Ban the bags before its too late Essay

BAN THE BAG BEFORE ITS TOO LATE† is an article that was published in the Daily Chronicle on the 27th of May 2008. The article stresses the negative impact that plastic bags are having on the Australian Environment and that the Government needs to make an immediate change. The article is targeted towards the general public, particularly those who have an interest in the environment, animals and battling pollution. The heading of the article is in large, bold and in capital letters. This grabs the reader’s attention and before they have read through the article feel that the information they are about to read will be important. The words â€Å"before it’s too late† gives the reader a sense of urgency to read on and leaves them feeling that the topic may have an effect on their lives and makes them more susceptible to information provided. In an attempt to appeal to the reader’s sense of safety and health the writer mentions that this pollution is â€Å"clogging our landfills to the tune of 20,700 tonnes a year. Due to these confronting statistics fear is stuck into the reader and encourages them to agree with writer making the article more influential. Read more:  Heavy School Bags The statistics that the writer provides may manipulate readers into feeling as though the writer is superior. The knowledge that the writer is presenting in their expertise could then potentially intimidate and make the reader respect the writer. To enhance the emotional responses and have the audience in total agreement the writer also uses the expert opinion of the Chairman of Clean up Australia Ian Kiernan. According to the article, Kiernan stated a, along the lines of; â€Å"only a total ban on plastic bags would be effective in reducing the numbers being discarded and causing environmental damage. â€Å"Being exposed to the words of someone who had a lot of understanding on the subject makes it even harder to deny the message of the article. In conclusion the authors use of statistics, expert opinion and emotive language the writer persuades the reader into banning plastic bags and that it is the correct path to take in order to preserve our environment and to ban plastic bags.

Conflient

In the text, the authors state, â€Å"collusion occurs when two or more people ‘agree’ subconsciously to ignore or deny some existing state of affairs or situation† (p. 44). This is somewhat different than another definition of collusion from the investments industry (where collusion signifies insider trading between parties, which is illegal and immoral). In our â€Å"conflict† definition of collusion, we are signifying a state of affairs where people do not recognize a reality that is readily apparent to other people.This can take an unlimited amount of forms. For example, in a family setting, the larger family may â€Å"subconsciously agree† to avoid discussing or helping another family member with a substance abuse problem. In a workplace setting, a top-performing employee may have an infectiously negative attitude and regularly degrade co-workers through verbal aggressiveness. In these scenarios, the reality that is obvious is overlooked because it is either perceived as â€Å"easier† to ignore the real problem or because of power or status issues.When collusion occurs, a conflict (which may have begun as a relatively minor issue) can grow into a â€Å"life of its own†. The conflict then becomes part of a person’s identity and is continued subconsciously to benefit that identity. So for instance, the negative and verbally aggressive co-worker may develop some type of â€Å"accepted identity†. For example, people may say, â€Å"oh, that is Pat just being Pat†. This type of identity is then used to hide away the problem that is subconsciously avoided. QUESTION #2 Staw, Sandelands, and Dutton's threat-rigidity cycle is explored in the text on pp. 6-70. The cycle works in this order. First, when individuals feel threatened, they experience and increase in stress and anxiety. Second, this increased stress and anxiety fosters emotional reactions like fear, anger, and physiological arousal. Thir d, these emotional reactions result in restricted information processing (i. e. , an inability to view the situation at hand in a composed manner) and constriction of behavior (i. e. , we are unable to process a full range of appropriate behaviors mentally due to our emotions taking over).As we discussed in Chapter 2, we are essentially   â€Å"flooded† with emotion, often leading to some type of knee-jerk reaction that in turn leads us to rely on our hastily made (and often incorrect) attributions. Now, the threat-rigidity cycle can take two different routes. First, if habitual responses (e. g. , verbally attacking the other person, avoiding the situation, stonewalling in silence, etc. ) do happen to be appropriate, the results will be positive and we are more prone to rely on this habitual response in the future.Conversely, if the habitual response is inappropriate, the situation will consequently worsen and the perception of threat, stress, and anxiety cycles back all ov er again (i. e. , we return to the first stage, thus the â€Å"cycle†). Because the threat-rigidity cycle underscores our tendency to fall back on habitual responses and attributions when confronted with a threatening situation we do consider these as â€Å"trained incapacities† (see pp. 68-69). Trained incapacities are important because we become so well trained (subconsciously) in our knee-jerk reactions that we believe we understand what is coming next in the conflict.Human beings famously believe that we can â€Å"predict† others behavior, but in reality, we are really bad at it. So what happens is that we become â€Å"blind† to the nuances of a particular conflict situation (often due to the emotional flooding cited above) and then rely on our â€Å"standard reaction† (i. e. , our trained incapacity) that we apply it whenever we are upset. This makes trained incapacities hard to detect, and in turn makes trained incapacities a very important a spect of behavior to understand, both for ourselves and for others. QUESTION #3The confrontation episodes theory outlined on pp. 29-31 is a good guide in many situations for us to go through a â€Å"sense making† process regarding conflicts. Of course, if it was fail-proof, we wouldn’t need the rest of this course. The theory, in general, explores co-created rules of conduct that are implied in relationships (i. e. , our generally agreed upon â€Å"rules of engagement†). My hope here is that you are able to frame a conflict that you have had in a meaningful way with this guide. Naturally, it will be enlightening for many of you or give you a new perspective.Conversely, it may already inform some of you as to what you already know or may serve as reinforcement that you â€Å" did things right† in a conflict. I won’t rehash the terms that were in the guide in each step, but I do want to acknowledge the vital importance of understanding the options we are left with at the end. First, reaffirmation is a good outcome because the parties reaffirm importance of rule being questioned (but as a side note, may simply do this to â€Å"avoid conflicts†. On the other hand, an outcome with no resolution leads us toward a path where conflict is continued and may expand.Legislation and reaffirmation may serve as the two most positive outcomes, in my estimation. I say this because in legislation, parties rework or reinterpret the rule in question, coming to a shared, agreed upon meaning for the rule. Also, in reaffirmation the parties reaffirm importance of rule that is being challenged. This then provides a clear understanding (hopefully) of what that rule entails. This is a classic example of why conflict is often good, as it serves as an opportunity to clear the air about simple misunderstandings that can fester into giant problems rapidly. QUESTION #4Central to this question are attribution processes; my overall goal with this ques tion was to see how well you could explain the interactions of these processes as they relate to conflict. Overall, these processes included how dispositional or situational factors are used by people to draw conclusions about their own behaviors and the behaviors of others, the fundamental attribution error, and the self-serving bias (beginning on p. 61 through the middle of p. 62). Then, beginning at the bottom of p. 62, Sillars notes that attributions influence conflict in at least three major ways.First, due to the self-serving bias, people are more likely to attribute negative effects of conflict to partners rather than to themselves. This heightens resentment of others as negative effects increase, leading to distributive strategies that are damaging to conflicts. Second, again because of the use of a self-serving bias, people often think they use integrative strategies while others use distributive or avoidance tactics. This leads people to believe they are doing more to reso lve the conflict than others are, while this may not actually be true in reality.Third, the fundamental attribution error heightens conflict by encouraging people to see others behavior as planned and intentional (negative attribute) and their own behavior as driven by the situation at hand (positive attribute). In short, we believe act socially desirable in conflict and others act in more negative ways, based on these attribution concepts. It is also vital to note that the self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error are impacted by perceptions of other people’s gender, ethnicity, or other demographic traits and that these two elements are also evident in our relationships with people we already know well (i. . , like the adage that suggests people are often â€Å"well informed and well biased†). Lastly, on p. 64, the authors summarize three propositions in this area of research regarding conflict: (1) people choose conflict strategies based on the attributions they make regarding the cause of the conflict, (2) biases in attribution processes tend to lead to noncooperative modes of conflict, and (3) the choice of conflict strategies influences the likelihood of conflict resolution and the degree of satisfaction with the overall relationship.The correct answer here is really more of a judgment of how well I felt you described the associated concepts and findings above more so than a judgment of whether or not each and every piece of information above was provided in your response. QUESTION #5 This response is fairly cut-and-dried, if you will. The procedure I was looking at here is in Exhibit 4. 1 (pp. 128-131). In your response, I was hoping to see a full discussion each of the 5 â€Å"questions† as they related to your example than a quick rundown of the selections you made.The answer to each question then guides you along the model, ultimately leading to a â€Å"recommended† or â€Å"prescribed† conflict style. So i n reality, this response had dozens of â€Å"correct responses† based on where the style selection tree led you to. Lastly, I was looking for you to evaluate the quality of the style (or styles for some of you) that you were guided to in your example. Would it have worked out in your estimation? Did you try that style (without knowing this information, of course)? QUESTION #6After a fairly thorough discussion of conflict styles in Chapter 4 of the text, the authors describe pairings of conflict styles and how they interact with one another (section 4. 5 on pp. 123-124). They noted, that some conflict style pairings are â€Å" asymmetrical patterns† that did not match each other, such as a demand (compete) / withdraw (avoidance) pattern,   a supervisor / subordinate pattern at work, or a competing / collaborating pattern (which interestingly has great potential to work well together).While at first many of these styles seem â€Å"unhealthy†, leading us to belie ve they are unstable, some are actually quite stable in the short term (e. g. , one dominant role/one submissive role). Although it is noted that these roles may not always be stable in long run due to unhappiness among the submissive individual. Likewise, examples of â€Å"asymmetrical patterns† were also noted, which we often believe are stable because of â€Å"agreement† among the individuals.For instance, a relationship often has two â€Å" avoiders† that facilitate conflict denial/collusion, two collaborators that are more productive, but are not perfect, or two â€Å"competers† that often reinforce a cycle of escalating conflict or reach a stalemate. What we can see from both symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns is that both types of patterns can be either healthy or unhealthy based on the context in which they occur or the type of pattern being used; in other words, the pairing of styles is not a way to determine the health of a relationship.Symme trical patterns of two competers may be great as workout partners, but bad as romantic partners. As many of us know, a competer and an avoider often work poorly because of the attack/withdrawal pattern, but a competer and a collaborator may work out wonderfully because the book notes how competers (that openly air out concerns) give collaborators tools to work with to find a â€Å"win/win† solution in many cases. QUESTION #7 This final question provided an applied conflict management scenario that revolved around the use of reframing/issue framing tactics in the textbook (p. 9 through p. 92). Just to be clear, the discussion of framing in Ch. 2 (pp. 57-59) is secondary for this question and was not the intended area of focus. In other words, I am seeking explicit reframing/issue framing tactics that would help to resolve the issue at hand (pp. 91-92). That is not to say the definition and discussion of framing in Ch. 2 is not important; in fact it is vital to acknowledge that conflict frames are a â€Å"cognitive structure based on previous experience, which guides our interpretation of an interaction or event† (p. 57).So in other words, framing provides the perceptual framework for how we view the conflict itself and the people involved. This is precisely why I created two groups of people in this fictional question that are affiliated with very different â€Å"organizational in-groups†; so it is expected that the accountant and sales person will have very (or use) different â€Å"frames†, based on what is happening. So this creates a scenario where we must â€Å"reframe† to be able to get anywhere in a conflict setting, otherwise we will constantly run into the issue of two people working in two different frames.Reframing/issue framing tactics are then a part of a â€Å"dance† (p. 90 – top). Because each reframing/issue framing tactic will likely produce a different outcome, there is more than one â€Å"right answer† here. To be clearer, a correct answer here is one that explains a reframing/issue framing tactic and reasonably explains why that tactic would make sense to use to manage the conflict in the hypothetical scenario. With that being said, here a few thoughts that I had regarding each reframing approach.Umbrellas: This approach would seem to work poorly here, as the sales staff member already believes the accountant is using this tactic (i. e. , sales person believes the accountant is jealous and is using this â€Å"petty† thing to air jealousy) Issue Expansion: This is an interesting approach overall; it is high-risk, high-reward in nature. Given the status of the growing in-group nature of the conflict, I would think the issue expansion approach may actually serve to drive a deeper wedge between the sales staff and the accounting department.I am open to different interpretations, but this appears to be the most likely outcome. Negative Inquiry: This may provide s ome traction toward conflict resolution. For example, if the sales staff member is convinced the accountant is jealous of their success, perhaps they need to expand on that thought as it is very vague. Also, it could be asked why the sales staff avoided phone and email communication. It may have simply been a case of having a viable excuse for not replying rapidly, instead of the accounting departments’ perception of ignorance/avoidance.Likewise, the sales staff could ask why did you â€Å"call out† someone in a face-damaging way? The answers here may get the two groups and the two main conflict parties on the right path. Fogging: On one hand, fogging may be dysfunctional as it opens up the door for avoidance issues. However, it also may create a situation where the two parties and the two in-groups can simply work towards the issues that relate to company policy here. Conflict is rarely â€Å"forgotten†, but if the accounting department and sales staff find a w ay to change the protocol to allow for a smooth work environment, time may heal some of the wounds.Fractionation: Although more than one approach can be right here, as I care more about the way you apply a solution to the problem, fractionation jumps out as the most helpful tactic at first glance. Here, both the accountant and the sales person (or their entire departments) may be able to break down the larger issues into fractioned pieces to address individually. So this means instead of looking at the big issue (inter-group conflict between sales staff and accounting department), the parties would look at each component.One thing the book does not mention, and this is generally true of all â€Å" textbook† conflict resolution tactics, is that fractionation would probably be very time consuming (especially if you are talking about long-standing, deeply ingrained conflicts). However, this is sometimes the only way to put conflicts to rest; which is something that should be ver y appealing for two departments in an organization that really need to cooperate with each other. The long term gains would seem to outweigh the short-term productivity losses.

Theoretical Perspectives on the Family

Theoretical Perspectives on the Family †¢Way of viewing reality †¢Identify why family patterns and practices are the way they are 1)Family Ecology †¢How family is influenced by the society around it †¢Family choices/lives affected by economy, education, religion and other cultural institutions †¢Ex: Great Depression – economically, people can’t afford children even if they wanted more kids 2)Family Development †¢How family changes over time †¢Family Life Cycle: Addition/subtraction of members (death in a family, moving out) oVarious stages children go through (children start school, go to high school, then college, then marriage) oChanges in family connections with other social institutions (retirement, or getting fired) †¢Developmental Tasks must be mastered in order to transition to the next †¢Role Sequencing – major transitions to adulthood †¢Normative Order Hypothesis – work-marriage-parenthood sequence is vest for mental health and happiness )Structure Functional Theory †¢Functions performed by the family as a social institution 1)Raise child responsibly 2)Economical support 3)Emotional support †¢Roles patterned by beliefs, values, attitudes, norms – serve as essential social functions that enables society to survive 4) Interactionist Perspective †¢Interactions within family members †¢Do they communicate effectively? †¢If they don’t = doesn’t allow for unique qualities to develop †¢MAJOR CONCEPTS: oSelf-concept – feelings people have about themselves Concepts of identity – sense of uniqueness , â€Å"the self is developed initially in a family setting† oRole taking – expected behavior for each family member (associated with a social position) – Children learn appropriate behavior roles that they may play in adulthood through watching their parents, siblings assume that role – INTERNALIZED AND INCORPORATED TO SELF 5) Exchange Theory †¢Exchange of resources that affect formation, continuation, nature of a relationship †¢Rewards vs. Cost – shapes power and influence in the family and commitment to the relationship †¢Should exchange resources outside the group. If not, develops materialism (dependence) instead of independence †¢Relationships based on exchanges that are equal or equitable (fair, if not equal) thrive †¢Whereas, those in w/c the exchange balance feels consistently one sided are more likely to be unhappy †¢Principle of Least Interest – partner w/ less commitment to the relationship is the one who has more power including the power to exploit the other †¢Person who maintain dominance – people who are willing to break-up/refuse to be the first to make up ) Family Systems †¢Use family as a whole more than the sum of its parts (members) †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Everybody knows what they need to do to make this work† – weakness: no room for change †¢A family functions regularly in a certain way; emotional expression and behavior of family tend to p ersist 7) Conflict and Feminist Perspective †¢Central Issue – feminist – gender issues specific to women †¢Because woman brings attention w/ woman duties -> it conflicts -> â€Å"Doesn’t mean because I’m a woman, I should be the one cooking. †¢Woman dispels tradition – conflict happens w/in the family †¢And/or woman is not getting to do traditional duties and causes conflict (Traditional homemaker wife now is going to work) 8) Biosocial Perspective (Charles Darwin) †¢Depending how you’re raised is how you survive †¢Individual Gene – determines if family is successful †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"You’re just like your father. †

Business Finance and the Capital Structure Research Paper

Business Finance and the Capital Structure - Research Paper Example The most important disadvantage of debt financing is the interest burden and the repayment of loan. If the loan and interest are not repaid on time then banks and financing institutions can seize the assets of the company. The history of bond and stock market shows that risk and returns are indispensably attached to each other. Investors cannot get higher returns if their risk portfolio is low. Lower risk will bring lower returns and in order to get higher returns investors need to take high risk. William Sharpe (1964) and John Lintner (1965) have contributed to the origin of asset pricing theory in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The CAPM was built on the model of choice of portfolio developed by Harry Markowitz (1959). According to the model of Markowitz, an investor opts to select a portfolio at time t-1 which would generate a stochastic return at time t. The model assumes that investors are generally risk averse, and at the time of choosing their portfolio they are concerned about only mean and variance of their return at the end of investment period. So investors prefer to choose mean & variance efficient portfolios that would either minimize variance with a certain expected return or would maximize expected return given variance. Thus, CAPM is a theory that defines the relationship between risk and the expected return of a security or a portfolio of securities. The theory is based on the assumption that the security market is generally composed of risk-averse in vestors and the type of investors who prefer and will to take more risk only when they expect to earn a higher return in commensuration with that risk. The return from an asset varies through successive periods and an asset which has a fluctuating return is considered to have greater risk. So, the tendency of investors is to diversify their investment portfolio so that they could minimize the effect of risk volatility, i.e. the unsystematic risk attached

DNA Functions and Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

DNA Functions and Structure - Essay Example These are known as the nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA, respectively. A very significant trait of the DNA is that it can very efficiently and easily â€Å"replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell† (Genetics Home Reference, 2012). The DNA, regardless of its overly microscopic size, has many functions under its assigned responsibilities. The DNA normally exists in the form of either prokaryotes or eukaryotes, existing in a different chromosomal stage in either of the states. Under the biological functions that the DNA performs, there exists the storage of hereditary and genetic information by the genes which determine the traits and features of the future generations. Secondly, the DNA is responsible for the transcription and translation of the genetic codes t hat are matched with its matching RNA, in further course. Lastly, the DNA carries out the replication of cell, which means that the cells divide amongst themselves and create copies of their own selves, in order to grow, in number and size. This is considered to be the bases for the notion of biological inheritance. These functions of the DNA are carried out simultaneously. The efficiency of this is ensured by the structure of the DNA which is double helix in nature. Details of these functions will discussed in greater detail, in the following. A polymer is a composition and a collection of numerous monomers called mononucleotide units. The structure of this nucleotide unit is as simple as the concept of this unit itself. These nucleotide units are formed by bonds of phosphates, sugars and a heterocyclic base. The chemical reaction is sped up and catalyzed by specialist enzymes. As a result of the components of this structure of this type of nucleotide units, after intermolecular de hydration, they form phosphate ester bonds. In a situation where nitrogenous bases on the DNAs complementing each other are called as base pairs. There has been extensive research and there have been many conclusions to the question of the combinations of the base pairs that are formed. The conclusions, with respect to the researches have varied with time and so have the combinations that are formed, according to each research. â€Å"DNA replication  is a biological process that occurs in all  living organisms  and copies their  DNA; it is the basis for  biological inheritance. The process starts when one double-stranded DNA molecule produces two identical copies of the molecule. The cell cycle (mitosis) also pertains to the DNA replication/reproduction process. The cell cycle includes, interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Each strand of the original double-stranded DNA molecule serves as template for the production of the complementary strand, a proc ess referred to as  semiconservative replication. Cellularproofreading  and error toe-checking mechanisms ensure  near perfect  fidelity for DNA replication† (Berg, Tymozko, Stryer, & Clarke, 2002) The RNA, like the DNA, is an acronym for the Ribonucleic Acid and is made up of lengthy chains of micro structures called nucleotides, consisting of sugars and a nucleobase. The structure of

Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care by Jill Assignment

Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care by Jill Duerr Berrick (2010) - Assignment Example Kinship care has gained increasing attention from practitioners, policymakers and researchers. The attention has been captivated by the large numbers of children being served in foster care by kin and the scarcity of information available about the rapidly growing arrangement for care† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). According to Mokgosi (1997, p.7), â€Å"placement with extended family or kinship is becoming widely used as an alternative placement. Many child welfare experts believe that children will be better served if their care is provided by family members within the community of origin rather than by strangers.† For, separation from distant family members may lead to the child’s disruption, if unattended. On the other hand, Berrick claims, â€Å"on a number of measures relating to the home environment, non-kin homes were rated as more safe† (1997, p.273). The author describes kin caregivers as â€Å"older than foster family parents and a group heavily repre sented by single women of color who are struggling themselves with limited incomes† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). Whilst foster family providers generally prepare for their new role as parents, kinship foster parents more often fall into older parenthood in response to a pressing family emergency. Trends in this data point to the need for further research in the field, that is, â€Å"the need for changes in policy and practice that might strengthen the kin and non-kin resources currently available to dependent children are also suggested† (Berrick, 1997, p.279). Although the study done by Berrick was designed to assess the quality in kin and non-kin homes, focus herein will be given on its quantitative aspect, that is to say, in terms of the empirical patterns found in the data collected, so as to explain the research phenomena with regards to its numerical data. The primary method used was survey research, which included interviews. The county staff drew a random sample of 1 23 kinship and 97 non-kin homes from their foster care databases. Herein, a simple random sampling method of analysis was implemented. â€Å"Sampling is a technical accounting device to rationalize the collection of information, to choose in an appropriate way the restricted set of objects, persons, events from which the actual information will be drawn† (Bless and Higson-Smith, 1995, p.85). In this study, the sample was restricted to those homes that included a child in care between 5 to 12 years of age. A letter describing the scope and purpose of the study was sent on all kin and non-kin providers. Providers were offered a $20.00 stipend for their participation. However, only fourteen kin (11%) and 11 non-kin (11%) providers responded to the request.  

Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Contextually, the use of marijuana has confronted with various significant issues owing to the reason of the infringement of federal law in different countries2. Thesis Statement In this paper, the legal issues concerning whether or not the existing medicinal marijuana program in California violates the federal law of the nation and the power of the federal government towards limiting the passage of laws linked with medical marijuana would be addressed. Moreover, the issue relating to the lawful right of raiding medicinal marijuana providers by the officials of law enforcement belonging to any state will also be addressed in this paper. Analysis or Discussion California has been viewed to be one of the states, which is certified towards using marijuana especially for medicinal purposes. In relation to analyze the legal issue concerning whether or not the violation of California’s current program relating to medical marijuana violates federal law, it has been viewed that the Ca lifornia voters enthusiastically passed the ‘Compassionate Use Act’ in order to legalize the substance i.e. marijuana particularly for medical purposes in the year 1996. It has been apparently observed in this context that California has been a foremost leader in adopting marijuana legally3.Before the year 1996, California prohibited the sale as well as the possession of marijuana but the state once again started to endorse in making limited drug usage for medical reasons only with the commencement of the aforementioned Act. The state considered this approach for the motive of delivering useful drugs to the patients at the time of any urgency. The Act was mainly established in order to persuade both state along with federal governments for adopting as well as implementing deliberate steps towards ensuring secure and sensible drug allocation to the patients in necessity4. There are various reasons for introducing the ‘Compassionate Use Act of 1996’ in Califo rnia. In this similar concern, the different purposes of the Act encompass ensuring that every seriously ill individual of California possesses the right to acquire as well as use marijuana especially for medical reasons and fostering both federal as well as state government towards utilizing a plan for delivering effective allocation of marijuana to all patients in need5. With regard to analyze the legal issue concerning whether California’s current medical marijuana program violates federal law, it has been apparently observed that federal law forbids the production, allocation as well as possession of marijuana by a significant level. In this regard, no exclusion has been facilitated by the federal law for using marijuana for medical purposes. The federal law strongly possesses the viewpoint that the substance i.e. marijuana is extremely addictive and most importantly does not bear any medicinal value. This critical standpoint of the federal government against marijuana ma y cause the medical practitioners to not recommend marijuana to be used for medical reasons under the provision of federal law. The federal laws concerning the use of marijuana have been identified to be quite serious and to be depicting severe punishment to those individuals who broadly engage in the

Advanced Accounting Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advanced Accounting - Term Paper Example The above lists are not intended to be exhaustive. Further, an indication that an asset may be impaired may be indicated by the asset’s useful life, depreciation method, or residual value, which may need to be reviewed and adjusted. If goodwill relates to a cash-generating unit, the entity must consider impairment of the goodwill. IAS 36 provides for bottom-up and top-down tests for identifying impaired goodwill. If a CGU is being tested for impairment, and there is any goodwill in the financial statements relating to that CGU, a bottom-up test is performed. This requires the enterprise to determine whether the carrying amount of the goodwill can be allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis to the CGU under review. If such an allocation is possible (for example, if the goodwill relates entirely to an acquisition that is 100% included in the CGU), the portion of goodwill related to the CGU is simply included in the carrying amount of the CGU for impairment testing purposes . No further top-down test is required. If goodwill cannot be allocated to the CGU, the carrying amount of the CGU (excluding any allocation of goodwill) is compared to its recoverable amount to ensure that any impairment of the assets included in the CGU other than goodwill is identified. Since goodwill is not included in this assessment, a top-down test is then undertaken. This requires the enterprise to identify the smallest CGU under review and to which the amount of goodwill can be allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis.

Business law (Qatar) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business law (Qatar) - Essay Example Qatar is regarded as one of those wealthy countries in the world along with greatest mounting economies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is worth mentioning that Qatar has introduced and developed trademark law for gaining help in conducting a business efficiently in varied domestic regions (Government of the State of Qatar, 2015). According to Qatar law, infringement is deemed to be regarded as one of the crucial issues. Thus, to prevent infringement in Qatar, domestic companies can register their trademarks according to industrial design governing the trademark, which came into effect after the year 2002. Companies are ought to commercially register for trademark law to get qualified for the respective services. Besides, any company in Qatar can use this trademark registration for ten years (WIPO, 2006). The various forms of trademark can be clearly understood from the following tabular representation: According to Qatar Trademark Law no. 3/1978, the Qatari official regulates the defense of trade as well as industrial marks. There lay certain specific processes or steps for registering the trademark for any company in Qatar (Government of the State of Qatar, 2015). According to the article 9 to 12, the processes of registering trademark have been discussed in detail below. Under the trademark law in Qatar, an owner of trademark can resort to civil remedies, if any case of infringement made by third party. Then, only the owner can forward this process along with filing a lawsuit before the court of civil jurisdiction (Simmons & Simmons, 2013). The respective government of Qatar is planning to adopt an effecting law to combat phishing as well as cyber-squatting, but this plan of the government is still waiting for the approval of higher authority of ministry. In relation to this consequence, cases related to online transactions as

Evaluating Performance of Starbucks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Evaluating Performance of Starbucks - Case Study Example These ideas are closely connected with concepts of growth, achievements and satisfaction which help Starbucks to increase productivity and ensure stable market position. Motivational principles are based on equity theory. The theory is based on idea that "people need to feel that there is a fair balance between inputs and outputs" (Equity Theory 2007). The core of the staff works full-time in the organization while next to them or with them are employees on temporary assignments, part-time workers, and people working in joint venture settings. The result may therefore be individuals working together whose allegiances and concerns may involve differences that are highly important to Starbucks. Relationships, views, and expectations among those who are all part of one group-or who view themselves as part of the same company or as "insiders"-are different from the types of relationships and communication patterns that develop among those who view themselves as belonging to different gro ups. The aim of HR is to motivate both part-time and full-time employees and level possible differences. Equity has a great impact on satisfaction and achievements of employees. Starbucks provides provide financial and other resources for developing and implementing career programs for full-time and part-time employees, particularly programs emphasizing personal growth. They provide recognition of the frequently temporary nature of contemporary work settings while at the same time encouraging positive relationships between individuals and organizations over the long run. To achieve growth, Starbucks develops skills in the employees not previously realized and thus eventually prove beneficial to the individual and the organization. Starbucks uses such strategies as financial rewards and recognition to motivate and inspire employees of all ranks and positions. These accounts are linked to individual work patterns and individual work behavior in a more immediate manner. These plans foc us on health and welfare benefits as much as if not more than pay and pension concerns.). Equity theory can be seen as a strategy for achieving organizational growth and success rather than as a fixed cost of doing business. Also, these motivational strategies support high performance teams and influence cohesiveness and friendly atmosphere, cooperation with the workers, managers, and leaders, personal commitment and high productivity (Robbins, 2004).

Information Technology Management Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Management Essay It is commonly argued in the Information Systems literature that a major reason why organizations fail to exploit Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) successfully is because of the lack of â€Å"alignment† between the Information Strategy, the Business Strategy and the Organizational Strategy. The provisions according to information sytem literature correspond to the real happenings in the real world. According to Campbell David, 2004, technological advancement has been embraced throughout various aspects of business, academics, finance and governance. The paper addresses one key component of information system that is considered as a challenge by organizations and business entities in the aspect of using information technology. The key value here is alignment between information, organization and business strategy. A major concern in this paper is to explain the term alignment in the context of information technology. The paper addresses reasons that make alignment one of the key values organizations seek to achieve. In this first issue of alignment the major concern is about transactions carried on in financial institutions. Information technology has been adopted in the recent past as a tool for executing and reviving business strategies in financial institutions. The development of certain business strategies has been enhanced by consideration of values that correspond to alignment. Alignment is therefore, the capacity by a business such as a financial institution to demonstrate a strong positive relationship between latest information technologies and the generally accepted financial guidelines. It calls for customer satisfaction, market share and product innovations. These measures are all essentials in value and adopting such determines the stability and the outcome of a financial institution. Before alignment financial institution needs to assemble all available information technology and carry on with feasibility study. This is because the effectiveness of a computer squarely depends on its capacity to improve or malign the organizational units. Factors to consider before alignment Planning- the original process has to be planned and agreed upon by the managers of the financial institution. Auditors should also be involved in this exercise for audits, re-examinations and readjustments of the whole project. Relation to benefits –alignment must be of benefit to the financial institution since it is a costly exercise. It is of no use to adopt latest technology if the problem is controllable by changing some management practises. This is according Culp Christopher, 2001. For example, outputs like profits and revenue do not call for information technology rather the size and organizational structure and number of staff that dictate the demand for additional computers. Alignment must stick to its purposes to overcome all obstacles as resistance to change may come from many sources including the employees and customers. Advantages of alignment The latest technologies such as client sever internet, data warehousing has positive implications which include first, incremental profit gains. Second, internal alignment in an organization remains a success factor in employee’s ability to perform effectively and become a cutting edge provider of value to customers. Third, alignment acts as business intelligence solutions for organization that helps in management and efficient customer satisfaction. For example, e-banking software where customers can access their bank accounts at home without necessarily going to the banking halls. Fourth, other than saving time it is also considered a secure method than transporting money to banks. Fifth, business intelligence solutions have been important aspects in financial institutions as they help to sort out effectively volumes of transactions within a short period of time. For example, pay roll software that is able to calculate thousand of employee’s monthly dues, deductions and contributions irrespective of their earning rates within a mater of seconds. Computers have also been used to solve complicated business calculations and at the same time update them accordingly. Take for example where a customer gets a loan from a financial institution either on a reducing interest rate. The software will auto calculate the interests based on the number of years the customer will take to clear plus the principal amount and at the same time store the information. Sixth, alignment reduces the amount of paperwork used in various departments especially in printing, faxing and laminations. This is because nowadays office memos and other information are shared online by use of internet between departments and even branches. Seven, alignment has played a key role in marketing and advertising new products through the internet. A customer can place an order and at the same time pay by transferring funds from a financial institution to account of the seller effectively. Disadvantages Alignment is a very costly exercise to an enterprise like financial institution in terms of prices and employee training as it calls for massive training. System change over might also be rejected by both the employees and the customers. Sometimes computers breakdown and will definitely slow the process in financial institution slowing down the entire process. This leads to a massive loss and failure to satisfy customer needs. For example, slowing or breakdown of machines in a Forex bureau dealing with foreign exchange will loose sales since currency changes value every minute. Business alignment methods Nowadays, many business transactions are relying on an efficient IT support system. It is remarkable to note the improved professionalism and responsibility in corporate and technical fields. Many companies and especially in the financial sector have invested massively in business IT and corporate ICT. This is a very important development in creation of personal responsibility in terms of accountability, capability and commitment. However, with the changing technology certain changes are felt through continuous exercise which cannot be exploited. New machines have to be budgeted or the old ones have to be upgraded from time to time. To achieve this objective the following steps must be put into consideration. First, planning which calls for implementation of traditional IT alignment techniques seen by many as the CEO’s work. A successful IT/business alignment calls for a more interactive approach or dialogue between the IT managers. They need to clarify what the business expects, what it delivers and how to allocate (Watson Gregory, 2005). This is achieved through prioritization and putting into considerations the rules that empower and govern the IT department. A second plan or consideration used to bring about alignment is that IT should track, adapt and modify business level services. At the same time the use of information technology in financial institutions or any other entities should be done with a purpose of supporting appropriate support of services. Another method is proper management of technological systems which helps to achieve the desired results through a consolidated service support by IT staff. A system need to be put in place to monitor and manage urgent or critical business services. The system should prioritize service requests to enable service delivery at promised levels and also track business processes at certain levels. It is important to note that worth methods are usually required to effectively manage the IT infrastructure and implement changes. The chief executive officer and his or her managers need also to ensure that the set organization standards and expectations are met through proper implementation processes. Certain considerations such as model should be considered for purpose of implementing alignment and information technologies (Selznick Philip, 1952). This involves mapping of IT assets and planning for resources that support services at critical times. It identifies the resources needed to be assembled to deliver IT services. This is done at agreeable service while at the same time reducing costs. A second consideration is measurement whereby the IT department should come up with methods of data collection and operational procedures all based on areas of functionality. According to Chester Arthur, 1994, the measurement methods should correspond with technology and be business oriented. In addition, the measures should ensure a more real time resource allocation decision. The consideration of various measurement principles gives an entity or enterprise the capacity to execute its duties fast. The methods applied by different entities in business alignment are deemed to measure up to set standards and cut down on costs. Alignment of costs and deliver of services through technological application gives entities the capacity to run their operations in a more efficient manner. Validity of alignment as a goal The role played by ICTs is paramount and evident in real life applications in business and organizations. As a goal, alignment is seen to support productivity and new innovation across the entire world. ICT play a very important role on trade development. Application of information technology is also seen as a tool for infrastructure development. Recently, the world economic performance has improved leading to global growth as a result of embracing information systems. The economic growth is seen to have an impact in both developed and developing countries with some developing countries recording a remarkable growth (Danis Wade, 2006). Most countries have recorded a positive growth of the gross domestic product. In addition international markets trade and industrial production has been boosted through alignment. Economic development has led to a smooth global supply chains that broaden the market. A number of advantages arise as evidence that alignment is a valid consideration in the scope of information technology. First, ICT is used for research to provide an organization with basic information about how to improve on performance. Organizations consider putting in place certain measures necessary to acquire information from competitors (Daghfous Abdelkader, 2006). The acquired information is essential as it helps entities to achieve their goals. Second, in the current world of changes, it is important for every organization to consider evaluating measures that support alignment to out perform their competitors. Application of ICT by entities thus promotes a common understanding of how transactions are carried within organizations at low cost. It is a future consideration that all entities should develop measures to fight threats of new entrants, threat exposed by bargaining powers of buyers, sellers, threat of substitute products and barrier to entry. According to Herman James, 2000, embracing information and communication technology will help to do away with threats imposed by five forces. A third consideration is the fact of e-commerce which is a component of electronic business. The use of information systems in carrying on with business transactions online is a true reflection about the validity of alignment. The future of using information technology in the world especially in business transactions is very certain. The concept of globalization is playing a very big role in creation of favourable environment for trading. Creation of strong communication networks enables countries from different regions to carry on with business transactions online. This is one major development of information technology embraced by both developed and developing states. Every state has the mandate to promote the application of information technology through application of the necessary measures. A fourth consideration that needs to be put in place is thorough training of individuals on how to use internet. This should be done in schools and other institutions that promote learning. Children at young age need to know how to apply technological information for purpose of establishing proper measures in business and other aspects of life.

Concealed Carry Everywhere Essay Example for Free

Concealed Carry Everywhere Essay Since the beginning of our nation after the Declaration of Independence was signed, individuals have had the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Inside these ‘rights’ is the right to bear arms. Is that wrong? Should all people have access to firearms? As stated in the second amendment, we as a nation and individuals have every right to own our own weapons. Therefore, it is your right to either own a weapon or not. There are some who buy a gun, put it in their gun cabinet, and never look at it again for years. Others shoot their guns regularly at ranges, take it to go on a hunting trip, or keep it close to their bed at night if they live in areas with a high crime rate, and these are all practices of using a gun that are considered to be proper uses. On the other hand, there are those who obtain them illegally and use them to harm, murder, rape, or put fear in other citizens. Most states offer a concealed handgun license that you can get when you turn twenty-one by going through the right course in order for you to carry a weapon around legally. The right to bear arms is an important symbol of an individual’s freedoms that our founding fathers established for those who understood the proper and improper uses when you bear arms, and anyone or anything trying to take that away is morally unjust and unconstitutional. If you live in a suburb or rural area surrounding a city you usually do not live in fear of someone trying to rob, hurt, or attack you while you are walking down a street. Yet it is still good to keep a firearm around just in case one of these scenarios occur. If you live in a city with a good amount of people, it is a totally different story. We do not live in the wild west anymore so it would be uncommon to see a man walking down the street strapped up with shotguns and pistols looking like he is going to war. Now that we live in the twenty-first century we have certain laws that require you to get a concealed handgun license. Carrying a concealed weapon doesn’t mean that someone is planning on using the gun to rob a bank or hold up a gas station, it is just a citizen arming themselves the legal way just in case they need to use it to protect themselves or anyone in danger. Giving citizens the chance to get these licenses shows trust, our individual freedoms, and â€Å"it is part of the reason why we have a lower crime rate† (Bush) than we would if we didn’t have citizens with licenses. In highly populated areas across the U. S. there is always going to be a high crime rate due to the amount of people crowded into one area. In every major city there are one or more major college universities. Almost all colleges have a ban on the allowance of guns on campus, and this is partly due to the Students for Gun Free Schools (SGFS). According to statistics pulled from an SGFS essay there is â€Å"an undeniable fact that college causes typically have a lower crime rate than the cities in which they reside. † Some people believe that this is all because guns are not allowed on campus, but I believe that this counter argument is not necessarily true. Most of the reasons that crime rates are lower are because it is a college campus, not a city. The crimes that occur there are mostly thefts and assaults, but not murder and rape. This is because at a college campus there are a bunch of young like-minded individuals who would help a person in need if they saw something wrong happening. However, just because you can carry around a weapon does not mean that you should go to a highly populated area such as malls, airports, sport events, bars, clubs, and banks with your weapon. Even professionals whose job it is to teach concealed handgun courses believe that there are certain times you should carry your weapon and times when you shouldn’t, for the safety of the general public. By bringing your weapon into a crowded public area you can put every individual in the vicinity in danger. Any situation can turn into mass chaos if shots are fired by a gunman and police because bullets miss their intended targets. Many people believe that since the states adopted the CCW right (concealed carry weapon right) that there has been an increase in killings and violent crime rates. In all actuality the states that allow these rights have seen violent crime and murder rates go down, significantly. Florida is one of 40 states with the â€Å"right-to-carry† statutes that give citizens the ability to carry concealed handguns with the proper license†, and this lets citizens â€Å"stand their ground and fight back when attacked. †(Bush). It is funny that George Bush said that because he brings a good topic up. When there is a chance for good citizens to own their own weapons it gives them a chance to stop crime. According to Executive Director Joe Waldron of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). â€Å"Isn’t it ironic that while Florida, with an armed citizenry, is enjoying a drop in crime, and Washington, D.  C. , where citizens are legally disarmed, is experiencing a crime epidemic? †(Waldron). This shows how being able to carry a concealed weapon can really be to the benefit of the individual and the community. The concealed carry group is not the ones committing the crimes. A big reason that citizens get these licenses is because they’ve heard stories in their communities of theft and break-ins or it is something that their family believes in. They are just trying to protect themselves, their loved ones, friends, and those whom they have never met. This makes them more of a guardian than the supposed wrong doers with guns. This is a fact, most of the gun carriers are just trying to keep the ones around them safe, â€Å"of the 2. 5 million times citizens use their guns to defend themselves every year, the overwhelming majority merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to scare off their attackers. Less than 8% of the time, a citizen will kill or wound his/her attacker (Synder). † When you are trained in the course they also teach you basic firing and aiming skills. When you are attacked and provoked to the point where you or someone else is in danger, the gun carrier knows different places he or she can shoot someone to only wound them until the authorities arrive. The opportunity to bear arms runs deeper than being able to stop burglars, murderers, and rapists. It is about the idea of being able to save a life. The feeling one person can get when they know they have done the right thing is something that is irreplaceable and something they will never forget. It also gives you a certain confidence or swagger that helps you sleep at night knowing you can protect yourself and others. When you hear news reports, or read articles attacking gun owners saying that â€Å"we shouldn’t own guns† think twice about who is writing it and why. These arguments are nothing more than attacks on our basic individual rights. H. L. Mencken said it best when he says, â€Å"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it†, and this meaning that things are fine the way they are, and we shouldn’t try to change it. If there is a legal way to get a weapon in order to protect the public, then those who are brave enough to take the challenge should be allowed this privilege.

Market Foreign Management

Market Foreign Management Market Foreign Management 1.0 INTRODUCTION The different types of entry modes, to penetrate a foreign market, arise due to globalisation. The latter has drastically changed the way business conduct at international level. Owing to advances in transportation, technology and communications, nowadays practically every business of any size can supply or distribute goods, services, or intellectual property. However, when companies deal with international markets, it is complicated as the companies must be prepared to surmount differences in currency issues, language problems, cultural norms, and legal and regulatory regimes. Only the largest companies have the capital and knowledge to overcome these complications on their own. Many other businesses simply do not have the means to efficiently and affordably deal with all those variables in foreign jurisdictions, without a partner in the host country. Foreign market entry mode has been defined by Root (1987) as â€Å"an institutional arrangement that makes possible the entry of a company’s products, technology, human skills, management, or other resources into a foreign country†. There are a broad variety of different entry modes that can generally be categorised into export entry modes, contractual entry modes and investment entry modes. A distinction is also made between equity based and non-equity based foreign market entry modes. Entry modes vary considerably in terms of not only cost incurred by firms but also benefits and disadvantages provided to firms. In chapter 1, the study will be introduced and where definition of Modes of Entry will be given. In chapter 2 the Literature Review, the factors affecting the choice of entry will be explained. Furthermore there will be the description to each type of foreign entry mode and its theoretical advantages and disadvantages. Then in chapter 3 will proceed with the analytical and findings in each entry modes will be illustrated through a real case study. The recent case of firm going abroad will not be taken in the analysis with the purpose of getting enough information to evaluate each entry modes undertake in the case study namely Mc Donald’s Franchising entry mode, Toyota joint venture in United State, Nokia Greenfield investment in Hungary, and Nike Export entry mode. In Chapter 4, there will conclusion and recommendation of this study. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Choice of entry mode Firms all over the world are internationalizing in highly increasing speed, and thus the selection of a proper entry mode in a foreign market may have significant and far reaching consequences on a firm’s success and survival. In the selections of a suitable entry method, firms are significantly influenced by situational factors and key dimensions. The influencing factors include various factors such as country risk, socio-cultural distance, firm specific factors, government regulations, and international experience. The key dimensions differentiating market entry modes are the varying levels of management control, barriers to entry, commercial and political risks, equity investment, rapidity, level of resources commitment to the foreign market, and flexibility that each mode posses and also the evaluation of competitors’ entry methods. Driscoll analyzed the characteristics of export, contractual and investment entry modes through the five aspects namely control; dissemination risk; resource commitment; flexibility and ownership. Driscoll explained each of the characteristics as follows : Control refers to that extent of a firm in governs the production process, co-ordinate activities, logistical and marketing and so on. Dissemination risk refers to the extent to which a firm’s know-how will be expropriated by a contractual partner. Resource commitment refers to the financial, physical and human resources that firms commit to a host market. Flexibility assesses that whether a firm can change the entry modes quickly and with low cost in the face of evolving circumstances. Ownership refers to the extent of a firm’s equity participation in an entry mode. In Erramilli Rao (1993), it is suggested that to conceptualize a firm’s desired level of different mode characteristics without considering its actual entry mode used, the efficacy of mode choice models would be improved. Based on this advice, Driscoll (1995) introduced a dynamic mode choice framework as shown in table 2 above. He believes that â€Å"a diverse range of situational influences that could bear on a firm’s desire for certain characteristic of mode choice†. Some factors would influence a firm to choose a desired entry mode. He also considers the gap between desired model and actual one and takes alternative mode characteristics into account when a firm chooses foreign market entry mode. Driscoll’s study emphasises that there is no optimal foreign market entry modes under all conditions. Therefore, a firm cannot just consider an institutionalizing mode; it needs to consider the characteristics of modes, the firm factors, environmental factors a nd other factors when it chooses entry mode. 2.2 Descriptions of the different modes of Foreign market entry 2.2.1. Export Entry Modes Export mode is the most common strategy to use when entering international markets. Exporting is the shipment of products, manufactured in the domestic market or a third country, across national borders to fulfill foreign orders. Shipments may go directly to the end user, to a distributor or to a wholesaler. Exporting is mainly used in initial entry and gradually evolves towards foreign-based operations. Export entry modes are different from contractual entry modes and investment entry modes in a way that they are directly related to manufacturing. Export can be divided into direct and indirect export depending on the number and type of intermediaries. 2.2.1.1 Direct exporting (sell to buyers) Direct exporting means that the firm has its own department of export which sells the products via an intermediary in the foreign economy namely direct agent and direct distributor. This way of exporting provides more control over the international operations than indirect exporting. Hence, this alternative often increases the sales potential and also the profit. There is as well a higher risk involved and more financial and human investments are needed. There are differences between distributors and agents. The basis of an agent’s selling is commissions, while the distributors’ income is a margin between the prices the distributor buys the product for and the final price to the wholesalers or retailers. In contrast to agents the distributors usually maintain the product range. The agents also do not position the products, and do not hold payments while the distributors do both and as well as provide customers with after sales services. Using agents or distributors to introduce the products to a foreign market will have the advantages that they have knowledge about the market, customs, and have established business contacts. Advantages of Direct Export: Access to the local market experience and contacts to potential customers. Shorter distribution chain( compared to indirect exporting) More control over marketing mix ( especially with agents) Local selling support and services available Disadvantages of Direct Export: Little control over market price because of tariffs and lack of distribution control ( especially with distributors) Some investment in sales organisation required (contact from home base with distributor or agents) Cultural difference, providing communications problems and information filtering ( transaction cost occur) Possible trade restrictions 2.2.1.2. Indirect exporting (sell to intermediaries) Indirect exporting is when the exporting manufactures are using independent organisations that are located in the foreign country. The sale in indirect exporting is like a domestic sale, and the company is not really involved in the global marketing, since the foreign company itself takes the products abroad. Indirect export is often the fastest way for a company to get its products into a foreign market since customer relationships and marketing systems are already established. Through indirect export, it is the third party who will handle the whole transactions. This approach for exporting is useful for companies with limited international expansion objectives and if the sales are primarily viewed as a way of disposing remaining production, or as marginal. The types of indirect export are as follows: Export management companies Export trading companies Export broker agents Advantages of Indirect export: Limited resources and investment required High degree of market diversification is possible as the company utilize the internationalization of an experienced exporter. Minimal risk ( market and political) NO export experience required Disadvantages of Indirect export: No control over marketing mix elements other than product An additional domestic member in the distribution chain may add costs, leaving smaller profit to producer Lack of contact with market ( no market knowledge acquired) Limited product experience( based on commercial selling) 2.2.2 Contractual Entry Modes Contractual entry modes are long term non-equity alliance between the company that wants to internalise and the company in target country for entry mode. There are many types of contractual entry mode namely technical agreements, Service contracts, managements, contract manufacture, Co-production agreements and others. The most use contractual entry modes are Licensing, Franchising and Turnkey projects which is going to be explained below. 2.2.2.1 Licensing Licensing concerns a product rights or the method of production marketing the product rights. These rights are usually protected by a patent or some other intellectual right. Licensing is when the exporter, the licensor, sells the right to manufacture or sell its products or services, on a certain market area, to the foreign party (the licensee). Based on the agreement, the exporter receives a onetime fee, a royalty or both. The royalty can vary, often between 0.125 and 15 per cent of the sales revenue. In other words in a licensing agreement, the licensor offers propriety assets to the licensee. The latter is in the foreign market and has to pay royalty fees or made a lump sum payment to the licensor for assets like e.g. trademark, technology, patents and know-how. Licensing agreement’s content is usually quite complex, wide and periodic. Other than the intellectual property rights, the licensing contract might also include turning-in unprotected know-how. In this licensing contract, the licensor is committed to give all the information to the licensee about the operation. There are many types of licensing arrangements. In a licensing arrangement, the core is patents and know-how, which can be completed by trademarks, models, copyrights and marketing and management’s know-how. Licensing contract is divided into three main types of licensing: Product licensing, the idea of licensing is to agree on usage, manufacturing or marketing right of the whole product, a partial product, a component or a product improvement, Method licensing, the method licensing agreement turns in the right to use a certain manufacturing method or a part of it and also possibly the right to use model protection. Representation licensing agreement is usually done within two companies that are concentrated on project deliveries, in this case the contract will relate to for example projecting systems, sharing manufacturing and marketing procedures. Advantages of licensing: The ability to enter several foreign markets simultaneously by using several licensees or one licensee with access to a regional market, for example the European Union. Enter market with high trade barriers. It is a non-equity mode, therefore licensor make profit quickly without big investments. The firm does not have to bear the development costs and risks associated with opening a foreign market. Licensing also saves marketing and distribution costs, which are left for the licensee. Licensing also enables the licensor to get insight of licensee’s market knowledge, business relations and cost advantages. The licensor decreases the exposure to economic and political instabilities in the foreign country. Can be used by inexperienced companies in international business Avoid the cost to customer of shipping large bulky products to foreign markets Disadvantages of licensing: There is a risk that the licensee may become a competitor once the term of the agreement concludes, by using the licensor’s technology and taking their customers. Not every company can use this entry model unless in possess certain type of intellectual property right or the name of the company is of enough interest to the other party. The licensor’s income from royalties is not as much as would be gained when manufacturing and marketing the product themselves. There is another risk that the licensee will underreport sales in order to lower the royalty payment 2.2.2.2 FRANCHISING Franchising is a form of licensing, which is most often used as market entry modes for services such as fast foods, business to-consumer services and business-to-business services. Franchising is somewhat like licensing where the franchiser gives the franchisee right to use trademarks, know-how and trade name for royalty. Franchising does not only cover products (like licensing) but it usually contains the entire business operation including products, suppliers, technological know-how, and even the look of the business The normal time for a franchisee agreement is 10 years and the arrangement may or may not include operation manuals, marketing plan and training and quality monitoring. The idea of the franchising chain is that all parties use a uniform model in order to make the customer of a franchising chain may feel that he is dealing with franchisor’s company itself. In fact, regarding to the law, the customer is dealing with independents companies that have even have different owners. Franchising agreement usually includes training and offers management services, as the operations are done in accordance with the franchisor’s directions. Franchising has especially spread to areas, where certain selling style, name and the quality of service are crucial. Franchisee has different customs on the payments to the franchisor. Normally when a company joins the franchising chain it pays a one-time joining fee. As the operation goes on, the franchisee pays continues service fess that usually are based on the sales volumes of the franchisee company. (Koch 2001). Advantages of franchising: Same as licensing above Like with licensing, the franchisor gain local knowledge of the market place and in this case the domestic franchisee is highly motivated The fast expansion to a foreign market with low capital expenditures, standardised marketing, motivated franchisees and taking of low political risk. Disadvantages of franchising: Same as in licensing above, Since franchising requires more capital initially, it is more suitable to large and well-established companies with good brand images. So small firm get often problem to use this entry modes Home country franchisor does not have daily operational control of foreign store. There is a risk that franchisees may not perform at desired quality level. more responsibilities ,more complicated and greater commitment to foreign firm than licensing or exports 2.2.2.3 Turnkey project In turnkey projects, the contractor agrees to handle every detail of the project for a foreign client, including the training of operating personnel. At completion of the contract, the foreign client is handed the key to a plant that is ready for full operation. Hence we get the term turnkey. The company, who make the turnkey project, works overseas to build a facility for a local private company or agency of a state, province or municipality. This is actually a means of exporting process technology to another country. Typically these projects are large public sector project such as urban transit stations, commercial airport and telecommunications infrastructure. Sometimes a turnkey project such as an urban transit system takes the form of a built-operate-transfer or a built-own-operate-transfer project. A sophisticated type of counter trade, in which the builder operates and may also own a public sector project for a specified period of years before turning it over to the government. Advantages of Turnkey Projects: They are a way of earning great economic returns from the know-how required to assemble and run a technologically complex process, for example contractor must train and prepare owner to operate facility Turnkey projects may also make sense in a country where the political and economic environment is such that a longer-term investment might expose the firm to unacceptable political and/or economic risk. Less risky than conventional FDI Disadvantages The firm that enters into a turnkey deal will have no long-term interest in the foreign country. The firm that enters into a turnkey project may create a competitor. If the firms process technology is a source of competitive advantage, then selling this technology through a turnkey project is also selling competitive advantage to potential and/or actual competitors. 2.2.3 Investment Entry Modes Investment entry modes are about acquiring ownership in a company that is located in the foreign market. In other word, the activities within this category involve ownership of production units or other facilities in the overseas market, based on some sort of equity investment. Several companies want to have ownership in some or all of their international ventures. This can be achieved by joint ventures (equity based), acquisitions, green-field investment. A joint venture is a contractual arrangement whereby a separate entity is created to carry on trade or business on its own, separate from the core business of the participants. A joint venture occurs when new organizations are created, jointly owned by both partners. At least one of these partners must be from another country than the rest and the location of the company must be outside of at least one party’s home country. Typically, a company forming a joint venture will often partner with one of its customers, vendors, distributors, or even one of its competitors. These businesses agree to exchange resources, share risks, and divide rewards from a joint enterprise, which is usually physically located in one of the partners’ jurisdictions. The contributions of joint venture partners often differ. The local joint venture partner will frequently supply physical space, channels of distribution, sources of supply, and on-the ground knowledge and information. The other partner usually provides cash, key marketing personnel, certain operating personnel, and intellectual property rights. Joint venture is an equity entry mode. Ownership of the venture may be 50% for each party, or may be other proportions with one party holding the majority share. In order to make a joint venture remain successful on a long-term-basis, there must be willingness and careful advance planning from both parties to renegotiate the venture terms as soon as possible. When multiple partners participate in the joint venture, the venture maybe called a consortium. Advantages of a Joint venture: Joint venture makes faster access to foreign markets. The local partner to the joint venture may have already established itself in the marketplace and often will have already obtained, or have access to, government contacts, lines of credit, regulatory approvals, scarce supplies and utilities, qualified employees, and cultural knowledge. Upon formation of the Joint venture, the non-resident partner has access to the local partner’s pre-established ties to the local market. When the development costs and/or risks of opening a foreign market are high, a firm might gain by sharing these costs and/or risks with a local partner. In many countries, political considerations make joint ventures the only feasible entry mode. The reputation of the resident partner gives the joint venturecredibility in the local marketplace, especially with existing key suppliers and customers. Disadvantages of Joint venture: Shared ownership can lead to conflicts and battles for control if goals and objectives differ or change over time. Joint venture can foreclose other opportunities for entry into a foreign marketplace. It can be difficult for a joint venture to independently obtain financing, particularly debt financing. That is, in part, because Joint venture are usually finite in their duration and lack permanence. Thus, the parents of a joint venture should expect either to adequately capitalise the entity up front or to guarantee loans made to the joint venture. Another potential disadvantage of joint venture a firm that enters into a joint venture risks giving control of its technology to its partner and there is the possibility you might wind up turning your own joint venture partner into a competitor. However, this danger can be ameliorated by non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality provisions in the joint venture agreement. Strategic alliance is when the mutual coordination of strategic planning and management that enable two or more organisations to align their long term goals to the benefit of each organisation and generally the organisations remain independent. Strategic alliances are cooperative relationships on different levels in the organisation. Licensing, joint ventures, research and development partnerships are just few of the alliances possible when exploring new markets. In other words, strategic alliances can be described as a partnership between businesses with the purpose of achieving common goals while minimising risk, maximising leverage and benefiting from those facets of their operations that complement each other’s. A strategic alliance might be entered into for a one-off activity, or it might focus on just one part of a business, or its objective might be new products jointly developed for a particular market. Generally, each company involved in the strategic alliance will benefit by working together. The arrangement they enter into may not be as formal as a joint venture agreement. Alliances are usually accomplished with a written contract, often with agreed termination points, and do not result in the creation of an independent business organisation. The objective of a strategic alliance is to gain a competitive advantage to a company’s strategic position. Strategic alliances have increased a great deal since globalisation became an opportunity for companies. There are different types of strategic alliances: 1) Marketing alliances where the companies jointly market products that are complementary produced by one or both of the firms. 2) A promotional alliance refers to the collaboration where one firm agrees to join in promotion for the other firm’s products. 3) Logistics alliance is one more type of cooperation where one company offers, to another company, distribution services for their products. 4) Collaborations between businesses arise when the firms do not for example have the capacity or the financial means to develop new technologies. Advantages of Strategic alliance: Increased leverage Strategic alliances allow you to gain greater results from your company’s core strengths Risk sharing A strategic alliance with an international company will help to offset your market exposure and allow you to jointly exploit new opportunities. Opportunities for growth Strategic alliances can create the means by which small companies can grow. By â€Å"marrying† your company’s product to somebody else’s distribution, or your RD to a partner’s production skills, you may be able to expand your business overseas more quickly and more cheaply than by other means. Greater responsiveness By allowing you to focus on developing your core strengths, strategic alliances provide the ability to respond more quickly to change and opportunity. Disadvantages of strategic alliance: High commitment – time, money, people Difficulty of identifying a compatible partner Potential for conflict between the partners A small company risks being subsumed by a larger partner Strategic priorities change over time Political risk in the country where the strategic alliance is based If the relationship breaks down, the cost/ownership of market information, market intelligence and jointly developed products can be an issue. 2.2.3.3 Wholly owned subsidiaries A company will use a wholly owned subsidiary when the company wants to have 100 percent ownership. This is a very expensive mode where the firm has to do everything itself with the company’s financial and human resources. Thus, more it is the large multi national corporations that could select this entry mode rather than small and medium sized enterprises. A wholly owned subsidiary could be divided in two separate ways Greenfield investment and Acquisitions. 2.2.3.3.1Greenfield Investment Greenfield investment is a mode of entry where the firm starts from scratch in the new market and opens up own stores while using their expertise. It involves the transfer of assets, management talent, and proprietary technology and manufacturing know-how. It requires the skill to operate and manage in another culture with different business practices, labour forces and government regulations. The degree of risk varies according to the political and economic conditions in the host country. Despite these risks many companies prefer to use this mode of entry because of its total control over strategy, operation and profits. Advantages of Greenfield investment: A wholly owned subsidiary gives a firm the tight control over operations in different countries that are necessary for engaging in global strategic coordination (i.e., using profits from one country to support competitive attacks in another). A wholly owned subsidiary maybe required if a firm is trying to realize location and experience curve economies. Local production lessens transport/import-related costs, taxes fees. Availability of goods can be guaranteed, delays may be eliminated. More uniform quality of product or service. Local production says that the firm is willing to adapt products services to the local customer requirements Disadvantages of Greenfield investment: Higher risk exposure namely political risk and economic risk Heavier pre-decision information gathering research evaluation â€Å"Country-of-origin† effects can be lost by manufacturing elsewhere. Establishing a wholly owned subsidiary is generally the most costly method of serving a foreign market. 2.2.3.3.2 Acquisitions Acquisition is a very expensive mode of entry where the company acquirers or buys an already existing company in the foreign market. Acquisition is one way of entering a market by buying an already existing brand instead of trying to compete and launch the company’s products on the market and thereby lowering the chance of a profitable product. Acquisition is a risky alternative though, because the culture of the corporation is hard to transfer to the acquired firm. Most important, it is a very expensive alternative and both great profit and great losses could be the end product of this entry mode. Advantages of Acquisitions: They are quick to execute Acquisitions enable firms to preempt their competitors Managers may believe acquisitions are less risky than green-field ventures Disadvantages of Acquisitions: The acquiring firms often overpay for the assets of the acquired firm There may be a clash between the cultures of the acquiring and acquired firm Attempts to realize synergies by integrating the operations of the acquired and acquiring entities often run into roadblocks and take much longer than forecast There is inadequate pre-acquisition screening 3.0ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS Case study 1: McDonald’s used franchising as foreign entry mode In 1940, the first restaurant was opened by the McDonald brothers, Dick and Macin San Bernardino and California. Then Ray Kroc, a Chicago based salesman with a flair for marketing, became involved that the business really started to grow. He realised that Mc Donald’s, could be successful by using franchising, and could be exploited throughout the United States and beyond. Its first franchising was in Canada in 1967. In 2001, McDonald’s served over 16 billion customers, equivalent to a lunch and dinner for every man, woman and child in the world. McDonald’s global sales were over $38bn, making it by far the largest food service company in the world. McDonald’s success on rapid growth and expansion is due to franchising that are based on selling quality products cheaply and quickly around the world. In 2002, around 70% of McDonald’s are franchises. Mc Donald’s ownership advantage to go abroad is its brand name. The exceptional growth of Mc Donald’s is largely credited to the creation of its strong brand name identity. With the purpose of protecting its brand name, Mc Donald’s used radio and press advertisement to provide specific messages across the world emphasising on the quality of product ingredients. In addition to that Mc Donald’s carry out massive investment in sponsorship which is also a central part of the image building process, for example Football World cup and Olympic Games. The franchise agreement is that McDonalds, the franchisor, grants the right to sell McDonalds branded goods to someone w

Dorothea E. Orems Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory :: Nursing Medical Caring Theory Essays

Dorothea E. Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader how Dorethea Orem’s nursing theory has been used in research. Orem begin developing her theory in the 1950’s, a time when most nursing conceptual models were based on other disciplines such as medicine, psychology and/or sociology (Fawcett, 2000). Orem’s theory is a three-part theory of self-care. The three theories that make up the general theory are: Self-Care, Self-Care Deficit, and Nursing Systems. The Self-Care theory states that adults deliberately learn and perform actions to direct their survival, quality of life, and well-being. Self-Care Deficit theory states that nursing is required because of the inability to perform self-care as the result of limitations. Nursing Systems theory is the product of nursing in nursing system(s) by which nurses use the nursing process to help individuals meet their self-care requisites and build their self-care or dependent-care capabilities. These three theories form the overall Self-Care Deficit Theory. (Alligood & Tomey, 2001) Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) is an important component of nursing’s theoretical knowledge. It is a highly developed and formalized theoretical system that includes the philosophical foundation, the general theory of nursing with its constituent elements, and an expanding body of knowledge that includes empirical research. The conceptual structure of SCDNT is constituted from six core concepts (self-care, therapeutic self-care demand, self-care agency, self-care deficit, nursing agency, nursing system, and one peripheral concept -basic conditioning factors. (Taylor, Geden, Isaramalai &, Wongvatunyu, 104) The capacity and ability of the individual to engage in self-care is termed self-care agency (SCA). The Therapeutic Self-Care Demand (TSCD) and SCA are influenced by a number of factors or variables referred to as basic conditioning factors (BCFs). The self-care system is an action system designed in response to the TSCD and is dependent on the quality of the individual’s self-care agency. (Geden & Taylor, 329) The first article we reviewed was titled An Empirical Test of a Self-Care Model of Women’s Responses to Battering. Battering was conceptualized with Orem’s theory as a situation requiring therapeutic self-care. Based on Orem’s theory of self-care deficit a model of women’s responses to battering was constructed. This model proposes that age, education, income, and cultural orientation are BCFs that directly related to relational conflict. This conflict would be negatively related to self-care agency and indirectly related to both outcomes of health and well-being. The proposed model suggests that the degree of relational conflict experienced by a woman in a battering situation is directly related to her ability to care for herself. Dorothea E. Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory :: Nursing Medical Caring Theory Essays Dorothea E. Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader how Dorethea Orem’s nursing theory has been used in research. Orem begin developing her theory in the 1950’s, a time when most nursing conceptual models were based on other disciplines such as medicine, psychology and/or sociology (Fawcett, 2000). Orem’s theory is a three-part theory of self-care. The three theories that make up the general theory are: Self-Care, Self-Care Deficit, and Nursing Systems. The Self-Care theory states that adults deliberately learn and perform actions to direct their survival, quality of life, and well-being. Self-Care Deficit theory states that nursing is required because of the inability to perform self-care as the result of limitations. Nursing Systems theory is the product of nursing in nursing system(s) by which nurses use the nursing process to help individuals meet their self-care requisites and build their self-care or dependent-care capabilities. These three theories form the overall Self-Care Deficit Theory. (Alligood & Tomey, 2001) Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) is an important component of nursing’s theoretical knowledge. It is a highly developed and formalized theoretical system that includes the philosophical foundation, the general theory of nursing with its constituent elements, and an expanding body of knowledge that includes empirical research. The conceptual structure of SCDNT is constituted from six core concepts (self-care, therapeutic self-care demand, self-care agency, self-care deficit, nursing agency, nursing system, and one peripheral concept -basic conditioning factors. (Taylor, Geden, Isaramalai &, Wongvatunyu, 104) The capacity and ability of the individual to engage in self-care is termed self-care agency (SCA). The Therapeutic Self-Care Demand (TSCD) and SCA are influenced by a number of factors or variables referred to as basic conditioning factors (BCFs). The self-care system is an action system designed in response to the TSCD and is dependent on the quality of the individual’s self-care agency. (Geden & Taylor, 329) The first article we reviewed was titled An Empirical Test of a Self-Care Model of Women’s Responses to Battering. Battering was conceptualized with Orem’s theory as a situation requiring therapeutic self-care. Based on Orem’s theory of self-care deficit a model of women’s responses to battering was constructed. This model proposes that age, education, income, and cultural orientation are BCFs that directly related to relational conflict. This conflict would be negatively related to self-care agency and indirectly related to both outcomes of health and well-being. The proposed model suggests that the degree of relational conflict experienced by a woman in a battering situation is directly related to her ability to care for herself.

The Florida Everglades Essays -- Geography Environmental Nature Essays

The Florida Everglades The Florida Everglades have been adversely impacted for decades because of human attempts to control this historical ‘River of Grass’. The reason for our insistence on attempting to control and manage the area can be defined in one word: water. There has always been plenty of water available within the Everglades’ ecosystem, but no logical way to extract it. Our extraction efforts eventually led to devastating results. My paper will focus on the initial policy and practices involved in the extensive downgrading of this once biologically unequaled ecosystem; as well as discuss recent policy initiatives that have been implemented in order to restore the Everglades to its once magnificent status. I will attempt to define the pertinent issues, priorities, actors, and instruments, as well as discuss lessons that can be taken from this case study. Background In its natural state, the South Florida ecosystem was connected by the flow of water south from Lake Okeechobee through vast freshwater marshes, known as the Everglades, to Florida Bay and on to the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. The Everglades covered approximately 18,000 square miles and were the heart of a unique and biologically productive and unique region, supporting vast colonies of wading birds, a mixture of temperate and tropical plant and animal species, along with abundant coastal fisheries. These exceptional natural resources were nationally recognized with the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1947. In 1948, Congress authorized the Central and Southern Florida Project in response to a series of devastating floods that had occurred in the area. This project authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to provide: flood control;... ..., for the undertaking would be too great for either to accomplish alone. References 1) A Comprehensive plan for the Restoration of the Florida Everglades; United States Department of the Interior; January 19, 1996. 2) Restoring the Everglades, an American Legacy Act; Committee on Environment and Public Works, One Hundred Sixth Congress; July 27, 2000. 3) Derr, Mark; Some Kind of Paradise; William Morrow & Company, New York;1989. 4) Glenn, A. Adam; ‘Birthday Gift for the Glades’; ABCNEWS.com; December 2000. 5) Maddox, Jennifer; ‘House Panel Chairman: Everglades Restoration ‘going to go forward’’; Naples Daily News; March 2000. 6) Martin, John; ‘Who’s in Charge: Few Results from Massive Everglades Restoration Project’; ABCNEWS.com; April 2000. 7) Phinney, David; ‘Restoring the Everglades: Congress Must First Pass Plan’; ABCNEWS.com; July 2000.

Bill Gates Essay -- Essays Papers

Bill Gates Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955. Gates and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. His late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent and chairwoman of United Way International. Bill Gates came from a very involved background dealing with politics and in the business industry. So he was pretty educated in the world as a young child. He also spent most of his time reading and learning about Business Industry which is what he liked. Bill went to Lakeside School for seventh grade at the age of 12. It was a very strict privates boys school. At first he seemed uncomfortable but eventually he found some friends that had some of the same interests as in Business and looking at computer companies. Most of his teachers seemed intimidnated by him and another group of older classmates initiative to figure out something called Teletype. You would type programs off-line on yellow paper tape and then put it into the tape reader, then dial up the computer and quickly feed the paper tape and run your program. There was a club called Mothers club that would have various rummage sales and got money to pay for the Teletype and also fees like using the Teletype. With the Teletype you have to pay for storage, computer fee and connection time. So he got a lot of experience with computers in school. In 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard University. At Harvard Bill developed the pro...