Self Esteem of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties within a Essay

Self Esteem of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties within a Secondary School - Essay Example The examination explores theoretical and practical ideas about self esteem among dyslexic learners and makes conclusions based on data gathered through students self-assessment and standardized beginning and end assessment tests. The investigation demonstrates that there is a correlation between the Wave 3 Literacy Intervention Programme and the increase in self-esteem of special learners with dyslexia. After a 10-week programme, majority of the students obtained an average ratio of 3.1 which is the desired outcome for the project. The value of Wave 3 Literacy Intervention is thereby established, while looking forward to revisions by way of enriching the intervention programme, especially for special learners who have undergone the programme several times. Introduction â€Å"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.† Maya Angelou. This quote, for me, sums up the important position t eachers have and the potential influence they have on their students. I may not be a Socrates, Confucius or Jesus, but I do feel I am a great teacher when I can touch hearts and will, in addition to imparting knowledge and skills to prepare a generation of learners for constructive contemporary living. In this present research activity, I become privileged to teach special learners suffering dyslexia. Soon enough, I face the reality that dyslexics find the school an unpredictable battleground in which they are unskilled to exist ( Scott 2004, p. 55). More particularly, Scott notes that ‘for the vast majority of dyslexic children and adults, school has been a place of psychological and often physical torture. Dyslexia is described as a learning disability in children which hinders their ability to read, write, spell and sometimes speak. Manifested to be either mild or severe in children, neurologists perceive that it is â€Å"never too late to improve their language skillsâ₠¬  (Medicine Net 2012, p.1). Many, although not all, of my specific learning difficulty students come to me burdened with self esteem issues, feeling that they have already failed too many times and fearful that they are about to fail again. While empathy fills me with their suffering, I do not see this condition to be insurmountable, given my awareness of modern approaches to student learning and maturation. At school, failure in literacy has huge knock-on effects for the whole academic curriculum and with all subjects. Failing to read and write is a very public failure (Scott, 2004). Any student with limited proficiency in English including specific disabilities related to literacy runs the risk of being left behind by his or her peers. This brief investigation into the effectiveness of Wave 3 interventions and their potential in raising the self esteem of students is borne not only out of my university studies but a genuine interest in dyslexic students, their need to be heard a nd how I can best serve them through my practice. It is obvious to me that a student’s self esteem has a direct impact on their learning. Educators define learning as â€Å"a long term change in mental representations or associations as a result of experience† (Omrod 2000, p. 10). As a school teacher I can provide that learning

Democracy Succeed In Pakistan Politics Essay

Democracy Succeed In Pakistan Politics Essay Democracy is a form of government in which people elect their representatives themselves and the representatives of the people form government and opposition. Counseling is the base of a democratic state. The state ensures equality and equity for all citizens irrespective of their caste, color, language and race. The government performs all duties, for the welfare of all the people and is accountable to people in the performance of obligations. The opinion of each citizen is respected and given due importance. Every citizen has a right to vote to his favorite candidate, to contest election, to join any party and form his own party. That it is why democracy is defined as Rule of the people, by the people, rule for the people (Lincoln, 1) Pakistan came into being as a result of a strong democratic movement under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam. The people of Pakistan, who faced all the problems and difficult circumstances, showed their determination for gaining freedom. They boldly faced the situation and gradually solved the problems. The Pakistani movement was based on Muslims` inalienable rights of independence and the real implementation of democracy was one of the objectives of establishment of Pakistan. It was thought to adopt the democratic structure and enforce democratic values. Quaid-e-Azam described the objective of establishment of Pakistan as Let us promote Democracy according to the Islamic principles. Unfortunately, it is a disheartening spectacle that within a period of 65 years, Pakistan has not proved itself a democratic state in its true sense. Instead of becoming a model of democracy as visualized by Quaid-e-Azam, Pakistan has become what may be best described as lame democracy (Shaikh, 1) Pakistan was governed by civil and military bureaucrats during its early years. The first democratic elections were held in December, 1970. In the constitution of 1973, a democratic parliamentary government was formed for the first time in the history of Pakistan. This first phase of democratic government continued till 1979. Second and third democratic phases were between 1988 to 1999 and 2007 to the present date respectively. In this way, Pakistan remained as a democratic state for only 24 years. Democratic traditions are not yet developed in Pakistan and during these 24 years, democracy proved itself nothing but a failure. Although implementation of democracy was one of the objectives of Pakistan however, democracy cannot succeed in Pakistan because its political leaders, bureaucrats and feudal landlords will never let democracy flourish. Moreover, basic democratic traditions of equality and freedom are not followed in Pakistan. The main responsibility for the failure of democracy lies with politicians. Firstly, they are not sincere with their jobs and are unfaithful to the state. Secondly, Pakistani political leaders are so incompetent that their policies keep failing. People vote a set of politicians with a hope that their elected representatives will act as their faithful leaders and will devote themselves wholeheartedly to the services of the mankind. But to people`s dismay, Pakistani politicians do not act as honest leaders rather they act as corrupt and disloyal politicians whom ambitions lie in filling their own pockets with public money. Political leaders are responsible for playing games with people for their own benefits. They have destroyed the purpose of creating an independent homeland of Pakistan by giving rise to favoritism and corruption. In Pakistani democratic system, the elected leaders do not regularly visit their constituencies as they are least bothered of public issues. In addition, mo st politicians contest elections on the basis of fake degrees. According to an official report, 106 politicians have been counted for contesting elections on the basis of fake degrees. (qtd. in culprits, 1) This clearly depicts dishonesty of political leaders. Confidence cannot be restored in the masses. Moreover, political leaders are incompetent and are unable to find out the solutions to the nations` problems. Political process keeps collapsing in Pakistan and policies of political parties keep changing and it is very hard for the politicians to reach unanimous stance for a particular policy. The policy of nationalization and posting of incompetent management halted democracy further. Ever since the creation of Pakistan, the same political parties have stayed in power. For example, Pakistan People`s Party came into power many times. People keep supporting the same party under the slogan of Roti, Kapra aur Makaan because of their affection for the founder of the party without even realizing the consequences of their support. Under these circumstances, democracy can never flourish in its true sense. Bureaucracy also imposes a serious threat to democracy. Practically the constitution of Pakistan is based upon the democratic principles. However, the proposals in the constitution could not be implemented because of the attitude of some people, who are not ready to leave the laws introduced by the British government. Bureaucracy has always remained powerful since the creation of Pakistan. It comprises the Central Superior Services and the Provincial Civil Services. (Piracha, 1) and the main cause which stimulated the culture of bureaucracy in Pakistan is institutional imbalance. Bureaucracy is neither in favor of giving power to anyone nor is ready to become responsible to anyone. This attitude is one of the main obstacles in the way to democracy. Most of the bureaucrats become partial and exploit resources of the country for a favorite political party. Bureaucrats of Pakistan are notorious for their corruption, inefficiency, and incompetency and thus responsible for destroying demo cracy in the country. Another main cause for the failure of democracy in Pakistan is feudal system. Pakistan has inherited feudal system from British India and this feudal system will never let democracy flourish in Pakistan. Feudal land lords have a major role in forming policies and they would never like to formulate those policies which are against their interest or are beneficial for the people. The feudal lords acted as traitors and supported British leaders for creating a moth-eaten Pakistan and now, at the present day, Pakistan is nothing but a feudal state. Most of the political leaders of Pakistan are feudal lords who have established their identities as political leaders. The feudal lords keep people at arm`s length and treat them as their slaves. The rigid nature of this class system has deprived Pakistan from educational and economic development. The farmers` community is under the control of their feudal masters. Such underprivileged and economically demoted peasants can have no other option but to vote for their masters. The famers live beyond the poverty line and cannot even express their will freely. Here, the spirit of democracy is violated. Peasants are forced to support their lords due to their fear or may be due to lack of knowledge. In this way, the elections are of no use since the peasants will only vote for their feudal lords under their pressure and democracy will be worse than oligarchy. Supremacy of feudal class is destroying democracy as well as national integration which itself essential for democracy. Democracy has been proved beneficial for the feudal land lords since it provides a cover to them and allows them to rule for as long as they want. As far as common people are concerned, they feel themselves totally neglected in such a democracy. In this situation of distorted democracy, even a thousand elections will not change Pakistans future. Democracy is based on basic traditions of equality and freedom of speech among citizens. As far as Pakistani democratic system is concerned, it has failed to achieve either equality or freedom among people and thus democracy in Pakistan is unsuccessful. This is a clear evidence of inequality when people have to pay bribes in order to get themselves a job. There exists no merit policy, while making appointments and discrimination on the basis of caste, social status and even gender has eliminated the whole concept of democracy. Rich can easily exploit the poor. For example, the wealthy people are always encouraged instead of educated people. Very few educated people join politics and assemblies. In this way, the uneducated people sitting in parliaments cannot build a democratic society on proper lines. In a democratic state, the opinion of each citizen is respected and given due importance. The citizens have full liberty to criticize the working of the government. Although freedom of speech exists to some extent in Pakistan, but due to no constitutional safeguard, it is not fully implemented. A common Pakistani citizen lacks constitutional protection and thus when any civil servant tries for the good governance; he has to face many obstacles. Whenever someone tries to raise his voice against government, he is pushed back instead of going forward. For example, many journalists of Pakistan who try to raise their voice against politicians are threatened by them. Many senior journalists have disclosed that they had received serious threats from both non-state and state actors. Similarly, many journalists have been murdered in Pakistan namely Abdul Haq Baluch, Abdul Qadir Hajiazi, Abdul Razzaq Gul, Tariq Kamal, Aurengzeb Tunio, Murtaaza Razvi, Syed Saleem Shahzad, and Mukarram Khan Aatif. (Admin, 1) Moreover, police had beaten journalists in Pakistan on Press Freedom day and while they were covering the arrival of Asif Ali Zardari. (Khan, 1) Under these circumstances , no one will dare to stand against government. When the true meaning of democracy has not been fulfilled by Pakistani government, it cannot declare itself a democratic state. Illiteracy is also one of the reasons for not letting democracy succeed in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the education sector remained neglected for a long time. In the census of 1951 the literacy rate of Pakistan was 16% that rose to 26.2% in 1981. According to the census of 1998, literacy rate of Pakistan is 43.92% and literacy rate in 2009 is calculated to be 58% which is very low as compared to the developed countries. (Admin, 1) Such underprivileged and uneducated people cannot make right choices. So maximum part of Pakistan`s population is still suffering in the darkness of illiteracy and backwardness and is unable to contribute anything towards the development of the country. High rate of literacy is important for democracy because illiteracy also leads to poverty. An illiterate and economically impoverished community cannot comprehend and follow the true spirit of democracy. In Pakistan, most of the political leaders and parties support democracy. It is argued by its advocates that in a democratic state, rulers can easily be changed without violence. This belief is false as it is evident that whenever any democratic government fails, it is overtaken by military government and the solution is never peaceful. Every military intervention that has occurred in Pakistan had always been preceded by periods of lawlessness and mismanagement by the political leaders. The politicians themselves provide opportunity to Army to intervene. Various examples of military rulers in the country include General Ayub Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. Martial law is not itself enforced, but these are the bad tactics and failed democracy of the government which are responsible for giving rise to Martial Law. Moreover, the government can come back again after re-elections, for example Pakistan People`s Party and Pakistan Muslim League came into power many ti mes. The arguments in favor of democracy in Pakistan are fine theoretically but these are inappropriate in the current political scenario. It is believed that a democracy could never survive for long in Pakistan due to the incompetent people in the so called democratic system. People support democracy in Pakistan because they believe that it is the only form of government which gives people an opportunity to make choices and whatsoever their choices are, members elected are majority people`s chosen representatives. General elections are held in true democracy from time to time. The people can easily change their rulers by electing new ones. In Pakistan, the situation is worse because members elected are not people`s representatives. The main reason to it is that only very few people in Pakistan cast their vote and unfortunately, there is very little evidence which can prove that elections in Pakistan are fair and free. Firstly, people of Pakistan are not prosperous and well-off and thus their votes can easily be purchased. It has been noticed that votes are purchased very cheaply. Secondly, there is much rigging in the election process. Kidnapping voters or candidates on elections is a common spectacle. Moreover, Pakistani political parties do not announce their Party-manifesto during the election campaign. First of all, the parties do not believe in any kind of manifesto and secondly, if they do believe so, it is so unclearly mentioned that it practically means nothing to the readers. In addition to this, voter turnout and election system have further destroyed democracy. In the National elections of 2008, the total voter turnout as recorded by the Election Commission was 41.11 percent of the total registered voters. In Punjab, 48.18 percent and in Sindh, 44.16 percent of the registered voters voted at the elections. (petitioner, 71) Such low turnout in elections is destroying the true spirit of a democratic state. Furthermore, the system of election First Past the Post which is followed in Pakistan is not democratic. According to this system, the candidate securing the highest number of votes is the winner. The winning candidate, however, does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all casted votes. Thus, according to this system, the parliament members who claim to be representatives of people may not command the majority of the votes registered and polled. Therefore, they may not genuinely represent their electorate. In such a situation, true democratic spirit is violated and members elected are not actually the majority chosen representatives. The accountability process is very important in a democratic state which results in clean and fair working of the executive. However, there is no system of accountability in Pakistan. Every incoming government makes big claims about accountability, but no effective step has been taken in this regard. The corrupt bureaucrats and politicians always escape from punishment due to no accountability process. The government affairs are not dealt transparently and the gap between people and the government is not bridged. A large number of politicians and government servants who have been known to be allegedly involved in activities like corruption, but no effective step has been taken against them. Under these circumstances where there is no accountability process, democracy can never flourish. Pakistan is a welfare state which has been struggling for democracy since its creation. The existing government of Pakistan has been proved the worst ever in its history. It is because it has given rise to unemployment, inflation, poverty and economic crisis. Health and education sectors are in their worst conditions. There exists no equality, freedom and rule of law in the country which are the basic norms for democracy. In Pakistan, democracy has only resulted in corruption, bad governance, institutional imbalance and low living standards of people. Democracy is unsuccessful due to incompetent leadership and political policies. Moreover, bureaucracy and feudal system has abolished democracy further. Democracy is not suitable for a country like Pakistan where most of the population is underprivileged. It has also been badly failed in many other countries like Turkey, Thailand, Israel and Africa. Hence it is proved that democracy is not the successful form of government. If it is suc cessful in the United States and India, it is because of their political and social atmospheres. The socio-political atmosphere in Pakistan does not support democracy at all. Pakistani government should take the example of China and Singapore. China is not a democratic state but still the world`s second largest economy. Similarly, Singapore was also not a democratic state when it gained independence and Mr. Lee was its first president. He put Singapore on the map of the world and took it to the heights of success and prosperity. As one writer once said, Singapore has achieved the American dream, but not in the American way. This has been done through what they call a Benevolent Dictator. (Trip, 1) However, in Pakistan, good administration, accountability process and merit policy is the need of the hour. It is proved that democracy cannot succeed in Pakistan and instead of continuing the system of the state as a fragile democracy; Pakistan should either become a theocracy or a commun ist.

Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot Essay

Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot The core standards of America are founded, in principle, on the basis of its diversity and equality among citizens. Begin- ning with its Declaration of Independence, the United States distinguished itself from other modern nation-states by establishing a country of men who were different but equal. Yet, despite the unifying images America projects within and beyond its borders, the idea behind E Pluribus Unum does not resound as one might assume it would. E Pluribus Unum was originally intended to be both a representation of the union of the thirteen colonies and an expression of the United States as a country formed by immigrants of many different backgrounds. Today, just the literal size of America would suggest the existence of a largely varied social atmosphere, even before one considers its influx of immigration from countries all over the world. In a way E Pluribus Unum-"out of many, one-is a contradiction. Many different cultures are represented within American citizenry and within the country's physical borders, and they remain distinctive. The outmoded idea of America as the "melting pot" has been replaced precisely because people are not going to disregard their first cultural traditions to adopt "American" ones. Rather, their differences tend to perpetuate separatist notions and delineate cultural groups as clearly as borders delineate the end of one country from the beginning of another. I believe that there are many advantages to embracing the diversity America has within its borders. Members of different cultures within the borders of one nation can benefit from each other, for example, by learning more about themselves through their varieg... ... I, too, have traveled outside of the United States and have discovered the advantages of being open to cultural differences. My experiences have allowed me to accept people on their own terms more easily than I would have were I not able to break out of my culture, even though only for a short period of time. I wish others could realize that cultural differences run only so deep-Middle Eastern Americans have as much pride for this nation as do Americans of non-Middle Eastern descent. Nevertheless, I remain confident that time will ameliorate problems associated with cultural difference. Notes 1. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 2. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 3. Elizabeth Fernea. Guests of the Sheik (New York: Anchor Books, 1969). 4. Ibid., 6. Bibliography Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot Essay Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot The core standards of America are founded, in principle, on the basis of its diversity and equality among citizens. Begin- ning with its Declaration of Independence, the United States distinguished itself from other modern nation-states by establishing a country of men who were different but equal. Yet, despite the unifying images America projects within and beyond its borders, the idea behind E Pluribus Unum does not resound as one might assume it would. E Pluribus Unum was originally intended to be both a representation of the union of the thirteen colonies and an expression of the United States as a country formed by immigrants of many different backgrounds. Today, just the literal size of America would suggest the existence of a largely varied social atmosphere, even before one considers its influx of immigration from countries all over the world. In a way E Pluribus Unum-"out of many, one-is a contradiction. Many different cultures are represented within American citizenry and within the country's physical borders, and they remain distinctive. The outmoded idea of America as the "melting pot" has been replaced precisely because people are not going to disregard their first cultural traditions to adopt "American" ones. Rather, their differences tend to perpetuate separatist notions and delineate cultural groups as clearly as borders delineate the end of one country from the beginning of another. I believe that there are many advantages to embracing the diversity America has within its borders. Members of different cultures within the borders of one nation can benefit from each other, for example, by learning more about themselves through their varieg... ... I, too, have traveled outside of the United States and have discovered the advantages of being open to cultural differences. My experiences have allowed me to accept people on their own terms more easily than I would have were I not able to break out of my culture, even though only for a short period of time. I wish others could realize that cultural differences run only so deep-Middle Eastern Americans have as much pride for this nation as do Americans of non-Middle Eastern descent. Nevertheless, I remain confident that time will ameliorate problems associated with cultural difference. Notes 1. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 2. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 3. Elizabeth Fernea. Guests of the Sheik (New York: Anchor Books, 1969). 4. Ibid., 6. Bibliography Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik. New York: Anchor Books, 1969.

Brrokstone’s business Essay

Brookstone is a nationwide specialty retailer that sells a variety of consumer products with distinctive function, excellent quality and design, which are not available in other retailers. The company develops strong positioning as a specialty retailer selling the â€Å"hard-to-find tools† in Popular Mechanics Magazine in 1965. The main concerns of Brookstone is to provide customers with the quality of products and quality of services, which served by the quality of people. The company first catalog is printed in black-and-white in the 24 pages that present the detailed and no-nonsense information regarding the product features, materials, measurements, capabilities, and any other useful information to guide customers in buying the suitable products for them (Brookstone, 2009). The successful catalog-type company has encouraged Brookstone to open their first retail store in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Right now, the company is headquartered in Merrimack, New Hampshire, which backed up by vast distribution center and customer service department that handle mail and telephone orders that located in Mexico, Missouri (Brookstone, 2009). The company also has over 305 retail stores within the United States and Puerto Rico. Mostly, the retail stores are located in leading shopping malls, the nation’s busiest airport, and lifestyle center. In order to cope with the demands, the company, on average, opens 10 to 15 new stores each year (Brookstone, 2009). As a catalog company, Brookstone employ a multifaceted Direct-Marketing approach by using two catalogs and Internet operation (www. brookstone. com) to help boosting the orders. The two catalogs are Brookstone catalog and the Hard-to-Find Tools catalog. The Brookstone catalog presents the branded products that available at stores and merchandise from key vendors of Brookstone. Meanwhile, the Hard to Find Tools catalog features customers with high-quality and unique solutions for the home. In addition, the corporate website (www. brookstone. com) acts as the combine catalogs that features all offering that placed in the two printed catalogs. Figure 1 shows the current offering in the corporate website. Figure 1 Brookstone corporate website Source: www. brookstone. com 1. Market Attractiveness Assessment 1. 1. Environment Overview Qatar is actually the country who has the highest per-capita income in 2007. This however, was effect of its overwhelming petroleum resources. Its high level of income nevertheless, has been influencing other aspects of people’s lives also. In this chapter, I will display short elaboration on several aspects of Qatar’s environment. 1. 1. 1. Political Environment Qatar is a politically active nation. The country is home to many Islamic activist and pro-Islamic views. Country officials however, refused to the confirmed of any connections with terrorist groups. Nevertheless, the country maintained very good relationship with the US government. The country is home to the largest US airbase in Middle East, outside of Iraq and it also support a US Naval base. The country has a large magnitude of gas projects, converging with Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch/Shell. These businesses significantly enhanced Qatar’s importance to the vital Western Political interests and also economic interests. Many have said that Qatar’s ‘balancing’ political and economic programs are actually quite difficult to understand. However, analysts have also understood that this willingness to court both sides aggressively has given the country such a high political and economic profile compared to other nations in the Middle East. Despite the bomb attack that happened in 2005, Qatar’s political atmosphere is actually conducive for business. It is revealed that there are no ruling families holding control of the political activities, even though conservative elements of the society are still unease with recent foreign policy changes which have brought thousands of foreigners into the country. We should hold in our understanding however, that Qatar is still a eforming country. One of the good signs of positive developments is that the ruler of the country has been actively encouraging education and open political debates as key elements of his reform strategy. The latest banking environment also reveals that the country in overall, enjoy stable political conditions.

Paul Kennedys arguments on the rise and fall of great powers Essay

In the world’s history, the face of the earth has witnessed power supremacy between various countries and states. All along from the Spanish rein in their days on the sun, the Britain, France and now the US. All this scenes on the globe have a significant impact on the relative powers on the either side. The outstanding issue is not the power but forces behind that power rise, sustainability and its fall. Therefore this essay shall examine the ways of measuring this power sustainability according to the Paul Kennedy’s perspective in his argument on the rise and fall of major world powers. Introduction  Professor Paul Kennedy argues about how predictable and determinable is the raising and declining of the major powers in his book entitled: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000. In this book he presents the parameters which are used to measure the prospects and indicators of rising and decline of world’s major power. Furthermore, arguments are presented together with empirical studies of the major world powers, which encompass both political and economical dimensions of the Great Powers. This studies rates and discusses the rise and their fall from 1500 to 1980. Additionally, apart from exclusively discussion their rise and fall, his argument goes beyond the prevalent conditions and projects the future of the US, Japan, China, European Economic Commission and USSR. The core of the Kennedy’s argument is that the strength of a power of a nation or a state can only be measured relative to the other existing powers . In this connection, the fundamental issue that he uses as a scale is the fact that major powers rising, falling and their sustainability entirely depend on the available resources and economic durability and military strength relative to its requirements for prospering. Therefore, the argument for measuring the decline or prosperity of a given world power is through military power and its inputs and the economic and productive power. The two measuring devices employed by Professor Paul Kennedy 20 year earlier are the central base for this essay paper. Through use of military and economic propensity this essay shall examine the major world powers their rise and decline. Also related to the Kennedy’s argument is the prediction of the decline of the USSR and US as a major world power or super power , while prediction of gradual but steady raise of china as a major power. The central thesis of Paul Kennedy is that the power of a state needs to be maintained and sustained. Therefore the more the power of a state increases, the more resources shall be needed to maintain. The maintenance of a power should be balance between both in military and economic power . But when more state resources are devoted towards maintaining military power in long term it weakens the power and directs it to the path of decline. While when productivity economy slightly overweighs military expenditure the power is stable and can be maintained. Therefore the key driver of the power of a state entirely relies on the economic component of the power. Thus the main argument is; power can only be maintained by a prudent balance between the creation of wealth and military expenditure. Therefore the essay shall closely look at this argument that emphasizes on the power measuring parameter using the balance between wealthy creation and military expenditure. In order to do this effectively the essay shall evaluate how reliable and valid is the argument basing on the major historical world powers; especially the Germany, France, US, Moguls of India, Ottoman Empire, USSR, China, Japan and Great Britain. Measures for rise and fall of a great power state The countries in this regard power can only be measured and gauged with each other only when their military mighty sustainability costs balances with their economic production or wealth creation through investments or production of gods and services. 0 years earlier Paul Kennedy researched, wrote and interpreted the major world power how they rose over the years into their day on sun and the dark side of their power into decline. Therefore at this point it is worthy to examine how relevant are the two measuring parameter and how realistic are they to today’s reality on our globe, traced from the past and extrapolated into the future. Economic and productive power The key driver of the power of a state entirely relies on the economic component of the power in terms of its productivity. This is because as the government running, planning and execution of the plans depends on the engine of the economy. Most evident is that, British financial strength was the single most decisive factor in its victories over France during the 19th century. Therefore in this argument Professor Kennedy argues that it is possible to detect the rise and fall of different powers in the world by looking at the economic indices. In this regard economic power dictates the power prosperity. For instance the economic dimension is important to maintain the military mighty. In this connection, economic production should overweigh or balance the expenditure to the military sector. For example Spain, Britain, France and Netherlands military expenditure overweighed their economic production that has lead to their declines since then. Addition to that, we can agree today that during the entire 19th to early 20th century the Great Britain was the fore front in the entire world as a great power. The reason for its being on the fore front was the fact that industrial revolution placed it on that position. This is can be empirically evident that Britain per capita grew from 10, 16, 25, 64, 87 and 100 in 1750, 1800, 1830, 1860, 1880, and 1900 respectively. At this time France which was a relative competitor for this great power had its per capita from 9, 9, 12, 20, 28 and 39 in 1750, 1800, 1830, 1860,1880 and 1900 respectively . Therefore gauging at these two difference in the production of the in terms of industrial per capita, it implies that the UK had an upper hand even in financing its major military operations than France therefore can maintain the slot of being major power on the globe . Another indicator that is used to measure the rising and declining power under the economic and productive power; is the relative share of the worlds manufacturing outputs. In this respect, great power states manufacturing output can really determine the peaks and troughs of power. For example UK’s output is1. 9 percent in 1750, then in 1860 it was at 19. 9 percent, and 22. 9 percent in the year 1880. While china’s starts at an index of 32. 8% in 1750 and declines to19. % in 1860, after the Taiping Rebellion and Opium Wars ; then declines further to 12. 5% in 1880. The two combinations give an insight of the power that is capable financially so that it can be able to run its functions effectively. In this light, statistics of war time indicates that during its reign Britain was capable to maintain its war expenditures effectively. Thus in 1688 to 1815 the total wartime expenses were ? 2,293,483,437 , Britain income was pitched at  Ã‚ £ 1,622,924,377. Thus it only had a balance of  £ 670,559,060. But from 1890s the US economy overtook that of Britain and Germany to become the world super power together with other political factors . Thirdly the measures can be in today’s economic environment through the use of the states share of the total world GDP which is a round $45 to $50 trillion. At this juncture Kennedy’s argument predicts the decline of the US as a world super power. Since the share of the US in the world GDP ever declining since 1945 when it over took from Britain. In fact China is a major threat to the US as a world great power. To this effect the statistics indicates that China’s total GDP will be higher than that of the US by 2025, if the trading systems are not interfered with by natural calamities or human caused activities. Military power Military power is necessary to safeguard the overall power and the economic power of the state. Military power is the symbol of real and hard power. All great powers that rose in the face of the earth had a relatively stronger military power that enabled the m defeat major battles and wars. For instance the Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Soviet Union . But that one does not exempt the central thesis of the discussion; power sustainability can only be achieved through a balance between the wealth creation and the military expenditure that do not over stretch the economy of the state. In this regard at the beginning of the 16th century, Spain was the worlds and European great power with excellent armed forces . This made it powerful. But the argument is the measure for this power sustainability; that makes it relative to either prevail or decline. Therefore fort the Spain’s case, this excellent army required sustenance from economic resources. Which were over spent on a higher scale from Spain’s mismanaged resources, deficit budgeting and inflation. Hence in the long run it declined as a major power. The French also saw the same way as Spain at end of the 17th. Whereby France mismanaged its economic resources that was largely used for supporting an increasingly expensive regular armed forces until the period of the American Revolutionary that led to the French Revolution making this expenditures too huge for the economy top support that ended in a bankruptcy ; hence its decline. Britain on the other hand had to have a loan to finance its military campaigns, making it use more of the resources than what it creates as economical input. On the other hand the on his prediction for decline of the US as a major world power in terms of it’s overstretch on the military expenditures, it is evident that US is spending too much on the military. For instance nuclear full-fleet carrier of the US navy that is 20 storey high, that displaces105, 000 tonnes of water. This total expenditure for construction is about $28 billion , which is greatest budget ever in the world’s history. In general, US defense budget only accounts for just over half of total defense expenditure in the world. This together with other reasons makes US ever crisis as a super power. Conclusion The argument of Kennedy Paul about the rise and fall of the world’s greatest powers over human history is to a great extend valid. However it is not 100% accurate and any where in this universe it can not happen. Basing on his central thesis of the argument that; the power measuring parameter using the balance between wealthy creation and military expenditure. The essay has explored these measuring devises used by professor Paul indeed there is some validity in this claims. For instance, china over currently has concentrated on the wealth creation by production and controlled minimal military expenditure: has seen to pose a threat to US supremacy. Therefore whenever the governance system fails to balance there scorecards between the economic output and inputs to sustain military force activities the decline shall be knocking at the door. Whereas the reverse is true.

ECONOMICS Spring 2015 Exam 1 Essays - Economic Liberalism

ECONOMICS Spring 2015 Exam 1 Essays - Economic Liberalism ECONOMICS Spring 2015 Exam 1 Part A: Matching Write the correct letter for the statement on the line provided. 30 Points ____b__1.The study of how people use their scarce resources to satisfy their unlimited wants a.Private Property ___d___2.Limited productive resources to satisfy peoples unlimited wantsb.Economics ___g___3. A business that is chartered by a state and legally operates apart from the owner or owners who organize or run itc.Entrepreneur __i____4. 2 or more people agree to contribute resources to the business in return for a share of the profit d. Scarcity ___j___5. A firm owned and run by one person. May hire workers. e. Free Enterprise ___c___6.A profit seeker who develops a new product or process and assumes the risk of profit or loss.f.Opportunity Cost __f____7. The value of the best alternative passed up for the chosen item or activity g. Corporation ____e__8.Freedom of a private business to organize and operate for a profit, in a competitive system, without interference by the government beyond regulation necessary to protect public interest and keep the national economy in balance. h.Competition __h____9. The rivalry for customers among those companies or individuals who produce the same kinds of goods and services. i. Partnership __a___10. The fact that any person in the U.S. has right to own land, other means of production, or even ideas. j. Sole Proprietorship Part B: Multiple Choice 42 pts __a___1. Of the 3 Basic Economic questions, in question 1, they determine what gets produced: A.Buyers and producers C.Government B.BuyersD.Individuals __c___2. The value of the next best alternative that has to be given up when choices are made is called A.scarcity C.opportunity cost B.trade-offD.competition _b____3. Which is true of the free enterprise system? A.People have the freedom to take risks and earn profits. C.Competition is limited in most industries. B.There are few laws regulating how businesses should operate.D.State governments strictly regulate how much property a business may own. _a____4. In the circular flow of economic activity, the public A.receives money income like wages from governmentsC.Gives sales dollars to governments B.receives tax income from both the government and businessD.sell more goods to foreign countries than to the public. __a___5.The chart shown above represents the free enterprise system as it is practiced in the United States. Based on the chart and your knowledge of economics, select the choice that best completes this statement: In the circular flow of economic activity, business firms A.receive money from both governments and public households.C.receive no money from governments. B.receive money but no productive services from public households. D.receive no money from public households. __b___6.In the circular flow of economic activity, Governments receive A.Money payments of wages from businessC.Money payments of sales dollars from public B.Money payments of taxes from businessD.Money payments of interest from public _b____7. A major disadvantage of a corporation, a type of business organization, frequently has is difficulty A.raising large sums of money.C.paying for talented managers. B.making major decisions quickly.D.establishing business centers in other countries. __c___8. Burger King and McDonalds are an example of A.A MonopolyC.Competition B.ScarcityD.Private Property __d___9. In our economy, which service is generally provided only by the government and not the private sector? A.operating universitiesC.running hospitals B.building housesD.building highways _c___10.These are provided to citizens by federal, state, and local governments A.Private goods and servicesC.Public Goods and Services B.Private GoodsD.Private Transportation b____11.Which of the following is NOT a function of government in our society? A.Government uses tax revenue to provide public goods to its citizens.C.Government uses tax revenue to redistribute income to those in need. B.Government regulates supply and demand.D.Government uses fiscal policy to attempt to ensure economic stability. _b___12.Each day after school, Caroline practices soccer for 90 minutes to prepare for the upcoming team tryouts. She could spend this time watching movies with friends, but she's decided that practicing is more important. Watching movies with her friends is Caroline's A.income.C.favorite pastime. B.opportunity cost.D.investment in human capital. _d___13.One characteristic common to most entrepreneurs is a(n) A.advanced education.C.substantial inheritance. B.desire to work in a large established company.D.willingness to take risks. __a__14.Owning your own business by yourself and having unlimited liability likely illustrates what type of business organization? A.Sole ProprietorshipC.Corporation B.PartnershipD.Conglomerate Part C: Short Answers - Choose 2 of the following statements and answer them in at least 4 sentences for each. Be sure to label your choices. 8 pts each 1.Explain what we mean by Scarcity. What is Unlimited? What is Scarce? 2.Who is Adam Smith and what is the Invisible Hand Theory? 3.Explain Basic Question #3, Who gets what is produced? 1) Scarcity is the basic economic problem that arises because people have unlimited wants but resources are limited or scarce. Because of scarcity,

Nurse Residency Program essays

Nurse Residency Program essays John P. Kotter (1998) suggests several strategies in order to facilitate change within an organization. The most notable section of his article relates to eight steps that can be taken to implement change and transform an organization. These range from the beginning stages of identifying and establishing the urgency of change, through identifying opposition and obstacles to maintaining existing changes and optimizing future opportunities for change. The medical profession, as a public service provider whose quality can result in life or death, should be subject to continuous change in order to optimize this service. An area that can benefit substantially from optimization is the nursing profession. Residency programs have been required for physicians, but not specifically for nurses. The benefits of these programs for physicians have been obvious. This has however not been the case for the nursing profession. Only recently have residency programs been implemented for them. Obviously, fewer errors with patients will occur when such residency programs are implemented. In general, this will provide the public with greater confidence in hospitals housing such resident nurses. Concomitantly, nurses going through residency programs have reported greater confidence in their own skills and in turn projecting an image of professionalism to the public. In suggesting such a program for an academic medical center, the leaders of such institutions can be addressed according to the eight steps of change offered by Kotter. When following these steps, the necessary changes can be implemented not only with confidence, but also with success. Nurses will become more confident, and the public will have greater trust of their local medical service providers. In general, this system will benefit both the industry and the users relying on it. Specifically, the leaders of medical establishments can offer their services with greater conf...

Chemical Composition of Vinegar

Chemical Composition of Vinegar Vinegar is a liquid that is produced from the fermentation of ethanol into acetic acid. The fermentation is carried out by bacteria. Vinegar consists of acetic acid (CH3COOH), water and trace amounts of other chemicals, which may include flavorings. The concentration of the acetic acid is variable. Distilled vinegar contains 5-8% acetic acid. Spirit of vinegar is a stronger form of vinegar that contains 5-20% acetic acid. Flavorings may include sweeteners, such as sugar or fruit juices. Infusions of herbs, spices and other flavors may be added, too. Vinegar is made from a variety of source materials. Each contributes its own unique flavor signature to the final product. Vinegar may be made from sugar cane juice, rice and other grains, grapes (balsamic vinegar), coconut water, fruit wines, kombucha, or apple cider. Spirit vinegar is a strong variety of vinegar (5% to 21% acetic acid) made from sugar cane and doubly fermented. The first fermentation changes sugar into alcohol, while the second fermentation changes alcohol into acetic acid. Sources Bourgeois, Jacques; Barja, Franà §ois (December 2009). The history of vinegar and of its acetification systems. Archives des Sciences. 62 (2): 147–160.Cerezo, Ana B.; Tesfaye, Wendu; Torija, M. Jesà ºs; Mateo, Està ­baliz; Garcà ­a-Parrilla, M. Carmen; Troncoso, Ana M. (2008). The phenolic composition of red wine vinegar produced in barrels made from different woods. Food Chemistry. 109 (3): 606–615. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.01.013Nakayama, T. (1959). Studies on acetic acid-bacteria I. Biochemical studies on ethanol oxidation. J Biochem. 46 (9): 1217–25.

Psychological disorders and how they affect every day life Essay

Psychological disorders and how they affect every day life - Essay Example Bipolar disorder mainly affects those in the adult stage of life and it lasts a lifetime and very few cases of Bipolar disorder have been reported in childhood. Bipolar disorders are characterized by extreme mood changes that cause patients to exhibit inconsistent moods and feelings. The condition, if not well managed, can be a cause for stress and agony for both the victim and the family members who are affected indirectly or directly by the sharp mood fluctuations of their loved ones as a result of the Bipolar disorder. While the manic state leads to dangerous behavior, the depressive state for Bipolar disorder can result into suicide. This paper further looks at incidences of misdiagnosis, as well as the available treatments for the Bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders are manifested in various forms such as suffering from mania state as well as depressions state which interrupts the patient's normal way of life such as sleeping, eating, studies for students, as well as many other parts of life such as relationship in marriage given that such mood swings affects how couples, partners and spouses communicate with one another (Soares, & Mann, 1997.26-76). The seriousness of the Bipolar disorder is such that it can result into a sense of hyperactivity in an individual whereby a patient, full of energy gets easily excited and energized to such high levels that they may get involved in uncontrollable behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The fact that Bipolar disorder is hard to predict, control due to sudden mood changes makes its diagnosis a hard task, something that has resulted into misdiagnosis in the past (American Psychiatric Association, 1994.43-59). Bipolar disorder is known to be caused by a wide range of factors all tied to genetics or environment and are linked to the brain (Soares, & Mann, 1997.54-74). Soares, and Mann, (1997.61-74) further notes that, biological factors such as imbalance of neurotransmitters, triggers such as; unexpected or major life events are possible causes of Bipolar disorder although research in this area is ongoing and new evidence can come up in the next few years. The Bipolar disorder consists of the following episodes according to (Hyman, & Rudorfer, 2000.78-125) - depression, mania, hypomania as well as mixed moods. Depression mood episode refers to a situation whereby the Bipolar disorder patient experiences long durations of sadness, laziness that makes the bipolar patient to experience unusually difficulties in waking up and/or taking meals. Mania mood episode results into hyperactivity characterized by risky behavior which can cause harm to those around the patient. Hypomania mood episode exhibits symptoms similar to those of mania, although Hypomania symptoms are less severe. Hypomania is characterized by false 'good' feeling although this can sometimes degenerate into other mood episodes such as depression and mania, which can lead the patient into engaging in the risky behavior characteristic to mania episodes. Mixed mood episode is the condition whereby, the patient experiences symptoms of mania and depression in a single day, something which means that the bipolar patient can be overwhelmed by the mood changes. In addition, Bipolar disorder is a condition that lasts a whole life time and therefore the better it is managed, the more the quality of life a patient is exposed to. Also proper medication are preferred and recommended

Question Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question Answers - Essay Example His vision asserts that his team should control the things it can while striving to achieve goals in an efficient manner. Answer: The three important leadership roles Todman emphasizes include: (1) Leader as a team builder: Todman ensured that team worked on a collaborative platform where all the members could meet each other more often than before, such as once a month rather than once every two months. (2) Leader as a problem-solver: Todman made sure that right decisions were made at the right time to ensure business success, just like a Whirlpool executive stated about Todman that he was able to solve problems by making the team an interconnected unit. (3) Leader as a strategic planner: Todman revamped the new Maytag product line; closed the expensive plants; and, planned on educating the whole staff. This expresses his proficiency as a strategic planner. Answer: Louie’s financial management strategies are okay as people have been appreciating him in this regard, but his interpersonal relationships at the workplace are not satisfactory. For example, Emma, the human resources manager of the company, came across some customer feedback cards that complaint about Louie’s unsuitable remarks which were too personal. Louie’s has not been appropriately responsive toward the customers. He is not very tolerant about cultural diversity at the workplace. He has also been acting too frankly with the co-workers at times, for example, giving a high-five or a fist bump. These gestures have been making him unpopular at the workplace. Answer: Louie needs some serious training regarding tolerance about cultural diversity at the workplace. He needs to understand that all individuals are equally worthy of respect regardless of their cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds. He needs to show tolerance toward all kinds of people with varying sexual orientation. He also needs to understand his limitations at the workplace, such as how he should behave

The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity Lab Report

The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity - Lab Report Example They are responsible for all the important reactions taking place in the body of animals and plants. They regulate the very complex systems. The kinetics of reaction is so much influenced by the pH of the system as pH can change the mode of binding for substrate to the enzyme. If the reaction is occurring through ionic mechanism, then pH is obviously a deciding factor for the rate of the reaction. (Park, 2000) Catalase is present in aerobic organism where an organism needs to breakdown molecules of oxygen environment. Catalase is also one of the enzymes that have maximum efficient, that is, it can break down million of molecules in seconds (McDowall, 2014). Hydrogen peroxide is so much oxidative that it can cause rusting. Catalyse is responsible for its breakdown. The reaction of catalase with hydrogen peroxide occurs as Hydrogen Peroxide+Catalase →Water and Oxygen (Matt,2012). Cut potatoes into small cubes. Blend the potatoes with one cup of water into mixer until a thick solution of potatoes is obtained. Filtered the solution to have homogenous liquid. For this purpose, 20 mL of it was filtered by using filter paper and funnel. Took round filter paper and made several holes in it with the use of sharp needle. In another 100 mL took 10 mL of hydrogen peroxide and diluted it with the help of 10 mL of water. Soaked the round filter paper with holes in filtered potato solution for 15 seconds. Placed the same filter paper in hydrogen peroxide and noted the time until the reaction completes. Repeat the experiment twice to get accuracy. A few drops of hydrochloric acid were mixed in the beaker that was containing 50% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Took another piece of porous filter paper and repeated the same procedure. Catalase is a basic catalyst. I was expecting the same results because a basic catalyst can work better in basic conditions as compared to the acidic conditions. The addition of acid lowers the pH of the

Position Paper on Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Research

Position on Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals - Research Paper Example In analyzing the role of technology in a criminal or civil case, this paper analyzes the case of Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, giving out the facts of the case, and taking a position on whether to admit or discard forensic evidence in a civil or criminal case (Jenkins and Schuller, 2007). The opinion of this paper is that it is important to admit forensic evidence in a criminal or civil trial. However, there must be guidelines that the court must use in identifying the type of forensic evidence to use. For instance, the evidence under consideration must satisfy scientific organization that it is reliable and accurate. To do this, the process of collecting the evidence must pass the various tests that scientific organizations have put in place for purposes of determining the relevance, and reliability of a forensic evidence. This is a position that the courts took in the case involving Frye vs. United States (1923). In this case, the court gave a ruling that scientific evid ence is admissible in a trial court on if it gains acceptance from the scientific field that the evidence comes from (Dobbin, Gotoski, Eyre, Dahir, Merlina, and Richardson, 2007). However, in 1975 the Federal Rules of Evidence made trial judges to disregard the Frye laws while determining whether to allow the use of forensic evidence in a civil or criminal case. ... After doing this, this paper takes a position on whether to use forensic evidence in a criminal trial. Facts of the case: In this case, the minors who are plaintiff suffered from deformities after their mothers took drugs that Dow Merrel Pharmaceuticals manufactured. The drug in question was Bendectin. The experts of the plaintiff gave evidence in the court arguing that the drugs of the company indeed caused the reduction in the limbs of the minors, resulting to the deformities that they had (Dobbin et al, 2007). The evidence that Daubert and other minors brought before the courts was based on the studies of the effects of the drugs in animals. However, their methods of study did not gain any acceptance within the relevant scientific field of study. On the other hand, Dow Merrel Company managed to prove to the court that there isn’t any scientific study that links Bendectin to birth deformities. The United States Federal Drug Authority also agrees with the notion that the drug under consideration does not cause any side effects on minors or pregnant women. On this basis therefore, the authority approves the use of the drug by expectant women (Lyle, 2012). Decision of the Court: The court made a ruling that the testimony given by the plaintiff’s experts was not admissible as evidence before the court. The court was of the opinion that it is difficult for the judges to identify what is scientific theory of fact when it comes to a testimony that an expert presents before a trial court. On this basis therefore, the court relied on Federal Rules of Evidence number 702 to determine whether to admit a testimony from an expert or not. These principles under rule 702 are (Levett and Kovera, 2008); The

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Business Plan - Essay Example Other investment requirements will be financed by a $200,000 loan from Jabal Bank at a 5% interest rate repayable in two years. 3. Human resource plan Renowned hotelier Charles Duncan charged with the responsibility of general business running and procurement will manage Emirates Restaurant. Management foresight in former management undertakings in the industry has won him many accolades. He has masters in business administration from the Dubai University and has a number of successful stints in well performing hotels and restaurants in Emirates. The deputy management will be Mark Weber who has a bachelor in business Administration and is a recognized person in the hospitality industry. The deputy manager will be responsible for public relation, community development, and sales. Marketing duties and sales, pricing are also some of the responsibilities to be undertaken by the deputy manager. The other employees to undertake the support roles for the daily running of the company will i nclude five chefs trained in catering an accountant to aid in recording transactions to the computer and the daily procurement and petty cash payments. A security officer to guard the premises and four waiters to aid in taking orders and deliveries will also be employed by the company. The number of employees will be increased as need arises when the management feel the need to augment the company operations to meet increasing demand. 4. Production plan The production plan at Emirates Restaurant is a main facet for the company’s development and success. This is evidenced by the need for efficiency in inventory management and maintaining healthy foods and high quality for safety of the consumers. This will aid in avoiding costly lawsuits and a taint in the reputation of the company. i. Food Safety Apart from ensuring efficient production, careful inventory handling by the employees of Emirates Restaurant will aid as a measure to minimize food borne illnesses. This ensures no d amage to clients, which can ruin the restaurant’s reputation and emergence of costly lawsuits. Emirates Restaurant will ensure food safety is maintained through meticulous stock rotation and keeping food in apposite temperatures. ii. Inventory Management This entails the need by the management and production personnel to ensure the inventory ordered are enough to meet orders made but in right quantities for use before they spoil. The main reason for ensuring this is to avoid excess inventory. Excess inventory is cumbersome and retard the production process. Comparison of time periods in relation to seasonal demand fluctuations are the methods the management will make use of in ensuring there is efficiency in inventory management. iii. Employee training on handling Supplies Cases of unforeseen circumstances in the production process including delay in inventory and malfunctioning of equipment require trained and informed staff to ensure exercise of discretion as the situation requires. This will create efficiency in the production process and avoid losses to the restaurant due to timely and conscious adjustment of the production process by the employees as the situation calls. iv. Keeping of Records Maintenance of current and detailed records of the production

DigiRestoration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

DigiRestoration - Essay Example There is a need to touch up and restore old photographs that have been subjected to time and environmental factors. Upon restoring the photographs, the newly retored photos will then be transferred to digital format to ensure they remain the same throughout time. This company is currently in the research and startup phase looking at the available markets, such as being a partner to geneology companies on both the Internet and locallyl/nationally. It is projected that through extensive and inexpensive advertising, the eventual advertising will start to draw in business. DigiRestoration will not only restore old photographs for customers, it will provide the newly restored photographs into digital format. The intended audience will be internet based customers that will be directed from geneology sites as well as search engines. Upon the person sending into the company their old photograph, or scanning and sending, the new format of digitizing will be completed and stored on the company server. Should the customer wish to purchase additional photos and have them sent to their relatives/family, then they will have the option of picking these photos out from the company server and either printing them out themselves, or, picking them up at such outlets like WalMart or a drugstore. DigiRestoration currently is looking at expanding into kiosk markets within the next six months in order to capitalize on the lack of availability of these currently. DigiRestoration's philosophy is "if you weren't there, we'll make it look like you were". The philosophy of DigiRestoration is to provide the best service at a reasonable price and we will not be happy until you are. DigiRestoration's vision is to have partner kiosks in every major city in... DigiRestoration will not only restore old photographs for customers, it will provide the newly restored photographs into digital format. The intended audience will be internet based customers that will be directed from geneology sites as well as search engines. Upon the person sending into the company their old photograph, or scanning and sending, the new format of digitizing will be completed and stored on the company server. Should the customer wish to purchase additional photos and have them sent to their relatives/family, then they will have the option of picking these photos out from the company server and either printing them out themselves, or, picking them up at such outlets like WalMart or a drugstore. DigiRestoration's philosophy is "if you weren't there, we'll make it look like you were". The philosophy of DigiRestoration is to provide the best service at a reasonable price and we will not be happy until you are. DigiRestoration is entirely in the business of providing digital photo restoration of existing photographs before they expire to the elements. This is an entirely retail business and has the option to have franchises open to other interested business opportunists.

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Business Plan - Essay Example Other investment requirements will be financed by a $200,000 loan from Jabal Bank at a 5% interest rate repayable in two years. 3. Human resource plan Renowned hotelier Charles Duncan charged with the responsibility of general business running and procurement will manage Emirates Restaurant. Management foresight in former management undertakings in the industry has won him many accolades. He has masters in business administration from the Dubai University and has a number of successful stints in well performing hotels and restaurants in Emirates. The deputy management will be Mark Weber who has a bachelor in business Administration and is a recognized person in the hospitality industry. The deputy manager will be responsible for public relation, community development, and sales. Marketing duties and sales, pricing are also some of the responsibilities to be undertaken by the deputy manager. The other employees to undertake the support roles for the daily running of the company will i nclude five chefs trained in catering an accountant to aid in recording transactions to the computer and the daily procurement and petty cash payments. A security officer to guard the premises and four waiters to aid in taking orders and deliveries will also be employed by the company. The number of employees will be increased as need arises when the management feel the need to augment the company operations to meet increasing demand. 4. Production plan The production plan at Emirates Restaurant is a main facet for the company’s development and success. This is evidenced by the need for efficiency in inventory management and maintaining healthy foods and high quality for safety of the consumers. This will aid in avoiding costly lawsuits and a taint in the reputation of the company. i. Food Safety Apart from ensuring efficient production, careful inventory handling by the employees of Emirates Restaurant will aid as a measure to minimize food borne illnesses. This ensures no d amage to clients, which can ruin the restaurant’s reputation and emergence of costly lawsuits. Emirates Restaurant will ensure food safety is maintained through meticulous stock rotation and keeping food in apposite temperatures. ii. Inventory Management This entails the need by the management and production personnel to ensure the inventory ordered are enough to meet orders made but in right quantities for use before they spoil. The main reason for ensuring this is to avoid excess inventory. Excess inventory is cumbersome and retard the production process. Comparison of time periods in relation to seasonal demand fluctuations are the methods the management will make use of in ensuring there is efficiency in inventory management. iii. Employee training on handling Supplies Cases of unforeseen circumstances in the production process including delay in inventory and malfunctioning of equipment require trained and informed staff to ensure exercise of discretion as the situation requires. This will create efficiency in the production process and avoid losses to the restaurant due to timely and conscious adjustment of the production process by the employees as the situation calls. iv. Keeping of Records Maintenance of current and detailed records of the production

The Simmons Hall Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Simmons Hall - Case Study Example The building stands 10 stories or 100 feet high, 385 feet long, and 53 feet deep. The building is wrapped almost entirely in a matrix of 2-foot-square windows, 5,538 of them to be exact (Ryan 2004). Huge gaps that double as terraces separate Simmons Hall's three aluminum towers. Volcano-shaped lounges push through the floors (Nasr 2007). The exoskeleton of the building is formed by a gridded shell, composed of precast concrete wall panels, called Perfcon ("Projects" 2003).The facades appear as flush blades of aluminium eaten into by several large cuts. In silhouette, it interacts with the sky behind. At a radically different scale, it is punctured by small, square and deep apertures that illuminate the interior without revealing each room's exact position or size. Where gable portions are eroded, upper sections of the building project forward dramatically (Ryan 2004). Internally, the building is as complex as its exterior. Wide corridors connect the dorm rooms and the building's amenities: dining, fitness center and a theater, among other facilities. Eight atria connect the floors vertically in a manner more flowing than rigid, contrasting the regimented exterior ("A Weekly Dose," Archidose.org 2007). The Simmons' Hall building uses a visual effect to look bigger t

Theories of Firm Internationalisation

Theories of Firm Internationalisation Firms internationalisation decisions can be driven by various motives, taking this into account, discuss in particular the choice of a firm of how to internationalise its production activities in terms of a trade off between ownership and market transactions. After the World War II, there has been rapid growth in international trade in both goods and services, resulting in various transactions across national borders for the purpose of satisfying the needs of individuals and organisations. The result of this global competition has forced organisations to expand their business by finding out new markets at home and foreign countries making them ‘Transnational firms. Dicken (2007) defines Transnational Corporations (TNC) as â€Å"A firm that has power to co-ordinate and control operations in more than one country, even if it does not own them†. Rugman and Hodgetts, 2003 says Multinational corporations, defined as â€Å"A company headquarter in one country but having operations in other countries†. The significance of TNC lies mainly in its ability to co-ordinate and control different transactions within transnational production networks, ability to take advantage of distribution factors of production and ability to be fl exible in locations. The growing TNCs led to various patterns and trends in international business like rapid growth in world trade and investment, cross border mergers and acquisitions resulting in the process of Internationalization. Internationalization is the process of increasing involvement in international operations across national borders which comprises both changed perspectives and positions. (Buckley and Ghauri, 1999) Internationalization is one potential strategy that is being used increasingly by business firms to maximise size of the firm, increase their profitability, increasing their market share and becoming industry leader. It is a major attribute of the current strategy process of most business firms which determines the ongoing development and change in the international firm in terms of values, scope, principles, business ideas, action orientation, nature of work and converging norms. The internationalization dimension is related to all these aspects of the strategy process and thus making the firms become ‘Transnational. In this global competition, it is important for the firm to become transnational and internationalization process focuses mainly on the development of the individual firm on its gradual acquisition, integration, and use of knowledge about foreign markets and operations. (Dicken, P., 2007) Firms internationalization decision is mainly to acquire profits. The origins of the internationalisation of the industry are described by both macroeconomics approach, regarded as a general-system approach which is focused on the capitalist system as a whole, and microeconomics approach, based upon a firm-specific level. In a macroeconomics approach, the expansions of firms activities into foreign countries are explained by the circuits of capital and the theory of new international division of labour. A microeconomics approach entails the Dunnings eclectic paradigm and the theory of product life cycle. As most TNCs are capitalist enterprises, they behave according to basic rules of capitalism, the ways in which firm acquires profits along with various motives like increasing their market share, becoming industry leader or simply making firm bigger. But above all, the most important factor for internationalization is the pursuit of profits. In this competitive economy, competition b etween firms is becoming increasingly global and much more volatile not just confining them to national level but with firms across the world. Thus TNCs simply explain the need for internationalization at macro level in pursuit of profits and performance better in the global competitive economy. (Dicken, P., 1992) The new international division of labour, proposed by Stephen Hymer, is used to explain the shift of industrial production from the core (the industrialised countries) to the periphery (the developing countries). Firms in developed countries due to increasing wages in their home countries are forced to seek the alternative locations providing cheap labour, which are the third world countries. Dicken (1992) points out that even though this concept has some validity in explanation of internationalisation process, it also contains several drawbacks as it is excessively narrow and one-dimensional and it overstates the extent to which industrial production has been relocated to the global periphery. Micro level approach is an approach to understand the internationalization of economic activity through the TNC which is much as firm specific. The decision to become global firm is made by individual firms or more by decision makers in the firm rather than focusing upon the decisions at capitalist system as a whole like in macro level approach. According to Hymers pioneering study in 1960, domestic firms will have natural advantage over foreign firms in terms of better understanding of local market conditions and business environment. But, a foreign firm wishing to produce in any other market would have to posses some firm specific assets which overcome the natural advantages of domestic firm. These firm specific assets are like size of the firm and economies of scale, access to raw materials, marketing skills, technological expertise, reduced transaction costs or access to cheaper sources of finance, which makes a foreign firm to compete domestic firm in its home country. Hymers st udy expressed that the firm wishing in transnational production would have its own set of qualifying principles specific to ownership which overcome the advantages of indigenous firms in the country of production. (Nilsson, J.E, Dicken, P., Peck, J., 1996) In 1966, Vernon developed the product life cycle to explain the observed pattern of international trade. The theory suggests that in the earlier stages of products life cycle all the production activities of a product is done in the place in which it was invented. Once the product is used in the markets, production gradually moves away from the point of origin to the places with low production costs and high market activity, in order to acquire high profits by the firm. There are four stages in product life cycle: Introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The location of production depends on the stage of the cycle. In the introduction stage the firm seeks to build product awareness and develop a market for the product. In the growth stage, the firm tries to increase brand preference and market share. At maturity stage, the strong growth in sales decreases due to heavy competition between similar products. At this stage the primary objective of the firm is to defend the market shar es by expanding into new markets or low developing countries (LDCs) to maximize profits. In the final stage, due to decline in the sales, the firm tries to maintain the product by adding new features and targeting new markets. (Dicken 2003) According to Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm, a firm will engage in international production when each of the following three conditions is present: 1. Owner specific advantages, 2. Location specific advantages and 3. Internalization advantages. As the three principles are derived from variety of theoretical approaches such as the theory of the firm, organization theory, trade theory and location theory, dunning labelled his approach as ‘eclectic which integrates various strands of explanation of international production. Owner specific advantages or Firm specific advantages are assets which are internal to firm. Every firm must possess certain ownership specific advantages which are unique compared to their competing firms from other countries. These firm specific advantages are intangible and transferred within the TNC at low cost (e.g., technology, brand name, and benefits of economies of scale) which either provides higher revenues or lower costs that can reduce operating costs compared to its competitors in a foreign country.(Wattanasupachoke, 2002) A firm must possess location specific advantages to exploit its assets in foreign rather than domestic country. Therefore the location specific advantages of different countries are important in determining which will become host countries for the transnational corporations. They constitute economic, political and socio cultural advantages which are important factors in the context of transnational production. (Wattanasupachoke 2002) Transnational corporations choose internalization where the market does not exist or functions poorly. There must be internalization advantages to the firm from exploiting its advantages itself, rather than selling them or leasing them. The more uncertain the environment faced by the firm (which may be due to price, quality and availability of raw materials) the more likely a firm internalize its operations. Internalization occurs in the case of knowledge and technology, where many firms spend huge sums of money on various research and development. To ensure satisfactory returns on the investment without selling or leasing the technology to other foreign firms, the firm itself exploits its technological advantage directly by setting up its own production facilities. (Whitley, R., 1994) Under ‘eclectic theory other theories of internationalization are more concerned with the processes that a firm must go through. Sequential theory of internationalization is a process in which a firm enters into the foreign market. It is also called as ‘Uppsala model and the firm enters other markets through four discrete stages: Intermittent exports, exports via agents and through licensing, overseas sales through knowledge agreements with local firms (example franchising) and foreign direct investment (FDI) in the foreign market. Initially, the firm is purely a domestic firm in terms of both production and markets. Once the firm reaches saturation point in its domestic market, it looks into foreign markets in order to maintain growth and profitability. During early stages, the firm does this through exports using the services of overseas sales agent, who are independent of the exporting firm. In the second stage, the process of gaining control over its foreign sales is achieved by setting up its own sales outlets. This can be done in two ways, either by setting up an entirely new outlet or by acquiring local firm. When the firm performs better and acquires good profits, it decides on establishment of entire production facilities with consideration of its favourable factors in a foreign market. Figure1 shows the path of development of a firm in the evolution of a transnational corporation. (Wall and Rees, 2004) In a network perspective, the process of internationalization is like creating new relationships or building on existing relationships in international markets, with the focus shifting from the organizational to that of social. It is people who make decisions and take the actions. The series of networks are considered at three levels: Macro, Inter-organizational and Intra-organizational. (Wall and Rees, 2004) In network theory, the business environment is seen as a set of diverse interests, powers, characteristics which advances on national and international business decisions. At macro- level, a firm has to break old relationships or add new ones to enter new markets. A new entrant finds difficult to break into a market that already has stable relationship. Such firms are able to reconfigure the existing networks, thus more successful in internationalization process. At Inter-organizational level, firms are good in different relationships to one another in different markets. They may be competitors in one market, collaborators in other and ‘suppliers and customers to each other in a third. Thus, if one firm internationalizes it draws other firms into international production. At intra-organizational level, relations within the organization influence the decision making process. If a transnational corporation has its subsidiaries in other countries, decisions taken at the subsidiary level increases the degree of international involvement of the parent TNC, depending on the degree of decentralization of decision making by the firm. (Wall and Rees, 2004) The various theories explain the process of internationalization and results in the firms motivation for engaging in transnational operations. When a firm decides to establish a production facility in the foreign market it mainly focuses its interests in terms of size of the market and availability of requirements which are useful for the production facility. Though firms motivation in transnational production is highly individual, still it can be broadly classified into two categories: Market Orientation and Asset Orientation. (Dicken, 2007) Most foreign direct investment in the process of transnational production is designed to serve a specific location market by taking consideration of market size and other conditions. The goods and services produced in the foreign country are almost identical to that being produced in the firms home country but the firm modifies its products slightly in order to gain the tastes and preferences of the local market. Market oriented investment is a form of horizontal expansion across national boundaries which concentrates on three factors in making up the decision of the location. The most important factor is a size of the market measured in terms of per-capita income rather than in terms of population. For example, countries in Europe and US, though they have less population, their per-capita income is high. Population in countries with low income levels spend larger portion of their income on basic necessities while people in countries with high income levels spend higher portion of th eir income on higher order manufacture goods and services. The last important factor for market oriented production is accessibility into the markets (transportation) and other political barriers. (Dicken, 2007) The choice of strategy for transnational production will be influenced by the reasons for becoming transnational. Foreign direct investment is designed to take advantage of the fact that the various assets that a firm needs to produce are not available in the same quantity and quality everywhere. So, it is important for a firm to consider about asset orientated production when it becomes transnational. It is broadly classified into two ways: Technology and labour. Firm benefits from the production costs if there are low labour costs along with high technology. Variations in wage costs, labour productivity and knowledge and skills constitute asset based advantages to the firm becoming transnational. Once a firm has decided to go international, it takes place in wide variety of ways, most of which can be classified into three broad categories: Export based methods Non- equity methods Equity methods Export based methods for internationalization It is the most common way in which a firm becomes international, by producing its products in the domestic markets but exports a proportion of its products to foreign markets. Exporting is an oldest and straight forward way of carrying international business. Its growth can be reduced to the liberalisation of trade that has taken place globally and within regional trading blocs due to concept of free trade like European Union (EU), NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association), ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), and APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Corporation). The export based methods of internationalizing are divided into ‘indirect exporting and ‘direct exporting. (Wall and Rees, 2004) Indirect exporting: When a firm does not have any international activity by itself then it operates through intermediaries for physical distribution of goods and services in the foreign market. Initially an export house buys products from domestic firm and sells them abroad on its own account. A confirming house acts for foreign buyers where it brings sellers and buyers into direct contact and guarantee payments on a commission basis. Finally a buying house performs functions in seeking out sellers to match buyers particular needs. Direct exporting: In this form a firm is directly involved in distributing and selling its own products to the foreign markets. It is long term commitment to a particular foreign market with the firm choosing local agents and distributors specific to that market. It allows the exporter to monitor developments and competitions in the host market. It promotes interaction between producer and end user with long term commitments such as providing after sales services to encourage repeat purchases. Non- Equity based methods for internationalization In this form of internationalization, the firm either sells technology or do business in the form of contract, involving patents, trademarks and copyrights. It is often referred to as intellectual property rights and form major part of international transactions. This non-equity method of internationalization takes into forms of licensing, franchising or other types of contractual agreement. (Wall and Rees, 2004) Licensing: It is a permission granted by the licensor (proprietary owner) to a licensee (foreign party) in the form of a contract to engage in an activity which is otherwise legally forbidden. The licensee buys the right to exploit technology and products from the licensor, which is protected by the intellectual property rights like patent, trademark or copyright. The licensor benefits from the licensees local knowledge and distribution channels; also it is a low cost strategy for internationalization since the foreign entrant makes little or no resource commitment. This type of agreement is mostly found in industries like RD and other industries where fixed costs are high. (Rugman and Hodgetts, 2003) Franchising: In this form, the franchisee purchases the right to undertake business activity using the franchisors name or trademark rather than any patented technology. Many firms choose franchising as a means of internationalizing as it establishes firms business in short time with relatively little direct investment and creates global image through standard marketing approach. It allows franchiser a high degree of control and enables to understand the local taste and preferences in the foreign country. For example, Coca-Colas franchising arrangements with various partners in different countries has given an advantage over its arch rival PepsiCo. Franchising also helps in building up global brand which can be cultivated and standardised overtime. (Wall and Rees, 2004) Other contractual modes of internationalization: Besides licensing and franchising, Management contracting is another form of internationalization where a supplier in one country provides certain ongoing management functions to a client in another country. Examples include technical service agreements are provided across borders, as when a company outsources its operations to a foreign firm. Contract-based partnerships are also formed between different nationalities in order to share the cost of an investment. For example, pharmaceutical companies, automobile companies make agreements between themselves to include cooperation, co-research and co-development activities. (Wall and Rees, 2004) Equity based methods for internationalization When a firm physically invests in any another country, it is referred as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The major advantage of this method is that the firm has greatest level of control over its proprietary information and technology. A firm can use different ways to FDI by acquiring an existing firm, creating equity joint ventures, merging or establishing a foreign operation by its own (green-field investment). (De Propris, L., 2009) Acquisition and Establishment of a firm by its own (green-field investment): Acquisition of an existing foreign company has a number of advantages compared to green-field investment. For example, it allows an immediate presence in the market which results in a fast returns on capital and ready access to knowledge of the local market. Also, problems associated with green-field investments such as cultural, legal and management issues are avoided. Joint Ventures: It involves creating a new identity in which both the initiating partners take active roles in formulating strategy and making decisions. It helps to share technologies and lower the costs of high risks in various development projects. Joint Ventures make firm to gain economics of scale and scope in value adding activities on a global basis. It creates a firm to secure access to partners technology and accumulate learning process which is used for more effective future competition in the industry. Joint Ventures are common in high technology industries; it usually takes one of the two forms: Specialized Joint Ventures and Shared value added Joint Ventures. (Wall and Rees, 2004) In Specialized Joint Ventures, each partner brings a specific competency like one firm might indulge in a function of production and other does with marketing. For example organizations like JVC (Japan) and Thomson (France) have been into specialized Joint Venture where JVC contributed the specialized skills involved the manufacturing technologies needed to produce optical and compact discs, semiconductors while Thomson contributed the specific marketing skills needed to compete in European markets. In Shared value added Joint Ventures, both partners contributed to same function or value added activity. For example in the case of Fuji-Xerox, it is a shared value added Joint Venture with the design, production and marketing function all shared between two firms. Merging with a firm: In this equity based method for internationalization, a firm uses FDI by merging with a firm in the foreign country by buying its stake and holding appropriate ownership in the form of equities. It helps to extend its business rapidly and can use its infrastructure and knowledge about local market to improve its market share compared to its competitors. In equity based methods for internationalization, creation of consortium is one of the oldest forms of foreign direct investment. East Asian business models like Japanese Keiretsu and South Korean chaebols are more successful in building cross industry consortia when compared to western countries. Consortium of these types are sophisticated forms of strategic alliances designed to maximise the benefits like risk sharing, cost reductions, economies of scale etc .They tend to have long term and stable inter firm relationships based on mutual obligations in order to be forerunner of technology based industries. The Japanese Keiretsu is a combination of 20-25 different industrial companies centred on a large traditional company where transactions conducted through alliances of affiliated companies. It is divided into two forms, horizontal keiretsu which consists of highly diversified groups which are organized around core bank and general trading company (For example, Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sanwa). Vertical Keiretsu is organized around a large parent company in a specific industry like Toshiba, Toyota and Sony etc. There are strong linkages between these two forms and the organization is extremely complex and wide reaching. (De Propris, L., 2009 and Wall and Rees, 2004) The South Korean chaebols, usually dominated by the founding families are similar consortia which are centred on a holding company. While a Keiretsu is financed by group banks and run by professional managers, chaebols get their funding from governments and are managed by family members. Examples include Samsung, Daewoo etc are industrialist families and the company keeps the stock in family hands. (Wall and Rees, 2004) When a firm becomes transnational, it has specific impacts on both host economies and home economies. The impacts like transfer of resources, capital, technology, an increase of employment, concerns about sovereignty and trade and balance of payments occur on the host economy. The specific impacts on home economies will be like loss of technology, sovereignty, loss of employment and tax avoidance. Conclusion In the process of globalisation, a firm operates their activities globally and the internationalisation process is one of the primary sites of attention. The changes in the technology in the fields of telecommunications and computer lessen the costs of cross border operations and encourage firms to engage in transnational production activities. Internationalisation is a sequential process where firms internalise their economic activities characterised in terms of aggressiveness and motivated by either internal or external triggers or a combination of both. It is one of the key strategic decisions for firms to maximise or at least sustain profits to survive in the world of uncertainty and complexity. The global economic expansion has been largely facilitated by the growth of TNCs. They dominate world trade and capital movement with turnover exceeding the GNP of some countries. These corporations continue to grow and influence the landscape of the world economy. The various motives for the firms internationalization process has been discussed and the ways in which firm use FDI to engage in the transnational production makes it to compete globally. It seems clear that theories of internationalization make the firm to take up decision to become transnational with each specifying its implications and benefits. Dunnings eclectic paradigm emphasis on OLI advantages, stating a firm will engage in international production when each of the following three conditions is present. The various theories explain the process of internationalization and when a firm decides to establish a production facility in the foreign market it focuses mainly on the market size. Though firms motivation in transnational production is highly individual, still it is classified into Market Orientation and Asset Orientation which states the conditions for the firm to become transnational corporation. When firm decides to go international the various methods of internationalization like equity based, non equity based, export based are used to engage its production activities in terms of a trade off between ownership and market transactions. References Buckley, P.J., Ghauri, P.N., 1999, â€Å"The Internationalization of the firm†, 2nd Edition, London: Thomson. De Propris, L., 2009, Lecture slides on The Nature of Transnational Corporation and From TNCs to global production networks, Lecture 4 5. 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