Political, Societal And Economic Factors - 1350 Words

6. What political, societal and economic factors are important in this country? ECONOMIC SOCIETAL When it comes to the societal aspect of the country of Qatar, its residents have been divided into three different groups. the Hadar, Bedouin, and Abd. The Bedouin group can actually trace their descent back from the nomads of the arabian peninsula, where the Hadar groups ancestors were settled town dwellers. Although these individuals are of separate societal groups, some of the Hadar are descendants of the Bedouin group. Most of these residents descend from migrants from the present-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and are occasionally referred to as ‘Irani-Qataris.’ The Abd group also known as Alabd formally, the literal translation of this group name means â€Å"slaves.† These individuals are descendants of slaves brought from east africa many years ago. Every member of each of these Qatari groups have the right to a non-challenged citizenship. Although they are free to live a good life in Qatar; their sociocultural differences among all of them do not go unnoticed, and are recognized and acknowledged on a day to day basis. POLITICAL The Qatari as a whole are of an â€Å"emirate,† which is ruled by an Emir. Since the start of Qatar’s independence, this country’s rulers have been of one particular family known as ‘Al Thani’ The Emir, several of the cabinet ministers, as well as officials of high ranking -- are all members of the Al Thani Family. This large kin group, filledShow MoreRelatedSocial Policy: Supporting Children in Care and Adult Care Leavers1445 Words   |  6 Pagesnecessary information on how to survive within the economy. Because of their societal state, they are incapable of acquiring employment opportunities to facilitate satisfaction of their needs. This vulnerable situation of the young society members makes it crucial for the application of this policy. Implementation of the policy would allow these young individuals to avoid exploitation, abuse, and violent practices from other societal members. Results show that study care leavers were more likely to haveRe ad More PEST Analysis (Political, Economic, Social Technical Analysis)636 Words   |  3 PagesPEST Analysis (Political, Economic, Social Technical Analysis) A PEST analysis (also sometimes called STEP, STEEP or PESTLE analysis) looks at the external business environment. In fact, it would be better to call this kind of analysis a business environmental analysis but the acronym PEST is easy to remember and so has stuck. PEST stands for Political, Economic, Sociocultural and Technological. (Technological factors in this case, include ecological and environmental aspects - the second E inRead MoreLiberalism, Mercantilism, Structuralism And Constructivism1422 Words   |  6 PagesWhen approaching political economics, there are a variety of places and perspectives one may begin from, the most common of which being identifiable as Liberalism, Mercantilism, Structuralism and Constructivism. Each of these political ideologies represent the culmination of works from many famous theorists and intellectuals, all of which help us to better understand how certain economies have the possibility of functioning in different situations. Focuses range from the power of the individual toRead MoreChapter Of Manifesto Of The Communist Party Essay1540 Words   |  7 PagesManifesto of the Communist Party, by using the word class this would imply ordering people into societal groups. 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Understanding wealth distribution across societal classes, quality of life and contentment, and the environmental health of a nation, are all crucial components in formulating a moreRead MoreGlobalization of the Economy1729 Words   |  7 PagesEconomic globalization has voluminous positive influences on international security as well. The most important effect of economic globalizat ion is that it curbs the authority of state. It also reduces states’ dependence on military based security and ultimately reduces states’ monopoly on security. This effect is considered by many, a prime factor contributing towards peace and stability. There are number of factors associated with economic globalization which affects states authority. FirstlyRead MoreEnvironmental Scan1350 Words   |  6 Pagessuccessful company and needs to be managed accordingly. Environmental scanning is the first phase in strategic planning management. Environmental changes, whether external or internal can pose major problems for a company. A scan of environmental factors provides a better understanding of current trends and what causes things to change. An analysis of this information can ensure long-term stability and orientation for any business. This paper will explain the element of environmental scanning andRead MoreThe Causes Of Poverty And Underdevelopment1564 Words   |  7 Pagesthose types of social, economic, and political systems that have developed in Western Europe and North America† (as cited in Chandra Sharma, 2015, p. 210). The modernisation theory regards poverty and underdevelopment as a result of a traditional societal system (Greig et al., 2007). This theory believes that the rich developed countries are wealthy because they practice the accurate form of contemporary beliefs and values rather than following their traditional societal practices. The theory impliesRead MoreThe Necessity For Security Within The State1717 Words   |  7 PagesCaitlin McCallar Political Science 1150 Short Paper/Research Paper The Necessity for Security within the State and for Individuals within the State. Summary Security is an important measure that we must take in order to preserve the survival of the state and its population. The summary of the paper includes what each component of security within the national security system is: military, economic, environmental, and human security, and also states why it is an important aspect ofRead MoreAfrican culture1286 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationships can exists between the members of two different societies. There are Seven institutionalized societal relations and they are Kinship, Alliance, Government, Inequality and Equality, Feudality, Association, and Exchange of Goods. These roles are a guide of a superiority and inferiority statuses. Chapter 2 This chapter opens into the topic of â€Å"Power.† Power is an important key factor for an individual or within a group. People with power has an advantage of having a better life than others

My Family Day At Home Essay - 909 Words

Many people called Sunday as a family day, which the family has a joyful day to gather around. But for me, it happened when I was in second grade, a day that made me have mixed feelings. Having a relaxed Sunday with a delicious meal for lunch at home was really great. My brother and I were both enjoying the food that mom cooked for us. Watching TV while we were eating was our specify action as always. But sometimes, if you are too concentrated on it, you will get a bad consequence. I accidentally moved the plate and it fell on the floor because I was too relaxed. My mom recognized something just happened outside, she came out from her bedroom immediately. â€Å"Stand right here and don t even move!† my mother said. After she said that, she went back to our house and shut the door. This had just happened in a minute, and everything changed. I got kicked out from my mother. I was standing by the door outside of our home, facing my neighbor’s house and do nothing. Few minutes later, someone came out from their house. He was one of my neighbors. I felt so embarrassed because I bet he knew that I got kicked out by my mom. Even though it was really awkward to have a greeting like this kind of situation, but he still smiled at me when he was walking into the hallway. It was just too bored to stand outside and do nothing, and, I bet my mom supposed me to think about what I did wrong. But I didn t. So, I decided to do something without my mother knew it. I started to walk around onShow MoreRelatedThe Perfect Family Became A Broken Home1101 Words   |  5 Pagescoming back, whimpered my dad. At that moment, that is all we ever knew. It was all anyone ever knew. The perfect family became a broken home in 2009, but not just any broken home. It became a home searching for a renewing, searching for a reconnection. With whom? Well, we did not quite know that answer at that point of our beautiful tragedy either. From the alcoholic father, to the sleepless mother, I grew up in a family that seemed perfect enough for me. My dad, my mom, my sister Charli, and I spentRead MoreIs Home Valuable? Home?1623 Words   |  7 Pagesabout our homes, we often like to describe the aspects within our home that have value to us. We always have some aspect within our home that we value, whether it be our home itself or the memorabilia within it. Either way, we all value our homes differently depending on our perspective of what is valuable. Now it is quite interesting because home, in physical terms, is just a shelter to us so what is it that really makes home valuable? To me, home is so valuable because of the family within yourRead MoreEssay about Family Values, Personal Values870 Words   |  4 Pages Family Values and Unity There are so many various types of people with different ethnic backgrounds, culture and manner of living that are the cause of distinct values in a family. 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Applied Business Research and Ethics

Question: Discuss about theApplied Business Research and Ethics. Answer: Introduction Ethical dilemma is one of the most important issues faced by corporate houses in the current year (Rescher 2014). Corporate social responsibility is one of the most critical and the most strategic aspects that companies have to observe and follow. It is an important duty and responsibility for a company that is assesses the impact of its operations on the environment and the social community. Various legislations and corporate rules make it necessary for the company to work in an ethical manner. Companies have to be careful and aware of the fact it casts minimal amount of negative impact on the environment and the social community. Ethical dilemma refers to a complex situation that involves a major conflict between moral obligations and material interests. It involves conflicting thoughts and emotions (Tnnsj 2013). Situation One of the ethical dilemmas that were recently encountered was at Philipps Cigarette Company. Philipps Cigarette Company is a famous Australian company that has branches all over the world. One of the branches of the company is located in Doha, Qatar. The company enjoys high profitability value and market share globally. As an executor officer, one of the Key Performance Index of the company is the ability to increase the sales of the product and consequently boost the profitability of the company. It is important that the product is advertised and marketed in an effective way so that the product is accessible to the masses and more people are aware of the product. Therefore, as the executive office of Philipps Cigarette Company it is important that the cigarettes sales are increased. One of the key performance indicators is the ability of to increase the sales of the cigarettes of the company. Profit maximization and sales maximization are one of the primary objectives and goals of the company. However, the strategies adopted to fulfil these objectives are done at the cost of the social community and environment. Consumption of tobacco is injurious to health and it requires to rocket science to realize this fact. Cigarette smoking is injurious to health and the sales of cigarette exposes the masses to the perils of major health ailments like cancers, asthma etc. It also contributes to increased pollution level. Thus, the objective of increasing the sales of cigarettes of Philipps Cigarette Company comes at the cost of the health of the public and the masses. It is a perfect example of ethical dilemma, where moral values conflicts with material interests. In this case, the goals and objectives of the company to increase the profit and sales of the company was being done at the cost of the health of the masses, especially the youths. During the General Meeting of the company that took place in Doha on 16th January 2016, certain goals and objectives of the company were discussed. The CEO of the company, Martin Guptil, product manager of the company Jesse Ryder, and the research analyst of the company, Babar Zardan were the key members that were involved in the meeting. The company decided to increase the sales of the company by 20% with a 15% increase in the profit index of the company. The company decided on introducing a menthol flavour of the cigarette of the company in the market. It was depicted that according to surveys, consumption of tobacco had increased by 35% in Doha. This reflected on the bright chances of the success of the product. During the discussion in the meeting, one of the key roles assigned as an executive officer was the increase in the sales of the company. This was a major cause of the concern since it involved adverse and detrimental effect on the social community. Corporate Social Responsibility is one of the major responsibilities of a company. According to accounting standards and corporate rules, it is very important that companies operate in an ethical way and observe all the rules and regulations that reduce the negative impacts on the society and the environment. With the rise in ethical consumerism, it is important that companies fulfil their roles and duties in an ethical way. They need to produce goods that does not cause harm to the society and also promotes sustainable development. It is important that companies promote principles of sustainability ad environment preservation and conservation. However, the financial goals and objectives of the company directly contradicted corporate social responsibilities and ethical and social values. It was exposing the generation to mass destruction and encouraged the addiction of tobacco among the masses. The feelings and emotions were in severe tussle. The mental faculties experienced conflicting thoughts and emotions where moral values were transgressing the economic and financial interests. Professional duties and responsibilities were in direct contravention with the moral code of conduct. The target was to fulfil duties in an ethical way. However, this was not an easy task since the company was a cigarette company and the products in moral sense, were unethical. Therefore, obtaining a solution to overcome this ethical dilemma was not an easy task. One solution attained to overcome the moral dilemma was the printing of statutory warning on the cigarette packets in a more effective and pictorial way to make the masses aware of the adverse of consumption of tobacco. This could be one way, where the company could strike a balance between achieving corporate social responsibility goals and financial goals of the company. On a scale of 10, the decision would be 7 out of 10. The rationale behind such rating was that, despite the satisfaction of overcoming the ethical dilemma by providing statutory warning, promoting and advertising cigarettes and the sale of cigarettes was unethical in a great way. Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Ethical theories would shed critical light on the ethical dilemma and would help to analyze the ethical dilemma more effectively and efficiently. The area of ethics is systematized and describes the right and the wrong behaviour to individuals. These are ethical theories. The use of normative ethical theories will help to shed critical light on the topic. Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a normative, empirical ethical theory, which throws light on the concept of right and wrong. The principle of Utilitarianism is based on the fact that the right action and the value of the action would depend on the overall benefit it provides to the larger group of people. Therefore, the principle is based on the overall effect an action has to the majority of the community (Hursthouse 2013). The principle outlines the fact that the greater happiness is estimated for greater people. According to this principle, it has to review its strategies and approach so that it produces positive results and reduces the adverse effects it has on the environment (Frederiksen and Nielsen 2013). According to the ethical dilemma, Philipps Cigarette Company wants to maximize the benefit for the company by maximizing the profit and sales of the company. However, the strategy and the underlying actions that are required for attaining the objectives of the company is considered to be unethical and immoral. Some of the major features of the principles of Utilitarianism is that it considered happiness as well as unhappiness. Therefore, from this viewpoint, it is seen that the happiness of the company in achieving the profit is attained by causing unhappiness to the environment and social community (Attfield, 2014). The increased pollution level is the root cause for health issues and abnormal environmental conditions. The health hazards caused by consumption of cigarettes do cause distress and grief to the social community. The utilitarianism concept does shed critical light n the fact that the grounds of moral conduct and ethical practice does differ from person to person. The con cept of acceptability of moral conduct does depend on contexts. A moral conduct might depend on the situation. This ethical theory does provide critical information on the fact that it does provide a flexible and a simple solution to arrive at decision within an organization. There are certain criticisms that are made against this ethical theory. One of the criticisms that are made against this theory is that it is very subjective in nature and depends from person to person (Finlay 2014). As such, it can be seen that though the sale of cigarettes to public may be immoral and unethical from the viewpoint of the public. However, from the viewpoint of the public it can be seen that such act is a commercial activity and is a part of the strategy of the company to increase its profitability and stress heavily in the growth and expansion of the company. Therefore, one can see the contraventions between the viewpoint of the public and the viewpoint of the company. There is lack of conclusi ve standpoint on which a decision can be made. The strategy of the company cannot be abolished and treated with abominations since the principle of utilitarianism is an out and out subjective concept. There are no strong grounds on which the strategies and approaches of the company can be treated as illegal. Egoism The concept of egoism deals with interest of a subject and it might include the interest of others if it facilitates the fulfilment of the needs and desires of a subject. Egoism is a normative ethical theory that highlights that a person is considered to commit a moral act if the act is done to promote and encourage the self interest of a person(Dion 2012). It is an important concept that outlines the principles of ethics and how a person reacts to situations and makes a conscious effort to follow moral conducts. The criticism of this theory is that it ignores and only pays stress on the individual rights and interests of a person. It does not consider wrong doing or immoral conduct. This ethical concept deals with the interest and desires of an individual and the maximization of the interest of an individual. According to this theory, a person is an actor with limitations in objective and knowledge. As per the given situation, the self interest of the cigarette company will overhaul the interest of the social community. It can be seen that the cigarette company will stress on the interests of the company and the scope of growth and profitability of the company in the longer run. It can be viewed that while implementing strategies and methods, the company will majorly stress on the goals and objectives that it wants to achieve in the longer run (Melden 2013). It will ignore the interest and the harmful impact it causes to the health of the public and the environment. It will overlook the principles of sustainability and morality since it will contravene and contradict with the interest and goals of the objectives (Gotthelf and Lennox 2014). It will only imply on implementing those strategies where the social community and the company will have a common goal. The company has limited objective and knowledge and will act on those points where it affects the company. The theory highlights a very self centred approach that the company adopts. The only objective and goal of the company is the maximization of its interest and goals that will have a significant in the increased profitability and growth of the company in the longer run. If it is analyzed from the viewpoint of the company, then the action is morally correct and proper since it promotes the interest of company in the long run. At the same time, the company does not compel people to buy the product and it only attracts people from its advertisement. As such, the company is not making any deliberate and conscious effort to harm the interest of others. Theory of Rights and Duties Theory of rights and duties is an important normative ethical theory that stress on the importance of safeguarding and highlighting the importance of rights and duties of human beings. It is important that specific attention is given to the rights and duties of people (Reidenbach and Robin 2014). According to this theory, the rights and duties of people are important. The inherent quality of a person is dignity and therefore it is important that a person is treated with dignity and respect and in the process there should be major implication given to the fact that humans should be treated as the end and not the means to achieve the end (Cuguer-Escofet and Fortin 2014). As such, the rights and duties should be given paramount importance and it has to be realised that the social community is an external stakeholder and ethical practices involve giving value to the social community. Taking the case of Philipps Cigarette Company, it has to be assessed that the company treats human to mee t its end and adopts unethical strategies to accomplish the goals and objectives of the company. It does not follow the universal law that a person should act in such a way that it wants others to do. The company would never want the interests and goals of the company to be adversely affected. However, it does not follow the same ideals and tries to maximize its profit based on the downfall of the social community. It does not safeguard and uphold the rights and freedom of people. Reflection According to the ethical theories discussed in the earlier sections, I was moderately happy with the decision I made. The reason why I was happy was because, I was able to give some attention to the rights and duties of the people and was able safeguard and uphold the interest of the people. According to theory of Utilitarianism and egoism my decision to create awareness to the people could somewhat uphold interests of the people and in the process I was able to ignore that notion that human were not the means to achieve the ends. Sufficient attention was given to the people regarding their interests and benefits. My decision was correct in the light that there was considerable value given to the benefits of the people. According to theory of egoism, I was not very happy since I felt that despite all the safety measures taken to avoid the harmful and detrimental impact on the people, it was not sufficient to treat the people with dignity. It was not sufficient to uphold the rights and duties of the people. The adverse impact of consumption of cigarettes and tobacco would still have a harmful impact on the people and in the process it will abuse the rights and duties of people and thereby cause major hassle to people. I felt that people were being used as the means to meet the ends of the company. The interest of the people would be met at the cost of the well being of the people. If such circumstances occurred in future, I would never repeat the decision again since I feel it is an unethical practice and a wrong approach to meet the interest of the people. I would make sure that such dire straits do not arise in future. My rationale for this statement would be circulating around the fact that human is an indispensable element and they should be valued and the interests of the people should be safeguarded. The interest of the company and interest of the social community should go hand in hand. Conclusion It can be seen that ethical practice is a must for any company in this current age. Ethical dilemma is a major issue that needs to be evaluated and assessed and therefore, there has to be special attention that needs to be given to the promotion of ethical practice. the application of ethical theories is important as it guides the decision making of individuals working ain an organization. Reference List Attfield, R., 2014. Environmental ethics: An overview for the twenty-first century. John Wiley Sons. Cuguer-Escofet, N. and Fortin, M., 2014. One justice or two? A model of reconciliation of normative justice theories and empirical research on organizational justice. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(3), pp.435-451. Dion, M., 2012. Are ethical theories relevant for ethical leadership?.Leadership Organization Development Journal,33(1), pp.4-24. Dion, M., 2012. Are ethical theories relevant for ethical leadership?.Leadership Organization Development Journal, 33(1), pp.4-24. Finlay, S., 2014. Confusion of tongues: A theory of normative language. Oxford University Press. Frederiksen, C.S. and Nielsen, M.E.J., 2013. Ethical Theories. InEncyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility(pp. 1071-1078). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Gotthelf, A. and Lennox, J.G., 2014. Metaethics, Egoism, and Virtue: Studies in Ayn Rand's Normative Theory. Honneth, A., 2014.Disrespect: the normative foundations of critical theory. John Wiley Sons. Hursthouse, R., 2013. Normative virtue ethics. ETHICA, 645. LaFollette, H. and Persson, I. eds., 2013. The Blackwell guide to ethical theory. John Wiley Sons. Melden, A., 2013.Ethical theories. Read Books Ltd. Reidenbach, R.E. and Robin, D.P., 2013. Toward the development of a multidimensional scale for improving evaluations of business ethics. InCitation Classics from the Journal of Business Ethics (pp. 45-67). Springer Netherlands. Rescher, N., 2014. A System of Pragmatic Idealism, Volume II: The Validity of Values, A Normative Theory of Evaluative Rationality (Vol. 2). Princeton University Press. Tnnsj, T., 2013. Understanding ethics. Edinburgh University Press Tnnsj, T., 2013. Understanding ethics. Edinburgh University Press

Uncertainty and Evaluation of Public Investment †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Uncertainty and Evaluation of Public Investment. Answer: Introduction: Superannuation fund in the service sector is provided to enable individuals to have safe and secure retirement. This investment approach has been promoted from past twenty years to ensure secure future for employees. Strategies investment is essential for tertiary sector employees because they have shorter employment period as technology is continuously changing, and they get early retirement in comparison to other business sectors. The government also encourages it and supports it through tax benefits. Minimum standards are set by the government for the contribution for employees as same time for the management of superannuation funds (Cummings, 2016). It is compulsory for the employees of the service sector to make superannuation from their wages and salaries. They are encouraged to add on superannuation contribution with an outstanding contribution, containing changing their wages or salaries into superannuation contributions. However, they are not mandatory to invest in the speci fic fund as for this purpose; they have two primary options description of which are enumerated as below: It is retirement plan that employer sponsors, where employees profits are calculated using a formula that relates to factors like history of salary and length of employment. Some rules and regulations show by when and what method an employee can withdraw his funds by avoiding penalties (Basu and Andrews, 2014). This option provides a guarantee of benefit and payment on retirement. Benefits can be given as withdrawn as monthly payment all through employees lifetime or a sum total of the amount on retirement. This plan delivers retirement income, and this amount lasts all through retirement age which also makes budgeting easier. It is an almost risk-free investment as returns or maturity benefits are pre-defined through which investor is not required to borne any kind of risk during the tenure of investment. Payment options under this plan are as follows: Single life annuity Survivor annuity Lump sum payment In this option, the investor gets fixed amount on a monthly basis after their retirement and till their death. However, it cannot be transferred to the beneficiary of the diseased party. In this option also investor get fixed amount on a monthly basis after their retirement and till their death but after death, this amount will be provided to the beneficiary or surviving partner of the diseased party. In this option, fixed amount is received at the time of retirement inclusive of interest and principal amount. On the basis of benefits, there is fluctuation in the monthly instalment to be paid by tertiary sector employee. In this option, the return of investment increases with the increase in tenure and amount of monthly instalment. Investment choice plan In this type of plan, an individual can choose to invest as per their customised needs. Nearly all superannuation funds will offer a variety of investment options to choose from. These options vary at their level of risk. In this option, it is necessary for an investor to understand that how and where the superannuation money is invested. Multiple investment portfolios are also the opportunity to spread super money (Chant, Mohankumar and Warren, 2014). One benefit of investment earning is that they are taxed in a different way to other income. Selection of option helps in investing super that offers a diversified mixture of investments. This option makes them enable to invest in a blend of the single asset class in which each option includes different risk and returns policy and suggest different investment time frames. Four investment strategies covered in this option is as follows: Secure fund Share fund Trustee fund This is the least risk and return containing option. This is similar to defined benefit plan but with higher returns. This is the most risk and return containing option. In this value of investment fluctuates as per market condition without any guaranteed covers. In this option, the amount is invested by a broker who is considered as trustee of investment till the retirement of the employee. The trustee in this option is investment expert to attain optimise return. Factors affecting selection of investment plan Following factors are required to be considered by employees for the tertiary sector for selection of investment plan: Risk appetite: The capability of bearing risk differs from person to person, depending on factors such as financial duties, responsibilities, Further considering ability to take risk becomes an essential factor in investment decision making (Barton and Wiseman, 2014). However, if the individual does not want to bear higher risks, then they can choose defined benefit plan because it contains predetermined benefits without any fluctuation. Further, if the person intends to invest the super and has the capacity of bearing risk, then they can choose investment choice plan. Investment Horizon: In defined benefit plan employee cannot invest his pension until retirement. The super is secured for the future. However, in the case of investment choice plan, they can invest the amount by choosing the better alternative as per their requirements. Still, risk element is comparatively high in investment choice plan. Investible surplus: In Investible surplus employee has to determine that how much money can be kept aside for investments. It is imperative in selecting from a variety of asset classes because the minimum investment amounts vary, and so do the risks and returns (Gallery, Newton and Palm, 2011). In defined benefit option there is a requirement for the minimum, and fixed amount of investment on a continuous basis, however, same is not required in investment choice plan. Investment need: Investment needs has to be determined earlier to investment. In this, the individual has to identify that how soon they need their money or are they in a position to invest for a long term period (Halim, Miller and Dupont, 2010). Further, they are required to determine that how much money to invest in a month or year to reach the goal. Expected returns: In defined benefit plan returns are fixed, but in investment, choice plan returns depend on how the money is invested, risk level, for a short or extended period of time of time. The longer the time horizon will be greater the returns can be expected. Issues related to time value of money significant to making investment decisions In the present era, time value of money is necessary to be considered by investors because it has a substantial impact on the yield of an investment. As per this concept, worth of currency today in hand is worth more than the currency in the forthcoming year because of inflation and other economic factors (Butt and et.al. 2014). The employees in the tertiary sector will be required to make regular contributions to the selected retirement plan for investment in a superannuation fund. For this decision, they have an obligation to provide significantly to the time value of money by considering the fact of the increase in invested amount with interest earned. The major issue in this aspect is related to opportunity cost in which investor must be assured that selected option is better than rejected choices by obtaining a higher yield. In addition to this, they are required to consider after how much time they will be getting gain from invested amount as the time value of money indicates s ooner is better (Arrow and Lind, 2014). Thus, if they are getting delayed return, then they must ensure that return is comparatively higher. With this approach, they are required to discount the future return to determine its present value in order to select option with maximum benefits. This will show employee, worth of investment in present through which computation can be made for total value of investment. For example if investment plan provides following two options to receive their retirement income Option 1: Take $5,000,000 immediately at the time of retirement. Option 2: Get paid $600,000 every year after retirement for the next 10 years. In option 1, employee will get $5,000,000 and in option 2 $6,000,000 after their retirement. Without considering time value of money, Option 2 seem better because employee gets extra $1,000,000. However, the theory time value of money says that amount paid in future has less worth in present. Thus decision has to be made by figuring out how much option 2 is worth today by investor on the basis of discounting factor. In accordance with the above description, it can be concluded that there is no perfect option for investment in general as it will vary as per risk bearing capacity and return desired by tertiary sector employees. Further, each investment option for tertiary sector employee has its own pros and cons due to its nature. In making such investment decisions, they are required to consider their current financial condition and future goals to justify their investment objectives. By this study, the conclusion can be drawn that if employees have less tendency to bear risk then they should consider defined benefit plan and but if they desire higher and customised returns then they should go for investment choice plan. In accordance with the theory of efficient market hypothesis (EMH), it is not possible to beat the market regarding return on investment. It is because; EMH states that price of a share is affected by all the available information in the market. Due to this factor, stock market efficiency leads to existing share prices that always contain and represent relevant information. As stated by EMH, stocks are always traded at their fair values on the stock exchange (Brealey and et.al. 2012). Thus it is not possible for the investor to buy shares at a low value and sell stock at inflated prices. Consequently, it is not feasible to beat the whole market through expert stock selection or market timing. An investor can acquire significant returns only by purchasing risky investments. The pension fund is a fund which provides retirement income. A pension fund manager responsibility is to implement a funds spending strategy and to conduct its portfolios trading schemes. The pension fund manager has to make sure that pension schemes are running efficiently or not (Keynes, 2016). The fund manager makes sure that the deposits of the maturity schedules occur at the same time with the demand for loans. More attention has to be paid by the fund manager on the main elements of Cost and risk to capitalise on the cash flow opportunities. By considering the above-described aspects, it can be concluded that cited statement is wrong because the theory of EMH does not stipulate that the portfolio selection has to be done with a pin due to the following reasons- The manager has to do some paramount jobs like ensuring appropriate diversification in the portfolio. Well-diversification is essential for the portfolio to optimise the risk and maximise Investment in a significant number of stock is necessary, as one type of stock is not sufficient to ensure diversification (Lee, Lee and Lee, 2010). The requirement of a vast number of investment is needed to get higher returns with minimum risks. Its not worthy to invest all the money in one investment. A well-diversified portfolio is imperative to achieve high yields (in any market condition). For this aspect, it is significant to ensure that the risks of the diversified portfolio are appropriate for the company as well as clients. In the case of the pension fund, the manager has to choose a risk-free investment (Yal?n, 2010). The management must assure that the risk must be according to the bearing capacity of the client and it is not higher than it. The company must choose safe investments in this case. The manager must pick those stocks which are safe and riskless or merge portfolios with lower beta. In such cases, the manager can change the portfolio to take advantage of special tax laws for pension funds. The government gives privately retired plans for encouraging people, and these rules could raise the assumed return of the portfolio without expanding the risk. References Arrow, K.J. and Lind, R.C., 2014. Uncertainty and the evaluation of public investment decisions. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, 6(1), pp.29-44. Barton, D. and Wiseman, M., 2014. Focusing capital on the long term. Harvard Business Review, 92(1/2), pp.44-51. Basu, A. and Andrews, S., 2014. Asset allocation policy, returns and expenses of superannuation funds: recent evidence based on default options. Australian Economic Review, 47(1), pp.63-77. Brealey, R.A., and et.al. 2012. Principles of corporate finance. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Butt, A., Donald, M.S., Foster, F.D., Thorp, S. and Warren, G., 2014. The Superannuation System and its Regulation: Views from Fund Executives. Chant, W., Mohankumar, M. and Warren, G., 2014. MySuper: a new landscape for default superannuation funds. Cummings, J.R., 2016. Effect of fund size on the performance of Australian superannuation funds. Browser Download This Paper. Gallery, N., Newton, C. and Palm, C., 2011. Framework for assessing financial literacy and superannuation investment choice decisions. Australasian Accounting Business Finance Journal, 5(2), p.3. Halim, S., Miller, T. and Dupont, D.C., 2010. How pension funds manage investment risks: A global survey. Keynes, J.M., 2016. General theory of employment, interest and money. Atlantic Publishers Dist. Lee, C.C., Lee, J.D. and Lee, C.C., 2010. Stock prices and the efficient market hypothesis: Evidence from a panel stationary test with structural breaks. Japan and the world economy, 22(1), pp.49-58. Yal?n, K.C., 2010. Market rationality: Efficient market hypothesis versus market anomalies. European Journal of Economic and Political Studies, 3(2), pp.23-28.

The Fly And #465 Essays - Emily Dickinson, A Vision,

The Fly And #465 Geoff Eng 219 3/4/00 The Fly and #465 Emily Dickinson in her poem #465, covers the subject of death in a way that I have not seen before. She delves right into the last sounds she heard when the narrator died, which was a fly buzzing. The last actions of this world are concluded by the assigning of keepsakes, the last few tears while waiting the King. And now, in the midst of this silence, Emily chooses to introduce the buzzing of a fly. This common household pest's incessant buzz becomes all the dying can hear. The fly is a significant part of the poem and in this essay, I will give examples as to why and how. I think the fly has special significance in the poem. Beelzebub was often portrayed as a fly: Lord of the Flies, and there is a strange tone about this poem, as though the dying person is a controller, an organizer, a cold person in fact, her last steps towards death were so calculated, ?The Eyes around-had wrung them dry-/And Breaths were Gathering firm/ for the last Onset-when the King/Be witnessed-in the Room.?(ln 5-8). She is waiting for King (God) to come and take her to the after life. She has calculated death, then this pest ?interposes? itself , ?Between the light and me?(ln14) her peaceful transition to heaven was interrupted. The fly suddenly opens up the possibility that all is not about to proceed as expected, even after death. And the fact that this is also a posthumously written poem, ?when I died,?(ln 1) suggests that there's some cause for the dying person not to be resting peacefully in heaven. Something went wrong, something ?interposed? between 'the light' (a symbol of heaven) and herself. More than anything this poem is about the uninvited in our lives, it also has echoes of 'the fly in the Vaseline', the thing that always goes wrong. The death is planned out, the will is taken care of, and then the nasty fly joins her and destroys her peaceful death with its bothersome buzz. That buzz could be the unconfessed sins she hidden from god, but what ever it is, it has a profound affect on her afterlife by leaving her with this incessant buzzing. The room of the dying is haunted by an uncomfortable, daunting Silence. The comparison of this quiet to the the stillness in the Air between the heaves of storm(ln4) intensifies the feeling of anticipation for some frightening event. If you are out jogging in the summer and you start to see dark storm clouds looming overhead, there is a panic that comes, you could get caught in the storm. The clouds as beautiful as they may seem while inside, as soon as the storm begins, they let loose their power. I think the implied author is entering, in imagination; the very moment of death here is darkness itself. Which is why this poem is, for me, so chilling. So many of the poems insist on a life after death, a spiritual reawakening. But this poem ends on a note of obliteration and overwhelming darkness, accompanied only by the sound of the buzzing. The fly is also a symbol of decay and dissolution, and even of disease, and contamination. It's a brilliant idea, a common household pest, and also a powerful symbol of evil, uninvited and distracting. This image of distraction is particularly noticeable, especially on first reading the poem. Everything's going so much according to plan it's as though these people are on a stage reading their script, going through pre-conceived motions. And then suddenly there's the gatecrasher, the thing outside the script that completely distracts the dying person, and threatens to rob her of her moment of vision.... And then the Windows failed - and then/ I could not see to see - (ln 15) makes it doubly clear that the moment of vision (windows/eyes failing) has been stolen from her and that, in effect, the fly has won by becoming the very last thing the speaker hears, and imagines - I think the fact that she sees it as ?Blue is not because she can see it but because she is imagining it. The irritation

“Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli Essays

â€Å"Stargirl† by Jerry Spinelli Essays â€Å"Stargirl† by Jerry Spinelli Essay â€Å"Stargirl† by Jerry Spinelli Essay The novel â€Å"Stargirl† by Jerry Spinelli is a wonderful and exciting story about the girl who manages to overcome difficulties and pressures at American high school. Stargirl is the main character who is ignoring public pressures and disapproval, whereas her boyfriend Leo isn’t. Susan is unique and beats a different drummer in this life. She becomes a whirlwind in a common high school in Arizona. She dresses like Victorian bride and nobody knows what to make of her. Her new name â€Å"Stargirl† passes her more than Susan as it underlines her true personality and originality: â€Å"And just like that, Stargirl was gone, replaced with Susan. Susan Julie Caraway. The girl she might have been all along†. Stargirl wear what she wants and does things she likes. Moreover, her pet mouse Cinnamon always accompanies her. Stargirl is unaware of public disapproval and judgmental opinions of other students and people. The novel raises the problem of loneliness and isolation caused by different behavioral patterns. Stargirl starts dating with Leo, who finds out that she is absolutely real despite her original style. Stargirl shows his the concepts and ideas he has never come across with. Stargirl loves life and people, but people don’t understand her. However, she is excluded from society and Leo undergoes social exclusion so, but he fails to cope with loneliness and pulls back from Stargirl. In such a way the author shows that public opinion is more important for some people than human personality. Susan leaves the city being not accepted at school, though with years her influence is felt. The novel shows that people shouldn’t lose their sense of wonder, unique way of self-expression.   People should be more kind towards each other. Summing up, the novel raises the themes of morality, friendship, love and social exclusion caused by â€Å"not similarity†. Moreover, the author underlines such human qualities as kindness, ability to resist public hostility, and to express true personality.

Case Study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Case Study Analysis - Essay Example es before advertising the position Change GovSource to a more efficient IT solution Restructure the recruitment process empower people to make some decisions without having to make consultations Introduction The following report identifies the following problems in the recruitment process. They include; untimely feedback from the interviewee’s referees, unreliable, Information Technology (IT) solution (GovSource), lengthy bureaucratic process, untimely feedback to interested applicants, limited empowerment of employees, pre-meditated prospective candidates by clients. These all contributes to making the entire recruitment process tremendously lengthy. ... 1.1 Approach The approach used includes the implementation of the recommended measures using a combination of strategies, for example, Six Sigma. The initial phase involves analyzing the current state of the organization in order to identify the problems affecting it. The next step is finding suitable solutions to the identified problems. Categorizing the problems on the basis of the departments affected proves to be the most suitable way of solving them. Different timelines allocated to the implementation of solutions also helps the organization prioritize. A review of the implementation costs is also done, in order, to help with the organization’s budgeting. Therefore, the team’s report integrates these approaches to come up with a single compact one which is easy to comprehend and follow. 1.2 Project overview After outlining the approach to be used, the team came up with a project overview. Their main focus of the entire project relies on the departmentalization of t he identified problems. Those, which seemed feasible, enough to be solved in the least time possible took priority over others. The time estimated for their implementation ranged between 2 to 6 months depending on the solution to be implemented. On the other hand, the long term measures identified by the team required more time. Their implementation required over 1 year for success to occur. They also relied on the availability of funds, for example, the changing of the IT solution to one which presented the organization with more options while offering maximum efficiency. This would, therefore, allow for progress in the improvement of the recruitment process of the organization. 1.3 Methodology The Six sigma

The Environment and Our Difficult Relationship with Fuel Essay

The Environment and Our Difficult Relationship with Fuel - Essay Example It expresses the rationality of Man and the objectivity of his choices. In terms of food, the choices we make can significantly impact our health, whether we choose to eat a low or high calorie diet, whether we prefer to eat hygienic home-cooked food over the junk food we eat in restaurants or whether we prefer to eat fresh food as opposed to frozen food. It is high time that we challenge our unconditional trust for the health claims on the products of food manufacturing companies including genetically modified food and our ignorance of what constitutes healthy food, the perception of which has lately been tarnished. A similar perspective is shared by Micheal Pollen as elucidated in his article â€Å"Unhappy Meals.† The tone of Pollen’s article is full of sarcasm at the evolved concept of healthy food, much to my liking, the author states â€Å"A health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat,† (Pollen, 1). ... 40). The very introduction of such health claims on manufactured food was nothing more than a profit maximizing technique employed to increase sales. This has led to a change in the consumption patterns and is â€Å"destroying the traditional food cultures,† (Pollen, p. 65). The fact that after the introduction of the 1977 Dietary Goals in the United States of America, majority of the food manufactured was low fat (since that was recommended by the nutritionists ), one would have expected an overall decrease in the level of obesity of the population in general, but is that what happened? Unfortunately not! This simple fact speaks volumes about the low – fat claims made by the food manufacturing companies. The flaw was also in the proposed nutritional plan. The food manufactured was low on fat but high on carbohydrates which resulted in the increased obesity (Pollen, p. 43). This shows us that the nutritional value of food and the nutritious diets proposed are mere exper iments, the results of which are not guaranteed. This does not mean that I am a proponent of consuming high levels of cholesterol; rather I feel a controlled diet is the healthiest way to leading a healthy life, as opposed to consuming products that claim to be healthy. The dichotomy of the researches surrounding the utility of Omega-3 fats is a live example of the supportive and contradictory empirical evidence to support such health claims (Pollen, p. 38). Similar researches are questioning the validity of the food pyramid we have been studying for years. In his book Gary Taubes seeks to clarify many of the prevalent notions people have about methods of

Christians response towards the issue of Abortion Essay

Christians response towards the issue of Abortion - Essay Example Nevertheless, for one to obtain a Biblical or Christianity view about abortion he or she must rake off the muck that obscures the major questions concerning abortion and pay closer attention towards the Christian’s collective view about abortion (Ren, 2011). This paper will seek to give a solid argument on the Christians’ response towards the abortion issue. At first glance, the views of Christians towards the issue of abortion can seem to be difficult and complicating mainly to those who happen to be relatively unfamiliar with the responsive or relevant scriptures (StÃŒ ²tÃŒ ²iÌ„phan, 2007). This may result from a broad variety of voices, which claim to represent the opinion of the Christians within this controversial issue. As every voice struggle for attention, people continue to ask themselves which voice truly represents Christians view on the issue of abortion (Ren, 2011). Profoundly, I believe that most Christians, on one end, who speak out their voices concerning abortion strongly, oppose this practice. On the other end, there are those who claim that the choice to carry out an abortion should remain a woman’s choice. Both of these groups claim that they both provide the correct approach (Röskamp, 2010). ?skamp, 2010). Contemporary Christians appear divided and even different denominations and churches cannot seem to agree on this matter given that a number of denominations take a strictly different stance on the matter. The largest portion of Christians maintains that when a woman aborts, her action is tantamount to murder. However, there are those denominations which point out that the choice to abort should be in hands of a woman and she can go a head to abort if she so chooses (Ro?skamp, 2010). Pertinently, this heated debate regarding whether to abort or not is getting women more confused. In my view, I find abortion being similar to murder and as such, Christians should take a positive stance and make it clear that no woman should resolve to practice abortion. The Bible says that people should not kill one another. According to Christians’ view, abortion is just murdering an unborn child (St?t?i?phan, 2007). That is the reason you find that Christians strongly oppose the practice of abortion, as is equivalent to killing. For those Christians who believe that life begins at the time of conception, the topic of abortion is not up for discussion mainly because their response towards this practice is always strong in opposition (St?t?i?phan, 2007). Christians’ views towards abortion indicate that terminating a pregnancy is the same as ending a life and since Bible strongly opposes murder, most Christians do not support abortion practices. Nevertheless, there are those Christians from certain denominations who have been involved in a series of activism seeking to either legalize abortion or have the choice to abort remain in the hands of a woman (Ro?skamp, 2010). For instance, The United Church of Christ (UCC) started supporting legalization of abortion practices since the year 1971. Christians from this church in addition to others strongly opposed the President Clinton’s Ban Act of 1996 where they called upon other Christians to support their move. They publicly declared that women have a right to choose whether to abort or not and therefore, abortion should be included in any country’

EBay Competitive Advantage

EBay Competitive Advantage The main purpose of this report is to analyse how eBays strategic capabilities might provide sustainable competitive advantage, also propose and justify a structural type for eBay which would maximise its strategic capabilities. The author will start by introducing eBay according to the case study Making eBay work, critically analyse strategic capabilities, competences and core competences as well as their implications in relationship with eBays organisation structure and how they will enable eBay to sustain competitive advantage so as to maximise its business objectives. Morgan-Thomas and Paton (2007) classified firms like eBay as a cyberspace founded organisation that use the internet to carry out its business transactions, which makes eBay to have the capability of being on the internet to showcase its products and services. Not only did Segal (2005) argued that when eBay enter into an advertisement alliance with other firms like yahoo etc., it will enable eBay to use the competen ces and core competences of those firms to sustain its competitive advantage, but also Johnson et al (2009) emphasise that a firms competences include skills and abilities used to distribute its resources effectively, while core competences involve those activities a firm uses to maintain its competitive advantage which cannot be imitated easily by its competitors because they are internally and externally inter-linked with the organisation and its customers. 2.0. STRATEGIC CAPABILITIES AND eBays COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE According to Johnson et al (2009), a firms strategic capabilities will direct and evaluate its plan and objective over a long period of time, which enables the firm to attain competitive advantage by using alliance resources and competences to satisfy customers needs notwithstanding the economic situation. Aaker (1998) argued that strategic capabilities will establish a carefully devised plan of action used to achieve a goal in a firm over a period of time, thereby offering a suitable solution when handling important issues that relate to the firm. Doyle and Stern (2006) emphasise that strategic capabilities will bring management instructions and advice on how firms can be developed and sustained so as to achieve competitive advantage. Cravens and Percy (2009) argued that strategic capabilities will develop plans that will be used to take care of changes in the market environment and also try as much as possible to provide customers satisfaction. Kotler and Keller (2006) also argued that the strategic capability of a firm will try as much as possible to realize, produce, capture, present and sustain its customer value. Cravens and Piercy (2009) indicated that strategic capabilities of a firm, when analysed will involve the implementation of management plan, which emphasise that strategic planning will involve the scheme for achieving an objective; while strategic implementation will try as much as possible to put the plans into action and strategic management process will organise and also control the affairs of the business enterprise. Peppard and Rylander (2006) argued that the internet will perfect the known business and marketing strategies as can be observed with eBays marketing strategic capabilities which made it possible for buyers and sellers of products to interact and agree on the price of a product without seeing each other, as well as eBays advertising alliance strategy which interconnects eBay with other firms like yahoo etc. will help in sustaining eBays competitive advantage. Johnson et al (2009) argued that this interconnectivity or alliance will make it possible for eBay to use th e core competence of other firms they are in alliance with, which can come in form of technological skills/abilities or strong brand that cannot be imitated and it will help to sustain eBays competitive advantage. Cravens and Piercy (2009) noted that firms like eBay provide a quick and different online marketing communication strategic capabilities implementation which have not only been successful in some cases but also failed in some, and the failure is said to result from over affirmative anticipations as well as wrong implementation of the strategy. Segal (2005) argued that eBays strategic capabilities will base on its ability to maintain good alliance with other firms such as yahoo etc. which will enable eBay to improve its products/services through advertisement offered by the alliance firms and on the other hand attract more customers to eBay, thereby sustaining competitive advantage. Pettey (2008) stressed that eBay with its advantage of product development capabilities being carried out on the internet, cannot be able to stop considering the number of buyers/sellers visiting its website. Sachoff (2008) argued that eBays competitive advantage may come as a result of the high number of information/feedback eBay gather concerning buyers and sellers, which eBay uses in formulating its strategic capabilities so as to sustain competitive advantage in business notwithstanding its competitors. Gomes-Casseres (2003) implied that strategic capabilities of firms like eBay will plan and implement properly a new method of doing business with ease through the internet marketplace, which brings buyers and sellers together so that they can agree on a given price for a specific product displayed by the seller on eBay marketplace. Segal (2005) emphasise that eBays strategic capabilities will allow the buyers/sellers to be the people to develop the goods, advertise it for sale by developing and implementing strategies such as packaging, displaying, publicising the products and also secure it on the web thereby sustaining competitive advantage. Gomes-Casseres (2003) further suggest that firms such as eBay should be rational in decision making and implementation on how to handle its competitors like Amazon before entering into any advertisement alliance with other firms. Bolotaeva and Cata (2010) stressed that eBay will have to be more creative so as to capture more buyers or sellers a nd also make profit. According to Segal (2005), eBay uses its strategic capabilities to build a strong customer relation by trying to know what the buyers/sellers want to buy/sale and creates awareness on how to make effective use of the eBay marketplace by conducting seminars for the buyers and sellers so as to enable them participate more actively on the eBay business. Skull (2008) argued that eBays advertising alliance strategy will offer better public promotion of products for the market operators and also create more benefits for eBay through its proper implementation. Segal (2005) implied that eBay tries to sustain competitive advantage by cooperating with other firms doing business on the internet, such as yahoo etc. to market, advertise or promote their business so as to draw more customers. 2.1. STRATEGIC CAPABILITIES AND eBays ORGANISATION STRUCTURE According to Cravens and Piercy (2009) when a firm like eBay is developing its business organisation strategy, it will try as much as possible to determine how other firms like yahoo will contribute to its business organisation structure and marketing strategy through an alliance in advertising or brand promotion etc., this is said to enhance eBays business opportunities by creating awareness of its business internationally and also provide a strong brand capability for eBay as a core competence. Johnson et al (2009) argued that eBays organisation structure comes in form of a multidivisional structure which consists of divided parts of products, services and locations, and can be adjusted easily, supervised from anywhere by the divisional heads using organisation strategies as relates to their specialised divisions that creates competences and also provide training for the upcoming divisional heads (see appendix iii). Olson (2009) argued that by using reliable techniques and tools, e Bay will bring more customers to its establishment, maintain the customers and also sustain competitive advantage. Aaker (1998) observed that for eBays strategic capabilities to be able to sustain competitive advantage, eBay must be able to influence what is happening in its environment and not just adapting to them. For example, eBay will benefit by making more laws or regulations that will guide its users, by so doing eBay will implement its business strategies which will also ensure it of business success (source: Making eBay work). Although Johnson et al (2009) argued that eBays multidivisional organisation structure will bring about duplication of functions which subdivides its divisions and make them self-reliant. Burke (2006) suggested that eBay can use its advertising alliance strategy with yahoo etc. to attract more customers and also make them listen to each other, view the prices of products available for sale and whom the owners of those products are on eBay, which will enable buyers to be able to contact sellers easily and on the other hand bring competitive advantage to eBay as more people will get to know about eBays business transaction and may want to participate. Segal (2005) also noted that eBay allow the buyers and sellers to be the people that will be controlling the business transactions by observing the eBay business regulations. Kotler and Keller (2006) emphasise that the core competence of firms like eBay will provide competitive advantage through the provision of customer satisfaction, applied in broad kinds of markets using skills that will be difficult to imitate. Brandt (2008) stressed that the competitive advantage of eBay will be sustained due to the fact that eBay helps buyers and sellers worldwide to exchange information concerning products and also allow them to transact the business so as to conclude on the price a product can be sold. Pettey (2008) disagreed with the above explanation and argued that buyers and sellers must see eBay as they see other internet marketing websites, such as Amazon etc. so that the buyers and sellers can examine as well as compare the different websites and the prices their products are offered for sale so as to have a choice on the firm to patronise and this may affect eBay negatively. According to Skul (2008) firms such as eBay is being seen as a cheap method of bringing buyers and sellers together so that they can transact a business instead of spending enormous money in order to create/build a market. Weston (2008) emphasise that eBays strategic capabilities also help them to sustain competitive advantage due to its connectivity with buyers and sellers, because eBays database of prospective buyers and sellers provides an opportunity for buyers to contact sellers concerning their needs Bolotaeva and Cata (2010) observed that if eBay happens to be aggressive in its advertisement/marketing and products promotion, their customers may not want to patronise them anymore and they may start visiting their competitors that are doing the same business just like eBay. In this situation, it is observed that eBay will lose some of their customers to those their competitors, thereby not sustaining competitive advantage. Weston (2008) went further to explain that the increase in eBays awareness campaign will definitely encourage their existing customers as well as new customers to keep patronizing eBay, and this should not stop eBay from checking the activities of their customers which may negatively affect eBay sometime. Pettey (2008) emphasized that eBay should have a strategic capability that will enable it set up its own advertisement networking bearing in mind what their customers want, as well as allowing the customers to make suggestions in form of feedback on the way forward. Weston (2008) argued that eBays strategic capability to create awareness, just as they are doing with the help of yahoo etc. will help in a long way to sustain their competitive advantage over their competitors which will also provide an added value to eBays overall business performance. Skul (2008) indicated that there are laws, rules and regulations that will be meditating against eBays online marketing and advertisement strategy, therefore eBay will have to be more careful in conducting marketing and advertisement research so as to operate in accordance within the framework of the law and also remain actively in business. Pettey (2008) argued that since eBay provides information about buyers and sellers, in the future eBay operators may be tired of sharing their personal information on the internet and that may lead to eBay losing some of their customers. Skul (2008) encouraged eBay to continue using its strategic capability by advertising on other websites like yahoo etc. as this will contribute in no small measure in creating sustainable competitive advantage to eBay and also help in achieving business success for eBay. He further stated that this will as well allow eBay to connect with more customers. Javitch (2008) explained that eBay is a cheap and better option as compared to the traditional market where buyers and sellers are expected to meet one on one before transacting a business. This being a strategic capability implies that as an eBay market operator either in form of a buyer or seller will help in safeguarding a customers name from other parties. Klen (2008) indicated that for eBay to be more successful, it will have to set up its business goals and work on how to achieve these goals by properly implementing its strategic capabilities. According to Bolotaeva and Cata (2010), eBay organisation structure can function in a marketplace where buyers and sellers from different parts of the world meet to buy and sale products. In this kind of market situation, buyers and sellers are said to show their presence, create awareness of their products by showcasing the products on eBay website, and also reduce cost of advertising the products through the help of eBay that is solely doing the advert and allowing their customers to pay little after selling their products. Here eBay is said to use their advertising strategic capability to satisfy their customer so as to sustain competitive advantage not minding the current economic meltdown (source: making eBay work). 2.2. A PROPOSED STRUCTURAL TYPE FOR eBay In proposing and justifying a structural type for eBay to maximise its strategic capabilities, the author will put into consideration Woollaston (2011) value chain and network diagrams as shown on week three lecture handout on strategic management and marketing because it is said to illustrate a value chain as classes of activities in a firm like eBay that creates a commodity/service, and a value network shows the inter-firm connections and relationship that creates a commodity/service (see appendix ii and iii). For example, eBays advertisement interconnection/alliance with yahoo, Google, etc.(source: Making eBay work). Johnson et al (2009) emphasise that value chain will help firms like eBay to improve its products or services through advertisement and sales so as to maintain value, while value network on the other hand will reduce cost of advertisement for eBay by interconnecting eBay with other firms like yahoo etc. and also bring more profit to eBay by attracting more customers a nd using the competences of those firms eBay is interconnected or in alliance with to sustain its competitive advantage. Peppard and Rylander (2006) argued that eBays strategic capabilities can be maximised using the analysis from value chain and network which will help in repositioning eBay at its rightful position on the value chain and network. Woollaston (2011) emphasise that by using the value chain and network, eBay will be able to determine actions that are signicant to its strategic capabilities and the best firms that will enable it generate more profit through alliance or interconnectivity. Peppard and Rylander (2006) noted that value chain and network analysis will push eBay to focus on the value that will be created from the alliance strategy with its partners like yahoo etc. so as to create more value for eBay through advertisement which will provide competitive advantage for eBay. Cravens and Piercy (2006) argued that without value chain and network firms like eBay will find it difficult to connect products and services to its customers through the alliance or interconnectivity that can b e established with other firms like yahoo. Chaffey et al (2003) emphasised that a structural type of strategy for eBay like value chain and network will involve the assessment of what customers always want to buy and where the customers attention can be drawn from. Woollaston (2011) implied that this can be achieved by sub-dividing the customers into different segments/groups so as to make it easy for firms like eBay to reach the customers by maximising its strategic capabilities in form of going into advertisement alliance with firms that can reach such segments/groups of customers. For example, eBays alliance with yahoo etc. (Source: making eBay work). Mowery et al (2002) proposed that eBays strategic alliance in form of advertisement with firms like yahoo etc. will in no small measure help eBay to utilize yahoo etc. strategic technological capabilities. This will therefore, sustain eBays competitive advantage and also maximise its strategic capabilities. Chaffey et al (2003) further implied that eBays strategic capability of going into advertisement alliance with yahoo etc. will try as much as possible to strategically reposition/redirect eBay by carrying out the advertisement process in different and attractive ways so as to hit the target audience and also attract more customers for eBay. Cravens and Piercy (2009) also contend that value chain and value network will provide eBay with an unequalled and obliging means of carrying out business transaction between buyers and sellers, and as well provide eBay with a strategic capability that will make it possible for eBay to communicate with buyers and sellers on a one on one basis. De Man and Zee (2002) emphasise that eBay going into partnership with other e-business firms will help eBay to reduce search cost. This will therefore reduce eBay customers expenditure as buyers and sellers will easily locate eBay through the advertising partners such as yahoo etc. By so doing, eBays strategic capabilities of going into business alliance with other firms so as to advertise and market eBay to the general public will be achieved. Cravens and Piercy (2009) argued that although eBays unequalled characteristics contributes in providing high customer value through direct selling which provides eBay with the opportunity of exclusive c ontact with particular customer group and adapting to its business timing as well as capacity to deliver, it also have some limitations in relation to how effective customers will view the eBay business enterprise. Lu and Choy (2004) affirmed that those strategic alliances which are externally oriented business approach will emphasise on improving eBays business performance through the linkages in their supply network. They further explained that this strategic alliance will bring about a future plan which will help eBay and the firms they are in alliance with to maximise eBays strategic capabilities through advertisement, as can be seen in the case example making eBay work where eBay is in advertisement alliance with Google, yahoo, etc. This is said to enable eBay to create more awareness about its products and services, attract more customers to its firm and also maximise more profit and on the long run maximising its strategic capabilities. Bamford et al (2003) stated that it is common these days to see firms like eBay establishing strategic alliance with other firms like yahoo etc. this being because more competitive advantage have resulted and sustained from business cooperation in form of alliance. Bamford et al (2003) further implied that as the world of e-business changes, firms like eBay cannot rely solely on its internal source or quality of advertisement to sustain competitive advantage in the e-business marketplace. Therefore, the author observed that for eBay to maximise its strategic capabilities better, it needs to strengthen its alliance/interconnection with more firms on the internet as they are doing with yahoo etc. so as to share responsibilities and also share maximised revenue together. Mintzberg et al (1995) explained that for eBay to maximise its strategic capabilities, eBay managers must make close examination of their competitive advantage which calls for the evaluation of its organisation as well as the environment in which they operates so as to maximise its strategic capabilities by comparing the firms strength and weaknesses as it relates to their competitors. Segil (2004) argued that the initial firms like yahoo etc. which eBay have been in business alliance with are not or may not be the best firms to advertise for eBay. Mintzberg et al (1995) also contend that a firms organisational process cannot be separated from the structure, culture and behaviour of such a firms organisation in different ways. They implied that eBays strategic capabilities which come in form of alliance with other firms calls for a great responsibility for both eBay and the firms they are in alliance with to implement and execute the strategy so as to maximise eBays strategic capabil ities. De Man and Zee (2002) argued that eBays reputation will have to be considered when eBay want to go into alliance in order to maximise their strategic capabilities, which may come in form of reliance or trust and belief or confidence the firms have for each other, that are always established within a long period of time between the firms that are involved in the alliance. For example, eBay and yahoo happens to have trust and confidence on each other and that is the reason why their advertisement alliance is yielding positive results as observed from the case example, making eBay work (Segal, 2005). Ono et al (2001) explained that for eBay to maximise its strategic capabilities and as well sustain competitive advantage, going into a balance alliance with firms such as yahoo and many more popular and also good e-business marketing firms will provide competitive advantage to eBay. Ono et al (2001) also argued that multi or balanced-alliance strategy will help eBay to spread the news abou t its products and services so that more people will get to know about eBay as well as try to patronize them. In this situation where there is more than one advertisement alliance, if a particular firm is not performing very well as eBay expected, it will not stop eBay from maximising profit because other alliance partners are performing very well (Segal, 2005). Ono at el (2005) implies that when eBay uses a balanced alliance strategy by going into many alliances so as to advertise for its firm, eBay will stand a chance of expanding its customer base because more people will know about eBays services and come to patronize them. This will on the other hand create more market opportunities for eBay, increase eBays competitive advantage and also sustain those advantages (Ono at el, 2005). While Andam (2003) argued that it will be necessary to bear in mind that eBay should be able to secure/protect its business transaction server/website so that its business transactions can be processed efficiently. Also eBay will have to employ people that are able to function and use its tangible and intangible resources and assets without a waste to manage and maintain the eBay system so as to maximise eBays strategic capabilities. Andam (2003) argued that eBay must have the capacity as well as the strategic capabilities to handle online payments of any type, ability to carry out delivery of goods purchased by customers to their various locations, eBay should also be able to maintain its position as a trusted third party so as to ensure that transactions are secured and eBays integrity is maintained. These abilities are said to definitely compliment strategic alliance capabilities between firms like eBay and yahoo etc. and on the other hand, eBay will be able to maximise its strategic capabilities (Woollaston, 2011). Chaffey et al (2003) argued that eBays strategic capabilities in form of alliance with other firms like yahoo, Google etc. will help eBay to achieve its business objective through advertisement, sales and marketing etc. and also sustain eBays competitive advantage. It is proposed by Andam (2003) that eBays advertisement strategic alliance with other firms like yahoo would maximise its strategic cap abilities by making eBay to serve as an avenue through which people from different parts of the world can get connected and transact business. This will involve sellers showcasing their products and selling them to prospective buyers who on the other hand will have the opportunity to access information concerning the products which will lead to purchasing of such products in most cases. Andam (2003) suggested that as eBay uses its alliance strategy, it should also take into consideration, a strategic system of buying which will make it possible for customers of eBay to choose the type of goods or products that will match their description/specification. For example, in a situation where a customer wants a product customised, eBay should be able to arrange for sellers or manufacturers that can do that for the customer within a short period of time (Woollaston, 2011). Smith and Chaffey (2002) on the other hand, observed that alliance strategy will help to increase eBays sales through advertisement, because it will take eBay closer to more people and then generate more customers. This will help in maximising eBays strategic capabilities in the sense that people using yahoo, Google etc. will tend to see eBays advert on their toolbar and want to visit eBay and most times end up buying products/goods from eBay. 3.0. CONCLUSION For eBay to record more success in its business, eBay will need a clearly defined and carefully detailed plan of action or strategic capabilities. By so doing, eBay CEO and President Meg Whitman, as mentioned in the case example making eBay work, coupled with eBay managers will have to be involved more in planning on how to create better and more strategic alliance in advertising eBay just as they have established with yahoo, Google, Skype etc. This strategic alliance will in no small measure increase and sustain eBays competitive advantage through advertisement and also maximise profit for eBay since it will attract more customers for them (Segal, 2005). Morgan-Thomas and Paton (2007) emphasise that strategic alliance between firms or organisations such as the one being practiced by eBay in partnership with yahoo, Google etc. can help to develop a firms marketing strategy internationally. This is said to be achieved through improved advertisement on sales and marketing of the firms products as well as their services. Buttle (2009) identified that the alliance strategy being used by eBay will bring about the involvement of eBay customers in developing the firms products and services, thereby help in meeting customers needs and expectations. Mejtoft (2010) argued that for eBay to sustain its competitive advantage and also maximise its strategic capabilities, eBay will have to maintain a strategic alliance in form of a vertical integration with other firms. This will enable eBay to increase or improve on its customer relation since good customer relation is important to move eBays business forward and also guarantee maximised strategic capabilities. Buttle (2009) also argued that good customer relation can create positive impact on eBays competitive advantage which will result from the use of strategic alliance. With the above conclusion being drawn, it can be summarised by the author that eBays strategic alliance with yahoo etc. should be extended to other good firms in the industry so as to guarantee sustainable competitive advantage for eBay which will enable eBay to maximise its strategic capabilities.

Bladerunner: Humanity Of Deckard & Roy Batty Essays -- essays research

Roy Batty and Deckard are both able to show us what it means to be human. To what extent do you agree? Through Blade Runner, we see an epic quest filled with meaning and symbolism applicable to the human condition. Replicants are basically human beings, except for the fact that they lack a history. As a consequence of this, perhaps, they also lack proper emotional faculties especially empathy. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in the position of another living being and understand that person’s feelings. Blade runner promotes that empathy is the defining characteristics for humanity. The replicants, designed not to show any emotion, develop spiritually and emotionally throughout the film. The characters in the movie, even the ones that were not human, had many humanistic and believable qualities. Many of them were able to feel love as well as hate. Although Deckard is supposedly human he at times shows less emotion than Roy. He seems heartless and uncompassionate making himself look very unhuman. We see that Deckard is possibly not "human" as well, but a replicant. He shows no compassion when he tells Rachel of her being a replicant with implants. In tears, Rachel sneaks out of Deckard’s apartment and into the streets. The only time in which Deckard really shows emotion is accomplished when Roy, forging Deckard through the fires of a harrowing battle, looks terrified knowing that he is going to die. Through this, Roy tries to communicate his life experi...

A Cultural Event I Ever Witnessed Essay

Kenyatta University is known beyond African continent for its annual culture week, an event during which activities that reflect diverse African culture are performed. The much awaited cultural week is characterized by songs, drama, poems, drama among other topical activities. I was privileged to attend the cultural week organized during the month of September, 2007 and held both at the universities cultural village and the finals held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Kenya. The most interesting was a traditional song presented in one of the native languages reflecting the manner with which the interest of others present and could not understand the local languages were catered for. Most of the songs were presented by groups composed of members from different communities, a clear indication of the cooperation and sharing within the communities at that time. A great artistic skill was depicted in the manner in which the singing group combined the different sounds to produce an enjoyable song, with coming in at different times and parts. It was accompanied by both traditional and modern instruments, stringed, drums, the piano and projected by the loud speakers for many to be able to hear. The performing group wrapped a lesso on their bodies. However, most of the traditional costumes were missing, enough to predict that the communities were moving away from the traditional dressing codes. The song was introduced by two of the performers, who played different parts in turn, the dance was in pairs and the group also left the stage in pairs. Through out the song though at different points, tonal variation was employed and this caught interest of the audience. All these reflected a great style. The lead singer who happened to be a lady demonstrated a great ability in tonal variation and dancing more than others in the team. Others could be heard whispering that â€Å"she is genius†, and actually she was and in all her performances, none matched her. It was a fact that the song described above had a lot in common with other forms of cultural expression at that time. Other forms as well included more than one performer, and involved the use of sound to communicate. Many forms of expression adhere to a specific style during performance and involve some degree of individual inherent exceptional ability, even though training also efficiently enhance success of such forms. They are performed during a cultural event and need audience. However, in contrast, most of the forms of cultural expression at that time were in a common language (that is English language) and did not involve cultural accompamyments neither was dance a common characteristic even though some element of demonstration were evidenced. REFERENCES Cook, N (1990) music imagination and culture. New York: Oxford University Press. Bratton, J. S (Ed. ) (1986) music Hall: Performance and Style. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Sloboda, J. A (1985) The Musical Mind: The cognitive Psychology of Music. New York: Clarendom Press.

Erik Satie Essays

Erik Satie Essays Erik Satie Essay Erik Satie Essay Before I became a leading figure of the French avant-garde, though, I was a simple boy that studied the beautiful piano. After I was born on May 17th, 1866, my family constantly moved around from Honfleur, a city located in Lower Normandy, to Paris, where I was primarily raised. At this time, the Wagnerian music model had already reached its zenith in Europe, but this meant nothing to me. After my mother unfortunately died when I was at the young age of six, I went to live with my grandparents back in my hometown. There, I began my first music lessons from Vinot, a local organist. Vinot was quite a kind fellow, and he introduced me to Gregorian plainsongs, which are monophonic religious chants from the Middle Ages. From dear Vinot’s teachings, I became very interested in medieval music, and I even incorporated some of these concepts to my later compositions. However, that was quite far away, for I was first forced to enter the Paris Conservatoire. In 1878, my father had remarried to Eugenie Barnetsche, a â€Å"musically gifted individual. † Of course, she was just another conservative musician that conformed to Wagnerism and other such musical forms. Because of her, my father sent me to the rigorous and old-fashioned Paris Conservatoire in 1879. I studied under the Mathias, Descombes, and Lavignac while I was there, but they weren’t exactly encouraging instructors. In fact, they were the ones who claimed that I was the â€Å"laziest student in the Conservatoire. † I even composed two songs there; one was called Valse-Ballet while the other was titled Fantaisie-Valse. However, all of those conservative professors called these compositions insignificant, laborious, and worthless. As a result, I was eventually expelled from the Paris Conservatoire in 1882, so I didn’t really receive a complete education. I didn’t mind, though, for that school was not to my liking anyway. After an unsuccessful entry into the French infantry- I had fallen ill with bronchitis- in 1886, I started my career of composition. In fact, just two years after I was discharged, I composed some of my most famous pieces, the Trois Gymnopedies. These pieces are a clear example of Vinot’s influence on my life, for the harmonies have a bit of Medieval music mixed in them. Around the same time, I composed Ogives (1886), Trois Sarabandes (1887), and Six Gnossiennes (1893), all of which began my career as a composer. My first three pieces leaned towards a more conservative style, although they did vary to some extent. For example, Ogives was based more upon gothic art, while Trois Sarabandes incorporated a solemn dance character. However, with Six Gnossiennes, I ultimately eliminated bar lines and time signatures from my work- until 1917, that is. In addition, I began to scribble in specific directions for the performer in my scores. For example, I liked to write things like â€Å"wonder about yourself† or â€Å"open your mind† to make whoever was performing to give the music some attitude! I mean, what is music without character and expression? During all of that time, I lived in a small apartment in Montmartre, mostly because I was so poor. But what do you expect from a musician like me? Other than composing various pieces, I also worked as a cafe pianist to get a regular income at Auberge du Clou, which is where I met Claude Debussy. He’s definitely a fine fellow, except for the fact that he claims that he is the father of modern music. Of course, we still became good friends, and we advised each other later on in our careers. In the following years, I began to come involved in religion. After meeting Josephin Peladan, the leader of the Rosicrucian (Rose et Croix) Order, I became the unofficial composer for the society, using my knowledge of medieval music and Gothic art to create a variety of religious pieces in the 1890s, such as Prelude pour la porte heroique du ciel and Messe des Pauvres. However, the Rosicrucians weren’t exactly the most interesting people. Thus, I created my own church and composed my own music, shunning the society around me and inspiring individuality. (I wonder why no one else joined it! That’s one thing I never comprehended. ) Although I became quite a familiar figure in the streets of Montmartre- especially because of my supposedly eccentric habits- I later moved to Arcueil, which is located in the Ile-de-France region of France, and became a cabaret pianist. From then on, I produced a few cafe songs and music hall pieces like Je te veux and Le Piccadilly. However, this period of my life was quite short-lived, for I then went on to complete my musical education. I simply could not deal with the constant criticism I was receiving, and I needed money to survive too! As a result, I enrolled in the Schola Cantorum de Paris at the age of 40. Even though I was surrounded by lads half my age, I still graduated with distinction. In contrast to what my teachers said at the Paris Conservatoire, the words â€Å"tres bien† were written on my diploma. After graduating from the conservative academy, I think my music became a little more rigorous and academic. However, being the eccentric man I was, I disliked conforming to regular behavior. As a result, from 1909 to 1914, all of my pieces were named beautifully and a lot differently from other mundane titles. For example, in 1912 I composed the piece Trois morceaux en forme de Poire (which literally means Three Pear-Shaped Pieces), and in 1913 I composed Embryons Desseches, which translates into Dried-Up Embryos. I also continued to write various instructions to the performer in my scores. Phrases like â€Å"to be jealous of one’s playmate who has a big head† and â€Å"the war song of the King of Beans† appeared throughout my music during that time, and I definitely take great pride in them. How else can one create successful and expressive music? Soon after, World War I was right around the corner, and my glorious days began to overwhelm me! Prior to WWI, various of my pieces began to be performed at various concerts. For example, French composer Maurice Ravel performed my Trois Sarabandes at the Societe Musicale Independante’s concert in 1911. Many of my works were finally published in the 1910’s as well, giving me a modest income. Then, with Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso, I composed Parade, a ballet that had a realistic setting and described anti-war sentiments. This was a huge breakthrough in my career, particularly because I was arrested afterwards after I sent an â€Å"impudent† postcard to one critic. I thought that it was simply outrageous, but I only had to endure the horrible conditions for eight days. After I was released, a new generation of composers and musicians began to gather around me! In fact, the Les Six proclaimed that I was their patron saint. After the composition of Parade, I didn’t really devote as much time to music as I did before. Recognition was surrounding me and cornering me from all sides, so what could I do? I composed a few Nocturnes as well as Socrate, one of my more celebrated pieces at the time. Finally, my career came to a close. Looking back at everything that has happened after I was expelled from the Paris Conservatoire, I think that my greatest accomplishment was undoubtedly the composition of Six Gnossiennes. Even though this piece was composed just years after I left the Paris Conservatoire, it set my career as an avant-garde into motion. Of course, Parade was the piece that gained me some recognition, and Trois Gymnopedies are my most famous pieces. However, Six Gnossiennes is the first successful piece of music. It doesn’t abide by anything that Wagnerism instructs, and it is so unique! In addition, that fellow Debussy can’t claim that he was the father of modern music with this piece, for I was able to sway him away from conforming to traditional using this piece as an example! Although I faced poverty all the way until World War I and other challenges (like getting arrested), my career as a phonometrician was sprinkled with successes from 1886 to 1920. Throughout this time period, I successfully challenged Romanticism and Wagnerism, bringing forth a new convention for music that still applies in the 21th century, even after my physical disappearance from this world. Looking at the world today, I have definitely served as an inspiration to many kinds of music. Bits and pieces of my brilliance seem to be everywhere! For example, my furniture music is still evident everywhere today! From the moment I spiritually wander into a store or a deli, I unconsciously hear some obscure background music. Being a forerunner to minimalism, I had experimented with this music, which is not supposed to be heard consciously, in my lifetime and it still survives to this day. Minimalism isn’t the only type of music I inspired, though. French Impressionism was a result of my teachings to Claude Debussy. After I forced Debussy into swaying away from conformity, I supported him as he continued down his route of impressionism- that is, until his music became conventional and mainstream. How can I support him when his music becomes like Wagnerism at the time of my birth? American Jazz and ragtime are also results of my eccentric music, for various elements of these types of music are in some of my compositions! My compositions also gave birth to some important musical trends, such as bitonality, polytonality, and non-triadic harmony. Brennan, Carol. Erik Satie Biography. 2010. 5 November 2010 . Classical Archives LLC. Composer: Erik Satie. 2008. 5 November 2010 . Furstner, Michael. Erik Satie. 2008. 5 November 2010 . Goldsmith, Kenneth. Flabby Preludes for a Dog: An Erik Satie Primer. 1997. 5 November 2010 . Minnesota Public Radio. Springtime in Paris: Erik Satie. 2005. 5 November 2010 . Solomon, Larry J. Satie, The First Modern. 2003. 5 November 2010 .