Song Analysis We Found Love by Calvin Harris Essay

Introduction â€Å"We Found Love† is a popular song produced by Calvin Harris and features singer Rihanna. â€Å"We Found Love† reached the number one spot in the top charts in multiple countries in 2012 and the music video became popular very quickly after being filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The music video features a young couple living in an impoverished council estate in West Belfast. Both characters portrayed in the music video are in their twenties and of mixed race, one parent being black and the other being Caucasian. Their relationship is distinguished by domestic violence as the couple is seen yelling, pushing and hurting one another, along with stealing from convenience stores, gambling and abusing drugs and alcohol together.†¦show more content†¦The abuse of the female character as indicated in the video, is justified by the androcentric theory of biological determinism and its inherent biases; sexism and classism, as she is not only female but she is no t Caucasian or wealthy. The music video also portrays that the living arrangements and socioeconomic status of the couple is justified by their race. The couple is of mixed race and is living in a very small, messy council estate and is forced to have to steal and gamble due to their lack of income. The couple also abuses drugs and alcohol. This image plays into the cultural ideology of the inequality between Caucasian and other races. The majority of people in Belfast are Caucasian and the particular couple in â€Å"We Found Love’s† music video happen to be non-Caucasian and living in poverty. Biological determinism and racism in â€Å"We Found Love† justifies and normalizes the poverty in which the couple lives in as the â€Å"natural life† or what an individual’s destiny is, is determined by race and sex. Binary oppositions including â€Å"rich† and â€Å"poor† come into mind when viewing this music video. This couple, obviously l iving in poverty are automatically portrayed as alcohol and drug abusers and deemed as â€Å"bad† or as â€Å"criminals† by society as police car lights are seen in multiple scenes. Switching the focus to the lyrics, â€Å"We Found Love† lyrics areShow MoreRelatedRobyn Rihanna Fenty: The Game of Fame1699 Words   |  7 Pagesherself and figure out who she really is as a person. Rihanna is often given two choices, to do what she is being asked to do, or throw her career out the window. She either gives the crowd the sexual acts they want or let her career die down. In the song â€Å"SM,† Rihanna was really exposing herself to the crowd, as well as â€Å"Good Girl, Gone Bad.† She is basically telling the crowd that this is the person she is, but is it really? For my original piece I will be creating a journal, expressing the feelingsRead MoreEssay on Western Music vs. Indigenous Music2295 Words   |  10 Pagestraditional music is appalling. Traditional communities assign an array of powers to their music such as: ‘the power to heal sickness, create bountiful game, cause lightning to strike [and] kill (Mills, 1996).’ As Allan Marett (2005) states in his text Songs, Dreamings and Ghosts: ‘there is a great deal of ambivalence within Australian society about the contribution that Aboriginal knowledge and modes of expression can and should make to the national consciousness, ranging from those who embrace AboriginalRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesLine 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial CharacteristicsRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesTheir diversity, literacy, ethnic sensitivity, and relevancy should attract readers. Stanley Baronett. Jr., University of Nevada Las Vegas Far too many authors of contemporary texts in informal logic – keeping an eye on the sorts of arguments found in books on formal logic – forget, or underplay, how much of our daily reasoning is concerned not with arguments leading to truth-valued conclusions but with making choices, assessing reasons, seeking advice, etc. Dowden gets the balance and theRead MoreInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 Pagesand impactful— if you can change your behaviors to improve your creative impact. In e Innovator’s DNA, authors Je Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and bestselling author Clayton M. Christensen ( e Innovator’s Dilemma, e Innovator’s Solution) build on what we know about disruptive innovation to show how individuals can develop the skills necessary to move progressively from idea to impact. By identifying behaviors of the world’s best innovators—from leaders at Amazon and Apple to those at Google, Skype

Stereotypes - A Hasty Generalization Essay example

Stereotypes are everywhere and can be about anyone. Generalized remarks about gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity or age are common forms of stereotyping. Any time someone makes hasty groupings whether by race, gender or an individual and makes a blanket judgment about them is stereotyping. Military members are no different than society. One of the militarys greatest assets is its diverse workforce but with diversity comes stereotypes. As a woman in the military, I frequently encounter stereotypes and have made hasty conclusions about others. This paper will discuss a few stereotypes that I have faced in the military. Women have been serving honorably in the military for centuries; yet, the some of the stereotypes still†¦show more content†¦When women feel unnecessarily grouped as less committed, their commitment can fall based on lack of trust of their leadership. This feeling will follow them and they may even start to stereotype all men in the military as only promoting and caring for the males within an organization. Also, men who already believed women were inferior to men in the military easily agreed with my supervisors stereotype (Ditto, 2011). According to Kemick (2010), People are more likely to be aggressive after theyve faced prejudice in a given situation, says Inzlict (p.1). Recently with Dont Ask Dont Tell being repealed, many generalizations have been made about males in the military who have feminine traits and must be gay. The argument is that male flight attendants have feminine traits, a male with feminine traits are gay, so male flight attendants are gay. This fallacy is clearly Begs the Question fallacy. Often this kind of reasoning is criticized as â€Å"circular reasoning,† in that the premise that supports the conclusion is in turn supported by the conclusion, and thus goes in a circle (Mosser, 2011, Sec 4.2). This argument is flawed because I know many male flight attendants in the military who are married with children. They have more feminine traits because they were raised by their mother, grandmother and sisters rather than a strong male figure. This type of prejudice can lead to some males picked on or singled out by other aircrew because of theirShow MoreRelatedWhat Are Stereotypes? Essay1308 Words   |  6 Pages Stereotypes are assumptions held about the characteristics of a particular group of people. These assumptions could be due to their race, culture, country, community and religion. Women are not as smart as men. Men are strong and do all the work. Americans are tolerant but arrogant. Girls are not good at sports. Black people are stronger than white people. Black people are criminals. Old folks are all very old fashioned. All blond women are dumb. Guys are messy and unclean. GirlsRead MoreFighting Stereotypes Essay1078 Words   |  5 PagesA stereotype is defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. There are multitudes of stereotypes in our society today ranging from the physical attributes of a person or groups of people to the behaviors of a person or groups of people. According to An Introduction to Logic, â€Å"Often the fallacy of hasty generalization can lead to damaging stereotypes made on the basis of just a few examples. Stereotypes about women, religious groupsRead MoreThe Fallacies of Sterotyping Essay558 Words   |  3 Pagespeople experience stereotypes, whether the stereotype is directed at them or they are the one with the stereotype. While stereotypes can assist in making logical decisions, the fallacies of stereotyping will influence us all unconsciously, can leave people with negative lingering effects, and also misrepresent the individual. 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Although there is a selectivity of our perception and we can lead our observations to hasty generalizations, our perception can produce knowledge and expand our horizon. The natural sciences can also produce knowledge since they are solely based on certainty and experimentation. Karl Popper argued that there was no mechanical way of coming up withRead MoreMarjane Satrapi’s Challenging of Stereotypes in Persepolis1059 Words   |  4 PagesMarjane Satrapi’s Challenging of Stereotypes in Persepolis In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, Satrapi states that her goal in writing the book was to dispel many of the hasty generalizations made by the Western world about Iran, a principal sentiment being that the country is little more than a nation founded by fundamentalists and home to terrorists and extremists. To combat the misconception, Satrapi enlists the assistance of examples from her adolescence of barriers and dissent towardsRead MoreMarjane Satrapi’s Challenging of Stereotypes in Persepolis Essay example1112 Words   |  5 PagesIn Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, Satrapi states that her goal in writing the book was to dispel many of the hasty generalizations made by the western world about Iran, a principal sentiment being that the country is little more than a nation founded by fundamentalists and home to terrorists and extremists. To combat the misconception, Satrapi enlists the assistance examples of barriers and dissent towards the new conservative regime in Iran from her adolescence. By employing events

Neiman Marcus Case Free Essays

string(51) " enhance customer relationships and brand loyalty\." Neiman Marcus (NM), which mainly serves the high-end retail market, is currently facing a tough future. Although it currently enjoys high profit margins and has made significant improvements in its existing brand performance, its growth has plateaued. NM believes that there is only limited potential for growth of its current full-line stores while maintaining its exclusivity. We will write a custom essay sample on Neiman Marcus Case or any similar topic only for you Order Now As a result, it is considering other growth opportunities. The strategic goal is to increase its revenue by at least $150 million over the next 6 years while maintaining its attractive profit margins of 15%. Of the number of possible growth options, we recommend NM to grow via the Galleries concept. We believe that this concept is in line with its current core strength of creating and maintaining customer loyalty with luxury customers. Moreover, it can benefit from its existing customer base, efficient sales force and brand name. Our financial analysis further shows that the concept has the potential to match the revenue and profit goals. However, NM needs to carefully choose the gallery locations since there are some risks associated with direct competition with existing leaders and confusion among its current customers about the shift in brand-focus. Growth Options Neiman Marcus (NM) serves the high-end retail market mostly in US. Before analyzing the range of growth options available to NM, we performed a SWOT analysis [Exhibit 2] to understand NM’s current competitive situation. NM clearly targets the affluent US population and intends to serve the luxury market. The company’s goal is to create a personal shopping experience for its customers, and that involves having a highly competent sales staff as well as setting up a unique buying experience. One of the biggest competitive advantages for NM is the customer based marketing programs and events, like the InCircle programs which enhances customer loyalty. The catalog advertising is another core-competency that NM can leverage greatly from, since it drives about 50% of the sales of the customer that also shop at the stores. NM invests heavily in training and retaining its sales forces ia programs like the â€Å"Optimum Selling Program† and competitive compensation to the employees. It leverages the sales force to create a personal shopping experience to the affluent customer with the objective of enhancing the customer relationship and increasing the average customer spend. Considering that the target consumer segment is the affluent consumer who earns over $200,000 annually, th ere is limited growth potential within this high premium segment since acquiring new customers with high buying power needs is difficult. Thus, the focus is to increase customer retention and find creative ways for customers to spend more on NM products, with the following approaches * Brand extension :â€Å"Galleries† for jewelry; Specialty store for shoes * Geographical extension: Expand into Europe; increasing retail space within stores; * Portfolio extension: Acquisition(Saks); Open Sale-price stores likeâ€Å"(Nordstrum) rack† * Relationship extension : Enhance relationship with emerging designers Brand extensions via Galleries for the jewelry category would put NM in direct competition with the likes of Tiffany’s Co. This might impact the top line (Revenues) more than the bottom line (net income), considering that it would involve higher costs for development of the stores, and heavy investments in advertisement and customer retention. Geographic extensions like expanding into Europe would not have high impact on the top line nor is bottom line, considering there 50% higher penetration of designer owned stores. Moreover, NM might need significant time and investment to create its brand name and competent sales force team in such new but fiercely competitive market. Portfolio extension: Acquisition of Saks would definitely have a positive impact on both the top line and the bottom line. However, NM would need to be careful on how this would affect its relationship with the employees and the designers. However, sale-price stores would likely dilute the brand image for NM, and alienate some of its existing consumers Enhancing relationship with emerging designers would probably impact NM most on the bottom line than on the top line, considering it would be able to leverage purchasing power with the emerging designers, and extract higher margins from the merchandise. do we need to estimate top line/bottom line impact? ] Of all these options, the Galleries and Acquisition of Saks are the ones that can leverage NM’s core competencies to the best ability. These avenues provide an opportunity for leveraging the marketing catalogues, customer relationships, and employee satisfaction and retention. The acquisition of existing brands such as Saks is subject to more extraneous factors (negotiations, stock valuations, government regulations, merger risks, brand value distortion) and therefore unclear as a long term strategy. Neiman Marcus’ Positioning. Based on our understanding, we believe NM’s current positioning statement is: For the affluent customer who takes great pride in buying only top-line luxury clothing and accessories, NM store is your one-stop place for all your fashion needs since we only stock best assortment of designer boutiques and our friendly knowledgeable staff knows exactly what you are looking for. NM’s positioning is to attract the affluent consumer, with a household income of over $100,000, by providing high-end luxury lines of women’s and men’s apparel, Jewelry, Cosmetics/fragrances, Gifts, Women’s shoes and Accessories. The core competencies that NM engages to differentiate itself in the marketplace are exclusive high-end designer merchandise, personable, knowledgeable and highly competent sales staff that aims at not only achieving a high level of customer satisfaction, but also establishing themselves as a personal shopper for the customer. The sales staff is cross-trained in multiple departments, and is empowered to build long term relationships with their customers. This enables NM to provide a customized and personal experience for its clientele, thus encouraging them to be repeat customers and increase their spend at NM. NM utilizes another core-competency of catalogs for direct marketing, thus creating avenues to increase spend by the customers. One of the differentiators for NM, an un-imitable competency that creates barriers of entry is the customer based marketing programs, and events. The InCircle program is targeted to enhance customer relationships and brand loyalty. You read "Neiman Marcus Case" in category "Papers" Special events and incentives are creating for the â€Å"creme-de-la-creme† spenders via the InCircle program that provides these customers to become repeat consumers via exquisite rewards programs and one-on-one customer service. About 40% of sales at NM were estimated from these programs and events organized by NM. Direct competitors for [Exhibit 3] NM include Saks 5th avenue and Nordstrum. Saks and NM differed in their approach to store formats. While NM had primarily focused on full line stores, Saks had developed other formats like restort stores, Main street stores, Off 5th stores, thus targeting different consumer segments. Nordstrom on the other hand had similar merchandise portfolio as NM, and was known for the level of personal customer attention and service it provided by building key relationships NM on the other hand provided multiple competencies that included specialty store variety (for specific designers) and department store scale and service. Quantitative Analysis of the Galleries Concept We performed a quantitative analysis to evaluate the Galleries concept. We made some key assumptions for the analysis. First, the revenue per sq. ft. or the three lines: fashion jewelry, precious jewelry and gifts would be equal to the current NM revenues in these departments. Second, the annual percentage revenue growth for Galleria would be equal to NM’s current annual revenue growth of 7%. Third, the allocation of space within the 10,000 sq. ft. galleria would be allocated to the existing ratios within the three departments. Using these assumptions, as shown in Exhibit a, we calculated the revenue per sq. ft. for the three lines. Using these values, we computed the expected revenue (base year) for one galleria (Exhibit b). We next constructed the pro-forma (Exhibit b) for one galleria for the next 6 years. We assumed that the revenue growth would be the same (7%), the gross margin and hence the COGS would be constant (56% which is the current weighted COGS for these three department). As seen in the pro-forma, we estimate each galleria will have revenues of $10. 8 million and Cash-flow (assuming EBT = EBTDA) of $2. 1 million by year 6. Using Present Value of the Cash flows (assumed equal to EBIT) at 15% discount rate, we estimate the payback period for each galleria on the initial investment of $5 million to be 5 years (2003 assuming base year is 1998). With additional revenue per galleria in Year 6 estimated at $10. 8 million, to achieve a financial goal of $200 million in additional revenue from the galleries by Year 6, NM would need to open 19 (200/10. ) galleries. This would require an overall investment of about $95 million in capital in the current year. The quantitative analysis indicate that if the three constituent departments of the galleries can perform at least at par with current levels (mainly in terms of revenue per sq. ft. and gross margins) , NM is very likely to fulfill the goal of $200 million in surplus revenue growth by year 6. In fact, since the payback period (at 15% discount rate) is 5 years, the IRR return from the investment is expected to be more than the required 15%. Thus the quantitative analysis is definitely is in favor of the galleries concept. Qualitative Analysis of the Galleries Concept The Galleries concept is to aimed to expand the per-customer spend of the target affluent consumer, by providing specialty stores for specific merchandise category. One of the viable options is to consider a Gallery which includes the departments that provide the highest revenue per sq. ft. amely Precious jewelry, fashion jewelry and Gifts, again targeting the same affluent customer segment. This concept makes sense for NM since it can leverage from its current strengths – loyalty program, dedicated and knowledgeable staff, and its existing brand value. Moreover, expanding the gallery concept in US where it already has an established brand name and elite-status makes perfect sense. However, as discussed before, the Jewelry and Gifts gallery concept would end up going head-to-head with a Tiffany’s store. Therefore NM needs to address the following risks for ensuring significant market share capture. First, considering that the flagship Tiffany’s store has a sales/sq ft ratio of over $3000 [Exhibit 1 and 4], NM needs to either increase the retail space for precious jewelry to improve from the overall expected $721 / sq. ft revenue (this is because precious jewelry in current NM stores earn a much higher $1669/ sq ft), or decrease the store gross selling space for the gallery. Second, expanding the number of Galleries excessively might rebrand NM in the minds of customers as jewelry focused company and might affect the sales of its other flagship products such as women’s apparel and shoes in original NM stores. Therefore, NM needs to be careful in choosing the locations of these new galleria stores and try to not choose locations where they currently exist. With regards to the locations of the new Gallery stores, we believe that NM needs to choose locations that are not competitively served (by Tiffany’s) in the Jewelry category, and also locations that do not have heavy overlap with its current locations. It is also important not to deviate from the target affluent consumer with high buying power index. Thus, we recommend the ollowing top 3 locations for NM to open the initial Gallery stores to ensure impactful market share capture. Based on how the galleries perform in these markets, NM can use the same criteria to open galleries in other markets. Seattle – Top most 1996 BPI; No Tiffany presence; some overlap with NM stores Cleveland – Ranked 2nd 1996 BPI; No Tiffany presence; some overlap with NM stores Sacramento – Ranked 3rd 1996 BPI; No Tiffany presence; hi gh overlap with NM stores Conclusion Based on the analysis of NM’s current positioning and its core competencies, we believe the Galleria concept presents a good growth opportunity for NM. Quantitatively, the concept has potential to fulfill both of NM’s current goals: revenue growth ($150-$200 million revenue growth over 6 years) and profit margin (Payback period for initial investment is under 6 years at desired 15% cost of capital). However, NM needs to be careful in choosing the locations for two reasons: to avoid head-to-head competition with existing jewelers such as Tiffany’s and to avoid confusion of its brand focus in the minds of its existing rich customer base. How to cite Neiman Marcus Case, Papers

Management And Organizations Environment â€Myassignmemthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Management And Organizations In Global Environment? Answer: Introducation According to Thomas Friedman the world has experienced three different eras. The first era of globalization happened when countries colonized other countries. For example British colonized India or Germans colonized many European countries. The multinational organizations initiated the second era of the globalisation. The digital revolution brought the third where the globalization is focused on individuals. Though all the nations are connected through the globalization, the cultural conflicts will rise as well. Every nation, culture or organization does not possess enough knowledge about other cultures which will cause the conflicts. The cultural conflicts will have negative impact on the businesses. According to Friedman because of the internet revolution the world is flat; however one needs to investigate more before approving it completely. It cannot be denied the definition is more appropriate for the developed world. There are many parts of the world where the people do not have internet access. The cultural, social or ethical value of individual is different which prevents the world to be entirely flat. In Friedmans discussion internet is the main deciding factor but it should not be, as there are many other factors other than the internet which should be considered. The internet has limited the world to common space where the interactions among individuals are increasing. However it cannot be concluded that just because of this every individual is globalised. This has opened up possibilities for the multi nation al companies to business all over the world. They see more destinations where the business can expand but to achieve the individual globalization they have to go a long way. Ghemawat explained in his book World 3.0 the world is far from becoming individually globalised. Ghemawat has contradicted Friedman by saying that the sudden change the internet brought over influenced him and the theory and conclusion he proposed lack adequate scientific data. He believed that the large investment, communication and immigration have been improved because of the globalization but there are many gaps that still exist. Hofstede defined cultural dynamics in the following six frameworks: Power Distance: This dimension is based upon the interdependence among the members of a community. The individualistic society focuses on I where a collectivist society focuses on We. If a certain society scores low it needs to focus more on the collective method in order to resolve those issues. How a community or nations focuses on long term or short term planning and relationship, this dimension decides that. Indulgence: The community works effectively by their ability to value each others perspectives and accept that. This is very significant for a company in the era of third globalization. The country needs to be internally forceful in order to deal with that. Professor McSweenys views on immigration have influenced to a large extent. The fundamentals of nations have been transformed by immigration and culture. However a nation cannot be identified by a single culture as there can be many cultures within one society. At the same time an individual culture or single subculture cannot define the whole. However personal beliefs and perspectives should be respected by every responsible individual. The example of Mr. Trompenaar is particularly significant here. He was having troubles with the management and his colleagues because he used to approach the management directly if any issue occurred with the customer. Most of the time he failed to expresses his explanations clearly to the management. The management had given him some rights and liberty which allowed him to offer discounts to the customers. After that there were no problems and this resulted in 30 % increase in the company profit. Peoples acceptability of a specific society defines the low context or high context culture. In the high context culture the things are generally simple and small but in the low context culture there exist complex behaviors and emotions. For example in a project or meeting the Indians express low context but the Americans express high context culture. Organisational culture The organizational culture can be defined by the way one organization works. The hierarchical structure of the organization is maintained by the organizational conducts. The employee mentality, impact of stories on the staff, power structure, framework control, authoritative structure, schedules, images and customs work in the development of the hierarchical culture. The organizational stories are created by the discussion that the employees have inside or outside the organization. The organizations well being is reflected on the stories. Ingvar Kamprad is considered as a legend because of his creation of IKEA. His strategies and concepts entirely changed the IKEA operations. The daily actions of the workers within the organizational work flow are accepted by everyone. Many examples can be drawn in IKEAs organizational culture, like the employees travelling by economy class or bus or his staying in hotels during business trips. The blue colored casual dresses can be worn by the employees at the work place. The symbol is an important part of the organizational culture. The symbols of an organization can be expressed in many ways like the dress code or the company logo or any sign that the company uses officially. The color of the IKEA employee dresses is blue which symbolizes the color of the national flag of Sweden. The company also maintains the Swedish side by providing play corners or scales, pencils and papers. Thorough this, value of the worker is defined in written or unwritten manner. The strategic role can be played by the organizational culture as well. IKEA follows an organizational structure which is non-horizontal in nature. The management maintains the Anti Bureaucrat week every different management level work collaboratively on the same level. There is various control systems are at work in any organizational structure. Quality system, reward system, HR system and financial system are part of the organisational control system. IKEA works its best to reduce its product cost without compromising quality. IKEA make sure that the stores with better service and low cost receives the rewards. Management maintains a close relationship with the employees in order to enhance the quality. The top management mostly takes the important organizational decisions and most of the time they are only few people. An effective organization everyones right is well protected. IKEA has become more open and adaptive as now more number of cultural diverse people work for the company Reference Anon, Geert Hofstede. The hofstedecentre. Available at: https://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html [August 24, 2017]. Arno Christian, 2011. Building A Cross-cultural Web Design For A Wider Audience. Onextrapixel. Available at: https://www.onextrapixel.com/2010/06/22/building-a-cross-cultural-web-design-for-a-wider-audience/ [August 24, 2017]. Burt, S., Johansson, U. and Thelander, ., 2011. Standardized marketing strategies in retailing? IKEAs marketing strategies in Sweden, the UK and China.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,18(3), pp.183-193. Colin Davies, Managing Director at C21 Consulting Ltd Follow, 2012. Cultural web. LinkedIn SlideShare. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/c21colindavies/cultural-web [August 24, 2017]. Duncker, E., Sheikh, J.A. and Fields, B., 2013, July. From global terminology to local terminology: A review on cross-cultural interface design solutions. InInternational Conference on Cross-Cultural Design(pp. 197-207). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Friedman, J., 2004. Globalization.A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics, pp.179-197. Friedman, T., 2005. The world is flat: A brief history of the globalized world in the 21st century.London: Allen Lane. Ghemawat, P., Actually, the world isn't flat. PankajGhemawat: Actually, the world isn't flat | TED Talk | TED.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/pankaj_ghemawat_actually_the_world_isn_t_flat.html [August 24, 2017]. Guillotin, B. and Mangematin, V., 2015. Internationalization Strategies of Business Schools: How Flat Is the World?.Thunderbird International Business Review,57(5), pp.343-357. Khamis, S., 2016. Brand IKEA in a Global Cultural Economy: A Case Study.Consumer Culture: Selected Essays. Larsson, A. and Schiehle, S., 2016. The Effects of Diversity on Multinational Organisations: An exploratory case study investigating the cross-cultural management and organisational culture of IKEA. Peters, M.E., 2015. Open trade, Closed Borders Immigration in the era of Globalization.World Politics,67(1), pp.114-154.

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Lord Of The Flies Essays (251 words) - Fiction, Literature, Allegory

Lord Of The Flies Essays (251 words) - Fiction, Literature, Allegory Lord Of The Flies In the book The Lord of the Flies the beast turns out to be the boys worst enemy even though it never really existed. The beast turned out to be the boys themselves. They were all scared the beast would kill them, but they ended up hurting or killing themselves just by defending themselves from the so called beast. The first sign of the beast was when the boys were first scared. When the little boy told the rest of the boys about the snake-thing he saw in the woods he refers to it as the beastie. None of the boys really believe him, but in all their minds it gets them thinking and worring about whats on the island, and if there are any beasts of some sort. The beast occurs any time the boys are frightened. If they hear a noise in the woods it must have be the beast. If they see something that scares them it must be the beast. This freightenment works the boys up so much that their primary goal is to kill the beast. In the end they kill themselves, and they realize that they were running from themselves. The beast never existed anywhere, but in their heads. I think the author, Golding, felt the same why when he wrote the book. The beast is the boys, and it ends up being their worst nightmare, and they dont even know it. That interpetation of the beast changed throughout the book and i began to realize what the author meant by the beast.

BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) Essay - 1

BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) - Essay Example According to Brannigan (1992), what seemed to be the deciding factor that would prove that mill construction is superior is that the slow-burning characteristic of heavy timber is of no value once the fire department must fall back to defensive tactics against the fire, and thus heavy timber becomes long burning. What mill construction techniques provide is a precautionary system to address the fire before it even fans across the building. In contrast to heavy timber which assumes that the thickness and composition of its construction material may well be a hindrance for the progression of fire, mill construction prevents fire before it even begins by placing fire walls that would constrict its spread, not to mention modern automatic sprinklers that extinguish fire almost instantaneously upon detection. Lastly, mill construction provisions recognize that wood assemblies in general are susceptible to combustion and collapse because of the very nature of the material used and thus reinforces it with other safety

Research Paper (Soft commodity) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

(Soft commodity) - Research Paper Example Corn is highly recommended for diabetic patients as it helps in lowering the sugar level as it contains 18.4% of fiber which is required daily for diabetic patients (Thomas). The month of July had a greater increase in the price of the corn because of the flood which destroyed the crops. The total production of corn in the country is recorded as 329,453 Metric tons which is the highest production rate by any country (Thomas). United States is the leading corn exporter with 1.9 billion bushels and importing up to 600 million bushels. The country is known for producing different types of corn with over 7.6 billion bushels of demand (Thomas). Corn is the most complex grain and its production has changed the face of history as billions of livestock and human and is also considered a good source to work as an alternate to oil. Over 300 Million metric ton of corn is being produced by the United States alone which specifies the biggest demand of corn in the country. The prices of the corn are set to rise again in near future due to the increase in consumption of the alternate fuel and feeding of the livestock. Thomas, Taylor. "Corn falters; traders watch crop yield, demand." 10 August 2012. articles.marketwatch.com. 11 August 2012

Retail assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Retail assessment - Essay Example This report compares the retail activities of both retailers compared to other well-known fashion brands and retailers. The business concept at H&M is straight-forward: â€Å"give the customer unbeatable value by offering fashion and quality at the best price† (hm.com 2010, p.1). This is accomplished by outsourcing all of their supply needs and reducing middlemen in the process of product procurement. The company also makes its purchases in higher volumes than other retailers, therefore receiving volume discounts that are passed onto the consumers in their pricing model. This is not common with other retailers in the UK, especially those that have built their brand based on diversity of offerings rather than volume inventories. Zara is a leader in areas of procurement and acts as a benchmark for many other fashion retailers. The company also offers low cost fashions, however their inventory replenishment strategy is significantly different from H&M as well as other well-known retailers such as Marks & Spencer. Zara works on a six week lead time under its fast fashion replenishment model, therefore it is able to sell virtually all of its merchandise at regular price without pricing reductions (Hardman, Harper & Notaney 2009). Other fashion retailers are only able to sell 50 percent of their merchandise at regular price due to diversity of inventory offerings and the speed of replenishment chosen to maintain exclusivity in fashion offerings. Zara is considered by its youth consumer markets to be a place where there is always a new and â€Å"fashionably exclusive† product offering as it maintains a lean inventory policy for this reason (Ferdows, Lewis & Machuca 2003, p.63). Larger retailers that have a more diverse collection of fashions or other home-related merchandise do not have this luxury of lean inventory and must regularly consider clearance merchandise to make room for newly arrived inventories. Zara also devotes a considerable amount of time into

Has The Federal Emergency Response Improved 9 11 Criminology Essay

Has The Federal Emergency Response Improved 9 11 Criminology Essay The United States is confronted by many kinds of emergencies every day, emergencies which require prompt actions from emergency responders. These responders may come from different parts of the same local authorities or may come from other authorities. They may come from State or Federal agencies. Nevertheless, despite having come from different authorities and agencies, they need to effectively communicate and work together to get their desired results. The failures of the Federal government during the 9/11 attack serves as an awakening call to all. The 9/11 attack which has struck the whole country emphasizes that there is a need to continuously improve incident management. The history of Federal response procedures indicates that Federal planning concentrates too much on how Federal agencies communicate to one another during such emergencies. However, it did not completely concentrate on incorporating the different levels of government to manage incidents. It did not plan on appro priate working relationships prior to, subsequent to, and all throughout the crisis. Subsequent to the 9/11 attack, endeavoring to provide better incident responses, incident management principles must be revisited to develop a better response framework. This paper will provide a review on how the Federal Response Framework was implemented during the 9/11 attack. In doing so, the paper will explore the history of Federal response procedures, the Federal response to terrorism and the National Response Framework. This paper will also discuss the lessons learned from the 9/11 attack and the improvements made since the terrorist attack. History of Federal Response Procedures The current National Response Framework is a product of a long history of natural and man-made disasters, where existing response procedures were revisited and reassessed consequently following a disaster. The federal governments role in emergency response dates back following the event in 1802 when a Portsmouth, New Hampshire was raged by a large uncontrolled fire. Immediately in 1803, the federal government launched the federal role with The Congressional Act of 1803 (Foster, 2005). A century followed characterized by many natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, to which the federal government attended to. During the 1960s to the early 1970s, United States faced massive disasters which required major federal response and recovery operations. Thus, legislation were increased to address the concerns that natural disasters bring forth, such as the National Flood Insurance Act in 1968 and the Disaster Relief Act in 1974, to name a few (FEMA, 2009). At this point, however, emergency response procedures were still fragmented. There were more than a hundred federal agencies involved in providing assistance to state to local governments in the event of a disaster. Moreover, many programs and policies within the state and local level were too similar resulting to redundancy as well as compounding the complexity of the federal governments efforts in responding to disasters. The National Governors Association considered cutting the number of agencies to which the state and local government needed to coordinate with. They approached President Jimmy Carter to centralize federal emergency functions (Foster, 2005). With an attempt to improve and streamline federal emergency functions, President Carter signed an Executive Order that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA became responsible for coordinat[ing] the federal governments role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror (FEMA, 2009). In 1988, the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act was passed, which launched a system wherein a Presidential disaster declaration of an emergency prompted federal financial and material assistance to be released to state and local governments. This act became known as the Federal Response Plan and FEMA has t he primary responsibility of coordinating at least 25 government and non-government agencies. The first few years of FEMA emphasized the complexity of emergency management as FEMA faced many unusual disasters and emergencies such as the contamination of Love Canal, Cuban refugee crisis and disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant (FEMA, 2009). Other disasters it faced were the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. When James Witt became the new FEMA director in 1993, Witt instigated reforms within the agency that reorganized disaster relief and recovery operations to an all-hazards model to make it more efficient, emphasizing on preparedness and mitigation and customer service. After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed, which required the consolidation of existing federal government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan (U.S. Congress, Cited from Lindsay, 2008, p. 3). The act also created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) merging at least 20 agencies into a single department, including FEMA. FEMA, despite being under DHS, still maintained its authority to administer the provisions of the Stafford Act as well as its designation as the forefront agency for the countrys response plan. In December 2004, DHS issued a successor to the Federal Response Plan, entitled the National Response Plan (NRP). The NRP attempts to incorporate all levels of government in a common incident management framework (US Government Printing Office, 2009). Implemented during Hurricane Katrina, the NRP still proved to be inadequate. Nine months after Katrinas landfall, several changes were made to the NRP, which integrated the preliminary lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, DHS published the National Response Framework (NRF) as a guide to how the nation conducts emergency and disaster responses. The NRF replaces the 2004 NRP and revised 2006 NRP (US Government Printing Office, 2009). Federal Response to Terrorism Responding to a terrorist act, whether it involves a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agent or weapon, entails a wide array of complexities to state and local responders. The current system requires that local police, fire and emergency personnel first respond to the disaster (Haddow, Bullock Coppola, 2006). If the incident overpowers the capabilities of the local responders, they may turn to the state government for assistance and when it becomes too immense for the local and state responders, eventually, they turn to the federal government for assistance. Accordingly, federal agencies may assist through deployment of various teams (GAO, 2000). Figure 1: Relationship between crisis management and consequence management (Larson and Peters, 2001, p. 258) The Federal Response Plan and Terrorism Incident Annex states that the Terrorism Incident Annex endeavors to improve the nations ability to respond rapidly and decisively to terrorism directed against Americans wherever it occurs, arrest or defeat the perpetrators using all appropriate instruments against the sponsoring organizations and governments, and provide recovery relief to victims, as permitted by law (Larson Peters, 2001, p. 259) The Terrorism Incident Annex visualizes a possible flow from crisis management activities to consequence management (See figure 1). Larson and Peters (2001) indicated that the difference between crisis management and consequence management is that crisis management involves measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism whereas consequence management, on the other hand, includes measures to protect public health and safety, restore essential government services , and provide emergency relief to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism (Larson Peters, 2001, p. 257). National Response Framework Effective March 22, 2008, the National Response Framework superseded the National Response Plan. The NRF lays out the guiding principles which facilitate all response associates to prepare for and provide an integrated emergency response towards disasters and other emergencies. It institutes an all-inclusive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response. The NRF defines the key principles, roles and structures that systematize how the country responds as one nation. The NRF is built upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which provides a standard command and management structure that directly applies to response activities. Accordingly, this system presents a reliable, national template that allows Federal, State, tribal and local governments as well as the private sector and NGOs to collaborate in the preparation, prevention, response, recovery and mitigation of the effects of the incidents regardless of its size, cause, location and/or complexity (US Go vernment Printing Office, 2009). This NRF is needed by, and incorporates under, the larger National Strategy for Homeland Security or Strategy which serves to lead, systematize and unite the countrys homeland security efforts. This strategy mirrors an improved understanding of the threats and challenges facing the United States. It integrates the different lessons learned from exercises and actual disasters. In addition, it expresses how our nation can ensure enduring success through strengthening homeland security. Furthermore, it presents a general framework through which the entire nation should direct its homeland security efforts in achieving the following goals: Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. Protect the American people and our critical infrastructure and key resources. Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success (US Government Printing Office, 2009, p. 12). The NRF is primarily concerned with the third goal which aims to respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. The Strategy necessitates an NRF that facilitates the strengthening of the foundation built for an effective national response, which swiftly evaluate rising incidents, take preliminary actions, develop operations as needed and instigate recovery actions in stabilizing the area. Furthermore, the Strategy also necessitates that the NRF be clearly written, easy to understand and designed to encompass a national scope as it meets the needs of State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector and NGOs, as well as the Federal Government. The Framework is designed to answer and support the Strategy, which must work together impeccably to national, State, tribal, and local preparedness activities. The 9/11 Attack and Emergency Procedures Implemented According to the 9/11 Commission Report (2004), the emergency response at the Pentagon was, in general, effective. The response constituted a combination of local, state and federal jurisdictions. The Arlington County Fire Department served as the incident commander, for obvious reasons on the nature of the event, whereas other agencies involved had different roles. The Department of Justice, on the other hand, became the lead federal agency in charge. Moreover, Arlington County and all bordering and surrounding jurisdictions became involved one way or another during the response procedure. The series of events of the terrorist attack started around 9:37 am when the west wall of the Pentagon was hit by a hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757. Immediately, the building and the airplane was damaged, killing all 64 people in the plane and 125 people inside the Pentagon. Additionally, there were six people also seriously injured and mobilized to area hospitals. The 9/11 Commission Report justifies the success of the emergency response for three reasons. Firstly, emergency responders were able to build strong professional relationships with one another. Secondly, the Incident Command System was appropriately implemented. And lastly, there was a pursuit of a regional approach to response. Accordingly, many of the fire and police agencies involved had extensive previous experience when it came to collaborating on regional events and training exercises (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Several local, regional, state and federal agencies immediately responded to the incident. Along with the county fire, police and sheriffs departments, there was the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Fire Department, Fort Myer Fire Department, the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the FBI, FEMA, National Medical Response Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a number of military personnel from the Military District of Washington. Arlington County Emergency Communications Center also communicated with other fire departments from Fairfax County, Alexandria and the District of Columbia for further assistance with the incident. By 9:41, command was already established and the incident command post has already presented a clear picture of the crash site and how to access it. By 9:55, there was an evacuation order of the Pentagon by the incident commander because of the preliminary assessment of a collapse of the building. By 9:57, the building partially collapsed; nevertheless, no first responders were injured. By 10:15, the incident commander ordered a full evacuation of the command post because of warning that another hijacked plane is fast-approaching to the site. The 9/11 Commission Report (2004) noted that the evacuation order was well communicated and well coordinated. In fact, the 9/11 Commission Report stated that a vast number of civilians below the impact zone were able to evacuate the towers. This evacuation was facilitated significantly by the amendments made by the Port Authority in response to the 1993 bombing as well as the training of both Authority personnel and civilians after that incident. The stairwells of unaffected floors remained lighted, whereas other stairwells had glow strips to the handrails and stairs. General evacuation time was approximately less than one hour on September 11 for those who were not trapped or suffering physical disabilities, compared to almost four hours during the 1993 bombing. Nevertheless, there were many problems that arose from the incident. Challenges to which are considered as failures and lessons learned during the 9/11 attack are outlined in the succeeding section: The Challenge of Incident Command The Incident Commander is responsible for the management of the Citys response to emergency; If the incident is so multifaceted that no one agency immediately stands out as the Incident Commander, OEM will assign the role of Incident Commander to an agency as the situation demands (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004, p. 319). To some extent, the Mayors directive for incident command was implemented during the incident response as the FDNY became the lead response agency during the incident. However, the problem was that response operations lacked the type of integrated communications and unified command contemplated in the directive. According to one of the experiences of the first responders to the 9/11 attack, Almost all aspects of communication continue to be problematic, from initial notification to tactical operations. Cellular telephones were of little valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Radio channels were initially oversaturatedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ pagers seemed to be the most reliable means of notification when available and used, but most firefighters are not issued pagers (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004, p. 314). Command and Control within First Responder Agencies In any kind of unified incident management system, all participants must possess command and control over its own units and sufficient internal communications. However, during the 9/11 incident, first responder agencies lacked command and control over its own unit and adequate internal communications. FDNY, for example, lacked the experience in responding to an incident like the 9/11 terrorist attack. FDNY was incompetent in organizing the number of units dispatch within the complex (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). This may be partly caused by the breakdown of internal communications wherein their radios had limited capabilities in a high-rise environment such as that of the WTC. Moreover, there was confusion over the assignation of the different frequencies to the personnel involved. Finally, the FDNY command post died down when the South Tower collapsed, compromising the departments capability to comprehend the status of the incident response. Another example is the Port Authoritys insufficient standard operating procedures and efficient radios to facilitate multiple commands to respond effectively. Many officials while under the tunnels and airports reported that they were not able to understand instructions issued. Moreover, command and control was further complicated when senior Port Authority Police officials decided to participate in frontline rescue operations (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). NYPD also faced some, although relatively fewer, command and control and communication issues. The department, with its extensive experience in mobilizing thousands of officers during key events necessitating crowd control, was able to adapt more easily to an immense devastating event such as that of the 9/11. However, it is unclear whether NYPD officers were fully well coordinated (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Lack of Coordination and Collaboration among First Responder Agencies The Commission reported that there was insufficient comprehensive coordination between NYPD, FDNY and PAPD personnel as they ascended the towers. Information sharing became a critical issue during the 9/11 attack. FDNY officials reported their difficulties in their decision-making due to insufficient information given by the NYPD aviation. NYPD aviation, prior to the collapse of the tower, had already warned at 9:51 that large pieces from the South Tower seemed to fall, which could pose considerable danger to people below. It was only after the towers collapse where FDNY received this message due to internal breakdowns in commnication. This lack of real-time intelligence resulted to more lives lost. The lack of coordination between NYPD, FDNY and PAPD was also evident in terms of searching the complex for civilians as there was redundancy in searching specific floors and areas. Radio Communication Challenges Mentioned earlier, FDNY had significant deficiencies in terms of radio communication. Three factors attributed to the ineffectiveness of communication. First, the effectiveness of communication through the radios were significantly reduced due to the high-rise environment. Second, too many units attempted to communicate to tactical channel 1 at 10:00, overwhelming the frequency. Lastly, many firefigters were on the wrong frequency whereas others simply lacked radios in general (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Protective Technologies The experiences of the first responders during the 9/11 rescue operation illustrated the significant deficit in terms of protection. The responders reported that their personal protective equipments (PPE) hindered their ability to do their jobs. Their overall PPE proved to be incapable of protecting them such that other equipments performed better than others. Head protection as well as high-visibility suits performed well, whereas protective clothing and respirators were not very effective. Protective clothing did not provide enough protection against biological and infectious disease hazards, heat from the fire and demanding physical environment. Moreover, the material used was not light and flexible enough to move through and fro confined spaces. Eye protection, although offering protection against direct impact, did not provide any protection to persistent dust at the site (Jackson, et al., 2002). Improvements since 9/11 Attack Perhaps one of the most significant improvements made since the 9/11 terrorist attack is the issue on airport security which involves preparation to mitigate the risks of terrorism. Airport security has become much tighter than ever (Dempsey, 2007). Travelling has become more secured as access has now been rigorously restricted. One can no longer go straight to the gates and fly. Passengers have to wait in long lines before one can actually go in, whether flying domestically or internationally. Appropriate documents must be presented and authenticated as well (i.e. passports, government issued IDs, and plane tickets). Aside from documents, people as well as their belongings have to undergo vigorous scrutiny and inspection through security screeners and X-ray machines. Dangerous items such as guns, knives, corkscrews and other sharp objects are no longer allowed to be brought inside the airports. Baggages are more frequently searched in random, whereas passengers are performed pat dow ns (Dempsey, 2007). Airplanes are also made more secure than ever, with their hardened cockpits and federal air marshals to ensure the safety of the passengers and guard terrorist acts. Endeavoring to identify possible terrorists and smugglers and prevent them and their baggage from entering the secured parts of the airport and the airplanes, airport officials conduct profiling of passengers. This system develops a personality profile of the traits of terrorists and smugglers and attempts to match the passengers to the profile. Once a passenger matched a certain terrorist or smuggler profile, he or she is detained and subjected to appropriate search and questioning (Dempsey, 2007). Furthermore, all passengers now undergo explosive detections through conducting profiling, visual and physical inspections and canine inspection wherein trained dogs are used in recognizing explosive vapors. Airports now also use different kinds of state-of-the-art x-ray machines and explosive-odor detection devices (Dempsey, 2007). Assessment of the Federal Response Framework after the 9/11 One of the major disasters that hit the country, subsequent to the 9/11 attack, was Hurricane Katrina during 2005. Four years after the terrorist attack of 9/11, the country was hit by a major hurricane. Despite efforts made on equipping the country to minimize the risks of terrorist plots, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina illustrated how unprepared the country still is. Federal response procedures at the time, even after the 9/11 attack still proved to be inadequate and ineffective. There was lack of preparation within all levels of government (Sellnow, Ulmer, Seeger, Littlefield, 2008). In addition, there was also a lack of coordination and collaboration among the different agencies involved in the incident (Sellnow, et al., 2008). During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA was incapable to streamlining the agencies involved and produce timely response and results (Sellnow, et al., 2008). Furthermore, there was a lack of communications and situational awareness (Sellnow, et al., 2008). Farber and Chen (2006) asserted that the problems encountered during the Hurricane Katrina response were not born and/or ended during and after Hurricane Katrina. The failures during the incident response indicate that local, state and federal government still need to work together to continuously improve the system. Conclusions The challenges of different kinds of disasters confront our country every now and then. These challenges continue to test the character and perseverance of American people. History illustrates a long line of failures in emergency management. Nevertheless, as we fail to respond appropriately towards it, we constantly learn from our mistakes and attempt to continuously improve. The 9/11 attack and Hurricane Katrina was an awakening call telling the country to be more prepared to incidents such as these. To answer whether the federal response procedures have improved since the 9/11 attack, there are certainly improvements especially in terms of securing the country from terrorist attacks. Significant changes in airport security proved to be effective in mitigating the risks of terrorism within the country. However, it should be noted that this is not enough. Further planning and training still need to be done for the country to be fully prepared.

Disney Films Essay -- Movies Walt Disney Essays

Disney Films In Disney films, motherhood is generally featured as latent, inexistent, or enacted by an evil stepmother. The conflicts which arise in the majority of the films usually due to the missing biological mother, either through her death, through her removal from the life of the child, or the stepmother. This sheds a poor and/or dark light on the role of motherhood. An example of a Disney film in which the mother is latent is Sleeping Beauty. The main character, Briar-Rose, a princess, has a mother, but she does not know her. She was removed from her parents at birth in order to protect her life. The mother appears only at the beginning and the end of the film, when Briar-Rode is born, and then on her sixteenth birthday when she is to be wed. This latency makes motherho...

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A Reflection

Abraham Maslow, a popular psychologist during 1950's to 1970's has developed a model on how people could test their personality, based on their needs as an individual. This is called ‘Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs'. The model is illustrated as a triangle. The base of the triangle, which is the biggest, is the Psychological Need. Since this is the base of the triangle and the biggest, Maslow interpreted this as the individual’s basic needs. Most of the things that Maslow included in this area are the health and medical needs of an individual. These things are some of the things the individual cannot live without, examples are: oxygen, sleep, physical activities, water and rest. Following the psychological need is the Safety and Security Need, which takes up the second level of the triangle. As the individual fulfills his psychological need, he will seek for order and security. Perhaps, he will seek for a secured job so that he could continually fulfill his psychological needs, or look for a shelter or community where he could find safety and serenity. These are some examples of Safety and Security needs. The third level of the triangle is the Love and Belongingness Need. The famous quote ‘no one is an island', best describes this need. Next level in Maslow's model is the need for self-esteem. This need could come from the people surrounding the individual or from himself alone. The last level of the triangle is the Self-Actualization. The last level of the model according to Maslow is a little bit different among the four needs mentioned earlier. Self-actualization happens when the individual finally fulfilled the four needs. In layman's term, self-actualization could also mean ‘contentment or fulfillment'. However, though many psychologists and many practitioners are using Maslow's model, there are some questionable issues as he explained his model. First issue is that, not all individual needs to fulfill the four needs before he can have self-actualization. For example, some individuals are already successful in their respective fields by living alone. Some of these people do not need love and belongingness; in fact, they see love and belongingness as hindrance to whatever they want to achieve in life. Some people are achievers without partners in life or without even a family. Second issue is that, psychological needs encompass almost all of the needs mentioned in his model. In fact, it would be proper for Maslow to name the first level of his model as ‘Basic Needs' instead of psychological needs.

Technlogy in Society essays

Technlogy in Society essays Accelerating technological change has stretched human adaptability to the limit. In order to understand the way technology may be changing our views of the world, people must first understand the ways in which modern technology itself processes information. Every technical step towards intelligent robots and machines has a rough evolutionary counterpart, and each is likely to benefit its creators, manufacturers and users. Companys like Microsoft who create some of these counter parts for robots/machines and most of the technology that exists today, are not only monopolizing the business but are also forcing everyone to use their software because there are no leading competitors. Today people are so dependent on Microsoft and its computer technology that we cannot live without it. Everyday in society people are making improvements, however, these improvements also have equal drawbacks. Today we are using cutting edge technology to improve every aspect of our daily lives. For instance in today's society the fields of Communication and Medicine are constantly advancing yet they both create significant losses. Technology has helped increase the speed of communication and decrease its cost. However, at the same time it has caused people to become more impersonal with each other. In earlier times the major form of communication was for people to visit each other and go to public meeting places. But now all this can be done through e-mail, telephone, or just standard mail. These advances both improve our lives and hurt them. They improve them by decreasing time and money, but hurt by our frustration and anger tords them if they do not obay orders or not work. Society has experienced, change in time spent at work to the efficiency in producing goods due to the changing technologies. ...

An Overview Of The Gender Situation In The Philippines Essays

An Overview Of The Gender Situation In The Philippines Essays An Overview Of The Gender Situation In The Philippines Essay An Overview Of The Gender Situation In The Philippines Essay The socio-cultural traditions are clashing with the MET and cyberspace generation. The long history of colonialism has embedded a patriarchal culture among Filipinos. The conception of women as full-time homemakers, as subordinated to men, violence against them is private, as reserve labor force, and as sexual objects is now being eroded by modern women asserting themselves in many aspects of life. But on the other hand, some are either reorganized, discriminated, or even exploited by the harsh realities of global economy and consumerism. Both the changes and the inertia of traditions are the backdrop of a very active and dynamic womens movement. The Philippines is a main player in the international womens arena and this is anchored on a very vibrant local womens movement. Numerous organizations and Nags exist for the cause of gender equality and other related women issues. This puts the gender equality issues at the forefront Of national discourse and precludes further downslide of women status in the modern Philippine society. Indeed, there are many handles for the changes to happen. These legal and policy gains resulted from the strong voice of women that started even during the anti-dictatorship struggle that culminated with the ascension of Corcoran Aquinas as the first woman president of the country. The 1987 Constitution states two prominent provisions. The first in the Declaration of Principles Article II Section 14 which asserted that The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men. Additionally, the Article XIII-Labor: Section 14 provided that The state shall protect working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions taking into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of the nation. Following from constitutional provisions and the subsequent efforts to broaden the its principles, numerous legislation were enacted that relates to the various aspects of women and gender concerns, The list include: Gender and Development Law (5% of government agencies budget is for gender concerns) Party-List Law (women as a particular sector for representation in the legislature through party-list elections) Anti-Sexual Harassment Law (defining SSH and providing mechanisms) Anti- Rape Law (elevation of rape as crime against person) Barraging Day Care Center Law (day care center for every village) Women in Nation-Building Law (allocation of budget for women from development funds from foreign governments and multilateral institutions) Anti Mail- Order-Bride Law (making the practice unlawful) Repatriation Law (repatriation of Filipinos who lost citizenship by marriage in case Of need) Non-Discrimination Law in Labor Code (women protection in hiring and pay) Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (equal rights for women to be recipients of land) Military Training equality (women can enter the military and police schools and providing facilities for them) While the legal framework is there, the actual situation mirrors the deep gender divide. In the aspect of women in politics, the notable success of overall women is overshadowed by the actual ground level statistics. The lady Vice-President is up to now a shoo-in in the next presidential elections in 2004. But the big picture shows that of all the elective positions occupied through the 1998 elections, only 15% are women. In the two-chamber Congress, the Senate (Upper House) has 17. 4% women membership (4 out of 23 seats) which the House of Representatives (Lower House) has 12. 4% (27 out of 217 seats). The first party-list elections in 1998 wherein sectors groups like women competed to get a maximum of 3 seats ere party in the House of Representativesresulted in the winning of one (1) seat for a single womens party. Five (5) Other womens party did not make the minimum votes required. At the local government level, women Provincial Governors constitute 17% while Vicegerents are at 1 1. 5% level. Among the City and Town Mayors, 14. 5% of them are women while the ranks of the Vice- Mayors are at low of 10. 8%. The labor force statistics show also a mixed picture. Since there was a notable finalization of the workforce in the past years, July 2000 figures showed that there are 1. 42 million unemployed women while there are 2. 31 million unemployed men. However, more women are taken in for labor flexibility arrangements especially in the big services sector like in retail trade. This leaves them exposed to employment insecurity and unfair compensation schemes. Women still accounts for 53% of the unpaid family workers while they constitute only 37. 7% of the wage and salary earners. Though this shows that the regular income possibilities for women are still limited, the average household annual income of female-headed families is higher. The situation also pushes them to seek employment overseas. Increasing numbers of domestic helpers and entertainers are also being deployed both legally and illegally. Within organizations, the gender balance is under overhaul. Trade union leadership is still male-dominated but women committees and affirmative actions have changed the complexion of decision-making.

Finance management for business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finance management for business - Assignment Example All financial activities, starting from the capital investment decision making to the investment banking, come under the category of corporate finance (Ehrhardt, 2013). Among all these domains, one of the most important departments of corporate finance is related to the capital investment decisions. It deals with various factors such as, whether a proposed investment should be carried out or not, the proportion of equity and debt investment involved in the investment pattern, whether the shareholders should be provided dividends on the investment made and various other decision making purposes (Megginson and Smart, 2008). The short term issues handled in this domain includes the management of current liabilities and current assets, investments, inventory control and other short term financial factors. The long-term issues deal with new capital investments and capital purchases. Investment analysis is one of the important parts in corporate finance. The role played by a corporate fina ncier is to evaluate the financial needs of an organisation for raising the capital best suitable for the required needs. b) Difference between corporate finance and corporate funding requirements Corporate funding requirements are the necessities for which funding is required by a corporation. On the other hand, corporate finance is the department which deals with the financing of such requirements. Corporate finance deals with the requirements and management of such funding (Gallagher and Andrew, 1968). As already stated above, the function of the corporate financier is to evaluate the financial needs of the organisation that is required for raising the most appropriate capital funding pattern to finance such needs. c) Debt and Equity Financing The debt and equity financing strategies are two entirely different types of financing strategies. The debt financing indicates that the owner of the business has borrowed more money from the external sources for financing the operational a ctivities. On the other hand, equity financing implies the funding by the business owner from the internal sources by means of issuing equity shares

Financial Management for Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Financial Management for Small Business - Essay Example In this case, it is critical to form a business plan to assist the agency’s long term objectives. This is especially if it is the first time trying to make it in this entrepreneurial venture (BARRINGER, 2008). Some of the aspects that surround this business need addressing so as to make it simpler to deal with the hurdles that these businesses face. This paper will examine such a plan in the car hire service, and how it may impact the growth and development of the business, in the long run. The name of the car hire service company will be Delta. The chosen business needs explaining because not everyone might comprehend the concepts being introduced in the car hire service. It must, therefore, articulate and explain these details to everyone so as to find out what might be needed to make the agency a success. The business plans formulated ought to look at all factors surrounding the business; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It must acknowledge the presence of all factors present in the environment that might enable it to grow, decline, or remain stagnant (FINCH, 2006). In order to attract a wide variety of customers, it is vital to have an image of the cars that are to be hired. In this fast globalising environment, the cars that need hiring are personal that are capable of running for many miles. These include personal cars that can accommodate a fairly large amount of individuals. Nowadays, individuals are keen on having the fun day out while visiting different areas. Having a car hire service that can address these needs is fundamental in the business’s growth. It is vital to understand their needs so as to have the right car to provide the customer (HOSMER, 1976).). Many young couples are interested in cars that are out for their interests. This means that; they want cars that are trendy and lavish to match the new lifestyle (JACKSACK, 1998). The common vehicle models from popular vehicle industries are the

Show 'n Multimedia project presentation Assignment

Show 'n Multimedia project presentation - Assignment Example We apply Mathematical skills in our daily life. We also need to learn the concepts of Mathematics at earlier stages in order to conceptualize the Mathematics knowledge from an earlier stage of learning. Carry out the Smart Notebook activities with the students. These activities will include: installing the smart notebook software and showing the students how to do the same, use the software to show the students how to solve mathematical problems involving Mathematical operations using the Math tools in the smart notebook such as protractor, dividers, rulers, compass, and squares. Show the students step by stem method of using smart notebook and let them repeat the exercise several times until they master the concept and understand how to apply smart notebook software with Math tools to handle Math problems. The students can then be divided into groups to learn the same smart notebook activities for practice. The use of PowerPoint presentation is applicable in aiding visual understanding. For students with different special needs, the use of DI strategies such as balancing individual work and teamwork. Giving formative assignments to differentiate them, conduct mini-lessons within the lesson, differentiate them through the groups, give them a chance to speak and choose groups in class, and reflect on the setting of the lesson goals in order to make them master the content of the lesson. In addition, I will use UDL Principles in order to ascertain their mastery of the

Its Mine Essay Example for Free

Its Mine Essay Group – anis,farhana,dieba| Coffin Analyse how characters are developed to enhance plot and theme. Group – bimal,kalai,aina| Coffin Analyse how historical events are dealt with in the play. Group – farah,zai| Coffin Relate the treatment of historical events in the play to critical theories. Group – uyun,wini,syieda| Jungle of Hope

Rational Choice And Deterrence Theory Criminology Essay

Rational Choice And Deterrence Theory Criminology Essay Since Marchese Beccaria who, as one of the first mentioned that the real purpose of punishment is is no other than to prevent the criminal from doing further injury to society, and prevent others from committing the like offense (Baccaria 1764), many researchers as well as general community have begun to concentrate on the notion of personal choice when explaining what pushes offenders to commit crimes. Rational Choice Theory became one of the most popular concepts which support the deterrence philosophy. Although, the association between those two theories was welcomed by many, it also had its critiques and opponents. In this paper, I will explain how and to what degree, Rational Choice Theory supports the concept of deterrence. I will also discuss some of the contradictory theories and criminal behaviors that do not support Rational Choice Theory and state my opinion on consequences that this study may embrace on guilty mind concept which is, according to the criminal law, one of t he necessary elements of the crime. The concept of Rational Choice Theory is rooted in the analysis of human behavior that was established by Italian scholar named Marchese Beccaria. The main point of his examination describes the human being as a rational actor who calculates rationality using ends and means formula. According to Beccaria People (freely) choose all behavior, both conforming and deviant, based on their rational calculations, the central element of calculation involves a cost benefit analysis: Pleasure versus Pain, (Beccaria 1764). In his line of reasoning, Beccaria determined that in order to prevent the criminal or wrongdoing behavior, the form of punishment equivalent to the severity of crime committed should be implemented. The concept of punishing criminals in accordance to the crime they have committed in order not only to prevent the criminal from committing the similar act in the future(special deterrence), but also to warn the general public of the possible consequences of such behavior(general deterrence), became known as Deterrence Theory. In todays world of criminal justice, it is still seen as one of the most important aspect in the whole idea of punishment. Due to the failure of rehabilitative theories and major increase in crime rates in 1970s and 1980s, the concept of free, rational choice, based on the calculation of cost and benefits began to interest criminologist and researchers across the country. Examination of illegal decision making process began to be perceived as the key to understanding the real purpose of crime and what motivates it. During those years, Modern Rational Choice Theory emerged. Contemporary criminologist began to rely on the idea which claimed that threat of punishment tends to deter the individual from wrongdoing just as rewards tend to encourage pleasing behavior. Because of this new trend of thinking, many laws that increased mandatory sentences for numerous crimes, mainly those drug-related have been passed and executed. Did wide use of deterrence as the tool of discouraging people from committing crimes accomplished its initial goal? The answer is double sided. Violent crime rates began to indeed, drop i n mid-1990s as well as did drug offences. It was however, also due to changes in many other aspects like increase police recruitment across the country, good economic prosperity that discourages criminal behavior as well as change in mentality of people that had been subjects to violent behaviors. On the negative side, because of the fact that mandatory sentences for non-violent, drug related offences were increased significantly, the prison population also augmented significantly burdening the pockets of taxpayers. As this happened, more and more researchers began to criticize the method of punishment supported by Rational Choice Theory. Does fear of severe punishment really discourage criminals from committing crimes? Wasnt it only the philosophy of Rational Choice Theory of punishment that put the concept of deterrence in such an advantaged position in our criminal justice system and which still has such a massive impact on current crime control policy? Without any doubt, the strong connections between these two makes both theories stand out and seem very balanced and reasonable. However, as the frustration caused by some of the negative effects of their usage increased, contradictory theories began to emerge. Moreover, some criminal behaviors such as rapes and even in some cases, murders seem not to be positively affected by increased punishment as the form of deterrence for these crimes. Rational Choice Theory differs from many other criminal theories mainly because of its main principal that defines crime as a solely individual choice. The concept does not focus on other, crucial factors like individual traits, criminal associations and inner strains that may also play a huge role in pushing an individual to committing certain crimes. One of the most known models that oppose the Rational Choice Theory is Classical Theory introduced by Clarke and Cornish. Both authors agree that, while committing the crime, people are not perfectly rational and in some cases they are completely unreasonable. Moreover, they touch upon the costs and benefits of crime very broadly including only official and unperturbed permissions. According to their views, A range of factors influence and individuals estimates of costs and benefits of crime: self-control, moral beliefs, strains, emotional state, association with delinquent peers.(Clarke and Cornish, 1986). In addition, many researcher s have also found that the severity of punishment is far less important for potential criminal as oppose to certainty of that punishment. Some extreme opponents of Rational Choice Theory even believe that, People are not usually aware of certainty and severity of punishment for the area in which they live, therefore increasing certainty of punishment may reduce crime, but the effect will be short-lived and localized.(Class PPT). This opinion creates another argument which indeed questions and doubts the entire purpose of severe punishment as a successful method of deterrence and it is valid to a large extent. Besides the theoretical aspects that oppose the Rational Choice Theory, there are many practical ones that are against it as well. According to numerous scholars, individuals are much less likely to be affected by initial benefits of certain crime when they are intoxicated or mentally disturbed. Many people that commit crime are very low in self-control and often perceive the crime as simply not wrong. These individual however, are more likely to be discouraged from doing something illegal by the threat of punishment. Another study suggest that, the more severe the punishment is for a certain crime, the less likely it is for jury to execute a specific sentence; therefore it seems that as severity of the crime increases, certainty of harsh sentence decreases. If one would want to push the rational choice model to its extent, he or she may even argue that more severe and direct the punishment for the crime is in combination with negative experiences with law enforcement may actually increase the likelihood of subsequent crime. In todays world, where the access to illegal substances and alcohol is still fairly easy and domestic violent rates are still high, one could assume, without a big doubt, that offenders often commit crimes on an impulse, while intoxicated or under some emotional or mental pressure caused by, for example bad financial situation or difficult, inner family condition. What many call crime overload is certainly another problem. As crime rates increase, police forces are strained and the certainty of possible arrest decreases. As crime rates decline, police activity usually strengthens and certainty of arrest increases. The fundamental apparatus is what should be examined here. Does certainty of possible arrest daunts individual from committing a crime or does the small level of crime increase certainty? According to researchers like Marcus Felson, Stephan Pfohl and Alan Liska, some crimes and deviant behaviors, especially those considered capital offences like murder or rape with additional bodily harm are not affected by more severe punishment. The above mentioned scholars argue that capital punishment shows that anticipated, overall deterrent effect may not be present. As Pfohl claims, There appears to be little, if any, difference in rates of capital offenses between states which impose the death penalty and those that do not. In fact, an inverse correlation has been documented; when states abolish the death penalty a corresponding drop in capital crimes is reported (Pfohl, , 1994). Finally, issue regarding the effectiveness of deterrent policies and particularly the suitability of incapacitation and revenge bring up moral and official worries. How far do we really want to go in punishing criminals? Is incapacitation the most concrete use of common capitals? Looking at the widesp read understanding among criminologists that considers aging out as one of the most important elements of crime process, increasing mandatory sentences for all crimes that are believed to have been committed by perfectly rational individuals who have accurately weighted out all the costs and benefits of the crime they wished to commit, the incapacitation alone seems merely impractical. Without proper rehabilitation these individuals are very likely to commit these crimes again in the future. Great example of the modern use of punishment in accordance with Rational Choice Theory is present in the files from Atkins vs. Virginia Court Case that took place in the year 2000. Despite the fact that Atkins was diagnosed as mildly-retarded with a full IQ of 59, he was sentenced to death for committing crimes of armed robbery and murder. The case was particularly controversial because many believed that under 8th amendment which prohibits Cruel Punishment, Atkins shouldnt be sentenced to death but rather to long imprisonment. After the verdict was released, many scholars, lawyers and policy makers began to ask themselves what is the real role of 8th amendment after all? It seemed as in our country, pressure of public opinion and swiftness of prosecutors may push some cases above the supreme law of our land. I believe that the criminal research that evaluates the deterrence with the connection to the Rational Choice Theory may hold many consequences for one of the most important and valued standards in criminal law-mens rea, or in other words guilty mind. The main concept of guilty mind standard requires that a person cannot be convicted of a crime unless that person intended to commit that crime. Unfortunately, when looking at the case described above, I am wretched to admit that mens rea isnt always executed and respected. The study assessed in this paper, proves that a big portion of all crimes is committed by individuals that arent fully aware of their actions, as in the case when they are intoxicated or under tremendous mental strain. Moreover, many mentally disturbed and/or retarded criminals, even though conscious about the fact that they are taking part in criminal act, are often influenced by others who are often brains of entire process of wrongdoing. Atkins involvement in the murder for which he was sentenced to death is a great example of such situation. The measure of someones guilt is perhaps the most important factor in determining the appropriate sentence for crime that has been committed. How do we measure someones guilt? It is the moment that the principal of mens rea comes into play. Mens rea represents the amount of intend that an individual had while committing his offence. If we took Rational Choice Theory and traditional Mens rea concept and combine them together, we would get one of the most sophisticated and perfectly formulated theories that deal with understanding of criminal behavior. It could be written as follows, Since the criminal is a perfectly rational human being who, while committing the crime is fully aware of what he/she is doing and decides that benefits that will come from the crime outweigh the costs associated with punishment for this crime, than this person is guilty without the smallest doubt, intend is 100% in all the cases. As much as I would wish this theory was correct, it only reflects a utopian d ream in which all crimes and consequential punishments for them are perfectly clear and comprehensible. Reality however, is totally different and much more complex. To understand the importance of theories such as Rational Choice Theory one must often think outside the box. While the theory itself is quiet practical and compelling, without taking into consideration other aspects of crime and criminal behavior mentioned earlier in this paper, it becomes completely useless and invalid. It is because of the principal of mens rea that we need so many people in our courtrooms today, beginning with prosecutors, judges and jury, ending with psychologist, forensic scientists and psychiatrists in order to solve cases, especially those that involve murder. It is often very difficult to measure someones guilt and intend to commit such offence as murder looking solely on the crime itself and basing the explanation for it on Rational Choice Theory. Concurring with other critiques of the Rational Choice Theory I believe that the theory alone is quite misleading and all those who support it fully should consider studying it with comparison to mens rea or compare it to other counter theories like Classical Theory. If we want to respect principals of our criminal law which mens rea is a great example of, we should definitely stop the ongoing process of generalization and simplification of our legal norms and standards and apply and more ethical and just standards of practicing la w in our courtrooms.

The String Around My Finger :: Essays Papers

The String Around My Finger I work in a restaurant as a waitress and several days ago a co-worker of mine had to leave work. His ex-wife had called to tell him that their daughter had been rushed to the hospital because of a bicycling accident. He wasn't sure quite what to do. He'd talked to me before he asked the manager for permission to leave. He doubted that it was serious enough to get permission and asked whether or not I thought he should try. I told him that he had to go, and that I thought it was very important that he and his ex-wife be by her side especially considering their recent divorce. From my own experience, I knew that simply having both of my parents come to my aide reinforced the idea that my parents were the ones that got divorced and that, even if they weren't living together, they both would always be there for me. My parents got divorced when I was two and my younger sister just six months. My sister and I lived with our mother would visit our father two weekends a month and over summer vacation the situation was reversed. As we grew older, our enthusiasm towards those visits with our father waned because, after all, all of our friends were in our neighborhood. We frequently missed friends' birthday parties to visit him. Inevitably however, we always had a great time and were sad when our visits were over and yet happy to come home. I'd be lying if I said that I never wished that they would get back together and that there were never any times I couldn't wait to show my father what I'd done in art class or a great math test I was particularly proud of. Maybe it was for that reason that as a child I couldn't help feeling slightly abandoned even though he never missed a visit. I thought I'd outgrown that feeling when I was seven and a big first grader. It wasn't until that feeling had vanished that I realized I'd still felt that way. I was in the fourth grade when that happened. My mother picked us up from our father's on Sunday evenings. On the ride home she told me she had a surprise for me. I knew that she'd rearranged our rooms (she did that all the time; she used to want to be an interior decorator), so I couldn't imagine what my surprise could be.