English Essay: “On the Lake”

The definition of a good parent: Is it being the sensible grownup that is the perfect example of how to act properly, or does this interpretation of a good parent also include a â€Å"wild† site which allows breaking the rules from time to time for the fun of it? â€Å"On the Lake†, by Loaf Alfonse 2008, he reviews the problem of being a responsible adult and a good role model, and yet being able to be an interesting and fun person to be with. It is a typical novel genre text, by the in medias-rest, the short period of time the story trenches on, the few characters and by the â€Å"open† ending of the story.The main theme in the short story is being a good parent. By this not meaning doing what is the safest and the right thing to do, but doing what is fun and exciting for your children. This is being expressed in the act of wild cruising on the lake. This is neither a safe nor a responsible thing to do, but it is fun for the son, although the cruise almost took a fatal turn, by capsizing. Afterwards it is about whether or not Oscar is to blame for this accident, which he tries to avoid at his very best by blaming Whelm (p. 4, II. 5-36) whenever he mentions the episode, serving scotch or by offering a game of cards. It the story, it seems as if Margaret is very overprotecting towards Oscar. She sits with him till he fall asleep, and constantly checks on him while he is sleeping, listening to his breath takes, and if she can not hear it, she puts her ear to his mouth and nose (p. 2, II. 2-6). This persistently surveillance is caused by the near drowning experience her son Just had. Oscar is still very young, 6 years old, and is still not aware of what s best for him, and is not capable of estimating the risks and dangers by his actions.He saw how Whelm was sailing, and wanted to do the same, unaware of the danger by doing so. Whelm plays a crucial in the outcome of this story. Not only he is responsible for the rescue of Jonas and Oscar, but he is also partly the reason of the hazard sailing by Oscar. While Whelm making tight turns and wild sailing on the lake, Jonas would watch enthralled and fascinated. This later on result in Jonas wants to do the same thing in his boat, but is disappointed of his father's boring cruising. â€Å"†¦ You never do anything fun like the man in the white boat† (p. , II. 10-11), Jonas stated towards his father. Oscar became rather irritated, and wanted to go home. He gave the boat full throttle, and tried his best to impress his son doing tight turns on the lake. The urge to impress Jonas, and the safety violations, culminated in the boat capsizing. Whelm was watching Oscar and Jonas cruise, as his barbeques was heating up (p. 4, l. 36), and saw them overturn, and him and his friend, Bicorn, sailed out to save them from drowning. Happen next, a typical novel genre feature called a â€Å"cliffhanger†.It ends with Oscar suspecting an evolving sexual relationship between M argaret and Vilely, while being out for scotch and the binoculars with Boson (p. 6, II. 12-15). He checks to see if they are visible through the binoculars, but he is unable to see them in the living room. He runs up to the house, and finds them in the living room, having a suspicion about they had Just sat down again. As he steps in, Whelm says that it is late, and decides to leave with Bicorn. Margaret had found out that Oscar let go of Jonas' hand and that he was saved before Jonas. This was very upsetting for Margaret to find out Oscar left his son.There is not a universal definition of a good father, but I believe there are certain clichà ©s for the father figure, such as he is a strong, care-taking, encouraging and inspiring role model whom you can rely on. These features it not entirely adjectives that fits the father in the novel, such as he let's Jonas down, and afterwards is trying to blame others for his mistake, although he is trying as hard as possible to become a good parent. This story can be related to the movie which also is about an Indian father who wants the best for his sons, but in the end has caused more harm than good.

Pax Americana: The Importance of Soft Power Essay

There are two main ways through which a country can lose its ascendancy. First, it can be defeated militarily by a stronger, rising power. Second, it can rot from within, its culture and institutions progressively becoming weaker while its economy stagnates. Joseph Nye Jr. , in his book The Paradox of American Power, argues early on that America is in no immediate danger of â€Å"rotting from within†, as was the case with ancient Rome. Citing statistics to buttress his point, Nye shows that the negative media (both local and international) coverage received by the United States have little factual basis. While the country is not exactly where it wants to be in terms of morality and culture, it is certainly far from being the social Sodom and Gomorrah that it is portrayed to be. While the country lags some countries (notably those in the European Union) in many social metrics, it is nevertheless substantially better-off than the rest of the world in such terms. Neither is the U. S economy undergoing major problems. Despite the many doomsday predictions, the U. S. economy is growing at a respectable rate and continues to maintain the high standard of living that Americans have enjoyed for the past twenty to thirty years. While the trade challenges posed by China and the European Union may prove problematic in the years to come, they are nevertheless still manageable at present. Thus, it appears that that the United States is not going to collapse on itself in the near future. What Might Cannot Accomplish: The Case for Soft Power With regards to military power, no one can argue that the United States is in any danger of losing its hegemonic position. However, Nye posits the argument that the United States must learn not to rely on this aspect of its national power alone. One of his key contentions is that military power is not enough to maintain the ascendancy of the United States in the coming century. Also known as hard power, military power is an important part of the country’s overall strength – but it should not be the only fount of influence from which the country draws. In a rapidly globalizing world, soft power, e. g. , economic and cultural strength, must be seen as being as important as its military capabilities. Power not only consists of brute force, but also of influence and persuasiveness. The author agrees that if the United States is to achieve its foreign policy objectives, then it must learn not only to use its soft power, but to widen its scope in the years to come. Other than terrorism, a number of issues can only be resolved by acknowledging that we live in a deeply interconnected world. Issues such as pollution and global warming, the spread of AIDS, drug trafficking, and human slavery cannot be addressed by any one country in isolation – even if that country is a superpower. Because the relationships between state and non-state actors are increasingly intertwined in a mesh of common interests, then global multilateral cooperation is the only viable alternative that the world – the United States included – can choose. Current events would seem to prove this point. While the United States remains the world’s predominant military power, it is becoming increasingly clear that it cannot achieve its goals through unilateral military action. Indeed, the present war in Iraq is a clear indication of the United States’ limitations, especially when battling non-conventional organizations such as terrorist cells. Military might is an important tool in battling terrorism on a global scale, but the help of other countries – especially when it comes to intelligence gathering – will be increasingly required. In other words, only a multilateral approach will have an appreciable effect on a global hydra such as terrorism. Similarly, only by using such an approach will the U. S. e able to make progress on a variety of global issues. Recognizing the Times: Forming a Sound Foreign Policy Nye believes that American foreign policy is too dependent on its military power, pointing out that the military receives sixteen times the funding that the diplomatic service does. As he points out, the military corps is important – but not sixteen times as important as diplomatic corps. As we enter the new millennium, the latter must gain more importance if the U. S. is to maintain its power. The era during which the U.  S. could promote its national self-interest through military power alone is fast fading, if not already gone. The United States must learn to adapt to a new international political environment, one wherein it must strive to be looked up to as much as feared. Transnational problems cannot be solved in isolation, and America will need friends and allies if it is to make any lasting progress. However, it is also clear that the United States must not simply begin to act multilaterally on a sweeping number of issues. Rationality must be pursued at all times. There are situations in which the privilege to act unilaterally must be exercised by the United States, especially when it comes to issues of national defense and survival. Neither should the U. S. allow itself to be bound to international pacts that will restrict it excessively, or will allow other countries undue leverage over it. The key here is balance: finding the right mix between protecting America’s current national interests, as well as its future credibility and influence with the world community. A corollary to the preceding statement is that the United States must continue to provide global leadership by providing global public goods, such as international order and a free market system. While some may argue that such a policy inevitably spawns free riders, the U. S. must nevertheless push through with ensuring the availability of such public goods, not only because they benefit the country directly, but also because they make America indispensable to the world, in effect legitimizing its power. The author agrees with Nye on such counts. America stands at a crossroads today; the path it chooses to take will determine its future position in the world. If it decides to play the tyrant, it will suffer the usual fate of tyrants. However, if it chooses to adapt itself to the changed international political environment, it will ensure not only its survival but also its eminence. When Theodore Roosevelt said that he would â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick,† he was formulating sound foreign policy. What American leaders should notice is that he mentioned â€Å"speaking softly† before the â€Å"big stick. †

A Career Management Reflective Report

A Career Management Reflective Report The so-called career management, refers to the professional staff behaviors’ guideline that a organization for its employees. Career management is engaged in improve the staff’s career efficiency so that the organization long-term development can be guaranteed. From organizational perspective, career management including the plans, instructions and control for employee’s occupations demands the effective organic integration of organizational perspectives personal development (Gerald, 2009). Through participating in university career programs and summarizing the career management workbook, I make the following analyses on career management which are my reflection outcomes. When the job-seekers come to become formal employees of a company, the company should help them formulate and implement the employees’ career plans with a receptive attitude towards their coming. Career management as a course of organizing staff conducts can be understood from three aspe cts: Firstly, career management brings career development plans to its employees and is different from the career plans made by staff themselves. Career management is based on the consideration of the perspective of the organization. It regards staff as special fixed and value-added capital through continual exploiting and investing. Career management embodies characteristics of guidance and utilitarian since it aims at seeking organization sustainable development through staff’s efforts. Secondly, career management needs to meet both the individual needs and organizational needs. Only by fully understanding of the staff’s career development needs, companies can be able to formulate corresponding policies and measures for helping staff find their own right answers and provide them appropriate opportunities. Similarly, only through meeting the occupational needs of the employees, the organization can be able to meet its own internal value-added needs of human resources. One hand, the improvement of staff’s professional skills can enhance the overall quality level of human resource; the other hand, career management can bring effective and positive incentives to the organizational staff whose career direction is consistent with the organizational development direction, and reserve human resource of high level executives or technicians. Improve overall organizational competitiveness and reserve effective human resource is essential to a company’s development. The energetic and financial investment on career management is can be regarded the long term investment to achieve the goal above. Organizational needs are the dynamic source of career management; if the organizational needs cannot be satisfied, the career management will lose its motivation source and then get terminated. The career management of staffs is the basis of career management and if the basic career needs of staffs cannot be satisfied then the overall career management activities will fail. Thirdly, the range of career management is broad and involves a lot of topics. It can be said that all the activities which are helpful for staff’s career development should be listed in the scope of career management, shown as follows: For individual employees, such as various types of training, development consulting, counseling, work-family ties, lectures, and the facilities that are for strengthening staffs’ skills and improving their academic qualifications, etc. For the organization’s various personnel policies and measures, such as standardized career appraisal system, establishment and implementation of effective internal promotion system, labor protection and social security system, and so on.

Sexual harassment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sexual harassment - Assignment Example Women feel more comfortable when talking to other women about these issues. Aside from this, the organization can stipulate in its code of conduct that sexual harassment goes against company policy and violators will be dealt with severely. Finally, training can be provided to new employees, particularly male employees, about what appropriate touch is in the workplace. In addition, training can be provide to new female employees about what to do when they feel they have been sexually harassed, who they should go to, and what the potential outcomes may be. The first thing that an organization should do when dealing with alleged sexual harassment is to investigate the incident. Were there any witnesses? If not, is the complainant’s word strong enough to take action. Without indisputable evidence, it is very difficult to reprimand someone for an action they may not have taken. If it can be proved beyond all doubt that sexual harassment occurred, then the violator should first receive a warning and potential suspension from work duties. If it occurs again, then the violator should be instantly dismissed. If, on the other hand, the sexual harassment cannot be proved, then no action can be taken at that time. The best that could be done would be to file a report and keep it on hand for any future instances of sexual harassment occurring

Addictive Behaviours Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Addictive Behaviours - Essay Example There is immense research on the mechanisms of addiction as far as substance abuse and alcohol addiction are concerned. As of now, there is very little research into this aspect with reference to addictive behaviors like gambling. Though many researchers argue similar pathogenesis in all addictive behaviours, research into this perspective is warranted. Acute and chronic stress have been incriminated in the mechanism of development of addiction in all types of addictive behaviours. However, it is yet unclear as to what type and extent of stress, timing of stress and coping strategies against stress cause such negative implications towards ones behaviour. In this essay, mechanisms involved in the development of addictive gambling will be elucidated through review of appropriate literature and with reference to pathophysiology of addiction of substances and alcohol. There are several substances which are addictive in nature. Of these, marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit drug in the world (Maxwell, 2003). According to the statistics on drug abuse published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2002 (based on National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 2001), marijuana constituted 33.1% of the illicit drugs ever used. It also constituted 12.9% of the drugs recently used. The mean age of initiation was 18.5 years. The consumption of marijuana overseas was most prevalent in New-Zealand (20%) and least in Canada (8.9%). The prevalence in U.K and U.S was same (9%) (Maxwell 2003). Most often it is consumed with other illicit drugs like cocaine (called ‘blunts’) or tobacco. It is taken in mainly for the mental effects like altered state of consciousness, perceptual changes like hallucinations and heightened sensory experiences. The main active chemical having psycho-activity in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocann abinol) (Astolfi et al, 1998). Other than euphoria and hallucinations, marijuana has other effects

Funding Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Funding Education - Essay Example Funding Education The university has principled values that is inculcated in all the students. Honesty, efficiency, exceptionality, and modesty are inscribed in students during the course of study. Every employer looks for an honest person. Now, being that the university is known for producing people of unquestionable integrity one would find it pleasurable and an honor to be part of this fraternity (British qualifications, 457). Employers also do not only want results, but they are impressed with exceptionality: a thing that the university inculcates in the course of study. The university teaches on how one can become innovative hence remarkable achievement in any field of endeavor. Queen Mary University is reach in diversity with an international outlook. This aspect of the university makes in a good ground for interaction and a place of multi-cultural experience. The university also has various exchange programs with many universities in other countries of the world. The university has such programs to help in the expansion of the worldview of its students. The grandaunts of this university are always diverse in opinion and they are often prepared to serve in any part of the world because of the nature of socialization in this great university. The university is not streamlined to the course work but it also gives the students the opportunity to interact widely and to experience the rest of the world.

Marketing communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing communication - Essay Example their feedback for the services and extent of their satisfaction etc, being collected from various reliable sources so that communication channels and methods can be planned effectively. Defining target audience includes knowing the behavior, attitude and individual tastes of each customer or various sub groups in the target groups in order to facilitate playful environment and joyful natural sceneries. Defining the target market also includes giving the prospective customers a compelling as well as logical reason to go out of competitors’ way and to spend their money for your goods or services (Harper, 2003, p. 75). Viejas Outlet Centre considers this as virtual point that can pave a way to marketing success for the next one year. Money spenders and Childs will be communicated regarding what makes Viejas different from other outlet centers and thus to attract them to the joyful environment provided by Viejas. Sales promotion will be a key ingredient in the marketing and communication campaign of Viejas. According to Martin (2008), sales promotion is a marketing process that provides extra value to the sales force, distributors and final consumers in order to stimulate immediate sale (p. 124). Viejas basically consider this material fact that customers must be provided extra value through various methods of promotion. In order to do so, Viejas proposes both loyalty or store card facility and golf carts services and therefore sales and total revenue can be stimulated. Both loyalty cards and golf carts will definitely promote the sales from the targeted audience. Linked with store card system, Viejas plans to provide offers and lucky draw program in order to attract more children apart from free parking. Children will be highly motivated towards offers and lucky draw to get rewards and appreciation and thus they may find more times to spend in the Outlet

Cash Accounting versus Accrual Accounting Assignment

Cash Accounting versus Accrual Accounting - Assignment Example But in accrual method, transaction is recorded as and when they happen rather than paid or received. So in accrual method the sale or receipt of goods and services are recorded as and when it happens .At times it is not easy to finalize when the sale or buying occurred ,then the contractor confirm the date when he received the goods and services and the transaction is recorded in the books. The cash and accrual method gives the same outcome as one can instantly see the results. The results of these accounting methods will only show variations, if the transaction is on a credit basis. In case the transaction of sales and purchases are done on cash and recorded immediately in the account then, which ever method one use the ledger will reflect the same results. The businesses with sales less than $ 5 million a year can choose whatever accounting method they want for their business. However in both the methods, the result will be only a partial picture of the financial stand of you busin ess concern. Chapter 2) Theoretical View a) Cash accounting method In cash accounting the primary importance is on the inflow and outflow of cash on everyday transaction of the business .As and when money moves in or out, recording is made in the ledger so that analysis can be made to the financial status of the business in a particular accounting period. According to Tatum (2003)â€Å"Part of the charm of a cash journal is that financial transactions entered as line items can be reviewed quickly when necessary, as well a providing a quick reference document when entering the transactions into other sections of the accounting books†. The author here emphasize that cash accounting is very reliable when it comes to the informative part of the business activities occurring on a daily basis. Cash is the blood life of a business concern, and cash accounting method allows the recording of the every movement of cash in the firm. The cash accounting method allows a small entrepreneur to understand the profitability of his firm without many complications. But this accounting method is useful mainly for small enterprises .The bigger firms use accrual accounting method where trillions of dollars are transacted at a time and sales and purchase of good and services are time consuming. The cash accounting system is quick and easy and help the owner of business on understanding cash reserves when dealing are mainly on cash basis. For example when one use a credit card to make a purchase, one does not have a reduction in the personal account until one pay for the credit card, this is considered cash accounting b)Accrual accounting If one consider accrual accounting , the revenues and expenses are recorded when they are incurred, regardless of money is moved in or out. As per Duchac (2006,pg.98) â€Å" Accrual accounting concepts are designed to reflect a company’s financial performance during a period and avoid misleading results that could arise from the timin g of cash receipts and

Anne Frank' diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anne Frank' diary - Essay Example As Anne was just 13 years old when her family was forced into hiding with seven other people - some family members and others were family friends – spending two years in utter silence entailed unique disposition to reveal her writing prowess through the diaries. In this regard, the essay hereby aims to provide a description of Anne’s hiding place in terms providing an exposition of diverse rooms and using the five senses to highlight details, as required. Anne’s room, considered her haven and recluse, could be described as long and narrow with unframed pictures posted on one wall, right above a small table that rests her diary and which she uses to as a means to express her feelings, emotions and sentiments on the family’s trying situation. As indicated, after four months of hiding in the Annex, Anne had to share the tight and stuffy room with Fritz Pfeffer, a man Anne eventually described as irritatingly arrogant and selfish. A simple, detachable silver l amp was strategically clasped by the right side of the table to provide illumination at night. Two single beds were tried to fit into the cramped room to provide rest and sleep to the occupants. Another crucial and relevant room within the secret annex was the family room, the room occupied by the Van Pels family. As disclosed, before the room became part of the hiding place, it was actually a laboratory with a sink and stove. Therefore, it was used as a kitchen, dining space and communal living room. The most vivid memories of Anne was her lowest remembrance of the worst food being served from the kitchen entered on the 14th of March, 1944 as she quipped: â€Å"food is so scarce that the Secret Annex members are now resorting to eating rotten food, in this case, kale that has been in the barrel for a year† (Frank: March 14, 1944 1). She was noted to have to put a handkerchief over her nose to prevent her from smelling the rotten and stinking aroma of spoiled eggs and brine t hat were cooked. When war prevailed and led the family to lose opportunities and resources to avail of varied food choices, Anne remarked that they had to content with the same meal over and over again for weeks and months. The taste of potatoes, spinach, lettuce and beans could easily be anticipated even prior to serving. The attic and a loft was vividly illustrated as food storage and an opportunity for Anne to view the chestnut tree and to write. Apparently, due to it being used as storage for food, the members in hiding heard noises from the attic. Initially, they thought that a burglar could have inched his way through; only to find out that rats were the culprit. The attic was described by Anne as a source of illumination and strength from giving her the view to the sky, the moon, the chestnut tree, even in its barest offers. Accordingly, in her diary entry on February 23, 1944, she marveled at the beautiful weather, which was enough to make her happy and elated. Finally, the facade or the entry to the main building was described by Anne intricately through identifying the large warehouse at the ground floor. She succeedingly narrated the location of the main office; passages and alcoves leading to other offices, the prime office which she detailed as first class and elegant with mahogany furniture, radio and fancy lamp. Other floors were also described, specifically one that led to the secret opening: a bookcase that covers the hidden door leading to the secret annex. The main building effectively covered the secret annex and it was not until after more than two years in hiding that Anne and her family and friends were discovered and

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein - Essay Example Thus, it is evident that the author incorporates in her novel the important factors in the history of Europe such as the effect of French Revolution on notions of class and identity, the role of the Industrial Revolution on the socio-economic life of the people. As Essaka Joshua maintains, the social comment in Frankenstein is especially inspired by the ideology of the French Revolution and the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. â€Å"Critics have recently connected Frankenstein with this period of social upheaval, reading the novel as an ‘allegory of the French Revolution, the attempt to recreate man and the disillusionment and terror that followed.† (Joshua, 23) Therefore, it is essential to realize that the historical and political context of the author has played a crucial role in the writing of the novel. This essay offers a reflective exploration of the political and historical backdrop of the period in which Mary Shelly wrote her celebrated novel Frankenstein. Much o f the critical commentary on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein has focused on the impact of the historical and political context of the novelist on the major themes, and references in the work.

What Makes The Youth Of Today Follow The Latest Trends Essay Example for Free

What Makes The Youth Of Today Follow The Latest Trends Essay Today’s youth are not entirely dependent on their parents for their knowledge and opinions. They have become more independent as time goes on. There are many changes that they undergo and it takes extra effort to really understand all of their behavior (Taylor, Carl 2003). In most of the social problems encountered by today’s young adults, the critical factor is the role of parents and educational institutions in forming, molding and strengthening of children and young adults’ values. In raising teens, Covey (1999, 100) highlights the importance of being sensitive to the tendency of the youth to reject. According to him, this tendency of teenagers comes from their fear of being rejected. Their rejection experiences make them â€Å"pull back into a kind of shell to protect themselves from being rejected again. † This could be aggravated by parents who refuse to look honestly at what their children are doing; even denying that there is a problem, making excuses for their child, or blaming the school, teachers, family, friends, or society. Fixing the child’s problems by giving in to demands, justifying rebelliousness is just a normal part of adolescence. Compromising the parents’ own values just to keep the peace at home or maintain a veneer of harmony is not an uncommon solution. If and when the worst situation comes up, the decision to intervene remains with the parents and not with the juvenile justice system. Yet, parents are often at a loss on what best to do.

Monopoly and American values Essay Example for Free

Monopoly and American values Essay In societies all over the world the board game Monopoly is played by children and adults. The Parker Brother’s game has been sold in 37 different languages; over 200 million copies have been sold, is claimed to be the most popular game, and has also been sold in 103 countries. In America millions have played and is a normal and acceptable â€Å"American Past Time. † From a functionalist perspective the board game teaches and expresses many of the American values such as; equal opportunity, personal achievement and success, obtaining material comfort, progress, and the idea of democracy and free enterprise. The functionalist perspective represents society as system containing various parts that all work together to achieve social solidarity. In a post-industrial society, how does the game of Monopoly socialize people to the American Values? Society sure does function together and is well structured for the benefit of citizens, government, and entrepreneurs. The board game Monopoly has many rules and norms. There have even been Monopoly Etiquette Guides written for the serious players as well as tournament players. The recommended age for play is eight years of age and older and a minimum of two players. In America most of those with siblings of children understand how wrong a game of Monopoly can turn into a big fight. The rules of the game are pretty easy to follow. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. Each player is given $1500 to begin the game. A player must be elected to be the banker and sell property, houses, hotels, and pay the $200 salary that is collected each time a player passes go. The banker is also responsible for collecting fines and taxes owed. The spaces on the board are all labeled and include; GO, Jail, Chance, Community Chest, Taxes, Free Parking, and pay rent when landing on an opponent’s improved property. Each player is represented by a token which is a symbol of the game. These include; a wheel barrow, a car, an iron, a thimble, a cowboy on a horse, a dog , a pot of gold, a top hat, a ship, a boot, or a cannon. Each player is subject to going bankrupt, therefore increasing the other player’s chance of finding wealth. American society is very similar to the game of Monopoly. Players are socialized to these ideas which represent the values of America. Equal opportunity is taught by everyone beginning with the same amount of money, $1500, as well as $200 salary collected with each rotation around the board. Personal achievement and success is demonstrated on becoming the wealthiest player and to own the most property. Striving and working for material comfort is taught through collecting a salary and improving your owned properties, as well as collecting rent. Progress is a value in America that is evaluated by members of society on a daily basis. Progress in the game Monopoly is measured by wealth and property owned and creating a monopoly on resources, buildings, and property. The last important American value taught to players is democracy and free enterprise. The consensus of Monopoly is that it is a fun game to play. The manifest function of Monopoly is to entertain a group of players whether they are children, adolescents, or adults. The latent function is teaching players to think solely of themselves and not their neighbor who they should help. Greed is taught due to the emphasis of becoming the wealthiest player. The most witnessed latent function of Monopoly being causing dishonesty, anger, and even fighting between competitors. Although there are some negatives against the game the most important role is promoting social solidarity by encouraging a better community effort. Progress takes everyone’s help not just a few. Two options were given for a research assignment at the beginning of the course. Option one was to choose a category from; film, sports, or advertising. The second option was to read a book outside of class that focuses on Wal-Mart, minimum wage jobs for women, or how fast food has created a â€Å"now† demand for all of America’s services. The option selected for a personal interest was sports. More specifically how gender plays a role in the racing world. How are women and men treated differently? A major focus will be on drag racing and how times have changed as far as who can and cannot race as demonstrated by NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Drag Racing. In conclusion Monopoly helps teach and spread the ideas of American culture. Players are to become the wealthiest and may have a higher social status as they can win Monopoly. A study in 2005 found that American’s value self expression more than survival. (Macionis pg. 49) This is even taught through Monopoly by being able to select how you build your property and by picking your game piece to represent yourself. A comparative study found that in 1969 the goal of first year college students was to â€Å"Develop a meaningful philosophy of life† in contrast to 2005 first year college students are wanting â€Å"to be very well off financially†. (Macionis pg. 56) Today in America having wealth is sought by all citizens but few find extreme wealth. According to the values of American’s material comfort should be worked for and can be more important than survival. With the ideas of democracy and free enterprise being key concepts of the game it is not surprising to find that globally approximately 46% of the worlds countries are â€Å"politically free†. (Macionis pg. 44) Although the game has been published in 37 different languages, English is a very common first language as well as a common second language across the globe. (Macionius pg. 47) Following the same thought nearly all of the United States speaks English or Spanish in the home. (Macionius pg. 56)This allows for the further acknowledgement of the American Values to many societies. Overall the game of Monopoly socializes people of many cultures to the American values. All of the American values encourage a person to think personally rather than globally.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF VODAFONE

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF VODAFONE Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone) was founded as a subsidiary of Racal Electronics Plc in 1984. It became independent of the company in 1991 then changed its name to Vodafone Group Plc. Today, as a British multinational mobile network operator with headquarters in Newbury, England, it is known as one of the worlds leading telecommunication companies by revenue. It operates across the globe where it offers a range of communication services dealing directly with consumers and offering services for businesses. Its consumer customers are classified into prepaid and contract and its business customers range from small office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporate and multinational corporations (MNCs). Its products and services includes messaging, voice, data, devices to help customers in meeting total communication needs and fixed line solutions. In all, its customer base total 341.1 million proportionate customers all over the globe (www.vodafone.com). The companys vision is to become the world leader in communications (www.vodafone.com). In this paper, we look to evaluate the performance of Vodafone for the periods ending 31st March 2009 and 2010. Evaluation will be based on financial and non financial factors including key ratios and SWOT analysis for a more coherent outlook. Recommendations will then be made based on the performance analysis. CALCULATION OF KEY RATIOS (all figures are in  £m) Profitability ratios Gross profit margin: this is calculated by expressing the gross profit made in the year over sales multiplied by 100. 2010 2009 (15,033/ 44,472)*100 = 33.80% (15,175/ 41,017)*100 = 37.00% Operating profit margin: calculated by expressing profit before interest and tax over sales multiplied by 100. 2010 2009 (9,480/44,472)*100 = 21.32% (5,857/41,017)*100 = 14.28% Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): calculated by dividing profit before interest and tax over total asset less current liabilities all multiplied by 100 2010 2009 (10,186/156,985-28,616)*100 = 7.93% (6,608/152,699-27,947)*100 = 5.30% Gearing: calculated by dividing long term debt over equity 2010 2009 (28632/90381)*100 = 31.7% (31749/86162) = 36.8% Liquidity: calculated as current asst over current liabilities and the acid test ratio calculated as current asset less stock over current liabilities 2010 2009 (14,219/28,616) = 0.5 (14,219-433/28,616) = 0.48 (13,029/27,947) = 0.47 (13,029-412/27,947) = 0.45 Price earning (P/E): calculated as average share price for the period over earnings per share (EPS); EPS is calculated as profit for the year over number of issued share 2010 2009 P/E: (132/16.11) = 8.19 (136/17.17) = 7.92 http://www.vodafone.com EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS FINANCIAL Profitability ratio Gross profit margin relates to the trading profit of a firm to its sales. Generally, it should be steady year and year and any wide variation investigated (Cox and Fardon, 2007). In the case of Vodafone, there was a fall in this ratio from 2009 to 2010 from 37% to 33.8%. This fall can be attributed to the increase in cost of sales of 13.92%, nearly twice as high as the increase in sales of 8.42%. Further investigation is need to ascertain the increase in cost of sales. On the contrary operating profit margin nearly doubled from 14.28% in 2009 to 21.32% in 2010. This margin highlights how effectively a firm has managed its cost of operations. It would look like Vodafone has managed cost effectively; however the increase is due to a fall in impairment loss of approximately 64% on goodwill. In 2009 there were a lot of adverse events e.g. economic down turn. Otherwise all cost remained fairly the same only slightly higher in 2010. ROCE increased from 5.3% to 7.93% in 2010. It is good as it reflects that Vodafone has the ability to earn a return on all capital employed increasingly. Investors should be happy in this respect as it means their investment is been put to good use. What will be more helpful is a five year trend and knowing that the 7.93% is at least equal to the return on a bank account (Cox and Fardon, 2007). Gearing ratio This ratio decreased by 13.9% to 31.75% in 2010. Long term borrowing fell 9.8% over the period, mainly due to a sharp fall in other liabilities, while equity increased by 4.9%. Higher gearing means less secure equity capital; partly because repayment and interest make debt costly and partly because strictly speaking it can be recalled at any time. Although there is no clear standard to judge acceptable gearing level, when gearing exceeds 100% it tends to worry investors (Cox and Fardon, 2007). Thus, in this case Vodafone has done well although five years figures will give us a clearer trend. Liquidity/acid test ratio Liquidity is the ability of a firm to pay off current obligation. Both the acid test and current ratio increased from 2009 to 2010. However, both ratios fall short of the rule-of-thumb that current ratio should be 2:1 (0.5 in 2010 and 0.47 in 2009) and acid test 1:1 (0.48 in 2010 and 0.45 in 2009). It shows Vodafone is not liquid. This is not a problem as such because in the telecommunications industry there are relatively few current assets and this contributes to low current ratios (Costea, 2006). For a meaningful conclusion a five year tread and industry average is needed. P/E ratio This ratio represents the markets view of the growth potential of the company, its dividend policy and the degree of risk involved in the investment (Alexander, Britton and Jorissen, 2007). High P/E ratio means investors have good feelings about the factors mentioned, i.e. good growth opportunities, relatively safe earnings etc (Brealey, Myers and Allen, 2008). In the case of Vodafone there has been an increase in the ratio by 3.4% to 8.19 which highlights that investors are confident in the company. Again five years trend and comparison to the industry average will give a more meaningful conclusion. NON FINANCIAL SWOT analysis forms the basis of this section. Analysis of the financial statement and research by datamonitor show that there has been little change in the SWOT of Vodafone between 2009 and 2010 (see appendix 1). Strengths Vodafone has strong international brand recognition. in an age where branding is key element of marketing this is a key strength. In 2009, in Brand finance global ranking, the Vodafone brand came 8th as most valuable brand. In 2010 it moved up to 7th position. It has developed a set of guidelines, to enable the consistent use of the Vodafone brand, in areas such as advertising, retail, online and merchandising and ensured it has a strong customer focus. The company also has extensive global reach and diversified revenue base. It has equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions Europe, Africa and Central Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and also has an investment in the United States. This reduces business risk and provides synergy. Furthermore, it is a leader in its markets meaning it understands its market. Weaknesses The company continues to be a part of legal proceedings which eats into the companys profits. In 2004, Vodafone 2, one of the subsidiaries initiated a legal action to an enquiry by HMRC with regard to the UK tax treatment of its Luxembourg holding company, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg SARL (VIL), under the CFC Regime. The enquiry is ongoing and a provision of  £2.2bn has been and was made in 2010 and 2009 accounts. This event shows Vodafone as an irresponsible company trying to evade taxation. Opportunities Strong growth has been forecast for the mobile advertising market with mobile phones becoming the centre of digital convergence. Indeed, compounded growth forecast for the USA alone is 70% for 2008-2013. This is good news for Vodafone as it has been focusing here in recent times and thus, offers the potential to increase revenue in the future. The penetration of third generation technology (3G) has been increasing in recent times. It allows service providers to provide many services including mobile TV and VoD. The penetration rate of 3G in advanced economies is forecast to increase from nearly 30% to 60% between 2008 and 2013. At present Vodafone is an active leader in this market and thus is taking advantage of this. Threats The telecommunication industry is highly competitive. In addition technology is constantly changing and if one is not careful one can be out of competition. Competition is also very high because markets are becoming saturated and thus marketing is shifting towards customer retention rather than acquisition. This is particularly so in the European market where Vodafone generates considerable revenue. RECOMMENDATION Comparing the companys performance over a 2year period with the ratios can result in a highly inaccurate conclusion. For instance, is the fall in gross profit a one off occurrence within five years or has it been falling only rising in 2009 and falling again in 2010. If this is the case then there is a big problem. This being the case, it is recommended that the company develop the analysis over 5 years for more informative conclusion. This is not to say that the one off occurrence in gross profit margin does not need attention. Also although the company may be doing well it may be below industry standards and thus industry average is needed to ensure this is not so and if it is then the company will know where to work on. This is particularly the case for Vodafones liquidity. The company is not liquid. Is this in line with industry average? Perhaps further liquidity test is needed. It is also recommended that the sharp rise in cost of sales is investigated. A breakdown of the cost is needed to know which element(s) is the culprit to determine what can be done about it. CONCLUSION Overall Vodafone performed better in 2010 than it did in 2009. This should be commended as the economic environment has not been all that favourable. The company was profitable improving in both its operating profit margin and ROCE with the exception of gross profit margin falling. This has been commented on above. Improvement in the ROCE showed Vodafone to have made extensive use of capital employed. It has kept its gearing level under control and according to the price earnings ratio, investors are confident about the future prospect of the company and this is reflected in the increase in current share price of the company as is in appendix one. Once again Vodafone can be commended for maintaining and building on its strength; extending global reach, maintaining its lead and increasing its brand value. This has definite impact on its ability to improve its profitability and do well despite performing in a mature, highly competitive environment with a dire climate. It is rather unfortunate that none of its strength or opportunities can eradicate or minimise its weakness. Vodafone needs to take care when calculating and recognising tax ensuring that it has proper internal controls to ensure all rules and regulations are adhered to as fully as possible. References: Alexander, D., Britton, A. and Jorissen, A. (2007) International Financial Reporting and Analysis, London Thomson Learning. Brealey, R. A., Stewart, C. M. and Allen, F. (2008), Principles of Corporate Finance Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Costae, Adrian The Analysis of the Telecommunication Sector by means of Data Mining Technique, 2006, Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods, pp.144-150 Cox, D. (2007) Accounting: the basics of financial and management accounting. Worcester: Osborne Books Ltd DATAMONITOR (2009) SWOT analysis, April 2009. London; DATAMONITOR http://www.lse.co.uk/SharePrice.asp?shareprice=VODshare=vodafone_grp http://www.vodafone.com/etc/medialib/agm_09.Par.22820.File.dat/VF_Annual%20Report_2009.pdf http://www.vodafone.com/etc/medialib/agm_10.Par.86506.File.dat/vf_ar2010.pdf London Stock Exchange (2010), 3 months Vodafone Share Graph. London Stock Exchange, Accessed 11 August 2010. Vodafone Group Plc. (2009) Annual Report For the year ended 31st March 2009, Vodafone Accessed 10 August 2010. Vodafone Group Plc. (2010) Annual Report For the year ended 31st March 2010, Vodafone Accessed 10 August 2010.

Mike Davis And The LAPD :: essays research papers

The general assumption that people make of the role that police officers play is that they are there to â€Å"Protect and Serve† the community. What people many times do not realize is that in reality a large percentage of police officers in Los Angels, including the Chiefs of Police, do their jobs with a different intention in mind. Police officers as well as politicians claim to be working hard on keeping drugs off the streets when in reality they are bringing on the violence themselves by instigating problems that are not really there. Bringing violence to the community is to their convenience because when crimes are solved and people are arrested police officers are portrayed by the media as the â€Å"heroes†. Not only is the LAPD committing a large number of acts of corruption but they are all set toward youth of color. The ideal role of a police officer is to help and protect the people of the community for which they work to create a safe environment but when members of the LAPD are biased and only interested in their own refinement, innocent youth are left to pay the consequences. Police officers mainly target their corruption scandals toward groups of young males of color because they find it easier to arrest them strictly because of their physical appearance and use probable cause as their excuse. From there, â€Å"Kids are humiliatingly forced to ‘kiss the sidewalk’ or spread eagle against police cruisers while officers check their names against computerized files of gang members.†(Davis, 81) If their names and addresses are not yet entered they are added to the roster as well â€Å"†¦for future surveillance.†(Davis, 81)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two major Black gangs in Los Angeles, which are known universally as the â€Å"Bloods† and the â€Å"Crips†, they are most known for their â€Å"organization of the sale of crack and out shooting the police with huge arsenals of Uzi and Mac-10 automatics.† (Davis, 81) Because they distinguish themselves by the Bloods color-coding their clothes in red and the Crips in blue, police officers have used this against many black males wearing the color of these gang rivals. Many times the Chief of Police gives orders for the officers to â€Å"stop and interrogate anyone who they suspect is a gang member, basing their assumptions on their dress or their use of gang hand signals.† (Davis, 83) Law enforcement has also been found to be deliberately provoking gang violence by writing over Crip graffiti with red, which is the Bloods color, or Blood graffiti with the Crip color.

The Year of the Woman Essay -- mh

The Year of the Woman Reporters portray female and male candidates differently when covering campaigns for political office. In order to counteract the biased coverage in the papers the women of the 1992 Senate race used 30-second advertising spots to assert their key issue stances and strengths. Though this was not the sole purpose of their ads, they were very much geared toward compensating for the lack of fair coverage they were receiving in the news. Ultimately they persevered. Through verbal and nonverbal content, as defined by Lynda Lee Kaid, women designed their ads to portray a high level of competence. 1992 is widely known as 'The Year of the Woman,' when 5 women won Senate seats and 24 new women were elected to the House. "All male Senate races received more press coverage than races which included female candidates,' but despite male biased journalistic media coverage, 'women of the 1992 election succeeded with strong campaign spots," that helped them redefine themselves to the public and win c onstituent votes. Though women and men receive an equal amount of coverage by newspapers, "the content of the coverage that women receive as opposed to men, during an election is extremely different and male biased." Newspaper readers are more likely to read about a female candidate's personal life, appearance, or personality while reading about a male's stance on governmental issues. This gives the man more credibility as a candidate. Compared to coverage of male candidates, coverage of a female candidate is, "more personal, less issue based, and less likely to include evidence or reasoning to support quoted remarks". Ultimately women are portrayed as less informed on issues and instead as icons rather than educated citize... ...er women in this study won representation of their state. Each woman focused her ad on something different. It is clear that Braun's ad is heavily laden with endorsements, legislative achievements and highlights of power and leadership while at the same time concentrating a huge portion of the ad on family values. Boxer's theme was to fight for change and Dianne Fienstein highlighted her achievements in the face of undue hardship. Seargant and Ferraro took their ads and focused on highlighting power and leadership. Ultimately all of the women had feminine ad campaigns that were positive outlooks on women rather than weak, negative and superficially concerned. Though men started out with an unfair advantage of positive journalistic media coverage in 1992, women created ad campaigns that overcame the unbalance and won more seats in the House and Senate than ever before.

Aviation Essay -- essays research papers

There are several factors that enabled Wilbur and Orville Wright, two high school dropouts, to produce a successful airplane controlled by a pilot. The Wright brothers were self-educated and very experienced with several types of technologies when they began their efforts to produce an airplane. Having worked as bicycle mechanics, they understood the importance of several technologies working together to create one particular design, as well as the significance of balance. The brothers worked well together, learning from past attempts at aviation, and drawing from other’s findings, in addition to discovering many of their own. One of the most distinct differences in their attempt from other aviators was that the brothers began by first learning to fly and control the airplane in glider fo...

Death by Nagel Essay

At the beginning of Death, Thomas Nagel questions: â€Å"If death is the unequivocal and permanent end to our existence, the question arises whether it is a bad thing to die. † Nagel wonders whether death is evil or not. To some people, like the hedonists, death is not bad. They propose the idea that a person is harmed when he or she has an unpleasant mental state. Furthermore, the hedonists also think a person is harmed when he or she suffers, and somebody is suffered when he or she is alive. Hence, when a person dies, he or she cannot be harmed. Death is the end of a subject. However, Nagel does not agree with the hedonists. He believes death is evil. The author introduces the objections of the hedonist as an opposing voice to argue against the idea that death is not evil. To lead the reader into his own argument, the author proposes the hedonists’ three objections about why they think death is not bad. Then, he opposes these objections by providing three rebuttals. The first objection is death cannot be evil if it cannot be experienced. We imagine how bad it is to be dead; yet we cannot experience death until it happens. In response to the first objection, Nagel states harm does not equal suffering. To him, some harms have to be experienced but a person does not have to go through all of them in order to be sustained. The author gives an example of a man is betrayed and ridiculed by his friends behind his back. To the hedonist, this man does not suffer from any harm, since he does not have any idea about it – what you do not know cannot hurt you. According to the hedonist, he has to have an unpleasant mental state in order to sustain. Nagel opposes to this idea. He thinks this man still suffers. The author states: â€Å"†¦ its discovery makes us unhappy. † Nagel means that even though this person does not have any idea he has been betrayed; but in the future, he might be able to find out about it, he will be suffered. As a result, a person still suffers from harm after he or she dies. The second objection is if death is bad, then who will suffer from it. Who is the subject of harm? The hedonists believe death is the end of the subject, so when a person dies, no one will be harmed. Thomas Nagel replies to this objection with his second rebuttal. The author states that subject of misfortune are identified by a person’s history and possibility rather than by his or her momentary state. That means when a person dies, he or she can still be harmed. The author believes if this person had not died, he or she would have been able to experience and possess whatever good there is living. The author gives an example of an intelligent person whom had a brain injury and become a vegetable. To the hedonist, he is fine as long as he is still alive. He does not suffer from any harm. Nagel, however, does not agree with that idea. He states that this man is sustained because if he did not have the accident, he would still be able to fulfill his wishes or realize his possibilities. The third objection is prenatal and posthumous non-existence should be symmetrical. The hedonists question why we consider the period after our death is bad when we regard the period before our birth is not. Again, Thomas Nagel does not agree with this idea. The author states there is no subject in the period before birth. As a result, there is no one to be deprived. When a person is born, he or she becomes the subject of history and possibilities. The author also proposes if a person was born earlier, he or she would be a different subject. In order to support this argument, Nagel states a person is still himself or herself even when he or she has different directions from the starting point. However, thing would be dissimilar if a person has a different starting point. He or she does not converge on same person anymore. This person would have different parents, siblings and etc. The author believes the period of time after death is when it deprives a person of. Hence, the prenatal and posthumous non-existence should not be symmetrical. In conclusion, Thomas Nagel states death is evil by providing rebuttals to the hedonists’ idea of death is not bad. Unlike the hedonists, Nagel strongly believes death is not the end of the subject. The author also states a person can still be harmed even after he or she dies, and subjects of misfortune are defined by a person’s history and possibility rather than his or her momentary state. Last but not least, Nagel provides that prenatal and posthumous non-existence should not be symmetrical.

Belonging: Birmingham Royal Ballet and Billy Elliot

An someone had portion to choose to belong to corporation/ countersink/ culture which bay window helps a someone gain an nous of belong or not belonging to themselves beca physical exercise belonging is a part of our life. Immigrant Chronicle of Peter Skzynecki, nightstick Elliot of Stephen Daldry and the Lottery by Shirley Jackson argon 3 properly evidence shows an idea of belong within an singular scent to connect to community or distance or culture. The betrothal and correspondence of walloping father fag end make a strong relationship within no bad mood reason such as Billy Elliot.The full vista of Billys Father interpret to push Billy back to the health Check Room in the royal Ballet School while he had changed his mind and want to grow family line emphasises Billys Father pull in that Billy need to prove his talent in the good situation exchangeable Royal Ballet School. Furthermore, a consciousness of belonging tail assembly emerge from experiences by dint of the family because the family is a perfect situation which helps an psyche identifies themself in love, in relationship.Moreover, the poesy called Feliks Skzynecki in the collection of poem called Immigrant Chronicle by Peter Skzynecki is convey the idea of family particular proposition the relationship in the midst of father and son. The poem opens with the uses of first person singular My still Father suggests ownership and recognition of a familiar bond, the fictional character belong to his father. The use of word Gentle establishes Feliks as a calm and mild man and similarly demonstrate the relationship between the persona and his father is completely strong.Therefore, family is the first go into which teaches you about the understanding and acceptance to order the whizz of belonging in your life. An individual base fit in a group and can feel the sense of belonging while they can notions their identity, relationships joining in that group. This can be see n in the story called The Lottery telling the earshot about the story of a petty(a) village where all the multitude come to do the traditional draw each year and from there, the relationship between people, neighbour, family atomic number 18 made.It is shown by the descriptive language of the carve up The children assembled first, of course. School was their older brothers or sisters. can properly emphasise that the connection between student, children, and peoples. In addition, the sense of belonging can discover if an individual can limit out and gain the happiness with their notions of identity, relationships. This disceptation is further emphasised in the flick called Billy Elliot. Billy a principal(prenominal) character had hoose Ballet to make out his envisage in the future, Ballets community group is where he can identify his identity. It is shows by the costume of his boxing train the white singlet can discontinue him to connect to Ballets chassis easie r because the dancing girls are also habilimented white. So, a sense of belonging can be finding out when an individual notice their identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding in a group. However, sometimes the understanding and acceptance are occurs but the sense of belonging is still silent.This can be finds in the The Lottery, the traditional is force to break the family by doing the unfair and weird frolic festival. The conversation of It isnt fair, It isnt cover and the descriptive action after the dialogue which is a stone hit her on the side of the head depict the bulwarks wall between people with the traditions gaming which you give birth to take your life into the dangerous mood. No acceptance, no relationships, no understanding, there result be no sense of belonging. Immigrant Chronicles the account book of poems which Peter Skzynecki convey the idea of hindrance of belonging. Specially, Migrant Hostel highlights the barrier of belonging. uphold imag ery of bird projects the perspective of printing uncertain about the future and reflects the transitionary stagecoach of the composers life. So, while the acceptance and understanding are occur, there is also need a barrier of belonging from an individual. In conclusion, a sense of belonging can emerge from experiences and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding.

Hp Case Study

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. INTRODUCTION4 Hewlett-Packard The Company4 The HP guidance4 2. certain item4 present-day(prenominal) work4 strategic Posture4 bursting charge Statement of Hewlett Packard4 Vision literary argument of Hewlett Packard5 modify Mission debate5 Improved Vision depositment5 Why? 5 Comparison of Mission statement to a wind competitor statement5 Objectives5 Strategies6 The Current Strategy6 centralise on Your Customer6 Create Measurable Goals6 Create study Initiatives6 3. strategic Managers7 Board of Directors7 lead Management7 4. External Environment(EFAS Table)7MEGA S put upning(PEST analysis)7 assign Environment (Porter quintuplet forces Model)7 5. Internal Environment (IFAS Table)8 unified Structure8 Corporate culture8 Corporate resources8 Marketing8 Finance8 R&D8 Op sequencetions9 Human Resources9 discipline System9 Market home9 6. Strategic Myopia (Filt balancen)10 7. abstract of Strategic Factors10 Situational analysis (SWOT)10 TOW S intercellular substance13 shoes Matrix15 INTERPRETATION16 translation the set epitome Matrix Diagram17 ixixGrand Starategy matr18 QSPM18 8. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy20 Recommended Strategy20 9.Implementation20 Expanding Geographic in ally21 R individuallying into impudently grocery store segments21 10. Evaluation and control22 Appendix A23 Gross make al measlyance account balance23 Operating moolah gross gather margin23 salary profit margin23 Current balance23 Quick balance23 Inventory turnover balance23 Sales to receivables ratio24 picture on assets24 Debt to worth ratio24 1. INTRODUCTION Hewlett-Packard The Company In 1938, two Stanford graduates in electrical engineering, William Hewlett and David Packard, started their own line of descent in a garage behind Packards Palo Alto home. One year later, Hewlett and Packard formalized their usiness into a fatenership called Hewlett-Packard. HP was incorporated in 1947 and began crack stock f or public trading 10 old age later. Annual net tax revenue for the gild grew from $5. 5 million in 1951 to $3 billion in 1980. By 1997, annual net revenue exceeded $42 billion and HP had become the worlds second largest calculator supplier. The company, which originally produced audio oscillators, introduced its prime(prenominal) computer in 1966. In 1972, the company pioneered the era of personal computing by introducing the first scientific, handheld calculator.Hewlett-Packard introduced its first personal computer in 1980. Five years later, HP introduced the LaserJet printer, which would become the companys most successful point of intersection ever. The HP Way In 1956, Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard, and a handful of other HP executives ga at that placed at the Mission club in Sonoma, California, to create a set of set and principles to guide their company. The six objectives that this small group later on created not completely helped shape a bran- brisk kind of company , further ultimately became the foundation for what came to be known as the HP room. 2. Current Situation Current Performance See Appendix 1 Strategic Posture Mission Statement of Hewlett Packard We be committed to developing a wide compass of sophisticated fruits and multimedia divine services that challenge the way consumers access and enjoy digital entertainment. By ensuring synergy between patronagees within the establishment, we are besides constantly striving to create exciting untriedly worlds of entertainment that can be run throughd on a variety of different yields. Vision statement of Hewlett Packard We recognize and seize opportunities for growth that builds upon our strengths and competencies. Improved Mission statement To erect crop, services and solution of amplyest feel and deliver more(prenominal) value to our guests that earn their detect and loyalty. Improved Vision statement To view salmagundi in moneymaking(prenominal)ize as an opportunity t o grow, to workout our profit and to faculty to develop and produce innovative products, services and solutions that satisfy customers need. Why? They are picture and to the point. It is highlighting all the main points.Comparison of Mission statement to a leading competitor statement IBM IBM, we get hold of to lead in the invention, increase and manufacture of the effort most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, packet package, storage systems and microelectronics. We translate these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professed(prenominal) solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide. DELL Dell mission is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. Organization Customers Opportunities Threats Globally welcome software used in the laptops which makes them easy to use and opponents engineering & pricing. mitigate Political-Legal . Less globose reportage than competitor. Low compatibility with non- HP product. The prices are genuinely affordable. well-heeled of busy engineering such as IPAD and IPHONE. Potential of using applied science is very(prenominal) high. delinquent to tough arguing talk preconditions role of customer is low. One of the top market attractor with certain Brand name. The HP is continuously keeps on update their technology which keeps the interest of the customers intact. High product eminence (servers, Laptops, scanners Printers and others. Expansion of retailed stores for customer convenience. Participation in enounce venture Mass production leads to high negotiate supplier power. tombstone External factors Weight order dull Score Opportunities 1. Globally acceptable software used in the laptops which makes them easy to use and repair 0. 02 4 0. 08 Political-Legal. 2. The prices are very affordable. 0. 1 3 0. 3 3. Potential of using technology is very high. 0. 05 4 0. 2 4. One of the top market leader with trusted Brand name. 0. 1 4 0. 4 5. The HP is continuously keeps on modify their technology which keeps the interest of the customers 0. 1 4 0. 4 intact. 6. High product differentiation (servers, Laptops, scanners Printers and others. 0. 3 0. 3 7. Expansion of retailed stores for customer convenience. 0. 1 3 0. 3 8. Participation in joint venture 0. 05 2 0. 1 9. Mass production leads to high bargaining supplier power. 0. 01 3 0. 03 Threats 1.Competitors technology & pricing. 0. 2 3 0. 6 2. Less spherical coverage than competitor. 0. 01 3 0. 03 3. Low compatibility with non- HP product. 0. 01 2 0. 02 4. Booming of mobile technology such as IPAD and IPHONE. 0. 1 2 0. 2 5. Due to tough competition bargaining power of customer is low. 0. 05 3 0. 5 Total burden Score 3. 11 Current strategy can catch opportunity and vacate threats Key Internal factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Strengt hs Organized into 7 business sections with untroubled position in each 0. 4 0. 4 The company competes both at local and world-wide level. It has change magnitude its competitiveness 0. 1 4 0. 4 through policies and strategies that obligates free-market economies Strong financial position 0. 1 4 0. track provider of personal computers and mental imagery and printing 0. 05 4 0. 2 Good practicable Efficiency 0. 05 3 0. 15 Multi-vendor customer services, including stem technology and business dishoutsourcing,0. 05 3 0. 5 technology support and maintenance, application breeding and support servicesand consulting and integrating services. Highly talented hands 0. 05 4 0. 2 Ability to provide lengthwise IT solution H/W, application development and support. 0. 15 4 0. 6 Hewlett-Packard is a global green light and especially after itsmergerwith Compaq, the company 0. 5 3 0. 15 became worlds biggestcomputer hardwareand peripherals helpmate in the world an d has graded 20th in the Fortune 500 list. Weaknesses pecuniary condition leans very firmly on the state of scrimping not just in the US just now worldwide 0. 5 2 0. 1 Struggling to tot up Value and Remain productive in low- represent High-Volume PC Business 0. 01 1 0. 01 R&D department has importantly less(prenominal) investments compared to historical spending 0. 1 1 0. 1 Slow travel to market or reactivity The past erudition of Peregrine made the HPsportfolioeven0. 5 2 0. 1 more diverse and nail but HP Open receives lack of processor management capabilities created several line of works Lack of in-house management consulting family 0. 1 1 0. 01 Dependency on third-party suppliers, and our revenue and gross margin could suffer if HP fails to 0. 01 2 0. 02 manage suppliers properly Pay cuts has brought low esprit de corps to employees 0. 02 1 0. 02 HP did not yet flash a CMDBproductthat accommodates discovery and mapping. This cause more customers to 0. 05 1 0. 05 contrive the brand Total Weighted Score 3. 6 HP has strong natural position TOWS Matrix IFE Strengths Weaknesses Organized into 7 business sections with strong monetary position leans very heavily on the position in each. state of economy not just in the US but The company competes both at local and internationalworldwide. level. It has increase its competitiveness through Struggling to Add Value and Remain net profitable in policies and strategies that supports free-market Low- price High-Volume PC Business. economies. R&D department has significantly less investments Strong financial position. compared to historical spending. Leading provider of personal computers and imaging Slow speed to market or responsiveness the past and printing. acquisition of Peregrine made the Good Operational Efficiency. HPsportfolioeven more diverse and complete but Multi-vendor customer services, including HP Open Views lack of mainfram e management root technology and business capabilities created several problems. processoutsourcing, technology support and Lack of in-house management consulting division. maintenance, application development and support Dependency on third-party suppliers, and our servicesand consulting and integration services. revenue and gross margin could suffer if HP fails Highly talented workforce. to manage suppliers properly. Ability to provide end-to-end IT solution H/W, Pay cuts has brought low morale to employees. application development and support. HP did not yet hit a CMDBproductthat includes Hewlett-Packard is a global enterprise and discovery and mapping.This cause many another(prenominal) customers especially after itsmergerwith Compaq, the companyto switch the brand. became worlds biggestcomputer hardwareand peripherals consort in the world and has ranked 20th in the Fortune 500 list. Opportunities SO WO Globally acceptable software used in the laptops S1, S2, S3, S7, O3 to develop new products W5, O8 to develop new HR policy in order to which makes them easy to use and repair (Intensive strategies). turn back the human capital. Political-Legal. S2, S3, S5, O9 (backward integration integrated W6,O9 (backward integration Integrative strategies). strategies). The prices are very affordable. Potential of using technology is very high. One of the top market leader with trusted Brand name. The HP is continuously keeps on updating their technology which keeps the interest of the customers intact. High product differentiation (servers, Laptops, scanners Printers and others. Expansion of retailed stores for customer convenience. Participation in joint venture Mass production leads to high bargaining supplier power. Threats ST WT Competitors technology & pricing. S2, S9, T1 to offer products standardizing with W1,W8, T1 to develop new products (Intensive Less global coverage than com petitor. lowest apostrophize for broad aver of customers strategies) and to drop the non-profitable Low compatibility with non- HP product. (competitive strategy). products. Booming of mobile technology such as IPAD and S2, S3, S5, T4 to develop new products (Intensive IPHONE. strategies). Due to tough competition bargaining power of S2, S3, S5, T2 to open retail stores worldwide customer is low. (Forward integration -integrative strategies). SPACE Matrix Internal Strategic bewilder External Strategic position Competitive go down (CP) Industry Position (IP) Market fate -2 harvest-tide Potential 5 increase Quality -1 Profit Potential 5 Customer Loyalty -2 Financial constancy 5 technological know-how -2 Labor cost 2 inhibit over suppliers and -4 Technological know-how 5 distributors Total -11 Total 22 modal(a) -2. 2 Average 3. 7 Financial Position (FP) Stability Position(SP) beget on Investment 5 Technological changes -4 leverage 6 Rate of Inflation -2 on the job(p) Capital 5 Price range of Competing products -3 liquidity 5 Competitive pressure -4 Price earnings ratio 4 Barriers to entry into market -2 quest variability -3 Total 25 Total -18 Average 5 Average -3 X Value = 3. 67 2. 2 = 1. 47 Y value = 5- 3 = 2 pic INTERPRETATION Assessing the SPACE Analysis rafts all(prenominal) factor in the Strategic Position and Action Evaluation matrix can be speedilyly judged but there are benefits for exploring each in detail.There are a large estimate of factors that can be considered and each industry pass on have its own key features which should be include in the expatiate SPACE evaluation. A a couple of(prenominal) factors to be considered to give you a flavour of what to include in your SPACE analysis are listed below. SPACE Analysis Factors For Financial Strength Return on Sales Return on Assets Cash unravel Gearing works Capital Intensity SPACE Analysis Factors For Competitive Advantage Mar ket Share Quality Customer Loyalty Cost Levels increase Range SPACE Analysis Factors For Industry draw Growth Potential Life Cycle period Entry Barriers Customer Power Substitutes SPACE Analysis Factors For Environmental Stability Political Uncertainty by-line Rates Technology Cyclical Environmental Issues Interpreting the SPACE Analysis Matrix Diagram The cursor indicating the strategic thrust can be raddled from the origin by calculating the net go away on each axis and plotting this net position. The war-ridden posture in the SPACE Analysis Matrix occurs when all the dimensions are positive. The implicit strategy is to acutely grow the business raising the stakes for all competitors. The main danger is complacency. ? According to the space matrix score HP falls in the in-your-face quadrant . Their strategies should be one of the following upended and horizontal integration1 Market penetration2Market development3 Product development4 diversification5 ixixGr and Starategy matr pic Horizontal diversification Concentric diversification Conglomerate diversification Divestiture QSPM Key Factor Weight Horizontal Market Product Horizontal Integration Development Development Diversification Low Product Cost This taste is cogitate on developing the lowest cost or highest value product. This is typical of companies with commodity type products, products arriver a mature phase in their life sentence cycle, or where there is consolidation or a shrinking market. This preference typically will acquire additional time and development cost to optimize product cost and the manufacturing process. Low Development Cost This orientation focal pointes on minimizing development cost or developing products within a limit budget. epoch this orientation is not as common as the other orientations, it occurs when companies are developing products under expurgate for other parties, where a company has severely constrained financial resources, or where a stealth development effort is be underinterpreted on a shoelace. This orientation is somewhat compatible with time-to-market, but involves tradeoffs with product performance, innovation, cost and reliability. Product Performance, Technology & Innovation This orientation focuses on having the highest level of product performance, the highest level of functionality or functions and features, the latest technology or the highest level of product innovation. This orientation can be pursued by companies in many industries or many products move out commodity products. Pursuit of this strategy involves higher risks with newer technologies and accepts a trade-off of time and cost to pursue these objectives. Quality, Reliability, daring This orientation focuses on assuring high levels of product tone, reliability and robustness.This orientation is typical of industries requiring high quality because of the significant costs to correct a problem (e. g. , recalls in the automotive or food touch industries), the need for high levels of reliability (e. g. , aerospace products), or where there are significant safety issues (e. g. , medical devices, pharmaceuticals, commercial aircraft, nuclear plants, etc. ). This orientation requires added time and cost for planning, testing, analysis and regulatory approvals. Service, Responsiveness & Flexibility This orientation focuses on providing a high level of service, being very responsive to customer requirements as part of development, and maintaining flexibility to respond to new customers, new markets and new opportunities. This orientation requires additional resources (and their related costs) to provide this service and responsiveness. 10. Evaluation and control 1. Determine what to measure Top managers and operational managers must specify implementation process and results to be monitored and evaluated.The processes and results must be measurable in a reas onably objective and consistent manner. The focus should be on the most significant elements in a process the ones that account for the highest proportion of scene or the greatest no. of problems. 2. Establish standards of Performance Standards used to measure performance are detailed expressions of strategic objectives. They are measures of acceptable performance results. Each standard can be usually includes a security deposit range, which defines any acceptable remainders. Standards can be set not only for final output, but too for intermediate stages of production output. 3. Measure veridical performance.Measurements must be made at regulate times. 4. Compare material performance with the standard if the actual performance results are within the sought after tolerance range, the measurement process stops here. 5. Take strict action If the actual results fall outside the desired tolerance range, action must be taken to correct the deviation. The action must not only co rrect the deviation but also foreclose its recurrence. The following issues must be resolved Is the deviation only a chance fluctuation? be the processes being carried out in correctly? be the processes appropriate for achieving the desired standards? Objectives of Strategy Evaluation and Control Organizations are most vulnerable when they are at the peak of their success Erroneous strategic decisions can inflict severe penalties and can be super difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Strategy evaluation is vital to an organizations well-being timely evaluations can peppy management to problems or potential problems earlier a situation becomes critical. Appendix A Gross profit margin ratio The gross profit has increased from 23. 61% to 24. 53%. This fashion that profitability at the basic level has increased from preceding(prenominal) year. This is a sign of frank ratio. Operating profit margin Profitability before interest and tax has increased from 4. 00% to 7. 15 %.This means that efficiency of the business before taking any financing has increased from the previous year. This also is a sign of good ratio. Net profit margin This also has increased from 2. 7% to 6. 76%. This means that overall profitability has also increased. This is a sign of good ratio. Current ratio Current ratio has decreased from 1. 38 to 1. 35. This means that working capital to meet short term obligations has decreased, which shows a poor use of working capital. This is a sign of bad ratio. Quick ratio This ratio has also decreased from 1. 16 to 1. 13. So this shows that the ability to pay immediate financial obligations has also decreased. This quick ratio is acceptable but has decreased.Inventory turnover ratio The ratio has decreased from 9. 63 to 8. 93, which means that more capital is tied up in arsenal which is not a good sign. Sales to receivables ratio It also has decreased from 8. 75 to 8. 43. This means that the efficiency in collecting accounts receivable s has deceased. Return on assets This ratio has increased from 6. 9% to 13. 0% . This is the sign of good ratio. Debt to worth ratio This ratio has decreased to 6. 52% from 9. 12%. This means that debt financing has decreased and thereof the risk also has decreased. Working capital . Working capital has increased from $11,874 to $12,414.This shows that the ability of a company to endure difficult financial periods has increased. Gross profit margin 24. 53% 23. 61% Operating profit margin 7. 15% 4. 00% Net profit margin 6. 76% 2. 7% Current ratio 1. 35 1. 38 Quick ratio 1. 13 1. 6 Inventory turnover ratio 8. 93 9. 63 Sales to receivables ratio 8. 43 8. 75 Return on assets 13. 0% 6. 9% Debt to worth ratio 6. 52% 9. 12% Working capital $12,414 $11,874 EFE

Collaboration And Professionalism And There Use In Educational Strategies

collaborationism, sense of hearing, meshing these ar talking to employ inwardly educational schemes and enterprises to a fault what do they entirely delegate? Do they fee-tail the aforesaid(prenominal) matter? collaborationism putting greenly content to arrive at with fewone to process nighthing. character reference mover a sermon betwixt state or groups forwards they brand name a determination. employment manner the surgery of victorious destiny in something. ( Encarta mental lexicon side ( UK ) )With character reference to their dictionary signifi laughingstockces, collaborationism, audience and betrothal atomic number 18 real oft relate to realiseher, just now what has that got to give with commission?Harmonizing to division ( 2003 ) , collaborationism is rich on a ain storey, it enhances example fill-in and confidence on a sea captain degree it provides modify effectivity, self-reflection and teacher accomplishment, by an d finished sh ar great specimen.teachers and tutors be all(a) on the short letter towards the uniform ends. rough-and-ready schools consume levelheaded communicating and collaboration amongst staff, brisk(prenominal) agents, p arnts and students. ( Head, 2003 )Christie et Al, ( 2007 ) , fire it is full authenticated by ( King, 2002 Loughran, 2003 ) , that pretend role cooperatively with a electron or patch of parvenu(prenominal)wise practicians allows intuition to be produced which goes beyond the limitations which touch on the original situation. ( Christie, D.et Al, 2007 )With fall out pro engraft communicating and collaboration, teachers in schools buttocks be unwitting of the re molding that exists among themselves as a consequence, they burn down non peck and buy food upon that science.The governance of bracing cognition and get out patterns for instructors groundwork non be left wing to prospect or to establishments of instructor education in universities. association seminal practise and expose ar embed in interactional accomplishment, processes which ar wrought by structural and institutional promises. ( Hargreaves. D, 1999 )Hargreaves argues thither be dangerous turn attempts to occasion an wakeless professed(prenominal) soul person ethos of collaborationism to gravel super acid ends, to get by with equivocalness and intricateness. ( Hargreaves. A, 2000 )In spitefulness of this, if collegiate methods only bear up collaboration with separate instructors and non signifiers of collaborative partnership with some other volume and master copys, instructors may go stray, which could institute active disconfirming set up in footings of vitiated drink down their maestro cognition and curtailing their efficacy to objectively do insurance policy and pattern. ( Christie.et al, 2007 )Cordingley et Al. ( 2005 ) , cited by Forde et Al. ( 2006 ) , provoke quislingism surro unded by instructors is approximately desire out new thoughts, which helps to wangle pattern and secures a instructor s consignment in spite of appearance the school. Barth ( 2001 ) says that the describe in learning-rich-schools is more or less instructors pick uping unitedly. close to schools are ontogeny passkey acquisition communities where star(p) is seen as tout ensemble school sooner than conduct merely by the Headteacher. Schools where this cook up is taking topographic charge up pitch modify the baron to assume about better general presentation, higher(prenominal) degrees of theme and sustainable gravelment. ( Forde et al. 2006 )In Scotland, the McCrone covenant places a duty on instructors to educate together with co-workers and other mint and pros to follow up on the boilers suit aims of the service. Teachers too deal a professional dedication to let out their accomplishments and expertness by means of an in agreement class of go oni ng professional cultivation ( CPD ) through an otiose contractual 35 hours of CPD per twelvemonth. ( SEED, 2001 )CPD forms an of minute process in determine professional in the flesh(predicate) identity, on with collegiality and collaboration nalwaystheless, some award-bearing classs much(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as the contract Teacher ( CT ) go off do campaign and bitterness, with some co-workers involuntary to collaborate. ( Forde et al. 2006 )The traditional position of professionalism Centres on the categorization, governing and occupational break, nevertheless, the construct is more complex in that, in that location are laughable great characteristics which are very much referred to. These usually intromit specializer cognition, freedom and duty. Therefore, Professionalism implies that such features are bare in an person s work. ( Kennedy, 2007 )Forde et Al, ( 2006 ) apprize that teacher idiosyncraticity is non ever close machine-accessib le to the function of beingness a instructor a individual s values, beliefs, attitudes, feelings and scruples overly play a study ingredient in organizing professional personal identity, as does individual(prenominal) history, ethnicity and civilization, hence, personal individuality besides plays a mass.Collaboration and battle feces cogitate unalike things to dissimilar bulk at several(prenominal)(predicate) times.Williams, et Al ( 2006 ) discusses collaborationism amongst kids as a role of larning and as an undeniable facial expression of pedagogical role in educational scenes.Harmonizing to the surveies of Damon and Phelps ( 1989 ) , friend coaction is necessary for several accomplishments such as kids s apprehension of justness, ripening of self-pride, willingness to portion and attention, and powerfulness to monitor symbolical thought, both bit good as the procreation of communicating accomplishments and the phylogenesis of creativeness and vit al thought. They besides call forth that coaction motivates kids to larn new accomplishments. Williams, ( 2001 ) found that immature kids collaborated constructively when in that location was a common clientele to be solved. This can be tie in to theories of acquisition ( Piaget, 1959 Sa?ljo? , 2000 Vygotskij, 1978, 1986 ) which utter that kids learn and develop through coaction and togetherness. ( Williams. P, et Al, 2006 )