A Report On The Congo War Essay - 1388 Words

Sadly, war is a large part of life in the Congo. Blighted by political violence for decades, combatants continue to up the ante on aggression levels at an exponential rate since the inception of the Congo War in 1997. The Congo War is extraordinarily complex, with a conglomerate of loosely associated rebels fighting each other, and often swapping sides. As the levels of violence escalated, so have the casualties. The exact numbers of these casualties are in dispute. A report conducted by the International Rescue Committee in 2008 estimates that 5.4 million Congolese have died in the conflict between 1998 and 2007, while The Human Security Report from Simon Frasier University in Canada’s British Columbia endorses a Belgian report that places casualties at 200,000 between 1998 and 2004. Therefore, it is no wonder that researchers and organizations are having difficulties in obtaining accurate numbers since the combatants fight as groups of irregulars. Whatever the numbers are, it is clear that men, women, and children are dying, and those most affected by the violence are those most vulnerable. Men, Boys, and the Congo War The rebel forces that are fighting in the war consist of men and boy soldiers, some well under the age of 18. Paid meager amounts, if anything all, soldiers are encouraged by their superiors to live off the land. Consequently, this edict serves only to beget an escalation in violence, primarily against civilians. Unfortunately, this policy encourages manyShow MoreRelatedDemocratic Republic of Congo: An Explanation of the Country’s Population Problems1163 Words   |  5 Pages The Democratic Republic of Congo has been experiencing the same war for over two decades, and there is a strong correlation between the country’s demographic indicator rates and the conflict (World Factbook). Although research has shown that all of the demographic indicator rates are slowly declining, the conflicts inside and bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo are the central causes of the country’s high migration rates, high death rates, high birth and fertility rates, and considerablyRead MoreThe Involvement Of The Soviet Union1507 Words   |  7 PagesThe involvement of the Soviet Union in Congo caused a numerous amount of problems. The Congo was facing political and social instability because of the Belgian troops that were present and taking control over the land at the time. This all led to the United States getting involved, they supported the United Nations order to remove Belgian troops. 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In Europe Alice Harris and others took a prominent role in the campaign for Congo reform. Through her photographs and public speeches Harris herself brought much support to the movementRead MoreThe Congo Reform Association ( Cra )1529 Words   |  7 PagesWomen played an importan t role in the campaign for public support for reform of King Leopold II’s Congo Free State and the forced labor that took place there. Both in the Congo and in Europe women influenced the perception and reaction to the État Indà ©pendant du Congo and the Congolese people. The treatment of Congolese women by the Force Publique and white colonial officials such as Là ©on Rom inspired both sympathy from European missionaries and rebellion from the Congolese. While in Europe and AmericaRead MoreKing Leopold s Ghost Analysis1128 Words   |  5 Pagesbrought to America and made slaves, and then the name of the slave master was given, which we refuse; we reject that name today and refuse it. I never acknowledge it whatsoever.† In King Leopold’s Ghost talks about Leopold II ruling over the Belgium Congo territory. He forced the enslaved individuals to do horrific and exhausting tasks, and people who disagreed with him made it known of his horrible acts. Several co untries began to disagree with Leopold’s dictatorship. He was a tyrant. King Leopold’s

Analysis Of How America Went Haywire - 1466 Words

In â€Å"How America Went Haywire†, a chapter out of Kurt Andersen’s book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire--A 500-year History, Andersen argues that America has bred its own sense of reality and fantasyland of such that has had an impact on the way people think and act. Americans believe that they are exceptional and superior to everyone else and therefore they do not have to listen to what experts and facts have to say. It is all opinions and feelings that America bases their own reality on. Andersen writes this chapter and book for all Americans because he believes that everyone has taken part in the falsification of reality. He mainly focuses on tailoring his argument for an audience who may be victims of a fantasy-like reality, which†¦show more content†¦The first article that seemingly strengthens and furthers Andersen’s main claim is from an online newspaper title Astana Times. The Astana Times is a reputable source of news for the Republic of Kazakhstan and although it is not important where it is published, it is important that it is a reputable source that connects with â€Å"How America Went Haywire† in a certain way. In the chapter, Andersen states that there are many factors that have contributed to this new way of thinking but one of the most prominent has been the advancements in technology and social media, â€Å"The second change was the onset of the new era of information. Digital technology empowers real-seeming fictions of the ideological and religious and scientific kinds†(Andersen 2). People can believe in anything they want and they can find the â€Å"facts† to back up what they believe in online. Even if they believe in something that has been proven not to exist or be reality, one can find some phony information on the internet that will back up their ideals. In the Astana Times, there is an article about how technology has spurred people’s irrational perception of reality titled â€Å"Social Media: Shaping the Way We See the World or Shaping the New World Itself?† This article does not have a specific author but is composed by many different people on the website itself. The article talks about how the ease at which how an â€Å"average joe† can compose something on social media leads to a lot ofShow MoreRelated123456787123 Words   |  29 Pages............. 10 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY......................................................... 16 CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS FINDINGS ............................................................... 18 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: ................................................................ 19 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND SCOPERead MoreRural Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria10400 Words   |  42 PagesPoverty, and Alleviation. WHAT IS RURAL? To define what is rural is daunting task, because the word rural is an inexact term that can mean different thing to different people. For example, what is considered rural in a place like United States of America and United Kingdom may not resemble what is considered rural in a place like Nigeria and other West Africa countries. However, for the purpose of this paper efforts will be made to describe the word Rural and the general Characteristics of rural areasRead MoreInside the Meltdown49737 Words   |  199 PagesSHEILA BAIR ... FDIC [Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.], established 75 years ago in the Great Depression. ... How does it feel being head of FDIC during another grand crisis? It s a very important place to be right now. We re getting a lot of media attention, and I think that s positive because I think the FDIC is all about public confidence. That s how we maintain the stability with people having confidence in our brand and our insurance guarantee, and I think we ve done that fairly successfullyRead MoreImpact of Science on Society38427 Words   |  154 Pagesour housing, clothes, and food, our methods of transportation, and, indeed, even the length and quality of life itself, science has generated changes in the moral values and basic philosophies of mankind. Beginning with the plow, science has changed how we live and what we believe. By making life easier, science has given man the chance to pursue societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education, and justice; to create cultures; and to improve human conditions. But it has also placed us in theRead MoreImpact of Science on Society38421 Words   |  154 Pagesour housing, clothes, and food, ou r methods of transportation, and, indeed, even the length and quality of life itself, science has generated changes in the moral values and basic philosophies of mankind. Beginning with the plow, science has changed how we live and what we believe. By making life easier, science has given man the chance to pursue societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education, and justice; to create cultures; and to improve human conditions. But it has also placed us in theRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesappear on appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2011, 2007, 2005, 2002, 1998 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying

Business Research Methodology Stroz Friedberg Company

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Research Methodologyfor Stroz Friedberg Company. Answer: Critical Success Factors in the Digital Forensics Industry Cloud control is a critical success in the digital forensic industry. The reason behind this is the fact that digital forensic companies are employing cloud computing technologies to meet the increase in the data flow[1]. The increase in the data flow is because the data is stored and spread digitally. As there is an increase in the demand for the services that these industries offer, it means that the amount of data the companies deal with. At Stroz Friedberg Consulting firm, they deal with a lot of legal cases which demands that they sift through huge volumes of electronic data. Research reveals that by 2003, the world was already generating close to five exabytes of data which is equivalent to five billion gigabytes within a single year. Three years later when the IDC which is a technological research firm conducted an analysis, they discovered that the rate had gone up to one hundred and sixty-one Exabyte per year. Digital forensic companies are also facing the challenge of not meeting the expectations of their clientele. That is, these companies fail to match the technology that the criminals are using. Evidence that backs up this concern is the fact that there is an increase in cyber-crime all over the world[2]. Moreover, the magnitudes for storage has also increased as the digital forensic companies are dealing with multitudes of data evidence. Competition is also a critical success factor in the digital forensic industry. When Stroz Friedberg was starting up, there was extreme competition for the opportunity that Stroz and Friedberg discovered[3]. Increased competition means that there is increased rate of substitution. Stroz Friedbergs Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses Stroz Friedberg as a company can generate strength from its existing sales and distribution networks. The company is well established over the years through growth and expansion strategies (see Exhibit 1)[4]. For instance, the company acquired the Connecticut-based Docuity which was a company that focused on the provision of technology solutions based on e-discovery. This acquisition was strategic owing to the commoditized nature of the platforms belonging to e-discovery. There were numerous acquisitions afterward such as the Data Genetics International which means that the companys networks are firm and far-reaching. It is a strength because it ensures that the organizations customer base is sturdy ensuring that it can generate ample profits[5]. Another strength that the organization has is that its industry faces numerous barriers to entry which results in fewer competitors. Stroz Friedberg deals with the provision of risk management services which has a lot of pressure. With fewer people willing to join the industry, it means that the company can have a large market share. The companys source of weakness could be in the fact that they have poorly managed their growth. Scholars posit that when a company successfully reaches the growth phase, they should seek to manage the growth using entrepreneurship, risk-taking and autonomy. That will increase the level of creativity in the way the organization handles itself. This aspect lacks in the companys profile which affects its profitability. Increased substitution rate will reduce the profit margin of the company. The tax structure imposed on this organization is also a weakness. It is stiff and demanding which results in increased operational costs. Growing Pains Stroz and Friedbergs growing pains came from the organization of the company. It had grown and expanded faster that they had expected which resulted in the organization being a multisite company[6]. Therefore, without proper coordination of these entities, there will be confusion that could have devastating effects on the company. The roles and responsibilities of the people at Stroz and Friedberg were evolving, and that left many of them confused. Meeting organizational objectives, thus, became more difficult. Organizational culture was also the other factor that was identified. Typically, an organization is always defined by the people it attracted as well as the work it does[7]. For this organization, its work demands privacy which results in spotty communication among the members of the organization. For this reason, poor relationships are formed within the organization increasing the turnover rates of the company. The companys operational and business processes are inadequate when it comes to meeting organizational goals and objectives. The organizational review revealed that the company did not use goals, targets, and budgets effectively. These are the tools that the organizational leaders communicate their expectations to the entire organization[8]. Without these elements, the workers cannot know what is expected of them and thus, they will underperform. The rapid growth of the company also resulted in the strain of Stroz Friedbergs information technology infrastructure. That growth increased the amount of data that the company dealt with which means that without improvements of their communication technology, it will be impossible to meet these growing data needs. The actions that the organization took to address the growing pains were partly inadequate because of the fact that these measures do not address the problems that the rapid growth of the company. As much as the company has targets and objectives, these tools are being underused. The company is unable to meet the needs that the rapid expansion has created. Recommendations The disagreement about the FY2010 financial goals should be settled by establishing a compromise. Both of them have targets that are reasonable and realistic. Since they cannot agree by themselves, a third partys contribution can be valuable. In this case, Lynch, who was the conductor of the organizational review, was the third party. He suggested a compromise where they would take eighty-five percent of the targets that each level of the organization provided[9]. Lynch also assigned e-discovery targets by headcount. With this compromise, it was easy to come up with targets that met the requirements of the two. The proposed strategic plan promised a better economy, increased e-discovery capacity and also an improved EDG platform. However, Stroz and Friedberg fail to plan for the future data management factor because that is the current source of stress of the organization. The company should focus towards embracing research and development which will keep the company up to date regarding the improvements in communication technology. That will ensure that the organization can have better data management capabilities. The research and development sector will boost the strategic position of the company thereby securing its future. Bibliography Brettell, T. A., J. M. Butler, and J. R. Almirall. "Forensic Science." Analytical Chemistry 81, no. 12 (June 15, 2009): 4695-4711. Dabbebi, O., R. Badonnel, and O. Festor. 2015. "An Online Risk Management Strategy for VoIP Enterprise Infrastructures." Journal Of Network Systems Management 23, no. 1: 137-162. Filinkov, Alexei, and Peter J. Dortmans. 2014. "An enterprise portfolio approach for defence capability planning." Defense Security Analysis 30, no. 1: 76-82. Gavin, David A, and Carin-isabel Knoop. 2013. "Growing Pains at Stroz Friedberg." Havard Business School 1-20. Rachev, S. T., Stoyan V. Stoyanov, and Frank J. Fabozzi. A Probability Metrics Approach to Financial Risk Measures. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Vincze, Eva A. 2016. "Challenges in digital forensics." Police Practice Research 17, no. 2: 183-194. Tennent, John. Guide to Financial Management. London: Profile Books, 2008.

Odyssey Themes Essays - Odyssey, Textiles In Mythology And Folklore

Odyssey Themes When Homer wove the characters of The Odyssey into a story, he undoubtedly left room for interpretation of their actions. The characters, most of whom are dynamic, colorful, and three dimensional, are used by Homer to give a fun but truthful commentary on the Ancient Greeks and their way of life. The actions of one figure, the man-eating monster named Skylla, are particularly interesting when viewed in the context of the rest of the story. Though her contribution to the plot is minor, Skylla's actions are important in that they are characteristic of several themes found throughout the poem. These themes include the role of the female in Odysseus's struggle, the hunger (figuratively and literally) of the characters in The Odyssey, and the commentary Homer makes on the individuals who live lawlessly. In The Odyssey, Homer introduces many female characters; some play significant roles, some are in the background. Regardless of their importance, distinctions can be made as to their roles in the story: that is, some put forth effort to help Odysseus and the other men--Arete, Athena, Nausikaa, and Eurykleia are examples--and others (whom he encounters on his voyages home) lead to the delay or destruction of them. Skylla plays the role of the latter, as do Kalypso, Kirke, and the Seirenes. Although none of these women actually harm Odysseus, each poses a deadly threat to him on his voyage. Odysseus's experience with Skylla is by far the most deadly and disturbing. Whereas the other women succeed only in enticing and delaying the crew, the encounter with Skylla has lethal consequences. Even though he decides to take the sea route that passes near her lair, it seeming to be the least dangerous of the three options, he wants nothing to do with the monster. Yet, instead of passing unscathed, six of his men are taken (XII, 294-7) as the boat sails through the channel. Homer uses an epic simile to help the reader visualize the macabre scene. He compares Skylla to a fisherman who "will hook a fish and rip it from the surface / to dangle wriggling through the air" (XII, 303-4). The crewmen are the fish, of course, and seem helpless as Skylla whisks them from the ship. Describing the attack, Odysseus says, "and deathly pity ran me through / at that sight--far the worst I ever suffered, / questing the passes of the strange sea" (308-10). It seems that he realizes that the losses were his responsibility and that he too could easily have been a victim of Skylla's wrath. Earlier in the story (Book V) we see that Calypso poses a similar, though not as deadly, threat to Odysseus's homecoming. Instead of literally grabbing for him as Skylla does, Kalypso tries to retain Odysseus by enticing him with the prospect of immortality and a life with a beautiful goddess. We are also told she has cast "spells" (198) on him to keep him docile and under her power. Kalypso says to Zeus, "I fed him, loved him, sang that he should not die / nor grow old, ever, in all the days to come" (142-4). Despite her efforts and hospitality, Odysseus still longs for home as he sits each day by the rocky shore "with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon of the sea" (165-6). He is quite happy when the day comes that he is set free by Zeus's will. Without Zeus's intervention, Odysseus would have been kept indefinitely. Book X, which contains the introduction of Kirke, provides another example of near fatal attraction. This time it is not a monstrous woman or an overly hospitable nymph that brings them near their downfall, but an immortal who entrances her visitors so that they forget their motives. Whether or not Kirke intended to eat Odysseus's men, as Skylla does, after she turned them to swine we do not know, though it is certainly a possibility. What is known is their flaw--they are men who fall prey to the desires of women. This fact is admitted twice by Odysseus in lines 440 and 503 and is the reason they end up "feasting long / on roasts and wine, until a year grew fat" (504-5). Only after Odysseus is reminded of his homeland does he go to Kirke and plead for their release, to which she agrees. A point to make is that in both cases, with Kalypso and Kirke, Odysseus plays the role of the mortal lover who has little resistance; and in all three cases, the females cause only pain or

Emperor Montezuma Before the Spanish Arrived

Emperor Montezuma Before the Spanish Arrived Emperor Montezuma Xocoyotzà ­n (other spellings include Motecuzoma and Moctezuma) is remembered by history as the indecisive leader of the Mexica Empire who let Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors into the magnificent city of Tenochtitlan virtually unopposed. Although it is true that Montezuma was unsure of how to deal with the Spaniards and that his indecision led in no small measure to the downfall of the Aztec Empire, this is only part of the story. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, Montezuma was a renowned war leader, skilled diplomat and an able leader of his people who oversaw the consolidation of the Mexica Empire. A Prince of the Mexica Montezuma was born in 1467, a prince of the royal family of the Mexica Empire. Not one hundred years before Montezumas birth, the Mexica had been an outsider tribe in the Valley of Mexico, vassals of the mighty Tepanecs. During the reign of Mexica leader Itzcotl, however, the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tacuba was formed and together they overthrew the Tepanecs. Successive emperors had expanded the empire, and by 1467 the Mexica were the unquestioned leaders of the Valley of Mexico and beyond. Montezuma was born for greatness: he was named after his grandfather Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, one of the greatest Tlatoanis or Emperors of the Mexica. Montezumas Father Axaycatl and his uncles Tà ­zoc and Ahuà ­tzotl had also been tlatoque (emperors). His name Montezuma meant he who makes himself angry, and Xocoyotzà ­n meant the younger to distinguish him from his grandfather. The Mexica Empire in 1502 In 1502, Montezumas uncle Ahuitzotl, who had served as emperor since 1486, died. He left an organized, massive Empire which stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and covered most of present-day Central Mexico. Ahuitzotl had roughly doubled the area controlled by the Aztecs, launching conquests to the north, northeast, west and south. The conquered tribes were made vassals of the mighty Mexica and forced to send quantities of food, goods, slaves and sacrifices to Tenochtitlan. Succession of Montezuma as Tlatoani The ruler of the Mexica was called the Tlatoani, which means speaker or he who commands. When it came time to select a new ruler, the Mexica did not automatically select the previous rulers eldest son like they did in Europe. When the old Tlatoani died, a council of elders of the royal family came together to select the next one. The candidates could include all male, high-born relatives of the previous Tlatoani, but since the elders were looking for a younger man with proven battlefield and diplomatic experience, in reality they were choosing from a limited pool of several candidates. As a young prince of the royal family, Montezuma had been trained for warfare, politics, religion and diplomacy from an early age. When his uncle died in 1502, Montezuma was thirty-five years old and had distinguished himself as a warrior, general and diplomat. He had also served as a high priest. He was active in the various conquests undertaken by his uncle Ahuitzotl. Montezuma was a strong candidate, but was by no means his uncles undlisputed successor. He was elected by the elders, however, and became Tlatoani in 1502. Coronation of Montezuma A Mexica coronation was a drawn-out, splendid affair. Montezuma first went into a spiritual retreat for a few days, fasting and praying. Once that was done, there was music, dancing, festivals, feasts and the arrival of visiting nobility from allied and vassal cities. On the day of the coronation, the lords of Tacuba and Tezcoco, the most important allies of the Mexica, crowned Montezuma, because only a reigning sovereign could crown another. Once he had been crowned, Montezuma had to be confirmed. The first major step was to carry out a military campaign for the purposes of acquiring sacrificial victims for the ceremonies. Montezuma chose to war against Nopallan and Icpatepec, vassals of the Mexica who were currently in rebellion. These were in the present-day Mexican State of Oaxaca. The campaigns went smoothly; many captives were brought back to Tenochtitlan and the two rebellious city-states began paying tribute to the Aztecs.   With the sacrifices ready, it was time to confirm Montezuma as tlatoani. Great lords came from all over the Empire once again, and at a great dance led by the rulers of Tezcoco and Tacuba, Montezuma appeared in a wreath of incense smoke. Now it was official: Montezuma was the ninth tlatoani of the mighty Mexica Empire. After this appearance, Montezuma formally handed out offices to his highest ranking officials. Finally, the captives taken in battle were sacrificed. As tlatoani, he was the maximum political, military and religious figure in the land: like a king, general and pope all rolled into one. Montezuma Tlatoani The new Tlatoani had a completely different style from his predecessor, his uncle Ahuitzotl. Montezuma was an elitist: he abolished the title of quauhpilli, which meant Eagle Lord and was awarded to soldiers of common birth who had shown great courage and aptitude in battle and warfare. Instead, he filled all military and civil positions with members of the noble class. He removed or killed many of Ahutzotls top officials. The policy of reserving important posts for the nobility strengthened the Mexica hold on allied states, however. The royal court at Tenochtitlan was home to many princes of allies, who were there as hostages against the good behavior of their city-states, but they were also educated and had many opportunities in the Aztec army. Montezuma allowed them to rise in military ranks, binding them - and their families - to the tlatoani. As tlatoani, Montezuma lived a luxurious life. He had one main wife named Teotlalco, a princess from Tula of Toltec descent, and several other wives, most of them princesses of important families of allied or subjugated city-states. He also had countless concubines and he had many children by these different women. He lived in his own palace in Tenochtitlan, where he ate off of plates reserved for only him, waited on by a legion of servant boys. He changed clothes frequently and never wore the same tunic twice. He enjoyed music and there were many musicians and their instruments at his palace. War and Conquest Under Montezuma During Montezuma Xocoyotzà ­ns reign, the Mexica were in a near-constant state of war. Like his predecessors, Montezuma was charged with preserving the lands he inherited and expanding the empire. Because he inherited a large empire, much of which had been added by his predecessor Ahuitzotl, Montezuma primarily concerned himself with maintaining the empire and defeating those isolated holdout states within the Aztec sphere of influence. In addition, Montezumas armies fought frequent Flower Wars against other city states: the main purpose of these wars was not subjugation and conquest, but rather a chance for both sides to take prisoners for sacrifice in a limited military engagement.   Montezuma enjoyed mostly successes in his wars of conquest. Much of the fiercest fighting took place to the south and east of Tenochtitlan, where the various city-states of the Huaxyacac resisted Aztec rule. Montezuma was eventually victorious in bringing the region to heel. Once the troublesome peoples of the Huaxyacac tribes had been subjugated, Montezuma turned his attention to the north, where warlike Chichimec tribes still ruled, defeating the cities of Mollanco and Tlachinolticpac. Meanwhile, the stubborn region of Tlaxcala remained defiant. It was a region made up of some 200 smallish city-states led by the Tlaxcalan people united in their hatred of the Aztecs, and none of Montezumas predecessors had been able to defeat it. Montezuma tried several times to defeat the Tlaxcalans, launching large campaigns in 1503 and again in 1515. Each attempt to subjugate the fierce Tlaxcalans ended in defeat for the Mexica. This failure to neutralize their traditional enemies would come back to haunt Montezuma: in 1519, Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors befriended the Tlaxcalans, who proved to be invaluable allies against the Mexica, their most hated foe. Montezuma in 1519 In 1519, when Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors invaded, Montezuma was at the height of his power. He ruled an empire which stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and could summon more than a million warriors. Although he was firm and decisive in dealing with his empire, he was weak when faced with the unknown invaders, which in part led to his downfall. Resources and Further Reading Berdan, Frances: Moctezuma II: la Expansion del Imperio Mexica. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana XVII - 98 (July-August 2009) 47-53.Hassig, Ross. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.Levy, Buddy. . New York: Bantam, 2008.Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo. Moctezuma II: la Gloria del Imperio. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana XVII - 98 (July-August 2009) 54-60.Smith, Michael. The Aztecs. 1988. Chichester: Wiley, Blackwell. Third Edition, 2012.Thomas, Hugh. . New York: Touchstone, 1993.Townsend, Richard F. The Aztecs. 1992, London: Thames and Hudson. Third Edition, 2009Vela, Enrique. Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, El que se muestra enojado, el joven. Arqueologia Mexicana Ed. Especial 40 (Oct 2011), 66-73.

Do Longer SAT Essays Really Score Higher

Do Longer SAT Essays Really Score Higher SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Rumor has it, the longer your SAT essay, the higher your score. Could this be true? Does essay length affect your score? Let's unpack this belief and talk about the best strategies for scoring high on the SAT essay. Rumor Has It... When Milo Beckman was 14 and attending Stuyvesant High School in New York City, he started to suspect that the key to a high score on the SAT essay was simply filling up all the lines. He himself had already taken the SAT twice, and he found that his longer essay got a higher score, even though he thought it was inferior and contained lots of inaccuracies. To investigate this, Milo asked students at his high school to report their scores and the number of lines they wrote on their essays. Out of 5 essays, he found that the longer ones almost always received higher scores. Milo concluded that the more you write, the better you score. Milo Beckman hasn't been the only person to come to this conclusion. Lee Perelman, former director of writing across curriculum at MIT, holds to his position that the more words you put on the page, the higher your score will be. He also has some other tips for guaranteeing a high score that we'll take a look at below. To read more about Milo and Lee's studies, check out this intriguing article. What does the College Board think? So what does College Board have to say about these claims? Unsurprisingly, they're not having it. According to College Board, length often correlates with quality, but it does not in and of itself predict a good score. Instead, longer essays often have well developed arguments supported by nuanced examples. Quality, not quantity, they insist, is what the SAT essay is all about. So what does College Board think it takes to score a 12? And what are our suggestions for tackling the SAT essay? Let's take a look at the best strategies, but first, a quick review of how the essay is scored. How Is the Essay Scored? The highest score you can achieve on the SAT essay is a 12. The lowest is 2 (or 0, I suppose, if you were to leave it completely blank!). Two graders will read your essay and score it from 1 to 6. If they have very different opinions on your score, then a third reader will be brought in to give her input. Then these scores are added together. College Board says that its graders base their scores on five main domains: The development of a point of view supported by appropriate examples and effective evidence. Organization, coherence, and logical progression of ideas. Skillful language with a varied vocabulary. Variety in sentence structure. Good grammar, syntax, and mechanics. An essay that achieves a 6 is strong in all these areas and almost free of errors. Lower grades are progressively weaker in their points of view, supporting evidence, organization, vocabulary, sentence variety, and grammatical accuracy. Do these criteria seem easier said than done? Here we detail 15 key tips you need to know to fulfill these expectations and score highly on the SAT essay. You'll notice that none of these criteria mentions essay length. According to College Board,an essay does not necessarily need to fill all the pages or be five paragraphs to be insightful, use skillful language, or develop a point of view. The testmakers also stress that students should read the entire assignment given to them, including the extra reading material, which is usually a quote. As you saw above, Milo Beckman and Lee Perelman think otherwise. So what do we think about all these tips and strategies - should your essay be as long as you can make it? Or do they? With these strategies, the SAT essay might start to feel very simple indeed! How to Score Highly On the Essay Write a Lot Milo and Lee have a point - generally speaking, longer essays do score better. However, length really doesn't guarantee a high score if you don't write skillfully, develop a point of view, and use 2 to 3 well thought-out, relevant, and persuasive examples. You want to use all the strategies listed in this article to guarantee a high score. These approaches, in turn, will help facilitate your writing a long essay that merits a high score. You may argue, "But what if I can achieve all those things in less sentences?" I would say, it's great that you can be so concise, but on the SAT, less is not more. More is more. Check out our best tips on How to Score a 12 on the SAT Essay here.I'll go over a few of these strategies below, with some links throughout for you to read more in-depth advice. Pick a Side Lee Perelman stresses that students should always pick a side when answering the prompt, and I tend to agree. This doesn't mean that nuanced, middle ground essays can't score well. However, it is much more challenging to argue well for both sides in such a short, pressure-packed time frame. Even if you don't have a strong, passionate feeling on the prompt you're given - make it slightly easier on yourself and choose one side. No one is going to hold you to this opinion in the future. It's more about showing you can develop and support a strong point of view through writing, rather than revealing how you personally feel aboutthis topic or that topic. The SAT uses 6 types of essay prompts again and again. Read about the 6 types here, along with examples!And for the complete list of SAT essay prompts, this article has everything you need to know. Use Tried and True Structure Again, you only have 25 minutes! Don't try to awe the graders with postmodern literary experimentation or a rap song. Stick to the 5 paragraph structure - introduction, three paragraphs with supporting examples, and conclusion. Your introduction should close with your thesis statement, and your conclusion should have a strong last line that sums everything up with a punch. You can see how using this structure relates to writing a long essay - a true five paragraph essay, with 5 to 7 sentences per paragraph, should just about fill up all the available pages you're allotted in your test booklet. For a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to write the SAT essay, examine this article here. Use Smooth Transitions and Varied Sentence Structure Both your individual sentences and general ideas should flow smoothly and logically. Transitions words like "furthermore, additionally, alternatively, similarly, therefore, because of this, for example," and many others, can help connect sentences, paragraphs, and concepts. On a similar note, you don't want every sentence to start with a simple 'subject-verb' construction: "I think, I said, I had," over and over again, for instance. Mixing up your sentence structure will help your essay read smoothly. This will probably happen naturally as you write, and you can improve by practicing and paying attention to sentence structure as you read books, news articles, and magazines in your day to day. These complex and varied sentence structures will also contribute to your writing a long SAT essay. Have Gos Your SAT essay will achieve the expected length if you are able to provide specific, thoughtful examples to support your point of view. But what if your mind goes blank during the actual test? To help avoid this worst-case scenario, you should show up with some go-to examples on hand. This article has some great examples of literary, historical, and current events examples that can be used to support a wide range of different arguments. Again, complex examples that you understand well will help you develop a full, long, five paragraph essay. As Milo Beckman and Lee Perelman suggested, you don't have to worry too much about accuracy, either! Pace Yourself You may be worrying that you can't fill up the essay pages in such a short amount of time. This is where practice and training is key. Your hand might ache and feel ready to fall off by the end of the 25 minute essay section, but you'll be able to finish the essay in time if you hit the ground running. How to structure your essay time: 3-4 minutes planning and structuring your essay 15-18 minutes drafting 2-3 minutes at the end to read over your essay and revise. As long as you do some serious prep, you can spend the majority of your time drafting,not staring at a blank page. This should be more than enough to achieve to create a nuanced, well developed, and long SAT essay. But seriously, are longer essays better? So Is a Longer Essay Better? For the most part, I would agree with Milo and Lee that longer essays do tend to garner higher scores on the SAT. However, they need to incorporate all those other elements, too - a well developed argument, detailed examples, skillful language, and logical organization. All of these elements help facilitate writing a longer essay, so they really go hand in hand. While you don't have a lot of time to produce this work, you can prep for it by using these tips and strategies and practicing leading up to the SAT. Writing is a skill like any other. It's not a fixed thing, like you're good at writing or you're not - instead, you can grow your skills and get better with practice. As you're prepping, maybe you can even ask a friend, family member, or teacher to "grade" your essay and give you feedback for improvement. After all your preparation and these strategies, you should be able to craft a clear, lengthy essay that scores highly on the SAT. What's Next? Are you deciding between the new SAT and the old SAT? Read about all the differences between the two tests here so you know what to expect. Is the essay on the new SAT any different from previous essays? We break down the new SAT essay here. Are you aiming for a perfect score? This 2400 scorer explains how you can achieve the highest score, too. Want to get serious about improving your SAT score? We have the leading online SAT prep program that will raise your score by 240+ points, guaranteed. Exclusive to our program, we have an expert SAT instructor grade each of your SAT essays and give you customized feedback on how to improve your score. This can mean an instant jump of 80 points on the Writing section alone. Check out our 5-day free trial and sign up for free: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Rebecca Safier About the Author Rebecca graduated with her Master's in Adolescent Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has years of teaching and college counseling experience and is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-being. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Forign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forign Policy - Essay Example In it, the study text will formulate the US foreign policy in the 21st century, which is a fast changing world. The US foreign policy is perceived of as highly liberalist, and this will be elaborated on, in addition to how the modern world makes it hard for the US to dominate the world, and why it is too late for it to withdraw from the system of world interaction. Finally, the study text will in it incorporate failures and milestones in the US foreign policies and from the emerging trend forecast the future of the US foreign policies. In Stepak & Whitlark (45-66) view, the role of the United States in the foreign policy context is fetched from the ancient eras of world politics, and particularly the days of Woodrow Wilson; that is in the period after World War II and the Cold War. Most foreign policy activists attest to it that following the events after the fall of the Soviet Union, especially those oriented to human rights, the order of world governance evolved, and America’s role in manning the system emerged, and with it expanded its obligations to the international community. Concisely, the norms of non-intervention and state sovereignty weakened with the virility of liberal interventionism, which was being largely campaigned for by the United Nations. By definition, liberal internationalism is the doctrine of foreign policy, which supports that liberal states have the mandate of intervening in other sovereign nationalities in pursuance of liberal objectives (Pugh 2). The liberal objectives in this case can refer to any form of freedom and equality. In the light of this, the liberal internationalism policy mode of intervention may be either military or humanitarian aid. This definition that would, however fit best at the onset of the twentieth century since in the contemporary definition as forced by issues, liberal internationalism is varying. According to Ikenberry (74-80), these changes can

Management Practices in Saudi Arabias Public Hospitals Dissertation

Management Practices in Saudi Arabias Public Hospitals - Dissertation Example The paper â€Å"Management Practices in Saudi Arabia’s Public Hospitals† examines the challenges relative to developing high quality health care in Saudi Arabia. It is known that the Saudi Arabian government has been giving high priority to health care in its developmental plans but despite the high spending, services in the sector are not up to the mark. It thus becomes imperative to examine managerial philosophies in the context of leadership styles, organizational culture and its relationship with quality management practices in public hospitals in the country. It is evident that quality management has not been adopted in the country’s public sector in the true spirit primarily because of the difficulties faced because of several factors relative to the country’s culture and barriers faced in implementing modern management practices. This research has focused on examining the hurdles and identifying the issues that prevent implementation of good managem ent practices. Given that quality is the focus of all organizations in a competitive environment, it becomes important for public hospitals in Saudi Arabia to make quality the highest priority in their functions. Although quality management connotes varied meanings for organizations, the healthcare sector needs to recognize that strict professional standards should be maintained by focusing on customer understanding and investments. Quality performance is known to strongly impact operational performance but the main issue is how to make the required achievements. The literature review has examined the viewpoints of several researchers that have considered how variables of quality management influence performance, such as external quality requirements, corporate support for quality, managerial knowledge, product complexity and organizational uncertainty. The size of the industry, country and processes undertaken by the organization are also determinants of quality management practice s. Whatever the circumstances that characterize the working of any organization, the support of the top management is essential to provide a meaningful direction to workers. Innovations are necessary in order to make improvements in services, procedures and products. In the context of public hospitals in Saudi Arabia, transformational leadership has been found to result in employee motivation and satisfaction. Using this style in healthcare helps in providing a clear concept about how quality services are to be provided in hospitals. Moreover, quality standards and other strategies help in improving the status and satisfaction of patients. Given that customer satisfaction is a measure of quality, evaluating and monitoring healthcare are important to achieve high standards in public hospitals. In the present context, socio economic progress in Saudi Arabia during the last thirty years can be seen in sectors such as transport, education and health. In view of the development in health services, longevity has increased in the country, while change in lifestyle has led to increase in chronic diseases. However, the Ministry of Health in the country is facing problems in making long term plans in health care because of the unavailability of reliable data relative to health facilities. But the health care sector in Saudi Arabia is being improved with the introduction of health insurance, paid medical services, privatization of medical services and decentralizing authority in hospitals. However, these measures are still in the infancy stage and healthcare continues to be free for all citizens as well as expatriates that work in the public sector. Free medical and rehabilitation services in hospitals, particularly in big cities, have

Music during WW2 and how it played a role Essay Example for Free

Music during WW2 and how it played a role Essay Music during World War 2 was made to help get people through depression and motivate the men and women fighting in Europe and Asia. Everyone was into patriotism at this time including the music they listened to. At this time music has expanded its demographic to younger audiences, before it popular music was mainly appealing for adults. It contained many uplifting styles of music such as swing, be-bop, and country. For example Frank Sinatra became very popular to the young teenage demographic. He was the first singing teen idol. He created more swinging music to help with the war with songs like The Birth of the Blues. Jo Stafford also became famous with her romantic World War 2 ballads. Most of her songs helped the troops overseas remember their wives and girlfriends back home. Other songs also helped like America Calling by Meredith Willson, which helped boost morale of the country and convinced men to enlist into the armed services. It reminds them about what this war is about and to support it. Angels of Mercy by Irving Berlin, which was created after the bombing of Pearl Harbor dedicating the American Red Cross nurses, portraying them as Angels of Mercy wounded victims overseas. Back Home For Keeps by Carmen Lombardo, which is about a wife waiting for her husband to return home. This song gave a good mood and also helped support the war. Cowards Over Pearl Harbor by Fred Rose, which gave great American Spirit by talking about how America will over Japan, the evil country. G. I. Blues by Floyd Tillman, which describes the view of an American Soldier at war. It describes them as being lazy and doing nothing, which makes him depressed and wanting to come home. His thinks that if they continue to have lazy soldiers, America will not be able to win. Hello Mom by Eddie Dunstedter, which was about more about the propaganda during the war and gave more morale. Plus, it also supported the war bonds. It helped the parents who had a son in the war make them feel better. Ma! I Miss You Apple Pie by a G.I. at a training camp, which summed up what America is fighting for. The Apple Pie symbolizes Americas Freedom and how a soldier misses his Apple Pie. Wonder When My Babys Coming Home by Kermit Goell and Arthur Kent, which is yet another  song about a wife or girlfriend waiting for her lover to come home, waiting in her house. Ive been Drafted Now Im Drafting You by Lyle Moraine Chuck Foster, which is about the pains about separation and a soldier convincing his girlfriend to be proud to so him in uniform. In conclusion, the music during World War 2 where mainly about the war, patriotism, propaganda, and much more with lyrics that helped Americans get through the war years.

My Teaching Philosophy :: Essays Papers

My Teaching Philosophy Why do you want to be a teacher?This is a question I am frequently asked by rich relatives considering my choice from a monetary perspective; by my grandparents who both taught in the Bronx for 30 years; and most frequently by myself.Why do I want to teach?Why have I decided on history and social studies? In all honesty there have been many different answers to that question and the answer has changed three times since the start of this paragraph.I suppose part of being young is inconsistency.I am no different.But understanding these differences and understanding people is the key.I think I have a gift to see inside people and to help them see inside themselves.Right now there are three main reasons why I have chosen teaching history to by my life long profession, or at least until I have a mid-life crisis.These reasons are as follows: passion, ability and, no matter how clichà ©, the desire to make a difference. Since I was a child I have always been fascinated with history.I could watch the History and Discovery channels for hours. I had read the complete works of Jane Austin by the end of middle school.I used to go to the local museum and wander around for hours.In the second grade we took a field trip to see the Bill of Rights, which was on tour for its 200th birthday.Honestly, I remember very little of the actual document itself, but I will never forget the feeling.I knew it was important, because my teacher told so, and I know the awe it inspired in people.I think that is where this passion began.I received the Civil War documentary by Ken Burns on my tenth birthday and went to the Tower of London on my thirteenth.What started as awe has become my passion. What will this passion mean to my students you may ask?My father is a Roman Catholic from the Netherlands.My mother is a Jewish girl from Brooklyn.They met in a sheep field in Israel.I am a child of divorce and have a crease in my nose.The point is that I have a story.This story is more important than I can say.To know my story is know where I come from.This story, the story of my students, history is my passion.We are living it and breathing it.We are history.In my classroom I want to teach my students to care about who they are and where they come from.

Cipd Developing Yourself as an Effective Hr Practitioner

Understanding customer needs As an HR practitioner it is important to indentify the needs of customers and prioritise the needs of each. Three examples of different customer and a need for each: 1. An employee enquiring about their holiday entitlement for the next holiday year 2. Payroll department require new employee details the day before the cut off period 3. Manager who requires the sickness absence report for an employee who has triggered a disciplinary hearing scheduled for the following week In order to be able to prioritise the needs of each customer it is suggested that urgency and importance be considered for each one.Reviewing the customer needs the order of priority would be task two, three and one. This order of priority has been selected because task two is required urgently and can be dealt with swiftly. Gathering the information for task three is important and can be time consuming so it is essential that this task is completed. Task three is not a high priority as i t is for the next holiday year and can be answered at a later stage. Effective communication â€Å"To be effective, communication needs to be clear, easily understood and concise.Information should be presented systematically on a regular basis and be as relevant, local and timely as possible. † Armstrong 2012 There are various channels of communication and the method needs to be considered to ensure it is appropriate for the recipient. Communication methods: Emails There are advantages to using emails; it is a convenient way to convey information to a wide audience. Information can be sent quickly and any time of the day. However the disadvantages are that it can be open for interpretation of information or tone.It is impersonal and there’s no guarantee that the recipient has read the email. Team briefings Team briefing can be an effective way of communicating information to a targeted audience. It can work well to provide key details that can be filtered from the top to the bottom. Though briefings can be time consuming and the target audience may become complainant. Information must be concise and enthusecatley presented for team briefings to be effective. Text Messages Recently a growing form of communication for organisations.It is time efficient way of sending information to a large number of reciepntants. It is cost effective and more likely to reach the receipatnt as they are likely to check their mobile telephone several times throughout the day. Unfortanaley text messages can be open for interpretation of tone or mood. It can also be inappropriate for some organistation communication. Effective Service Delivery Delivering service on time – it is vital for any organisation to ensure service is delivered on time.It is essential to keep a good relationship with your customers, provide the service that you have agreed and what is expected from a HR practitioner. Ensuring the needs are met will build trust from customers. Delivering s ervice to budget – to ensure service is delivered to budget it is a necessatity to manage time and work load. A balance of customer needs is required. Policies and procedures need to be followed to remain in budget. Dealing with difficult customers – a number of factors must be considered when dealing with difficult customers.The problem must be clarified; this will then allow the HR practitioner to identify solutions to solving the problem. Pros and cons need to be weighed for each option and the outcome implemented. Handling and resolving complaints – when handling and resolving complaints it is important to stay calm, communicate well and positively try to help the customer. Conclusion In conclusion an effective HR practitioner should ensure services are provided are timely and effectively. Consideration of customer’s needs, communication and service delivery are essential.

A universal language Essay

According to a biblical account found in the book of Genesis, people once spoke the same language. Then, because those people banded together to build a tower in Babylon that glorified their own achievements, rather than those of their deity, God punished them. He ensured that mankind spoke different languages so that they’d never be able to work together to dishonor God again. Was there once just a single language that all people could understand? Linguists don’t know; there’s just not enough information about the origins of language, and there are only theories about how our early ancestors formed their first words and sentences. Did early people imitate sounds they heard in the environment? Did they babble until certain sounds took on meaning? We’ll probably never know, though linguists still study babies’ brains to determine if language or grammar comes hardwired in our heads. One prominent theory about the development of the first languages rel ates to tools and resources. Teaching another person how to use tools requires a certain, agreed-upon vocabulary, as does the process of sharing  and protecting resources like food and shelter. Small groups of people living in close quarters would therefore need to develop a way to understand each other, so they came up with a vocabulary and syntax that meant something to them. A group of people across the world from them, though, would probably need an entirely different vocabulary of words, so the languages would have developed differently in isolation. Think of the oft-quoted (but erroneous) example that Eskimos have 100 different words for snow because they have so much of it. While that common statement is wrong, there are cultures that have far more words for rice and camels than, say, English does. So these small groups of people, living in isolation from one another, agreed on names for their tools and food, and they came up with ways to describe how resources would be divided. But when another group migrated into the area, or came with different resources to trade, the groups had to find a way to merge their different lexicons and communicate. Over time, that’s how languages have developed, and as some groups conquered others, that’s how some languages died out. Travel among groups who speak different languages has been difficult over history; now, we live in a world where we can board a plane in New York City and land in China hours later. In a global world, wouldn’t there be a benefit to speaking the same language? Some groups have advocated that a universal language be adopted, but it would be difficult to find any group willing to give up their own language if only because so much culture and history becomes embedded within it over time. After all, the English would no sooner give up the language of Shakespeare than the Spanish would forsake the tongue of Cervantes. Attempts to create a universal second language have failed as well, but even if we could agree on a common language, it’s unlikely it would resemble itself 100 years from now. After all, thanks to the Internet’s influence, language has become a mix of emoticons and abbreviations like LOL. Languages simply evolve too rapidly to ever speak just one.

Demand Forecasting Essays

Demand Forecasting Essays Demand Forecasting Essay Demand Forecasting Essay Order Management Systems 6. Demand Planning 7. Procurement Planning 8. Name of the software those are available in the market 1. Enterprises Resources Planning ( ERP) A. Total ERP B. Oracle Ill ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning software provides and cover variety of essential functions that Integrates every department of your business around the world by providing real-time view of your data and processes. ERP also streamline every department workflow for better decision making and growth. An ERP software package can help your business in many ways some of them are as follows: ERP helps in streamlining your Business Process and Workflow It helps you in better customer support and services You gain real time data from various departments allowing quick and powerful session making Reduce paper work, duplication of entries and Manual entries. To summarize ERP system helps in increasing your productivity level, profits and altogether growth of our organization. 2. Ware House Management systems. A. Fire WHAMS b. CEO RIFF WHAMS Warehouse Management Systems are primarily designed to combine the functioning of hardware, software, and peripheral devices. Implementation of a well designed competitive advantage through real time inventory management, reduced labor costs, superior customer service, increased inventory accuracy, better flexibility and expensiveness. Present day warehouse management systems are increasingly relying on a mix of new and old innovations to better integrate warehouse operations into the overall supply chain in a cost effective way. The must have features of a WHAMS that primarily contributes in developing a lean supply chain are: Business Intelligence Business Intelligence identifies, extracts, and analyzes the entire business data in real time and converts it into functional information. All these information are then displayed in customized dashboards to the decision makers thereby enabling greater usability of the supply chain and hence improved and efficient decision making capability. The major Business Intelligence functions for warehouses are: o Inventory Analysis o Track Inventory turnover o Space utilization Analysis o Barded tracking for Inventory and material o Perfect Order management Integrated EDI system EDI enables organizations exchange business oriented information such as purchase orders, invoices, sales orders, vendor bills, and inventory orders and list. It utilizes a mapping tool which transforms information into an internationally accepted standard format. The following are some benefits of EDI integration with WHAMS: o a. Less paper handling Real time information No mailing cost Faster exchange of data and relevant information No repetition of data Direct communication Transportation Scheduling Systems :- De- Facto Software Transports computerized scheduling and dispatch software provides the tools you need to optimize your routes. Key Functionality Includes: Live scheduling using calendar functions Ability to quickly book trips from pick up to drop off Automatic client look-up feature for repeat trips allowing for quick routing Google Maps automated distance ululations as your aide Assign runs based on drivers and vehicles 4. Manufacturing Execution Scheduling :- a. Fact MESS. B. SAP MESS c. Manufacturing execution system (MESS) software is used to manage and monitor work-in-process on the factory floor. Plant managers and production personnel use MESS software to support collaborative manufacturing strategies that are designed to integrate disparate data streams from a companys supply chain, factory floor, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Selecting manufacturing execution system (MESS) software requires a detailed analysis of capabilities and features. Some rodents provide operator instructions for each stage of production. Others provide finite scheduling, workflow management, resource planning, and quality analysis (CA) features. Most MESS software is designed to improve asset productivity, reduce order- to-ship times, and eliminate costly rework. Typically, industries that implement manufacturing execution system (MESS) software treat cycle-time, the total time to produce an order, as a key performance indicator (KIP). D. Machine monitoring sensors and shop floor data collection (SF) terminals transmit production data from the factory floor to manufacturing execution system (MESS) software. MESS software that includes supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) features can collect data from machine-mounted sensors. This information is then transmitted to a central computer for processing. In turn, software-based algorithms send real-time instructions to devices such as programmable logic controllers (PL). Some manufacturing execution system (MESS) software is designed for use with manual SF terminals. With these systems, users enter information such as Job numbers, labor codes, and production counts. E. Manufacturing execution system (MESS) software can be used to schedule tasks by facility, work center, machine, and/or employee skill set. Products that include capacity planning features allow schedulers to load Jobs against an organizations total production capacity. Advanced production scheduling (APS) offers finite scheduling options and a visual representation of projected workloads. Production requirements planning (PR) and material requirement planning (MR.) allows schedulers to define processes with multiple tasks. Manufacturing execution system (MESS) software that integrates PR and MR. with inventory management and procurement can generate a schedule which specifies when required materials should be ordered. 5. Customer Relationship Management:- a. Quality Integrity CRM b. Sotto CRM c. Age CRM Well-designed CRM includes the following characteristics: 1. Relationship management is a customer-oriented feature with service response based on customer input, one-to-one solutions to customers requirements, direct online communications with customer and customer service centers that help implement sales promotion analysis, automate tracking of a clients account history for repeated sales or future sales, and also coordinate sales, marketing, cal l centers, and retail outlets in order to realize the salesrooms automation. 3. Use of technology. This feature is about following the technology trend and skills of value delivering using technology to make up-to-the-second customer data available. It applies data warehouse technology in order to aggregate transaction information, to merge the information with CRM solutions, and to provide KIP (key performance indicators). 4. Opportunity management. This feature helps the company to manage unpredictable growth and demand and implement a good forecasting model to integrate sales history with sales projections. 5. Order Management Systems :- a. Order Motion b. Ability MOMS Order Management c. CSS Order Management Manage Your Customers Consolidate your multiple sales channels, along with your Customer, Order, Inventory, and Marketing information all within the MOMS Order Management Software Platform. Allow Customer Service Reps to have access to data at their fingertips for keeping in touch with their customers. Search, display, export, update, and reference all customer data within one user interface for Cars, sales, and marketing teams. Handle Your Orders View your transactions and order statuses live, online, 2417, while maintaining your customers order history for future up-selling and reporting. Place orders, process drop shipments, and amend existing orders from a single domain or from multiple domains and sales channels via our Order Management Software. Create purchase orders and process Vendor drop ship orders automatically via our Order Management Software. Monitor Your Inventory Predict estimated depletion dates and set automated reorder points, while keeping up -to-date on current stock levels and inventory in real time. Minimize stock on-hand and eliminate excess storage with the ability to calculate minimum order quantities and thresholds, based on previous order history and current inventory data. Increase Your Sales Configure Special Offers and E-mail Promotion by using history of sales reports. Create geographic promotions, based on product movement and popularity, down to the SKU level. Manage your Sales Reps, Affiliate Programs, and Referral Tracking, to see where your sales are coming from. Ship Your Products Generate labels, packing slips, and tracking numbers, while using multi-carrier shipment options to best suit your customers needs, all through our Order with RFC Guns, Picking, Packing and Order Processing, all with real-time inventory features. Manage auto shipments, drop shipments, and create backorder shipment options. Save Your Money Reduce shipping fees and significantly improve your shipping revenues, while keeping your customers happy. Use our Order Management Softwares automated shipment information to get a list of real-time rates that are instantly returned from major carriers. Access estimated arrival dates easily for both domestic and international shipm ents. Pass on margins or discounts based on total shipping cost or a flat rate to your end consumer. 6. Demand Planning :- a. Sotto Demand Planning Software b. Oracle Demand Planning software c. A Demand Planning Process describes the activities that are required to develop one agreed organizational plan to drive sales and operations planning and financial planning. The first stage of the process is for forecasts to be developed through statistical analysis and Judgments. The second stage is to have management and stakeholder overview of the forecasts to ensure ownership but also to override with strategic requirements, business policy and business knowledge. In large organizations, demand planning often involves overview or constraining at a central bevel, unconstrained forecasts that have been prepared at a local level. This may be to ensure fit with the overall marketing strategy of the business when supply is constrained. D. The forecasting process should be based on historical demand data, information from the market and should also account for impacts of strikes and promotions. Ideally history of sales should be demand history and not actual sales history. The reason is that sales history may reflect what the customer was forced to accept at the time due to shortcomings in customer service or business performance rather than hat they had preferred at the time. E. The management and stakeholder review is critical for obtaining ownership by sales management and is where ideally customer overview should also be obtained (collaborative forecasting). Overall, demand planning should be seen as a process using expert people supported by forecasting tools where appropriate, not the other way around. 7. Procurement Systems:- a. I sourcing Solution b. Procuring c. Oracle Ill d. Oracle Procurement software is business software that helps to automate the purchasing function of organizations. Activities including raising and approving purchase orders, electing and ordering the product or service, receiving and matching the invoice and department to see everything that is ordered, ensure that nothing can be ordered without correct approvals, and lets them get the best value by combining several orders for the same type of good or even getting suppliers to bid for the business. There are literally thousands of e-Procurement software providers. Procurement software comes in industry specific forms, such as Traced for global trade,for hospitality industry, Procuring for construction and software industries, or generically or all types of spend from software vendors like Dodo, GAP, Spend, b-pack, Arabia, SAP, Automation Centre, or Oracle. Buying organizations choice can be driven by the particular strengths offered by each individual system and the number of vendors available through them. A multinational or otherwise large organization will use a shared procurement system to take advantage of economies of scale to drive down the cost of purchases. While traditionally most e-procurement software systems have been designed for larger organizations, there are now also systems available for the SMB market, such as the Free-procurement Project by Spend. Whilst some services are available to purchase through automated systems, the key strength of these systems lies in the procurement of commodities that are much easier to standardize. . The key benefit for organizations using procurement software include ease of administration and potential long-term cost savings. Having a single interface for procurement related management information cuts down the time and effort required to monitor organizational spending. The use of such software also allows procurement managers to control the vendors used by the wider organization o all employees take advantage of negotiated rates and other terms of service. Common Features of Procurement Software Systems a. Requisitions Creation of a purchase order with line items to be fulfilled by a vendor. Automated Sending via Fax or Email b. Vendor Follow Up Automated, or reminders to follow up with Vendors to Confirm Purchase Orders. C . Receiving of Goods or Services Maintaining a physical inventory of goods. D. Financial Settlement Creation of financial and/or inventory related transactions as goods are physically received. Conclusion :- These are above described about Technologies those used in SCM process.

How The NACW Fought Sexism and Racism in Jim Crow Era

How The NACW Fought Sexism and Racism in Jim Crow Era The National Association of Colored Women was established in July of 1896  after Southern journalist, James Jacks referred to African American women as â€Å"prostitutes, thieves and liars.† African American writer and suffragette, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin believed that the best way to respond to racist and sexist attacks was through social-political activism. Arguing that developing positive images of African American womanhood was important to countering racist attacks, Ruffin said, Too long have we been silent under unjust and unholy charges; we cannot expect to have them removed until we disprove them through ourselves. With the help of other notable African American women, Ruffin initiated the merger of several African American women’s clubs including the National League of Colored Women and the National Federation of Afro-American Women to form the first African American national organization. The organizations name was changed in 1957 to the National Association of Colored Womens Clubs (NACWC). Notable Members Mary Church Terrell: first president of the NACWIda B. Wells-Barnett: publisher and journalistMary McLeod Bethune: educator, social leader and eighth president of NACWFrances Ellen Watkins Harper: feminist and poetMargaret Murray Washington: educator and served as the fifth president of the NACW Mission The NACW’s national motto, â€Å"Lifting as We Climb,† embodied the goals and initiatives established by the national organization and carried out by its local and regional chapters. On the organizations website, the NACW outlines nine objectives which included developing the economic, moral, religious and social welfare of women and children as well as enforcing the civil and political rights for all American citizens. Uplifting the Race and Providing Social Services One of the NACWs main focuses was developing resources that would help impoverished and disenfranchised African Americans. In 1902, the organizations first president, Mary Church Terrell, argued: Self-preservation demands that [black women] go among the lowly, illiterate, and even vicious, to whom they are bound to ties of race and sex...to reclaim them.   In Terrells first address as president of the NACW, she said, The work which we hope to accomplish can be done better, we believe, by the mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters of our race than by the fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. Terrell charged members with the task of developing employment training and fair wages for women while establishing kindergarten programs for young children and recreational programs for older children. Suffrage Through various national, regional and local initiatives, the NACW fought for the voting rights of all Americans. Women of the NACW supported womens right to vote through their work on the local and national level. When the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, the NACW supported the establishment of citizenship schools. Georgia Nugent, chair of the NACW Executive Committee, told members, the ballot without intelligence in back of it is a menace instead of a blessing and I like to believe that women are accepting their recently granted citizenship with a sense of reverent responsibility. Standing Up To Racial Injustice The NACW vehemently opposed segregation and supported anti-lynching legislation. Using its publication, National Notes, the organization was able to discuss its opposition to racism and discrimination in society with a wider audience. Regional and local chapters of NACW launched various fundraising efforts after the Red Summer of 1919. All chapters  participated in nonviolent protests and boycotts of segregated public facilities. Todays Initiatives Now referred to as the National Association of Colored Womens Clubs (NACWC), the organization boasts regional and local chapters in 36 states. Members of these chapters sponsor various programs including college scholarships, teenage pregnancy,  and AIDS prevention. In 2010, Ebony magazine named the NACWC as one of the top ten non-profit organizations in the United States.

Business Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Business Ethics - Assignment Example My spiritual well being can be defined from the knowledge that I hold and my conscience that helps me to distinguish between the right and the wrong. This has helped me to become a person of principles and sane mind and soul who can benefit other fellow human beings without any benefit or personal-interest. 2. Mental Well Being: How Would You Like To Be Described in this Role? My mental well being represents the strong connection between my heart, my soul and my mind. Without maintaining a sound balance between my mental well being and my spiritual well being, I am unable to benefit and impart my knowledge to other fellow human beings. I cannot think of benefitting the people around me without a healthy mindset and positive thinking approach. 3. Physical Well Being: How Would You Like To Be Described in this Role? My physical well being helps me to fulfill my various roles and responsibilities. The well being of my physical health enables me to take care of the people around me and to fulfill my responsibilities in a more defined and active manner. 4. Relationships/Family: How Would You Like To Be Described in this Role? I am the kind of a person who cherishes relationships in life. To me, my family members and my loved ones are the most important people in my life, regardless of anything. I do not evaluate or judge them on the basis of their character or qualities they possess; in simple words, my world revolves around my family. I am very protective and concerned about their well being.

A weapons and explosives (ammunition, TNT) burial ground was recently Essay

A weapons and explosives (ammunition, TNT) burial ground was recently unearthed and you have been called in as an expert in bior - Essay Example This would also prevent the unrestricted removal of the explosives and weapons. In addition, this would also prevent accidental release of TNT to water sources. A perimeter fence should be erected on the burial ground, and before the process of bioremediation commences, a mines expert should conduct a risk assessment of the area. This is to ensure that personnel are protected from the random detonation of explosives especially cluster bombs. Protection material should be issued to personnel as TNT is toxic and carcinogenic. The nitroaromatic compounds will be degraded at field scale by employing in situ bioremediation strategies. The microbial cultures for aerobic respiration will comprise of Pseudomonas spp. The rate of the bioremediation process will be increased via biostimulation and this entails the incorporation of nutrient media to boost process efficiency and activity of monooxygenase enzyme. These bacteria will utilize TNT as a nitrogen source by removing it in nitrite form from TNT under aerobic conditions. Further aerobic respiration will result in the reduction of nitrite to ammonium. However other by-products such as nitroso and hydroxylamine intermediates will be formed. After aerobic degradation, anaerobic degradation will follow using Clostridium spp . The Clostridium spp will fully degrade the toxic intermediates. The fermentable sugar that will be supplemented will be molasses and it will provide energy for the Clostridium spp to degrade the nitrate contaminants. After the bioremediation process, follow up tests should be conducted on the soil to check for the presence of nitroaromatic compounds. Routine monitoring should entail collection of soil samples to test nitroaromatic contaminants using high power liquid chromatography (HPLC). Question 2 The process of generating biofuels using algae is viable. Genetic modification can be incorporated to produce recombinant high oil yielding Spirulina alga strains. The alga strains will be cultivated in a pond using starter culture of superior genetically modified alga strains. The special ponds are open paddle wheel mixed ponds. These ponds are low cost and have a low parasitic energy demand (Lundquist, et al 3). The biomass will be harvested via bioflocculation followed by the process of sedimentation. The formed algae slurry will be thickened via gravity sedimentation. Drying of the biomass will be done using solar heat. A hexane extraction plant will be set up to extract oils from the dry algae biomass. The plant must have a large capacity that is approximately 4000 metric tons per day for favorable economies of scale. After extraction of oil from the alga biomass, the residual biomass is recycled back in the pond. It is re-wetted before the process of anaerobic digestion in order to yield biogas and flue gas. Biogas is used to generate electricity that is used in the pond. Flue gas is a source of carbon dioxide in the pond. Other digester residues comprise of carbon and nut rients and they are also recycled in the pond for alga propagation. The nutrients comprise of the much needed phosphorus and nitrogen that is essential for algal growth. Recycling of these crucial nutrients provides a major cost cutting measure. Question 3 The chapter, E.coli genesis from the book Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of

Print vs. Digital Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Print vs. Digital Media - Research Paper Example During that time, there were fewer publishing firms and most of the times, a lot of works ended up not being published. As a result they still remain unnoticed to this date. Through the ages, the significance of print media has slightly reduced; however, its importance still remains the same as back in the ancient times. The popularity of certain print journals and/ or books in the past such as the â€Å"Excursion to Scotland, 1832† clearly shows that despite digital media being the most preferred form of media in the 21st century, print media still has its sound roots in 21st century media culture. The journal was written in a bid to recount an excursion that started out in London to Scotland and back again in 1832. To date the author of the journal is anonymous probably because there was no proper channels of recording print information as well its storage. Despite that, this journal is currently preserved in the Internet archive as one of the most indulging novels of the 18 th century. Another form of ancient print media was the book â€Å"The Book Hunter in Paris† by Octave Uzanne. It was written just a year after the â€Å"Excursion to Scotland, 1832†. Due to its significance, the book is currently preserved as a digital copy to ensure that it will still be available in a number of years to come. The 20th century saw the optimal boom in the use of digital forms of mass media such as the Internet media as well as broadcast internet media. A good example of internet media is the use of online travel blogs which can be accessed by anybody anywhere in the world. Literature review According to Chitra and Neelamalar (2013), print media can be termed as the â€Å"mother† of communication due to the fact... This essay approves that the digital media with its immense advantages has overtaken the utilities of print media in this present day context. It has been viewed that in Europe, people reading newspaper is very less in comparison with the one using the internet. The digital media is more interactive and effective as compared to print media. If an example is to be taken into concern in this regard, then it can be stated that the promotional campaign of a certain product of a specific company carried with the assistance of digitalized media helps to communicate directly with the customers and solve their problems on spot. However, print media does not promote such facility. In a general sense, one of the differences between print media and digital media can be represented as that print media contains writing on the bound books paper and digital media comprise writing on computer screen. This report makes a conlusion that the above study was conducted with an intention to attain knowledge of print media and digital media in the context of mass communication. The print media is the foundation of printing technique in the world, which later developed to digitalized form. The digital media came into popularity when there was a greater need of printing in bulk quantities and within the stipulated time period. Both the forms of media have contributed a lot to mass communication. In this case, it can be affirmed that none of the aspects i.e. print media and digital media cannot be replaced as such books in the form of print media cannot be substituted by the television or neither the internet access as digital media can be replaced by reading newspaper.

Market Development Strategy Implementation For MS

Market Development Strategy Implementation For MS Marks Spencer is the UKs top retailer and is listed in the FTSE 100 of London Stock Exchange. The company has expanded its business in many different global markets. The organization has its products and services in the food, clothing, hosing, and financial service businesses. The assignment is based on the business strategies used by the firm to grow its business in the current global and domestic market. The assignment is based on how the author analyzes individual product line (Strategic Business Units) and their overall business by using business tools like Stakeholder Analysis, Porters 5 Forces Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, BCG Matrix and Ansoff Matrix. After collecting the necessary date from the respective business tools the date is processed and used to draw new Business Strategies for MSs businesses. Once the business strategies are drawn then the author can make plans on how to apply them in MSs businesses. The new business strategies will help MS to improve their busine ss processes and help them to expand their businesses in new markets. Marks Spencers has many strategic intends to achieve its Vision. They are the number one retailers in UK so the management has adopted new milestones on how to conduct business by causing less damage to the environment. They have started their project Plan A in which the firm will try to minimize the damage to the environment as less as possible by their business processes. One of the most important milestones is to maintain existing customers and gain new customers for their products, for which they have special offers and schemes in form of membership cards, free shipping charges in domestic market and discounts during special occasions for their loyal and new customers. They have started conducting their business online with help of new ICT systems which has helped them increase their sales and serve their customers more effectively and efficiently. They also have many quality controls and strategies to improve their business processes and maintain their position in domestic and international markets. Marks Spencer has six main objectives which are Profit Maximization, Increase Sales, Market Leadership, Offering High Quality Services, Growth and Reward Shareholders. Profit Maximization is the most important objective of MS. The management has made plans to maximize their profits by increasing their revenues from all different business ventures and by cutting their cost by avoiding wastage of resources (raw material, labor, etc). Marks Spencers profit in last two years was in 2009 it was 506.8 Â £m and in 2010 it was 523.0 Â £m. Increasing Sales is also one of the most important business objective of MS. In order to increase sales they have expanded their business ventures globally by entering new markets and by upgrading their products with quality controls and tests they are able to satisfy their existing customers and attract new customers for their different business ventures. MS is able to increase its turnover from 8,164.3 Â £m in the year 2009 to 8,567.9 Â £m in the ye ar 2010. Market Leadership is one of the business objectives of MS, MS is the largest retailer in UK and so one of its business objectives is to maintain market leadership by constant reviewing of their previous performance and of their competitors. They have drawn plans on how to become the leaders of international markets by diversifying and improving their products according to the taste of the local customers. MS has made constant efforts to compete with the local competitors in international markets and their international turnover has increased from 897.8 Â £m in the year 2009 to 968.7 Â £m in the year 2010. High Quality Services is one the business objectives of MS, they have always maintained a high standards in quality of goods and services which has kept them on top of the UK retailers for many decades. The management is making new plans on how to evaluate and improve their services and goods to maintain their high standards to which other companies can compare and impro ve their performances. Growth is one the important business objectives of MS as the management understands the importance of growth that is if the firm doesnt grow it will not survive in todays competitive markets. Marks Spencer has made maximum expansions from the year 2001 after a new board was setup. MS has expanded its business by giving franchise to local people in different countries and has successfully expanded its business in more than 35 countries globally. Reward Shareholders is also an important business objective since its a listed public company in London Stock Exchange. It is in FTSE 100 list and like all the other companies MS has declare dividends every year based on their profits in order to keep a healthy relationship with their shareholders. The shareholders are the backbone as they have invested huge amount of liquid wealth through IPOs in MS to allow the firm to carry out its business with calculated risks. The Threat of Entry is one of the key areas in which the firm requires unique strategies on how to stop the new firms from entering their market segment. The firm either has slash down their prices to an extend that new firms cannot enter their market or have such a strong brand value that the customers stay loyal to their products. MS is able to maintain its brand loyalty and maintain itself as UKs number one retailer giant. MS has planned a long term strategy for growth which hinders new firms to enter in its market segment. The firm is thus successfully in this area of business. The Power of Buyers is the area of business that deals with how the firm satisfies its customers with products which are of better quality and are at lower price range. The customers have the bargaining power as there are large retail giants like Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda (Wal-Mart), etc to cater their needs. The quality and price range of MSs goods and services is still better than the rest retail giants so they are able to keep customers loyal to their products. The Power of Suppliers is the area in which the firm deals with its suppliers for its raw material. MS has supplies only from local suppliers and since they are few in number MS has less negotiation power. The suppliers of MS enjoy the power of controlling price of the raw materials. This is one area where the firm can really improve its business process by shifting their manufacturing units to places where the number of suppliers is more and they can have a better chance of bargaining with their suppliers. The Threat of Substitute is area of business that deals in planning on how to avoid customers from switching into new products. MSs management and RD department are responsible in upgrading their products so that the customers remain satisfied and not switch over to an alternative product made by its rivals. The RD department is so efficient in its work that not only they are able to satisfy their existing customers but als o attract new customers to their product line. Competitive Rivalry is the area of business in which the firm keeps a close check on its rival firms and plans on how to compete with them in a competitive market in a profitable manner. MS is able to maintain high standards of goods and services which allowed them to stay as the largest retail giant till date in UK. MS has used the BCG matrix from time to time and have used the data wisely. The matrix has helped them to penetrate in new and old markets with various new products and services. The products of MS are able to capture huge markets in high growing industries. MS has a diverse range of products and services so they have allocated their resources in the star products. They have opened many new outlets in prime areas for retail and helped their question mark products in becoming star products. MS has expanded their business globally so their star products are able to capture new markets easily. MS management has minimized their dog SBUs and has diversified those funds towards star products. This has helped the firm to be at the top of the retailers in UK and a major competitor in other international markets. Currently MS has only cash cow and star SBUs in market. The cash cows are not giving much return due to the recession and slow growth of global market but the star products are doing exceptional well because of their high reputation. The BCG matrix helps the firm understand their products life cycle and allocation of resources in the SBUs. BCG matrix has been one of the most important business tool for MS in analyzing their performance from time to time http://www.scribd.com/doc/24329524/Introduction 3.2 Ansoff Matrix Igor Ansoff had invented the Ansoff Matrix in 1941 and was first published in 1957 in Harvard business review. The Ansoff Matrix is a strategic marketing tool that links a firms marketing strategy with its general strategy and outlines the options open to the firm if they wish to grow, improve profitability and revenue. These options indicate to how to manage the development of the product range. It mainly presents four alternative growth strategies in a table (matrix) which are market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. Market Penetration is a growth strategy for existing products in existing market. The company tries to increase its market share by increasing the sale of its existing product in its current market by using new marketing strategies. Market Development is a growth strategy for developing new markets for existing products. The main objective is to find new markets domestic or international for the firms existing product. Product Development is a growth strategy for new product in existing markets. The firm has to develop new products and launch them in their current market to capture market share. Diversification is a growth strategy for new products for new markets. The firm has to launch new products for new markets in order to expand their business in different markets. This is one of the most important growth strategy as the company has to study the taste of new customers and design their products in order to capture market share of a new market. Marks Spencer uses Ansoff Matrix to analyze their overall business portfolio. Since MS is one of the largest retailers in global market they use all the four growth strategies of Ansoff Matrix in their business. Market Penetration is used by MS to attract customers and make them loyal to their brand by offering good quality and services. They have special offers and customer loyalty programs during special occasion which helps them to attract new customers. The firm has opened many outlets in their captured markets in order to increase sales of their existing products. Product Development is one of the main growth strategies used by MS, the firm develops it new products according to the change in fashion. This has helped the firm to grow rapidly over the years. Market Development is also a growth strategy practiced by MS as they are expanding their business globally. The firm has opened many new outlets in many other countries over the world. Their products have such high demand tha t they are able to expand their business in many countries. MS is a cash rich company therefore it can easily capture new emerging markets by opening new outlets at prime areas in different counties. Diversification as a growth strategy is also used by MS as they develop new products for new customers to cater their needs. The RD department of MS is highly efficient in developing new products for new targeted markets of the firm. MS when enters new market they modify or make their products according to the taste of their new customers. MS uses both Ansoff BCG Matrix to analyze their business processes and to draw up business strategies for growth in existing and new markets. The analyzed data is used effectively by the management and MS is growing its business over the years successfully. Develop evaluate possible alternative strategies for the organisation you have chosen. 4. Alternative Strategies Growth Growth strategies are adopted by companies when they try to win large market share, even at the expense of short-term earnings. The growth strategies can be classified into four types and they are market penetration, product development, diversification and market development. Marks Spencer also has to use alternative strategies to grow their business in this competitive world market. The management has to use all of their resources to plan new strategies on how to utilize their current products, current markets, new products and new markets, in order to ensure there is maximum business growth. 4.1 Alternative Strategies used by Marks Spencer Marks Spencer uses a mixture of many strategies to draw up plans for growth. MS having a diverse business can use many strategies to expand their business in domestic and in international markets. The strategies used are market development strategies, market penetration strategies, product development strategies, and diversification strategies. 4.1.1 Market Development Strategies Marks Spencers management can grow their business by using market development strategies in which they can expand their business in new countries. The products of MS are of high quality therefore their reputation can help the firm easily grow into new markets. The brand value of MS can even help the firm to venture into new market segment and attract new customers as the products are of good quality and are placed at competitive prices. The food, clothing and house ware businesses of MS can use this strategy to grow and reap huge benefits for the company. 4.1.2 Product Development Strategies MS uses Product Development Strategy for its house ware, food and clothing business. In food business MS has changed the packaging to cater the needs of customers who buy in bulk and in small quantity. In clothing line they introduce a new collection according to the change in fashion to attract customers to their clothing business. House ware being the largest business the firm is launching new products frequently to remain at the top of other retailer in UK. 4.1.3 Market Penetration Strategies MS uses Market Penetration strategies for all of existing businesses. This strategy has helped MS to remain at the top of all the retailers in UK. The clothing and food business use strategies like customer loyalty and value improvement strategies whereas the hose ware and financial service businesses use market share growth strategies to grow business. 4.1.4 Unrelated Related Diversification Strategies Relative diversification is the development of a new product line for the new market. Related diversification is of two types horizontal and vertical. Horizontal diversification is development of a product which is an alternative to your current product and Vertical diversification is when the company becomes its own supplier or distributor. Unrelated diversification is the development of a new product which has no relation to the market or the industry in which the firm conducts its current business. MS uses relative diversification strategies for its food and clothing business. For both businesses it uses horizontal diversification strategy by which it develops new food and clothing products as per the change in taste and trend of the people. Recently MS has started its business in Financial Service area this is a complete new business therefore the growth of these services are planned by unrelated diversification strategies. Therefore the firm has used many strategies to diversify and expand its business in order to sustain in the competitive market. The selection of strategies by the management has helped the firm to reap exceptional benefits and has helped the firm to maintain its position at the top of all the retailer giants in UK. The strategies used in global markets have also been successful and the growth rate of the firm is tremendous in foreign markets. The products and services are of high net worth therefore the firm can easily use the planned strategies to grow their business in local and international markets. Outline an implementation plan for the chosen strategies in question 4. 5. Growth Strategies Implementation for Marks Spencer Many of the plans for the strategic growth discussed before are already implemented by the firm. New plan for expansion in new markets (market development) is to be drawn and implemented to ensure strategic growth for clothing business. 5.1 Market Development Strategy Implementation for MS MS has to develop and implement strategic plans for capturing markets in different countries. MS has already expanded its business in many countries and their products are capturing huge market shares. Seeing tremendous international growth MS should capture new markets as their products are of good quality. The new markets will help the clothes business grow internationally and MS brand image will further appreciate. The steps for planning market development strategies are planning, organization structure, human resources, annual business plan, monitoring and control and linkage. Planning is the first step for developing a market developing strategies. The firm has to first decide which new market they should capture and what product line they should launch for their new market segment. A detailed research on the taste of their new customers needs to be conducted and then accordingly the firm needs to launch their existing or new product line. Organizational Structure needs to be decided by the firm before they layout their business foundation in the new market. Usually the firm gives franchise to the local people to open new store in new countries, this step helps in minimizing risk and the management is in the hands of the franchise holder. The firm still has control over the layout of the store and pricing of the products. Human Resources of every new store is taken care by the franchise holder but MS organizes workshops to train and help the workers to develop new skills. This helps MS to have employees which can cater the need of their customers effectiv ely. Annual Business Plan helps the firm to estimate or forecast their sales in the new market. The firm and the franchise holder have to allocate resources according to the annual business plan in order to ensure business growth. Monitoring Control is a crucial step in making the new business successful. MS has to monitor how the employees are trained to serve their new customers. The firm has to check if the products are properly displayed in their new stores. They have to carry out regular surveys to check the preference of the people and develop new products based on the analysis of the data collected. The firm has to give franchise to the people who will conduct business ethical or else their brand value will decline in that market segment. Linkage is when the firm keeps a close check on all the activities and makes sure that all the processes are conducted in the decided sequence regularly to ensure business growth. Linkage MS can use this growth strategy to develop a new market and by implementing this strategy it can grow its business in many part of the world. One of the business objective of MS is to grow therefore growing in international market is really profitable as MS has made constant efforts to compete with the local competitors in international markets and their international turnover has increased from 897.8 Â £m in the year 2009 to 968.7 Â £m in the year 2010. The international market of MS has shown a tremendous growth and so MS should make full use of this plan and grow its business in new markets. This plan also gives the firm the advantage of developing new products for their new market segments. The brand image has helped the firm to grow in many new markets therefore MS should utilize this growth strategy to develop new markets. Conclusion Quinn (1980, pg. 3) defines Business Strategy as the pattern that integrates an organizations major goal, policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole. A well formulated strategy helps to marshal and allocate an organizations resources into unique and viable posture based on its relative internal competencies and shortcomings, anticipated changes in the environment and contingent moves by intelligent opponents. The author has used many business measuring tools (BCG Matrix, Ansoff Matrix, Porters 5 Forces Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, Stake holder analysis, etc) appropriately to collect relevant data on each of the SBUs and on overall business. The data was processed and used to form new alternative growth strategies for MS. The growth strategy if used by the firm can help them expand their business and also to develop new product lines for new markets. Therefore the business strategies suggested by the author in the assignment are relevant for the firm if they want to grow their business in current global market and retain their position at the top of UKs retailer list. Reference List Books Referred Mooij, M, 2009. Global Marketing and Advertising, 3rd Edition. SAGE John, R, Gillies, G, 1996. Global Business Strategy. Cengage Learning EMEA. Johnson, 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy. Pearson Education India. Johnson, G, Scholes, K, Whittington, R, 2006. Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th Edition. Financial Times. Websites Referred History Introduction of MS taken (online), Available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/aboutus/company_overview (Accessed 15th April, 2011) Mission Vision taken (online), Available at: http://www2.marksandspencer.com/thecompany/our_stores/world.shtml (Accessed 15th April, 2011) Definition of Strategic Intent taken (online), Available at: http://dilipnaidu.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/strategic-intent/ (Accessed 15th April, 2011) Objectives of MS taken (online), Available at: http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/a-case-study-on-marks-and-spencer/2/ (Accessed 15th April, 2011) MS 5 Years Records taken (online), Available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/investors/fin_highlights/five_year_record (Accessed 16th April, 2011) Stakeholder Analysis taken (online), Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/stakeholder.html (Accessed 16th April, 2011) Porters 5 Forces Analysis (online), Available at: http://www.1stessays.com/samples/businessanalysis.pdf (Accessed 16th April, 2011) BCGs Matrix taken (online), Available at: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/bcg-matrix.htm http://www.scribd.com/doc/24329524/Introduction (Accessed 17th April, 2011) Ansoff Matrix taken (online), Available at: http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/ansoff_matrix-2.pdf http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/Ansoff-matrix.html (Accessed 17th April, 2011) Alternative Growth Strategies taken (online), Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/growth-strategy.html http://paulcurtis.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/growthstrategymatrix.jpg?w=500h=446 (Accessed 17th April, 2011)