Research Opportunities , Now Publishers Inc, Hanover, MA. Hopkins, M 2009, ‘8 Reasons Sustainability Will Change Management (That You Never Thought of)’, MIT Sloan Management Review vol. 51 no. 1, pp. 27-30. Janicijevic, N 2010, ‘Business processes in organizational diagnosis’, Journal of Contemporary Management Issues vol. 15 no. 2, pp. 85-106. Johnson, B 2001, Laxton’s Building Price Book 2002: Major and Small Works, Reeds Educational and Professional Publishing, Jordan Hill, Oxford. Johnson, L 2002, ‘Issue selling in the organization,’ MIT Sloan Management Review vol. 43 no. 3, pp. 8-9. Johnson, L 2002,’Design thinking – a new mental model of value innovation’, Strategy & Leadership , vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 5-14. Markle, GL 2011, ‘Constructions of citizenship among multinational corporations’, International Journal of Business and Social Science: Special Issue, vol. 2 no. 24, pp. 283-293. Palmer, I., Dunford, R & Akin, G 2009, Managing organizational change a multiple perspective approach , McGraw Hill, Boston. Streeter, B 2003, ‘Sweet deal’, American Bankers Association. ABA Banking Journal vol. 95 no. 11, pp. 69-74. Sun, T. & Wu, G 2011, ‘Trait predictors of online impulsive buying tendency: a hierarchical approach,’ Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 19 no. 3, pp. 337-346. Toegel, G. & Barsoux, J 2012, ‘How to become a better leader’. MIT Sloan Management Review vol.53 no. 3, pp. 51-60. Valentine, L 2012, ‘Wealth management: revenue solution? ABA Banking Journal vol.104 no. 3, pp. 40-44. Winer, RS 2009, ‘New communications approaches in marketing: issues and research directions’, Journal of Interactive Marketing , vol. 23 no. 2, pp. 108-117.

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Write an essay about: Strategic Operations Management: Macy's Inc Research PaperThe paper examines the way organizations apply strategic operations management processes, in particular, the business and operations strategies. Macy's Inc is one of the companies that have utilized strategic operations in the management processes. The paper critically examines Macy's operations and business strategies.

Strategic Operations Management: Macy's Inc Research Paper The paper examines the way organizations apply strategic operations management processes, in particular, the business and operations strategies. Macy's Inc is one of the companies that have utilized strategic operations in the management processes. The paper critically examines Macy's operations and business strategies.

Strategic Operations Management: Macy’s Inc Research Paper Introduction Operations management is an approach to the management practice in which executives of the firm plan, supervise and control all the business processes (Bowman, 2009). The management process is also concerned with redesigning as well as realigning the operations of the firm to attain the specific goals. The process of designing and realigning involves coming up with various strategies including business strategies, operations strategies as well as corporate strategies that are critical in the attainment of the organizational goals (Chase et al., 2007). In essence, strategic operations management encompasses strategies and procedures that the firm undertakes to achieve its goals. The paper examines the way organizations apply strategic operations management processes, in particular, the business and operations strategies. Macy’s Inc is one of the companies that have utilized strategic operations in the management processes. The paper critically examines Macy’s operations and business strategies. In the analysis, the paper will examine the linkages between operations strategy and business strategies in the attainment of the organizational goals through the application of various analytical tools including PESTEL, porter’s five forces, BCG, supply chain and the value chain. In addition, the paper will also examine various technological applications that are critical in the supply and value chain applied in the operations strategies. The link between operations and business strategies Operations strategies and business strategies Operations strategies refer to an organization’s layout detailing the decisions that the business utilizes to achieve the set targets (Cigolini et al., 2004). Operations strategies involve designing, supervising and control of the business processes in order to attain the set goals and objectives. On the other hand, business strategies entail practices that businesses utilizes to achieve the long-term objectives such as growth, allocation of resources and globalization (De Treville et al., 2004). In addition, business strategies encompass the way a business carries out its accomplishments compared to the rivals. In other words, business strategies involve processes that contribute to competitive advantage. The company, mission and vision Macy’s, Inc, a subsidiary of Macy’s company, is one of the leading national retailers dealing in a variety of products including furniture galleries, clothing, jewelry, beauty products, accessories as well as footwear among others. The firm was founded in 1929 and has corporate headquarters in New York and Cincinnati. In addition, the company operates over eight hundred departmental stores as well as furniture arcades in over forty states. The company currently has over 170,000 personnel. Macy’s Inc. vision is to be an Omni-channel retailer that provides iconic trademarks in its stores as well as through dynamic online websites worldwide. Further, the firm’s familiarity with the needs of clients is critical in maintaining unique identity and focus to the consumers. The mission of the firm is to achieve augmented sales levels of products. Further, the corporation strives to expand profitability, enhance return on capital as well as maximize the returns on equity. The company strives to maintain and expand its share in the retail chain market by offering merchandise of high value to the consumers through the combination of fashion and quality at economical prices. As such, the firm seeks to undertake a number of strategic issues to maintain its position in the retail chain market. In addition, in order to offer the customers the best shopping experiences, Macy’s Inc. is developing skills in its retail operations. Actually, the personnel of the company is recruited based on skills and strength. The firm has also increased the focus on the needs of the millennial clients that account for the largest proportion of the nation’s populace. In essence, the company plans to improve sales and profits by offering products to the customers between the ages of 13 and 30 years. Macy’s Inc. operations focus on the satisfaction of the customer needs. As such, through the talented and the experienced personnel, the company undertakes aggressive execution of customer-centric tactics to the attainment of competitive edge of rivals. In addition, the company’s openness and honesty in conversing with the stakeholders ensure proactive transfer of information between stakeholders updating the personnel, suppliers, company analysts and media on current invaluable operational developments. The skills, judgment and talents of Macy’s Inc. personnel are significant in the operations of the corporation. In other words, the employees work to enormous extents in ensuring the achievements of the strategic goals of the firm. In fact, the workforce is essential in the attraction and retention of clients, thereby gaining competitive advantage. Macy’s Inc. business strategy The firm’s business tactics encompass My Macy’s localization, multi-channel integration and MAGIC selling strategies. The business strategies play significant roles in propelling sales levels. To begin with, through My Macy’s localization strategy, Macy’s molds the merchandise as well as the shopping experiences in specific stores to the customers frequenting such stores. Through, this strategy, the firm has gained significant competitive advantages over rival firms since Macy’s is capable of providing customers with exact products in the right localities and at the precise moment (Evans & Berman, 2001). In addition, the firm’s “My Macy’s 2.0.” internal initiative has augmented sophistications the company service delivery to the clientele. Secondly, the multi-channel strategy has enhanced the company’s sales in a number of ways. For instance, the tactic incorporates the stores to the internet as well as mobile gadgets that allow the delivery of stock to customers in any locality. Additionally, the strategy utilizes online fulfillment centers that deliver merchandise to clients in different regions leading to improved customer shopping experience. Third, MAGIC selling strategy allows the firm to meet and engage clients through asking questions, giving options and pieces of advice as well as inspiring the clients to purchase the firm’s products. Further, the MAGIC selling process has ensured customer contentment leading to increasing sales (Gunasekaran et al., 2004). Strategic operations The company strategic operations revolve around reaching the target clients at the shortest time possible, in the most convenient way and at the least cost possible. As such, the company strives to create a channel of distribution that endeavors to attain the major operational goals. The strategic operations are based on the company mission of providing value to the customers. The strategic operations of the company include modernized supply chain, customer-oriented management and the corporate strategies that are supported by suitable technological applications. The company is currently focusing on offering satisfying customer shopping experience in all its stores. As such, the company aims to streamline and harmonize operations in all its retail stores as well as supply chain processes in order to respond speedily to the needs and requests of the customers. The significant program in the retail store’s operations is to discover and disseminate best-in-class practices, procedures and measures to guarantee continuous implementation of novel and innovative standards. Technology is the major driver to attain the required standards. The company’s regular guide will provide comprehensible and viable course of action for the retail store’s development, illustratable supply of products as well as in-store communication procedures to set up perfect implementation and operational excellence. In addition, the company has continued to adapt system landscape, supply chain as well as exchange demanding scheduling procedures. The adaptation of the business processes will enable the firm to enhance in-season flexibilities experienced in the fashionable products, attain increased responsiveness to varying trends and to accomplish the economies of scale in all the retail activities. Essentially, all the company operations are focused on fulfilling the consumer needs. As such, the company has adopted the sell-through oriented perspective or pull model in the strategic operations. The current strategic operations of the firm can be observed in increased capital investments on the development and improvement of its stores. For instance, the company has developed Herald Square store in New York to combine all the products under one roof, increasing the growth of the company sales. The diversification processes of the operations require that the firm’s supply chain reflect the customer needs as well as vision and mission of the company. Moreover, the company is also focusing on the supply chain design that mirrors the client needs to enhance the sourcing of distinctive merchandise to the stores. The adaptation of the appropriate supply chain design results in increased competitive advantage. Environmental analysis Porter’s five forces The analysis of the retail chain industry in which Macy’s operates exploits the application of five forces model developed by Porter. The model provides the necessary tools that are critical in the appraisal of the competitiveness of the companies within the retail chain industry (Heikkilä, 2002). Most importantly, the model offers analytical tool on how the external environment has influenced the strategic operations and business strategies. The buyers bargaining power The consumers can effortlessly surrogate the products and services offered by Macy’s company in the retail industry through purchasing the products provided by other companies in the industry. As a result, the organization’s share of the market can be abated. Therefore, the buyers have high bargaining power in the industry. Bargaining power of sellers Companies within the retail chain trade control higher proportion of the market. As a result, the firm engages large number of suppliers in business. The control of larger segments of the market gives power to the Macy’s since the firm can create scarce strategies to the suppliers by switching to other potential manufactures and wholesalers effortlessly and cheaply. In principle, the suppliers in the retail industry enjoy low purchasing power. Threats of new market entrants The ever-increasing competition in the retail chain industry due to the mushrooming of other industries in the trade compels the firms to incur additional expenses. Actually, Macy’s incurs the additional costs in sustaining trademark devotion as well as marketing of products. Most importantly, the presence of outstanding delivery chains, localities, and trademark as well as the financial capital of the companies provide the advantage of warding off potential competitors Competitive rivalry in the industry Companies operating in retail industry are very aggressive. However, due to the market leadership capabilities of Macy’s in the industry, establishment of the operations in the industry is uncomplicated. In other words, the company utilizes its technological advancements as well as financial strengths, thereby increasing the competitive edge over the other firms. In addition, the increased competition in the trade reduces the share of market controlled by corporation. In this industry, competition is high. Threat of substitute products The players in the retail chain industry offer similar diverse products. The existing firms in the industry offer convenience and low prices, thereby augmenting substitute threats. Moreover, consumers are embracing online shopping due to price benefits gained from the companies by passing savings to buyers. The sprawling of various alternatives presents the Macy’s with frantic operations. As a result, the corporation ventures Boston Consulting Group (BCG) analysis The BCG is an invaluable framework utilized in the appraisal of Macy’s trademarks portfolio strategic position (Hansen & Birkinshaw, 2007). Further, the tool is important in comprehending the investment decisions that Macy’s Inc. should undertake. BCG MATRIX Relative market share Stars The stars entail the products that do better than the rivals in the market operations do (Shanahan, 2002). In Macy’s Inc., online sales are classified under stars since they provide greater prospects for increasing the company’s proceeds. Therefore, the firm should increase investments and development of online sales. In fact, over 40% increase was realized in online vending in 2011. Therefore, online sales are invaluable in the lasting achievement of Macy’s. Cash Cows The cash flows represent the goods that enable the company to attain leadership position in the market. However, the goods bear minimal growth prospects in the future. The over 800 departmental stores continue to provide constant flow of returns that can be ventured in Stars. Question Marks The products with low proportion of the market but have high prospects for growth in the market is accounted for by the Question marks (Langabeer, 2000). Private labels brands such as clothing designs have the potential of capturing the market share through the provision of funds for innovation to make the brands attractive to the consumers. Dogs Dogs refer to the goods with a low proportion of the market and are not attractive as well as have low growth prospects (Porter, 2000). Macy’s warehouse stores fall under the Dogs category since the company does not sell products in bulk compared to competitors such as BJ’s and Costco wholesale clubs. In essence, the company should not invest further in warehouses. PESTEL analysis Political aspects Macy’s Inc. recognizes the significant role played by the political environment in ensuring trust and success in the operations. For instance, the friendly and stable political environmental enables smooth operations of the firm. Economic aspects The firm continues to experience growth in the operations as well as sales in America through the utilization of multi-channel stores. Additionally, the firm’s returns on invested capital and cash flows have increased over the years leading to enhanced shareholder value. Socio-cultural aspects Culture influences the performance and productivity of Macy’s in a number of ways. First, the corporation recognizes the worth of its personnel’s ideas and beliefs without prejudice. The company also satisfies its client social assurance by the provision of high-quality goods and services Technological aspects The utilization of contemporary technology enables efficiency and competitiveness of Macy’s. For instance, the company’s online shopping experience has increased the company’s sales as well as proceeds. Further, the utilization of computer tablets and hand-held gadgets has increased competitiveness and efficiency. Environmental aspects The company recognizes the significance of environmental sustainability. As such, the firm improves the environment through the elimination of wasteful undertakings as well as utilizing the scarce resources efficiently. Legal aspects The flexible legal requirements in the US provide an environment that is conducive for Macy’s operations. Further, the company adheres to the legal regulations concerning quality, safety and job conditions of the employees. Supply chain management and service delivery The delivery of products at Macy’s focuses on the improvement of its transportation channels such as cubes and containers (Yu, 2012 ) . The firm also supplies products through online sources, mobile as well as stores. Further, through the company’s multi-channel delivery approach, the products of the firm are provided to the consumers in incorporated and holistic channels. The link of operational strategy to business strategy The achievement of the company’s optimal targets depends on the relationship between the strategic operations and the business strategies (Smith, 2002). For instance, the multi-channel integration, MAGIC selling and localization operation strategies of the firm must adhere to the conditions dictating the business environment such as political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and legal aspects. In addition, the firms operations including the delivery series and service delivery to customers must de designed in such a way that counter the threats that may jeopardize the operations of the firm in the market such new competitive rivalry in the market, ease of product substitution as well as new market entrants (Irwin, 2003). Moreover, the layout of business choices that are critical in the attainment of objectives must consider the performance of the firm’s products in the market to aid in the development of framework for appraising brand portfolio in trade. Strategic appraisal of strategic operations Supply chain and value chain analysis Macy’s Inc. has managed to create efficient distribution channels for its products as well as increased worth of operations through the utilization of technology leading to increased sales and precise inventory (Lakshminarasimha & Vijayan, 2008). For instance, through the utilization of Electronic data interchange (EDI) and bar code scanning, the company is capable of effectively tracking stocks in delivery locations. Further, the utilization of the departmental stores for brick-and-mortar sales and fulfillment centers have increased the efficiency in the delivery of orders made through the web. Moreover, with the adoption of the Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, the firm can read the various inventory tags delivered at a distance. Actually, the use of RFID has led to augmented levels of sales and delivery of inventory as well as efficiencies. The technology has also ensured reduced expenses. In principle, the RFID expertise has enabled Macy’s to achieve value through improving the accuracy of the firm’s inventory. In other words, the expertise enables the incorporation of warehouse management structure and bar code scanning processes as well as standard cycle inventory calculations in the supply centers, thereby increasing stock accuracy by over ninety percent. Moreover, the technology is invaluable in increasing sales and reducing costs through pushing the tagging of inventory to the vendors. Exploitation of value chain and quality Macy’s Inc. has undertaken various steps to organize its operations through the integration and cooperation of communication as well as production chambers to ensure increased value and satisfaction for clients (De Treville et al., 2004). The firm also utilizes the value chain to increase efficiency in the distribution of inventory. Macy’s Inc. majorly utilizes technology in its activities to operate efficiently as well as offer quality products to the consumers. For instance, the use of RFID technology has enabled augmented sales through stimulating the multi-channel strategy. In fact, the technology has led to increased online sales by over forty percent. The expertise also increases consumer satisfaction through provision of assistance in the selection of products. In addition, the denim fit finder and beauty shop have enabled the selection of perfect brands across multiple brands. Moreover, the use of RFID expertise has enabled precise placement of inventory according to insignia, magnitude and fashion accelerating delivery and efficiency. Essentially, values in operations are undertaken to add more value to the products the company offer to the consumers. Conclusion In conclusion, the strategic operations of Macy’s Inc depend on its operations tactics and business strategies. The firm employs multi-channel, localization and MGIC selling strategies in the operations. The operations strategies depend on the macro-environment forces such as competitors, technological, political, socio-cultural, and economic aspects as well as well as customer needs in industry that Macy’s operates. In addition, the provision of high-quality products to the customers is paramount the firm. Moreover, the utilization of innovative expertise is critical in ensuring the attainment of effective value and effective inventory delivery channels. In fact, the exploitation of RFID expertise has led to augmented levels of efficiency and sales at Macy’s Inc. References Bowman, C 2009, “What are dynamic capabilities and are they a useful construct in strategic management?” International Journal Management Review , vo.11 no.1, pp.29-49. Chase, RB, Jacobs, FR & Aquilano, NJ 2007, Operations management for competitive advantage , McGraw-Hill, New York. Cigolini, R, Cozzi, M & Perona, M 2004, “A new framework for supply chain management: conceptual model and empirical test,” International Journal of Production Economics, vol.24 no.1, pp.7-41. De Treville, S, Shapiro, RD & Hameri, AP 2004, “From supply chain to demand chain: the role of lead time reduction in improving demand chain performance,” Journal of Operations Management, vol.21 no.3, pp.613-627. Evans, JR & Berman, B 2001, “Conceptualizing and operationalizing the business-to-business value chain,” Industrial Marketing Management, vol.30 no.2, pp.135-148. Gunasekaran, A, Patel, C & McGaughey, RE 2004, “A framework for supply chain performance measurement,” International Journal of Production Economics , vol.87 no.12, pp.333-347. Hansen, T M & Birkinshaw, J 2007, The innovation value chain,” Harvard Business Review, vol.16 no.4, pp.121-130. Heikkilä, J 2002, “From supply to demand chain management: efficiency and customer satisfaction,” Journal of Operations Management, vol.20 no.4, pp.747-767. Irwin, R 2003, “Strategic cost management: the value chain perspective.” Journal of Management Accounting Research, vol.37 no.16, pp.179-197. Lakshminarasimha, A & Vijayan, A 2008, “Value Chain Analysis: Social Networking Communities,” Journal of Marketing Management, vol.3 no.3, pp.34-42. Langabeer, JR 2000, “Aligning demand management with business strategy,” Supply Chain Management Review, vol.4 no.2, pp.10-22. Porter, M 2000, “Location, competition, and economic development: local clusters in a global economy,” Economic Development Quarterly, vol.14 no.1, pp.15–35. Shanahan, YP 2002, “A contingent examination of strategy-cost system alignment: customer retention and customer profitability analysis,” Managerial Auditing Journal, vol.13 no.7, pp.411 –18. Smith, M 2002, “Derrick’s Ice-Cream Company: applying the BCG matrix in customer profitability analysis,” Accounting Education, vol.11 no.4, pp.365 –375. Yu, W 2012, “Business environment, employee competencies and operations strategy: an empirical study of retail firms,” Journal of Management and Mathematics , vol.6 no.1, pp.321-327.

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Write an essay about: The paper discusses the strategic plan of an insurance company in the UAE, which is about to launch and has potential competitors in the market. Since, the insurance sector is not as huge as the industrial sector therefore, no significant strategic elements have been highlighted for this sector. However, according to various authors the key elements which are very vital for the strategic planning of insurance companies must include various instruments.

The paper discusses the strategic plan of an insurance company in the UAE, which is about to launch and has potential competitors in the market. Since, the insurance sector is not as huge as the industrial sector therefore, no significant strategic elements have been highlighted for this sector. However, according to various authors the key elements which are very vital for the strategic planning of insurance companies must include various instruments.

Strategic Plan of an Insurance Company in the UAE Report (Assessment) Introduction It has become evident from the recent scenarios that the insurance and finance market is transforming peculiarly as more insurance companies are stepping into it. The competition among insurance companies is increasing with an increase in the number of companies which is also the case in the UAE’s insurance market. In order to establish and operate an insurance company efficiently and successfully a strong strategic planning is essential. Strategic planning is required not only to maintain and operate some business, but also is required before launching a new company. This paper is aimed at discussing the strategic plan of an insurance company in the UAE, which is about to launch and has potential competitors in the market. Since, the insurance sector is not as huge as the industrial sector therefore, no significant strategic elements have been highlighted for this sector. However, according to various authors the key elements which are very vital for the strategic planning of insurance companies must include various instruments. Firstly, the plan should highlight the vision and mission of the company i.e. what it is aimed for and what are its objectives and also highlight ways by which the company plans to generate handsome and profitable revenue. Moreover, the plan should also include internal and external factors which may affect the business directly or indirectly, in a positive or negative manner. Followed by these factors is the mid-term and long term planning including how the company plans to exploit resources, allocate budgets and its assets. Furthermore, an efficient plan is needed through which the company can overcome potential barriers and any financial breakdown (Van House and Hammond). The basic reason for designing and following a strategy is to help the company that it can gain advantage over its competitors. Since, insurance is an intangible service, therefore, the significance of a strategy in this sector becomes vital. In order to get an edge over competitors an insurance company has to follow the plan very efficiently. Getting advantage over rivals / competitors means that the company can sustain in the market on a long run generating profits. In order to attain this purpose, the company must take steps to achieve its set performance goals within the given time. In any organizational setup, strategic planning is of key importance. United Arab Emirates has been a centre of investors’ interest for many decades. This has ultimately attracted the insurance sector towards the country. Although, there are many insurance companies working in the UAE namely Daman Insurance, Oman Insurance, and Adnec Insurance etc. and more insurance companies are seeking their way into the UAE’s market. Keeping in view, high demand of insurance providers in the UAE planning for the launch of a new insurance company in the UAE is being made and highlights are presented in this report. This company namely Crescent Insurance Company (CIC) is a new born insurance company, which is planning to penetrate into the UAE’s market, with its main focus is to be a healthy insurance company with a successful and efficient strategy. Unlike other insurance companies our company has some different plans which will help CIC to attain its desired goals effectively in the long run. The company also aims to spread its wings internationally once it gets hold of the UAE insurance sector. The business / strategic plan of CIC is so designed that it may provide an edge over competitors and help the management to acquire the company’s vision and mission. The company will offer different insurance services to its customers including life insurance, health insurance, safety, sickness, and damage or loss insurance. Financial assistance is also one of the services that the company plans to offer to the needy customers. The company plans to hire a management team which is dedicated, friendly and skilled, and having experience in the insurance sector. This will help the company to undertake complex decisions regarding businesses and its customers. Moreover, it will also assure better customer services. The following are some key elements of the strategic plan of CIC including the Vision, Mission, goals and objectives. Vision The Vision of Crescent Insurance Company (CIC) is written as: “The insurance services are provided to customers according to their will with premium quality protection and that too at affordable prices.” This states that the company offers different insurance products / plans to its customers who are in need of insurance and wants to design the plan as per their will. The option of tailored insurance services will provide an edge to CIC to outrun its competitors and become distinctive. Mission The core mission of the company is to establish a healthy partnership with the customers, workforce, members and the government. The victory of the company will be analyzed by customers when they will choose CIC amongst many other insurance companies present in the UAE. To become the leading insurance provider, fulfilling all customers’ needs with value services is what the company is planning for. The company plans to provide insurance services to every individual who contacts the company regardless of their background and financial status. The company aims to plan such insurance designs that will benefit every segment of the society; poor or rich without neglecting any individual. Core Activities The core activities majorly include insurance services provided by CIC to its customers. However, the financial assistance and support to the needy customers is another core activity of the company. The company plans to generate revenues and profit through these services. However, other activities of CIC include quality customer services and insurance guidance to new customers. The revenue generated through services will help the company to cover its costs and manage its resources which will help in sustaining operations of the CIC. Internal and External Factors While setting up any new business, it is very essential to consider both internal and external factors which can influence and affect the business. Internal and external factors are numerous which can vary based on the type of business. However, in the case of CIC which is an insurance company, the internal and external factors are limited. These factors can be easily analyzed through different models. These models include PEST, SWOT, and Porter Forces etc. this paper will consider 5 Porter Forces and SWOT analysis for the examination of internal and external (environmental and organizational) factors faced by CIC. 5 Porter Forces Since its establishment, the 5 porter factors have become very famous and significant for the purpose of business analysis. It was introduced by Michael Porter in 1979. These 5 factors are generally used to examine the market competitiveness and thus draw results for risks and benefits to the company from within its market. The Porter’s 5 forces includes: threat of new companies, threat of alternate product or services, bargaining power of consumers, bargaining power of supplier, and competitive challenge among the present firms. Let us discuss these 5 forces in relevance with the Crescent Insurance Company and its service. Threat of New Companies Since, the insurance market is huge and open for new companies, the attractiveness of UAE makes it more complex for the existing companies. Therefore, no barriers are seen for new organizations which are willing to enter the market and thus, making it difficult for existing firms to hold their customers as there are no customer switching costs. However, in the present case of CIC which is a new company this factor hardly affects the company at present. In the longer run, this factor may influence the company’s business and output. However, at present it has threats from the existing competitors. Threat of Alternative Product and Services The presence of other insurance firms in the market of Arab Emirates makes it a little difficult for CIC to ground its roots into the market quickly. As almost all the services provided by all insurance companies are the same except for their USP, therefore the threat is greater in this regard. Bargaining Power of Consumer UAE is seen as a potential market for insurance sector, however CIC is a new company and does not have brand loyalty, therefore it will take some time to develop the bargaining power of their customers. This factor depends on the efficiency of services offered by CIC. Bargaining Power of Supplier CIC has to abide all the rules and regulations set for the insurance sector by the government of UAE. However CIC is a new name in the insurance business, this factor is also not powerful which will exert high pressure on the company. Competitive Challenge Among the Present Firms This factor again exerts high pressure on CIC as it has three competitors in the market. CIC has to be very effective and influential in its operations and services to outrun these competitors. SWOT Analysis Analyzing any organization’s Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be termed as SWOT analysis. Let us analyze CIC following the SWOT model (Pahl and Richter). Strengths CIC is a new name in the insurance market. However it has a list of strengths which will ensure better services and will allow the company to yield smart profits and revenues. First of all the company’s management and employees are a major strength for the company. They will help to develop the business and to extend its wings in the market. Moreover the variety and distinctiveness of the services offered by the company is also strength of the company seems promising in regard of operations and expansion of business. Weaknesses At present, the company does not see any weakness which may harm the business except for that its plan / USP might be copied by any other insurance company which will reduce its customer loyalty and will harm the business. Opportunities Since UAE is the hub of industrialization and tourist attraction, more investors and people from the world are moving to the country for different purposes. This ensures positive future for CIC in UAE in a variety of ways. Once the company will become stable and will develop a brand identity in UAE, it will then expand its business on international level. Threats CIC predicts no threats or barriers in its operations however the competitors which are Daman, Oman and Adnec Insurance can effect and harm the company’s business. This threat can be encountered by a strong strategy and effective team work. However, CIC plans to do both so that its competitors may not in any way effect their business. The reason for using these two models for the assessment of the internal and external factor is uncomplicated. SWOT analysis and the 5 factors of Porter makes it easy to understand the business from every perspective and thus to revise and improve the plan (if needed). Strategic Plan Mid-Term (2.5 years) As it has been already discussed that strategic planning plays a vital role in any business therefore a sound strategic plan is essential for every business. It allows the business to assess its key features, the resources, profits and how to address the damages. Moreover it ensures that quality and customer care is maintained throughout without neglecting or compromising any of the standards set initially. The company aims to hire experienced and skilled workforce and management. Moreover CIC has initial plans to construct state of the art building followed by effective marketing strategies and expanding the percentage of their market share. Long Term (5 years) As it has been already discussed that strategic planning plays a vital role in any business therefore a sound strategic plan is essential for every business. It allows the business to assess its key features, the resources, profits and how to address the damages. Moreover it ensures that quality and customer care is maintained throughout without neglecting or compromising any of the standards set initially. The strategic plan of CIC is so designed that it may cater and respond to every possible situation with the ability to double the revenue every year. The long term goals of CIC further includes that it will become the pioneer of insurance sector in the coming 5 years with almost 60 offices in UAE and 10 international offices. CIC will monitor and maintain its operations and resources adequately and effectively. The company also plans to address any financial turn over or other threats which may in future harm or slows the business. The company has also allocated resources and assets which can be utilized in time of any financial breakdown. The company has decided to invest a total of $3Million initially including the cost of the building and the 5 initial offices in f cities of UAE. The company has also kept $1Million to address and overcome any financial breakdown. CIC plans to increase its sales by 10% at the end of 1 st year and by 50% at the end of 5 th year. The company’s profit is predicted to shoot form $3Million to $7Million at the end of 5 th year. Tangible and Intangible Assets The company plans to utilize its tangible and intangible assets in an efficient manner. The tangible assets such as the office building, the furniture, and other office related accessories will be used most advantageously. This will ensure better customer care and high customer service in an excellent manner. The office premises will also be used for client and management interaction centre where the trained personnel will guide and assist the clients with their queries and other services. Whereas the intangible assets are basically the liquid cash which the company plans to keep aside initially and use it for damages or loss or financial breakdown. CIC also plans to utilize its intangible assets for the construction of different offices in different parts of UAE and world once it has formed a brand name. Conclusion However, Crescent Insurance Company is a new insurance company in UAE insurance sector, but with its effective and sound strategic plan it will be able to capture the market and beat its competitors. Following the proper business plan and the keeping the threats in mind, the company will be able to generate the desired profits successfully. The company plans to maintain its business integrity by maintaining the quality of its services and customer care on short and long run both. The uniqueness of CIC’s vision which allows customer to design insurance plans as per their will, will attract many customers and will help the company to create a brand loyalty. Works Cited Pahl, Nadine and Anne Richter. SWOT Analysis – Idea, Methodology And A Practical Approach . Santa Cruz: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Print. Van House, Charles L. and William Rogers Hammond. Accounting for life insurance companies . New York: R. D. Irwin, 1969. Print.

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Write an essay about: The text discusses the importance of strategic planning for emergency response in fire departments, using Hurricane Sandy as a case study.The text discusses the importance of strategic planning for emergency response in fire departments, using Hurricane Sandy as a case study.

The text discusses the importance of strategic planning for emergency response in fire departments, using Hurricane Sandy as a case study. The text discusses the importance of strategic planning for emergency response in fire departments, using Hurricane Sandy as a case study.

Emergency Response Planning: New Orleans and New York Fire Departments Term Paper Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Disaster management 3. New York City overview 4. The New York Fire Department (FDNY) 5. New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) 6. Significant similarities and differences between FDNY and NOFD 7. Conclusion 8. Reference List Introduction Strategic planning is a management tool that serves various purposes in organizations. It provides a framework for developing appropriate courses of action in organizations after an analysis of current organizational operations and outcomes. Strategic planning also helps organizations adapt to changes in the face of complexities and diversification of factors. In order to determine the suitability of plans to their purpose, an analysis of the plans is necessary in case the plans need modification or require the organization to abandon them and rethink its position. Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffer (1993) provide a detailed explanation of nine necessary aspects for the creation of an effective strategic plan for an organization. These aspects include planning to plan, values scan, mission formulation, strategic modeling of business, performance audit, gap analysis, integrating action plans, contingency planning, and implementation (Goodstein, Nolan & Pfeiffer, 1993). This paper looks at two organizations, viz. the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in relation to their strategic planning dynamics concerning emergency preparedness and disaster response within the larger U.S. government as an organization in itself. In the case of the FDNY, the paper analyzes details of the New York City’s governance, its effects on the fire department coupled with how these aspects, in turn, affect the station’s strategic planning for emergency response by using Hurricane Sandy as a case study. For the New Orleans case study, the paper analyzes the NOFD’s involvement during and after Hurricane Katrina, changes in the fire department’s strategic plans, and effect of New Orleans’ government strategic plans on the department’s plans. It also provides a comparison between the two departments by indicating similarities, differences, and lessons available for each of them from the other. Disaster management Disaster management forms part of the core functions of most disaster-response units in most countries, including fire departments. The uncertainty and the unexpectedness of disaster make disaster management techniques an incredibly difficult subject, as they mostly strike when least expected (Abbott, 2005). Disasters expose people to both primary and secondary effects. Varghese (2002) notes that natural disasters have “immediate impacts on human health, as well as secondary impacts causing further death and suffering from floods causing landslides, earthquakes resulting in fires, tsunamis causing widespread flooding, and typhoons sinking ferries” (p.102). Responding appropriately to disasters require embracement of concepts such as disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, disaster relief, and disaster prevention. Disaster preparedness entails all activities designed to ensure that damages and losses of life reduce should a disaster strike (Smith, 2006, p.13). These activities include “removing people and property from a threatened location and facilitating timely and effective rescue, relief, and rehabilitations” (Hansen & Schramm, 1993, p.56). Disaster relief refers to multi-agency coordinated responses to enhance the mitigation of the effects of disasters coupled with their results in the long term. Some of the relief activities the agencies conducted in the event of a disaster include repairing the vital utility lines that the disaster destroyed, foods provision to the affected, and relocation of people (evacuation) in the effort to escape the ramifications of disasters. Others include provision of health care, provision of temporary shelter until the disaster is passed on, and rescue of the affected people among other activities. Disaster recovery efforts, on the other hand, encompass activities such as rehabilitation and reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructures. Once disasters strike, measures for protection from exposure to similar disasters in the future is necessary for all affected people, which calls for the development of strategies for disaster prevention. These strategies include “activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters” (Nicholson, 2003, p.67). Considering the concerns of disasters management, disaster management organizations should execute their roles to restore normalcy amongst people. New York City overview In order to understand the significance of FDNY’s strategic plans, it is important to explore some facts on the city of New York that impact on the government and fire department’s strategic planning process and possible outcomes. The city lies on one of the world’s largest natural harbors and is home to the United Nations headquarters. The city’s architecture comprises some of the most famous buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Statue of Liberty. As at 2012, the city’s population was 8.4 million over an area of seven hundred and eighty-three square kilometers. Additionally, the metropolitan area population is approximately 19.8 million. An interesting fact is that more than fifty percent of the city’s dwellers do not own personal transportation as the same would be counterproductive, given the city’s population. New York’s government structure has remained the same since 1898. Although the government has made a few changes concerning some rules of governance such as direct management of the city’s budget by the mayor, the composition has remained the same. The city’s government is central and comprises a mayor and a governor, who both form part of a fifty-one member council in charge of the city’s policymaking. In order to cater for the population’s needs, the council has enacted policies that support public transportation through the introduction of the New York subway system, one of the most intricate rapid transit systems in the world. It provides for the city’s transport needs while easing traffic on city roads. It is also cheaper for most of the residents in terms of income expenditure. The establishment of law enforcement, healthcare and first responder service centers in the city has also eased the pressure on the residents in the metropolitan area. The New York Fire Department (FDNY) The New York Fire department is one of the many basic service delivery institutions that the government established to ensure efficiency in dealing with the residents’ needs as part of its strategic planning process. Although the city has one fire department, the department has various stations throughout the city for effective service delivery. Its organizational structure consists of a central department with divisions according to function, which responds simultaneously as a unit. FDNY has 10,725 uniformed firefighters, over 2,000 paramedics, more than 100 fire marshals and approximately 200 fire inspectors. Although the city’s population is large, having a single department centralizes operations and makes it easier to coordinate operations throughout the entire city according to need and availability. The FDNY offers first responder services for fires, public safety and medical emergencies and disasters, both natural and fabricated. For instance, the department played a key role during the September 9, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, in conjunction with other departments such as the New York Police Department and the National Guard. One of its core duties is to ensure the protection of lives and property of New York residents and visitors and advance public safety. It achieves these goals through public safety education programs, investigations on possible fire hazards, installation of preventive measures such as fire alarms, responding to distress calls and providing aid during the recovery process after disasters (The New York Fire Department, 2013). In ensuring that the department accomplishes its goals and objectives, mainly in relation to disaster preparedness and response, the FDNY formulates and implements various strategic plans, one of which is the centralization of the department’s operations. Other plans include continuous firefighter training, contingency plan formulation in the face of disasters, civilian education, coordination with other government agencies and setting up recovery programs for victims and department personnel. Continuous training of fire fighters enhances endurance and adaptability to new environments and techniques, a property that makes up numbers. Although the department does not have enough fire fighters in relation to the city’s population, proper training ensures that they are able to deal with emergencies appropriately. Central administration also plays a crucial role as it enables the department evaluates situations and determines priority in dealing with emergencies. It also ensures that communication links remain intact, increasing efficiency during disaster response. Coordination with other state departments provides the fire department with enough workforces in instances of proportionate disaster response. An example of these strategies in application is evident in the department’s response to Hurricane Sandy, one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the city. Although the hurricane hit a number of states along the Gulf Coast, New York and New Jersey experienced most of its wrath. The presence of inland rivers and large coastline made the city susceptible to flooding. Shortly past midday on October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit New York’s coastline with a storm surge consisting mostly of ghastly wings with significant precipitation. The storm surge caused flooding of the New York subway system, most of the streets, almost all road tunnels going into Manhattan and severe destruction of property. At least forty people lost their lives during the storm, with thousands of others losing their homes and businesses. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suspended trading for two consecutive days and most Hospitals in the city closed down. Heavy winds disrupted electricity supply as trees and debris from buildings fell on power lines. The damage on electricity lines and gas leaks also resulted in fires that destroyed millions of dollars worth of property. In Breezy Point, Queens, over ninety homes went up in flames leaving families stranded. On October 28, 2012, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the entire state of New York, including a pre-disaster declaration that came into effect after hurricane Katrina, as a measure to mobilize federal finding to deal with Sandy’s aftermath. The FDNY disaster preparedness procedure coupled with central administration, provided firefighters with pertinent information, enabling the department evacuate thousands of residents, especially in areas near the coastline and those with low altitudes such as lower Manhattan, much of Staten Island, City Island and areas north of Route 25A, to higher altitude areas. By the evening of October 28, most of the railways and bus services had suspended their operations and bridges had closed until October 30. The fire department’s main obligation arose after the disaster on October 30, as firefighters had to put out more than fifty fires in areas all over the city, most of which arose at Breezy Point. The department also helped clear debris blocking roads and remove trees and other obstructions from electricity lines. The presence of a paramedics unit also made it possible for the department to cater to medical emergencies including recovery of people from the rubble and transportation of the injured to hospitals all over the city, supplementing efforts by Homeland Security. The government set up support centers around the city including areas of Coney Island, Rockaway and Staten Island to help displaced people access food, water, gas and mobile phone connections. The fire department helped deliver the supplies to areas where victims needed them most and attended to simple medical procedures at the centers. The department was also helpful in collecting data on the number of injured people and populations at the support centers, enabling the government to respond appropriately. An analysis based on these facts proves that the department’s strategic plans were sufficient in addressing disaster preparedness and response, with fluid execution leading to the desirable outcome in terms of the department’s primary objective to safeguard life, health and property. The plans present efficiency with regard to service to the population, even with the low number of firefighters available at the department. As part of the recovery process, the department set up the Fire Safety Program in November after the disaster, with the aim reducing vulnerability of the elderly to disasters, because most of the people who died during the disaster and in fires after the disaster were above seventy years. This age bracket formed more than forty percent of deaths from fire during and after the disaster. The program’s funding came from the Department of Homeland Security. New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) The New Orleans provides a comparison to the FDNY in terms of strategic planning for disaster preparedness and response. Unlike the FDNY, the NOFD’s strategic plans comply with policies that go further back in history, creating a problem in terms of adaptation to population changes and the environment. Although New Orleans is a much smaller city then New York, the ratio of firefighters in the department to the existing population is much lower than that in New York, making it difficult for the department to accomplish its goals and objectives. Although the department’s choice to enroll and train volunteer firefighters as a strategy to increase the department’s workforce works, lack of creativity and adaptability in strategic planning creates problems for the department, limiting its ability to serve the people effectively. A.A. look at some facts about the department and its effectiveness during and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 proves the department’s inefficiency in strategic planning and implementation in disaster response and recovery. Contrast with the New York Fire Department further enhances the planning problems and the need for drastic improvements. The New Orleans fire department’s history runs back to 1829, when a group of people came together with the aim of fighting fires within the city. This group referred itself as the Firefighters’ Charitable Associations (FCA). The group engaged in voluntary fire fighting activities and the title of the group existed until 1891. After 62 years of existence, the FCA changed to the New Orleans Fire Department, abbreviated as NOFD, following the introduction of paid service. The main reason for the existence of the New Orleans Fire Department is to ensure ardent provision of fire fighting and protection services within New Orleans. Ryan (2006) approximates that NOFD serves “approximately 340,000 people in a 350.2-square-mile (907 km 2 ) area, 180.6 square miles (468 km 2 ) of that is on land while the rest is water” (p.23). Just like the NYFD, the NOFD’s administration is central, providing ease in communication and operational processes throughout the organization. The New Orleans Fire Department’s organizational structure comprises three levels, which include the special operations and planning, fire suppression, and fire administration. The assistant superintendent acts as the commander of the fire suppression. It is the largest division of the NOFD. The central priorities of the fire suppression departmental division include ensuring life safety and stabilization of various emergencies related to fires coupled with preservation of property. According to the City of New Orleans Fire Department, “fire suppression members regularly participate in daily inspections, fire safety educational programs, and numerous other fire-related duties” (2006, p.18). For effective communication in emergency response processes, administration is important for an emergency response organization. The fire administration departmental division of the NOFD is responsible for executing communication tasks. Under the leadership of the deputy chief, the fire administration also commands investigation on fires and fire prevention coupled with ensuring that training in subdivisions takes place. The division is also responsible for ensuring timely coordination for the responses for all situations involving non-emergency responses. Other coordination activities of the division include functions such as payrolls preparation, processing of data ensuring timely supplies, budgeting, and administration of personnel, among other tasks. In the effort to enhance disaster preparedness of the organization, the administration departmental division of the NOFD engages in tasks such as coordination of fire equipment and vehicles purchases coupled with repairs. Special operation and planning divisions of the NOFD are under the command of the special and operations deputy chief. The division plans various anticipated future operations and activities of the New Orleans Fire Department. The deputy chief is in charge of training within the departmental division. Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest cyclone that hit the region in 2005 during hurricane season. Katrina hit New Orleans on August 28, 2005, leaving unfathomed destruction and loss of lives in the city. Although the U.S. government had warned of the hurricane’s possible impact on the city, a large proportion of the population was unable to leave the city. Some of the reasons people gave included their belief that their houses could withstand the hurricane’s impact as they had in previous storms, fear of leaving property behind, and lack of personal transportation with which to leave the city. Although ninety percent of the city’s inhabitants complied with the mandatory evacuation, the government had to intervene and provide last-resort shelter for residents still stranded in the city as the hurricane approached. The Superdome in the center of the city is one of the emergency centers that got the media’s attention owing to the fact that it housed more than twenty thousand people for several days. The most notable impact of the hurricane was extensive flooding throughout the city owing to poor infrastructural planning and slow completion of levees in a city with a high percentage of water as part of its overall area. More than 1,400 people lost their lives and property worth billions of dollars was lost to floodwater and fires. In addition, oil and other industrial chemicals turned floodwater toxic, causing diseases. Unlike New York, the city government lacked the capacity to cater for needs such as food, clean drinking water and medical assistance, causing unrest. Most of the police officers that form part of the New Orleans police department abandoned their posts, some taking government-issued police vehicle and fleeing the city to avoid the aftermath. The combination of these occurrences made it nearly impossible for the fire department to deal with the effects of the hurricane independent of other government departments. Before the occurrence of the hurricane in 2005, the goal of the NOFD was to ensure evacuation of people from disastrous areas and ensure safety of citizens and property. After the occurrence of the hurricane, the goal was to rescue the affected people and put off possible raging fires to protect property and lives. The two goals reflect the missions and purposes of the organization. The organization seeks to achieve these goals through its human resource and interventions of various response equipment. Although the evacuation exercise was successful, since accomplishing of the task took place before striking of the hurricane occurred, the hurricane-affected the recovery and rescue mission enormously. Destruction of the equipment of the NOFD occurred; hence, deterring the realization of the goal of rapid response. However, this does not mount to total failure on the department’s end. Considering the fact that most of the department’s personnel receive training in fire-related response and not much on medical emergencies, it is safe to say that the firefighters and volunteers did their best in adapting to existing circumstances. Evans and Drabek (2004) posit that managing disasters gives rise to formidable challenges to the government’s emergency and disaster management apparatus since they present a requirement for making difficult decisions on service delivery systems for the affected people (p.45). Therefore, the affected jurisdictions source aid from other jurisdictions not affected by the disaster. In the absence of a disaster, a given state cannot place diplomatic call for help should an emergency or a disaster occurs in the future. This assertion implies that the internal emergency and disaster management apparatus only have resources adequate for development of emergency and disaster preparedness strategies, but not for relief, rescue, and recovery. Drawing from the above arguments, the New Orleans disaster management systems could not have prevented Hurricane Katrina from striking the Gulf coast. Hurricane Katrina rendered the Gulf coast roads impassable and destroyed communication networks. The City of New Orleans Fire Department (2006) posits, “There were hundreds of hazardous material incidences such as overturned tanks cars and runaways barges and ships” (p.6). The entire city of New Orleans also went without power supply accompanied by various incidences of gas leaks in the area where gas supply lines had not drained. This aspect caused several rages of fire across the city of New Orleans, thus prompting the need for fire management and response services of the NOFD to come for the safety of the city. As water levels continued to rise, the NOFD service personnel got into action to save lives in an environment lacking communication networks. The NOFD lost vital equipment including fire stations, communication equipment, and vehicles among other facilities required for ardent response. However, with the aid from firefighters based in Louisiana, Illinois, New York, and other places rebuilding of the NOFD was possible. In the process of rebuilding, the NOFD realized that it needed strategic plans for the recovery process. In the process of making effective strategic plans, an organization has to engage in planning to plan as the first stage of the planning process. During this step, the NOFD sought the help of the U.S. fire administration coupled with International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) to help in the development of a recovery plan from the events of Hurricane Katrina. The City of New Orleans Fire Department (2006) reckons, “The NOFD officers and staff aided by many fire services professionals from around the country have formulated a blueprint of recovery for the NOFD” (p.6). Through strategic plans, the NOFD believes that a clear blueprint for responding to disaster enhances aiding the organization to achieve its aim of protecting and rescuing people and property. In the pre-planning phase, the department addressed several interrogatives based on the model for strategic planning. These interrogatives included questions seeking to establish the current position of the organization, future anticipated position of the organization, and the mechanisms of ensuring that the NOFD would reach its anticipated position in the future. These departments identified areas of focus and made plans to addresses them through the mission, values, goals, and the visions of the NOFD. Significant similarities and differences between FDNY and NOFD The main similarity between the FDNY and the NOFD is that both departments share a central structure in their administration that increases efficiency in communication and prioritization of incidents to which they respond. Secondly, both departments serve a wide area and a larger population in comparison to the sizes of their personnel. Additionally, they base their strategic planning on government funding for their operations, their goals and objectives. For instance, preference of public modes of transportation formed an essential consideration when mapping out plans on how to evacuate areas that proved most vulnerable to the effects of the hurricanes. Both cities also have water bodies running through the inland area, an aspect that increased chances of flooding proportionately. The main difference between the two lies in the creativity of their organizational models. While the NOFD chooses to base its model on fire emergencies, the New York model embraces creative diversity, choosing to incorporate medical emergencies as part of its areas of expertise. Another notable difference between the two departments in terms of strategic structuring for emergency responses is that the FDNY applies convergence, incorporating other government departments to increase the workforce available, especially in emergencies. In sharp contrast, the NOFD uses volunteer firefighters as an extension of their workforce, creating uncertainty on the exact number of respondents available at any time. Regarding responses from the two departments in relation to the respective hurricanes, New York had an advantage over New Orleans as it applied lessons from Katrina to enhance its preparedness for disasters. However, the NOFD learned valuable lessons from the disaster and has since made arrangements for better plans, including incorporation of community sensitization programs. Conclusion Although it is difficult to prepare adequately for any disaster owing to unpredictability, especially for natural disasters, it is possible to develop measures that make the recovery process easier and reduce damage to property while safeguarding lives. Assessment of business models, adequate training, diversity in areas of operation, creativity in organizational arrangement and adaptability to circumstances are some of the important elements the true hurricanes brought out as part of the essential components in disaster preparedness and response for both fire departments. Reference List Abbott, B. (2005). A legal guide to Homeland Security and Emergency Management for State and Local Governments . Chicago, IL: American Bar Association. City of New Orleans Fire Department . (2006) . Strategic Recovery and Reconstitution Planning Process for the City of New Orleans Fire Department Decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Web. Evans, J., & Drabek, E. (2004). Theories Relevant To Emergency Management versus a Theory of Emergency Management . Denver, CO: University of Denver. Goodstein, L., Nolan, T., & Pfeiffer, W. (1993). Applied Strategic Planning, How to Develop a Plan that Really Works . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Inc. Hansen, R., & Schramm, D. (1993). Aim & Scope of Disaster Management . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Nicholson, W. (2003). Emergency Response and Emergency Management Law: Cases and Materials. Springfield, IL. Charles C. Thomas Ltd. Ryan, P. (2006, September 20). Mississippi burning: pollution hells as fires, explosions oil spills follow hurricane. The Daily Mirror , 23. Smith, F. (2006). Budgeting for disasters—part I: Overview of the problem. The Public Manager, 35 (1), 11-19. The New York Fire Department. (2013). About FDNY . Web. Varghese, M. (2002). Disaster Recovery . Boston, MA: Course Technology.

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Write the original essay that provided the following summary when summarized: Strategy in Project Management: A Vital PillarStrategy is a vital pillar in project management that helps in outlining the desired projections of organizations both in the short and long-term run. It also involves skilful business forecasting and benchmarking.

Strategy in Project Management: A Vital Pillar Strategy is a vital pillar in project management that helps in outlining the desired projections of organizations both in the short and long-term run. It also involves skilful business forecasting and benchmarking.

Strategy in Project Management: A Vital Pillar Essay Plans that guide the desired projections of organisations both in the short and long-term run constitute strategy. The set plan that aims at achieving business, operational and corporate goals requires skilful business forecasting and benchmarking. Strategy entails reviewing and selecting a set of choices instead of designing a fixed plan (Porter 1996). Organisations set out strategies that synthesise and elaborate how they intend to achieve their goals in order to realise maximum returns on their investments. Strategy encompasses the management, planning, and evaluation aspects. Under strategic management, formulation, implementation, and evaluation of cross-functional decisions that aid goal achievement for an organisation occurs. From the definition, it is evident that strategy is a continuous process that outlines missions and visions of firms, and resource allocation that intends to help in meeting specific objectives (Collis & Rukstad 2008). In all these processes, organisations are aiming at keeping themselves ahead of their competitors through consistent analysis, creation, implementation, and monitoring of decisive plans. The planning process in strategic management integrates all the useful components of an organisation by facilitating communication between administrators of all ranks (Bettis et al. 2012). Strategy helps individuals and companies to make prudent decisions on all initiatives they undertake within the constantly changing environment in order to gain outcomes in the most expedient way possible. Managers, therefore, must understand how to make the plans and targets sustainable to create competitive advantage in the market. The entire process calls for creativity as a way of creating unique, valuable, and difficult-to-copy competitive advantages. In this aspect, competitive advantage is not about operational effectiveness, which involves executing similar services far much, beyond what the rivals do (Guinn 2013). It entails executing similar services in different ways from the competitors or executing different services from those of the competitors. Outsourcing, benchmarking, and business process engineering are some of the recent innovations within the management field that businesses have applied in the activities. Outperformance among companies arises from the way they design, implement, and monitor their strategies. For that reason, competitive advantages must be sustainable for a long period. In understanding strategy, managers advance their awareness of both the internal and external environment of the organisations in line with the analysis of vision, mission, and strategic objectives (Goldman 2012). Project managers in making strategic decisions, come to understand the industries they intend to compete in and the modalities they need to employ in the process of competition. In the last phase, project managers comprehend the actions that they need to pursue in order to put decisions into proper use. Strategy implementation remains a key process in allocating resources and designing of firms to bring forth the reality of the strategies. Besides, project managers who understand strategic management, planning, and evaluation develop high spirit and commitment for achieving the firm’s objectives, as they become more proactive than reactive in handling issues that require tactful decision-making process. In project management, one has to understand the external and internal environmental elements (Lee-Kelley & Sankey 2008) that can affect the completion of a project under budget. The process helps in identifying clear advantages, which are vital in being successful. Strategy determination also follows the same procedure. Managers must analyse the context and environment in which they are operating, identify strategic alternatives, and select the best options after in-depth evaluation. According to Mengel & Thomas (2008), project managers must apply strategy in understanding themselves fully and the environment in which they intend to operate. In this phase of organisation analysis, a SWOT analysis is helpful in examining the capabilities, resources, strengths, liabilities and weaknesses, hence assisting in achieving objectives and gaining distinct position from the competitors. On the other hand, environmental analysis helps project managers in understanding the current market dynamics and they use the information to predict future market situations (Bredillet 2008). In addition, project managers are able to know where they have strong position within the expansive environment and where they may have challenges. Clearly, understanding strategy is a vital pillar for project managers, as they have to align their projects with the alterations in their operating environment. Deliberate planning and actions that create successful conditions forms the core base of project management. Project managers have to use strategy in working smarter on projects to meet and solve challenges that may come their way (Kaplan & Norton 2008). Strategy helps managers in forecasting for the unpredictable through continuous training and development of new talents to work on new projects that come up. Studying the operational environment helps project managers to be able to prove the value-adding component of the projects. Contractors use problem-solving approach in handling pertinent issues in order to achieve strategic goals and gain competitive edge. Besides, brainstorming, star-bursting, and reverse brainstorming are applicable in identifying strategic options that help in developing competitive advantage (Calfee 2006). For instance, a firm experiencing poor customer relations needs to brainstorm on strategies that will make the firm register high customer satisfaction. At the evaluation phase, project managers must have arrived at the best project among the varied range of projects. Evaluation and selection of strategic options helps in considering all identified options, their possible negative effects, and benefits. In this stage, risk analysis, impact analysis, and failure mode and effects analysis are applicable in assessing the options available. Proper exploration is necessary for the success of projects through development of strategies. After vivid appraisal, one has to choose on the best strategic options that will ensure that resources are largely spread to offer operational outcome. Mission, vision, and values of an organisation guide the process of selecting the best options, as they enhance consistency at all stages of strategy development. Consistency with the core functions of an organisation during strategic planning and management contributes to the development and growth of organisation’s total resolution (Blatstein 2012). Strategy development is essential for project managers since the process is not only applicable to development projects, but also to personal circumstances. Strategy is an inclusive process that can significantly assist project managers in their roles of handling difficult and complex situations like coordinating many varied people, completing several tasks in orderly sequences, and spending lots of time and money in operating projects. The success or failure on project management depends on the way one lays out strategies, that is, initial stages of strategy development affect the outcome of an entire project. Strategy helps project managers to monitor the actual completion dates against the dates of completion as per the plan in order to enable them take corrective measures and address clients’ expectations appropriately. The communication process aids project milestone reporting which informs of the progress of a project by elaborating on how far a project has develop and future expectations from a specified point. In this report, one is able to know what they have achieved and the necessary requirements to ensure successful completion of the project. According to Blatstein (2012), monitoring of projects through milestone reporting relies on the strategic plans. In large and complex projects that have many interdependencies, project milestone reporting helps in simplifying the projects’ status in precise and meaningful way. Clearly, strategy acts as a guide for project managers in comprehending the progress and new expectations of projects that they undertake. In preparing project milestone reports, managers use the projections or targets outlined in the strategic plans. Program managers also find strategy useful in their activities as it acts as a project schedule (Raspin & Terjesen 2007). Strategy, just as schedule, will specify the sequence of development tasks, signifying that it is an essential part in project management. Since implementation of strategies transforms visions to comprehensible outcomes, schedules offer basis for monitoring and controlling project accomplishments, offer foundation for tracking the progress of a project, and assist in assessing how time delays can affect a project. Scheduling of projects uses strategy to combine inputs and align necessary resources with the exact timing of each activity. As Porter (1996) asserts, strategy will be helpful to a program manager in resource levelling, as he/she will be able to streamline the timing of activities so that all activities receive adequate resources. Moreover, strategies always prepare for impact of risks in their provisions; this is a plus to a program manager who can add extra time in risky events. Strategy flexibility enables project managers to adapt to the fluctuating needs of the environment, which can emanate from the project team or the project itself. Project managers as planners, executors, controllers, and supervisors of projects have to employ strategy in coming up with a workable work plan that enhances the success of the project. In addition, project managers have to develop and manage the direction that different projects take, and even plan, define and manage the scope of such tasks. Clearly, in all these undertakings, strategy plays critical roles to the manager. Careful planning by Aalto University in Finland has demonstrated the significant role of strategy in project management. In one of the research projects, the School of Economics studied the system of contactless ticketing. In the ticketing process, a group of students also analysed the value chain and interest groups across Europe. In the project, the student had to define the project and its goals as ways of managing the guidance and co-ordination process. The researchers had to make right choices in the project management, and, in the end, they obtained the desired results. A well-outlined strategy for the Nokia Ventures Organisation made the project to achieve its goals of bolstering sales, increasing sales through reorganisation of resources and strategic positioning. NFC Solutions Head of Operations, Sirpa Nordlund, admitted that the study acted as a revelation to them, and helped to meet what they had suspected all along. Moreover, she recommended the idea as extremely prominent, and went on to reiterate that many firms have expertise thinking and brainstorming on such strategies to solve similar problems. The Hickory Ridge Landfill Solar System in Atlanta is another project that elaborates the significance of strategy to project managers. With the objective of creating an alternative to traditional landfill covers, enhancing the use of renewable energy, and obsolete lands, the project had to receive unrelenting initiation, planning, supervision and evaluation. In developing the technology, HDR Engineering Inc. ensured that the project had to offer similar energy to people, but in a different way from the eco-friendly sources. At Hickory Ridge, the initial phase cost around $5 million, and is currently the world’s biggest solar cap, generating one megawatt of electricity. This amount of electricity is capable of offsetting the total energy that the landfill uses or power over 200 households. Through effective planning and resource allocation, the Senior Project Manager, Mark Roberts, identified that much of the funds had to be directed to the initial stage of the project to purchase and install the solar panels. Project management aims at managing costs and the budget; therefore, one need comprehend the areas that funds get used in the project to avert instances of failure and unprofitability. A cost-benefit analysis revealed that the project brought great value to the locals and the world as a whole. For the success of the project, HDR Engineering Inc. had set clear strategic positions and themes that linked each other in a close loop. Age NI is another organisation that commenced a project in February 2010 to determine the feasibility of using a shared governance approach to make decisions and prepare Age NI’s first Strategic Plan. The Chief Executive took the roles of a project manager, and from the beginning accepted the need for strategic plan in order to direct the project in meeting the goals and objectives of the organisation as stipulated in the mission and vision (Müllera & Turner 2010). The strategy helped in understanding the scope of the research project by allowing strategic intentions to create the margins of the work. The project relied on strategic plans in drawing success criteria and guidelines that direct and measure the success of the project. In risk management, the project identified a facilitator who ensured that information flow to all departments and shareholders was uncompromised (Nag, Hambrick & Chen 2007). The group admitted that risks are unavoidable in all projects, and directed evaluation tools to identify zones that have high potential risks so that future project managers can apply preventive measures in time. Risk mitigation is a strategic option that the group considered throughout the entire research. Designing of strategy helped the group in understanding how collective shared governance affects decision-making processes. When the Board of Directors of 1st Farm Credit Services decided to improve its governance structures in order to create shareholder value and obtain sustainable competitive advantage, the association relied on strategic management to provide directions, which could provide long-term values to clients and owners. The group laid a strategy of enhancing individual director performance and alterations of board operations (Davies 2000). Univest, on the other hand, applied strategic project vision in identifying, monitoring, managing, implementing, and evaluating a credit risk portfolio that could help the community banking industry to manage risks. In the entire process, Univest coordinated all the services through a project manager who highly depended on strategic plans to ensure successful implementation of the project. The firm intended to save on costs, employ smoother risk mitigation procedures, and register reduced loss potential in order to transition employee focus and organisation’s commitment. Strategy is essential in project management as it guides the entire process in achieving its intentions. Organisations that have engaged in several projects have acknowledged the need for strategic management, planning, and evaluation in regaining confidence in a crowded market. Project managers who understand and inculcate strategy in their activities attain their targets in time. References Bettis, R. A., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C., & Mitchell, W 2012, ‘Strategic Management’, Strategic Management Journal , vol. 34. pp. 12-26. Blatstein, I.M 2012, Strategic Planning: Predicting or Shaping the Future?, Organization Development Journal , vol. 30. no. 2, pp. 32. Bredillet, C. N 2008, ‘Mapping the Dynamics of the Project Management Field: Project Management in Action (part 1)’, Project Management Journal , vol. 39. no. 4, pp. 2-14. Calfee, D 2006, ‘Getting engaged: an inclusive approach to strategy development’, Emerald Journals , vol. 7. no. 1, pp. 20-31. Collis, D. J., & Rukstad, M. G 2008, ‘Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?’, Harvard Business Review , vol. 22. pp. 14-22. Cox, M. Z., Daspit, J., McLaughlin, E. & Jones, R.J 2012, Strategic Management: Is It an Academic Discipline?, Journal of Business Strategies , vol. 29. no. 1, pp. 27-28. Davies, W 2000, ‘Understanding strategy’, Emerald Journals , vol. 28. no. 5, pp. 4-21. Goldman, E. F 2012, ‘Leadership practices that encourage strategic thinking’, Journal of Strategy and Management , vol. 5. no. 1, pp. 4-17. Guinn, S. L 2013, ‘Strategic HR Review’, Emerald Journals , vol. 12. no. 1, pp. 18-27. Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P 2008, ‘Integrating Strategy Planning and Operational Execution: A Six-Stage System’, Harvard Business Review , vol. 10. no. 3, pp. 21-30. Lee-Kelley, L., & Sankey, T 2008, ‘Global virtual teams for value creation and project success: A case study’, International Journal of Project Management , vol. 26. no. 1, pp. 51-62. Mengel, T., & Thomas, J 2008, ‘Preparing project managers to deal with complexity – Advanced project management education’, International Journal of Project Management , vol. 26. no. 3, pp. 304-315. Müllera, R., & Turner, R 2010, ‘ Leadership competency profiles of successful project managers ’, International Journal of Project Management , vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 437–448. Web. Nag, R., Hambrick, D. C., & Chen, M. J 2007. ‘What is strategic management, really?’ Strategic Management Journal, vol. 28. no. 9, pp. 935–955. Porter, M. E 1996, ‘What is Strategy?’, Harvard Business Review , vol. 4, pp. 61-78. Web. Raspin, P., & Terjesen, S 2007, ‘Strategy Making: What Have We Learned About Forecasting The Future?’ Business Strategy Series , vol. 8. no. 2, pp. 116-121.

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Create the inputted essay that provided the following summary: The paper examines stress from both biological and psychological perspectives.Stress has many effects that are less evident in the first stages of its development. Psychological stress is scientifically associated with physiological processes in the cell and the balance of chemical activity in the body.

The paper examines stress from both biological and psychological perspectives. Stress has many effects that are less evident in the first stages of its development. Psychological stress is scientifically associated with physiological processes in the cell and the balance of chemical activity in the body.

Stress & Its Effects on the Brain and Body Research Paper Table of Contents 1. Summary and Hypothesis 2. Introduction And Background 3. Research Discussion 4. Organization and Analysis 5. Conclusion 6. References Summary and Hypothesis Negative aspects of factors that affect human body functions cause stress. Negative factors, or stressors, arise from abnormalities in the physiological functions of the body. The physiological processes that keep the human body functioning properly may suffer interference from outside or within the body such that they are not in equilibrium (Goldstein & Kopin, 2007). This is the biological perspective of stress. From a psychological perspective, stress is characterized by behavioral symptoms accompanied by a negative state of mind. A person experiencing psychological stress may withdraw from various participative aspects of life. In addition, a person experiencing stress will show physical changes, and physiological processes in the body might be affected. Psychological stress results to unwillingness of an individual to engage in social activities. Imbalance in the physiology of the body results to conditions such as hypertension, lack of sleep, and irregularity of sexual desire. Stress has many effects that are less evident in the first stages of its development (Goldstein & Kopin, 2007). Psychological stress is scientifically associated with physiological processes in the cell and the balance of chemical activity in the body. For example, if an individual senses that a dangerous event is about to take place, he or she might react physically by running away or emotionally by getting psychologically prepared to fight back. Thus, psychological reaction involves physiological processes. This proves that reaction to stress has both psychological and physiological aspects. While the anatomy and physical construction of the brain is well known, its operation and the precise mechanisms responsible for its proper functioning are poorly understood (Fleshner et al., 2011). This makes it necessary to study psychology through empirical examination and randomized trials. In this paper, stress is examined from both biological and psychological perspectives. Physiological factors that cause stress and the external factors that influence physiology of the human body are examined. Throughout an individual’s life, residual stress is always present. When an infant is born, mechanisms are usually in place so that the child reacts to stressors whenever they are present. Thus, stress is natural and cannot be eliminated. A situation where one does not experience stress at all is inconceivable. When there are no stressors at all, an individual will not feel pressured to react to any event even when the matter is of critical urgency. If a particular stressor affects a person repeatedly, the reaction of the individual to the stressor is often different on every occasion. The experience of the event in the past may either improve the ability of the individual to cope with stress or worsen it (Goldstein, & Kopin, 2007). Stress is only considered harmful to an individual if it builds up beyond a certain level. However, stress is normally present in all human beings, and is a critical factor in fostering motivation. Stress may be caused by a situation outside the body such as a traumatizing event, but may also be a result of an uncomfortable state of the body (Blackburn & Munro, 2001). Conditions such as constant or repetitive pain, nausea, cold, extreme warmth and even pressure cause excessive stress. Various experiments have been used to investigate the nature of stress and the manner in which people react to it. Some of the approaches used to examine the concept of stress are based on biological evidence alone, while others are based on empirical analysis of the state of the human mind (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). The level of stress in an individual may be determined by the extent to which the physical equilibrium in the body has been disturbed. On the other hand, the behavior of the affected individual may be evaluated for a psychological analysis. Reactions such as anxiety determine presence of excessive stress (Kudielka & Wüst, 2010). Introduction And Background Walter Cannon linked stress to the balance of chemical activity in the body in the early 1920s. This was the beginning of association of stress with the situations external to the body. Early psychobiologists such as Hans Selye supported this perspective. Later, scientists such as Lindemann found an association of stress with events that did not necessarily cause changes in the physiology of the body (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). In that essence, stress is a complex condition that can only be described by the symptoms and reactions exhibited by those who suffer from it. Major events in history such as the holocaust and the two world wars were influential in the study of stress. The psychological state of the former soldiers who fought in the wars and the survivors of the holocaust helped scientists to link traumatizing events to long-term effects of stress (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). These scientists used various models such as the concept of individual stress and that of family stress. The reactions of people to stress as a group and that of an individual were studied in reference to historical events such as the great depression of the1920s and 1930s. During the First World War, scientists approached stress from a physiological point of view. People exhibiting symptoms of stress were thought to be suffering from physiological disorders that hindered the brain from functioning properly (Blackburn & Munro, 2001). While classical scientists associated stress with groups such as families and prison inmates, contemporary scientists associate stress with an individual. The scientists focus on the effects of stress on the human body and the state of mind. Research Discussion Stress is known to affect the health of an individual, depending on specific reactions to it. In that essence, scientists have experimented and studied the physiological reaction to mental stress by the body. In addition, the effects of stress on individual minds are studied. Stress is known to change the mental reaction patterns of an individual particularly if it persists for a long time. The reaction itself is the activity of chemicals released by specific parts of the body. There are various reaction patterns exhibited by different individuals who are experiencing situations that are known to cause stress. R.S. Lazarus and Albert were the first scientists to study stress from the perspective of the nature of reaction exhibited by an individual experiencing stress. They did this study by subjecting some people to stressful vision. Several individuals were required to watch graphic and bloody scenes of a film and report their feelings about the particular film to analysts. Some of the people who were involved in the experiment reacted by saying that the situations presented were not real and were created artificially (Blackburn & Munro, 2001). Others expressed concern for the plight of the people who were undergoing painful experiences in the film. It was found that the kind of reaction and the intensity of the reaction of the individuals depended on the environment of the person. Experiences had critical influence on the manner in which people reacted to the film. However, experience did not mean that the people involved experienced less stress (Blackburn & Munro, 2001) In fact, in some cases, experience reduced ability of the person to cope with stress. In the particular experiment, it became difficult to describe the cause of particular reactions. A stressful situation such as the films had many factors in its details that had the ability to cause stress. It became difficult to distinguish the details that a particular person focused on. Consequently, it was clear that stress depended on the reaction of the particular person to specific details and could not be generalized. Organization and Analysis The idea of looking at stress from the perspective of coping was adopted by modern psychologists. Two approaches to coping with stress are known. When there is presence of a factor that is causing stress, some people will choose to confront the issue and find a solution. These people see the situation as a barrier that must be overcome. On the other hand, a person experiencing a problem that causes stress may choose to change the perspective from which he or she views the situation. The situation then ceases to be an emotional issue to the particular individual. This approach of coping with stress may be dangerous if it becomes an individual’s way of dealing with every difficult situation. Furthermore, people who consider this approach of dealing with stress pervasive call it mal-adaptive stress coping. Changing the perception about a stressful situation that might cause harm does not eliminate the possibility of the situation causing damage. Thus, the first approach of formulating a solution to the problem is the best way to manage factors that cause stress since the problem may eventually be solved. This approach is called the adaptive approach to stress coping. People have similar patterns of adopting coping methods in stressful situations. It is not possible for people to share identical stress causatives since their lives are different. One’s social status, expectations, hopes, and beliefs are some of the factors that determine a person’s perception of a situation. The perception determines the different people’s reaction to stress. For example, a wealthy man might not consider college school fees for his daughter to be a stressful matter. On the other hand, a person earning little money may consider this a stressful problem. Since no two situations are precisely identical, it is difficult for reactions of different people to the same problem to be identical (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). If people of ideally similar capabilities are subjected to identical stressful situations, the reaction pattern in an effort to cope with the problem will be the same. The first step in the reaction is the attempt to find a solution to the problem. If the situation has a particular achievable solution, it is likely that the individual will try to solve the problem. On the other hand, if the situation has no apparent solution, the reaction becomes emotional, and the individual may adopt escapism as a way of dealing with the stress. Ideally, similar situations cause relatively identical reactions in people of similar capabilities. Stress such as that related to similar situations at work or at home among family members causes similar reaction patterns (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). Some of the physical changes that take place in a human being in an effort by the body to overcome stress include the release of hormones that cause vascular constriction and speed up cardiac action. Some other processes such as digestion and transmission of nervous signals may also stop so that physical feeling is not possible in some parts of the body. Depending on the individual, the rise of the level of resistance to stress occurs in varying patterns (Valentino & Bockstaele, 2008). People who often overreact to stressors raise the level of resistance to stressing factors, and are highly susceptible to diseases and disorders related to stress. When an individual’s mind has a memory of a stress-causing factor, stress may occur repetitively, eventually leading to development of a disease (Kudielka & Wüst, 2010). However, it is evident that the possibility of developing disease even after undergoing stress varies from one individual to another. Diseases that might occur due to repetitive stress can be serious and permanent disorders due to overreaction of organs to the stressful situations. On the other hand, reaction to stress causes excessive consumption of energy and other resources. If the reaction to stress is prolonged, the immune system is suppressed due to diversion of energy. Pathogens may then flourish in this environment and cause disease. This occurs even with the mild situations that cause minimal but persistent stress (Kudielka & Wüst, 2010). Conclusion From the above analysis, one can conclude that stress is a complex concept with varying definitions that depend on individual perception. However, it is evident that stress must always be there to prompt reaction to situations that must be attended to. In addition, stress can be either beneficial or harmful. Motivation and innovation are constructive aspects of reaction to stress. On the other hand, stress is capable of causing disorders and diseases to humans if it persists. When an individual is exposed to stress causing factors for a long time, the stress may become permanent. This may also occur if the stress-causing factor is of a significantly high magnitude such that it leaves an impression in the cognitive memory of the individual. Other situations cause stress that an individual may not have the capability to cope with. In these situations, one is not able to solve the causative problem or ignore it. Consequently, stress increases and persists culminating in chronic depression. Such stress may cause cardiovascular disease, mental disorder, and affect the general health of an individual negatively (Blackburn & Munro, 2001). Another deduction is that reaction to stress is almost similar if all other factors are constant. This can only happen in ideal situations. Such situations are difficult to simulate, but scientists try to create their approximations for the purpose of experimentation. On the issue of coping with stress, the problem solving approach is more constructive since the stressor may finally be eliminated. On the other hand, in the second approach the stressor is ignored and is no longer perceived as a threat. Thus, the problem might continue to cause damage. However, this approach is suitable for countering stressors that are not harmful when they are ignored. References Blackburn, G., & Munro, R. (2001). Chronic Pain, Chronic Stress and Depression: Coincidence or Consequence?. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 13 (12), 1009-1023. Fleshner, M., Maier, S., & Lyons, D. (2011). The neurobiology of the stress-resistant brain.. Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 14 (5), 498-502. Goldstein, D., & Kopin, I. (2007). Evolution of concepts of stress.. Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 10 (2), 109-120. Kudielka, B., & Wüst, S. (2010). Human models in acute and chronic stress: Assessing determinants of individual hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis activity and reactivity. Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress, 13 (1), 1-14. Valentino, R., & Bockstaele, E. V. (2008). Convergent regulation of locus coeruleus activity as an adaptive response to stress. European Journal of Pharmacology, 583 (2- 3), 194-203.

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Write the full essay for the following summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress management and work performance in the UK. The study found that stress management has a positive impact on work performance and that the best way to manage stress is through prevention.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress management and work performance in the UK. The study found that stress management has a positive impact on work performance and that the best way to manage stress is through prevention.

Stress Management and Work Performance in the UK Report (Assessment) Table of Contents 1. What is the objective of the investigation? 2. How have I gone about the study? 3. Why did I follow this particular route? 4. What principles govern my choices? 5. What assumptions have I made and what were my justifications? 6. What results did I obtain? 7. Will this research solve the problem? 8. Are the analyses sound? 9. List of References What is the objective of the investigation? In this study, the researcher was interested in investigating the relationship between stress management and workplace performance in the United Kingdom. This research was motivated by the recent reports that there has been an increasing concern by human resource managements over the need to manage stress among employees. Various organizations within the United Kingdom have set aside some resources to help fight workplace stress as one of the ways of improving performance. These organizations have been keen to ensure that their employees have as minimal levels of stress as can be possible (Harrington 2001, p. 79). This motivated the researcher to launch an investigation if there was a relationship between stress management and work performance among employees. The research was based within the country among employees of varying ages, races and academic levels. The goal of the study is to establish the relationship between stress management and work performance and the best approach to manage stress to meet organizational goals. The following are some of the specific goals that the researcher had when commencing this research. 1. To determine the primary and secondary causes of stress. 2. To evaluate the impact of stress management on employee performance at the workplace. 3. To determine the best methods of stress management. This way, the researcher would be able to determine if it is worth committing a lot of resources and time in managing stress in the workplace. It stress management have a direct positive impact on workplace performance then it is important that organization gives it enough focus in order for them to improve efficiency. How have I gone about the study? As was explained in the methodology of this dissertation, the researcher used both the primary and secondary sources of data. As Brotherton (2003, p. 118) says, a researcher cannot claim to conduct a research from scratch given the massive studies conducted in various fields in the contemporary world. As such, any piece of research will always be an advancement of already existing pieces of research. This makes secondary sources of data very important. The researcher used these secondary sources of data to help develop a base for this research. Unlike data gathered from primary sources, secondary sources of data proved to be very important because it is an already processed data. The researcher was able to gather the theoretical perspective of this research from the secondary data. The primary data played an equally important role. As Boss (2002, p. 78) says, a research cannot be considered to be complete until the researcher can come up with his or her own empirical analysis that would confirm or reject what the secondary sources of data says. It is the primary data that will authenticate the research, otherwise such a research may just be considered as a critique of literatures. For this reason, the researcher went to the ground and gathered data from the sampled respondents. The data was gathered using questionnaires which were developed by the researcher after developing research proposal. The questions used were both open ended and closed ended. While open ended questions gave the respondents freedom to give their answers based on their wider knowledge of the question, closed ended questions were relatively easy to code during the analysis process. The researcher used SPSS in analyzing the data (Maxwell & Steele 2008, p. 366). This enabled the research to generate regression and correlation of various variables in the research. This enabled the researcher to reject the null hypotheses that were developed. Why did I follow this particular route? This research used quantitative research in arriving at the findings. Quantitative research is a kind of study that utilizes figures to arrive at certain conclusions (Huczynski & Buchanan 2007, p. 56). In this regard, the research took the form of a survey, whereby the researcher identified the sample and posted questionnaires to them. In this research, there was need to compare the relationship between variables in order to establish cause and effect. The researcher was interested in knowing how different factors (independent variables) stress management (dependent variables), and how this would then affect workplace performance. This demanded for a method that would be objective and able statistically to generalize the findings. Quantitative method was found to be the most appropriate method to use in this research. Quantitative research involves systematic empirical study of a phenomenon by use of statistical tools (McClurg 1999, p. 25). Its main objective is always to employ mathematical theories and models in developing its generalization (Freund & Carmeli 2003, p. 710). Therefore, quantitative method would help in this research. It would enable the researcher test the hypotheses put forth for validity and allow the use of a sample as a representation of the entire population. It would help the researcher to use the data to compare the performance of specific employees in their workplaces, and the way they manage their stress and how the management helps them in managing their stress. The quantitative method would also help in knowing if there is any relationship between the performance of the employees at workplace and stress management. Although qualitative methods was traditionally used in social science and would be appropriate in this research, it is not able to give empirical support for research hypothesis. Qualitative methods explain why a given pattern of events has taken place the way they have (Buick & Thomas 2001, p. 308). On the other hand, quantitative methods explains what and when of a phenomena. Ethnographic research and phenomenology as approaches of qualitative research would have been appropriate. Ethnography would help in investigation of culture at the workplace that may increase chances of stress among employees (Denzin & Lincoln2011). Phenomenology would have helped investigate realities that should be addressed by the management in order to successfully manage stress at the workplace. Due to these reasons qualitative method was not employed in the research and the researcher opted for quantitative research. What principles govern my choices? As mentioned above, the researcher wanted an approach that would enable empirical analysis of data. This would help in validation of the secondary data that was reviewed in chapter two of this research. The decision to collect data from across the races, sexes, ages, levels of and education was to help determine the social groups that are at greater risk of getting affected from stress. This would enable policy makers within various organizations in the United Kingdom to know how to approach each group when it comes to stress management (Lazarus 1966, p. 78). This decision was also based on the fact that there is need to be all inclusive because in the current society prohibit any form of discrimination on whatsoever basis. What assumptions have I made and what were my justifications? In every research, there is need to develop some assumptions in order to make a research process a reality. Assumptions are always very important when dealing with social sciences. As Belanger (2011, p. 89) says, in pure sciences, it is possible for the researcher to manipulate organisms in the research to fit into the desired condition. However, this is not possible when dealing with social sciences. This is because in social sciences, the subject of the researcher is a human being. It is almost impossible to manipulate human being when conducting a research. For this reason, it is important to make some assumptions. In this research, it was assumed that stress is the major cause of poor employee performance at the workplace What results did I obtain? From this research, the result did confirm the fact that stress management has a direct positive impact on performance at workplace. It was confirmed that the best way of managing stress in the workplace is by identifying the source. When the source of this stress is identified, it becomes possible to address it by eliminating the source. This is a sure way of ensuring that all the negative symptoms of stress to not affect the effectiveness of the employees in the workplace. It was also confirmed in this research that lack of stress management among employees in some institution in the United Kingdom has negatively affected the performance of such institutions in various fronts. Will this research solve the problem? The research has revealed a lot of facts about stress management. From this research, it has come out clearly that for the management to be in a position to succeed in their undertaking, they must fight stress among their employees. This research has given a number of ways through which stress can be managed at workplace for firms within this country. Are the analyses sound? The validity of the analysis done in this research has been confirmed. The decision to use quantitative analysis was partly motivated by the need to have a method that can be verified empirically. This makes the results obtained in this research valid. They can be used by policy makers within the scope defined in this research. List of References Belanger, C 2011, Our World: United Kingdom , Cengage, New York. Boss, P 2002, Family stress management: A contextual approach, Sage, Thousand Oaks. Brotherton, B 2003, International Hospitality Industry: Structure, Characteristics and Issues , Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Buick, I & Thomas, M 2001, Why do middle managers in hotels burn out? International Journal of Contemporary Management, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 304-309. Freund, A & Carmeli, A 2003, ‘An Empirical Assessment: reconstruct model for five universal forms of work commitment’, Journal of Managerial Psychology , vol. 18 no. 7, pp. 708-725. Harrington, J. M 2001. “Health effects of shift work and extended hours of work.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine , vol. 58, no. 1, p. 68-72. Huczynski, A & Buchanan, D 2007, Organizational Behavior: an introductory text , Prentice Hall, Harlow. Lazarus, R 1966, Psychological Stress and the Coping Process, McGraw-Hill, New York. Maxwell, G & Steele, G 2008, ‘Organizational commitment: a study of managers in hotels’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Managemen t, vol. 15 no. 7, pp. 362-369. McClurg, N 1999, Organizational commitment in the temporary-help service industry’, Journal of Applied Management Studies, vol. 8 no. 1, pp. 5-26.

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Write a essay that could've provided the following summary: The paper discusses the importance of aligning structure with strategy in order to achieve business success, and how this can be done in practice. It also assesses the importance of strategy-critical activities and how much authority to delegate in an organization.Coca-Cola Company has managed to gel structure and strategy in a fluid manner that has led to tremendous growth. This paper will demonstrate that the key to business success lies in the ability to align structure with strategy.

The paper discusses the importance of aligning structure with strategy in order to achieve business success, and how this can be done in practice. It also assesses the importance of strategy-critical activities and how much authority to delegate in an organization. Coca-Cola Company has managed to gel structure and strategy in a fluid manner that has led to tremendous growth. This paper will demonstrate that the key to business success lies in the ability to align structure with strategy.

Structure and Strategy: The Case of Coca Cola Essay Aligning structure with strategy is fundamental to the success of any business. Fortuin (2007) defines strategy as “plan for the whole business that sets out how the company will use its major resources” (54). Structure, on the other hand, is “the way the pieces of the organization fit together internally” (54). Managers of companies must link structure and strategy in a seamless manner that allows for optimum utilization of resources, high productivity, and efficiency in service delivery. Coca-Cola Company has managed to gel structure and strategy in a fluid manner that has led to tremendous growth. This paper will demonstrate that the key to business success lies in the ability to align structure with strategy. It will also evaluate the importance of strategy-critical activities and assess how much authority to delegate in an organization. To understand how Coca Cola Company aligns structure with strategy, it is important to review the company’s strategies. The first strategy is to achieve growth by increasing production of soft drinks. The second is to broaden the products varieties and grow profits. The third is to serve customers with creativity and grow market share. Fourth and last, Coca Cola intends to embrace technology to reduce cost and enhance efficiency. Wit and Meyer (2005) identify three main ways to structure a company. The first reflects the function in whereby a company creates specialized departments. The second reflects products whereby a company creates departments according to what they produce. The third reflects process in which case a company tailors its departments to the processes that they execute. Proper structures should facilitate achievement of a company’s goals and objectives. Aligning structure with strategy facilitates the process of decision-making. Good structures allow dynamism, creativity, and innovation and at the same time foster exchange of ideas, both horizontally and vertically. Coca-Cola Company has aligned its structure to strategy and thus allowed a spirit of teamwork, sharing of ideas, and collective responsibility. In United Kingdom for instance, Coca-Cola is flexible enough to allow fruitful interaction between departments in order to meet its first strategy of broadening their products base (Wit & Meyer, 2005). The company brought together staff from all departments to develop Coca-Cola Vanilla. Such a move illustrates that structure and strategy are inseparable in the modern corporate world. Coca-Cola Company does not just show the harmony between structure and strategy at the business unit level but also at enterprise level. The company understands that different geographical markets are at different developmental stage and the taste and preference of locals may vary from one place to another. It has thus allowed companies in different regions to develop specific products for their markets. In Great Britain for instance, Coca Cola has Lilt, a product that is not available in Africa (Wit & Meyer, 2005). Such levels of autonomy allow the company to suit its products to local needs, and thus meet the company’s general strategy of increasing market segment all over the world. Allowing its company’s subsidiaries to develop products for local markets is a strategy-critical activity. Coca-Cola Company holds regular meetings in which employees from various departments meet to exchange ideas. Those from marketing department extrapolate their findings on the market trends. Specialists in food and nutrition expound on what improvements and changes to make. Those from finance department explain how the various activities will affect the company’s balance sheet. Coca-Cola Company hierarchy has the executive committee at the helm. This is where the company derives its strategic direction (De, 2009). The strategies enumerated earlier have originated from this committee. The chair of this committee also doubles as the company’s chief executive officer. Coca-Cola use both centralization and decentralization in order to reach local consumers (Fortuin, 2007) Decentralization involves business strategic units that are under regional heads. These regions conduct market research within their regions and carry out the advertising functions. The company has allowed strategic business units to develop their marketing structure so that they contribute to the critical activities of meeting the overall strategies. Additionally, regional heads make decisions on advertising. An advertisement from the United Kingdom for instance cannot work in Asia because of language barriers. However, the company encourages meeting of regional heads so that they can exchange best practices. In conclusion, aligning a company’s structure to strategy is very important. It facilitates the process of decision-making and thus enhances efficiency. It makes exchange of ideas and good practices easier and thus contributes to higher productivity. It also assists in harmonizing the roles of different departments so that they can work in tandem to achieve the overall organizational goals. Coca-Cola provides a good example of seamless alignment of structure to strategy and has enabled the company cement its global leadership in the beverage sector. Use of strategic business units achieves decentralization while at the same time keeping the focus on the common strategies. Companies with proper operational model that integrates structure to strategy perform better than those that do not have. References De, K. M. (2009). Profit power economics: A new competitive strategy for creating sustainable wealth . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fortuin, F. (2007). Strategic alignment of innovation to business: Balancing exploration and exploitation in short and long life cycle industries . Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers. Wit, B.., & Meyer, R. (2005). Strategy synthesis: Resolving strategy paradoxes to create competitive advantage . London: Thomson Learning.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: The student debt crisis in America is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The number of Americans who receive college education has increased significantly in the past three decades. It has increased by more than 1000%. Approximately 70% of students graduate with loans of more than $24,000. 10% of these students have loans of more than $54,000. African American and Latino students are the major groups that have huge student loans.

The student debt crisis in America is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The number of Americans who receive college education has increased significantly in the past three decades. It has increased by more than 1000%. Approximately 70% of students graduate with loans of more than $24,000. 10% of these students have loans of more than $54,000. African American and Latino students are the major groups that have huge student loans.

Student Debt Crisis in America Exploratory Essay Quality education is one of the major factors that guarantee future economic prosperity of various countries. Education improves the knowledge of people in the society. Higher education is one of the most important educational levels. Heavy investments in education after the Second World War is one of the major factors that has made the U.S. be prosperous. Heavy investments in education and scientific research led to the economic boom of the U.S. in the second half of the twentieth century (Greenberg and Page 48). However, there has been significant reduction of state funding on higher education over the past decade. This has led to skyrocketing of the higher education. This has led to the creation of another problem. There has been a meteoric rise in student debt. Student debt poses a real threat to the current and future generations. The number of Americans who receive college education has increased significantly in the past three decades. It has increased by more than 1000%. Approximately 70% of students graduate with loans of more than $24,000. 10% of these students have loans of more than $54,000 (Johnson, Ostern and White 1). African American and Latino students are the major groups that have huge student loans. The high debt burden of these students is because African Americans and Latinos families are less wealthy than white families. Parents of white students can afford to provide financial support to their children. This forces African American and Latino students to rely heavily on student loans for their college education. The debt burden of American students is more than $1 trillion (Johnson, Ostern and White 1). The global financial crisis is one of the major factors that have led to the rapid increase in student loans. During the global financial crisis, there was a significant increase in the enrolment of students in different colleges. This led to a significant increase in the number of students who borrow money to finance their education. Reduced state funding for higher education is also one of the major factors that has led to a significant increase in student loans. State funding helps in making the cost of college tuition affordable (Sreenivasan 278). Therefore, reduced state funding necessitated colleges to increase the cost of tuition. The increase in the cost of college tuition necessitated students to borrow money to finance their education. The high cost of college tuition made it difficult for families to rely on savings, grants, or scholarships to finance the education of their children. Since education is one of the major factors that led to economic prosperity of the U.S., reducing state funding on education may reduce the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global market (Greenberg and Page 48). The global financial crisis had a direct effect on the increase in student loans. It reduced the value of endowment funds of colleges. This reduced the amount of scholarships and grants that colleges offered students. In addition, the global financial crisis reduced the amount of money that the federal government offered institutions of higher education (Johnson, Ostern and White 1). These factors necessitated students to borrow more money to finance their education. A significant increase in the number of for-profit colleges has also contributed to the significant increase in student loans. For-profit colleges collaborate with private lenders. They market the loans directly to students. This practice makes students obtain loans without knowing all their options (Johnson, Ostern and White 2). This has made students incur unmanageable loans. After graduating, students have to repay the loans. Repaying the loans is very challenging. Repaying the loans may burden the students and their families for decades. This poses a threat to the current and future generations. These loans limit the ability of the students to build successful careers. In addition, it increases the financial burden of their families. In some instances, the huge student loans may force students to take low paying jobs. The students may be unable to wait for high paying jobs. Taking the low paying jobs, which are readily available, enables the students to stop the payments and interests from increasing significantly. This practice reduces the number of graduates who are willing to start businesses. This has a negative effect on the U.S. economy. The income of graduates who have federal loans determines their monthly repayments. However, this option is not available to graduates who have private loans (Maeda 261). A significant increase in the cost of college tuition has increased the financial burden of students and their families. In some instances, students turn down admissions in colleges that they desire since they are unable to raise fees for the colleges. In addition, inability to raise college fees may force students to delay or fail to attend college. Thousands of students leave college without a degree annually (Johnson, Ostern and White 2). This is despite the fact that they may have huge student loans. Despite the fact that higher education has many problems, it is a fact that higher education is vital. People who have a college degree are more likely to find employment that people who have only a high school diploma. College education is usually a pathway to future financial prosperity. In addition, college education provides students with skills that are vital in the development of the American economy. References Greenberg, Edward and Benjamin Page. The struggle for democracy . 11 th ed. 2013. Upper Saddle River, NY: Longman. Print. Johnson, Anne, Tobin Van Ostern and Abraham White. The student debt crisis , Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2012. Print. Maeda, Martha. How to wipe out your student loans and be debt free fast: Everything you need to know explained simply , Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Company, 2009. Print. Sreenivasan, Jyotsna. Poverty and the government in America, 2-volume set: A historical encyclopedia , Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print.

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Write the original essay for the following summary: The essay discusses the importance of imagination in education and how social networking can undermine imagination. The author argues that social networking is not completely destructive and can still be used to spread creative ideas.

The essay discusses the importance of imagination in education and how social networking can undermine imagination. The author argues that social networking is not completely destructive and can still be used to spread creative ideas.

Students’ Creativity: Imagination Response Essay I agree with Fr. Nicolas as I also think that imagination is an indispensible part of education as well as human life. Imagination is what makes people strive for something better. People always try to make their dreams come true, and this leads to the development of the entire humanity. When it comes to education, the role of imagination is even more transparent. Students’ creativity makes them achieve highest academic tops. Only creative students can manage to grasp meanings in the area chosen. However, Fr. Nicolas also notes that technology and especially social networks undermine the very existence of imagination in education. Admittedly, social networking takes a lot of time and some people do abuse social networking. They waste their time chatting and sharing photos. Clearly, that time could be spent more wisely, i.e. students could read books, reflect upon some issues, work on projects. Luckily, more and more students abandon social networks as they understand that online communication can never make their lives complete. At present, students go back to old practices when students had a lot of contemplation time at their disposal. Noteworthy, even though social networking may be somewhat destructing (when it comes to time management), it does not damage students’ creativity. Of course, social networking is one of the fastest ways to spread the news, which can often be superfluous. At the same time, social networks can also help to spread creative ideas and bring them to life. Sharing experiences is one of the major goals of social networking. Admittedly, people’s experiences often inspire others to create something new. For instance, a person grumbling over some constraints during a visit to another country can make another social networks user to come up with ideas how to avoid such inconveniences during his/her trip. This often works with education. Student often share the problems they have at school, this helps develop new ways to cope with the issues. Admittedly, serious thinking and in-depth reflection requires time. Students have to be disconnected for, at least, some time. Young people should have time to reflect and plunge into the world of their imagination. At that, I strongly believe that lots of students have such moments and are totally disconnected. They reflect and enjoy their imagination. Creative students cherish their creativity and imagination. Of course, less creative students should be trained to spend more time in the world of their imagination rather than in the digital world. It is crucial to make these students understand that they are simply wasting their time. It is easy to do that as teachers can ask the students to calculate time spent in social networks and calculate creative ideas they generated. This simple mathematics will help students prioritize better. Eventually, students will spend less time in social networks and will have more time to reflect and contemplate. Nonetheless, students should still go online and share their experiences and ideas as this will foster their interest to the world around them and will contribute to the development of their creative activity. To sum up, it is necessary to note that social networks can be harmful for students’ creativity and education only when abused. Admittedly, abundance of meaningless information distracts students from their studies and their creative activity. However, the moderate use of social networks can help students develop their imagination as ideas of other people can make them react and create.

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Provide a essay that could have been the input for the following summary: The biography of San Suu Kyi narrates the outstanding story of a courageous woman. As the author describes, Suu's determination is a source of inspiration to many people in Burma.In the biography, Peter Popham treats Aung San as a non-violent politician whose efforts and courage transformed the history of Burma.

The biography of San Suu Kyi narrates the outstanding story of a courageous woman. As the author describes, Suu's determination is a source of inspiration to many people in Burma. In the biography, Peter Popham treats Aung San as a non-violent politician whose efforts and courage transformed the history of Burma.

Summary of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Biography Essay (Book Review) The biography of San Suu Kyi narrates the outstanding story of a courageous woman. As the author describes, Suu’s determination is a source of inspiration to many people in Burma. In the biography, Peter Popham treats Aung San as a non-violent politician whose efforts and courage transformed the history of Burma. In the fifth chapter, the author explains how the Army Generals of Burma considered Suu as an alien. The country’s politicians believed she represented the ideas of the West. According to Popham (2012), Suu valued human progress and prosperity. Suu believed that education was the key towards improved standards of living. This was needed to deal with the abuses, exploitation, and disappointments that were common in the country from 1995 to 2002 (Popham, 2012). In the book, the author explains how Suu returned to Burma from Britain to take care of her sick mother. Within a short period, Suu had become the leader of the largest revolt in the country. She earned herself a house arrest because of her involvements in the political affairs of Burma. She co-founded a strong party that won in the country’s first elections. This was after three decades of turmoil and political instability. During the period, Suu gained much support from different people such as Michael. These followers did many things to support the revolt movement. The book shows how other people such as Lucinda, one of Suu’s sisters, worked hard towards the realization of the targeted goals (Popham, 2012). In 2002, the government granted Suu the right to leave home. With her liberty of movement, Suu promoted her ideas towards democracy. However, this was not without numerous obstacles and challenges. She visited different individuals and states to attract more followers. She was able to present her ideas to the people (Popham, 2012). There were different attempts to assassinate Aung Suu. For instance, Than Shwe said that he wanted to see Suu dead. However, the nightmares and attempts to stop Suu failed. Many people in Burma embraced the new approach towards a new life. The revolution was essential because it guided the country towards a new path to democracy. Suu consulted with the government thus presenting new policies that would change the political arena of the region. Before that time, most of the political meetings were in secret. This made it impossible for the citizens to know what was taking place (Popham, 2012). After many years of tireless efforts and dedication, Suu was able to influence many people and leaders in the region. From this book by Peter Popham, the reader observes that Burma had remained a hopeless country for over two decades. However, Suu presented a new sense of hope for the country. She motivated the people, held discussions with different leaders, and gathered global support to secure a better future for Burma. Suu was able to set the right example for the people of Burma. She was successful in transforming the country politically and ethically (Popham, 2012). Suu portrayed a new kind of courage despite the fact that she was under house arrest for many years. Her political rivals also wanted to kill her for her roles and ideas. However, she was committed to her political agenda than ever before. She initiated and led a peaceful revolution despite that it seemed to threaten her life. In conclusion, it is agreeable that the book offers the best picture of a great woman who changed the political landscape and future of Burma. Reference Popham, P. (2012). The Lady and The Peacock: The Life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. London: Ebury Press.

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