Monday, September 30, 2019

The Black Swan

Before the discovery of Australia, all the world had never seen a black swan before. An impossible accomplishment in someones life before this time was referred to as â€Å" a black swan.† The mere sight of one black swan after the discovery of Australia negated the thousands of years of sightings of white swans and thinking they were the only species of swan. This generalization that was put on the term â€Å"black swan† before the british occupation of Australia is just an example of the illustration of the human mind and how one sighting can alter the mindset of thousands of years of thinking. The author Nassim Taleb has donated his whole life to philosophy, uncertainty, probability and finance. Starting as a chauffeur, Nassim worked his way up to become a businessman trader and later a university professor. By using his theory of Mediocristan and Extremistan, Taleb explains how the impact of the highly improbable affects all of us and personally each person has a handful of â€Å"black swans† which alter our lives for the better , or the worse. Mediocristan are easy to predict events that are easy to mentally compute, while extremistan are events that are unpredictable and affect the world in a major way. The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb is a nonfiction philosophy book that expresses one mans theory on rare human events that happen without warning, yet greatly impact the world as we know it. This book can be seen as a memoir of Taleb’s life and how his research has been his black swan, and has driven him to take risks and go greater distances than he would have without the incentive. The purpose of this book is to inform the reader of the impact of the highly unpredictable. A black swan , in terms of an event has 3 properties, 1. It is hard to predict based on historical information, 2. Low predictability – High consequence , 3. The events are perspectively unpredictable yet retrospectively predictable. The black swan events happen in everyones lives, or at least â€Å"affect† everyone lives. For example one of the most famous black swans in recent history is the invention of the computer and world wide web. Originally seen as a stock bubble by intel, is now a multi trillion dollar industry and a large part of the world are in contact with it. The book embarks on many peoples journeys and encounters with black swans, all encounters were unexpected but altered the peoples lives in a major way. The book takes place in Lebanon but mostly New York, where ironically many of the black swans happen. Having to do with different mathematical formulas, Taleb’s book hits the major focal points of rare events and that everyone encounters them making all people black swans in there own way. This book should be read by anyone interested in philosophy or the stock market. Although people don’t see it this way, but the stock market is directly affected by black swans and such things mentioned in the book as Gaussin’s bell curve or mediocristan and extremistan. These formulas and theory’s affect the market and affect the life of people. This book was very interesting and after reading it, the reader gets a different view on life and how major events in there life time, ex. ( 9/11, invention of the computer†¦) affect there life and impact there day to day progress as a human being.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Digging Gold Essay

Abstract This paper will discuss â€Å"Digging gold† case in detail and provide answers to various questions that arose after studying the case. This research will answer to :the types of pollutions that are generated by the gold mining companies, pollution effect on the environment, governmental regulations that would address the pollution problem, role of NGO’S (Non-governmental organizations) and citizens to reduce environmental effects of gold mining, and the companies who are less or more environmentally responsible. Generally, Gold mining is the process of mining gold from the ground. Keywords: Environment, Digging gold, pollution, responsible Gold is one of the most attractive and a highly valuable metal, known for decades. Gold is used in number of fields such as jewelry, dentistry, modern technological applications, in computer chips, lens surfaces, investments, setting currency value and so on.(R. James Weick, 1994).Gold is found widespread in various natural substances such as, sea water, earth’s crust, sedimentary rocks rivers etc. However,† its overall concentration is very low (about 5 milligrams per ton of rock), rich concentrations of gold, forming ore deposits, are known n throughout the world.†(Dr. Bill Birch). Gold mostly exist with other metals. such as lead, zinc, silver or copper and sometimes found free in nature. Gold takes place in variety of forms such as: wire gold, nail gold, mustard gold , paint gold, disseminated, irregular grains, scales, plates and vein lets with microscopic dimensions, and as larger compact, reticulated, spongy or hackly masses or slugs.(Dr. Bill Birch). So Gold mining is the process of mining gold ores from the ground. It is done in two types: Open pit mining and underground mining. Gold Extraction procss TYPES OF POLLUTION GENERATED BY GOLD MINING Under the classification system presented in the section â€Å"Major Areas of Environmental Regulation† three pollution types are described, such as Air pollution, Land pollution and Water pollution. All these three pollutions are generated by the gold mining companies. Their effect on environment is discussed below: Air pollution: When pollutants are not diluted properly and are emitted into the atmosphere, called air pollution. The process used to extract metal, release very harmful toxins that cause pollution such as: Lead, Sulfur, Nitrogen, Mercury, Zinc, Cadmium, and Uranium. These toxins can result in number of diseases to workers and the local people. The inhalation of such toxins may cause impaired vision, muscle weakness, kidney damage, nerve damage, anemia, metal fume fever etc. (No dirty gold campaign). According to the US Toxics Release Inventory, the metal mining industry in the United States contributed the following, in 2010: * 92% of industrial mercury emission s * 94% of industrial arsenic emissions * 73% of known Carcinogenic waste Water pollution: Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged into water bodies without the proper treatment to remove harmful compounds from water. Acid mine drainage, metal contamination, increased levels in streams are the major problems caused by mining to water. These problems affects domestic water supply, irrigation, swimming, fisheries, living organisms ,drinking and various other uses of streams. Acid rain ,caused by iron sulfide that mix with air and water, severe pollution hazard to ground water, surrounding soil and the surface water. (Pollution- issues- mining). Land pollution: Land pollution means damage to land in any form; such as, erosion, formation of sinkholes, deforestation, biodiversity loss, contamination of soil etc. (Wikipedia). Mining needs to clear a large part of the land to be dig, which means that area, can be created by harming vegetation and cutting trees. The chemicals used during mining process are leaked into the land that affect to land. The basic necessities of a living organism are land, water and air. If any  of these is affected, it creates problem for an organism. From above description on pollution effects on environment shows that all three are damaging to the environment equally. But the most endangering is the water pollution because Governmental regulation that effectively concerns the problem: The three alternative approaches discussed in the textbook to address the pollution problems are: Environmental problems, Market based Mechanisms, information disclosure, civil and criminal enforcement. Among these four approaches, information disclosure approach is more effective in case of mining industries to control environment pollution. Reasons in favor of Information Disclosure approach: Under this approach firms are encourage by the government to pollute less by providing information about the amount of pollutant individual companies emit. The various acts like SARA- right to know law and TRI-Toxics Release Inventory provide information to the public, relating to the environment loss lead by a certain company. This approach is effective because no company wants to be criticized and embarrassed in the public. Role of NGO’S and citizens movements The citizen movements and NGO’s can play a vital in reducing the adverse environment effects of the mining companies. The case mention three types of NGO and citizens movements started to reduce the adverse environmental effects of gold mining companies. First is the Romanian citizen’s group called Alburnus Maiors that was initiated by the local farmer and the activist to block the construction of a new gold mine? Second, The Newmont Mining Company was sued by the villagers of Peru, after they were hurt by the mercury spill by a truck. Third, â€Å"No Dirty Gold† campaign was initiated by the Earthworks that were aimed for the jewelry retailers. (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). More and Less environmentally responsible companies Number of companies is mentioned in the case, for example Kennecott,  Tiffany, Canyon Resources and Free port McMoran. More responsible companies: Among these companies, Kennecott and Tiffany are more responsible companies because Kennecott had made a public commitment to sustainability whereas Tiffany had made concern about its public image. Less responsible companies: The companies that are less responsible are Canyon Resources and Freeport Mc Moran in Indonesia. The reason that makes Canyon Resources, less responsible is that it uses destructive methods to extract gold when citizens voted to ban cyanide heap-leach mining. Freeport Mc Moran in Indonesia appears to be doing business with weak environmental laws and enforcement. Conclusion Gold digging and extraction process have a number of effects on environment. â€Å"Gold mining is one of the most environmentally destructive industries in the world.† (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). Following is the list and effects of pollution on environment. References 1. R., James Weick. (1994). Natural Resources: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador- Canada. Geological Survey: Gold Occurrences. 2. Dr. Birch, Bill. Geology of Gold: Formation of Gold: Museum Victoria. 3. Prof. Kakharov, Abrol. (2013).Gold Extraction Process: Diagram. 4. Lawrence, A. & Weber, J. Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy (14th Ed.) Managing Environmental Issues. McGraw Hill. 5. No DirtyGoldCampaign:AirImpact.http://nodirtygold.earthworksaction.org/impacts/air. 6. Wikipedia: Environmental Impact of Mining. 7. Mining: Pollution Issues. www.pollutionissues.com/Li-Na/Mining.html.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Motivation - Methods of Motivation use to excel in a College program Assignment

Motivation - Methods of Motivation use to excel in a College program - Assignment Example Motivation may push a student to spend countless nights studying for a course to excel in the marketplace. Psychologists believe that human beings are not the same. Thus, it is important to understand different types of motivation to capture different type of people, personality, and character. People are different on the way they perceive or view things, thus it follows that motivation has to be different. The three methods of motivation used to excel in college program include incentive, change, and extrinsic motivation. Primarily, incentive motivation is a strong force used in the learning institution. This method involves rewards. Through incentive motivation, students believe that they will obtain rewards for working hard or doing something. This motivates them to do everything they can to attain certain goals. This method of motivation bases its argument on the fact that human beings need to attain their set goals and objectives. To Anderman & Anderman (2010), learning institut ions utilize incentive motivation to reward the best performing or well-behaved students. By offering rewards, the management hopes to increase their performance and motivate their students to work harder in school programs. It is crucial to note that, there is high morale and motivation when people are working as a group in a given task. A continuous interaction in college programs increases friendship, unity, and mutual association. Motivation and morale help students to accomplish school programs faster and at an easy pace. For instance, incentive motivation may trigger students to work as a team and in turn creates a healthy competition. Teamwork or group discussion may help students to compete with each other and excel in all ways. It may also boost satisfaction and a sense of belonging. According to Karabenick & Urdan (2010), change motivation is a strong medium used to excel in college program. Sometimes, students, teachers, and other workers may do things to bring changes in the immediate environment. Change motivation pushes an individual to work tirelessly, hoping that one-day things will be better in their immediate environment. It is important to note that, change motivation help students to be tired of how things are and thus, think of a program to improve the entire environment. People are more likely to succeed when they understand their need to bring value to their organization. In the school set-up, external and internal factors that can sustain, intensify, start, or discourage bad behaviour. At this point, internal factors include human characteristics that trigger certain behaviours in the learning environment. For instance, students are fearful or confident when they approach new tasks. However, they are motivated when they live in a pleasant environment that fosters positive behaviours. It is crucial to understand that, external factors can affect learning conditions and personal development. For instance, certain schooling practices can h inder or promote motivations. These features include peer groups, classrooms, instructional practices, and school activities (Malloy, Marinak & Gambrell, 2010). At this point, helpful instruction may motivate a student to have good conduct. Change motivation is crucial in the school set up as it shapes students’ ability to learn experiences at school and in the large

Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Policy - Research Paper Example Additionally, the health and safety compliance policy should be monitored closely in all organizations because it is more likely than other compliance policies to cause a lot of problems. The health and safety officers ensure that organizations are able to resolve their health and safety issues, inspections are carried out on time and fewer accidents occur. The policy requires employers and employees to cooperate with the health and safety officers during inspections. To avoid the increase of accidents and other cases that are related to ill health among workers, an organization’s manager or the management team have to follow the health and safety control measures. According to Bohle and Quinlan, (2000), companies may have a positive or a negative impact on the environment. To avoid having a negative impact on the environment, Bohle and Quinlan, (2000) assert that regulatory control measures need to be part of an organization’s activities. A manager has to ensure that an organization has the right provisions to control new issues that are related to health and safety. A manager has to make sure that the control measures taken by employees can be implemented based on standards provided by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The management team and all the staff members in an organization have to be engaged in day-to-day consultation between each other. These will be consultations on health and safety conditions at the company. It is crucial for an organization’s management team to supervise and provide ideas to employees on occupational health issues. Other management team members in an organization have to promote good working conditions and make sure that the machinery in a firm are regularly serviced (Stranks, 2010). To make sure that there are good working conditions, the management team has to embark on training activities which are beneficial to all

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Leadership in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership in Business - Essay Example There are various factors which may impact the leadership style in an organization including the background of the manager, behavior and background of the staff and the organization’s vision, philosophy and values (Anonym). Leadership capacities may also vary from individual to individual like the different mental and physical capabilities of the individuals (Clippinger). Since the leadership styles vary a lot in businesses therefore, analyzing the best leadership style is an important area for the organizations. The aim of this report is to highlight the type of power which the leaders have employed in an organization and to evaluate whether the particular leadership styles have been successful or not in the organization. The organization that has been selected for analysis is Save the Children US. I have selected a non-profit organization because such organizations face huge management challenges. Leaders in NGOs are exposed to extraordinary challenges and both at the organi zational and personal level because they have to work for long hours with very limited resources and mostly under politically volatile and poorly economic conditions (Hailey). Save the Children is recognized as a leading independent organization which aims to create lasting impact in the lives of Children in the U.S. and in various countries of the world (Save the Children). Before going into the details of whether leadership at Save the Children has contributed to its success or not, evaluating the leadership styles in the organization is important. The managerial grid of Blake and Mouton (1964) shows the behavioral characteristics of the successful leaders (Zeidan). The following managerial grid (Table I) shows five types of managerial leaderships based on product concern and people orientation of leaders. In theory â€Å"Team management† is considered ideal for successful leadership however, its implementation is difficult in some work situations (SW Learning Website). At

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Heroic Drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Heroic Drama - Essay Example As pointed out, heroic drama is interconnected with Restoration period in British history. Eugene M. Waith opined that, â€Å"Consequently, when ‘heroic play’ or ‘heroic drama’ are mentioned, we think first of the period 1660-1700† (1). During this period England was undergoing internal problems. So, exaggerated heroes and heroism presented in the heroic drama well suited the context of nationalism. One can see that the main playwrights during this period, like John Dryden supported heroic drama because it helped to spread the message of nationalism among the mass. The Comedy of Manners was another dramatic form during the Restoration period. But this dramatic form did not gain much approval from the mass because it did not suit the problems faced by the nation. The political and social condition of England during Restoration Period was most suitable for the evolution of heroic drama. For instance, Restoration period in England is generally known as t he restoration of monarchy. During this period, England adopted an innovative form of political ideology related to monarchy. Earlier, during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the context of drama faced a number of problems because most of the theatres in England were forced to close. But during the Restoration period, most of the theaters were reopened and it resulted in the growth and development of sub-genres in drama. For instance, Restoration comedy is another genre in drama which was accepted by the British audience. Still, the scope of heroic drama was evident because the British society was undergoing political and social transformation. So, the Restoration dramatists adopted innovative themes discarded by the dramatists in other ages. , like Elizabethan age. The proponents of heroic drama discarded imagination and adopted exaggeration of historical/political events and heroism. To be specific, exaggeration of heroism is the core element of nationalistic feeling. So, the ultimate aim of the supporters of heroic drama was not to establish the dramatic element of plays, but to establish heroism and to nurture nationalism. Besides, heroic couplet was the metrical form adopted by the heroic drama playwrights. During this age, John Dryden made use of this metr ical form to defend his positive attitude towards heroic drama. In short, the historical evolution of heroic drama proves that the same can be regarded as the end result of the ideas put forth prominent dramatists during Restoration period to exaggerate heroism and to inculcate nationalistic feeling. Definition Heroic drama can be defined as a generic variation with the context of Restoration drama, in which verse/prose form is prominent, deals with optimism and describes the heroic deeds of the protagonist who is search of adventure. The usage of heroic drama in relation to society In the British society, heroic drama acted the role of a medium to transform the society and to establish the influence of monarch over the mass. During the first half of the 17th century, British theatres were not allowed open because political turmoil was curbing the scope of entertainment. Bridget Orr stated that, â€Å"Debates over literature in England from 1660 to 1714 all bear the impression of p atriotism, a sense of national rivalry which extends backwards to Greece and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Competition A Factor to Achieve an Excellence Research Paper

Competition A Factor to Achieve an Excellence - Research Paper Example It is a fact that in order to achieve excellence, it is important to raise the bar by competing in a head-on manner. What this will do is to tell the people around this individual that he means business and should always be respected for what he does and how he commits to things which are on the topmost priority for his own self. These are significant undertakings that shall be understood in order to bring in the success which can only come up when the competition has been realized upon. Therefore what is most necessary here is an awakening that competition will bring in the complete usage of strengths and resources, which will eventually tie in a point of success. Since competition is usually doubled with experience that an individual has within his folds, it is always good to realize this point in essence. One must comprehend that business avenues are no different and they have the same competitive rivalry existing within their folds. What is different however is the fact that with in the business, there is a collective effort which is not the case within the individual endeavors that take place on an individual level. Competition is the basis of attaining new achievements within one’s own repertoire, and it helps in assisting one to fathom how he can explore his truest self within the changing dynamics. It must be believed here that competition brings in more good for the people than bad, as it assists one in comprehending the finer details with one’s own strengths and what one can achieve in a given period of time. It is also a fact that competition will raise the bar of expectations within the people as far as an individual is concerned. It makes the people realize how significant this individual is, and how imperative it is to comprehend how this person will take on new ideas and resolve conflicts that mar his very domains. The competition asks of the people to give their best because they want to look different and unique yet excitingly fres h within their approach. What this means is the fact that competition shall bring in success for the individual under consideration as he will derive the best mileage for his own self when he compares himself with the people around him. If people know that they are not within a competitive regime, they will fall flat and not find out what their real strengths are, and how they would move ahead with the changing times. People think differently when they know that they are undergoing a competitive exercise. They start to believe that their undertakings are being closely monitored and that they need to give in their very best time and again, so as to bring value and quality within their tasks and undertakings. When a person does not involve himself within competition with some form of task that he has set his eyes upon to do it in the best manner possible, there would be staleness around him, and he would experience absolutely no motivation to go out there and make a difference, for hi s own self as well as the people around him in entirety. People view competition in a number of different ways and settings – all of which depends a great deal on how they view life and its varied undertakings.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Legal DISCUSS unit 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Legal DISCUSS unit 6 - Essay Example This tea house business would be a good example of a business that could have a â€Å"no tattoo† policy since the waitresses tattoo seemed to make the customers uncomfortable; however, this needed to be a stated policy prior to the waitress getting a tattoo in order for her dismissal from her job to be legal. In this example, so much attention paid to her boyfriend is irrelevant. The reason she got a tattoo and her outside influences are irrelevant. Her boyfriend hanging around her work place is relevant enough to be included on her evaluation, which it was, but it really has nothing to do with the discrimination she encountered due to her tattoo nor did it have any bearing on her dismissal from her job. It is important to include as many details as possible when writing up legal cases and taking notes and then later evaluate what is relevant and what is not. In this case, the meeting notes were written to include all the details, which is as it should be, but when determining the facts of the case, the issues with her boyfriend are not relevant and if the case were to proceed to court, these facts would not need to be

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Act Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Act Utilitarianism Essay I believe torture is morally justifiable/permissible only with situations, in which you can guarantee the best possible outcome. In this particular situation with the bomber, I believe we should take the Utilitarian-Act Consequentialism approach; and torture the bomber as an attempt to get him to reveal the location. Simply because, Act Consequentialism will focus more on the overall happiness that it will bring to all those involved. Seeing as how they have apprehended the bomber, and interrogated him to no avail. It is the police commissioners only hope to confirm the publics’ faith in the system; which should clearly be capable in making decisions that are ugly but necessary, for securing the safety of others. I believe that Act Consequentialism allows for the attempt to torture both the bomber alongside his wife, if it leads to the discovery of the bomb. An excerpt in which describes my reasoning in the belief that Act Consequentialism will allows this notion is: Act Consequentialism holds that the good determines the right the only consideration relevant to the rightness of an act is the amount of goodness it produces. 1 (McNaughton and Piers Rawlings pg32) from David McNaughton and Piers Rawlings essay on Deontology. Versus the Kantian and Rule Consequentialism of utilitarianism which would believe that this is morally wrong, despite of the lives that could be saved. Rule Consequentialism and Deontology are very similar in their beliefs. For example, this was said in regards to Rule Consequentialism: In particular, rule consequentialism is likely to include constraints, options, and special obligations. There will, for example, be a fairly simple rule against killing the innocent, since the adoption of a more complicated rule that allowed killing in pursuit of the good would be hard to follow. 2 (McNaughton and Piers Rawlings pg34) An example written in regards to Kantianism, the foundation of Deontology states the idea: We are not morally bound by any alleged requirement unless it is backed by principles that we can recognize as what we ourselves, as a rational, self-governing persons, will for ourselves and others. 3 (Kantianism pg237) Showing that the Kantian and Rule Utilitarianism, uses the same filter in most situations to determine the best action. The main idea at the core is still a form of the Golden Rule, do onto others as you want done unto you. For who would make a moral law to torture humans? Therefore it is not morally permissible from a Kantian and Rule Utilitarian approach, because it is clearly immoral to torture people for any purpose. Therefore this belief will lead to the murdering of hundreds of innocent people. Thus leading to a very catastrophic situation; not only for those involved, but as well as the world. Do we remember the effects of terrorism in a free country? Not to mention the main medium affected in making this decision will be the police commissioner. Will he live in a perpetual state of what if if he doesnt act? Seeing as how he is the person who decides to make this call. This is the reason I feel the Act Consequentialism approach is necessary in this scenario. Just the sheer fact that these people are once again, innocent and have done no crime; therefore should not have to suffer because of the bomber decisions or point he may be proving. The Act Consequentialist may take into account, the overall possibility to effect more than just the hundred people, but the effect it would have on the rest of the world (the universal outcome). Meaning we have to understand the consequences that this will have not only on the victims but also the rest of the world who witnesses these acts. This to me would morally be the right thing to do regardless of the Kantian approach. Simply because, this outcome may be more beneficial to people, thus promoting happiness and safety to more people. Although my solution will still give us fear in the name of terrorism; it will however instill the belief in the protection police provide, not to mention their ability to make great choices, thus leading to a stronger and safer country. We can see an example of this in our own society daily. For example, you have some military soldiers who have killed many people in the sake of good, yet feel no guilt. Possibly because they are reminded of the overall benefit they provided to our nation, as well as the safety that they have provided; which may not have been possible, if they enacted upon that situation differently. So this is the main reason why I believe torture would be morally justifiable in this situation to torture the bomber as well as the wife; in a desperate attempt to save innocent people. Clearly because it could lead to the safety of more people and the security of a nation, in which we are all tied in together. This still can be seen as a good outcome because of the attempts taken. Or better yet assuming that this decision will actually work in the discovery of the bombs saving the people would still be a good outcome. However I can truly understand that the unpredictability of the situations outcome, is yet another motivation that would encourage a Kantian or Rule Consequentialist to stand its moral ground; however, differing from my own ideas of this situation. Feeling, that something needs to be done, instead of watching such an injustice.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Research and Account Essay Example for Free

Research and Account Essay Two carers were moving a service user from a bed to a chair using a hoist. they placed the hoist sling underneath the service user and then attached it to the hoist. Whilst the hoist was stationary one carer turned away to pick up the service users slippers and as a result the service user fell forward to the ground. The service user suffered wounds on their scalp and bruising to their head. The service user was taken to hospital but passed away 10 days later. It was found that the sling loop fixings were wrongly adjusted and a safety pommel was not used. In this report the carers were lacking in training and guidance to use the hoist from the company they worked for. One carer was not focused on the task of the service user being in hoist as she took on another task to get the slippers which meant she wasnt aware of what the service user was doing. If the correct equipment was used and adjusted properly then that would have prevented the fall and death of this service user. When assisting a service user with a task whether it be small or large we always need to carry out the task using the correct equipment, and the correct members of staff to be present. Also our full attention should be on the task at all times and aware of what the service user is doing and what is happening around them. if not doing so then this could result in the service user falling or being injured and equipment could be damaged. Carers should always carry out a visual check of the equipment prior to using and if a problem arises should not be used and reported to the relevant person. Report 2 Michael Shorthouse suffered from Downs Syndrome, learning difficulties and dementia. He moved into Cedars Care Home in May 2007 but, despite hes families pleas over hes treatment, within five months his health had deteriorated so much he had to be admitted to hospital. Whilst in hospital doctors found that he was seriously dehydrated, had developed acute kidney problems and pressure sores, and had aspiration pneumonia, which is an inflammation of the lungs caused by breathing in foreign material like food or liquids. Michael Shorthouses condition improved once he had been transferred to hospital and then moved into a different nursing home, but later died in 2010. Cedars Care Home was reported to Social Services and the Safeguarding Adults Office (SAO) which investigated and found that there had been overall neglect in the care given to Michael. Two years after Michael was admitted to hospital, the care home hadnt improved and was given a zero-star rating in a Care Quality Commission inspection.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Recommendation To Improve Market Research Marketing Essay

The Recommendation To Improve Market Research Marketing Essay Nike, Inc. is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing of footwear, apparel, equipment and accessory products. It sells its products to approximately 18,000 retail accounts in the United States and through a mix of independent distributors, licensees and subsidiaries in nearly 200 countries. Despite the fact Nike carrys out everlasting, basic research that benefits a number of facets of the sports and fitness industry, their primary focus is to deliver which in turn is directed towards applied research. Applied research emphasises on short-term action such as successfully bringing about a new product lines. This proves to be a strength as this method of research is less costly than basic research and less risky due to the short-term nature. Successful projects can feature instant profitability while unsuccessful projects may be abandoned without facing large losses. Focus Weakness Applied research can be a weakness as well. Many new, inventive ideas come into existence as a result of basic research. Nevertheless more risky and expensive, Nike would gain from the rise in the basic research which would strengthen the organization with potential opportunities and proper discoveries of which Nike could take advantage. Posture Strength Nike as a brand gives its posture a cutting edge over its other competitors, at the same time adapting to securing a place and at other instances to make an approach to secure a position. Nike self-satisfaction is of late being a premiere provider of high quality sports footwear and apparel. Variation in the product has been the key to support Nike in achieving its position as the leader in the market. Due to this very position of Nike in the footwear industry, it can afford to look ahead giving more emphasis on new products it wants to develop as compared to other companies with attempt to improve upon existing products and services. From time to time, it needs to adjust its posture in relation to a particular product line or area of products. Nike may also choose a defensive strategy to find a solution of some problem at that instant it may might as well use the strategy of using an idea which is well worked out for other companies and may implement the same for its own which in ot her words is mimic what is working well for other companies in the industry. Marketing Research Strength of Marketing Research Nikes core is depended on marketing research on a continuous basis to benefit in keeping up the companys position as the leader in athletic footwear and apparel industry. The result of such analysis enables Nike to make decisions regarding its different divisions. Its decision is benefitted to recondition the apparel division, an area where the company offers a number of possibilities. Nike will be arranging the internal business by gender instead of the sport category they are using now. They also plan to carry out more experiment concerning the buying habits of men, who are frequently item-driven and women who are more collection-driven. Limitations of Marketing Research Focusing on applied research can be a weakness as well. Many new, innovative ideas come into existence as a result of basic, unspecific research. Though more risky and expensive, Nike would benefit from increasing the amount of basic research we conduct with hopes of uncovering potential opportunities of which Nike could take advantage. Accurate, up-to-date information obtained by marketing research can be of enormous value to Nike as an organization in gaining and/or maintaining its competitive edge. However, there are a number of reasons why, in reality, these potential benefits may not be realized: Budgetary constraints   gathering and processing data can be very expensive. Nike may lack the expertise to conduct extensive surveys to gather primary data, whatever the potential benefits, and also lack the funds to pay specialist market research agencies to gather such data for them.   In these cases, Nike may be forced to rely on data that is less than perfect but that can be accessed more cheaply, e.g., from secondary sources. Time constraints   Nike are often forced to balance the need to build up as detailed a picture as possible regarding customer needs etc. against the desire to make decisions as quickly as possible, in order to maintain or improve their position in the market. Reliability of the data   the value  of any research findings depend critically on the accuracy of the data collected.   Data quality can be compromised via a number of potential routes, e.g., leading questions, unrepresentative samples, biased interviewers etc.   Efforts to ensure that data is accurate, samples are representative and interviewers are objective will all add to the costs of the research but such costs are necessary if poor decisions and expensive mistakes are to be avoided. Legal Ethical Constraints The Data Protection Act (1998) is a good example of a law that has a number of implications for market researchers collecting and holding personal data.   For instance, researchers must ensure that the data they obtain is kept secure, is only used for lawful purposes and is only kept for as long as it is necessary.   It must be made clear as to why data is being collected and the consent of participants must be obtained. In addition to this, there are a number of guidelines, laid down by Nike as the Market Research Society, that, although not legally binding, encourage Nike to behave ethically when dealing with members of the public. Recommendation to Improve Market Research: Nike should make a make a proper budget before implementing a market research. Nike should be give appropriate time to each market research. Nike should follow all the legal rules laid down to improve the market research. Nike should stay away from un ethical marketing research. Nike should identify it target market before each research. SWOT Analysis of Nike Strengths Nike is a very competitive organization. Phil Knight (Founder and CEO) is often quoted as saying that Business is war without bullets. Nike has a healthy dislike of its competitors. At the Atlanta Olympics, Reebok went to the expense of sponsoring the games. Nike did not. However Nike sponsored the top athletes and gained valuable coverage. Nike has no factories. It does not tie up cash in buildings and manufacturing workers. This makes a very lean organization. Nike is strong at research and development, as is evidenced by its evolving and innovative product range. They then manufacture wherever they can produce high quality product at the lowest possible price. If prices rise, and products can be made more cheaply elsewhere (to the same or better specification), Nike will move production. Nike is a global brand. It is the number one sports brand in the World. Its famous Swoosh is instantly recognizable, and Phil Knight even has it tattooed on his ankle. Weaknesses The organization does have a diversified range of sports products. However, the income of the business is still heavily dependent upon its share of the footwear market. This may leave it vulnerable if for any reason its market share erodes. The retail sector is very price sensitive. Nike does have its own retailer in Nike Town. However, most of its income is derived from selling into retailers. Retailers tend to offer a very similar experience to the consumer. Can you tell one sports retailer from another? So margins tend to get squeezed as retailers try to pass some of the low price competition pressure onto Nike. Opportunities Product development offers Nike many opportunities. The brand is fiercely defended by its owners whom truly believe that Nike is not a fashion brand. However, like it or not, consumers that wear Nike product do not always buy it to participate in sport. Some would argue that in youth culture especially, Nike is a fashion brand. This creates its own opportunities, since product could become unfashionable before it wears out i.e. consumers need to replace shoes. There is also the opportunity to develop products such as sport wear, sunglasses and jewelry. Such high value items do tend to have associated with them, high profits. The business could also be developed internationally, building upon its strong global brand recognition. There are many markets that have the disposable income to spend on high value sports goods. For example, emerging markets such as China and India have a new richer generation of consumers. There are also global marketing events that can be utilized to support the brand such as the World Cup (soccer) and The Olympics. Threats Nike is exposed to the international nature of trade. It buys and sells in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that Nike may be manufacturing and/or selling at a loss. This is an issue that faces all global brands. The market for sports shoes and garments is very competitive. The model developed by Phil Knight in his Stamford Business School days (high value branded product manufactured at a low cost) is now commonly used and to an extent is no longer a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Competitors are developing alternative brands to take away Nikes market share. As discussed above in weaknesses, the retail sector is becoming price competitive. This ultimately means that consumers are shopping around for a better deal. So if one store charges a price for a pair of sports shoes, the consumer could go to the store along the street to compare prices for the exactly the same item, and buy the cheaper of the two. Such consumer price sensitivity is a potential external threat to Nike. PESTLE Analysis of Nike Political Analysis The government must create economic policies that will foster the growth of businesses. Nike, fortunately, has been helped by the US policies which enable it to advance its products. The support accorded to Nike by the US government, particularly in the general macroeconomic stability, low interest rates, stable currency conditions and the international competitiveness of the tax system, form the foundation critical to Nikes growth. Economic Analysis In economy, the biggest threat for Nike would be economic recession. During recession, Nikes growth will be adversely affected. The US economy is experiencing a downturn right now. Consumer purchases are slowing down. Currently, Nikes feeling the pinch of the economic recession. The Asian economic crisis also affects Nike since its goods are manufactured in Asia. The labor costs socially responsible   and material prices are going up. Nikes growth is not just affected by the local economy but also in the international economy. A weak Euro and an Asian recession could mean weak sales for Nike. The overall results in the sales generated by Nike in athletic footwear, however, remained stable. The global market makes up for the variances in sales particularly between peak and lean seasons. Society Analysis People are more health conscious nowadays. Diet and health are getting more prominence. Consequently, more and more people are joining fitness clubs. There is an accompanying demand for fitness products particularly exercise apparel, shoes and equipment. Nike is at the forefront of this surge in demand as people are looking for sports shoes, apparel and equipment. Nike, however, failed to foresee problems brought about by a sweatshop expose pertaining to labor and factory conditions at production locations in Asia. This caused bad publicity and declining sales as society and consumers demand more  companies. Technology Analysis Nike uses IT in its marketing information systems very effectively. Nike applies marketing information systems to the economics of innovation, segmentation and differentiation for most of its businesses. Nikes leadership status owes in large part to the use of extremely valuable Information Technology, and applying it to every aspect of the product from development to distribution. Nike, being the world leader in the athletic footwear industry, is able to effectively harness its environment to boost its marketing efforts. This strategy has translated into robust sales of Nikes products.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

China Rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s p

Chinas rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s players Introduction Chinas open reform period is characterized as one without a blueprint but by ‘groping for stones to cross the river’, based on an incremental, gradualist approach to reformation. China is still a developing country, with pockets of industrialized regions. While China relishes in the fruits of its labour, there is an increasing disparity between the urban and rural areas due to this disequilibrium of development. China’s presence on the world stage has drastically increased and has left many researchers perplexed about the consequences of its rise. There exists a plethora of studies, debating whether Chinas current path is one that is headed to the top, or whether China is at the precipice of its development with looming declines in the near future, plagued by weak institutional reforms. While there are many features that characterize Chinas direction, this paper will primarily analyze Chinas wages and regional disparities and how this as impacted the world. The Effects of Chinas Wage Increases Chinas cheap labour has been a prominent economic advantage since opening its market. However, according to government published data, average annual real wages have tripled from 1997 to 2007 from 3,285 to 24,932 Yuan. The Institute of Population and Labour Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), reported that the rural surplus labour is decreasing to a level that continued industrialization cannot be supported cheaply (Cai, 2007). Additionally there has been increasing reports about China losing its appeal as a manufacturing base for exports (Yang, Chen, Monarch, 2010). Chinas US foreign direct investments (FDI) have ... ...has by no means leveled. Conclusion Explanation for Chinas rise is one that is usually polarized between profound optimism and an impending doomsday tale for the global economy. The research suggests that China’s rise embodies characteristics of both a race to the top and bottom. Additionally, as examined in this paper its integration has varying effects across regions. However both scenarios are not solely dependent on China but how countries like the United States adjust. Aborting the transition due to fear by introducing trade barriers will not beneficial economically in the long run due to an already interdependent relationship between China and the world. China’s transition is a path-dependent based journey unfolding in the present, therefore an analysis on Chinas rise is speculative at best, but serves as a looking glass to capitalism, Chinese style.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

An Interview With a Korean-American on Cultural Differences Essay examp

An Interview With a Korean-American on Cultural Differences In this interview Ben Bagley asks Theresa Han about the difference between Korean and American culture. Theresa is a teenager who recently moved to the United States so she has an excellent perspective for understanding the differences and similarities between these countries. [BAGLEY] This is Ben Bagley, and I'm going to interview Theresa Han about Korea. Could you introduce yourself? [HAN] My name is Theresa Han, I'm from South Korea, I'm 18 years old, and I'm a freshman in College. [BAGLEY] How long have you lived in America? [HAN] I think a little bit less than 3 years. [BAGLEY] Where did you live in Korea? [HAN] I lived in Pyoung Tek, It's right below Oosan, where the American Air force is located. [BAGLEY] What were the people like where you lived? [HAN] They're really busy. Fathers go to their work; Mothers if they have a job go to their work, and students go to school, so they don't have enough time to communicate with each other, like time to spend together, because mostly students come home like 10:00pm-11:00pm. [BAGLEY] What did you do with your friends? [HAN] We mostly go to each other's house, rent a movie or something, watch it, and do homework usually, because we have a whole bunch of homework. On the weekends we would go downtown; it's kind of like a shopping mall. It's a street. There are small restaurants, small cloths shops and all that stuff. It was kind of fun, but nothing special I think. [BAGLEY] What did you do in your free time? [HAN] Mostly watch TV I guess. [BAGLEY] What was Korean TV like? [HAN] Like on Japanese TV they have a whole bunch of dramas, so there are Korean dramas, there is regularly a music program, like 3 music programs on 3 different channels. I mostly watched them, like almost everyday. [BAGLEY] Was American TV available in Korea? [HAN] Yeah, there's channel 2, so I know like 'Wheel of Fortune' or whatever. And 'The Simpsons' was on channel 15, it was the educational channel, but ?The Simpsons?Ewas on it in Korean, so I sometimes watched it. [BAGLEY] And was that dubbed or with subtitles? [HAN] I think it was dubbed in Korean, because I had never heard how Homer really talks. [BAGLEY] What is Korean music like? [HAN] There are a lot of kinds of music. Like rock, like f... ...uitoes. [BAGLEY] Which country has a greater temperature difference throughout the year? [HAN] In Korea the summer is so hot, and the winter is so cold. Really cold, so they are so different. In America the temperatures stay closer together, it?s way better. [BAGLEY] Are there any other big differences between Korea and America? [HAN] I think the school system, because basically you go there, I went to school usually by 7:30am and came home 7:00pm. But some students stay longer, like even 10:00pm if you are a senior and about to go to college because there is kind of, like parents and teacher think their kids or students should go to college. Like have to go to college. They?re gonna pressure them to study a lot, so when you?re a senior you start to study a lot and you don?t sleep that much. Usually I think some people sleep 3 or 4 hours per day and just study. No free time. [BAGLEY] And they stay at school and study? [HAN] ?Till like 10:00pm but after school ends they come home and study like until 2:00am or 3:00am [BAGLEY] Would it be ok if I publish this interview on the internet? [HAN] Sure [BAGLEY] Well, Thank you very much for your time.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Barbie Doll

Barbie Topic: Barbie General Function: To inform Specific purpose: To inform my audience of the history of the Barbie Doll. Organization Design: Topical Introduction Attention-Arousing and Orienting Material: When you think long hair, perfect skin, trendy clothes, and a rockin’ body, what comes to every little girls mind? Barbie of course! Credibility: As a child I had a Barbie or two, or twenty. When the day was rainy and no friends could come over and play I always knew my dear friends Tara and Tonya would be there for me.They were my favorite Barbie. They were twins, only because one Christmas I received the same doll from two different sides of the family. Both with long brown hair like me. In a way I felt like we were triplets. Hey! Every girl can dream. Thesis statement: Barbie was known to be every little girls friend and best secret keeper. Preview of the Main Points: First I will inform you a little about who had the brilliant idea of Barbie. Secondly I will give you the history of the very first Barbie. Lastly I will describe the changes of Barbie from then until now. Transition: Let me start off by telling you who the master mind behind Barbie was) Body I: The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler, whom referred to herself as â€Å"Barbie’s Mom† A: Ruth (co-founder of Mattel) invented and anatomically improbable molded plastic statuette named Barbie. 1. Ruth was born November 4, 1916 in Colorado. 2. She lived 84 long years before kicking the bucket on April 27, 2002 in Los Angeles, CA. 3. Ruth was the first to invent, first to patent, the doll we call Barbie.B: After watching her daughter spend long hours making paper dolls, she knew there had to be a better way 1. Ruth wanted every little girl to have the chance to be who she dreamed of 2. With Barbie it was possible for every girl to escape from life’s busy times. 3. She could grab her Barbie and BOMB†¦ she was all the sudden imagining roles as college st udents, cheerleaders, and adults with any desirable career. 4. She wanted to better facilitate the way young girls were playing with their dolls. (Transition: Who is Barbie? II: Barbie, invented in 1959 is the icon for both a steady outlet for girls dreams and a ever changing reflection of the American society. A. Unlike the baby dolls, Barbie had an adult bod 1. Barbie represents a woman of choice 2. Barbie can be a doctor today, and live off her dads money tomorrow. 3. Even in the early years of Barbie she didn’t have to settle for only being Kens Girlfriend. B. The first Barbie was sold for $3 1. Her additional clothing, based on latest runway fashion was sold for $1-5 . In the first years, 300,000 Barbie’s were sold. C. There’s not just one type of Barbie 1. In 1965, Barbie had bendable legs and eyes that opened and closed 2. In 1967, Barbie’s waist could now twist and turn 3. The best seller was released in 1992, the â€Å"totally Hair Barbie† (Transition: Barbie has underwent a couple â€Å"surgeries† over the years) III: Barbie has changed a lot over the past 54 years A. Barbie now days are a bite different 1. From the first Barbie to the ones now day a lot has changed 2.Some of these changes are a. Arched back b. Underwear are now flesh colored c. Her ribcage is more deflated d. She gained a butt B. Barbie’s clothes have become more reveling 1. Her first outfit (the 1 piece black and white swimsuit) is now a string bikini 2. Skirts have become shorter 3. Dresses are a lot tighter C. The first Barbie’s didn’t really branch out as far as hair colors and skin tones. 1. Today Barbie’s come in every hair color 2. Her skin is darker in some than others 3. The first black Barbie was introduced in 1980Conclusion Signal of end: In Conclusion Summary statement: You didn’t know there was that much to know about our miniature us did you? Neither did I. The fact that Ruth got such a brilli ant idea from just watching her daughter play, or how much history was in such a small thing. And all the changes a plastic doll can make on young girls life. Concluding Remarks: I just want to leave you with some words form Ruth herself. â€Å"Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future.If she was going to do role play of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17 is was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So I gave it beautiful breasts. Work Cited http://ic. galegroup. com/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA225073904 ttp://ic. galegroup. com/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&window state=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA215000037 Barbie Doll Barbie Topic: Barbie General Function: To inform Specific purpose: To inform my audience of the history of the Barbie Doll. Organization Design: Topical Introduction Attention-Arousing and Orienting Material: When you think long hair, perfect skin, trendy clothes, and a rockin’ body, what comes to every little girls mind? Barbie of course! Credibility: As a child I had a Barbie or two, or twenty. When the day was rainy and no friends could come over and play I always knew my dear friends Tara and Tonya would be there for me.They were my favorite Barbie. They were twins, only because one Christmas I received the same doll from two different sides of the family. Both with long brown hair like me. In a way I felt like we were triplets. Hey! Every girl can dream. Thesis statement: Barbie was known to be every little girls friend and best secret keeper. Preview of the Main Points: First I will inform you a little about who had the brilliant idea of Barbie. Secondly I will give you the history of the very first Barbie. Lastly I will describe the changes of Barbie from then until now. Transition: Let me start off by telling you who the master mind behind Barbie was) Body I: The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler, whom referred to herself as â€Å"Barbie’s Mom† A: Ruth (co-founder of Mattel) invented and anatomically improbable molded plastic statuette named Barbie. 1. Ruth was born November 4, 1916 in Colorado. 2. She lived 84 long years before kicking the bucket on April 27, 2002 in Los Angeles, CA. 3. Ruth was the first to invent, first to patent, the doll we call Barbie.B: After watching her daughter spend long hours making paper dolls, she knew there had to be a better way 1. Ruth wanted every little girl to have the chance to be who she dreamed of 2. With Barbie it was possible for every girl to escape from life’s busy times. 3. She could grab her Barbie and BOMB†¦ she was all the sudden imagining roles as college st udents, cheerleaders, and adults with any desirable career. 4. She wanted to better facilitate the way young girls were playing with their dolls. (Transition: Who is Barbie? II: Barbie, invented in 1959 is the icon for both a steady outlet for girls dreams and a ever changing reflection of the American society. A. Unlike the baby dolls, Barbie had an adult bod 1. Barbie represents a woman of choice 2. Barbie can be a doctor today, and live off her dads money tomorrow. 3. Even in the early years of Barbie she didn’t have to settle for only being Kens Girlfriend. B. The first Barbie was sold for $3 1. Her additional clothing, based on latest runway fashion was sold for $1-5 . In the first years, 300,000 Barbie’s were sold. C. There’s not just one type of Barbie 1. In 1965, Barbie had bendable legs and eyes that opened and closed 2. In 1967, Barbie’s waist could now twist and turn 3. The best seller was released in 1992, the â€Å"totally Hair Barbie† (Transition: Barbie has underwent a couple â€Å"surgeries† over the years) III: Barbie has changed a lot over the past 54 years A. Barbie now days are a bite different 1. From the first Barbie to the ones now day a lot has changed 2.Some of these changes are a. Arched back b. Underwear are now flesh colored c. Her ribcage is more deflated d. She gained a butt B. Barbie’s clothes have become more reveling 1. Her first outfit (the 1 piece black and white swimsuit) is now a string bikini 2. Skirts have become shorter 3. Dresses are a lot tighter C. The first Barbie’s didn’t really branch out as far as hair colors and skin tones. 1. Today Barbie’s come in every hair color 2. Her skin is darker in some than others 3. The first black Barbie was introduced in 1980Conclusion Signal of end: In Conclusion Summary statement: You didn’t know there was that much to know about our miniature us did you? Neither did I. The fact that Ruth got such a brilli ant idea from just watching her daughter play, or how much history was in such a small thing. And all the changes a plastic doll can make on young girls life. Concluding Remarks: I just want to leave you with some words form Ruth herself. â€Å"Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future.If she was going to do role play of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17 is was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So I gave it beautiful breasts. Work Cited http://ic. galegroup. com/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA225073904 ttp://ic. galegroup. com/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&window state=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA215000037

Monday, September 16, 2019

Willowbrook Reflections

Twenty-Five Years After Willower People born with intellectual disabilities and/or special needs have always been a sensitive topic in society for as long as I can remember. I grew up with a friend with Cerebral Palsy and have known people with Down syndrome, and I know the burden both the individual and families carry. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and have lived here all my life; and I have never heard of ‘Willower the institution†. This film left me with many emotions: anger, sadness, concerned and most of all wary.Families entrusted Willower to do the right thing. Families were promised education, proper treatment, and essentially a better life for those who were Intellectually disabled. The conditions and reality wealth Holbrook were anything but that. The Individuals were treated with cruelty, negligence and a lack of compassion. With the overwhelming amount of patients, government cuts were made, creating an even worse environment. Many patients became sick. Cond itions worsen and some even died. Granted, in the sass's there was a stigma to â€Å"mental retardation† and ignorance to many disorders or conditions.However, this serves no justice in treating people in an inhumane fashion. Families did not know how to help their son or daughter, some were embarrassed and ashamed. These families felt Willower was the answer. I can't help but to draw a connection between Willower and our education system. Parents trust us teachers with their children and believe the school will take every measure to help their child succeed. Policies must be made to protect the rights of individuals with special needs. People like Patti, Luis, and Bernard are beautiful, amazing individuals. They require only patience, love, and compassion. GeraldRiviera said â€Å"All people need is humanity and compassion†, and special education needs reform and continue to improve. Willower Reflections By impreciseness Reflections on Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years A fter Willower here all my life; and I have never heard of â€Å"Willower the institution†. This film left intellectually disabled. The conditions and reality within Willower were anything but that. The individuals were treated with cruelty, negligence and a lack of made, creating an even worse environment. Many patients became sick, conditions many disorders or conditions. However, this serves no Justice in treating people in an

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Bells Chemicals Coursework

Bells Chemicals is at present facing a major problem that it had never faced since its inception. As I have been given the responsibility to sort it out, I will work to the best of my knowledge and capabilities in arriving at an appropriate decision. The four-member team appointed to decide which of the two machines (Chemex and AFU) to purchase for its oldest product – Preserve, has not been successful in doing so.All the four members have their own viewpoints and the situation has become very confusing. The machines in the Preserve unit have not been replaced ever.They were performing well all these ten years, but now there is breakdown of one of the machines. There are two choices for the company i. e. buying the Chemex machine (the one that was being used all these years) again or to go for the new AFU unit. Arriving at a correct decision is the problem. Had the company made an autocratic decision there would have been no need to consult its key professionals. But this appr oach would have been termed unfriendly. The friendly approach has some of the disadvantages like the current dilemma.However, keeping aside other things, coming up with a perfect solution is the need of the hour now. I think the company should go for the Chemex machine. This decision of mine can be characterised as the rational way of decision-making. The Normative Decision Making model i. e. defining a problem and rigorously working around it has helped me in arriving at this decision. I have optimized as much as possible to come to a decision beneficial to the organisation. The rational approach of problem solving is the path I have taken. Main body of the report Mr. Steve Bell is not much interested in getting funds from outside.Especially when the company had recently financed most of its capital investments from its own retained profits, for products and capital investments for other products of the company. Capital required to install a new Chemex machine is much lower than th e AFU unit. Not only this, by installing the Chemex machine the company will also be saved with the hassle and stress of taking its first short term loan. The funding of regular operations of the company all round the year will get affected as the company has exhausted accumulated profits in developments and expansion of other products.Hence this financial year, internal funding is a major issue too. Operating cost of AFU unit is extremely expensive when compared to the operating cost of the Chemex. machine. At the present market stage it is impossible for the company to cover additional cost of ? 18000 as operating cost against advantages, which are not very well defined. If we go through the viewpoints of the marketing manager we can derive the following information about our present and expected market. †¢ Company’s production need for current market: 90000 Kg†¢ Company’s production need for expected market: 100000 Kg †¢ Annual market need for current market: 200000 Kg †¢ Annual market need for expected market: 250000 Kg When compared to the production and selling cost estimate of ? 320 per Kg for AFU unit to production and selling cost of ? 350 for Chemex machine, the AFU unit brings forward a brighter picture. Also with the AFU unit production and selling cost can be reduced by ? 2700000 a year at current production rate but we cannot neglect the high acquisition and operating cost attached to the AFU unit either.Retaining present market share should be the current goal of the company keeping in mind the emergence of new competitors in the market. The chief chemist has been trying to modify the product; Preserve so that it can be used in wider ranges of food products, but has not been successful yet. The increase in market demand at this market stage can also not be predicted. Therefore demand for increase in production is out of the way. Hence for the next couple of years it is advisable to install a new Chemex machine i nstead of the AFU unit to satisfactorily cover the market growth.Why to waste money on an expensive machine when a cheaper one can meet the requirements successfully? Quality is one of the major issues for the marketing manager with new competitors in the horizon. The marketing manager will naturally aim to increase, or at least retain his market share for the best benefits. If the AFU unit is installed then, there will be a major quality inconsistency. Chances are that the other Chemex machine that is giving good performance and the new AFU unit will produce different qualities of the same product. This is quiet normal because two different machines can give different end results.The integrity of the company will become questionable then. Customers will find two different items in two similarly packaged products. They might react negatively in this situation and chances are they might even turn to the products of our competitors. This is a big price to pay if AFU is installed. Inst alling AFU unit has one advantage and that is – it does not require expenditure in quality control as it has an automatic quality control system. On the other hand the recruited technicians of the company do the quality control of the Chemex machines.They are the regularly paid staff. With the installation of the AFU unit they will have to be paid the same money for half of the their actual work. Their salary cannot be cut down as chances of revolt in the company can erupt because they will never allow a cut in their salaries for no fault of theirs. Hence from this angle too it is a more intelligent step to go for the Chemex machine instead of the AFU unit. Keeping the high cost of the AFU unit, its maintenance will probably be good but we cannot be sure without testing it.Chemex machines require regular maintenance but this is not a problem for the company. Since Chemex is a local company, any breakdown is immediately rectified. After working with the Chemex machines for suc h a long period of time, the technicians have also become experts in handling its minor problems to a great extent. But the breakdown of the AFU unit will become a major headache for the company for sometime. Each time anything will go wrong, the company will have to get totally dependent on its manufactures who are not local like that of the Chemex machines.A lot of time will get wasted in all this. Keeping this factor in mind, again the Chemex machine scores over the AFU unit. Another major concern is the after sales service. After Sales Service of Chemex has been tested and they have always satisfied the company so the future is secure with this supplier. This cannot be said in the AFU’s case at the moment. I have applied Creative Decision Making model, Optimizing model, Kralijic’c Purchasing model and of course the Normative Decision Making model while arriving at the decision regarding the purchase of the correct machine.Through Creative Decision Making model I re cognized the problem after going through the case study. By going through the viewpoints of the four key members of the SMG team, I coherently arranged the information regarding the two machines. I analyzed the whole problem from different angles with the help of the information I had gathered and arranged. I came out with multiple solutions of the same problem. Then I went through all the alternatives one by one and chose the most correct option. Through the Optimizing model I was able to optimise the alternatives of the problem situation.Since this model is similar to the Creative Decision Making Model and the rational approach that I took, things became easier to sort out. According to Have et. al. (2003, p. 115) â€Å"The Kralijic’s (1983) purchasing model and the variations developed over the last decades help management select the most appropriate purchasing strategies for different types of products, thereby optimizing the trade-off between cost and risk. Costs includ e both the direct and indirect cost of purchasing, for example, management time, and trouble shooting and drawing up contracts. Two basic dimensions are included in Kraljic’s matrix:†¢ Impact on financial result †¢ Supply risk (or uncertainty)† I went through this approach too, to arrive at a strong and appropriate decision. Since requirement of this report was to base it on the Normative Decision Making model I followed the following steps while approaching the decision: †¢ Defining of the exact problem †¢ Setting of the objectives †¢ Identifying the alternatives †¢ Evaluating appropriately †¢ Making choice of the best alternative †¢ Sensitivity Analysis †¢ Arriving at the best decision Recommendation I recommend the company to go ahead and purchase the Chemex machine.By doing so the company would not only be paying attention to the profitability of the company, financial viability of the decision but also the satisfaction l evel of its entire staff. The customer will also remain loyal to the company because they will not find any inconsistency in the products they have got used to since the past ten years. The members of the SMG team who were pro AFU unit will also agree with me if they go through this report as at this stage when we have limited resources and growing number of competitors we should stick to the theory that ‘the old is gold’.References Drennan, D. , and Pennington, S. , 1999. 12 Ladders To World Class Performance: how YOUR organization can compete with the best in the world. UK: Kogan Page Limited. Fitzroy, P. , and Hulbert, J. , 2005. Strategic Management: Creating Value In Turbulent Times. Great Britain: John Wiley & Sons, INC. Have, S. T. , et. al. , 2003. Key Management Models: the management tools and practices that will improve your business. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited. Hegde, Y. S. , and Krishna, R. , 1993. The A to Z of Management Skills. New Delhi: U BSPD.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Business Communication Skills

Faculty of Business, Computing & Information Management Business Communication Skills Coursework- Critical review & Personal Development Review Module Coordinator: Mr. Phil Vellender Module Code: BBS-6-BCS Course: MBA (FT) By Mahalakshmi Table of Contents Critical Review Do shareholders own the company? 1. 1 Introduction This is a critical review of an article published on the website of The Financial Times on 20 April 2012. This article was published in The Financial Times newspaper on 21 April 2012.The title of the article is ‘Shareholders lose patience on banker’s pay’ by Dan McCrum and Kate Burgess from New York and London respectively. The purpose of choosing this article is of my personal interest on banking industry, for its interesting information about shareholders, significance and ornate style of writing. This review begins with an analysis on the reading and writing context of the article, followed by a brief summary of key points, a critical evaluatio n of language used, content analysis and a conclusion. References and the article itself are also included at the end of the review. . 2 Context As mentioned before, this article has been taken from the newspaper publication ‘The Financial Times’, which is one of the largest business news and information company in the world. It offers vast news, comments, data and analysis to business community globally. It is known worldwide for its reliability, authority and accuracy(http://www. ft. com/home/uk). The article relates to current affairs on the importance of investors’ vote on the company’s pay. The writers of this article discuss the same on different banks in United Kingdom and United States.Moreover, it brings different predictions based on the impact of the investor’s vote on pay package. 1. 3 Summary First, the writers of the article begin with the information on how the chief executive of Citigroup suffered a loss because of lack of its shareh olders’ support on their â€Å"pay package†. Furthermore, they also discuss that the board of directors look back to their pay levels questioning themselves on what makes the investors lose their temper and found that poor returns of the bank’s investment to be the reason for losing shareholders’ patience.Second, the authors stress on the point that it is shareholders’ responsibility to query the company board of directors about their financial position, performance and their management strategy. They also state that due to the governance pressure on investors, it is mandatory to hold an advisory â€Å"say on pay† vote for all US registered companies. They also show evidence on how company’s pay changes depending on the investors support by giving the statistical data on two companies like Jacobs Engineering Group and Beazer Homes. Third, the authors compare the US listed companies votes with that of UK registered companies votes.They have chosen Barclays bank in London as an example. According to the article, the investors have decided to vote for Barclays for its plan but still many are threatened to vote no. Even though, Mr Diamond is ready to give away half of his bonus and share higher profits to shareholders, still some of the investors does not agree to provide â€Å"say on pay† vote. Finally, the writers conclude that the executives who fail to respond their shareholders will have to face its consequences and pay a bulky price. 1. 4 Language Analysis The language of the article fluctuates between idiomatic language and editorial style.An example of editorial style can be found in the beginning of fourth paragraph:† Boards looking at their own pay scales†¦.. confined to the banks† and also in the fifth paragraph:† Investors are have been fraying for some time†. The writers uses certain spoken style and furthermore raises direct questions like for example,† Is it e nough? † thereby attracts the reader’s attention. Moreover, evidence of academic style usage can be noticed in few paragraphs. For instance, idioms like † came out of the blue† and â€Å" rubbed salt into their wounds† arouses the reader’s sympathy on the chief executive.Paragraph length is not too long with clear and appropriate separation of ideas thereby making this article easy to read and understand. Sentences vary from short to medium or rather not too long but there is a combination of simple and complex in their structure. No subheadings have been used in this article. The title â€Å"Shareholders lose patience on bankers’ pay† raises an issue and grabs the attention of the readers. Consequently, this will also boost the audience to continue reading because they will want to know what the subject is about and the reason for the problem.The writers provides visual of Vikram Pandit, chief executive of Citigroup, who is shock ed and looks very perplexed, thinking on why shareholders denied to accept on his pay package. However, the vocabulary range is reasonably wide and standard with a little informal and business language. For example, â€Å"aberration†(meaning abnormal), â€Å"assertive† (meaning confidant), both in the 4th paragraph and â€Å"abstentions†(meaning the act of self-denial) in the 18th paragraph shows the evidence of use of formal words. The writers also use some oral vocabulary like â€Å"said† and â€Å"says†.Business vocabulary crops up throughout the text for example â€Å"shareholders†(line 1), â€Å"pay package†(line 8),†say on pay†() or â€Å"profits†. The text type of this article seems to be argumentative as the writers raise an query to the readers on whether the shareholders has the right to play role on deciding the pay package for the executives of the company and take initiative on accepting or avoiding the remuneration committee. In addition, this article was also informative as it provides details on how the shareholders are affected by different banker’s pay package and their bonus without attaining actual success. . 5 Content Analysis The content of the article is well-organised and simple to understand for readers who are more interested in financials due to its business language and strong points. As a student who is interested in finance, this article seems to be interesting and informative one as it provides the current news on shareholders role on a company (here is the case of banks) and discusses the consequences of losing company’s shareholders’ support and their advisory on ‘say on pay’ vote at annual meetings.This article partially carries new knowledge for frequent readers of this magazine about the significance of the company’s shareholders support. On the other hand, this article conveys a series of interesting awareness and hy pothesis where he falls back with valid proof. As an American and British, the authors show an evidence of good knowledge on the financial performance and series of events of different firms that take place in every company annual meeting. The way the writers build up the controversy is simple to follow and understand.The authors have explained from their point of view on shareholders setting up remuneration committees and re-elections in the UK and US economy. No alternative point of view is displayed. Some of the statistical data from the article are assumed to make it believable but perhaps it is major claim to integrity for me is that I completely agree with the author’s point of view. 1. 6 Conclusion In conclusion, the article presents an interesting viewpoint on shareholders responsibilities and right to take the leading role in terms of reimbursement.With clear examples, the article demonstrates the effects on investors’ vote on banker’s pay. The authors conclude by stating that the decision made on Barclay will come to know only after the meeting. The language range is typical of the publication, widespread, normal and with ample of business terms. In my opinion, the article is a good choice for finance and marketing students in comprehending more about the investor’s role. Overall, it provides a clear perspective on an emerging marketing trend in the world today. 2. Personal Development Plan Review 2. 1 IntroductionAny individual will want to establish their personal goals and make them practicable within a specific period of time. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to prepare a ‘Personal Development Plan’(PDP). According to the guidelines for HE progress files, PDP is defined as â€Å"a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development†. Being one of the modules in my course, I have been asked to prepare my personal development plan for communication skills.In this review, it starts with the four step model used for my PDP and ends with a conclusion. 2. 2 Four-step Model In order to set up my personal development plan, I have used a simple model, as recommended in our business communication skills module guide. This model consists of four steps which are as follows: 1. Identify what you need to develop/ improve * Enhance my academic writing skills * Develop my speaking style, improve on my vocabulary, tone and pace while giving an oral presentation * Learn how to do speed reading * learn how to make proper notes- note taking 2. Identify how you can achieve your aims To improve my academic writing skills, I will practise writing essays, read books about academic writing and pay attention to the lectures on the same. * Listen to news and radio, communicate with my classmates and show active participation in group discussion in order to build up my style of speaking * Will make a list of new words, linkers, learn synonyms and practise some academic vocabulary exercises * Pay attention to my colleagues’ way of performing their oral presentations, make a note of their strengths and weakness, thereby improving my oral presentation skills i. . tone and pace * Will read lot of books as possible, journal papers to develop speed reading * Will use the concept mind mapping whenever I take notes 3. Identify when you will do the activities described in 2. above * Week 2-9: * Answering discussion questions in managerial economics and follow-ups for the same * Week 2-8: * Review my colleague’s oral presentation and practise my presentation in front of mirror * Week 8-9 and during Easter holidays: Practise taking notes using mind mapping while reading core text books * Read and practise exercise from the following books: Bailey, S. (2011) Academic Writing for International Students of Business, Routledge Bennie , M. (1998)(4th ed) Mastering Business English –how to improve your Business Communication skills, Oxford 4. Check yourself- how will you recognize you have accomplished your aims? My main assessment strategy will be by observing my marks and feedback I get for my assignments and oral presentation.With the help of mind mapping, I was able to complete some of my coursework one week earlier than the actual deadline. The marks and feedback for the same are due in the next few weeks. Alternatively, I will also be monitoring myself on specific areas like speed reading. My marks have been very satisfactory till now. 2. 3 Conclusion Overall, I could make out that the decent marks and encouraging feedback has given me confidence about my knowledge of English language has improved. I feel that my speed reading and speaking style also has improved.I am very sure that these progresses will support in the coursework ahead and my final dissertation. I will also make sure that I will conti nue to develop these qualities in near future too. 3. References * Guidelines for HE progress file [Online] Available from: http://www. qaa. ac. uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/progfile2001. pdf [Accessed 1 May 2012] * Financial Times : http://www. ft. com/home/uk * Thesaurus : http://thesaurus. com/ * Word Hipo : http://www. wordhippo. com/

Friday, September 13, 2019

How Slavery started in the United States Research Paper

How Slavery started in the United States - Research Paper Example This is what the Romans did and the Greeks before them, it was the Europeans’ turn for imperialistic conquest. The New World conquest yielded new lands, riches and slave labor which set-off an imperialistic hunger that spread to Africa. It was closer, larger and the natives from that continent were preferred as slaves over the natives of the Americas. Initially, when the Spanish controlled the Caribbean islands, their interests were only in the mining of silver and gold. When the riches of the mines had been exhausted, the search for additional wealth moved inland and the Spaniards adopted a plantation based economy (Meyer, 2003). Products from the Americas such as tobacco, cotton, cocoa and sugar were becoming increasingly popular in Europe which caused the Caribbean plantations growing these commodities to grow accordingly. The shortage of man-power to operate these ever-growing plantations required many numbers of slaves from Africa to be imported. As the Spaniards were rea ping the rewards from its colonization of the Americas, their need for additional labor in the mines and plantations continued to grow. However, the local population was dwindling with the influx of disease and abuse and this, combined with Spain abolishing the enslavement of natives in the Americas in the mid 1500’s, necessitated a need to acquire Africans to fill their labor requirements (Meyer, 2003). By the early 19th century, the New World wealth had been well plundered and it was widely feared that the slaves emanating from there could spread new diseases in Europe or contract European diseases and die themselves. Africa was an attractive target to quench the Europeans’ new thirst to create far-away empires and control territories that held the raw materials needed to maintain and grow their prosperous economies which were built upon imperialistic tactics. New territories also meant the opportunity to trade with new markets. By the mid 19th century, the conquest for Africa was well underway. Gaining and controlling new territories outside the original country was justified by many explanations. A certain amount of national pride fueled the desire for an expansionist agenda. Obtaining new colonies was widely viewed as a gauge of a nation’s global prominence. Another justification was based on the prevalent racist attitude. â€Å"Europeans thought that they were better than Africans† (McDougal-Littell, 1999). Church officials and missionaries encouraged imperialism because the natives of conquered territories could be more easily coerced to convert to Christianity. In the initial phase of slavery in the New World (1519-1580), colonies were being formed and the trade of slaves was somewhat limited. From 1580 to 1650, slave trade from Africa soared because of the massive Native American deaths due to disease, the growth of the economy in the colonies and the unification of the Portuguese and Spanish governments (Palmer, 1976). The early era of colonization in the New World was a time of enormous changes as â€Å"the native Indian populations were decimated by disease and increasingly dominated by the Spanish social and economic structure† (Meyer, 2003). Slavery declined steadily during the years 1650 to 1827. â€Å"From New England to Virginia to Jamaica, the English planters in seventeenth-century America developed the habit of murdering the soil for a few quick crops and then moving along. On the sugar plantations, unhappily, they also murdered the slaves†

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Quality of Life and Survivorship (Cancer) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quality of Life and Survivorship (Cancer) - Essay Example They say that those women have physiological, psychological, emotional, social and sexual problems. Physiological problems are the most widespread among the ovarian cancer survivors. The researches show that most of women who live with this disease suffer from fatigue, nausea and anorexia. They also suffer from abdominal pain, gastrointestinal side effects, electrolyte imbalance and bladder dysfunctions, which are often the results of the therapy they receive. The specialists also define lower body lymphedema as one of the widespread treatment side effects. One of the studies show that 28% of women who received ovarian cancer treatment reported swelling in the legs. Other treatment side effects are peripheral neuropathy, bone marrow depression, etc. Nevertheless, most of the patients confess that fatigue is the most unpleasant symptom that worsens their quality of life. Doctors use different medications to treat the symptoms of cancer, and the side effects from treatment, which sometimes worsens the patients' condition. Fatigue, the most unpleasant symptom is overcame only by sleeping or rest. In the same time most of the ovarian cancer survivors suffer from various psychological problems, as this diagnosis disrupts the daily lives of the patients. Women lose the ability to work, and thus their financial independency.

Globalization impact on supply chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Globalization impact on supply chain - Essay Example The supply chain has also seen the impact of globalization on its management, and the globalization practice can be seen in various companies that have global operations and market places (Monczka et al 2010). The essay analyses the globalization practice with discussion on its key elements related to the supply chain management. Furthermore, there is discussion of major benefits as well as risks associated with the globalization practice in the supply chain management so that the issues associated with the practice in the companies can be analyzed. This is analyzed with the help of the case study of a manufacturing organization with barriers on implementation of the globalization practice. Analysis of the globalization practice The forces and practice of globalization are changing the supply chain. The supply chains are becoming disintegrated. Product designers, marketers and manufacturers are widespread over various continents with organizations that have different languages, cultu res as well as different business objectives. The key elements of the globalization practice in supply chain management are integrated supply chain, maintenance of flexibility, balancing of risks and rewards, and clear understanding of the global marketplace and management of costs and complexities (Kersten 2011). It is necessary to understand the global landscape and companies should also have a proper plan in place for the recognition of how to capture the opportunities present in the new market. Maintenance of flexibility is another key element in the globalization practice and the supply chains that are global in nature have to remain flexible enough so that they can quickly shift to the new identified opportunities and grab them quickly (Creating the Optimal Supply Chain 2012). The principles of the supply chain are basic, but the execution of globalization practice in the supply chain is different and complex as under this practice, the company has to navigate through the comp lexities of the global supply chain in the areas such as sourcing, manufacturing and the process of delivering across different parts of the world (Mangan et al 2008). Managing component costs and logistics costs is another key element of the globalization practice in supply chain management. Component costs include costs related to raw material, energy, facility, labour, overhead, and productivity. Logistics costs include transportation, warehousing, administration, packaging and inventory (The Faculty of Thunderbird and The American Graduate School of International Management 2000). The impact of globalization on supply chain is vast. It has made supply chains to become more efficient and has helped the companies to create competitive advantage with creation of strong infrastructure. The impact of globalization practice is such that competitors from different areas around the world are competing against the established market leaders that have a depth of resources, deep customer l oyalty and known brands. This has happened because of the flexibility in the supply chai

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Financial Analysis of Dell Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Financial Analysis of Dell Inc - Essay Example Because of the aforementioned strengths, the company has made a name in the computer industry and secured a significant portion of the global market share. The company also enjoys strong brand equity. Acquisition of financing is relatively easier as the company’s stock has a higher market value. With its commitment to excellence and bright industry prospects, I believe that the company will be able to sustain these strengths in the further.One of the major weaknesses of Dell is its lack of proprietary technology in its production activities. Some experts refer to Dell as a computer maker and not a computer manufacturer. As Dell purchases, semi-assembled inputs in its production, bargaining power is tilted to suppliers. Dell’s heavy dependency on suppliers also exposes it to risk faced by them. Dell’s high utilization of long-term debt in financing its assets may make its investors reluctant in purchasing its stocks. The company can overcome these weaknesses by in vesting more in research and development. Strategic partnerships should also be strengthened and company should be able to manage its cost more efficiently. I am very much optimistic about the future of Dell, Inc. The rapid technological advancement and growing importance of computing devices assure the business organization with a sure market. It should also be noted that the online business model exclusively employed by Dell will surely be patronized as the level of internet penetration in the world increases sharply.... Strengths and Weaknesses The major strength of Dell, Inc. is its utilization of a business model which enables it to reap various benefits which are not enjoyed by its competitors. The direct business cut a significant amount of cost in the company's supply chain by eliminating the less value adding activities. Inventories were kept low and technological breakthroughs are delivered to the customer within a week opposed to industry's average of two months. The direct business model also enabled the company to market directly to the buyers, thereby offering more customized products. Another is Dell's cost leadership strategy. As the company is able to produce computers with the least possible cost, the company is also able to charge lower prices to customers relative to its competitors. Because of the aforementioned strengths, the company has made a name in the computer industry and secured a significant portion of the global market share. The company also enjoys strong brand equity. Acquisition of financing i s relatively easier as the company's stock has a higher market value. With its commitment for excellence and bright industry prospects, I believe that the company will be able to sustain these strengths in the further. One of the major weaknesses of Dell is its lack of proprietary technology in its production activities. Some experts refer to Dell as a computer maker and not a computer manufacturer. Another is Dell's high dependence on its suppliers. As Dell purchases semi-assembled inputs in its production, bargaining power is tilted to suppliers. Dell's heavy dependency on suppliers also exposes it to risk faced by them. Dell's high utilization of long term dent in financing its assets may make its investors reluctant in purchasing its stocks. The