Benefits and Disadvantages of Strategic Management

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 GREATEST ADVANTAGES OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 4 GREATEST SHORTCOMING OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 5 RESPONSE TO MILTON FRIEDMAN’S ARGUMENT ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITES OF BUSINESS 6 CONCLUSION 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 9 REFLECTION TEMPLATE 10 INTRODUCTION Strategic management is essential for organisations. There are a few areas that I will be analysing to highlight their effects to an organisation. Firstly I wish to discuss decision making, which I believe to be, the greatest advantage of strategic management. The decision making element provides an organisation a clearly defined framework to work within, however still allowing for flexibility to achieve its strategic direction. This strategic element allows†¦show more content†¦Greatest Shortcoming of Strategic Management The greatest shortcoming of strategic management in my opinion is the implementation of strategy. This is the single most common failure of great strategies. It is documented that most managers believe that the difficulty in implementing strategy surpasses that of formulating it. The study found that 73 percent of managers believed that implementation is more difficult than formulation. â€Å"Though remarkable progress has been made in the field of strategic management, the problem of strategy implementation failure still persists. A report by Deloitte and Touche (1992,) shows that eight out of ten companies fail to deploy their strategies effectively.† (Martin Dandira) Examples of barriers that impede on the success of implementation are: Strategy formulation: â€Å"Most cases where strategies fail, implementers did not have an input at the formulation stage.† (Martin Dandira) An example of this would be a production manager was not involved in the introduction of a new brand of Whiskey. Environmental uncertainty, â€Å"The speed of change and events in the industry makes some strategy that was probably sound during its conception, a pointless activity when a major change happens.† (Yii Teang Tan, 2004) Organisational culture, A good example is the case study of Air New Zealand. One of the employeesShow MoreRelatedCompetitive Advantage1196 Words   |  5 Pagesbuyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, and the rivalry among existing competitors (Pfeffer, J., 2005). Three methods for maintaining competitive advantage that will address these forces are effective strategic management, the effective management of people, and the effective management of research and development. Dr. Johannes Snyman conducted a study of the trucking industry within the United States. Dr. Snyman concluded in order to compete successfully in today s deregulated environmentRead MorePlanning Is The First Function Of Fayol’S Pillars Of Management1044 Words   |  5 PagesPlanning is the first function of Fayol’s pillars of management (Humber EDU, 2015). If the planning foundation does not take place in an organization, then the other pillars of management known as organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling will not take place(Cliffs Notes, 2016). Managers need to plan for achieving goals and objectives with as little errors, waste, and delays. If many errors occur, a lot of waste, and delays happen, the organization will lose time, money, and possible sightRead MoreStrengths And Strengths Of Nucor970 Words   |  4 PagesStrengths of Nucor: - Strong management team and strong leadership - Efficient lean organization structure - Has highly productive, motivated, innovative and non-union workforce - Has risk taking culture - Has highly productive technology for the mills - The large size of the company provides Nucor with more bargaining power Weaknesses of Nucor: - Lack of diversification in international presence - Rely too much on U.S. market, and all of Nucor’s facilities and equipment are in U.S., so Nucor facesRead MoreWhat Is Formal Planning Can Be Done On A As Need Basis But It s Not The Right Way1656 Words   |  7 PagesPART B: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT Roger believes that planning can be done on a â€Å"as needs† basis. Explain to roger what the benefits of formal planning might be in the context of his organization Roger believes that planning can be done based on need basis but it’s not the right way. Implementing formal planning by Roger in the Scullys Scallops will help a lot in improving their growth and also improves its standard in the global market. .With the help of this planning Roger can easily indentifyingRead MoreBenefits Of Formal Planning For A Business Organization Essay1422 Words   |  6 Pages Assume Scully’s Scallops has decided to proceed with the new market opportunities in China. 1. Roger believes that planning can be done on a â€Å"as needs† basis. Explain to Roger what are the benefits of formal planning might be in the context of his organization. Ans) In the world of management, planning is as fundamental as it gets. Many believe planning is the most fundamental of the managerial functions because all other functions, including organizing, leading, controlling and staffing, stemRead MorePerformance Management : China, Australia, And India1387 Words   |  6 PagesPerformance Management: China, Australia, and India It is much easier to describe an ideal performance management system (PMS) than to implement one. Societal, cultural, practical, and organizational constraints may restrict an organization’s ability to implement all of the ideal PMS characteristics. This truth becomes especially apparent when comparing different countries such as China, Australia, and India. While each country has its challenges, PMS successes are possible by having a thoroughRead MoreSiemens Clicks with Click2Procure1203 Words   |  5 PagesDo you feel the advantages of using this system outweigh the disadvantages? Strategic planning, management and operational control can be successful with the implementation of the appropriate ERP solution for a company. The ERP solution to be implemented by Siemens in this case is Click2procure, a procurement platform which involves connecting buyers and suppliers using web-based technology. Siemens stands to benefit from the use of this system through reduced operational and administrativeRead MoreSwot Analysis of Coca Cola1668 Words   |  7 Pagesfronts. Businesses should weigh up the risks and costs of opting for growth carefully against the benefits. business diversification isn’t just selling more types of products. Developing a business plan that includes well-researched, strategic efforts will not only expand the reach of the business, but also help increase the value of existing services. Definition: Diversification refers to a strategic direction that takes companies into other productsand/or markets by means of either internal orRead MoreBalance score card paper978 Words   |  4 PagesBalanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. It was originated by Drs. Robert Kaplan Harvard Business School and David Norton as a performance measurement framework that added strategic non-financial performanceRead MoreDifferent Types Of Leadership Styles868 Words   |  4 PagesBeing an effective manager means knowing when to use the right management style. The six management styles are coaching, strategic, laissez- faire, bureaucratic, autocratic, and democratic. Managers have to perform many roles in an organization and knowing how they would handle difficult situations will depend on their style of management. The purpose of the paper is to understand a little about all the management styles and then which one best fits my personality and how it should be handled. Being

Parenting in Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essays

The role parents play in a child’s development is critical. They are the people who have the most influence on them, effecting most aspects of even their adult life. When too controlling, the role of a parent can have lasting negative consequences for the child. In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the author shows that loss of an authoritative parent leaves people trying to replace the loss of that control in unhealthy ways that destroy the person. This can be seen in the lives of Ophelia, Hamlet and Laertes, who all loose a controlling father. In the life of Ophelia, it can be seen that she is very dependant on Polonius. She obeys him, even if she doesn’t want to. When she is told by Polonius, â€Å"I would not, in plain terms, from†¦show more content†¦Ophelia is accustomed to having her father speak on her behalf, as well as being dependent on him for emotional support. Her absolute dependence means Ophelia does not know how to cope and reason on her own. Being left to grieve alone, she does not have an objective perspective or someone to bring her back to her senses, and therefore becomes overwhelmed by her emotions. Having no control over the intensity of how to feel and act is a very unhealthy way to cope. Her grief makes her speak â€Å"nothing†, and those who hear her are left to doubt and â€Å"think there might be thought†, although they cannot be sure about what she really means. Allowing herself to continually feel her grief without support and guidance causes Ophelia to lose her mind. King Claudius says of her, â€Å"O, this is the poison of deep grief: it springs/ All from her father’s death†¦; Poor Ophelia/ Divided from herself and her fair judgement,/ Without the which we are pictures†(4.5.74-75,83-83) Without her father and his ability to reason and tell her what to do, Ophelia loses the little control she has over herself. Previously, she could rely on Polonius to speak for her, but her only support is gone, and her coping strategy is ineffective and detrimental. By being separated from â€Å"herself and her fair judgement†, Ophelia is no longer herself, and the girl who she used to be has been destroyed. Comparably to Ophelia, the person ofShow MoreRelatedRevenge in Hamlet by William Shakespeare1695 Words   |  7 Pagesthen you would be missing out on one of the most famous plays written by William Shakespeare. Both plays described have the fundamental plot of this Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but only the second is the true play that Shakespeare intended to be performed. Only the second play includes the young, lovesick and distraught Ophelia who separates the first described play from the second. Ophelia may not be the star of the play like Hamlet, but through her transformation into a state of madness along with herRead More Fathers and Sons in Hamlet Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesFathers and Sons in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlets father, Old King Hamlet who he looked up to was recently killed, and his mother married his uncle within a month. He receives a visit from the ghost of his father which urges him to revenge [Claudius] foul and most unnatural murder (I, v, 32) of Old Hamlet. It is only logical that under these circumstances, Hamlet would be under great duress, and it would not be abnormal for him to express grief. Fortnibra and Laertes also have to deal withRead MoreOryx And Crake, Fifth Business, And Hamlets Hamlet922 Words   |  4 Pagesa philosopher came up with the idea of an â€Å"unexamined life is not worth living†, stating that people should find meaning in life through thorough examination. Through the novels Oryx and Crake, Fifth Business, and the play Hamlet, the protagonists Snowman, Dunstan, and Hamlet all reflect on their lives in order to make life meaningful and worth living. Snowman constantly reflect on his life, thus making the choice to nurtu re the Crakers upon Oryx’s request whom he loved dearly. He also feels a certainRead MorePsychoanalytic Ideas And Shakespeare By Inge Wise And Maggie Mills1420 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract This essay is on the book Psychoanalytic Ideas and Shakespeare, edited by Inge Wise and Maggie Mills, Published by Karnac Books , London , 2006 ; research and descriptions by numerous authors who wrote on the writing works of Shakespeare, Freud’s work on the psychological works on Shakespeare in general are used throughout the book . The authors focus on psychopathic fiction characters in six plays Hamlet, Macbeth, twilight nights, King Lear, and the Tempest. The book when youRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesUniversity, Sacramento xxx Richard Blackburn, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Weldon Blake, Bethune-Cookman College Carl Blencke, University of Central Florida Michael Bochenek, Elmhurst College Alicia Boisnier, State University of New York William H. Bommer, Cleveland State University Bryan Bonner, University of Utah Jessica Bradley, Clemson University Dr. Jerry Bream, Empire State College/ Niagara Frontier Center Jim Breaugh, University of Missouri Peggy Brewer, Eastern Kentucky University

Price-Based Demand Response-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Write annotated bibliography on "If a business drops its price will it always increase demand - and it will make profit". Answer: Avinadav, T., Herbon, A. and Spiegel, U., 2013. Optimal inventory policy for a perishable item with demand function sensitive to price and time.International Journal of Production Economics,144(2), pp.497-506. Herbon (2013), have illustrated that increase demand of a product is due to the many reason such as consumer purchasing capacity increases, fallen of complementary goods price, product in demand due to latest fashion or consumers tastes etcetera. All the above-mentioned factor result in the price variance of any product. It has also been seen that growth in number of people using any certain product due to population growth and expansion in the market result in to increase in product demand. Environmental Economics. 2017.Econ 101: The Basics of Supply and Demand. [online] Available at: https://www.env-econ.net/supply_demand.html [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]. According to the researcher, the price of the product can change because of four major factors namely Demand increase or decrease and Supply increase or decrease. According to the researcher, there is a universal statement that people at higher price of any product buy less quantity whereas a seller want to sell more quantity when the price is high which reflects that, quantity demand is inversely related with the price and the quantity supplies and the price are somewhat directly related to each other. It reflects on the people mindset that selling of product for profitability will be severely hampered depending on the price and the supply also on the demand of the product in the market. Kilkki, O., Alahivl, A. and Seilonen, I., 2015. Optimized control of price-based demand response with electric storage space heating.IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics,11(1), pp.281-288. According to Seilonen (2015), decrease in consumer surplus would happen when equilibrium price of the product is set above, but lower in the equilibrium price will see certain increase. According to the authors to achieve consumer surplus, consumers have to purchase the good that means production should be maximum so that consumer can have ample amount to purchase. If due to any reason the price of the good drops below market equilibrium, manufacturing of the good will be less profitable as of the low price and thus will encourage customers to buy more product as of the lower price. The market will have shortage of good because of the huge demand resulting into market wide loss. Thus the producer will not be able to obtain the value of the product. Siano, P., 2014. Demand response and smart gridsA survey.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,30, pp.461-478. The researcher states that the amount of product present in the market is the supply and the number of people willing to buy the product is the demand. In addition, supply has direct influence in the demand say for an example if there is a strong demand of Gas in the market there would be less supply of the product, thus increase in price of the commodity. If there is a change in condition such as lower demand of the product (Gas) as people started using more and more number of electronic vehicle then the product will be highly available in the market thus will decrease the price of the product. Income effect can also be a resulting factor as it will help the people decide how much and at what price to buy. People tend to reach out to business, providing lower price but when there is an increase in purchasing capacity, the product of lower value will become inferior good, as there is a demand fall because of income rise. Zhao, Z., Wu, L. and Song, G., 2014. Convergence of volatile power markets with price-based demand response.IEEE transactions on Power Systems,29(5), pp.2107-2118. In the research it has been found that decrease in demand occurs because of the product is out dated and old fashioned. Peoples taste of the commodity has decreased, Decrease in consumers purchasing power and substitute product price drop. The decrease and increase of a products price is variable on the products supply and demand in the market. However, consumer having higher purchasing capacity or lower purchasing capacity both will opt for products with lower price as this give them the option to purchase more and different products. It is reflected in research that if the purchasing power of the consumer increases, the variance of the purchased product will be bit expensive than regular, thus making the regular product inferior good. Demand of any product depends on various factors but lower price will be the prominent factor, as it will give purchasing power to the consumer. References Avinadav, T., Herbon, A. and Spiegel, U., 2013. Optimal inventory policy for a perishable item with demand function sensitive to price and time.International Journal of Production Economics,144(2), pp.497-506. Environmental Economics. 2017.Econ 101: The Basics of Supply and Demand. [online] Available at: https://www.env-econ.net/supply_demand.html [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]. Kilkki, O., Alahivl, A. and Seilonen, I., 2015. Optimized control of price-based demand response with electric storage space heating.IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics,11(1), pp.281-288. Siano, P., 2014. Demand response and smart gridsA survey.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,30, pp.461-478. Zhao, Z., Wu, L. and Song, G., 2014. Convergence of volatile power markets with price-based demand response.IEEE transactions on Power Systems,29(5), pp.2107-2118.

James Hetfield Essays - Metallica, Ron McGovney, Leather Charm

James Hetfield James Hetfield the American Dream James is probably the driving creative force. - Kirk Hammett Hetfield brings the pride. He stands a very tall and strong guy over all of, not just the music, but all of what is Metallica, he's been through a lot of shi* but still pushed to get where he is today.? - Jason Newstead Although the Americans dream, weather new or old to this country is to succeed financially, to some it is to become well known to your fellow man. The idea of crawling out of the gutter with nothing but your pride and earning respect from everyone who had doubted you before. Since the birth of this equal opportunity nation, people from all aspects of cultures and countries have strived through thick and thin to surpass their fellow man and better themselves in the eyes of society. The American dream does not just occur with citizens new to our country but to generations upon generations of people whose family tree had begun anew when their ancestors first arrived to this land. This theory proves itself valid with a number of successful people who have never had the opportunity of experiencing ?old wealth?. They are ridiculed for their dreams and made fun of for their ideas, but in the end these prospects of society made it to the top with the occasional supporter and Hetfield was born to a truck driver and light opera singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles. His family's Christian Science religious beliefs are often mentioned as the root of James' tortured soul lyrics. Musically, he began at age 9 with piano lessons, then banging away on his brother David's drums and finally to guitar. With his guitar in hand, James aspired to become a rock star in his first band, Obsession. After seeing AC/DC perform in Los Angeles on august 14th 1977The band was made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums and Jim Arnold on guitar. A pair of friends, Ron McGovney and Dave Marrs, acted as the band's roadies. This meant sitting in the loft of the Veloz garage running a control panel for makeshift lighting effects. After Obsession broke up, the Marrs-Hetfield-McGovney trio continued jamming together. Phantom Lord was James Hetfield's second band. After moving to La Brea, James attended Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim Mulligan. The two would jam at lunchtime with another guitar player, but eventually scared him away with their loud and heavy sounds. Hugh Tanner was discovered carrying around part of a flying V guitar at school. And shortly thereafter, Phantom Lord was born. With Hugh on guitar and Mulligan on drums, James sang and played guitar. The group went through a few bass players until graduation when James moved back to Downey. In Downey, James moved into a house owned by Ron McGovney's parents that was slated for demolition due to an expressway expansion. This house was the perfect place for James and Ron to crash and hold rehearsal and practice jams. James talked Ron into taking up bass, and promised to teach him... And as Ron joined the group, Phantom Lord was no more. They were now Leather Charm. James Hetfield's third band overall, Leather Charm was formed from the members of Phantom Lord, except that James performed sole singing duties (no guitar) and Ron was added to play bass guitar. Completing the line-up were Phantom Lord carry-overs Hugh Tanner and Jim Mulligan. Leather Charm was more of a glammy attempt at music. The band played originals and covers like Quiet Riot's Slick Black Cadillac, Iron Maiden's Remember Tommorrow and a few others. The band managed to perform at a few parties and recorded a demo, but then began to fall apart. *Picture*First Tanner left the band and was replaced by Troy James. Then Mulligan left for a more progressive, Rush-like band. With no drummer, the band was forced to call it quits. Although it was Mulligan's departure that led to James searching for a new drummer, it was Hugh Tanner that introduced James to Lars Ulrich. Ultimately it was Leather Charm's break up, through Jim Mulligan's quitting, that led James and Lars to meet... and to form Metallica. From the

Health and Fitness analysis Essays

Health and Fitness analysis Essays Health and Fitness analysis Essay Health and Fitness analysis Essay Since disease and immobility leads too often to death in elder people, staying active helps a person live a longer life. Its never too late to start exercising. By being physically active, elderly people have a better chance to continue the things they love to do and allow them to stay Independent as they continue to age. In addition, the right kind of regular exercise can reduce the chance of heart disease, diabetes, and falls. The hardest part about beginning a regular fitness plan for the elderly or really any person at any age is getting started. Once started, the benefits of exercise will be noticed, including improved sleep and self- esteem. Exercise and physical activity can Improve or maintain your strength and fitness, make It easier to do the things you want to do, help your balance and walking, help with feelings of depression or anxiety and improve your mood, maintain your thinking skills (cognitive function) as you get older, prevent or treat diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, breast and colon cancer, and osteoporosis (Exercise and age, 2012). Not only does exercise make most people feel better, perform physical tasks better and reduce the risk of disability due to arthritis, It now appears that exercise, specifically, resistance training, actually rejuvenates muscle tissue In healthy senior citizens (Exercise reverses aging, 2012). A study done by the Arthritis Foundation have suggested that dysfunction of mitochondria, the ? ¦powerhouse?o of the cell, is involved in the loss of muscle mass and functional impairment commonly seen in older people. Studies have shown that in older adults, there is a decline in mitochondrial function with age. A group of 25 healthy older men and women (average age of 70 years) had muscle issue samples taken and compared to the gene profile from muscle samples taken from 26 younger healthy men and women (average age 21 years). Fourteen of the older adults completed six months of twice-weekly resistance training and the results were then compared to the younger adults. The older adults were relatively active (golfing, walking, gardening, tennis, cycling three or more times a week but were not competitive athletes) and healthy; the younger adults were relatively Inactive or participated In modest recreational activities, and none were athletes. These Inclusion criteria allowed the Investigators to study the effect of aging with subjects selected to be matched for activity level and not merely the effect of inactivity. None of participants took medication or had diseases that could alter mitochondrial function. The resistance training was done on standard gym equipment. The twice- weekly sessions ran an hour in length and involved 30 contractions of each muscle group Involved. Strength was tested based on knee extension, and tissue samples were taken from thigh muscles (Exercise reverses aging, 2012). Results In the rent study snowed Tanat multinational satisfaction was ten most common a ?catheter?o to emerge from the gene expression profile. Exercise resulted in a reversal of the genetic profile back to levels similar to those seen in the younger adults. Furthermore, the resistance training increased the older group?was muscle strength. Before exercise training, the older adults were 59% weaker than the younger adults; but after training, the strength of the older adults improved by about 50%, such that they were only 38% weaker than the young adults. This study gives people one more reason to get physically active. Not only will it help attain or maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of disability due to arthritis, this study now shows that it may actually reverse the biologic aging that takes place in muscle cells (Exercise reverses aging, 2012). Being physically fit after age 60 helps you live longer, regardless of your bodys fat content. In my opinion, I think fitness is an important part to know when studying human aging because of all the benefits it has on aging. Knowing what can help the elderly feel better about themselves is very important. Keeping them motivated and active will keep them feeling better and at a rower risk of disease and immobility. If a person is planning on going too field working with older adults it is important to keep some type of physical activity available for them. I think if more older adults knew about the awesome benefits staying active has, they would be more willing to exercise and stay mobile. If I get into a field working with older adults for example a nursing home I think I would incorporate my findings into providing a better physical activity program to meet the requirements of each individual. There are many physical and emotional problems that can occur during aging. The more active you are the more chance you have of keeping on top of these problems and not having them affect you in your later years in life. Many of the physical and emotional problems of aging include depression, hip and Joint problems, arthritis, heart problems, breathing problems, and lack of mobility or flexibility. During the aging process starting some type of fitness program should first require a visit to your doctor so that you can make sure that whatever activity you are planning to add to your lifestyle is doctor approved. You want to be sure that your physical condition is going to allow you to safely incorporate fitness onto your lifestyle and the aging of your body.

6 Top Tips for Dissertation References

6 Top Tips for Dissertation References 6 Top Tips for Dissertation References Many people lose sleep over referencing when writing a dissertation and the rules for compiling a reference list can seem boring. After all, if you’re at a party and discussion turns to the relative merits of APA and Harvard citations, you can assume the party isn’t going well. The problem is that references are also an incredibly important part of your dissertation. Without clear referencing, your paper will be difficult to follow, which could affect your overall grade. The reader might also struggle to distinguish between your work and the sources you’ve used, which could even lead to accusations of plagiarism. As such, it is definitely worth getting your references right. And we promise that it isn’t anywhere near as tricky as it looks at first! To help get you started, here are some of our top tips to make referencing easy. Check Your Style Guide! Most colleges, journals and publishers will have a preferred style of referencing. As such, you should check which system to use (e.g., Harvard, APA, MLA, etc.) before you start writing. When to Use Citations Some people worry that they don’t have enough references in their work, but quality is far more important than quantity. You should include a citation in your work every time you quote or rely upon the work of another author to support your argument. Providing references demonstrates your breadth of reading and guards against plagiarism. Compile Your Reference List as You Work It is much easier to compile a reference list while you are writing your paper than to wait and do it at the end. This will ensure that you don’t miss any important sources and makes it easier to double-check texts you have referenced during the editing process. Consistency and Clarity The single most important thing you can do when referencing sources is use a consistent style throughout your paper. If your citations and reference list are clear and consistent, it is much easier for the reader to identify sources. Double-check Your Reference List Even if you compile your reference list as you go, you must double-check it before handing in your paper. Make sure that every source you have cited is accompanied by full publication details. You should also check that your references are listed in the correct order. Usually, this is either numerically in the order they appear in the text (if using an end note system) or alphabetically by author surname.

LEGAL ENVIRONMENT 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LEGAL ENVIRONMENT 4 - Essay Example to get the contract approved by the Niger president. The bribes were accepted by the Niger officials and the contract to supply arms went through. Analysis : According to the provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act it is unlawful for any U.S. citizen / company, to bribe or to make a corrupt payment to a foreign official of any govt. or company for the sole purpose of obtaining or retaining business in order to beat the competition. According to the Anti- Bribery provisions of the FCPA it applies to any individual, firm, officer, director, employee, or agent of a firm and any stockholder acting on behalf of a firm. Also the person who makes or authorizes of making the payment should have a corrupt intention, and the payment must be directed to induce the recipient to misuse his official position to direct business wrongfully to the payer or to any other person. -- The FCPA completely prohibits payments, making a offer of bribe, or making a promise to pay (or authorizing a third party or intermediary to pay or offer) money or anything of value. The prohibition applies to any foreign public official irrespective of his ra nk or position, it also extends of making corrupt payments to a foreign political party or party official, or any candidate for foreign political office. According to FCPA the prohibition applies to payments made in order to assist the firm / company in obtaining or retaining business for or with, or directing business to, any person. ( S 78dd-2. Prohibited foreign trade practices by domestic concerns).Now if we analyze the facts of the Niger case in light of the provisions of the FCPA the case is crystal clear. In the Niger case the Vice President of NAPCO Richard H. Liebo was directly involved in first promising to pay one Captain Ali Tiemogo, chief of maintenance for the Niger Air Force in return for getting the contract of supply of arms by NAPCO to be approved by the president. Even later, Liebo was directly involved as a representative of NAPCO in paying bribes to Captain Ali Tiemogo and his cousin Tahirou Barke who incidentally was also the first consular for the Niger Embass y in Washington,DC. NAPCO issued commission checks to three "agents" identified as Amadou Mailele, Captain Tiemogo's brother-in-law; Fatouma Boube, Captain Tiemogo's sister-in-law; and Miss E. Dave, Mr. Barke's girlfriend. It is immaterial that Neither Mr. Mailele, Ms. Boube, nor Ms Dave, however, received the commission checks or acted as NAPCO's agent and these individuals were merely intermediaries through whom NAPCO made payments to Captain Tiemogo and Mr. Barke as according to FCPA even payments made to or through intermediaries is liable to prosecution. Even the fact that neither NAPCO's corporate president, Henri Jacob, nor another superior of Mr. Liebo's approved the payment of these "commission payments." is immaterial and NAPCO is liable for prosecution as per the penal provisions of FCPA. This position is also supported by the judicial decisions in United States of America, Appellee, vs. Robert Richard KING, Appellant.( 2003 WL 22938694 (8th Cir.(Mo) and USA versus David Kay(Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas(No. Crim.A.H-01-914)

FF Managing Diversity Awareness Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

FF Managing Diversity Awareness Campaign - Essay Example They are not given leadership roles as compared to their male counterpart. Such workplace stereotypes have resulted in unequal pay and pay gaps. Despite the effort of the UK government for bridging the pay gap by introducing new equal pay act, UK has witnessed high income inequality compared to OECD countries. The author also states that women on an average earn less than their counterparts by  £140,000. The author proposed that out of every ten people nine people want equality in workplace through equal pay and job roles. He also says that culture has been a key factor that influenced the stereotypes present in workplace that led to income inequality and biased leadership roles. Our culture despises the changing work culture and holds it negative. Working women and home dads have negative repercussions in the society that lead to workforce bias. Not only has the society but organizations have also succumbed to such negative thought that resulted in such stereotypes. Governmentâ₠¬â„¢s Equality Office (2011), describes that the general view is that men are more competent than women and are well suited for leadership roles compared to women. It is quite unlikely, for a woman, who is a mother, to find a job. This shows how workplace biases and stereotypes create gender gaps and leads to gender inequality. It also explains that reducing the gender gap in workplace will lead to increased productivity. It has also been observed through various researches that high ratio of female to male in organizations have led to increased financial performance than organizations with large gender gaps. Women could add as much as  £150 billion to the UK GDP by 2030, if all women who aspire to work were provided jobs. According to the author Ridgeway (2011), managing gender equality will lead to increased productivity of organizations that will drive economic growth. UK faces an aging population which will lead to a shortage of skilled labour supply. This will push the

Political Disputes In Early Nineteenth Century Essay Example for Free

Political Disputes In Early Nineteenth Century Essay The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and morale as well as economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Because of this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reconciliation that just fell short. Among those were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Great Compromise of 1850. Other tempestuous attempts led to the Tariff/Nullification Controversy, anti slavery debates in congress, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Whether it was one side or the other, there was always someone to oppose and in some cases, defy the laws put in place, which eventually led to the succession of the southern states and the Civil War. The issue of slavery became an even greater concern when the Louisiana Purchase territories were to enter the Union as states. The question was, would new territories enter the Union as slave or free states? The South wanted a balance of power. They knew that if the North were to have more free states, then slavery in the south could be facing extinction through congress. In an attempt to conciliate with the South, the North agreed upon the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Through this, slavery was banned above the 36 degrees 30 minute line and Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine a free state. For a while, it retained the balance of power. However, tempers in the south rose again later in the 1820s over high tariffs. The tariffs benefitted the north but threatened southern cotton exports. In 1828, the tariff was around 50%. President Jackson modified it to around 33% in 1832 only to have South Carolina nullify it in the state. It raised the question of whether or not the federal government could legally impose protective tariffs and whether it was constitutional for a state to nullify a federal law. South Carolinaby a course of legislationcan defeat the execution of certain laws of the United States.it is utterly impracticable [Document A] Henry Clay believed it impractical for South Carolina to oppose the federal law and also believed that South Carolina had no intention of leaving the Union, which depicts just how blind people were to just how great the rift really was. In 1833, the Compromise Tariff was put into place and would reduce rates to 20% by 1842. At this time, most people considered compromise to still be possible. As time goes on, slavery becomes as much of a moral  issue as a political one. The American Anti-Slavery Society believed that the practice of slavery was against Gods teaching and that those who kept slaves were man stealers. [Document B] Slaves should be set free and slaveholders shouldnt be compensated a dime. we concede the Congresshas no right to interfere with any of the slave statesBut we maintain that Congress has a rightto suppress the domestic slave trade [Document B] As abolitionists started to make an even greater fuss over slavery, congress was backed into a corner. To release the slaves and prevent slavery in the new territories would incite the wrath of the South, however to allow more slave states to enter the Union would anger the abolitionists. Eventually, the gag rule was put into place. All petitions, memorials, [etc.]to the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery, shallbe laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon. [Document C] However, each time a territory wanted to become a state, whether slavery would be permitted or not was a forefront issue starting with the lands gained from the Mexican War. The Compromise of 1850 was put into place here. California was admitted as a free state and New Mexico and Utah entered under popular sovereignty (the citizens would decide whether they wanted slavery or not.) From this compromise also came a stronger Fugitive Slave Law (all escaped slaves were to be tu rned in and returned.) Northerners blatantly ignored this federal law which angered the Southerners, for when they had tried not to comply to a federal law, they had been punished. [Document D] The Southerners felt wronged, and rightly so. Compromise seemed less and less possible. In 1854, there were questions on whether there should be slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territories, even though it was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise. The South was unhappy about this however because the shaky balance of power would then decisively shift to the North. The South needed more slave states. Because of this, the Missouri Compromise was then repealed. Popular sovereignty was then ruled in the territories. At the sound of that, abolitionists and pro-slavery citizens began to rush Kansas in spades. Fighting broke out so horrifically it was given the name Bleeding Kansas. During this, a new political party arose: the Free-Soilers. They were against slavery and fought state constitutions such as the Lecompton Constitution. After this, slavery issues began to spin out of control. Things like the Dred Scott Decision and John  Browns Raid and other slave revolts kept slavery at the forefront of everyones minds. The Free-Soilers then turned into the Republicans who firmly believed in the end slavery. Compromise was now nearly impossible. The possibility of compromise was then nailed shut when a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, won the election of 1860. North Carolina then seceded from the Union and other southern states soon followed suit. Its possible that if the South had only picked one candidate, they could have won the election. [Document H] But because they hadnt, the South then felt threatened. And because they felt threatened, they seceded. The reasons and events stated led to the eventual conclusion of the impossibility of compromise by 1860.

Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia Essay -- essays research papers

Discovering Sicke Cell Anemia The topic that I am learning about is Sickle Cell Anemia, a hereditary disease which affects red blood cells. Throughout this research paper, I will discuss what exactly it is, how it is caused, any known treatments or cures, and many other facts that are important in this disease. Sickle Cell Anemia is a health problem throughout the world. More than 250,000 babies are born worldwide with this inherited blood cell disorder (http://www.medaccess.com/h_child/sickle/sca_01.htm). The disorder causes red blood cells to extend into a sickle shape which clogs the arteries.Persistant pain and life-threatening infections result from the illness. About one in 400 black newborns in the U.S. have sickle cell anemia. And one in 12 black Americans carry the sickle cell trait (http://www.medaccess.com/h_ child/sickle/sca_01.htm). This leaves a good chance that the parent with the trait can pass the defect onto offspring although their own health is not harmed. The cause of sickle cell anemia is rather simple but it leaves a life threatening affect. Anyone who carries the inherited trait for sickle cell anemia, but doesn't have the disorder, is actually protected from a severe form of malaria. This helped the children in countries where malaria was a problem, to be able to survive against that disease. What happened to those children? They grew up, had their own children and ended up passing the gene for sickle cell anemia onto their offspring. This disease is a hereditary blood disorder that affects the red blood cell. Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin which transports oxygen from your lungs to every part of your body. Hemoglobin's oxygen carrying ability is essential for living but if there is a structural defect on the pigmented molecule, it can be fatal. When a normal red blood cell distributes its oxygen, it has a disc shape. But when an affected red blood cell containing sickle cell hemoglobin releases its oxygen, the image of the cell changes from a disc shape to a sickled shape. In hemoglobin, there are four chains of amino acids. Two are know as alpha chains, and two are called beta chains. In a normal hemoglobin, the amino acid in the sixth position on the beta chain is known as glutamic acid (refer to diagram 1.1 on page 6). During sickle cell anemia, the glutamic acid is pushed out of its place and replaced wi... ...ease, I have learned many new details about it. I realized that even the slightest change in the sequence of amino acids can lead to very harmful effects. In this disease, only one amino acid was substituted and still the illness is very harsh. I also learned how exactly the cells deform and why they go into a sickle shape. It was very interesting to learn that the disease mostly effects African Americans. I also learned that when the sickles get clogged in an artery, it results in a very painful attack on the person and may cause them to have an episode. When episodes occur, the patient may have to go into a hospital for pain killers. The disease also can lead to ulcers, strokes, paralysis, decay of tissues, and many other problems throughout the persons entire life. Sickle Cell Anemia is a very serious disease that effects a person and there way of life. It doesn't have a known cure yet but many treatments and therapy are available. If a person has this disease, it is life-threatening and painful attacks can occur at any time, anywhere. It is important to know the causes and reasons for the disease so that you can relate to what a person with Sickle Cell Anemia is going through.

Technique of Indirect Characterization in “The Great Gatsby”

There is no single work of literature in the world, where a full, completed characterization of a person would be, no matter if he/she is the main character, or does not play any role in the novel at all. The main idea is to develop an image of a character through actions of others, and as it gets more complicated, the greater novel becomes. In Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby† the author uses the technique of indirect characterization to make the reader feel the atmosphere of the society of the nineteen-twenties by analyzing its behavior. Gatsby, the true representative of all the greatness, richness, and beautifulness of the period, plays the main role in the novel by being the most mysterious and fabulous person. This is the reason why everyone talks about him and creates various rumors about his enigmatic life. Nick and Jordan also play important roles. Their main job is to transmit the Gatsby’s character. During their first meeting they mentioned Gatsby’s name only once, but then it became usual and kept being talked about. When they first kissed, Jordan had already told Nick about Gatsby’s love to Daisy. These discussions tied them together. And as the relationship between Nick and Jordan becomes closer, more information the reader gets from the novel. There is another situation when Nick finds out some negative characteristics of Jordan, such as carelessness, the unsuccessful time period of Gatsby’s life becomes being known by Nick, and so, by the reader. Nick’s company makes Gatsby feel more comfortable and opened. He is not afraid of being trustful with him, because recognizes an unaffected person in Nick, it reminds Gatsby of himself. Nick, in his turn, finds out some characteristics of Gatsby, and creates an image of a swift, strong, and sometimes embarrassed man. The idea of manipulating characters in order to describe someone in a novel makes the reader think on the work, try to reorganize thoughts, and complete the image of the character.

Individualism in Gimpel the Fool and a Good Man Is Hard to Find

The Myth of the Sincere or Authentic Individual In Charles Taylor’s theoretical text, The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor writes to evaluate the concepts of individualism. He believes that we can, and should, become conscious about what makes us who we are to effectively and sincerely choose which values or qualities to support. Using two short stories, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor and â€Å"Gimpel the Fool† by Isaac Bashevis Singer, alongside Taylor’s text and the application of his concepts, one can examine if the central characters function as true individuals who act for themselves, or act to fulfill a historically desirable niche in human nature. Flannery O’Connor’s 1953 short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† illustrates the story of a husband and wife, along with the grandmother and two children, who embark on a family road trip from Tennessee to Florida. Plot and character both unravel with the path of the family’s travel, revealing the archetypal characteristics of a traditional American family— annoying quirks and behaviors, back seat arguments between siblings; and the elderly, nitpicky, and proper grandmother. Following the greater part of the journey from Tennessee to Florida, the story ends with a final encounter with an escaped convicted murderer, The Misfit. The most prominent and perhaps easily scrutinized character from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is the grandmother. Being the central protagonist in O’Connor’s short story, she unfolds to be manipulative and self-involved, yet a prim and proper elderly woman. Throughout the text, the grandmother is continuously caught up in comparing her polished southern past to her disappointments of the present. She is entangled in her roots, appearing as a harmless chatterbox, aloof and amusing within her own progression. It is easy to forgive her for so much, including her innate racism— pointing at a â€Å"cute little pickaninny† from the car window as well as entertaining the children with a tale of â€Å"a nigger boy† (187) who scoffs a watermelon— and her overly sound opinions that she states matter-of-factly. Upon departure for Florida, she dresses herself in her Sunday’s best: dress, hat, and white cotton gloves all for the trip, so â€Å"in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (186). She is filled with the prejudices and traditions of her class and time. The grandmother, even when faced with the foreshadowed confrontation with The Misfit, continues to present her historical and deeply rooted â€Å"lady-like† facade. Her talk with the Misfit begins as a manipulative attempt to save her own life, employing her refined techniques to persuade her killer. (Certainly, in her world, no decent man would â€Å"shoot a lady† (O’Connor 194). ) Her desperate attempts continue, trying further to charm The Misfit. â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! (O’Connor 192). The grandmother seems confident enough that her southern allure will win over the man as she has with all others; there is no resignation to the death she will soon face. Following the execution of the whole family, it is apparent to both the reader and the grandmother herself that death is imminent. Upon this realization, the woman experiences a revelation and attains the first unselfish sensibility displayed in the story. She finally ignores her idea of proper southern values in the face of death and reaches out to The Misfit. In an act of true sincerity, she simultaneously denounced her high moral standing and proclaimed acceptance of his character. In this state of disclosure â€Å"she murmured ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children! ’† The woman â€Å"reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest† (O’Connor 195). The Misfit ends the powerful story by commenting on the grandmother’s unauthentic character: â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (O’Connor 195) The assessment of individuality of Flannery O’Connor’s character according to Charles Taylor’s text results with a misleading outcome. In The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor states, â€Å"we live in a world where people have a right to choose for themselves their own pattern of life†¦to determine the shape of their lives in a whole host of ways that their ancestors couldn’t control† (Taylor 2). The character of the grandmother is developed along a permanent historical linear path of ancestral beliefs and ideals; she was never provided an opportunity to be self-aware and take shape of her own life. In Taylor’s terms, the woman has always been locked into her â€Å"great chain of Being,† adhering to her born role of a southern bourgeois woman that gives sense and meaning to life (Taylor 3). Never questioning her â€Å"natural† values and qualities, the grandmother conformed to the ideals of, but not limited to, race, class, religion, and society, that are inherit to her aristocracy. Up until this point, it is possible to say that the grandmother is an unauthentic individual. When faced with the grave situation involving death and her ultimate existence, the grandmother abruptly diverges from the consistent track of her character development. This divergence from the typical character in the face of death allowed the grandmother to have an authentic experience in her last seconds with her killer. â€Å"†¦The grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own†¦ ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children! ’† she admitted (O’Connor 195). This moment of true acceptance, sensitivity, and acknowledgement to others of different moral horizons reveals a brief moment of authentic individualism in the grandmother. In comparison to her overall persona for the entire plot, a glimpse of wholehearted moral relativism, or, according to Taylor, a mutual respect to morals and values apart from your own, can be read in the last few lines of the grandmother’s existence. In the fleeting moments of her life, she shed her â€Å"natural† identity, claiming true freedom from her inherited moral horizon. It is possible to say that in the last seconds of her life there was a transformative sense of character, the grandmother passed with the qualities of a true individual. Similar to O’Connor’s character, the character of Gimpel from Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1953 short story â€Å"Gimpel the Fool† can be equally examined for traits and characteristics of an authentic individual. The ironic story tells the life account of Gimpel: narrator, Yiddish baker, an inhabitant of Eastern Europe, and the one who gets the last laugh (although that comes later). Gimpel, seemingly naive and gullible, is the subject of many tricks and insults from his village for taking everything at face value, but was he really a fool, or an authentic individual? I am Gimpel the fool. † is how he opens his story (Singer 300). He gives his own reason when he says, â€Å"What did my foolishness consist of? I was easy to take in† (Singer 301). His promiscuous wife is disloyal to their marriage throughout his lifetime, resulting in illegitimate children that Gimpel wanted to believe he fathered; his neighbors take unfair advantage of him, subject ing him to endless pranks and fallacies for cruel entertainment; and even the village rabbi conspires against Gimpel, placing him at the receiving end of everyone’s jokes. Gimpel is ultimately surrounded by lies and cynicism to his approach to life. The â€Å"foolish† qualities that are expressed through Gimpel on the exterior are not all that meets the eye. Aware of his surroundings and how his neighbors treat him, Gimpel chooses to keep an open mind, to see the good in the world, and not waste his time with the bad spirits of those who make fun with him. Although constantly deceived by his contemporaries, Gimpel is always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. If he â€Å"ever dared to say, ‘Ah, you’re kidding! there was trouble. People got angry† (301). He says, â€Å"to tell the truth, I knew very well that nothing of the sort had happened, but all the same, as folks were talking†¦Maybe something had happened. What did I stand to lose by looking? † (301). His open approach and acceptance of a possible truth to endless false claims and jokes show Gimpel to be not gullible and simple, but holds a prominent mo ral relativism; he is accepting and sincere to other’s qualities and values, however deceitful they may be. Ironically, it is the whole village that victimizes Gimpel that are the fools, and Gimpel who is the only non-fool. Gimpel didn’t believe more than half the things the people told him, yet he still went along with the deceits. Gimpel exemplifies a character that lacks an understanding of unnecessary anger, hatred, and bad tempers, and acts with a perceptive sense that belief is not a matter of proof but of will. From this perspective, Gimpel doesn’t appear to be so simple and foolish, on the contrary, instead man that fears missing an opportunity of believing something that may be true. Those who abuse Gimpel are the true fools them self, lacking the capacity to believe with Gimpel that everything is possible. This does not make him a fool because he believed the people, he knew for himself that none of the things said were anywhere near the truth. He believed because he wanted to believe. In conjunction with Charles Taylor, Gimpel maintains a heightened sense of awaren ess of his past to inform his present. The constant ridicule has shaped his view on life and despite the negative actions directed towards him, Gimpel is accepting to believe what others share with him. Its possible to say that he is still involved in a â€Å"great chain of Being,† but in context to the setting of the story these philosophies cannot fully apply. As a devout Jewish man, Gimpel lives his life with authentic and sincere individualism, while respecting the historic beliefs his society is based on that have not yet been shattered. In conclusion, the assessment of individuals with Charles Taylor’s text, whether fictional or physical, can result in a broad variety of assumptions based on the moral and historical background of a character. As seen with Flannery O’Connor’s character, the grandmother did not appear to be an authentic individual until the final moments of her life; however, the character of Gimpel maintained a strong individualist approach to his life throughout the majority of the text. The characters, as Taylor wrote, â€Å"†¦are called upon to be true to themselves and to seek their own self-fulfillment. What this consists of, each must, in the last instance, determine for him- or herself† (14). Without the author’s literary devices and plot structure to develop character, or a person’s absolute sense of being, the underlying individual cannot be accessed to live entirely for his or herself. Works Cited O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find. † Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Compact Edition. New York: Mc- Graw-Hill, 2000. 185-95. Print. Singer, Isaac Bashevis. â€Å"Gimpel the Fool. † Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Compact Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 300-09. Print. Taylor, Charles. â€Å"Inescapable Horizons. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 31-41. Print. —, â€Å"The Inarticulate Debate. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 13-23. —, â€Å"The Sources of Authenticity. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 25-9. —. â€Å"Three Malaises. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 1-12.

Critical Study of Tourism and negative effect it has on the Environment The WritePass Journal

Critical Study of Tourism and negative effect it has on the Environment Introduction Critical Study of Tourism and negative effect it has on the Environment IntroductionBibliographyRelated Introduction Tourism is a global industry of great economic importance, driven by human desire to  experience  new environments,  be it the natural environment of a tropical beach or the built environment of an old city. People are travelling regularly to different parts of the world for long term stay on different purposes like vacation, business meetings, and recreation is Tourism. These people are usually called as tourist’s .Group of businesses or services which are dependent on tourism is collectively called Tourism Industry .Tourism industry has become one of the rapid growing industry across the world. The demand is increasing day by day. Most tourism places in the world seem to be France, Spain, USA, China, Italy and the UK. (Charmaine 2010) Many countries depend heavily upon travel expenditures by foreigners as a source of taxation and as a source of income for the enterprises. Therefore, the development of tourism is often a strategy to promote a particular region for the purpose of increasing commerce through exporting goods and services. Therefore it provides direct employment for the people associated with occupations in bars and hotels.   The average standard of living of people increases well and at the same time unemployment is on the decrease. However, tourists cause environmental damage through forest fires, destruction of sand dunes and pollution. Consequently this serves negatively as increased pollution disturbs local residents and also it may discourage tourists from further entering the country. After this, tourism undermines culture by commercializing it and this is often connected with increasing litter, graffiti, vandalism and noise tourists do not always respect traditional cultures. There are a number of benefits of tourism for both the tourist and the host destination.   On a large scale it offers a good alternative to some more destructive industries for generating income both on nationally and privately. The tourism industry encompasses many different areas, so it also creates jobs in many different areas.   With tourism come hotels, restaurants, car rental agencies, tour companies, service stations, souvenir shops, sports equipment rentals, and much more.   All of this creates many different levels of employment for people in a given community. Tourism industry is taking advantage of the demand and working more on the development side, and as a result some rural places are also getting developed. The most commonly seen advantages benefits from the Tourism include new jobs, income, and tax revenue to the government. The tourism is also bringing the knowledge of that particular place to the world, and upgrading the local cultural facilities, or an enhancement of regional conservation efforts .Generally, tourism is very profitable in the terms of income for the countries, especially to those which are in the developing stage, as this industry does not require lot of literacy or capital. And it yields good profits with less investment. (Blake and Albache 2008) Tourism provides much needed foreign currency and foreign investment .The economy of third world country can boom through this and the population benefits as well .Development should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs . So the tourism industry should work today for the better life of future citizens. As the country has more economic sources, now it can be used for the improvements of the infrastructures like roads, transportations and communication links which again will be useful for both the local people and to the tourists. As a result of increased demand of tourism, environmental development issues will be considered by the government to attract tourists. Directly or indirectly Tourism will also be responsible for the improvement of the local education standard. (Debbie 2003) Benefits deriving from tourism development must be balanced against potential negative effects. Jobs in the travel and tourism industry are frequently low-paying and seasonal and often offer limited benefits.   In some cases, particularly where tourism strategies are ineffectual, local residents may have to pay for tourism marketing and infrastructure through higher taxes. Tourism can also increase demand for land in rural areas, which may inflate real estate prices, potentially putting the cost of housing beyond the reach of the average local resident.   This is the case for some amenity-rich tourism destinations, experiencing growth in recent years stemming from recreation-based activities (Brown and Fazzone, 1998). Tourism may directly lead to unsightly sprawl in rural areas by creating a demand for development. Other negative side effects include potentially higher rates of crime and greater demand for local services, such as police and fire protection and sanitation services, which can be expensive to provide.   Also, tourism can risk changing the rural â€Å"sense of place† for some communities. Increased crowding and traffic congestion may also result with an influx of tourists into an area. Greater demand for local arts and crafts can also potentially lead to a lowering of the quality of these products.   Finally, tourism risks degrading natural resources in rural areas unless3 environmental sustainability efforts are undertaken.   Many of these risks, however, can be mitigated if proper planning is employed at the outset of tourism development. (Holden 2007) Sustainable tourism in its purest sense is an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is responsible tourism that is both ecologically and culturally sensitive. (Beech and Chadwick 2005) Sustainable tourism activities have minimal impact on the environment and culture of the host community. According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is tourism that leads to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Taking a leaf from the definition of sustainability itself, sustainable tourism is also defined as a process which meets the needs of the present tourists and host communities whilst protecting and enhancing needs in the future Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability. (Goodwin 2000) Sustainable Tourism refers to a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation defines sustainable tourism as tourism that meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. Rather than being a type of product, it is an ethos that underpins all tourism activities. As such, it is integral to all aspects of tourism development and management rather than being an add-on component The objective of sustainable tourism is to retain the economic and social advantages of tourism development while reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural, historic, cultural or social environment. This is achieved by balancing the needs of tourists with those of the destination. Sustainable tourism is tourism that is economically, socio culturally and environmentally sustainable. With sustainable tourism, socio cultural and environmental impacts are neither permanent nor irreversible. (Butler 1999) Bibliography Blake, A., J. S. Arbache, et al. (2008). Tourism and poverty relief. Annals of Tourism Research Available from: http://The Disadvantages of Tourism in Developing Countries | Suite101.com  suite101.com/content/the-disadvantages-of-tourism-in-developing-countries-a292259#ixzz1MQA3Ciue Butler, W. 1999 ’Sustainable tourism’ London: Rutledge. Available from: informaworld.com/10.1080/14616689908721291 Charmaine, M. 2010. ‘Land Pollution Effects on Tourism’ Available from: ehow.com/about_6643366_land-pollution-effects-tourism.html Debbie, S. 2003.’Travel Tourism Marketing’. Available from: travelandtourism.com/10.1300/J073v17n04_05 Goodwin, H. 2000. ‘Tourism and Biodiversity’ Available from: http://egis.cefe.cnrsmop.fr/Tourism%20Frontpages/Boniface%20article.htm Holden, A. 2007. ‘Environment and Tourism’ London: Routledge. Available from:   routledge.com/books/details/9780415399555/

An Overview of Impressionism in Art History

An Overview of Impressionism in Art History Impressionist art is a style of painting that emerged in the mid-to-late 1800s and emphasizes an artists immediate impression of a moment or scene, usually communicated through the use of light and its reflection, short brushstrokes, and separation of colors. Impressionist painters,such as Claude Monet in his Impression: Sunrise and Edgar Degas in Ballet Class, often used modern life as their subject matter and painted quickly and freely, capturing light and movement in a way that had not been tried before.   Key Takeaways: Impressionism Impressionism is a style of painting that was developed in the late 19th century.  The style, methods, and topics of Impressionism rejected previous historical painting, replacing carefully hidden brushstrokes of historical events with visible thick bright colors of modern scenes.  The first exhibition was in 1874, and it was roundly panned by art critics.Key painters include Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Impressionism: Definition Avenue de LOpà ©ra. Snow Effect. Morning, by Pissarro Camille. Mondadori / Getty Images Although some of the most respected artists of the Western canon were part of the Impressionist movement, the term impressionist was originally intended as a derogatory term, used by art critics who were flatly appalled at this new style of painting. In the mid-1800s, when the Impressionist movement was born, it was commonly accepted that serious artists blended their colors and minimized the appearance of brushstrokes to produce the licked surface preferred by the academic masters. Impressionism, in contrast, featured short, visible strokes- dots, commas, smears, and blobs. The first piece of art to inspire the critical nickname impressionism was Claude Monets 1873 piece Impression: Sunrise, a piece that was presented at the first exhibition in 1874. Conservative painter Joseph Vincent was quoted in a review in increasingly sarcastic ways, calling Monets work not as finished as wallpaper. To call someone an Impressionist in 1874 was an insult, meaning the painter had no skill and lacked the common sense to finish a painting before selling it.   The First Impressionist Exhibition Frà ©dà ©ric Bazille, Bazilles Studio, 1870. Musà ©e dOrsay, Parà ­s (Francia) In 1874, a group of artists who dedicated themselves to this messy style pooled their resources to promote themselves in their own exhibition. The idea was radical. In those days the French art world revolved around the annual Salon, an official exhibition sponsored by the French government through its Acadà ©mie des Beaux-Arts. The group (Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Berthe Morisot, and a raft of others) called themselves the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, etc. Together they rented exhibition space from the photographer Nadar (a pseudonym of Gaspard-Fà ©lix Tournachon). Nadars studio was in a new building, which was a rather modern edifice; and the entire effect of their efforts caused a sensation. For the average audience, the art looked strange, the exhibition space looked unconventional, and the decision to show their art outside of the Salon or the Academys orbit (and even sell directly off the walls) seemed close to madness. Indeed, these artists pushed the limits of art in the 1870s far beyond the range of acceptable practice. Even in 1879, during the fourth Impressionist Exhibition, the French critic Henry Havard wrote: I confess humbly I do not see nature as they do, never having seen these skies fluffy with pink cotton, these opaque and moirà © waters, this multi-colored foliage. Maybe they do exist. I do not know them.   Impressionism and Modern Life Edgar Degas, The Dance Class, 1874. Mondadori Portfolio Impressionism created a new way of seeing the world. It was a way of observing the city, the suburbs, and the countryside as mirrors of the modernization that each of these artists perceived and wanted to record from their point of view. Modernity, as they knew it, became their subject matter. Mythology, biblical scenes and historical events that had dominated the revered history painting of their era were replaced by subjects of contemporary life, such as cafes and street life in Paris, suburban and rural leisure life outside of Paris, dancers and singers and workmen. The Impressionists attempted to capture the quickly shifting light of natural daylight by painting outdoors (en plein air). They mixed their colors on the canvas rather than their palettes and painted rapidly in wet-on-wet complementary colors made from new synthetic pigments. To achieve the look they wanted, they invented the technique of broken colors, leaving gaps in the top layers to reveal colors below, and abandoning the films and glazes of the older masters for a thick impasto of pure, intense color. In a sense, the spectacle of the street, cabaret or seaside resort became history painting for these stalwart Independents (who also called themselves the Intransigents- the stubborn ones). The Evolution of Post-Impressionism Mary Cassatt, A Cup of Tea, 1879. Corbis/VCG / Getty Images The Impressionists mounted eight shows from 1874 to 1886, although very few of the core artists exhibited in every show. After 1886, the gallery dealers organized solo exhibitions or small group shows, and each artist concentrated on his or her own career. Nevertheless, they remained friends (except for Degas, who stopped talking to Pissarro because he was an anti-Dreyfusard and Pissarro was Jewish). They stayed in touch and protected each other well into old age. Among the original group of 1874, Monet survived the longest. He died in 1926. Some artists who exhibited with the Impressionists in the 1870s and 1880s pushed their art into different directions. They became known as Post-Impressionists: Paul Cà ©zanne, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat, among others. Important Impressionists   Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, on the Butte-Montmartre. Painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), 1876. Corbis   / Getty Images The impressionist artists were friends, who as a group were part of the cafe set in the city of Paris. Many of them lived in the Batignolles neighborhood,located in the 17th arrondissement of the city. Their favorite meeting place was the Cafà © Guerbois, located on Avenue de Clichy in Paris. The most influential impressionists of the period include: Claude MonetEdgar DegasPierre-August RenoirCamille PissarroBerthe MorisotMary CassattAlfred SisleyGustave CaillebotteArmand GuillauminFrà ©dà ©ric Bazille

Illegal immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Illegal immigrants - Essay Example Those who favor amnesty for illegal aliens, specifically those crossing the southern border do not seem to realize that a crime has been committed and not, as they might have you believe, one without a victim. The massive numbers of illegal aliens pouring across mainly the southern border has and continues to cause substantial economic, social and physical harms to legal citizens. These harms occur predominantly to those who are among the most vulnerable segments of the population, minorities, children and the poor. Simply enforcing the laws presently on the books and deporting illegal aliens is an economic necessity that would also result in decreased crime rates. Illegal immigrants receive more from public monies than they contribute which lowers the standard of living for legal citizens. Illegal immigrants contribute greatly to the overall population growth and health care, education and employment are the most impacted. Salaries are driven down by illegal immigrants willing to work for much less while their children, illegal and legal, overcrowd the schools. It’s the U.S. taxpayer who is sent the bill for their health care services as well. In addition, the large influx of illegal aliens burdens the already inadequate number of units classified as affordable housing and other welfare resources such as energy, water and land usage (â€Å"Illegal Immigration†, 2003). If Congress were to put the country’s interests ahead of its own, it would pass an illegal immigration bill which grants no amnesty. Congress should also pass legislation amending the Immigration and Nationality Act eradicating the idea that children born of illegal aliens are automatically citizens. That privilege should be reserved for children of legal immigrants. Congress should also criminalize illegal entry into the United States which would force government administrators and health workers to report these people to the

Reflective account of two placement experiences Essay

Reflective account of two placement experiences - Essay Example mental balance and wellbeing. For instance, I was assigned to care for a service user with dementia. Accordingly, such individuals require specialized arenas of care, as they are medically categorized as being amongst the most prone of individuals in society (Darling, 2011:642). It hence takes individual input, gradual experience, acquired expert knowledge and excellent communication skills to effectively function in such a setting (Jasper, 2003:24). With no form of experience, expertise, expert knowledge and internship, I experienced amongst others nervousness and lack of confidence that made me scared. In dealing with such individuals, the lack of confidence did not aid much as provision of care for the service users, required individuals (medical students and professionals) who had a better idea of how to handle such service users. In such a setting, the presence of medical professionals was crucial, as the service users were not capable of helping themselves (Eva & Regehr, 2005:S47). Even with the presence of other first year nursing students, the lack of expert knowledge and experience hampered my overall handling of existing service users. I however take solace in the fact that if functioning in such situations was not with its high and low moments, I would invariably feel not effectively utilized in such clinical settings (Sandars, 2009:687). It was difficult for me to feed them, give them medication or any other care they needed because of the violent behavior that made me even more scared especially for the fact that I lacked experience. It was difficult even to get close to them at first because I was not confident and thought they would beat me up or even worse bite me. However, with time I overcame such issues as my mentor modeled me. She instructed me on what to do on top of the fact that I saw what she was doing and adapted slowly. I was not knowledgeable of such conditions but after

Understanding Primary Source Readings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Understanding Primary Source Readings - Essay Example Robert Strayer scholarly work is primarily based on world history and has also written various books on the same subject. Among them â€Å"The Ways of the World† narrated by him describes about the various aspects about the ancient world. The chapter 2 of the book â€Å"The Occupations of Old Egypt† generally reflects the various elements and aspects pertaining to the lifestyle and occupation of Egyptian people during the ancient time3. More specifically, the author, Robert W. Strayer in this chapter describes about the occupational trend of the Egyptian civilization. This document demonstrates about the division of labor and social hierarchy existed between â€Å"Paleolithic communities† and â€Å"agricultural village societies† in Egypt. The occupational system of Egyptian civilization is commonly known as â€Å"First Civilizations which is described in an Egyptian text known as â€Å"Be a Scribe†4. Robert W. Strayer describes the variation in the standard of work and various communities living during the Egyptian Civilization according to their hierarchical positions. This was the period of middle kingdom the author in his document â€Å"The Occupations of Old Egypt† of the book describes about the worst standard of living of Paleolithic people, which included washer man, potters, cobblers and merchants and crewers as well as the â€Å"agricultural village societies† which primarily included peasants and mansions. They have to struggle to have existence of life. During Egyptian civilization in Mesopotamia and Egypt, Barter System was extensively used as the system of exchange. This system was abundantly used by â€Å"Paleolithic communities† and â€Å"agricultural village societies† to exchange the materials such as food and clothing and other necessary requirements essential for every individual of the society. They used to give some material which they procured and in exchange, they take

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting Analyse the working practices that need to be in place in the nursery setting to ensure that children are protected. In every nursery setting there should be a practiced working pattern and a setting. For example there should be practise of food hygiene, safeguarding and health and safety. These are very important because children will be on the safe side. Health and safety In this case the managers and staff should make sure that health and safety checks are carried out as required. In case of an accident failure to check equipment have serious connections. Staff and children should know which areas of the building they have access for. The general environment should be clean and safe for example, all COSHH equipment used should be kept in a locked cupboard. Food Hygiene- when giving children food, one should check the expiring dates and check the expiring dates and check the temperatures of the fridges and freezers. Adequate welfare facilities should be available for health and safety. It is important to put on protective clothes especially when you are cleaning the toilets always wear gloves. A t nursery should consider safeguarding on children. This is whereby staff should know who is going to drop and pick children, also nursery main doors should always be locked, handles should be fitted where children can't reach, and CCTV should be at the nursery always because of abuse. Staff should be trained how to give children medication. Also check the risk assessment of the provision that the safeguarding policy and plans work. The gate should always be shut, and use password to open the gate and doors. For toddlers should use small gates. Always lock the confidential information in a lockable cupboard and only management or responsibly person should have access to the keys. Confidentiality is very important. The other thing which need to be considered at nursery is food hygiene, in this case staff should check the expiring date of the food and check the temperatures of the fridge and the freezer, and always cover the food when it is open and put a date when the food has b een opened. Tinned food should be eaten and finished once they are opened. Always wash your hands before you touch food. Clean the tables before and after serving the food. As staff should know which food is suitable for each and every child (Allergy). Always clean the dishes after every meal and dry them and put them away. Fruits should be washed before you eat. Should teach children how to wash hands after visiting the toilet. Also staff should cook food properly with correct cooking temperature. With all these aspects I think the nursery will run smoothly. 2. Explain the various health and safety requirements that are necessary for children attending the setting and describe the ways in which these health and safety requirements need to be adopted to cater for differing age groups. Health and safety in the nursery environment requires adoption for each different age groups of children that are catered for. In the nursery staff should be very careful with sharp objects like knives, forks and razor blades, because these objects can harm children. Therefore should always put them away as soon as you finish using them. Toys should be put back in their irrespective boxes, some toys are sharp so as staff you must be there to keep an eye when children are playing with toys. Select toys which are suitable to each age group. All substances should be locked up in the cupboards. COSHH control of substance hazardous to health. What might you see in the nursery covered by COSHH is cleaning equipment, chemical sharp objects. Make sure children are supervised when they are doing activities. Staff should clean the floors using chemicals which are not dangerous, but should use like Dettol and antibacterial cream. Make sure the floor is dry enough so that children won't fal l down. After serving the food take away knives and out them were they cannot reach. When sharpening the pencils staff should be very careful because some children can be affected with the dust which comes from the pencils. Make sure all plug sockets are covered because when children touched they will be in danger. Windows should be secured because children will be tempted to climb through them. Kitchen and office areas should have safety gates which remain locked to prevent access to dangerous areas. Doors should contain filled safety guards to prevent children from trapping their fingers. With toys always lock the boxes and cupboards should close the toilet and bathroom doors. 3. Evaluate the procedures required to cover good hygiene and explain how this should be implemented in the nursery setting. This can be presented within a table. There are many procedures required to cover good and hygiene of which am going to write some of them in form of a table. Good hygiene How to implement Washing hands before or after food Make sure sinks are reachable by children Washing hands after visiting the toilet. Flush the toilet after you use it. Toilets and chambers should be of small size , so that children will be able to reach Children should dry their hands after using the toilet. There should be paper towels in the bathroom always. Disposal of nappies and waste Make sure there is correct bins to dispose them eg waste yellow lockable bins. Cleaning or clearing of plates after eating Reachable tables for children Always wash hands before preparing food using soap Make sure the children are prompted to do this by teachers Wash fruits before you eat Make sure the teachers teach children about hygiene and prompt them to do so. Clean the floors Use correct mops to clean floors like blue mops for corridors, green mops for kitchen and red mops for bathrooms. Cut the meat and the vegetables on boards Use the right boards e.g. for meat use red board, for vegetables use green boards. Bread use white board. Cleaning the wounds Make sure teachers follow the proper and correct first aid rules and all the accidents are recorded in the accident book. Making the mattress and beds for children Make sure the use clean linen and make sure that all spoiled linen are washed correctly like separated from non spoiled lined and correct washing temperature like Sluice program in the washing machine. 4. Identify and describe what should be included in a first aid kit for a nursery and discuss why paediatric first aid training for nursery staff is important In every nursery there should be a first aid kit , in the kit it includes 20 adhesive dressings, plasters in assorted sizes, six medium sterile ,two large sterile dressing , one sterile eye pod, six triangular bandages, six safety pins, disposable gloves , two roller bandages , a pair of scissors, alcohol-free wound cleansing wipes , adhesive tape, plastic face shield or pocket mask, notepad and pencil alcohol gel, other useful items blankets survival bag, torch whistle warning triangle and high visibility jacket to keep in the nursery. We should have these things in the nurseries because it will help the staff to cater for the first aid needs of the children attending the nursery before they go to hospital for example when children had wounds staff should use gauze pads as swabs to clean around wounds. Use adhesive tape to secure dressings or the loose ends of bandages, staff should notice that if the children are allergic to the adhesive tape can use a hypoallergenic tape. Always wear gloves whenever you dress wounds or when you handle body fluids or other waste materials, use latex-free gloves because some people are allergic to latex. The gloves are necessary for staff to wear when you are dealing with any body fluids; this is to control the cross contamination and good hygiene. Bandages are used to give support to injured joint secure dressings in place maintain pressure on wounds and limit swelling. Pins and clips are used to secure the ends of bandages.They are some useful items which include kitchen film or clean plastic bags can be used to dress burns and scalds. Non-stick dressings can be kept for larger wounds, keep alcohol, gel to clean your hands when no water is available. To prevent cold injuries always wrap on ice pack in a cloth do not leave it on for more than 10 minutes. Scissors should be used to cut bandages. It is important for staff to be first aid trained for the need to know exactly what to do in an emergency whether they are alone or with other members of the staff. So by staff undertaking paediatric first aid course they will have a peace of mind of knowing that they have the knowledge and skills to tackle a medical emergency. Staff who have had first aid training are trained how to attend to children when they collapsed or when they cut themselves using sharp objects. Also staff will be trained how to cope with stressful and physically demanding procedures. First aid certificates should be renewed every 3 years. From the completion date of the previous qualification . In nursery setting paediatric first aid qualification satisfies ousted requirements. First aid certificates are required to be checked by Ofsted during an inspection and will need to be produced for all trained first aiders.

Global Warming Essay -- Environment Global Warming Climate Change

Global Warming Global Warming is an important ecological issue and has many negative effects upon our environment. Global Warming, or what has been called the Greenhouse effect, is the result of a fourfold ecological process. 1-Sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to Earth’s atmosphere. 2- The sunlight enters the atmosphere and hits Earth. Some of it turns into heat energy in the form of infrared light. The heat gets absorbed by surrounding air and land, which in turn makes it warm. 3- Infrared rays, that are remitted into the atmosphere are trapped by greenhouse gases. 4- The gas then absorbs the light and is remitted back to the Earth’s surface and warms it even more. Left on it's own this natural process keeps our planet warm enough for habitation, but with the increases in temperature, caused by modern industry, our current way of life could become threatened. Over the past 100 years the emissions of greenhouse gases have been increasing due to increases in technology and human developments. Modern factories and production plants have been responsible for d...

H&M in Fast Fashion: Continued Success Essay

Q1) Evaluate the external environment in which H&M operates in. External environment refers to the challenging and complexity in which the firm operates. It is important to highlight the factors of the external environment because it is very critical to the success of the firm. PESTEL model and Porter’s 5 Forces (P5F) models will be used to evaluate the external environment of H&M. These models will determine how challenging and attractive the environment is for H&M. 1. PESTEL PESTEL highlights 6 environmental forces namely political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal (Johnson, et al. 2014). This model analyses the general environment that influences the industry and the organisations in it as well as how challenging the environment is to operate. 1.1 POLITICAL H&M is subjected to political pressures from the labour rights movement especially in low-wage countries. H&M has outsourced its manufacturing line to low-cost countries. H&M has no or little control over the operation in those countries. Hence, the firm would be closely scrutinised by the labour rights movement to spot any abuse in the rights of employee e.g. poor working condition. Government expansion and international trade policies would greatly impact the growth of the industry and increases competition. Threat 1.2 ECONOMIC H&M will not be spared from the increase in cotton prices and rising product cost in Asia. Economic downturn will have an impact on all the stakeholders in the environment especially the customers. Demand for luxury goods would decline for customers who are price-sensitive. They would then consider H&M competitors that offers similar goods which is are much cheaper than H&M or  go for substitutes. Threat 1.3 SOCIAL Due to the ‘fast fashion’ business, customers taste in high fashion is constantly evolving. Customers are now more educated and their demand for good quality products at low prices have increased. H&M could meet the needs of the customer as it has the advantage of being a first mover in the fast fashion business. Opportunity 1.4 TECHNOLOGICAL The emergence of technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube allows organisations to reach out to its customers more quickly and effectively. H&M uses these online social platforms as a way to be closer to their customers as well as sharing and updating its activities to its fanbase. Opportunity 1.5 ECOLOGICAL Due to education and high awareness of the importance of conserving and going ‘green’, H&M has created a special collection of clothing line using sustainable or eco-friendly materials. Opportunity 1.6 LEGAL Legal refers to the restriction or liberalisation of legislative and regulatory constraints or changes. Organisation in the environment would not be able to avoid this particular external environment factor therefore organisation has to embrace this legal aspect. Liberalisation of the international trade has resulted in an increase of the number of suppliers globally and hence intensifying the competition among manufacturers in low-wage countries Threat From the PESTEL analysis, H&M is in a moderately competitive environment where both threats and opportunities factors are in equal balance. Therefore, H&M has to exploit the opportunities available in social, technological and ecological factors. As for the threats, H&M has to embrace them and develop strategies to overcome or steer away from them too. 2. Porter’s 5 Forces (P5F) P5F helps to identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of 5 competitive forces namely; threat of entry, threat of substitute, power of buyers, power of suppliers and the extent of rivalry between competitors (Johnson, et al. 2014). 2.1 THREAT OF ENTRY Factor H L Case evidence Effect (High/low) Scale of experience Needs large capital to compete with the incumbents in the environment. Low Access to supply /distribution channels Plenty of suppliers available to choose from. High Expected retaliation Costly to compete with incumbent as they have the economies of scale. Low Legislation or government action Liberalisation of international trade has resulted in the increase of number of suppliers. High Differentiation There is differentiation in style and concept of the apparel industry. High High threat of new entries would indicate that the industry is attractive and and could decrease the profit margin of H&M e.g.UNIQLO. However, these competitors must have sufficient financial resources to compete with the current incumbent in the industry. These new entries would have to build up experience over time in order to be on par with existing competitors. The competitive rivalry is moderately high because the market is fragmented and there are few major incumbents in the industry. With intense rivalry e.g. Zara, each competitor is vigorously competing against the rest in order to have a market share in this apparel industry. From the P5F analysis, H&M is operating is a highly attractive market where the threats of entry is high, threats of substitute is low, power of buyer is high, power of supplier is low and high rivalry. Overall, H&M is operating in a highly competitive and attractive external environment. Therefore H&M must take steps to look into its resources and identify its strategic capabilities in order to stay ahead of the competition. Q2a) Identify and discuss the strategic capabilities of H&M. Strategic capabilities refer to the capabilities of an organisation that contributes to its long-term survival or competitive advantage (Johnson, et al. 2014). The components of strategic capabilities are resources (what the firm has) and competences (what they do well). The table below lists down all the resources and competences of H&M. This table also identifies the type of capabilities for each competences namely threshold and distinctive capabilities. Threshold capabilities refer to competences that are needed for the organisation to meet the necessary requirements to compete in a given market; and distinctive capabilities look into competences that are required to achieve competitive advantage (Johnson, et al. 2014). Resources Competences Type of capabilities Organisational resources Competent leader who has a good business acumen Distinctive Physical resources Stores position in the best location Threshold Rapid expansion into other countries and new markets Threshold Has 2206 stores in 43 countries Distinctive Ability to deliver collection within a month of initial design Distinctive Efficient integrated logistic team Distinctive Technological resources Owns its own clothing line and trends Distinctive Human resources 200 talented designers and pattern makers Distinctive Empowerment of store managers with autonomy Threshold Collaboration with famous designers to produce new collection Distinctive Innovation resources Building creative window and store displays Distinctive Created a special collection using sustainable materials (CSR) Threshold Reputational resources Pioneered in ‘fast-fashion’ business Distinctive Emphasize ‘cheap and chic’ business model Distinctive Strong branding Distinctive Culture Instils the importance of core values in employees Threshold Strong corporate culture (spirit of H&M) – Encourages experimentation, trial and error learning, decision making, initiatives, try new ideas Distinctive Information technology (IT) Efficient reporting of sales Threshold Establishment of strong social media presence Threshold Effective information sharing software Threshold Based on the table above, H&M has more distinctive capabilities than threshold. H&M now could recognise the different types of capabilities and which are the ones the organisation should focus on and turn them into sustainable competitive advantage generating above average returns. H&M has to put more effort in the distinctive capabilities such as competent leadership, physical assets such as stores, its ever-changing collection of designer clothes, integrated logistics function, its talented employees, successful collaborations, creative window display, its fast-fashion business model, strong branding and lastly its strong corporate culture. With the SWOT analysis, H&M has to continue its efforts strengthening its strength so that it would give the organisation an advantage over its rivals. As for its weaknesses, H&M could either eliminate or work on weaknesses by turning them into strengths. H&M should seize the opportunities when the time is right. Lastly, threats should be avoided or steer away from them. Identify the key issues, challenges and opportunities facing H&M. The key issues of H&M are whether their existing resources, capabilities, practices and knowledge are sufficient to keep up with competition. Another key issue is the threat of new and vigorous entrants. The answer to these is yes, H&M could keep up with the competition due to substantial resources, strategic distinctive capabilities, strong value creating activities, strong practices and knowledge. H&M challenges would be revitalising and redefining its strategic capabilities in order to be sustainable in this apparel industry. H&M has to keep up with the latest fashion trends and continue to explore other avenues to create value to its value chain activities. Another challenge is to stay ahead of its competitors especially the threats by new and vigorous new entrants, by moving fast and reaching large market based by applying a simple business model – ‘cheap and chic’. The opportunities would be v enturing into new areas where H&M has yet to explore e.g. online shopping, opening the largest store in the world on Fifth Avenue, New York. H&M has to evaluate if these opportunities could give them the competitive edge against its competitors and generating an above average returns. Based on preceding analysis, formulate and discuss appropriate strategies that you would recommend to H&M in order for it to achieve above-average returns in the future. H&M is now operating a cost leadership strategy. This strategy involves becoming the lowest-cost organisation in the industry (Johnson, et al. 2014). Cost leadership strategy is an integrated set of actions taken to produce goods or services with features that are acceptable to customers at the lowest cost (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt 2013) Based on preceding analysis, it is timely for H&M to review its business level strategy. Cost leadership strategy is not always the best strategy for H&M as there will always be the risk of being undercut on price especially during the economic downturn. Secondly, low cost has always been associated with cheap quality goods where products barely meet the market standard. H&M should be considering using the lock-in business strategy. This strategy is where customers become dependen t on H&M and are unable to use another supplier without substantial switching cost. With this lock-in strategy, copycats and substitutes of H&M products would have a hard time attracting customers. With customers securely locked in, H&M could charge prices which are well above cost. Lock-in strategies can be achieved in two ways mainly controlling complementary products/services and creating a proprietary industry standard (Johnson, et al. 2014). Another strategy which H&M could consider is differentiation strategies. Differentiation involves uniqueness along some dimensions that are sufficiently valued by customers to allow a price premium. Based on H&M’s strategic capabilities, one of its competitive advantage competences is having its own clothing line and trends. The fashion house could use this competency to carry out the differentiation strategy. With H&M’s large pool of over 200 talented designers and collaboration with famous top designers, customers would be willing to pay more for the latest style and fashion. With the unpredictability of the fashion industry, H&M has to be able to stay well ahead of its major competitors by reviewing its strategic capab ilities from time to time. Capabilities need to change and evolved into dynamic capabilities. Only dynamic capabilities have what it takes to be the key driver towards strategic change. Like what fashion model, Heidi Klum, from the fashion industry always said, â€Å"Today you are in but tomorrow, you might be out!† The same goes to the chosen strategy of H&M, cost leadership might  work today, but it won’t be the correct strategy tomorrow. Bibliography Ireland, R. Duane, Robert E. Hoskisson, and Michael A. Hitt. The Management of Strategy. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Johnson, Gerry, Richard Whittington, Kevan Scholes, Duncan Angwin , and Patrick Regner. Exploring Strategy. Harlow: Pearson, 2014.