Government Spying Essay

Austin Bryan Period-1 http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/news/2006/intell-060101-voa01.htm In some instances, governments believe that it is okay to spy on their citizens in order to preserve their freedom. I personally find this concept to be absurd. Living in a country that’s history is founded upon freedom of its citizens, and escaping oppression of tyrant governments, leaves me very skeptical on this concept. I believe that if the government is spying on its citizens it is actually taking away their freedom rather than preserving it. Living in an era of increasing technology has made it much easier for a government to spy on its citizens. Because of this, it has become a problem in many places around the world. Think about back in elementary school when you had pen pals from other countries. How would you feel if the government was able to intrude on your personal life just because you made contact abroad? For us in America, a government spying on its citizens sounds pretty crazy right? In 2006 president Bush did just that by enabling a â€Å"Government Phone Tap†. President Bush thought in order to preserve citizen’s freedoms that is was justified to tap into people’s phones and emails. The only people that were supposed to be the recipients of phone tapings where those who were making calls abroad, particularly to suspected al-Qaida connections. Not only is this a complete violation of peoples constitutional rights and privacy, but Bush also neglected the need for a warrant in this instance. To this day many immigrants from other countries come to America seeking asylum from oppressive governments. America is supposed to be a safe haven where people’s rights and privacy are protected under the constitution. Acts of government espionage upon its own citizens like this are completely unacceptable. I believe that the only way from a government to protect its citizen’s freedom is to respect everyone’s freedom regardless of circumstances.

Layers of the Earth Essay

The Crust is the first and upper most layer of the Earth. There is Continental Crust which sits on top of Oceanic Crust. This layer is made frequently from granite rocks and is solid. Continental Crust is approximately 32km. Below the Continental Crust is Oceanic Crust. It is about 8km. This part of the Crust is made from basalt rocks. The Crust is most of lithosphere and is the coolest layer by far. Mantle is like silly putty consistency. It is the largest layer of Earth sitting under the Crust. It is made roughly from silicon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium. The layer is composed almost entirely of magma – molten rock inside the earth. The mantle is about 2,900km thick. The mantle gets warmer with depth; the top of the mantle is about 870Â ° C, headed for the bottom of the mantle, the temperature is about 2,200-3,700Â ° C. Outer Core is the third layer. This level is basically liquid. Most of this layer is made from liquid nickel and iron. Outer Core is about 2,200km thick. The temperature of the Outer Core is 4000-5000Â °C. Inner Core is the fourth layer of the Earth. The thickness of the Inner Core is 1,250km and mainly consists of iron, nickel and some lighter elements (probably sulphur, carbon, oxygen, silicon and potassium. The temperature in the inner core is about 5000-6000Â °C, it is the hottest layer of the Earth. Because of the high pressure, the core is solid. If a person were to travel that deep, they would burn up with in the Mantle before they ever came near the core. Even with a ship that could withstand the high temperature, it would be crushed by the great pressure.

Online Course Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Online Course Development - Research Paper Example ive and apply other corresponding tools and processes in curriculum development when developing projects consistent with their professional aspirations and expectations. 1. There are different types of theorizing as presented by different authors and scholars. Define the term â€Å"Theorizing† as discussed by different scholars. What are the implications for the different definitions for practice? 2. Read chapter 4 of Marsh and Willis and other online readings recommended for this course. Develop a virtual mental picture of the teachers; prescriptive theorizer (TED), Descriptive Theorizer (TAMMY) and Critical-Exploratory Theorizer (TODD). Remember to include in your mental picture of these teachers, their common beliefs, goals, beliefs, practices, and habits 2. Students must reflect the different priorities, backgrounds, experience and skill brought by different stakeholders during curriculum planning. Remember to develop detailed discussions on the role played by teachers, principals, parents and student during curriculum development 1. Write a critical response on the basic concepts that underlie curriculum research and some of the approaches schools are using to support the process of curriculum development. The reflection should thorough and present a clear thesis. 2. Discuss the problems faced during curriculum planning and implementations. Include approaches that can be used to solve the problems you stated and possible recommendation for future implementation process 1. In Chapter 6 of the course textbook, Marsh and Willis (2007) elaborate and present the different players during the curriculum process and the hats they wear. In the hats presented in the chapter, identify the hats that you may wear. Visit and open the course website and click on that hat. Read the role associated with that hat during the curriculum planning and implementation process. 2. You are a crucial member of the curriculum planning group. Two facilitators have agreed to work

Did Horse_ebooks Show Us that SPAM is the Web's Native Artform Essay

Did Horse_ebooks Show Us that SPAM is the Web's Native Artform - Essay Example Based on the arguments and facts presented by the video, I agree that spam is the native form of art for the internet. Spam remains a native form of art for internet users because they always seem to surrender to banner ads. The lengthy period spam has been on the internet would cause one to argue that users are used to and aware of spam by just looking at it. However, despite this knowledge, internet users seem unable to resist clicking on spam posing as banner ads. As a result, online and blog marketers continue using spam as an advertising tool because of its effectiveness and seemingly captivating nature (PBS Idea Channel 2014). At the same time, there are millions of new internet users daily. Arguably, these users are obviously unaware of spam and its potential effect on private accounts. Eventually, new users will further this native form of art because of their unawareness and marketers will continue using it so long as it is effective. Operating as a spambot, Horse_ebooks is an excellent example of the reaches AI (artificial intelligence) can reach when applied as a marketing tool. According to Rugnetta, Horse_ebooks was an â€Å"algorithmic assembled poetry,† which acted as the essence of the bot (PBS Idea Channel 2014). This definition explains why Horse_ebooks’ admirers and twitter followers found its posts intriguing and even poignant. Knowing that a machine operated the account compelled people to expect posts about ad links, meaningless statements, and often irritating news or products and services. However, Horse_ebooks’ posts were a depiction of advanced AI’s ability to communicate and interact in an almost human way. This ability was the source of people’s connection with the bot, as well as the operator’s initial intent of using it as a marketing tool. Like any other type of community, the internet aggressively searches for its native forms of art and spam is the best example and â€Å"candidate† (PBS

Anna in the tropics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anna in the tropics - Essay Example This production response focuses of analyzing the themes, characters, subject evaluation, plot of the play, and recommendation. Story (plot description) Santiago’s cigar factory is among the famous Ybor city factories of the year 1929 and the factory is experiencing modernization with new technology posing an effect of replacing the current Cuban workers (Cruz 2010, p.5). At the beginning of the play, Santiago involves himself in a bet and finally loses his money, while his daughters and wife wait for Juan Julian arrival to read aloud to the employees. He chooses â€Å"Anna Karenina†, Tolstoy’s novel as his first choice for the workers. The women seem to be interested with the novel but Cheche and Santiago’s stepbrother seem less enthused. As the lector reads the novel deeper, those who are listening to the story also remain attentive (Cruz 2010, p.10). However, Cheche is not at all concentrating with the lector’s story, and strives to transform the entire factory. During the new cigar brand inauguration, all workers throw a party to celebrate the implementation of the new cigar that will improve their success although Cheche is highly frustrated (Cruz 2010, p.12). Character Santiago- Santiago is the cigar factory owner. Being overwhelmed with gambling troubles, he struggles a lot to ensure that his wife and two daughters receive maximum protection and provision. He also defends the nature of Cuban worker’s tradition in his cigar factory. His character trait depicts that one should be active enough to ensure good care of his family and defend his or her idea (Bryer & Hartig 2010, p.32). Anna’s husband- Anna’s husband, Karenin is a man of influence, riches, and has a good social character that at first seems to be naive about his wife’s friendship with Vronsky. After realizing the affair between his wife and Vronsky, he finds ways on how to comport himself for he tries as much to avoid scandals at an y cost. The character aspect with Karenin is that it is good to avoid scandals since they can be costly to one’s life (Maufort 2010, P. 134). Cheche- Cheche is the Santiago’s stepbrother who claims for partial ownership of the factory because of his wager winning. Ever since his wife left him for the lector’s, he remains to be dangerous to the rest of workers due to the bitterness. Cheche is highly interested in modernizing the factory operations and shows no interest with the new lector’s stories (Maufort 2010, P. 134). Ideas (the major themes of the play) One of the main themes portrayed in the play is that of violence versus reason. The first scene of the play shows a contrast of two life approaches, one reasoned and the other violent (Maufort 2010, P. 133). The play portrays violent by the cockfighting savage game, which suggests that cunning, skill, and might, will constantly win. Although Cheche depicts to be a cautious person, when it is time for g ambling, he insists the notion that physical control will triumph following reason’s failure to persuade (Maufort 2010, P. 133). For instance, Cheche takes Marela forcibly when she decides to pay no attention to his innuendo and lurid glances. On the other hand, Ofelia and Santiago do not support the idea of automating the factory because this will displace workers (Maufort 2010, P. 136). The two employ sounds reasons to support their decisions although they are

Human wk 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human wk 11 - Essay Example When I say this, I mean that the teacher helps them learn through their learning style and keeps them excited about learning. As a scholar practitioner, I think it is important to understand those things or issues that motivate a client to do or not do something. As an example, money may be a motivator for some people, but it is not always the most important issue in someone's life. When thinking about social change, I think that many people are motivated by different issues in society and they stand behind those that are most important to them. As an example, I believe that teens must have support to get through some of the tough times that they go through with their friends and we must help them deal with these problems or they become larger. I also think that as a scholar-practitioner, it is our duty to make sure that we understand the influences and/or motivations that our clients have in order to help serve them more accurately. References Reeve, J.M. (2009). Understanding motiv ation and emotion. Fifth Edition. NJ: John Wiley & Sons Assignment 3 I think that it was very important to understand those things that motivate us in order for us to move towards a goal. In this course, I stated in the beginning that I had the goal of making a success of my life through getting my Masters degree.

Nutrition assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nutrition - Assignment Example Fat used also prevents the mixed dough from sticking to the pan and enhances the flavor and taste. Leavening agent used forms a gas as the heat intensifies; leading to the rise of the product; thus a lighter texture of the product. The open spaces created are as a result of the action of leavening agent. The liquid used may be milk, water, and fruit juice. Addition of the liquid to the dry ingredients creates a mixture. As the heat intensifies in the oven, the liquid in the mixture aids in the rising action of the product. The function of the liquid in the recipe is moisture, preserving agent, flavor, and tenderness. Protein in eggs and flour makes the mixture smooth thus leading to a tender product. Sugar is used as a flavor enhancer, tenderizer, and it make up a liquid ingredient. Heat and action of the mixture components causes the flour to brown (Brown, 408). Compare and contrast the nutrient contribution of vegetables from four different classifications of vegetables by filling out the table below. Use 1 cup or 100 grams (gms) as the serving amount for each vegetable. Be consistent in serving size for all vegetables. Use information for the raw product. Use the USDA food Nutrient database, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ for your analysis. 4. Sprinkle some of the flour on the board and scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the floured board. Put some flour on your hands and knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. During this time you will find it necessary to add more flour. (If you have never kneaded dough refer to the video for the technique.) When you have finished kneading take a fourth photo. 5. You will need to wash out your bowl or use another bowl. Coat the bowl with oil or spray it with nonstick coating, put the dough in the bowl and allow it to stand for about one hour. Take a fifth photo of the dough. 7. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. Bake in a

Gain an understanding of Marx and apply the work of the theorist to a Essay

Gain an understanding of Marx and apply the work of the theorist to a contemporary issue - Essay Example The club represented the intellectual avant-garde as it took a leading part in the Young Hegelian movement (Blumenberg 33). Marx eventually became a journalist, the end of his life spent in London in poverty. His works were not well known during his own lifetime. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher who was instrumental in the creation of the German Idealism. Dying in 1831, Hegel was part of the philosophical environment of the late 18th and early 19th century. Hegel developed theories about alienation but was confined to theorizing about alienation of consciousness. Marx was interested in Feuerbach who connected the theory to existence. Blumenberg (2000) quotes Marx as having said that Feuerbach â€Å"founded true materialism† by making â€Å"the social relationship of man to man the basic theory of his principle† and for having opposed Hegel’s mere â€Å"negation of the negation† with â€Å"the positive that has its own self for founda tion and basis† (58). In pursuing this area of inquiry, Marx developed his theories of revolution upon ’real humanism’ which â€Å"aims to overthrow capitalist society in order to realize the human essence† (Blumenberg 2000: 58). ... Feuerbach postulated that â€Å"it is anthropotheistic, the exclusive love of man for himself, the exclusive self-affirmation of the human-nature† (Churchich 1994: 260). The theory of alienation was explored as man alienates himself from his nature through the development of religion. Marx adapted this concept to his own theories of the proletariat. Intentions and Purposes Marx can be seen for his formation of the theory of a utopian society in which the true essence of being human can be revealed and lived. His calls for revolution are based upon a belief that the path on which commerce and industry was setting a course would be the end of true humanity. Marx posited his theories with the intention of condemning capitalism, an economic structure that he found to be damning to the human race. Marx intended to support his beliefs in Socialism; however, his work was not to be known during his own lifetime. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts were not published until 1928, his o wn era not knowing much about his theories (Blumenberg 2000). Themes Most of what Marx is known for writing about is in terms of the role of the worker within a capitalist society. In his Theories of Alienation, Marx developed ideas about the nature of man, his need for understanding the purpose of his work and the intent. He discusses the way in which art is a natural part of the human experience, relating this human element to the way in which capitalism takes this from man in the industrialization of production as it is done for the purpose of providing profit to the owners. The interruption of management in the flow of gain from product creates another form of alienation in which the end benefit is not realized by the one who produces the product.

Group work British Airline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Group work British Airline - Essay Example British Airways: Vision and Strategies The vision of British Airways is to emerge as the leading international premium airline throughout the globe. British airways has come up with several strategies towards the fulfilment of this long term vision. The organisation is committed to achieve the same through efficient cost base and its focus on the excellent customer service (UBS, n.d., p.2). All these would decide how quickly the airline would be able to revive from the recent economic downturn. Moreover, these significant strategies would help the organisation to establish a sustainable as well as profitable future for its business by benefiting its employees, partners, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. In the coming years, the airline company would remain its focus on the aviation industry. The core business would remain on moving people and cargo. The airline company would offer to attract the customers from across the globe. They want the people across the globe to w ish to fly with British Airways whenever it is possible. The company has come up with few significant strategic goals which the organisation would strive to attain and wish to be. British Airways aims to be desired carrier for the long haul premium customers. The organisation has identified the long-haul premium customers, key to its profitability. The organisation tries to align its product, service and network according to customers’ requirements. Furthermore, the carrier would also keep its strong presence in cargo service and short-haul segments. All these sectors play a crucial role to support the core business of this organisation. British Airways is looking forward to its extension in other cuties. However, at the same time, the company works to gain and sustain its leading position in London. The city is seemed to be its financial centre of its business as this is one of the biggest airline industry across the globe. It is very crucial for British Airways to ensure th at Heathrow remains as a crucial global hub. As a consequence, the airline company has been influential to influence the government decisions regarding the relevant policies as well as works along with the airport owners to continue on the infrastructural development activities (British Airways, 2010). The drive for extension worked out well with the merging of British Airways and Iberia. Joining with Iberia would fetch total revenue of $ 18.5 billion placing it third across the Europe. With this consolidation, the group has given a tight competition to Air France –KLM and Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Rothwell, 2011). British Airways would continue to satisfy the requirements of its customers and enhance the margins through the introduction of new revenue streams in the business. The group would be introducing profitable additional services to the customers which would add value and strengthen this leading brand. The new products and services would be introduced to utilize its assets and organisational capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the core customers, which would, in turn, enhance the customers’ loyalty. British Airways also communicates with the travel agents to understand the new services offered by the competitors (Perreault, 2006, p.284). Analysis of Internal Environment Financial Analysis The

Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency Essay Example for Free

Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency Essay Welcome to Costa Ricas only Premium Full Service Adult Travel Agency! We specialize in exotic and memorable expeditions like no other. Our mission is to plan and design pleasure tours that would cater to each traveler’s needs, and making them come back for more. Costa Rica Escorts Exotic Travel is a one-stop shop to the adventure you have always dreamed of. From travel details, transportation, meals, lodging, and entertainment-name it, WE HAVE IT! In addition to this, our adult companion packages to all regions of Costa Rica are available ALL YEAR ROUND! So what are you waiting for? Read further and help us plan the most memorable get-away you will experience in your life! SERVICES Travel we have a team of experts who would pick you and your friends anywhere in Costa Rica. From there on, you will be brought to the special place of your choice, where the weather is warm and dry, with boutiques nearby. Click on the various regional home pages and their respective resorts for more details. All resorts recommended in this site are first class. Please contact the hotels for more details. Gallery – this is where all the magic begins. Our gallery is filled with beautiful, young women who can brighten up your lonely day. All ladies are very warm, polite, sweet, and GUARANTEED CLEAN. You can choose among our wide selection of fine escorts by browsing through their pictures and descriptions. Choose two or more of our loveliest women that arouse your interest, and we will inform you if they would be made available to your particular travel dates. Feel free to fill out our â€Å"Online Reservation† to enter a paradise filled with excitement and adventure. Too good to be true? Think again. You are just a click away from your very own private adventure. At Costa Rica Escorts, our priority is to give you your safety and SATISFACTION, while keeping your security and privacy. So what are you waiting for? Travel with us and experience the once in a lifetime exotic adventure!

Why Dunkin Donuts Closed In Faisalabad Marketing Essay

Why Dunkin Donuts Closed In Faisalabad Marketing Essay James Beard (1903-1985) The food industry is the complex, global collective of diverse business that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population. Processed food sales worldwide are approximately 3.2 trillion US dollars (2004). Only in US, consumers spend approximately US 1 trillion dollars. Nestlà © is the largest food and beverage company in the world. The food and its allied products industry is considered Pakistans largest industry. Trade sources estimate the sectors total value of production is over Rs 46 billion. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. In 1867, Charles Feltman, a German butcher opened the first fast food diner in Brooklyn, New York city. Dunkin Donuts is the worlds largest coffee and backed goods chain, serving more than 3 million customers per day. It was founded in 1950 by Bill Rosenberg. The first Dunkin Donuts shop was opened in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. In 1955 first Dunkin Donuts franchise was sold and ten years later (i.e. 1965) the first international branch was opened in Canada. At the end of 2008, Dunkin Donuts had a total of 8835 franchised restaurants including 2440 international shops in 31 countries. Dunkin Donuts has sales of over 4 million donuts a day and it had sales of 5.5 billion US dollars in the fiscal year 2008. Its international head office is located in Canton, Massachusetts. In 1998, First branch of Dunkin Donuts was opened in Karachi. In January 2004, Dunkin Donuts opened its branch in Faisalabad and it closed down in April 2005. Problem Statement / Research Question Why Dunkin Donuts closed down in Faisalabad Possible Reasons: The Closure of Dunkin Donuts Faisalabad Branch could have been due to one or more following reasons: Inadequate awareness among people of Faisalabad? Failed to develop taste? Difficult Accessibility? Supply Issues? Service Quality? Environment? High Pricing? Methodologies / Study We used to methods in our research process: In-depth telephonic interview Survey through questionnaire In-depth telephonic interview: We obtained the number of the required person from the Dunkin Donuts head office in Lahore. We conducted a telephonic conversation with Mr. Naveed Malik, who was the branch manager of Dunkin Donuts in Faisalabad at the time of closure and currently he is working as the Business Development Manager in Dunkin Donuts. Firstly we inquired him the problem s which contributed in the closure of the branch. He mentioned various reasons to it. According to him they faced supply problems as the kitchen was in Lahore and the stuff reached the branch after 2 and half hours of the daily opening which contributed towards the customer dissatisfaction. He mentioned that they used various tactics to create the awareness among the locals but they were failed in doing so. He also added that Dunkin Donuts did not match the Faisalabads taste culture and they also failed to develop the taste. He also blamed the local city government for their non-supportive behavior towards them as they refused to cut a t urn on the road which made the customers to reach the branch with difficulty. Then we asked him about their competitors in Faisalabad. He replied that there was no competition in Faisalabad as they deal primarily in cafà © and donuts which no other brand offered at that time locally. Then we asked him about their target customers. He told us that the target customers were mainly families Survey through Questionnaire: For the survey we had a sample size of 100 individuals which comprised of our friends, relatives and some strangers. We got the questionnaire (see appendix 1) filled at their homes where we were present in person. The reason behind selecting this target sample was they were easily accessible and were expected to provide their honest opinion as they share personal relationship with us. Our analysis of the questionnaire is as under: Note: For Pie Charts, See Appendix 2 Q 1. What is your Age group? 5 people were of the age less than 10 years, 15 belonged to the age group of 11-15 years, 30 people were aged between 16 and 20, 25 people belonged to the age group of 21-25 and 17 were from the age group of 26-30. Only 8 people were of the age of more than 30 years. Q 2. Do you Like Donuts? 70 people said that they like donuts and 30 people said that they are not fond of donuts. Q 3. Have you ever heard of Dunkin Donuts? 90 people said they had heard of Dunkin Donuts while 10 people had never heard about it. Q 4. Have you ever went to Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad? Out of the 100 people who answered the questionnaire, 90 had gone to Dunkin Donuts Faisalabad while 10 had not. Q 5. What did you order? 60 people had ordered donuts, 50 had ordered sandwiches, 30 people had offered coffee/tea and 95 people ordered soft drinks. Q 6. How was your overall experience at Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad? 20 people said that their experience in Dunkin Donuts was excellent, 50 said it was good, 15 said it was fair and 5 said that their experience was bad. Q 7. How will you rate Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad from scale 1-10 with 10 being the highest (excellent taste)? Mostly people rated Dunkin Donuts between 5 and 8 on a scale of 10. Q 8. Did you go to any of the Dunkin Donuts branches outside Faisalabad? Only 36 people had gone to Dunkin Donuts outside Faisalabad. The other 64 had never been to any Dunkin Donuts branch outside Faisalabad. Q 9. Did you find any difference between the Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad and the other branches outside Faisalabad which you visited? 6 people said they noticed a lot of difference between Dunkin Donuts branch in Faisalabad and a branch outside Faisalabad. 20 noticed a minor difference and 10 did not find any difference at all. Q 10. What Factor contributed for the difference between Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad and the other branches? 2 people said that the factor that contributed to the difference between the branches was due to variance in service quality, 10 said it was food quality, 10 said it was environment, 3 said it was cleanliness while 1 person said it was variety of food. Q 11. Can Dunkin Donuts Compete with its competitors? 40 people said yes, 5 people said maybe and 45 people said no. Q 12. Why do you think Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad closed down permanently? 10 people said the reason for the closure of the branch was bad service, 3 people said unhygienic conditions, 20 people said expensive, 7 people thought it was low food quality, 5 people said environment was not suitable, 5 people said bad location and 40 people said that Dunkin Donuts failed to develop taste of people living in Faisalabad. Limitations Many problems were faced during the preparation of this research project, which were handled amicably. Following were the limitations we have faced during the project In availability of internet Difficulty in finding suitable consultant Load shedding Transportation problem Faced difficulties in printing Conclusion When a customer comes to a restaurant he looks for a mix of services, quality, taste, satisfaction, accessibility and the value of money. If the particular restaurant fails to provide that mix, there are great chances of the restaurant to close down because the customer will become dissatisfied and he will not return to that place again. Same thing happened in the case of Dunkin Donuts Faisalabad, where they failed to provide the mix to their customers. Suggestions: To Enhance supplies To expand their customer base from families to masses. Takes appropriate steps regarding the awareness of the taste among the locals Make the outlet more accessible for the customers Price range should be vast so that it can absorb all income groups Appendix 1 Sample Questionnaire: Name: Contact No: Note: Please Circle the correct answer. You may choose more than one answer Q1) What is your Age group? Less than 10 11-15 16-20 21-25 25-30 30 or more Q2) Do you Like Donuts? Yes No Q3) Have you ever heard of Dunkin Donuts? Yes No If No then you dont need to go further Q4) Have you ever went to Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad? Yes No If No then skip Q5-6 Q5) What did you order? Donut Sandwich Coffee / Tea Soft Drink Q6) How was your overall experience at Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad? Excellent Good Fair Bad Q7) How will you rate Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad from scale 1-10 with 10 being the highest (excellent taste)? _____ / 10 Q8) Did you go to any of the Dunkin Donuts branches outside Faisalabad? Yes No If yes then please specify: ________________ If No, then skip Question 9-10 Q9) Did you find any difference between the Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad and the other branches outside Faisalabad which you visited? Yes, a lot of difference A minor difference Not at all If you answer is option c then skip Question 10 Q10) What Factor contributed for the difference between Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad and the other branches? Service Food Quality Cleanliness Environment Variety Q11) Can Dunkin Donuts Compete with its competitors? Yes absolutely Maybe No Q12) Why do you think Dunkin Donuts, Faisalabad closed down permanently? Failed to develop the taste of people living in Faisalabad Bad service Unhygienic Conditions Expensive Low food quality Environment was not suitable Bad selection of location Other: Any suggestion you would like to give regarding Dunkin Donuts? Appendix 2 Pie Charts:

Politeness - a comparison between Chinese and English :: essays research papers

Table of contents 1. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 2. Politeness – a theoretical approach  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 3. the concept of limao  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 4. Request strategies  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4.1. Request strategies in Chinese  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4.2. Request strategies in English  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 5. Forms of address  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.1. Forms of address in Chinese  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.2. Forms of address in English  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 6. Chinese: Politeness across social groups  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8 7. Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9 References  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 1. Introduction In many parts of this world, former existing borders are removed and people move closer together. It has to be admitted that most of the time this happens due to economical reasons, and the phenomenon of mass media has to be mentioned in this context as well. Therefore it becomes even more important to be able to understand cultures of different life-styles. But the success or failure of communication does not only depend on how well a language is spoken, but also on intonation and body language. Dr. Mehrabian, a prominent and successful psychologist, is perhaps best known for the investigation of the role of non-verbal communication. He published findings indicating that spoken words only account for 7% of what a listener perceives. The remaining 93% of what a listener comprehends originate from the speaker's body language and tone employed in the delivery of the words. Not only because of studies like this, non-verbal communication plays an important role when studying language in its social context. A very interesting topic in this large field is politeness, since forms of politeness are often misinterpreted and lead to misunderstandings. So I chose to have a closer look at the differences between politeness in Chinese and English. Since it is very difficult to collect data concerning politeness in the language of Chinese, this paper is theory-based only. Nevertheless, many books that cover this topic can be found. Some of the books used for the research of this paper were written by native speakers of Chinese, which is an indication for the author’s competence of the language. Therefore, collecting additional data would not only have been difficult, but also inefficient. This paper will deal with the topic of request strategies used by speakers of the People’s Republic of China and the terms of address in Chinese and English. Besides, it will focus on request strategies across societal structures and social groups. In addition, it will discuss the concept of limao, the traditional concept of politeness in China. This paper will not allow to cover all important issues concerning this topic, but it shall give a rough overview and should give the reader an incentive to have a closer look at this field of study.

Not Just a Number: Critical Numeracy for Adults :: Numeracy Mathematics Education Essays

Not Just a Number: Critical Numeracy for Adults "It is difficult to understand why so many people must struggle with concepts that are actually simpler than most of the ideas they deal with every day. It is far easier to calculate a percentage than it is to drive a car." (Dewdney 1993, p. 1) To many people, the words "math" and "simple" do not belong in the same sentence. Math has such an aura of difficulty around it that even people who are quite competent in other areas of life are not ashamed to admit they can't "do" math. Innumeracy is more socially acceptable and tolerated than illiteracy (Dewdney 1993; Withnall 1995). Rather than discussing specific ways to teach math to adults, this Digest looks at emerging perspectives on numeracy and their social, cultural, and political implications as a context for new ways of thinking about adult numeracy instruction. What Is Numeracy? Numeracy involves the functional, social, and cultural dimensions of mathematics. Numeracy is the type of math skills needed to function in everyday life, in the home, workplace, and community (Withnall 1995). Although not always recognized as such, math is used in many everyday situations-cooking, shopping, crafts, financial transactions, traveling, using VCRs and microwave ovens, interpreting information in the media, taking medications. Different people need different sets of math skills, and their numeracy needs change in response to changes in life circumstances, such as buying a car or house or learning a new hobby (Gal 1993; Withnall 1995). Like literacy, numeracy "is not a fixed entity to be earned and possessed once and for all" (Steen 1990, p. 214), nor a skill one either has or doesn't have. Instead, people's skills are situated along a continuum of different purposes for and levels of accomplishment with numbers. Beyond daily living skills, numeracy is now being defined as knowledge that empowers citizens for life in their particular society (Bishop et al. 1993). Thus, numeracy has economic, social, and political consequences for individuals, organizations, and society. Low levels of numeracy limit access to education, training, and jobs; on the job, it can hinder performance and productivity. Lack of numeracy skills can cause overdependence on experts and professionals and uncritical acceptance of charlatans and the claims of pseudoscience (Dewdney 1993). Inability to interpret numerical information can be costly financially; it can limit full citizen participation and make people vulnerable to political or economic manipulation.

Busl250 – Mid Semester Notes

BUSL250 – Mid-semester Notes Liabilities * Harm may be caused deliberately or carelessly * One person’s single harmful act to another person (deliberately or carelessly) can give rise to one or more legal liabilities * Legal Liabilities Tortious Liability: harmful act can be a tort (civil wrong), other than breach of contract, remedy is compensation (commenced through litigation) * Vicarious Liability: Liability for harmful act caused by another * Statutory liability: harmful act by breach of statute, prosecution is punishment * Contractual liability: harmful act by breach of contract, remedy is compensation * Criminal liability: harmful act and harmful act is a crime, incurs criminal liability, prosecution for punishment * A harmful act may incur one or more legal liabilities Tortious vs. contractual liability: tortious liability can incur in the absence of contract but contract liability can only incur if a contract exists. * Difference between tortious liability and criminal liability * Consequences of causing harm Tort of trespass * Trespass is actionable per se, which means that there is no need for the plaintiff to prove actual loss or damage in order to commence a civil action against the trespasser. It is, however, necessary to prove that the interference was either intentional or negligent. * Types of trespass You commit the tort of trespass to land if you directly and intentional interference with land in the rightful possession of X without X’s consent of other excuse. Lord Bernstein of Leigh (Baron) v Skyviews & General Ltd [1978] 1 QB 479 * * Doesn’t need to be physical trespass of airspace * A tenant in rightful possession of land has the right to sue for trespass, including the right to sue the landlord if the landlord enters the land without permission or lawful excuse. * No trespass to land if there is no attempt to make it clear that you are not welcomed to their land. i. e. mplied permission * You commit the tort o f trespass to goods if you directly and intentionally interfere with goods in the possession of X, without X’s consent or other excuse * Trespass against goods: direct and intentional interference with or use of personal property of another * Conversion: intentionally using/dealing the goods that is inconsistent with the owner or their rightful possession of the good * Dentine: committed when someone either intentionally or careless detains the goods of another. (i. e. carelessly through loosing the good not able to give back when demanded) * Trespass to persons: You commit the tort of battery if you directly, intentionally or negligently cause contact with the body of x without X’s consent. Courts established plaintiff’s not entitled to insist that no one ever touch them, and that a certain minimal level of physical contact is an unavoidable element of daily life. Rixon v Star City Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 265 * You commit a tort of assault if you unlawfully threat en another with imminent physical harm * You commit the tort of false imprisonment if you cause total deprivation of X’s freedom of movement without lawful justification or excuse * Defences * Accident * Consent * Necessity Self defence (usually for trespass to person) * Defence of property (usually for trespass to person) Tort of nuisance * You commit the tort of nuisance if you indirectly interfere (i. e. interfere with no actual physical contact e. g. through noise) with X’s use and enjoyment of private or public land * 2 types * Private nuisance * Public nuisance * Defences: * Consent from plaintiff (expressed or implied) * Statutory legislation * Contributory negligence Tort of defamation * You commit the tort of defamation if you publish to a third party, spoken or written form, a statement about x that would damage the reputation of X.Economic torts * Tort of deceit: a tort committed when one person makes a fraudulent misrepresentation to another * If you tell s omeone the truth then something happens that changes those facts, you must notify persons of that change or you will be charged with misrepresentation * You must know that the information you gave was false to misrepresent * No defence to expect plaintiff to check the information * Tort of passing off: a tort committed when one person misrepresents themselves or their product as having some kind of connection with another person or business.Pacific Dunlop v Hogan. * Tort of intimidation: a tort and/or crime committed when one person threatens to commit an unlawful act to force another to do something against their interest Rookes v Barnard. * Tort of interference with contractual relations: a tort committed when one person knowingly induces another to break a contract with a third party. Lumley v Wagner. *

Net Neutrality Essay

Over the last decade or so, the net neutrality debate has got all the more intense, particularly with numerous countries contemplating the idea of introducing a legislation about the same. With certain regulations prohibiting practices like child pornography or gambling in place, people are pressing for even more severe regulations which would completely ban the unethical practices involved in Internet access and transmission of data on the Internet. The whole world has been divided into two groups over this issue – one which defend s the concept of net neutrality and another which opposes it. Before we go to net neutrality pros and cons and join the ongoing debate on Internet regulation, let’s try to understand what the concept of net neutrality actually means. What is Net Neutrality? Net neutrality, also referred to as Internet neutrality, is a regulatory concept which eradicate s any type of discrimination in transmission and access of content on the Internet. It is somewhat comparable to the concept of ‘network neutrality’, which regulates various telecommunication networks, including television and telephone. According to the main principle of net neutrality, the websites which provide content and the users who search for it are equal, and therefore nobody should be given preferential treatment at the cost of others. The concept prohibits Internet service providers from blocking or deregulating websites belonging to their competitors. Simply put, the concept of net neutrality ensures that the Internet service providers, search engines and other online service providers do not restrict or filter the traffic to competitor websites. Net Neutrality Pros and Cons As we mentioned earlier, the entire world is divided into two groups on the lines of Internet regulation pros and cons. With no concrete legislation in place, net neutrality is nothing more than a set of professional ethics with no compulsion of implementation. Given below are the details of various pros and cons of net neutrality, which are to be taken into consideration before trying to constitute any rules based on this concept. Pros of Net Neutrality The foremost advantage of net neutrality is that it is helpful in adding competitiveness to the market, as the users are given more options to choose from. The competition between service providers will make each of them come up with their best, and this will directly benefit the end user as he won’t just get options to choose from but also get quality service. Those in support of net neutrality are of the opinion that government control of the Internet would eliminate monopoly, thus ensuring that the big websites do not dominate the market. It will also help in curbing the numerous illegal activities and frauds which can be attributed to the web. Interestingly, most of the websites out there are in support of the concept of net neutrality. Cons on Net Neutrality Those who oppose net neutrality argue that it is a completely pointless exercise as none of the service providers would go about sabotaging their rivals by blocking their content or degrading network performance. They also cite the example of other networks which are functioning properly even with the major contributors being in charge of them. As far as government control of the Internet is concerned, these people argue that it would result in increased Internet censorship and invasion of privacy, both of which wouldn’t go down well with the users. Those were some of the most prominent net neutrality pros and cons which have to be taken into consideration before passing any legislation about it. As the realms of Internet continue to develop, Internet safety has become one of the main concern for the users. That being said, the administration has to step in and implement measures such as net neutrality in order to address this concern. It is only possible to implement such regulatory measures after all the pros and cons of Internet regulation are evaluated. While the United States is yet to come up with any such legislation, countries like Japan already have laws pertaining to Internet access in place. If stalwarts of the field are to be believed, the issue of net neutrality is going to take the whole world by storm in the next few years to come.

Big city or small town Essay

Good afternoon everyone. Today I’d like to say something about big city and small town. It sounds charming to see stars at night, to plant fruits in the garden, or to picnic on the lawn, rural life distinguished itself in being closer to nature. But truth to be told, living close to nature also means that there will be plenty of animals and insects visiting your home and vegetation. Surely Fish is more inclined to enjoy itself in marine environment instead of being stuck in a small pond. So are humans. City born and city bred, the quiet life of country has never appealed to me and I fancy the adventurous and splendid life of city. To begin with, living in a big city can enjoy the best services and entertainment as well as more opportunities. In a megalopolis, the government and wealthy people have invested lots of capital and resources in providing people with fabulous facilities, services and infrastructure like big cinemas, theatres, stadiums, big shopping malls, the best me dical services, good education resources, uncountable restaurants, theme parks, museums, convenient transport systems, etc, resulting in more job opportunities and choices. These are all rarely found in small towns as most of them are located in suburbs where population density is low and transportation is poor, so it will be very boring and inconvenient to live in a small town. In addition, living in a metropolis can broaden your horizons. With a very dense population, big cities such as New York contain a diverse realm of ideas and innovations, as well as different high valued cultural activities and lifestyles. There are uncountable things to do, thousands of all sorts of unique or strange or interesting people to meet, and numerous places to visit every day, and much more opportunities to explore various cultures and knowledge. On the other hand, a small town has a strong homogeneity, in which all people in the town share similar ideas and attitudes, so what people in a small town can experience and learn is limited to the town: what you can know are only the ideas of your neighbors, who you can meet are only the people from the same town, where you can go are only the areas nearby! Only in the big city can people satisfy their curiosity of the outside world, their thirst for knowledge and their eagerness of gaining different  experiences. Last but not least, a big city is vibrant while a small town is comparatively boring. In small towns, people usually live a stable, slow and simple lifestyle, which consists of very little changes in everyday life. However, in a big city, citizens live and work at a fast pace. People in big cities can therefore enjoy a more exciting, glamorous and productive life. Although a hurrying lifestyle may cause great pressure to the people involved, the invigorating life it brings about is very attractive. Although some people may argue that small towns have less pollution and are close to nature. Life there seems delightful but it will absolutely be very dull for youngsters like us to repeat the same simple and relax living style day and night. I embrace challenges and new things more, so despite the concentrated pollution and distance from the natural world, I still fancy the life in a big city. All in all, the life of a city dweller is more adventurous and splendid, while the life in smal l towns is rather simple and plain. Hence, small towns may be a good choice for retired, but not energetic university students like us. Thank you very much!

Yeshu

The most important point being that the natural balance in an ecosystem is maintained. This balance may be disturbed due to the introduction of new species, the sudden death of some species, natural hazards or man-made causes. In this field trip we will explore how human population and development affects the ecological balance. Take time to explore this site as your gateway to the world of ecology. It has interesting articles and facts. There are features such as the Environmental Timeline that shows how there were different concerns about the environment throughout istory.The environmental impact of war is an interesting article on how preparation of war and warfare leads to environmental losses. The carpet bombing of the lush green forests during the Vietnam war led to the loss of habitat of many species. Special features on population and the environment show how population has increased from the industrial age and how it will affect the environment. There are additional resource s for higher classes. In the name of development, we remove trees and vegetation, change how we use and, and keep expanding paved areas.All these not only affect the soil ecology, but also the water balance. Increased urbanization also requires more water to feed the city's population and industry, often requiring deeper and deeper wells to be drilled or water to be moved from even more distant locations. Increase of pavement area not lonely lessens the amount of water vapour that transpires back from the vegetation but also contributes to groundwater pollution if the salt used to melt road ice were allowed to runoff into the natural drainage system.Visit this site for a detailed look at water as a precious resource and how human development affects water and its ecosystem. It is dedicated to Water Day. To understand how human population and increased developmental activities affect the ecosystem, there are live examples all over the world. Armenia is one such example of what is hap pening to the ecosystem because of increased population and developmental activities. Over the last 1,000 years human impacts on the land have increased, mainly through deforestation and increased use of pastures.Such problems have intensified over recent years with unprecedented population growth and urbanisation since 1920, resulting in increased human impacts not only on individual species, but also on whole ecosystems. Read the article on this site and you will consciously become aware of what unchecked industrial development and urbanization could do to your region. The fast pace of development has led to many unwanted results. Exotic species get destroyed taster than we can discover them and ancient ecosystems are getting isturbed in our scientific explorations.Find out about amazing facts on human impact on oceans, toxins, and much more as you explore this site for environmental education on the web. It is designed primarily for kids, but the features and articles are good re ading for any grade. There are also handy tips on what you can do to help protect the environment and ideas on how you can start an ecology club in your neighbourhood. Visit the resources given on the Ecology and great Links pages to know more about this science.

Disclosure Analysis Paper Essay

Disclosures are an essential part of financial reporting for publically traded corporations. The following analysis will look into General Motors Company’s disclosure relating to the company’s current assets of cash equivalents, inventory, and receivables. Disclosures can be found within the General Motors Company’s financial statements and they will help readers gain a better understanding of the financial data. The sections of the company’s disclosures will be analyzed in detail throughout this paper. The General Motors Company uses a table of contents for their significant disclosures so that the reader(s) of their financial statements can easily find whatever he or she may be looking for. The type of disclosure is listed along with a page number where the precise information can be found. The disclosures for the General Motors Company’s assets are very precise. The first note to the reader(s) deals with Presentation. This section explains that G eneral Motors Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States. This section also lets the reader(s) know of any new accounting standards used by the company. In the year 2010 a few of these new standards were how the company financed receivables, fair value measurements, transfers of financial assets, and variable interest entities. In note three the company gives information about accounting standards, which have been issued, but are not yet in use in the General Motors Company. One standard deals with business combinations a new standard issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The new standard for business combinations according to General Motors Company/Annual Report (2011) deals with â€Å"the disclosure of supplemental pro forma information for business combinations that occur during the current year† (Notes to financial statements). However, this standard was not to go into effect until January 1, 2011 so it was not incorporated into the 2010 financial statements. Another accounting standard that had not yet be adopted dealt with financial services-insurance. This standard was also put into place by  the FASB and it addressed the deferral of acquisition costs within the insurance industry. Basically the new standard changed or modified the type of costs in a company that can be capitalized in the renewal and acquisition of insurance industry. See more: analytical writing This standard would not go into effect until January 1, 2012, so it was not adopted for the 2010 financial statements. Within the notes section Note four contains information about Fair Value Measurements. According to General Motors Company/Annual Report, â€Å"Cash equivalents, marketable securities, and derivative financial instruments are presented on our financial statements at fair value† (Notes to financial statements). The note goes on to explain where the reader(s) of the General Motors Company financial statements will be able to find the fair value of debt, finance receivables, along with the carrying value related to these receivables and debt. According to General Motors Company/Annual Report (2011), â€Å"High liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less at date of purchase are classified as Cash and cash equivalents. Investments in securities with a maturity date of greater than 90 days at date of purchase are classified as Marketable securities† (Notes to financial statements). Note five deals with Cash and Restricted Cash disclosures. This note informs the reader(s) of the financial statements that restricted cash would not include cash used to secure debt set up because of securitization business deals. According to General Motors Company/Annual Report (2011) â€Å"Both cash and cash equivalents, which are restricted because of withdrawals of cash or the cash equivalents used under the terms of certain contractual arrangements will be recorded as restricted in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet† (Notes to financial statements). Also discussed in this section are how negative balances are reclassified and the way in which the company treats these occurrences. On the General Motors Company financial statements commercial paper, bank accounts, marketable securities, money market funds, and treasury bills are elements in the cash and cash equivalent sections on the financial statements. All these elements are considered highly liquid and are to be used by the General Motors Company for short-term n eeds if required. Note 10 for General Motors Company’s financial statements deals with inventories. This disclosure states that the company’s inventories are stated at what is lower between market and cost. Also stated is that a large part of the United States inventories cost are determined by a last-in,  first-out (LIFO) inventory method. The LIFO method was used in between 31% to 26% of GM’s inventories at December 31, 2010 and 2009 respectively (General Motors Company/Annual Report, 2011). First-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory method is used for determining cost for their other inventories. In conclusion the General Motors Company’s financial statements contain a great deal of information and included in this information are 31 disclosures. All the company’s disclosures were placed in their financial statements to aid the reader(s) with understanding the financials as well as making an educated evaluation and informed decisions about the General Motors Company and their financial statements.

English 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English 101 - Essay Example I discover they are so much like me and thus it provides me a chance to understand the diversity present within USA. I have made so many friends in a short span of time that I almost feel I do not need any more yet I know friends are less even when they are in numbers. I recognize my time was a sense of commitment and the hard work that I have to put in. This, I say because I know I have to prove my worth within the coming times of professional domains and for that I need to be punctual and on time, always. My life away from my family gets depressing at times but then again my friends and colleagues make it special for me. They make sure that they have some surprise in store to make me feel happy and satisfied at all times. I like the way people can easily meet and interact with each other, in USA. I dislike the way the immigration policies are the strictest in this country than anywhere else. The difficult things that I have felt here include my time at the immigration counter, the thorough checking and question-answer session and the way I need to properly document myself every month or so. However I love my life within USA barring these

Analysis Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Analysis Report - Essay Example makes it clear that the efficiency of an organization and above all its effectiveness and value addition capability to the business are the critical elements that attribute to its ability to generate revenue apart from the obvious issues of competition and supplier/demand issues. This makes it clear that in cases of issues related to revenue and profits an organization should not only address the external re-engineering principles but also focus upon the investigation internally in order to effectively achieve sustainable competitive advantage in the target market. In the light of the above arguments, this report presents a critical analysis on the six different areas of problem identified by the reviewing consultants for James Merriot Ltd. The report contains six sections each focused on a specific issue with solution an optimum solution to the problem in order to effectively re-engineer the organization to achieve market leadership in their area of business. The assessment by the consultants on the market in which the company under discussion is performing business reveals that not only competition is high but also the demand for a variety of services other than the trivial electroplating of specific devices. Since the company pioneers in the manufacture of building fittings and also in electroplating in specific areas of business like the automobile industry, it is necessary to effectively integrate the resources of the organization to increase the sales. The market development strategy is argued as the most effective strategy for an organization that has international presence and also able to increase its sales through targeting on new markets as argued by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes (2003). The consultants’ review makes it clear that there is great potential for the company to develop its market in the Far East as well as in the existing geography. The argument by the consultants that the market in which the company is operating does not have many

Qualitive Critique Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qualitive Critique - Article Example However, as mentioned above that non probability sampling is more visible in the text, thus is applied the method seems apt for the study. f) Nothing specific about the demographic characteristics have been mentioned, apart from the fact that the profession chosen by respondents is ‘nursing’. No information regarding income, age, gender differentiation as such is provided. i) Yes the potential sampling biases have been identified, segregating the same into different concepts of manifest and latent content. However no exact biasness for selecting particular group of nurses has been mentioned. a) The research clearly defines the kind of data collected from respondents that includes ‘the images of the nursing profession’ and ‘the reasons for choosing nursing as a profession’. The data was collected through respondent’s interaction during classroom session; the respondent himself collected the data at the college level in the classroom. Exact time and date of the data collected is not mentioned though in the study. a) The research lacks a grounded platform as no signs of data collection methods have been indicated. Detailed description of data collection method is not evident from the analysis done, however a slight mention of narrative gathered through respondents is made in the study. b) In this study surely data analysis technique is focused but no details regarding data collection method is cited. The research questions are qualitative in nature, but the testing of the data collection tool, that is whether it is through questionnaire or observation or interview method cannot be defended. c) Certainly a physiological method would have been of great help in this study specifically where narrative strategy is used for data analysis and the author has also attached a self report defining the procedure in which the content analysis was undertaken. d) As such no particular

The coca-cola Company struggles with Ethical Crises Case Study

The coca-cola Company struggles with Ethical Crises - Case Study Example Coca cola Company, one of the most revered and common soft drink manufacturers in the world has had to deal with a number of ethical complaints against it. The company has had a number of influential business people serving various positions within its ranks, including Warren Buffet who served in the company’s board. In this paper, one out of a number of the ethical misdeeds raised against Coca Cola Company will be analyzed. In this analysis, the company’s response to the issues raised by the company and how it affected the success and operations of the business will be discussed. The economic and social impacts of the complaints against the company will also be discussed in line with differential business practices and response to ethical concerns (Jennings, 2011). Ethical concerns Just like any manufacturing company, coca cola has had a number of ethical challenges especially on their manufacturing and package practices. In 1999, the company was faced with one of the most dreaded ethical concern that arose after the safety of its products was questioned. The source of this questioning arose after thirty Belgian children developed health complications after consuming a wide range of the company’s products. This forced the company to react immediately by recalling its Belgian based products to enable them conduct tests to confirm the source of the illnesses (Jennings, 2011). ... This created a major public outcry with the media giving the company a lot of negative publicity. These developments forced the company’s management to give a detailed apology to enable them gain the public confidence that was forced fading. This was the end of the company ethical manufacturing practices as France followed suit and banned all products from the company after a number of coca cola consumers developed complications. Other products from the company like the coca cola water that was being supplied to Poland reported the presence of mould, fungi that are harmful to human health (Jennings, 2011). Coca Cola Company and the community Organizations today have more roles, not just to the stakeholders and the consumers but to the general population and the society. In this regard, Coca Cola Company has not been left behind in developing proper community based projects and serving in different roles as part of its corporate social responsibility. To enable the company rega in the trust of the community as a whole and recapture the mass consumers, especially those who migrated to other brands like Pepsi, the coca cola company have developed a number of programs that targets the community (Kesler, 2012). These projects are supported and coordinated by its philanthropic and community based wing known as the coca cola foundation. Through this foundation, the company is engaged in community development and environmental programs in different parts of the world, especially in countries where it operates its subsidiaries. It funded the education on wheel program in Singapore in which students were allowed to learn different historical developments in the country through interactive mobile visits. This program has been lauded for its ability to

Authentication of Individuals in E-exams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Authentication of Individuals in E-exams - Essay Example Fingerprint recognition systems are considered to be the most commonly deployed biometric systems, due to their precision, ease and performance [10]. Arista Knowledge Systems(TM) and DigitalPersona(TM) claim to develop the first e-Learning management system to verify students by their fingerprints [14]. Arges et al proposed a hybrid approach in which an electronic token or e-card was used along with the fingerprint verification to increase the authentication performance of the e-exam security system [11]. The system involved a process of enrolment- to capture the user’s fingerprint for the database and generate a specific e-token for the user. Authenticated users were provided access by verifying their fingerprints and e-tokens with the stored database.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hand geometry recognition systems require a small sized data to uniquely identify a user from its stored database or templates [12]. A system is proposed by Jain et al. [13] in which there exist processes of image acquisition, enrolment and verification. One commendable approach in this system to enhance the accuracy of the acquired hand geometry image is that two samples are taken from the user. Average is taken for these samples so that an accurate image can then be compared with stored database of enrolled users. This system can easily be deployed for e-learning environments because of its ease and accuracy. ProAccess FaceOK developed a system for the recognition of human face image [15]. They claim it to be the first system with the face learning capability.

Gimme an A (I Insist) by Abigail Sullivan Moore Article

Gimme an A (I Insist) by Abigail Sullivan Moore - Article Example In order to study the extent of it a survey was conducted in about 400 colleges and universities, interviewing the students and the outcome is the feeling that Something is amiss†. It was seen that those who received A were about fifty percent, about 18% high since 1968. It is the outcome of heavy pressures put on the teachers by pupils and parents. They have only one desire, and that is to get admission in the reputed colleges. This is an alarming situation because no one is aware of what is at stake. They seem to be ignorant of future challenges. Apart from the pressures, being put by the students and parents, on the teachers for getting a higher grade, the students also resort to other ways of presenting themselves as good. Cheating has become common. The availability of information and knowledge through the internet has been tempting students to download them easily and submit them to the teachers as their own work. Then the habit of outsourcing the assignments are on the rise. It has been noticed, says Sullivan, that while the senior’s grade climbed the SAT score remains unchanged. This trend, he found, started increasing since the 199s. The reasons for this could be the rise in the people from the middle-income group becoming aware of the â€Å"hard-to-get† colleges. They try to send their wards to such reputed places. Also, their â€Å"discretionary income† enables them to pay more. He quotes the board’s vice president, Wayne J. Camara, who said that ‘‘Everyone cant get As†. The author believes that the days of the grading system is over. Learning is going to be high and constant. Grades or no grades, the students constantly make advancement in their knowledge.  

Judaism & Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judaism & Christianity - Essay Example Sacrifices were in terms of livestock or agrarian products which are now simply replaced by money. There is no need to slaughter farm animals and burn them as offerings. The rituals has ceased when the New Testament was written. The Old Testament was about the law while the New Testament is about grace that supersedes the Law through Christ. From a Christian viewpoint, Christ was offered in repatriation for the sins of this world so there is no need to perform ritual sacrifices. Even the food that were considered unclean ( fish without scales, pork, etc) during the Old Testament is not an issue anymore in the New Testament as Mark 7:19 (NIV) states â€Å"For it doesnt go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body†, thereby Jesus declared that any type of food is clean. The second reason why the Torah is not significant anymore is because there was a change of covenant between man and God. In the Old Testament, the covenant was directly between God and Moses. However, the coming of Jesus Christ changed that covenant since He became the offering. The rules were changed since faith is needed not obedience to laws for one to be saved. Nevertheless, the Torah remains a basis for moral laws by Christians today. The website spiritus.temporis.com clarifies the importance of Torah among modern day Christians through the following statement: One common approach is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) which divides the Mosaic laws into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. In the view of the Westminster divines, only the moral law such as most of the Ten Commandments directly applies to Christians today. ( â€Å" Torah†, 2005) I agree with this because modern day Christians need not practice rituals anymore. The Ten Commandments gives Christians clear guidelines on what should be the basis of their moral actions. It would be unthinkable to hold a certain

Penn State University Application Essay Example for Free

Penn State University Application Essay Ever since middle school, I was already interested in hotel management. I am always fascinated with the way things were done so arduously by the hotel officers and staff, yet they still managed to look so amazingly fresh and attractive for the guests. I have had a very good grade in my hotel management subject during high school and an award for excellence too. Being so inspired to pursue what I have always wanted, I took a year internship at Holiday Inn and passed it with flying colors. After my internship, the AmeriSuite employed me for six months and I moved to a bigger hotel afterwards. I have given a lot of effort in improving my English skills because I believe that hotel management requires more than just interpersonal skills, it requires good communication skills even more. I work at the Washington Dulles Marriott Suite for 2 years now and I enjoy it so much. I am assigned to oversee the front desk, manage the reservation department, and of course, be of service to the hotel guests at all times. I have received awards and recognition for the diligence, dedication and effort that I give to my job. I see to it that my guests feel at home, relaxed, comfortable and happy at the hotel and its crew. At the end of the day, I feel proud of being able to put smiles on the faces of my guests. This work has taught me many things in life: responsibility, management of time and money and diligence. Given an opportunity to be accepted in your prestigious university, I am confident that my optimism, work ethics, background, and experience will benefit not just myself, but also the other students that I may interact with at Penn State University. I have proven to myself that I can adapt to any difficult situation. I know that there is no challenge too difficult that even hard work cannot overcome. I look forward to being part of Penn State University and begin the next level of my academic pursuit.

Porters Five Analysis: Advantages and Disadvantages

Porters Five Analysis: Advantages and Disadvantages Usefulness of the strategic models Why are models commonly used in strategic management what model are, provides, usefulness, strategy making, Strategy Johnson et al. (2005, p. 9): Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieve advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectation. Uvod Strategic decisions are long term decision based on scope of companys activities made in order to obtain advantage over competition. Johnson et al (2005, p. 10) says that such decision have certain characteristics. They are complex in nature, are made in condition of uncertainty. These decisions have impact on operation decisions. They require integrated approach from managers to deal with strategic problems. Strategic decisions which are made without previous analysis but as some kind of individual notions or wishful thinking are consider to be vulnerable issue. Identifying the root of strategic analysis is difficult. It does not provide us with prescription of what strategy to implement. Companys strategic decisions are too complex for programming. Thus, author says that helping to understand issues is the aim of strategic analysis not to give answers. Model is the framework for recognizing, understanding and categorising factors applicable to strategic decisions (Grant, 2008, p. 27). Models were developed in order to solve usual problems and challenges in business. The general advantage of model is that they smooth differences between abstraction and real practise. They pose a new way of seeing a particular situation and resolving this situation. The common use of the model can be explained by their characteristic. They are projected to solve exact problems and increase efficiency. On the other hand no model can secure that by their implication solving the problem will be hundred percents successful. They are just framework which gives understanding and options for making right decision and diminish uncertainties (Assen et al, 2009). Theories, analytical tools were not made in order to replace inventiveness or experience. Their significance lies in managing discussion, processing information and opinions and supporting communication and agreements. Managers are more confident and effective in reacting on new circumstances and issues as they use models (Grant, 2008, p. 27). There are many models in strategic management which were developed on different bases in order to solve different needs. Every model focuses on various factors some are made to look at eternal surrounding of businesses as industry and market. Some models analyse inner capabilities or structure of organisation. Company chooses the models according its specific needs and what problem wants to solve. If the organisation wants to analyse its external environment it can use PESTE analysis. Industry analysis enables managers to understand how external issues influence companys performance and operations. When managers want to look better on companys product range in order to take right step to the future it can use the Boston Matrix for it. This model helps company in situation as decision making about investments to products portfolio. It guides the company what steps to take if the product is in particular stage e.g. if it star company should keep it and invest to its promotion (Keler-Si lver, 1997, p. 40). In the case of core competencies model it is advised that company should switch from portfolio planning and evaluation of individual businesses to exploring the collective capacity the whole company has. The model encourages company to stop doing activities which are not its core competencies. The confirmatory activities can be e.g. outsourced. By using this model an organisation can identify and improve the cross-company competencies. Thus it can bring new opportunities for success in the market (Keler-Silver, 1997, p. 50). Scenario planning is strategy model based on exposing various possibilities which might happen in the future. Thus it represents a context in which managers can make decisions. As they can see a scope of possibilities they are better informed and decision are more likely to be successful. The scenario planning is mostly used for understanding the dynamics of environment, identifying new openings, evaluating strategic alternatives and for taking long-term decisions. Managers can discover and consider the unsure aspects of future (Assen et al, 2009). One of the models which consider the root of competitive advantage in business is the Kays distinctive capabilities model. The model presents resource-based theory and sees a company as set of asses and capabilities. The model helps to identify distinctive capabilities which are the core of companys success. This model provides a useful tool when company make decision about redefining its strategy. It is used to widen awareness of the sources which made company competitive and to sustain these sources (Assen et al, 2009, p. 30). On the other hand Kare-Silver (1997) argues that the competitive environment has changed and the models are insufficient and shortcoming todays management. He says most of them are too theoretical, superficial and confusing and they are not enough helpful in todays environment. Further he gives the seventh criteria according to which models should be developed to meet current needs. The criteria are reflecting the business realities, starting with customers, rooted and immersed in market understanding, practical, specific, encouraging a long-term view and measurable. Author adds that it is crucial for organisation in current changing conditions to rediscover and redefine its strategy. Organisation needs to know direction in which to go and relying on strategy model is not a response. In conclusion we can say that decision making process is very challenging and requires complex view. Model provide useful tool for simplifying and mainly for making it more effective. However they do not ensure the real effect will be same. Description of Porters Five Forces Model of Competitive Strategy Formulating competitive strategy necessarily needs to analyse the company within its environment. The model is based on analysis of companys external environment. However the relevant environment is wide, the model is focus on organisations surrounding as industry in which it operates. Industry structure has powerful impact on competitive direction thus it is inevitable to analyse it. Five basic competitive forces determine the competition in an industry. The strength of the forces is to drive profit in industry in way of long term return on invested capital (Porter, 1980 p.3, 4). Next Porter says: The goal of competitive strategy for a business unit in an industry is to find a position where it can best defend itself against these competitive forces or can influence them in its flavour. Johnson et al. (2005, p. 78) refer to five forces as sources of competition which evaluate the attractiveness of industry. Authors give several points which company should take into account when using this model. When organisation has varied activities the framework needs to be used at the level of strategic business unit as for each of unit can be the impact of forces different. Next, it is inevitable to understand relations between five forces as well as macro-environment factors. As forces are not separate changes within one force influence other forces. It is a dynamic process of shifting source of competition. According to Luffman et al. (1996) the power of Industry competitor is consider to be the most important force of the model. Industry is in permanent change as every firm wants to success and it looks for opportunities to achieve it. Obviously, not all decisions lead to getting advantages some remain failure. There are many issues which influence the competition between companies as size of the company, industry structure and concentration, product differentiation and variety of rivals. Competitive rivalry is also determined by numbers and qualities of competitors. In situation of many companies in the industry which sell nearly equal product, the firm has a low level of power. Conversely if companys product is unique, it is an enormous strength (Kilde, 2005). Buyer power poses the rate of influences of costumer on pushing price down. The size or number and concentration of buyers are the most significant determinants of buyer power. Other factors include the level of information or differentiation of competitors (Karagianno et al, 2005). There are situation in which buyer power tent to grow as a low switching cost for buyer to move to another seller, when the product is not differentiated or product failure to perform its primary function. In case of trading with small number of strong buyers they tend to dictate conditions to sellers (Luffman et al, 1996). The extent to which supplier drive price up, is reflected in Supplier power. The numbers of input suppliers, product specificity or switching cost determine supplier strength. When company has few suppliers or choice of suppliers is narrow, the supplier power is high. Question here is how easy company can change its suppliers. Grant (2005, p. 83) says that suppliers of raw materials or components are mostly small companies so their bargaining power is low while suppliers of commodities enhance their power through cartelization. Same it is with labour union. If there is a high percentage of a unionised employee within an industry their supplier power is high and companys profitability is lowered. Substitutes are alternatives of product so they decrease demand for product. According to the value they give to consumer their power can be higher or lover. Johnson et al. (2005, p. 78) indicate these forms of substitution; product-for-product substitution, substitution of need when new product or service make previous unneeded and generic substitution means that product competes among others for consumer income to be spent on it. It reduces companys power when its product can be easily substituted. An attractive industry tempts other companies to enter. Threat of new entry represents the capability of new companies to enter and be able to compete in industry. The process of entering is easier for new companies and consequently it becomes a greater threat for existing companies when there are no economies of scale, industry is not capital intensive, access to distribution channels is open or there is a little protection of technology. On the other hand when there are strong barriers existing companies can keep their position. Difference between new entrants and substitutes is that new entrants when successfully enter industry will offer nearly same product. Thus, it is a bigger threat to company (Luffman et al, 1996). Thompson et al (2007, p.54) describe the way of using the model for identifying the essence and strength of competitive pressures within an industry. They divided it into three steps. The first step is to recognise particular competitive strengths related to every force from the model. Secondly, evaluation of the pressures takes place. It is essential to find out how strong they are i.e. strong, moderate, and weak. The last step is to decide the contribution of strengths on achieving profits. Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of the model Porter (2008, p.80) says this importance of the model: Understanding the competitive forces and their underlying causes reveals the roots of an industrys current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition over time. He adds that effective strategic positioning can not be made without knowing industry structures. To avoid a subjective position for evaluation of the model we look at other authors views. The most significant strength of Michael Porter Five Forces model is that it remains best known and commonly used model in strategic management even after twenty years of it introduction. The simplicity is also consider to be a strength of the Five Forces model as it is easy to use and provides understandable way of market forces analysis (Kare-Silver, 1997, p. 46). According to Brandenburger (2002), the Porters Five Forces model remains to affect the scope of business strategy both in the education field and also in practise of organisations. He emphasises that the model is certainly the most known and used from competitive strategies. The reason is that it provides an obvious picture of important activities of firms. The model describes all movements from suppliers of resources through company to consumer. The role of company is stressed as it is the unit where value is created. On the other hand, suppliers and customers are consider to be necessary in such chain. The model provides useful information for three issues of companys planning, according to Recklies (2001). Firstly, it enables to determine the attractiveness of an industry. Consequently the model helps to make decision about entering or leaving industry. Further, its usefulness lies in comparison the impact of the competitive forces on the organization with the impact on rivals. Secondly, when company knows about the power and intensity of models forces it is able to come up with possibilities for improving its competitive position e.g. differentiation, strategic partnership. Thirdly, the author says that the model with combination with PESTE analysis which influences changes in the industries, the Five Forces model can indicates the trends within the industry. Hill and Jones (2007, p. 66) also talk about importance of microenvironment. Forces in the model are not constant because they are determined by wider macro-environment as economic, politic, social and technological forces. These have evident impact on the model forces and consecutively on the whole industry. The role of macro environment is important but it is the subject of the PESTE analysis and we will not discuss it closer. According Lynch (2000, p.131) the model presents effective way of analysing the environment and it is recommended to use it as the firs step of company strategy development. He points out its real relevance as results are presented in logical and structured way. Hill and Jones (2001, p.97) see the model as very useful as it can be used to analyse character of competition within industry and for recognising opportunities and threats. Opportunities and treats represent the external part of SWOT analysis so we can see the clear connection of Five Forces model with another model. Another advantage of the model is that it looks on organization and industry through a wide range of aspects which are included in the models five forces. Thus, it is systematic approach for analysing the current situation of business and plan strategy (Oliva, 2002). For better picture of the model and to underline its strengths we look at an example of bank sector and examine the impact of launching the Internet banking in Five Forces model context (Siaw, Yu, 2004). In the terms of threat of entry force, the Internet banking enables small banks to enter the industry. Scale benefits are removed and network of branch is less important as there is direct access to customer in more suitable way. Bargaining power of buyers increases as they have more choices. Switching cost decrease because product has become more undifferentiated and standardised. As far as rivalry is concern, the differences between banks are smoothed as size of a bank is less important. Further providing services through the Internet is cheaper than using traditional distribution channels. Internet banking increased supplier power. Banks acted as supplier before. Now they pose intermediaries which enables access to range of products and delivery channels. Switching costs are high for bank if it is dealing with big customers. Such analysis helps manager to understand how the Internet influences five competitive forces. Existing banks using the analysis periodically can evaluate changes within the industry. Potential entrants can assess if the enter into industry will be profitable for them. Overall the analysis is useful in competitive strategy formulating (Siaw, Yu, 2004). Besides numbers of advantages the model is subject of many critiques. According Grant (2002, p. 89), the theoretical bases of the Porters Five Forces model are the most criticised by economists. Furthermore doubtful theoretical foundation, there are limitations because of static character of the model. Industry structures are considered to be stable and determinate by external forces. Grant (2002, p. 89) says that: Industry structure drives intensity of competition, which in returns determines the level of industry profitability. Therefore industry structures cannot remain unchanged in dynamic process of competition. Another issue which Grant points out is missing empirical evidence of importance of industry environment for company profitability. Faulkner and Campbell (2003, p. 249) also criticise static character of the Five Forces model saying that industry structures are continuously changing because of competition between firms and strategies adoped by companies within the indust ry. Static character of the model is also pointed out by Lynch (2000, p. 131), he says that forces are constantly changing and the moves could be more rapid than the model explain. Next critic which Lynch expresses is about the buyer power. The model assumes that this aspect is as equal as others factors while he argues that buyers should be got greater importance. According to the model, the environment is viewed as a threat to a company however some organisations see co-operation with others, especially with suppliers, very beneficial. Faulkner and Campbell (2003, p. 249) express their view to this question, too. They criticise Porters view on rivalry and competition between companies to be more essential than possible interaction as joint ventures or alliances. Lynch also questions the fact if it is sufficient for company to create its corporate strategy just after applying the Five Forces model. Further critics of model presented by Lynch consider its ignorance of human aspect o f strategy. The model overlooks features as country cultures or management skills. The presumption that companys own interests are primary might not be correct for some charitable and government institutions. Hill and Jones (2001, p. 97) reveal two weaknesses of the five forces model. The first is, as the other authors say, about its static character however they enhance their critique to disregarding the role of innovation. Innovations represent driven force of competition within the industry. As any company comes up with new product, technology or process it can gain great competitive advantage and earn profit. Another function of innovation lies in converting industry competition. As the production costs could be cut down due to e.g. new technologies, the barriers to entering the industry are removed and small companies can also access the competition. They provide example of the steel industry where after introducing technology as electric arc furnaces, the characteristic oligop oly industry became more price competitive and fragmented industry and smaller companies can also compete. Porter (2008, p.86) does not see innovation itself as a strong factor which can make industry profitable. He argues that often industries with low technology, high switching costs or price intensive buyers are more profitably than attractive software or information technologies ones. Because the model is static, all changes, which arise in the industry, cannot be recorded. Hill and Jones (2007, p. 66) conclude: The Five Forces model is of limited value because it represents no more than snapshots of a constantly changing situation. Thus, managers must constantly repeat industry analysis and pay attention to changes in the forces of competition. As far as the second critic is consider, same as Grant (2002, p. 89), Hill and Jones (2001, p. 97) talk about overrating the role of industry. Industry is given too much importance as the determinant of organisation profit while the differences between individual companies are neglected. Companies profit within industry varies and it has been detected that only 10% to 20% of differences is explained by industry structure. Consequently, we can say that companys own capacity and resources are more significant for profitability than industry in which it operates. None of company will be successful just because it is in the at tractive industry. Companys strategic resources as intangible assets, brand name are critical for analysis and strategy making (Crook at all, 2003). Other authors who agree that the Porters model is completely focus on external environment rather than internal resources of a company are Faulkner and Campbell (2003, p. 249). They criticise Porters view on outside environment as a root of firms success. Their another critique consider the application of industry analysis to individual company. This might not be as successful as first thought. In spite of critics authors admit that the Porters model of industry analysis stays as one of the most significant model of strategic management even though it has been introduced twenty years ago. Further shortcoming of the Porters model is that it was meant for industrial companies g.e. Coca-Cola, Ford Motors or Dell, not for knowledge based firms in field of advertising, consulting or legal. Manager of these companies bear some risk by using this tool and it is recommended to alter the model according to needs of such firms (Sheehan, 2005). Recklies in her article Porters 5 Forces (2001) indicates various criticisms. Besides acknowledgement that the model is static and it does not take into account co-operation between companies, the author gives also other critiques. As the model supposes perfect market, it has limited application in more regulated industries. The model fits the best to analyse simple market structures. In the case of complex industries with numbers of interrelations it is very complicated to analyse all five forces. On the other hand the author alerts that too narrow look on one segment in such industry can cause oversight of important factors. She concludes, as well as others authors, that the Five Forces model present a tool for managers to view the current situation of the industry in easy and understandable way and it is a good beginning for additional analysis. Recklies in her another article (2001) says that one of the reason for critics are todays changed economic circumstances. The model is found on the situation in the eighties. Cyclical developments, steady market structures and strong competition are typical for this time. Nowadays, technologies, the Internet and e-business application are seen in all industries and it transforms industry structures. This is the reason why the model cannot be used to explicate today dynamic changes and she adds: It is not advisable, if not to say impossible, to develop strategy solely on basis of Porters model. Downes realised the same trend and in the article Beyond Porter (1997) he introduces three new forces digitalization, globalization and deregulation as current issues which influence businesses. The new forces are seen in business activities as they are moving from physical world to computerised networks. According to Downes new strategic framework and analytical tools are essential to apply. Digitalization enables firms to gain access to greatly more information than before on the other hand it pose the treat of unfamiliar and unpredictable competition. Due to Globalization even local companies are able to become global as logistic and communication improved. Deregulation also opens up new possibility for company e.g. restructuring, more open international market. More others authors argue that the model should be extended about another force. They have various views on what it should be. Hill and Jones (2007, p. 57) see the sixth force as complementors. Complements are considered to be determinant of demand for products thus having a satisfactory supplier affects companys profit. Attractive complementary products create value and opportunity for company within an industry. On the other hand inefficient complementors pose threat and they are cause of slow industry development and low profitability. Also Grant (2005, p. 103) see complementors as significant impact on companies competitiveness and refer to them as to the sixth force. In the case of close complements of products, products have low value separately as consumer wants the whole. Question is how the value is divided between producers. The most common the supplier with stronger market position who is able to lower the value of other complements, gets much of profits. Karen-Silver (1997, p. 46) argues while current competitive environment calls for new forces to be consider, the original core i.e. five forces stays the most powerful. Porter (2008, p. 86) agrees that there are other important issue within an industry but he refers to them as to factors not forces. He presents factors like industry growth rate, technology and innovation, Government, complementary products and services. In addition he says: It is especially important to avoid the common pitfall of mistaking certain visible attributes of an industry for its underlying structure. In summary, Michael Porters models do not have the influence they used to have any more. New economic laws came up and other drivers stared to transform markets. Nevertheless, that does not mean that Porters theories became invalid. All we have to do is to apply them with the knowledge of their limitations in mind and to use them as a part of a larger framework of management tools, techniques and theories. This approach, however, is advisable for the application of every business model brand-new or old, from Porter or from somebody else, and in every economy Bibliography Assen, M., Berg, G., Pietersma, P., (2009) Key Management Models: The 60+ models every manager needs to know. Essex: Pearson Education, UK 2nd ed. Brandenburger, A., (2002) Crook, T.R., Ketchen, D.J., Snow, C.C., (2003) Competitive Edge: A Strategic Mnagement Model, .pp. 44-53 Downes, L., (1997) Beyond Porter, The Context Magazine. Available at: http://www.contextmag.com/setFrameRedirect.asp?src=/current/archive.asp Faulkner, D., Campbell, A., (2003) The Oxford Handbook of Strategy: Strategy overview and competitive strategy. Oxford (New York): Oxford University Press, USA, pp. 248-250 Grant M, R., (2002) Contemporary Strategy Analysis: concepts, techniques, application. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, UK, pp. 89 Grant (2005) p. 83 Hill, C.W.L, Jones, G.R., (2007) Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach. 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, USA pp. 46-67 Hill, C.W.L, Jones, G.R., (2001) Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, USA pp. 97-98 Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R., (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and cases. 7th ed. Essex: Pearson Education, UK Kare-Silver, M., (1997) Strategy in Crisis: Why business urgently needs a completely new approach. London: Macmillan Press, UK pp.45-47 Karragiannopoulos, Luffman, G., Lea, E., Sanderson, S., Kenny, B., (1996) Strategic Management: An Analytical Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers UK, pp. 48-55 Lynch, R., (2000) Corporate Strategy. 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education, UK, pp. 124-132 Oliva, A.R., (2002) A Framework for Success, Marketing Management jan/feb. pp.39 42 Porter, M., (2008) the Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy, Harvard Business Review. Recklies, D. (2001) Porter 5 forces, Recklies Management Project GmbH, Available at: http://www.techba.com/training/course2/LinkedDocuments/Porters%205f.pdf Recklies, D. (2001) Beyond Porter ACritique of the Critique of Porter, Recklies Management Project GmbH, Available at: http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/BeyondPorter.htm Sheehan, N.T., (2005) Why old tools wont work in the new knowledge economy, .. . 26 (4), pp. 53 60 Available at: Siaw, Yu Thompson The Introduction and History of Dabur Nepal Pvt Ltd: The Introduction and History of Dabur Nepal Pvt Ltd: Dr. S.K. Burman set up Dabur in 1884 to produce and dispense Ayurvedic medicines reaching out to a wide mass of people who had no access to proper treatment. Dr. S.K. Burmans commitment and ceaseless efforts resulted in the company growing from a fledgling medicine manufacturing in a small Calcutta house, to household name that at once evokes trust and reliability. There are many stores in different region and country. As a reflection of its constant efforts at achieving superior quality standards, Dabur became the first Ayurvedic products company to get ISO 9002 certification. Reinforcing its commitment to nature and its conservation, Dabur Nepal, a subsidiary of Dabur India, has set up fully automated greenhouses in Nepal. This scientific landmark helps to produce saplings of rare medicinal plants that are under threat of extinction due to ecological degradation. There are various product manufactured by this company in Nepal. Daburs Health care range brings for you a wide selection of Ayurvedic and natural products that offer complete care for varying individual needs. Our product are derived from the time-tested heritage of Ayurveda and backed by the most modern scientific test and trials that ensure no failing quality and safety in anything you pick. The guiding force behind Daburs growth and success has been the wealth of nature and its limitless capacity to support life. And we have constantly taken care to preserve and protect this natural bounty with this overall vision of and to eco-sustenance, expand Daburs resource and production base, Dabur Nepal Private Limited was set up as an independent Group company in 1992. This new company, set amidst the verdant greens and towering mountains of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, has established a unique bond of technology and preservation. 2. Introduction to Financial Ratio: A financial ratio is a relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprises financial statements. Often used in accounting there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall financial condition of a corporation or other organization. Ratio may be expressed as a decimal value, such as 0.10 or given as an equivalent percent value such as 30%. Some ratio is usually quoted as percentages. Different ratio measures different thing Liquidity ratios measure the availability of cash to pay debt. Active ratios measures how quickly a firm converts non cash assets to cash assets. Debt ratios measure the firms ability to repay long-term debt. Profitability ratios measure the firms use of its assets and control of its expenses to generate an acceptable rate of return. Liquid Ratios: Liquidity reflects the ability of a company to meet its short-term obligations using assets that are most readily converted into cash. Assets that may be converted into cash in a short period of time are referred to as liquid assets; they are listed in financial statement as current assets. Current assets are used to satisfy short-term obligations, or current liabilities. The amount by which current assets exceed current liabilities is referred to as the net working capital. Current Ratio: It is used to calculate that how many short term assets a company has to meet its short term obligations. Current ratio= current assets / current liabilities a) 1.6:1 for year 2005 b) 1.8:1 for year 2004 As we know that higher the ratio better the company has more liquid assets to meet its short term liabilities. There were sufficient amounts of assets available to meet short term liabilities in the year 2005 which was 1.6:1 so there were 1.6 current assets available to meet its short term liabilities and in the year 2004 the ratio was increased to 1.8:1 which was much better than in the year 2005. So the company had good financial status in the year 2004 than in the year 2005. Acid Test Ratio: The acid test ratio is also known as the liquid or quick ratio. The idea behind this ratio is that stocks are sometimes a problem because they can be difficult to sell or use. Acid Test Ratio: Current assets- closing stock/ current liabilities 0.8:1 for year 2005 1.1:1 for year 2004 As we know that higher the acid ratio, is comparatively better. So the acid test ratio in 2005 was not sufficient to meet its current liabilities but the ratio was about 1.1:1 in the year 2004 which was sufficient to meet its liabilities and hence the liquid ratio in year 2004 was much better than 2005. 2.2. Profitability Ratios: profitability ratio compares components of income with sales. They gives us an idea of what makes up a companys income and are usually expressed as a portion of each unit of sales. Primary Ratio Return on Capital Employed: It is used in finance as a measure of the returns that a company is realising from its capital employed. It is commonly used as a reassure for comparing the performance between businesses and for assessing whether a business generates enough returns to pay for its cost of capital. ROCE compares earning with capital invested in the company. ROCE= [PBIT/ Capital Employed]*100% a)14.58% for year 2005 b) 18.79% for year 2004 This shows that ROCE in the year 2004 has more profit gained than in the year 2005. Return on Total Assets (ROTA): A ratio that measures a companys profit before interest and taxes (PBIT) against its total net assets. The ratio is considered an indicator of how effectively a company is using its assets to generate earning before contractual obligations must be paid. Return on Total Assets (ROTA) = PBIT/ Total Assets a)0.097 for year 2005 b) 0.14 for year 2004 The rate of return on total assets was better in the year 2004 in comparison with the ratio 0.097 in the year 2005 because there was more profit before interest and tax with total assets. Secondary Ratio: Gross Profit Margin: this ratio is the percentage of sales left after subtracting the cost of goods sold from net sales. It measures the percentage of sales remaining available to pay the overhead expenses of the company. Gross profit margin=Gross profit/ Net sales a) 22.1% for year 2005 b) 23.9% for year 2004 It was seen form the above data that the gross profit margin in the year 2004 was better than in the year 2005 so the company had better profit margin in the year 2004. Net Profit Margin: This ratio is the percentage of sales dollars left after subtracting the cost if goods sold and all expenses, except income taxes. It provides a good opportunity to compare your companys return on sales with the performance of other companies in your industry. It is calculated before income taxes because tax rates and tax liabilities vary from company to company for a wide variety of reasons. Net profit margin: Net profit Before Tax/ Net sales 4.7% for year 2005 6.5% for year 2004 The ratio measure average profit on sales. The percentage net profit to sales for Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd was 6.5% in 2004 and 4.7% in 2005 which mean that each Rs1 sales made an average profit of 6.5 Rs in 2004 and 4.7 Rs in 2005. This shows the Net Profit margin was better in the year 2004. Assets Turnover: It is used to calculate revenue generated per amount of long term capital invested in the business. It is used to see how effectively the long term assets are being utilized to generate the revenue. It is given by Assets Turnover= Turnover/ Capital Employed 3.87 times for 2005 3.68 times for 2004 We see the result of 3.68 times for 2004 this means that turnover is 3.68 times bigger than total assets. For the year 2005, it was even higher at 3.87 times. So the total asset turnover ratio was better in 2005 than in 2004. Activity Ratio Inventory Turnover: Inventory turnover is a measure of the number of times is sold or used in a time period such as a year. The equation for inventory turnover is equals the cost of goods sold divided by the average inventory, inventory turnover is also known as an inventory turns, stock turns, turns. A lower turnover ratio defines overstocking a company and a higher turnover ratio indicates inadequate inventory level or less in business. A lower turnover of inventory is somehow beneficial for a production company like Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd. Inventory Turnover=cost of goods sold/ average Inventory a)3.51 for year 2005 b) 7.65 for year 2004 Unit inventory turnover is better for the company, which excludes the over stocking and under stocking/ deficiency. It can be possible when cost of goods sold and turnover inventory are equal. As the year 2005 shows 3.51 times turnover inventories which were better because less amount of stock was there in this year but in the year 2004 the inventory turnover was more which was 7.65. As form definition we know less the turnover ratio better the profit gain by the company. So the companys financial status was better in 2005. Debtors Turnover: It indicates the velocity of debt collection of a firm. In simple words it indicates the number of times average debtors are turned over during a year. Debtors Turnover= [Debtors/ Sales]*365 The two basic components of accounts receivable turnover ratio are net credit annual sales and average trade debtors. The trade debtors for the purpose of this ratio include the amount of Trade debtors Bill Receivables. The average receivables are found by adding the opening receivables and closing balance of receivable and dividing the total by two. a)20.50 days for year 2005 b) 22.17 days for year 2004 Accounts receivable turnover ratio or debtors turnover ratio indicates the number of times the debtors are turned over a year. The higher the value of debtors turnover the more efficient is the management of debtors. In the year The debtors turnover was 22.17 days in the year 2004 in comparison with this there was 20.50 days in the year 2005 so, the company took less days to collect its debt in the year 2005 than in the year 2004. As a result the company had better financial state in 2005. Conclusion: The turnover of the company has increased by 4.69% over the previous year. The net profit after tax has reduced by 2.28% over the previous year due to lower contribution margin. During the year company has invested Rs 24.65 crore on account of fixed assets. Out of which, major amount is spent towards installing a new packing machine in juice plant in flex pack and increasing cold store capacity. It has deposited off its fixed assets amounting Rs 4.51 crore during the year. Hence as a whole Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd has well financial status in year 2004 but all the ratios were affected by the political instability of politic in Nepal as well as by other effect of the company. References: http://www.dabur.com/EN/Investors1/Annual_reports/2004-05/Dabur-Nepal-fina-05.pdf http://www.bized.co.uk/compfact/ratios/ Course Work Managing Financial Principles and Techniques Level 7 Advanced Professional Diploma in Management Studies Submitted to: Course Tutor/ Assessor Muhammad Atif Majeed Submitted by: Kabindra Simkhada Id: 201093 London College of Business Information Technology Contents Net present Value 1 Pay Back Period 1 Internal Rate of Return 1 Post completion Audit 1 Methods of finance available for company A 2 Scatter diagram 3 Advantage of Scatter Diagram 4 Disadvantage of Scatter Diagram 4 Appendix 5 Forecasting total cost Net present value: Both incoming and outgoing of a time series of cash flows is defined as the sum of the present values of the initial investment. The NPV is similar to PV of future cash flows minus the purchase price. This is a central tool for discounted cash flow analysis and is a standard method for using the time value of money to appraise long term project. It is used for capital budgeting, economics, finance and accounting. It measures the excess or shortfall of cash flows. The net present value of the company A is $76,990. this means in an initial investment of $260,000 in a project for 5 years of period the profit gain in the project is $76,990. Pay Back Period In capital budgeting refers to the period of time required for the return on an investment to repay the sum of the original investment is payback period. The time value of money is not taken in account. It measures how long something takes to pay for itself. This term is also widely used in other types of investment areas, often with respect to energy efficiency technologies, maintenance, upgrades, or other change. Payback period is a tool of analysis is often used because it is easy to apply and easy to understand for mist individuals. It is useful for comparing similar investment. According to the project A we earn or get back our initial investment in 3 years 6 month of period and after that period all the money gained is profit. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) It is also called discount cash flow rate of return or simply the rate of return. The internal rate of return on an investment or project is the annualized effective compounded return rate of discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flow form a particular investment equal to zero. It is commonly used to evaluate the desirability of investment or projects. The higher a projects IRR the more desirable it is to undertake the project. Assuming all other factors are equal among the various projects, the project with the higher IRR would probably be considered the best and undertaken first. At the discount rate of 7.10% the NPV of project is equal to 0. Post Completion Audit Post completion audit is a key example of an internal audit. In this process technical details are discussed briefly. The purpose of post-auditing is to examine how well or badly a project has performed after it has been implemented. This process may be taken at any stage after a project has been started and need not wait until after the project has been completed. It is important for the project to perform post completion audit. Following are the benefit of post completion audit. Improved quality of decision making: after feedback and suggesting changes that need to be made to the process of decision making Improved realism of project appraisals: this is to attempt to prevent biasing upward of cash flow in proposals. Identification of key variables: This after the event knowledge can help to identify what the actual key variables were compared with the ones that were thought to be the case before implementation More frequent project termination: although firms are often unwilling to stop unsuccessfully projects, it may be the logical thing to do. Performing post audit actually gives the information to make that decision. Following things are checked in post completion audit. Check whether the required quality has been achieved. The efficiency of the solution during operation compared with the agreed performance and standards. The actual cost of the project compared with the budgeted expenditure and the reasons for over or under expenditure identified The time taken to develop the solution compared with the targeted date for completion and reasons for a variance identified The effectiveness of any problems encountered and the effectiveness of the solutions generated to deal with them. If the project objectives have been stated in terms of learning outcomes, the extent to which these have been achieved would also be investigated. The audit would lead to the production of a report to the management, structured around the above points. Post completion is one of the important part of the project with the help of which we can verify whether the project meet the requirements, whether the project is completed or not. This is the basic requirements of the project now a days. Methods of finance available for company A Public limited Company is the company which gives services to the public. This company is non profitable organisation whose goal is to provide better and efficient services to the customer or public. A plc is a company that is able to offer its shares to the public which means it share its profit and public also take part or public are also the owner of the company. For long term sustain of the company finance are those that are needed over a longer period of time generally over a year. This company should give services to the public for long time. The methods of finance available for this company are as follows Shares: Shares relate to companies set up as plc. If a company want to expand the business then they can sell shares to the general public. This means any one can buy the shares in the business. Venture capital: Venture capital is becoming an increasingly source of finance for growing companies. Venture capitals are on the lookout for companies with potential. They are prepared to offer capital to help the business grow. In return the venture capital gets some say in the running of the company as well as a share in the profit made. Bank loan: as with short term finance, banks are an important source of longer term finance. Banks may lend sums over long period of time possibly up to 25 years or even more in some cases. The loans have a rate of interest attached to them. Using bank loan might be relatively easy but the cost of servicing the loan can be high. If interest rates rise then it can add to a business costs and this has to be taken into account in the planning stage before the loan is taken out. Government grant: some of the company get funds from the government. This could be medical sector, security sector etc which get its most of the funds from the government. Retained profit Owners Capital: some people are in a fortunate position of having some money which they can use to help set up their business. The money may be the result of savings, money left to them by a relative in a will or money received as the result of a redundancy payment. This is not enough sums to finance the business fully but will be one of the contributions to the overall finance of the business. Selling assets: By selling the assets like property, machine, equipment, other companies or even logos. In some cases it may be appropriate for a business to sell off some of these assets to finance other projects. Lottery funding: in UK the National Lottery might be a possible source of funds for some types of business. These businesses will mostly be charities or charitable trusts. The company that are not for profit business so any surplus they make is put back into the business to help develop and improve it. Scatter diagram A scatter diagram or scatter graph is a type of mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variable for a set of data. The data is displayed as a collection of points, each having the value of on variable determining the position on the horizontal axis and the value of the other variable determining the vertical axis. This kind of graph is called scatter diagram. This diagram mostly used for the experimental purpose. Different data collected from the experiment is plotted in the graph. If data exist that is systematically incremented or decremented by other, it is called the control parameter or independent variable and is customarily plotted along the horizontal axis. The measured or dependent variable is customarily plotted along the vertical axis. If no dependent variable exists, either type of variable can be plotted on both axis and a scatter plot will illustrate only the degree of correlation between tow variables. A scatter plot can suggest various kinds of correlation between variables with a certain confidence interval. Correlations may be positive, negative, of null. If the pattern of dots slopes form lover left to upper right, it suggests a positive correlation between the variables being studied. If the pattern of dot slopes form lower left to upper right. It suggests a negative correlation. A line of best fit can be drawn in order to study the correlation between the variable. An equation for the correlation between the variable can be determined by established best fit procedures. For a linear correlation, the best fit procedure is known as linear regression and is guaranteed to generate a correct solution for arbitrary relationships. The scatter diagram is one of the basic tools of quality control. Benefits of scatter plot are as follows The diagram shows the relationship between two variables where one variable is drawn at horizontal axis and other is plotted at vertical axis. This scatter plot is best method to illustrate the non linear pattern. This is the best method used for finding results in experiment. Disadvantages of scatter plot It is difficult to find exact value of the variables. To get the exact value we need more experimental values because of which this method is time consuming. It is difficult to get accurate result from more scattered data.