tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32410899873803669732024-02-20T13:32:49.022-08:00Big writing paperevelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-46607983970259115832020-08-25T20:58:00.001-07:002020-08-25T20:58:13.717-07:00Starbucks AnalysisFinancial matters of Starbucks CONTENTS A. Presentation B. Investigation financial aspects of Starbucks 1. Nature of item/administration 2. Market patterns 3. Creation/gracefully procedure and costs 4. Structure of the business/advertise 5. Government job 6. Business condition 7. Firm/Industry Location 8. Business and evaluating methodologies 9. Enterprising capacity of administrators C. Decision D. References Introduction Starbucks, what began in Seattle in 1971s by three companions: erry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. They opened a little shop and started selling new and cold coffee.Starbucks has consistently been where you can discover worldââ¬â¢s best espresso. In 1970s, Starbucks open its first espresso café and its name originates from a traditional American epic (Starbucks, 2013). Through 1980s, Howard Schultz came into Starbucks, after an excursion for work to Italy and dazzled by espresso culture, his recognition is that how to make it materialize in U. S, he tes ted from Seattle. In 1990s, Starbucks has extended their creation line past Seattle. Venturing cross the rest satiates of U. S just as worldwide market.At a similar time, Starbucks discharged its uncommon alternative that offer investment opportunity to representatives, which made Starbucks become an open exchanged organization. From 2000s, Starbucks proceeded with its great wonder, its activity far reaching more than 15,000 areas more than 40 nations. Old style Starbuckââ¬â¢s espresso drink has been all around perceived by loads of clients. These days, Starbucks isn't just an effective espresso retailer; it is an espresso culture and spot that individuals make the most of their lifetime. The nine primary territories will give out a clarification what Starbucks looks like like.Key word: Nature of item; Market Trends; Production/Supply Process and Cost; Structure of the Industry; Government Role; Business Environment; Firm/Industry Location; Business and Pricing Strategies and Ent repreneurial Ability of Manager. Investigation of the Economics of Starbucks Nature of Product Existing items: clearly, as an espresso related retailer, Starbucks fundamentally center around espresso enhance selling. The fundamental sorts of Starbucks espresso are latte, coffee, frappuccino just as some sweet bread kitchen, frozen yogurt thus on.By the way, as indicated by the possibility of Starbucks itself, what they likely do that make an inviting beverages environment as opposed to just sell some espresso. As a matter of fact, clients truly making the most of their espresso time in Starbucks store on account of social condition. Furthermore, Starbucks likewise give espresso beans, espresso pot and espresso mug and different items. In the Chinese market confinement of item structure, and some tea kind, drink even has a specific season deals of Starbucks moon cakes, etc.Role of innovation: Starbucks consistently attempt their best to improve very much simmered espresso beans, grou nd flawlessly and afterward fermented to individual taste. The CEO discharged an explanation that the organization goes through 20 years idealizing a top-mystery innovation that at last outcomes in some espresso made with by means of, that is unclear from Starbuck's run of the mill blended espresso (CNN cash, 2009). In 2008, Starbucks bought new espresso hardware that is called ââ¬Å"cloverâ⬠. The Clover utilizes exact innovation and a determined calculation to blend espresso inside one degree Fahrenheit of its optimal temperature and produce the perfect flavor (Chron, 2013).It likewise gives a control to collaboration among water and grounds. What is greater headway, it could interface by Starbucks arrange so as to more impact the board every unit. Item life cycle: by and large, item life cycle is isolated into four sections, present, development, develop and decrease. Each creation needs to stroll through these four sections. As indicated by Starbucks, with various espresso propelled dependent on seasons, it is as yet situated into development period yet near develop step.Starbucks assume its job in espresso industry comparative like what monopolist do, its creation involved practically entire piece of the overall industry that should coordinated to develop stage, yet new creation intermittent propelled hold Starbucks to build its business volume. Value flexibility: The value versatility of Starbucks isn't extremely high. On one hand, espresso is vital in every day life. Then again, Starbucksââ¬â¢ altruism has been perceived among espresso fans, it isn't matters of cost. Substitutes and reciprocal items: coffeeââ¬â¢s substitutes will be water, tea, mike or other natural product juice.When you step into Starbucks store, client care is unaltered in the event that you get squeezes even a container of water. Market Trends Consumer conduct: Starbucks hold around 33 level of piece of the overall industry in U. S. nonetheless, half of this enormous numb er accounted by folks who matured at 25-40(Chorn, 2013). Clearly, essential objective crowd of Starbucks is this gathered individuals. The quality of them is generally high pay, proficient professions and an attention on social government assistance. Inspiration of devouring of these folks to Starbucks positively for amusement, appreciate life and quest for style and communication.The sub target clients is youthful grown-ups who matured at 18-24, Starbucks position itself as a spot understudy can hang out, considering, composing paper and meeting. The rest clients of Starbucks are children and adolescents who arrive by their folks. Apathy bends: Indifference bend implies items, which have distinctive consolidate contrastingly to fulfill clients. A basic aloofness bend is appeared in figure 1 For the espresso, simultaneously, condition and music can fulfill clients. Espresso can fulfill customersââ¬â¢ taste sense, while condition can fulfill customersââ¬â¢ spirits.Starbucks can build up their own mug, espresso beans to improve proficiency. Moves popular and gracefully bends: With six elements impact request bend: shoppers' pay, taste and inclinations, customer desires, related item value, the administration conduct and guidelines and the quantity of buyers. Once more, six elements impact flexibly, number of providers, costs of assets, innovation, gracefully expected, cost everything being equal and government activities. Especially, Starbucks hold 33 level of U. S espresso piece of the pie, request of Starbucks will expanded, so request will move toward right side.Also, a large number of hundreds area set up would fulfill these interest, flexibly bend move right side. Creation/flexibly Process& cost Input: what Starbucks need do on the off chance that it needs changes quality espresso is contributing espresso bean, water, some capital speculation just as work. Creation work and Cost work: creation work identifies with the greatest amount of yield that can be delivered from given measures of information. A chart appeared beneath about Starbucks creation work. Figure 2: Retrieved from: http://workforce. washington. edu/ezivot/econ301/labor_demand. tm Apparently, as an ever increasing number of works putted into working room, deals of Starbucks espresso expanded. In any case, when expanding work past amount most extreme, there is no expansion on amount. Peripheral examination: negligible investigation is one of the most significant administrative devices. It expresses that ideal administrative choice include contrasting the minimal advantages of a choice with the minor expense. Variable costs won't influence the yield of the change in Starbucks. Espresso industry didn't have a fixed mode. Espresso is the flavor of the food administration industry relies upon client. Structure of the Industry/MarketNature of industry: Starbucks as worldwide popular espresso retailer had manufacture one of worldââ¬â¢s generally ground-breaking and conspicuous brands of excellent espresso and the one of a kind ââ¬Å"Starbucks Experience. â⬠It originally reformed espresso making industry by making ââ¬Å"third placeâ⬠among work environment and home that is a perfect, benevolent condition where clients would get away from tumult from day by day life (Wikinvest, 2013). In this way, entire espresso industry has been winded by Starbucks style that making unwind and agreeable spot for remaining by quality espresso overhauling. The remainder of different contenders is attempting advance condition as well.Industry fixation: it likewise another significant part influence minor choice. As we referenced above, right around 33% espresso creation devoured by clients got from Starbucks, espresso industry generally dispersed by this enormous organization, unquestionably, other little organization or nearby espresso store additionally represent entire espresso industry. Rivalry: clearly, Starbucks hold an overwhelm position in e spresso industry and has no unmistakably contention in this segment. The National Coffee Association assesses that the US espresso market will reach $29 billion in 2011(Wikinest, 2013).However, the three beasts in espresso industry focus on their distinctive market. Starbucks give their best to hold a shot fantastic piece of the pie with some difference in value procedure. Though, even McDonald's bigger retail impression may cover more with Starbucks' center markets, however their unmistakable contrasts as stores are intelligent of the general contrasts between their center clients. The Dunkin doughnuts positioned in the third, its clients experience is more like ââ¬Å"coffee-to-goâ⬠instead of spot to appreciate lifetime. Thusly, market of espresso to go will be a furious competition.Oligopoly Models: an oligopoly is a market that overwhelmed by hardly any contenders, Starbucks controlled at the very least 30% espresso piece of the overall industry and made a significant job whole market. While, McDonaldââ¬â¢s, Dunkin Donuts, and Caribou Coffee influence espresso industry couldn't be overlooked. Government Role Government job should be viewed as indistinguishable segment as running business any place household or worldwide. What is uplifting news for fruitful applying government job that it marked an agreement with a region in China dependent on Chinese government role.That is certain on input acquisition of Starbucks in Chinese market. There is a marked arrangement that Starbucks help out area of Yunnan to set up its first-since forever espresso bean ranch on the planet to oblige a ra evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-80667625606975074362020-08-22T05:48:00.001-07:002020-08-22T05:48:19.707-07:00The IndoCaribbean Women's Experience of Indenture EssayThe IndoCaribbean Women's Experience of Indenture - Essay Example The rare sorts of people who set out to revolt or contradict unavoidably confronted the results of their activities. They were derided, embarrassed, exposed to the impulses of their British bosses, now and again explicitly abused, and set back in their proper places for it was anything but a criminal demonstration according to the law for the British nationals to misuse their laborers. Society at that point was not as liberal as it is today. It was viewed as good by the specialists to murder individuals at the smallest incitement. Indian ladies were slaughtered and there was very little enquiry into the episode in the event that it was felt that she had passed on as the consequence of her better half's doubt about her character. Somewhere in the range of 1838 and 1917 during the arrangement time frame, Indians lived in poor clean conditions. They needed to do everything true to form of them. Indian ladies were not permitted maternity benefits during pregnancy. Ladies worked conveying their infants in the field until they could leave their children home under the consideration of a more established kid (Janet A. Naidu). The situation of the Indian lady in the Caribbean has recognizably changed at this point. In any case, the change can barely be relied upon to be on the lines of an individual living in a free nation. It is more than ninety years now since the agreement ended in 1917. Be that as it may, social and social bunches keep on shackling the Indian lady living in the Caribbean. There were barely any Brahmins in the Caribbe... Nonetheless, social and social bunches keep on chaining the Indian lady living in the Caribbean. There were scarcely any Brahmins in the Caribbean during the arrangement time frame. They were looked for on strict and promising events. Indians generally contained the rural rank or low position. Since the quantity of Indian ladies was not many, it got hard for the Brahmins to look for young ladies from higher standings making them defenseless against wed young ladies from the lower echelons. Change of sexual orientation relations The Indian ladies living in the Caribbean would now be able to thank their stars that they didn't see the abuses of their partners from the get-go in the twentieth century or during the more noteworthy time of the nineteenth century. I intentionally utilize the term 'abuse' since that is the thing that she more likely than not felt in an outsider land. The male female proportion didn't cross the midway imprint for the male since the time the main Indian arrived in the Caribbean. The best that happened was 50 females for each 100 guys around then. This was in 1860. The figure slipped back to 41 females for each 100 guys in 1890. The Indian male fared no better with his British ace in light of the fact that the working and attitudinal conditions constrained on them by the colonizers were servitude and belittling. The Indians came to take a shot at a 5-year contract as 'obligated workers'. Up to 1862, they were without given travel back home after the finishing of the 5-year time frame. From 1862, they needed to take care of themselves to the Caribbean or, more than likely work 10-years to recover a free outing home (Janet A. Naidu). The Indians contributed altogether to the economy of the Caribbean. Their populace despite the fact that as minority was very noteworthy. Be that as it may, they didn't appreciate equivalent portrayal in evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-39541363115711341822020-08-09T08:26:00.001-07:002020-08-09T08:26:07.768-07:00Major Strategy Frameworks Major Strategy Frameworks WHAT IS VALUE CHAINThe Value Chain is easily identifiable in the production industry, where a company takes raw material and turns it into a useable product that it sells to customers. It is more difficult to recognize the value chain in other industries. Nevertheless, companies in any industry that wish to find ways to optimize their processes while creating an advantage in the marketplace must study the Value Chain. The Value Chain is used to find potential competitive advantages.The goal of the strategy is to identify the most valuable activities to the company and take action on the activities which can be improved upon to add competitive advantage. There are two advantages within the value chain: differentiation and cost. A differentiation advantage indicates that a company performs the activities of the business better than the competitors. A cost advantage demonstrates that the company performs business activities for a lower cost, leading to greater profits.There is a direct relationship: the higher the competitive advantage, the more likely people are to purchase the product or service. Further, the more they buy increases the likelihood of them continuing to purchase from the company. A close scrutiny of a companyâs processes can lead to superior products, higher profits and a greater market share through the use of the value chain.An Introduction To Value Chains[slideshare id=8698270doc=valuechainsintro140711-110726211033-phpapp02]WHEN IS THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGY USEFUL?The value chain is useful for any industry that sells products or services to consumers. For the company that wishes to remain competitive in the new global economy, a value chain analysis should be considered mandatory. It can be beneficial to any company that wants to identify areas to reduce costs while adding value or for the company that is seeking to distinguish itself from a sea of competitors. The process of evaluating a value chain can be lengthy. This can be discouraging to a business owner who wants to âfixâ whatever is wrong, or who is looking to maximize profits. However, the process will be worth the additional time it requires.COMPONENTS OF THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYThere are two main components of the value chain: primary activities and support activities. Within the two categories are additional processes that help to narrow down the specific areas within a company that adds value.Primary Activities within Value ChainThe primary value activities are directly tied to the creation, sale, support and maintenance of the product or service. These primary activities will vary depending on the industry or business, but a general look at each one can identify areas that any company encompasses. Primary value activities add value directly to the product.Inbound Logistics: The Inbound Logistics component focuses on all of the methods used to bring raw materials, or company inputs, into the business. This can include retrieving, storing and distribu ting material internally.Operations: As the raw material makes it way though the company, Operations adds value by transforming the material into a useable product. This is the stage of the value chain that produces a product for customers.Outbound Logistics: Once the product has been completed, the process of moving it from the company to the consumers is called Outbound Logistics. Collecting, storing and distributing products, as well as preparing the company for additional growth is part of this stage of the value chain.Marketing and Sales: The methods used to convince consumers to purchase products or services over anotherâs business are called marketing and sales. Value can be found by the addition of benefits and the success of communicating those benefits to customers.Service: After the completion of a sale, the Service component in a value chain considers the value in maintaining their product.Support Activities within Value ChainIn addition to the primary value acti vities, the value chain also considers support activities. Support activities are the behind the scenes aspect of a company that indirectly add value to products or services. There are four major components within support activities.Firm Infrastructure: This includes the control systems, culture of the company and the overall structure of the organization. Within this component are the companyâs accounting systems, administrative organization and other structures that allow the company to operate.Human Resource Management: Concerned with the human element of the corporation, this section of the value chain accounts for employee interactions. It encompasses hiring, firing, training and compensation, and is one of the largest components in the value chain.Technology Development: An important feature of the value chain, the technology development component regulates technology costs, managing information and maintaining current technology standards.Procurement: This component stu dies how the company acquires the needed resources to operate. It includes vendor and supplier negotiations.CREATING THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYTo create a value chain strategy, it requires careful analysis of the activities that the company engages in to generate revenue. This analysis should be a step-by-step look at the processes that are used during the course of business and will include not only the primary value activities but the support activities as well.The process of conducting a value chain audit can be performed by a top-level manager, department head or other high-level executive who is looking to increase profits. In addition, it can be handled by a team or advisory committee. Generally speaking, having several people who would be willing to participate in the exercises will provide a more comprehensive look at the company and the opportunities to strategically improve. Once the decision of who will participate in the exercises has been made, the process can begin.It ca n be helpful to âfollowâ a product from the moment the raw materials enter the process until they are purchased by a consumer. Along the way, note the areas where the process can be improved or value can be added. Be sure to include how staffing is recruited and compensated, the use of technologies and customer feedback. It can be helpful to list the items on a chart paper or spreadsheet.For the listed activities, generate a list of value factors. Value factors are developed from the customer point of view and identify what a customer would consider important. Next to the value factors, detail the methods the company can use to improve in each area. These action steps â" the Value Analysis â" can be used to formulate a strategy for improving company profits.USING THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYThe Value Chain is a worthless exercise if it is not followed by an analysis and planning of action steps. Depending on the type of advantage the company desires to focus on, the resulting ana lysis and action plan will have different strategies.Differentiation StrategyThe advantage of a differentiation strategy is found in the production of better products, availability of more features and meeting customer demands. To accomplish this advantage, it may require a higher cost structure, but can ultimately pay off in higher profits if managed correctly. To create an action plan based on differentiation, the Value Chain Analysis is completed with a slightly different approach. The Value Chain Analysis should focus primarily on identifying and optimizing the activities in the process chain that create the most customer value. In addition, the company should focus on adding additional features to their products, while maximizing the customer service experience and increase the potential for customization. The ultimate goal of the value chain strategy for the company desiring differentiation is to generate opportunities for sustainable differentiation.Cost StrategyA company tha t wishes to compete in the marketplace on cost must evaluate the value chain data from a different perspective.An exhaustive study of the primary and support activities of the company must be done â" detailing how the work is completed at each step of the process.Attached to each part of the process must be the cost of the activity. This allows for inefficiently performed activities or large sources of cost to be recognized and evaluated.Evaluation of the cost drivers must be performed for each step of the process as well. Determining what drives the costs allows the company to develop ways of reducing costs at each stage of the production.Identification of the connections between the parts of the process can assist the company in the understanding of how cost changes in one part of the process may affect a different part.Reduction of cost through the identified areas will generate opportunity for a successful value chain.After completing a Value Chain Analysis, it can be tempting (and overwhelming) to consider the dozens of areas that can improve value as imperative. Select several easy-to-implement opportunities and put them into motion immediately. This creates excitement and buy-in by the employees who will be enthused with the quick amount of success that can be had. Screen the list of action steps and prioritize them according to feasibility, cost of implementing and necessity. Begin to implement changes according to the strategy type desired. As the marketplace changes, additional evaluation of the value chain may be necessary to maintain a competitive edge.EXAMPLE OF VALUE CHAIN STRATEGY: STARBUCKS As a company strives to create strategies that will increase revenue, they study the processes that affect their production. Deciphering the ways that a company adds value â" transforming business inputs into outputs by optimizing the value chain is a fundamental strategy to increase profits. One method used by companies is the Porters Generic Value Chain. Knowing how a company can optimize the processes within its value chain, as well as understanding how to increase the efficiency of the production process overall is essential in developing a competitive strategy. © pixabay | PublicDomainPicturesIn this article we look at 1) what is Value Chain, 2) when is the Value Chain strategy useful, 3) components of Value Chain strategy, 4) creating the Value Chain strategy, 5) using Value Chain strategy, and 6) example of Value Chain strategy: Starbucks.WHAT IS VALUE CHAINThe Value Chain is easily identifiable in the production industry, where a company takes raw material and turns it into a useable product that it sells to customers. It is more difficult to recognize the value chain in other industries. Nevertheless, companies in any industry that wish to find ways to optimize their processes while creating an advantage in the marketplace must study the Value Chain. The Value Chain is used to find potential competitive advantages.The goal of the strategy is to identify the most valuable activities to the company and take action on the activities which can be improved upon to add competitive advantage. There are two advantages within the value ch ain: differentiation and cost. A differentiation advantage indicates that a company performs the activities of the business better than the competitors. A cost advantage demonstrates that the company performs business activities for a lower cost, leading to greater profits.There is a direct relationship: the higher the competitive advantage, the more likely people are to purchase the product or service. Further, the more they buy increases the likelihood of them continuing to purchase from the company. A close scrutiny of a companyâs processes can lead to superior products, higher profits and a greater market share through the use of the value chain.An Introduction To Value Chains[slideshare id=8698270doc=valuechainsintro140711-110726211033-phpapp02]WHEN IS THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGY USEFUL?The value chain is useful for any industry that sells products or services to consumers. For the company that wishes to remain competitive in the new global economy, a value chain analysis should be considered mandatory. It can be beneficial to any company that wants to identify areas to reduce costs while adding value or for the company that is seeking to distinguish itself from a sea of competitors. The process of evaluating a value chain can be lengthy. This can be discouraging to a business owner who wants to âfixâ whatever is wrong, or who is looking to maximize profits. However, the process will be worth the additional time it requires.COMPONENTS OF THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYThere are two main components of the value chain: primary activities and support activities. Within the two categories are additional processes that help to narrow down the specific areas within a company that adds value.Primary Activities within Value ChainThe primary value activities are directly tied to the creation, sale, support and maintenance of the product or service. These primary activities will vary depending on the industry or business, but a general look at each one can identify ar eas that any company encompasses. Primary value activities add value directly to the product.Inbound Logistics: The Inbound Logistics component focuses on all of the methods used to bring raw materials, or company inputs, into the business. This can include retrieving, storing and distributing material internally.Operations: As the raw material makes it way though the company, Operations adds value by transforming the material into a useable product. This is the stage of the value chain that produces a product for customers.Outbound Logistics: Once the product has been completed, the process of moving it from the company to the consumers is called Outbound Logistics. Collecting, storing and distributing products, as well as preparing the company for additional growth is part of this stage of the value chain.Marketing and Sales: The methods used to convince consumers to purchase products or services over anotherâs business are called marketing and sales. Value can be found by the addition of benefits and the success of communicating those benefits to customers.Service: After the completion of a sale, the Service component in a value chain considers the value in maintaining their product.Support Activities within Value ChainIn addition to the primary value activities, the value chain also considers support activities. Support activities are the behind the scenes aspect of a company that indirectly add value to products or services. There are four major components within support activities.Firm Infrastructure: This includes the control systems, culture of the company and the overall structure of the organization. Within this component are the companyâs accounting systems, administrative organization and other structures that allow the company to operate.Human Resource Management: Concerned with the human element of the corporation, this section of the value chain accounts for employee interactions. It encompasses hiring, firing, training and compensa tion, and is one of the largest components in the value chain.Technology Development: An important feature of the value chain, the technology development component regulates technology costs, managing information and maintaining current technology standards.Procurement: This component studies how the company acquires the needed resources to operate. It includes vendor and supplier negotiations.CREATING THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYTo create a value chain strategy, it requires careful analysis of the activities that the company engages in to generate revenue. This analysis should be a step-by-step look at the processes that are used during the course of business and will include not only the primary value activities but the support activities as well.The process of conducting a value chain audit can be performed by a top-level manager, department head or other high-level executive who is looking to increase profits. In addition, it can be handled by a team or advisory committee. General ly speaking, having several people who would be willing to participate in the exercises will provide a more comprehensive look at the company and the opportunities to strategically improve. Once the decision of who will participate in the exercises has been made, the process can begin.It can be helpful to âfollowâ a product from the moment the raw materials enter the process until they are purchased by a consumer. Along the way, note the areas where the process can be improved or value can be added. Be sure to include how staffing is recruited and compensated, the use of technologies and customer feedback. It can be helpful to list the items on a chart paper or spreadsheet.For the listed activities, generate a list of value factors. Value factors are developed from the customer point of view and identify what a customer would consider important. Next to the value factors, detail the methods the company can use to improve in each area. These action steps â" the Value Analysis â " can be used to formulate a strategy for improving company profits.USING THE VALUE CHAIN STRATEGYThe Value Chain is a worthless exercise if it is not followed by an analysis and planning of action steps. Depending on the type of advantage the company desires to focus on, the resulting analysis and action plan will have different strategies.Differentiation StrategyThe advantage of a differentiation strategy is found in the production of better products, availability of more features and meeting customer demands. To accomplish this advantage, it may require a higher cost structure, but can ultimately pay off in higher profits if managed correctly. To create an action plan based on differentiation, the Value Chain Analysis is completed with a slightly different approach. The Value Chain Analysis should focus primarily on identifying and optimizing the activities in the process chain that create the most customer value. In addition, the company should focus on adding additional featur es to their products, while maximizing the customer service experience and increase the potential for customization. The ultimate goal of the value chain strategy for the company desiring differentiation is to generate opportunities for sustainable differentiation.Cost StrategyA company that wishes to compete in the marketplace on cost must evaluate the value chain data from a different perspective.An exhaustive study of the primary and support activities of the company must be done â" detailing how the work is completed at each step of the process.Attached to each part of the process must be the cost of the activity. This allows for inefficiently performed activities or large sources of cost to be recognized and evaluated.Evaluation of the cost drivers must be performed for each step of the process as well. Determining what drives the costs allows the company to develop ways of reducing costs at each stage of the production.Identification of the connections between the parts of th e process can assist the company in the understanding of how cost changes in one part of the process may affect a different part.Reduction of cost through the identified areas will generate opportunity for a successful value chain.After completing a Value Chain Analysis, it can be tempting (and overwhelming) to consider the dozens of areas that can improve value as imperative. Select several easy-to-implement opportunities and put them into motion immediately. This creates excitement and buy-in by the employees who will be enthused with the quick amount of success that can be had. Screen the list of action steps and prioritize them according to feasibility, cost of implementing and necessity. Begin to implement changes according to the strategy type desired. As the marketplace changes, additional evaluation of the value chain may be necessary to maintain a competitive edge.EXAMPLE OF VALUE CHAIN STRATEGY: STARBUCKSUnderstanding the process of a value chain can provide a company wit h real-time information that can be used to generate increased revenue or gain an advantage over the competition and determine where profit-pitfalls may lurk within the corporate structure.As an example of a value chain strategy, consider the global coffee supplier, Starbucks.Primary ActivitiesInbound Logistics: As Starbucksâ primary source of revenue, the inbound logistics of their coffee beans is imperative. This requires a high quality of beans, a steady supply chain and a continuous relationship with suppliers in the global market.Operations: This aspect of Starbucksâ corporation is handled through direct operations and licensing agreements. The company is almost evenly split between the two, with nearly as many corporate stores as there are franchises. In addition, Starbucks offers its products in retail locations such as grocery and specialty stores.Outbound Logistics: Distribution to the company and franchise stores, as well as the retail/grocery stores is the main foc us of the outbound logistics.Marketing and Sales: With a strong and loyal customer base, Starbucks is able to maximize their marketing efforts through customer loyalty programs, member only incentives and other methods. In addition, they rely heavily on word of mouth advertising and product samples to generate additional sales.Service: Customer service at Starbucks is considered to be the pinnacle of the coffee-buying experience. Employees are encouraged to go out of their way to provide exceptional customer service.Support ActivitiesInfrastructure: The infrastructure at Starbucks includes their accounting, legal support and other governmental regulations for establishing locations around the world.Human Resources: Considered the largest and most valuable resource Starbucks has, their workforce is highly trained, well compensated and motivated through staff training, competitions and incentives.Technology Department: The use of technology within the Starbucks Corporation is es sential to the daily operations of the company as well as the long-term effect on the day. Using the latest in technological advances to roast coffee, enhance the customer experience and maximize cost saving is paramount for the company.Procurement: Ensuring a steady stream of coffee beans as well as other raw food materials for the local shops is essential to the success of the company. In addition, the development of additional locations, materials and equipment necessary to open those locations will be important. Finally, the development of the materials used in retail locations requires additional materials and supplies that must be obtained.A value chain is a thorough investigation into a companyâs processes, and provides corporate officials the information and tools needed to remain competitive in a changing economy.Image credit: pixabay | PublicDomainPictures under Public Domain Dedication. Major Strategy Frameworks Developed in the late 1950âs by Harry Markowitz, Modern Portfolio Theory was introduced as a means of managing an investorâs financial portfolio. According to Markowitz, an investment portfolio cannot be made up of assets (or investments) that are chosen individually. Before selecting companies to invest in, there needs to be a consideration of how the portfolio as a whole unit will change in price.As with any investment, there is an understood amount of risk involved. By its vary design, then, there is a direct correlation between risk and reward. Typically, investments that are riskier will bring a higher element of return. Portfolio Theory establishes two possible ways of handling risk and return: If the desired amount of risk is known, then the Portfolio Theory will guide the asset selection process to choose investments with a high level of expected return. If the desired expected return is known, the Portfolio Theory explains the steps in selecting investments that offer th e lowest risk.Similar to a financial investor, while investing in several assets an entrepreneur has usually to optimize his portfolio of products / projects. Hence, Portfolio Theory can be applied in selection of products / projects with either higher returns given the level of risk or with lower risk given the level of return.Portfolio Theory, then, is a system of diversification. Using precise mathematical equations that determine risk and reward, along with a set of assumptions about investors and the financial markets, the Portfolio Theory provides a process of developing an optimal strategy for diversification. © Shutterstock.com | Syaheir AzizanIn this article, we will look at 1) what is Portfolio Theory, 2) when is the Portfolio Theory useful, 3) components of the Portfolio Theory, 4) creating the Portfolio Theory strategy, 5) using the Portfolio Theory strategy, 6) examples of Portfolio Theory strategy â" General Electric.WHAT IS THE PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGYTo understand Portfolio Theory, it is helpful to consider an example: a company that has an oil refinery business. This oil company has several oil fields in its portfolio and tries now to select the oil fields with the highest return given the same level of risk. The returns for oil company are the revenues from oil projects devived from its volume of oil production, the oil price, operating costs to maintain the oil refinery, as well as the initial investment in the starting the oil refinery. On the other side, the risk for oil company contains in the ultimate volumes of oil reserves, the change in the oil price and operating cos ts, as well as unpredicted additional amount of investment for getting the oil field start producing oil. Using the principles of the Portfolio Theory, the company can let its portfolio of oil refinery be diversified, but optimize it by comparing the oil projects based on return and risk profiles. In this example, oil company can for example define the level of risk, which it can handle and select then the oil fields with the highers returns given this level of risk. In doing so, the company can generate a diversified and optimized portfolio of oil projects. It has then minimized their risk, and maximized their return. © Wikimedia commons | ShuBraqueWhile the nuances of the Portfolio Theory are difficult to grasp, the basic ideas are clear: diversification and risk/return optimization leads to a stronger portfolio.WHEN IS THE PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGY USEFUL?Investors have used the Portfolio Theory strategy to compile an investment portfolio for years. As an investor, it is useful to diversify and to optimize investment holdings that will generate returns. The Portfolio Theory is beneficial to a company or an investor who wishes to have a deeper understanding of the risk and reward relationship. By looking closely at the amount of acceptable risk, an investor gets an idea of the type of investments they should select. Many investors consider themselves as ârisk-takersâ but when confronted with actual data about the risk involved, prefer to take a safer, more traditional route. Other investors consider themselves as conservative but would be comfortable with a higher level of risk. Evaluating t he level of risk that can be tolerated gives an understanding of an investorâs risk tolerance.In corporate applications, the Portfolio Theory is useful to establish a strategy for increasing and optimizing a corporate portfolio. Again, it gives an indication of risk tolerance, but it also provides opportunity for discovering methods of diversifying a companyâs holdings and offerings. Developing areas that can increase rewards, while balancing the risks is essential in stable companies.Finding the perfect balance of risk versus reward is the fundamental basis for the Portfolio Strategy â" making it extremely useful for the company that wishes to minimize their risk.COMPONENTS OF THE PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGYThere are four main components in the Portfolio Theory: risk, return, efficient frontier, and diversification.RiskThe Portfolio Theory assumes that when given a portfolio of investments with equal returns, the investor will select the one with the lower level of risk. Accordi ng to the assumptions of the theory, an investor will only take on additional risk if there is an expected level of higher reward. The relationship between risk and return is affected by the number of assets in the portfolio.ReturnWith the framework of the Portfolio Theory, an investor who wants to generate a higher level of reward, or return, must be willing to have a higher level of risk. The implication, then, is that an investor will choose to invest in a portfolio that offers a lower level of risk with the highest level of return.DiversificationMarkowitzâs theory demonstrates that an investor who wishes to reduce risk can do so by establishing a diverse portfolio. Using mathematical principles and formulas, the return variance of the portfolio can be established. Simply put, the sum of the assets, over the square of the fraction of assets is multiplied by the assetâs return variance. When the assets are completely uncorrelated, the portfolio is diversified and the investor can experience a higher level of reward.Efficient FrontierAlso known as the Markowitz bullet, the Efficient Frontier is the graphical representation of the Portfolio Theory. By plotting the possible combinations of assets to risk, the risk-free area is clearly identified on a hyperbola graph. Moving along the risk-free rate line, an investor can begin to identify what level of risk is comfortable based on the expected level of return.CREATING THE PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGYThe basis for the Portfolio Theory is mathematical. A long, complex formula for investing is used to determine the risk/reward ratio and establish a diversified and optimized portfolio. Typical entrepreneur might not have the desire or know-how to establish a mathematical formula to determine investments in products and projects within her/his business, however, and the statistical data for the strategy is lost on many.Creating a true Portfolio Theory strategy for a company, then, requires the assistance of financia l planners and potentially fund managers who have access to tools and data streams to provide information. The concepts of the strategy, however, can be clearly understood and used by even the most novice investor or entrepreneur in her/his business.Investors can establish their portfolio two ways. Identifying the acceptable level of risk gives an idea of the expected level of returns. Conversely, identifying the desired returns will identify the amount of risk necessary. Applying diversification will spread the risk over a number of assets, lessening the individual risk but increasing the overall return.USING THE PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGYThe Portfolio Theory has a wide range of applications outside the world of finance. Modern users of the theory have applied it to scientific processes, charting the possible outcomes of experiments. It has been used to find relationships in the workplace with studies of variability and economic growth in the labor force. Social psychology has adapt ed the theory to develop a model of self-concept. According to psychologists, an individualâs self-esteem is stable when their self-concept is more diverse.The same principles can be applied in a business setting, where the fundamentals of Portfolio Theory can be applied to corporate strategy. For companies that have multiple divisions, offer a line of products or services, using the Portfolio Theory can lead to a more stable and consistent revenue stream. In addition, it can offer a company clearer vision of how to increase their market share, while minimizing risk.A company that wishes to increase their reward (or, put another way, to generate more revenue) can institute the Portfolio Theory. Adding a diversified set of assets will lessen the risk of diminishing returns. In the oil refinery company example used above, the company selected diversity of oil fields based on their risk/return profiles. It reduced the risk on the portfolio level (by selecting lower level risk oil fie lds), added diversity (by selecting several oil projects), and increased revenue (by selecting higher revenues for defined level of risk). Finding ways for adding diverse projects with optimized risk / return profile can help a company grow and profit.Finding ways to apply the Portfolio Theory to a businessâ strategy will increase their stability within the marketplace. Looking at a companyâs portfolio of products / projects overall will help drive decisions about adding or reducing the number of products / projects, in direct correlation to the amount of return desired. If one department or division is not performing well, it will not be as detrimental when other divisions can offset the deficit. The company can then make decisions regarding the addition of a new asset to replace the poorly performing section or to develop methods to increase that divisionâs revenues.EXAMPLES OF PORTFOLIO THEORY STRATEGY â" GENERAL ELECTRICIt is helpful to evaluate the corporate application of the Portfolio Theory by examining a company that uses the strategy to determine their growth. One of the largest companies around, General Electric (GE) has a long history of diversification and product portfolio optimization. Within the last few years, however, they have streamlined their corporate structure into six main areas: banking, transportation, appliances and lighting, aviation, energy and health care. © General ElectricTo apply the Portfolio Theory, consider each industry as an asset. Limiting their assets to six, they have optimized their risk/reward formula. By selecting industries that operate independently of each other, they have a range of diversification without high elements of risk. The reward component of the formula can be seen in the potential for double-digit growth in earnings for 2014. With a focus on developing within the industries they have chosen, they are increasing their organic revenue in an environment that allows for low reward in one area balanced by the higher rewards in another.Over the last several years, the largest growth revenues have come through GEâs banking industries. The smallest revenues have been through their transportation division. Based on the Portfolio Theory, they can still achieve high levels of reward, due to the relationship between their risk factors. In an effort to further stabilize their revenues, GE has been putting their effo rts into bolstering their transportation division, while pulling back from their banking industry. As the recession has receded, demand for GEâs locomotive has increased with the recovering railway industry.By achieving industrial growth that is sustainable, GE has managed to remain a stable force in the marketplace. Examining the relationship between the different industries that GE offers, it is clear to see how the Portfolio Theory can be applied to a corporation with success. Considering the overall portfolio of GE shows a company that has a high level of revenue, with an overall low level of risk, making GE a strong investment opportunity.The Portfolio Theory as a strategy for business can demonstrate the elements of acceptable risk and reward helping companies to diversify and to optimize their portfolio of products and services, as well as to establish a strong market presence. While critics of the theory have held that the idea is based in an unreal world of perfect condit ions, the principles of the strategy have clearly worked. Variations of the Portfolio Theory have developed since its inception and it still continues to be a much-used method of investing and business planning today. By taking this investment strategy and applying it to other areas of business, the long heralded method is still as effective as it was over thirty years ago. Image credit: Wikimedia commons | ShuBraque under Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Major Strategy Frameworks No matter the size of the company, it is essential to the growth and success of the business to periodically evaluate the direction it is moving. This process can be done in a variety of ways, but finding a method that is cost effective, reliable and useful often intimidates business executives. For the company that is new to the idea of strategic planning or who wants a simple, quick method of finding direction the SWOT strategy is ideal. Aptly named for its features, the SWOT is an analysis of the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats that a company experiences. © Shutterstock.com | TheGigerRangerIn this article, we will look at 1) what is SWOT, 2) when is SWOT useful, 3) components of SWOT, 4) creating SWOT, 5) using SWOT, and 6) example of SWOT.WHAT IS SWOTThe SWOT strategy focuses on two areas: internal factors and external factors. When considering the internal factors, the company must focus on the areas within the company that they can control. The internal inspection will be centered on the strengths and weaknesses of the business. Before starting any campaign to expand the company or trying to advance in the marketplace, it is vital to take inventory of the current company standing.Beginning with an investigation that looks inward, it is possible to establish a realistic picture of the state of the company. To begin, the business must evaluate the factors of the company that are strengths, or advantages in the marketplace. These items may include staffing, assets, position in the industry â" any features that set the company apart from the competition in a positive way. In addition to the strengths of the company, a similar examination of the internal weaknesses of the business must be conducted. Weaknesses may be processes that arenât fully functioning, limited use of technology, access to shipping lines â" the hurdles that the company faces in order to do business.Conversely, a thorough understanding of the external factors that the company faces must also be established. This is done through the last two features of the SWOT: opportunities and threats. In a business environment, these items are aspects of business that a company cannot control. In many applications, external factors deal primarily with what is considered âthe competitionâ, but for a successful SWOT analysis, it must include factors beyond that. Opportunities for the company include market awareness and growth, public perception and economic trends. Threats may be the most difficult to establish, but should be carefully considered. T hreats can include funding delays, opposition to new processes or products or timing issues.WHEN IS SWOT USEFULThe SWOT analysis can be beneficial to a company in a variety of scenarios. Most scenarios can be categorized into either developing new business or evaluating existing business. Companies that wish to develop a strategic plan for the expansion of their business would be well served by performing a SWOT analysis before engaging in action. The SWOT can be used when a company is beginning to implement an expansion into a new market area, when considering a new product line or when developing new policies. Evaluating the new venture in light of the existing company structure can provide guidance into the feasibility of adding new products or ideas.In addition, SWOT strategies can be implemented when considering a change in the focus of the company. The possibility of transitioning from a local market to a global scale, for example, could be evaluated using a SWOT analysis. Ano ther consideration for a SWOT analysis is when a taking on new business that could largely impact both productivity and scope of the company.For new businesses, using a SWOT analysis strategy can help guide the company through the early stages of development. Establishing a clear and definitive course of action will be beneficial as a company identity is being formed. By clarifying the unique aspects of the company, employees have a better understanding of the focus of the company and are better equipped to make the company successful.COMPONENTS OF SWOTThe four components of SWOT: strengths, weakness, opportunity, and threat must be individually evaluated. © Flickr | jean-louis ZimmermannInternal factors: StrengthsThe features of the company that are benefits and can be both tangible and intangible are the strengths of the business. These positive features are within the control of the company. Strengths may include: resources (both human and otherwise), advantages over competition, facilities and more. To determine strengths, a company may consider the following questions:What does the company do better than any other company in the industry?What are the advantages that the company has?What are the resources that the company has that others donât have?What human resource advantages does the company have?What positive features does the company have that gives an edge over the competition?Internal factors: WeaknessesIt may seem counter-productive to focus on the negative internal aspects of a business, but to truly achieve success, the weaknesses must be addressed. Being realistic and honest provides a true picture of the company and prevents complications and issues later. Some of the areas to consider weaknesses will be discovered by using questions such as:What are the areas that the company can improve?What causes the company to lose business?What areas are lacking in the business?Are the resources available to the company limited?Does the location of the business hinder success?What continuous training efforts are in place for employees?Considering the external aspects of the SWOT are equally as important. These issues that are beyond the control of the company must be included in a strategic plan for success. Externally, there are Opportunities and Threats. By maximizing the opportunities and minimizing the threats, the successful company will be able to move beyond their current position in the marketplace.External factors: OpportunitiesThese positive features outside the company are reasons that the company will be successful. By taking advantage of the opportunities the company faces, the company can r each their potential for growth, expansion and success. Opportunities can be evaluated through discussion of some of these questions:What opportunity for growth exists in the current market?What legislation or funding opportunities have been created that can benefit the company?What timeline exists for these opportunities?How does the physical location of the company affect the future?What changes in demographics can increase sale opportunity?What changes in technology can the company take advantage of?External factors: ThreatsThese external factors put a company at risk. The threats to the business include competition, legislation, or other factors that are beyond the control of the company. While it is impossible to plan for every contingency, it is helpful to be aware of the threats and have an established plan in place for dealing with them.Who are the direct competitors in the industry?What changes can affect marketing strategies?What shifts in consumer habits could affect sale s?Are changing legislations putting the company at risk?Does new technology or products make current products or offerings obsolete?These questions are by no means an exhaustive list of items to consider in the creation of a strategic plan. By beginning an investigation of each component of the SWOT, it will help create a clear outline of direction.CREATING SWOTThe creation of a SWOT can be a short, simple process or it can be a more complex process that involves a wider range of people and time. The only limitation to the size and scope of the SWOT analysis is the intent and desire of the company developing the strategy.Creating a SWOT analysis can be completed by the head of a department, the CEO of the company, or the chairman of the strategic development committee. For maximum effectiveness, however, the analysis should be completed by a group of people from various segments of the company. By selecting people in different areas of the business, they will have different inputs i nto the positive and negative aspects of the company which will be essential in creating a true picture of the company. Additional insight can be gleaned from the inclusion of customers in the process. One reason the SWOT strategy is so effective is the simplified process for creation. A basic SWOT can be created during a staff meeting, a company retreat or spread out over the course of several weeks. Depending on the desired use of the SWOT, it can be helpful to schedule a planning session that will span several hours specifically to conduct the analysis.Establishing a casual, relaxed environment and inviting key people to the SWOT strategy session will help generate an opportunity for employees to collaborate while sharing their knowledge and insight for the betterment of the company.Appoint a discussion facilitator to move the group through the exercise. Progress, in order, through the S-W-O-T categories of the strategy. Ask for group feedback regarding each area, using the suppl ied questions, along with any others that may be relevant. Allow for discussion within each category, making notes of comments and ideas. Encourage answers that may be contrary to the overall perception of the company â" a range of ideas and comments will provide the means for honest discussion about the business. Once the lists of each category have been compiled, identify the top 5 â" 10 items in each section based on the group discussion. After the analysis has been completed, assemble the results into a chart that lists the results in an easy to see format. Distribute the results to the members of the group to allow for final consideration.SWOT Analysis: How To Perform One For Your Organization USING SWOTAfter completing the SWOT analysis, compiling the reports into useable results is the next step. The analysis identified and prioritized the biggest internal and external factors of the company. The SWOT analysis may have identified issues or problems that need to be addressed . It may have reaffirmed goals and strategies already in place. In addition, it brought attention to factors that can generate growth. In order to successfully use the SWOT, those factors must be turned into short and long term strategies.One of the primary benefits of the SWOT analysis is the ability to focus on maximizing strengths while minimizing weakness. This can be done through a careful consideration of the areas highlighted in the analysis. Look for ways to use the company strengths identified to capitalize on the opportunities assessed. In the same way, develop solutions to minimize the threats that are present by using the existing strengths of the company.By focusing on the positive aspects of the company, the negative factors can be minimized and negated while creating opportunity for growth. Use the list of opportunities developed to establish strategies that will reduce weaknesses. Further, focus on minimizing weakness to avoid potential threats in the marketplace.Gen eralities are the enemy of a successful SWOT strategy. Use only verifiable and precise claims when identifying strengths and weaknesses. Prioritize the list of factors, ensuring that the most important areas are dealt with first. Revisit the SWOT analysis and subsequent strategy plan frequently to ensure that the company direction is still in accordance with the expected strategies.EXAMPLE OF SWOTGenerating a SWOT for a famous company will give an idea of the potential uses for this type of strategic planning. Consider the possible SWOT analysis of IKEA, the retailer famous for home furnishings. The global company has taken Scandinavian style to the forefront of the furniture retailing industry and has utilized the SWOT philosophy to generate direction and planning.A potential SWOT analysis for IKEA may include the following features:StrengthsLow priced, functional products in a wide range of stylesVision for giving people a better lifeConsistent global quality and brandWeaknessesQu ality control in manufacturing countriesBalance between low costs and quality productsCommunication between consumers and shareholdersOpportunitiesIncreased market demand for environmentally conscious productsMarket increase for low carbon footprint corporationsEconomic downturn forcing consumers to consider lower cost productsThreatsMarket slowdown of first-time homebuyersCompetition entering the low price marketDisposable income shrinking due to economic downturnBy maximizing the opportunities for growth, IKEA can continue to dominate the home furnishings market. Fitting in with their vision to create a better life for people, they can focus on the environmentally conscious aspects of their company by using sustainable, renewable resources. Consistent use of their existing global network will help to reduce their carbon footprint through creative packaging and shipping.The use of the SWOT analysis and strategy can be an essential part of a companyâs development. Critics claim th e limited scope of the process make it ineffective in truly determining future growth, but used as part of a larger strategic plan it can be a powerful tool. By using the plan to develop a framework for success, the company will be able to minimize weakness while maximizing the potential for the future. Image credit: Flickr | jean-louis Zimmermann under Attribution 2.0 Generic. Major Strategy Frameworks Consider planning a trip that will require several nightsâ stay in a hotel. There are three to choose from in the town: Hotel A has no amenities beyond the basics. A bed, a bathroom and a tiny pool in the back are all that is offered at the low cost accommodations. Hotel B is a pricey resort, loaded with options; has a free breakfast buffet, an on-site spa, several pools and a well-apportioned room with a view of a nature preserve. Hotel C is a smaller hotel that caters to business travelers in the state. They offer business services, studio rooms with full kitchen facilities, catered business dinners and late check-out options to allow for longer meetings. Travelers choose one of these three hotels based on their personal needs and preferences. Each hotel, however, is an example of a particular type of Generic Competitive Strategy that businesses use to set themselves apart from the competition.Hotel A is betting on the premise that cost is one of the primary decision making facto rs when choosing a hotel. They donât offer fancy extras, but the rooms are clean and cheap. Hotel B draws clients who want to be pampered and who will wear the hotelâs monogrammed bathrobe proudly on their way down to breakfast. The rooms are expensive, but are larger than some of the homes people live in. Hotel C has narrowed their attention to the weary business traveler and has mastered the art, while maintaining prices that are middle of the road. © Shutterstock.com | Sira AnamwongIn this article, we look at 1) what is generic competitive strategy, 2) when is the generic competitive strategy useful, 3) components of the generic competitive strategy, 4) creating the generic competitive strategy, 5) using the generic competitive strategy, 6) examples of generic competitive strategy.WHAT IS GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGYHarvard professor Michael Porter coined the phrase âgeneric competitive strategyâ in his book, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Since the writing of his book, the phrase has become known in business circles as one of the primary methods of business planning and strategizing for businesses across all industries. The Generic Competitive Strategy (GCS) is a methodology designed to provide companies with a strategic plan to compete and gain an advantage within the marketplace.According to Porter, a company can leverage its strengths to position itself within the competition. When classifying the strengths of a company, they can either be placed under the heading of cost advantage or differentiation. Within those two strength categories, the scope of the company is either broad or narrow. As a result, there are three strategies that can be applied to any business or industry at the business level (explained later in the post).WHEN IS THE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGY USEFUL?The GCS is useful when a company is looking to gain an advantage over a competitor. If a company wants to âwinâ the advantage over other businesses, it does so by winning sales and taking customers away from competitors. An advantage in business, though, does not come easily. It must be developed and established firmly within the framework of a company. Using a business strategy is not a one-off or a weekend exercise; it must become the driving force of the company.In order to do this successfully, a company must implement a Generic Competitive Strategy. Not confined to a specific indu stry or company, the methodology can be used in for-profit companies of any kind, as well as not for profit organizations. No matter what type of business, the principles behind the GCS are universal and can be applied to any company.The primary benefit using a GCS is to establish a methodology of doing business that will drive the company in a certain direction. Rather than simply maintaining the status quo, a GCS gives a company a blueprint to follow that will create the structure of the company.Critics of Generic Competitive Strategy denounce the idea that a company must choose one strategy and use it exclusively. Todayâs global economy and workforce is a far from the environment that brought Generic Competitive Strategies to the forefront. There is still a use for the GCS plan in todayâs business marketplace, however.COMPONENTS OF THE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGYGCS is based on three generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. Each strategy has a differe nt mechanism for reaching success. Companies within the same industry may not choose the same strategy â" it is a choice that must be made with the companyâs management, based on the desired outcome for success and the companyâs strengths. Each strategy has unique components that shape the company. © Entrepreneurial InsightsCost LeadershipA business that wants to achieve an edge through cost leadership will become an expert in lowering costs while maintaining prices. The goal should always be to reduce the costs associated with doing business, while continuing to charge the same price as its competitors. This gives the company a greater profit, without having any extra expenses. Another method of maximizing the Cost Leadership position is by lowering the selling point. Because the costs associated with the products are already low, the company is still making a healthy profit. This allows the company to under bid the competitors while still preserving profits.DifferentiationThe differentiation strategy seeks to set a company apart by creating products that are different than a competitorâs. The specific ways that a company differentiates itself from the competition will depend on the industry of the company, but may include features, support and functionality. The uniqueness of the company â" the differentiation â" must only be a feature that a customer is willing to pay a premium price for. A company that focuses on differentiation may be disappointed to realize that their market share is continually changing and comes with a set of risks.FocusThe company that uses the Focus strategy is selecting a niche market, and then determining the scope of the focus. Within the Focus strategy is the option to use either cost leadership or differentiation. It may be confusing to keep in mind that the Focus strategy is dealing with a specific, niche market. Focus does not mean a smaller market simply because the company is small â" it means that the company has chosen to add value to their products and offer them to a select number of customers. Because the company who chooses a Focus strategy deals exclusively with their client base, they develop a loyal relationship which can generate sales and profits for the future.CREATING THE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGYB efore creating a Generic Competitive Strategy, a company must decide which strategy to employ. Taking into account the strengths of the company may give an indication of the best strategy to choose, but should not be rushed simply to move to the next item.To determine the best strategy for the company, follow a few simple steps:Create a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) chart for each of the three strategies. Once that is completed, it may be clear that a strategy would not be appropriate. If that is the case, eliminate that strategy, and continue to the next step.Conduct an analysis of the industry the business is in. Finding out specifics about the business industry can lead to an increased understanding of the market and how to best position the company.Compare the SWOT analysis to the business industry results. Select the most viable options from the SWOT analysis and compare to the business industry analysis.From the comparisons, a company can begin to answer q uestions such as:How does this strategy help manage supplier power?How does this strategy help reduce the threat of substitution?How does this strategy help reduce customer power?As the company begins to answer the comparison questions, a clear choice should emerge. To decide on the correct strategy, choose the strategy that provides the company with the best set of options for the future.There is an implied danger in not selecting a strategy. Porter referred to the company that had not chosen a definitive strategy as being âstuck in the middleâ. A firm that doesnât make a clear choice of strategy may become a company that has little to no profitability, has no competitive advantage and may become a target for companies that chose to differentiate. However, recent studies have indicated that there may be benefit of using a hybrid method that combines more than one strategy. Regardless of what strategy is used, one thing is clear: a company must have a directional strategy to m ove forward.USING THE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGYPrioritizing the companyâs activities based on the chosen strategy will help maximize the success of the plan. The Generic Competitive Strategy will affect the daily decisions of a company, and the industry forces that a company has to deal with may change the way the company operates. The five industry forces (entry barriers, buyer power, supplier power, threat of substitutes, rivalry) would all be affected differently based on the GCS chosen.Using the Cost Leadership strategy requires an aggressive stance towards cost in every aspect of the companyâs operations. With low-cost as the defining quality, the companyâs management must be ruthless in the pursuit of lower costs.The Differentiation strategy, on the other hand, leads to profits but does not lead to a large market share. By focusing on specific traits of a product or service, a portion of the marketplace is automatically disregarded. This leads to a smaller number of p otential customers, but may generate more profits due to their loyalty and willingness to spend more.Establishing a Focus strategy means the company is choosing to prioritize their activities for a specific market segment. That segment may respond in kind by conducting their business exclusively with the company, thus providing higher profit levels. The company will not be successful, however, if they fail to provide their niche market with differences from what the rest of the consumers receive.Porters Generic Competitive Strategies[slideshare id=9666693doc=portersgenericcompetitivestrategies-111012204625-phpapp01w=640h=330]EXAMPLES OF GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGYWal-Mart is perhaps one of the most well-known companies that use Cost Leadership as their business strategy. With efficient distribution methods, huge volume discounts from suppliers, and their control of manufacturing and inventory, they are able to offer low prices. They have minimized costs and are able to pass the sav ings on to customers, resulting in higher number of customers who spend an average amount of money in their stores. By specializing in low costs, they appeal to a wide number of customers who flock to the store in search of a bargain.Once a fledgling computer company, Apple has set itself apart through their Differentiation strategy. They developed an operating platform (iOS) and then designed products that use that system. The hardware for their products is designed by Apple engineers and designers and their products are compatible and top-notch. Apple not only set itself apart from the competition, it has created a subculture of loyal customers who flock to be the first to receive new devices and products. By designing every component that is used in their products, they have set themselves completely apart from the rest of the industry â" leaving competitors far behind.For drivers, there are a few choices: car, truck, motorcycle. The market for motorcycles is relatively small an d the market for luxury motorcycles is even smaller. Harley Davidson has established itself as an industry leader in the niche market of motorcycle riders. They use Differentiation Focus as a competitive strategy, and they do it well. Harley riders expect a certain standard from their bikes, along with responsive customer service. This niche market has evolved almost to the point of being a âclubâ where members find their common ground in the machines they drive. Harley has set itself apart, and established itself as the standard for the true bike rider.Porter began a movement that is still active in todayâs business world when he introduced the Generic Competitive Strategy idea. Establishing a company without considering the advantage it wishes to pursue is effectively setting the company up to fail. Careful consideration of the different advantages will give even the most novice entrepreneur an idea of which direction the company should be moving. A correctly implemented str ategy will help keep the company on target, while ensuring that they maintain a competitive edge within the industry. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-14649429646040762762020-05-23T14:36:00.001-07:002020-05-23T14:36:04.030-07:00Why Teachers Should Have Guns - 798 Words There was a fire in the science class room today. Luckily the teacher had fire extinguishers in the class room which, stoped the fire in a few minutes. Should the school call the fire department and do nothing causing people to get hurt? Or should the teacher stop the fire? Of course the teacher should of stop the fire with a fire extinguisher. By stopping the fire it did not get bigger worse and no one got hurt. There was a kid brought a gun into school today and, pulled out during class. Luckily the teacher had a gun in the class room which stopped the kid in a few minutes. Should the school call the police department and, do nothing causing people to get hurt? Or should the teacher of stop the shooter? Of course the teacher should of stop the shooter. By stopping the shooter it did not get worse and no one got hurt. Teachers should have guns in school to protect the students. Part of the reason why teachers should have guns is what causes school shootings. What is the cause scho ol shootings? Who is to blame? Is it the broken homes, the lack of god or, the fact that there is to many guns? ââ¬Å"Should we blame the government or blame society or should we blame the images on TV?â⬠The thing to blame is fear. Everyday America lives in fear of each other and everything. They fear each other because of their skin, religion and where they live. A foot ball player from Missouris said ââ¬Å"I mean, people were looking at us like we were aliens.â⬠They were looking at him because theyShow MoreRelatedShould School Guns A Weapon Of Self Defense?1000 Words à |à 4 PagesThe debate of whether or not teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school is very heated and continues to dilemma the minds of many. However, both the supportive and opposing parties have good grounds that can be used to choose. Recently in the year 2012, 26 people in elementary school in Texas were shot dead triggering public demand that teachers should be armed with guns in ord er to protect our students. A local resident of the area around the elementary school opened fire on 20 studentsRead MoreShould School Guns Be Banned?1638 Words à |à 7 PagesProtecting Our Future The debate of whether or not teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school is very heated and continues to dilemma the minds of many. However, both the supportive and opposing parties have good grounds that can be used to choose. Recently in the year 2012, 26 people in elementary school in Texas were shot dead triggering public demand that teachers should be armed with guns in order to protect our students. A local resident of the area around the elementary school openedRead MoreI Want Key Card Locks And Metal Detectors881 Words à |à 4 Pagesin every entrance. The reason why I want key card locks is because only faculty and students would have special key cards that would let them into the building and people without the key cards could not enter the building. This prevents any unauthorized personal to enter the building and endanger the faculty and students. The reason why schools need metal sectors is to make sure faculty or students are not carrying a dangerous weapon with them.à Also, the schools should bring in a Police Officer soRead MoreEssay on Teachers Should Be Allowed to Carry Weapons956 Words à |à 4 PagesIn this speech, I will talk to you about how allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons will be a good idea. I will talk about the advantages of allowing teachers to carry a concealed weapon, how allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons is helping other countries, and why Gun-Free zones arenââ¬â¢t working. Letââ¬â¢s start with the advantages of allowing teachers to carry a concealed weapon. There are three main advantages for allowing teachers to carry a concealed weapon. The three advantages areRead MoreThe Teacher s Responsibility That Should Be Carry Firearms, And Be Capable Of Combating920 Words à |à 4 Pageschildren scramble to their seats as the teacher begins class as usual, stating, ââ¬Å"good morning class take out your notebooks and begin your do now that is placed on the board.â⬠Within seconds every student grabs for their notebooks and begin doodling as the teacher walks around the room to ensure everyone participates and checking attendance. *Boom* the door slams and everyone looks up in shock. Eyes grow big and children begin to scream as a young man holds a hand gun toward the class crying and angryRead MoreEssay on Better Education Will Reduce Americas Crime Rate593 Words à |à 3 Pagesthe use of various weapons there is little to no crime in the country. According to the Swiss Federal Police Office there were 2,687 crimes committed in Switze rland in 1997. Of those only 637 involved guns (Halbrook, 1999). The best way to deal with crime is to educate people on weaponry, create more gun control laws, and harsher sentences for criminals caught in possession of a weapon. Education is a key to dealing with the crime rate in America. The more young men and women trained in the use ofRead MoreDefense Of Self, Home And Family1195 Words à |à 5 Pageswas written during a time when a gun was required by law to be in every household for the protection of the residents. Don B. Kates, a civil rights attorney and criminologist, writes in ââ¬Å"Is Gun Ownership a Rightâ⬠that almost all civilian males of military age had to appear with their own guns when called for militia training or service (13). In those days traveling a long distance was met with many perils, highway men, and dangerous animals to name but a few, a gun was needed to insure ones safetyRead MoreEssay on Should Teachers Carry a Gun to School?1236 Words à |à 5 PagesHow Peopleââ¬â¢s Opinions of Teacherââ¬â¢s Carrying Guns During School Can Be Grouped By Age, Gender, and Race Do you believe that people have a unique personal opinion that nobody else has? Well, research has shown that personal opinion can be grouped by age, gender and race, but some of this research does not show through in the highly debated topic, should teachers carry guns during school hours. Age Groups One of the ways peopleââ¬â¢s opinions can be grouped together is by age. According to ââ¬Å"FactorsRead MoreThe Issue Of Guns On Campus953 Words à |à 4 PagesGuns on Campus Crime seems to be at an all-time high in current times. I feel that this is due to so many people carrying guns. The safety of all people should be the focus of our society now. One area we really need to not allow firearms on campuses. This is only one area to focus on. There are several reason why allowing guns on colleges campuses and universities could be dangerous to people. First, gun violence seems to lead to an escalation of violent crime. The percentage of students thatRead MoreBanning Guns On Campuses And Universities846 Words à |à 4 Pagesso many people carrying guns. The safety of all people should be the focus of our society now. One area we really need to not allow firearms on campuses. This is only one area to focus on. There are several reason why allowing guns on colleges campuses and universities could be dangerous to people. First, gun violence seems to lead to an escalation of violent crime. The percentage of students that could be robbed on their way to class increases . Campuses that do not have metal detectors to screen evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-83092717473768124002020-05-12T10:50:00.001-07:002020-05-12T10:50:03.889-07:00Female Sensuality and Rebellion in Dracula - Free Essay Example Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1802 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/15 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Dracula Essay Did you like this example? In his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker seeks to highlight the importance of following gender roles in the late 19th century. Throughout the story, many women rebel against societal gender norms and embrace their sexuality. In this novel, Bram Stoker suggests that women should follow their traditional Victorian roles and that female sensuality and rebellion will result in the destruction of a woman and her character. Literary critic John Ruskin describes Victorian gender roles: The mans power is active, progressive, defensive while women must be enduringly, incorruptibly, good (59). This statement proves that men of this time period had many more freedoms than and were generally superior to women, and Bram Stoker analyzes this social construct in Dracula. Mans control over woman in this novel is shown in Draculas character. Dracula is the only male vampire in the novel as well as the implied leader of the rest of the vampires. It is Dracula who is responsible for exerting control on women such as Lucy and Mina by turning them into vampires. His male dominance is clear after Dracula is attacked by the band of men and he exclaims, My revenge is just begun! Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine my creatures, to do my bidding and to be my jackals when I want to feed (Stoker 325). Dracula says this with no regard to the women at all; he treat s them as objects, taking advantage of their passivity and exerting his power over them as was typical of men in this time period. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Female Sensuality and Rebellion in Dracula" essay for you Create order In this novel, female sexuality is presented in a negative light as aggressive and violent. This is shown in various places throughout the story, most notably with the three vampire women. In the first scene of the novel when Jonathan is in Draculas mansion, the three women try to seduce him against his will. Upon seeing the women, Jonathan states, There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear (Stoker 43). Jonathan goes on describing the dark sensuality of the women, referring to them as the three terrible women licking their lips (57). Jonathan repeatedly uses the word voluptuous to describe the three vampires, writing that they have voluptuous lips and a deliberate voluptuousness in their approach to him (46). This word choice emphasizes the womens overt sexuality, which Stoker associates with aggressiveness and cruelty towards children. Harker writes in his journal about the vampiresses, stating that one pointed to the bag w hich moved as though there were some living thing within it There was a gasp and a low wail, as of a half-smothered child. The women closed round, whilst I was aghast with horror, but as I looked they disappeared, and with them the dreadful bag (45). The womens brutality in their treatment of the child leads Jonathan to conclude that these creatures are hardly women at all, basing this judgment off of the traditional women with whom he is familiar, such as Mina. The three vampiresses lack of maternal feelings serves to emphasize that a womans ideal role in this novel is as an innocent mother-figure, and that any woman who strays from that role is evil. These voluptuous women are shown as monsters, their sexuality as animalistic and murderous. The three vampire women violate Stokers ideas about womanhood and femininity, and it is because of this that their characters are destroyed by the end of the novel. Throughout the novel, the more concealed sensual side of Lucy Westenra also becomes evident. Lucy is constantly torn between the need to conform and the desire to rebel; she is dissatisfied with the female social tendency towards compliance and obedience (Senf 42). One example of Lucys inherently rebellious nature is shown at the beginning of the novel, when she writes to Mina, Why cant they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? (Stoker 66). Lucy always has this natural wild side to her, yet she is never really portrayed as a physically sexual being until she is transformed into a vampire. In his analytical essay Sex and Sexuality in Dracula Mitchell R. Lewis considers that The contrasting of angelic purity and monstrous sexuality is evident in the portrayal of Lucy Lucy vacillates between monstrosity and purity until she is completely transformed into a sexual vampire (1). Lucy is portrayed as a sexualized being after she is turned into a vampire who seeks to inspire an intimate response in the men around her. Upon meeting the men in the graveyard, Dr. Seward writes that Lucy said in a soft, voluptuous voice Arthur! Kiss me! (Stoker 167). Lucys dark, villainous seductiveness is evident here, and it is clear that she wants to enkindle sensual passion in Arthur in order to turn him into a vampire. When Seward sees the undead Lucy outside of her tomb later in the novel, he says, we recognized the features of Lucy Westenra but yet how changed. The sweetness was turned to cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness (226). Throughout the next four paragraphs of this section, Seward describes Lucy with eyes unclean and full of hell-fire and a voluptuous smile stating that she speaks with a languorous, voluptuous grace. Again, there is a noticeable repetition of the word voluptuous as there was in the scene with the three vampire women at the beginning of the novel. Parallels can be drawn between these two sections of the story. Lucy, like the three vampire women, has an excessive sensuality about her that is hostile. After Lucy dies she is turned back from a monstrous sexual being with an unspiritual appearance to Lucy with her face of unequalled sweetness and purity (232). It is clear that Lucy as an erotic being was deeply evil to the point of being demonic, yet the moment that she is transformed from that sinful, sexualized being, she is again characterized as pure (Stevenson 145). In the scene of Lucys death, Bram Stoker insinuates that it is because of her rebelliousness and sensuality that she meets a tragic end where she is killed, beheaded, and her mouth filled with garlic. On the other hand, Mina, with her compassion and sexual innocence, is characterized as the quintessential woman throughout Dracula. Mina is the ideal wife of this time period, considering herself submissive to her husband and invariably putting his needs before her own. For instance, Mina writes to Lucy early in the novel, I have been working very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathans studies When we are married I shall be able to be useful to Jonathan (Stoker 61). Comments like these show Minas determination to be the perfect wife and assist her husband when he might need it. Furthermore, Mina adheres to traditional gender roles throughout her marriage to Jonathan, as she never once gives voice to any sexual desire. Also, contrary to Lucy and the three vampire women, Mina is portrayed as a true mother-figure. She considers herself lucky to have so many strong men watching out for her well-being, and in turn is always willing to offer them emotional support as a moth er would with their child. For example, following Lucys death, Mina allows Lord Godalming to cry to her, remarking that We women have something of the mother in us that makes us rise above smaller matters when the mother-spirit is invoked; I felt this big, sorrowing mans head resting on me, as though it were that of the baby that some day may lie on my bosom, and I stroked his hair as though he were my own child (246). When Quincey Morris enters the room directly after this incident, he says to Mina that No one but a woman can help a man when he is in trouble of the heart (247), implying that she has fulfilled her roles as a woman. Mina is described as angelic and kind-hearted in many parts of the novel; she is portrayed as the depiction of moral purity as was expected of an ideal Victorian woman. Minas perfection as a woman is further emphasized as the story progresses. As literary critic Carol Senf states, the second half of Dracula shifts from the presentation of women as vampires to focus on a woman who is the antithesis of these destructive creatures (34). Even after Mina is turned into a vampire, she continues to fulfill her established roles as a woman and act in ways that will benefit the men around her. For instance, Mina allows Van Helsing to hypnotize her as much as he might need in order to obtain information about the ringleader of the vampires. She also tells the men not to discuss their plans in front of her in fear of them getting back to Dracula, as much as it pains her to not know what the men are doing. Mina even goes as far as to make the men promise to kill her before she can betray them (Stevenson 139). As a model of domestic propriety, Mina rejects openness and the pursuit of her own desires, preferring instead to be dutiful and deferential towards the b and of men (Senf 36). Although her physical body is tainted and scarred both from Draculas bites and the Host touching her forehead, Minas soul remains pure. It is this that sets her apart from the other vampire women. Because of her embodiment of the perfect woman of the time, Mina escapes the fate of the other women and even is able to take part in the destruction of Dracula. At the time Dracula was written, women were expected to follow their traditional Victorian gender roles, and Bram Stoker shows that straying from societal gender roles results in the destruction of a womans character. The three vampire women and Lucy become sexual, rebellious, and in turn evil creatures, and consequently they have all been destroyed by the end of the novel. Mina, on the other hand, adheres to conventional gender roles of the time period, and because of this she ends the novel alive and well. Evidently, not following traditional societal gender roles leads to the destruction of womens characters in this novel. Works Cited Craft, Christopher. Kiss me with Those Red Lips: Gender and Inversion in Bram Stokers Dracula. Representations, vol. 8, 1984, pp. 107-133. Lewis, Mitchell R. Sex and Sexuality in Dracula. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature, 3-Volume Set, Facts On File, 2010. Blooms Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=100992itemid=WE54articleId=39509. Senf, Carol A. Dracula: Stokers Response to the New Woman. Victorian Studies, vol. 26, no. 1, 1982, pp. 33-49. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3827492. Stevenson, John Allen. A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula. PMLA, vol. 103, no. 2, 1988, pp. 139-149. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462430. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Barnes Noble Classics, 2004. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-34604501842612554592020-05-06T12:17:00.001-07:002020-05-06T12:17:24.960-07:003 Categories of Organisms Free Essays Week 2: Week Two ââ¬â Class Discussion Class Discussion Graded Activity: Class Discussion (25 points) Instructional Objectives for this activity: Identify the three ecosystem trophic categories of organisms. In Chapter 5, the different trophic categories in an ecosystem are discussed and the importance of each of the trophic categories is described in detail. For this weekââ¬â¢s class discussion, please review the materials assigned in chapter 5, and answer all the prompts below. We will write a custom essay sample on 3 Categories of Organisms or any similar topic only for you Order Now What are the three ecosystem trophic categories? Give 2 examples of each trophic category that can be found in your town, city or county. What trophic category do you think is the most important in the ecosystem and why? What is biodiversity? Is it important? Relate biodiversity to the trophic categories. What would happen to the rest of the trophic categories if one them was wiped out? The minimum expectation for class discussions is to respond directly to each part of the discussion prompt and to respond to at least two other posts, either by a student or instructor, by the end of the week: Submit one main post responding directly to each part of the discussion prompt. This should be a substantive response to the topic(s) in your own words, referencing what you have discovered in your required reading and other learning activities. You may use resources in addition to your textbook that support your post(s); however, you must mention the source(s) that you used in your post(s). Reply to at least two posts. Responses can be made to students or to your instructor. Responses to other individualsââ¬â¢ posts should: Expand on their ideas Discuss the differences between your thoughts and theirs Explain why you agree or disagree. For citation guidelines, please refer to the table in the APA Style section of the syllabus. How to cite 3 Categories of Organisms, Papers evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-16557572318507777682020-05-02T06:05:00.001-07:002020-05-02T06:05:03.494-07:00Technical Plan and Implementation New Charter Housing Trust Group Question: Case study of New Charter organization. Answer: Introduction The task includes primary requirements on designing Virtual Private Network over a case study of New Charter organization. At first, the assignment addressees the essential design of the VPN network along with security and business objectives ("Social Housing Program Protects Network Inside and Out", 2016). The business and security objectives are included as with showing the new network design configuration. The assumptions are attached for depicting entire security scope inclusion. The description is attached in this study for showing the network specifications and design components. The justification is assigned for showing the entire objectives based design of the network as well (Liao, WU Dai, 2016). The components are shown for further addressing of the network procedures; the implementation of the planned network is depicted to show the entire scenario of the design. Network Diagram for the Case Study Figure 1: VPN Network Design Security and Business Objectives in Case Study The security and business objectives are included as per the case study consideration. The organization New Charter Housing Trust Group required incorporating a low-cost yet scalable network connection architecture connecting more people in one grid (Liu et al., 2015). Their primary goal of business is to connect more people from lower income background with serving 20,000 citizens in UK. Their business initiatives are included as following: To provide low cost implementation of Virtual Private Network with serving more residents and corporate staffs To integrate the management units into the existing IT network with mitigating the difficulties To implement the network with legacy hardware and software without any discrepancies in interconnection To implement the network with including access controlling for proper policy and maintenance planning The security considerations are included as following in form of techniques for mitigating the risks and discrepancies. To include potential policies in the organization practices with including deployment of technology To recommend several security and privacy considerations under the network for mitigating the risk of packet transmission without exploit To incorporate the suitable security guidelines under the network connection for privacy maintenance To minimize the security and maintenance cost with increasing the performance later on with connecting the components in network architecture as well Assumptions in Network Design and Security Primary and essential consideration is that the users and personnel should consider entire process with care and sincerity. The organizations personnel and their staff should be included with suitable level of maintaining the secure and private network (Gharam, Salhi Boudriga, 2015). The assumptions in network design and security are included as following. These assumptions are attached for showing which parts are to be considered as the security concerns. The assumptions are important for determining whether the considerations are in the project scope or not. The assumptions are included herewith: The network will be incorporated with access controlling for the users under blocking access to unidentified users The network will be under some users, those who are identified in the grid The network is to be implemented with suitable structuring and configuration The IP addressing is necessary for setting the architecture at a certain packet passing rate Staff and users will be accounted with primary and essential knowledge of interconnection within the grid The staff and personnel will be aware about the network security policies and they would not be violating the rules of the security policy The security and privacy policy will be activated at the time of VPN implementation Description of Network Diagram The system is depicted with including the crucial prerequisites of segments associated in the network. The configuration is made do with considering effortlessness in design with stressing the availability procedure. The switches have RIP routing convention incorporated into the design for appropriate bulk of packet passing through the connected network architecture. The RIP convention is appended for particular bundle going in the system. The switch to switch passage is recognized as 10.0.0.0 and the change to switch portal is distinguished as 192.168.10.0 and 192.168.20.0 individually. The switch is incorporated into the system chart with passing the parcels all through two doors of 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.20.1 too. The switches are interconnected in the middle of the PCs and switches. The switch is possessed with quick Ethernet ports as fro 0/1 to 0/24; there are 24 quick Ethernet ports. The IP locations are in space of 192.168.10.0 and 192.168.20.0 individually. The association is kept up with adaptability as far as segmenting the two areas with two separate doors as 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.20.1 individually. The security encryption as "AES" is incorporated into the outline also. The verification is put as pre-offer mode. The verification is put through with sharing the key however the switch design alongside some IP address ranges. The key is pre-shared as to setting up the privacy in the middle of the frameworks for preparatory SA development. The system outline is dynamic with "isakmp" convention in the 10.0.0.0 entryways through the interfaces fa0/0 and fa0/1. The convention is incorporated into the outline for securing the encryption under the PCs in IP address scope of 192.168.10.2 to 192.168.10.255 and 192.168.20.2 to 192.168.20.255 separately. The computers are communicating with suitable packet passing as shown in the following figure. Figure 2: Ping test in between first and second PC The AES encryption is actualized with hash code "SHA" under the system engineering for fortifying the security and bundle passing component. The figure key is relegated as "toor" in the configuration, and the key is pre-shared under the IP ranges. The sharing imparts in the PCs without interpreting the message physically. As secure 'SHA 256' calculation is utilized alongside AES encryption for irregular hash-code era under a reasonable key task. The calculation is compelling inside Virtual Private Network, as it has no issues in decoding messages without a moment's delay. The security approach 10 is incorporated into the usage, as it is good with VPN arrangement with all parts of protection in bundle passing. The strategy is helpful inside the system for making the NAT conceivable under VPN setup too. Justification of Network Design The network design is justified as it is aligned with security and design initiatives as well. The necessary alignment with objectives is included along with suitable and essential design requirements. To provide low cost implementation of Virtual Private Network with serving more residents and corporate staffs; the VPN is implemented. It is feasible with low cost yet higher performance network architecture. To integrate the management units into the existing IT network with mitigating the difficulties; is implemented with dynamic IP configuration under the architecture as well. To implement the network with legacy hardware and software without any discrepancies in interconnection; as the VPN configuration does not require more important components in this aspect. To implement the network with including access controlling for proper policy and maintenance planning; the network is considered with access control lists in the process. The security considerations are included as followin g in form of techniques for mitigating the risks and discrepancies. To include potential policies in the organization practices with including deployment of technology; the security policy is included as isakmp. To recommend several security and privacy considerations under the network for mitigating the risk of packet transmission without exploit. To incorporate the suitable security guidelines under the network connection for privacy maintenance; the policy documents need to be distributed to the users and staff. To minimize the security and maintenance cost with increasing the performance later on with connecting the components in network architecture as well. Description of Major and Required Equipment The requirements of hardware and components are included as following with specifications in the network diagram. The design is managed with considering simplicity in architecture with emphasizing the connectivity process. The required hardware components are quite popular in market within limited cost as well. 2811 Router: The routers are general with two fast-Ethernet interfaces as 0/1 and 0/0. The routers have RIP routing protocol included in the configuration for suitable packet passing regardless of gateway. The RIP protocol is attached for specific packet passing in the network. The router to router gateway is identified as 10.0.0.0 and the switch to router gateway is identified as 192.168.10.0 and 192.168.20.0 respectively. 2950-24 Switch: The switch is included in the network diagram with passing the packets throughout two gateways of 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.20.1 as well. The switches are interconnected in between the computers and routers. The switch is occupied with fast-Ethernet ports as fro 0/1 to 0/24; there are 24 fast-Ethernet ports. General PC: The personal computers are generic with no extra requirements regarding the network connection. The IP addresses are in domain of 192.168.10.0 and 192.168.20.0 respectively. The connection is maintained with scalability in terms of sectioning the two domains with two separate gateways as 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.20.1 respectively. VPN Tunnelling and Encapsulation Requirements The VPN tunnelling and encapsulation requirements are included with including the security policy in the process. The security encryption as AES is included in the design as well. The authentication is placed as pre-share mode. The authentication is put through with sharing the key though the router configuration along with some IP address ranges. The encapsulation requirements are included as following: isakmp protocol: The protocol is assigned with mentioning a key as toor in the network architecture. The key is pre-shared as to establishing the confidentiality in between the systems for preliminary SA formation. The network design is active with isakmp protocol in the 10.0.0.0 gateways through the interfaces fa0/0 and fa0/1. ipsec protocol: The protocol is included in the design for securing the encryption under the computers in IP address range of 192.168.10.2 to 192.168.10.255 and 192.168.20.2 to 192.168.20.255 respectively. AES encryption: The AES encryption is implemented with hash code SHA under the network architecture for strengthening the security and packet passing mechanism. The cipher key is assigned as toor in the design, and the key is pre-shared under the IP ranges. The sharing helps to communicate in the PCs without deciphering the message manually. SHA 256 algorithm: As secure SHA 256 algorithm is used along with AES encryption for random hash-code generation under a suitable key assignment. The algorithm is effective within Virtual Private Network as it has no issues in decrypting messages at once. Security Policy: The security policy 10 is included in the implementation, as it is compatible with VPN configuration with all aspects of privacy in packet passing. The policy is beneficial within the network for making the NAT possible under VPN configuration as well. Implementation of Planned Network The implementation of the planned network is quite simple in this aspect. The routers are connected though the cross-over cables within the gateways as 10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.2 within them. The switches are connected with computers and routers with straight cable wiring. The PC gateway is identified to be 192.168.10.1 and 192.168.20.1 as well. The computers are configured with 192.168.10.2 to 192.168.10.255 and 192.168.20.2 to 192.168.20.255 IP addressing. The routers are included with RIP packet routing procedures. The cryptography is assigned with security policy 10, along with pre-shared authentication of key. The encryption is implemented with AES security over packet passing. The hash code SHA is attached for showing the random key generation with mapping the access-list 101 in IP range of 192.168.10.0 to 0.0.0.255 and 192.168.20.0 to 0.0.0.255. Again, the second router is incorporated with access-list of 101 within similar ranges of IP addressing. The mapping is supported with CMA P and TSET compatibility for key matching of toor. Figure 3: isakmp Cryptography active in first router Figure 4: ipsec Encryption Shown in red outline Conclusion The assumptions in network design and security are included for managing the in-scope requirements only. The network design is justified as it is aligned with security and design initiatives as well. It is feasible with low cost yet higher performance network architecture. To implement the network with including access controlling for proper policy and maintenance planning; the network is considered with access control lists in the process. The RIP protocol is attached for specific packet passing in the network. The protocol is assigned with mentioning a key as toor in the network architecture. The cryptography is assigned with security policy 10, along with pre-shared authentication of key. The encryption is implemented with AES security over packet passing. Bibliography Ahmed, B. A., Saleem, Y., Waseem, S. (2015). AN IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTIPROTOCOL LABEL SWITCHING VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS AND INTERNET PROTOCOL SECURITY USING GRAPHICAL NETWORK SIMULATOR 3 AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL.Science International,27(3). Burke, C. (2015). Implementation and Evaluation of Virtual Network Functions Performance in the Home Environment. Chen, Y. L., Chen, P. W., Wang, C. H. (2015, October). Performance improvement for CMT-SCTP via load-balancing virtual connections. InComputing and Communication (IEMCON), 2015 International Conference and Workshop on(pp. 1-7). IEEE. Dumka, A., Mandoria, H. L., Dumka, K., Anand, A. (2015, March). MPLS VPN using IPv4 and IPv6 protocol. InComputing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), 2015 2nd International Conference on(pp. 1051-1055). IEEE. Gharam, M., Salhi, M., Boudriga, N. (2015). An LTE-Based VPN for Enhancing QoS and Authentication in Smallcell Enterprise Networks. InCryptology and Network Security(pp. 248-256). Springer International Publishing. Ghilen, A., Azizi, M., Bouallegue, R. (2015). Q-OpenVPN: A New Extension of OpenVPN Based on a Quantum Scheme for Authentication and Key Distribution. InCryptology and Network Security(pp. 238-247). Springer International Publishing. Gladstone, P. J. S., McGrew, D. A. (2015).U.S. Patent No. 9,178,697. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Han, S. B., Phan, T. (2015).U.S. Patent No. 9,178,761. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Kim, B., Oh, S. (2016). Implementation of Data Visualization of Harmful Information Filtering System.International Information Institute (Tokyo). Information,19(3), 987. Liao, T., WU, B., Dai, X. (2016).U.S. Patent No. 20,160,134,591. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Liu, V., Tesfamicael, A. D., Caelli, W., Sahama, T. R. (2015). Network security and performance testing for health information system management. Lospoto, G., Rimondini, M., Vignoli, B. G., Di Battista, G. (2015, May). Making MPLS VPNs manageable through the adoption of SDN. InIntegrated Network Management (IM), 2015 IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on(pp. 1155-1156). IEEE. Priyanka, B. H., Prakash, R. (2015). A Critical Survey Of Privacy Infrastructures.arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.07207. Social Housing Program Protects Network Inside and Out. (2016). www.cisco.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016, from https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/new-charter-housing.pdf Zhou, L. (2015, January). Implementation of Linux VPN Gateway based on Netlink communication. InControl Engineering and Information Systems: Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Control Engineering and Information Systems (ICCEIS 2014, Yueyang, Hunan, China, 20-22 June 2014).(p. 399). CRC Press. Zhuang, S., Li, Z., Baohua, S. O. N. G. (2015).U.S. Pate. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-23817449165191833042020-03-22T13:57:00.001-07:002020-03-22T13:57:03.008-07:00Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason Many people best understand faith as a religious concept, particularly, the belief in things not seen but that are true (Lewis 56). By contrast, the conventional definition of reason is far from religious; it has to do with the natural sciences deductive thinking and dialectical theories. However, this paper seeks to correct these narrow-minded views and establish a comprehensive position that clearly explains the relationship between faith and reason, since these two qualities are not mutually exclusive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Faith, as per Thomas Aquinas, refers to the alignment of a personââ¬â¢s being, including his or her mental faculties to ââ¬Å"divine truthâ⬠(Aquinas 67). To achieve this state, one has to subject himself / herself to the ââ¬Å"grace of Godâ⬠. It refers to a state of total surrender to Godââ¬â¢s will that almost requires mental or intellectual blindness. One has to forfeit a bit of logic for faith to work. Albl gives several descriptions of faith that can better explain this concept. For instance, he says faith triggers a person to wonder (Albl 32). It is not enough for instance to appreciate the enchanting nature of the blue sky, faith asks who made it blue and why. Another description of faith pertains the view that all that exists because of the creation is a gift to humanity and that all should be grateful for it (Albl 33). It is also the foundation of a personââ¬â¢s trust in anything or anybody else, including self-confidence (Descartes 76). Trusting in what is intangible increases a personââ¬â¢s capacity to believe in what he or she can see or touch. Aquinas imparts that faith requires a portion of the grace of God for it to be fully fledged (Albl 34). This will is what pushes oneââ¬â¢s will to defy their logic and succumb to pure b elief. The result is conversion of the whole person, not just their thoughts. Acquiring it is a continuous process that requires a person to train or discipline their minds constantly before it can become a ââ¬Å"habit of the mindâ⬠(Albl 37). Reason on the other hand has to do with manââ¬â¢s intellectual faculties. The cause of questioning things in a bid to understand them better, or assessing various options to come up with a sensible decision over what makes sense and what does not. Consequently, Albl posits that faith and reason are actually inclusive of each other and one requires the other to achieve its maximum potential. He puts it succinctly in the statement, ââ¬Å"balanced Christianity needs a body of reason animated by the fire of faithâ⬠(Albl 38). This makes clear the jeopardy of being an extremist. Feudists are scholars who restrict the understanding of divine attributes to pure faith and they include theologians such as Tertullian and Soren Kiekegard a mong others. This school of thought is of the opinion that logic muddles up a personââ¬â¢s understanding of God (Hart and Fischer 87).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Their critics are quick to assert that the same God created man a rational being, and expects him be rational about everything, including religion. On the other extreme end are rationalists who believe in cold reasoning at the exclusion of faith. They include philosophy scholars like Rene Descartes and Immanuel Kant among others. However, a modernist view that most people embrace nowadays posits that faith and reason interrelate, with each complementing the other for a fuller understanding of spiritual matters. Albl captures this as ââ¬Å"faith seeking understandingâ⬠(33). Thomas Aquinas proposed that anyone seeking to strengthen his or her faith should find an authority upon which to base this faith. For Christians, he proposed the scriptures and by extension the Quran for Muslims. Reason is a necessary ingredient in theology as it enables scholars to apply mental processes while interpreting scriptures and other religious teachings. Employment of rational thinking of logic further strengthens a personââ¬â¢s conviction that whatever they are studying is true (Hart and Fischer 99). This is because people tend to trust what they have deduced for themselves better than what they do not understand. The connection of reason with faith makes it an even more important tool. It takes faith in the rationality of the world to accept the results one obtains from employing reason to deduce truth. Faith and reason are supplementary qualities whose development needs to be at par. When one exceeds the other, one risks acquiring dangerous perspectives that are extremist and close-minded in nature. Theology as a study of religion requires both in equal measure. Reason will enable a scholar to pass judgment on the accuracy of various points of view, whereas faith will turn him or her into believer. Works Cited Albl, Martin. Reason, Faith and Tradition: An Exploration in Catholic Theology. New York: Saint Maryââ¬â¢s Press, 2009. Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Fathers of the English Dominican Province,à Christian Classics. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1981.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Descartes, Rene. Rules for the Direction of the Mind. Descartes, Rene. Philosophicalà Essays: Discourse on Method; Mediation; Rules for the Direction of the Mind.à Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merill, 1964. 192. Hart, Thomas and Fischer, Kathleen. Christian Foundations: an Introduction to Faith inà our Times. New York: Paulist Press, 1995. Lewis, Carl. Surprised by Joy:The Shape of My Early Life. New York: Harcout Brac e, 1955. This essay on Using the information from Albl, define both faith and reason was written and submitted by user Dem0g0bl1n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-42324712562559016312020-03-05T23:03:00.001-08:002020-03-05T23:03:02.988-08:007 Ways To Stay Positive While Job Searching7 Ways To Stay Positive While Job Searching Itââ¬â¢s so easy to succumb to frustration while looking for employment. Thereââ¬â¢s always that moment of despair asà the form rejections to our applications keep on pouring inà when we think thereââ¬â¢s no way weââ¬â¢ll ever find our dream job. But itââ¬â¢s always better to be proactive than to remain passive- thereââ¬â¢s no sense wallowing in doubt. When you feel the negativity start to creep in, try one of these instead.1. Tap into your strengthsEven if you donââ¬â¢t feel like you have anyâ⬠¦you do. Sit yourself down for five minutes and list 5-10 things you do really well. These can be relevant to your career or just relevant to your capacity for success. This to-do acts asà a good reminder of your worth and can be repeated frequently!2. Rest on your laurelsSame strategy. Sit down and make a list of a few major accomplishments in your life thus far- milestones youââ¬â¢ve achieved. Then think about whether you ever doubted your ability to make th em happen. Probably, you did. This next milestone is no different.3. Let it goYou donââ¬â¢t have to be religious to take a step back and gain a little perspective. Try mindfulness meditation, or just contemplate for a moment the idea that there is something bigger, much bigger, at work in the world than you and whether or not you get this job. Taking that deep breath can really reset your sense of scale.4. Phone a friendRather than holing up in isolation, ask for help. Tap into your network of friends, or even colleagues, for solace. Tell them youââ¬â¢re feeling down about yourself and the job hunt process. Chances are, theyââ¬â¢ll give you the pep talk you need.5. Keep movingDonââ¬â¢t just sit there staring at your empty inbox and feeling sorry for yourself. Get out of the house and do something- preferably something that isnââ¬â¢t all about you. Check out some local volunteering options. Youââ¬â¢ll feel better having helped someone.6. ExerciseItââ¬â¢s good for you. It will increase your quality of life, decrease your stress, and release a cascade of endorphins that canââ¬â¢t help but make you feel a little better.7. RelaxStarting to feel totally overwhelmed? Make sure to check in with yourself frequently and acknowledge your fears and emotions. If itââ¬â¢s all getting to be a bit too much, take a break for a day- or even a couple of weeks. The recharge time wonââ¬â¢t cost you much, and might just give you the boost you need to get back out there. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-37871757092795962962020-02-18T14:27:00.001-08:002020-02-18T14:27:03.706-08:00The adventure of sherlock holmes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 wordsThe adventure of sherlock holmes - Essay Example Components such as plot, character and narrator make understanding of the stories quite easy. While a number of publications do not have all the components, others employ all for the purpose of drawing meaning. Doyle uses plot, narrative and character to help simplify the stories and ensure clear understanding of the stories (Doyle, 3). In the ââ¬ËAdventure of Red Headed Leagueââ¬â¢, Doyle uses plot, narrator and character to help open up the story to the reader for a better consumption (Doyle, 45). With respect to plot, the sequence of events from one issue to another helps the reader to connect the dots and relate the content of the story. This is what brings an understanding to the reader. For instance, Holmes and Watson are vastly mentioned in the adventure. In the plot, the lines reveal multiple sides of Holmes while being silent on Watson. The plot of the story is choreographed in such a way that Holmes is portrayed as all knowing and tries to jargon through a number of issues. Through this, Doyle makes the story to be understood through the interactions between Watson and Holmes. Holmes as in the story has a character that is questionable (Doyle, 65). Throughout the story, the reader is left pondering on how Holmes is to behave in the next coming lines. Flipping over the pages is eminent as the readerà ¢â¬â¢s attention is drawn to the events. The plot of the story makes it possible to understand the wellbeing of the individuals in the adventure to the extent that it becomes easy to understand the essence of everyoneââ¬â¢s role and background. Consequently, in the Red-Headed League, there are events that are characteristics of the use of a plot (Doyle, 80). Mr. Holmes in the story is met by a man disturbed man whose descriptions in the definition of a joke. His concern is to get to the bottom of the messages going about claiming that he is a joker. From this point, his search for the truth makes him to move from one step to the other with Holmes being evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-63485911684363710522020-02-03T21:32:00.001-08:002020-02-03T21:32:02.525-08:00Learning and talent management in an organisation Research PaperLearning and talent management in an organisation - Research Paper Example Learning and talent management are two of them. They incorporate high importance into the organizations and their performance depends on these areas notably. With advancements of all sorts, and organizations moving into international groups and chains, the field of talent and learning management has held more ground than ever before since these two areas impact the performance in a direct manner. Organization as a whole consists of unit of members, activities, functions, hierarchy, tools and techniques and machinery(Cannon & McGee 2010). However the proper functioning of the abovementioned factors and entities is largely subject to management and their proper working which is usually ensured with the help of human resource organization and department. The importance of Human Resource Management: Human resources have played a vital role in every era, however in modern times, they have become the backbone of effective working and performance of an organization, the umbrella of human re source management is quite scattered and entails many entities that are directly impacting the performance of organization( Sims, 2002). The two of these are the learning management and the talent management. These modern trends are fast adopted and even the small scale organization that operate in different parts of the world, aim at ensuring and incorporating the factors and elements of human resource management. Their implication falls upon the other departments of organization as well and with so much global operations and functional departments, the effectiveness can be enhanced multiple times with the usage of talent and learning management(Collings & Scullion 2011). In such situations no organization can imagine surviving and excelling amongst the competitors who have employed these means as well as others for effectiveness and productivity. The supply chain mechanism, the introduction of technology and various other advancements overall have made it vital for organizations a nd institutes to establish talent management sections. These two areas can be incorporated into the boundaries of H.R (Human Resource) and hence it can be said that with the advent of these two areas, the H.R principles and departmental working has strengthened in parallel. These two can be termed as the modern era existence of human resource organization (reference). Talent management: It is the organization and managing of the talent in terms of the personnel. Its scope entails those who come fresh to the organization, those who are already recruited. The impact of talent management is multi folds; it has an impact not only on the individuals but the organization and the manner in which it operates. It brings about transparency and efficient working procedures in the organization with no favoritism and biases in decision making. Talent management serves as an independent department and discipline and has its regular members, the top management, the persons involved in conducting i nterviews, the observers, those who make decisions and those who are involved in other participatory processes (Hatum, 2010). In pasts the organizational success were largely related to resources, the policies and other variables, however in modern times if there is any variable that outweighs others, that is that of personnel and individuals involved in the organization. Winston Churchill long ago predicted and stated that in times ahead, the major decisions (Kolarevic 2003), successes in terms of organizations and overall performances in different walks of life and institutions would be largely dependent on the minds and abilities of individuals. While in past they were being ignored or their roles were evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-36765221232544149292020-01-26T17:55:00.001-08:002020-01-26T17:55:03.948-08:00A Case Study About Healthcare LeadershipA Case Study About Healthcare Leadership Effective leadership is essential in health care organisations as in other organisations. It is necessary for driving innovation, effective patient care, patient safety, improving working within clinical teams, sorting out issues within emergency context and other aspects necessary for effective and efficient running of healthcare organisations. Transformational leadership has often been prescribed as the gold standard of healthcare leadership(Gopee and Galloway 2009).This essay sets out to: briefly discuss the concept of leadership; highlight why leadership is important in healthcare; make a distinction between the closely-related concepts of leadership and management; briefly highlight how power relates to leadership; describe some leadership approaches applicable within the context of healthcare organisations; describe leadership styles visible in healthcare; present a case study set in a teaching hospital practice setting in Africa ; critically assess the leadership approaches operating within the setting and its effect on organisational performance ;and make recommendations on improving leadership practice within the specified setting. What is leadership? Leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to influence a group of people to achieve a goal(Bryman 1992).It is also noted that leadership can have four possible meanings, namely: the activity of leading; the body of people who lead a group; the status of the leader; and the ability to lead'(Gopee and Galloway 2009). Kouzes and Posner (2007) suggest some characteristics of an effective leader namely to: be more effective in meeting job-related demands; be more successful in representing their units in upper management; create higher performing teams; foster renewed loyalty and commitment; increase motivational levels and willingness to work hard; and possess high degree of personal integrity. Why leadership in healthcare? Effective leadership and management has been found to contribute to efficiency of health care services, performance (McColl-Kennedy and Anderson 2002) and satisfaction of staff employed within them.(Bradley and Alimo-Metcalfe 2008) researched the causal relationship between leadership behaviours and the performance and productivity of staff and found that engaging leadership improved employee engagement and performance. (Morrison, Jones et al. 1997) studied the relationship between leadership style, empowerment, and job satisfaction on nursing staff at a regional medical centre. They used Basss Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure leadership style, items from Spreitzers Psychological Empowerment instrument to measure empowerment, and the Warr, Cook, and Walls job satisfaction questionnaire to measure job satisfaction. The authors found that both transformational and transactional leadership were positively associated with job satisfaction. Some other researchers reported that good leadership skills impacted on patient safety and quality of care (Corrigan, Lickey et al. 2000; Firth-Cozens and Mowbray 2001; Mohr, Abelson et al. 2002).Furthermore, leadership skills are essential in the world of public health policy and leadership is one of the core competencies required of public health trainees(Faculty of Public Health 2010). Leadership versus management Relevant to this discourse is making a distinction between leadership and management. They are two similar but distinct concepts. Management is seen as seeking order and maintaining stability while leadership is seen as seeking adaptive and constructive change. Leadership in the healthcare context aims to influence practitioners towards the achievement of the common goal of quality patient care. On the other hand, management as a process coordinates and directs the activities of an organisation to ensure it achieves its set objectives. Management ensures healthcare resources (human such as doctors, nurses and clerical staff and non-human resources like medical devices and consumables) are utilised in an efficient way whilst delivering effective healthcare service(Gopee and Galloway 2009). However, leadership is known to be complementary to management (Kotter 1999; Zaleznik 2004). Leadership theories and styles in healthcare A number of theoretical leadership approaches can be applied within healthcare .However, not all aspects fit in perfectly into healthcare, and thus some adaptation may be required. Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a widely advocated approach for healthcare. Transformational leadership is one of the contemporary leadership approaches that are concerned with how an individual influences others in a group in other to achieve a common goal .Transformational leaders seek to accomplish greater pursuits within an organisation by inspiring other members of the group to share their vision for the organisation. Transformational leaders motivate and raise the morality of their followers and help them reach their fullest potential. Mohandas Gandhi Nelson Mandela have been cited as transformational leaders(Northouse 2007). In an organisational context, a transformational leader is one who attempts to change the organisations values in order to portray a standard of fairness and justice while in the process emerging with a better set of moral values. Transformational leadership is about the collective good of an organisation; it is expected to bring about organisational change .It aims to inspire commitment to the organisations vision and ideals .In healthcare, teams of health care professionals are inspired to achieve the highest quality of patient care irrespective of limiting situations (Gopee and Galloway 2009). The concept of transformational approach of leadership was popularised by the political sociologist, leadership expert, and presidential biographer- James Macgregor Burns in his seminal work Leadership written in 1978. In this book, he described the leadership styles of some political leaders. Bernard Bass widely cited in leadership literature built on the work of Burns and argued that leadership is an influence process which motivates followers to perform above their expected output by raising the followers level of consciousness about the importance and values of the shared goals, operating beyond their self-interests and addressing higher level needs'(Bass 1985). He also suggested that transformational and transactional leadership models where a continuum rather than mutually exclusive entities. Four qualities or behavioural have been widely cited as the leadership factors which are an integral part of transformational leadership- the 4 IS(Bass 1985; Avolio, Waldman et al. 1991) namely: idealised influence-describes the ability of the leader to act as role model s whose followers emulate. This factor is sometimes mentioned as being the same as charisma; inspirational motivation-the ability to inspire the members of the group to become integrated with the vision of the organisation while transcending their own self-interest ; intellectual stimulation-the stimulation of creativity and innovation in the followers so that they are able to discover and develop new ways of sorting out issues within the organisation as they arise; and individualised consideration-portrays the need for leaders to recognise the strength and weakness of each member of the group foster on the development of followers and help each in the achievement of goals through personal development. Transactional leadership, on the other hand, is one based on reward for performance. A transactional leader is described by (Bass 1985)as one who prefers a leader-member exchange relationship, in which the leader meets the needs of the followers in exchange for meeting basic expectations. In essence, a transactional leader has a penchant for avoiding risks and is able to build confidence in subordinates to allow them to achieve goals. The transactional leadership construct has three components: Contingent reward -clarifies what is expected from followers and what they will receive if they meet expectations. Active management by exception- focuses on monitoring tasks and arising problems and correcting these to maintain current performance. Passive -Avoidant Leadership-reacts only after problems become serious and often avoids decision-making(Avolio, Bass et al. 1999). Connective leadership is a theory based on the premise that establishing alliance with other organisations via networking is essential to the success of an organisation. Collaboration between different clinical teams within a hospital and with other health care organisations and service industry exemplifies this.(Klakovich 1994) suggests that empowering staff at all levels facilitates the collaboration and synergism needed in the reformed health care environment of the future. Distributed leadership Clinical leadership Leading change in the University College Hospital Ibadan: a failed effort in transformation? Healthcare in Nigeria is faced with enormous challenges. The University College Hospital Ibadan was established in 1948 is the foremost tertiary hospital in Nigeria. It is basically organised as a public sector organisation whose primary goal is to provide the best available healthcare service in the western region and the country as a whole. Funding is from the Federal Government and its activities are regulated by the Federal Ministry of Health which is also responsible for the implementing healthcare policies. However, a private section of the hospital was established recently modelling the prevalence of internal markets currently prevailing within healthcare. Currently, the University College Hospital produces 1 in every 5 physician in the nation. It was initially commissioned with 500 bed spaces but has now grown to a 850 bed hospital. The current average bed occupancy ranges from 60-70%. The hospital board of management comprises: the Chairman the Chief Medical Director; the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee; the Secretary of the Board; representatives of public interest; representative of the Nigerian Medical Association; representative of the State Government; representative of the University of Ibadan Senate; representative of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; and the Provost of the College of Medicine. The organisation has three principal officers but the day -to -day running of the hospital falls on the Chief Medical Director who demonstrates some attributes of transformational leadership in order to bring about change . Vision To be the flagship tertiary health care institution in theà West Africaà sub-region, offering world-class training, research and services, and the first choice for seeking specialist health care in a conducive atmosphere, renowned for a culture of continuing and compassionate care'(University College Hospital Ibadan 2009). Mission Statement Rendering excellent, prompt, affordable, and accessible health care in an environment that promotes hope and dignity, irrespective of status, and developing high quality health personnel in an atmosphere that stimulates excellent and relevant research. (University College Hospital Ibadan 2009). The Chief Medical Director is an assigned leader-one whose leadership is based on formal position and legitimate authority .His appointment by the Federal Government in 2003 was proposed to be vital contribute to the improvement of the hospital. A trained obstetrician, he participates actively in the care of pregnant women. With increasing satisfaction of healthcare staff, patient satisfaction rates began increase. A new magnetic resonance imaging ,centre, cancer treatment and research centre.new innovationsthe bank to collect..Satellite pharmacies were established in order to reduce the time and effort spent by staff in getting patient medications. staff development through exchange programmes, establishment of day care centres.shows his entrepreneurial qualities. Despite it all, mortality rates remain high, medical errors are frequent, post operative patients developed infections frequently and physicians were verbally and physically abused by patient relatives. Private patients get more attention from the junior doctors and other specialist consultants. It has now been found wanting in serving the needs of the local population. Repeated nurses strike ,junior workers strike .. SWOT analysis of the University College Hospital Ibadan Strengths Weaknesses Fairly well-equipped operating theatres Large newly renovated and well-built hospital blocks Excellent medical microbiology services, including HIV testing Residential accommodation for house officers and other specialist trainees Strong alliance with international organisations for infectious diseases research Expensive laboratory services Relative shortage of medical staff Politicisation of board of management appointments Weak administrative set-up Expensive pharmacy services Inadequate funding Delay in staff remuneration Few opportunities for exchange programmes for students and residents Inadequate supply of electricity Opportunities Threats Federal Governments commitment to the development of tertiary care More research funding Competition from existing private and missionary hospitals Incessant industrial actions embarked upon by nursing staff, physicians and support staff Critical analysis of the leadership approach in Despite recognition that transformational leadership has some positive benefits, it is particularly difficult to act out within public services organizations Frederickson 1996 cited in (Currie 2005).Though with its own merits, the view that transformational leadership is the solution for healthcare leadership has been criticised. While there are advantages of using the transformational approach, it is not a universal panacea. Transformational leadership alone cannot account for effective outcomes in this health care organisation. Other aspects like of organisational behaviour such as management practices, knowledge management, and organisational culture are also key determinants. A US study of 370 hospitals explored the relationship between leadership, quality and knowledge management and found that transformational leadership is fully mediated by knowledge responsiveness in its effect on organisational performance (Gowen, Henagan et al. 2009). Effective knowledge management is thus strong confounder in the relationship between leadership and organisational performance. In relation to organisational culture, there is also a link between hospital and ward culture with patient outcomes. Research has shown that hospitals with a strong hand-washing policy and practice recorded fewer infections. Transformational leadership, while focusing on change, may not be in consonance with performance management needed for accountability in healthcare(Firth-Cozens and Mowbray 2001). The context in which a leadership style operates is also a key determinant on outcome irrespective of leadership style. Studies have shown the relationship physician working hours, stress, and burnout on quality of care and patient outcomes (Firth-Cozens and Cording 2004; Landrigan, Rothschild et al. 2004).Tackling job stress is thus a key avenue for improving quality of care. The Chief Medical Director needs to understand the complexity within which healthcare is delivered and translate it to his practice setting rather than trying to adopt a prescribed process. Conclusion This essay has highlighted a number of leadership theories, skills, style leadership in healthcare has been assessed. There is no perfect style or approach to leadership and healthcare organisations pose a complex setting. Several approaches may operate simultaneously. Context, political environment and social factors will affect leadership styles and approach. Clarifying the situation of a practise and flexibility is very important. Numerous challenges face healthcare organisations in Nigeria. The ability to deliver safe, effective, high quality care within organisations with the right cultures, the best systems, and the most highly skilled and motivated work forces will be the key to meeting this challenge. Conflicts still exist as to what constitutes good practice in leadership and there is no perfect set of prescriptions for effective leadership. All the existing theories merely provide a framework for which practise can be based. Healthcare organisations are a complex setting and to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, healthcare leaders need to be very flexible in their leadership .The University College Hospital should adopt an blend of different theories and styles in practice. Recommendations Leadership can be taught (Parks 2005)and improved through organising leadership development programme. It is also noted that leadership development programmes improved efficiency and quality in healthcare(McAlearney 2008). Top management and clinical staff can take these.(Kotter 1990) suggests that organisations can nurture and grow their own leaders while adapting to constant changes(Parks 2005) There appears a need for leadership approaches that are sensitive to a context in which there are significant professional and moral concerns graeme. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-10854419542600569922020-01-18T14:18:00.001-08:002020-01-18T14:18:04.719-08:00Case Study Nike Essay1. How does Nikeââ¬â¢s decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency Wieden & Kennedy exemplify the concept of organizational design? The decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency exemplify the concept of organizational design, makes you look at how both companies interpret organizational design. Organizational design is the process of creating structures that accomplish the companyââ¬â¢s missions and objectives. First looking at the text, you interpret the Nikeââ¬â¢s mission is to design products that will have an outcome of a positive image and that positive image will encourage consumers to purchase Nike products. This shows you that Nikeââ¬â¢s image is one of the most viable and important aspects for their companyââ¬â¢s success. Which would leave to the following aspects of customer satisfaction, because without that I could potentially ruin Nikeââ¬â¢s positive image that they strive so much for. Another factor that plays into this positive image would be advertising. Advertising is an important factor because helps the company showcase their ââ¬Å"consumer-aimedâ⬠designs to the public. ââ¬Å"Nike recently spent nearly $2.5 billion annually on advertising.â⬠This textbook reference perfectly displays Nikeââ¬â¢s commitment to their positive brand image. Nikeââ¬â¢s current advertising agency, Wieden & Kennedy has portrayed this image successfully in the past and currently. This success was show by Nike providing them with ââ¬Å"in-house armsâ⬠at the Nike headquarters. By Nike displaying this affection of placing a core contributor to their mission of having a positive image and taking placing them into their headquarters, embodies the concept of organizational design. Not only does is embody the concept is gives the advertising agency the opportunity to have access to Nikeââ¬â¢s executive officers, all other employeeââ¬â¢s that fall under the top-down and bottom-up structures of change. Which will stimulate Weiden & Kennedy form to better and personalizeà marketing strategies and divisional structure for Nikeââ¬â¢s mission and purpose to give them the competitive advantage that they have and strive for. 2. Given the problems Nike has had with sweatshop labor being used by some of its foreign contractors, are there parts of the firm that need to be run with a mechanistic rather than organic design? Give examples to support your answer. In my opinion, Nike should run with a mechanistic design rather than organic. They should do this because when looking at the manufacturing departments that Nike employs it is common knowledge that they companies may not provide nor have the basic necessities that would be implemented by labor laws. Now, seeing that mechanistically control is exceedingly bureaucratic is only proves that this needs to happen within outsourcing departments. Nike should have more restricted limits of control to keep them on task when employing these realities of outsourcing. The association with sweatshops is a big deal alone, and Nike is being accused of allowing then to be employed within their company. Looking back at the question above, this would impact their mission of having a positive image as a while. Referring to the text: Nike refused and refuted to comments made by the critics. Nike will destroy their mission of wanting a positive image, when being associated with allowing sweatshops and unsatisfactory work conditions. When looking at prevention of this negative image, you would have to go to the employees who watch the outsourcing and construct and organize the business dealing with the manufacturing firms. Like stated before they should have personalized and centralized tasks and authority at all times. A way they could implement this in there current situation would be appointing Hannah Jones a Nike executive to watch over the efforts of improvements in the factories working and labor conditions. She could do this by simply appointing a position below hers to watch over a specific issue at a time and report back to her. This would give her department power of what is occurring in these manufacturing companies that Nike as a wholeà has decided to outsource to. The manufacturing companies involved with Nikeââ¬â¢s brand image and business, as a whole should be required to follow Nikeââ¬â¢s standards of ethics. When referring back to organizational design, extreme use of supervision is key. Even if Nike were to implement the idea of taking action of supervising every factory to focus of labor issues alone, it would give them the information needed to know if they should be outsourcing with those manufacturing departments. This could lead to the manufacturing departments actually taking that information and collaborating to have well trained and the proper authority to give them the expectations needed. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-42193672476554278362020-01-10T10:42:00.001-08:002020-01-10T10:42:03.280-08:00Drama AssignmentLHE 3253 TEACHING THE LANGUAGE OF DRAMA Assignment 1 Dorothy Ting Siao Wei 153071 Dr. Habsah Bt Hussin Submission date: 19 Oct 2011 THE JEWELS OF THE SHRINE 1. One of the themes of this play isà false relationshipà among family members. Quote the part(s) in the play where you can discern this theme. Throughout the play the theme false relationship among family members is seen. Firstly, it is seen in the character of Bassi. Bassi is not related to Okorie at all but is seen to be always around the house attending to Okorie. It is as if she is his wife when she is not at all. She is actually married elsewhere and have kids. This is seen in several parts where she appears. ââ¬Å" Bassi: It is enough, Grandfather. Long talk make you tired. Come, your food is now ready. Okorie: Woman, I cannot eat. When happiness fills your heart, you cannot eat. â⬠From here we see how Bassi would advice Okorie to stop talking and eat his meal. Her tone sounds like a wife who cares for a husband rather than a married woman of a neighbor. ââ¬Å"Bassi (holding him and leading him to sit on the bed): You are excited. You know that whenever you are excited, you begin to forget things. Okorie: That is not my fault. It is old age. Well, but what was I saying? â⬠Here we even see Bassi sending Okorie to bed which could be hardly seen in olden times. Bassi is a married woman with her own husband which she should be putting to bed with rather than a senile old man. But she did and she did in gently like how a wife would. Perhaps there is a sincerity of the treatment she gave but thereââ¬â¢s no legit relationship that they have. The other place in the play where false relationship among family members is seen is when Arob and Ojuma started treating Okorie nicely just because they heard something like a great inheritance that they will get if they treat him nicely and bury him with great honour. All of these can be seen in the following excerpts of the play. ââ¬Å"Ojima: At last, poor Grandfather is gone. I wonder if he know that we only played up just to get something from his will. Arob: Well, it didnââ¬â¢t matter to him. He believed us, and that is why he has left his property to us. A few months ago he would rather have thrown it all into the sea. â⬠2. From the language used by Okorie, Arob and Ojuma in their dialogue, what can you discern about their relationship? Give two factors contributing to the disintegration of family units and children neglecting their filial duties toward their elders. From the language used by Okorie, Arob and Ojuma in their dialogue, it seemed like their relationship is not a good one. Okorie doesnââ¬â¢t even call or refer to his grandsons as his grandsons but people and Arob and Ojuma didnââ¬â¢t speak properly or with respect all the time. In my opinion, one of the factors contributing to the disintegration of family units and children neglecting their filial duties toward their elders is, the lack of proper discipline in the family. As seen in the play, Arob and Ojumaââ¬â¢s father passed away earlier than their grandfather, Okorie. No one disciplined them or brought them up in the proper manner. Okorie might have even spoilt them when they were younger so there was no sense of fear and respect from both of them towards their grandfather. They cannot even see the contribution of their grandfather and appreciate him. They even took everything that is his and sold them to get whatever finances that they could get. They never had anyone to discipline them. The other factor that contributes to their misbehavior is a growing sense of selfishness that comes with the welcoming of modernity. As seen and discussed by Okorie and the stranger at the beginning of the play, it seemed like the society has been getting more and more selfish and cruel that they donââ¬â¢t take care of older people but mistreat them too. With the coming of new technologies, new development that first enters the city, more selfishness prevails and the people are getting crueler. They only think about their own welfare, their own happiness and they just disregard for any other people, even the older people in their own family who are flesh and blood. It seemed like all that does not matter at all anymore. Everything is about their own pleasure and comfort and no one else. MOTHERââ¬â¢S DAY 3. Mrs. Pearsonââ¬â¢s difficulty in speaking her mind and communicating the truth with her family had caused her much unhappiness. Quote the part(s) in the Play where you can discern this quality in Mrs. Pearson. There are several parts in the play where Mrs. Pearson depicts her difficulty in speaking her mind and conveying the truth with her family. Firstly is when Mrs. Fitzgerald came to visit her at her house and they were talking casually when the subject of her unhappiness in her home came up. When Mrs. Fitzgerald advised her to be firm and do something about it she became apologetic saying, ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s easier said than done. Besides, Iââ¬â¢m so fond of them even if they are so thoughtless and selfish. They donââ¬â¢t mean to beâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ It shows that she does love her family although they are thoughtless and selfish but she gave them too much leeway that they mistreated her by not thinking about her but only themselves. She finds it hard to speak her mind also because she doesnââ¬â¢t like confrontations and she is mighty afraid to make others feel unpleasant. She doesnââ¬â¢t know how to tell them how she felt. She only drops hints to them. This is seen later when she said, ââ¬Å"I ââ¬â keep dropping a hintâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ and ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ But I do hate any unpleasantness. And itââ¬â¢s so hard to know where to start. I keep making up my mind to have it out with them ââ¬â but somehow I donââ¬â¢t know how to begin. â⬠It is also pretty obvious from the way she kept having pauses in her speaking and getting embarrassed and sending a sense of hopelessness that she has very low confidence which, I believe contributed in her difficulty in communicating the truth with her family. Even when she talks to Mrs. Fitzgerald, she has lots of pauses as seen, ââ¬Å"Mrs. Fitzgerald ââ¬â I know you mean well ââ¬â in fact, I agree with you ââ¬â but I canââ¬â¢t ââ¬â and itââ¬â¢s no use you trying to make me. If I promise you Iââ¬â¢d really have it out with them, I know I wouldnââ¬â¢t be able to keep my promise. 4. Discuss effective communication skills that Mrs. Pearson should inculcate in herself to make her family be respectful of her and appreciate her more. Mrs. Pearson needs to learn to speak more confidently and perhaps, be more confident about herself. If she kept bein g not confident about herself, she will not get anywhere. Her lack of confidence shows in her communication and her family, who seemed to consist of stronger personalities will take advantage of her lack of confidence and mistreat her. Mrs. Pearson needs to know her role in the family is a mother and a wife and not a servant and she eeds to realize that she needs to stand firm and strong in her role in the family as a mother and a wife by speaking more with confidence and a sense of authority and eliminate her habit of always being apologetic and trying to explain. This will help her family recognize her as she executes orderliness in her family, establishing boundaries and a sense of respect within her family. Through that, her family will respect her and she will be able to teach and perhaps train them to have proper manners and a sense of respect for people especially towards her. If she is able to establish that, her family will not step all over her and know that she is serious and not one to simply mess with. Mrs. Pearson needs to also speak clearly and directly to her family, to convey her true wishes to them so that they will know what she wants, how she feels and what she wants them to do and they will be able to understand her better and treat her well. She cannot just throw hints at them because in general, a lot of people cannot pick up hints. Only those who are sensitive and does pay attention to little details will pick up hints but these kind of people are rare unless the hints are too obvious to ignore. Mrs. Pearson also needs to eliminate her fear of confrontation and fear of unpleasant atmospheres because confrontations are necessary to convey clear messages and not at all evil. Unpleasant atmospheres cannot be avoided totally also in all relationships as each human are unique, complete with strengths and weaknesses so certain unpleasantness will come naturally once in a while and it is not necessarily bad, just depending on how one deals with it and also the cause of it. A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL 5. In this Play, conflict in the form of argument prevents Lomov from asking Natalia to marry him. Extract sample dialogues from the Play to indicate where the conflicts are. There are two conflicts that happened in the play. Firstly, Lomov got into an argument with Natalia about who owns the meadows when he was trying to propose to her. The argument went as followed: ââ¬Å"LOMOV: â⬠¦ and my property, as you know, adjoins your own. If you will be so good as to remember, my meadows touch your birchwoods. NATALIA: Pardon the interruption. You said ââ¬Å"my meadowsâ⬠ââ¬â but are they yours? LOMOV: Yes, they belong to me. NATALIA: What nonsense! The meadows belong to us ââ¬â not you! LOMOV: No, to me! Now, my dear Natalia Stepanovna! NATALIA: Well, this is certainly news to me. How do they belong to you? LOMOV: How? I am speaking of the meadows lying between your birchwoods and my brick earth. NATALIA: Yes, exactly. They belong to usâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Lomov and Natalia continued arguing and then a series of things happened and he got chased out of the house and asked to come back again to get engaged to Natalia. Then the second conflict happened when they started talking about hunting and they argued about whose dog is a better dog, Otkatai or Ugadi. The argument went as followed: ââ¬Å"LOMOV: â⬠¦Really? Otkatai is better than Ugadi? What an idea! Otkatai better than Ugadi! NATALIA: Of course he is better. It is true Otkatai is still young; he isnââ¬â¢t full-grown yet, but in the pack or on the leash with two or three, there is no better than he, even- LOMOV: I really beg you rpardon, Natalia Stepanovna, but you quite overlooked the fact that he has a short lower jaw, and a dog with a short lower jaw canââ¬â¢t snap. NATALIA: Short lower jaw? Thatââ¬â¢s the first time I ever heard that! LOMOV: I assure you, his lower jaw is shorter than the upper. NATALIA: Have you measured it? LOMOV: I have measured it. He is good at running thoughâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Their argument, yet again, went on for a while and Tschubukov came in and forced them to quickly get engaged. Right after they are engaged, they continued with their arguing. 6. If Natalia and Lomov get married, what should they do to minimize conflicts in their marriage? If Natalia and Lomov get married, they should learn the art of communication. Lomovââ¬â¢s speech seemed too elaborated and containing too much details which are so unnecessary and long. If he learns to communicate clearly and directly while also respecting the other, it would have lessened so much miscommunication. Natalia should also learn to be less sensitive over petty issues. Perhaps the issue of who the meadow belongs to is important for her but she could have expressed her disagreement in a gentler manner without flying off the handle and her opinions could have been easier to be taken in. Both of them should learn how to manage their anger and know ow to discuss issues or difference of opinions in a more civilized manner rather than getting heated up so fast and raising their voice at each other. They need to look at the otherââ¬â¢s perspective and try to be more understanding. They could have responded in a more neutral manner and there would not have much conflict. They should also learn to be more selfless and put each other higher than themsel ves. From the way they have argued, they seemed rather selfish, insisting that they themselves are right instead of tolerating each other and they also go to the point of degrading the otherââ¬â¢s opinions. They need to learn not to cross the boundary, to respect each otherââ¬â¢s opinions and not to put down each other. They also need to work out their differences and look for each otherââ¬â¢s similarities. Natalie really wanted to marry Lomov so obviously there is something that she likes about him and the fact that Lomov went to propose to Natalia also indicates that there is attraction. They need to focus on the good points, especially the things they love about each other and always be reminded of that and not let petty arguments get in the way. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-42232394860860847962020-01-02T07:05:00.001-08:002020-01-02T07:05:05.180-08:00The Death Penalty Is Justified Essay - 2040 Words Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, ââ¬Å"is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment.â⬠(thefreedictionary.com). The topic is quite controversial, as its merits and effectiveness as a deterrent for crime have been argued many times over. However, the death penalty is perfectly within reason, as it rids the streets of criminals that have committed serious crimes and is also cheaper for the government versus giving life sentences. Even so, there are many who are against the death penalty. One such argument that has been made is that the death penalty is barbaric because many innocents have been sent to their deaths. Although this would be true if these opposers lived before 1986, that is not the case in todayââ¬â¢s world considering there is access to DNA tests and profiling. According to www.interpol.int, ââ¬Å"Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules contain the information all living cells in the human body need to function. They also control the inher itance of characteristics from parents to offspring.â⬠(interpol.int). DNA profiling plays an important role in crimes as it has the potential to link a series of crimes and to place a suspect at the scene of a crime. Not only that, but also DNA can help to prove a suspectââ¬â¢s innocence. With DNA testing, no innocent person will die from the death penalty on the grounds that DNA tests can be used as concrete evidence to prove the suspectââ¬â¢s innocence. To open, one should know what exactly DNA profiling is and its use forShow MoreRelatedIs the Death Penalty Justified?1824 Words à |à 8 PagesIs the Death Penalty Justified? Jessica Valentine PHI 103 Informal Logic Professor Stephen Carter March 20, 2012 Is the Death Penalty Justified? The death penalty will always be a topic some people refuse to talk about. When in fact, it is a very serious topic and people should know how and why the death penalty is not justified. I believe the death penalty is not justified in the least bit because there are people sitting up in prison just living life because the state does not want toRead MoreIs Death Penalty Justified?995 Words à |à 4 Pages995 Is Death Penalty Justified? Death penalty is the capital punishment given to the person where a person is put to death who has done crime or involved in a crime. It is for those people who is doing the crime intentionally. It is given by the government to the traitors, murderer and so on. 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Key words: Foster care: The system in which a child under 18 years old is placed in a group home, institution, or private home through a governmental or social service agency. Developmental: Of or pertaining to the psychological growth of an individual. Social service agency: A service provided by the government to advance human welfare. Effects of Being a Foster Child 3 Foster care is defined as the system in which a child under 18 years old is placed in a group home, institution, or private home through a governmental or social service agency. Foster care in the United States began in 1853 (NFPA). Charles Loring Brace began the system as a way for homeless immigrant children living on the streets of New York City to have a home (NFPA). Eventually in the early 1900ââ¬â¢s more formal inspections and placements were made and it soon became similar to what it is today (NFPA). As of September 30th 2014 there were 415,129 children in the foster care system in theShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Being A Foster Care On Children And Adolescents1219 Words à |à 5 PagesKom Kunyosing Cause and Effect Essay November 16, 2015 Effects of being in foster care on children and adolescents Being in foster care can either have a positive effect on someone or it could have a very negative effect on someone. In my case, it not only had a positive effect but it also had some downfalls. Most often times children/adolescents are placed in foster care because it is a safer environment for them to live in. Foster care is positive in manyRead MoreFoster Care Literature Review882 Words à |à 4 PagesIntroduction Foster care is a growing epidemic in the United States. Youth who are involved in foster care are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system, become addicts, and not be able to find employment. As a society we try to care for the child as best as we can. The average cost to help provide for a child is roughly $11,000 per year. The rate of a child being neglected in foster care is much higher than a child living with biological parents thatââ¬â¢s being neglected. A child thatRead MoreChild Abuse And Neglect Essay917 Words à |à 4 Pagesare many different types of effects on children regarding abuse, neglect, and foster homes. Some children in stay in foster homes until they age out at eighteen, others are more lucky and get adopted, most likely because they were young and do not have siblings. Abuse and neglect have also been found in foster homes. Abuse and neglect has been happening in many different places in and out of foster homes. There are many effects of abuse, neglect, and being put in a foster care system can make thingsRead MoreFoster Care: Protecting Bodies but Killing Minds Essays964 Words à |à 4 PagesThroughout America there are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care. These children in foster care have disproportionately high rates of physical, developmental, and mental health problems (Issues). Most of these troubles are caused by the lack of attachment to the foster parents. With the shortage of time at a new house, these children do not bond with the foster parents. Some foster parents are willing to keep the children as long as necessary, but others are selfish and are in the programRead MoreFoster Care Essay1698 Words à |à 7 PagesFoster care is care for children outside the home that substitutes for parental care. The child may be placed with a family, relatives or strangers, in a group home (where up to a dozen foster children live under the continuous supervision of a parental figure), or in an institution (McDonald). No matter the form of placement, this type of upheaval in a young childââ¬â¢s life is bound to cause the need for many adjustments. Aside from having to adjust to a different family, peers, schooling and possiblyRead MoreThe Effects Of Children On Foster Care1286 Words à |à 6 PagesImproving Foster Care Homes: The Effects of Children in Foster Care In America it is stated that 1 in every 84 children live in foster care circumstances via Statistics on Foster Care. There is a numerous amount of contrasting children from various backgrounds and ages living within these special housing homes, and many are repeatedly in and out from unstable circumstances. As children grow and mature into the new faces of the world, they face many obstacles and tribulations that will alter theirRead MoreCommon Examples Of Child Protective Service1687 Words à |à 7 Pages In 2002 there was estimated to be nearly 3 million referrals to Child Protective Services (CPS) in the United States, and about 5 million in the year 2000 (McWey Mullis, 2004). Children who are living in environments that put them in harms way, depending on the situation are generally removed from their home and placed into a foster home in attempts to keep them safe (Carlson, Egeland Lawrence, 2006). Common examples of Child Protective Service (CPS) referrals include physical a buse, sexualRead MoreProblems Within The Foster Care System1641 Words à |à 7 PagesProblems within the Foster Care System The foster care system has been stretched too thin as the turn of the 21st century rolled around. Higher entrance into the system with new policies and lower staff has given way to a new problem-the highly abusive environment that surrounds the whole system. The mistreatment of the children and their foster families within in the system is now a prevalent issue in the Child Welfare Organization. The long-term effects of the abusive foster care system comesRead MoreThe Effects Of Foster Care On Children Essay1390 Words à |à 6 PagesEverywhere across the world, more and more children are being placed into foster care or a welfare type system. Foster care can benefit children or harm them; the effects of foster care differ for every individual. These types of systems often have a major effect on young childrenââ¬â¢s physiological state. Children entering in foster care are often malnourished and have untreated health problems. A high percentage of children who are placed in th ese types of systems have mental health, physical healthRead MoreEssay on Foster Care1419 Words à |à 6 Pageshome and placed in foster care. Placement in the foster care system affects children in a unique, individual fashion. The affects of child-care by non-parental custodians, though subjective in nature, have common parameters that must be addressed and examined. Understanding foster care placement is crucial in order to fully evaluate both its advantages and disadvantages. WHAT IS FOSTER CARE? According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, Foster care means 24-hour evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-41996385572188376412019-12-08T20:03:00.001-08:002019-12-08T20:03:05.310-08:00Knowledge Management at HP-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment Questions: 1.List the Knowledge Management initiatives adopted by HP. 2.Explain the impact of adopting Knowledge Management practices on HPs success. 3.Conduct a brief search about Lotus notes and explain how it is useful in establishing a knowledge base. What is the importance of having a knowledge base in knowledge management? 4.Why do you think training review never took off? What could have Karney done to make it work? 5.What are the incentives that Karney used to promote the knowledge bases? What was the effect of those incentives? 6.Karney declared that there is a risk with the knowledge base. What was it and how did he propose to overcome it? 7.Why do you think the knowledge management with the PPO customers did not succeed? 8.The PPO knowledge management group is currently working on three projects. List these three projects; predict some risks that would face the implementation of these projects and how to overcome them from a knowledge management perspective? Answers: 1.Hewlett-Packard is an immensely successful knowledge intensive company. The companys knowledge regarding products, markets and customers is the largest source of competitive benefit. The company also follows a decentralised structure of organisation and mode of operations. Knowledge management efforts of HP have proliferated. HPs three most notable knowledge management efforts have been the Trainers Trading Post, the Connex guide to Internal experts and HP Network News a source for the HP dealers. Importance is given to building awareness and on sharing of lessons from several projects which are under the pipeline. The Trainers Trading Post consists of educating the HP employees. There are over two thousand trainers spread all across the company and work to impart knowledge amongst the workers of the organisation. These trainers operate in small groups. It is a Lotus-notes based forum to facilitate thousands of educators and trainers of HP and help in sharing ideas. Connex is a short form for connection to experts. The Connex guide is basically a help for knowledgeable and wise people within the laboratories of the HP Company. A new product generation supporting group prototyped Knowledge Links. However the design being overly ambitious, the system was not built. HP Network News however was hugely successful 2.Knowledge management is extremely important for the success of a company. The overload of data is responsible for the increasing importance of knowledge management (Holtshouse, 2013). Knowledge is considered as an asset to the company but requires labour as well as money for its effective management. Different approaches to knowledge management aim to create, diffuse, store as well as apply knowledge which is either new or existing. Knowledge management facilitates decision making capabilities. It also helps on building learning organisations by making the routines of learning and also stimulates innovation and cultural change (Hislop, 2016). HP rose to success leaving behind its competitors, due to the successful management of knowledge. The knowledge management helped HP reap several benefits for example speed and velocity like faster response to clients, colleagues as well as the faster delivery of services. It also lead to increased velocity of the sales cycle. It also leads to consistent delivery of services, reduced risk and higher customer satisfaction (Fayolle, 2014). The knowledge development also led to faster transfer of best practice, continuous improvement of services as well as utilization of the customer knowledge to solve the business problems of the customer. Thus it can be said that HP has facilitated from the activities regarding knowledge maangement of the organisation (Assouroko et al. 2014.). 3.Lotus notes is a combination of document creator and indexer, database manager and generator as well as a messaging platform, which permits the information to be distributed between structured and unstructured array. The importance of using lotus notes is that it facilitates knowledge management and information in the particular cases. Lotus notes can be retrieved by users as well as accessed by them irrespective of time and location. Lotus notes finds application in a variety of fields including publishing, maintaining, sharing, searching and creating information. It helps in the maintenance of an organisational memory which is computer based. It also helps in full text search capability as well as document indexer. Lotus notes is required at several stages of the knowledge base (Haimes, 2015). Having a knowledge base is extremely important in case of knowledge management as it helps in faster and better decision making and also helps to find the necessary resources and relevant information. It also helps in reusing ideas, documents as well as expertise, facilitates avoiding the same mistakes twice as well as communicating important information quickly and widely. The stimulation of innovation and growth is also possible in case of knowledge base also makes scarce expertise widely available (Pemsel and Wiewiora, 2013). Karney instituted three different knowledge bases for use by the educators. Training review was a collection of Consumer reports which comprised evaluations of training resources. It was unfortunate however that the training review did not take off. The concerned educators were reluctant to give opinions online about the worth of external providers or source materials. Also there was not any sort of reward structure for participation. Despite the innovative tactics adopted by Karney, the review did not take off. Prospective users were also given free Lotus Notes licences and rewards were also available for any individual who achieved a milestone in terms of submission (Smith, 2014). Despite countless attempts by Karney, with the help of free email and voice mail exhortations, he felt the requirement to include fresh contributions. Karney should have instituted the concepts of positive responses and also employed more people for the task of review of the knowledge bases. Focus should also have been given on the knowledge sharing activities as well as utilisation of knowledge management as a strategic group for the company. The members of training review should have been asked to be more involved. Thus more planning should have been put into the training review (Fayolle, 2014). 5.Karney adopted several new tactics to facilitate knowledge base promotion. During the establishment of a new knowledge base, Karney gave out 3000 free airline miles for the fifty readers who were the first. He also gave out the prize of five hundred miles for any individual who submitted a transmission. After this, promotions also involved the offer of miles for contributions, for responses to the available questions and for questions as well. Despite two thirds of the educator community having a posting, and also more than one third having submitted comment or posting themselves. Despite several attempts Karney also understood the need for fresh contributions. He also did not want the database to be in trouble. Incentives help in the contribution of assets to the company as it is bound to increase the interest among the employees. They also help in knowledge sharing. The better the incentives, the better will be the contribution by the employees. It will also lead to increased performance and attainment of goals and objectives. However in case of HP it did not lead to increased success of the knowledge bases and the hence Karney was extremely dejected (Fayolle, 2014). 6.The current approach of HP puts emphasis on the building of awareness as well as the development of common vocabulary as well as discusses the framework building to workshops is subtle. The managers look forward to the different frameworks of implementation. Knowledge base needs resolving risks as well understanding the causes to avoid them in the future. The risks are due to several barriers in content, procedures and routines, in organisation procedures as well as selection problems. Technological problems are also there (Institute, 2016). The solution proposed was to employ an efficient team, with proper capabilities of management as well as understanding in order to ascertain the problems. The people need to understand the intricacies of the organisational structure and to support, formalize as well as simplify the routines and procedures (Von Krogh, 2012). 7.The knowledge management articles with the PPO customers failed to work because the aim of understanding the knowledge and available information and summarizing it across the PPO did not however, work as the goal. This was because it was overly ambitious and ultimately the system was never built. Thus there was no proper connection of the customers and the company representatives. Besides this the company HP is a decentralised company and hence there is the decentralisation of information. The knowledge management activities implementation did not work. It can be said safely that there was a lack of proper motivation and due to this launching of a tool was not useful at all. Several challenges where faced with the accuracy of data as well. Effective interpretation of the knowledge is also important for the effective running of the organisation. Apart from the tools, technological aids and databases, the sharing and success of knowledge management comes from the inter-relationships of the people as well (Zhuge, 2012). 8.Currently, the PPO knowledge management group is working on three projects. The first involves, competitor information for HPs Components group. The second aims at creating a Web-based interface to two types of research information including both primary and secondary information. The third system is involved with managing the international marketing intelligence. All the projects are developed in collaboration with PPO groups as well as PGIS groups. Examples of PPO groups include Product Marketing and Change Management. The Product Generation Management systems do not aim at managing knowledge by itself, but facilitate the structuring process as well as process of disseminating knowledge with the help of information technology. Web- based interfaces or browser based applications have several problems. It is due to the possibility of upgrades of these interfaces that the company applications do not work with the new versions. The management of international management intelligence is extremely noteworthy as well as requires extremely dependable employees to keep the confidentiality of the information intact. It is the duty of the authorities to put the focus on the knowledge control and the correct distribution of opportunities. References: Institute, P., 2016.Requirements Management. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Fayolle, A., 2014.Handbook of research on entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd. Hislop, D., 2016.Knowledge management in organizations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Zhuge, H., 2012.Knowledge grid. Singapore: World Scientific. Smith, R., 2014.The effective change manager's handbook. London: Kogan Page. Holtshouse, D.K., 2013.Information technology for knowledge management. Springer Science Business Media. Assouroko, I., Ducellier, G., Boutinaud, P. and Eynard, B., 2014. International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management,7(1), pp.54-74.Knowledge management and reuse in collaborative product developmenta semantic relationship management-based approach. Pemsel, S. and Wiewiora, A., 2013. International Journal of Project Management Project management office a knowledge broker in project-based organisations. Von Krogh, G., 2012. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems,21(2), pp.154-164.How does social software change knowledge management? Toward a strategic research agenda. Haimes, Y.Y., 2015.Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-17102791604713470762019-12-01T07:46:00.001-08:002019-12-01T07:46:03.285-08:00The Hobbit Essays (593 words) - The Hobbit, New Zealand Films The Hobbit The Hobbit As the book, The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien begins to conclude, Thorin Oakenshield sees the goodness in Bilbo Baggins and apprehends the most significant parts of life. Since the beginning, Thorin's principle objective is to become the King under the Mountain and to have all the gold and treasure. While Thorin is on his deathbed he tells Bilbo, "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." Unlike the dwarfs, Bilbo cherishes friendship and merriment over gold and wealth. He shows this by placing his life in danger numerous times by escaping ferocious goblins and killing giant spiders to save Thorin and the other dwarfs. Bilbo cares more about others than himself, and Thorin notices how fortunate they are to have such a wise individual as a friend. Because of the goodness in Bilbo, he declines the treasure. It is offered to him since a promise was made in the beginning for him to receive and equal portion of the riches. He refuses the treasure because he feels that the most precious possession he has is the friendship with the dwarfs and others that he encounters along the way. Also, Bilbo enjoys near death experiences and thrills that accompany the quest for the mountain. Although, from Bilbo's words, he makes it seem as if the only reason he does not take the treasure home is that his pony will only carry two chests. Bilbo also thinks he did enough harm and becomes weary. He just wants to be back in his hobbit-hole. What use would Bilbo have for the whole treasure? Bilbo was content without the riches which is why he declines the treasure. Thorin changes drastically by the end of the book. Now, Thorin's quest is now fulfilled since he returned the mountain to the dwarfs reign. For many years, a dragon, Smaug, took over the mountain until when Thorin and his company claim the mountain again. Another part of his quest was to have the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone. He accomplished that when it was laid upon his breast by Bard, a friend, and Bard exclaimed, "There it lay till the Mountain falls!" His death was necessary for the theme of the book to teach that kindness is superior of treasure. Finally, Thorin realizes this valuable lesson, but it is too late. Thorin does not deserve respect or admiration because he did not realize that friendship and merriment is more meaningful than riches. Many creatures lost their life from the choices that Thorin made and the selfishness he had. According to Bilbo's perspective of Thorin, Bilbo stated, "He is quite ready to sit on a heap of gold and starve." If Thorin would have given everyone their evenhanded portion of the fortune, the battle possibly could have been stopped, and there would have been no hard feelings. Instead, he was too avaricious, and that is why Thorin is not respectable and does not deserve our admiration. Therefore, in The Hobbit, Thorin's perspective on life changes when he sees the goodness and kindheartedness in Bilbo. Bilbo would risk his life for any friend, but during the adventure all Thorin wants is the treasure. As Thorin is on his deathbed, he notices how selfish he has been and wishes he could have transformed it. Meanwhile, Bilbo sets the perfect example. He shows wisdom, courage, bravery, and above all, nobility. Bilbo teaches a valuable lesson. His goal is to survive and be happy, but most of the other characters only desire treasure. In turn, Bilbo becomes an admirable and a remarkable companion. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-87631826522719298392019-11-26T14:06:00.001-08:002019-11-26T14:06:03.484-08:00Consolidation of mass-media essaysConsolidation of mass-media essays The most revered and respected of all rights we Americans share is the freedom of speech; moreover, the freedoms of a free press. These freedoms are basic necessities of a free and fare society. Walter Lippmann said that a free press should consist of many newspapers decentralized in their ownership and their management, and dependent for their support... upon the communities where they are written, where they are edited and where they are read(Blethen B07). Consolidation of our nations mass-media outlets threatens the essence of integrity in our nations free speech, and freedoms of a free press. Many would wonder why such a thing would be permitted, if the repercussions of such actions would be so damaging. In fact if you look back in time there was a concern to such a problem. Thus many laws were drafted to prevent such occurrences. For instance the Local Radio Ownership Cap of 1947 limited number of stations on company can own in a single market (The). The National TV Ownership law of 1941 stated that a company may not own stations that reach more than 35 percent of the national audience (The). The Dual Television Network rule of 1946 prevents one company from owning two of the top four television broadcast networks (The). The Duopoly rule of 1964 that a single company may own two television stations in a single market only if one or both of them is not rated among the top 4; moreover, that there will be at least eight remaining Independent stations after the acquisition (The). The Radio/TV Cross-Ownership Restriction of 1970 limits the ownership in the markets in regards to how many stations one company can own in a single market, and is different depending upon the size of the market (The). The Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Prohibition of 1975 states that broadcast companies may not buy newspapers in communities where they own stations (The). These rules and regulation... evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-51082682744469544892019-11-22T21:29:00.001-08:002019-11-22T21:29:03.336-08:00The Concept of Islam Religion EssayThe Concept of Islam Religion Essay The Concept of Islam Religion Essay Islamic Religion and the State Islam is depicted as a way of life. However, this eliminates the fact that it is a political phenomenon. Islam is a religion which is a social aspect rather than political. Islam is a peculiar concept of secularism. This means that Islam opposed the idea that it should involve itself with other parts of life. Islam, as a religion, was also seen as a good way of governing society, and this should be incorporated to the modern society. As a result, a political institution had no place in the Muslim society. Every individual of the Muslim society was seen to be guided by the teachings of Islamic laws, rather than the set political structure. Islam was a religious way of life. It was also seen as a form of governance. Islam scholars argued that Islamic values and the way of life had a similar style of governance like most of western government. They depicted this as an effective way and did not consider political organization of any other nature. Those who were supporting political society were regarded as modernists, but many of the scholars who were traditionalists were against this. They saw this as a violation of Islamic state laws. Islamic state was honored since they believed that, it was drafted by Prophet Muhammad. They believed that Islam was a sacred institution that was not to assimilate any form of foreign intervention. Rules that were outlined by religious values and there was no need for political intervention. Islam, from the early beginnings, did not have separation between politics and other social values. Islam, therefore, did not require any organization to govern the Muslim society. Political instituti on was eliminated since leaders were seen as ordained by God. In addition, Muslim society did not see any person above the law and hence did not require any political leaders. Formulation of Modern Religious Concept Awareness about religion defined the starting of various chapters of different beliefs. Religion opened a new face to identify oneââ¬â¢s own belief as the only factual compared to other peopleââ¬â¢s belief. Concept of religion began during the Medieval Ages. Faith justification and disbelief in modern science had discarded all the theories that had been formulated. As a result, changes in the general order of the society were explained through religion. Religion became very dominant that, incidents were to be clarified through peopleââ¬â¢s belief. Religion established itself during the seventeenth century. Ideas of various reformers of the sixteenth century were deserted, and natural religion was accepted. The path to the enlightenment of religion was as a result of fully secularized, privatized individuals highly motivated by answering questions of what affected humankind. There was also desire by people to associate themselves as Godââ¬â¢s creatures and had authority fr om Him. Formulation of Islam religion by the Western intellectual discourse was a hypothesis. However, this formed the source of various debates. Western intellectual discourse about the Islam is depicted as an imbalanced game. These intellectuals are mostly seen as Christians. Therefore, the discourse that is carried out seems to be incomplete and thus contain a lot of controversies. The western intellectuals did not have a proper analysis of the formation of Islam. There were theories by western writers of generating Islam origin. The concept of generic Islam was disturbing the intellectuals formulated two paths of how Islam was formed. Islam was constructed through the paths of essentializations which were more offensive and the other being defensive. Visit our religion essay writing service if you need a custom written paper on your topic. Fill in the order form with all essay details and have your paper written by ! evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-36650572802610122622019-11-21T03:05:00.001-08:002019-11-21T03:05:06.242-08:00Melbourne Target research raport Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 wordsMelbourne Target raport - Research Paper Example The business assigned to this DMO is to increase the public image or tourism to Melbourne. Melbourne is Victoriaââ¬â¢s primary tourist destination and is the gateway to Regional Victoria. It is the cultural capital and the second largest city of Australia. Overlooking the Port Philip Bay, Melbourne attracts a large number of both national and international visitors. It has places of historical and cultural interest, apart from the shopping malls situated alongside the parks and gardens (Totally Australia, 2010). The city is now seen as the nationââ¬â¢s leading destination for style, romance, cafà ©s, bars and nightlife (Destination Melbourne, 2009). Melbourne boasts of world class restaurants and theatres and is considered the top Australian destination for shopping. It has the potential to be the main point of entry for overseas tourists. However, Melbourne has not been able to attract international students because of growing violence issues (ABC News, 2010). This image should not impact the tourism sector. Thus, to develop Melbourne as a prime destination, it is essential to evaluate the demographics, the needs and wants of the customers that are keen to visit Melbourne. Based on this study, the marketing strategy to promote Melbourne as a tourist destination will be devised. The biggest age group among the domestic overnight tourists (21.9%) that traveled to Melbourne in the year ended March 2010 was ââ¬Ë35 to 44 yearsââ¬â¢ followed by ââ¬Ë45 to 54 yearsââ¬â¢ (20.4%) and ââ¬Ë55 to 64 yearsââ¬â¢ (15.4%). Approximately 20.9% Australians prefer to visit Melbourne (Destination Melbourne, 2009). Almost 46% of the visitors prefer to stay the night with friends or relatives while 17.4% of the visitors look for hotels or inn below 4-star category. Those looking for luxury hotel or resort comprise of 16.5 percent. While at Melbourne, people love to eat out (66.7%). Domestic tourism brings in $4.6 billion in Melbourne and the average spend per night is evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-128292490072075752019-11-19T12:31:00.001-08:002019-11-19T12:31:03.060-08:00Water Footprint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 wordsWater Footprint - Essay Example The essay "Water Footprint" presents a website as an excellent resource to get an idea about how water footprint provides insight into the way different countries utilize their water resources by observing the larger countries that are economically significant and have larger footprints which are perhaps a way of saying that their economies are growing, since a major limitation in the economic growth of countries is the availability of water resources. The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. It can be measured for a single process, such as growing rice, for a product, such as a pair of jeans, for the fuel we put in our car, or for an entire multi-national company. The water footprint can also tell us how much water is being consumed by a particular country ââ¬â or globally ââ¬â in a specific river basin or from an aquifer.In this regard, USA, China and India appear quite significant. Additionally, I have observed that regions of the earth like the north Africa have scarce water resources, and hence both their water footprint as well as their economic growth are minimal. So, they have to rely on imports to meet their needs and in the process, they have to spend their valuable resources to import from countries that have abundant water resources and hence sound growing economies. This clearly indicates that the knowledge about water footprint is essential to understand how different countries are performing on a global scale. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-39831159916721505702019-11-17T01:02:00.001-08:002019-11-17T01:02:03.550-08:00Market Research on Luxury Watches Essay Example for Free Market Research on Luxury Watches Essay Market Trend There was a slow-down in the growth in sales of premium and luxury watches in India in 2008-ââ¬â¢09. It prompted the market leader Titan industries to enter the economy market. Following the footsteps, luxury watch brands like Tag Heuer and Rolex introduced low-price models. But in recent years, mobile phones may also have dampened growth in the penetration of watches in India, as they provide a time read-out as well as alarm and other time-related functions. Watch industry experts believe that their productââ¬â¢s original function is increasingly losing importance, and that wristwatches are now being bought as fashion accessories. Owning more than one watch is like owning different pieces of jewellery. Competitive landscape The economy watch demand is being met for the most part by the unorganised sector and by direct imports. The premium segment is increasingly being peppered by fashion brands such as Esprit, Swatch, Fossil and Tommy Hilfiger. There has also been strong value growth for these brands, with growing demand from middle- and upper-income groups in urban India. Titan, HMT and Maxima are the leading Indian players and Timex, Casio and Swatch are now the strong multinational players in the market. More multinationals are entering the retail market, but no new domestic companies have done so, and the multinationalsââ¬â¢ share of value sales has increased over the review period. Premium Brand Product Perception With the watches market in India now becoming fashion and style driven, especially at the premium end, companies now launch models and designs every six months. International brands such as Fossil launch spring/summer and winter ranges. Titan, on the other hand, times its launches to fit in with the Indian festive season ââ¬â Deepavali and weddings. Companies like Casio and Swatch and luxury brands like Rolex are exploring a niche market for chronographs, but this is currently negligible. Companies also need to respond to product innovations. The Citizen eco-friendly watch has been well received in India and is reportedly selling well in its price bracket, eliminating the trouble of replacing batteries and encouraging the use of multiple watches. Apparel brands such as Esprit, Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton and Leviââ¬â¢s have all gained familiarity among Indiaââ¬â¢s urban youth, who may become more willing to try these brandsââ¬â¢ premium watches. Affluent, urban Indians may feel more comfortable about buying premium watches, while continuing to regard luxury watches as examples of overindulgent or insensitive spending. ââ¬ËNewââ¬â¢ Rich India : The ââ¬ËNewââ¬â¢ rich India is now indulging into the experience of owning Luxury Brands. Indias rapidly growing high-end retail market is expected to increase from the around $3. 5 billion in 2008 to $30 billion by 2015. Luxury clothing, fragrances, premium wine, high-end watches have achieved good penetration among male Indian consumers. Among women, jewellery and cosmetics can already boast high levels of awareness, followed by categories such as handbags and mobile phones. These items, while not necessarily being better (in quality, performance, or appearance) than their less expensive substitutes, are purchased with the main purpose of displaying wealth or income or status symbol of their owners. There is a distinct shift from ââ¬ËOld luxuryââ¬â¢ to ââ¬ËNew luxuryââ¬â¢. Old luxury is defined by the attributes, qualities and features of the product, whilst ââ¬ËNew luxuryââ¬â¢ is defined by the consumerââ¬â¢s point of focus on the experience that their purchase stimulates and not in ownership or possession of the product itself. â⬠The customers Redefined luxury as they believe it to be a sign of self worth They are worth it; it authenticates the buyers success and status; it is a signal to others that the owner is a member of an exclusive group; They require flawless performance in this application, the cost of product malfunction is too high to buy anything but the best. Motivation of Study: The matter of wearing and enjoying fine timepieces is a passion that these days must be justified. We like nice expensive watches even though cheap watches exist to do the same thing. Hence like any other luxury good , today modern shoppers buy luxury goods to reward themselves, to satisfy psychological needs or to make themselves feel good to show off their personality or to boost their self-esteem. Contribution of the research: This study aims to understand the above said consumer buying behaviour which will help the present marketing Managers to better reposition their branding and advertising strategy to capture the correct target market for luxury products to boost the sales in times where economy are at a challenge. Literature Review: Research Objective: This study intends to find out if consumer buying behaviour of young purchasers are influenced by factors such as premium price of luxury watches, perceived quality of luxury watches, societal status and brand loyalty associated with the consumption of luxury brand. This study also intends to evaluate whether perceived qualities of the luxury branded watch have influence on the buying decision of consumer. It is also intended to determine whether the high quality standards of luxury watches are the reasoning consumers opt for the luxury watches. Affiliations of social status of acquiring certain luxury branded goods will also be studied to understand whether consumer buying luxury branded goods just for the matter of being affiliate with certain quarters of people having the same luxury brand of goods. This study also will also evaluate whether brand loyalty of luxury brand will influence the buying decision of consumer. This study also aims to uncover whether a person who has been abroad is a reason for the consumer purchasing a luxury watch Research Question: The purpose of this study is to evaluate what motivational factors encourage consumers into purchasing luxury brand watches . In evaluating this statement , this study aims to answer the following questions : â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? Is it the tag name of a mega brand that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of a luxury brand? If yes then what factors are important gender wise ? Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Will a personââ¬â¢s visit abroad influence his decision to purchase a luxury watch? Previous Research contribution : Findings of overall previous research indicate that individualââ¬â¢s preferences plays a key role in purchasing luxury goods. Individualââ¬â¢s preferences may be based on desire and non-desires, which are based on experience in purchasing luxury items from their satisfaction, or nondesire such as bias towards brand products. Leibenstein (1950, p. 188) classified demand of goods and services consumption in relevant to motivation into two main aspects: functional and non-functional. Functional demand is ââ¬Å"demand for a commodity which is due to the qualities inherent in the commodity itselfâ⬠. On the contrary, demand of goods consumption that comes from other factors, which is not the product quality, is defined non-functional demand. The outcome from Leibensteins (1950) study especially stresses the role of interpersonal effects towards luxury brands consumption, and derived three main effects; Veblen, Snob, and Bandwagon INTERPERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Conspicuous Value Perceived unique Value Perceived Social Value Ostentation Non-Conformity Conformity VEBLENIAN SNOB BANDWAGON Interpersonal effects (Vigenron Johnson) (1999 p. 7) Veblen Effect: The Veblen effect can be explained through conspicuous consumption in which people feel that it is necessary to purchase luxury products because they have a high price tag (Leibenstein, 1950). Conspicuous consumption is use by people to show wealth, power and status (Veblen, 1899). Prices of product have a significant aspect in consumersââ¬â¢ opinion of quality (Vigneron Johnson, 1999). Studies by Erickson Johansson (1995) have shown that price is used to judge quality of luxury products between a range of brands. Usually people would associate high prices with better quality. Additionally, those who do associate high prices with better quality would also suggest that high prices show a considerable amount of prestige (Lichtenstein et al. , 1993). Snob Effect: The snob effect takes into account personal and emotional desires (personal effects), and the influence of other peopleââ¬â¢s behaviour (interpersonal effects) towards the purchasing of luxury brand products (see Figure 1). The snob effect can be further explained through two circumstances. Firstly, the launch on new products which creates exclusivity in which the snob would purchase the product immediately because a minor amount of consumers at that particular time would have acquired it. Snob consumers only purchase limited items that have a high value, whereas those readily available are less desirable. Rare items demand respect and prestige (Solomon, 1994,p. 570). Products that are viewed as unique, popular, and expensive causes a higher demand for consumers (Verhallen Robben, 1994), especially snob consumers. Snyder and Fromkin (1977) support the statement by Verhallen and Robben (1994) suggesting that people have the desire to be unique. India:The Affluent Masses: Luxury volumes have been spurred by a significant growth in the rich in recent past. The new rich come in varied shapes, sizes and style quotients. Exporters, multinational bankers, college kids earning plum salaries at call centers or BPO operations, well-heeled corporate wives, and successful entrepreneurs. What they have in common is that they have very high purchasing power Bandwagon Effect : The bandwagon effect represents consumers who purchase luxury products because they wish to fit in with a particular group. For example, people would consume products that are fashionable and stylish to associate themselves to similar people (Berry, 1994). Dubois Duquesne (1993) explains that the snob and bandwagon effect are not alike. Although the similarity between the bandwagon and the snob effect is that people wish to enhance their self-concepts, the differentiation is that they purchase luxury items for different reasons. Bandwagon consumers purchase items to be fit in with others, whereas snob consumers purchase items to be unique and stand out. Individuals who fit in with groups that purchase luxury brand products and/ or wish to differentiate themselves from people who do not purchase luxury brands are influenced by the bandwagon effect (Vigneron Johnson,1999) Luxury is reward :First time/New Purchasers :They use luxury goods as a status symbol to say ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve made it! â⬠. They are motivated by their desire to be successful and demonstrate this to others. Luxury brands that have widespread recognition are popular; however they donââ¬â¢t wish to appear lavish or hedonistic in their appearance. They want to purchase ââ¬Å"smartâ⬠luxury that exhibit importance while not leaving them open to criticism. Personal Effects : Consuming luxury products can also be from personal desires and taste. PERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Emotional Value Perceived Quality Value Self-Actualization Reassurance HEDONIST PERFECTIONIST Personal effects (Vigenron Johnson) (1999 p. 8) Hedonic Effect The hedonic effect occurs when consumers purchase luxury products and value the item. People who purchase items for self-fulfillment (e. g.inner direct consumers, Riesman, et al. , 1950, or role relaxed consumers, Kahle, 1995), and those who are not affected by interpersonal influences (e. g. conforming to group norms,Bearden, et al. , 1989) represent the hedonic effect. Dichter (1960) explains that motivation of noncognitive and unconscious is able to persuade consumer preference of products. Products that are consumed are known to have an emotional value that is added to their character (Vigneron Johnson, 1999). When consumers purchase luxury products they expect that the item will offer benefits such as exclusiveness. Dubois Laurent, (1994) stated that if products create an emotional value for consumers, it represents that the product is beneficial and holds an important characteristic. Perfectionist Effect The perfectionist effect exists when consumers purchase luxury items and expects superior products and performance as well as quality (Vigneron Johnson,1999). People who represent the perfectionist effect are those who are associated to personal values and judge a product according to their value of a luxury band product. An example of the perfectionist effect is when consumers are purchasing a luxury watch they expect it to be accurate. According to Groth and McDaniel, (1993, p. 10) stated that ââ¬Å"high prices may even make certain products or service more desirableâ⬠, because people view products with high prices with great quality (Rao Monroe, 1989). Additionally, consumers may assess the level of how luxury a product is by its quality (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). Methodology Research Method: Quantitative data consists of closed end information that includes numerical figures. The study has collected quantitative data by applying closed-end questions towards a questionnaire. Focus Group Discussion to understand attributes both physical and emotional that influence the purchase of a luxury watch. The group comprised of 7 individuals , 3 female and 4 male participants who have been users of luxury watches. Data Collection: Primary Data collection: Gathering information from consumers of luxury watches through online questionnaire survey Secondary Data Collection: Research insights and hypothesis design with the help of previously published research work on luxury goods buying behaviour. Sampling: Non-probability sampling method is adopted. Since the target audience or respondents of interest are consumers of premium or luxury watches, the sampling method adopted here is convenience sampling and snow-ball sampling. Measurement Scaling: Measurement Techniques used ? Perception map : ? Utility of features in the watch : Chronograph, Double dial, Indicator light etc. ? Stylish Designs that make the watch a fashion statement Respondents were asked to rate the 10 different brands in order to obtain their perception of these brands on the above defined dimensions Based on two predefined dimensions i. e ? ? ? Exploratory Factor Analysis : To understand the underlying factors influencing the purchase behaviour of luxury watch for men women and overall Regression: To understand which interpersonal personal effect is critical when consumers make a luxury watch purchase decision Discriminant Analysis: To understand the group behaviours based on the following discriminating variable ? Gender ? Trip abroad ? Work Experience:Purchasing power ? AMOS : Confirmatory Factor analysis to ascertain the Exploratory Factor Analysis RESULT AND ANALYSIS 1. Discriminant Analysis: Work-Ex Fresher Inference: Wilkââ¬â¢s lambda (0.627) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; Box M test is also insignificant However based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating work ex fresher are Attributes Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsement Variable weight of discriminating function -. 366 . 361 . 331 . 271 . 262 2. Discriminant Analysis: Gender Inference: Wilkââ¬â¢s lambda (0. 578) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating males females Attributes Variable weight of discriminating function. Q4_3_attrifashion_statement Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q9_2_buy_in_store .329 -. 285 -. 269 -. 259 -. 255 3. Discriminant Analysis: Abroad Visit Inference: Wilkââ¬â¢s lambda (0. 573) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; however based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating foreign visited and not visited people Attributes Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_6_attribute_color Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q5_11_attribute_straptype Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Variable weight of discriminating function . 228 . 225 . 221 -. 207 -. 205 3) Exploratory Factor Analysis-(Male Female) Research Question:- Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of the luxury watch. If yes what factors are important gender wise? Hypothesis:- Women while making luxury goods purchase give more importance to emotional factors whereas Men go for Physical Utility features Factor analysis for male respndents(58 males) Results:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Fac1(Ostentation): o o o o o o o o ? ? ? ? ? ? Sth to remmeber, hand gesture, to be unique Fac2(value added feature) Calculator,digital,compass. Fac3(Generic requirements) Shape, water resistance Fac4(Economic requirements) Discounts Fac 5(Tech savvy) Compass, Motion sensor Fac 6(basic) Analog,water resistance Fac 7(Wrist suitability) Strap type Fac 8(extra feautres):Date and day display, brand image Exploratory factor analysis female Respondents (23 females):Fac1(Economical): o o o o o o Warranty, after sales, analog, emotional satisfaction Fac2(Style) Social status, to be unique, fashion statement Fac3(Special requirements) Alarm,altimeter, digital,dual clock Fac4(value added feature) Calculator,compass,barometer, torch Fac 5(Tech savvy) Hand gesture,discount Fac 6(Exclusivity) Motion sensor,alarm,brand image Result Analysis:? Men:o Attach importance to Ostentaion, value added feaures and style(veblenian effect and perfectionist effect are dominating) ? Women:o Style, Economic attributes an generic requirements ( Hedonist and snob effects dominate 4. Checking the Interpersonal and personal effects shown by males and female while purchase of luxury watch in Store Research Question:o Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? o Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? o Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Hypothesis:-Luxury watch purchase is primarily to show off and as an indicator of status symbol: veneblian effect. Users also buy luxury watches due to perceived emotional value or for hedonist reasons Veneblian Effect:- Snob Effect Bandwagon Effect Hedonistic effect Type of effect Veneblian snob Bandwagon Hedonistic Coefficient 0. 517 0. 499 0. 274 0. 305. Inference:- As we can clearly observe from the above table that the veneblian effect is very prominent in all cases of interpersonal or personal effects. That means People tend to buy Luxury watches to show off of their Public and Social Status. Snob and Bandwagon effect follows Veneblian effect. 5. Regression Analysis to check whether long term demand for luxury watches is driven by brand image Research Question : Is it the brand image that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Hypothesis : Brand Image for lucury brands is responsible for the long term demand of these watches. Inference : Regression is insignificant with respect to the variables that drive brand image. Even the R^square value is 0. 071. Hence we can infer that brand image is not a good factor to explain the long term demand for luxury watches. 6. AMOS The default model is created based on exploratory factor analysis and taking research literature into account. Model Fit Summary Check: Cmin/DF 2-5 OK GFI 0. 9 Not OK PGFI0. 5 OK NFI,TLI,CFI0. 9 Not OK RMSEA max 0. 1 Not OK Model is comparatively fit as such But Goodness of fit index is not holding well. Validity Construct Reliability S No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Attributes Q4_1_attribute_social_status Q4_3_attribute_fashion_statement Q4_2_attribute_to_be_unique Q4_6_attribute_emotional_satisfaction Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_10_attribute_compass Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_4_attribute_altimeter Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_5_attribute_digital Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q4_10_attribute_secon_time_brandpurchase Q4_4_attribute_premiumwatch_collection Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsements. Constructs Error e1 e2 Delta 1. 028 1. 079 0. 608 0. 635 1. 282 1. 323 1. 687 1. 473 1. 793 1. 816 1. 032 2. 133 1. 407 1. 074 2. 078 0. 179 1. 402 1. 367 2. 019 Lambda 1 0. 67 0. 922 0. 884 0. 997 1 0. 912 0. 971 0. 774 1 1. 135 1. 005 1. 258 1 0. 876 0. 84 0. 403 1. 231 1 AVE CR Exclusivity e3 e4 e5 e6 e7 0. 81 0. 81 Tech_Savvy e8 e9 e14 0. 84 0. 68 Value_Added _Feature e15 e16 e17 e21 1. 22 0. 75 Reliability e22 e23 e26 0. 82 0. 69 Brand_Perce ption. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3241089987380366973.post-9620360982347149312019-11-14T13:33:00.001-08:002019-11-14T13:33:03.514-08:00A Book Report Of Robinson Crus :: essays research papers A Book Report of Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe The Book Robinson Crusoe is an adventure story about a man named Robinson Crusoe whoââ¬â¢s bad luck puts him alone on a desolate island. He has to survive through very tough conditions and keep his sanity. Throughout the book Crusoe questionââ¬â¢s himself and his faith time and time again, "Why did god put me on this island all alone." His faith in god fluctuates all through the story. At one point he becomes ill and his faith in god becomes so great he starts to read the bible every morning and night. This book is one that keeps the reader attached to find out "what is going to happen next". The story begins when against his parents he sets out to sea. After being told by many he was not a sea worthy he kept moving on. Soon he finds himself a slave on a ship, but against the odds he escapes and starts a sugar plantation in Brazil. He sets out to sea once again but this time he is going to Africa to get slaves for his plantation. On his way he meets some bad luck and his ship gets wrecked. Crusoe, being the only survivor swims, to a island and is stuck there for 15 years before he finds other human life. During the 15 years he builds a home and tries to survive as best as he can. He keeps track of the days by writing in his journal. He also wonders why he was chosen by god to be the only survivor of the wreck and why he was put on this island alone. He soon finds other humans but with more bad luck he also finds out they are cannibals. He rescues some savages who were held captive by the cannibals and makes plans to leave the island by means of a man made boat. This is when he spots a ship offshore. The go out to the ship and find out there is a mutiny on board. They soon take control of the ship. The caption is so happy that takes Crusoe and his men back to England where he sells his plantain which since grew and becomes wealthy and marries. He went on one final voyage to the islands where he spent half of his life where there is promises of new adventures. evelyngibson1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/17199271242191368000noreply@blogger.com0