Thursday, October 31, 2019

Comparative on Rock & Roll vs Rap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative on Rock & Roll vs Rap - Essay Example Rap culture involved not only low-class adolescents, but a lot of teenagers from middle-class families Both trends had been popular among young people, but constantly rejected by their parents as "bad" taste music. Rock & Roll and rap are considered as a cultural phenomenon and social change agents bringing novelty and a new vision of cultural norms. Both of them created social movements changing the attitudes of all involved: fans, musicians, managers, record companies executives, critics and magazine editors included. Rock & Roll and rap affected all aspects of culture in a positive and negative way. How people dress, what music they listen to, and what they choose for entertainment. The difference is that rap fans were more aggressive towards others. This was caused by social and cultural context rap emerged. The policy of aggressiveness was important because rap was one of many other styles and had to compete with hip-hop, rock, etc. It encouraged lust, sex, suicide, rebellion against authority, etc.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Accounting - Essay Example PART C: On The basis of your work in Part B, prepare an income statement, a statement of owner’s equity and a balance sheet for the Aimless Company for the accounting period in question in the space provided. PART A: Shown are the first three numerical columns of the worksheet for Rahman Company, a corporation, for the year ending December 31, 2001. Fill in the blank spaces in these three columns, where appropriate. (Hint: Look for both sides of the entry for adjustments and extend account balances.) PART B: Shown next are the last two columns of the worksheet for Rahman Company for the period ending December 31, 2001. On the basis of the earlier three columns that you have completed, fill in these two columns of the worksheet, checking to see if the totals balance. PART C: On the basis of your work in PART B, prepare an income statement, a statement of retained earnings and a balance sheet for Rahman Company for the accounting period in question in the space

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Equity in Oral Health Care

Equity in Oral Health Care Health equity is based mainly on logic and moral values. It is defined as differences in health that are unnecessary, avoidable, unfair and unjust The Baylor Health Care System has highlighted six aims with the acronym STEEEP to increase the quality of health care delivered. These are Safety, Timeliness, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Equity and Patient-centeredness. Of these, equity is one aspect which has received less priority(1). Health equity should not be mistaken with health inequality though both words have sometimes been used interchangeably. Inequality can be expressed in quantitative terms while equity is explained in terms of moral values and is more of an ethical principle because every individual has the right to health. A more operational definition of health equity is the absence of systematic disparities in health (or its social determinants) between more and less advantaged social groups. Why oral health demands equity Oral health enables a person to perform some basic functions like eating, speaking and socializing. It is widely known that mouth is regarded as the mirror of the human body because oral health is so closely relate to systemic health. Poor oral health and presence of oral diseases indirectly affects quality of life due to the pain experienced and the inability to perform day-to-day activities. It also leads to loss of man hours thereby leading to a decrease in earning and productivity. But it is still unknown to large segments of the population that oral diseases are to a great extent preventable and can be adequately treated if diagnosed early and thus oral health inequity is largely avoidable. Equity in health care depends mainly on the health care system existing in the country. Before we go into oral health â€Å"inequity† in India, let’s first consider oral health care infrastructure in India. Oral health care in India is delivered by the following methods Government organizations Government Dental Colleges Government Medical Colleges and Dental Wing District Hospitals with Dental Unit Community Health Centers Primary Health Centers. Non.governmental organizations Private Dental Colleges Private Medical Colleges with Dental Wing Corporate Hospitals with Dental Units. Private practitioners Private dental practitioners Private dental hospitals Private medical hospitals with dental units. Indigenous systems Ayurveda Siddha Unani Homeopathy(2) To elaborate, oral health care delivery in India starts at the grass root levels with community health workers and anganwadi workers who are trained in providing basic oral health awareness to the people of rural areas. Then, there is the sub-centres in rural areas which is equipped with a rural health care practitioner, midwifes and health workers. Next in line comes the Primary Health Centres (PHC) which has a dentist among other health care professionals. The next referral unit is the Community Health Centers (CHC) which is also equipped with a dentist. The higher center is Sub-district hospitals or taluk hospitals which are supposed to have specialist dentists also. This is followed by oral care given in district hospitals and dental colleges. This is the hierarchy seen in public health sector. In India, oral care is majorly delivered by private sector institutions which include solo/individual clinics, group practice, corporate/chain of dental clinic and private dental colleges. Reports say that more than 90% of oral care is delivered by this sector. Dentistry is also practiced in indigenous systems of medicines like Ayurveda, homeopathy, unani and siddha. To give a full picture of the oral care delivery systems in India, the mention of dental treatments given by unregistered dentists, quacks and street dentists also need to be done. Though no data is available, there is still a large number of people seeking oral care from these setups. In order to achieve equity in any type of health and health care, researchers have identified three major principles. They are: Equal access to health care for those who have equal needs Equal utilization of health care for those who have equal needs And, equal (or rather equitable) health outcomes (3) From the oral health point of view, let us examine these principles related to the Indian context. Equal access to health care for those who have equal needs Dental diseases are a significant burden in India with dental caries affecting 60-65% and periodontal disease affecting around 50-90% of the general population depending on age(4). Due to the high prevalence of these two conditions, the World Health Organization has considered them as global burdens. So the need for dental care is obvious. Access to health care is one of the primary requisites to achieve equity in health. Based on this principle, let’s examine the scenario in India. India has about 290 dental colleges with around 24,000 graduates passing out every year. According to the Dental Council of India, the number of dentists registered with the central/state dental council until the year 2012 stood at 120897. The number of dental surgeons serving in the government health centres in the year 2013 was about 5278 who covered an average population of 231827 persons per dental surgeon(5). Even with so many graduates coming out every year, basic oral care facilities are sti ll not available to a large section of the Indian population especially in the rural areas. This shows the wide disparity in delivery of oral health. Though India has substantially increased the health care facilities through various five-year plans, it is still inadequate considering the growth of private sector in health care. From a meager 8% in 1949, the private sector now contributes to 93% of hospitals and 85% of doctors in the country(6). Though this data shows an increase in health care availability in India, the question that remains to be answered is whether this mushrooming of private sectors addressed the health inequity issues. It is obvious that private health care facilities are concentrated mainly in urban areas catering to the needs of people enjoying a high socio-economic status. As a result of this, cost of health care has also gone up making it virtually impossible for people belonging low socio-economic status to afford health care. This is what we call the urban-rural divide. The same scenario exists for dental care which is generally perceived as ‘expensive’ by the common man. The exponential gr owth of private dental institutions in the country was seen as a boon which could ensure availability of basic dental care to all sections of the society. But sadly, present statistics don’t reflect the same view. It is seen that almost 62% of dental surgeons are registered and serving with dental councils of the high Human Resource for Health (HRH) production states (viz. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Puducherry). Moreover, these states also have shown a profound increase in private dental colleges which are situated in and around urban and semi-urban areas. The dentist population ratio is the yard stick used to measure the availability of dental care to the people. The World Health Organization recommends a dentist population ratio of about 1:7500. In the present scenario in India, this ratio stands at 1:12,500(7). Though this information points towards a need for increase in dentist, a closer look at the reality brings out a different story. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the distribution of dentists is typically skewed which in effect brings this ratio to 1:9000 in urban areas and an alarming 1:2,00,000 in rural areas(8). This roughly states that around 80% of the dentists work in urban areas while 70% of India’s population live in rural areas(9). Reading further into these statistics we can make out that this ratio also doesn’t provide the actual picture. This ratio is calculated based on the number of dentists registered in the respective state councils which is actually a cumulative data. There could be severa l retired or expired dentists and non-practicing dentists, if excluded, could still worsen the situation. This by far, is the most important aspect of the inequity in oral health care the country faces. Equal utilization of health care for those who have equal needs Utilization of health care is a complex phenomenon and multifaceted human behavior. The determinants of oral health care can be classified as predisposing (socio-demographic factors like age, sex, occupation, and social network), enabling (transportation, income, and information), and need (perceived health or professionally assessed illness) factors(10). Though by service approach (camps and outreach programs), oral health care is provided to the people, the effective utilization of the same remains a question. The social component of oral diseases has been a major factor in this regard. If we have a comprehensive look at the admission rates at various levels of oral health care establishments, the above said factors like socio-demographic variables, access and most importantly the perceived need for oral care play a pivotal role. Let’s begin by looking at the various types of treatments provided by the oral health care establishments in the country. The posting of a dentist only begins from the level of Community Health Center. The sub-centers and Primary Health Centers who cater to about 3000 – 5000 and 20,000 – 50,000 of the population do not have a government appointed dentist in their ranks. Though some private educational institutions have adopted some PHC’s as a part of their community outreach programs, the coverage is still very deficient. A study conducted in Mangalore, Karnataka supports this fact where only 4 out of 21 PHC’s (19%) offered dental services and were managed by private dentists from nearby dental colleges(11). In a developing country like India where dental diseases are more prevalent in rural areas than the urban setting, the unavailability of dental care in sub-centers and PHC’s is in itself the biggest drawback in health care system of India . Without availability, the question of utilization does not arise or is insignificant. The 2012 Guidelines for Community Health Centers provided by the Government of India necessitates that each CHC be equipped with one dentist and a dental auxiliary(12). Sadly, even this basic requirement remains unfulfilled in most states across India. Thus, a population of 80,000 to 1,20,000 which a CHC is supposed to cover lack in oral care. Moreover, the sanctioned dentist in a CHC is with a qualification of a bachelor’s degree (BDS) thereby also causing a deficiency in specialist care. Though it is mentioned in the guidelines that treatments offered in CHC’s range from normal fillings, extractions, emergency care and root canal treatments; the absence of dental chair making it impossible to do treatments other than extractions and simple fillings. It can thus be deduced that very minimal treatment if at all; or only primary level of oral care can be provided by these centers. The situation looks slightly better in the secondary referral center which is the taluk and district hospitals. The Government of India prescribed guidelines state that dental services that can be availed form a district hospital include fillings, extractions, scaling and periodontal therapy, minor surgeries like impaction, orthodontic treatment, prosthetic rehabilitations and treatment of neoplasm(13). But the availability of these services only from the level of district hospital and above brings to the forefront one of the most important barrier in the utilization of health care; access. A study conducted in Virajpet, concluded that transport to the dentist was difficult which was regarded as a major barrier in the utilization of dental care. Secondary and tertiary level dental care available in the government set up is from dental colleges established by the Government. These colleges are markedly low in number (two colleges on an average in per state) compared to private institutions which makes it very difficult for people of low socio-economic class to avail specialist care. The makes people approach private dental care establishments like clinics, corporate/chain of clinics and private dental colleges for treatment. The fact that needs to be emphasized here that though all levels of dental care is available in these institutions, the affordability of this care stands a barrier for utilization of these services since they depend on out-of-pocket payment. The class of people utilizing this facility to get dental treatment thus gets restricted to people living with a high socio-economic status. Utilization of dental care does not end with the presence/absence of dental care facilities alone. As mentioned earlier, dental diseases have a social angle to it. One of the reasons for not utilizing dental care is the priority oral care has in people’s lives. Several studies have reported that people considered dental care was not important (2)(14). Parental ignorance about the importance of oral health leads to the presence of oral diseases like dental caries in a vast majority of children. Other studies have revealed that level of education and financial status also affect utilization of dental services. Lack of time, unpleasant experiences with the dentist, fear/anxiety of dental procedures are some of the other reasons behind people not utilizing dental care (virajpet reference). Equal/equitable health outcomes

Friday, October 25, 2019

A Need For Education :: essays research papers

The Once And Future King by T.H White is a four part book of magic, love, death, war and medieval tales. The book tells the tale of how the Wart (Arthur) becomes king and how he goes about life. The need for education is very important; the lessons Arthur learns and his application of them later in life demonstrates this importance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lessons Arthur learns as a child is taught to him by various animals. On the signs over each ant tunnel was a notice which read,† Everything Not Forbidden Is Compulsory† (122). In the life of a worker ant there is no free thought allowed. The worker ants also have no free will; they do only what they are told to do and nothing else. Another good example is the view of Lyo-lyok the goose; â€Å"There are no boundaries among the geese† (170). Lessons learned from the geese are those that teach leaders take charge when a leader is needed. The geese also teach Arthur why war is unnecessary. In those lessons Arthur learns that Communism is oppression, is war, and Lyo-lyok teaches that war is not the only thing one should depend on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later in Arthur’s life, he uses his education to form ideas of using might for right. For example, Arthur rhetorically inquires, â€Å"Why can’t you harness might so that it works for right† (248)? Asserting his idea Arthur decides to fight the battle at Bedegraine in hopes of stopping people from thinking of war as he once did. With that idea in mind Arthur wishes to use might to show people what is right. Arthur then decides to enforce his idea of might for right by creating a league of knights (The Knights Of The Round Table); this idea leads to a genius proposal in when he states, â€Å"Then we can have a circular table† (265). Arthur’s round table idea prevents jealousy and competition among the knights.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Room with a View and a Room of One’s Own: Similarities in Anti-Victorian Themes

In reading â€Å"A Room with a View† and â€Å"A Room of One’s Own† I find that the two novels show similarities in their anti-Victorian themes. The conformity of the Victorian era is a concept of the past in these novels; both plots showcase a woman’s growth mentally and emotionally. In Victorian times women thinking freely or having goals was frowned upon, making any form of female growth go completely against the brain. Feminist themes and ideas are brought up throughout the text.The main characters of the two novels depict the early signs of the â€Å"new woman.† In â€Å"A Room with a View† Lucy goes through a maturation process where she finds her passionate qualities that have been repressed her whole life. â€Å"The following morning she realizes that: â€Å"It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room†¦ with a painted ceiling whereon pink griffins and blue amorini sport in a forest of yellow violins and bassoons.† Lucy’s poetic voice shows the reader that she is in tune with nature. George opens her mind to the concept of art for art sake, by teaching her to just appreciate the everyday nuances of life. The text shows Lucy’s journey from being raised to conform to becoming a free spirit ready to take on life and nature with a new zest.â€Å"A Room of One’s Own† shows the growth of a woman by depicting her climb from social futility. There is a theme of discrimination, through the denial of wealth to women throughout the book. When the narrator goes to the college dinner she notes that â€Å"the women eat a very plain and dull dinner while the men are served a rich and sumptuous lunch.† Women were treated like second-class citizens; this leads her to â€Å"scorn the poverty of her sex.†Her mentality is soon changed upon receiving her inheritance. Instead of living a life where only a few odd jobs were available to women or being a housewife, she is free to pursue the life she wants. This separates her from most women who at that time, were busy with either a low paying job or a family. She now has time to think. â€Å"One cannot think well or dine well without money.† Her view on life completely changes â€Å" I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me.† She has achieved independence not common to women of the time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Application of Leadership Skills

Application of Leadership Concepts When faced with challenge of conflicting timing, my team tried to use the negotiation process to negotiate with our client. We offered incentives like planning activities to entertainment them between their clients dismissal time and the time the youths could come and we focus on meeting their needs which was the lack of transport, by offering to finding alternative transport. My team and I displayed two out of five personalities in the big 5 model during our crisis.They were currency and openness to experience. After our client pulled out, we had high-energy level and determination in finding another organization to work with us. For example, we sourced and called many other organizations. In addition, we were also flexible and intelligent in tweaking our original project and coming up with alternative ideas to solve the problems we were facing. For example changing a day event to a night event because the youths were only able to execute the proje ct in the evening.When coming up with alternative solutions and back-up plans, my team adopted the assuage-receiving process in which we listened to everybody suggestions, analyses them critically and shared honest feedback on the feasibility of each other's ideas. This proved that the team did not group think. Throughout the process, we bared in mind the need to be open to feedbacks and criticisms, which allowed us to be more effective. Although there were functional conflicts during the process, the leader and the rest of the members would act as the mediator where collaboration instead of avoiding, competition and accommodating is encouraged.We are a self-managed team. This is evident when we share and rotate leadership responsibilities in the different areas. For example, some people was in charged of communications with external organization, while others where in charged of administrative matter. My team was generally effective as a group in solving the problem that we faced. There was no social loafing as everyone stepped up and undertook responsibilities when needed to.Members took the initiative to take lead in different areas, which meant that there has to be strong team cohesion and high task interdependence, because each member was responsible of each area they handled and has to be relied upon by other members for overall input. The team also displayed positive interpersonal relationship through support, collaboration, trust, open and honest communication between team members during critics, feedbacks and difficult times. There was an overall Job satisfaction and members enjoyed being on the team. This is shown by the enthusiasm of team members when coming up with solutions when

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Stalin and Idustrialization essays

Stalin and Idustrialization essays Stalin and Industrialization in the 1930s For many countries in Europe during the early nineteen hundreds, industrialization had already left its mark and was considered widespread. Other countries were several steps behind such industrial powers as Great Britain. Their economies still depended on rural markets and there had been no influx of people to urban areas. One country, Russia, had such an economy. Joseph Stalin would soon change this, however. So, in hindsight, the Industrial Revolution was necessary and eminent for the Soviet Union but Stalin forced it on his state in a horrific manner, which only worsened living conditions and created negative tensions among his people. In order to better comprehend the negative aspects of Stalins industrialization, first it is necessary to put the circumstances into perspective with a brief summary of Stalins rise to power, then an overview of the two Five Year Plans will be provided, and finally the effects of Stalins industrialization will be outlined. Stalin first came out of the woodwork during the October Revolution in the early 1900s, with the rise of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Stalin became general secretary of the Bolshevik party's Central Committee. He was also the commissar of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspectorate and the commissar of nationalities (McCauley 3). The two apparent heirs to Lenin's regime were Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky. After Lenin's death, Stalin gained power by allying himself with the moderates to fight off his rival, Leon Trotsky, who was a radical and another member of the Central Committee. Although Trotsky was better suited for the position (with his strong political inclinations towards reasonable social adaptability), Josef Stalin assumed control and subsequently ordered the exile of all opposing cabinet ministers, including Trotsky. Anyone in the Union who objected to his decisions was sent to Siberian prison camps ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Social Security Administration Budget Cuts Cause Delays

Social Security Administration Budget Cuts Cause Delays SSA Budget Cuts: Thousands of SSD Applicants Died While Waiting for Hearings Social Security Administration Budget Cuts Cause Delays SSA Budget Cuts: Thousands of SSD Applicants Died While Waiting for Hearings Congressional budget cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA) over the course of the past eight years have forced the SSA to reduce staff, leading to long wait times and delays in resolving benefit issues. The impacts of the budget cuts are felt sharply by disabled and retired Americans who depend on these benefits to survive. Unfortunately, this has resulted in significant delays in disability benefit appeal hearings, and thousands of people have died waiting for the benefits they desperately needed.SSA’s Budget Significantly Reduced, While Number of Beneficiaries Increased In 2010, Congress reduced the SSA’s operating budget to 9%, forcing the SSA to make difficult financial decisions, such as closing 67 field offices in both rural and urban areas.Ironically, the need for Social Security benefits has increased by 17% from 2010-2018, the same time period when the budget was significantly reduced. Therefore, the SSA’s efforts to meet beneficiaries’ needs at this crucial time fell short without the necessary funding.Excessive Wait Times and Delays Frustrate Those in Need As a result of the budget cuts and reductions in staff, the administrations remaining 1,229 offices have experienced increased wait times, and callers to the agency’s toll-free line face excessive hold times. According to the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, the average wait time to see an agent in a field office in 2018 was 27 minutes, an increase of 37% from 2010.Disability Applicants Face Long Delays, Thousands Die Waiting for a Hearing Unfortunately, reductions in service have caused long delays for Social Security Disability applicants awaiting appeals.Over the last eight years, the backlog in disability appeal cases has grown substantially. In 2018, the average wait for a hearing decision was 591 days, which represents an increase of 39% since 2010.Those in need of disability benefits have severe health issues which req uire medical treatment. Long delays in the appeals process can be devastating to those who are suffering from a disability, and can no longer work. They often do not have a source of income to pay for their daily needs and medical bills, and are forced to sell their homes or go bankrupt.Sadly, many are unable to afford treatment without benefits, and have no choice but to keep waiting for their benefits while their health declines.9,714 people died waiting for an appeal in 2016, which is highly disturbing and unacceptable.Potential Relief on the HorizonWhile the agency’s budget is now increasing, the SSA is working to reduce the number of backlogged cases and claims. Lawmakers raised the agency’s administrative budget by $480 million, and approved a $40 million increase to the operating budget for 2019. In addition, Social Security has installed video kiosks in some remote locations to connect claimants with field offices. They hope improvements to infrastructure will help them better address customer-service needs.Providing Benefits to a Growing Number of Beneficiaries During 2019, the SSA projects it will provide $1.1 trillion in benefits to 69 million Americans. This includes disability and retirement benefits, as well as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Over the next two decades, the agency expects beneficiary rolls will increase by 43% as the United States population ages. This year alone, the agency expects it will serve 43 million visitors at field offices and will handle 75 million telephone calls.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the Social Security Disability and Veterans Disabi lity benefits they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental or cognitive impairment, call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at 800-949- 2900.Let Michigan’s experienced disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. Michigan Social Security Disability Attorney, Social Security Administration Budget Cuts, Social Security Disability Benefits, Social Security Disability Lawyer

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Comparative Look At Russia And China History Essay

A Comparative Look At Russia And China History Essay Both China and Russia have had very similar beginnings. Both countries have dealt or continue to deal with communism, poverty, unstable governments, and economic troubles. China has the largest population in the world with over 1.3 billion inhabitants; it ranks first in exports and has a GDP of $8.7 trillion. In contrast, Russia is the largest country in the world with a vast majority of resources and a population that is ranked sixth in the world. Because of their similar beginnings and economic potential, it is essential to understand the similarities between these countries and the direction in which they are headed. Some of the problems that plague Russia today date back to Russia’s beginnings. Under an absolute monarch, Russia was predominantly dominated by the Orthodox Church, causing the country to miss out on â€Å"most of the transformations that reshaped Western Europe from the 1500s onward† (Charles Hauss). For Russia, the scientific revolution, the idea of individualism and other innovative trends had little to no impact, leaving a country that was once one of Europe’s great powers into a state of â€Å"backwardness†. During Peter the Great’s reign, a series of attempts to reform the country were implemented through the introduction of western technology and ideas. These reforms did little to improve the country’s situation and in fact, there introduction created a class of elites that till this day control many of Russia’s industries. The set of reforms were disrupted by the Slavophiles who believed that â€Å"Russian traditions were superior to anything in the West† (Charles Hauss). It was not until Russia was defeated by Britain and France in the Crimean War that it truly understood how far it lagged behind other European Powers. After the Crimean War, Alexander II attempted to pass another set of belated reforms which would grant the liberation of serfs, relax censorship, and introduce a c onstitution that would allow five percent of the male population the ability to vote. Unfortunately, the assassination of the tsar left Alexander III in power which put a halt to the reformations. Unlike Russia, the Chinese population is not only more homogenous but also the largest in the world. For many years, China was under imperial rule with an established system of examinations where the imperial bureaucracy was in charge of enforcing the laws and collecting taxes. During the eighteenth century, China’s last imperial dynasty, the Quing Dynasty, began to decline as the production of agriculture was unable to sustain the growing population. Like the Russian Slavophiles, the Manchus viewed â€Å"Chinese traditions as superior† and choose to â€Å"ignore the industrial revolution and the other trends that were transforming the West† (Charles Hauss). After the Chinese defeat by the British during the Opium War, the Europeans took control of the Chinese coast an d implemented the principle of extraterritoriality, â€Å"which meant that their law, not China’s, applied to the activities of the Europeans† (Charles Hauss). The Europeans not only implemented their own laws, but they also brought their merchants and religion. The country that had developed the first centralized state was now under the control of the Europeans and completely humiliated at the lack of authority that they possessed in their own country. Like in Russia it took a war for the Chinese to realize that they needed to embrace modernization. The Chinese viewed Japan as a second-rate power, but because Japan launched successful programs towards modernization, when the two went to war, Japan resulted as the victor. The lack of modernization cost China not only Taiwan and Korea but Japan also gained concessions to China.

Friday, October 18, 2019

I am Sam by New Line Cinema Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I am Sam by New Line Cinema - Assignment Example This was reinforced at the end of the film whereby Rita was taught how to reconcile with her own personal issues with the most unlikely person which is Sam. The scene became more pronounced because Rita is also the least likely person to be needing help from the most unlikely person of Sam. Rita is a high power attorney who only took the case of Sam pro bono and through a wager. As the case unfolded, however, Sam infused some humanity in her with his struggle for his parental rights with his daughter Lucy. Through Sam’s vulnerability, Rita realized that one needs to open up and accept one’s weakness and others to be able to love. The characters of Sam and Rita seemed to be a paradox at the onset because almost all of their characteristics seemed to contradict each other – Sam as a retard, Rita as smart high caliber attorney, Sam as vulnerable to the events around him that he even has to fight for the custody of his child while Rita is in control of everything. Above all, Rita was unfeeling and cold who was used to the fast-paced corporate life while Sam’s life revolved around his daughter Lucy taking her to pa rks and doing all he could to love her despite his mental state. Yet in the end, their characters reconciled with each character complementing the other with Sam teaching Rita that vulnerability is sometimes necessary for us to accept and be accepted by people. This led her to reconcile her relationship with her son and leave his philandering partner once and for all. While it seemed that it is Sam who would need Rita more with his legal woes, it was Rita who benefited more from her unlikely relationship with Sam. This is the relational dialectics in the film where to unlikely characters reconciled in the end. The drama of the movie hinges on relational conflicts where personal relationships are contradictory or opposed in nature. This was evident as previously discussed  with the unlikely partnering of a high power smart attorney in the person of Rita with a mentally degraded character of Sam who even struggles to keep his daughter.

Eassy of <A Thousand Splendid Suns> Essay

Eassy of - Essay Example Miriam had lost her baby 7 times, giving Rasheed reason to treat her as a worker and violate her frequently. In addition, the author develops the story of Laila; she has a nice and unbroken family, and she learns lots of knowledge from school and from her father. However, a rocket destroys her house and family when they decide to leave Kabul. Her parents die and she is also wounded. Consequently, she has to get married to Rasheed to earn a living because she finds that she is carrying her childhood lover’s child, Tariq. In general, the author depicts Mariam and Laila as poor Afghan women, who have similar experiences living with Rasheed. However, they become best friends after Aziza’s birth. From the analysis of the novel, it can be concluded that although life is unbearable for both Mariam and Laila, only Laila is able to make the decision to leave Rasheed and seek a better life. Mariam is not able to take a risk because she has a broken family. Mariam grows up only with her mother. She does not feel her father’s love even though her father comes to see her once a week. Nana says to Mariam, â€Å" Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a women.( Hosseini, 7). However, she thinks Jalil is a very nice father although he visits only once a week. She used to expect her father’s visiting because he brings gifts to her and his voice is gentle and soft. Nevertheless, everything changes on Mariam’s fifteenth birthday. Mariam insists on watching movies with her siblings, so she goes into the Herat alone. Jalil does not receive her and even lies to her that he is not there. On the next day, Mariam goes back disappointed and then she is shocked because her mother commits suicide under the tree in front of her kolba. Mariam reckons that she lost her parents in one day, and the reason is her leaving Nana . After she gets married to Rasheed, she does everything Rasheed requires of her because he is the only one that she can

Public Space Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public Space Today - Essay Example Hence as public spaces become familiar with more and more individuals as the 21st century progresses the perceptions of people occupying those public spaces are relevant. Regardless of how public spaces are described, or the condition they are in, it is certain that all urban spaces have large numbers of them. Certainly individuals who utilise these public spaces do not invest a lot of time talking about descriptions of the kinds of spaces they are occupying, neither do they discuss about the advantages offered by public spaces, instead they encounter the advantages and at times ignore these public spaces (Carmona et al. 2008). However, they do give importance to and ‘occupy’ such public spaces and utilise them as a component of their everyday existence. Therefore, these public spaces contribute significantly to the quality of life of a community and an individual in the urban environment.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     A summary of the interpretations of public spaces, an assumpti on of shared observations between a 19th century naturalist, a supporter of public parks, and a landscape architect, remains relevant today (Woolley, 2003):(1) Individuals need interaction with their immediate environment in order to be strong spiritually, emotionally, and physically;(2)   The growth of industrial urban areas has basically damaged the natural environment, at the expense of the people;(3) It is the purpose of public spaces to restore to the urban areas the advantages of the natural environment and to give every chance.... ummary of the interpretations of public spaces, an assumption of shared observations between a 19th century naturalist, a supporter of public parks, and a landscape architect, remains relevant today (Woolley, 2003): (1) Individuals need interaction with their immediate environment in order to be strong spiritually, emotionally, and physically; (2) The growth of industrial urban areas has basically damaged the natural environment, at the expense of the people; (3) It is the purpose of public spaces to restore to the urban areas the advantages of the natural environment and to give every individual the chance to experience a natural architecture; (4) The level to which an urban area gives these opportunities and the level to which it produces public spaces to meet the needs and demands of its people are means of determining the growth of democracy. In spite of their weaknesses these interpretations can contribute to the recognition of the fact that numerous of the advantages of public spaces have been embraced as realities historically. Public spaces are vital to everyone’s everyday activities. The opportunities and advantages that can be provided by various public spaces, whether they are civic, neighbourhood, or domestic, all over the urban foundation can offer a chance to improve the quality of life. According to some scholars, it is certain that a number of metropolises, like Sheffield, Bristol, and London, already have functioning informal and formal systems of public space (Madanipour 2003). The case studies included in this discussion evidently confirm the interpretation that numerous components of life for communities and people in urban areas can be enhanced by the presence of public spaces. It is demonstrated in the case studies on Venice and Siena that

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Texas Financial Funding of Public Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Texas Financial Funding of Public Schools - Essay Example The highest of these revenue producers are local property taxes that account for a majority of districts local tax revenue. Therefore, the information means a lot to me. In this article, I learned that the public education system in Texas is among the biggest in the country with a sizeable number of school districts and a charter school comprising many campuses. In addition, the article revealed that Texas has extra school districts compared to any other state, and it is next only to California in regard to the number of students registered in its schools. I also learned that at present the school finance system of Texas is functioning as two separate systems: one system is based on the equalizing calculations of the foundation school program, and the other focuses on historical district funding stages commonly referred to as the target revenue system. This article by Research foundation means a lot to me. This is because such programs developed in schools including the foundation school program ensure that each public school in Texas has enough finance and balances resources to offer a fundamental instructional plan that meets the values of the state. I have learned from this article that for a long time the courts in Texas have been demanding the legislature to create fairer and equitable ways to finance public education within the state. The article also enlightened me on the issues surrounding the school finance in Texas. For instance, I have learnt about the judicial history and the achievement of the present system of school finance in attaining various school finance equity objectives. The information provided in this article means a lot because it has made me realize that Texas is the best state to study. For example, Texas acknowledges that some attributes of school districts and of learners increase the costs of giving education. The information can be used to encourage others in various ways, especially those with issues concerning school finance in Texas.  Ã‚  

Opportunities and challenges by multi-national companies in setting an Essay

Opportunities and challenges by multi-national companies in setting an appropriate transfer price - Essay Example One of such implications that come with inappropriate transfer pricing, as mentioned above, is the possibility of the transfer-in subsidiary making a loss or just no profit at all on the sale of the products received from the parent subsidiary. If for example the parent subsidiary manufactures a certain product at a cost of say $700 and transfers it to the distributer in another country at a cost $800, it shall have made a positive contribution of $100. Depending on the market price, the distributer may incur another variable cost of $100 and sell the product at $1000. In this case, the manufacturer has made a profit while the distributer has not. Therefore, one side will be motivated while the other will be demoralised. Nonetheless, both sides will be required to pay tax. There is, therefore, a need to set up an appropriate transfer price that does not favor one side of an enterprise. The fact that these subsidiaries exist in different locations with different tax jurisdiction creates a complex puzzle for the MNE. It has always been a challenging task to come up with a plausible method of setting up the most appropriate transfer pricing that accommodates all these contrasting tax jurisdictions. In most host nations, when a subsidiary transfers goods to another, the local governments usually view the buy-in subsidiary as a target customer from whom to siphon revenues. This perception has led to mandatory taxation on the sales of such goods even if no considerable profit has been realised. It should be noted that the subsidiary from which the goods were transferred had also been taxed the authority under which it operates. Therefore, these two corporate have been taxed for the very product. This is called double-taxation. Double taxation is a liability to any MNE and may deter the realisation of net profit (ACCA, 2009). The principle of Arm’s Length had been proposed to resolve

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Public Space Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public Space Today - Essay Example Hence as public spaces become familiar with more and more individuals as the 21st century progresses the perceptions of people occupying those public spaces are relevant. Regardless of how public spaces are described, or the condition they are in, it is certain that all urban spaces have large numbers of them. Certainly individuals who utilise these public spaces do not invest a lot of time talking about descriptions of the kinds of spaces they are occupying, neither do they discuss about the advantages offered by public spaces, instead they encounter the advantages and at times ignore these public spaces (Carmona et al. 2008). However, they do give importance to and ‘occupy’ such public spaces and utilise them as a component of their everyday existence. Therefore, these public spaces contribute significantly to the quality of life of a community and an individual in the urban environment.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     A summary of the interpretations of public spaces, an assumpti on of shared observations between a 19th century naturalist, a supporter of public parks, and a landscape architect, remains relevant today (Woolley, 2003):(1) Individuals need interaction with their immediate environment in order to be strong spiritually, emotionally, and physically;(2)   The growth of industrial urban areas has basically damaged the natural environment, at the expense of the people;(3) It is the purpose of public spaces to restore to the urban areas the advantages of the natural environment and to give every chance.... ummary of the interpretations of public spaces, an assumption of shared observations between a 19th century naturalist, a supporter of public parks, and a landscape architect, remains relevant today (Woolley, 2003): (1) Individuals need interaction with their immediate environment in order to be strong spiritually, emotionally, and physically; (2) The growth of industrial urban areas has basically damaged the natural environment, at the expense of the people; (3) It is the purpose of public spaces to restore to the urban areas the advantages of the natural environment and to give every individual the chance to experience a natural architecture; (4) The level to which an urban area gives these opportunities and the level to which it produces public spaces to meet the needs and demands of its people are means of determining the growth of democracy. In spite of their weaknesses these interpretations can contribute to the recognition of the fact that numerous of the advantages of public spaces have been embraced as realities historically. Public spaces are vital to everyone’s everyday activities. The opportunities and advantages that can be provided by various public spaces, whether they are civic, neighbourhood, or domestic, all over the urban foundation can offer a chance to improve the quality of life. According to some scholars, it is certain that a number of metropolises, like Sheffield, Bristol, and London, already have functioning informal and formal systems of public space (Madanipour 2003). The case studies included in this discussion evidently confirm the interpretation that numerous components of life for communities and people in urban areas can be enhanced by the presence of public spaces. It is demonstrated in the case studies on Venice and Siena that

Opportunities and challenges by multi-national companies in setting an Essay

Opportunities and challenges by multi-national companies in setting an appropriate transfer price - Essay Example One of such implications that come with inappropriate transfer pricing, as mentioned above, is the possibility of the transfer-in subsidiary making a loss or just no profit at all on the sale of the products received from the parent subsidiary. If for example the parent subsidiary manufactures a certain product at a cost of say $700 and transfers it to the distributer in another country at a cost $800, it shall have made a positive contribution of $100. Depending on the market price, the distributer may incur another variable cost of $100 and sell the product at $1000. In this case, the manufacturer has made a profit while the distributer has not. Therefore, one side will be motivated while the other will be demoralised. Nonetheless, both sides will be required to pay tax. There is, therefore, a need to set up an appropriate transfer price that does not favor one side of an enterprise. The fact that these subsidiaries exist in different locations with different tax jurisdiction creates a complex puzzle for the MNE. It has always been a challenging task to come up with a plausible method of setting up the most appropriate transfer pricing that accommodates all these contrasting tax jurisdictions. In most host nations, when a subsidiary transfers goods to another, the local governments usually view the buy-in subsidiary as a target customer from whom to siphon revenues. This perception has led to mandatory taxation on the sales of such goods even if no considerable profit has been realised. It should be noted that the subsidiary from which the goods were transferred had also been taxed the authority under which it operates. Therefore, these two corporate have been taxed for the very product. This is called double-taxation. Double taxation is a liability to any MNE and may deter the realisation of net profit (ACCA, 2009). The principle of Arm’s Length had been proposed to resolve

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Fundamentals of Research Essay Example for Free

Fundamentals of Research Essay Research is a vital part of someone life because for the person to find information or wants to know anything he or she would need to conduct a research. People use other scientific approaches to conduct testing on data and research. The most common scientific approach people uses are scientific method because they can find the most reasonable solution to his or her testing. When working in the human services field research is one of the major tools used by case workers, managers, and counselors, and therapist. The scientific methods provide workers with enough information to make important decision on a regular base. Before human services professionals enter the field they conduct research or gathered information from his or her research so they could have information about his or her client. This type of research helps human service professional on his or her cases. The description, definition, and explanation of the scientific method on how human services professional uses research to conduct business will be present in this paper. The definition of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research will be presented and an example on when to apply mixed method research in human services works. The definition of the scientific method is a â€Å"general expression for the methodology of science, or systematic research approach or outlook emphasizing the use of empirical reasoning† (Rosnow, Rosenthal, 2008, pg. 1). Other books or dictionary defined scientific methods as the â€Å"principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypothesis† (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). When people think of the word â€Å"scientific,† the first thing pop into people minds is the study of the human body, geography, chemistry, biology, or even natural sciences. In human services there is also some form of scientific method demonstrate by workers. Human services worker demonstrates social science when working with clients, organizations, business, and other professional working in the same field. Human services workers used scientific method to take survey, answer questions, and conduct assessments in human services work. The scientific method provides statistic on children and elderly abusive, domestic violence, and teenage pregnancy, just to name a few. The scientific method helps human services workers find statistic or information on why children and elderly are being neglect and abusive by family members and friends. There are so much homeless veterans on the street, or even why sex-offenders are released from prisons back into society where they could harm children again. The steps involved in the process of scientific inquiries are observation, research, testable hypothesis, experiment hypothesis, analyze results, and draw conclusions. The next few paragraphs will describe the steps in the scientific inquiry. Observation provides information base on the real-world. Human service workers use social science to work on cases in the real world. The real-world provides workers with the knowledge they need, when working in the field. The information taken from the real-world is passed on to the research stage. The research stage allows case works to understand the basic information being observed. Some case workers may end-up finding the same information other workers has found already. It is the responsibility of the case workers to continue researching the information the case worker found. This process still has unanswered questions, which makes it easier to continue the research process and investigate into the information from the observation process. The next stage becomes the most vital stage in the scientific inquiries. Next the testable hypothesis is basically the background information from the research work. In, this process case workers have an opportunity to explain the observation he or her has made and ensure accurate the testing is. Some time, the information from the research data case workers collected for the experiment might be off from the hypothesis. This type of demonstration allows case workers to gain some kind of knowledge about the areas they might need to investigate more. It does not mean the first experiment is not accurate but other testing needs to be conducted. This allows case workers to make knowledgeable experiments so he or she could find answers to the questions that were unanswered. This is how case workers conduct business in the real world-by working on finding reliable and accurate understanding of the world. The fourth stage consists of conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis. This stage allows case workers to test their hypothesis to discover if the data they collected from his or her observation, research, and testable hypothesis is accurate. The steps followed according to the formula of the data for the experiment. It is important to identify the structure of the testable hypothesis. The variable from the testable hypothesis might be off so it is important to retest the experiment. Case workers take notes to determine any finding or mistakes that might happen, it is best to document the experiment so there is no repeat of the same experiment. This process ensures the data case workers collected is reliable and consistent to his or her hypothesis. One mistake could cause the whole experiment to go wrong. If the hypothesis is not constant the conclusions case workers draw from the observations, the research collected for the experiment will not have any type of meaning to the hypothesis. The next two final stages are analyzing the data and draw the conclusions. In the analyzing stage case workers data are presented, the facts are organizes, relationships are built, and the information is calculated so it could be analyzed and interpreted. In this process case workers could take the information gathered and determine if the hypothesis could be approved, rejected, or revised. After this process human services worker could start preparing his or her report and summarizing each stage for discussion. If the report is good enough the conclusions will relates to the body of the research. The report should still have room to modify any new information needed. This opens up the door to unanswered questions and leave room for additional studies. Human Services workers use the scientific method to conduct assessment and survey on domestic violence on women and children in the community. The problem here is how to conduct the necessary assessment to determine the number of women or children who are victims of domestic violence. The hypothesis should be to use the number chart with W’s representing the number of women and C’s to determine the number of children in domestic violence. The experimentation is conducted within two facilities where women and children are held. There is four associated available to help out with the experiment. Each associated will have his or her data which will be used to answer the question. The hypothesis will be tested and if additional testing is needed it will be conducted. The case workers will have an opportunity to analyze the results of the assessment. Finally the conclusion could be executed in the proper way and everyone could agree on the findings. Qualitative research is the studies in which the raw data exist in a non-numerical form (Rosnow, Rosenthal, 2008, pg. 4). Qualitative research discusses the type of research human services workers used when working in the field on different type of psychology, social sciences, and sociology cases. Quantitative research is the studies in which the raw data exist in a numerical form (Rosnow, Rosenthal, 2008, pg. 4). Quantitative research discusses the type of assessment or survey case workers used to conduct experiment. The areas are Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics human services used to determine the hypothesis and draw conclusion using the natural science tools. Both could be used in the human services field for example, in the number of domestics’ violence cases among women and children on the number chart. Using the qualitative research the study would be the age of the women and children. Using quantitative research on the number chart is the study of children taken out of their homes. It depends on the situation or case being studies to determine, which research between the qualitative and quantitative to use. The mixed method research is defined as the procedures for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study, and for analyzing and reporting this data based on a priority and sequence of the information (Creswell, 2008, pg. 552). The mixed method research demonstrates more of a complete indication of the study to any problems compared to either the qualitative and quantitative method. Mixed method research provides answers to questions and analysis statistic where qualitative and quantitative method cannot provide. An example of the mixed method research is the study of quantitative measurement to determine the impact of the treatment base on the outcomes. The qualitative part exactly comes before the experiment. Researchers collect the data to qualitative to determine the used of the design for the treatment being conducted. The fundamental of research is to determine if the information gathered is accurate enough to advance to the next stage. This process in human services work is vital because case workers the information gathered must be observe, research, test the hypothesis, perform the experiment hypothesis, and analyze the results, and finally draw a conclusion. The research method is beneficial to any human services workers or facility. The accuracy of the experiment must be strong enough to stand on its own for human services organizations to offer this type of services. Once the scientifically area shows improvement services will advance and goals of the human services organization and workers will be accomplished. References Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2012, from Scientific method: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scientific%20method Rosnow, R. L., Rosenthal, R. (2008). Beginning behavioral research: A conceptual primer (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Monday, October 14, 2019

An Overview Of Territoriality Sociology Essay

An Overview Of Territoriality Sociology Essay Creating territories and physical boundaries within buildings and public spaces, is termed as hierarchy of a defensible space. The conversion from private to public space is important and demands efficient management. Through the sub division of zones (private to public), the character of ones own territory is defined and thereby managed. Private space An area under total control of the occupant, and not physically connected to the public Semi private space An area under the control of the occupant, but visually and physically accessible by the public Semi public space An area accessible to the public, and under the control of a specific group of occupants. Public space An area for the public Territoriality therefore defines the hierarchy of the space, and develops the idea of having ones own territory. This discourages outsiders from entering into private zones and reduces the risk of anonymity. This can be achieved if the following design features are implemented in the planning process (Colquhoun, 2003, 41) All the spaces inside as well as outside the building should be under natural surveillance by the residents and under their influence. All the external spaces should be seen as public spaces and should be clearly demarcated from the internal spaces with the help of symbolic barriers like gates, fences, walls, levels, steps, gateways etc. If the housing density is high, separate staircase entrances should be designed per building block so that there should be no confusion in recognizing a stranger. External communal areas such as parks, green open spaces should be in the vicinity of the building and where ever possible should be entered from the private zone. Surveillance Positioning and locating the windows and doors such that it increases surveillance to the outside surrounding. Opportunity to commit crime is potentially reduced when the offender senses that he/she is under constant surveillance from the adjoining buildings. Surveillance helps to create a feeling of security by providing the residents with their own territory and defending it through the overlooking windows, doors and entrances to the outside surroundings. Windows should be positioned such that it suits the internal plan of the house as well as provides surveillance to the outside surrounding. Front entrances of the buildings should be designed from the main road, main streets and pedestrian areas so that the passerbys can notice anything strange which helps in reducing the risk of anonymity. The communal areas of the buildings such as staircases, elevators etc should be designed where they can be visually connected to the outside surrounding. The rooms which are used more frequently like the kitchen and living rooms should be designed with their windows facing the public domain while bedrooms and toilets should be designed facing the private domain. Image This idea explains the proper use of materials and architectural design which reduces the feeling of being stigmatised, which creates a sense of isolation increasing the vulnerability of crime risk. To avoid building forms and layouts which completely stand out from the rest of the neighbourhood, makes it vulnerable by increasing the footfall of strangers by attracting them. Keeping the high rise and high density blocks away from the low income houses, as a mix of both can lead to criminal activities Encouraging the use of robust and attractive finishes to the building surfaces, preventing them from being vandalised. Milieu The juxtapostioning of residential areas with other facilities which helps in improving security and provides means for natural surveillance. Housing facilities should be mixed with social and commercial facilities to improve natural surveillance through increased footfall. Parks, playgrounds and open spaces should be designed around residential areas thereby offering constant natural surveillance.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Mary Wollstonecraft & Her Legacy Essay -- Essays Paper

Mary Wollstonecraft & Her Legacy Following the Enlightenment, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote the feminist novel The Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In this novel she applied rights to females that had formerly been reserved to males, such as unalienable rights. Her novel impacted different areas of society. Wollstonecraft called for the advancement of women’s rights in areas such as education, work, and politics. She also proposes that women are just as capable as men and have a far greater purpose than simply to be pleasing to men. Her novel became a bestseller in the summer of 1792.1 After reading her novel, many women applied her views to their lives to the greatest extent possible in the time period in which they lived. Mary Wollstonecraft’s novel was the first major stand for women’s rights creating the feminist movement in Great Britain and consequently the Americas. Mary Wollstonecraft effected the lives of many women. One significant woman that Mary Wollstonecraft had an effect on was Margaret Fuller. Margaret’s father, Timothy Fuller, had a need for an intellectual companion. Because he did not have a son as his first born, he gave Margaret an education intended only for males of the time. He was also an advocate for women’s rights, playing a major role in the development of Margaret’s feminist views she possessed later on in life.2 He used Wollstonecraft’s novel as a guide for Margaret’s education and instilled in Margaret that there are no limits to the female mind. Mr. Fuller pushed Margaret’s education to the limits, teaching her subjects intended for both women and men alike. He educated her about history and literature, topics thought good for a woman and useful when becoming a wife as well as teaching her top... ...165, 198. Bibliography 1. Allen, Margaret Vanderhaar The Achievement of Margaret Fuller. London: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1979. 2. Capper, Charles. Margaret Fuller an American Romantic Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. 3. Fuller, Margaret. "Women in the Nineteenth Century." <http://www.belmont.edu/Humanities/literature/English221/Fuller/fuller2.htm> (3 March 2000). 4. Mitchell, David. The Fighting Pankhursts. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1967. 5. Rosen, Andrew. Rise Up Women!. London: Routeledge & Kegan Paul, 1974. 6. Rowbotham, Sheila. "A feminist voice across 200 years," The Independent, 4 June 1992, sec. Living Page. 7. Wade, Mason. Margaret Fuller: Whetstone of genius. New York: The Vicking Press, 1940.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Globalization and Regional Strategies Essay

Executive Summary It is clear enough that in today’s era it is extremely critical for firms to adopt global and regional business strategies in order to attain sustainable competitive advantage. But the question arises regarding classification of a MNE (Multinational Enterprise) as a global firm. This essay critically analyses the work on regional strategy as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino and attempts to cover the following aspects in detail. Notion of Globalization and Global Strategy This section highlights the notion of globalization and way organizations today establish a global presence by adoption of unique business strategies. This part also details the three different kind of global strategies. Regional Strategy Analysis This part analyzes the theory and practice of regional strategy concept of Globalization in particular as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino (2008). It aims to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exists and secondly that sufficient amount of international business literature and theory is required to draw reflection on regional vs. global MNE’s (Multinational Enterprises) strategy. The Theory of the Regional Strategy This section explains the concept of regional strategy analysis and illustrates the various regional theories as explained by Osegowitsch and Sammartino. Introduction With the concept of globalization and internationalization gaining more and more momentum everyday, this essay attempts to critically analyse the work of Osegowitsch and Sammartino on regional strategy. It starts with explaining the concept of globalisation and global strategy and tries to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exist. Secondly, it tries to establish that significant amount of international business literature and theory is demanded in order to draw conclusion on regional vs. global MNEs strategy by exploring the theory of regional strategy. Notion of Globalization and Global Strategy Globalization can be defined as a complex concept which enables firms to operate in various continents and countries across the globe in order to improve and maximise their profit margins, sustainability, worldwide existence and economies of scale (Blyton et al., 2001). Globalization provides platform not only to consumers but also to organizations to help them satisfy their needs globally. According to Marquardt & Berger (2003), Trade, Travel, Technology and Television are the four major developments that have resulted in Globalization. The four T’s of global development are the outcome of human brain and its creative innovations. These advancements have further encouraged and made possible continuous exchange of ideas, information and knowledge between human resources by breaking the barriers of distance. Moving ahead, Bratton & Gold (2007) state that Globalization is a global process of political convergence, social economies and national sentiments, in which space, time and Government are not given much importance. The paragraph below will now highlight the three different views on â€Å"global strategy†. The First view states that the global strategy is one of the particular and specific forms of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) Strategy. Further, it highlights the fact that Globalization considers all the countries of the world alike (Levitt, 1983). The Second view considers global strategy as â€Å"International Strategic Management† (Bruton et al., 2004) which is no doubt wider concept than â€Å"global strategy† mentioned in the first view. Lastly, the third view describes global strategy in even broader term; The strategy of the firms that exist all over the globe and this can be concluded as the firm’s theory of how to become a successful competitor (Peng, 2006). Having discussed the various forms of global strategies which are adopted by firms today, this essay now moves ahead to analyse the theory and practice of regional strategy concept of Globalization in particular as a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino (2008). It aims to justify that in today’s era very few global firms exists and secondly that sufficient amount of international business literature and theory is required to draw reflection on regional vs global MNE’s (Multinational Enterprises) strategy. The Regional Strategy Theories According to Rugman and Verbeke (2007), recent literature on globalization suggests that a firm is categorised as global if maximum 50% of its total sales are in its home territory (EU) and minimum 20% of sales in each of the NAFTA zone and Asia. He adds to it by bringing to surface the outcome of survey based upon this theory that indicated only nine global firms in Fortune Global 500 and also the orientation of numerous firms towards the home-region. In response to the above mechanism for classifying the firm as global, Osegowitsch and Sammartino (OS) (2008) have provided three basic criteria and comments that can be helpful in future classification of firms according to their geographic sales dispersion. Firstly, OS suggest that it is not appropriate to classify statistical data straightaway. It should be realised that since this is a growing area of research, usage of any kind of classification tool is open to criticisms as it is not simply the categorization of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) following particular regional strategy theories. As an example, OS focus on building and having strong position in the region by illustrating that if the EU, NAFTA region and Asia represents 90% of the total world sales output, an absolute division would require all the three regional triads to have 30% sales each and not 33.3% in order to encourage the strategy of lower thresholds. In other words, a firm can be defined as global if it has at least 20% of the total sales in the two host-triad regions and without any kind of imposition on the maximum sales threshold in the home territory (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007). Additionally, it should also be noted that it is not at all relevant to categorize a firm as having strong position in the market if its threshold is lower than 20% of t he total sales. OS even conducted a simulation using threshold value as 10% of the net sales in order to identify a string position in the host region as it would result to USD $1 billion even for the smallest of the Fortune Global 500 firms. But unfortunately, it didn’t present a strong position and can by no means be considered as an essence for strategic decision making in the worlds largest organizations. OS clearly argues that using various thresholds is helpful in assessing the sensitivity of firm’s positions in the classification system but the main function should always be to provide an assessment of the Future Global 500 and to easily track firms whose thresholds are continuously changing from one category of threshold to another. A clear example of this is Nokia which encountered a 4% decline in sales in the year 2002. However, this change in sales pattern reflected a short term failure in inter-regional growth but OS criticizes that it cannot be simply neglected. Movement of Nokia from a global organization in 2001 towards a home based firm in 2001 was a remarkable concern. In one line, it can be stated that having threshold below 20% simply leads to generation of more bi-regional firms and which can’t be regarded as truly global organizations. Moving ahead, the second regional strategy criterion which OS highlights is that the sales variations are highly industry specific. According to OS, industry plays a significant role and all future researched should aim at exploring the regional vs global strategies at the industry specific levels and try to establish the difference. It is truism that a majority of firms are not properly internationalized and their sizes varies across regions but then its some of the world’s biggest MNEs that have constantly been regarded as capable of compens ating for the weaknesses of the other sectors in different regions of the world. The main point to be considered is that our analysis are independent of differential size of numerous industries that exist across the region, as MNEs are able to establish regional markets and to further develop insufficient markets. Lastly, in third comment it is argued that it would be irrelevant to prefer regional strategy over global strategy. Regional strategies come into existence when it becomes very difficult or impossible to adopt conventional global strategies efficiently, or when they fail to function, keeping in mind that global strategies cannot be evaluated in isolation. Further, it can be said that heterogeneous geographic space beyond the home country border is essential for most of the companies now if not all of them. Moving ahead, this section of the essay will now make an attempt to tackle the criticism formed by OS concerning the contribution of regional strategy to the international business theory. According to (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007), the regional strategy is structured around three simple but fundamental empirical observations which demand international business theory to be extended and enhanced. First of all, only a small number of MNEs have a balanced geographical sales distribution pattern across the global market, although it counts towards the risk diversification at the downstream end of the value chain. OS illustrate that a balanced and structured distribution of sales geographically would contribute towards enhanced global acceptance by the customers of the company’s products and services. With only the exception of resource-based industries, the triad comprising the EU, NAFTA region and Asia demonstrates a first cut though not certainly a fixed one mechanism to identify the extent to which an MNEs net sales are distributed worldwide. Further, this triad has gained so much importance as it is the home of world’s most large MNEs as well as the locus for a number of outstanding innovations in most industrial sectors. The triad also demonstrates the world demand pattern for most knowledge intensive services and goods. But it’s unfortunate to mention that only a small number of MNEs in the Fortune Global 500 are capable of performing equally well in each of the three regions of the triad. It is often observed that a strong position in the home-triad region is not supported with an equally strong position in both the other two remaining triad environments. Classification tools are now irrelevant as among the firms with international operations only a small percentage are truly global i.e. may be even less than 5% (Ghemawat and Ghadar, 2006). They further add to it and state that different firms rule in different parts of the world. Second wing of the regional strategy focuses on the fact that several MNEs have regional features in the organizational structure such as geographic divisions and having individual divisions for different regions is supported mainly by the concept of regional heterogeneity demanding idiosyncratic management. In this case, the intra-regional institutional and economic distance is not just smaller but also very different from that of the interregional. It has been observed that for most MNEs, managing operations and work system in EU is very different from functioning system of the NAFTA region or as compared with the work cultural of Asian environment. These differences may further be enhanced if the work unit is further subdivided into smaller units. Fratiannin (2006) states that these differences in work system signal the importance of regional level in the business strategy and structure of MNEs. Today, almost all big firms such as Toyota, General Electric (GE) have embedded regional elements in their business and operational strategies and these companies are often wrongly referred to as global organizations not just because of lack of balanced geographic distribution but also because of their world wide global operations and manufacturing (Ghemawat, 2005). Thirdly, it should be noted that more than fifty percent of the geographic area in terms of sales is normally the main source of the firm’s cash flows and the centre point of most of the firms both tangible and intangible assets. In the coming years, the concept of having more than 50% sales in the home territory would not be significant enough in EU and North America specifically but it would gain momentum in Asian region as intra-regional distance is minimizing and thereby driven by a reduction of investment barriers and trade. Competition among industries would be more prevalent at the regional level instead of the national level. OC highlight that attention should now be laid on the development of classification tool that will help bundle the home country sales with the sales in the remainder of the home territory rather than paying attention separately to the sales in the home region and remaining of the home region especially for MNEs based in Asia and EU. Moving ahead, the above discussed observations and theories clearly demonstrate the need for an extended international business theory. These observations are independent of specific categorization approaches to measure specific home-region vs. rest-of-the-world market position of MNEs. A trend has always been seen that all the MNEs are much stronger in their home regions as compared to that in other triad regions. These top MNE firms have formulated their organizational structures around the regional component and a varying market position in each region raises call for a regional approach rather than a global strategy approach. The paragraph below now will bring to surface the three main components for the extension on mainstream international business theory (Rugman and Verbeke, 2007). Firstly, it is noticed that impact of country border does not provide strong basis for distinguishing between non- location bound (or internationally deployable/exploitable) and location bound. In today’s period of excess regionalization, it is very easy for some companies to exploit and deploy their strengths throughout the home country border. Further, proxies for internationally transferable FSA’s such as firms level predictors of internationalization like firm’s level of R&D do not hold much importance in explaining intra-regional expansion occurring in home region, given the distance gap between the home country and rest of the home region is very less. As a result of well-functioning trans-European transport and logistics networks enabling fast response and just in time strategies covering the whol e continent, the significance of geographic distance has decreased in EU. The EU integration process itself has let to decrease in Institutional distance. Further, Economic distance has lost its relevance because of many reasons such as development of new services and products at par with European level, possibility of cross border shopping made possible by web based searches, continuous attempts made by many companies to gain scale and scope efficiencies at the European level and lastly, increased importance of EU as a geographic space to ascertain company’s conduct, structure and importance. Finally, decreased significance of conventional measures of cultural distance mainly in the business to business area as it is easy to get labour in Europe, considerable increase in use of English as the lingua franca inside the region. On sharp contrast between past and present position of conventional location bound FSAs it can be clearly stated that previously they allowed firm expansion only up to country borders but now it can be easily upgraded, and made deployable and exploitable even beyond the home country borders and also in othe r home region countries. Secondly, there is a need to reconsider the fact that non-location-bound FSAs like technological knowledge or brand can be easily exploited and deployed nationwide. Today also it is necessary to complement existing FSA bundles with an additional FSA bundle in high distance environments which implies distance still plays an important role. According to Ghemawat (2005), there are several ways to differentiate between low and high distance environments, one major distinction being that between home regions and host regions in a triad context. Moreover, it is clear that extension and scope of mainstream international theory is free from any scholars disagreeing with the concept of the triad region as the best proxy to discriminate between low-distance environments (in this case the home-triad region) and high-distance environment (in this case the two host-triad regions). High distance implies to making more substantial investments in order to complement its present FSA bundles, also ena bling maximum and profitable exploitation in the host region environment. Here, the apparent trade off becomes obvious: further the efforts to expand the high-distance environment may not be proved to be as successful and profitable as the expansion of low distance environment, even if it is suggested by macro-level parameters which measure the attractiveness of the high-distance environment that they have strong location advantages. As stated by Nachum and Wymbs (2007) in regard to global cities that FSAs and location advantages are dependent on each other. High distance bundles also has many risk factors along with it like melding the extant FSA bundles with newly developed or accessed resources in the high distance environment may lead to burdened with several operational problems, decreased or disappointing sales, as exemplified by the retreat of some of the world’s largest MNEs from high-distance contexts, for example, Wal-Mart’s exit from Germany and Korea. . Thirdly, the theoretical difference between the two FSAs namely location bound and non-location bound FSAs assume conventionally easy developments and profitable exploitation of FSAs (like brand names or technological knowledge of proprietary) across borders. Moreover, it is very essential to acclimatize the brief contents of these two concepts to the authenticity of regionalization. More particularly, the factors that determine the extent of FSAs are, its distance accompanied by its geographic, institutional, economic and cultural components. The level at which a FSA should be called location-bound vs non-location bound is estimated by decay in value across a space. On the basis of terms like region bound nature of FSAs and the liability of inter regional foreignness it has been highlighted that for international business other geographic borders hold more importance than conventional country borders in our previous study. After studying the concepts and theories of regional strategy, we now try to establish the extent to which Procter & Gamble could be categorized as a global firm in terms of its business and operational strategies. The Case of Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble Co. – One of the worlds leading consumer goods manufacturer such as Tide, Pantene, Ariel etc was established in 1837 from an original candle and soap company. The firm now operates in 180 nations with more than 138,000 employees. According to Lafley, A. G., Chairman of the Board and chief Executive Officer, P&G, the firm has over 171 years of history and has always been driven by creativity and innovation. Additionally, improved sales and long term success have always been the strategic goals of this corporation. And it understands the fact that these goals can be attained by constantly appreciating changing consumer’s needs, innovation, branding and market needs. Depending entirely on skunk work such as acquisitions, internal R&D and selective innovations has proved to be inefficient and insufficient for attaining the business target of $4 billion business in a time period of one year. It can be clearly seen that invent- it-ourselves model along with global research facilities and recruiting and holding of the best talent nationwide attained success till the year 2000 but nowadays satisfying high levels of top line growth has become a big challenge for an organization The approach through which the radical strategy of open innovation helped an organization attain its business mission and goal can be typified in the following lines. To face the challenge, P&G adopted a brand new technique of innovation: Develop and Connect model in the year 2000 which lays great importance on searching good and new ideas and information outside and bringing them in, in order to give internal capabilities a boost and make most out of them. With the perspective of manufacturing improved and relatively cheaper products faster the business strategy involved in this model was to leverage assets of people, products and property available externally and applying it to their respective R&D labs, purchasing, market capabilities and production. The foremost work of this strategy is to recognize top ten preferences and needs of the consumer. Moreover, it is very essential that the customers are fully satisfied by the products manufactured and which will finally result in increased sales and profit. Moving ahead, alike products or related technologies which already exist in the market and occupy good position are recognized. Lastly, analysing the influence of technological acquisition of one area over the other areas. Networking is the backbone of this approach. Along with having business collaborations with open networking companies such as InnoCentive and Ninesigma, the P&G group has long chain of suppliers and technological entrepreneurs worldwide. They play a crucial role by finding solutions to P&G internal problems in the outside world. Thus, by constructing such type of infrastructure P&G has been able to reduce its investment in technology along with achieving stable top line growth and required sustainability. According to Huston and Sakkab (2000), by shifting to Connect and Develop model there has been a remarkable increment in our R&D production by 60% and the progress rate of innovation has undoubtedly doubled. The Procter & Gamble figures out how an organization can maximize its profitability levels by switching to new and innovative The Procter & Gamble examples mirrors the way how switching to new and innovative approaches of using information and technology can help maximise profit margins. It is one of the organisations which has developed enabling infrastructure fabricated around innovation with a huge worldwide network combining human capital, ideas and technology. Conclusion This essay has brought to surface a number of strategies which can help firms to establish strong positions globally like having a threshold of 20% etc. The main aim which was to justify that a firm cannot be simply categorized as global based upon statistical data has been justified. A number of measures have also been illustrated which can help differentiate the firms regional strategy from the global strategy. References Blyton, P., Lucio, M., McGurk, J. and Turnbull, P. (2001) â€Å"Globalization and trade union strategy: industrial restructuring and human resource management in the international civil aviation industry†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, pp. 445-463. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2007) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice (4th edn), New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Bruton, G., Lohrke, F. and Lu, J. W. (2004) The evolving definition of what comprises international strategic management, Journal of International Management, Vol. 10, pp. 413-429. Fratianni, M. (Ed.) (2006) Regional economic integration, Research in Global Strategic Management, Vol. 12, Oxford: Elsevier. Ghemawat, P. (2005) Regional strategies for global leadership, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 83, No. 12, pp.98-108. Levitt, T. (1983) The globalization of markets, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 61, pp. 92-102. Marquardt, M. and Berger, N. (2003) The Future: Globalization and New Roles for HRD, Advances in Developing Human Resources, pp. 283-295. Nachum, L. and Wymbs, C. (2007) The location and performance of foreign affiliates in global cities. In A. M. Rugman (Ed.), Regional aspects of multinationality and performance, Research in Global Strategic Management, Vol. 13, pp. 221-257, Oxford: Elsevier. Osegowitsch, T and Sammartino, A. (2008) Reassessing (home-regionalisation), Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 39, No. 2. Peng, M. W. (2006) Global Strategy, Cincinnati: South-Western Thomson. Rugman, A. M. and Verbeke, A. (2007) The theory and practice of regional strategy: A response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino, Kelly School of Business, Vol. 2, pp. 1-7.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Marketing channels Essay

Analyze the Supply and Demand side gaps for LA before the alliance. 2) Based on your analysis in 1), which elements of the distribution channel are ineffective at Laura Ashley before the alliance? 3) Evaluate the decision to enter a strategic alliance from the perspective of both Laura Ashley and Federal Express. What are the real opportunities and risks of this approach? 4) How likely is it that the partnership will succeed over the long term? What will it take for both companies to make it successful? Minolta Case 1) What are the challenges facing Minolta? 2) What do you think of Mr Izuhara’s proposed solution to the grey export problem? 3) Discuss the â€Å"tactical changes† proposed by Mr Kusumoto by considering the implications of each proposed changes for Minolta’s marketing strategy and competitive position. 4) Do you see any other alternatives for solving the grey export problem? HP consumer products Case 1) Describe HP’s current distribution system. 2) What functions and channel flows do the retailers accomplish for HP? 3) What are the benefits which a consumer might obtain via an HP presence on the Internet and the benefits to HP – in particular; is it cheaper to sell on-line? 4) What kind of on-line presence do you think HP should have? Why? Supercuts Case 1) What alternatives does Dave have for resolving the problem with Kevin and Wendy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these alternatives? How would you implement your choice? 2) Analyze the risks and returns of owning a Supercuts franchise in one location. 3) Assuming Dave continues granting new franchises, should he look primarily for large franchisees or smaller ones? For example, should he prefer three franchisees, each with four locations over one twelve-store franchisee for a given area, assuming comparable financial credentials? Why? 4) Assume for discussion purposes that owning locations versus franchising them constitutes a reasonably attractive use of capital. If that capital is available, should Dave move in this strategic direction? Why or why not?

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Kudler Fine Foods – Functional Area Interrelationships

Kudler Fine Foods – Functional Area Interrelationships Bus/475 July 16, 2012 Kudler Fine Foods Kudler Fine Foods offers delicacy food s to its customers. Kudler treats its foods with love and care. These delicacies give customers excellent meat, bread, seafood, and wine. Kudler’s mission, vision, values, and goals are extraordinary. This paper is a review of Kudler’s reason for existence, organizational structure, steps in collaboration, positive action plan, and collaborative roles of the key stakeholders. Kudler uses these steps to have a successful organization. The organization is successful because customers can get quality foods here.Organization’s Existence Kudler Fine Foods is an upscale specialty food store offering its customers the best in imported and domestic fare. The founder and owner Kathy Kudler had a vision for the business she wanted to develop because she found relief from the stress of working as vice-president of marketing for a large defense contractor by cooking gourmet foods. Realizing that it was not easy to find the necessary ingredients, Kathy noticed there was a business opportunity that she could capitalize on. Kudler’s mission is to provide customers with a pleasing shopping outing.Kudler wants their customers to understand that the products sold at their stores are nothing less than what Kathy Kudler uses in her own home. The goal is to provide customers with the best service by going â€Å"to extensive lengths to assure that Kudler Fine Foods is the purveyor of choice for customers aspiring to purchase the finest epicurean delights† (Kudler Fine Foods, About, 2011, para. 3,). The value that Kudler Fine Foods wants to instill in the company is to treat the customer’s shopping experience like Kathy would treat her own by shopping the world for the best to provide the products not offered in other stores.Kudler is highly selective in regard to the team members. The goal of Kudler Fin e Foods is to expand and to have outstanding growth in the fine foods and specialty industry, and continue to have high profits in the future. Analysis of the Organizational Structure After analyzing the type of organizational structure employed by Kudler Fine Foods, it is clear that their main focuses are on the customers and the company’s reputation. The company’s hybrid structure employs directors and managers with functional area expertise, geographic location focus, and product area specialization.There are limited spans of control in this small company and communication flows are not overly complicated. The founder Kathy Kudler was tired of the large corporate world and wanted to relieve some of the stress in her life. Therefore, back in 1998 she created a business plan and obtained funding to open the first Kudler Fine Foods. Because of the clear organizational structure and mission statement, Kudler Fine Foods was a success and broke even within the first nine months.The main driver behind that success was offering each customer a delightful and pleasing shopping outing with the fresh and finest products from all around the world. The continual success has given Kathy and the management the ability to open two more stores in the Southern California area. Kudler Fine Foods also offers home delivery and that is another key position that supports the organization structure. Because there are currently three stores open in the Southern California area and customers ordering via the Internet, Kathy needs to take a larger leadership role and rely on the store managers.The managers of the stores need to understand clearly the organization’s mission statement and Kathy’s vision to continue with the success the organization has had since opening in 1998. The staff members at each Kudler Fine Foods location are key positions that directly reflect the vision and structure that Kathy has developed as the founder. In these key positions, it becomes essential for the store managers to ensure their staff is continuing to focus on the goals of providing customers a superb shopping experience. Each employee working for Kudler Fine Foods is in a key position to ensure the company continues its success.Collaboration Process The success of Kudler Fine Foods depends on the implementation of a good business strategy and collaborating among the functional areas to meet the organizational goals. The proof of a successful strategy is the three stores Kudler recently opened. The goal is to implement the company mission and †Go to extensive lengths to assure that Kudler Fine Foods is the purveyor of choice for customers aspiring to purchase the finest epicurean delights† (Kudler Fine Foods, About, 2011, para. 3,). Step 1: The business strategy goals are to capitalize on specialty products and offer products for all incomes.The business strategy is a collaboration of the broad differentiation strategy and focused mark et niche strategy. The broad differentiation strategy concentrates on â€Å"seeking to differentiate the company's product offering from rivals' in ways that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. † The focused market niche strategy principles are differentiation and concentrating on a narrow buyer segment that may outcompete rivals by offering niche members customized attributes that meet their tastes and requirements better than rivals' products† (Thompson, Gamble, & Strickland, 2006, p. 14). Step 2: The complimentary strategic option Kudler Fine Foods will outsource selected value chain activities by creating global supply chain relationships that will manage low-cost and high-quality merchandise. The goal is to keep a competitive edge in the grocery and spirits departments by successfully partnering with suppliers that may create a competitive pressure for rival grocery stores and liquor stores (Thompson, Gamble, & Strickland, p. 57, 2006).Step 3: Functional are a strategy supporting the complimentary strategy is to enhance research and development by adding in-store surveys to comply with customer needs and wants. Also plot out a strategic group map that will identify competing grocery stores. Step 4: Timing a company’s strategic moves in the marketplace to create the first store of its type that is number one in the marketplace. Kudler Fine Foods is capitalizing on its niche and differentiation by opening two more stores. Along with the horizontal integration, this creates a stronger presence in the marketplace.Step 5: To control the cost drivers, the organization will incorporate a software package to manage inventory in all three stores. The software will collaborate with vendors and customers by adding an electronic data interchange software to manage suppliers and customer orders. This will allow just-in-time orders and alleviate overstocking perishables or large quantities of expensive items. Lateral and Vertical Collaboration Vertical communication flows up and down the organization’s chain of command (Richmond & McCroskey, 2009).Lateral or horizontal communication occurs between peers. Vertical channels are more formal and take the form of e-mail, memos, policies or procedures, posted notices, staff meetings, or face-to-face meetings. Horizontal communication is less formal and focuses on how employees feel about what is (or is not) happening in the company. Kathy Kudler holds a monthly operational review meeting to discuss customer service, monthly sales, and what new items to offer. Other than a few memos and policies, Kathy’s meetings are the best example of vertical collaboration at Kudler.Nearly all of the vertical communication flows to Kathy. The time she spends time at each store gives line level employees some face-to-face opportunities. Department managers of each product category are â€Å"encouraged to check with their counterparts at other stores on the pricing, quality, and delivery of the merchandise they order† (Kudler Fine Foods, Sales & Marketing, para. 6). This is a good example of horizontal collaboration. Kudler Fine Foods would benefit by using its intranet site to post information from monthly operations review meetings.An employer to employee blog is a good way for employees to make comments or ask questions. Key Stakeholders The following key stakeholders influence Kudler’s ability to achieve its goal of offering a â€Å"pleasing customer experience† with â€Å"the finest epicurean delights† (Kudler Fine Foods, About, 2011, para. 3). †¢ Customers: The goal cannot be met unless customers are buying products. Feedback gathered through employee interaction and through surveys provides Kudler with insights for improvement. Kathy Kudler: Establishes the company’s goals, decides how to communicate effectively with stakeholders and provides the necessary leadership and resources. †¢ Three administrative directors: Responsible for planning, leading, organizing, and controlling in functional areas of operations/purchasing/inventory, administration/human resources, and finance/accounting/computer Support). This group must have regular communication with Kathy and with each other. Plans are communicated down the line through meetings, e-mail, training, policies, and procedures. Store managers: Supervise line staff and run day-to-day operations at each store. This group opens and closes the store on time, makes sure it is clean, secure, well-stocked, and appropriately staffed, resolves problems, responds to customer needs, and follows correct cash-handling procedures. †¢ Department managers: Three managers at each store are responsible for the inventory in their product area. They collaborate with Kathy and other managers at monthly operational review meetings. †¢ Line staff: This group is the direct link with customers.They provide assistance, check customers out, bag groceri es, stock shelves, and receive inventory. They need a formal mechanism for community up the line. †¢ Suppliers: Kudler is dependent on suppliers to get perishable inventory on the shelves. Kudler has a new supplier relations program in place. †¢ Lenders: Kathy Kudler keeps a good credit rating and relationship with her bankers to tide her through the peak seasons and maintain cash flow. †¢ Competitors: Kudler can keep an eye on what competitors are offering by visiting their stores on a regular basis. Community stakeholders: Kudler can adopt and support a deserving community group to keep up a positive profile in Del Mar, La Jolla, and Encinitas. Conclusion Kudler Fine Foods uses the organization’s goals, structure, collaboration process, action plans, and key stakeholders to become successful. Kudler is now a nationwide store. Customers love to shop at Kudler because of the quality of food that is offered. Kudler established all of these accomplishments from t he organizational existence and structure.The collaboration process and action plans have clarified the objectives. These objectives made Kudler’s goals successful. The key stakeholders see these accomplishments. The key stakeholders will continue to support Kudler Fine Foods. References Kudler Fine Foods. (2011). Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Kudler2/internet/index. asp Richmond, V. P. & McCroskey, J. C. (2009) Organizational Communication for Survival: Making Work, Work, (4th Ed. ). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson Education, Inc. Thompson, A. A. , Gamble, J. E. , &