Bus 421 Final Essays - 1220 Words

BUS 421 Final: Case Scenario #1 Thomas Edison State College October 2012 Emily Schemelia Executive Summary Case Scenario # 1 Given the increasing regulations of the Internet and email by the Government of China, recommend to the CEO of Google whether the company should continue to operate in China, the world’s fastest and among the largest growth markets. Google should definitely continue operations in China, even if it means limiting the amount of information that is disseminated to Google China. While filtering information is the opposite of everything Google stands for, Google can still disseminate information to the Chinese public while abiding by the information laws set up by the†¦show more content†¦Because of this, there is a case that companies like Google, look forward to making sure that they penetrate the market in order to produce better outcomes, which also leads to a fast growth for the organization. The economy in China is doing well. China has in its recent years reached financial stability. This is due to the fact that there is a high level of domestic demand. Because of this, many companies around the world begin to invest in the Chinese market. China is also one of the fastest growing when it comes to Information Technology and has been able to attract companies such as Google and even Microsoft. It has be en forecasted that the Internet industry in China is expected to increase at a rate of about ten percent within the next five years. This is great news because Google will be able to benefit. Advantages of Doing Business in China: As mentioned previously, there are many organizations around the whole world that perform their business in China. They do business in China due to the fact that China has a reliable market. It is also expected that the organizations doing business in China will continue to grow. Some advantages of doing business in China are that it is a major emerging market around the world. Also there are a lot of opportunities for organizations to invest in China for a longer period of time due to expanding of technology andShow MoreRelatedThe Affect of Facebook on the Stock Exchange1196 Words   |  5 PagesO) may have a hard time in the coming week if lead underwriter Morgan Stanley stops supporting the stock and managers lower down in the IPO book who were hoping for an early surge decide to get out before going underwater. Facebook on Friday sold 421 million shares of stock in a deal that valued the company at more than $100 billion. But investors, expecting a first-day pop in price, instead saw it close just 0.6 percent above the IPO price at $38.23. As the underwriter, Morgan Stanley (NYS:MSRead MoreOur Secret by Susan Griffin Essay1009 Words   |  5 Pagesto express your feelings and that it can be an outlet for your emotions. Himmler did not have this luxury. Gebhard writes the first entry in his sons diary, to show the boy how it is to be done. July 13 Departed at 11:50 and arrive safely on the bus in L. We have a very pretty house. In the afternoon we drink coffee at the coffee house (Griffin 407). As we can see, Himmler is not even allowed to write as he wants but instead is taught to record the facts and nothing more. This was not a sourceRead MoreAsaaaa3527 Words   |  15 PagesPresentation Tips How to choose Project Topic Tips for Final Year Project Steps for FYP, Mini Project Preparing a Project Report Problems faced in Projects Joined: 19Oct2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 91 Enter your email address: Author siva Groupie Topic: ECE Mini Projects Posted: 19Jun2011 at 4:40pm Message 1. Mobile based device monitoring system 2. Locker Security Monitor 3. Robo Design to pick everyday objects 4. GPS Based train or bus or Aircraft Collision Avoidance 5. ETHERNET BASEDRead MoreMid term case9450 Words   |  38 Pagesthe number of home runs hit by the Chicago Cubs during the 2011 season. In these examples, statistics are a value or a percentage. Other examples include: †¢ The typical automobile in the United States travels 11,099 miles per year, the typical bus 9,353 miles per year, and the typical truck 13,942 miles per year. In Canada, the corresponding information is 10,371 miles for automobiles, 19,823 miles for buses, and 7,001 miles for trucks. †¢ The mean time waiting for technical support is 17 minutesRead MoreGame Theory Introduction17342 Words   |  70 PagesSales to an Unknown Buyer An Application: Auctions Signaling Games and the Lemons Problem Foundations Calculus and Optimization Probability and Expectation Utility and Expected Utility Existence of Nash Equilibria 331 22 349 367 383 401 403 421 433 451 23 24 F I V E 25 26 27 28 Index 465 Contents Preface A Reader’s Guide P A R T O N E 1 Introduction A First Look at the Applications 1.1 Games That We Play 1.2 Background 1.3 Examples Summary Exercises C H A P T E R 2 A FirstRead MoreAccounting: Fraud and Problem-based Learning Case18144 Words   |  73 Pages1. The employees may put your request in the à ¬to doà ® pile and never get around to it, thus wasting your valuable time. 2. There is a cost for information requests that will relate to your final grade. Specifically, when you have made your 10th request for information, you will be charged 1 percent of your final grade. When you have made your 20th request for information, you will be charged an additional 2 percent of your grade. When you have made 30 requests for information, you will be chargedRead More1234567897581 Words   |  31 Pagesinitial submission and multiple rounds of review, through final publication. Mohr, Jakki and Nader Shooshtari (2003), â€Å"Introduction to the Special Issue: Marketing of High-Technology Products and Innovations,† special issue of the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 11 (Summer), pp. 1-11. Special Issue included six papers, with guidance given to authors from initial submission and multiple rounds of the review process, through final publication. Refereed Book Chapters: Jakki MohrRead MoreThe Emergence of the Fast Fashion Business Model and Imposed Quick Response Challenges for Chinese Fabric Manufacturers14773 Words   |  60 Pagesand Peng 2006). Without regional accessibility to raw material goods, a country cannot vertically integrate its supply chains or offer competitive delivery schedules. 1.3.6 Vertical Integration of Industry Service: Quality and On-Time Delivery The ï ¬ nal and most critical determining factor for a retailer in seeking a supplier is whether a factory can offer services and products which meet the market requirements (Birnbaum 1993). China beneï ¬ ted from a reorganization of manufacturing throughout in AsiaRead MoreSummer Olymoics23416 Words   |  94 Pagesmembers will vote. But my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, or maybe less.[29] On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two contenders were London and Paris. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes to Paris s 50.[30] The celebrationsRead MoreEfficient Capital Markets, Corporate Disclosure and Enron12656 Words   |  51 Pagessupervised. The gradual resulting loss of the ability to evaluate See Boot Macey, supra note 3, at 357. See id. at 357-60. 36 Id. at 357. 37 See id. at 385-88; Jonathan R. Macey, Italian Corporate Governance: One American Prrrspective, 1998 COLUM. Bus. L. REv. 121, 140. 38 See Macey, supra note 37, at 142-43. 39 See Edward S. Adams, Corporate Governance After Enron and Global Crossing: Comparative Lessons for Cross-National Improvement, 78 IND. LJ. 723, 762-63 (2003). 34 35 s 2004]

Fostering Emotional and Social Intelligence in Organizations

Fostering Emotional and Social Intelligence in Organizations The concept Emotional and Social intelligence or ESI is no new term; it is the outcome of a research almost 35 years old. Being the product of a multidisciplinary research approach, it is considered a significant tool to examine behavioural competencies and their impact on performance. Social, Personal and Practical Intelligence Philosophers and social scientists have observed 3 types of intelligence: * abstract intelligence, * mechanical intelligence and * social intelligence Abstract intelligence is the level of IQ a person is born with or develops as he grows while mechanical intelligence is the motor capabilities that a person gathers due to acquiring†¦show more content†¦The data includes notable organizations such as * U.S. Air Force * L’Oreal * American Express * Met Life * Egon Zehnder International * Tandem Computers Methodology Developed for ESI Intentional change theory is the modern equivalent of Self-Directed Learning. The change refers to the person’s behaviour and intentions. The change is sustainable as it lasts for a relatively longer time. This sustainable change is desirable as it included the desire to maintain a current desirable state, relationship, or habit. Therefore, the underlying purpose of the ICT process is to help individuals increase awareness, and thereby decrease the discontinuous nature of change. As seen above, the ICT is a complex system; therefore, the process of change is non-linear and discontinuous, experienced as a set of discoveries or epiphanies. The discontinuities act as an iterative cycle in producing the sustainable change at the individual level. The various stages involved are : (1) Ideal Self-Who do i want to be? (2) Real Self-Who am I? (3) Learning Agenda-How do I get there? (4) Experimentation and practicing-Discovering new behaviour (5) Resonant Relationships-Derive an affective sense of adaptive capabilities Inferences on Application of ESI Management education: Management schools are largely appreciated for their ability to prepare students for the technicalShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Emotions On Decision Making1313 Words   |  6 PagesIt is crucial for leaders to recognize that the decision making process is significantly influenced by emotions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of emotions on decision making in organizations. A brief summary of the attributes associated with emotional intelligence (EQ) will be provided. Additionally, how I would ascribe to each of these attributes while making decisions will be discussed. Furthermore, a plan that would increase motivation, satisfaction, and performanceRead MoreOrganizational and Professional Development1519 Words   |  6 PagesDevelopment Introduction Social intelligence has been defined as the ability to understand and manage other people, and to engage in adaptive social interactions like making them to get along with you. Social intelligence entails a persons awareness to a situation and the social dynamics that accompany the situation and the knowledge of the strategies and interaction style, that, he/she can use to achieve the desired objective while dealing with others (Bob, 2008). Social intelligence has gained popularityRead MoreProposal Defense Abused Children and Nurture Groups An Intervention1500 Words   |  6 Pages Dr. Ronald W. Radcliffe Nova Southeastern University April 27, 2012 ââ€"   Describe in detail how the facilities might be customized to resemble a home environment and the educational techniques based on the principles of nurture for emotional intelligence development. In order to provide a home/educational environment, a peaceful, relaxing, cozy and curiosity enticing environment, a group of qualified professionals in the disciplines of child psychology, parenting/nurturing, architecture,Read MoreEmotional Intelligence1149 Words   |  5 PagesEmotional Intelligence EDUCATION 2: Facilitating Learning INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. Sheryl Ann Perciano Submitted By: Hazel P. Villegas Maria Dolores L. Comighod BEED- Content Course [ II-D ] Individuals have many similar characteristics but they too differ in many respects. One of these individual differences is the intellectual differences which also refers to the intelligence. Intelligence is the general capacity of a person to adjust consciously his thinking to a new requirement. ItRead MoreThe Integration Of Emotional Intelligence Into Healthcare1583 Words   |  7 PagesIntegration of Emotional Intelligence into Healthcare Throughout today’s healthcare industry, many organizations have been constantly striving to stay ahead of the competition. One area of focus has been improvement of the organization’s leaders. In order to create a strong organizational culture and successful healthcare system, effective leadership is needed. It is thought that one major characteristic that aids in the effectiveness of many leaders is the ability to utilize their emotional intelligenceRead More Studies in Emotional Intelligence Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesStudies in Emotional Intelligence There is a growing interest in the concept of emotional intelligence, and with that growth is a gap between what we know and what we need to know. In the article, Emotional Intelligence: Issues and Common Misunderstandings, Robert J. Emmerling and Daniel Goleman inquire as to what emotional intelligence is, how it differs from other established constructs within psychology, whether or not it can be developed, whether or not it can be a better predictor of workRead MoreStudies in Emotional Intelligence1467 Words   |  6 Pagesthe concept of emotional intelligence, and with that growth is a gap between what we know and what we need to know. In the article, Emotional Intelligence: Issues and Common Misunderstandings, Robert J. Emmerling and Daniel Goleman inquire as to what emotional intelligence is, how it differs from other established constructs within psychology, whether or not it can be developed, whether or not it can be a better predictor of work performance than traditional m easures of intelligence, whether or notRead MoreMilitary Leadership Styles And Philosophies1534 Words   |  7 Pages All organizations, whether governmental, corporate, or private, have structures with leadership positions at various levels and different leadership philosophies. However, the military is an organization that differs from the rest of them, because of the specific mission and complex scenario. Therefore, military leadership styles and philosophies are very different from all other kinds, and are far more special. There is no leadership position outside of the military that deals with handlingRead MoreComplexity Leadership For An Education Mnc1698 Words   |  7 Pagesleadership. Complexity leadership theory assumes that organizations are less like mechanistic machines, which can be controlled using directive leadership, but rather organizations comprising of dynamic groups with interdependent relationships (Best, 2014). Complexity leadership requires a paradigm shift from traditional leadership. Knowledge is powerful, and creating a shared sense of knowledge and cultivating this throughout the organization, rather than a few leaders with the knowledge is requiredRead MoreThe Ethics Of A Business1513 Words   |  7 Pagespride in their job, self-fulfillment is also a major advantage. Owning a business challenges abilities, skills, determination and creativity which can only grow with time and effort. The skills and experience gained while running your own childcare organization can add to one s personal growth and teaches valuable life lessons that may not necessarily be learned through working for someone else. Successful daycare owners have the satisfaction of using their interests, skills and creativity to make money

Brown Girl in the Ring free essay sample

Nalo Hopkinsons Brown Girl in the Ring creates a vision of a twenty-first century Toronto suffering political and economical crises, which has been barricaded by the suburbs. The main character of the novel is Ti-Jeanne, a young girl who loses everything in the story. Her story starts as a young troubled girl, fearful, surrounded by bad luck and scared of her grandmother, Mami. Throughout the story she interacts only to few people with whom her relationships are well established and interesting. Ti-Jeanne is involved in three different conflicts throughout her role. First being her special destiny, which is reflected from one of the line: â€Å"Ti-Jeanne could see with more than sight. Sometimes she saw how people were going to die†. But she hated these visions as they made her vulnerable. Whenever she used to get these visions, she lost whatever was going on in her surroundings, which she can’t afford to lose in the dangerous neighborhood she was residing. We will write a custom essay sample on Brown Girl in the Ring or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ti-Jeanne works hard to separate her grandmother’s religious practice from her practice and knowledge as a person who heals. Since her grandmother was a registered nurse before the city was abandoned, she perceives her ability to heal as a professional skill rather than a god-given gift. Even though Mami’s stock of pharmaceutical drugs kept on increasing, she always made drugs using traditional herbals, which made it difficult for Ti-Jeanne to separate her grandmother’s practices. The second conflict involved, was her relationship with Tony, the father of the baby. Tony a drug addict worked for Rudy, the deadly drug dealer who threatened everyone in his neighborhood. When Ti-Jeanne came to know she was pregnant, she left Tony for the sake of the baby and returned to her grandmothers home. She always wanted Tony to stop working for Rudy and to stop the drugs, but she knows not to trust Tony’s promises to do so. She separated herself from Tony due to her sense of obligation to the baby. Whenever the baby sees Tony or he comes closer or tries to touch, the baby always cries as if the baby is sensing some kind of danger from Tony. Tony’s character portrays both Ti-Jeannes dreams for a better life once he gets a job and settles down, preferably outside the city and the massive threat to her and her grandmother due to his commitment to Rudy for a volunteer donor heart. Ti-Jeannes third area of conflict is portrayed in her relationships with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, and her mother, Mi-Jeanne. Ti-Jeanne doesn’t know a lot about her mother Mi-Jeanne, who disappeared one day without any explanation from Ti-Jeanne’s life. And when she comes to know that the blind homeless women who is known to her as â€Å"Crazy Betty†, in reality is her mother Mi-Jeanne, she gets a great shock. In fact in her absence, Gros-Jeanne filled up for Mi-Jeanne in for Ti-Jeannes mother and also acts as her teacher, preparing her to live properly in the world. For the first part of the novel, Ti-Jeanne is in a riot against her customs/traditions and Gros-Jeannes diligence in treating her as her follower. Gros-Jeanne requires that Ti-Jeanne should also find a place for herself in the lineage of the Jeanne’s in relation to the spiritual world. Since Ti-Jeanne never believed in this and always kept herself away from this tradition, she didn’t bother to join Gros-Jeanne in her rituals. But when Tony tells Ti-Jeanne about the trouble he’s got into and asks for her help, Ti-Jeanne seeks Gros-Jeannes supernatural help, where the spirit Prince of Cemetery claims Ti-Jeanne as his spiritual child. But Ti-Jeanne doesn’t believe anything and wraps herself in denial. It is only when her grandmother is dead and no longer there to help her, she is forced not only to learn, but also to accept and practice the supernatural, which she had long tried to avoid. At the end in the climax scene of the book, Ti-Jeanne connects herself with the souls of her mother and grandmother, performs the supernatural and calls a gang of powerful spirits, becoming the center pole connecting the ordinary world with the spiritual world and thereby ending the Rudy period. So throughout the novel Ti-Jeanne has portrayed different characteristics of women. From being a fearful caring mother, to a romantic worried lover followed by a confused daughter and finally fearless granddaughter who is ready to do anything to end the evil activities of posse.

Theories of Attitudes free essay sample

Attitudes are evaluative statements or judgments, either favorable or unfavorable concerning objective, people or events. They reflect how one feels about something e. g. if is said, â€Å"I like my job†, I am expressing my attitude about work. Attitudes are not the same as values, but the two are interrelated. There are three components of an attitude: Cogn ition, affect, and Behavior. Cognitive Component of an attitude The opinion or belief segment of an attitude. Affective Component of an attitude The emotional or feeling segment of an attitude. Behavioral Component of an attitude An attention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something. In organization, attitudes are important because they affect the behavior. If workers believe that supervisors, auditors, bosses, and time-and-motion engineers are all in conspiracy to make employee work harder for the same or less money, then it makes sense to try to understand how these attitudes were formed, their relationship to actual job behavior and how they might be changed. We will write a custom essay sample on Theories of Attitudes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A person can have thousands of attitudes, but OB focuses on a very limited number of work-related attitudes. These work related attitudes tap positive or negative evaluations hat employees hold about aspects of their work environment. Most of the research in ob has been concerned with three attitudes; Job Satisfaction, Job Involvement and Organizational Commitment. Job Satisfaction An individual’s general attitude toward his or her job. A person with at high level of job satisfaction hold positive attitudes about the job, while a person who is dissatisfied with his or her job holds negative attitudes about the job. Job Involvement The job involvement measures the degree to which a person identifies psychologically with his or her job and considers his or her perceived performance level important to self-worth. Employees with a high level of job involvement strongly identify with and really care about the kind of work they do. Organizational Commitment A state in which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization. Cognitive dissonance An incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitude. Self-perception Theory Attitudes are used after the fact to make sense out of an action that has already occurred. Attitudes Surveys Eliciting responses from employee through questionnaires about how they feel about their jobs, work group, supervisors, and the organization.

The Four Surviving Maya Codices

The Four Surviving Maya Codices The Maya - a powerful pre-Colombian civilization who reached their cultural zenith around 600-800 A.D. before falling into steep decline - were literate and had books, written in a complex language including pictograms, glyphs, and phonetic representations. A Maya book is referred to as a codex (plural: codices). The codices were painted onto a paper made of bark from the fig tree and folded out like an accordion. Unfortunately, zealous Spanish priests destroyed most of these codices during the conquest and colonial era and today only four examples survive. The four surviving Maya codices mostly contain information about Maya astronomy, astrology, religion, rituals, and Gods. All four of the Maya books were created after the downfall of the Maya civilization, proving that some vestiges of culture remained after the great city-states of the Maya Classic Period were abandoned. The Dresden Codex The most complete of the surviving Maya codices, the Dresden Codex came to the Royal Library in Dresden in 1739 after being purchased from a private collector in Vienna. It was drawn by no fewer than eight different scribes and it is believed that it was created sometime between 1000 and 1200 A.D. during the Postclassic Maya period. This  codex deals primarily with astronomy: days, calendars, good days for rituals, planting, prophecies, etc. There is also a part which deals with sickness and medicine. There are also some astronomical charts plotting the movements of the Sun and Venus. The Paris Codex The Paris Codex, discovered in 1859 in a dusty corner of the Paris library, is not a complete codex, but fragments of eleven double-sided pages. It is believed to date from the late Classic or Postclassic era of Maya history. There is much information in the codex: it is about Maya ceremonies, astronomy (including constellations), dates, historical information and descriptions of Maya Gods and spirits. The Madrid Codex For some reason, the Madrid Codex was separated into two parts after it reached Europe, and for a while was considered two different codices: it was put back together in 1888. Relatively poorly drawn, the codex is probably from the late Postclassic Period (circa 1400 A.D.) but may be from even later. As many as nine different scribes worked on the document. It is mostly about astronomy, astrology, and divination. It is of great interest to historians, as it contains information on Maya Gods and the rituals associated with the Maya New Year. There is some information about the different days of the year and the Gods associated with each. There is also a section on basic Maya activities such as hunting and making pottery. The Grolier Codex Not discovered until 1965, the Grolier Codex consists of eleven battered pages of what was likely once a larger book. Like the others, it deals with astrology, specifically Venus and its movements. Its authenticity has been questioned, but most experts seem to think it’s genuine. Sources Archaeology.org: Redating the Madrid Codex, by Angela M.H. Schuster, 1999. McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. New York: Norton, 2004.

12 Character Archetypes Every Writer Should Already Know

12 Character Archetypes Every Writer Should Already Know 12 Character Archetypes Every Writer Should Already Know ‘Character archetypes’ are something you imagine bohemian writers talking about at length - perhaps while smoking a cigarette and stroking their pointy beards. And when they move onto the topic of Jungian theory, you can see yourself tuning out of the conversation altogether. But despite their seemingly high-minded background in psychoanalysis, understanding character archetypes can help writers of all stripes gain a better understanding of storytelling.In this post, we’ll explain to you what character archetypes are, reveal some of the most popular ones - and show you how to prevent your archetype characters from becoming clichà ©s.What is a character archetype?In storytelling, an archetype is a character who represents a specific set of universal, recognizable behaviors. Carl Jung, one of the forefathers of psychoanalysis, suggested that they are part of the human collective unconscious. He believed that these recurring figures are part of the mythmaking fabr ic that is common to all humans.If we are to believe Jung and Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey, stories and myths are an intrinsic part of human development and evolution. They are a teaching tool, a way to warn each other of dangers and the simplest method of examining human behavior and better understanding one another.We’re not saying that these archetypes are embedded into human DNA: they are simply the character forms that have resonated most over the generations. What are character archetypes? And how can they help you? If myths and fireside stories were originally ways that people had to impart knowledge to society at large, then each of Jung’s archetypes might represent a different lesson: care for your children like a mother, be brave like a hero, be wary of tricksters posing as friends, and listen to your elders. The plot of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight is nearly identical to Romeo and Juliet. Edward and Bella belong to the same archetype as those star-crossed lovers of Verona. The difference lies in the specifics: the way the characters speak, the Pacific Northwest setting, the fantastical conflict between vampires and werewolves. The book follows a similar narrative arc as Romeo and Juliet, but its fans certainly wouldn’t call it a ‘predictable retread of Shakespeare’s play.For authors, character archetypes are a useful concept to understand - if only to save you from tying yourself in knots, trying to create stories and characters completely unlike anything that’s come before. Every story has already been told, so focus on what matters most to readers: creating rich, specific worlds populated by people living specific lives, whose struggles are so grounded in realistic human behavior that their stories become universal -   no matter where the reader is fr om.What other character archetypes have we missed from this list? Drop them in the comments below along with your favorite example!

The Importance Of The BRIC Countries To The United States Economy Term Paper

The Importance Of The BRIC Countries To The United States Economy - Term Paper Example As the level of integration amongst the financial markets increases, it is critical for policy makers and global investors to understand the synergy between certain economies. This is important to adjust their portfolios and achieve proper diversification. In many ways, these are unprecedented times. The study and analysis of the relationship between the fastest emerging economies and the United States economy is gaining a lot of attention. The US economy dominates the global economic environment influencing industry trends and market behavior. However, the evolving economies of the BRIC countries have challenged the US economy and it is envisaged that the future holds immense potentials for growth and development in these countries. US trade relations and economic ties with these countries will play an important role in defining future prospects and economic potentials for both US and BRIC countries. The study evaluates the growing significance of the BRIC countries to the US econom y and analyses the factors driving these economic indicators. â€Å"BRIC countries are expected to contribute one-third of the world's GDP increment in 2015, by which time their total economy will surpass America, according to a leading Chinese think tank† (Economic Times). The countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China are the key emerging markets in the world economy. China and India represent for approximately 33% of the world’s total population. Both these countries have a high concentration of their population in the middle class who possess high purchasing power. The gross domestic product (GDP) rates in the BRIC countries are higher than those of developed countries (Desai, Acharya & DeKeizer). By 2025, it is estimated that BRICs will account for 50% of G6 countries. By 2045, the BRIC economies will take over that of G6 countries. By 2025, annual increase in dollar spending from BRICs would be twice G6 and four times by 2050 (Wilson). By 2033, it is estimated that India will have the third largest economy in the world after China and the United States. Among the BRICs, India will have the fastest growing economy. As a percentage of population, India will have highest working age population i.e. 15 to 60 years. In 2050, three of the large st four economies will be in Asia (Desai, Acharya & DeKeizer). The emerging markets provide a number of opportunities. They have the potential to have high growth rates. They have the capability to attract greater volume of foreign direct investments (FDIs). They make a huge amount of investment in infrastructure. The presence of a large middle class gives a boost to demand. There is an enormous supply of skilled and cheap labor. There is great opportunity for outsourcing work particularly in India. Emerging markets present even more opportunities in the form of disinvestment of public sector units (PSUs). There is large scale of mergers and acquisitions both domestically and globally. They are also fast in catching up with technological changes. These BRICs have a vast supply of agricultural and mineral resources. Their commodities markets are also growing rapidly (Desai, Acharya & DeKeizer). In demographic terms, BRIC consists of world’s two most populated countries and ano ther two with sizeable populations. China has the world’s largest population accounting got one-fight of the total world population. India accounts for 17.5% of the world’

Micro Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Micro Economics - Assignment Example It is exploitative in nature and it takes unfair advantage of the fact that there are a few firms operating in the market and consumers must turn to them to buy their service (Schiller, Hill, & Wall, 2013). In order to protect the consumers from such exploitative practices and not let the companies take advantage of the consumers’ lack of options, government regulators should intervene and oversee that no collusion takes place. Collusion remains to be a problem in today’s economy as well. Recently, a collusive agreement between top Silicon Valley executives took place whereby they agreed to not hire away valuable employees from each other’s companies (Fung, 2014). Although this collusion was not in the form of controlling prices or output levels, it still shows the exploitative nature of collusion and the harm is does to the people. I agree with statement 1 since it adequately describes the need for free and open markets where the supply and demand equilibrium is not disturbed. Collusion upsets this equilibrium and harms the consumers with artificially high product prices and the companies themselves with its inefficient resource allocation. Statement 2 is also similar in nature and describes how collusion can upset the way market forces are working. In an Oligopoly, collusion is easier and consumers are at a disadvantage. To ensure that the market remains corruption free and exploitation does not take place, it is necessary to let the market forces work to achieve equilibrium rather than setting up an artificial price for the selfish interests of the companies. Fung, B. (2014, April 23). What the Apple wage collusion case says about Silicon Valley’s labor economy. Retrieved from Washington Post:

Global Communications Essay Example for Free

Global Communications Essay While thanking you for the opportunity provided to research on Toyota company, there are several issues that neither be possible explained in detail in this letter nor directly in conversation. It is an agreeable fact that, Toyota is marginally successful in these global trade times in spite of stiff competition. A great strength of the company exists in its innovative and exchange of technology. There are several internal problems for the company in production process, workforce and even in marketing of cars. Toyota company is a middle class and commercial automobile company, which is meeting a great requirement of migrant workers and small businesses which are developing each new day especially in U. S, which is being cashed in by Toyota company. However there are major concerns of global crude oil price which has reached $100. 00 per barrel and a concern of global warming and emission of greenhouse gases, CO2, vehicle pollution are some of the major threats that Toyota has to work with in order to sustain in the market. Enclosing herewith a synopsis for your perusal and information. Sincerely, Paulbright Synopsis on Toyota Toyota company is a multinational company in manufacture of automobiles. There are millions of customers who are using Toyota cars on a daily basis for office going and for other commercial purposes. Especially in U. S. Toyota cars are extremely in use and even in the recent years, Toyota company has posted a rapid growth by its successful brand Prius Hybrid vehicle. Many experts in automobiles are of the opinion that Toyota has established â€Å"green image† in automobile market. Toyota company mark as a monopoly did not leave the company without problems in spite of its remarkable success. The problems are in various measures such as internal and external which the company’s management has to deal with. Although Toyota company is performing fairly well as compared with competitors there are problems of defective engines, designs and production problems which reflect in fall of sales. Particularly with regard to safety defects in Toyota vehicles is of a major concern to the company. Toyota company has a great experience in adoption of new technologies, innovation of technology and exchange of technology. However, with the emerge of globalisation, there is a stiff competition in the market, which brings in new kind of marketing problems, employment problems and other management problems to the company, whereas it is an agreeable fact that when there are problems, solution exists within the problem whether it is in production, workforce or marketing and these require proper identification of sources of problem, analysis and strategies to counter-attack the problem in order to keep the growth of the company. Especially with global fuel price rise in oil market, bringing a new major concern to Toyota company, which discourages customers to purchase petrol or diesel driven automobiles with the fact that fuel filling is quite expensive. Therefore Toyota company has launched Toyota FCHW which runs with Hydrogen have also entered consumer market as substitute vehicles for petrol and diesel. These hydrogen vehicles also help in less emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. In spite of the acute measure of problems, Toyota company has been endeavoring constantly pursuing comfort with technology aid and in introducing more outperforming and outstanding vehicles into the cars market. Running head: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS 202, Chenoy Avenue St. Joseph’s street Las Vegas – 232 001 (xxx) (xxx xxx) [emailprotected] com February 3, 2008 Mr. Noel Park Automobile Consultant 222, Business Trade center California – 452 005 Dear Mr. Park, Thanks indeed for the good opportunity to research on General Motors. It was a knowledgeable experience in finding some key facts about the company. General Motors is truly facing a halted position in U. S market and is doing very well outside U. S. However, retaining a proportionate share of domestic market is considered to be good at all times with the fact that â€Å"one does not lose battle on one’s own ground† . Have stated some of the alternative measures of strategies General Motors has to undertake with immediate effect and mode of change in operational methods. Enclosing herewith synopsis of General Motors for your perusal and for further necessary action. Sincerely, Paulbright Synopsis on General Motors Another multinational company General Motors with huge and massive successful track of business for several decades, has come to a stage of halt in U. S market as its competitors Toyota, Honda,Hyundai and Nissan have built a proportionate consumer market in U. S. It is an acceptable fact that, General Motors brands of cars are extremely of efficient functioning and due to changing times of global trade entering domestic market, GM has lost sales in an uneven field. This gives out another fact that losing U. S market does not mean that GM has lost consumer market in other countries viz. , Canada, Europe, Asia and many other parts of the world. GM luxury cars Chevrolet, Saturn, Pontiac, GMC, Saab, Hummer and several other models of car have to be made available in market with super special features of advanced technology with cost effective pricing. As a matter of fact, although middle class consumer market is extensive and wide, luxury cars have always retained a unique identity in the market such as in Benz cars, BMW and Lexus. In other words, General Motors must work on innovative manufacturing and marketing strategies in order to maintain its yester years reputation and to keep the sale of cars in high numbers even in losing ground of U. S. market. GM must also work to evolve new methods of marketing to prevent loss of consumer market in North America with the fact that North America has a huge market even if it is for luxury cars. Therefore, General Motors while pursuing other export market, a part of its concentration must also be ventured in North America consumer market. With an apparent fact of severe battle with competitors, General Motors has also been confronted with workforce problems by cutting 30,000 jobs and closure of a dozen plants due to company’s record of loss which posted nearly to $4 billion in 2005. â€Å"GM sought to destroy small dealers through their so-called secret Project 2000, which GM defined as the systematic elimination of small dealerships by the year 2000, and was designed to consolidate car sales at large auto malls, (Horvath). Running head: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS 202, Chenoy Avenue St. Joseph’s street Las Vegas – 232 001 (xxx) (xxx xxx) [emailprotected] com February 3, 2008 Mr. Noel Park Automobile Consultant 222, Business Trade center California – 452 005 Dear Mr. Park, With regard to the synopsis of Toyota and General Motors, the following are some of the key findings. (a) The scenario of Toyota and General Motors is fair and competitive. Both the companies have internal, external and operational method problems. General Motors is partly facing a financial crunch due to its fall in sales and this can be prevented on undertaking of new marketing strategies in U. S as well in other parts of the world where GM branded cars are mostly in want. (b) Problems of production, workforce, management are plenty in Toyota whereas General Motors has slashed jobs and have closed plants in many countries as a precautionary measure. It can always be presumed that these plants would be restored to production as and when the company regains its market. (c) No company can meet every demand of a customer whereas every model of car has a particular design and technicality and with this fact, it can be concluded that branded cars always retain its reputation even though new entries are available in the market at low cost. The trend in market is never constant and it keeps changing and General Motors has an opportunity to watch this trend of consumer market and must restore its marketing strategies. References Michael Kowalski (2007), Rapid Growth has lead to problems for Toyota Accessed February 3, 2008 http://www. glgroup. com/News/Rapid-Growth-has-lead-to-problems-for-Toyota-18827. html Should President Bush be focused on moving forward with Hydrogen? Accessed February 3, 2008 http://hydrogendiscoveries. wordpress. com/ Books Cornelius Herstatt (2005) Management of Technology And Innovation in Japan Accessed February 3, 2008 http://books. google. com/books? id=KC7zgDeAnc8Cpg=PR22lpg=PR19dq=toyota+company+problems+and+solutionsie=ISO-8859-1output=htmlsig=7ATxnpTUENdyS6Dd22CkmAh24ko General Motors GM: Solutions for effective change Accessed February 3, 2008 http://ezinearticles. com/? GM:-Solutions-For-Effective-Changeid=152642 General Motors problems are no secret, but few know why they exist: Insider provides answer in New Book ‘Project 2000’

Modernism in Forsters A Passage to India Essay -- Forster Passage to

Modernism in Forster's A Passage to India      Ã‚  Ã‚   When considering the novels of E.M. Forster, it is natural to recall the reserved landscapes of the Merchant and Ivory cinematic versions. Gauzy images - green hills, languorous boat rides, tender embraces - these impressions, cousins, really, to Jane Austen's plots and settings, are remembered as period pieces seldom associated with the literary experimentation of Virginia Woolf or the winsome angst of the lost War poets. It seems - does it not? - the movies end happily with the appropriate pairing of couples. But Forster should not be lumped in with representative Edwardian literature or with cinematic bliss. In order to analyze the worth of Forster's literary contribution, our impressions of the films must be put aside so that the text's echo can rattle in our ears.    And once the mediums are pried apart and banished to separate corners, a novel like A Passage to India stands alone and can be admired for its complex study of people who interact in an unfamiliar landscape, a landscape that ignores humans entirely. This text is not about good breeding, dowries, or happy endings. With its multiple perspectives, fragile personal connections, and symbolic caves that house an echo of nothingness not every character can hear, A Passage to India is Forster's own quiet rendition of Modernism. He does not try, as do Woolf, Joyce, and Eliot, to break free from standard English fictive forms. Instead, Forster's text contains an innovative, urgent assertion that the core of things like love, friendship, and self-knowledge are perpetually capable of collapsing, yet are valuable in spite of their fragility. His work demonstrates the individual's need to connec... ...nd Joyce are not directly present in A Passage to India, and while Forster's fictive structure might not be as experimental as theirs, his novel stands shoulder to shoulder with other modernists who in a little flash of light detect hidden glimmers beneath the stacks of words that comprise the universal story, the self-deception, the quiet conversation with a friend in a moonlit mosque.    Works Cited    Forster, E.M. A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1924. ---. "What I Believe." Modern British Literature. Eds. John Hollander and Frank Kermode. New York: Oxford, 1973. 624.    Rutherford, Andrew. Introduction. Twentieth Century Interpretations of A Passage to India. Ed. Andrew Rutherford. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1970.    Scherer Herz, Judith. A Passage to India: Nation and Narration. New York: Twayne, 1993.   

Figures in literature Essay

â€Å"As figures in literature, the women portrayed in these stories are either worshipped of they are victims; they are rarely just allowed to be themselves†. Women of the nineteenth century were generally regarded as being inferior to men and were treated with little respect. At the beginning of the century, women enjoyed few of the legal, social or political rights that are now taken for granted in western countries. This meant that they could not vote, could not sue or be sued, could not testify in court, were rarely granted legal custody of their children in cases of divorce, were barred from institutions of higher education and had extremely limited control over personal property after marriage. Women were expected to remain subservient to their fathers and husbands. Their occupational choices were also extremely limited. Middle and upper class women generally remained at home, caring for their children and running the household while lower-class women often were domestic servants or labourers. Many women had to fight the battle of conforming to society’s views against their own freedom and independence, an idea which â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, â€Å"The Woman’s Rose† and â€Å"26 Men and a Girl† discuss and explore. Therefore women often could not be themselves. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† shows the narrator’s struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement. The narrator is mentally trapped by the views of society and her husband, John. She is not allowed to be herself so she confides in â€Å"dead paper†. This allows the reader to see who she is – a strong-minded and independent woman, shown by the repetition of â€Å"personally†. Physically the narrator is trapped by the room which she is staying in, â€Å"for the windows are barred†. These barred windows can symbolise entrapment or a prison cell. From the beginning of the text the story is very personal as it is written in the first person. The narrator is very interesting as she writes using many one sentence paragraphs, making the story seem very realistic, â€Å"Still I proudly declare that there is something queer about it. † The realism comes from the narrator’s style of writing – continuous streams of thought which could also suggest her state of mind. In the story the narrator shows us that she does not get anything she wants, â€Å"John has complete control†. John controls every aspect of the narrator’s life, even her thoughts. This becomes clear when she is writing, but then stops and contradicts herself. The narrator finds herself stopping her line of thought for fear of what John would say, â€Å"I know John would think it absurd. † Everything in and around the house is separated and divided, boxed in, and locked like a prison, much as she is held captive in her own room, â€Å"there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people†¦ I never saw such a garden – large and shady, full of box-bordered paths,† In fact, the house itself seems designed for men. Larger-than-life mansions were typically symbols of masculine aggression and competitiveness, while it’s being a â€Å"hereditary estate† reminds us it was probably passed down to men in the family. It is immediately apparent in the story that the narrator is treated as being inferior to many men, particularly her husband John. Being a physician, he has made a ‘schedule’ for her. She is told to stay in bed, suppress her imagination, and most importantly to discontinue her writing, even though it makes her feels better, but she does not say a word. Her schedule also makes her unable to show her true personality. The readers are the only ones who really know what the narrator is like, â€Å"Personally I disagree with their ideas,† she writes, â€Å"Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. † From this repetition of â€Å"personally† we can assume that the narrator is very independent. This statement, â€Å"What is one to do? † implies a lack of self-confidence and a feeling of inferiority. She speaks as though her opinions do not count in any way. However, she is very accepting of this, which was often the general feeling of women at the time. The narrator belittles herself several more times throughout the story â€Å"I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already†. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is driven by the narrator’s enthusiasm to interpret the wallpaper and realise that it symbolizes something that affects her directly. The wallpaper develops its symbolism throughout the story. At first it seems merely unpleasant; it is ripped and an â€Å"unclean yellow. † The worst part of it is the formless pattern, which fascinates the narrator as she attempts to figure out how it is organized. After staring at the paper for hours, she sees a ghostly sub-pattern behind the main pattern visible only in a certain light. She then sees a woman, which could be a sign that her mental state is deteriorating, or it could be a projection of the narrator onto the wallpaper. This woman puts an element of mystery and excitement in the narrator’s life and it gives her something to think about other than her own health. The desperate woman is constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which has come to resemble bars of a cage. The bars of the cage can symbolise the barred windows in the narrator’s room which in turn symbolise jail. The wallpaper can also represent society’s view in which the narrator finds herself to be trapped by. When the narrator finally identifies herself with the woman trapped in the wallpaper, she is able to see that other women are forced to creep and hide behind the domestic patterns of their lives, and that she herself is the one in need of rescue. The horror of this story is that the narrator must lose herself to understand herself. She has untangled the pattern of her life, but she has torn herself apart by getting free of it. An odd detail at the end of the story reveals how much the narrator has sacrificed. Now she is horribly â€Å"free† of the constraints of her marriage, her society, and her own efforts to repress her mind. The narrator has no name which could show the lack of identity and recognition women were used to in the nineteenth century. However, the fact that the narrator has no name could mean that Charlotte Perkins Gilman wanted the narrator to symbolise all women at that time. The narrator seems to have a lack of self esteem and is unsure about her thoughts and what she wants to say. This can be seen when she breaks up her sentences using hyphens, â€Å"I wonder – I begin to think – oh I wish John would take me away from here! † The narrator is free of her constraints of her marriage as she has detached herself from her husband, John. While she would usually call him â€Å"John† or â€Å"my husband† she now refers to him as â€Å"that man†, which can underline the fact that her strength as a woman and also her strength as a character has increased. The end of the story shows a switch in power between the narrator and John. At the beginning John had all the power, however at the end the narrator has power over him. We can see this when John comes into the locked room and faints in her path, â€Å"now why should that man have fainted? â€Å", [†¦ ] â€Å"I had to creep over him every time† which can also suggest the fact that women can gain temporary control over men, but they will never seem to be free of them. At the end of the story the narrator believes she has won, â€Å"I’ve got out at last† by setting the woman free from behind the main pattern of the wallpaper. By setting the woman free from behind the wallpaper it can also suggest to the narrator is being set free as well. The narrator made a huge sacrifice in escaping and as a result, at the end of the story, we see that she has lost her narrative; her writing has become less fluent and fragmented, with no structured pattern. This can be seen on the last two pages with the extensive use of exclamation marks. There would be many social consequences of the narrator’s actions. By setting free the woman, it implies that the narrator and the woman are very much the same, as they are both trapped; the yellow wallpaper is trapping the woman, but the barred windows and society are trapping the narrator.

Analysis of the Article: “The New Psychology of Leadership” Essay

Analysis of the Article: â€Å"The New Psychology of Leadership† Scientific American Mind Journal, August 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The article by Stephen D. Reicher tells us about how the definition of â€Å"Leaders† has been changed over time, and how it transformed to suit today’s society (Reicher, Platow and Haslam). It tells about how this effective leadership contradicted the conventional notion of what a leader should be, how a leader should act. It gave the September 11 bombing, where President George W. Bush has stepped up to give us a clear definition of what today’s leaders are like. Bush was merely an example, and that there are other aspects that would give a meaning to the â€Å"leaders† of today, redefining the belief that it only takes willingness and character to become a successful leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first point that was stressed, and that was manifested by President Bush during the 9/11 bombing was that leaders have been remodeled by the society today. It is not only willingness and character that the people need. Today’s leaders should also be able to act or be like them, be one with the people. Through that, there will be unity; and with a unified following, the leader can then mobilize these people to achieve the changes, as for the time of the bombing, was the call for America to act as one against terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the article, there are several changes that have been shown when it comes to a characteristic that a leader should possess. The first of these changes was about charisma, evolving to a consensus. The notion about how leaders should possess charisma in order to attain success have been slowly shadowed by the fact that charismatic leaders are not effective leaders if they wont be able to get something going. It was then replaced by how well a leader adapts to his situation, and how he is able to lead people, which defines him as a leader. He should not be defined as how many people he can convince, instead he should be defined by how many people he was able to mobilize and bring out changes with his leadership.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another defining character that an effective leader should possess is to be able to blend in with the crowd, the very people he is leading and supervising. He should be one of the gang, and not to be seen as the high-and-mighty sovereign ruler of the land. This is to gain the confidence and the respect of the people. If he is able to be seen as someone like them or someone who understands them, then the leader would definitely have their trusts and be able to mobilize these people toward the goals and objectives of the leaders which are also for the people’s interests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The leader should also be fair with his constituents or to those who are in lower positions from them. This is to maintain the trust and the positive outlook from these people, for them to think that these leaders are not taking advantage of their position, or that these leaders do not deserve their position at all. It is through their followers that the leader will be able to determine what to do, which is usually dependent on how the group thinks. Fairness can be observed by effective leaders in resolving problems between members, wherein there should be no favoritism shown. The leader should also be able to verbalize their leadership, being able to wield words and deliver them correctly to the people. This is one way of strengthening his command and building the respect of his followers, so that they can be effectively mobilized by the leaders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article is a useful source of information on how a person can be an effective leader. This also updates us of how the society today defines an effective leader. This is because an effective leader doesn’t have a constant or concrete definition, of what should possess to become an effective leader. It still lies on his constituents, in his followers, that would define him on how a leader should be. This is because a leader is also a servant, and that is why a leader also has to be of service to others, which are the general public. Reicher, Stephen D., Michael J. Platow, and S. Alexander Haslam. â€Å"The New Psychology of Leadership†.   2007.   Scientific American Mind. August 9 2007. .

Funny St. Patricks Day Sayings and Quotes

Funny St. Patricks Day Sayings and Quotes The Irish are famous for two things. One, they can drink like a fish and keep the spirit flowing. Two, they know how to take a joke. The Irish also love to joke, especially about themselves. They dont care about political correctness and other such mumbo-jumbo. For them, a below-the-belt barb is an expression of endearment. The Irish are also noted for their tremendous sense of humor. Their quick-wittedness is evident in these Irish sayings and quotes. Some famous witty Irishmen like Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Conan OBrien and F. Scott Fitzgerald have achieved global fame for their extraordinary wit and wisdom. Their words reveal their brilliant imagination. Embrace Irish humor on St. Patricks Day. The Irish love their culture, history, and traditions. They love cracking jokes and drinking beer (like Guinness) and Irish whiskey (like Jamesons or Bushmills).  However, if you dont have an appetite for insults, watch out for their sharp tongue the Irish spare no one in their quick comebacks. If you are celebrating St. Patricks Day, arm yourself with witticisms to level the playing field. Quotes About The Irish Sidney LittlewoodThe Irish dont know what they want and are prepared to fight to the death to get it. Oliver HerfordThe Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scots as a joke, but the Scots havent seen the joke yet. Winston ChurchillWe have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English. John Pentland MahaffyIn Ireland, the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs. Irish BlessingMay God bless and keep in good health your enemies enemies. Brendan BehanIf it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks. Ann KennedyThe one thing us Irish have is the ability to laugh at ourselves. God bless us all. Stephen ColbertThe shamrock is a religious symbol. St. Patrick said the leaves represented the trinity: the Father, the son and the holy spirit. Thats why four-leaf clovers are so lucky; you get a bonus Jesus. Ralph Wiggum, The SimpsonsAnd thats where I saw the leprechaun. He told me to burn things! Margot Leitman, Lewis Blacks Root of All EvilSt. Patricks Day is a holy day for Roman Catholics in Ireland to pray and a day for drunk people to vomit with their pants down in New Jersey. Jon StewartMaking it [St. Patricks Day] a great day for the Irish, but just an OK day if youre looking for a quiet tavern to talk, read or have a white wine spritzer. Jimmy FallonAnd on me final night, I got as lucky as a clover, I met a purdy lassie, drunk enough to come on over. Steven, BraveheartIn order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to converse with the Almighty. Laura KightlingerIts a big deal about whether or not gays can march in the St. Patricks Day parade, and I have to say that on some level I kind of see their point. Because when you think about it, it is a real macho heterosexual event. Bunch of guys in short skirts on a cart made of rose pedals sharing a bagpipe. Thats not for sissies. Jay LenoThis is St. Patricks Day in Los Angeles, Luck O The Irish Recipes. Delicious Irish guacamole. Corned beef and guacamole. Irish SayingIf youre enough lucky to be Irish, youre lucky enough! Ellen DeGeneresThe legend goes that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. I was thinking ... that must be hard to put all the tiny seatbelts on all the snakes. Conan OBrienSt.Patricks Day is named for St. Patrick, the first guy to feed Guinness to a snake. Lewis BlackWhos this Patrick anyway? The patron saint of liquor distributors? Heres the real truth, he didnt get rid of snakes in Ireland. He just got rid of the ones he was seeing. Sean MoreyI come from an Irish family. St. Patricks Day was our big holiday. The night before wed hang up our stockings and in the morning theyd be full of beer.

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers

3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers 3 Sentences with Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Phrases that provide additional information in a sentence are often haphazardly situated within that sentence in such a way that the reader might be confused about what the modifying phrase refers to, or at best must reread the sentence to confirm that he or she has comprehended the correct meaning. Here are three sentences that benefit from relocation of a modifying phrase. 1. After twenty-seven years of marriage, I can only imagine how shocking your wife’s revelation must have been for you. Because the subject I immediately follows the modifying phrase â€Å"after twenty-seven years of marriage,† the erroneous implication is that the fact that the writer has been married to someone for that long enables him or her to imagine how shocking the revelation of the other person’s wife must have been for that person. (Here, only is an intensifier, making the meaning of the phrase â€Å"I can only imagine† akin to â€Å"I can well imagine,† rather than a diminisher, as in â€Å"I only have a few minutes to talk†- which should, technically, read, â€Å"I have only a few minutes to talk.†) However, the point is that that the other person and his or her wife have been married for a long time, and because of that fact, the wife’s revelation is shocking. To make this point clear, the sentence should begin with the subject and continue to shocking (the adjective that is the key word, and thus the fulcrum, of the sentence) before the modifying phrase is inserted as a parenthetical: â€Å"I can only imagine how shocking, after twenty-seven years of marriage, your wife’s revelation must have been for you.† 2. The project could require another two billion dollars to finish construction and ensure safety, which is about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Because safety immediately precedes the final phrase of this sentence, the statement describes safety as being a certain proportion of the country’s gross domestic product- obviously an error, because common sense tells the reader that the phrase about the GDP refers to the dollar amount, not to an intangible quality. To unambiguously represent that connection, the parenthetical reference to the dollar amount should appear immediately after the figure: â€Å"The project could require another two billion dollars- about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product- to finish construction and ensure safety.† 3. Smith’s company is unusual because it doesn’t pay any of its workers in exchange for stock equity. As written, this sentence suggests that Smith’s company is rare among businesses in that it doesn’t provide compensation to its employees with the understanding that the workers will offer his company stock equity in return; presumably, it has some other, unusual arrangement with the people who staff the company. This nonsensical impression is eliminated by changing the focus from what his company doesn’t do to what it does do and reversing the references to stock equity and pay, along with rewording the latter reference: â€Å"Smith’s company is unusual because it offers its workers stock equity in lieu of a salary.† (The modifying phrase â€Å"in lieu of a salary† could also be inserted parenthetically after because.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with HeartBest Websites to Learn EnglishWord Count and Book Length

MKTG 4050 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

MKTG 4050 - Essay Example The Strength and weakness are within the organization. And the opportunity and threat are from the respective markets. Strength: the main strength is the brand name McDonald’s. However, the brand name is been maintained by the highly skilled professionals within the organization and the new product, that is the Healthy meal is having a great strength within the name itself. Most of the people buy the brand instead of buying the product. And if the McDonald’s can sustain the internal strength then the new product will be a successful approach. Weakness: The weakness is one of the factors which pull a product down from the top to the bottom. One of the main weaknesses is the fixed menu of the new product. It is true that the new menu for the Healthy meal is suitable for the kids and the elders as far as the health issues are concern. But, there are many competitors are there who are having optional items in the meal menu. Opportunity: Obesity has become one of the major issues for the fast food industries. Sixty three percent say that obesity has become one of the major issues globally (Levi 49). The fast food is among the main reasons for the alarming rate of obesity due to the calorie contains in the fast foods. The Healthy Meal has mashed potatoes instead of fried and baked food instead od deep fried and that is the main opportunity within the industry. Threat: the threat is the competition. There are many competitors are there who provided healthy food and they are Subway, Taco Bell, and Berger King. The Taco Bell has a menu option for the healthy meal and that is very much threatening for the new product of the McDonald’s. However, McDonald’s healthy meal for kids has all the foods which are healthy. The opportunity and the strength are very much closely related. In this health conscious market the healthy meal is the primary opportunity for McDonald’s and at the same time the well trained staffs can make it big. The

Systems Development and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Systems Development and Management - Essay Example As Sveiby advises the "difference between learning organization theory and KM in [my] interpretation of it is the fact that KM includes the outer world, the customer, and how to approach the customer, which learning organization theory does not" (p 2). The interview touches on another important point about KM called the transfer of tacit knowledge with respect to computers and Sveiby makes an important point that the "challenge is to create tools that help us be more creative, for instance, thinking tools, more educational tools like simulations" (p 2). This type of change in KM forms the tools for other large corporations to take note of how effectual KM is in within the framework of each organization. At IBM, technologies are being developed for "technologies that can be applied to knowledge management and to assess their actual or potential contribution to the basic processes of knowledge creation and sharing within organizations" (Marwick, 2001) and such look

Homeland security preparedness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Homeland security preparedness - Essay Example This can be seen in the increasing budgetary allocation to intelligence over the past few years. The United States intelligence budget (excluding military intelligence program) in 2010 was $ 53 billion. In 2009 it was $ 49.8 billion. The budgetary allocation was $ 47 billion in 2008, $ 43.5 billion in 2007 and $ 40.9 billion in 2006. According to one study of Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the Federal budgetary allocations (after adjusting for inflation) for Intelligence has increased by a third during the past decade. 8) To use the intelligence gathered, for making decision relating to national security that can lead to more effective and efficient utilization of the available economic and military resources of United States of America. The whole idea of using the umbrella term ‘home land security’ for defining security efforts to protect United States against terrorist attacks gained currency after the deadly and dastardly terrorist attacks on World Trade Center. The Homeland Security Act was passed in the year 2002. Under this act the new cabinet Department of Department for Homeland Security ( DHS ) was established. The National Strategy for Homeland Security defines homeland security as: â€Å" A concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks in United States of America; reduce the vulnerability of United States to terrorism ; minimization of damages caused from terrorist attacks; and to lead to immediate recovery from terrorist attacks, if they occur.† Before the September 11 attacks, the public policy on security made a distinction between domestic intelligence and foreign intelligence. The domestic intelligence activities were largely concerned with gathering intelligence for the purposes of law enforcement. The main objective behind Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA), 2004 was to integrate the foreign, military and domestic

Overview Of Walmart Cost Leadership

Overview Of Walmart Cost Leadership The low cost strategy emphasizes having the lowest costs, not necessarily the lowest price, in a market. A firm attempting to realize a low cost strategy should stress resources that facilitate efficiency. A firm that has successfully achieved a low cost position will have the lowest costs relative to competitors. A firm can use such a position to either lower its prices and gain market share and sales from rivals or keep its prices at the present market level and make relatively more profit per unit sold. The key idea is that cost and price are independent choices, and this strategy is focused on cost. The differentiation strategy focuses on developing a unique product or (equally useful) a perception of a unique product that customers are willing to pay a premium for. If a firm is not receiving a premium price for its goods or services it is NOT a differentiator. A firm seeking to follow a differentiation strategy should attempt to develop and enhance its resources that promote customer responsiveness, quality, and/or innovation. Note that costs are still important to a differentiator because it is possible that the costs of making the product unique will be greater than the premium consumers are willing to pay for it. The firm can choose to compete in the mass market with a broad scope, or in a defined, focused market segment with a narrow scope. In either case, the basis of competition will still be either cost leadership or differentiation. In adopting a narrow focus, the company ideally focuses on a few target markets (segmentation strategy or niche strategy). The choice of offering low prices or differentiated products/services should depend on the needs of the selected segment and the resources and capabilities of the firm. It is hoped that by focusing your marketing efforts on one or two narrow market segments and tailoring your marketing mix to these specialized markets, you can better meet the needs of that target market. The firm typically looks to gain a competitive advantage through product innovation and/or brand marketing rather than efficiency. Competitive Advantage Cost Uniqueness Broad Competitive Scope Narrow Our focus in this report is to showcase implementation of these strategies by picking examples of companies that have successfully used these strategies to gain competitive advantages. Walmart: Cost Leadership Founded by Sam Walton, the first Wal-Mart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. Seventeen years later, annual sales topped $1 billion. By the end of January 2002, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart), was the worlds largest retailer, with $218 billion in sales. Wal-Marts winning strategy in the U.S. was based on selling branded products at low cost. Each week, about 100 million customers visited a Wal-Mart store somewhere in the world. The company employed more than 1.3 million associates (Wal-Marts term for employees) worldwide through more than 3,200 stores in the United States and more than 1,100 units in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In 2001, Fortune magazine named Wal-Mart the third most admired company in America, and the Financial Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked it as the eighth most admired company in the world. The following year, Wal-Mart was named number one on the Fortune 500 list and was presented with the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership, a presidential award that recognized companies for outstanding achievement in employee and community relations. Wal-Mart enjoyed a 50 percent market share position in the discount retail industry. Procter Gamble, Clorox, and Johnson Johnson were among its nearly 3,000 suppliers. Though Wal-Mart may have been the top customer for consumer product manufacturers, it deliberately ensured it did not become too dependent on any one supplier; no single vendor constituted more than 4 percent of its overall purchase volume. About 85 percent of all the merchandise sold by Wal-Mart was shipped through its distribution system to its stores. (Competitors supplied to their retail outlets on average less than 50 percent of the merchandise through their own distribution centers.) The company owned a fleet of more than 3,000 trucks and 12,000 trailers. (Most competitors outsourced trucking.) Wal-Mart had implemented a satellite network system that allowed information to be shared between the companys wide network of stores, distribution centers, and suppliers. The system consolidated orders for goods, enabling the company to buy full truckload quantities without incurring the inventory costs. Wal-Marts Value Proposition Wal-Marts value proposition can be summed up as everyday low prices for a broad range of goods that are always in stock in convenient geographic locations. It is those aspects of the customer experience that the company overdelivers relative to competitors. Underperformance on other dimensions, such as ambience and sales help, is a strategic choice that generates cost savings, which fuel the companys price advantage. If the local mom-and-pop hardware store has survived, it also has a value proposition: convenience, proprietors who have known you for years, free coffee and doughnuts on Saturday mornings, and so on. Sears falls in the middle on many criteria. As a result, customers lack a lot of compelling reasons to shop there, which goes a long way toward explaining why the company is struggling to remain pro ¬Ã‚ table. Walmart in 2010 Growth opportunities continue. Price leadership continues to be the cornerstone of how it goes to market. Growth in the United States will come from additional penetration into more metropolitan markets, as well as from new formats and stronger integration with the online business. Walmart.com traffic exceeded one billion visits this past year, growing more than 15 percent over the previous year through Site-to-Storeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and home delivery. Leverage scale and reduce costs. Innovation, process improvements and strong management teams drove significant improvements in our business. Walmart repositioned the business to leverage operating expenses on a slower rate of sales growth this past year. Improved productivity through enhanced scheduling systems better matched associate staffing levels in stores to customer traffic. Stronger supply chain processes also improved inventory flow. Merchandising and planning systems contributed to lower inventory levels, which were also benefited by increased sell-through. Global sourcing initiatives now under way strengthen efforts to drive down the cost of goods and pass those savings on to customers. Improved returns. Walmart significantly increased its cash flow and return on invested capital in fiscal 2010. Gross margin improvements, tight expense control, strong inventory management and efficient capital allocation contributed to this improved performance. It reduced year-end inventory by $1.8 billion, or 7.6 percent, and increased inventory turns as well. Apples differentiation approach enhances the companys competitive advantage in the market. It favors Apple to continue down a path that not only maintains premium positioning but also enhances it. It is clearly doing this at the research and development (RD) level. The introduction of a new portable manufacturing process (the unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro) and a relatively fast-paced operating system release cycle are clearly a function of Apples ever-evolving differentiated positioning. The upcoming Mac OS X Snow Leopard (successor to Mac OS X Leopard) and iPhone OS 3.0 will continue to push the envelope and set the groundwork for continued innovation in the years to come. Apple has never shied away from starting over. It did this with the transition to Mac OS X, the transition to Intel processors, and the re-design of their portable Macs. Each enhancement widens the differentiation gap that competitors must narrow or copy in order to compete with Apple. The Company participates in several highly competitive markets. While it is widely recognized as a leading innovator in the markets where it competes, these markets are highly competitive and subject to aggressive pricing. To remain competitive, Apple believes that increased investment in research and development and marketing and advertising is necessary to maintain or expand its position in the markets where it competes. Digging deeper into the strategy, the trade-off protects Apples unique position. Competitors have two main ways to imitate an incumbent. A competitor can (1) reposition itself or (2) straddle, an approach that attempts to match the incumbents position while maintaining its existing position. By maintaining its price premium at the expense of unit volume, Apple has created an imitation barrier that competitors cannot easily cross. PC competitors cannot realistically enter Apples space by transforming themselves into a premium brand without alienating or pricing out existing customers. If a competitor decided to reposition or straddle it would have to compete with Apples decades long premium brand equity. Thus, PC vendors have two transformational issues working against them, time and cost. Apples competitors will not be able to transform their brand image overnight. Any such effort will take considerable amount of time on numerous dimensions ranging from product design to marketing. T his leads to the second issue, cost. Any transformation undertaken by a competitor will cost tens or perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars in a sustained re-branding and advertising campaign. In todays marketplace, a cost of this magnitude is not feasible. From a trade-off perspective, Apple has systematically analyzed what not to do; attempt to compete at lower price points. Apples entry into retailing, for example, is designed to provide better point-of-sales service to customers wishing to purchase an Apple product than can be had from independent stores. By helping to raise the overall level of differentiation associated with Apples offering, the strategy is designed to strengthen Apples competitive position. Zara: Focused Differentiation Zara is a phenomenon in the textile industry; it was a start-up in Spain and gradually has evolved to be today a very successful leader quoted company in its industry. Zara, the most profitable brand of Inditex SA, the Spanish clothing retail group, opened its first store in 1975 in La Coruà ±a, Spain, they have expanded operations into 45 countries with 531 stores located in the most important shopping districts of more than 400 cities in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Throughout this expansion Zara has remained focused on its core fashion philosophy that creativity and quality design together with a rapid response to market demands will yield profitable results. In order to realized these results Zara developed a business model that incorporated the following three goals for operations: develop a system the requires short lead times, decrease quantities produced to decrease inventory risk, and increase the number of available styles and/or choice. These goals helped to formulate a unique value proposition: to combine moderate prices with the ability to offer new clothing styles faster than its competitors. These three goals helped to sha pe Zaras current business model. Capabilities of Zara, or the required resources needed to exploit the opportunities and execute this conceptual strategy, are numerous for Zara. Zara maintains tight control over their production processes keeping design and manufacturing in-house or with some strategic partnerships located nearby Headquarters. Value drivers for Zara are both tangible and intangible in the benefits that are returned to all stakeholders. Tangibly, Inditex, the parent company of Zara, has 11.02% net margin on operations and their market capitalization (Equity market value) is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬13, 981 (in thousands) in 2002. Their net working capital (current assets current liabilities) is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬133 (in thousands) . Additionally, the success of Zara can be demonstrated through their outstanding financial performance. From 1996 to 2000, Inditex SA tripled their corporate profits and in 2001, a year of overall economic downturn in the retail industry, Inditex SA saw a 31% increase in profits. Int angibly, customer loyalty and brand recognition have provided significant value to Zara. The number of consumers they attract continues to rise and their brand is synonymous with the cutting edge of fashion at affordable prices. The successful implementation of Zaras business model provides great value to stakeholders and differentiates their business from their peers. Vertical integration: a distinctive feature of Zaras business model, has allowed the company to successfully develop a strong merchandising strategy. This strategy has led Zara to create a climate of scarcity and opportunity as well as a fast-fashion system. Zara manufactures 60% of its own products. By owning its in-house production, Zara is able to be flexible in the variety, amount, and frequency of the new styles they produce. Also, 85% of this production is done through the season, which allows the chain to constantly provide its costumer with very updated products. Traditional retailers lack this flexibility. Traditional retailers are obligated to place production orders to manufacturers overseas at least 6 months in advance of the season. Zara purchases its fabric in advance , much of it in grienge form this gives flexibility to colour print , to desired effect. Low current inventory: Regular customers know that new products are introduced every two weeks and most likely would not be available tomorrow. Therefore, Zaras scarcity climate allows the company to sell more items at full price. This strategy minimizes Zaras total cost because it reduces 15-20% of markdown merchandise compare to a traditional retailer. Zaras centralized distribution facility gives the chain a competitive advantage by minimizing the lead-time of their goods, distribution center is a place where merchandise is moved rather than stored. The current ratio shows that for every euro in short-term debt, Inditex has 1.02 million euros in current assets. HM however, has 3.40 million euros in current assets for every euro in short-term debt. The company designs and cuts its fabric in-house and it acquires fabrics in only four colors to keep costs low. Zara postpones dyeing and printing designs until close to manufacture, thereby reducing waste and minimizing the need to clear unsold inventories. Technology: Whether measured by IT workers as a percentage of total employees or total spending as a percentage of sales, ZaraÊ ¼s IT expenditure is less than one-fourth the fashion industry average. Zara excels by targeting technology investment at the points in its value chain where it will have the most significant impact, making sure that every dollar spend on tech has a payoff. It still uses the DOS system without much networking capability, whereas its competitors like Prada use RFID technology, Benneton uses SAP. Marketing Advertising: Zara also has an advantage over its competitors due to its low advertising costs. Zaras advertising investment is 0-.3% as compared to traditional retailers who expends 3 4%. Zara relies mainly on its stores to project their image. For that reason, Zara has a department, which exclusively works in acquiring global prime real estate locations. In addition, this department is responsible for the frequent refurbishing of store layouts, as well as the creation of a common window display for Zaras global stores. Controlling notorious bottlenecks along the supply chain is key to speed. For example dyeing and fit are critical processes within the supply chain. Zara is a large investor in a dye and finishing plant-a notorious bottleneck. Its control allows them to oversee the dyeing process. A further trouble spot is sewing. Even though Zara uses sub-contractors some subcontractors, it carries out the bulk of all cutting itself-a crucial process that determines fit. 60% of the manufacturing processes are outsourced in countries close to the Zara headquarters in Spain to help achieve a quick turnaround. Zara maintains a strong relationship with their contractors and suppliers-viewing them as part of the company. To successfully react to consumers demands, design decisions are delayed as long as possible. Typically, Zara pre-commits to 50%-60% of its production in advance of the season, whereas other clothing retailers commit to 80%-90%. Thus Zara reserves mill capacities to ensure production fac ilities are available when needed. Value Chain In todays competitive environment, Zara has shown that fine tuning the supply chain is no longer a strategic tool, but a necessity. It has shown that supply chain management can be managed provide sustainable competitive differentiation and positioning on the one hand and increase throughput, reduce inventories and operating expenses on the other. Zaras Product Offering Zaras unique capabilites allow it to cater to a focussed set of customers yet at a cost leadership position. Zara has a competitive advantage in logistics, with production just in time with better performance that its competitors, it also has the ability to renew all what is in their stores in few weeks. It also counts with storage in Europe, in Zaragoza that is close to the distribution centres. Product Offer Supply process High customisation Low volume High Margin High quality High volume High standardisation Low unit margin Low quality Flexible process High fashion: out of price Rigid Process ZARA MS :Out of fashion According to Porter, the reason so many firms suffer aggressive, margin eroding competition, is because theyve defined themselves according to operational effectiveness rather than strategic positioning. Operational effectiveness refers to performing the same tasks better than rivals perform them. Everyone wants to be better, but the danger in operational effectiveness is in sameness. At its heart Zara is building on a vertically integrated demand and supply chain, while most other textile chains rely on outsourcing and cheap labour in China. It enables company to short turnaround times and achieves greater flexibility, reducing stock to a minimum and diminishing fashion risk to the greatest possible extent. Ikea: Focused Cost Leadership Ikea is one of the known global home furniture and household goods retailer which is a privately owned company. It was established by Ingvar Kamarad Sweden and in year 2008 the company owned 244 Ikea stores in 24 nations and the management is still planning to open 23 new stores. The company has also 32 stores on 16 nations and these stores were still managed and owned by franchisees outside the Ikea Group which extends the global reach of Ikea to 35 territories overseas. The Ikea Group has also been able to diversify their products beyond furnishings and furniture into food products and prefabricated housing. The company has been able to ensure that they have franchise agreements among most of the overseas operations to ensure capitalization of local marketing expertise and practices of the franchisees. The concept and trademark of Ike is owned by Ikea Systems BV and the operations of the company are basically controlled by Ingka Holding. Primarily, the company is based on providing broad range of well-designed, functional home furnishing goods at an affordable cost to attract more customers. This concept of the Ikea is the foundation of their business operations which includes product designing, manufacturing, transportation, retailing, and assembling. The company sees to it that they work hard in attaining their business goals and providing quality products and services among their target market. Strategy Analysis In order to analyse the capabilities of IKEA, different marketing tools will be considered. This includes the SWOT Analysis, Porters Five Forces Model, and Core Competencies analysis. Capabilities Analysis According to Kim and Weaver (2000), the administration and management of a particular business organization entails full utilization of the resources of the company in order to lead, direct, and control operations to meet the set objectives. It can be said that IKEA has been able to use strategic approach to sustain their competitive advantage. One of the capabilities IKEA is how the leaders of the company do their business. Guided by their vision and mission, the leader and management of the industry clearly illustrate integrity in all their actions. The management has also strong commitment in promoting the company values and the value of diversity among the employees and staffs. In addition, the management of the company has been able to understand the priorities of the business and make every decision in line with the strategic direction by giving consideration to the effect on all aspects of the business and on other stakeholders. Another sustainable capability of the company is its continuous focus on the importance of both internal and external customers to ensure that these customers remain loyal to them. The company also makes it sure that they motivate, inspire, coach, guide, and support their staffs to realise the mission of the IKEA. Furthermore, the companys ability to identify and recognise contributors is another factor that sustains the companys competitive advantages. The ability of the management to diversify and differentiate their business strategy to dominate the global market can also be considered as the major capabilities of the IKEA. Swot Analysis In this report, the analysis of the current situation of Ikea will be done using different marketing tools. Herein, IKEA will be analysed through the use of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis. The purpose of this internal and external analysis is to see what the organization has to work with as it begins to position itself to deal with the opportunities and threats identified through the analysis of the external environments. Specifically, it helps identify what existing strengths and weaknesses might impact the organizations value creation capabilities. Strengths As mentioned, IKEA has been one of the leading brands in household furnitures in its global operations. One of its strength is its being a very profitable company, in both its domestic and international branches. In addition, IKEA is a global brand established upon a reputation of quality products and services with almost 10,000 product range and 244 stores in different regions. Furthermore, one of the strengths of IKEA is its strong ethical values integrated with its business strategy which include cost leadership and product differentiation. The strength of the company can also be attributed to their ability to distribute their product effectively in the global market. One of their strengths is their ability to diversify when the company has been able to launch their private label food items in 2005. The offerings of the company include Swedish dishes which include meatballs, smoked elk sausage, roll-mop herring, and crisp breads. Weaknesses Although IKEA encompass much strength, the company has also its weaknesses. One of the weaknesses of the companies is the notion that IKEA remain vulnerable to the plausibility that the creativity and product development may falter over time. In addition the company has also lacking the ability to look for a business portfolio for various regions, like in the case of IKEA so as to spread business risk. Opportunities With the management system and the marketing strategies implemented within IKEA as well as with the strengths that the company, it can be said that IKEA has bigger opportunities to still dominate the global market in terms of providing quality household furniture as well as food products and services to its residents, commercial and industrial clients or even have an opportunity to be the most competitive brands in the global market. With the continuous innovation of the company and the support that it shows to different needs of the region, the company can gain loyalty from their customers to make them more competitive in the marketplace. The continuous initiatives of the company in diversification of its revenue resources also open new opportunities to make the business become stronger to outgrow all its rival companies. Such opportunities will include the development of new products, leveraging the companys investment in the low cost leadership and differentiation, and other business opportunities in both non-core and core areas. In line with IKEA, the household furniture as well as food products and services have the opportunity to expand their market in the global level, and it can be said that IKEA is on its way ahead of its competitors in terms of international expanding. Threats One of the threats of that IKEA may face is the emergence of a new and stronger company which offered a more diversified household furniture as well as food products which is cheaper than the existing companies. If these companies will not be able to provide the latest trends in this kind of business industries, the company may experience some industrial threats. In order for the company to maximise its strengths and minimise or totally eliminate its weaknesses, the company must be able to use or impose a strategic management system that will help them enhance their business operations. Porters Five Forces Model It can be noted that an industry is a group of firms which market its products and services closely substituted from one another. According to Porter (1980), some firms tend to become more profitable and gain competitive advantage than their rivals companies. With this, a company like Ikea should always bear in mind that the industry will only survive in the global market by using a strategy that will sustain their competitive advantage and position. Through the use Porters Five Forces Model, the analysis of the industry aspects of the IKEA will be analysed. New Market Entrants The first element of Porters Five Forces Model includes threat of entrance of new industries. Apparently, the objective of IKEA is to build a position in the household furniture as well as food shops service industry and to be recognised as company which would always be competitive in the global market. IKEA is said to be a world-class companies in providing household furniture as well as food products and services in market environment. With this, it can be said that because of the existence of IKEA, having another household furniture as well as food shops is unnecessary unless, the new company which will emerge will have the appropriate and efficient marketing strategy to outgrow both leading companies. Hence, it can be said that the household furniture as well as food shop belongs to a higher entry obstruction because of the existence of competitive companies like the companies and their other rival industries. Supplier Power It can be noted that the conditions and the present system in the household furniture as well as food shop industries largely determines the extent in which effective competition can be achieved. The bargaining power of a supplier could be a threat for the profit of the company, and both IKEA is very much aware of it. In this manner, IKEA is trying to have a good contract with its supplier, herein; IKEA makes it sure that they are also benefited in the said contract while the suppliers enjoy the agreement with them. In this kind of business, there is a high level of competition in the household furniture as well as food brand supply market. Competitive Rivalry IKEA still enjoy their competitive position in the global market. In this analysis, it shows that the company still dominate the household furniture as well as food market by providing those quality and innovative services. This means that IKEA is still on top of the competition among other household furniture as well as food retail companies in world. The company enjoys its competitive position in the region and still trying to sustain its competitive advantage among its rivals. Buyer Power Porters also include in his model the concept of the bargaining power of Buyers. Hence, the management of IKEA makes sure of it that their clients and customers in all aspects will be satisfied for the quality service they provide. Specifically, the company has focused their marketing approach on the demands and needs of the buyer for a household furniture as well as food service source that satisfy them and heavily positioned their products in this segment. The company also uses their corporate responsibility as a good public image to make the company more appealing to their customers. The competitive aim of each company is to do significantly a better job of providing what buyers are looking for and, thereby enabling the firm to gain competitive advantage and out compete rivals within the marketplace (Thompson, Strickland Gamble, 2003). Threats of substitutes In terms of threats and substitutes, although the company is aware that there were threats for substitute products or retail household furniture as well as food shops because of its high demand in the global market, specifically now that companies offered household furniture as well as food alternative products and flavours which suit the needs of the household furniture as well as food market. The company has been able to continue to grow and expand their business in various parts of the world. It can be said that IKEA has been able to use various strategies which enable them to sustain their competitive position in the global market. Ikea Strategy IKEA follows the focused cost leadership strategy. Young buyers in search of stylish and fashionable furniture and household accessories at a low cost are IKEAs targeted market segment. For these customers, the firm offers home furnishings that combine good design, functionality and acceptable quality at low prices. According to the firm, low cost is always a priority. This applies to every phase of their activities. IKEA emphasises several activities to keep its costs low. For example, instead of relying primarily on third party manufacturers, the firms engineers design low-cost, modular furniture ready for assembly by customers. IKEA also positions its products in domestic settings. Typically, competitors furniture stores display multiple varieties of a single item in separate rooms, meaning that their customers examine living room sofas in one room, tables in another room, chairs in yet another location, and accessories somewhere else entirely. In contrast, IKEAs customers can view different furniture combinations (complete with sofas, chairs, tables, and so forth) in a single setting, which eliminates the need for sales associates or decorators to help the customer imagine how a furniture arrangement would look when placed in the customers home. This approach requires fewer sales personnel, allowing IKEA to keep its costs low. A third practice that helps keep IKEAs costs low is expect