Monday, December 23, 2019

Platos Symposium The Nature Of Love - 1592 Words

Plato’s Symposium describes the nature of love to be the driving force towards immortality. Aristophanes perpetuates this idea through his allegorical description of human’s original nature, and the component of the driving force of love within that nature. The underlying goal of this force of love is immortality, though he does not directly articulate it in his speech. It is with the emergence of Socrates’ ideas that we are equipped with sufficient evidence reinforcing Aristophanes’ story to be one in which immortality is the end goal, and that we are made to realize Socrates’ speech is really a further elaboration on what Aristophanes put forward, providing the tools to truly comprehend his true point. Aristophanes describes the†¦show more content†¦This is one way to restore this original nature, but he introduces a means to arrive to this state through an intellectual connection as opposed to a physical one: â€Å"under present circums tances what comes closest to it must be the best: that is to find a loved one who naturally fits your own character† (193c). This carries the implication that happiness can be achieved through the unity of two minds which complement each other. The conclusion of immortality from the intellectual unity of love is clarified by the Pausanias. According to him, â€Å"[the lover of physical beauty] is not constant, because he loves something that is not constant: as soon as the bloom of the body fades, which is what attracted him, ‘he flies away and is gone’ [†¦] But the man who loves goodness of character is constant throughout his life, since he has become united with something constant† (183e). This signifies the permanence in the love of the mind, for intelligence does not fade. According to Socrates, love desires â€Å"to have the good forever† (206a). Therefore, when humans were united in their physical form, they still desired a permanence abo ve the mortal realm they were in. That is why they attempted to overthrow the gods, and to achieve immortality. The realities of this immortality in which it is able to be achieved are elaborated on through Socrates’ description of love at all of its stages, and that immortality is attainable through both the physical and intellectual love —Show MoreRelated Aristophanes Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Essays1459 Words   |  6 PagesAgathon must be looked at, which Plato’s Symposium offers. By comparing Agathon’s portrayal in both works, views on Agathon and on Greek homoeroticism can be inferred. Aristophanes’ portrait of Agathon is not true to Agathon’s actual self, but rather uses cultural stereotypes and bigotry to gain laughs. Looking at Aristophanes’ portrayal of Agathon in both Symposium and Women at the Thesmophoria and in looking at the general treatment given to Agathon in Symposium, a basis for this interpretationRead MoreAristotle s Theory Of Virtue1493 Words   |  6 Pagescontrasts from its nature. For instance, the example of the fire; it is impossible to teach the fire to burn downwards, since its natural form is to constantly burn upwards. Put simply, whatever acts by its nature cannot be taught otherwise. Furthermore, Aristotle characterizes intellectual virtue as something that is acquired through experience and teaching, such as the skill of arithmetic. You’re not born into this world understand math without instruction and practice. â€Å"Neither by nature, then, norRead MorePlato s Symposium : A Glimpse Into Antiquity Of Some Philosophical Conversations On Love762 Words   |  4 PagesPlato’s Symposium is a glimpse into antiquity of some philosophical conversations on love. The focus here is on two different perspectives between Aristophanes and Socrates. Aristophanes gives us his view on love by telling a mythical account on how human nature came to be. There were once three types of beings, male-male, female-female and male-female, which the later would be known as androgynous. They were each round with four arms, four legs, and two faces on opposite sides of their being andRead MoreWilliam Miller s The Of The Soul 940 Words   |  4 PagesCooper’s ideas concerning this desire seem to fit a model Plato would readily accept as this interpretation of wholeness is fleshed out in greater detail certainly seem Platonic especially as this idea of wholeness is presented in a speech in the Symposium, and it is of intrigue as to why it never became a part of the soul Plato set out to define. Perhaps it was too much for him to interfere with the parallel between the city and the soul that he describes earlier in this work and their reliance onRead MoreEssay on Platos Symposium692 Words   |  3 PagesThough not as philosophical as many of Platos other works, The Symposium gives a greater in depth account and characterization into the social life of the intellectual circles in Ancient Greece. The eulogies from each of the philosophers at the discussion examine the origins and theories of love in its many forms. Several of the theories and themes discussed in The Symposium are repeated as well as contrasted by each of the orators. The themes of physical love and lust, and reproduction are mostRead More Gender-Based Notions of Homoerotic Love: Sappho and Plato’s Symposium1717 Words   |  7 PagesGender-Based Notions of Homoerotic Love: Sappho and Plato’s Symposium The poetry of Sappho, and the speeches in Plato’s Symposium both deal primarily with homoerotic love, although Sappho, one of the only female poets in Ancient Greece, speaks from the female perspective, while Plato’s work focuses on the nature of this love between men. There are several fundamental elements that are common to both perspectives, including similar ideals of youth and beauty, andRead MoreSocrates Speech On Love1439 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Symposium on that night, Socrates’ speech is one of the most important of the night as he is clearly a central figure, admired by the other guests. Socrates begins by presenting his argument that if love is nothing, then it is of something, and if it is of something, then it is of something that is desired, and therefore of something that is not already possessed, which is then usually beautiful and good. Human beings begin by loving physical beauty in another person, then progress to love ofRead More Why is Diotima a woman? Essay examples805 Words   |  4 Pages Diotima, Socrates great teacher from the Symposium, a work by Plato was one of the most influential women thinkers of all time, whether she was a real person or a literary fictional character. She related to Socrates the theory of love that he described to the partygoers at Agathons banquet, a celebration of Agathons victory at the competition of Dionysis in Athens and of Eros. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Before we search for the idea of why Diotima is a woman, we should first discuss a littleRead MoreWhy Is Diotima a Woman? Essay825 Words   |  4 PagesDiotima, Socrates great teacher from the Symposium, a work by Plato was one of the most influential women thinkers of all time, whether she was a real person or a literary fictional character. She related to Socrates the theory of love that he described to the partygoers at Agathons banquet, a celebration of Agathons victory at the competition of Dionysis in Athens and of Eros. Before we search for the idea of why Diotima is a woman, we should first discuss a little about her. We know thatRead MoreEssay Platos Symposium1171 Words   |  5 PagesPlatos Symposium Platos metaphor of the divided line is essentially two worlds; the world of opinion (the physical world or the world of becoming/existence) and the world of knowledge (the world of knowledge or the world of being/essence). This concept is key to the context of The Symposium: Love. It is important to note that as the speeches evolve throughout this particular work they parallel this concept. Plato has, in this writers opinion, reinforced his theory through the speakers

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Hrm 590 Course Project Part a Free Essays

Human Resource Receptionist Job Summary: The HR Receptionist will be responsible for Greets the public; provides general administrative support including answering phones, typing, scheduling appointments; complaint handling/tracking; employee applications. Providing assistance and directions to the organizations, on where to go to address their HR questions. Essential Job Functions: Excellent phone etiquette with at least one year experience operating a telephone switchboard to answer, screen and forward calls, providing information, taking messages and scheduling appointments. We will write a custom essay sample on Hrm 590 Course Project Part a or any similar topic only for you Order Now Greet and Welcome employees and visitors to demonstrate good customer service Maintain personnel files in alphabetical order to maintain file organization. Excellent writing skills in order to prepare letters and related documents using Microsoft Word as well as (Excel, PowerPoint and Access) to communicate with employees and stakeholders of the organization. Assist Public and employees with personnel questions using the company policy and procedure to ensure the correct information is given. Sort and distribute incoming mails and faxes by departments to get to the intended recipient in a timely manner. Coordinate Director’s calendar Using MS Outlook Calendar to keep appointments, meetings and manage the director’s daily schedule. Previous Knowledge of administrative and pre-employment assessments is a plus. Required Knowledge, skills and abilities: Knowledge of a multi-line phone system with at least 2-3 years of receptionist and/or administrative experience. Previous knowledge of administration and pre-employment assessments. Two years of proven customer service experience (i. e. friendly attitude, listening, proactive and willingness to help). Three years or more experience using MS office software applications (MS word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) as well as MS Outlook Knowledge of using organizational alphabetical filing system and filing procedure Ability to work independently; Self-starter who takes initiative Ability to multi-task and quickly change direction based on changing needs and priorities. Ability to exercise discretion while handling confidential information. Experience Job related experience is required Education Associates or Bachelor’s Degree in business or Human Resources Certifications Licenses None Required Environmental Factors and Conditions/Physical Requirements The HR Receptionist position requires the following physical demands: prolonged sitting or standing, some lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; some stooping, kneeling, and reaching and significant fine finger dexterity. Equipment and tools utilized Computer, Multi-line phone system, Copier, and Fax Machine Pre -employment background check and drug screening required Literature Review Organizations are growing in size each and every day, which in turn creates a high demand for employees. This outcome, however, needs a systematic approach to determine the right employee for the right position. The process has become so large that organizations need specialized help from Human Resource Management (HRM) departments to ensure that the requirements of the position are met. Therefore, the HRM department provides the function of job analysis in order to select the right individual for the position. Job analysis is a complex and vital part of every HRM program, as well as an important systematic process used within an organization to determine future members of the workforce. † Job analysis contributes too many important Human Resource Management functions as it identifies and analyzes the relation between the job and what is required. According to the â€Å"Job Analysis: Overview,† Job analysis is a process used to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties, requirements, and the relative importance of these duties for a given position or a particular job. A job analysis defines the work, activities, tasks, objectives, products, services, or processes required to perform a particular job. It collects details about work activities, human behaviors, machine, tools, equipment and work aids, performance standards, job context, and human requirements. These in turn help to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform a job. An important factor to note is that in this process, analysis is conducted on the job, not the person, which also results in a description of the job and not the person. There are many different methods/ways to conduct a job analysis. It is dependent on organizational needs and what resources are available. Questionnaires, observations and interviews are very common methods. Although individual methods are used exclusively, several can be used in combination, besides the 3 resources listed above there are also the use of surveys as well. In fact, it is recommended that utilizing more than one method is more sensible (How, 1998), (Dessler, 2005). In human resources, job analysis plays an important role of it. It provides information regarding positions in the organization. It is an important topic as well as a vital employment tool which can assist with HR activities and potential and current employees, ‘Job analysis is the systematic study of positions to identify their observable duties and responsibilities, as well as the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform a particular task or group of tasks’ (Kovac, 2006, p. ). Job analysis can be used in determining training needs by identifying training content, the assessment tests which need to be used to measure the effectiveness of training, the equipment to be used in the training process, and the methods of training. Job Analysis can also be used in compensation to identify the skill levels, the compensable job factors, the work environment, the responsibilities, and the required level of education and salary level. In selection procedures, job analysis can be used to identify job duties that need to be included in ads of vacant position, the appropriate salary levels for a position, the minimum requirements, the interview questions, the selection tests, the evaluation forms, etc. For performance reviews, job analysis can be used to figure out goals and objectives, performance standards, the evaluation criteria, the length of probationary period. (www. ssa. gov Review and Evaluation of Job Analysis Practices) I based my job analysis on these same characteristics stated above, I used the interview, and observation for my job analysis. By visiting my previous employer human resource department and talking with the human resources manager in order to get a better in-site on how they do their job analysis, as well as doing some online research as well as getting information on human resources books. My task and KSA statements are based on the job descriptions of other human resource receptionist positions in my area. Through my research on this particular position I have found that every business or company has several different descriptions of what their human resource receptionist does based on the type of business that it is. Even though a lot of the descriptions were the same for corporations and larger business for the most part, smaller businesses that did have this position seemed to lack in the job description of their human resource receptions and had other job descriptions for them like working large equipment. This project has definitely taught me more than I ever knew about human resources and what they really do I didn’t realize how much work went into the Human Resources Department of a business. How to cite Hrm 590 Course Project Part a, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Literature Review Challenges Faced by International Students

Question: Discuss literature review on challenges faced by international students? Proofreading Organizing the ideas to be fit as literature review Grouping the ideas in themes Answer: Introduction This literature search is focused towards performing a critical analysis of the findings of the past researchers with respect to the challenges that are mostly encountered by international students when they seek to study abroad in different universities. As a result, there are various important factors that are considered as a part of analysis in this literature search. These include challenges faced by international students, role of globalisation and the ways in which it affects international students, and the specific areas that must be considered in assisting those international students in doing well across different universities. Challenges Faced by International Students: International students experience many challenges when they study abroad away from their home country. Caldwell (2013) examines the experiences of Saudi students and their adjustment challenge in the California state university system. The findings indicated that Saudi students experience many challenges and they are most underrepresented as well. However the number of Saudi students in Canada will increase in next few years by 2000-3000 students per year (Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 2015). In addition, the need to explore their experiences became necessity especially for higher education institutions. The author in the study indicated that universities can serve Saudi students in a better way if they know their challenges. Through the study found that Saudi students face many challenges, but the major ones as identified are mainly in terms of their English language and social interaction. The difficulty of English language is an issue for most Saudi students due to their learning background (Caldwell, 2013). Student-centered learning could be another challenge for Saudi students because the common style of learning in Saudi Arabia is teacher-centered learning. Caldwell (2013) has indicated that the Saudi students also face challenges in adjusting themselves in different educational systems because of their own primary education systems. In addition, it has been stated that international students faces a crucial time with respect to their higher education in America as they need to adjust themselves with a new environment. In addition, Caldwell (2013) found that Saudi students particularly face difficulty to adjust with educational system in US due to the differences between the two educational systems. English language still hinders Saudi students in better understanding the concepts and it thereby limits their learning opportunities. This implies that Saudi students require additional assistance especially in respect to English language so that they can better adjust themselves with different learning environment across international universities. There are other difficulties being identified with Saudi students especially in terms of aca demic difficulties such as registering for classes and grade (Preisler, Klitgrd and Fabricius, 2011). In terms of teaching methods, most of the learning in Canada is student-centered, which could be challenging factor to Saudi students to cope with. Godwin (2009) states that majority of the students who study abroad come from lecture-based learning environment. In addition, that could be true for Saudi students because In Saudi Arabia, the learning environment is more teacher-centered. Another difference between the educational systems in American universities and in Canadian universities is that students are encouraged to ask questions and to challenge the authority of instructors. This has been practiced from the early age but this is not evident in respect to international students from Saudi Arabia which later on acts as a challenge to them in studying in such universities internationally (Godwin, 2009). Godwin (2009) points out that the different teaching and learning style has its impact on international students as they hinder them to participate and thereby affects their succ ess levels. It is indicated that many international students who study in U.S universities are uncomfortable due to the differences between the educational systems between home country and U.S educational system. That makes it difficult for Saudi students to be familiar with educational system in the U.S. (Shaw, 2009). Another problem could be in-group work, because most Saudi students are unfamiliar with this kind of class activity (Robson, 2002). There are only few studies in the existing literature that deals with the difficulties facing Saudi students across international universities. However, some of those studies indicate that learning English has been the most challenging task to Saudi students which ultimately affect their academic works. Another issue is noted in respect to presentations, taking note abilities and writing essay and paper. Lemke-Westcott Johnson (2013) indicates that Canadian faculty makes use of critical thinking styles and logical processing when they teach their students. However, this particular style is quite unfamiliar to the students who are from Middle-Eastern educational system. Also, they point out that teaching and learning styles always act as obstacle in front students who are new to an unfamiliar education setting (Nunan, 1996). Critical thinking is a common style in North American universities and always international students face this problem and this is true for Saudi students in Canada (Galetcaia Thiessen, 2010). Charles Stewart (1991) have opined that many international students face challenges especially with American educational system and the impact of such challenges is evident on their grade. Also they claim that students face difficulties with comprehension especially those students whose mother language is not English. Globalisation and its Impact on Education: Globalisation has been defined from many perspectives and different points of view. One definition suggested by Mrak (2000) is that globalisation is the process of continuing integration of the countries in the world. In another case, Shiva (2000) labels globalisation as a new kind of corporate colonialism being unleashed upon both poor and rich countries. This is also stated in respect to the definition of globalisation as provided by Moloi et al (2009). Christou (2010) has attributed globalisation to the increased movement of people, merchandise and information in the world. This implies that globalisation is a wide topic which intervenes across many aspects of the life of people. Based on this fact, it can be noted that there is no agreed definition on globalisation. There are many different factors among them such as economic, political etc that affects the concept of globalisation to a greater level. Studies by Weber (2007) reveal that in South Africa and other third world countries, education reforms are in accordance with the pace at which globalisation has been popular within students. Along with the pace of globalisation, there has been the encouragement for socialisation within students which allows them in better connecting with international students. It is worthwhile to establish that integration of the global social interaction is currently under way in developed and underdeveloped countries across the world. It is highly essential to learn how to communicate with others in the globalized world. Baraldi (2006) analysed that during the last century, historical changes in terms of globalisation generated needs for new forms of communication between nations. In the last decade, a trans-cultural form of communication has become more popular than other forms of communication. This has led to the creation of multicultural societies in different countries. Unfortunately, this trans-cultural form has created some difficulties in intercultural communication, because it tries to unite all cultures while protecting cultural differences. Therefore, it is mandatory for a new form of intercultural perspective to be in existence to make individuals live in harmony in the world. That cannot be done without educating people on how to deal and communicate with other people who come from different backgrounds. Role of Globalisation in Education: Global educational standards are required all over the world, no matter the social or economic background of students. Developing countries still need to work more to achieve this particular standard (Surez-Orozco, 2007). This is the time to give a chance to higher quality in terms of learning. Weber (2014), states that the quality of learning is associated with the socio-economic condition of different regions across the world. The author further states that access to high quality learning is only provided to the elite and this is unfair in the globalized world. Everyone should get a benefit of globalisation, especially in education. There should be equality that should be observed in this respect. The processes of globalisation are having profound effects on education across the world. This is so because there is direct correlation between educational globalisation and reforms in the same sector. Carnoy (1999) has suggested that there is direct impact of globalisation on both curriculum and pedagogy at the school classroom level in most countries. As for example, whilst there have been some attempts in Western industrialized countries to inject more global awareness into the content of school curricula, these have generally contributed to high status add-ons. Internationalization can be defined from different perspectives. According to Williams (2008), Internationalization of the curriculum is a way of creating an environment within the academia that deal with international students and with their needs (Heller, Keith and Anderson, 1991). According to Jenkins (2008), many universities support internationalization of education to increase diversity. Also, international education became a business for many universities, and they bring billions of dollars to American economy, (2007). This has contributes towards increased in the level of competition across universities because of huge foreign money brought in by such international students. As suggested by Godwin (2009), U.S always remains at the top position in respect to attracting international students. Ward, Masgoret, (2004) found that oral presentations and writing exam is one of the challenge that face international students. Khan, (2011) opines that English language is the major challenge that is faced by Saudi students when they study in different universities. Razek Coyner (2013) state that Saudi students encounter many difficulties when they study abroad. Also they suggested that they struggle with adjusting across different educational system. In addition, they found that Saudi students have difficulty in participating in academic session and activities that are being performed as a part of daily class activities. Moreover, English language still hinders many Saudi students in engaging positively within their class. As indicated on their article, Saudi students need more help with respect to enhancing their English, presentation skills and abilities so that they can actively participate in the process. They have recommended embodying multicultural seminar in their curriculum so that it would help Saudi students to adjust with the difficulties that face. Also they recommended higher emphasis on design maker and critical thinking skills. They mentioned that homework and assignment as a part of their academic tasks often challenges Saudi s tudents because they lack command over language and ultimately finds it difficult to adjust to the university requirements while doing their assignment. In addition, they recommended open area and space for Saudi students as a part of their learning to practice language and this will help them to familiarise with the academic setting in U.S universities. Also they recommended that universities should be aware of Saudi students problem and try to address their challenges by adapting an environment that fosters their positive level of participation in the academic activities. Moreover, they recommended designing a curriculum that helps Saudi students to think critically and engage in activities that result into their positive level of learning (Cheng, 2007). In terms of opportunities international students gain many advantage of being studying abroad Wenli Wu Michael Hammond found that in their study many students want to study abroad to master English language particularly spoke language because they want to master of the skills that help them in future career also to open eyes on another culture. As suggested by Ward Masgoret, (2004) English language is crucial to the students that are looking to get their higher education across international universities, and this factor is significant for large number of students selecting New Zealand as their preferred destination. Difficulties Encountered by Saudi Students in Canada- Many difficulties are faced by Saudi students in Canada. It is not easy to investigate them all in one study, so I will focus on the major ones. The biggest problem faced by Saudi students is that the curriculum in Canada is based on critical thinking, while in Saudi Arabia it is based on learning by heart. The second challenge is the way that evaluations are conducted. From what I have experienced, there are no tests such as midterms and finals in Canada, while most evaluations in Saudi Arabia are based on tests. Thus, it could be challenging for students because most of the time they are preparing for exams. For example, a common evaluation in Canadian universities is based on assignments. These assignments take a different form, which makes it highly difficult than a standardized form. Moreover, I found that many Saudi students fear doing a presentation assignment, which most courses at the graduate level require (Barnett, 2004 ). Saudi students are not used to giving presentations, so this type of assignment may prove difficult for them. Another difficulty relates to the lack of overt structuring in most assignments, which makes it highly confusing for students who are inexperienced in constructing these kinds of assignments. There are other problems that Saudi students may face while studying in Canada. Some may feel uncomfortable in different settings at their university. This could be due to the time they need to cope with a new learning environment. This can cause psychological distress and affect their learning. Overall, there are large ranges of difficulties that are encountered by Saudi students in Canada because of their completely different base of learning during their primary education in Saudi Arabia that they have achieved (Khosrowpour, 2001). Difficulties and Their Impact on Saudi Students in Canada: According to my knowledge, the difficulties discussed above are mainly due to curriculum and pedagogical differences between Saudi Arabia and Canada. Many Saudi students feel alienated when they are exposed to this new learning style. Hence, these students find it difficult to adapt to the new kind of learning structure in Canada. Studying abroad is a new experience for most Saudi students, so with new experiences comes new challenges. Therefore, we should address these difficulties by supporting Saudi students to achieve their academic goals. It is the educators responsibility to identify, address, and resolve these factors. I have personally witnessed how, because of these difficulties, students feel sad and depressed and then become stressed and concerned about their lack of academic achievement. Combating These Difficulties- To ease the transitional phase from a Saudi to a Canadian learning environment, there are a few tips that need to be followed. On the one hand, as an educator, it is my responsibility to take care of these Saudi students as much as I can to help them cope up with these difficulties. On the other hand, I need to make them understand certain factors that they need to grasp by themselves. Saudi students need to be made aware that what they are experiencing is completely normal and due to the differences in education systems. The students should tackle these difficulties together with their sponsors and university advisors or counsellors. Furthermore, the Saudi government should design a mandatory program for students (that they must attend prior to leaving Saudi Arabia) that deal with typical studying abroad challenges in an effective manner. Saudi students themselves should also search for ways to help them cope with a new environment, such as taking a cou rse online before they come to Canada. A program designed specifically for Saudi students would help them maintain their confidence in themselves, follow their goals, and continue with their plans. In addition, Canadian universities should organize orientation programs for international students within a few days of their arrival. This would help orientate them to their new environment, particularity with regard to learning styles. With all this in mind, I will continue to investigate the difficulties that Saudi students face when they attend a higher education institution in Canada, and will work to assist them effectively (Barbara, 2009). Summary of Literature Review A critical analysis has been carried out in this literature analysis to analyse the problems or challenges encountered by international students in different universities away from their home country. The analysis was specially focused on Saudi students with emphasis on their study in international universities. The conduct of analysis revealed that there are various major challenges that are usually faced by Saudi students and the most significant is the English language. In addition to this, difference in the learning styles and approaches across Saudi universities and American universities also create significant level of challenges. The different university environment faced by Saudi students has also become a major challenge. The professors across these international universities should therefore support such Saudi students in their learning opportunity across different universities in a better manner. References Barbara, A. (2009), Study Skills For Business And Management Students, McGraw-Hill International. Barnett, (2004), Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education, McGraw-Hill International. Cheng, T. (2007), Taiwanese Students' Perceived English Oral Proficiency in Relation to Communication Strategies, ProQuest. Heller, P., Keith, R. and Anderson, S. (1991), Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 1: Group versus individual problem solving, American Journal of Physics, Vol. 60 (7), pp. 627-636. Khosrowpour, M. (2001), Managing Information Technology in a Global Economy, Idea Group Inc (IGI). Nunan, D. (1996), The Self-Directed Teacher: Managing the Learning Process, Cambridge University Press. Preisler, B., Klitgrd, I. and Fabricius, A.H. (2011), Language and Learning in the International University: From English Uniformity to Diversity and Hybridity, Multilingual Matters. Robson, M. (2002), Problem-solving in Groups, Gower Publishing, Ltd.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Last Rajan Essay Example

The Last Rajan Essay Brief lntegrative Case 2 The Last Rajah: Ratan Tata and Tatas Among Asias business titans, Ratan N. Tata stands out for his modesty. The chairman of the Tata Group-Indias biggest conglomerate, with businesses ranging fiom software, cars, and steel to phone service, tea bags, and wristwatchesusually drives himself to the office in his $12,500 Tata Indigo Marina wagon. He prefers to spend weekends in solitude with his two dogs at a beachfront home he designed himself. And disdainful of pretense, he travels alone even on long business trips, eschewing the retinues of aides who typically coddle corporate chieftains. But the 69-year-old Tata also has a daredevil streak. An avid aviator, he often flies his own Falcon 2000 business jet around India. And in February he caused a sensation at the Aero India 2007 air show by co-piloting Lockheed F-16 and Boeing F-18 fighter jetS. Tatas business dealings reflect the bolder side of his personality. In the past four years he has embarked on an investment binge that is building his group from a oncestodgy regional player into a global heavyweight. Since 2003,Tata has bought the truck unit of South Koreas Daewoo Motors, a stake in one of Indonesias biggest coal mines, and steel mills in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has taken over a slew of tony hotels, including New Yorks Pierre, the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, and San Franciscos Camden Place. The 2004 purchase of Tyco Intemationals undersea telecom cables for $130 million, a price that in hindsight looks like a steal, turned Tata into the worlds the group plans $28 billion in capital investments at home over the next f,rve years in steel, autos, telecom, power, chemicals, and more. We rescaled our thinking in telms of glowth, Tata says over tea at Bombay House, the groups headquartels since 7926, a tranquil oasis with well-worn marble floors, a vast collection of modern Indian art, and staffers who circulate with bowls of vanilla ice cream every day at 3 p. m. We just forced and cajoled our businesses to make this happen. The forcing and cajoling have worked brilliantly. The market value of the 18 listed Tata companies has swelled to $62 billion, from $12 billion, since 2003. Group sales and profits have doubled, to $29 billion and $2. billion, respectively. The three big companies that account for 75 percent of sales-Tata Steel, Tata Motors, and Tata Consultancy Services-are enjoying some of their best years ever. And in May, Tata Tea netted $523 million in prof,rt when Coca-Cola Co. (KO) paid $1. 2 billion fol its 30 percent stake in Energy Brands Inc. , the maker of Glaceau VitaminWater. Not bad for a purchase made just nine months earlier. This is a transformed Tata, says Rajeev Gupta, managing director of private equity shop Carlyle Advisory Partners. The global push began four years ago. We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Rajan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Rajan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Last Rajan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer After a roc? biggest carrier of international phone calls. With its $91 million buyout of British engineering frm Incat International, Tiata Technologies now is a major supplier of outsourced industrial design for American auto and aerospace companies, with 3,300 engineers in India, the United States, and Europe. frst decade as chairman, Tata commissioned a sweeping The crowning deal to date has been Tata Steels review to plot strategy, including a study comparing India with China. He was struck by the sheer audacity of Chinese projects. Whether they built a port or ahighway, they did it big, the kind of scale that caused skepttcs is over the top, he saYs. Bu[ o it. lndia, he concluded, should should Tata Group. By levercgin9 into rurb $13 billion takeover in April of Dutch-British steel giant Corus Group, a target that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. In one swoop, the move greatly expands Tata Steels range of finished products, secures access to automakers across the United States and Europe, ochargo ^n ; :1ii: r*ii: iffiitf:iij and boosts its capacity fivefold, with mills added in Pennsylvania and Ohio. leagues Now, a new gambit may catapult Tata into the big of global auto manufaCfu? ing: The company is said to be weighing a bid for Jagiar Cars and Land Rover, which Ford Motor Co. wants to sell. On top of all this, 372 Brief lntegratiwe Case 2 The Last Rajah: Ratan Tata and Tata,s Global Expansion 373 Building an oryanization with a coherent vision and major deals and pushed for acquisitions capable of succeeding in so many industries and so many such as Corus. The ventures lnto passenger markets, though, is a daunting cals and telecom are his task. Asia has wrtnessed babies. And Tata is rnstrumental the rise of many soup-to_nuts in hatching new busi_ behemoths that thrived nesses, bouncing ideas gleaned when economic tides were from his travels to manag_ high, such as Koreas Daewoo, ers for. follow_up Thailands Char. oen Pokphand, and Indonesias Salim Ratan Tata serves another Group. Most eventually fell vital function: While at ease apart. The leal test for Tata, with lawyers and inves tment too, is likely to come when bankers, he remains firmly Indias boom abates and bat_ planted in the developing tles for talent and market share world. He is a passlonate pl-o_ invol ving both aggr. essive motel of corporate social responsibilitv. Indian r. ivals and deep-pocketed a mission that multinationals intensify dates to the group,s founding But unlike most other Asian groups, ,Tata in the 1SZos by Tatas greatalready has grandfather, Jamsetji proved it can survrve turmoil Tata. The founder w as a proneering and constantly reinvent industrialist, philanthropist, itself, says Harvard Business and fervent nationalist who School professor. Tar. n traveled to the United States with Khanna, who has closely studied a swaml, meeting the the group for a decade. tycoons of the day. He opened AI the center of the emptre is India, s hrst textile mill, in Tata himself. An ar. chi_ large part to wean Indians tecture graduate from Cornell from their industrial dependUniversity in 1 962, he ence on Britain, which until then serves as the gr. oups chief dealmaker had miIed much of the vrstonar. y, and spir_ subcontinent,s cotton and then itu al cement. He joined the company, shipped the high-cost cloth after college, then back to the colonies. Tata offered steadily rose thr. ough the ranks. worker. benefits such as He took over 16 years child care and pensions long before ago-after the death of his gregarious most companies in uncle, J R. D. the West, and later one of Jamsetji s Tata-just as India began dismantling sons helpecl bankroil decades of socialista young Mahatma Gandhi while style business controls. Tata has he agitated in South overseen sharp downsizAfrica for the rIghts of immigrant ing, ris? plunges into auto Indians. manufacturing and telecom, To thjs day, the Tata Gloup and a transformation of the r. mains devoted to good conglomerate s insular and works: Charitable trusts own lethargic management culture. 66 percent of the shares in Now he wants to prove parent Tata Sons, and many of its Tata companies can c ompete companies fund gr-assin the rich West as well roots antipoverty plojects that seem as in the unpredictable but far lemoved from hugely promiOing markets of their core businesses. Ask the developi ng world. Whats the chairman to name mole, Tata wants to set gloups the biggest challenges and he quickly the group solidly on a path to achieving all this befo? cires two: Talent, and retaining he retires. our value system as we get bigger. and more diverse. We have The barrel-chested tycoon to rncrease the management hasn,t named a successor. or bandwidth, and with the same said when he plans to step ethical standards. ,, down. He,ll t* iO in Decem_ He also concedes that the gr. oup be? , but he still has a vicelike is much less focused handshake, and associates than he envisioned back in are amazed at his command 1991, when he pledged to pare of nomb. , and technical it from details of the various Tata scores of companies to companfr. fri_r. es his fail_ . just a dozen did dump marginal businesses-cosmetics or so. Tata ure to designate a successor all the more disconcerting. cement-but pants, and Some even quesrion entered letail, telecom, biotech, wherhe? hi. ,t;;:tuiriigtrt and others spur the Today, Tata Group . ,V/ho compnses nearly 100 companies will U tti 4uf,;rorries one i:ups breakup. with 300 subsidiaries in 40 businesses. veteran insider. ,,Will there even be u-. noul leader? ,, Slimming the group down is Tata to oversee the gr. oup. y at a company museum. rough gener. tions of parsi escended from persians. one ar. ea where set out to do,,,he admits. I have not succeeded in what I d childless_and his siblings. It His r-eclusive half_brother, tail chain, but it,s unclear Succession ,,is a problem,,, volved in more issues than does step down, Ratan Tata hough he and other family of shares in Tata Sons, the h controlling stakes in its three half_sister. s aren,t s key units including Tata inrimarely inr4plved in all nesses His hope is that Tata s unorthodox structurc will give individual companies the agility to respond to new opportunihes and ill. ats. The organization is a lot lighter than a Wester. n conglomerate, says Alan Rosling, a Bliton who s pearheads international expanston for Tata. There is no central sftategy. We don t even have consolidated finan_ cial statements, The group is bound together by the small staffs of Tata Sons and another holding company, Tata Industries. These two chaired , by Ratan, provide strategic vtslon, control the Tata brand, and lend a hand on big deals. And Tata Sons can raise cash to launch new busi_ or help fund purchases such as Corus. In 2004 ]t 344 Part 3 lnternational Strategic Management in pulled in $1. 3 billion by floating a 10 percent share the companYs home b time capsule of a more city of genteel coloni urld, hukd from the $40 million a Year sup even though it emPloYs residents. And in its agreed Iesembles a I age, a leafY wide boulesPends some to early retirement got full pay until age 60 and lifelong health care. Tata Steel also spends mlllions annually on education nearby health, and agricultural development plojects in 800 a dusty outpost villages. In Sidhma Kudhar, for instance, of whitewashed stone houses with thatched roofs the crop 32 families until two years ago subsisted on a single a nonintrusive manner. The chief steward, though, cleally is Ratan Tata He jatlopha bushes seedlings for future income, as well as now whose ieeds can be used for biofuel Most childlen village has attend classes in the reftrrbished school, and the tllee televisions, powered by Tata solar units that also supply clocks. strike at Tata Motors Pune plant, militant unionists of the assaulted Tata managers and occupied a section city. higher-cost operations u*stion will the test now that Tata loads the Indian steeland absorbing Corus weaken malgins One key If you Put a gun Tata is what to do with Cotus mills such as the one at port Talbot in Wales, which employs 3,000 workers Tata says had better take the gun Im not moving. uraman, But the u it, says Muthpeople Ive ever Tata Steel Talbot to have to cut jobs. and broke the strike aft and the milita nts. While he doesnt look hes one of the toughest A delegation of 20 Corus labol reps known. The transformation of Tata Steel illustrates his impact obal In the early ompetition, antiquated P entation . *itl or1- Leahy. But how will own We comichael they be able to translate those prin- calls Muthuraman. Over the yeats, Tata cut the workforce from 78,000 to 38,000 and spent $2. 5 billion on modernization A decade later, Tata Steel had become one of the worlds efficient and profitable producels and began to most acquire rivals. Ratan was the chief architect of the Coius deal, says Muthuraman. I was worried about the conmagnitude and the amount of money But he instilled Because Tata is one of the few big fidence. The strategy: ore steelmakers with its own abundant coal and iron produce raw steel at low cost in India and reserves, it can then ship it to Oorus first-rate mills in the Vyest to make finished products. But Tata Steel highlights the challenges of balancing Old World ways w ith New Economy realities Jamshedpur TheY ciples into the British and European context? couldnt answel that' A bid fol Jaguar and L even more daunting challe give Tata a luxurY bland an would be an uPhill climb to r which was damaged bY sha Tata executives, who wont c and Land Rover, have dow United States, citing the hig mitments in emerging m mall cars under the Rover years amid comPlaints abou once made onlY trucks, sur cess of the Indica, an affor grief lntegratiwe Gase 2 The Last Rajah: Ratan Tata and Tatas Global Expansion 375 from scratch and rolled out in the 1990s. The Indica is now Indias number-two car and is selling well in South Africa, Spain, and Italy. Tata also will soon stafi exporting cars and trucks through a venture with Fiat (FIA) and is eyeing a similar project in South America. The company had another big hit in 2006 with the Ace, a bare-bones truck for less than $6,000. Tata already is boosting its output from 75,000 minitrucks to 250,000. energy giant British Peffoleum (BP), supplies buildings in Germany with rooftop solar-electric systems. But in developing nations, the company sees a vast market in bringing affordable power to villages that are off the power grid. The company has introduced low-cost, solar-powered water pumps, refrigerators, and $30 lanterns that bum for two hours on a days charge. And it has fitted 50,000 homes with $300 systems that can power two lights, a hot plate, a fan, and a l4-inch TV. But this is a drop in the ocean, says Tata BP Solar CEO K. Subramanya. We ought to be touching millions. There is little question that the opportunities for Tata in India and abroad are staggering. But can the group succeed on all these fronts simultaneously? The interesting dilemmas will come when the Indian economy slows and some Tata affrliates inevitably stumble. Future managers could look at expensive burdens such as Jamshedpur and rural-development projects as tempting targets for cuts when times get tight. Tata companies could lose interest in low-cost goods for the masses without a passionate promoter as group chairman. And the group could take a tougher look at businesses to spin off. For the foreseeable future, though, these are nonissues. Though Tata vows that he wont carry this on endlessly, he says he will stay on at least two years beyond when he chooses a successor. So he seems likely to fulfrll the last big item on his agenda: building a network of companies capable of tluiving in 21st-century global competition while still adhering to traditional values long after the departure of Ratan Tata. Strrrnlrles Ratans big passion, though, is the one lakh car. (One lakh is 100,000 rupees. And that many rupees equals about $2,500. ) Since the mid-1990s, he has wanted to develop reliable but supercheap vehicles, a project he believes could ultimately revolutionize the auto industry and make India a major economic power. Tata personally supervised the project and traveled frequently to Tata Motors development center in Pune to check on progress. Originally he envisioned a fundamentally new kind of vehicle-one made of plastics, for example, that didnt even resemble what we think of today as a car. He concedes that the spartan, oval-shaped model to be launched n early 2008 doesnt meet his lofty aims. Its made of steel. And it looks like, well, a car. To get the price to $2,500, engineers shrunk the size and stlipped out frills such as reclining seats and a radio. There is not a lot of innovation, he says. We didnt reinvent the business. Tata has similar ambitions to reinvent solar energy. Tata BP Solar Ltd. , a $260 million venture with British Go-Go Tata Since beginning a global push four years ago, lndias once-plodding Tata Group has expanded aggressively at home and abroad in a wide range of industries. Some of its major holdings: Building a new car plant and sharply boosting output of its small truck, the Ace. A new venture with Fiat will co-produce 1 50,000 cars and 250,000 trucks annually. The biggest gamble: a $2,500 peoples carto be launched in 2008. s7. 2 $490 BILLION MILLION l+260/0l (+36%) TATA STEEL Bought mills in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and is now expanding in lndia. With its $13 billion purchase of Corus, Europes No. 2 steelmaker, capacity should reach 50 million tons by 2010, behind only Arcelor Mittal. $6. 6 $923 BILLION MILLION (+ee%) +33%) TATA CO N SU TTANCY SERVI CES Biding the software and tech services outsourcing boom, TCS has grown explosively in the past five years. Now its developing its own software for $4. 2 $930 = z BILLION MILLION transportation, retail, finance, and other industries. All figures for fiscal year N4ar 31, l+41%l l+43%l 2007 ) ,,, 37lo 0uestions for Review Part 3 lnternational Strategic Management l. How do the Tata Gr. oups strat egies in its home market differ from its international ventures? Do you think joint ventures are essential for Tatas future success? 2. What haye been Ratan Tatas most important strate_ gic initiatives for the company? Should his succes_ sor follow in his footsteps or pursue new paths for growth? 3. V/hat risks might Tata face in its global expansion? How might it manage their risks? Source: Reprinted with special permission from pete Engardio, . ,The Last Rajah: Indias Ratan Tata Aims to Transform His Once_Stodgy Conglomerate Into a Global Powerhouse. But Can It Thrive After He Steps Down? with Nandini Lakshman in Mumbai. BusinessWeek, August 2, 2007. Copyright @ 2007 by rhe McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Cashing in on Local Copywriting Gigs

Cashing in on Local Copywriting Gigs When I began freelancing over a decade ago, I greatly enjoyed the challenge of pitching and achieving payment for writing magazine articles. But since the assignments weren’t easy to come My first step was to learn about search engine optimization (SEO) so I could attract clients to my website. That meant creating pages on my site for keyword combinations like â€Å"Sacramento copywriter† and â€Å"Sacramento freelance writer.† I also targeted a wider area with pages for â€Å"Silicon Valley copywriter† and â€Å"California freelance writer.† I decided that I would specialize in electronic newsletters, which included writing, creating, and managing them with Constant Contact. I planned to target my favorite local day spa as my first potential client, but I couldn’t find an email address for the owner (and I was too chicken to pick up the phone). So, I typed up a letter letting him know I was a long-time customer of the spa, as well as a local copywriter and marketing expert. I said that he was missing out on business opportunities I wrote and managed his electronic newsletter for $1,100 per month- a contract that went on for several years. And that client referred me to several other day spas near While my newsletter business grew, I joined several local networking groups, including two women’s business groups and the Sacramento chapter of Business Networking International (BNI). Referral groups like BNI and LeTip International conduct weekly meetings where local business owners share details about the services they offer. Among the many real estate agents, insurance brokers, and life coaches, I stood out as one of the only copywriters in the area- at least the only one who was showing up to those events. At one of the meetings, I met a website designer. He said his greatest challenge was getting his clients to write the copy for their web pages, which caused his projects to slow to a grinding halt. â€Å"If you can write the web page copy for them, you’ll make my life so much easier.† I agreed, and he referred three clients to me that first week. I charged around $200 per page, with a five-page minimum. The pages usually included Home, About, and several services pages. I taught clients that listing their services on individual pages with focused keyword combinations was good for their SEO. This allowed me to bring additional value to their businesses while also expanding the scope of my projects. I would usually meet with the clients in person or It wasn’t long before I began attracting clients outside of the area, thanks to the SEO I’d applied to my website. Several Silicon Valley companies hired me for various copywriting projects. One company actually hired me to write a unique greeting for the company holiday card. Just two lines of text, billed at my minimum project rate ($500)! My copywriting business grew so quickly that If you’re hungry for new ways to boost your writing business revenue, consider getting out in your local community. There are more business networking events than ever before. Aside from those I’ve already mentioned, check out your chambers of commerce, service groups like Rotary, and groups organized on Meetup.com. With a little effort and a dash of luck, your business could grow quickly, too.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Acute Exacerbation of Asthma

A respiratory viral infection plays a major role in important aspects of asthma and its exacerbation; which is nearly associated for about 80% of overall respiratory condition. Viral pathogen associated with wheezing includes Human Rhinovirus (HRV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Parainfluenza, and coronavirus (Busse & Lemanske. 2010). Rhinovirus is associated with common colds that may cause sore throat, sinus infection, ear infection and to some degree of bronchiolitis and pneumonia (American†¦ Dermatology Case Study Molly Artime, Paige Cooper, Shonna Dillman, Kasey Parrott, Brigitte Toingar Maryville University Dermatology Case Study The following case study has been given careful consideration. 64-year-old female presents to your office with the complaint of a contusion on her left outer calf 1 month ago when she hit her left leg on furniture at her home. Patient was seen in a local Urgent Care and given unknown antibiotics for a skin infection. Patient did not finish the antibiotic†¦ Airway/Breathing (Oxygenation) Pneumonia/Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Clinical Reasoning Case Study STUDENT Worksheet JoAnn Walker, 84 years old Overview This case study incorporates a common presentation seen by the nurse in clinical practice: community acquired pneumonia with a history of COPD causing an acute exacerbation. Principles of spiritual care are also naturally situated in this scenario to provide rich discussion of â€Å"how to† practically incorporate this into the nurse’s†¦ I. Introduction This is a case of a 74 year old woman who was diagnosed with Community Acquired Pneumonia. Pneumonia is an inflammation or infection of the lungs most commonly caused by a bacteria or virus. Pneumonia can also be caused by inhaling vomit or other foreign substances. In all cases, the lungs' air sacs fill with pus , mucous, and other liquids and cannot function properly. This means oxygen cannot reach the blood and the cells of the body. Most pneumonias are caused by bacterial†¦ and presenting symptoms, the doctor suspected an exacerbation of her COPD. He ordered a chest x-ray which revealed that fluid had accumulated in her lungs. Part of the disease process of COPD is hypersecretion of mucus which collects and fills the lungs (D., Chojnowski, 2003). The consolidation seen was most likely due to this process. Mrs. Jones's symptom work up revealed no obvious cause for this exacerbation, but up to 1/3 of COPD exacerbations have an unknown etiology (D., Chojnowski, 2003).†¦ Case Study: COPD Exacerbation Jeffrey Sherman Due Date: January 16, 2012 Wayland Baptist University Adult Health II COPD Exacerbation The purpose of this paper is to discuss an exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its effect on my patient, Mr. HS, a 78 year old male. In this paper we will look at the various facets in the disease process including its incidence, pathophysiology, presenting complaints, analysis of his clinical presentation, and discuss treatment†¦ This is a case study on a 76 year old man.Mr Alan Chari(pseudonym used to protect the identity of a patient),was admitted over night in my department.He is a divorcee who stays with son.He is a retired teacher and his son is permanently employed by a local company as an electrician.He is independent with activities of daily livings but is occasionally limited by his ill health.He used to be a heavy smoker .After realising the burden COPD has on general New Zealand population ,affecting about15%†¦ A case study of asthma in a 10 year old European child. This case study will cover the normal structure and function of the respiratory system. This case study will also discuss the changes that occur when asthma is triggered, and the routine diagnostic tests/vital signs for asthma. The normal range of the routine tests/vital signs for asthma and three nursing interventions that are required to meet the clients needs in relation to asthma will be explained further. To stay alive we need oxygen†¦ Assignment Asthma is a condition of the airways that affects millions of Australians and while the incidence is increasing, management strategies such as the written asthma action plan allow individuals to take control of their condition (Australian Asthma Handbook, 2016). This assignment will look at asthma’s common risk factors, the pathophysiology of the disease, while exploring the recent research in management of acute exacerbations and developing an asthma action plan for Sara from the case scenario†¦ Family Health Case Study Kirstin Fisher Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences University of Colorado Colorado Springs A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of NURS 3010: Pathophysiology FALL 2016 Introduction The family member I will be focusing on in this paper will be my maternal grandfather, Andy Anderson. Mr. Anderson is 70 years old and was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over 5 years ago. He is a†¦

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Global Economy and Transnational Corporations Essay

Global Economy and Transnational Corporations - Essay Example If Reich’s theory is valid, then the role of the government is creating competitiveness for the nation is by being the custodians of the economy as opposed to being just regulators. In this case, the government must seek to develop the national capital through promoting education and through policies. Peter Dicken (2010) however seems to disagree with Reich’s look of the global economy and argues that the global economy can be measured by the way the multinational or transnational firms are operating. He argues that TNC (Transnational Corporations) are the barometers for a global economy. The dilemmas with this theory are that it does not take into attention some factors such as these multinationals do not necessarily pledge their economic allegiance to the nations where they are, but only consider where their best interest is safeguarded. However, it is important in that the presence of a multinational in a country may be an indication of an economy that is doing well. A good example can be seen in China and India which are doing very well economically after so many western multinationals moved their business to these nations. If this theory is valid, then it means that the role of the government is regulatory as opposed to being the custodians of the economy. Alfred Chandler (1977) seems to be in congruence with Peter Dicken. This is because he argues that the world economy is affected by the hierarchy of management in private businesses. This is also contrary to what Robert Reich postured with regard to the wealth of nations, or work of nations. According to Alfred Chandler, the middle management has converted Adam Smith’s invisible hand into a visible hand and now the wealth of nations is not created from the invisible hands that amount from everyone in the economy working together, but that the middle management in firms is the ones who drive the wealth of nations. The advantage of this theory is that it may not explain some situations such as in developing nations where the economy and industries are not as structured as in the developed nations.  Ã‚  

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

3 concepts about sociology in the narrative Living in McMinden Essay

3 concepts about sociology in the narrative Living in McMinden - Essay Example Gender socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to be socialized differently. Boys are raised to conform to the male gender role, and girls are raised to conform to the female gender role. A gender role is a set of behaviors, attitudes, and personality characteristics expected and encouraged of a person based on his or her sex. Gender socialization is often reinforced by the family, education, work and mass media. The statement in the narrative which exemplifies this concept was through the views of Suzanne Diedrich, a divorced mother. She said, â€Å"It is a rough world for both men and women, but men are supposed to be tough. I want my boys to be tough, like my Daddy was.† From this statement, it is obvious that Ms. Diedrich believed that boys are the â€Å"stronger† sex. Boys are viewed as the ones who are more physically active than girls. Even in our daily lives, we can observe that boys are usually given balls or baseball bats as presents while girls are g iven dolls or kitchen toys.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Chemistry and Math Essay Example for Free

Chemistry and Math Essay Education is the best legacy. This has been a lifelong statement that I have come to believe. Personally, I believe that learning continues until the death of a man. This is because no man can claim to know everything. Life faces us with new possibilities daily and there is the next thing waiting in line; a new ladder to climb and a new goal or dream to achieve. Therefore, while we appreciate our present academic achievement, we should strive more by seeking more knowledge to improve ourselves. Furthermore, I believe that the achievement of one goal should lead to the desire to set a higher one. In this context, I strongly subscribe to the idea that knowledge is imperishable and thus should be a priority for every person. There should naturally be a curiosity that will instigate the desire to know more and to acquire more knowledge from time to time. Consequently, I have educational and professional goals that I hold dear to my heart. Presently, I am a double major student studying Chemistry and Math. As part of my desire to learn more and add more to myself, I intend to enroll for postgraduate studies so that I can earn a Ph D in Chemistry. Due to my interest in Chemistry and Biology, I hope to attend medical school so that I can become a medical doctor. As a medical doctor, I want to specialize in the field of endocrinology or surgery. I have always dreamt that one day I will be able to open up my own private practice where I can help people with imbalances in their endocrine systems and help reduce pain that people go through daily. In addition to this, I hope that later in life I will be able to lecture Chemistry and also work with a pharmaceutical company in hopes of being able to synthesis new drugs in the fight against HIV. I know it takes a lot of dedication, focus and hard work to achieve all these but I believe nothing good comes easy and I live with this mindset every single day of my life. Consequently, I have developed a keen interest in and an unrivaled thirst for learning. As a professional, I would love to be a valuable asset so that I can give back to the community.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Unethical Pitbull Owners Essay -- Animals Dogs Pit Bull Terrier essays

Never Mind the Dog Beware of the Owner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Pit Bull Terrier is a good breed of dogs that has earned its popularity throughout the world. The Pit bull is well known to be a loyal, brave and a very good companion to its owner. However, caution should be taken to avoid these terriers from getting into the hands of unethical owners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the United Kennel Club (UKC), the standard for the American Pit Bull Terrier is a dog that is square and powerful with a blocky head, prominent cheeks and jaw, taut, and muscular body. The dog’s ears maybe cropped or snipped. These dogs have a deep chest, and a short, glossy coat of any color. Size can range from 30-50 pounds for females and 35-60 pounds for males. The average pit bull today will cost you any where from one hundred and fifty dollars to one thousand dollars. Pit bulls have great physical and mental characteristics that make them excellent partners for responsible, active and caring owners (PBRC). Pitbull are very responsive to training, intelligent, strong, energetic, agile, and adaptable and are always eager to please (PBRC). For example, the Pit bull was America’s first war dog serving in WWI, saving many lives from soldier of nerve gases and other chemical and biological harm. Pit bulls were also used as watch or alert dogs. In a California based APBT (American Pitbull Terrier) rescue group-encompassed training for Pitbulls to assist persons with disabilities, and with people who needed ther...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Ethics Game Simulation †Essay Essay

The ethics simulation game is designed to teach us how to make ethical decisions especially when the company is facing challenging times. Making ethical decisions is not an easy task when ones decision will possibly have a great impact on each of the company’s stakeholder, whether they are shareholders or customers, in different ways. In this simulation, the company in focus is G-BioSport which specializes in sports nutrition and supplements sells. This company has so many great core values but the one that really stood out for me was the Customer Focus one, which says that â€Å"We keep our customers in mind during all our actions†. As I went through this simulation as the Quality Manager of G-BioSport, I kept this core value and the standards designed in company’s Code of Ethics as listed in the Quality Management Internal vs. External Standards, in the forefront of my decision making. The first decision that had to be made was about a product already on the ma rket that was contaminated; however, it only put a small percentage of users at a low risk. The question at hand is whether to warn and what information to provide to consumers about the contaminant? Should we publish information broadly about increased risk for specific groups, offer to replace tainted products or refund purchase price? Before making these decisions one had to go through four different lenses and steps of the critical decision making process. These lenses included the Rights and Responsibility lens, the Results lens, the Relationship lens, and the Reputation lens. After narrowing the possibilities down to two solutions using the Rights and Responsibilities Lens, the choice was made to disseminate information about on increased risk and allow consumers to make informed choices. Since this particular product complied with FDA standards, I did not see any reason to recall the product from the market. I also examined how this decision would impact each stakeholder of the company from the shareholders, company Chief Executive to the customers. As I indicated  in my memo to Carson Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, urging him to consider how each of us would like to b e treated in a similar situation and to allow our consumers to make informed choice. By providing information that allowed them to make informed choices, G-Bio Sport had fulfilled its duties and treated all consumers equally, and valued their autonomy. While there might be negative publicity risks involved by disclosing about product containment and can impact company’s bottom line, I believe that our duty to our customers must come first in this situation to continue maintaining public’s trust in our products. G-BioSport knew that giving out this information will not affect the majority of consumers, but we believe the need to be sensitive to those who will be affected, was very important. On a scale of 0 to 5, from low to high risk, my decision rated a 1 and decision quality was rated as â€Å"best†. This decision represented very low risk. Once the product had been sold to consumers, there is no way to entirely eliminate the possibility of a lawsuit. The goal at this point is to reduce the risk. Giving consumers information upon which to base informed choices about continued use of the product reduces both the risk of a lawsuit and the risk of adverse publicity. The second case addressed is whether to sell a product that does not meet U.S. safety requirements in a foreign market that has lower safety restrictions. Due to the recent FDA Regulations Changes, our products affected by the GBS-F contaminant no longer meet official standards which meant that we might need to recall these products in the U.S. However, based on Paul Marconi’s international Market Analysis, we might have an opportunity to expand our sales in overseas. It turns out, standards for food and drug product vary widely from country to country in ways that provide some opportunities as well as challenges. In many places, the products can still be sold legally and safely. I decided distribution of our product at overseas as a viable option rather than disposal. Given the extremely low level of risk for the vast majority of users, I suggested exploring other countries where the standards will allow us to sell these products legally and in a safe manner. As long as we disclose all the possible risks to our international customers, they can make an informed decision based on that. The focus of this decision making process w as guaranteeing basic liberties for the consumers. By using Relationships Lens and Reputation Lens, I decided to honor other countries’ rights to set  safety standards for their own citizens and sell the product where foreign regulations permit. On a scale of 0 to 5, from low to high risk, my decision rated a 1 and decision quality was rated as â€Å"best†. It represented very low risk for the company. Doing business entails risk. So long as the company sells the product at all, there is some risk of liability, even with a product that meets internal and external safety standards. Although an increasing number of countries have products liability laws to protect citizens, the rest of the world is still far less rigid than the U.S. Providing a warning label would likely reduce one’s risk of liability without increasing costs or reducing potential sales significantly. This decision making process through the simulation was very helpful for me. From evaluating the level of impact on the stakeholders to using different lenses and being clear of my role in the process taught me how to make ethical decisions. As Operations Manager for a non profit, I can use this process when I am making decisions about health and sa fety standards for our child care facilities and all the other aspects of my job.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Global Financial Market Essay

With the market turmoil of 2008 and 2009 in fairly recent memory, investors were feared to take risk in the stock markets, as instabilities of global stock market accordingly enhanced. Stock market is a key element prior to reflect the performance of economy. It is an important part of the economy of a country. The stock market plays a pivotal role in the growth of the industry and commerce of the country that eventually affects the economy of the country to a great extent. That is reason that the government, industry nd even the central banks of the country keep a close watch on the happenings of the stock market. The stock market is important from both the industry’s point of view as well as the investor’s point of view. Through this assignment, with particularly focusing on the performance of Hong Kong stock market, I am going to discuss the roles of the stock market that affect the economy by elaborating the functions of primary market and secondary market, and anal ysis the Hong Kong stock market in relation to the economy with statistics method. Importance of Stock Market The stock market is a necessary and essential aspect of commerce world-wide. Without a stock market, companies could not easily to raise the fund and capital, and investors could not quickly and easily trade shares through the stock market system, and the global economy would not be established into a maturity stage like now a day. The stock market and thus they play the most important role of supporting the growth of the industry and commerce in the country. That is the reason that a rising stock market is the sign of a developing industrial sector and a growing economy of the country. Primary market Whenever a company wants to raise funds for further expansion or settling up a new business venture, they have to either take a loan from a financial organization or they have to issue shares through the stock market. In fact, the stock market is the primary source for any company to raise funds for business expansions. If a company wants to raise some capital for the business it can issue shares of the company that is basically part ownership of the company rather than issuing debt for enhancing the capital and liquidity because of the cost efficiency. There are three main financial systems such as resources allocation, risk management and risk pricing to simultaneously and consistently perform in an economy under the philosophy of primary market. Resources allocation in the primary market Primary market can raise the fund for the company business plan in a short period. Economy can be affected according to any new IPO issued in the stock primary market. To issue shares for the investors to invest in the stocks, through the primary market of the stock exchange they can issue the shares and get the funds for business requirements. There are certain rules and regulations for getting listed at a stock exchange and they need to fulfill some criteria to issue stocks and go public. The company has the business plan which is required to borrow fund for implementation, and the company has planned to apply their fund raised by the stock market after issuing the share through IPO. Fund should be allocated in different areas of the business plan, and it can also increase the liquidity and capital. Refer to the IPO issuance of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China(ICBC) in 2006, ICBC was one of the biggest bank in China. After the IPO. ICBC was the world’s biggest ever IPO that makes it at the same becoming the biggest bank with the most capital in the world. These can significantly increase the confidence of the investors and reallocate the resources in investing into different market against their business plan. Risk pricing in the primary market Investors always assess and calculate the interest and return to every investment which they made. In the primary market of issuing stock listed on the stock exchange, rules and regulations are formed to dominate any new issuers. International banks and Investment banks are always the underwriter of the IPO. It can also comfort the investors that the risk has been assessed by experience large institutions accurately, and then the price of the share is announced to the public objectively. Investors can have more information to compare the return and lose through the provided information in the primary market. In the view of the above, investors will be attracted to invest into the IPO against the recommended pricing. More funding invests into the market that can make a positive impact to the economy. Risk management in primary market To issue IPO in the primary market, guaranteed investors should be confirmed to every IPO announced. This can help into managing the risk, as a minimum of fund can be ensured to the company which can control the risk exposure. The company may have liquidity problem in case of failure in raising the fund of IPO, therefore, the function of guaranteed investor and IPO underwriter can mitigate suck risk, and that can be a risk management to protect the interest of the company as well as the investors. It can reduce the uncertainties and managing the risks involved in investment market of economy. Secondary Market The secondary function of the stock market is that the market plays the role of a common platform for the buyers and sellers of these stocks that are listed at the stock market. It is the secondary market of the stock exchange where retail investors and institutional investors buy and sell the stocks. In fact it is these stock market traders who raise the fund for the businesses by investing in the stocks. So the stock market is not only providing the much required funds for boosting the business, but also providing a common place for stock trading. It is the stock market that makes it possible to sell the stocks at any point of time and get back the investment along with the profit. This makes the stocks much more liquid in nature and thereby attracting  investors  to invest in the stock market. Mobilize Savings in the secondary market When businesses or even individuals hold their money in form of shares, they can easily mobilize funds for investments. Securities traded in the secondary markets are not as liquid as cash therefore this limits the ease of accessing cash. Accumulation of funds for long-term capital projects is therefore easy and possible. The secondary market provides a convenient platform for the trade of securities hence shares can be easily converted to cash for investment. Investment Opportunities in the secondary market As opposed to holding money in savings accounts, the secondary market provides investors with an opportunity to save and at the same time invest. Shareholders can earn and make profit in investing in the secondary market, as the share price always rises and falls subject to the news in public and the environment of economy. In the secondary market, investment in shares does not require a large of fund, therefore, it provides a chance to invest and expand their portfolios. Stock market and economy (Statistical analysis) To support the analysis of stock market in related to the economy, I have done a t-test showing as below. Basically, as the stock market should reflect the economy in advance. I do the statistic in one year difference. Refer to the result, the difference is considered to not statistically significant. The stock market seem influencing the economy significantly. We can see the stock market dropped in 2008 that make the decrease of GDP in 2009. Due to the financial crisis in 2008, the stock market was in panic. This is one of the factors to decrease the GDP. In Hong Kong economy, as there was a great support due to the significant growth of China’s economy. In relation to the increase of HKEx index since 2009, the stock market was in recovery that bloom the economy and the Hong Kong property market has accordingly benefited to grow in these years. GDP was also reflected slightly growth. It can strongly evidence and prove that the performance of stock market obtains a strong relationship with the economy. Conclusions With the reference of the above, stock market is essential to the impact of economy. Companies could easily raise the fund thru the stock market by IPO in the primary market, in order to apply the fund in implementing the expansion business plan, and the investors could gain interest and profit in the secondary market in stock exchange that the capital fund of investors could be increased, in which both factors could have positive effect to the economy. In my recommendation, Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing Limited (HKEX) could consider to extend the trading hours. It could stay closer to other stock markets like USNY, London and etc. This implementation could attract more investors and equity fund to invest into Hong Kong stock market, as the time difference to other stock markets is shorten. It could increase the trading volume in the stock market. If the stock market becomes prosperous that makes the Hang Seng index increase, as more funds invest into Hong Kong, the economy in Hong Kong can accordingly rise in an absolute way.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Existential Therapy

Existential Therapy Running Head: EXISTENTIAL THERAPYExistential TherapyExistential TherapyIntroductionExistential therapy is a strong approach which embraces human potential, while remaining a realistic approach through its recognition of human limitation. Falling in the tradition of depth existential is common with humanistic, psychodynamic, experiential, and relational approaches to therapy. This therapy is fundamentally different from every kind of therapy. According to Ernesto, (2007) this therapy is for existence whereas psychologists recognize the practice of existential therapy as variety of psychotherapy. It also addresses life problems perspective and therefore acts as variety of psychotherapy.DiscussionAfter having the detailed knowledge about the existential therapy it could be recognized that the Ruth has some problem which belong to her personality and her earlier life, in which environment she has grown up, as she describe herself she was the oldest of four children and her father was a f undamentalist minister and her mother was a simple housewife.E is for Education and for ExistentialismAccording to Emmy, (2005) Ruth remembers her mother as being critical, and she thought that she could never do enough to please her. While her mother was supportive and the family demonstrated little affection in many ways Ruth took on the role of caring for her younger siblings, largely in the hope of winning the approval of her parents. It could be said that Ruth has some personality disorder and need to be council through the experienced psychiatrics.As far as existential therapy is concerned it deals with Psychological health, from an existential view, is characterized by an ability to navigate the complexities of own life of the Ruth, the world, and Ruth relationships with the world. Commotion, on the other hand, is taken as the outcome of avoiding life's truths and of working under the shadow of other expectations of the people and values.

Monday, November 4, 2019

MBA Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MBA Project Management - Essay Example Cross- utilization of resources would also reduce the cost. Hyten has taken a reasonable approach to implement formal project management. Project management cannot be implemented without taking the employees in confidence. For this purpose, it organized the seminar to enlighten the management with the benefits of project management. Having confidential interviews was a good way to understand the hurdles in implementing the project and employees' perceptions. However, the implementers should consider the arguments presented by the managers and devise solutions to cater to the problems involved especially to those presented by the plant and engineering managers. They should meet with the general manager and take him into confidence too. They should also consider the time period for creating an adequate information system required for project management. For that, they may approach an outside company to find out how much time it would take to create the same information system for them The organizational personnel were focusing more on the disadvantages. ... However most of them accepted the fact the long-term benefits were more than the disadvantages in short term. Many of the disadvantages focused on the changes that would be required as a result of project management. For example, the staff would have to break work summaries into work packages, prepare commitment reports, estimate report data, perform project audits and prepare comparisons of projected versus actual costs. Besides the present internal control system would have to be changed after reviewing it. All of these would require more resources. The advantages included improved communication among the departments, cross-utilization of resources, better scheduling and reduced costs. Hence, to gain the advantages, it is important to consider the disadvantages and the changes required. 4. Are the issues raised regarding evaluations and compensations valid Provide some solutions and are these areas really a result of formal project management The issues that are raised regarding evaluations and compensations are valid. If employees know that they can influence their evaluation and appraisals by siding with a particular manager, they might choose to do so. This may particularly happen when the functional and project manager do not get along together. These issues may be resolved by increasing cooperation between both the managers. For example, if a project manager assigns a task to a functional employee, he should notify the functional manager so that he does notfeel that his authority is surpassed. However, the issue may still remain if any or both of the managers are unwilling to cooperate. For this purpose, detailed evaluation forms may help. In those, the managers would have to give a detailed evaluation of the employees' assigned task

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Business Model Generation Canvas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Model Generation Canvas - Essay Example so taking the utmost care to see to it that there is absolute visualization of the business model so created and the templates of the business model has got nine templates that fits very well for the better understanding and the due contribution from each of the participant. This type of Business model canvas can very well be formatted in a very large way depending on the number of participants and so even a very large number of the business participants can very well participate together and jointly contribute together towards the success of the business model canvas. Most of the people who participate in this joint exercise can very well contribute their own ideas and sketch down whatever they feel towards turning the business concern towards the success. Thus this Business Model Generation Canvas is a very powerful tools that can very well force business people to really undergo the process of first understand the problems of the business and then start the discussion process and finally create very useful and readily applicable ideas that can very well be applied to real time business problems. Thus as a final step it helps in the analysis of the business problems and gathers the ideas and the views of the different people participating in the business discussion. This kind of business canvas will very well help the business establishments in reaching and also setting new goals for the organization. This kind of model really challenges the business people to really think about the ways by which they can develop new and innovative business ideas which can very well satisfy the business goals of an organization that would very well satisfy and serve the business interests of its creators. This kind of business canvas is very well suited for any type of business organization be it a large or a small organization and this very well enhances the business capability of the organizations under consideration thus becoming a very important tool that could very well

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Healthy Lifestyles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthy Lifestyles - Assignment Example ecifically, the detrimental consequences of these unhealthy behaviors manifest when two or more habits of the behaviors merge to produce synergistic effects. Technically, frequent health habits coalesce to form health lifestyles. Based on the interview, relevant data and information were obtained regarding particular unhealthy lifestyles. Admittedly, trends on unhealthy lifestyles suggested by the interview’s results were a bit surprising. Prior to the interview, I perceived the behaviors of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and lack of physical exercises as experienced by members within the age bracket of 45-60 years. Surprisingly, these unhealthy behaviors are prevalent among members of the young generation; particularly those between 20-35 years. Actually, this optimally productive portion of the population seems to frequently engage in risky health habits more than those within the age bracket of 45-60 years. For example, alcohol abuse and reckless driving topped the list of most common unhealthy behaviors examined during the exercise. Observably, certain unhealthy behaviors are primarily associated with members of a particular age group. For example, teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15-24 are fond of smoking, drinking alcohol and using phones while driving compared to members of any other age group. Contrarily, adults between the ages of 55-64 years emerged as having unhealthy physical activity habits coupled with improper nutrition. With respect to teenagers and young adults, the pronounced frequency and intensity of drug abuse are relatively high compared to any other age group. In addition, reckless driving habits are more common among teenagers and young adults compared to any other age group. Reasons for this trend in young persons may include but not limited to emotional immaturity, juvenile delinquency, and social anxiety among others (Burnham, 2010). Contrarily, drinking, smoking and reckless driving habits subside towards adulthood.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Diversity Ability in the work place Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity Ability in the work place - Term Paper Example In developed nations like the United States and UK where diversity is the major facet of democratic setup, the concept of workplace diversity is mandatory. Researchers are deeply at odds regarding the pros and corns of maintaining diversity in workplace. Many are of the opinion that diversity will intensify the organizational issues including conflict of interest, increasing HR costs, and communication barriers. On the other hand, others believe that diversity will enhance the potential of labor force. For instance, according to the latter concept, a workgroup that consists of senior, experienced individuals would ease the managerial tension as these individuals are familiar with every activity of business operation. In the same way workers from different cultural background can easily identify the potential customer segments of their region or culture. A company can make use this diversity for acquiring knowledge on various legal, ethical, cultural aspects of its business destinatio n. Acquiring diverse workforce will help a firm to preserve a pool of diverse skills too. For instance, elders with work experience and practical knowledge are equally important to youngsters with creative ideas and higher level of adaptability.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Tesco Business Analysis

Tesco Business Analysis Introduction: Tesco Plc is a British based company, and is the largest food retailer in the UK. It is one of the largest British sellers and holds third rank in retail industry after USA based company Wal-Mart and France based company Carrefour. It sells around 4000 food products (Euromonitor, 2010). Tesco started with the business in grocery retailing, but now it also sell stationary, health and beauty, utensils, clothing, home entertainment, electrical goods, kitchen utensils and seasonal goods like barbeques and garden furniture in the summer. Annual profits of Tesco in year 2005 was announced as  £2 billion and in 2006 it announced that it was going to open foreign stores very soon. Tesco operates in 13 countries with 3275 stores of which 2115 operates in UK; its largest geographical market (Euromonitor, 2010). It operates through different store formats which include Extra, Express, metro, hypermarket and superstore. Tesco has its own products ranging from value, normal and finest for diff erent income group of consumers. Tesco was founded by jack Cohen 1919. It gets its name from the combination of the founder of Tesco, Sir Jack Cohen and a partner in a firm of tea suppliers who Cohen worked with, T.E. Stockwell (Marketing (00253650)). One of the biggest investment of Tesco was in the 1980s, when Tesco invested  £145m for a superstore development program and invested  £500m in building 30 new stores (BSC). The company floated on the stock exchange in December 1947 with an initial share price of 25p (LSE). Beyond the food, Tesco also sells non-food products including electrical goods, home entertainment, stationary, clothing, beauty and health, kitchen stuff, soft furnishing and season products as barbecues and garden furniture in the summer. The company has become as one of the UK’s biggest independent petrol retailer (Datamonitor, 2010). Moreover, the group provides financial services (Tesco Personal Finance) which was set in joint-venture with Royal Bank of Scotland and became one of the successful projects of the group. Tesco’s Core Purpose, as stated on their website is â€Å"to create value for customers and to earn their lifetime loyalty†. Competition in Retail Market: The market in which Tesco operates is a highly competitive field, where Tesco holds a disproportionate amount of power. Tesco has three major competitors – Sainsbury, Asda and Morrison. These giants of retail have many chains and a collective mass that can influence the food market as a whole. The figures below shows that Tesco holds over a third of the UK market share, and even double the amount of Asda’s market share which is the second largest supermarket chain. Following is a breakdown of the market share data published by TNS for the 12 weeks to June 15, 2008 (Reuters News, 2008): However, the recent financial crisis put Tesco under the pressure when its customers by seeking reduce its expenses switched to cheaper alternative supermarkets as Lidl, Asda and Aldi. According to the latest TNS data Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose are losing share of the UK grocery market. Tesco’s sales increased by 5.5%, Sainsburys sales went up by 5.6% , sales of Waitrose just climbed by 1.6% while such hard discount retailers as Aldi saw its sales jump 22.1% over the 12-week period and Lidl posted sales growth of 9.8% (Just Food, 2008). . To maintain its market share, the company has tackled the problem by releasing 400 low -cost new ranges of food and products on their shelves. Today Tesco has 273028 employees and it is the largest British retailer with profit exceeding  £2bn, including global sales and domestic market share. In 2008, Tesco became the 4th largest retailer in the world. STEEPLE+E Analysis: There are rules and regulations which are set by the government so that there should be no monopolies and healthy competition in the market. Consumer law emphasis on protecting the consumer rights and make sure that the entrepreneurs have the chance to compete in the market. According to the EU law there is assumption that the companies with large market share are dominant, the problem with this is there may be compromise on the quality of the product and costumer may end up paying higher prices for the products. As Tesco has a large market share, it has not been assessed till now but Tesco should bear this in mind. Planning consent is highly regulated in UK therefore Tesco should take care of this regulation as expansion is one of the strategies which Tesco follows. Therefore, before setting up a new store Tesco should check all the planning permissions and look if there are any resistances on law grounds or local people’s opposition. In the recent downturn of economy many r etailers were affected badly but Tesco was fortunate as it was not affected that much like others because it makes product for all, it offers a wide range of products from value to finest so it helped people to switch to value products in recession. Increase in tax or stock market fluctuation or change in currency can also affect Tesco. In the sociological aspect Tesco has focused on launching the products like meal for one and microwavable products to make life easy for the people migrate from the other parts of the world and are young professional. Tesco has made use of the technology fully by launching the site tesco.com which makes the life of people easy by order the products from their home and it also gives Tesco a competitive advantage. Tesco has supported the carbon reduction process and have raised 100 million pounds for sustainable technology fund; Tesco also encourages its customers to help in reducing the carbon emission by using the same plastic bag many times, another challenge for Tesco may the reducing the use of fossil fuel which is used in its transportation. SWOT Analysis: It has strong brand image and market leadership. Tesco is the largest retail group in the UK, which has about 30% of the UK grocery market as of June 2008, at the same time; it has successful business which operates in 14 worldwide markets beyond the UK. The company built up a good reputation enables the group to launch new products and services, and makes easier entering in new markets. One of the best examples was entering into financial services market with Tesco Personal Finance project (Datamonitor, 2010). The group has a stronger market presence in South Korea as compared its main rivals as Wal-Mart and Carrefour. These two Tesco’s competitors sold all of its stores and divest its operation in 2006 in South Korean, due to inability to meet consumer’s demand (Datamonitor, 2010). This success encourages the company on making investments in order to sustain market leadership and generate more profit. As the result, company is spending 958million pounds on expanding and acquisition new stores in South Korea (FT, 2008a). ‘Tesco.com is the largest online grocery shopping service in the world; it is the fourth biggest online retailer in the UK, behind Amazon, Dell and Argos.’ (Datamonitor, 2010). In 2008 Tesco.com sales continue to growth constantly. Sales from Tesco.com grew by 20% in the first half of 2008, reaching 902million pounds (Tesco, 2010). Taking into consideration the online sales are forecasted to increase from 10.9 billion pounds in 2006 to 28 billion pounds in 2011 (Datamonitor, 2010), Tesco can get considerable benefits from strong foothold in online services. Notwithstanding on company’s big plans to extent or open new stores in the UK, it becomes difficult to realize as not all expand projects satisfy local community’s requirements and finally have been frozen in waiting for government’s decision. There are some negative event influences, patent infringement claims, for example, in 2007, â€Å"Franks International filed suit against the company in US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marsheall Division alleging that Tesco’s CDS infringes two patents held by Franks† (Datamonitor, 2010). Tesco do not have the small convenience store to service customer who the small areas, while the Sainsbury has the small store in the local small town , it is convenience for customer, they do not want by a lot of things, maybe just some daily consumable. There are lots of opportunities in other international markets for Tesco; the Euro zone retailing sales has shown a growth of 33% as of August 2008 to compare as of August 2007, which comprised 4,732mllion pounds and 3,558million pounds respectively. While sales in Asia increased by 11% at the same period from 2, 862million pounds of as August 2007 to 3,151million pounds of August 2008, despite of a small loss in the first half as a result of establishing operations and supply hubs in China (Tesco, 2010). About 80% of group’s capital is being invested in international growth (FT, 2008b). For instance, investment in markets of rapidly growing economy such as India with planned investment around $114 m to set up the business, in China where Tesco has spent 180million pounds in 2007 to increase its stake in its local partner (FT, 2008b). This provides a good opportunity to cover consumer’s demand of these markets which can add value to the Group’s assets and signif icantly contribute to maintain its strong international performance. Notwithstanding on only 9 month of running business in the US, the Group has obtained sales result ($11 per square per foot per week) which is also encouraging. Successful experience of operation on international markets enables the company’s to embody its plans of further overseas expands. Tesco has opportunities in non-food and services markets also, total UK non-food sales increased to 4.1billion pounds and 1.7billion pounds from international market as of August 2008, which in total led to 7.3% sales grew (Tesco, 2010). However, Tesco has poor results in this market segment, while with skills in sourcing and supply chain management the company has opportunity to improve its position. Tesco Personal Finance made profit 71million pounds, where Tesco’s share was 35.5million pounds, up 34% compared to 2007 (Tesco, 2010). The Company completed the acquisition of 50% of TPF from the Royal Bank of Scotland by the end of 2008 (Tesco, 2010). Threat to Tesco is high competition as the result of financial crisis and consumer’s budget tightness such discount competitor as Alsi and Lidlrs are eaten away Tesco’s sales by offering high quality goods for the lowest price. The group faced risk of losing its customers who switched to the other retails in order to reduce its living costs and had to revise its strategy in order to remain its customers. McKenzie’s 7s Analysis: McKenzie 7 S’ includes shared values, Strategy, Structure, System, Staff, Style, Skill. Accordingly Tesco applied the 7 S’ of McKenzie as well to increase its market share and profits which are described as follows: Shared Value: Shared Value of the company states the objectives of the company and it’s believes. Tesco believes in increasing its sophisticated management techniques from simple manufacturing companies to the value of higher standards and marched northward on their value chain. Strategy: Strategy describes about the methods adopted by the company to achieve its goals. Tesco applied various strategies usually using Balanced Scoreboard (BSC) method. Structure: It depends on the companies infra structure like top to down management. Tesco CEO thinks that they don’t need of one leader, they a whole group of employees from top to down to work on strategies. System: System is based on how to finish a work like how important is the wok and how smartly it has to been done. Tesco used a steering wheel to achieve its pre determined strategies smartly simply used to help the employees in future. Staff: Staff states about the number of staff in the organization. All over the world Tesco recruited more than 400,000 employees. Style: It the style of the organization in which it works to achieve its objectives. Tesco used steering wheel to achieve its objectives. It has 90 degree arcs, in which four main areas are considered which are, financial, customers, operations and employee performance. Skill: It describes the capabilities of the organization or the employees to a particular task. Tesco provides full knowledge to its employees to work effectively and efficiently within the organization. It provides skills to the employees to work according to the standards of Tesco (Kaplan R. and Norton D., 2008). Micro Environment analysis and Marketing Strategy: Position of offering the best value for the most competitive prices contributed to be Tesco number one retail in the UK. Smart Supply Chain Management and Development strategy, constantly research, seeking in order to meet customers’ needs, introducing new innovation, product quality and price, offering huge product range, store facilities and services, working closely with suppliers, developing and motivating its staff, participating in the formulation of national food industry and environment protection makes possible to keep strong competitive position within market even through time. Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco plc states â€Å"there are many opportunities for business like Tesco as long as you stay close to customer and adapt to the changing circumstance† (ICSC Research Review, 2008). The group provides online services through its subsidiary Tesco.com, broadband internet connection (Tesco Broadband) and telecommunications services (Tesco Mobile and Home Phone). â€Å"Tesco.com is the largest online grocery shopping service in the world; it is the fourth biggest online retailer in the UK, behind Amazon, Dell and Argos. Tesco.com serves 850,000 regular customers in the UK and gets more than 250,000 orders every week† (Datamonitor, 2010). Significant advantages of buying online, such as comparatively low price, large product range and the ability to shop around the clock — enable retailers to draw shoppers’ interest (Gladding, 2005). â€Å"Tesco, the United Kingdoms biggest grocer, has attracted considerable attention because of its ambitious overseas strategy and its successful on-line home delivery service† (Child, 2002). â€Å"Since establishing an MVNO with 02 in 2003, Tesco has built up 1.5m mobile subscribers and 250,000 of these v isits the mobile portal every month† (New Media Age, 2008). Hence, Tesco makes possible to carry into effect purchasing by using mobile phones and brings new life in m-commerce shopping (New Media Age, 2008). According to company’s recent press release information Tesco.com sales up 20.5%, profit up 21.4%, including Tesco Direct (Tesco, 2010). Datamonitor (2010) in its â€Å"Tesco, PLC SWOT Analysis† states that â€Å"With a strong foothold in online services, Tesco is well placed to benefit from growing online spending. A strong online presence enables the group to serve new customer segments, avoid investments in physical infrastructure and earn better margins†. The company has an impressive brand image, which is associated with high quality goods and services, huge range of assortments and at the time the best prices. Credible brand name enables the company to launch more new products and new market lines; to go through new markets much easier and quickly, and become successful in this field as well, as it was its entry into the Personal Finance market (Datamonitor, 2010). Through the diversification process, Tesco has increased the range of its operation by entering to new markets of distribution and service supply, such as petrol distribution, banking and insurance, real estate and communications. Such changes and strategy improvements have further reinforced company’s market power above its main competitors. Since the mid-90s, Tesco has been investing in overseas markets, by looking for new opportunities to expand and opening new ways of generating long term growth of shareholders value. Today the Group operates in 12 markets outside the UK, in Europe, Asia and North America. The half of the retail shops are represented beyond the UK (Tesco.com). As a part of international expansion, now Tesco is planning to open wholesale grocery store in India by investing up to $114 million over two years. â€Å"It complements our entries into China and the United States, giving us access to another important economy in the world† commented this decision the company’s chief executed (World Trade, 2008). At the same time, Tesco announced that it has set up a South China headquarters office in Guangzhou in order to maintain its’ presence in this country, where the company already has 47 stores and has been running the business over three years long (World Trade, 2008). As a part of supporting its global expansion programme, the company plans to centralise all its overseas business after signing a 100million pounds network and voice contract. Through this network upgrade, Nick Folkes, Tesco’s IT director, commented, that the company will be able to standardise key finance, human resources, data warehouse and sales applications across the whole worldwide operations. The Cable Wireless network will connect 1,800 Tesco sites in the UK, stores in more than 14 countries and 440,000 employees worldwide, hence, significantly contribute expenditure reduction from reducing call costs to savings on staff travel expenses. He remarked â€Å"Our aim is to have a common technology platform in tandem with common business processes so that we remain competitive as we continue our expansion abroad† (Kamath, J. 2008). Smart human resource management is also important key of Tesco’s business performance. The company has selected Red Prairie’s workforce management solution to manage its global store staff, which will enable Tesco to improve customer service by aligning customer traffic with employee schedule. â€Å"Ultimately, it will improve our business by increasing store productivity, and supporting revenue growth† said Dave Briggs, programme manager for Tesco (Apparel Magazine, 2008). Tesco has been proved a very good innovator as bachelor’s placement’s in Tesco yet further proved its innovation temperament which has seen in Tesco as they have the ability to mold according to the trend whatever are the market need as it become the first who protect the convenience outlets in UK, it’s one of the biggest innovation of all is the Clubcard Loyalty Program, Another great innovation done by Tesco was in supply chain management in which it partitioned the loaders according to the delivery like 1 chamber of frozen foods, another ambient products in only one truck, another innovation is the collection of data from customers on every purchase to use this information to offer the draw on product range, Voucher mailing to the customers according to the purchasing behavior of the consumer so that it can return to Tesco. Continuous analysis on the data gathered from the market it innovates its products like once Tesco got to know that nappies does not have market share so they researched on it and introduced the club offering baby advice on pregnancy and motherhood. With this around one fourth mother and baby market was captured by the company (Strategic Direction, 2008). Company has that much strength that it wanted to collaborate with the US grocery market where other European companies fear to stand. US market is known as typical market as it produces very luxury products at one end and cheaper products on the other end, but Tesco is the only one who can stand with this giant market as it is UK’s biggest market which ability to attract customers of all social groups. Normally, people in US live near a big supermarket but Tesco bet that it will provide small stores with all needful products which are preferred by the people of US. Tesco look forward to launch Tesco Fresh and Easy Stores in US. These stores will be much spacious to provide all the necessary products under one roof, not like US outlets which does not provide alcohol, pizza’s, snacks etc. Healthy eating is also one of the major fields where Tesco thought to capitalize its money. One of the biggest hurdles is to persuade the US people to behave likewise of the Tesco trend in UK where transportation facility and easy convenience helps people to buy more products especially in the case of perishable goods. Tesco has one more worry in front of it as its credit rating in respect of measuring quality of goods and services has been slumped where rivals were resurgent in this process (Strategic Direction, 2008). So Tesco is proved to be a good innovator which makes it in building strong reputation and brand name in the UK market providing all the necessary products under one roof. Tesco strategies makes it possible to compete it in the market like its brand strategy, price strategy and its thorough analysis of the market like Product life cycle analysis etc. making Tesco a competitive brand. According to the Product Life Cycle when a new product is launched or old product is launched in new market generally there is no competition expected at this stage and a high expenditure is needed in market research, launch cost and market test so the product may incu r financial losses in early stage. The same situation was there when Fresh Easy chain of Tesco incur a loss of $106.8 million. It is clear that there were very low sales of these products so the weakness of the sales raises questions about the expandability of this format, what Tesco is into these days. So Tesco should limit the expandability at such a large scale in new market. Balance Scorecard: In 1998 Tesco’s balanced scorecard was introduced and now it is known as Steering Wheel and it is the main driving tool for the business. It has helped Tesco to achieve a lot and it is followed from the board room to the shop floor. The steering wheel is annually reviewed and it ensures that Tesco is achieving its goal and also it ensures that Tesco meet the demands of organizational strategy. Although customers are not much aware of the balanced scorecard but the staff follows it strictly on the data which is collected weekly. Store level scorecard is given to the manager of the stores in which contains the quarterly corporate scorecard. However a strong link is there between the corporate level scorecard and the corporate level scorecard because of this whole data is collected by various systems and mechanism. Top management monitor the performance and look for the problem areas, after identifying the problems local management are asked to resolve and seek the improvement. Referencing: Apparel Magazine (2008) IN BRIEF, Vol. 50 Issue 2, p16-20, 4p, (On-line), Retrieved on March 2 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Child, P. N., (2002), Taking Tesco global, McKinsey Quarterly; 2002 Issue 3, p134-144, Retrieved on 26 February 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Datamonitor (2010) ‘Online Retail in the United Kingdom’ Datamonitor (2010) â€Å"Tesco, PLC SWOT Analysis† Euromonitor (2010) Gladding, N., (2005), Analyst comment, Marketing; 5/25/2005, p39, (On-line). Retrieved on February 26 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Just-Food (2008), ‘Tesco, Sainsbury’s losing share TNS’, Retrieved on March 4 2010 from http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=104077 Kaplan R. and Norton D. (2008), Tescos Approach to Strategy Communication, retrieved on March 3, 2010 from: http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/kaplan-norton/2008/09/tescos-approach-to-strategy-co.html Marketing (00253650), (2002). Tesco, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2010). Reuters News, (2008), ‘Tesco, Sainsbury market shares down slightly – TNS’, (Online) Retrieved on 2 March 2010. Accessed at: http://in.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idINL2456038620080624 Tescos American dream: Doing it differently (2008) Strategic Direction, 24(2), 11-15. Retrieved on March 5, 2010 from: Business Source Complete database. Tesco Personal Finance, retrieved on 28 February 2010 from: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/services/ Tesco (2010), Tesco plc web-site retrieved on the 1 March 2010 from: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/international/ The Financial Times (2008a), ‘Tesco in Korean expansion’ The Financial Times (2008b), ‘Tesco in new drive on China World Trade (2008), ‘Britains Largest Retailer to Open Shop in India’,Oct, Vol. 21 Issue 10, p14-14, (On-line). Retrieved on February 28 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Woodley, P.M. (2007), ‘CULTURE MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE BALANCED SCORECARD: A CASE STUDY Other Essays on Tesco Other essays available on the Tesco organisations are: Tesco Changing Business Environment Tesco is one of the leading supermarkets Tesco Strategy analysis Tesco SWOT analysis Tesco Fresh Veg Supply Chain Management