Analysis of Walden Paddlers company business model Assignment

Analysis of Walden Paddlers company business model - Assignment Example Problems (1-3 problems) Walden Paddlers Company has been facing the following problems namely: 1. Whether the company should remaining being operated by two people, become a virtual corporation 2. Problem of finding alternative products 3. The problem of finding potential markets (Yang, 2015). Existing Alternatives Walden Paddlers Company had the following options; 1. Focus on kayak market and produce limited number of orders 2. Execute aggressive Kayak market expansion 3. Diversify into other recreational products. Solutions to each problem 1. The company grew tremendously, creating a need to grow virtually which made it able to reach customers located in different parts of the world 2. The company found a new alternative product called paddlers that were cheaper and affordable. 3. The Kayak market was full of giant companies; Walden focused on retail market segment and targeted school and college students (Yang, 2015) Key Metrics The key parameters, in this case, that shows the com pany success include; increase in revenues and sales volumes. i). Helping people to pursue outdoor paddling pleasure in a healthy way ii). To provide clean and suitable living by recycling waste products iii).

Nursing management Essay Example for Free

Nursing management Essay Introduction To lead effectively, you have to strike the difficult balance between communication and accountability. Different situations call for different leadership approaches, depending on corporate needs, objectives and available resources. Ultimately the goal of any leader is to get results. Here’s a list of the various common leadership types. Types of Leadership The Autocrat The autocratic dictator is the one of the most common types of leaders. The autocrat’s approach is to make unilateral decisions without asking for suggestions from other members of the group. Such totalitarian leaders have the advantage of saving time and receiving little oppositions as they seek solutions. The classic example of autocratic leadership is seen in the governments of countries like North Korea, which control their citizens through force and fear. Used positively, this type of approach is helpful to tighten up companies that are suffering from inefficiency or a lack of discipline. The Laissez-Faire Leader This type of leader is the opposite of the autocrat: employees are given a lot of freedom and eeway to work as they see fit. The laissez-faire leader rarely monitors employees and does not get feedback or updates on a regular basis. The style can be advantageous for companies that aim to harness individual leadership skills and encourage initiative among employees. The laissez-faire approach can result in time savings and better intra-office relationships, but only in companies with efficient, honest workers that require little supervision. Over time, leaders still need to follow up on the employees or they may sacrifice efficiency, productivity and affordability. The Motivational Leader A motivational leader helps to bring out the best in everyone. By taking the time to get to know each member of the organization, this type of leader gets to study employee’s strengths and weakness and develop strategies for taking advantage of them. This approach leads to good communication throughout the different levels of an organization. Employees get to share their feelings, thoughts and ideas, and so feel empowered and satisfied. AÂ  motivational leader is perfect in sales organizations or companies that are in need of a creative spark—or a jolt of enthusiasm. The Democrat The democratic leader values every member of the organization and seeks to make each group member feel content and useful. A democrat participates in tasks while respecting and acknowledging the suggestions and contributions of other workers. This approach generally leads to team efficiency and happy employees. Note that while members of the group participate in the planning and decision-making process, the leader makes the final decision based on all available information. The Gratifier The gratifier follows the old carrot-and-stick approach. Such a leader sets goals and then offers relative rewards depending on the contribution and achievements of members. If an employee or department performs poorly, there may be punishments or penalties. One benefit of this traditional management strategy is that it’s possible to initiate competitions within the workplace that often lead to improved—even transcendent—performance. The Innovator An innovator is creative and dynamic, adapting quickly to change and spearheading explosive growth. An innovative leader is aware of new developments in the marketplace and is always listening to other team members, on the lookout for fresh ideas and solutions. The best thing about the innovator’s approach is that the lead-by-example creativity inspires other employees to explore, expand and come up with new concepts of their own. This type of management strategy is particularly effective for tech, media and other idea-driven businesses. Your company’s current needs and goals may dictate the most effective management approach. Be flexible, and respond to changing circumstances or personnel by varying that approach as needed. It’s also wise to tailor your style of management to the capabilities and personalities of your company leaders.

Affirmative Action Essay example -- essays research papers

Affirmative action is the nation’s most ambitious attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination, however in modern times and approximately forty years after the establishment of this policy, society is plagued with the issues of whether affirmative action is necessary, whether it is a benefit or detriment to society, and why it incites rather then eases the nation’s internal dilemmas after so many years of having been in effect. In the following paragraphs the issues surrounding this debate, such as what is the definition of affirmative action, how and why affirmative action was established to begin with, who is affected by this policy, whether affirmative action is still necessary in today’s society or if such policy should be done away with, and, finally, possible resolutions to this dilemma, will be reviewed, beginning with the explanation of how affirmative action came about. In March l96I, less than two months after President John F. Kennedy took office, he issued an Executive Order (10925), which established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Its mission was to end discrimination in employment by the government and its contractors. The order required every federal contract to include the pledge that "The Contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The Contractor will take affirmative action, to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." (QUOTE) Here for the first time the government called for "affirmative action." Soon, thereafter the Civil Rights Act of 1964 restated and broadened the application of this principle with the Title VI, which declared that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground Or r ace, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." But within one year President Lyndon B. Johnson argued that fairness required more than a commitment to impartial treatment. In his 1965 commencement address at Howard University, he said: "You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him... ...us attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination, however in modern times and approximately forty years after the establishment of this policy, society is plagued with the issues of whether affirmative action is necessary, whether it is a benefit or detriment to society, and why it incites rather then eases the nation’s internal dilemmas after so many years of having been in effect. In the following paragraphs the issues surrounding this debate, such as what is the definition of affirmative action, how and why affirmative action was established to begin with, who is affected by this policy, whether affirmative action is still necessary in today’s society or if such policy should be done away with, and, finally, possible resolutions to this dilemma. Affirmative Action is the bridge between changing the laws and changing the culture. The radical right wing would have us believe that women and people of color earn less because we don't work as hard or we're not as smart. That simply isn't the case. Laws have changed, but discrimination persists. Affirmative Action only opens doors, women and people of color have to walk through those doors by themselves. Affirmative Action Essay example -- essays research papers Affirmative action is the nation’s most ambitious attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination, however in modern times and approximately forty years after the establishment of this policy, society is plagued with the issues of whether affirmative action is necessary, whether it is a benefit or detriment to society, and why it incites rather then eases the nation’s internal dilemmas after so many years of having been in effect. In the following paragraphs the issues surrounding this debate, such as what is the definition of affirmative action, how and why affirmative action was established to begin with, who is affected by this policy, whether affirmative action is still necessary in today’s society or if such policy should be done away with, and, finally, possible resolutions to this dilemma, will be reviewed, beginning with the explanation of how affirmative action came about. In March l96I, less than two months after President John F. Kennedy took office, he issued an Executive Order (10925), which established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Its mission was to end discrimination in employment by the government and its contractors. The order required every federal contract to include the pledge that "The Contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The Contractor will take affirmative action, to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." (QUOTE) Here for the first time the government called for "affirmative action." Soon, thereafter the Civil Rights Act of 1964 restated and broadened the application of this principle with the Title VI, which declared that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground Or r ace, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." But within one year President Lyndon B. Johnson argued that fairness required more than a commitment to impartial treatment. In his 1965 commencement address at Howard University, he said: "You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him... ...us attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination, however in modern times and approximately forty years after the establishment of this policy, society is plagued with the issues of whether affirmative action is necessary, whether it is a benefit or detriment to society, and why it incites rather then eases the nation’s internal dilemmas after so many years of having been in effect. In the following paragraphs the issues surrounding this debate, such as what is the definition of affirmative action, how and why affirmative action was established to begin with, who is affected by this policy, whether affirmative action is still necessary in today’s society or if such policy should be done away with, and, finally, possible resolutions to this dilemma. Affirmative Action is the bridge between changing the laws and changing the culture. The radical right wing would have us believe that women and people of color earn less because we don't work as hard or we're not as smart. That simply isn't the case. Laws have changed, but discrimination persists. Affirmative Action only opens doors, women and people of color have to walk through those doors by themselves.

Traditional and Renewable Sources of Energy

TRADITIONAL ENERGY SOURCES SIDE BY SIDE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: WHICH ONE IS MORE LIKELY TO WIN THE BATTLE WITHIN THE FOLLOWING DECADES? Assuming that the energy is a vital asset for the human being, it's really hard to answer this question, because both of them have advantages and disadvantages. When I read for the first time this question I immediately thought that renewable energy sources would win, but then I realize that it can't, because this kind of energy is not able to generate all the energy that we need.Having said that I don't mean that the traditional energy sources could win, because, as I said first, it has disadvantages, such as pollution and the fact that the sources are exhaustible. I think we should consider them together with their advantages and disadvantages. The traditional energy sources, although they are exhaustible sources, they are present in huge quantity in the world and they can generate all the energy that we need. Instead, renewable sources are inex haustible, but, as I wrote before, they can't generate all the energy we need.Both of them need a big place where can be installed. As a result, both have a considerable impact on the environment. Others disadvantages for the renewable energy sources are that sometimes these resources are not available and the cost for this energy technology is more expensive than the other. After summarizing very briefly the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of energy sources, I can conclude that traditional and renewable energy sources can't separate, they will continue to co-exist if we want to generate energy.The main problem is how the human being uses the energy. Unfortunately, in some countries, people don't know the right value attributed to energy use. Doing so they consume more energy than what they need. People don't realize that with small steps daily they can help save energy and save money, too! I think that every government have to invest money in that kind of education, a nd then invest more money for the renewable energy sources if we want to breath better air, not forgetting that the renewable energy sources cannot generate energy without the support of the traditionals one.

Florida Fast Track program Essay

Time is very valuable, and if there is a way of using it efficiently, and gaining the most in the shortest time possible, that is the way I would go. Florida Tech’s Fast Tack program gives me this opportunity, to be very efficient in my overall attaining of a masters degree. Being part of the program will help me achieve my goals, faster and earlier than I expect. Taking this program gives me an advantage of being able to qualify for the scholarship award during the fifth year as a full time student (Financial Aid, 2010). This also means that if I get a scholarship award during my undergraduate I can keep it if I undertake the fast track program. This will help me a lot in financing the masters program too. I will also have a head-start in my career, way before my colleagues who are taking the traditional program. This will go a long way in helping me serve my fellow citizens as soon as possible, for I have a great desire to work to benefit them through my career. The program will therefore enhance my fast growth to attaining qualification in this career. The program is also diverse and not specific to any course among those offered in the university. Through this, my choice is also catered for. By stating, â€Å"FastTrack is open to all undergraduates and is comprised of the following combined, accelerated degree programs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fast Track Masters’ Program, 2010), the admission department of Florida Tech makes it clear that the courses being offered at undergraduate level are available at masters’ level. I will therefore be happy to be part of the family of the Florida Technical College, and pursue my dream career. The other good thing about this program is that it is designed in a way to give full attention to the individual student. I will therefore be able to interact closely with my instructors to help me grasp the concepts very well. In addition to this, the program has nationally recognized certification, which gives me confidence in working through it to get the degree (Fast – Track a Career in Medical Assisting, 2010). I therefore know that I will have no problem getting a place in the corporate world in my career.

T&D-Midterm Essays - Industrial And Organizational Psychology

T&D-Midterm Essays - Industrial And Organizational Psychology 1) Physical Fidelity is the level to which a simulator resembles the environment, equipment, and tasks of the actual job. The essence of this training strategy is the emphasis on realism should minimize the differences between training and performance. The realistic reproduction of the performance environment will capture the essential psychological processes that underlie learning and performance. Psychological Fidelity is the level to which simulator participants feel as though they are part of the actual work environment. The essence of this training strategy is to prompt the psychological processes relevant to performance in the real work setting. This approach is based on the use of theory to design simulation experiences that induce the psychological processes relevant to the performance requirements of the job. Fidelity is an important concept to an organization and employee because one can see the extent to which skills and attitudes acquired during training are transferred to the actual work and environment. This concept is also advantageous to the organization because training in the real world might be dangerous or very expensive. For example, the aviation industries use fidelity methods to recreate simulators that look like an actual cockpit. It would be very dangerous and extremely expensive if pilots were trained using real airplanes. During a pilot-training simulation, different types of weather can be introduced to see how the trainee handles the changes. Once again this goes to show that employees can train safely during a simulation of turbulent weather so they can have an idea of what to expect and see how they would react. This goes to show how both the organization and employee benefit from simulations that have both psychological and physical fidelity attributes. Examples of these which are not in the textbook are 2) a) The first thing I would do is take a picture of what I am seeing. Then I would stop the workers from what they are doing and have them pull the employee that is hanging upside down by his legs up. b) My next steps would be to document in detail what I have witnessed and interview the employees that were involved to see why they were doing what they were doing. This would be the time to study the behavior of the employees to see whether their performance meets the work standards. In this case, it is obvious that the behavior of these employees do not meet safe work standards or practices. At this point it would be necessary to define the desired performance. This is a necessary step because discrepancies need to be identified to determine the need for additional training. The next step would be to determine the gap between desired and actual performance, to identify each employees performance against the standard level of performance. This step will help to identify what performance issues there are for each individual employee and where there is a gap between the desired and actual performance. The final step would be to identify the obstacles to effective performance to see w hat the causes of the gap are. It is possible that the gap is the result of an employee(s) not having the proper knowledge, skills, or abilities to perform the job duties. After the barriers to effective performance have been identified it is necessary to determine the solutions. The solution(s) depend on the barriers that have been identified; it may be necessary that employees be given additional training to improve performance. c) In my opinion the factors that may have contributed to this particular incident are the following: 1) Lack of knowledge I think that in this particular case it is a lack of knowledge more than anything else. While these workers posses the necessary skills and motivation to perform the job, there is no knowledge of the safety precautions. 2)

Definition and Examples of Heat Energy

Definition and Examples of Heat Energy Most people use the word heat to describe something that feels warm, however in science, thermodynamic equations, in particular, heat is defined as the flow of energy between two systems by means of kinetic energy. This can take the form of transferring energy from a warm object to a cooler object. More simply put, heat energy, also called thermal energy or simply heat, is transferred from one location to another by particles bouncing into each other. All matter contains heat energy, and the more heat energy that is present, the hotter an item or area will be. Heat vs. Temperature The distinction between heat and  temperature  is  subtle  but very important. Heat refers to the transfer of energy between systems (or bodies), whereas temperature is determined by the energy contained within a singular system (or body). In other words, heat is energy, while temperature is a measure of energy. Adding heat will increase a bodys temperature while removing heat will lower the temperature, thus changes in temperature are the result of the presence of heat, or conversely, the lack of heat. You can measure the temperature of a room by placing a thermometer in the room and measuring the ambient air temperature. You can add heat to a room by turning on a space  heater. As the heat is added to the room, the temperature rises. Particles have more energy at higher temperatures, and as this energy is transferred from one system to another, the fast-moving particles will collide with slower moving particles. As they collide, the faster particle will transfer some of its energy to the slower particle, and the process will continue until all the particles are operating at the same rate. This is called thermal  equilibrium. Units of Heat The SI unit for heat is a form of energy called the joule (J). Heat is frequently also measured in the calorie (cal), which is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water from 14.5 degrees Celsius to 15.5 degrees Celsius. Heat is also sometimes measured in British thermal units or Btu. Sign Conventions for Heat Energy Transfer In physical equations, the amount of heat transferred is usually denoted by the symbol Q. Heat transfer may be indicated by either a positive or negative number. Heat that is released into the surroundings is written as a negative quantity (Q 0). When heat is absorbed from the surroundings, it is written as a positive value (Q 0). Ways of Transferring Heat There are three basic ways to transfer heat: convection, conduction, and radiation. Many homes are heated through the convection process, which  transfers heat energy through gases or liquids. In the home, as the air is heated, the particles gain heat energy allowing them to move faster, warming the cooler particles. Since hot  air is  less dense than cold air, it will rise.  As the cooler air falls, it can be drawn into our heating systems which will again allow the faster particles to heat up the air. This is considered a circular flow of air and is called a  convection current.  These currents  circle  and heat  our homes. The conduction process is the transfer of heat energy from one solid to another, basically, two things that are touching. We can see an example of this can be seen when we cook on the stove. When we place the cool pan down on the hot burner, heat energy is transferred from the burner to the pan, which in turn heats up. Radiation is a process in which heat moves through places where there are no molecules, and is actually a form of electromagnetic energy. Any item whose heat can be felt without direct connection is radiating energy. You can see this in the heat of the sun, the feeling of heat coming off a bonfire thats several feet away, and even in the fact that rooms full of people will naturally being warmer than empty rooms because each persons body is radiating heat.

John Tyler - Tenth President of the United States

John Tyler - Tenth President of the United States John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790 in Virginia. Not much is known about his childhood though he grew up on a plantation in Virginia. His Mother died when he was only seven. At twelve, he entered the College of William and Mary Preparatory School. He graduated from the College proper in 1807. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1809. Family Ties Tylers father, John, was a planter and  supporter of the American Revolution. He was a friend of Thomas Jefferson and politically active. His mother,  Mary Armistead - died when Tyler was seven. He had five sisters and two brothers. On March 29, 1813, Tyler married  Letitia Christian. She served briefly as First Lady before suffering a stroke and dying while he was president. Together she and Tyler had seven children: three sons and four daughters. On June 26, 1844, Tyler married Julia Gardner while he was president. She was 24 while he was 54. Together they had five sons and two daughters.   John Tyler's Career Before the Presidency From 1811-16, 1823-5, and 1838-40, John Tyler was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. In 1813, he did join the militia but never saw action. In 1816, Tyler was elected to be a U.S. Representative. He strongly opposed every move towards power for the Federal government that he saw as unconstitutional. He eventually resigned. He was Governor of Virginia from 1825-7 until he was elected a U.S. Senator. Becoming President John Tyler was the Vice President under William Henry Harrison in the election of 1840. He was chosen to balance the ticket since he was from the South. He took over upon Harrisons quick demise after only one month in office. He was sworn in on April 6, 1841 and did not have a Vice President because no provisions had been made in the Constitution for one. In fact, many tried to claim that Tyler was actually only Acting President. He fought against this perception and won legitimacy. Events and Accomplishments of John Tyler's Presidency In 1841, John Tylers entire cabinet except for Secretary of State Daniel Webster resigned. This was due to his vetoes of laws creating the Third Bank of the United States. This went against his partys policy. After this point, Tyler had to operate as president without a party behind him. In 1842, Tyler agreed to and Congress ratified the Webster-Ashburton Treaty with Great Britain. This set the boundary between Maine and Canada. The border was agreed upon all the way to Oregon. President Polk would deal in his administration with the Oregon border. 1844 brought the Treaty of Wanghia. According to this treaty, America gained the right to trade in Chinese ports. America also gained the right of extraterritoriality with U.S. citizens were not under the jurisdiction of Chinese law. In 1845, three days before leaving office, John Tyler signed into law the joint resolution allowing for the annexation of Texas. Importantly, the resolution extended 36 degrees 30 minutes as the mark dividing free and slave states through Texas. Post Presidential Period John Tyler did not run for reelection in 1844. He retired to his farm in Virginia and later served as Chancellor of the College of William and Mary. As the Civil War approached, Tyler spoke for secession. He was the only president to join the Confederacy. He died on January 18, 1862 at the age of 71. Historical Significance Tyler was important first of all for setting the precedent of his becoming president as opposed to just Acting President for the rest of his term. He was not able to accomplish much in his administration due to the lack of party support. However, he did sign the annexation of Texas into law. Overall, he is considered to be a sub-par president.

Is social inequality meritocratic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is social inequality meritocratic - Essay Example One motive for the incredible persistence of social hierarchies is that they are reinforced by ideology, cultural viewpoints that cause and maintain the interest of definite categories of people and justify stratification. Naturally, ideology takes the structure of developing cultural patterns that are confirmed directly and indirectly in accordance with a disproportionate distribution of resources and rights to definite categories of people. Melvin M. Tumin studied social stratification and inequality and summarized: functional justification is similar to class system; we act according to certain patterns or sets of ideas. Social stratification can in fact cause demotivation of people, those who are deprived of their rights might also be demotivated. Also Tumin states that social stratification depends on relations of power and distribution of power in society. "The main functional necessity explaining the universal presence of stratification is precisely the requirement faced by an y society of placing and motivating individuals in the social structure. As a functioning mechanism a society must somehow distribute its members in social positions and induce them to perform the duties of these positions. It must thus concern itself with motivation at two different levels: to instill in the proper individuals the desire to fill certain positions, and, once in these positions, the desire to perform the duties attached to them" (Tumin, 1953, socserv2.mcmaster.ca, par. 5). Social inequality systems' purpose is to provide the privileged classes with the political power needed to obtain recognition and supremacy of an ideology which rationalizes the status quo, whatever it may be, as "logical," "natural" and "morally right. This way, social inequality systems are those of fundamentally conservative influences in the societies in which they are established. So Tumin states that meritocracy is based on the importance of one's status and occupation.Social-conflict perspec tive shows that, rather than benefiting society as a whole, social stratification guarantees that some people get advantage at the expense of others. Karl Marx states that the two main social classes match to the two basic relationships people have to the resources of production. People can own property or they can work for others. In industrialized class models, the capitalists (or the) manage plants, which use the manual labor of workers (the proletariat). Work that consists mostly of manual labor is known as "blue-collar" work whereas work that contains middle-management office jobs is known as "white-collar" jobs. Marx believed that social disparity was dangerous for society. Marx gives a vivid contraposition of those two classes and suggests that social inequality is exactly meritocratic, since 'white-collar' class is more privileged and comprises elite, which exploits proletarians, or people who have no own property. The inner merit of person from higher class is that he or sh e was born in such family and belongs to bourgeoisie.Marx's and Weber's concepts are similar in many aspects, so the author decided to compare them. The idea of class and class struggle does not occupy as significant a role in Weber as in Marx. In Weber's opinion, the rising speed of bureaucracy in all organizations is an unavoidable of the

Aztecs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aztecs - Essay Example Aztecs were ancient Nahuatl-speaking people whose civilization flourished in Central Mexico from the 12th century AD until they were conquered by the Spanish led by Cortes in 1519. Aztec history is one of the best preserved records of the Mesoamericans. The Aztecs were a nomadic tribe living in northern Mexico for centuries before they migrated to the highlands of central Mexico in the 12th century. The power of the Aztecs began to rise in the 14th century, and by the 16th century they were dominating central Mexico and up to present-day Guatemala in the south. Being the last in a series of civilizations in Mesoamerica, the Aztecs had a complex culture that had shades of the cultures of civilizations preceding them such as the Mayan and Teotihuacan. The extensive practice of human sacrifice was a prominent feature of Aztec culture. This essay analyzes the concept of human sacrifice in Aztec culture. Sacrifices were fundamental to most ancient cultures.In fact, all cultures have pract iced sacrifice in some form or other, ranging from food and wine to animals and humans. In our modern and civilized cultures, however, human sacrifice is deemed as a freak and abhorrent cult. Human sacrifice among the Sumerians involved poisoning and burial. The Sumerian civilization that existed on the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers about 4000 B.C., practiced human sacrifice in the form of the burial of a king in a lower chamber, followed by a layering of humans and, finally, the chief sacrifice of the queen in the topmost chamber in a tomb. In the Neolithic or Bronze period in China, in what was possibly the earliest known phase of civilization, the Shang Dynasty (1500-600 B.C.) practiced sacrifices of war captives to the royal ancestors. When a king died, it was customary to bury him along with his sacrificed servants. Thus, human sacrifice among the ancient Chinese was practiced for the sake of ancestor worship. The Celts (400-200 BC) whose territory extended f rom Ireland to parts of Asia Minor, and in the south to parts of Italy, and some regions in Spain, besides the entire Roman empire, also indulged in human sacrifice until the beginning of the Christian era and the act was probably voluntary. Thus, human sacrifice by the Celts was carried out to placate the gods in order to reap benefits for the community. From all accounts the ritual of human sacrifice undertaken by the Aztecs was extremely violent and savage. The most common form of human sacrifice among the Aztecs consisted of blood letting and tearing the hearts out to offer to the gods, in particular, Huitzilopochtli. This involved cutting open the chests of victims at altars on top of temple-pyramids by special sacrifice priests using sacrificial knives carved out of precious stone. A most spectacular yet gruesome event is said to have taken place during the consecration of the temple of Huitzilpochtli, just two decades before Cortes defeated the Aztecs. On this occasion, at le ast 20,000 prisoners are said to have been sacrificed in a marathon session of sacrifice conducted by Ahuitzotl, the then Aztec ruler, and his relatives, acting as the officiating priests (Raggio et al., 2000). The skulls of the sacrificial victims placed on long wooden racks were later displayed to the public. The Aztec empire was a model of administrative regulation and control, and which had implemented many economic and political innovations. The highly successful Aztec society had developed advanced agriculture, mathematics, astronomy and art. Their capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) established in 1325, developed fast and had a population of more than 100,000 people when it was attacked by the Spanish. The reasons for such a powerful empire yielding so quickly and completely to the Spanish in 1519 beg to be discussed. Religion was a driving force for the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli being the patron god. Besides this hummingbird-like god, there were several other prominent dei ties, too. Human sacrifices

Tata Steel in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tata Steel in India - Research Paper Example Tata Steel is recognized as India’s first Iron and Steel company, having been founded in the year 1907 during the British colonial era. (Indicus Analytics, 2009) Tata Steel operates as part of the Tata Group, allowing it to pursue integrated supply and distribution facilities to automotive manufacturing, heavy industry, and consumer goods production within the conglomerate’s structure. (Economy Watch, 2010) Tata Steel competes with a large number of different Iron and Steel companies within India’s domestic economy and internationally, including the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Arcelor-Mittal, POSCO, Hindustan Steel, JSW Steel, and other companies. The Indian Government has pursued a policy of progressively opening India’s local economy to foreign competition, and there is currently no levy or tax restriction on the import and export of iron and steel products. (India Ministry of Steel, 2009) The consequence of this is considered to be increased compet ition in the sector, and lower prices, particularly as set by Chinese steel producers for export. China produced over 10 times the steel capacity of India, at 567 million metric tons in 2009 compared to 56.1 million metric tons produced by India in the same period. (India Ministry of Steel, 2010) Nevertheless, Tata Steel has produced a corporate strategy to meet these competitive challenges, and this includes sustainability policies directed at the greater welfare of workers, the environment, and community. Tata Steel and Economic Conditions in India Tata Steel states publicly that â€Å"the primary purpose of a business is to improve the quality of life of people.† (Tata Steel, 2011) This tenet constitutes the cornerstone of the company’s sustainability policy and represents the wider mandate held by corporate management on behalf of stakeholders. In India, there is a need for social and economic development that uplifts people out of poverty. One of the main processe s that enable individuals to improve their living condition in the modern, globalized economy is the possession of a professional, well-paying job. Another factor is the level of education that an individual receives in the formative years of development. Education is recognized as vital to the long-term sustainability of business and industry, as well as being one of the main constituents of what is required of a good employee. As India’s economic development needs change on a national level from addressing the dire threats of the poverty situation of the post-colonial era through socialist policies to supporting the booming economy expanding at a rate of 8% to 10% annually in the 21st century through progressive market policies, it should be expected that the sustainability policies at Tata Steel are also updated and analyzed by management teams to reflect the changing requirements of the communities themselves that are being served.

Crimonology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Crimonology - Essay Example The main purpose of this program is to reduce congestion in the court by allowing some of the suspects to be tried when operating from outside the confinement of remand. I do find the program much effective given the fact that some of the offences are categorized as petty offences and do not threaten the societal order. These categories of people following a compelling instigation from the officers should indeed be allowed to resume to the society pending trial, as this will reduce unnecessary congestion as proposed in the program (Siegel 122). It can be said to be an alternative court, if one goes through the system, they are no longer required to be tried in court. Whereas the program cushions one to avoid criminal charges by the court, when one fails to comply with the requirements of the program as stipulated it may revert to a full criminal trial. When those who have gone through the system are involved in criminal offences in the future, the criminal record following diversion can still be used to account for a criminal history of a convict. Under the diversion program, the offenders are suppose to complete a program that is aimed at; education them on the need to uphold law and order in order to avert future criminal activities, victims restitution, community service hours, and restraining coming to contact with other people are some of the programs under diversion (Liebmann 113). I do find the process equally effective in the administration of justice, a part from reducing the time needed for arbitration in court; the suspect pleads guilty and serves certain mandatory programs as said above. During this period, the offenders are also prepared for rehabilitation, for example in the program they are made to appreciate upholding law and order in their future life. The willingness of the offenders to serve alternative sanctions is dependent on many factors; if the offenders feel that they have

International Finance Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Finance Management - Term Paper Example Forward contracts however can not change hands and are contracts between two parties. Prevailing interest rates in the respective markets have a major impact on the increase or decrease of a contracts price. For example if the GBP/USD contract is on sale at CME, than an increase in the interest rates prevailing in the British economy would increase the contract price and those in the United States economy would decrease it. This is because there is a direct link between the price of value of a currency and interest rates. If for example interest rates are reduced money supply will increase in the economy. According to the economic laws of supply and demand, an increased supply would result in lower prices. Thus the futures expected price of currency would also decrease. Balance of trade is without doubt the most important factor that can affect the price of a currency. Balance of trade refers to the difference between what a country imports and exports. Also called the current account balance, it can only be offset if investors keep investing in dollar dominated assets. If a country gives a budget with a deficit, it can only fill up that deficit by borrowing money for the national or international market. The government will have to use up its currency reserves to pay off international debt and possibly print more money to pay of national debt; these will decrease the value of national currency. The stability of the government is also a huge factor in determining the increase or decrease of national currency value. This is because a stable government establishes stable policies; this stability reduces investor risk thus increasing currency value. These factors have huge impacts on Currency value. This is because the risk associated with the currency is high in war and the risk of default; on foreign payments also increase. In case of Natural disasters, the expenditure of the country increases on

Brown Fields Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brown Fields - Essay Example The Brownfield Program by the EPA was put in practice 1995. It has grown into a results-oriented program which has changed the way contaminated property is often taken to be. The Program was intended to empower communities, states, and other stakeholders in redevelopment of the economy to work together in an appropriate manner in order to assess, prevent, sustainably reuse, and safely clean up Brownfields (EPA). The Brownfields Program offers monetary and technical backing for activities in Brownfields through approaches that are based on four major goals. One goal is to protect the environment and address Brownfields in order to sustain safety. The second goal is to promote partnerships, enhance partnership and communication important to ease cleanup and reuse of Brownfields. Thirdly, the program aims to strengthen the marketplace, provide monetary and technical support to boost the private market. Finally, they program aims at sustaining the reuse and redevelopment of Brownfields to improve communities’ long-term quality of living (EPA). It is projected that there are over 450,000 Brownfields within the U.S (EPA). Reinvesting in these Brownfields and Cleaning up the properties increases home and neighboring tax bases, aids growth of jobs, makes use of existing infrastructure, takes off development pressures, and also protects and improves the environment (Hersh, Morley and Schwab). At first, EPA offered little amounts of money to the local governments that started many two-year Brownfield steering projects. The Brownfields Law has extended EPAs support by offering new tools for the private and public segments so as to encourage sustainable cleanup and reuse of Brownfields. There are a number of Brownfields grants that serve as the basis of Brownfields Program by the EPA (Hersh, Morley and Schwab). The grants support recovery efforts by backing environmental assessments, clean-up, and training activities for

International Finance Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Finance Management - Term Paper Example Forward contracts however can not change hands and are contracts between two parties. Prevailing interest rates in the respective markets have a major impact on the increase or decrease of a contracts price. For example if the GBP/USD contract is on sale at CME, than an increase in the interest rates prevailing in the British economy would increase the contract price and those in the United States economy would decrease it. This is because there is a direct link between the price of value of a currency and interest rates. If for example interest rates are reduced money supply will increase in the economy. According to the economic laws of supply and demand, an increased supply would result in lower prices. Thus the futures expected price of currency would also decrease. Balance of trade is without doubt the most important factor that can affect the price of a currency. Balance of trade refers to the difference between what a country imports and exports. Also called the current account balance, it can only be offset if investors keep investing in dollar dominated assets. If a country gives a budget with a deficit, it can only fill up that deficit by borrowing money for the national or international market. The government will have to use up its currency reserves to pay off international debt and possibly print more money to pay of national debt; these will decrease the value of national currency. The stability of the government is also a huge factor in determining the increase or decrease of national currency value. This is because a stable government establishes stable policies; this stability reduces investor risk thus increasing currency value. These factors have huge impacts on Currency value. This is because the risk associated with the currency is high in war and the risk of default; on foreign payments also increase. In case of Natural disasters, the expenditure of the country increases on

Gazprom One of the Largest Gas Producing Companies of Russia Essay

Gazprom - One of the Largest Gas Producing Companies of Russia - Essay Example UGSS assures steady gas supply from the wellhead to the end user. (Gazprom.com, 2008c) d. Processing: Gazprom Group’s processing segment is made up of gas and gas condensate processing plants (GPP), the enterprises of Sibur Holding, and the oil-refining capacities of Gazprom Oil (Sibneft). (Gazprom.com, 2008d) e. Power industry: Its strategic task is to become a world scale energy production company with one whole chain – from production to sales – not only gas but also liquid hydrocarbons as well as producing a wide range of end products, electrical power being just one of such. (Gazprom.com, 2008e) The global strategy of Gazprom is to become the largest in the world for producing and distributing gas to the entire world so that appropriate amount of utilization of the natural resources can be done. Datamonitor (2007) states that 2006 was the first year after Gazprom’s share market liberalization. During this period, OAO "Gazprom" capitalization increased by over 70 % and amounted to $270 billion at the end of the year. Gazprom has been developing a unique resource base, production capacities and pipeline system. This effort take taken the company as the world’s most reliable energy resource suppliers to enterprises, organizations, and individuals. They are devoted to a specialized and accountable advance towards the development of these resources and the supply of the markets both in Russia and globally. Gazprom is engaged in research and development activities to strategize important energy resources in cooperation with the most successful and responsible international energy companies. This makes them quite strong in their operations base and marks the strength of their strategy for further growth. Gazprom is constantly pursuing its business globalization strategy, and actively increasing the supply to the entire globe for its gas production.  In 2006, the company supplied liquefied natural gas to the UK, Japan and Korea for the first time.  

RCBC Savings Bank Essay Example for Free

RCBC Savings Bank Essay I. Synopsis RCBC Savings Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the countrys top universal banks, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). RCBC Savings Bank was incorporated on the 15th day of January, 1996 to provide retail banking services to its target clientele and serve as the consumer and retail banking arm of RCBC. RCBC Savings Bank formally started its thrift banking operations on the 27th day of February, 1996. It grew extensively in just over a year, from a lean one-branch organization with a seven-man skeletal force to an institution with a network of six branches supported by 106 full-time personnel in 1997. In September 1998, RCBC Savings Bank acquired selected assets and assumed deposit liabilities of Capitol Development Bank. As a result of the strategic alliance, the Bank further widened the reach of its branch network and became the 2nd largest thrift bank in the country with 117 branches. One of its branches is the RCBC Savings Bank La Paz in Iloilo City. It serves many Ilonggos in banking and financing services. Despite of its fast growing business, the Management paid no attention to some internal control aspects of its branches. Like the La Paz Branch many complaints from customers regarding the efficiency and slow-moving service of the bank. The long queuing of the customers every time they do transactions to tellers is really a problem; it decreases the goodwill of the company and much more the customer satisfaction. As we all know, the competition in banking industry is high and many banks are already here in Iloilo. How would the Management address this problem? What course of actions or solutions should the Management put in place to achieve higher customer satisfaction? Is the company really into realizing its vision to be the most-sought-after by the consumer market when it comes to financial products and services?

Internal Analysis Strong And Weak Points Marketing Essay

Internal Analysis Strong And Weak Points Marketing Essay Analyse basically the chosen marketing mix. (normally you use the actual marketing-mix, but since that does not automatically exist now in the Netherlands, you need to assess the (known and/or expected) strengths and weaknesses. Elements to analyse actual strategy of the company (abroad) and strong /weak points influencing you mkt-mix (e.g. investment budget can be too low) Use your own survey results concerning the product or substitute products where relevant, in order to know if this influences (strong point/weak point) your actualperformance. Elements you must include are therefore: * product (benefits, attributes, core, actual, augmented -branding strategy) * price (pricing strategy -price setting), including costs you will have, break-even, etc * distribution (chosen partners, online, direct ): strategy and costs * communication : strategy and costs, can be internal and external, is promotion wise related to distribution and product/branding Also, but less extensive, since this goes beyond IP-1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * personel/employees: HRM -strategy and costs * purchase function / supply chain: costs for managing the value chain, etc * finance ! (investment =? Do you have the money ? Do not ignore, you need it for your budgetting, so at least name it and explain how much is involved, keep the costs as low as possible )(finance=communication costs, personnel costs, starting up costs, The total must be coherent, realistic and financially feasible Relevant conclusions CHAPTER 2 INTERNAL ANALYSIS -STONG AND WEAK POINTS Introduction The internal analysis of the company can be also associated with SWOT analysis. This is an analysis of the strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company. Internal analysis is essential for the company because it can measure the companys current situation and it can help to further the development of the company. By analysing these four sides of the company we can better understand what is needed to further the growth of the company. It is necessary to analyse our situation in its current position in order to make better planning for the future. Since our goal is to introduce the product and the company to the Dutch market successfully we need to internally analyse our strenghts, weakneses, opportunuties and possible threats in the new market. By the internal analysis we can also make improvements in our overall marketing strategy. By internal analysis of the company we can easily identify marketing opportunities, problems and evaluate performence. The main purpose o f the internal analysis is to gain a better picture of the companys overall performance and to help us with making better marketing decisions for the future growth. Structure of the internal analysis This analysis is going to show the strenghts and weaknesses of our marketing strategy. We will analyse each part of the marketing mix in order to estimate its efficiency. Elements to analyse: Extensive analysis: Actual strategy of the company and strong/weak points influencing our marketing mix Product analysis Pricing analysis Distribution analysis Communication analysis Less extensive analysis: Personnel/Employees HRM strategy and costs Purchase function/Supply chain Finance At the end of the analysis we will provide a relevant conclusion. Actual strategy of the company and strong/weak points influencing its marketing mix Product analysis Our market offering is a soft, multivimatin drink. What is special about our product is the concept of the product. It stands out from other multivitamin drinks in the same product group. In this part of the analysis we are going to analyse the benefits, attributes, the core of the product, the actual product, the augmented product. The analysis will include the strong and weak points of the product which will affect our actual performance. Product benefits: As a main benefit of our product can be considered the fact that it is healthy and it includes a lot of vitamins.Another benefit is the innovative packaging. It is attractive and offers to the customers a special way of drinking. It is also interesting and more fun than other products in the same product group. The cap consists vitamin powder which falls into the water in the bottle immediately after opening the cap. Product attributes: Product Quality: For the quality we dont have to change anything, because our product GO! Now has a very good quality, and its a very popular drink because of quality in Eastern Europe. So we hope that Dutch consumers will have the same opinion about our product. Product Features: Based on our survey, we dont have to add any additional features for our product. Product Style and Design: Our product has an eye-catching style, so we dont have to change it. For design, its a bit a problem for now. We think that in future we will change it for the Dutch market, because design it is a deep understanding of customers needs. But for now we will leave it the same. Branding: Brand is very important for the product, and our product brand is still unknown for the Dutch market. For Dutch market we have change already the name of our brand, so we made it much easier for local consumers. Packaging: We have quite a good packaging, especially for the Dutch market, because our main product GO! orange flavor is in orange color, and, based on survey, people like especially this feature of our product. The only thing that we have to change is that we have to translate the product information from creation to Dutch and English languages. Labeling: We will not change the label, we dont need this, because based on the survey we made, we found out that consumers are fully satisfied with the product we offer. Product Support Services: We will conduct a survey among our customers periodically to assess the value of our future service, and that will also help us for obtaining new ideas. Core customer value of our product: Our product offers to the customers healthy and refreshing drink. It improves their lifestyle. It is also a new way of drinking which is a lot of fun. Actual product: GO! is a a refreshing multi-vitamin drink in innovative package, adapted to everyone who lives on the go and actively enjoys their free time. The product itself is in an orange packaging. It is a new way of drinking. You open the cap. Add GO! water to suit your taste. Then you close the cap and shake the bottle. Your GO! is ready. In the end you enjoy the unforgettable taste of your favorite multivitamin drink. The slogan of this product is Open and GO! Augmented product: The service the company provides is that if you are not satisfied with the product they will do everything they can to help you with your problem. They have also a delivery service, you order it on the internet and deliver the next day. Delivery takes too long so this is a weakness but if there is big interesnt in buying the product online we can make changes and fasten the delivery of the product. Branding strategy: Even though the brand is very popular in some East European countries it is still unknown in the Netherlands. We will make some changes in the brand name because it is too difficult to remember and it doesnt make any sense for the Dutch consumers. Of course, it is still possible to keep the brand name of the product but it will not be the best choice because its too long and its also hard to remember and pronounce. We need something simpler in order to make our product popular. Our products original brand name was Cedevita GO! and we have decided to shorten it and change it only to GO!. The new name is easier to pronounce and to remember its also with big letters so it draws the customers attention. Also the word Go have a meaning in English and it means proceed which associates with sport and physical activities that are important for the health. Pricing analysis We suggest for the client to put the price at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2,00 The price Atlantic Grupa puts is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,40, the retailer price is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,70, so the best price for our client would be à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,00 since the customers in Holland have a little bit more money to spend. And since the nature of the product is to be on the go, it would be a normal price since the other products are quite expensive as well(tank stations, AH to go etc.). And with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,00 you would have a nice price. And combined with a psychological setting it would result in the final of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,99 Another part of our pricing analysis is that the price of our product is quite high to reflect a certain amount of exclusiveness. So in that sense, we would like to pick premium pricing from the options Kotlers mentions to us. Abroad the BEA is 15,849 since this amount of euro is the constant costs. That means Atlantic Grupa has to sell exactly 11.321 bottles of cedevita GO!. With a sale of 1.684.295 and a net income of 99.292 in 2010 it is fairly easy to get out of the BEA in Holland. In Holland however, we have to include promotion costs in our constant costs and that will result in slightly higher BEA. We still believe that this BEA can be seen as a threat if our promotion program fails, normally companies always expect losses in the first few years. The promotion costs will be around 20700 and this will increase the BEA to 11.321+8280=19.621 Distribution analysis Distribution channels for our product: It is an indirect marketing channel, because we will sell our product in supermarkets. That means that we have to use one or more levels of intermediaries to help us to bring the product to final buyers. It is crucial to use this marketing channel for our product, because intermediaries could create greater efficiency in making goods available to target markets. Through their contacts, experience, specialization, and scale of operation, intermediaries usually offer the firm more that it can achieve on its own. Our distribution channel will look like this: Producer Wholesaler Retailer Consumer Distribution functions: Information: with information we could know more about actors and forces in the in the marketing environment, that affect our product. Promotion: with promotion we could tell more about our product to our target consumer market. Matching: this will help us to bring the product, which is matched to Dutch consumers needs. Physical distribution: the main function of physical distribution is to: transport and store the goods. Financing: with financing we can cover the cost for the product chain. Risk taking: we need to take risk of carrying out the channel work. Distribution objective and strategy: Main objective is to minimize the total channel cost of meeting customer-service requirements. That means that we have to focus on our target market group, to satisfy needs and wants of our customers, and minimize the channel cost. We will use intensive distribution strategy for our products, we will stock our products in as many outlets as possible. Our products have to be available where and when consumers want them, to provide maximum brand exposure and consumer convenience. Use of logistics: Logistics involves getting the right product to the right customers in the right place at the right time. So it is very important to organize in the right way. First of all we need a warehouse in the Netherlands, to store our products, while they wait to be sold. We will use the distribution centres, because they are design to move goods rather than store them. This will help us to take orders, fill them efficiently, and deliver goods to consumers as quickly as possible. Then as the inventory management also affects customer satisfaction, we have to decide how much inventory to order. We have to maintain balance between carrying to little inventory and carrying too much. After that we need to choose transportation for our product. The best way to transport our goods is by trucks. Mainly, because truck is highly flexible in their routing and time schedules, and they can usually offer faster service than railroads. The last step is a logistic information management. We will use the internet-based electronic data interchange (EDI). EDI will provide us with a simple, fast, and accurate process for capturing, processing, and sharing channel information. EDI costs exists of: Implementation Time Maintenance Fees VAN Charges Mailbox Costs Communication analysis Communication target groups: Our target groups will be: Young people Physically active people Sportsmen Students People who travel very often Communication objectives: Our main objective is to make the consumers buy our product. But this is not a very easy task since in order to fulfill it we need to understand the consumer and his needs and wants. We also need to know on which buyer-readiness stage the target audience now stands and where should it be. The buyer-readiness stages are the stages which the consumer normally passes through on their way to purchase. It includes awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase. Since our product is new to the Dutch market we already know that our target group is not aware of the product. So our first task will be to make consumers familiar with the new product. After that we need to use the promotion mix tools in order to create positive feeling and conviction about .It is possible that we will offer special promotional prices in order to attract customers. Still, the most important thing is to convince the consumers that our product provides superior value for them and to get them to the purchase stage of the buyer-readiness stage. Media: We will use nonpersonal communication channel for our product, this means that we will use media that will carry messages without personal contact or feedback. Basically, we will use online media (e-mail, company web site, and online social and sharing networks), print media (newspapers, magazines), display media (flyers, posters). Promotion tools: For our product Go! we will use advertising and sales promotion. For advertising we will mainly use online advertising, which includes: Contextual ads that appear on a search engine results pages Companys web site Banner ads Social network advertising Advertising networks E-mail marketing. We will also use In-store advertising, which includes: Placement of product in visible location in store Advertisements on shopping carts Advertisements on in-store video displays For sales promotion we will use special cents-of deals to attract consumers ` attention by offering strong incentives to purchase our product Go! Promotions: We will advice our client to use sales promotions. The best is to use consumer sales promotion. That means that we will target our promotion on a consumers. Good examples of the consumer sales promotion are: Cents-off deal: Offers a brand at a lower price. Price reduction may be a percentage marked on the package. Price-pack deal: The packaging offers a consumer a certain percentage more of the product for the same price (for example, 25 percent extra). The non-stop retailing can be used to promote the clients product to the customer. Each of our competitors has a web-site and the products can be purchased online. The sites also include a lot of promotions. Non-stop retailing allows customers to research the product online first and then decide rather to buy it or not. The web-sites do more than selling products to the customers; they also make them go to the supermarket and shop there. Promotion budget: We will use objective-and-task method, because we think that it is the best method for our promotion campaign. With this method we will: Define specific objectives Determine the task that must be performed to achieve these objectives Estimate the cost to of performing these tasks (the sum of these cost is the proposed promotion budget) We surf the Internet and found out that our communication budget will vary from 18100 to 20700 euros for a month, depend on quantity and quality we will need to promote our product. It consists of: Magazines advertisement-from 13000 to 15000 euros Advertisement on the most popular Dutch social web site Hyves 700 euros Advertisement on various Internet search engines (Yahoo, Google) from 900 to 1500 euros To create and maintain our Go! Web site 1500 euros Flyers and posters 300 euros Employee salary for posting flyers and posters 2000 euros Since the product is completely unknown on the Dutch market we need to do a lot of promotions and advertisements in order to make it popular. This is of course a weak point because we need to build an image of the product from the zero. We will spend big amount of money on promotions and this can also affect the product price because it can make the product too expensive. Personnel/Employees HRM strategy and costs The HRM-strategy is in terms of originality as innovative and interesting, as the product itself. First of all I want to mention that there is a majority of women on the work floor and based on the financial reports they are doing quite well with their current settings. There are 62% females and 38% in the company with 1800 employees in total. We would recommend decreasing the brand managers since there are more then 200 of them in the company. Instead of focusing on the amount of brand managers we think that their salary would be better spent on mass-marketing, of course it would be less effective but you have a much greater public you can reach. The median age is around 30 but we believe that this can be lowered if younger people can be hired instead of the older ones, this is a price-cutter and also brings fresh wind/talent to the company. finance If we estimate the total calculation of our financial analysis we have to take account with the following factors: Personnel costs/research costs Promotion/media costs Distribution costs( EDI system) Transportation costs We believe that there is no personnel extensive use in our project( or at least in the early steps of it), with a research department of around 50 people divided into finance, marketing and laws should be sufficient enough for a non-superficial answer to the obstacles Atlantic Grupa will face. So if I calculate the total personnel costs with an average salary of 1800 euro(the centre is located in Eastern-Europe, lower salaries) it should be 180050= 90.000 Gross salary costs every month for the personnel/research ( I believe these 2 factors can be merged into 1since research is always done by the personnel.) Furthermore, promotion costs will be around 20.000 euro`s a month. The distribution costs is very tricky since setting up a logistic information system(EDI) is quite expensive which is mainly used by the bigger companies. The costs start from 40.000 euros and can reach 900.000 euros depending on mapping size, it is also important to note that maintaining an EDI costs around 18% of the price you paid for the system every year. A price of 200.000 for the system is enough to guarantee a high quality distribution system. Transportation costs are around 7 cents for every bottle sent, so 70.000x 0.07= 4900 euros So if i calculate everything together it would result in: 200.000+90.000+20.000+4900=314.900 euros starting up costs with 36.000+90.000+20.000 extra every month and 0.07cents x every bottle sold (variable cost)=146.000 extra per month 314.900 Euros+ 146.000 every month(and perhaps some credits ;-)), we believe that this fits in the SMART approach -

Get Smart: I.Q. and Emotional Intelligence Essay -- Biology Essays Res

Get Smart: I.Q. and Emotional Intelligence Intelligence is considered to be one of the most desirable personality qualities in today's society. Expectant parents are told to read and play music to the fetus, in order to stimulate its brain. Being bright is often thought of one the keys to success in life, and highly intelligent people such as Albert Einstein are celebrated. However, despite all the tests and criteria that measure intelligence, the question still remains: what is intelligence? How can it be measured? Is there only one kind of intelligence, or do humans possess several? These seemingly simple questions have proved to be some of the most perplexing and contentious topics in both public and scientific circles. Everyone differs in their ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt to the environment, to learn from experience, and to engage in various forms of reasoning. A person's intellectual performance can vary on depending on the occasions, environment, or criteria used to judge it. No current theory has been able to sufficiently answer all the critical questions or establish a consensus. The recognized method of measuring intelligence is the psychometric approach. It is the basis of I.Q. tests and other modern intelligence tests. However, a new theory called emotional intelligence has gained prominence with its more fluid and encompassing definition of intelligence. This has only added fuel to the debate over understanding and measuring intelligence. The psychometric approach was developed by Alfred Binet in 1904 to identify mentally retarded students who would benefit from special education. He designed the test to be an indicator of school performance and measured skills such as vocabulary, comprehe... ...act that all humans possess all these intelligences, everyone has different profiles of intelligences (6). Originally comprised of seven intelligences, its author, Howard Gardner, is considering adding naturalist and existential, because he feels it is necessary. One can only hope that others will see the necessity of a broader definition of intelligence. WWW and Bibliographic Sources 1)This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. Contribute Thoughts | Search Serendip for Other Papers | Serendip Home Page http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/serendip/a2z.html

Uganda

1. What is the nature of OpenMRS and why was it developed? Why were US universities, US National Institute of Health (NIH) and US donors involved in developing this system? 2. What were the impacts of using OpenMRS in ISS Clinic? How did the healthcare system improve? 3. What were the problems encountered in using OpenMRS? Discuss the battle of forms and why there were disagreements about what forms to use. Make a distinction between research vs. clinical objectives, US researcher vs. local objectives. 4. Why the OpenMRS project is in danger of failure? Why did the clinicians at ISS clinic say that â€Å"we didn’t ask for it.It is your problem†? Why MOH and US researchers are at odds about the value of OpenMRS? 5. What can be learned from this experience when implementing IT projects in developing countries? Do culture and world politics have a role? Why? 1. The OpenMRS is an electronic medical record system (EMRS) that was developed to track of patients medical records across a variety of different countries to be used in different types of clinics. Having the software as open source also meant that the source code could be assessed by anyone and customized to fit their particular need.In the ISS Clinic in Uganda it was used for patients being treated for HIV/AIDS. The system was developed to replace paper records which would make the work of researchers and clinic workers easier. The EMRs was used to track patient progress and track the inventory of antiretroviral drugs. US donors were most interested in the system as it made the retrieving information on patients that is needed for their research on AIDS, antiretroviral treatment, and other disease research much more accessible. 2.The impact of using OpenMRS was that it had greater storage capacity than Microsoft excel and it could be customized for their own particular use. Using the new system clinicians were able to able spend less time reviewing patient data and more time with patients as w ell as reducing wait times. Since patients usually did not see the same clinic staff. The data also allowed them to analyze patient trends and reduce the instance of drug stock outs. They could also use the data base to generate random samples for new research studies. 3. The problem with the Open MRS system is that not everyone in the clinic was on board.Clinic workers generally thought of the system as more for the US researchers. Clinicians did not have much access to the system either as their primary tool was still paper forms. Another bump in the road was the Ministry of Health standardizing all forms for HIV clinics meant that ISS needed to redo their system to match the new forms, which also were lacking room the for the additional data needed for UCSF and MGH research. The Ministry of Health in Uganda was concerned with making the reporting of HIV treatment standard for all patients across all the different health platforms, public or private.For the US researchers they wan ted to include additional data for their various studies. Both the clinic and the researchers goal was to better and more efficiently treat the AIDS epidemic, however for the researchers they also needed to report back to their grant funders and publish studies in order to keep the program running. 4. The OpenMRS system was in danger of failure in 2010 because there was not enough financial support to cover the operational cost of the program. Funding was being stretched thinner and thinner and one of the clinics big grants was about to expire.The Ugandan Ministry of Health was also not willing to cover the gaps as they did not see the value in the system for their own objectives. The Clinicians didn’t see the immediate value of the system for themselves because they thought of it as a tool of the US researchers (US Researchers were the only ones publishing papers using the data) not thinking about how it’s effect on the day to day operations of the clinic. 5. I think that there is definitely a cultural element to the problem in developing support for the OpenMRS project. The US stakeholders seemed to come in and set up shop without any input from the local people or government.They thought that the government should automatically throw their support behind their efforts. The US stakeholders should have really engaged the local people more with the project, getting them more involved in developing the system and training them to use the system and showing clinicians why it is important for them. The Americans should have also gotten Ugandan researchers involved in using the system to publish their own papers. Having more of a local participation in the project and making it a collaborative effort would have made Ugandan government and workers see the system as their own.

HIV in Singapore

To extend the impact of our effort to curb the spread of HIV, we propose to continue and improve on our outreach effort targeted at the Chinese speaking Geylang crowd, and to initiate a campaign targeted at youths. The main objective of both efforts would be to encourage condom use and promote HIV testing as means to prevent the spread of HIV. On top of having both campaigns, we would like to propose making HIV testing more convenient by assisting with the implementation of a Mobile HIV Testing Van (MTV) service. Continuing and Improving Current Efforts to Reach Out to the Chinese Speaking Geylang Crowd 1. Printing more Pamphlets Having conducted an outreach event at Geylang, we found that the majority of our target audience read the educational pamphlet, and did so with a certain measure of contemplation – an indication of their rational riders being influenced by facts such as the ability to prolong one’s life if early treatment for HIV is sought, the benefits of condom usage and where the HIV test can be taken. Due to the limited number of pamphlets printed thus far, we foresee that more will be needed for future outreach events. Thus, we propose to have part of the budget allocated for this purpose. 2. Printing of Taglines Encouraging Condom Usage on Condom Covers. Redesigning the box used to contain condoms for distribution. Our group conceived a series of short, catchy taglines to encourage condom use. Condom covers with these taglines could be produced and distributed during outreach events. The taglines conceived were meant to direct our audience’s emotional elephants by evoking positive feelings about condom use – by asserting that love making can be equally pleasurable even when condoms are worn. To further engage our audience’s emotional elephants, we propose that an effort be made to conceive suitably ‘hard’ messages evoking anxiety and fear by highlighting the risks of doing away with condoms. Some of these ‘hard’ taglines could put across the message an underestimation of the one’s chances of contracting HIV is a contributing factor leading to HIV infection. By focusing attention on this ‘black swan’ in HIV being closer to home than it is often thought to be, our target audience may be encouraged to use condoms. These ‘hard’ messages could then be similarly printed on condom covers and distributed during outreach events together with those having ‘soft’ taglines, thus producing a carrot and stick effect that could further improve our effort to encourage condom usage. Also, the boxes used to store condoms could be changed to make it less obvious that it contains condoms, as it currently is. The purpose of doing so would be to encourage the taking up of these condoms, as regardless of whether those approached are seeking paid sex or not, they may nonetheless avoid accepting the condoms altogether because they do not wish to be seen in public as having done so, as evidenced when approaching some members of the public. To overcome such reluctance, the condoms (with the taglines printed on their covers) could be packed into larger rectangular top opening boxes such as those containing sweets (like how the sweet Ricola is packaged), with plain messages such ‘specially for you’ as that would serve to mask the true contents of the package. 3. Associating Condom Use and Regular HIV Testing with Responsible Behaviour In addition to distributing condoms and educational pamphlets, we propose to utilise the behaviour changing effects of social identity promotion to encourage condom usage and regular HIV testing. Posters juxtaposing images of Chinese males, representing all adult age groups, with condom use messages and them going for regular HIV testing could be printed and put up at places where our target audience often congregate – lanes leading to coffee shops and eateries along Geylang. These posters would portray these males as being socially responsible. As most would not wish to be labelled as irresponsible, the effects of projecting such an image could serve to encourage condom use and regular HIV testing. This effort to create such a social identity could be made more effective if a greater number of older volunteers (over 40s) are involved in such outreach events. These older volunteers could serve as leading lights of their age group and potentially relate better with our target audience, since both could see each other as peers. As there is a lack of volunteers belonging to this age group, we propose that an effort be made to seek such volunteers. One way we could do so would be to seek volunteers from grassroots organisations such as community clubs and public housing residents committees (RCs), since these bodies consist of people with an existing spirit of volunteerism and mainly belong to this age group. Extending our Impact to another Target Group – Youths/Young Adults Why Youths/Young Adults? It can be reasonably inferred from statistical data that youths (below 20) and young adults (20-30) are either becoming more sexually active or engaging in riskier sexual behaviour. The number of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) amongst youths rocketed by 118% between 2000 and 2008, while that of young adults increased by 67% during the same period1. Given these societal trends, this group seems increasing vulnerable to contracting HIV. Thus, we propose to mount a HIV prevention effort targeted at this group through similar means such as the promotion of condom use, regular HIV testing and creating a social identity to promote responsible sexual behaviour. 1. Going to Where Youths/Young Adults Are Instead of focusing on the Geylang red-light district, we propose establishing a presence at places where there’s a higher concentration of youths/young adults who are more likely to be sexually active and or engage in regrettable sexual behaviour. Some of these places would include entertainment nightspots such as clubs and pubs where the flow of alcohol and its adverse intoxicating effects are more keenly felt. 2. Distributing Educational Pamphlets and Condoms The content of the educational pamphlets targeted at the Chinese speaking Geylang crowd could be translated into English to cater to the younger set. The pamphlets could also include information, that would otherwise be absent in the Chinese-language version targeting the older crowd, directing our audience to social media sites (such as Facebook) where Action for Aids has a presence. We also propose modifying the taglines to be printed on condom covers, to appeal to the younger crowd. These taglines could include cheeky English language ones that the young can relate to. As with the Chinese speaking Geylang crowd, we propose to craft a social identity for the young who are sexually active, that would positively associate them with condom use and having regular HIV tests, by promoting their ‘clear’ HIV status as an asset. Assisting Action for Aids with the Implementation of a Mobile HIV Testing Van (MTV) Service Action for Aids (AFA) has plans to introduce a MTV service, to make HIV testing more convenient. Otherwise, AFA only has one test site at Kelantan Lane that may be out of the way. As the operational costs of such a van are high, and that the service will have to be chargeable, we propose committing part of our $1000 budget to subsidising these tests (the ones at AFA’s Anonymous Test Site cost $30) during the initial phase of the van’s operation, so as to allow the public to first acquaint themselves with the quality and safety of the service provided.

African religion Essay

Religion is being described as the belief in a supernatural power considered as creator and governor of the universe. The indigenous African people honored a superior being before the recording of history. They practiced voodoos, witchcraft, black magic, obyah and oledamare. The foundation of African traditional religion is faith based upon dogmatism. They have the kind of faith that does not require any evidence. The African traditional religion has great belief in the presence of spirits. Spirits, for the ancient African people, may be found in people, trees, animals, rivers, rocks, and mountains, and also in automobiles. The Africans loathe crimes such as adultery, stealing, cheating, and suicide. The Africans believe that these spirits convey their wishes, demands and instructions to other people through the traditional priests. These priests perform rituals to the satisfaction of their clients who turn to them for the interpretation of the spirit’s message. In Africa, there is a ritual performed for every event which are held through a dance, music or art that have been transformed into many forms. Yes, Africans do have their religion which actually centers on God just like Christians do. God is being perceived as the source of life and the creator of everything. For the Africans, creation is the sole work of God and there’s no other explanation for creation other than this. God is viewed as the omnipotent, the everlasting, ever faithful and the most merciful Father. Symbols also play an important part in the African society. These are conveyd into the religious sphere to build a strong connection between the unseen â€Å"spirits† and the living. We see these symbols on walls or printed on the clothes worn by the traditional priests and other people who wish to express their mood through any of these symbols. Source: Aderibigbe G. , â€Å"African religion and Christianity in dialogue: an appraisal from the African perspective,† Africana Marburgensia 32 (1999),

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral Essay

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral - Essay Example And so, sooner or later a person dies and the people who love him or her, family, friends and colleagues, are faced with the difficult job of dealing with death and the grief and period of mourning that come with it. Hence, grief brought about by the loss of someone important in one’s life, is an emotion that is felt by almost everyone at least once in their lifetime. It is a universal phenomenon that is unique to man (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). In this context, the grief being experienced is akin to bereavement, â€Å"the loss of a loved one through death† (Archer, 1991, p. 1). Because of this universal nature of grief and bereavement and the intensity that goes with it—with people experiencing it having a tendency to fall into deep depression—grief counseling and therapy have evolved as a useful science that aims to facilitate the completion of the grieving process and help survivors move on as grief is not something that can be handled by most with just one bout of crying or just a shrug indicating â€Å"that’s life.† With the emergence of grief counseling and therapy, grief theories have been reinvented and formulated in order to better understand the grieving process and so that grief therapists and counselors can also be more effective in helping survivors cope and move on. Although much has been written and said about grief, one thing is obvious; and that is, because it deals with human experience, it cannot be completely boxed into just one theory as it varies with each person and situation (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). There are many factors that aid in the successful facilitation of the grieving process and discussing them all will constitute the writing of an entire volume. Hence, it is better to focus on one aspect that has been proven to be effective in easing survivors into the stages of the grieving process. Rituals, whether shared or

The World Bank and IMF effects on developing countries Essay

The World Bank and IMF effects on developing countries - Essay Example United States, being the biggest stakeholder holds 17% of the vote in World Bank while all African countries have less than 9% vote (â€Å"The World Bank and IMF in Africa†,2008). Despite six decades of uninterrupted function, according to United Nations development program, over a fifth of world’s population lives below international standard of poverty line of $1 a day, another 1.6 billion survive between one and two dollar. One third of world’s population is either unemployed or underemployed. Combined incomes of richest fifth of the world population was over 60 times greater than the poorest fifth in 1998,in 1997 41% of Third World had no access to safe drinking water,57% had no access to sanitation,40% of children under five were underweight, 840 million people malnourished and under five mortality rate was 169/1000 live births. Moreover, external debt repayment or servicing amounts to 92.3% of the GDP and the list goes on (Ecologist, 2000). Since Asian financial crisis, role of IMF in managing the economies of developing countries is facing severe criticism. Non-governmental bodies have always been concerned about African development and IMF’s role in helping or hampering the process. Moreover, increasing debates over US economic policy for Africa and international pressures for poor countries debt cancellation highlighted IMF policies in Africa. Increasing external debt and multiplying IMF’s power also diverted the attention towards the impact of IMF’s economic policies in African countries (Naiman & Watkins 1999). Davison Budhoo resigned from IMF in 1988 in revulsion over policies what he identified as IMF’s â€Å"Increasingly genocidal policies.†Operations of these agencies proved to be catastrophic (Budhoo n.d., p.20). ‘Instead of development and favourable adjustment, the Third World today is in an accelerated spiral of economic and social decline. That

Planning Function of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Planning Function of Management - Essay Example The overall focus of planning process however based upon establishing a company which can be market leader in the long distance calls market niche. Apart from this, planning function was a top down approach wherein higher management was mostly responsible for all the management planning function at the organization. Plan came from the top and lower level management actually followed the plans without actually providing effective feedback to the higher management. This aspect of planning therefore made it relatively rigid to adapt itself to the different external scenarios wherein top management actually failed to realize overall market movements. It is also important to note that there was a lack of alternative plans for the organization to deal with any contingency. When the overall crisis hit the organization, there was generally lack of alternative plans available to deal with the contingency. Lack of effective plans to deal with the contingencies suggested that the firm was unable to defend itself against any bankruptcy proceedings and the only way out for the firm was to file for bankruptcy. Influence of Issues Considering the overall nature of the fraud committed by WorldCom, it is relatively obvious that the firm had not been influenced by the legal as well as ethical issues. It also failed to follow the corporate social responsibility codes and procedures also while reporting its overall financial state of the affairs.

The Meaning of Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Meaning of Integrity - Essay Example In some cases, integrity has been used to refer to the work of art, a defense system, or a computerized database. When used on objects, integrity refers to the purity, intactness, and wholeness of a thing. Many different facets of integrity help people understand its different meaning. Various aspects and facets of a person’s life are attributed to integrity. In most cases, people speak of attributes such as artistic, intellectual, and professional integrity. Although the term has different facets that explore on its meaning, the most philosophical aspect of it is that it relates to the general character. Specifically, philosophers have attempted to understand what it is for an individual to demonstrate integrity throughout life. Many have tried to answer the question of what it is to be a person of integrity. In summary, the philosophers’ discourse about integrity revolves around two fundamental elements. The first element is the formal relation that an individual has to oneself and secondly, the aspect of acting morally, no matter what the environment is. A person of integrity is one that does what is right despite the pressures or challenges he finds himself into. Such an individual is not moved by emotions, but by a strong character that stands for moral purpose. One of the integration outlooks of integrity is the act of keeping self uncorrupted and self-intact. It is important to note that an individual is subject to many conflicting desires. If an individual acts towards the conflict desires, then he or she acts without integrity. Integrity requires one to destroy the sinful nature that is to fulfill human desires such as greed, corruption, and immorality just to name a few. Integrity requires one to make a sober decision between doing what is right and what is wrong. For example, one may endorse the desire to outlay and study, a desire to party or go to church, and a desire to be unfaithful or faithful. The decisions that human beings make depend so much on integrity that one possesses. A person of integrity is one that is not determined by the environment he is in, but chooses to do what is right in spite of the cost or challenge. Fully integrated people do not fall into victims of immorality, corruption, or greed. Rather, they try to do the best they can to live an appealing life. A person of integrity bases judgment on positive desires and commitments. Personal integrity demands one to stand for something. This explains why an individual chooses to do the right thing regardless of being in the midst of something or an environment that would push one to make the wrong choice. As philosophers view it, integrity is having regard on one’s role and respect over what is worth and valuable doing. It means doing the right thing at all circumstances and times regardless of whether someone is watching or not. It takes the courage for an individual to do the right thing at the right time, independently on the consequen ces. For years, many people have believed that it takes years to build integrity, but it only takes seconds to ruin and lose it. With this, it is important for one to safeguard his personal life to preserve integrity, which is costly to have. Every individual should strive to attain the reputation of integrity. At all cost, one should avoid people that ruin one’s reputation. A person should be conscious of his or her action as there are consequences that follow. Success may come and go, but integrity remains forever. Thus, as people work hard to be successful in life, they should also strive hard to attain integrity that helps one to achieve his intended goals. In workplace, integrity is a word that reflects on an employee’

Preparing to Conduct Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Preparing to Conduct Business - Research Paper Example Qualitative Research is only ideal during the earlier phases of research projects while the notion of Quantitative Research is highly recommended because it supplements the preliniary research. Additionally, quantitative Research provides the researcher a much better picture into challenges for any given organization. In Zappo’s case, it must understand its customer’s purchasing power as well. I think it is crucial to understand that both can very beneficial for Zappos. For instance, qualitative can provide pivotal hindsight a broader picture of hypothesis whereas quantitive can be utilized for focused niche research. In essence, both can provide a detailed view and a holistic approach on customers, sales, inventory, etc. The drawback of using one method is that it confines the organization to one thinking and does not provide a holistic approach to problems. Zappos has been facing many challenges as it continues to be a leading retailer for shoes. However, it must still address the cost issues and operations logistics to serve its customer base

United States and Israel Essay Example for Free

United States and Israel Essay The relationship between the United States and Israel should be realized as different and unique in its own rights since both parties are distinct in their own way, gaining political, economic, and cultural independences that influenced and continuous to influence so many others. It can be said that for such a small country, Israel has acquired importance far beyond its size, not only politically but socially and culturally. It is apt to say that, today the United States is the lone superpower, carrying vast military might, capable leaders wielding economic and cultural strengths enabling vast influences of unparalleled scope. Owing to the distinctness of both parties, it will be astonishing to note if a relationship forged between this two did not possess certain distinctness as well. A variety of events both done and only as a result of circumstances, envelope this US-Israel relationship. Both carrying slack/criticism and praise for forging such a strong tie that transcends all political, moral/ethical, social and cultural bonds. This paper attempts to investigate the relationship between the two countries and how it was developed and sustained all throughout the years. And the answer the pressing question of its survival in the recent changing strata of economy, cultural and political powers and perspectives. Roots: The US-Israel relationship began in 1948 when President Truman of the United States readily acknowledges the sovereignty of the Jewish state, but despite this it is evident that the US did not truly acknowledge Israel by adapting a neutrality act that prevented sale or transfer of military weapons to Israel (Cristol, 2002). It can also be realized that Israel formed a closer relationship with France rather than America (Leiber, 1998). But despite these primary dimensions the progression of the American-Israeli connection was far from steady progressions. It can be said that the relationship at first was neutral at most and aid to Israel was slow, whether it be economic or military assistance. This relationship was slow in coming, it took many steps before an actual relationship was formed. A budding military relationship started when President Johnston started selling military weapons to Israel around 1965-66. Reinforced by Israel success with its military efforts against other nations, particularly that of the Soviets, American analysts started to realize that Israel has become a major regional power capable of aiding them in their Mediterranean and Middle East efforts. Israel’s defeat of the Soviets and its subsequent aid to the US in the form of information regarding Soviet weaponry and tactics were significant in the US military efforts in Southeast Asia and during the Cold War. The intensifying war, the Cold War to be precise, also intensified US-Israel relationship, as the US looked to Israel to be its stable, reliable ally in the region and as Israel responded as such, the relationship strengthened. Israel in turn was recognized as a â€Å"strategic asset† rather than simply being an ally (Steinberg, 1998). Israel was very much in the thick of the Iran arms sales as well as becoming the channel to funnel US arms to Central America. The US and Israel share common goals, passions and advocacies, the special relationship between Israel and the United States has come to rely on deep-seated factors, Sharing a commonality that enabled them to work together includes. Democracy. Both Israel and the United States hold democracy and liberty with the highest consideration. Note the fact that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East. Immigration. Not unlike the United States, Israel’s population is that of immigrants. Welcoming the embracers of Zionism, the Jewish national liberation movement. While, the United States, the land of greener pastures, immigrants consists mostly of those wanting to work in the US, seeking higher pay and better work environment. Economy. Both Israel and US economies value free market. Each committing to competitiveness, international trade liberalization support and multilateral trading. Education. It can be noted that both countries exhibit high regard for good education for its citizens. Both nations firm believers of education as an integral part in shaping a nations future thru proper education of its young. A mutual support system. Israel was also one of the first to support the US in its efforts to enhance security by cooperating with the US Department of Homeland Security for development of initiatives to enhance such, also supporting the US in many of its endeavors with the United Nations as the US continues to bring aid and assistance to its Israeli counterpart. This framework shows many areas of partnership that enabled US-Israel relations to grow in proportion and depth. But like any other relationship, this forged relationship did not come without problems and strains. Relationship strains came in the form of American pressure on Israel to withdraw its forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Israel’s role in the Suez operations in 1956. The AWACS being sold to Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese Massacre of Palestinians in 1982 and the intifada. All bearing strain on the relations between US and Israel. It can be surmised that sometimes differences in opinions and goals can sometimes bring in strain to a steady friendship but it is duly noted too that the bond of this relationship is very deep and rooted, it will not be easily deferred and it remains to be so. FOREIGN POLICY It can be surmised that these two nation forge a cooperation that is surprisingly balanced, if you weigh it against a range of international issues. The Unites States continues to be Israel’s power patron, with the US backing Israel financially and politically even to the point of strain with other allies. It can be seen that Israel shows its allegiance to the US by voting with the Americans in United Nations General Assembly votes 95% of the time, even in consideration of other countries recognized as close to very close American allies. It will be noted that through the years, Israel has supported the US, even to the extent that they are the only ones behind the US. This support can be deemed blind and maybe one of the reasons for the US continued alliance with this country. Continuing U. S. Support – strategy wise There may be a strategic and logical reason for US continuing support of Israel, it is noted as follows: ? Israel has effectively stopped victories by radical nationalist movements in not only Lebanon and Jordan, but in Palestine as well. ? Syria, a known ally of the Soviet Union for many years, has been kept in check by Israel. ? Predominant air force in their region is Israel’s Air Force ? It can be realized that the many and frequent wars engaged by Israel provided an actual testing ground for US weapons, and usually against its major counterpart the Soviet Union. ? That in order to support unpopular movements and regimes, Israel has become an American channel in providing military assistance, weapon sales to Islamic Republic of Iran, military junta of Guatemala, the Nicaraguan Contras, and the likes. ? Not only once did the Israeli intelligence assist US military operations in covert and intelligence gathering operations. ? Israel’s intelligent military has developed missles and weapons capable of annihilating the Soviet Union and not only once did it assist the US military in the research and development of new weapons, jet fighters and defense systems more capable of protecting the state. Conclusion It may not be a match made in heaven, but mutually working for each other and benefitting from it, it may well be as close as it can get. Many believes that the US support for Israel range from insane to absurd to illogical and even outright dumb. The special relationship forged by US and Israel is a mixture of causative factors that enabled this relationship to flourish including historical memory, regional security and stability considerations, the US national interest, religion and communal ties. It can also be partly due to personal rapport and friendships built by heads of the states. Although it is understandable that not many understand this ties, especially when they see the very people, Americans are supporting, killing and salvaging a great many people they believe to be enemies. They tend to think of it as utter hypocrisy. But it has to be believed that many great American presidents supported and aided Israel and one cannot surmise their actual reasons behind it, but it can be surmised that ultimately US Officials think of the nations interests and being privy to private/confidential information may have led them to continue their support for Israel despite how it is seen by the public for in the end, it’s still the nations general welfare that they are after. Works Cited Cristol, J (2002) When did the US and Israel become allies. History News Network. Online retrieved 21 Feb 2008 from http://hnn. us/articles/751. html Leiber, R. (1998) U. S. -Israel relations since 1948. Meria Journal 2(3): 11-20 Steinberg, G. (1998) Israel and the United States: can the special relationship survive the new strategic environment? Meria journal 2(4): 61-81