Al Capone The greatest Carthaginian Essay

The play ‘A View from the Bridge’ is full of suspense which puzzles and mystifies the audience to specify the principle reason behind the tension that causes the immature death of Eddie Carbone. The author Arthur Miller delineates the dreadful ramification of the tension derived from the opening scene of the play. Accordingly, the presence of tension throughout the play keeps the audience alerted for an inexorable tragedy. By way of this, the author tries to pinpoint the other significant themes imminent to the play. Yet, this essay will concentrate upon the techniques that Arthur Miller devises to build up tension in the opening scenes of this play, which dominates the whole parts of the play. At the beginning of the play Alfieri, the lawyer who has originated from Sicily, starts by introducing himself, the area and the people to us. In his opening speech he presents the violent nature of the neighbourhood of Red Hook which refers to 1940s slum area in New York. So, he describes Red Hook and talks about the history of it. When he talks about the gang leader, Al Capone ‘The greatest Carthaginian of all when precisely shot Frankie Yale in half with a machine-gun’, the audience starts thinking of violence and gangsters, and a place which is utterly dangerous. He also describes Red Hook as a slum that triggers the audiences’ attention to think that the place is an uncomfortable one. Alfieri is unlucky as he is connected with disasters. Since he is a lawyer, a very few people like him in fact. This makes the audience think that Alfieri is an unpopular character in the area. However, being a lawyer he must get involved with some uncomfortable incidence and dangerous situations. Although in the middle of his speech he talks about the reality of Red Hook, saying that, ‘now the people are civilised and I no longer keep a pistol in my cabinet’. He still describes Red Hook as a slum and yet keeps feeling discomfort in the area. So far, it gives the audience a sight of relief that the area has calmed down. In this regard, he states that, ‘out of all of my clients I admire Eddie Carbone the most, a longshoreman working the docks from Brooklyn Bridge to the breakwater were open scene begins’. This amplifies the tension, already in the audiences’ mind to enquire into the fact why this is. And this tension takes the audience to the main conflict between the characters where Eddie is in trouble in controlling his family. The relationship between Eddie and Catherine (Eddie’s niece) is very confusing, as a normal family wouldn’t act like he does in the play. This confusion comes into play when Eddie tells Catherine that her skirt is too short. So their conversation reveals that they are in an argument, as they argue: Eddie- I think it’s too short, ain’t it? Catherine- NO! Not when I stand up. Eddie- Yeah, but you gotta sit down sometimes. In this speech there are plenty of strong feelings of resentment, where Catherine doesn’t think her skirt is short but Eddie does. The reason for this antagonism is due to all the male suppression being turned to Catherine. Eddie being a man and also being obsessed with his male authority actively tries to manipulate Catherine’s private life. Eddie is jealous, so Catherine doesn’t know what he is talking about. One more is when Catherine greets Eddie saying, ‘hi’ and Eddie is pleased and therefore, becomes shy. The audience are now in a puzzle to understand why he is shy. A normal person wouldn’t act in this way to their niece what makes the audience think why Eddie is behaving in such a mysterious way. Therefore, this mystifies the audience and brings tension as they would like to know why these unnatural activities are happening. The relationship between Eddie and Beatrice is again not like a normal husband and wife. Beatrice dominates Eddie too much; she disagrees to Eddie most of the time and doesn’t appreciate him at all. The reason for this is because Eddie gives much attention on Catherine than Beatrice. It goes to such an extent which seems Catherine is more important to him. This makes Beatrice getting upset. These are the downfalls in their relationship that leads them to departing from their normal married life. Eddie doesn’t appreciate Beatrice anymore; we notice signs of this problem when Eddie asks Beatrice, ‘are you mad at me lately’. And Beatrice replies back in a very irritated way, ‘I’m not mad, you’re mad. ‘ This makes the audience think how could a wife talk to her husband in such a impolite way; maybe this is because Beatrice is upset with Eddie as he is not caring about her that much, and putting all his attention to Catherine. A good concrete example of this is when Eddie stands face to face with the two seated women Catherine and Beatrice. Beatrice smiles at Eddie and so to Catherine; Eddie looks at Catherine and smiles at her which makes Beatrice feel very uncomfortable. Eddie doesn’t want to let go off Catherine and wants her to stay beside him all the time. So, he doesn’t want to let Catherine work. We now know that Eddie and his wife Beatrice’s relationship is not going to last for long because of Eddie’s obsession to Catherine. The audience can assume, from this conflict, what types of social phenomenon exists at that society. Thus, the conflict becomes apparent in that American society where huge migrants including Sicilian start living there. The way the American federal government deals with their law is completely different to how the people of Sicily deal with that. America only observes the literal interpretation of law written in a law book. So, if anybody goes and tells the police about someone who infringes any minor branch of law according to the strict rule becomes a good person for his/her extreme cooperation. On the contrary, Sicilian Code of honour differs with the American federal laws. In Sicily the community law is much stronger making the community people safe regardless of infringing any minor laws, such as immigration laws. If anyone does not abide by or observe this, s/he has to face the hatred of others. In that respect, a striking example becomes apparent when we find Vinny Bonzano had informed the immigration office about his uncle who had been hiding in his house. He broke the Code of Honour and for this treachery, he was punished and abused physically by his five older brothers and father. Eddie Carbone adopts similar kind of betrayal when he finds Rodolpho and Catherine having a relationship. He cannot bear this to continue any further. So, the only way to destroy their relationship is by informing the immigration officers that he is an illegal migrant, even though Eddie realises that people including his own wife are going to rebel on him. However, he still goes through it —- because his jealousness and personal vendetta is uncontrollable —- and virtually he embraces the consequence — the death. By and large, it seems that the whole play turns to its final fatality where all characters bear some responsibility, however trivial in some extent, which descends to the tragic death of Eddie. Arthur Miller builds up such tension by showing difficulties in the relationship between Eddie and Catherine as well as Beatrice. The way he shows the conflict between American and Sicilian justice is really remarkable. He does this so well that we are ready for the predicament that happens when Marco and Rodopho arrive and he also prepares us for the tragedy of Eddie’s downfall to come into death.

Self in Interpersonal Communication

THE SELF IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SELF Definition of one's identity, character, abilities, and attitudes, especially in relation to persons or things outside oneself or itself. There are three fundamental aspects that make up the self: 1. Self-concept: Your self-concept is the way that you view yourself. 2. Self-awareness: Your self-awareness is your knowledge about yourself, including your insight. 3. Self-esteem: Your self-esteem is how much value you place on yourself. SELF CONCEPT The term self-concept is a general term used to refer to how someone thinks about or perceives themselves.The self concept is how we think about and evaluate ourselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself. Baumeister (1999) provides the following self concept definition: â€Å"The individual's belief about himself or herself, including the person's attributes and who and what the self is†. SELF-CONCEPT means your own view of yourself and it can include: * How you see your self * Your thoughts about yourself * Your beliefs about yourself * How you feel about yourself SOURCES: 1. Others' images: If you want to find out how you look to other people, then you would at how other people treat you.According to DeVito (2009), we look to people who are important to us to see how they treat us. He states, â€Å"If these important others think highly of you, you will see this positive image of yourself reflected in their behaviors; if they think little of you, you'll see a more negative image† 2. Your interpretations and evaluations: Naturally, we evaluate and interpret our own behaviors. If we look back at a certain communication event and find that the behavior we used goes against our beliefs, we will feel guilty. Let's say you are out with friends. Your friend asks you for your honest opinion.If you tell them a lie, you might later feel guilty because you value yourself as an honest person. 3. Cultural teachings: Our culture teaches us how to think, believe, and act and much more. So how you define yourself is developed from your culture. In addition to your interpretations and evaluations, if you go against your cultural teachings, you may feel a sense of guilt or failure. For example, it is common to be married at a young age in the state of Utah. This is a cultural belief and attitude. If you were to be married after 30 years old, it might be seen as against the cultural teaching to this area. . Social comparisons: For example, if you want to find out if you  are seen as a positive person, you could ask your friends if they think you act like a positive person. When we reach out to others to find out how we look, we usually go to those people that we find close to us and important; This would include people like family members or close friends. We do this because we know we are more likely to get an honest answer from these people. The three sources of self-concept are: * Social information and interactions:- The positive and negative messages we receive from others that shape our beliefs. social comparisons:- How we think we measure up to other people; * self-observation:- Being able to monitor our thoughts which affect our behavior and our own interpretations and evaluations. Self Esteem and Self Worth (The extent to which you value yourself) Refers to the extent to which we like accept or approve of ourselves or how much we value ourselves. Self esteem always involves a degree of evaluation and we may have either a positive or a negative view of ourselves. HIGH SELF ESTEEM i. e. we have a positive view of ourselves. This tends to lead to * Confidence in our own abilities Self acceptance * Not worrying about what others think * Optimism LOW SELF ESTEEM i. e. we have a negative view of ourselves. This tends to lead to * Lack of confidence * Want to be/look like someone else * Always worrying what others might think * Pessimism FACTORS: There are 4 major factors that influence self esteem. 1) THE REA CTION OF OTHERS. If people admire us, flatter us, seek out our company, listen attentively and agree with us we tend to develop a positive self-image. If they avoid us, neglect us; tell us things about ourselves that we don’t want to hear we develop a negative self-image. ) COMPARISON WITH OTHERS. If the people we compare ourselves with (our reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, richer, better looking than ourselves we tend to develop a negative self image BUT if they are less successful than us our image will be positive. 3) SOCIAL ROLES. Some social roles carry prestige e. g. doctor, airline pilot, TV. Presenter, premiership footballer and this promotes self-esteem. Other roles carry stigma. E. g. prisoners, mental hospital patient or unemployed person. 4) IDENTIFICATION. Roles aren’t just â€Å"out there. † They also become part of our personality i. . we identity with the positions we occupy, the roles we play and the groups we belong to. S ELF AWARENESS Self Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Self Awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment. The Johari Window The Johari window is a technique created by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 in the United States, used to help people better understands their relationship with self and others. –  Johari region 1 is also known as the ‘area of free activity. This is the information about the person – behavior, attitude, feelings, emotion, knowledge, experience, skills, views, etc – known by the person (‘the self') and known by the group (‘others'). You are open about your thoughts and feelings;  you are aware of your behaviors and  have an understanding of your skills can capabilities. Others that you are interacting with are aligned and under stand your thoughts and feelings that you are  communicating, either verbally or non-verbally.They also have visibility and awareness around your skills and capabilities or other knowledge or information. 2-Johari region 2 is what is known about a person by others in the group, but is unknown by the person him/herself. The Blind Spot is the area that is known to others but not to you. There may be behaviors that you are exhibiting or things that you are communicating that are affecting others in a particular way. You may be unaware or perceive yourself as not having the ability to perform in a certain situation.However, those that you are interacting with can see exactly how you feel or know from your behavior  or prior experience  that you do have skills and abilities to  perform in a particular situation. 3- Johari region 3 is what is known to us but kept hidden from, and therefore unknown, to others. This hidden or avoided self represents information, feelings, etc, anyth ing that a person knows about him/self, but which is not revealed or is kept hidden from others. The hidden area could also include sensitivities, fears, hidden agendas, manipulative intentions, and secrets – anything that a person knows but does not reveal, for whatever reason.It's natural for very personal and private information and feelings to remain hidden, indeed, certain information, feelings and experiences have no bearing on work, and so can and should remain hidden. There may be some things that you know or are thinking in your head, or you may feel a particular way, however you decide to conceal this information and not share it with others. You may know that you have certain skills or abilities, but choose to not show this to others. Those around you do not know what you are experiencing in terms of thoughts and feelings, and may not know or your capabilities.It is hidden from them 4- Johari region 4 contains information, feelings, latent abilities, aptitudes, exp eriences etc, that are unknown to the person him/herself and unknown to others in the group. These unknown issues take a variety of forms: they can be feelings, behaviors, attitudes, capabilities, aptitudes, which can be quite close to the surface, and which can be positive and useful, or they can be deeper aspects of a person's personality, influencing his/her behavior to various degrees.Large unknown areas would typically be expected in younger people, and people who lack experience or self-belief. The Unknown is the area that is blind to both yourself and to those around you. There may be things about yourself that you do not know, such as your own skills and abilities, even your own thoughts and feelings. Others around you might also have no visibility or knowledge of these. Using the Johari Window for Self-Awareness If you are living with purpose and striving to reach your goals, where do you want to be in the Johari Window?You will want to be playing within the OPEN SELF! The more open and honest you are in your thoughts and feelings, your communications and your behaviors, the more that those around you will have a clear understanding around what it is that you value, what you are trying to achieve and therefore will actually have the ability to help you reach where it is that you want to go. When you’re playing in the Arena, you are completely aware of your skills and abilities and you will become more effective and productive as your interactions and communications with those around you.The Arena is the playing field where trust and relationships are established and cooperation is at its highest. Let’s move to the HIDDEN SELF. This is where you are potentially hiding or concealing thoughts or feelings or any other information that  is unknown to others. Now, there’s nothing wrong with concealing information and holding private thoughts and feelings to you. However, for someone to be able to help you in a certain situation, they will need to know where you currently stand and what your thoughts, feelings or knowledge is  on the subject.The more you can be open and honest and reveal certain things about yourself, the more those others will be able to gain an insight into who you are and how you operate. By doing this, you will build trust, enhance your relationships and when it comes to pursuing your goals, those around you will be able to start helping you get there! The more you can reveal about yourself, the more you will expand yourself into the Arena and start enhancing your relationships, communicate more effectively and perform at higher levels.Similarly when it comes to skill sets and capability, the more you can openly share and reveal around these, the more that others will have an awareness of where they can help you through coaching, mentoring, teaching or providing support or guidance. Now onto the Blind Spot. This is the fun area! This is the area that you really need to minimize to ensure yo u are self-aware around your behaviors and impact on others, and to ensure you can perform at your highest ability. What don’t you know about yourself? Aren’t you curious to find out? How do you find out something about yourself when you don’t know what you need to find out?Feedback! Ask for feedback. Don’t be afraid to request feedback from others whenever or whoever that may be. There may be things that you are doing that you do not know that you are doing! This is not a productive space to be in. Feedback is essential for building your self-awareness and can help you learn and discover how to communicate or perform in a more effective and productive way. When it comes to skill and ability, asking for feedback is essential for learning and development and helping you make your way into the Arena where you can be more effective at pursuing your goals.The Unknown area is the area you want to try stay out of. People with low self-belief or that are inexper ienced may fall into this quadrant. You may not know what your skills and capabilities are, and others may not have had any opportunity to witness any of these. Self-limiting beliefs or feelings or attitudes that hold  you back can prevent  you from discovering certain things about yourself. Perhaps it’s a fear of entering into the unknown. On many occasions, and individual that spends time in this area may need to break out of their comfort zone to start entering one of the other quadrants.Trying new experiences and testing your limits can help you discover more about yourself and your skills and abilities. Working closely and building relationships with others may help them identify certain traits that they can point out for you. Similar to the blind spot, seeking feedback can help you identify certain traits and build your self-awareness. In addition to using the Johari Window, there are five other ways in which we can increase our self-awareness. 1. Ask yourself about yourself. 2. Listen to others. 3. Actively seek information about yourself. 4. See your different selves. . Increase your open self. SELF DISCLOSURE Self-disclosure is both the conscious and subconscious act of revealing more about oneself to others. This may include, but is not limited to, thoughts, feelings, aspirations, goals, failures, successes, fears, dreams as well as one's likes, dislikes, and favourites. Factors Influencing Self-Disclosure Many factors influence whether or not you disclose, what you disclose, and to whom you disclose. Among the most important factors are who you are, your culture, your gender, who your listeners are, and your topic and channel.Who You Are Highly sociable and extroverted people self-disclose more than those who are less sociable and more introverted. People who are comfortable communicating also self-disclose more than those who are apprehensive about talking in general. Competent people engage in self-disclosure more than less competent pe ople. Perhaps competent people have greater self-confidence and more positive things to reveal. Similarly, their self-confidence may make them more willing to risk possible negative reactions.Your Culture Different cultures view self-disclosure differently. Some cultures  view disclosing inner feelings as a weakness. Among some groups, for example, it would be considered â€Å"out of place† for a man to cry at a happy occasion such as a wedding, whereas in some Latin cultures that same display of emotion would go unnoticed. Similarly, it’s considered undesirable in Japan for workplace colleagues to reveal personal information, whereas in much of the United States it’s expected. Important similarities also exist across cultures.For example, people from Great Britain, Germany, the United States, and Puerto Rico are all more apt to disclose personal information—hobbies, interests, attitudes, and opinions on politics and religion—than information on finances, sex, personality, or interpersonal relationships. Similarly, one study showed self-disclosure patterns between American males to be virtually identical to those between Korean males. Your Gender The popular stereotype of gender differences in self-disclosure emphasizes males’ reluctance to speak about them.For the most part, research supports this view; women do disclose more than men. Women disclose more than men about their previous romantic relationships, their feelings for close same-sex friends, their greatest fears, and what they don’t like about their partners. Women also increase the depth of their disclosures as a relationship becomes more intimate, whereas men seem not to change their self-disclosure levels. In addition, for women, there are fewer taboo topics. Finally, women self-disclose more to members of their extended families than men. One notable exception occurs in initial encounters.Here, men will disclose more intimate information than wom en, perhaps â€Å"in order to control the relationship’s development†. Still another exception may be found in a study of Americans and Argentineans; here males indicated a significantly greater willingness to self-disclose than females. Your Listeners Self-disclosure occurs more readily in small groups than in large groups. Dyads, or groups of two people, are the most hospitable setting for self-disclosure. With one listener you can monitor your disclosures, continuing if there’s support from your listener and stopping if not.With more than one listener, such monitoring becomes difficult, because the listeners’ responses are sure to vary. Research shows that you disclose most to people you like and to people you trust. You also come to like those to whom you disclose. At times, self-disclosure occurs more in temporary than in permanent relationships—for example, between strangers on a train or plane, in a kind of â€Å"in-flight intimacy†. In this situation two people establish an intimate, self-disclosing relationship during a brief period of travel, but they don’t pursue the connection beyond that point.You are more likely to disclose when the person you are with discloses. This dyadic effect (what one person does, the other person also does) probably leads you to feel more secure and reinforces your own self-disclosing behavior. Disclosures are also more intimate when they’re made in response to the disclosures of others. This dyadic effect, however, is not universal across all cultures. For example, although Americans are likely to follow the dyadic effect and reciprocate with explicit, verbal self-disclosure, Koreans aren’t.As you can appreciate, this easily results in intercultural differences; for example, an American may be insulted if his or her Korean counterpart doesn’t reciprocate with self-disclosures that are similar in depth. Your Topic and Channel You also are more likely to disclose about some topics than others. For example, you’re more likely to self-disclose information about your job or hobbies than about your sex life or financial situation. Further, you’re more likely to disclose favorable rather than unfavorable information. Generally, the more personal and negative the topic, the less likely you are to self-disclose.SELF DISCLOSURE REWARDS: 1. Self-knowledge. One of the benefits of self-disclosure is that we gain new perspectives about themselves and a deeper understanding about our own behavior. In therapy, for example, views into the often arise when the client is doing self-disclosure. Clients may be aware of aspects of behavior or relationships which have not know it. Because, through self-disclosure, we can understand ourselves in depth. 2. Ability to Overcome Difficulties. Another closely related argument is that we will be better able to overcome our problems or difficulties, in particular feelings of guilt, through self-d isclosure.One big fear is present in many people is that they are not environmentally acceptable because of a certain secret, because of something they once did, or because of certain feelings or attitudes they have. Because we believe that these things are the basis of rejection (rejection), we build a sense of guilt. By expressing such feelings and receive support, not rejection, we become better prepared to cope with feelings of guilt and perhaps reduce or even eliminate them altogether. 3. Even self-acceptance (self-acceptance) becomes difficult without self-disclosure.We accept ourselves largely through the eyes of others. If we feel other people reject us, we tend to deny ourselves as well. Through self-disclosure and supports that come, we put ourselves in a better position to capture the positive response to us, and we will be more likely to react by developing a positive self-concept. 4. Efficiency of Communication. Disclosure of self-improving communication. We understand the messages from other people as far as we understand most of the others individually. We can better understand what someone says if we know the better person.We can know what the meaning of certain nuances, if that person is being serious and when he was joking, and when he became sarcastic or when I'm angry. Self-disclosure is a necessary condition to get to know other people. You can only examine a person's behavior or even live with him for years, but if that person never reveals himself, you do not understand the person as a whole person. 5. Depth Communications. Perhaps the main reason for the importance of self-disclosure is that it is necessary to foster a meaningful relationship between two people.Without self-disclosure, meaningful and deep relationships are not possible. Through self-disclosure, we tell others that we trust them, respect them, and they will care enough and will link us to express ourselves to them. It then will make others want to open up and establish a t least the beginning of a relationship that is meaningful, honest and open relationship and that relationship just improvise. SELF DISCLOSURE DANGERS: In weighing any decision to self-disclosure, consider the potential dangers: Personal RisksThe more you reveal about yourself to others, the more areas of your life you expose to possible attack. Especially in the competitive context of work (or even romance), the more that others know about you, the more they’ll be able to use against you Relationship Risks Even in close and long-lasting relationships, self-disclosure can cause problems. Parents, normally the most supportive people in most individuals’ lives, frequently reject children who disclose their homosexuality, their plans to marry someone of a different race, or their belief in another faith.Your best friends—your closest intimates—may reject you for similar self-disclosures. Professional Risks Sometimes self-disclosure may result in professional or material losses. Politicians who disclose that they have been in therapy may lose the support of their own political party and find that voters are unwilling to vote for them. Teachers who disclose disagreement with school administrators may find themselves being denied tenure, teaching undesirable schedules, and becoming victims of â€Å"budget cuts. In the business world self-disclosures of alcoholism or drug addiction often result in dismissal, demotion, or social exclusion. Remember too that self-disclosure, like any other communication, is irreversible. You cannot self-disclose and then take it back. Nor can you erase the conclusions and inferences listeners make on the basis of your disclosures. Remember, too, to examine the rewards and dangers of self-disclosure in terms of particular cultural rules. As with all cultural rules, following the rules about self-disclosure brings approval, and violating them brings disapproval.

Cost and benefit of the London Olympic 2012 Dissertation

Cost and benefit of the London Olympic 2012 - Dissertation Example Additionally, even the Russian government encountered deficits of approximately 9 billion US dollars after organizing the 1980 Olympic Games. Nevertheless from the subsequent Olympic Games that were hosted by Los Angeles in the year 1984, the Olympic Games were commercialised as an event. As a result, Los Angeles earned direct revenues worth 200 million US dollars and indirect revenue of 3 billion US dollars from the 1984 Olympics. With the passage of time and the rapid commercialisation of the Olympic Games, more and more cities have become interested in hosting the event as it produces big fortune for the city and impel the economic growth of the country. In the year 1992, Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games, and earned direct revenues greater than 9.5 billion US dollars in addition to indirect revenues worth 16.4 billion US dollars (Brunet, 1995). This magnitude of profitability and the enduring legacy economic affect on the city owing to the organization Olympic Games, catch the f ancy of a number of big corporate houses who endeavour for the sponsorships. It is evident the financial as well as economic impact of hosting the Olympic Games is anticipated to be extensive, predominantly at the local level and to a smaller degree at the country level. The total financial consequence of the Olympic Games on the city or the nation hosting the Game is generally spread over the years. Hence, the study of economic impacts of the Olympic Games on the host city has been a popular topic of investigation for researchers. The 2012 Olympics is being held in London. It has the potential of generating huge amount of revenues as well as exhibit London on the global platform this year. The Olympic Games is expected to motivate a... The second chapter, that is, Literature Review, would focus on the review and discussion of the findings of prior studies on the benefits, particularly financial and economic, of Olympic Games. This chapter would hence discuss the researches that have been carried out by other researchers in the topic under discussion. For the better understanding of the expected financial benefits of 2012 Olympic Games on the United Kingdom, this segment of the research study would focus on the preceding Olympic Games that were held in Being, Sydney, Atlanta, Barcelona and Athens among others. In this context, the financial and economic benefits that these host nations had enjoyed would be conferred with the help of cost benefit analysis. The thorough study of the impacts of the past Olympic Games on the host nations would endow us with an apparent outlook of the expected financial benefit that the United Kingdom could potentially gain this time.   The Literature Review would also accentuate on th e anticipated financial scenario in the UK, subsequent to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.Chapter Three: Research MethodologyThis chapter would consist of a discussion on the selection of the appropriate methods and approaches for the execution of the research study.   For a better identification of the appropriate research method for this study, this chapter would initially present a comprehensive discussion of all the research methods along with their advantages and suitability. The chapter would also discuss the strategy.

Managerial Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial Decision Making - Essay Example t six months our company had a serious problem when we failed to capture the international market in face of stiff competition from rival companies and lack of interest in our products among the international customers. The problem faced by our organization was the prospect of huge loss in our international market as our decision to expand offshore was more of an intuitive one, rather than one being based on a rational decision making process (Thagard P., 2001). We took the success that our products had achieved within the US in terms of popularity and marketability for granted with enough evidence of customer acceptance, backed by our strict quality control division. These factors mislead us to believe that we could achieve similar results abroad, without considering the peculiar cultural, geographical and market practices in foreign countries. The necessary spade work of preparing a customer base and marketing in foreign lands, which should have been done in consultation with pertinent agencies, prior to the venture, was the major mistake we made. After identifying the criteria, decision to redesign international marketing should be made on the basis of rational criteria and available alternatives should be put into practice irrespective of the intuitive opinions of the management. The decision making should be fact based as a rational model is logically expected to lead to an optimal result. All identified criteria are ranked according to the peculiar situation of a country and local help is sought to enable marketing in the traditional way which is common in that country after setting up rational financial goals which are ultimately beneficial for the company. This leads to putting different marketing strategies into practice which are unique for a region or country. As a wide variety of inputs will be obtained while collecting factual information from foreign countries, the interpretation criteria which is still in the hands of the same management may

Design innovation in textile Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Design innovation in textile - Literature review Example The sequence of activities of coming up with a design is referred to as the design process. The process of design normally necessitates a consideration of functional, aesthetic, socio-political and economic dimensions of the object that is being designed. This process involves considerable thought, research, modeling, re-design, and interactive adjustment. It is possible to design a variety of objects, and these objects include skyscrapers, business processes, clothing, corporate identities, graphical user, etc. The design process of a substance is a linear sequence of various events that has a starting point, and an ending point. On various occasions, a designer has to go back one or two stages, if new information is introduced. In other circumstances, the designer may overlook one or two steps, based on the type of product that an individual designs. Chao and Ishii (2007) explains that design is a problem solving activity, and it requires a precise definition of the problem, from the beginning of the design. The design process is mostly concerned with the decisions of choice, state, sensitivity, and it also relies on the value judgments. Mckenna (2007) explains that the design process can be influenced by technology, idea, market, and demands. The design process has the following steps, It is the duty and role of the designer to carry out a research for purposes of finding out what it is that the customers need. Chao and Ishii (2007) explains that before coming up with a new product, the product under consideration must have the capability of satisfying the needs of the customers. It is the responsibility of designers to identify these needs, and design their products in a manner that satisfies this need. Take for example Apples, the design of their electronic gadgets are always slim, and sleek. This is for purposes of ensuring that they are able to conserve the environment, as

Managerial Control Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managerial Control Systems - Assignment Example The second phase is the identification of opportunities for revenues and costs that the existing system fails to report, and the specification of what changes must be adopted in the system in order to better highlight the opportunities, to make the business more profitable yet more environmentally sustainable. It requires establishing control by assigning responsibility centres and sub-centres, the drivers relevant in their cost assignment, and the setting up of records to duly report activities and allocation of corresponding costs. It also involves proper communication and consistency in applying these measures. The final phase is the trial and documentation of changes to discover how the changes will affect the results from those achieved under the current system. This trial and assessment seeks to determine whether the changes introduced leads to improved management decision-making. Included in the assessment is an evaluation of management tools introduced, how they enhance the r elevance of the information delivered to managers, and the potential and opportunities created in enhancing the type, quality and accuracy of managers’ decisions that impact on the environment and the firm’s future profits. 2. ... t generates the standard summary accounting information (chart of accounts, trial balance, the general ledger, and the income statement and balance sheet). There is no categorization or distinction among costs, all being reported together as overhead. These outputs are used to manually generate the pertinent spreadsheet leading to the more detailed income and expenditure statement and cash flow forecast, which have greater detail to support management decisions. Capital expenditures are distinguished as to capital works and capital replacements. Acquisition price form the sole criterion for deciding among projects, without taking into account the forecasted revenues/ benefits accruing therefrom. There is no system for monitoring costs after acquisition of either capital works or replacement; in the case of the latter, replacements depend upon user requests and not upon any systematic capital budgeting method. 3. Identify the environmental impacts associated with MLC’s operatio ns and explain how the costs associated with the environmental impacts are treated and flow through MLC’s accounting system (6 marks, 1 page) According to the case study, there are four environmental impacts of MLC’s operations. These are energy usage, paper usage, water usage and waste management. Each of the costs associated with these impacts are coded directly into the firm’s expenses accounts. Expenses that go into energy, paper and water usage are assigned to the broad category of â€Å"administration and general† overhead expenses, while costs incurred for waste management are recorded under â€Å"caretaking and cleaning† overhead expenses. The costs are loosely allocated between â€Å"tuition† and â€Å"boarding†; the criterion for doing so is not specifically provided for, and is

Supplied case study examining understanding of key positive Essay

Supplied case study examining understanding of key positive psychological concepts in a service organisation - Essay Example the patients, especially in the field of mental health wherein â€Å"mental health services rely on human resources (staff) to a much greater degree than other medical and health disciplines (Thornicroft & Tansella, 1999 cited in World Health Organization (WHO), 2003). Since the mental health services are primarily delivered by the direct care providers (physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, aides, and alike), it is essential for them to not only have the competence but also be in their optimum health and well being to be efficient in providing positive services for better patient care and thus, greater productivity outcomes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In connection, this paper will emphasize the practices and services that will offer the organizational staff of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services ways to reach optimal health and well being that will show their improved competency needed in the delivery of better mental health services. Specifically, it is deemed significant to examine the benefits of positive psychological approaches in comparison to the current service-delivery trends of the hospital, as well as to identify the activities required to acquire these approaches, and to recognize the three key positive psychological concepts (among others) which must be utilized by the staff to reach the goals set by the organization of Ontario Shores.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Science or simply known as Ontario Shores is a public mental health institution formerly called as Whitby Mental Health Centre. Located at 700 Gordon Street, Whitby, Ontario, Canada, the hospital functions under the Public Hospital Act, the Mental Health Act, and other provincial and federal legislative enactments and offers a 329-bed capacity for its inpatient program along with its out-patient care services. The organization staff of the Ontario Shores is made up of 1, 100 employees oriented and mobilized at providing â€Å"leadership and exemplary mental health care

Genetic modified food in the U.S. (GMO) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Genetic modified food in the U.S. (GMO) - Essay Example The scientific methods used are critical and needs to be researched widely to elucidate the controversy of the GMO and their effects on human beings. Most GMOs take less time than usual to grow. This has been considered as an abnormal situation that can lead to several health complications to consumers. One of the controversies is related to the idea or allegations that GMOs have fertility complications on the users (Food and Nutrition Board 5). This is evidenced by numerous studies that were conducted on different animals that turned out to be positive on infertility. Immune problem has also been associated with consuming of GMOs. It is argued that continued consumption of the GMO causes or leads to lowered immune system in the body. In addition there have been allegations that continued consumption of GM foods causes aging factors that make individuals to age at a faster rate than the normal rate. Some doctors have conducted some tests on GM foods and advice people to avoid GM foods because they have numerous health consequences to the body. Studies have documented that most susceptive group of the population are the children (Food and Nutrition Board 5). In fact, some doctors have argued that in some extreme case, children act as experimental animals for GM foods because of their weak immune systems. One of the notable experiments that confirmed problems with GM foods on children involved rats that were injected with GM soy on female rats. Within a span of three weeks, most of the rat babies were dead. The control group that involved rats that were fed with natural soy recorded a 10% death rate. Babies that survived to the maturity had problems getting pregnant. In this regard, it is argued that the use GM foods by human beings would be similar to the experiment that was on rats. In addition, when male rats were fed with GM soy, their testicles changed color form normal pink to dark blue and alteration of sperm. The DNA composition of the

Deon Meyer Dead Before Dying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Deon Meyer Dead Before Dying - Essay Example Whereas it cannot be argued that Death Before Dying should be understood as a pinnacle achievement of literature, it nonetheless engages the reader in several levels of understanding concerning violence and its role within the culture and expectations of Africa. Within such an understanding, the following analysis will seek to perform a literary analysis upon Death Before Dying as a means of highlighting and underscoring the level of prejudice and implied expectations that the author conveys within this particular book.... ever having been there, he/she will most likely leverage a prior level of understanding and/or stereotypes that are somewhat universal and exist in the minds of the majority of readers. By utilizing such a tactic, it is possible for the author to convey deep shades of meaning in only a few words.5 Such is very much the case in the novel in question. Rather than spending the first half of the book describing the cultural elements and unique levels of understanding that help to define violence within Africa, the author instead leverages this expectation of violence as a means of cementing the existing prejudices that are evident with regards to Africa.6 Although this is not the author’s main criteria, it nonetheless functions as a powerful means of securing a vivid and profound image in the mind of the reader and reinforcing that image as the storyline progresses.7 Though it might seem as somewhat silly for the reader to expect a simple novel as a possible opportunity to become further informed concerning the realities that define life and understandings of violence within Africa, the ultimate fact of the matter is that this form of media is precisely the type of information that serves to either crush or reinforce existing stereotypes within the minds of the reader.8 As such, the author begins the novel with a terse presentation of the current state of South Africa. From the very opening lines, the reader can infer that something of a powerful expectation for violence is instilled not only within the main characters but also within the media and general population of the nation as well. As a means of even further reinforcing such an understanding, the author tacitly alludes to violence serving the media and the populace as something of a means of interest. Although

The story of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

The story of Romeo and Juliet Essay The story of Romeo and Juliet is not only about love, and fate, but its also about the troubles and obstacles you must face in the meaning of love. A lot of people say theyll do anything for love, but when It comes right down to it, not many people would be willing to give up their lives for the one person who means the world to them. Romeo and Juliet were meant to be together. They were destined for each other and fate kept them connected for as long as it could. The second Romeo and Juliet laid eyes on each other there was love. My only love sprung from my only hate. Romeo said those words because he knew their families would not allow this. In my opinion, the worst kind of love, is love unspoken of. Romeo and Juliet had to keep their passion for each other very quiet, so that only a few close friends would know. In the end destiny brings them back to each other. Even after all of the troubles life has put upon them, their bodies lie next to one another. Like I said, Romeo and Juliet had some major obstacles to encounter. Romeo and Juliets families were complete enemies. This made it very hard for the two to ever talk or have time to spend with each other. When Romeo was waiting upon his letter from Juliet with information on their marriage there was a big commotion causing Romeos best friends death. Romeo then killed Juliets cousin, the one who killed his best friend because of anger. Once everyone was reveled about what had happened Romeo was sent away. This made things extremely complicated for the two of them, but some how they managed to be married. If you feel enough for another person, its plain to see sometimes theres nothing this world can do to keep you away from them. Unfortunately, fate has its flaws. Romeo and Juliet were meant for each other, by reading the story you know that. But you also know that it could never happen for them. Because of the love those two had for each other it caused both of them to kill themselves just to be with the other one. Love should never be this tragic. Everyone deserves a chance and it doesnt matter how different people can be, what matters is the love they share together, and in life that bond can never be broken. In my opinion its much easier to fall in love, then to fall out. Its much easier to hold on, then to forget and its much easier to be strong, then to let go. If you love someone you cant just let it by, you need to grab a hold of it and try giving it a chance. Everyone gets hurt once or twice in their lives but thats the joy of the journey. But just never let go of something that means more to you then the world because youll never have that feeling again.

Economy of the Netherlands

Economy of the Netherlands Introduction The Netherlands is the main country of the Kingdom of Netherlands. It comprises of 3 main large and important cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is the country’s capital. The economy of Netherlands is market based and ranks 16th of 177 countries and was also ranked the 4th happiest country in the world. The Dutch economy is afree-market economy. They have the world’s 16th best economy due to its early industrialization, specialized exports and agricultural growth. They focus mainly on exporting ideas, technology and maintaining good relations with other countries. The Dutch from a long time are known as traders and almost 2/3rd of the economy is based on foreign trade. Along with the United States, the country has been an important part of international free trade. The have a total market share of 3.9%, ranking it 6th in the international exportation of goods. They have a history of trade, as they (1600-1700) carried spices and other raw materials from India and other Asian countries to Europe and manufactured products back. They were the ones to open trade (seaborne) with China and Japan. The design of their having large cargo holds and small crew was the reason of their success. This reduced the cost of transportation of good. The tradition continues even today as the nation remains dependent on trade. The Dutch today are the distribution center of Europe. Rotterdam having the Port of Rotterdam (one of the largest single ports) handles annually 400 million tons of cargo has the most advanced facilities in the world. The 4th largest port in Western Europe i.e. The Port of Amsterdam and holds 7.4% of the market shares. It plays a vital role in the economy of both city and the country, contributing 45 million Euros in 2007, also adding 5.2 billion Euros to the city’s value. The shipping industry hugely impacts the economy. In 2007, D utch exports were 318 billion Euros comparing to imports of 285 billion Euros. The country is the second largest (after US) exporter of food in the world. Over 1/2 of the shipping industry comprises of re-exportation which equals to 140 billion Euros (2007). The reason why this small country is capable of carrying transportation on such large basis and shipping is due to its exploration of new ides of transportation. World War II and After The German armies in May 1940 overran The Netherlands and the bombing destroyed the center of the city of Rotterdam. Queen Wilhelmina (1840-1948) and the Dutch government exiled (UK). The Dutch government (which exiled) declared war on Japan after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In 1942 The Dutch East Indies fell. The government (after World War II) returned and then began the process of rebuilding. The Dutch under the European Recovery Program received more than $100,000,000 in aid. The Netherlands joined with Belgium and Luxembourg to form Benelux (customs union that went into effect in 1948) becoming charter member of the UN. In 1949, Dutch joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and in 1958 became a member of the European Union. A military conflict over West New Guinea, came up with Indonesia when independence was granted in 1949.The Netherlands reclaimed it in 1962. The postwar rebuilding phase was followed by an economic boom, highly developed social-welfare system was established under socialist governments. Dutch exports and imports grew about 7.5% annually in the last four decades, while in the last two decades re-exports experienced a boom. Trade policy, reducing in import taxes and other trade barriers and the creating a European internal market, significantly impacts on the growth of trade. The major reason in an increase in trade is income developments. Without any liberalization of trade policy since 1970 the ratio of trade (excluding re-exports) to GDP would have been about 8% points lower. The trade policy has contributed 6% 8% to the growth of national income in Netherlands since the 1970s. Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) experienced a massive but erratic growth, mostly in the last two decades. Dutch trade has increased by about 7.5 % a year on average between 1971 and 2005. Exports grew slightly faster than imports. Trade and FDI grew thus much faster than GDP. Dutch firms are becoming more and more internationalized. The goods exports of the Dutch firms doubled from 88% in 1969 to 175% in 2007. The re-exports of goods rose even more, i.e. from 16% 1969 to 154% in 2007. Services exports remained stable as a share in value added. This observation does not alter the fact that services exports has increased over time as did the value added of services. Services became much more important in the economy over that period. The composition of GDP changes in favor of services. Because services sectors are less open to trade than manufacturing sectors total exports increased less than good exports alone. Exports for goods and services and re-exports increased gradually from 51% of the value added of all Dutch firms in 1969 to 93% in 2007. The increase in trade is mainly caused by increased trade with existing trading partners. FDI (Foreign Direct Investments) has grown particularly fast, at a much higher rate than trade transactions since the 1980s. FDI flows have increased by about 25% per year on average and trade flows by about 10%. International capital control restrictions and strict national capital market regulation prevented the international unification of capital markets. After the abolishment of these controls FDI started to rise, first slowly but after 1985 it has accelerated with several peaks. The peaks in Dutch inward and outward flows in 2001 was due to a large extent by investments of banks and holding companies. The country supports investments and innovation by setting aside â‚ ¬ 500 million for a Research and Development Allowance for businesses. For innovative projects more capital is made available via the Innovation Fund for SMBs. The Ministry has created a business web portal to improve services for the business sector. Tourism and recreation are vital to the Dutch economy. A record number of almost 12 million tourists visited this country in 2012, spending a total of â‚ ¬5 billion. As in previous years, the majority were from Germany. The tourism industry has an annual turnover of â‚ ¬37 billion. It also accounts for 400,000 jobs – 4.5% of the national total. The government wants to boost tourism by attracting more visitors from abroad. The manufacturing industry (second largest sector of the economy), comprises 17% of the total economy. Oil and natural gas deposits forms 3% of this sector.The manufacturing sector is mainly developing and designing of high-tech products to be produced at a less cost for exportation. The twelfth largest portion is the public sector. Efforts have been made by the government of tax breaks and privatization. The Agriculture Sector accounts for two percent of the economy and is important because the industry provides over 600,000 jobs, and accounts for 1/5th of Dutch exports. As of 1 January 2012 antibiotic use in agriculture is to be cut by 20%. The local authorities, citizens, companies and civil society will conclude green deals. Sustainable energy production will increase with the help of an incentive scheme for SMBs. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation will release more than â‚ ¬ 288 million in government cuts from the merger of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. The first savings of â‚ ¬ 49.1 million will be released in 2012. Statistics: Trade: % of Dutch companies are exporters. 33% of income generated from abroad. 44% of employees work for exporting companies. 87% of RD expenditure is provided by exporting industries. Foreign Investments: 1% of companies in Netherlands have foreign ownerships. 15% of Dutch people work for foreign owned companies. 25% of GDP comes from foreign owned companies. 33% of RD expenditure is provided foreign investors. Rankings of Netherlands: 5th largest global exporter. 7th largest global importer. 7th largest global investor. 8th largest receiver of foreign investments. 16th largest global economy. Exports per Sector: 41% re-exports from imports. 34% from industries. 6% from trade and transport. 4% industry and energy. 4% financial services. 3% business services. 3% agriculture, forest and fisheries. According to Statistics Netherlands the economy decreased by 0.2% in this year’s second quarter, while the first quarter showed double this figure. Both consumer spending and business investments decreased in this year’s second quarter. During the same period exports grew by 0.4%. The number of jobs decreased by 147,000. Future Prospects: Energy Agreement for Sustainable Growth: More wind turbines A thousand new wind turbines are to be built. By 2020, 14% of all energy will be generated from renewable sources, rising to 16% by 2023. Resources for home insulation The government is investing â‚ ¬400 million in insulating rented homes. As well as reducing heating costs and emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2, this measure will generate new jobs. More jobs Taken together, the investments in energy from renewable sources and energy conservation will create 15,000 jobs. An energy label for every home All privately owned and rented homes that have not already been assigned one, will be allocated energy label starting in 2015, indicating the home’s energy efficiency and raising awareness of energy consumption. Tighter agreements on emissions trading Tighter European agreements are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The government wants the EU to take steps to improve the CO2 emissions trading system, to reduce emissions by at least 80% by 2050. National Energy Saving Fund Homeowners can take out low-interest loans to fund energy-saving measures, financed by the National Energy Saving Fund, which has a budget of â‚ ¬600 million. Tax breaks for local clean energy initiatives Local initiatives in which people club together to generate electricity from sustainable resources will be rewarded withlower energy tax ratesfor those involved. This may for example include residents who club together to invest in a large solar panel system, placed on the roof of a school or warehouse. Relations with India Since 1947, Indo-Dutch relations have been excellent, marked by strong economic and commercial ties, based on foundation of shared democratic ideals, pluralism, multiculturalism and rule of law. Indo-Dutch relations have been multi-faceted and encompass close cooperation in various areas including political, economy, academics and culture. Since the early 1980s, the Dutch Government has identified India as an important economic partner. The relations underwent further intensification after India’s economic liberalization in the 1990s with growing recognition of India as an attractive trade and investment partner. For many decades, India was a major recipient of Dutch development aid. Today contacts between the two countries focus mainly on economic, technical and scientific cooperation. Economic relations India has developed into a rapidly expanding economy, focused on technological development and technical and scientific cooperation. The Netherlands is a major investor in India, through Dutch companies involved in sectors like technology, energy, logistics, financial services and transport. Central government seeks out opportunities for Dutch companies and tries to attract Indian investment to the Netherlands. There are particularly lucrative opportunities for Dutch companies in the following sectors of India’s economy: agri food, logistics (ports, shipping and inland waterways), technology (the automotive and defence industries), infrastructure and water management, energy, health, chemicals and creative industry. Dutch interest in India as a trading partner has increased sharply, and although trade remains limited, it is growing rapidly. Exports from the Netherlands to India include machinery, optical equipment, cast iron and steel. The main Dutch imports from India are mineral fuels, including oil. The enormous trade and investment potential of the Indian market offers plenty of scope for expanding Dutch exports to and investments in India. Help can be provided by the Dutch Trade Board (DTB), a public-private partnership that works to strengthen the position of Dutch companies abroad. The Netherlands has an extensive trade promotion network comprised of the embassy in New Delhi, the consulate-general in Mumbai and two Netherlands Business Support Offices in Chennai and Ahmedabad. Dutch entrepreneurs can contact them for information about market opportunities and for assistance with government contacts. Trade missions and networking meetings are also organized. The Dutch embassy in New Delhi promotes the interests of entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector. There are also technical and scientifically attached in both Delhi and Mumbai, who focus on matters such as establishing contacts between Dutch and Indian universities. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) also has an office which provides advice, information and practical support to entrepreneurs wishing to do business in India. In recent months the Ministry of Economic Affairs, together with several Indian states, the Netherlands Agro, Food and Technology Centre (NAFTC) and Greenport Holland International (GHI) have worked on proposals for the establishment of Dutch-Indo Centers of Excellence. India’s central Government has now agreed to the establishment of 10 Dutch–Indo Centers of Excellence across India and has given the green light for the steps necessary for further development. The Centers of Excellence will provide training and give businesses the opportunity to demonstrate their production methods and techniques. Dutch businesses will contribute to increasing food production in India through improved production methods, logistics and food safety measures. The ten Centers of Excellence will concentrate on the horticulture, dairy cattle, potato, meat and pork chains and will provide opportunities for collaboration between Dutch and Indian businesses. Trade and investment cooperation a key component of India-Netherlands relationship has shown satisfactory growth over the years. Two-way trade has continued to grow steadily, reaching Euro 5.287 billion in 2011. Netherlands remains among the top ten partners of India in terms of trade volume with positive balance of trade in favor of India. It is also one of the largest investor in terms of foreign direct investment into India with FDI inflows during period 2000 to 2011 amounting to US $ 5.62 billion (accounting for 4.3% of total inflows into India). Indian investments into Netherlands during period 1996 to 2010 amounted to $11.46 billion. The current ongoing Eurozone crisis has not seriously impacted trade and investment flows between India and Netherlands. India’s exports to and imports from Netherlands have significantly increased during past 3-4 years and the same is true for trade in services. Many Dutch multinationals and major companies like Phillips, Shell, Unilever (Hindustan Lever in India), KLM, the three big banks – ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank and others have a growing and successful presence in India. Dutch SMEs with niche technologies and world-class expertise are also actively looking at the Indian market. Similarly, several Indian companies including major IT companies have established their presence in Netherlands. There have been major acquisitions and mergers by Indian companies including that of Tata Corus (now Tata Steel), Apollo – Vredestein, acquisition of Theodoor Gilissen Bankiers by Hindujas and many Indian companies are exploring the possibilities for further tie-ups. The proposal for opening a branch of State Bank of India in Amsterdam is also under process. There is potential for further bilateral collaboration in areas like water management, infrastructure, logistics, ports, highways; inland water transportation; ICT; biotech; agriculture, agro-processing, floriculture, creative design industry. Main Indian expor ts to Netherlands are textiles garments; electric machinery equipment, agricultural products and processed foods including marine products; leather goods; cars and other vehicles, organic chemicals, rubber, plastics works thereof; mineral and metal products. Main products imported from Netherlands to India are machinery/equipment; medical/optical instruments, chemicals; plastics, metal products. Since the beginning of the year there have been several trade missions and business relations established between The Netherlands and India. A number of high-level official visits have taken place including visits by Dutch Minister of Infrastructure Environment as well as by Mayors of Rotterdam and Amsterdam and Vice Mayor of The Hague with delegations. Foreign Minister Prof. Dr. Uri Rosenthal made an official visit to India at the invitation of Honble External Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna where opportunities for Dutch investments in logistics, water management and communications were discussed. The trade mission of 40 Dutch businesses to India led by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, met with an enthusiastic response from Indian entrepreneurs and investors.During the mission a number of agreements were signed in both New Delhi and Mumbai, worth tens of millions of euros. The Dutch SME Schouten Food Products, which specializes in manufacturing protein-rich meat substitutes, for instance signed a â‚ ¬10 million contract with a local Indian partner. Talks were also held with Indian companies interested in investing in the Netherlands. These included United Phosphorus Ltd, which decided to earmark â‚ ¬15 million for the expansion of its factory in Rotterdam. Ms Ploumen expressed satisfaction at the mission’s outcome. ‘Trade with India generates jobs and income in the Netherlands,’ she said. In talks with the Indian authorities, the Minister urged that the trade and investment climate between the Netherlands and India be improved, along with market access. During the mission it was decided to establish a joint committee on investment and trade, so as to eliminate existing trade barriers between the two countries and strengthen economic ties. Ms Ploumen also spoke with Indian ministers, organizations and companies about corporate social responsibility. It was agreed that both countries would meet again soon to pursue this discussion, and invite companies like Tata and Unilever to join it. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation between their two countries in the fields of spatial planning and architecture, water and transport management, and sustainable building took place this year. The aim is to learn from one another and to open doors for the business community. There is potential for further bilateral collaboration in areas like water management, infrastructure, logistics, ports, highways, inland water transportation, ICT, biotech, agriculture, agro-processing, floriculture, creative design industry. Main Indian exports to Netherlands are textiles garments, electric machinery equipment, agricultural products and processed foods including marine products, leather goods, cars and other vehicles, organic chemicals rubber, plastics works thereof, mineral and metal products. Main products imported from Netherlands to India are machinery/equipment; medical/optical instruments; chemicals; plastics, metal products.

Characterization of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Diseases, Necrotizin

Characterization of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Diseases, Necrotizing Faciitis Abstract Invasive Group A Streptococcus has been around the human civilization since the beginning of our existence, and it continues to be a threat today. Invasive Group A Streptococcus, known as invasive GAS, occurs around 9400 times a year in the United States alone, while it is unknown about the rest of the world due to recording inconsistencies. This bacterium exists as one of the most common flora in humans, and can only start infection when there is a region which has been opened. For example, these regions could include the blood, muscles, and other various locations. Necrotizing fasciitis, dubbed as the "flesh-eating bacteria" by the media, is one of the known bacteria within the invasive group A Streptococcus. Although the mortality and morbidity rate of necrotizing fasciitis is at 70-80%, treatment may reduce it to 30-50%. Invasive Group A Streptococcus disease, known as invasive GAS, is a disease that stems from the Group A bacterium found on the throat and skin. This bacterium is known as Streptococcus pygoenes. A bacterium of this strain is a gram-positive, nonmotile, nonsporeforming coccus that occurs in chains or in pairs in cells. The individual cells of this bacterium are round cocci, about .6-1.0 micrometer in diameter. The bacteria divides in 1 plane, therefore, cells occur in pairs or in chains of various lengths. Streptococcus pygoenes is also a catalase-negative nervetolerant microbe anaerobe. It requires certain encriched mediums that contain blood in order to divide and grow. GAS contains a capsule of hyaluronic acid, which makes it exhibit hemolysis, which are white colonies on blood agar. S. pyogenes is always foun... ...hould take care to protect themselves from this bacteria. Although it is not always possible, since this bacterium is found in 5-15% of humans as normal flora, there are always ways to help Characterization of Invasive Group? 5 prevent it. While this invasive Group A Streptococcus is not as rampant as before antibiotics were introduced, it is still a major problem in certain areas in the world, so research on better ways to eliminate this disease should continue. References: Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee. (1999, April 4). Invasive Group A Streptococcal Diseases. Streptococcal Diseases. July 26, 2005: http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/ID/id98-05.htm Maynor, M. (2005, January). Necrotizing Fasciits. Infectious Diseases. July 26, 2005: http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic332.htm Skinner, F. (1987). Streptococci. New York: Academic Press Inc.

Japan :: essays research papers

In 1868, Japan underwent radical changes in social aspects as well as economic matters. A ministry of education was soon created in 1872, and in the same year, a strict education code was formulated. The government greatly wanted to industrialize in order to prevent foreign rule. The government sent students to Europe and America in order to learn Western ways. In 1877 the first college, the University of Tokyo was created. Japan quickly became more Western like. Japan in order to increase its industry needed raw materials something in, which the mainland lacked. The only way to gain these was by buying from larger countries or conquering new territory, which had the needed raw materials. Japan wished to gain footholds in Korea, China, and Manchuria but at the time, Russia had already gained footholds in these areas. Japan’s greatly modern military easily defeated the Chinese army and navy over the matter of Korea in the Sino-Japanese war. (Encarta Japan)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1894, Nicholas the 2nd ascended to the throne of Russia. Although he was a good man he was a weak ruler easily dominated by others. With revolutionary trouble at home and the disagreement over Manchuria with Japan, turmoil soon broke out in Russia. Afterward, a compromise with Japan on the Manchuria issue was unsuccessful. Diplomatic ties were broken in early 1904, which prompted a surprise attack, by the Japanese navy on Port Author. The attack was hugely successful. Many of the Russian ships were damaged or destroyed in the attack. News of this brought great civil strife in Russia with a revolutionary fever in the air the people called for reform but the Czar declined the warning. (Encarta Russia)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In March 1904 the Japanese 1st Army landed at Chemulp’o. It faced Russian forces on the Yalu river by late April. The Russian commander, General Aleksey Kuropatkin decided to hold defensive position until reinforcements arrived. The Japanese commander however built up a 6 to 1 troop advantage and a breech of the Yalu river was forced on May 1st. During May the Japanese 2nd army landed on the Liaodong peninsula. It quickly severed communications between Port Author and the Russian forces in Manchuria. It then captured Kinchow and won the battle of Nanshan on May 30th. Soon the 2nd army besieged Port Author. The Russian commander Kuropatkin was personally ordered by Nicolas the 2nd to hold Port Author. Kuropatkin decided to move his main forces to Liaoyang.

Truth About God :: essays research papers

Truth About God "You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One." - Acts 7:51-52 The Jews have always been afraid of the radicals of God. They have always dwelled in the safety and understandings of the past and fear the effects of these radicals. But when these radicals like the prophets arrive, they persecute them because they are uncertain about the truth. An example is when the Jews didn't want to believe Stephen in Acts 7:56-58, " Look,' he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' At this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him." A lot of potshots have been taken at the Church over the years. In spite of its obvious imperfections, the Church is the means that has been chosen to carry the message of the Gospel to the world. One wonders why a better system could not have been devised. Then one realizes that any system that has people in it is going to be imperfect. Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote in the Gulag Archipelago that it was in prison where he learned that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, not through classes, not through political parties, either, but right through every human heart and through all human hearts. When we give ourselves serious evaluation, we find things hiding in our hearts that, if we could choose, we would remove. Our hearts have been described as "a zoo of lust, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds." Yet the Church, by its very nature, must be made up of the likes of us. "Imagine yourself as a living house," wrote C. S. Lewis. "God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to?

Mrs.Daas

Interpreter of Maladies Good Evening, My name is Trisha Hariramani. A student of The Cathedral Vidya School Lonavala Batch IBDP1 doing my English SL in the A1 course shall be presenting my individual oral presentation on the Character of Mrs. Das in the short story of The Interpreter of Maladies. The collection of stories deals with the everyday lives of Indians abroad (mostly Bengali immigrants), as they go out into the New World with their Indian Diasporas at hand. Jhumpa Lahiri tells us tales of complicated marital relationship, infidelity and the powers of survival.Her short stories, Interpreter of maladies, the blessed house, Mrs. sen, and the treatment of Bibi haldar, are exclusively about women perceived through the eyes of a third person. Each of these female characters has the common motif of exclusion and to a certain extent the pursuit for fulfilment. I am going to be solely focusing on Mrs Das’s character, her traits and personality. In this story of cultural shock , the opening sentences which describes a bitter quarrel between Mrs.Das and her husband over who would take their daughter, Tina, to the bathroom, convey to the reader that not only does she have constrained marriage but also that her children are an obligation to her. Jhumpa Lahiri expands on this initial impression of disgust and depicts Mrs. Das to be self engrossed. She is portrayed to be indifferent to her surroundings. For instance when the men at the tea stall try and tease or entice her by singing Hindi love songs she doesn’t pay any mind at all. Her lack of understanding of the language reveals her cultural obliviousness. To add to this prevalent obliviousness the author describes Mrs.Das’s physical appearance and sense of clothing intently. By doing so she evokes Mrs. Das’s American background and upbringing. â€Å"Her hair was shorn a little longer than her husband’s† as opposed to the long black hair of a stereotypical Indian woman, th is indicates that she is modern and doesn’t have a traditional Indian mindset. Lahiri explicitly portrays the ignorance of Indians abroad towards their homeland as well as the negligence of their cultural values. Jhumpa Lahiri could probably relate or has observed this because she was born and raised outside of India.Instances such as the little boys’ amusement towards the picture of â€Å"the elephant god† commonly known as Ganpati, who is one of the deities best-known and widely worshipped in India depicts how unaccustomed the Das’s were to their Hindu faith. Another example is when Mr. Das inquires about his wife to Tina and refers to Mrs. Das by her first name , this is a confined to be disrespectful in India. The Das’s were evidently tourists in their own country and hadn’t maintained their Indian Diasporas; these close observations are made through the eyes of Mr.Kapasi, their tour guide. Mr. Kapasi empathises with Mrs. Das and easily identifies symptoms of the couples strained marriage. Every relationship goes through hardships but theirs was prolonged, and this played like a broken record in Minas’ mind. She was convinced that she had fallen out of love with her childhood sweetheart and it dawned on her that she may have missed out on what life had to offer. She reflected her life day in a day out eventually falling out of love with life as well. Mrs. Das was gravely depressed. We could relate her eating habit with this). She believed that her husband didn’t suspect or sense their strained marriage but I reckon he did, he just refused to acknowledge or accept the fact.Their marital problems are revealed through their constant bickering, frustrated tones, the indifference towards one another as well as the protracted silences. More than that is their total disregard for each other’s opinion. For instance, Mrs. Das had thought Mr. Kapasi second job to be romantic. â€Å"Mr. das craned to loo k at her. â€Å"What’s so romantic about it? His tone was vexing. The essence of her maternity is alas implicit. There are several instances where she displays an unruly temperament as a mother. For example; Not holding Tina’s hand as they walked to the restroom, nor did she call on the carpet when Tina fiddled with the lock of the car door. While applying nail polish her daughter’s immaterial demand to have some put on her as well was turned down. â€Å"Leave me alone,† she said turning her body slightly. â€Å"You’re making me mess up. † Once again expressing her selfish demeanour.Indirectly implying to the reader to the reader that a bottle of nail paint was more important to this woman than the one she so lovingly conceived her daughter Tina , how the value of love is lost to the realms of a materialistic object which in reality is unimportant, valueless and temporary. In strong comparison, Mr. Das was more of a father figure. He made a n effort to mind the children and answer their dewy-eyed queries. â€Å"What’s Dallas? † Tina asked. â€Å"It went off the air,† Mr. Das explained. â€Å"It’s a television show. † This shows us that Mr. Das doesn’t ignore his children and that he disciplines them when needed. Don’t touch it† Mr. Das warned Ronny. He could see that the little boy was fascinated by the goat and was tempted to go play with it. Unfortunately, when the child rushed over to play with the goat he just frowned and didn’t intervene. Mr. Kapasi finds it hard to believe that the Das’s were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves. This is subjective because this may be strange to someone who has been brought up in India but to an American it could be completely normal. In the story, Lahiri distinctly puts it across to the reader that they weren’t ready to take on the role of parents, and that they were too young.Mrs. Da s sounds more like a teenager being dragged for a family vacation by her parents. Rather than a mature parent aware of her responsibilities. She came out of hiding behind her dark brown sunglasses only when Mr. Kapasi revealed his second job as an interpreter. The attention that Mr. Kapasi received intoxicated him and made him delirious. Little did he know that her sudden interest in him wasn’t genuine and that she had an ulterior motive . Her intentions, which were to relieve herself of her burdensome secret, were blatantly put across when the two were left alone in the car. Mr.Kapasi reads Mrs. Das like an open book at this point. She confesses to him her adultery, and justifies her doings. Her overwhelmed youth being taken from her, having no one to confide in after a bad day, loneliness, this gives me a sense of why she behaved the way she did and had her unconventional feelings to throw everything away. She was expecting a remedy for the way she had felt, unfortunately M r. Kapasi had failed to meet her expectations, she also felt insulted by what he had to say to her. This is depicted by the glare that she gives him. She then turns her back to him and gets out of the car. Is is really pain you feel, Mrs Das, or is it guilt? †Mr. Kapasi certainly hadn’t provided her with a remedy for her ail, but he got to the heart of the matter. After all he was only an Interpreter of Maladies. I found Mrs. Das’s character particularly appealing because of how the story manifested her selfish and egotistical behaviour. Until the very end of the story the reasons for her bad behaviour is a mystery to the reader. As one reads on you are able to empathize with her as she justifies her behaviour and expresses her agony and frustration that she has been suppressing for over a decade. I’d like to end with a quote;

Tgif Case

TGIF Case Problems: Macro – Quantum Software is experiencing problems in regard to their liabilities due to their TGIF beer bust parties. Quantum is also facing the issue of continuing success in sales. Micro – Quantum over works their employees and is using the beer bust parties to keep morale high. Some employees however are taking advantage of the free beer every Friday and are consuming too much. Causes: {draw:frame} Quantum has had much success in the past three years of its existence. While that is a huge positive it comes with some responsibilities. One is keeping up on staffing issues. Quantum seems to be highly under staffed and is asking employees to work 16 hour days 6 days a week. The over worked employee gave Erin, one of the owners an idea as these individuals need to blow off some steam after these horribly long weeks Quantum is asking them to work. Another cause for their current situation concerning the beer bust Friday is Erin was its convincer. She now has a vested and seems to be bias interest in keeping beer bust Fridays despite the risk it lends to the organization. It seems that the problem would not have even come to pass if the first issue of under-staffing would have been addressed. Instead now a chain reaction of causes has taken place: Alternatives: Quantum has several options to mitigate the issue of too much liability which could affect their profits. First Quantum could ask every employee to do a breathalyzer test and sign a waiver before driving home, leaving no liability to Quantum. Another alternative to their current state is hiring more people. Obviously the work to employee ratio is too high. Quantum could move beer bash Fridays to a bar, giving the liability of when to stop serving the employees beer to the bar and its owners. The last alternative to discuss in this forum is instead of having beer bashes to just give the employees every Friday afternoon off to do with what they please. Recommendations: First, Quantum owners, Erin and Stan need to sit down with the attorney Bill and review exactly their liabilities and the kinds of suites they would be up against if something went wrong. Instead of beer bash Friday, Quantum should have a monthly happy hour at a local bar, and reassess the work load they have and hire the appropriate amount of people so that the employees have normal working hours of 40 hours a week. Also, take the opportunity with the current employees and create a psychological contract to bring out any underlying expectations both the employees have about Quantum and what Quantum has towards the employees. Both changes still provide Quantum the corporate climate they seem to be trying to attain with beer bash Fridays, however they mitigate the need for employees to ‘blow off steam’ and helps boost moral through comfortable workloads and social happy hours monthly. Lastly, by putting into place a planned change control process for future issues as Quantum grows they will be able to mitigate these types of liabilities in the future. OD Practioner Behavior Profile One â€Å"Self-Assessment Exercises† will help you gain insight into yourself and your preferences. This understanding is directly applicable to your development as an O. D. practitioner. You are expected to share the results and to discuss their implications for practitioner effectiveness with the instructor. You are encouraged to share them with your classmates online. Weekly reflection Recently at DST Systems, DST has experienced changes in the business environment. DST saw these changes when the organization started utilizing strategies such as restructuring, de-layering, downsizing, merging and acquiring. This has left the organization faced with great challenges in managing associates retention. While reading this week’s chapters I saw DST in several of the key terms, specifically during the NOGO case and describing their management style as Sluggish. DST is a great example of a Sluggish management organization. Seniority and hangers (people who just hung around and grabbed a paycheck) were the individuals rewarded. Three weeks ago I left DST after 5 years of service. I did so because of that mentality. They have operated for the last 30 months in the red. Change is upon them now as it is a cost concern. Instead of going about change in a positive and forward way, DST instead is laying off people without doing a re-organization to utilize their untapped human potential. I stayed during the layoffs and fortunately did not lose my job from it being cut. When I saw however their lack in communication about the layoffs and there was no change process communicated as no additional changes were going to be made, I decided that this corporation wasn’t moving in a direction that was positive and got out. My fear is one day DST Systems, who was once quite an innovative and inspiring corporation with a phenomenal background, will be a case in a text book for another MBA student to learn what not to do and asses where they stepped incorrectly.

Thyroid Cancer Specific Purpose

The purpose for my informative speech is to inform my audience about Thyroid Cancer. Thesis: How often do you know people with Thyroid Cancer? Not much? Thyroid Cancer is a nodule in the thyroid region of the neck. Many adults have small nodules in their thyroids, but typically fewer than 5% of these nodules are found to be malignant. Organization Format: My Speech will be organized in Chronological order. Introduction: I.Attention getter: I believe that if, at the end of it all according to our abilities, we have done something  to make others a little happier and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances†¦we must try. I didn’t always know this and I am happy that I lived long enough to find it out. -Roger Ebert; thyroid cancer survivor Relevance statement: Today, Thyroid Cancer has the highest cure percentage that any other cancer has. It is common in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute about 37,000 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year. We know that Thyroid Cancer is curable, but it does have some high side effects. It is also known as a small tumor. Thyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid. A butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple.Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. II. Topic Disclosure: Thyroid cancer is a cancerous growth of the thyroid gland. Its Symptoms may vary depending on the type of thyroid cancer. III. Preview: Today I’d like to share with you and educate you on Thyroid Cancer and its Symptoms, treatments, causes and preventions. A. Symptoms: How every individual has different side effects depending how the cancerous the gl and B. Treatments: What is the cure of thyroid cancer, and keeping in good health.C. Causes and Preventions: The cause of Thyroid cancer, how to prevent it and why people get it. Body: 1. Thyroid cancer is a cancerous growth of the thyroid gland. Many symptoms of Thyroid Cancer can lead to negative side effects. †¢ A. The thyroid is located on your neck by a gland. Swelling of the neck, Difficulty swallowing, enlargement of the thyroid gland, roughness or changing voice, Neck swelling, and Thyroid lump (nodule) are symptoms of thyroid cancer. Some Symptoms may vary depending on the type of thyroid cancer or tumor a person has.Most people don’t know that they have Thyroid Cancer until they go to the doctors and they get examined. 2. The Treatment for Thyroid Cancer varies depending on the type of tumor. A. Having surgery is usually the treatment for the tumor. The entire Gland is removed. If the surgeon notices that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, then they will also be removed. B. Radiation therapy is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells. It is delivered by taking radioactive iodine is often used, with or without surgery.Radiation therapy with an external beam of radiation can also be used. C. After the treatment, you need to take a thyroid hormone to replace what your glands used to make. A thyroid hormone is responsible for regulation our hormones. The dose of the treatment is usually a little higher than what your body needs, which helps keep the cancer from returning. D. If the cancer does not respond to surgery or radiation and has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy may be used, but this is only effective for a third of patients. 3. The cause in thyroid Cancer can occur in all age groups. A. People who have had radiation therapy to the neck are at higher risk. Radiation therapy was commonly used in the 1950s to treat enlarged thymus glands, adenoids and tonsils, and skin disorders. People who received radiation therapy as children are at increased risk for getting thyroid cancer. As they get older the symptoms are rare. B. 1. There are different causes of Thyroid Cancer. Anaplastic carcinoma (also called giant and spindle cell cancer) is the most dangerous form of thyroid cancer. It is rare, and does not respond to radioiodine therapy.Anaplastic carcinoma spreads quickly and invades nearby structures such as the windpipe (trachea), causing breathing difficulties. 2. Follicular carcinoma accounts for about 30% of all cases and is more likely to come back and spread. 3. Medullary carcinoma is a cancer of nonthyroid cells that are normally present in the thyroid gland. This form of the thyroid cancer tends to occur in families. It requires different treatment than other types of thyroid cancer. 4. Papillary carcinoma is the most common type, and usually affects women of childbearing age.It spreads slowly and is the least dangerous type of thyroid cancer. 4. To test someone for Thyroid cancer, you must go to the medical office and a physical examination can reveal a thyroid mass or nodule which is usually in the lower part of the front of the neck, or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. A. Once tested, the results can be as stated; showing paralyzed vocal cords, Thyroid biopsy showing anaplastic, papillary cancer cells. Final Transition statement: In conclusion, Thyroid cancer can be cured. It takes a long process to be cured but by staying healthy and getting monthly check up, you life can change.We know that there is a lot of types of thyroid cancer, but some are highly curable. Conclusion: As I educated you about thyroid cancer, I hope everyone has a good vision on the types of thyroid cancer, symptoms, treatment, the cause and why people get thyroid cancer and how people get tested on their glands for thyroid cancer.Works Cited Wyckoff Cindy. Roger Ebert. 2 march , 2010 . 15 October, 2010 . Wikipedia. Thyroid Cancer. 3 Oct ober 2010 . 15 October, 2010 . National Cancer Institute. Thyroid Cancer. . 15 October, 2010 .

External Analysis of the Telecommunication Industry Essay

Economic †¢ Market analysis by Insight Research predicts that telecommunications-industry revenue will reach $1.2 trillion by the end of next year, and grow by a compounded rate of 5.9 percent to $1.6 trillion by 2010. †¢ Telecommunication remains an important part of the world economy and the telecommunication industry’s revenue has been placed at just under 3% of the gross world product. †¢ Mobile phones have had a significant impact on telephone networks. Mobile phone subscriptions now outnumber fixed-line subscriptions in many markets. Sales of mobile phones in 2005 totaled 816.6 million with that figure being almost equally shared amongst the markets of Asia/Pacific (204 m), Western Europe (164 m), CEMEA (Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa) (153.5 m), North America (148 m) and Latin America (102 m) †¢ In terms of new subscriptions over the five years from 1999, Africa has outpaced other markets with 58.2% growth †¢ Size matters in telecom. It is an expensive business; contenders need to be large enough and produce sufficient cash flow to absorb the costs of expanding networks and services that become obsolete seemingly overnight. Transmission systems need to be replaced as frequently as every two years. Big companies that own extensive networks – especially local networks that stretch directly into customers’ homes and businesses – are less reliant on interconnecting with other companies to get calls and data to their final destinations. By contrast, smaller players must pay for interconnect more often to finish the job. For little operators hoping to grow big some day, the financial challenges of keeping up with rapid technological change and depreciation can be monumental. †¢ During the late 1990s, the telecommunications industry experienced very rapid growth and massive investment in transmission capacity. Eventually this caused supply to significantly exceed demand, resulting in much lower prices for transmission capacity. The excess capacity and additional competition led to either declining revenues or slowing revenue growth, which has led to consolidation within the industry, as many companies merged or left the industry. Socio-Cultural †¢ Telecommunication is an important part of many modern societies. Good telecommunication infrastructure is widely acknowledged as important for economic success in the modern world on micro- and macroeconomic scale. †¢ On the microeconomic scale, companies have used telecommunication to help build global empires, this is self-evident in the business of online retailer Amazon.com but even the conventional retailer Wal-Mart has benefited from superior telecommunication infrastructure compared to its competitors. In modern Western society, home owners often use their telephone to organize many home services ranging from pizza deliveries to electricians. Even relatively poor communities have been noted to use telecommunication to their advantage. In Bangladesh’s Narshingdi district, isolated villagers use cell phones to speak directly to wholesalers and arrange a better price for their goods. In Cote d’Ivoire coffee growers share mobile phones to follow hourly v ariations in coffee prices and sell at the best price. †¢ On the macroeconomic scale, in 2001, Lars-Hendrik Rà ¶ller and Leonard Waverman suggested a causal link between good telecommunication infrastructure and economic growth. Few dispute the existence of a correlation although some argue it is wrong to view the relationship as causal. †¢ However from any perspective the economic benefits of good telecommunication infrastructure are undeniable and, for this reason, there is increasing worry about the digital divide. A 2003 survey by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) revealed that roughly one-third of countries have less than 1 mobile subscription for every 20 people and one-third of countries have less than 1 fixed line subscription for every 20 people. In terms of Internet access, roughly half of countries have less than 1 in 20 people with Internet access. †¢ The September 11 attack reinforces the need for robust, interconnected networks that have a high probability of survival in the event of natural or man-made disaster. That argues for a consolidated base of carriers operating with agreed-upon disaster protocols Technological †¢ The largest sector of the telecommunications industry continues to be made up of wired telecommunications carriers. Establishments in this sector mainly provide telephone service via wires and cables that connect customers’ premises to central offices maintained by telecommunications companies. The central offices contain switching equipment that routes content to its final destination or to another switching center that determines the most efficient route for the content to take. While voice used to be the main type of data transmitted over the wires, wired telecommunications service now includes the transmission of all types of graphic, video, and electronic data mainly over the Internet. †¢ These new services have been made possible through the use of digital technologies that provide much more efficient use of the telecommunications networks. One major technology breaks digital signals into packets during transmission. Networks of computerized switching equipment, called packet switched networks, route the packets. Packets may take separate paths to their destination and may share the paths with packets from other users. At the destination, the packets are reassembled, and the transmission is complete. Because packet switching considers alternate routes, and allows multiple transmissions to share the same route, it results in a more efficient use of telecommunications capacity as packets are routed along less congested routes. †¢ One way wired carriers are expanding their bandwidth is by replacing copper wires with fiber optic cable. Fiber optic cable, which transmits light signals along glass strands, permits faster, higher capacity transmissions than tra ditional copper wire lines. In some areas, carriers are extending fiber optic cable to residential customers, enabling them to offer cable television, video-on-demand, high-speed Internet, and conventional telephone communications over a single line. However, the high cost of extending fiber to homes has slowed deployment. In most areas, wired carriers are instead leveraging existing copper lines that connect most residential customers with a central office, to provide digital subscriber lines (DSL) Internet service. Technologies in development will further boost the speeds available through a DSL connection. †¢ Wireless telecommunications carriers, many of which are subsidiaries of the wired carriers, transmit voice, graphics, data, and Internet access through the transmission of signals over networks of radio towers. The signal is transmitted through an antenna into the wire line network. Other wireless services include beeper and paging services. Because wireless devices require no wire line connection, they are popular with customers who need to communicate as they travel residents of areas with inadequate wire line service, and those who simply desire the convenience of portable communications. Increasing numbers of con sumers are choosing to replace their home landlines with wireless phones. †¢ Wireless telecommunications carriers are deploying several new technologies to allow faster data transmission and better Internet access that should make them competitive with wire line carriers. One technology is called third generation (3G) wireless access. With this technology, wireless carriers plan to sell music, videos, and other exclusive content that can be downloaded and played on phones designed for 3G technologies. Wireless carriers are developing the next generation of technologies that will surpass 3G with even faster data transmission. Another technology is called â€Å"fixed wireless service,† which involves connecting the telephone and/or Internet wiring system in a home or business to an antenna, instead of a telephone line. The replacement of landlines with cellular service should become increasingly common because advances in wireless systems will provide data transmission speeds comparable to broadband landline systems. †¢ Changes in technology and regulation now allow cable television providers to compete directly with telephone companies. An important change has been the rapid increase in two-way communications capacity. Conventional pay television services provided communications only from the distributor to the customer. These services could not provide effective communications from the customer back to other points in the system, due to signal interference and the limited capacity of conventional cable systems. As cable operators implement new technologies to reduce signal interference and increase the capacity of their distribution systems by installing fiber optic cables and improved data compression, some pay television systems now offer two-way telecommunications services, such as video-on-demand and high-speed Internet access. Cable companies are also increasing their share of the telephone communications market both through their network of conventional phone lines in some areas and their growing ability to use high-speed Internet access to provide VoIP (voice over Internet protocol). †¢ VoIP is sometimes called Internet telephony, because it uses the Internet to transmit phone calls. While conventional phone networks use packet switching to break up a call onto multiple shared lines between central offices, VoIP extends this process to the phone. A VoIP phone will break the conversation into digital packets and transmit those packets over a high-speed Internet connection. Cable companies are using the technology to offer phone services without building a conventional phone network. Wireline providers’ high-speed Internet connections also can be used for VoIP and cellular phones are being developed that use VoIP to make calls using local wireless Internet connections. All of the major sectors of the telecommunications industry are or will increasingly use VoIP. Demographic †¢ The telecommunications industry offers steady, year-round employment. Overtime sometimes is required, especially during emergencies such as floods or hurricanes when employees may need to report to work with little notice. †¢ Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations account for 1 in 4 telecommunications jobs. Telecommunications line installers and repairers, one of the largest occupations, work in a variety of places, both indoors and outdoors, and in all kinds of weather. Their work involves lifting, climbing, reaching, stooping, crouching, and crawling. They must work in high places such as rooftops and telephone poles, or below ground when working with buried lines. Their jobs bring them into proximity with electrical wires and circuits, so they must take precautions to avoid shocks. These workers must wear safety equipment when entering manholes, and test for the presence of gas before going underground. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers, generally work indoors—most often in a telecommunication company’s central office or a customer’s place of business. They may have to stand for long periods; climb ladders; and do some reaching, stooping, and light lifting. Adherence to safety precautions is essential to guard against work injuries such as minor burns and electrical shock. †¢ Most communications equipment operators, such as telephone operators, work at video display terminals in pleasant, well-lighted, air-conditioned surroundings. If the worksite is not well designed, however, operators may experience eye strain and back discomfort. The rapid pace of the job and close supervision may cause stress. Some workplaces have introduced innovative practices among their operators to reduce job-related stress. †¢ The number of disabling injuries in telephone communications, the principal sector of the telecommunications industry, has been well below the average for all industries in past years. †¢ The telecommunications industry offers employment in jobs requiring a variety of skills and training. Many jobs require at least a high school diploma or an associate degree in addition to on-the-job training. Other jobs require particular skills that may take several years of experience to learn completely. For some managerial and professional jobs, employers require a college education. †¢ Due to the rapid introduction of new technologies and services, the telecommunications industry is among the most rapidly changing in the economy. This means workers must keep their job skills up to date. From managers to communications equipment operators, increased knowledge of both computer hardware and software is of paramount importance. Several major companies and the telecommunications unions have created a Web site that provides free training for employees, enabling them to keep their knowledge current and helping them to advance. Telecommunications industry employers now look for workers with knowledge of and skills in computer programming and software design; voice telephone technology, known as telephony; laser and fiber optic technology; wireless technology; and data compression. Political/Legal †¢ Telecommunications Act: Enacted by the U.S. Congress on February 1, 1996, and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the law’s main purpose was to stimulate competition in the United States telecom sector. †¢ FCC controls the wireless spectrum allocations among the various broadcasters and service providers. This allocation is through a competitive auction at high cost to service providers, which result in an increase of debt burden of these companies, eventually trickling down to consumers. †¢ FCC as a watchdog regulates that there be no monopoly of a single player in the telecom market. Mergers and consolidation among companies is closely watched and evaluated before being allowed Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis 1. Threat of New Entrants – No surprise, in the capital-intensive telecom industry the biggest barrier-to-entry is access to finance. To cover high fixed costs, serious contenders typically require a lot of cash. When capital markets are generous, the threat of competitive entrants escalates. When financing opportunities are less readily available, the pace of entry slows. Meanwhile, ownership of a telecom license can represent a huge barrier to entry. In the US, for instance, fledgling telecom operators must still apply to the Federal Communications Commission to receive regulatory approval and licensing. There is also a finite amount of â€Å"good† radio spectrum that lends itself to mobile voice and data applications. In addition, it is important to remember that solid operating skills and management experience is fairly scarce, making entry even more difficult. 2. Power of Suppliers – At first glance, it might look like telecom equipment suppliers have considerable bargaining power over telecom operators. Indeed, without high-tech broadband switching equipment, fiber-optic cables, mobile handsets and billing software, telecom operators would not be able to do the job of transmitting voice and data from place to place. But there are actually a large number of large equipment makers around. Nortel, Lucent, Cisco, Nokia, Alcatel, Ericsson, Tellabs are just a few of the supplier names. There are enough vendors, arguably, to dilute bargaining power. The limited pool of talented managers and engineers, especially those well versed in the latest technologies, places companies in a weak position in terms of hiring and salaries. 3. Power of Buyers – With increased choice of telecom products and services, the bargaining power of buyers is rising. Let’s face it; telephone and data services do not much vary regardless of which companies are selling them. For the most part, basic services are treated as a commodity. This translates into customers seeking low prices from companies that offer reliable service. At the same time, buyer power can vary somewhat among market segments. Customers can be as small as individual residential users like you or me, or be as big as an ISP like America Online or a large university. While switching costs are relatively low for residential telecom customers, they can get higher for larger business customers, especially those that rely more on customized products and services. 4. Availability of Substitutes – Products and services from non-traditional telecom industries pose serious substitution threats. Cable TV and satellite operators now compete for buyers. The cable guys, with their own direct lines into homes, offer broadband Internet services, and satellite links can substitute for high-speed business networking needs. Railways and energy utility companies are laying miles of high-capacity telecom network alongside their own track and pipeline assets. Just as worrying for telecom operators is the Internet: it is becoming a viable vehicle for cut-rate voice calls. Delivered by ISPs – not telecom operators – â€Å"Internet telephony† could take a big bite out of telecom companies’ core voice revenues. 5. Competitive Rivalry – Competition is â€Å"cut throat†. The wave of industry de-regulation together with the receptive capital markets of the late 1990s paved the way for a rush of new entrants. New technology is prompting a raft of substitute services. Nearly everybody already pays for phone services, so all competitors now must lure customers with lower prices and more exciting services. This tends to drive industry profitability down. In addition to low profits, the telecom industry suffers from high exit barriers, mainly due to its specialized equipment. Networks and billing systems cannot really be used for much else, and their swift obsolescence makes liquidation pretty difficult.