Sociological Structure of Haiti People - 1433 Words

Sociological Structure of Haiti People The past tribulation that Haiti as a country had to face from the long oppressive struggle was surpassed after they were declared the first Black Republic. While the population of Haiiti has touched 5 million by 1980, the bludgeoning crisis of the country has not reduced in any extent. People are still poor as the economic crisis has plummeted to the fullest point. The rural part of the country who lived rather a decent life also moved to the urban areas for search of livelihood. Family Structure and Authority Haitian people believes in large-family structure, the network includes large number of relatives and friends (Dauphin, 2002). In the rural part of the country, the family follows the concept of courtyard system (lakou) where a large group of unit shares a common space. Child-care and working are shared among the families living in the courtyard. The urban concept of living is somewhat different from the rural areas, the ideas of living inspired by the western culture, especially for the middle class society. Lakou are also seen in rural parts of the city where there are concentration of shanty’s. The Haitian family structure is primarily patriarchal in nature. But since the patriarch is often absent from the family scene because of work, the matriarchal system holds the supreme place to maintain and manage a family (Bijoux, 1990, p. 31). Unlike the patriarchal system that essentially prevails in the rural areas, the urbanShow MoreRelatedPoverty Between Poverty And Poverty1322 Words   |  6 Pagesstudent in 2007, while Haiti still struggles to get children into schools (78% were in schools in the 1990s, now 90% as of 2015) . This shows that a first world country invests a lot in education, while a developing countries struggle to obtain education altogether. 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Since then the economy has not developed as fast as it could (CIA: The World Factbook: Honduras 292). In addition, a coup d’à ©tat occurred on June 2009 to overthrow communist President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and the

The Corruption Of The Atmosphere - 1517 Words

The Corruption of the Atmosphere Climate change has become one of the greatest issues facing our world. With the conclusion of the recent international climate summit, the climate has been one of the most talked about topics in the world. From any newspaper to television to presidential elections, it is always a relevant topic. Why has the climate though, of all things, gained so much attention and tension? Why is it bad that the climate is changing? The climate of the earth experiences cycles of warming and cooling. Since the Jurassic age, the climate has undergone these changes, which have had a substantial impact on the inhabitants of our planet. Humanity’s place in this cycle is the end of cooling which was the Ice Age and†¦show more content†¦The temperature of the world is increasing and has caused â€Å"nine of the ten warmest years on a 134 year record have occurred since 2000† (â€Å"Global Climate Change†). Temperature changes have also been responsible for increasing â€Å"the occurrence of unusually hot summer nights† and for limiting â€Å"cooling off at night† (Climate Change Science). This indicates that not only are these temperatures unprecedented but their frequency is also increasing, which has the potential for serious harm. One of the ways that temperature could cause harm is how it affects precipitation along with other elements of climate change. â€Å"Satellite measurements, combined with balloon data and some in-situ ground measurements indicate generally positive trends in global water vapor† (Climate Change Science). This increase in water vapor has the potential to increase the frequency and intensity of storms, which will change current models and statistics used to predict how dangerous storms will be. Already â€Å"In recent years, a larger percentage of precipitation has come in the form of intense single-day events. Eight of the top 10 years for extreme one-day pre cipitation events have occurred since 1990† (Climate Change Science). Even though precipitation is increasing for storms, many places are now experiencing droughts due to the infrequency of regular rain. â€Å"Over the period from 2000 through 2014, roughly 20 to 70 percent of the U.S. land

Field Observation Report Free Essays

string(63) " to fulfill the General Education Program \(GEP\) requirement\." Field Observation Report of Introduction to Public Speaking On the basis of my ambition to one day become a political figure in the United States government, I was obliged to observe Introduction to Public Speaking, COM 110. Dr. Jason Ingram teaches Introduction to Public Speaking on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm in the College of Communications on North Campus. We will write a custom essay sample on Field Observation Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now I conducted my observation of COM 110 on September 8 and 10. According to the course syllabus, the main goal of this class is to educate students on the fundamentals of public speaking in order to advance critical reasoning skills and gain the ability to present a well-constructed speech (Ingram, course syllabus). The main concept of my study was to learn how reading, writing, and speaking were entailed in this course’s curriculum. COM 110 dignifies the meaning of effectively communicating a message to a particular audience group as a purpose for creating various types of speeches and strategies. It is embedded in the field of communication and the discipline of the social sciences. This course incorporates applications of strategic planning and critical thinking for supporting arguments, the determinants of the rhetorical situation, and audience awareness used to enhance communications skills for use in any public environment. Through the practice of organizing the speech, reading and researching proven techniques and strategies for effectively communicating a message to the audience, and applying concepts in speeches and conducting peer reviews for future benefit, students are able to hone exceptional speaking techniques that they can later resort to in interviews, public forum, or any other oral aspect in their professional career. By taking advantage of the opportunity to observe Dr. Ingram’s class on two separate occasions, through interviewing a undergraduate and the professor himself, and by examining how public speaking impacts various careers, I came to grasp the notion through an assortment of ways why this course is an exceptional representation of its field and discipline. After a short amount of time observing Dr. Ingram’s class, I came to comprehend how COM 110 helped students develop strong oral and critical thinking skills. This class can generally be classified as mainly a presentation-based class with some occasional lectures focusing on key concepts. The main educational purpose of lecture-based days was to reinforce the content involved in the chapters that were assigned for homework the previous class. Dr. Ingram carried out this theme by having open class discussions on specific material and generalized public speaking topics. He stated in his syllabus that every class was an opportunity for someone to voice their opinions, to actively participate in an effort to create an intellectually stimulating learning environment and to ask questions or request additional information on material that is unclear (Ingram, Course Syllabus). The professor also encouraged small group work in order to learn the fundamental format of how speeches were traditionally conducted. The two class days that I attended however, focused primarily on presentations. Dr. Ingram commenced class by reviewing the rubric as criteria for which impromptu speeches were based off of. Prior to handing out topics to the students, he encouraged all of them to stand up and babble or recite mostly consonant-based phrases like sally sells sea shells down by the sea shore in an attempt to warm up their mouths for speaking. Once the students were fully capable of projecting their voices he assigned topics accordingly to the people who had signed up to present for that particular day. He allowed them to choose one topic out of three possible categories written on note cards. After the student chose the topic, he or she was given a maximum of eight minutes to prepare for the speech. During this time frame the professor strongly encouraged that the students go into the hallway so that they could carefully formulate a plan to successfully present their impromptu speech to the class. Dr. Ingram also suggested reading the newspaper or other news-based text in order to have an additional source to relate the topic back to. Once the preparation time ceased, the students had three to four minutes to present their topic to the class referring to nothing but a few note cards. Each of the speeches were critiqued by two of their fellow classmates in an effort to relay to the student how they could effectively improve their presentation style for the future. This structure based upon which learning critical thinking and strategic skills are applied to presentations with the addition of receiving feedback from other students allows the presenter to truly build their communication skills. The class objectives of COM 110 are â€Å" to understand elements of the rhetorical situation characterizing public speaking; advance well-supported arguments using sound reasoning and evidence; craft messages for various types of audiences; construct effective feedback for peers and for self-improvement; and understanding some of the persuasive strategies at work in political messages,† (Ingram, Course Syllabus). Dr. Ingram addresses these course goals through an array of methods upon each class meeting. The best technique that he used for carrying out the course objectives was by having the students perform different types of speeches for the rhetorical situation and receiving feedback on their performance. Over the course of the semester the professor plans to have the students present a wide variety of topics through the use of impromptu, informative, persuasive, and call to action based speeches. He encourages that students dress accordingly for their speech so that they are able to place more emphasis on the specific message they are conveying to the audience. Since COM 110 is an introductory-based course, the 23 students in my session were comprised primarily of freshmen and sophomores. The small class size signifies that the learning environment is much more active and participation-based than traditional introductory courses. Most of the students that attended the class were seeking differing majors but needed a communications elective in order to fulfill the General Education Program (GEP) requirement. You read "Field Observation Report" in category "Essay examples" Since this course was an introductory class, the professor did not require the students to have any prerequisites or prior knowledge of public speaking. Aside from the students majoring in radically different subjects, they all had the common goal of wanting to develop exceptional public speaking skills for their future careers. In addition to conducting a comprehensive observation on COM 110, I had the opportunity to gain insight from a sophomores’ perspective of the class along with how the student planned on utilizing these skills in his future career. In addition to this, I also conducted an interview with Dr. Jason Ingram to learn how his past experience helps to inform the students about all the intricacies of public speaking. I first interviewed Michael Esposito, who is currently a sophomore in computer programming. When asked about why he originally signed up to take COM 110 he bluntly stated that it was â€Å"a required course in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering,†(Esposito). After hearing this I was inclined to discover his initial impressions and experiences on the class. He enlightened me by explaining that â€Å"the class seems to be of appropriate difficulty for an introduction class, but is graded more on an artistic basis instead of the effectiveness of each speech,† (Esposito). Based on his personal experience, he felt that in order to meet these expectations a student must first master the task of feeling comfortable in front of the class while simultaneously conveying his or her thoughts in an appealing way. When asked what skills he deemed were required to be successful in the class he responded that â€Å"confidence and logical reasoning are the most important traits used in speaking in order to convince the audience that the speaker is not wasting their time,† (Esposito). He emphasized that if the speaker presented a flawless argument or appeared meek in any form that they were deemed unqualified for the speech and deserved to be tuned out by the audience. After hearing this, I was intrigued to find out how exactly he planned to benefit from taking COM 110. He reveled to me that he planned to use this class in order to â€Å"convey his engineering ideas to lawyers, politicians, and administrators without using so much jargon that only another engineer could understand,† (Esposito). He went on to inform me how everyone can benefit from taking COM 110 since the traits acquired from the class are universally sought after by a virtually every employer. Once I had an idea how the students in COM 110 planned to apply their communication skills for their future, I opted to find out how the lecturer honed his past experience to educate the undergraduates about public speaking. I interviewed Dr. Jason Ingram, the instructor of COM 110, who holds an MA and a PhD in communication and is an assistant professor in the College of Communication. In an effort to discover why Professor Ingram teaches his class slightly different from other COM 110 classes, I questioned him about his past experiences in communication. He inherently told me that he has â€Å"been the assistant director of debating and held several debate summer workshops in the past,† (Ingram). To my surprise the focus of his research was largely based off of rhetorical and cultural studies. He focused on how the application of political values affected ommunication through observing works in popular culture with a rhetorical point of view (Ingram). In addition to his past experience, I was interested to find out how Dr. Ingram incorporated reading and writing into a communication-based class. He informed me that the reading material assigned for homework built a strong foundation for being able to conduct a sp eech for the rhetorical situation. He also explained that the only writing assignment aside from constructing speech formats was a topic proposal paper where the student was to use their creativity and perform a speech on a topic that they deemed either interesting or educational. Even though COM 110 stresses the importance of developing critical thinking skills for communication, it is imperative to understand how it is applied to various careers. Any student at NC State can expect to benefit from the skills that one acquires in this class. Regardless of career, public speaking is viewed as a vital component of communication where interaction with the audience is used in order to create a connection (Zarefsky 7). Despite preconceived notions about public speaking being a one way message system, it is quite the contrary. The speakers’ ideas are often tested by interacting with the audience, while the listeners’ knowledge and comprehension of the topic are refined through communication with the speaker (Zarefsky 7). As a result, public speaking is often viewed as a constant communication process where messages and gestures are often exchanged between the speaker and listeners (Zarefsky 7). Taking into account the importance of creating a connection with the audience in the rhetorical situation, one can say that public speaking has unparalleled value in every career. The preconceived notion of COM 110 by every student required to take it at NC State can be insignificant, however, it proves to have intrinsic value. This course not only teaches the fundamentals of public speaking but also represents the field of communication in a variety of manners. Through the use of developing critical thinking skills and applying them to the rhetorical situation, increasing confidence in speaking in front of an audience, and creating a connection with the audience, students in COM 110 gain vital skills that aid in their quest to mastering all aspects of ommunication. Hence, COM 110 is a brilliant representation of the communication field that provides students with an extraordinary skill set for any career. â€Å"Cited References† Esposito, Michael. E-mail interview. 13 Sept. 2009. Ingram, Jason. Communications 110: Introduction to Public Speaking. Course Syllabus. Fall semester 2009. Ingram, Jason. Personal interview. 10 Sept. 2009. Zarefsky, David. Pub lic Speaking: Strategies for Success. Boston: Pearson Education Inc, 2008. How to cite Field Observation Report, Essays

Brand Management Strategies - Umbrella Brands free essay sample

Umbrella Brands The 1980s witnessed a revolution in the understanding of the working of the brands. Marketers depict brands as a reflection of customers’ own personalities, so that they can relate to their products well. In fact the distinguishing aspect of the modern marketing has been its focus upon the creation of differentiated brands and using them as weapons for launching multi-level attacks on competition. Market research has been used to help identify and develop bases of brand differentiation. A brand identifies a product and its sources, but it does even more. Along came brand extension. Today brand extension strategies are widely employed because of beliefs that they build and communicate strong brand positioning, enhance awareness and increase profitability. Brands are often extended beyond their original categories to include new product categories. Research has proved that the success of brand extension depends on the transfer of parent brand awareness and associations to the extension. The transfer of these quality perceptions is the key in umbrella branding. An umbrella brand is a brand that covers diverse kinds of products which are more or less related. It applies also to any company that is identified only by its brand and history. It is contrasted with individual branding in which each product in a portfolio is given a unique identity and brand name. Mr. K. R. Senthilvelkumar, a professor at Jansons School of Business offers the most pragmatic of reasons behind an umbrella brand strategy, â€Å"with scarce financial resources, firms cannot afford to allocate huge budgets for building and maintaining several brands†. Nowadays consumers have become quite unpredictable in their newspaper-reading or TV-viewing habits, it is very difficult to assure the reach of messages to the target audiences. The advertiser has to use many broadcast and print media with high frequency to create the desired effect for every brand, which ultimately puts huge burden on the budget. Hence, companies consider it wise to maintain a minimum number of brands in their portfolio so that they can do justice to each by effectively distributing their investment for promotion purpose. Yes, umbrella branding is widely practiced. The Confederation of Indian Industrys second FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) conclave in 2003 almost declared that umbrella branding was the way to go in a competitive market environment. In an interesting anecdote, R S Sodhi, GM Marketing (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation l), compared the umbrella brand and individual brands to an Indian family, where in umbrella brands like the Indian family, the father is the head, looking over the children. When they grow up and become independent, they hold the umbrella for the family. Individual brands on the other hand are like a western family, who grow up fast and leave the father behind. Amul’s strategy of using â€Å"umbrella branding† has really paid off. Amul’s advertising and marketing spend has never exceeded 1% of its revenues. Most other food companies spend 6-7% of revenues on advertising and marketing. They (GCMMF) are not big spenders compared to Britannia or Nestle. Despite a limited budget, Amul’s creatives—in the form of billboards or the Taste of India campaign—have always managed to evoke a larger-than-life brand feel, consistency and spirit of Indian culture in a contemporary way. Companies phase out the brands which have become redundant and retain one or two umbrella brands for every category with necessary variations under each. For example consumer goods major Reckitt ; Colman India Ltd. chalked out an expansion strategy to introduce 20 new brands in the year 1999-2000. The strategy also involved repositioning its existing brands and consolidating sub-brands under its main umbrella brands Dispirin, Dettol, Harpic and Cherry Blossom. The strategy was designed to vault Reckitt ; Colman, in terms of sales, into the big league. With the launch of new brands and the repositioning of its existing brands, the company aimed to achieve expected sales growth. The strategy worked well as Dettol as an antiseptic lotion provided brand support to Dettol soap, which was re-launched in a fragrant form called Dettol Fresh to take on HLLs Liril. Cherry Blossom acted as a mother brand for several easy-to-use home products. Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s (HUL) beverage brands have been amalgamated under two umbrella brands – Brooke Bond and Lipton and in the fabric wash category, the company has retained only Rin, Surf and Wheel, HUL has withdrawn brands such as Sunlight, 501, Dalda and Nihar; it plans to withdraw some more brands and group them under a few umbrella brands. HUL is currently focusing on 35 power brands. Nivea cosmetics brand has a presence in huge number of product categories and countries. Once upon a time Niveas performance prompted a yahoo. com news article to name it the Queen of Mega Brands. This title was appropriate since the brand was present in over 14 product categories and was available in more than 150 countries. Nivea was reportedly believed to be a brand of local origin having been present in them for many decades. This fact went a long way in helping the brand attain the leadership status in many categories and countries. According to analysts, the brand was the single largest factor for the 4. 4% increase in the companys (Beiersdorf) revenues (â‚ ¬ 4. 74 billion) and 10. 7% increase in after-tax profit (â‚ ¬ 290 million) for the year 2002. Beiersdorf never tried to disturb the umbrella branding of Nivea and got fruitful results. Today as organized retailing is gaining popularity, we can see that popularity of private labels owned by retailers. Retailers do not feel the need to develop many brands for various categories because it is the loyalty towards their store name which draws and retains the customers. Hence it is the umbrella retail store name which will be the brand for various product categories and not individual names for each. Customers prefer these brands over that of manufacturers, due to the fact that they address their functional needs well. The retailers also enjoy high margins for private labels. Today a retail chain like Shopper’s Stop’s 20% apparel section is driven by private labels. There are others like Trent from the TATAs which has developed its business model purely on private labels. From Asian Paints in 2003 to Electrolux, Onida and Airtel in 2004, they have all made a move from individual product branding to umbrella branding. Just a few year ago Bharti Televentures had brand Airtel for mobile services, Touchtel for land line and India One for long distance calls. But with Airtel dominating the groups ad spends, the company figured that the other brands were hardly making their presence felt. The unified licensing regime in December 2003 which means that only one license is required to offer fixed, mobile and other services acted as a catalyst (new Airtel logo/ Airtel outlets). So come September 2004 and the company started selling all its services under one brand name Airtel. It claims that the move not only upped brand visibility but also charged up its distribution network. No doubt, umbrella branding has a number of advantages over individual brands in terms of low promotional costs and easy acceptance in trade but umbrella branding imposes on the brand owner a greater burden to maintain consistent quality and brand equity. If the quality of one product in the brand family is compromised, it could reduce sales of all the others. Single umbrella branding works relatively better for services like telecom; it may not be feasible in cases where there is a lesser degree of cohesion between categories, product values and target customers. So, maintaining a few umbrella brands is better option. For instance, suppose LG, a tech brand as far as Indian consumer is concerned, wants to sell you talc or toothpaste or detergent under that name. Consumers would find it very difficult to say what is transferred value from LG TV sets which they’re now going to put on their skin. Nokia, a moralist for single umbrella branding dropped their single umbrella brand strategy in 2006 in naming it’s products. The company believed it needed to have a look at its competitors’ book. After the roaring success of the Moto RAZR, PEBL, SLVR and ROKR series, the Finnish mobile handset manufacturer felt that consumers found names easy to remember compared to the usual mundane numbers. Even LG launched its popular Chocolate range of phones under the Black Label series. For Nokia, barring few exceptions, numbers have been the only way its phones have been branded so far remember 1100, 2600, 3310, 6020? In 2006 they launched Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition (a mixture of names and numbers). Nokia introduced this approach to make it easier for customers to navigate across their range of phones. They also launched E-series phones (which serve business users) and N-series (which have multimedia features). While some players say that the naming trend will be restricted to the high-end, feature-led phones(for example- LG is also banking on the name game but in that case it is confined to the high-end range of designer phones), others like Motorola are banking on names irrespective of price slabs. Motorola believes that consumers dont look at these names in an abstract manner and therefore names convey a message to consumers. A few umbrella brands or individual brands? According to experts, independent brands only make sense when the product clearly has a different proposition from the company brand; like Lexus from Toyota and Swatch from Omega. In the case of Asian Paints, there were so many sub-brands, there was a reduction of media weights for advertising each entity. Then, the company shifted to a brand-centric portfolio, which involved a change of logo, product names, packaging and advertising. But the response from the trade and consumers has been positive, overall brand synergy and shop presence have increased, and the advertising is more effective. Most probably in near future the media environment will make it impossible to create newer brand names and the conditions at the consumer level, as well as the environment. So unless the product is clearly different in the mind of the consumer, umbrella branding is the way to go. Umbrella brands are going to rule!

Ap English Language Composition Free Response Questions free essay sample

Would the process be worthwhile? It would. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, or EDF, â€Å"†¦ we can solve climate change, invest in a clean energy future, and save billions in imported oil† (Samuelson). Many argue that the United States government cannot afford to become involved in energy initiatives and anti-global warming legislation; to counter, what other alternatives does the nation have? With the typical â€Å"family spend[ing] about $1,900 per year on home utility bills,† energy is costing this nation a fortune (â€Å"Energy Savers†). â€Å"With 2. people ii the average household,† family spending would drop from $1,900 per year to $91. 25 per year (Samuelson). To say our government cannot afford this concept is an inaccurate, false, misguided statement. However, would America’s efforts alone be enough? After all, this is a global issue. The Energy Information Administration states â€Å"the United States, China, Russia, Ja pan, and India †¦ account for fifty-four percent of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (graph). We will write a custom essay sample on Ap English Language Composition Free Response Questions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In contrast, recent polls express that Americans are not the only ones interested in energy conservation (graph). The â€Å"Gallup Polls conducted in 2007 show that† America, Japan, China, Russia, and India have all attempted to reduce negative environmental impacts by the following: â€Å"using less water in [the] household†, avoiding â€Å"using certain products that harm the environment†, â€Å"voluntarily recycle[ing] newspapers, glass, aluminum, motor oil, [etc. ]†, and some have even involved themselves â€Å"in a group or organization that works to protect the environment† (graph). While Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Indians, and Russians attempt to save money by reducing energy usage, Singapore offers citizens monetary tax cuts on energy efficient cars Webber). Not only does Singapore offer tax cuts to those who keep the environment clean, they also financially punish those who pollute the environment with â€Å"gas-guzzling engines† (Webber). Innovation and inspiration—the combination that makes America unbeatable (Friedman). By drafting energy conservation and anti-global warming legislation, the American government will allow the planet to prosper. Better for the planet, better for the people, better for you—the American government needs to take an active role in promoting a â€Å"green revolution†.

Free Essays on Drugs In Sport

Drugs in Sports Many people take part in some kind of sport. Playing a sport can make someone healthier. When people use drugs, everything will start to go downhill in the long run. Drugs might make a good first impression but will ruin that person later on. Drug use in sports is more common than we think. There are so many different types of drugs available for athletes. According to The Lancet There are five classes of substances that are banned by the International Olympic Committee; stimulants, narcotics, anabolic agents, diuretics, and peptide hormones. A columnist from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise talks about another available drug, â€Å"(rhgh) which stands for recombinant human growth hormone† That same columnist states rhgh has a high degree of similarity in the amino acid sequence between recombinant and endogenous growth hormones (. There are still very many unknown substances being used by athletes. People can hide and smuggle drugs that are undetectable. Finding a drug abusing athlete will cause him or her sever consequences. A writer in The Lancet says any athlete having a positive drug test result is told to deny it. Virginia Cowart from The Journal of the American Medical Association proclaims the only way to significantly reduce drug use is to have random testing during both the training and competition periods. Taking the chance of getting caught is risky. Hopefully, athletes will realize that and resort to old fashioned hard work. Drug use is very common in high school athletes. A writer for The Lancet says drug abuse is another form of cheating. Now athletes know the right time to take drugs and not to take drugs. Most drug abusers have become sophisticated users. One study from Patient Care observes that â€Å"nearly 7% of male high school students have experimented with anabolic steroids. Hopefully these students know the consequences. A columnist states those who use dope s... Free Essays on Drugs In Sport Free Essays on Drugs In Sport Drugs in Sports Many people take part in some kind of sport. Playing a sport can make someone healthier. When people use drugs, everything will start to go downhill in the long run. Drugs might make a good first impression but will ruin that person later on. Drug use in sports is more common than we think. There are so many different types of drugs available for athletes. According to The Lancet There are five classes of substances that are banned by the International Olympic Committee; stimulants, narcotics, anabolic agents, diuretics, and peptide hormones. A columnist from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise talks about another available drug, â€Å"(rhgh) which stands for recombinant human growth hormone† That same columnist states rhgh has a high degree of similarity in the amino acid sequence between recombinant and endogenous growth hormones (. There are still very many unknown substances being used by athletes. People can hide and smuggle drugs that are undetectable. Finding a drug abusing athlete will cause him or her sever consequences. A writer in The Lancet says any athlete having a positive drug test result is told to deny it. Virginia Cowart from The Journal of the American Medical Association proclaims the only way to significantly reduce drug use is to have random testing during both the training and competition periods. Taking the chance of getting caught is risky. Hopefully, athletes will realize that and resort to old fashioned hard work. Drug use is very common in high school athletes. A writer for The Lancet says drug abuse is another form of cheating. Now athletes know the right time to take drugs and not to take drugs. Most drug abusers have become sophisticated users. One study from Patient Care observes that â€Å"nearly 7% of male high school students have experimented with anabolic steroids. Hopefully these students know the consequences. A columnist states those who use dope s...

Accounting - Tax Research Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting - Tax Research Case - Essay Example One of the longest continuing disagreements between the IRS and the taxpayers is the issue about capitalization of an expense incurred in a business. The most crucial queries in income tax law are with regard to an expenditure incurred in the course of a business. The question arises as to whether the expenditure so incurred can be subtracted at present to determine the payer’s tax liability, or should it be capitalized. Capitalization in several cases ensues in an asset which can be amortized or depreciated with the passage of time. But sometimes capitalization may be only an offset to a sale when the asset is sold of or even prevent any kind of subtraction at any time. Over the years, the practice in assortment gave rise to huge uncertainty and court case which has created an extensive body of perplexing and opposing right. Controversies of this kind arose after the decision rendered by the Supreme Court in INDOPCO, Inc. v. Commr, 503 U.S. 79 (1992) (Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, 2003). In yet another case of Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. [71-1 ustc 9476], it was held simply that the formation of a separate and discrete asset may be an adequate condition for categorization as a capital expenditure. But this is not a prerequisite to such classification. Lincoln Savings also does not disallow dependence on future gain as substance of differentiating a regular business expense from that of a capital expenditure. Even though the existence of a subsidiary future advantage may not permit capitalization, a taxpayer’s recognition of profits in future is vital in deciding whether the proper tax treatment is instant deduction or capitalization (Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. 71-1 ustc 9476; Pp. 4-12). The court in the case of Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. stated thus "the presence of an ensuing

Product Management & Information Systems - Module 2 Assignment

Product Management & Information Systems - Module 2 - Assignment Example Internet shopping has been popular because many consumers have internet-enabled phones through which they download apps such as the eBay mobile app (Maceli, 2011). NPD (New Product Develeopment) involves creation of unique products, modification of product as well as the development of new brands through firms’ research and development. Before developing digital products, the manufacturer has to analyse the prevailing audience and trends because understanding the digital footprint helps comprehend information regarding typical usage, acceptance of digital innovation, expertise in technology use as well as other audience habits. Moreover, the manufacturer has to carryout research on the prevailing competition and opportunity because a lack of thorough market research would not warrant development of new product or service. New product development is often difficult since the necessary information resides in customers while the solution lies in the manufacturer and linking the t wo can be costly and lengthy. However, the development of customer knowledge and channels like the internet enable customers to engage with manufacturers’ new product development processes actively because digital products are leveraged through websites, tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices (Strader, 2011). Figure 1. New product development model New product development can be grouped into various perspectives that include rational planning, communication web and disciplined problem-solving. The rational plan emphasises the role of careful planning in order to have an attractive market as well as a successful execution of the plan based on strong from the support management. Communication web in NPD focuses on independent communication among project team members as well as with outsiders, which stimulates performance of development. NPD processes can be categorised in various stages that include idea generation, product development and testing as well as product lau nch and profit management. Improved NPD process decreases the market risks because it builds on the needs of the customer and focuses on market performance of the product. The rate of technological changes in the past few years necessitates new methods of bringing successful products to the market place. Information technology improves NPD flexibility because NPD requires partnership between members of new product both within and beyond the firm. The use of apps by consumers presents opportunities to both the users and developers because consumers are exposed to more information and use of apps offer an opportunity to developers to create increased array of potential apps for consumers. Moreover, as consumers use apps, the developers can view feedback regarding the apps, which enable the developers to publish updates or even design new products (Maceli, 2011). Currently, the development of applications is different compared to the traditional company development because anyone can p lace the application within an app marketplace. Once apps are in the application store the applications can be sold to consumers or the applications made free but sell advertisements that appear in the app, one of the popular free apps is â€Å"Angry Birds† (Maceli, 2011; Cerf, 2011). In the prevailing competitive world, companies no longer rely on price or even delivery to

Why has the Palestinian-Israeli conflict been so difficult to resolve Essay

Why has the Palestinian-Israeli conflict been so difficult to resolve - Essay Example This is one reason why the problem has not been resolved. Another reason due to which the conflict has failed to be solved is that both sides are claiming that they own the entire region and are not ready to restrict themselves to their side only (Caplan, 2011). Due to this a religious conflict has taken place. The people in these regions fear that if the other side controls the entire region then their freedom to practice their religion will be taken away from them and due to this each side wants their religion to prevail and want to freely practice their religions. Another issue that is not solving the problem is the ineffectiveness of the United Nations which has developed policies that can solve the problem but has failed to enforce it (Harris, 2013). The failure to enforce such policies is due to the division of the Arab world and the Western world on the conflict. The Arab world supports the Palestinian view and on the other hand the western world, such as the United States sup ports the Israeli view. Harris, D. (2013). Why Israeli-Palestinian Peace Is So Difficult to Reach. [online] The Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-harris/why-israelipalestinian-pe_b_2895228.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014]. Yehoshua, A. (2011). Why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict refuses to be resolved. [online] Haaretz.com. Available at: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/why-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict-refuses-to-be-resolved-1.358095 [Accessed 11 Dec.

Organizational Analysis of WalMart Store Inc

Organizational Analysis of WalMart Store Inc Introduction and brief overview of Wal-Mart store Inc. Wal-Mart store Inc. is not only the retail giant, but also is the largest grocery chain in the world. Wal-Mart store Inc. was founded in 1962. Samuel Walton and his brother J.L. Walton open their first Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas (Wal-Mart History, 2010). For Wal-Mart store Inc., their common mission is: Save people money so they can live better (Wal-Mart corporate, 2010). Compared with their main competitors such as Target and K mart, Wal-Marts 2009 sales were almost 50% more. Because of its giant size and buying power, Wal-Mart can buy its products at very low prices, exchanging high purchase volumes for low cost then passing the savings onto its customers (Wikinvest Wal-Mart, 2010). Wal-Mart has 8,900 stores around the world in three different business segments of retail stores that including: Wal-Mart stores, Sams Club and Wal-Mart international. All of them offer different kinds of merchandises including electronic appliances, groceries, furniture, apparel and health beauty stuffs etc. For their business segment, they have over 54% of the companys stores are located in the United States, and the others international stores are mainly located in central and south America and China. The company mainly focuses on offering the lowest prices to attract its consumers. Wal-Mart totally earned $408 billion revenue in 2010, increase 1% compare to 2009 (Wikinvest Wal-Mart, 2010). REVENUE BY GEOGRAPHY  Ã‚  Ã‚   (USD) Annual FISCAL YEAR ENDING 31-1-2006 31-1-2007 31-1-2008 31-1- 2009 31-1-2010 Revenue International 59.2B 77.1B 90.6B 98.6B Revenue US 284B 303B Total Revenue 316B 349B 379B 406B 408B (Source: www.wikinvest.com/stock/Wal Mart_%28WMT%29/Data/Key_Metrics#Revenue_Breakdown) In 2009, Wal-Mart earned $255.7 billion in the domestic segment of the companys revenue. For Wal-Mart stores segment are further categories into three different formats including: Supercenters, Discount stores and Neighborhood Stores. For the Sams club, it is the second largest membership-only retailer club ( Costco is the first largest membership-only retailer) in United States belong to Wal-Mart Inc., their main customers mostly are offices, convenience stores, motels, restaurants and schools etc. (Wikinvest Wal-Mart, 2010). For now, Wal-Mart has total 3,121 international stores all over the world including in Mexico, Japan, Canada, China and countries in central and South America. However, recently Wal-Mart begins to slow down their growth rate in the United State and turn their main focus onto its international stores to develop growth. For international stores locations altogether earned total $98.6 billion revenue in 2009, compared to the sales of 2008, is increased 9.1% (Wikinvest Wal-Mart, 2010). Strategic History of the Industry The whole retail industry in the United States has over $4 trillion annual revenue. The main retail companies are including Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Kroger, Costco, and Target. Some of the large companies dominate some retail sectors such as mass merchandisers and grocery stores, other sectors like auto dealers and convenience stores are fragmented. However, retail industry still has many small and specialty retailers are single-store operations (Hoover, 2011). The economy deeply affects the retail demand. In other words, retail demand depends on the economy. Many different kinds of economic factors such as job growth, recession, personal income, consumer confidence and interest rates can strongly affect consumer spending behavior. When during recessionary periods, the bad economy can affect the retail sales growth rate slow drastically or even sales revenue decline. While the retail spending grows rapidly when in the period of strong economy growth, for example consumers will spend more on grocery when they have more income. However, the rising interest rates will affect consumer purchase behavior and consumer ability to finance large amount of purchase such as purchasing cars (Hoover, 2011). Strategic History of Wal-Mart Store Inc. In the early stage of strategic history for Wal-Mart, they always unchanged their vision always low price for their customers. Until 1990s, Wal-Mart announced that they planned to go global. They wanted to look for international markets for the reasons as following: First of all, Wal-Mart has facing very strong competition in United States such as Target and K mart. These two firms had aggressive expanding their business and had started sharing Wal-Marts market share. Secondly, the market in the United States is already saturated; it was becoming difficult for the company to continue its growth rate. Thirdly, the US population is accounted for only 4% of the worlds population and if they want to expand their global market, China had the potential massive growth due to their huge population of over 1.3 billion people. The last reason is, globalization opened up new markets in China and created opportunities for discount stores such as Wal-Mart (Wal-Marts Cost Leadership Strategy, 2004 ). On the other hand, Wal-Mart is using the strategy that cooperates with local suppliers to purchase their products, even though the organizational culture is standardized with the home country. This strategy is not only use to the products purchasing, but also adapted to the local cultures and stores decoration and designed are also changed to meet local taste all around the world (Wal-Marts Cost Leadership Strategy, 2004). Organizational mission statement As we know, the mission statement for Wal-Mart is every day low price. In order to insist their mission, Wal-Mart implemented three approaches in the market. First, it increased the local purchasing in order to reduce the purchasing costs and also suit consumers needs in different places. Secondly, it maintained a good relationship with their suppliers, satisfied them by paying within 3-7 days during its initial years. Thirdly, it established distribution centers (DC) and computerized its management system to improve efficiency and reduce costs (ICFAI, 2005). Business Level Strategy For these several years, Wal-Mart has been trying hard on expand its stores outside the United States. It through two different to expand their international business market: new store construction and acquisition. Acquisition strategy of supermarket chains had been a part of Wal-Marts entry and store expansion strategy in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, China and Great Britain (The Wal-Mart Puzzle, 2008). Over all, the Wal-Mart strategies were including: multiple store segments, lower daily prices, lots of name-brand merchandise, reduce operating costs, emphasized customers satisfied service, wide selection products, disciplined expansion into new geographic markets, and using acquisition to enter foreign market (Wal-Mart Store Inc., 2010). However, no matter Wal-Mart are in which foreign country, their company vision always low prices is never changed. The companys low distribution costs and cost-efficient supply chain management are the big reasons why Wal-Mart is so success and at the same time reduce the products prices. Wal-Mart has get into distribution efficiency compare with their competitors because of its rural store locations. Current strategy for the major operations/functions of the company Current strategies for Wal-Mart are including low costs, high volume, increase customer satisfaction and expansion strategy. Wal-Mart creates name recognition and customer satisfaction, and combined the retailer with the reputation of offering the best prices. They also expand their new business segments to different sectors such as pharmacies, automotive repair, and grocery sales to increase their sales revenue. Expansion strategy: The company realized that building a new store will allow for increase market share value. After their success in the rural areas, Wal-Mart moved to urban areas and then moved to surrounding areas. The expansion strategy made Wal-Mart the number one retail store in the United States. As Wal-Mart continue its expansion domestically, the firm decided to go international. Furthermore, Wal-Mart realized that acquiring an existing retail firm is necessary for expand domestic and international markets. Therefore, Wal-Mart by acquire retail store which enable to expand locally and internationally. Always low prices make customers live better strategy is believed the strongest strategy used by Wal-Mart. The firm developed the idea of dealing directly with the manufacturer and with the power control by Wal-Mart will enable it to get the best deal from the manufacturers and suppliers. Organizational structure, culture, and control systems (Source: http://www.theofficialboard.com/org-chart/wal-mart-stores) Saving people money to help them live better was the mission for Wal-Mart. Hence, Wal-Mart negotiates different suppliers and understanding their cost structure in order to reduce the price. Wal-Mart has to be certain that the manufacturers were doing their best to cut down costs. Also, Wal-Mart believed in establishing a long-term relationship with their suppliers. Wal-Mart had 129 distribution centers located at different locations all over the US. Over 80,000 items were stocked in these centers. Wal-Marts own warehouses directly supplied 85 percent of the inventory, as compared to 50-65 % for competitors. Shipping costs for Wal-Mart is about 3 % which is lower than its competitors, 5%. The distribution centers ensured a steady and consistent flow of products to support the supply function (Wal-Marts Cost Leadership Strategy, 2004). Wal-Marts logistics infrastructure was its fast and successful transportation system. The distribution centers were serviced by more than 3,500 company owned trucks. To make its distribution process more efficient, Wal-Mart also uses a logistics technique called cross-docking. In this system, the finished goods were directly picked up from the manufacturing plant from suppliers, and then directly supplied to the customers. The system reduced the handling and storage of finished goods, eliminating the role of the distribution centers and stores (Wal-Marts Cost Leadership Strategy, 2004). SWOT Analysis for Wal-Mart Store Inc.. Strengths Reputation Brand Name: Wal-Mart is a powerful brand and pioneer in the retail industry with the wide spread network of stores. It has a reputation for low price, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store for customers. Wal-Mart has captured about 10% of the retail market in the U.S. and continues to expand. Wal-Mart stores continue to open all over the country making Wal-Mart a household name. Wal-Mart has also been widely acknowledged for its social responsibility actions. The company has donated to a variety of charitable organizations and has been accredited for bringing jobs and wealth to less developed communities. Offer Low Prices: Wal-Mart uses its enormous size and buying power to pressure its suppliers into extremely low prices, offering orders of high volumes of merchandise in exchange for low prices. The good thing about Wal-Mart is that its shifts the low cost advantage to customers and available the products at lower prices. It has loyal customer base because it meets the expectation of customer by always delivering the goods at lower prices at compare to its competitors. Expand Global Market: Wal-Mart has aggressively expands its international market over the past few years and has experienced global expansion. For example its purchase of the United Kingdom based retailer ASDA. Technology: Technology is strength to Wal-Mart with its inventory control system that was recognized as the most sophisticated in retailing. The technology linked all the stores to the headquarters and the companys distribution centers. It also enables the warehouse of which the goods are ordered, and direct the flow of goods to the store and proper shelves. Supply chain and logistics management: Supply chain and logistics management are one of the strengths of Wal-Mart. This allows Wal-Mart to utilize the Just- in-time inventory concept and avoid the pilling up inventory to save the extra cost for maintaining inventories in the warehouses. Human Resource: Wal-Mart always keen to provide training to their employees to improve the customer service level. The firm hire locally, provides training programs for its employees. Wal-Mart also gets its employees involve and encourage them to make use of words like: we, us, and ours. It also provides stock ownership and profit sharing with great contribution from the H. R of the firm. Wal-Mart was named one of the best 100 firms to work for. Cross-docking inventory system: Using the cross-dock technique, Wal-Mart was able to effectively leverage their logistical volume into a core strategic competency. Wal-Mart operates an extensive satellite network of distribution centers serviced by company owned trucks. Its satellite network sends point of sale (POS) data directly to 4,000 vendors. Each register is directly connected to a satellite system sending sales information to Wal-Marts headquarters and distribution centers. Weaknesses Employee turnover: Wal-Mart has high employee turnover which costs more money and time for company to train the new employee. Bad publicity: Wal-Mart is currently facing a gender discrimination lawsuit. Their female employees accuses that they were discriminated against in matters regarding pay and promotions. And also, Their female managers were accounted for the minority group in the company. Lock of flexibility: Wal-Mart sell very wide range kinds of products for example like clothes, food, pharmacy or stationary which lack of flexibility compare with other more focused competitors. Other competitors may have the ability to make changes and improve on a certain product lines when the needs of their customers change. Wal-Mart, however, may have too much merchandise and not be able to focus in on sectors that need to be improved. Some products have poor quality: Although Wal-Mart provides low price of products, however, customers sometimes complain about the poor quality of few products. Facing difficulty in International market: It is hard for Wal-Mart to expand their business out of US to totally different countries all around the world. Moreover, Wal-Mart has to facing different culture and customer behavior in different countries, for example Wal-Mart facing difficulty to expand the market in China. Opportunities Customers: Because Wal-Mart provides low price to their customers, so they are able to attract more customers. Furthermore, customers basically are able to purchasing everything in one store that satisfied their needs. Wal-Mart 24 hours stores also satisfied their customers. Diversified store types: Wal-Marts different store types and new locations provide more opportunities to exploit new market. Stores diversified from local, small-based sites to large super centers. International Expansion: No doubt that continued expand the international market is a huge opportunity for Wal-Mart. Wal-Marts oversea stores have experienced significant growth. There are actually tremendous opportunities for future growth in developing countries and Asian markets than in the United States such as China and India. Creating strategic alliances and licensing agreements with other global retailers are ways to move into different countries. Threats Competition: Wal-Mart faces different strong competitions locally and internationally. Wal-Mart main competitors are including Kmart, Target, Carrefour and Costco wholesale. In 2010, the Net Profit Margin for Wal-Mart is 3.59%, Target 4.22%, Costco wholesale 1.69%, Carrefour 0.38%, respectively (Hoovers, 2010). Target is Wal-Marts direct competitor in the US, offering a range of general merchandise in a similar store format (Wikinvest, 2010). Economy Recession: The revenue for Wal-Mart is affected by economy recession. Good economy is an opportunity for great business, because customers will have more money to spend. If the economy is great, there will be more jobs and people will shop more. However, if the economy is bad, there will be fewer jobs and people will shop less. Also, with the high price of gasoline and its effect on the economy, Wal-Mart will certainly be affected the most. Strategy imitation: Wal-Mart strengthens its competitive advantage on low-cost products. Other competitors may imitate their low-cost strategy to take over their market shares. Low Brand Loyalty: In the retail industry, customers would like to choose the product with the lowest price. In other words, customers do not care about the brand or which retail stores, if Costco has the exactly same chips that sell cheaper than in the Wal-Mart, then customers will choose to buy the chips in the Costco not Wal-Mart. TOWS MATRIX STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Reputation Brand Name Bad publicity Offer Low Prices Lock of flexibility Expand Global Market Some products have poor quality Technology Facing difficulty in International market Supply chain and logistics management Employee turnover Human Resource Cross-docking inventory system OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES-STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES-WEAKNESSES Customers Build on its already efficient distribution system to further expand in the U.S and globally. Wal-Mart should be awareness and strict to control of the quality of the product in order to keep their customers basis. Diversified Store Types Expand diversified store types to International market in order to increase profit in International market. Set higher employment standards through enhanced training to keep their employees have best performance. International Expansion Duplicated the successful delivery logistic management and the distribution centers into International market. Continue to build on cost efficient pricing and production due to expansion. Go into new markets and buy out their local retailers to gain market share. THREATS THREATS-STRENGTHS THREATS-WEAKNESSES Competition Buy raw materials or products from local suppliers to hold a better political status within the local community further to compete with their competitors. Human resource department should set a benefits long-term promotion program or standard and training program for their employees in order to decrease the employee turnover. Economy Recession Create their own brand of products and increase the quality of products in order to establish customers loyalty. Establish joint venture partnerships or long-term relationship with local retail companies to get the advantages in the International segment. Strategy imitation Develop strong RD and technology to enhance the competitive advantage and avoid imitation from other competitors. Low Brand Loyalty Five Forces Analysis for Wal-Mart Store Inc. Threat of entrances Low The threat of new entrance in the grocery and discount retailer industry is very low. New entrants have to face with the strong low-price competition among exist giant retail companies like Wal-Mart, Costco and Target. New entrants need to invest large amount of capitals to establish their brand recognition, service, and variety of product offerings that Wal-Mart, Target, and others competitors continue to improve on each day. In addition, existing companies can drop prices lower in order to force a new competitor out of the market. Therefore, the threat of entrances is low. Power of buyer-High Customers have many choosing opportunities and consider about products very details. They want the product now and they want it with the best service, best quality and reasonable price. Customers also enjoy increasing choice of products and choose one product that has the best quality and better price. For example, if customers find out Target sells an exactly product that has better quality and price than Wal-Mart, and then they will choose to buy it in Target instead of Wal-Mart. Power of Suppliers: Low The bargaining power of suppliers is very low. Wal-Mart is very famous on giving pressure to their suppliers to cut their price lower and lower in order to offer the lowest price to their customers. On the other hand, become the supplier of Wal-Mart is a very fierce competition. In 2004, about 10,000 new suppliers applied to become Wal-Mart vendors. However, only about 200, or 2%, were ultimately accepted by Wal-Mart (Gwendolyn Bounds, The Wall Street Journal). Therefore, the bargaining power of suppliers is low. Rivalry High The competition in the US grocery and discount retailer industry is very high. The main competitors for Wal-Mart in the local market are Kmart and Target. These companies also have to face competition from wholesalers such as BJs, Costco and even the international market such as Carrefour. Wal-Mart has adopted a cost leadership generic strategy. In the past, most companies have not been able to match Wal-Marts strategy everyday low prices. However, Wal-Marts barrier to entry (economies of scale) and strength (supply-chain management) can be easily imitated with sufficient resources. Therefore, retailers are in a fierce competition that see who can offer their customers the lowest price. Threat of substitute Low The threat of substitutes in this industry is low because only few companies have ability to offer such a variety of products available instantly and also low prices. One possible substitute is online shopping; however, customers usually do the online shopping for clothes or other stuffs but not for food or grocery shopping. Therefore, the threat of substitute is low. B. Strategic direction Key Strategic Issues Issue #1: Open too many new stores close to existing stores lead to new stores taking over the market shares from existing stores. Status Quo Wal- Mart depends on opens many new stores and expands into new market to increase the long-term sales and income growth. However, because of Wal-Marts large size of expansion, new stores are effects the sales on existing stores. For example, Wal-Mart builds a store relatively close to an already existing store, the new store might take away customers from the old store thus decrease the sales in existing stores (Wal-Mart, 2010). Evolutionary Change (Incremental Improvement) In order to solve this problem, Wal-Mart expands their business segment into international market instead of domestic market. For example, Wal-Mart opened 5 times number of stores in the international market in 2010 compared to domestic stores; most of stores are in Mexico, China, and Central America (Wal-Mart, 2010). Revolutionary Change (Huge/Drastic Change) Wal-Mart is also aggressively to open business segments in India if the country opens up the sector to foreign direct investment. India has retail market more than 1 billion; no doubt India is a huge opportunity for Wal-Mart. However, retailers that carry multiple brands (like Wal-Mart) are restricted to wholesale outlets in India. After Indias policy change, Wal-Mart is allowed to expand superstores and generate revenue in India (Wal-Mart, 2010). Specific tactics to implement the strategy Wal-Mart needs to establish long-term relationship or joint venture with local retail company to get into the market in India. Although in 2006, Wal-Mart announced that it had tied up with Bharti Enterprises Ltd. (Bharti) to get into the Indian retail sector. Bharti was a diversified company, and one of the biggest mobile telephone service providers in India (Wal-Mart and the Indian Retail Sector, 2007). However, because of the government policy, the small retailers groups and the Left parties against allowing the company into India are all the barriers that Wal-Mart has to face it. Issue #2: International competitors Status Quo In order to expand and improve the sales revenue for the economy recession especially in the domestic market, Wal-Mart has been aggressively expand its business segment into international market. However, the local big retailers or small retailers groups are against Wal-Mart to get into their market to take over the market shares because of its low price strategy (Wal-Mart, 2010). Evolutionary Change (Incremental Improvement) Improve its supply chain, logistic and technology segment to lower its delivery and operation costs in order to compete with local big retailers such as Britains Tesco, Frances Carrefour, and Germanys Metro (Wal-Mart, 2010). On the other hand, retail business segment is hard to create products differentiation, because commodity products are all the same for customers. The only way that gains the market shares for retail stores is not only low price but also quality of products. Therefore, Wal-Mart should awareness of its quality of products to attract more customers even in the international market. Revolutionary Change (Huge/Drastic Change) Wal-Mart should acquire and purchase the local retail companies in order to get into the international market. On the other hand, establish long-term relationship with local suppliers to have the win-win situation for their cooperation. Specific tactics to implement the strategy In the beginning of year 1, 2 and 3, Wal-Mart should first focus on improving its supply chain, logistic and technology improvement in order to compete with local big retailers on its lower operation, delivery costs and high quality of products. For the long-term tactics, Wal-Mart should deeply penetrate into the local market, understand different cultures and customers behaviors and then cooperate with local suppliers to establish long-term partnership. Personal assessment SWOT Analysis of myself in relation to the organization (What can I offer to the organization?). Strengths: International expansion (China): Wal-Mart is extremely aggressively penetrated into the market in China. Also, no doubt that China has 1.3 billion populations which accounted for the most majority population in the world, creates a huge business opportunity for Wal-Mart. Therefore, Wal-Mart needs a manager who can speak fluently Mandarin and English, and really understand about Chinese culture and Chinese customers behavior. Hence, I can offer Wal-Mart my knowledge to develop more opportunity in Chinas market in order to maximize the profits. Weaknesses: Lock of working experience: Even though I can speak fluently Mandarin and understand the Chinese culture and customers behavior; however, I still lack of working experiences. I do have some part time working experience such as working in starbucks, but do not have full time working experiences. Opportunities: Because of my professional knowledge (bachelor and master degree are both business management) are expertise on this field which can offer Wal-Mart a professional employees or manager. Moreover, my family also has business in China, Hangchow, which makes me has understanding and interested about China. I can provide Wal-Mart establish partnership with local suppliers and establish long-term relationship with them to compete with local retails competitors. Threats: Many applicants around the world: There is still having many talented applicants around the world apply to get into this company. Some of the applicants have high education degree and business knowledge and also have ability to speak many different kinds of languages. Therefore, I am in extremely fierce competition. Not every business segment in Wal-Mart is my expertise: I have weakened and lower advantages compared to local American because of the speaking and cultural differences. Furthermore, the company does business in many different retail formats, including supercenters, food and drugs, general merchandise stores, cash and carry stores, membership warehouse clubs, apparel stores, soft discount stores and restaurants. However, not every business segment in Wal-Mart is in my field of expertise. Financial Analysis 2010 Annual Sales (Figure2-1) (Source:Hoovers,2011,http://0subscriber.hoovers.com.leopac.ulv.edu/H/company360/competitiveLandscape.html?companyId=11600000000000) As you can see in Figure 2-1, this is 2010 annual sales for 4 main retail stores in the United States. They are including Wal-Mart, Target, Costco Wholesale and Carrefour. Wal-Mart has almost $400 billion sales in 2010. Compared to other competitors, annual sales for Wal-Mart was much higher than other companies. Carrefour annual sale in 2010 was around $100 billion. Annual sales for Target and Costco were just around $50 billion in 2010. 2010 Net Profit Margin (Figure2-2) (Source:Hoovers,2011,http://0subscriber.hoovers.com.leopac.ulv.edu/H/company360/competitiveLandscape.html?companyId=11600000000000) In Figure 2-2, net profit margin in 2010 for Wal-Mart was 2.98%. Target was higher than Wal-Mart which had 3.69% net profit margin in 2010. Other two competitors, Costco and Carrefour were both under 1.84% in net profit margin in 2010. Figure 2-3 (Source:Hoovers,2011,http://0subscriber.hoovers.com.leopac.ulv.edu/H/company360/competitiveLandscape.html?companyId=11600000000000) The Return on Asset ratio is useful in measuring how efficiently a company uses its assets to generate profit. By definition, ROA is calculated by dividing the Net Income by the total asset of a company. Refer to Figure 2-3, ROA for Wal-Mart from 2006 to 2010 are much higher than its competitors. Wal-Marts ROA were around 9% to 10% each year, compared to its competitors which were all much lower than Wal-Mart. This basically means that Wal-Mart utilizes its assets well enough to generate profit in comparison with their competitors. However, ROA in 2007 for Target is higher than Wal-Mart, Target 9.29%, Wal-Mart 9.05%. Targets major competitive advantage over Wal-Mart lies in its customer base: the average household income for Target customers is about $50,000 a year, whereas the average yearly income for a Wal-Mart customer is only $35,000 Figure 2-4 (Source:Hoovers,2011,http://0subscriber.hoovers.com.leopac.ulv.edu/H/company360/competitiveLandscape.html?companyId=11600000000000) The return on Stockholders Equity (ROE) ratio measures the percentage of profit earned on stockholders investment in the company. In other words, return on equity  measures a corporations profitability  by revealing how much  profit a company generates  with the money shareholders have invested.  Ã‚   In Figure 2-4, ROE for Wal-Mart were around 20% from year 2006 to 2010, compared to other competitors which are higher than others. Figure 2-5 (Source:Hoovers,2011,http://0subscriber.hoovers.com.leopac.ulv.ed

True American Essay examples -- Ethnicity Personal Narrative Citizensh

True American To be a true American, some people think that a person has to agree with everything our government says, right or wrong. My belief is that, to be a true American one must strive to make this country a better place. A place that can be respected and looked up to by the rest of the world, rather than shunned and feared as it is today. To say that I am only interested in one specific social issue would be a lie. One person focusing on one problem will not make an impact. Being socially conscious is a big part of my life. I feel guilty when my life becomes stagnant, and I dont have any goals or concerns. Under the conformity of my button-down shirt and tie, I am wearing an American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, t-shirt. It reads: Justice, Equality, Education, Involvement", all things I stand for and strongly support. There are so many problems in this country that can't be ignored, some so complicated, I doubt they will ever be solved in my time on this earth. I've heard over and over that, "Every journey begins with the first step", and the fact that there are people out there like me trying to deal with problems other people create out of hatred, greed, or sheer stupidity, makes the world a better place. Some of the most important issues in my eyes are: poverty in the United States, racial equality, and nationalism. The best way I have found to deal with these problems is through writing. I live in a very diverse neighborhood where I am exposed to dif...

A comparison of Fluvial and Glacial Sediments (deposits) In the Glen Rosa area of Arran

The aim of my investigation is to ‘compare the Fluvial and Glacial sediments in the Glen Rosa area'. I will use a variety of experiments and methods to collect my results. My investigation will be based on proving these hypotheses are correct. I hope to show that: * Fluvial sediment will be generally smaller than glacial sediment. * Fluvial sediment will be more rounded than glacial sediment. To provide evidence of these hypotheses I will look at river sediment on the fluvial slip off slope and compare it with that of a glacial deposit in the form of a terminal moraine. Slip off slope; The slip off slope Terminal moraine; I will also be considering; The difference in B Axis length, Roundness, Sediment composition and Sorting. I expect the glacial deposits to be more angular than that of the fluvial deposits because the rate of erosion is different. In fluvial erosion the rocks are in constant erosion from frequently colliding (attrition) with other rock material. I would expect more edges of the rock to be rounded because the chances are they would have been knocked off. The glaciated deposits however, I would expect to be more angular because they collide less. I am going to collect a range of results which will hopefully provide evidence that my theories are correct. To collect these results I will: * Use appropriate methods to measure and accurately record my results to prove my hypothesis correct. I will measure the length of a slip off slope (and moraine vertically if possible). The length divided by twenty, will be the length of the intervals for my measurements. At each interval I will proceed to measure these factors. I. Roundness II. Orientation III. Length of the B axis. (stone width) By doing this I will collect sufficient evidence to support or disprove my hypothesis from the results. I am going to use twenty readings to give me an accurate sample of the whole geographical feature. Points to note: Glen Rosa is a NTS area – conservation issues do not allow us to move scenery – including rocks. This could be a limiting factor as we may not be able to locate all the results we need. And to what extent do we measure sediment? After all a grain of dirt is a form of sediment, but is it practical to measure a grain of dirt? My project also involves considering how glacial and fluvial deposits vary in: * Sorting (division into coarse, medium and fine sizes). * And the orientation of the B axis. * And composition ( rock type ) The orientation is the alignment of the B axis. River deposits are measured on a slip off slope and glacial deposits in a terminal moraine, with the following expectations: * Water borne sediment will be sorted into size categories, the largest material being dumped upstream first, (upstream where the water flow is strongest) and the finest last (downstream where the flow is weakest). Glacial deposits however will be dumped irregularly because they ‘melt out' of the ice. * River sediment will have been rounded by river transport and attrition whereas glacial sediment, having only travelled a sort distance, will be angular. And slip off slope deposits will lie with their B axis at right angles to the flow of the river whereas glacial deposits are thought to lie in the ice with their A axis parallel to the direction of flow. Risk assessment. The axis of a rock are as follows: The A axis (Length of rock) The B axis (Width of rock) The C axis (Depth of the rock) Apparatus needed for my investigation: * Callipers * Compass clinometer * A water-proof notebook/pad * A pencil * Hand lens * Sorting chart * Powers Roundness index * Measuring tape – 20m length * Camera (to record locations and to provide secondary evidence) * Map to find location and note grid references Note Because I was working in a group and am collecting data for the group it is imperative that each of us has their own role and each must keep to that role. This is because the sake of a fair test. For example, If I read the callipers at the start I must read them throughout because the others eyesight and judgment may not be the same as mine, so if each person continues to do one job their judgment will not be too diverse. I am going to collect my evidence to prove my theory by doing thus: I. Firstly I am going to assess the possible location of a moraine and a slip off slope. II. Secondly I am going to travel to the Glen Rosa valley area. III. Then I will proceed to go to the site and take photographs. IV. I will measure the article in question by using a transect of the slip off slope/ terminal moraine. V. Then I will collect the evidence I need by accurately measuring and recording my results. I shall be looking at the ; a. Roundness b. Orientation c. Length of the B axis. I will measure the transect by measuring a point across the hole moraine / slip off slope and divide it by 20.The results from that then apply to the collecting of the samples, at each interval one should proceed to measure the nearest sample. I will measure Roundness by- comparing sediment sample to the guide shown below, this may be difficult to decide which category the rock goes into however for the sake of speed it was my primary choice. I will measure orientation by – locating the b axis and using the compass clinometer I will measure the orientation. I will measure the length of the B axis by – using callipers and reading off the rule. I will collect 10 (20 if possible) readings from each site to give me a suitable range of results. The locations I have chosen are highlighted on the map and the grid references are below: The terminal moraine – 987 382 The slip off slope – 987 383 I will record my results on the attached sheet. I will present my evidence as a range of graphs with attached section on collecting recording and presenting evidence. Stage 2 collecting, recording and presenting evidence. On the Day when we travelled to these two grid references the terminal moraine on 987 382 and the slip off slope on 987 383, I worked with 2 other people to obtain evidence/results for my investigation, they were Matthew Cruse and Lawrence Card. This was the original plan for the results table we were going to use. However during collecting the evidence our group decided we could double the amount of our results in ample time. So this is the real results table we developed. We were helped by 1 person in identifying some of the rocks, she was called Lucy and she was an instructor for this course. On the actual day we collected 20 samples from each site both the terminal moraine and the slip off slope. Our results table is as below; Graph sheet 1 Some graphs may help to show the evidence. Firstly the length of the b axis against the length of the slip off slope. (Sample every 1 meter). Anomalous point Graph sheet 2 These are the results for the composition of both fluvial and glacial deposits. Here O represents other specimen of rock P is Phyllite and G is granite Fluvial deposits Glacial deposits As it is clear here the fluvial deposits have more variation that that of the glacial deposits, the glacial deposits contain no other rock types. Graph sheet 3 Charts to compare roundness of fluvial deposits against the roundness of glacial deposits. It is clear here that glacial deposits are more randomised and do not follow any particular roundness, where as the fluvial deposits are mostly in-between the 2-3 category Graph sheet 4. Here are 2 charts to compare the orientation of the B axis. Fluvial orientation Glacial orientation Both graphs show completely opposite finding which was totally as I had expected, mainly the glacial deposits were all at right angles to the flow of direct which is what happens. The fluvial was parallel to the flow of water. The glacial sediments B axis was not parallel to the flow of the glacier because it travels on it's A axis which is as I predicted. Stage 3 description, analysis and interpretation of evidence. All of my data I collected I believe I collected accurately. But unfortunately my results do not support my predictions very accurately which were; * Fluvial sediment will be generally smaller than glacial sediment. * Fluvial sediment will be more rounded than glacial sediment. The graphs which show sorting on the B axis for the fluvial sediment are vast variations than those predicted although they do provide weak evidence (graph sheet 1). For example, on the photograph below it is clear that there is sorting on the slip off slope. This sorting is the absolute opposite to what I had expected in my prediction. This variation may exist because it is a frequently visited spot and people very often pick up rocks to study them and cast them down in a different locations, this may have happened here. Or another reason could be my inaccurate measurements, or even the choice of my samples. Section 4 drawing and justifying conclusion and evaluation. Here were my main predictions * Fluvial sediment will be generally smaller than glacial sediment. * Fluvial sediment will be more rounded than glacial sediment. Here are the sub predictions * Sorting (division into coarse, medium and fine sizes). * And the orientation of the B axis. * And composition ( rock type ) As far as the sorting for the slip off slope is concerned, I found that my results are conclusive but very weakly so. The results did support my prediction roughly but not the extent I had hoped for. You can see evidence for this though section 3. Because I found that the slip off slope is not how I expected I have used additional secondary evidence to show what my results should have been like according to my prediction and the laws of fluvial deposition. There is only one reason I can see for my weak results for the slip off slope – human interference, it is easy to pick up something and place it down somewhere else, could that of happened here? Since it is a widely used site I believe this is the case. I believe that the evidence for the sorting I obtained from the fluvial sample appeared to be back to front the larger sediment should have been deposited at the front not the back. The composition is definitely as I had expected. So as far as the composition is concerned I found a definite conclusion that my sub-predictions were true, the fluvial deposits covered a wider range of rock type because it could transport more diverse material than the glacier. Although there is little evidence to support this there is a definite link. The orientation was not as I had of expected. I believed the glacier to be more randomised where as the fluvial to be more sorted. Evaluation We had a few problems during this investigation many of them minor, but a few were major. For example, since we did not have any artificial light and light throughout the day was fading we may have made a few mistakes on measurements, this may be a reason for some if not all of the anomalous points. One person in my group noted all of the data down on the day so we could have misjudged his handwriting and could have written variable data. Below is a simple diagram of some of our problems: The Main weaknesses and faults. The main weaknesses during my investigation were the lack of conclusive results as shown in the graphs. However this could be rectified by using secondary data, such as maps, other people's results as shown during my project shown after this page. As always any investigation can be improved by the quantity of evidence, and also the quantity. If I could obtain more evidence from different locations, i.e. not just from Glen Rosa it would provide a much better supporting structure for my predictions. Although this would involve thousands of pounds it would have a very accurate conclusion.

Preciousness essays

Preciousness essays Preciousness is a story that goes beyond the struggles of a teen-aged girls life, but it also portrays themes of basic life. Themes like, letting go and cultural differences apply to almost all people in one way or another. For that reason, Preciousness is not just a story about a young girls life, but its a story about all of our lives. Throughout the story, the reader is presented with a series of conflicts the girl faces. Her main problem was that she had a problem with men and boys. She felt that they were evil and only wanted one thing. I feel that she lived in her own world, where she made all the rules. ...she swallowed her coffee which the maid, scratching herself in the gloom of the kitchen, had reheated. She scarcely touched the bread which the butter failed to soften.1 This was extremely unhealthy for her, physically and mentally. Not eating healthily will make a person weak and can lead to many diseases. She did this to have men and boys avoid her, which was also unhealth y. Man or woman, one cannot avoid life and its people. I dont feel it is possible to be psychologically fit if a person cannot interact with a certain group because of a fear they have. Being scared of a certain person in that group is normal, but the entire group is a bit extreme. Life is a learning experience, but you cant fully experience life if you avoid certain things in it. One has to face reality at some point in life, it can be done the easy way, by accepting reality, or done the hard way, by denying the truth. The main character of the story decided that it would be better if she did things the hard way. The rising action, when the two boys were approaching here on an early morning, lead to a major problem. At the climax, the two boys groped the girl. At that moment, her bubble, malignantly protecting her from the world of reality, exploded. The destruction of her bubble led to an a...

The Math of Simple Debt Amortization

The Math of Simple Debt Amortization Incurring debt and making a series of payments to reduce this debt to nil is something you are very likely to do in your lifetime. Most people make purchases, such as a home or auto, that would only be feasible if we are given sufficient time to pay down the amount of the transaction. This is referred to as amortizing a debt, a term that takes its root from the French term amortir, which is the act of providing death to something. Amortizing a Debt The basic definitions required for someone to understand the concept are:1. Principal: The initial amount of the debt, usually the price of the item purchased.2. Interest Rate: The amount one will pay for the use of someone elses money. Usually expressed as a percentage so that this amount can be expressed for any period of time.3. Time: Essentially the amount of time that will be taken to pay down (eliminate) the debt. Usually expressed in years, but best understood as the number of an interval of payments, i.e., 36 monthly payments.Simple interest calculation follows the formula:​  I PRT, where I InterestP PrincipalR Interest RateT Time. Example of Amortizing a Debt John decides to buy a car. The dealer gives him a price and tells him he can pay on time as long as he makes 36 installments and agrees to pay six percent interest. (6%). The facts are: Agreed price 18,000 for the car, taxes included.3 years or 36 equal payments to pay out the debt.Interest rate of 6%.The first payment will occur 30 days after receiving the loan To simplify the problem, we know the following: 1. The monthly payment will include at least 1/36th of the principal so we can pay off the original debt.2. The monthly payment will also include an interest component that is equal to 1/36 of the total interest.3. Total interest is calculated by looking at a series of varying amounts at a fixed interest rate. Take a look at this chart reflecting our loan scenario. Payment Number Principle Outstanding Interest 0 18000.00 90.00 1 18090.00 90.45 2 17587.50 87.94 3 17085.00 85.43 4 16582.50 82.91 5 16080.00 80.40 6 15577.50 77.89 7 15075.00 75.38 8 14572.50 72.86 9 14070.00 70.35 10 13567.50 67.84 11 13065.00 65.33 12 12562.50 62.81 13 12060.00 60.30 14 11557.50 57.79 15 11055.00 55.28 16 10552.50 52.76 17 10050.00 50.25 18 9547.50 47.74 19 9045.00 45.23 20 8542.50 42.71 21 8040.00 40.20 22 7537.50 37.69 23 7035.00 35.18 24 6532.50 32.66 This table shows the calculation of interest for each month, reflecting the declining balance outstanding due to the principal pay down each month  (1/36 of the balance outstanding at the time of the first payment. In our example 18,090/36 502.50) By totaling the amount of interest and calculating the average, you can arrive at a simple estimation of the payment required to amortize this debt. Averaging will differ from exact because you are paying less than the actual calculated amount of interest for the early payments, which would change the amount of the outstanding balance and therefore the amount of interest calculated for the next period.Understanding the simple effect of interest on an amount in terms of a given time period and realizing that amortization is nothing more then a progressive summary of a series of simple monthly debt calculations should provide a person with a better understanding of loans and mortgages. The math is both simple and complex; calculating the periodic interest is simple but finding the exact periodic payment to amortize the debt is complex.

The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in Essay

The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in respect of temporal orientation - Essay Example The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in respect of temporal orientation In the 18th and 19th century scientists discovered the Sun to be only one star among from an infinitesimal number of stars and in the 20th century it revealed that Milky Way is only one galaxy among the myriads of similar galaxies. Nowadays Einstein’s theory of relativity is universally accepted. Relying on the equivalence principle, it has become unnecessary to determine the centre of the Cosmos. In other words, one can elect either the Sun or the Earth to be the centre (or reference point) of the solar system. All we know, everything is in motion in the Universe. The Earth is spinning around its axis and moves on an orbit around the Sun. These motions cause the alternation of days and nights and that of seasons. Observing from the Earth it appears as if the Sun were moving in the sky, following a regular path on the celestial heaven. We call Ecliptic the apparent way the Sun makes in a year in the sky. More precisely, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane. The ecliptic plane contains the Earth’s mean orbital plane in the solar system. Except for two, most planets in the solar system are moving almost on the same plane, therefore these planets appear from the Earth always close to the Ecliptic. The two exceptions are Mercury and Pluto whose orbital planes deviate from the ecliptic plane by 7Â ° and 17Â °, resp.

International strategic human resource management Essay

International strategic human resource management - Essay Example The Columbian Martin Barbero calls this movement as abstract inclusion and concrete exclusion. He emphsized that the many once sleepy towns have awaken to be the new industrial towns and cities of the nineteenth century where there was more class segregation. The community separation was made more complex by the more complex work conditions in our new industrial capitalism. Thus, the social authority was being deminished due to the commercial dismemberment of the cohesiveness of the national culture.( Goodall,1995) We can now travel, by jetplane, from on corner of the United Kingdom to the farthest community in the European Union. The European Union has given the citizens of one European Union country the free pass to visit any other European Union nation without a VISA. Airplanes and speedy trains have made travel from one European Union Country to Another very fast. A very good example is the United Kingdom which is composed of 3 countries. ... The national culture of one country is now in danger of being taken over or being mixed with the cultural of other countries.Storey quotes ""Every time that we snatch up a vehement opinion in ignorance and passion, every time that we long to crush an advesary by sheer violence, every time that we are envious, every time that we are brutal, every time that we adore mere power of success, every time that we add our voice to swell a blind clamor against some unpopular (Raymond, 1990)personage, every time that we trample savagely on the fallen [we have] found in our own bosom the eternal spirit of the populace.' (107; my italics) This quote by John Storey emphasizes that the new national culture is now a common culture (Inge,1989) of violence, envy, success, jealousy and success.Storey also states that national culture(David & Wodak,1999) has been marked by the above culture of cohesiveness under a state of authoritarianism and principles of hierarchy.Storey quoted Dwight Macdonald sayin g in the article A theory of Mass Culture "Mass culture (Wierzbicka, 1992)is imposed from above. It is fabricated by technicians hired by businessmen; its audience are passive consumers, their participation limited to the choice between buying and not buying. The Lords of kitsch, in short, exploit the cultural needs of the masses in order to make a profit and/or to maintain their class rule. (1998:23)" (Storey 29) This is a more sophisticated meaning of the society pertaining particularly to the consumers. The consumers simply either buy or do not buy the goods. The companies readily exploit this buy or not buy