Monday, September 30, 2019

HIV sexual risk behaviors and perception of risk among college students: implications for planning interventions Essay

Final Project Proposal Introduction                   Since its discovery in 1983, scientists have worked tirelessly on determining the origins and biological mechanisms of the HIV virus. The gravity of the HIV virus cannot be understated as approximately 25 million people have contracted HIV and developed AIDS since the discovery of the virus. During the progression of knowledge surrounding the virus, statistical analysis of HIV related data displays regional, socioeconomic, and racial inconsistencies regarding HIV infection. From a global perspective, the discrepancies in HIV prevalence between wealthy and low income countries are unsettling to say the least. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 2/3 of 34 million individuals currently living with the HIV virus. Superficial analysis of such statistics might invite one to presume that African sexuality must account for this large discrepancy, however, to develop a complete and nuanced understanding of the epidemic, it is important to delve into the specifics of resource allocation, gender inequalities, and access to adequate medical care. Similarly, a superficial analysis of HIV statistics might cause one to believe HIV epidemic largely affects only middle and low income countries and need not be extensively discussed within developed nations. Such lines of thinking fail to address the fact that international connectivity through economics and travel make the HIV virus capable of permeating national borders.                   Due to the international risk posed by the virus, it is crucial that scientist and policy makers from high, medium, and low income countries make a collective attempt to understand the root causes of HIV infection discrepancies. By understanding inconsistencies in HIV infection, one is then able to appropriately address the issues he or she has identified. What is important to note is that approaches to specific issues exacerbating HIV infection discrepancies may have to be altered for respective communities. In the same way ,one must understand factors accounting for HIV infection inconsistencies, one must similarly note that the nuances of a given community will significantly impact the efficacy of a prevention mechanism. Although the nuances of a given community may differ, we propose that the majority of root causes associated with increased risk of HIV infection are maintained irrespective of national borders. For the purposes of our research, we ho pe to analog the potential factors leading to increased risk of infection within African communities as well as marginalized subpopulations within the United States, specifically on the Williams College Campus. For all intents and purposes, the research we conduct at Williams College cannot wholly reflect all college campus environments, however, we anticipate that our research will provide an analytical and informative way of understanding increased risk of marginalized subpopulations.                   To ensure an indebt analysis, we will be discussing the role of gender dynamics in increasing an individual’s risk to HIV infection. Specifically, we aim to observe whether there is a correlation to gendered sexuality and increased risk behaviors. Utilizing the piece written by Patrica McFadden, we have come to understand the correlation between sexuality and power, and how the lacking focus on female sexuality has consequently limited their power. Given the previous statement, one can then presume that the inflation of male sexuality has drastically altered the power dynamic between the two sexes. Our research at Williams College will highlight possible restrictions on female students may disallow them from protecting themselves. For instance, a female student may not feel comfortable insisting upon contraceptive, and this inability to insist upon contraceptive significantly increases her likeliness of infection. Within a setting such as Williams College, one might inquire how an individual would not insist upon protection given the literature surrounding the HIV virus. To answer this question, one has to acknowledge that stigma and cultural surveillance are powerful deterrents to women taking the sexual initiative. The cultural reinforcement of passive female sexuality, thus the de facto male sexuality is dominant. Since only the male sexuality is acknowledged as dominant, the male will be considered the actor who ultimately initiates and determines the details of the sexual encounter. A potentially interesting point of inquiry would be to get an understanding of to what extents females and males on the Williams campus relate to typified gender sexualities. Results                   The survey was generally short and involved three questions. The first question that we asked was in regards to how many students that people think are infected with HIV/AIDS on campus. The choices available to the respondents were â€Å"there is no HIV/AIDS on campus†, â€Å"1 to 3 students†, â€Å"4 to 10 students†, â€Å"10 to 30 students† and â€Å"30+†. According to the results of the survey , Black Men answered that there were more than 4 cases of HIV/AIDS on this campus. Among all the groups involved in the survey ¸ Black Women were the only group to answer that they believed that over 30 students were infected by HIV/AIDS. On their part, white women were of the idea that there were less than 10 HIV/AIDS cases on campus. Neither White Men nor White Women answered that there were over 10 cases of HIV/AIDS, and comparatively no Black Women or Black Men answered that there was no presence of HIV/AIDS on campus.                   The second question that we asked was, â€Å"whose responsibility it was to bring the condom to a sexual encounter;† the choices were â€Å"both have an equal responsibility,† â€Å"you,† â€Å"your partner† or â€Å"neither has a responsibility†. According to the results of the survey, White Men was the only group that responded that it was their responsibility to bring the condom to the sexual encounter. On their part, black women responded that it was the duty of their partner.all the respondents were more likely to answer the choices where they have some sort of control . Black Men and Black Women believed that it was the man’s responsibility to bring the condom, whereas both White Men and White Women answered that it was their own responsibility to bring the condoms.                   The third question that the respondents were asked during the survey was ,â€Å"whose responsibility is it to insist on condom use† and the answer choices were the same as the second questions’. The most popular response among both black and whites was,â€Å"both have responsibilities,†.However the genders did align but they were different from each other. Black Women and White Women answered only with the choices where they had control of insisting on condom use. Black Women were 23% more likely than Black Men to answer that it was their responsibility to insist on condom use and White Women were 9% more likely than White Men to answer that it was their responsibility. Black Men was the only group to answer that it was their partner’s responsibility to insist on condom use.                   The fourth question that was asked during the survey was, â€Å"if you and a partner you just met are engaging in sexual activity and they do not want to use a condom, what do you do?† The answer choices were â€Å"insist on condom use while still engaging in non-penetrative sexual activities†, â€Å"Start off insisting on condom use but eventually give in to having unprotected sex†, â€Å"Outright refusal to engage in any further sexual activity unless they agree to use a condom† or â€Å"Have sex without a condom, no protest†. Black Women was the only group to refuse sex outright if their partner did not agree to use a condom and in general. Although White Women were most likely to insist on condom use, a large proportion of them also answered that they would refuse outright. Black Women were 40.25% more likely to refuse outright than Black Men and White Women were only 11.5% more likely than White Men to refuse outri ght.                   The fifth question was similar to the fourth question, but unlike in the fourth question, all groups answered that they would engage in unprotected sex. However, the majority of Black Men and Women and White Women still insisted on condom use – 56%, 64% and 63% respectively. White Men were the only group whose majority chose to have unprotected sex at 63%. Black Women and White Women had very similar percentages for insisting on having protected sex. However, Black Women was more likely than White Women to engage in unprotected sex, with no protest ,while White Women was more likely to start off insisting on condom use and eventually give in.                   The sixth question asked about how strongly the respondent felt that they had control and could voice their opinion in a sexual encounter, and a Likert Scale was used (1= Strongly Disagree to 5= Strongly Agree) to gauge the responses. All races felt very strongly that they had control and could voice their opinion in a sexual encounter, but Black Men and Black Women were the only groups to answer with 3, which indicates a neutral feeling. A significantly larger proportion of Black Women than White Women, 11.6% more, answered with the highest choice of 5, which indicates strongly agree. References 1. Jozkowsk, Kristen  N., and Sonya  A. Satinsky. â€Å"A Gender Discrepancy Analysis of Heterosexual Sexual Behaviors in Two University Samples.†Ã‚  (2013): Web. This source provided us with a experimental study exploring the sexual activities on a college campus. We may use this source to model out own experiment on a smaller scale, and this experiment similarly allows us to analyze sexual behaviors on other college campuses which may mirror Williams college. 2. Adefuye AS, Abiona TC, Balogun JA, Lukobo Durrell M: †Ã‚  HIV sexual risk behaviors and perception of risk among college students: implications for planning interventions. BMC Public Health  2009,  9:281. This source allows us to again follow a experimental model tracing high risk behaviors on college campuses around the nation. In an ideal world, we will see possible trends that we can use to draw analytic conclusions about gender dynamics. Before we can address race and gender, however, it is important that we understand the types of behaviors we need to watch for within our own studies. Another positive aspect of the source is that it delves into racial dynamics of the HIV infection. 3. Mathes, Eugene W. â€Å"Why is there a Strong Positive Correlation between Perpetration and being a Victim of Sexual Coercion? an Exploratory Study.†Ã‚  Journal of Family Violence  28.8 (2013): 783-96.  ProQuest.  Web. 10 Nov. 2013. When we discuss gender dynamics, it will be important to outline sexual coercion which may expose students to high risk behaviors. 4. Ahmed, Aziza. â€Å"Feminism, Power, and Sex Work in the Context of HIV/AIDS: Consequences for Women’s Health.† Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. 34:1 (2011) This article provides background surrounding the stifled sexuality of women around the globe and how this stifling of sexuality robs women of their presence within the sexual landscape. Without sexual freedom, women are unable to excise their power, thus, they may not have the voice to protect themselves sexually. We aim to observe whether this restriction can be observed on the Williams campus. Source document

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Individual Moral Integrity In The Crucible Essay

Individual moral integrity and the lack thereof are illustrated by Arthur Miller in his play, The Crucible. The fear of witchcraft engulfs the Puritanical society thus creating a mob rule. The fate of the town depends upon the morals of its people. John Proctor and Reverend Hale are key players in condemning the Witch Trials; ruling the mob are Abigail, Judge Danforth, and their followers. Even though the trials were intended to end when Salem was cleansed of the alleged witchcraft, it remained the responsibility of the individual to ensure that the majority did not become completely overthrown by mass hysteria. The lack of moral integrity displayed by characters in the play causes a string of destructive events. Because of Reverend Paris’s sole concern of social acceptance and political power, the acts of Abigail and her followers go unpunished. This sends the town of Salem into a whirlwind of lies. A domino effect takes its toll as accusations multiply. Abigail, in the driver’s seat of the conspiracy, is granted a loyal following. This group lacks a respect for themselves and a respect for others. The townspeople and especially the girls caught dancing feed the mass conformity. As a result of blind conformity and weak morals, many friends and neighbors are cynically disowned and mercilessly executed. Judge Danforth, who is sentencing death upon many innocent victims, further illustrates a lack of individual moral integrity. He does not have the power to admit the mistakes he has made and admit the irrationality of the trials. â€Å"You will sign your name or it is no confession,† Danforth forcefully explains to John Proctor (142). Danforth will not budge even after Proctor has verbally admitted to â€Å"seeing the devil†. By this climactic point of the play, Reverend Hale has ended the alliance between himself and Danforth. He has now grasped the true motives behind the witch conspiracy. Hale, when he first enters the witch trials, believes all of it to be legitimate. He expresses a strong will in the hunt and a strong view of his morals. He is partially responsible for getting the entire cleansing proceedings under way. As the events of the town continue to pass, and the numbers of the accused continue to rise , Hale begins to reassess his opinion towards the trials. He objects to Judge Danforth, â€Å"We cannot blink  it any more. There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country† (98). Hale slowly begins his transformation from advocator to adversary. â€Å"Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own,† Hale says as he pleas with Goody Proctor in an effort to spare John Proctor’s life (132). It becomes clear to Hale the absurdity of the trials, and he is one of the first people to openly condemn the injustice. As a figure of authority, his opinion has a large impact on the public. In addition to Hale’s influence, John Proct or lets his moral integrity lead him in his reactions to the trials. Proctor is right in the heart of the tragedy. Because he is haunted by previous actions, a severe turn in the trials is needed to get him involved. After his wife is arrested for witchcraft, Proctor understands that he can no longer hide away on his farm. â€Å"Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our pretense is ripped away,† Proctor says to Mary Warren, while trying to convince her that they must go to the courts (80). He realizes the seriousness of the situation, and forfeits his own well being towards that of his wife. Still, it is ironic that Proctor has always viewed himself as one with low moral integrity. â€Å"My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man,† says Proctor in his final conversation with his wife (136). However, the actions he takes in the finale are that of reverent nobility and moral integrity. His morals lead him to catch a glimpse of the big picture; he will not let the Salem witch trials conquer him as they did so many others. His decision to die an honest man frees him of the torment felt in his soul of being unfaithful to his wife and he can at last be at peace with himself. He lets it be known to the public, through his actions, that he has not had relations with the Devil, and that the witch hunt is completely in vain. In the play, The Crucible, individual moral integrity aids in the fortunate collapse of the insane Salem witch trials. John Proctor and Reverend Hale take a stand against the authority figures and let their morals shine through to the public eye. By proclaiming and bringing notice of the wrongs of society to the public, Proctor and Hale allow the mob rule to be stopped. Without the rebellious attitude of a certain few, more innocent victims would have been denied such fundamental rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Emotional Intelligence – Summary

February 10, 2013 ASMT W4b (R) ASMT W4b  (R) Why Emotional Intelligence Is Not Essential for Leadership C6 p. 171 Mitch McCrimmon, the author of â€Å"Why Emotional Intelligence Is Not Essential for Leadership†, presents an argument contrary to that of Daniel Goleman’s claim that leaders must be emotionally intelligent to be effective. He even ventures as far as calling Goleman’s theory harmful. â€Å"The bottom line is that emotional intelligence is more important for management than leadership† (Rowe, 2013, p. 172). McCrimmon begins his argument referencing great leaders like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandi, and Nelson Mandela.Each of these men has influenced others with their passion to eradicate unfairness. They convinced those who can make decisions to favor their ideas. â€Å"They aimed their cry at their respective governments and the population at large . . . but none of them managed the people responsible for making the policy changes that th ey were promoting† (Rowe, 2013, p. 172). They were bottom-up leaders. McCrimmon makes this point in order to simplify and redefine leadership to â€Å"the successful promotion of new directions† (Rowe, 2013, p. 172).This simplified definition of leadership allows for the promotion of better ideas in an environment where the leadership role shifts from person to person as ideas are developed. As justification for his new definition, McCrimmon claims that the traditional concept of leadership is founded within the confines of the managerial framework, not in those who lead outside of managerial roles. Returning to the topic of the article, the author contends that â€Å"emotional intelligence is critical for management, though not so for leadership† (Rowe, 2013, p. 174).From the beginning, emotional intelligence should have been associated with management, but â€Å"a scapegoat was needed to blame for the failure of Western businesses to cope with Japanese competi tion, and management was fingered for this role† (Rowe, 2013, p. 174). With management now the â€Å"bad guy†, emotional intelligence became associated with the â€Å"good guy† – leadership. Emotional intelligence has its place among management and only a situational role in leadership. It is important for executives and managers because they have many responsibilities involving the welfare of others.Managers need high emotional intelligence to succeed. However, creative and innovative non-managers, those wanting to challenge the status quo, do not need emotional intelligence in order to convince others of their ideas and be effective leaders. â€Å"The power to lead is increasingly knowledge based and is less about personality and character. Conversely, emotional intelligence is essential for all managerial roles† (Rowe, 2013, p. 175). McCrimmon concludes his argument with call for organizations to cultivate bottom-up leadership, especially organiz ations dependent on constant innovation. If potential leaders are told to keep quiet until they become emotionally intelligent, they may well say good-bye before they gain the necessary maturity† (Rowe, 2013, p. 175). He implores those in management positions to relinquish their monopolies on leadership in order to grow and encourage bottom-up leadership. Empower others to be leaders. References Rowe, G. , & Guerrero, L. (2013). Cases in leadership. (3rd ed. ). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Conceptual Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conceptual Framework - Assignment Example The IASB want to ensure that equity has first priority to common stock insolvency or liquidation. This is because in business, liability is the duty of an entity that emerge from past or previous events or transactions, the settlement that may lead to the use or transfer of assets, service provision or any other yielding profits or benefits in the future. It is also significant to note that liability differs from equity in the sense that any kind of borrowing from banks or individuals for enhancing a personal income or business, which is payable during both the long and short-term period (Klemstine 2009, 41-43). IASB understands that liability entails a responsibility or use to others that involve settlement by future use or transfer of assets, service provision and any transaction connected with producing economic profits or benefits at a determined time or specified time on either demand or occurrence of a certain event. While on the other hand, it recognizes that equity is the rem aining interest or claim of the junior investors in a company’s assets following the pay out of all liabilities. However, IASB wants it to be clear that in case a liability is more than an asset, it results to a negative equity. In addition, owners’ equity comprises of the total assets of the entire entity. This makes the equity to appear on the balance sheet because net assets would be attained via division of the total assets and all liabilities (Walther 2011, 97). Conceptual framework identifies a notable difference between the quantity of liabilities and assets (equity) exist in terms of interest rates reorganized in a given range of time. The international finance books wants a bank with a similar amount of liabilities as the assets in a given period means that the changes in its interest rates will not change the net interest margin. Such a bank thus has a balanced gap position. On the other hand, if the amount in assets re-price is higher than the liability re-p rice, then such a bank is an asset sensitive one. In contrast, a bank with less amount of asset re-pricing that liability re-price, then it is liability sensitive (Walter & Janich 2011, 78). In the current conceptual framework, uncertain may seem to play a significant role in the definition of liabilities and assets. The conceptual framework holds that the current definitions of liabilities and assets incorporate the idea that the future or forthcoming economic benefits must be anticipated. In addition, the current recognition criteria give details that a liability or an asset is identified if it is possible that any forthcoming economic benefit connected with the product will flow to or from the unit or entity. Additionally, the conceptual framework recognizes that in some rare situations, it is not clear whether a unit or an entity has a liability or an asset exists. The common example applied to determine the existence of uncertainty in the economy is litigation which shows wheth er an entity committed certain act and if it did so, obliges the entity or body to pay fines or damages. Liabilities involves various sorts of debts such as car loans, mortgages, or credit card debts and packaging them as bonds, collateralized mortgage obligations, or as pass-through securities.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Roles and Responsibilities Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roles and Responsibilities Paper - Essay Example nager, whose functions encompass planning, directing, organizing and controlling all security and safety personnel in the organization, the specific roles and responsibilities of these personnel mirror the general tasks of security and safety management. It is therefore objective of this paper to present the roles and responsibilities of a security and safety personnel in promoting and protecting the health, welfare, and assets of the organization as a whole. Security and safety personnel are enjoined to be vigilant in identifying, addressing and raising safety and security concerns to appropriate and authorized channels in the organization. Their ineptness in providing immediate action in detecting any kind of intrusion is of primary concern. Among their specific responsibilities are as follows: The role and responsibilities of security and safety personnel ensures the prevention of harm and damage to the resources of the organization. By monitoring all phases of the organization in terms of adherence to security and safety requirements, the overall health and welfare of the organization would be addressed. The organization has the basic responsibility of ensuring that safety and security needs of the personnel are being satisfied. This means their personnel should be free from physical and psychological harm, threat and deprivation. Aside from these, as systems and processes are also susceptible to other kinds of intrusion due to the onset of the internet, security management also has the task to monitor and immediately address these issues. In today’s world of advanced developments in technology, more sophisticated facilities and features on improving security and safety of personnel are available. The onset of biometrics technology provides organizations with options to update their security measures by upgrading their security system to incorporate biometrics. In cases like these, the role of security and safety personnel would definitely be affected.

Sigmund Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sigmund Freud - Essay Example I thought to interview him about this and he responded me as follows: A dream in very early years made drastic changes in his life. He had a dream that he enjoyed an evening with his mother in a nearby park. Though he has often visited the park with mother and father, he found nothing more than just a visit. But later, it has given him greater passion and pleasure to go to park with his mother than what he felt in visit with father. The dream’s effect was more evident when he felt that mother should always accompany him to the school. Mother was that times more than his friends around, and he himself found proud to go to school hanging on mother’s hand. Why couldn’t he find pleasure to go to school with father as he found it with mother? It was, perhaps, a question he asked himself several times. He had no answers, until when he was interviewed and debated of Oedipus Complex. He remembered that he obeyed mother more and he went outside in child hood times along w ith mother more than he did it with father. Some family people around his house called him ‘mother’s boy’ as he couldn’t get away from mother even a single night. He felt it surprising when I told him that all of us, as is the case of our fate, direct our sexual impulse towards our mother and our first hatred as well as first murderous with against our father (Freud, p. 478).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations Essay

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations - Essay Example The need to separate the two operations is the central focus of this paper, presenting arguments for and against the move in detail. Arguments in support of separation of retail and investment banking operations Financial crisis is not a new phenomenon for the banking sector in U.K and beyond. From time to time, economic hardships that have resulted in financial crisis have been observed around the world. Year 2008 global financial crisis adversely affected financial systems in various economies. This necessitated the need to manage risks in the financial sector, which is primarily dominated by banks. Following this and other affecting factors, regulation, control and reforming the banking sector is essential. Separation of retail and investment banking operations is a positive move to take in the context of the above pursuit. That is, regulation, control and reforming financial services providers. Separating retail and investment banks would mean that the each of the two becomes a s tandalone legal entity. It is important to note that retail banks handle short term and long term payments, accept deposits and offer credit services by lending funds (De Jonghe, 2010, p. 387). On the other hand, investment banks primarily deal with financial instruments. In this regard, they are also referred to as casino banks. With the separation, it would mean that adverse effects experienced by either of the banks would hardly affect the other. That is to say that if the investment banking operations experience huge losses, the resultant negative effects would hardly affect retail banking operations especially deposits. Splitting the retail and investment banking operations is an activity that would bring forth intensive regulatory frameworks in a bid to achieve the desired outcome. The regulatory frame work adopted would be one that addresses each of the two banks as a unit independent of the other. In the situation of financial hardships, the retail banking sector would recei ve the attention of both the government and the taxpayers. The investment banking sector on the other hand would be accounted for by shareholders and investors in the same context. As a result, the adverse effects of financial crisis can neither be transferred to the retail bankers nor the government when the investment banking sector is affected. Investment banks engage in highly risky financial instruments (Upper, 2007, p.64). Tax revenues are normally used to back banking operations with or without operational risks. However, separating retail and investment banking operations would ensure that the taxpayers’ money only backs retail banking operations. The involvement of investment banks in risky financial instruments and related activities would therefore not constitute any financial burden to the taxpayers. Over and above the alleviation of financial burdens to taxpayers in times of financial crisis, individual customers to both retail and investment banks would be at an advantage. In absence of the separation, deposits in retail banks are highly influenced by investment activities. This is more so if different parts of the same bank handles both retail and investment banking operations. With the separation, the opposite of this scenario is true. However, lending risks are inevitable, but they are relatively easy to address (Modigliani and Miller, 1958, p.261–

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Stress in The Workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stress in The Workplace - Assignment Example The external environment also caused the organization to transit to a technological system; this included the political, economic stimuli, technological, and social factors. Finally, the internal environment that included the procedures, styles and policies, systems, as well as the attitude of the workers, had an influence on the change (Northouse, 2013). The stakeholders of the organization comprising of the investors, owners, and employees were affected in a way by the technological transition to the company. For instance, the technological change came from the investors needs to increase their profits by improving the technology in their insurance company. To achieve this, they involved the managers and directors to implement those decisions. The investors and top management staff were impacted positively by the changes. However, the employees at some point were affected by some of the decisions, as they are normally not involved in decision making of these magnitudes. Some employees were forced to leave the job since the implementation of technology lessens work, and the organization may see the need to reduce its workers. Nevertheless, the ones who remained were positively affected by the technology as work was now easier, and also they gained more skills in using the computerized equipment’s which will benefit them in fu ture. To enable the smooth technological transition of the company, the company applied an advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) plan to be aware of the needs and any obstacles that may arise during its implementation process. This transition plan was an element of the (ACTD) management plan, which reflected the transition strategy. For instance, the initial cost estimates for fulfilling the technology, the envisioned used of the technology, the functional aptitude elements supported, and the concept of operation, among others. This plan addressed the transition elements and issues that were relevant to the

Monday, September 23, 2019

How did the wartime mobilization affect American politics what were Essay

How did the wartime mobilization affect American politics what were the provisions of the GI Bill what was important about the 1944 presidential election - Essay Example Introduction of railway and conscription made mobilization an issue. Societal changes and the technology promoted the move toward a more organized way of assembling armies. Although, the benefits of wartime mobilization did not create a level playing field for most Americans, there was transformation among the people and the nation at large (it finished taking the United States out of the Great Depression) (Rosenberg, p629). The opportunity and obstacles that came either wartime mobilization affected the people the very way they vied themselves in the society. For instance, women moved into jobs that were largely dominated by men, hence changing the role of women in the society. Furthermore, mobilization brought about civil rights; Africa Americans serving in were less likely to be segregated. The GI BILL was created to assist the World War II veterans. It provides low –interest rate mortgages, established hospitals, and it provided stipends covering expenses and tuition for veterans attending trade schools or colleges. The GI BILL is termed as one on most significant piece of legislation to be produced by the federal government. It had influenced the economic, social, and political status of the United States (Humes, p110); however, it almost never came to be due to the debate on the provisions of the GI BILL. However, despite all the differences they agreed that the veteran must be helped to be able to assimilate into the civilian life. It also was commonly referred to as the GI BILL of rights. As much as the congress was giving a chance for redemption some, saw it as a genuine attempt to thwart a looming economic and social crisis. Others saw inaction as a way of welcoming another depression. In 1944, the dominant issues at that time were war and peace. Therefore, the candidates were judged by their ability to compete with the war effort United States being the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Dubliners Themes and Motifs Essay Example for Free

Dubliners Themes and Motifs Essay In what concerns Joyce’s style of writing we can observe that he balances the objectivity – the attitude of â€Å"scrupulous meanness â€Å" and sympathetic understanding of characters with the help of the stream of consciousness and epiphanies Scrupulous meanness ‘Scrupulousness’ is a crucial element both in Joyce’s use of language, and in the structure and form of the stories. ‘Scrupulous meanness’ refers to a most complex and heavily allusive style that determines the reading of Dubliners. From the minimum of words Joyce succeeds to extract the maximum effect. Joyce puts this style forward as a means to express his moral intent The Sisters * â€Å"sensation of freedom as if [he] had been freed from something by the priest’s death â€Å" * â€Å"desired to confess something. I felt my soul receding into something pleasant and vicious region [†¦] I too was smiling feebly as if to absolve the simoniac of his sins† * â€Å"†¦I wouldn’t say he was exactly†¦but there was something uncanny about him. I’ll tell you my opinion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (incomplete sentences of aunt) * â€Å"one of those †¦peculiar cases† * â€Å"scrupulosity in the Catholic Church is a very real, potentially paralyzing, mental disease†(Bremen) Stream of consciousness Depicts the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind. Eveline * â€Å"She had consented to go away, to leave her home. Was that wise? She tried to weigh each side of the question. In her home anyway she had shelter and food; she had those whom she had known all her life about her. Of course she had to work hard, both in the house and at business. What would they say of her in the Stores when they found out that she had run away with a fellow? Say she was a fool, perhaps; and her place would be filled up by advertisement. Miss Gavan would be glad. She had always had an edge on her,especially whenever there were people listening.† Araby * â€Å"What innumerable follies laid waste my waking and sleeping thoughts after that evening! I wished to annihilate the tedious intervening days. I chafed against the work of school. At night in my bedroom and by day in the classroom her image came between me and the page I strove to read. The syllables of the word Araby were called to me through the silence in which my soul luxuriated and cast an Eastern enchantment over me. I asked for leave to go to the bazaar on Saturday night. My aunt was surprised, and hoped it was not some Freemason affair. I answered few questions in class. I watched my masters face pass from amiability to sternness; he hoped I was not beginning to idle. I could not call my wandering thoughts together. I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me childs play, ugly monotonous childs play.† Epiphany an experience of sudden and striking realization. Eveline * â€Å"Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun! â€Å"She stood up in a sudden impulse of terror. Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness.Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her† A painful case * â€Å"As he sat there, living over his life with her and evoking alternately the two images in which he now conceived her, he realized that she was dead, that she had ceased to exist, that she had become a memory. He began to feel ill at ease. He asked himself what else could he have done. He could not have carried on a comedy of deception with her; he could not have lived with her openly. He had done what seemed to him best. How was he to blame? Now that she was gone he understood how lonely her life must have been, sitting night after night, alone in that room. His life would be lonely too until he, too, died, ceased to exist, became a memory − if anyone remembered him.† The dead * His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead. Themes General/ Contextual themes themes surrounding the entire narrative discourse giving it homogeneity .They deal with Dublin biggest issues that have a great influence in every character behaviour.In relation with each individual story they can be central themes or hidden after a detail ,an action ,an answer or a thought. * Poverty * Paralysis * Irish politics and religion issues Central/Characteristic themes * Mortality * Escape * Isolation * Powerlessness * Alcoholism

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Hotel Profile and Marketing Plan

Hotel Profile and Marketing Plan Executive summary In this essay we concentrate on Starwood hotels, this is a world famous chain of hotels. We talk about the marketing strategies, hotel staff training of Starwood. The hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector continues to play an important role in the UK economy. A report published by People 1st in association with British Hospitality Industry in 2009 states that the hotel industry has enjoyed a sustained period of growth over the last 30 years and now accounts for nearly five percent of the UKs total economic output. They suggest that along with the rest of the economy, trading will be tough in the short term due to credit crunch but in the long term the sector is still predicted to grow and remain an important contributor to the UK economy. The sector employs in the region of two million people accounting for 1 in 14 UK jobs. The recession is forcing more employers to think about cutting costs. It is therefore more important than ever that employers have credible retention strategies to retain skilled staff and reduce unnecessary recruitment costs. The report explains how Starwood which is global hotels and resorts group, with a highly distinct brand, functions in the United States and Canada, in Europe, in Asia Pacific and in Africa by managing and franchising more than 395 hotels with a focus on nowadays demanding business explorer. This report briefly discusses the how marketing is done in Starwood hotel and the marketing strategies which they are using. It is entrusted to modify and innovation in all main areas together with its growth strategy, operations, franchising, sales and marketing, and technology, to function with utmost effectiveness in a extremely competitive industry Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Business Profile of Starwood Hotel Starwood Hotels Resorts is a worldwide chain of 400 hotels, with a total of 102,000 guest rooms, in many countries. Starwood Hotels Resorts, one of the worlds leading, full-service hotel brands, offers vibrant, modern and attractive hospitality service that is defined by its characteristic . The first Starwood Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Starwood. The hotel was purchased by Curt Carlson (1914-1999) in 1962, and is still owned by his Carlson Companies. Starwood competes with Hilton, Doubletree, and Marriott. The majority of Starwood Branded Hotels are located in the United States. The companys headquarters are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the first Starwood Hotel was built. This building is also headquarters to the parent company, Carlson Companies. There are 200 Starwood Hotels in the United States. Starwood Blu, formerly Starwood SAS, is the brand name for hotels outside the United States, including those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. They are operated by Belgian hotel firm Rezidor Hotel Group under a master franchise contract with Carlson. Carlson and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), the Scandinavian Airline, were equity holders of the Rezidor Hotel Group, giving the company its name. Since SAS withdrawal from the collaboration, the name Starwood SAS remained until February 5, 2009, when it was replaced by Starwood Blu, which will be introduced gradually. Starwood Blu operates 158 hotels with 42 projects in development. Definition of Marketing The Chartered Institute of Marketing (1986) defines marketing as The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.American Marketing Association(1980) as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. [1] The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to market, as in shopping, or going to a market to buy or sell goods or services. According to Gronroos (1989) says long term customer relationships are considered as the cornerstone of marketing. 1.2 Starwood Marketing Orientation Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others. (Kotler and Armstrong, 2005) The Chartered Institute of Marketing define marketing as The management process responsible for identifying , anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably A business that has a marketing orientation sees the needs of customers and consumers as vital. As it develops and markets products to meet those demands, certain structural characteristics become apparent in the business. Business Function Activities Identifying customer/consumer needs and wants Marketing research Developing products to meet customer/consumer needs and wants Research and development Production Deciding on the value of the product to customers Pricing (sales and marketing department) Making the product available to customers at the right time and place Distribution Informing customers/consumers of the existence of the product and persuading them to buy it Promotion We should expect to see all the above activities well-established in a business that is marketing-orientated. Starwood first finds out what customers wants are by conducting a market research and by providing what the customers really need and satisfying them makes them customer oriented. Starwood always focuses on their service level to be 100% and they have developed a YES WE CAN program among their employees. This would directly attract customers and also make Starwood create a competitive advantage over its competitors. Moreover, the greater Starwood is customer orientated, the more it will be able to develop a competitive advantage based on innovation and market differentiation. Market orientation focuses on a business culture and activities that enhance business performance, producing superior value to customers, outstanding performance for the firm and aggregately for the economy (Oudan., 2007). Market Orientation Market Testing Market Research Market Intelligence 1.3 Marketing Intelligence Market intelligence, according to Cornish (1997), the process of acquiring and analyzing information in order to understand the market (both existing and potential customers); to determine the current and future needs and preferences, attitudes and behaviour of the market; and to assess changes in the business environment that may affect the size and nature of the market in the future. Starwood business always updates themselves on the economy, labour market conditions, legislative and regulatory development, social changes and technological advancement by doing an environmental scanning. They consider all these external environmental factors when it comes to taking decisions about packages, prices, and other management and marketing issues Starwood also searches for information from readily available public sources and customers while sometimes through the perfectly legal observation of competitors activities. 1.4 Market Testing A test market, in the field of business and marketing, is a geographic region or demographic group used to gauge the viability of a product or service in the mass market prior to a wide scale roll-out. Market testing is done to test multiple marketing scenarios and select the most promising for expansion. When Introducing a new product or service without first testing the market is risky. After the market research the new products /services must be tested before entering the market. Starwood one of the most recent market testing was Express yourself service which allows Guests to check-in online. Many new ideas and products are successful in Starwood because their creators recognized an unmet need in the market and confirmed the capability of that concept. When launching a new product or service, the company should first conduct a small scale launch or other customer research in a test market Chapter 2 Segmentation, Targeting Positioning The strategic marketing planning process flows from a mission and vision statement to the selection of target markets, and the formulation of specific marketing mix and positioning objective for each product or service the organization will offer. In its first phase, choosing the value, the strategist proceeds to segment the market, select the appropriate market target, and develop the offers value positioning. The formula segmentation, targeting, positioning (STP) is the essence of strategic marketing. (Kotler, 1997) (Figure3) 2.1 Market Segmentation Segmentation is essentially about identifying groups of buyers within a market who have needs which are distinctive in the way that they deviate from the average consumer. Some consumer may treat satisfaction of one particular need as a high priority, whereas to others this need may be regarded as being quite trivial. Consider the case of the new hotel market. Buyers no longer select a hotel solely on the basis of hotels market. Market Segmentation is the subdividing of a market into distinct and increasingly homogeneous subgroups of customers, where any subgroup can conceivably be selected as a target market to be met with a distinct marketing mix (Kotler 1994). It should precisely segment its markets on various factors and provide the customers what they want. Starwood had segmented its market by corporate (business travellers) and leisure seekers. In the near future by 2010 Starwood had announced to open a hotel in the city of Makkah. In an interview with Jean-Marc Busato, Area Vi ce President said This is an important milestone for us to be present in what is considered the holiest city in Islam. This is our sixth Kingdom project which we consider one of our major growth markets. He also added We have acquired a good understanding of the Saudi Arabian market and besides developing our first class Starwood brand, we also see a demand for efficient, value for money accommodation for the frequent traveller in the mid market segment, 2.2 Targeting Targeting is a process of prioritizing target segments based on the firms core competencies or capabilities, and other researched factors including segmented market size, growth potential of the segmented market, competitive dynamics, etc. This method is used to Find out the target customers in focus marketing and set up target products and services for them,. In this aspect Starwood should completely symbolize the features and specialties in the hotel. In Starwood they have targeted the customers in. Starwood provides food item s and more facilities to their respectable rooms and they give special discounts for regular customers. In addition to that all the customers can enjoy almost every other facility which is in five star standards. 2.3 Positioning Positioning means arranging a product to occupy clear, distinctive and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers. Through using positioning successfully, brands will be able to position their product in the consumers mind. Four key elements for a successful positioning are Clarity, Consistency, Credibility and Competitiveness. In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the relative competitive comparison their product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. Chart 4: STP strategy, Hard capital (2003) 2.4 Satisfying customer needs and wants Customers are everything to a Hotel or any business for that matter. It can be out as a companys bread and butter. In the past, all was not well for Starwood hotels. As other businesses they also faced declining revenues and reputation. So to come out of this matter they implemented a market research to find out what they are doing wrong in the field. The research showed that customer wants and needs have changed over time but Starwood has stayed in the same place. A focus on franchisees and franchisee growth vs. customers and the hotel guest experience resulted in an undifferentiated, lacklustre brand and inconsistent service. Meeting the objective needs and wants of customers to drive sales is at the heart of most businesses. It is how they build business relationships, remain profitable, and how they expand into new territories. To improve customer experience and freedom of choice they implemented such schemes as Express Yourself, Gold Points Plussm and Sleep Number Bed program. The Express yourself program is the hotel industrys first pre-arrival, online check-in system. Guests book their reservation and can check-in online. Radisson Hotels Resorts is part of the gold points plus program from Carlson Hotels Worldwide that offers guests the freedom and flexibility to earn rewards more quickly than any other hotel program. Chapter 3 3.1 Marketing Mix The concept of the marketing mix was first given prominence by Borden in 1965. He described the marketing manager as a mixer of ingredients, one who is constantly engaged in fashioning creatively a mix of marketing procedures and policies in his efforts to produce a profitable enterprise Marketing mix is a Planned mix of the controllable elements of a products marketing plan commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. These elements are adjusted until a right combination is found that serves the needs of the products customers while generating optimum income. (Jain,S.C,1990). Traditionally the marketing mix consisted of just 4 Ps, but now it has been extended and is called extended marketing mix and consists of 7Ps. The new marketing mix is more customers oriented and enables the organization to meet its marketing objectives and to satisfy the requirements of customers. (Figure 4) Extended marketing mix, Array marketing development 3.1.1 Product Starwood is a world renowned chain of hotels providing excellent product under the image of hotel services. Starwood has an exceptional recognition in providing high quality service they constantly look at new ways of improving the service they provide. To improve the standards of service they provide, Starwood has introduced several new programs as mentioned in the start of the essay, such as Yes I Can! Training program and Express Yourself which allows guests to check-in online .By introducing these new strategies Starwood has already achieved favourable results. 3.1.2 Price In any organization the price must be high enough to cover costs and make a profit but low enough to attract customers .Since most of the Starwood hotels are five star rated hotels the price factor plays a major role. Due to the price customers can change their mind to go to another hotel. In this issue what Starwood has done is they have kept their prices at a normal rate which is comparatively high, at the same time Starwood came up with their new marketing strategy. Starwood promoted new holiday packages such as Friday is free day and family bed breakfast package with attractive prices. When annualizing Starwoods figures it is clear that this strategy has been successful. 3.1.3 Place Starwoods hotels always do research before picking a place for their new hotel; because of this they have become very successful. When we take Starwood as a whole it seems like they have selected the most ideal locations for their hotels. This is thanks to the research they do and it has paid off. 3.2 Extended marketing mix Traditionally the marketing mix consisted of just 4 Ps, with the extended marketing mix it enables the organization to meet its marketing objectives and to satisfy the requirements of customers. In addition to the traditional four Ps it is now customary to add some more Ps to the mix to give us Seven Ps. The additional Ps have been added because today marketing is far more customer oriented than ever before, and because the service sector of the economy has come to dominate economic activity in this country. These 3 extra Ps are particularly relevant to this new extended service mix. 3.2.1People People mean the staff working for Starwood. Employees of Starwood are like a backbone of the company, they have been highly trained and Starwood offers one the industrys best program phrased as YES I CAN 3.2.2 Process This Refers to the systems used to assist the organization in delivering the service. When the service becomes faster automatically the efficiency of the organization gets better. Starwood is world renowned for its excellent and fast process of service. Associated with customer service are a number of processes involved in making marketing effective in an organisation Process is the way how customers are handled from first to last point of contact. So this involves Starwood policies, program, payments, bookings, quality processes for handling customer complaints, processes for identifying customer needs and requirements, processes for handling order etc. Chapter 4 4.1 Marketing Environment Marketing as we know it today began in the 1970s with the birth of the marketing orientation. During the first stage of capitalism business had a production orientation Business was concerned with production, manufacturing, and efficiency issues. By the mid 1950s a second stage emerged, the sales orientation stage. A companys marketing environment consists of factors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers (Kotler., 2005). The marketing environment surrounds and impacts upon the organization. There are three key perspectives on the marketing environment, namely the macro-environment, the micro-environment and the internal environment. Elements of Macro-environment, Organizational environment (1995) 4.2 Micro environment This environment influences the organization directly. It includes suppliers that deal directly or indirectly, consumers and customers, and other local stakeholders. Micro tends to suggest small, but this can be misleading. In this context, micro describes the relationship between firms and the driving forces that control this relationship. It is a more local relationship, and the firm may exercise a degree of influence. This environment influences the organization directly. As in the (figure1) It includes suppliers that deal directly or indirectly, consumers and customers, and other local stakeholders. Micro tends to suggest small, but this can be misleading. 4.3 Macro environment This includes all factors that can influence and organization, but that are out of their direct control. A company does not generally influence any laws. It is continuously changing, and the company needs to be flexible to adapt. There may be aggressive competition and rivalry in a market. Globalization means that there is always the threat of substitute products and new entrants. The wider environment is also ever changing, and the marketer needs to pay off for changes in culture, politics, economics and technology. 4.4 Internal environment An organizationsÂÂ  internal environment is composed of the elements within the organization, including current employees, management, and especially corporate culture, which defines employee behaviour. Although some elements affect the organization as a whole, others affect only the manager. A managers philosophical or leadership style directly impacts employees. Traditional managers give explicit instructions to employees, whileÂÂ  progressiveÂÂ  managers empower employees to make many of their own decisions. Changes in philosophy and/or leadership style are under the control of the manager. Conclusion As seen in the above report it is clearly shown how marketing is done in Starwood chain of hotels. As mentioned above in the report Starwood is a worldwide hotels network, in this report the author briefly discusses about the factors which affects the marketing process directly and indirectly. Then we talk about how marketing has changed over the years and the new marketing strategies in place in the new world. And we also talk about the segmentation process, marketing environment and its elements. Marketing is an important element which contributes very much for the growth of Starwood. Marketing creates a benchmark to Starwood among the other hotels in the industry. The hotel industry has fierce competition at present therefore continuous developments of good packages, attractive advertisements, good and efficient customer service will help Starwood to be ahead of others. In the meantime, continuous research and development should help Starwood to satisfy its customers and retain lo yalty as well.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Colorado Rivers Help and Hindrance of Settlement in the Western United States :: Colorado River Geography American History Essays

The Colorado River's Help and Hindrance of Settlement in the Western United States Geographers can tell you that the one thing that most rivers and their adjacent flood plains in the world have in common is that they have rich histories associated with human settlement and development. This especially true in arid regions which are very dependent upon water. Two excellent examples are the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates rivers which show use the relationship between rivers and concentrations of people. However, the Colorado River is not such a good example along most segments of its course. There is no continuous transportation system that parallels the rivers course, and settlements are clustered. The rugged terrain and entrenched river channels are the major reasons for sparse human settlement. We ask ourselves, did the Colorado River help or hinder settlement in the Western United States? As settlers began to move westward, the Southwest was considered to be a place to avoid. Few considered it a place to traverse, to spread Christianity, and a possible source of furs or mineral wealth. Finding a reliable or accessible water source, and timber for building was difficult to find. There was a lack of land that could be irrigated easily. By the turn of the century, most present day cities and towns were already established. Trails, roads, and railroads linked several areas with neighboring regions. Although the Colorado River drainage system was still not integrated. In the mid 1900’s many dams had been built to harness and use the water. A new phase of development occurred at the end of the second World War. There was a large emphasis on recreation, tourism, and environmental preservation. The terrain of the Colorado River is very unique. It consists of Wet Upper Slopes, Irregular Transition Plains and Hills, Deep Canyonlands, and the Dry Lower Plains. Wet Upper Slopes: Consist of numerous streams that feed into the Colorado River from stream cut canyons, small flat floored valleys often occupied by alpine lakes and adjacent steep walled mountain peaks. These areas are heavily forested and contain swiftly flowing streams, rapids, and waterfalls. These areas have little commercial value except as watershed, wildlife habitat, forest land, and destinations for hikers, fishermen, and mountaineers. Irregular Transition Plains and Hills: These areas are favorable for traditional economic development. It consists of river valleys with adequate flat land to support farms and ranches. Due to the rolling hills, low plateaus, and mountain slopes, livestock grazing is common.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Master vs. The Student: Antonioni and Coppola Essay -- Michelangel

The Master vs. The Student: Antonioni and Coppola Michelangelo Antonioni initiated a shift in Italian film in the 1950s. He kept some aspects of Italian Neorealism but then moved away into the world of the art film. With Blow-up, which was made possible by a deal MGM for a series of films in English, he takes a meandering, odd storyline and places it in trendy, ?swinging? London (Thompson & Bordwell, 426-7). He further reinforces the distance between the diegetic world of the film and the audience through precisely spacious camera techniques. ?I want to re-create reality in an abstract form. I?m really questioning the nature of reality,? Antonioni has said honestly about the film (Arrowsmith, 112). He has taken the audience-active film to a new and interesting level. Blow-up has often times been compared to Francis Ford Coppola?s The Conversation. The two films not only share a similar plot (two men, both leaders in their fields, inadvertently stumble across a murder or murder plot and must reevaluate themselves while reevaluating their creations) but Coppola uses much of the same camera techniques as Antonioni, as well. The film is not a total emulation, though; Coppola adds his own twist by taking space and contorting it, whereas Antonioni might leave it in the abstract. In examining the two aspects of space and self-evaluation, one can see that Coppola?s The Conversation does not imitate Antonioni?s Blow-up as much as it learns from it. Antonioni?s most noticeable and intriguing tool of Blow-up is the use of space within each frame. Antonioni, on the cusp of Neorealism, often times places the camera far from Thomas (the main character played by David Hemmings), letting him move about freely within the frame. ... ...as far back in the room the camera could get, it seems). All of these shots reinforce the loneliness, desperation, and isolation of these two stranded souls. All these shots lend to the two breaking down barriers within themselves to reach a better, actualized self. And, all of these shots could easily have been produced by Antonioni or Francis Coppola; perhaps there is hope for a new wave of the Antonioni-art-film style. Works Cited Arrowsmith, William. (1995). Antonioni, The Poet of Images. New York: Oxford. Brunette, Peter. (1998). The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University. Leprohon, Pierre. (1963). Michelangelo Antonioni: an Introduction. New York: Simon and Schuster. Thompson, Kristen & Bordwell, David. (2003). Film History, an Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill. The Master vs. The Student: Antonioni and Coppola Essay -- Michelangel The Master vs. The Student: Antonioni and Coppola Michelangelo Antonioni initiated a shift in Italian film in the 1950s. He kept some aspects of Italian Neorealism but then moved away into the world of the art film. With Blow-up, which was made possible by a deal MGM for a series of films in English, he takes a meandering, odd storyline and places it in trendy, ?swinging? London (Thompson & Bordwell, 426-7). He further reinforces the distance between the diegetic world of the film and the audience through precisely spacious camera techniques. ?I want to re-create reality in an abstract form. I?m really questioning the nature of reality,? Antonioni has said honestly about the film (Arrowsmith, 112). He has taken the audience-active film to a new and interesting level. Blow-up has often times been compared to Francis Ford Coppola?s The Conversation. The two films not only share a similar plot (two men, both leaders in their fields, inadvertently stumble across a murder or murder plot and must reevaluate themselves while reevaluating their creations) but Coppola uses much of the same camera techniques as Antonioni, as well. The film is not a total emulation, though; Coppola adds his own twist by taking space and contorting it, whereas Antonioni might leave it in the abstract. In examining the two aspects of space and self-evaluation, one can see that Coppola?s The Conversation does not imitate Antonioni?s Blow-up as much as it learns from it. Antonioni?s most noticeable and intriguing tool of Blow-up is the use of space within each frame. Antonioni, on the cusp of Neorealism, often times places the camera far from Thomas (the main character played by David Hemmings), letting him move about freely within the frame. ... ...as far back in the room the camera could get, it seems). All of these shots reinforce the loneliness, desperation, and isolation of these two stranded souls. All these shots lend to the two breaking down barriers within themselves to reach a better, actualized self. And, all of these shots could easily have been produced by Antonioni or Francis Coppola; perhaps there is hope for a new wave of the Antonioni-art-film style. Works Cited Arrowsmith, William. (1995). Antonioni, The Poet of Images. New York: Oxford. Brunette, Peter. (1998). The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University. Leprohon, Pierre. (1963). Michelangelo Antonioni: an Introduction. New York: Simon and Schuster. Thompson, Kristen & Bordwell, David. (2003). Film History, an Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Notes on John Locke :: Second Treatise on Civil Government

Notes on John Locke (1632-1704), selections from The Second Treatise of Government (1690) As we will examine it, a defining theme of the American experience from Thomas Jefferson through Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Martin Luther King, Jr. is democratic revolution: these and other major figures seek to change the existing social structure, in order to expand the circle of democracy - to encompass ever larger groups of people within a democratic framework which recognizes the basic equality and rights of each member. Using Jefferson as the starting point, the circle of democratic rights initially includes white males over the age of 41 who meet certain property requirements. Elizabeth Cady Stanton seeks to enlarge this circle to include women - as Martin Luther King, Jr., seeks to enlarge the circle to include people of color. How do you argue for revolutionary change? The American experience is striking not only for its theme of revolutionary change: more fundamentally, these diverse calls for revolution all rest on a shared, central argument. This argument begins from certain premises, and uses those premises to support a specific conclusion - the conclusion that democratic revolution, radical social change in the direction of increasing equality with regard to rights and standing before the law, is justified. The shared argument looks like this: [P1] Governments (Jefferson, Cady Stanton) and laws (Martin Luther King, Jr.) are legitimate only if they rest on the consent of the governed and protect basic rights. [P2] If governments and laws lack this consent, and/or fail to protect these rights, then [C1] such governments are no longer legitimate, and/or such laws are unjust. [P3] Illegitimate governments and/or unjust laws require no allegiance. Therefore, [C2] Illegitimate governments and/or unjust laws must be dissolved and replaced with legitimate governments and/or just laws i.e., governments and/or laws which rest on the consent of the governed and protect basic rights (i.e., which meet the conditions of [P1]). While Jefferson first articulates this argument as the central justification for the American Revolution, we will see this argument used to support the struggle for women's suffrage (Cady Stanton) and the struggle for civil rights for American blacks (Martin Luther King, Jr.). But Jefferson did not invent this argument or its underlying assumptions. Among other sources, Jefferson was deeply influenced by Locke's views on human nature and the political arrangements befitting that nature - especially as Locke articulated his political philosophy in Two Treatistes of Government (1690).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Coca-Cola Company Essay

The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is a beverage company that manufacturer and distribute coke, diet coke and other soft drinks worldwide. The company primarily offers nonalcoholic beverages, including sparkling beverages and still beverages. Its sparkling beverages include nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages with carbonation, such as carbonated energy drinks, and carbonated waters and flavored waters. The company’s still beverages comprise nonalcoholic beverages without carbonation, including noncarbonated waters, flavored and enhanced waters, noncarbonated energy drinks, juices and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and sports drinks. It also provides flavoring ingredients, sweeteners, beverage ingredients, and fountain syrups, as well as powders for purified water products. In addition, the company licenses its technologies to suppliers and third parties. The company is currently employing 130,600 full time employees and is considered being the world leader in the bev erage industry. Financial Review of the company: A. Market value of equity & Book value of equity – Market value of the equity of the company is the current market capitalization rate and it measured through by multiplying current market value of the share into the total number of shares outstanding and he market capitalization of the company as on 2nd October, 2014 is $187.10 billion (source: finance.yahoo=KO=key statistics). While the book value of the equity is the current book value of the company share and it is determined as under: Book value of equity = Total value of the equity / shares outstanding Book value = $7.77 (source: finance.yahoo=KO=key statistics). It is important to note that the book value of the shares of the company has increased from $3.29 per share in 2004 to $7.77 per share uptill now (it was $7.54 per share in the year 2013) B. Market performance – Total Return C. Financial performance review – The financial performance review of the company is as under: Gross profit margin – The gross profit margin of the company was 65.2% as at year 2004 but it has decreased to 60.7% in the year 2013 indicating a decline of 5.5% over this review period. The decrease in the gross profit is due to the increase in the cost of goods sold ratio as  of revenue from 34.78% in the year 2004 to 39.32% in the year 2013. Operating profit margin – The same trend of the decrease in the profitability is noted in the operating profit margin of the company as it has decreased from 25.9% in the year 2004 to 21.8% in the year 2013. This decrease in profitability is an alarming sign for the company as despite the increase in the revenue, the company was not able to generate profitability in the same proportion as that of the increase in the revenue of the company. Payout ratio – The dividend payout has increased from 50% in the year 2004 to 58.8% in the year 2013 indicating higher proportion of income is being paid out to the shareholders of the company Asset turnover – The relative increase in the assets of the company has resulted in decrease of asset turnover as it has decreased from 0.75 times in the year 2004 to 0.53 times in the year 2013 indicating the poor management of assets with respect to revenue generation Return on assets – ROA has also decreased from 16.52% in the year 2004 to 9.74% in the year 2013 due to the decrease in the profitability and increase in the asset base of the company Return on equity (ROE) – ROE of the company has also decreased from 32.29% in the year 2004 to 26.03% in the year 2013 due to the decrease in the profitability of the company Interest coverage ratio – The company first interest coverage ratio was determined in the year 2008 and it was 17.98 times. It has increased to 25.79 times in the year 2013 indicating an improvement in the overall interest coverage of the company. Liquidity of the company – The liquidity of the company as being measured through current and quick ratios is indicating a positive trend as current ratio was 1.10 in the year 2004 and it has increased to 1.13 in the year 2013. On the other hand, quick ratio has increased from 0.81 in the year 2004 to 0.90 in the year 2013. Efficiency of the company – Days Sales Outstanding of the company has increased from 35.42 days in the year 2004 to 37.52 days in the year 2013. Also, the Days Inventory has also increased from 63.84 days in the year 2004 to 64.8 days in the year 2013. Payables Period has decreased tremendously as it has decreased from 199.3 days in the year 2004 to 38.66 days in the year 2013. Cash Conversion Cycle of the company has improved as it has increased from -100.04 days in the year 2004 to 63.66 days in the year 2013. D. References: finance.yahoo. (2nd October). Key Statistics. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=KO+Key+Statistics Morning Star. (2nd October). Coca-Cola Co KO (Key Ratios & company performance). Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=KO ®ion=usa&culture=en-US

Monday, September 16, 2019

Advantage And Disadvantage In City Life Essay

Big city is where you can see many vehicles,many skyscrapers, many people with a hurry pace of life. That place can fascinate us very much due to its light and luxury. Nowadays, more and more people want to live there because they see many advantages. Indeed, in a big city, people can have the best chances to work as well as can enjoy the best service and entertainment In a big city, people can take the chances to study and work best. There are many good University for u to choose in a big city. There you can express your ability to study what you like. Moreover, when you graduate, you also find it easier to find chances to get a good job with good salary, that is quite difficult in small cities or countrysides; because there concentrates many big companies and groups. Hence, many graduate students choose big cities to live and work. In short, it is where you can take advantages f yourself. In addition, in a big city you can enjoy the best service and entertainment. Is this Essay helpful? Read more: Difference between village life and city life essay Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 325,000 just like it! get better grades Because there are many rich people here, they can invest much money to get the best for them. Lives in a big city are quite luxurius but you don’t have to be worried when you are sick or suffer a disease because there you can find good doctors for you, as long as you have much money. What’s more, in a big city you can enjoy new entertainment such as new games or luxury games. Many people can argue that living in a big city makes them tired with noise and dash. They like the slow pace of life in a countryside. But I think that you can live there for a long time because the young always like to enjoy new things and want to have much money, which is very difficult to do in a countryside. However, when you get older, especially when you retire, a countryside will the best choice to live. In summary, living in a big city has many advantages. However, you have to try your best to overcome all difficulties such as hard competition in workplace or polluted environment.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Business Models and Systems Essay

The business that I am choosing to write about is a small convenience store located across the street from my children’s school. It is owned and operated by a very pleasant Indian couple. It is located in a remote area where there are very few businesses in close proximity. This store offers a variety of products and prepared foods. The three main components of the business system that comprises this particular business are as follows: Business as Commerce – They give money in exchange for the products they need to fill their store. In this case, the owners will look for sales at other stores, and then purchase them to sell in their store. They are making a profit from their trade because it is increasing their utility. Business as an Occupation – In order for them to increase their profit they would need to specialize in food service and preparation, customer service, and modern technologies. In other words, they had to learn how to make and present the foods that they offer, they had to learn how to communicate appropriately with their customers, and learn how to gain access to and operate new machines to make a greater profit. Business as an Organization – For the time being, this particular business is owned and operated by just two people. If sometime in the future they would decide to combine their talents and resources with other people, they will be able to pursue new opportunities and reduce transaction costs and increase their profitability.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Vark Assessment

Formal Paper: VARK Learning Style Baromie F. Koroma Grand Canyon University NRS-429V: Family Centered Health Promotion Professor: JenniferWood 03/03/13 1. It is known that every individual in a scholastic setting has a different way of comprehending or taking in information, an exercise that is symbolized by their exclusive learning style. With one realizing their own learning style will not only convey which courses or subjects they are competent at, however will also enlighten them of the greatest active way of learning and reading for the areas of any subject.In 1987, Neil Fleming designed the VARK learning style assessment which is a questionnaire that has questions that which answered by a person will lead to four scores that gives up to five study strategies which are: Visual, Aural, Reading/write, and Kinesthetic (Fleming,2011). The way in which these scores add up informs a person where they fall within the five areas of learning strategies which is crucial to the education o f every individual.This paper will elaborate in enormous fragment multimodal as the author took the VARK assessment and realized she is a multimodal learner. It will also compare and contrast preferred learning strategies with the VARK learning strategies and appraises any changes needed to improve study habits. The author use to think that she learn best from reading and writing of every bit of information, but after taking the VARK assessment she realized that she is a multimodal with scores of visual 6 , aural/auditory 4 , reading/write 9 and Kinesthetic 8.This means that the author requires two or more methods of learning to be an effective learner. Context approach learners and the whole sense approach learners are the two types of a multimodal learner. The context approach is used if an individual has 0ne, two or more solo preferences to learning and using those independently based on the situation (Learning Styles, 2013). An example of this will be the uthor is a visual and k inesthetic learner and she is learning hair braiding from a friend, she would not just stand there looking at the friend braiding someone else hair, but she would actually practice by doing one or more braids. The whole sense learner requires receiving information or instructions in a diverse ways in order to convince it all been received and understood correctly. For the whole sense learner, more time is needed to feel more poise in making decision.They have a tendency of having VARK scores of more than 30 without ultimate boundaries (Fleming, 2011) which is not the author style of multimodal learning. Even though the author learns in so many different was her learning choice is to read/write followed by hands on experience to know how something really works, in a proficient manner and the other strategies are used as bonus backing for my better learning. As a multimodal with a preference of read/write and kinesthetic, this author likes to read books including novels and textbook a nd do some research prior to attending any class.She takes class notes and rewrites them over and over, reread them continually, rewrite them into outline form and list them in orderly manner. The author also learn better with a list or outlined instructions to follow during a lecture and also like to study by herself in a quiet environment which has been very helpful during the past weeks with her online studies as she is not reliant on essentially hearing the lectures which would have permit her to be in a classroom for each and every lecture.The author also likes to make flashcards of terminology words to be known and a highlighter pen to underline key points on a textbook or flashcards. She also learns through corporal comfort, drawing images, sample test and making copies. An example of making copies will be printing out my class syllabus at the beginning of each class to avoid loging in to the classroom every time I vital information like assignment for the is needed. Neverthe less this author has a preference of read/write and kinesthetic, she also benefits from Aural and Visual learning style.Aural learns the data given when it is used in an audio way. Talking, listening and music are all methods that help an aural learner. They tend to learn better when they can hear instructions and voice the answers. This author uses this learning style by conversing with people about her topics and assignment to acquire a well understanding of it. A visual learner understands information well if they can see it. Their visualization abilities are tough and like to use charts, graphs and images.The author uses this learning style by underlying and printing out material in different colors that allows desirable data to stand out above data that is not relevant to what she is learning. The author’s preferred learning strategies and the VARK strategies in read/write and kinesthetic are actually similar. Visual and aural modalities are less often use by the author. The author is more comfortable in writing/studying and practice context using hands on (kinesthetic) technique. However, the author needs to comprehend the big image to have a clear understanding of the topic in place.Changes that would improve study behaviors from aural modality include using a tape recorder to place notes on and listen to it. From the visual modality, the author will Use materials such as, PowerPoint, Maps or videos to aid in remembering of data given. In conclusion, by knowing a preferred learning style one can use their own strong point to better process data, and organize their learning and communication and also create a more effective learning environment and make learning more efficient.Reference: APA Fleming, N. (2011). VARK, a guide to learning style. Retrieved from http://www. vark-learn. com/english/page. asp? p=multimodal N. A. (2013). Learning styles. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Learning_styles APA Citation N. A. (2013). Learning Sty les, Strategies And Teaching Methods. Anti Essays. Retrieved March 2, 2013, from the World Wide Web: http://www. antiessays. com/free-essays/34839. html

Friday, September 13, 2019

Drug Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Drug Plan - Essay Example There would remain many essential aspects to consider, when addressing the issue of the drug problem nationwide, with prevention being one of the stronger factors. Prevention sought through the treatment of offenders and the increased awareness within the community bodies, of the real dangers that exist within the world of drug exposure. As it would come to the military, most notably the National Guard, those resources would best be suited through placement at the borders. Another monetary option would be the providing of foreign aid to the farmers in the regions of South America and Mexico, so they wouldn't feel as compelled to grow the crops and still would be able to earn something even closer to being considered as being a living wage that they could support their families on. Diverting a substantial portion of the budget available to a measure such as this, along with the usage of the military arm of the government, would be a step toward the opportunity of being able to curb the drug supply at the source. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (2009), "The Trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs inflict tremendous harm upon individuals, families, and communities throughout the country," (National Drug Threat Summary, para. 1).

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Discuss the importance of body language and gesture in the councelling Essay

Discuss the importance of body language and gesture in the councelling exchange - Essay Example Counseling is a short-term, theory-based, non-directive, non-judgmental process (Stressmgn, n.d.). During the process, the client or the individual who is facing adjustment, developmental or situational problems, is helped by the counselor to gain awareness of himself and make decisions with support. Hence, the process of counseling would involve befriending, listening, helping, and empowering. Counseling is today a widely practiced profession and deals with problems in the field of personal, social, educational, vocational, mental health issues. Counseling can be of various types like supportive counseling, educational counseling, guidance counseling, career counseling, crisis counseling, grief counseling, post-traumatic counseling, management counseling, family counseling, marriage counseling, counseling in medical settings, rehabilitative and mental health counseling. Body language is a crucial communication tool, yet few people are well-versed in it. It has a significant impact on people’s perception even before we speak. It generates physical and emotional responses to people and situations in life. In counseling, it has great importance be it counseling for career, counseling individuals with difficulties or diseases. When a person comes for counseling, he is generally in a state of indecision and distressed. He is normally reluctant to reveal personal information and secrets. A client may or may not be aware of the need for counseling or his or her present level of functioning. A counselor has to make the individual understand his or her own body language so that they are able to understand themselves better. The counselor needs to use body language as well as interpret the body language of the client or the patient. A counselor has to be fluent in comprehending and responding to the body language and gestures of the client. To help hi m overcome resistance and comprehend himself, body language is extremely important. Hence,

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Poem - Essay Example rtant to pronounce different words with different loudness to create necessary rhythm, and it is also possible only after reading a poem for several times. My pronunciation was rather good and developed while articulation requires more and more practice. I was not able to change the pitch, rate, and volume as fast as I needed and that is why the sense of some phrases was not clear. It is important to reread and listen to a poem for at least five times because each time adds to a meaning some special sense and finally it gives general picture of the poem. Reading the poem for the second time I indicated all the pauses, tried to speed intonation where it was necessary and tried to change the pitch and the tones of separate words. Some of the words were pronounced in a low voice some almost in whisper. My strength of vocal delivery is that I have rather good pronunciation of all the sounds while my weakness is inability to change capture I mind pronunciation, articulation, and deep understanding of the text because I switch concentration from to the other. That is why it is best to learn poems by

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Managing People in Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing People in Engineering - Essay Example However, since improvement is a continuous process, thereby certain changes and improved are desired which can be carried out in a collective way. Aims and objectives: The aims and objectives in the generic and simple terms can be defined as the overcoming of challenges faced along with the exploration of the new openings and horizons which would allow the company to perform further better and stand an edge over the compatriots in the same industry. Keywords: Market share, customers’ satisfaction, quality services. Challenges faced: Every new day brings along a new challenge with itself in the global scenario of organizations especially when the organization works on global trends and international level. Lantex is no exception and it is faced with equal number of challenges and this has caught the attention of the top management and thereby they have decided to investigate the overall scenario and look deep into the various sections and entities of the organization. Their eff ort in this regard is a multi fold and they aim to address not just the processes rather the individual performances and the relationship between the employees within and also the relationship with the other stakeholders and most importantly the overall attitude and response towards the clients and customers in a direct and indirect manner. As a Management consultant: the task is being assigned to a management consultant in form of being an overhead entity and watchdog to monitor the overall performance and investigate the areas of importance and improvement in the overall system and determine what level of improvement is possible and needed in each of the area. Task of the management consultant: Management consultant is an impartial individual who is assigned and hired for his services to determine the overall scenario and standing of the organization and determine what is being done, what should be done and how should it be done, against the processes and functions of what should be avoided, and how should it be avoided. Tasks at hand: Identifying the problems in the processes Identifying the loopholes Identifying the areas of improvement Over viewing the working relationship between the members Assessing overall management processes within the organization Evaluating the Human Resource aspect of the organization Creating the clear definition of legislation that allows for better performance and privileges enjoyed by the workers and employees at different levels within the organization. Comparing the different companies performance and take on the similar areas of operations How is the workforce planning is used to assess staffing requirements. In time delivery and ensuring the reach to the far regions speaks for the effective policy of the company that has been in place in order to meet the customers’ requirements. Vigorous planning is being induced into the network with due consideration of the kind of knowledge being required in each domain and als o the kind of expertise needed to ensure the in time delivery to the various segments. For example while the near areas delivery is being ensured on 24 hours bases from the time and point of order placement, the long distance orders may take long yet with the regard and consideration of keeping it to the least amount of time possible and

Social impact of Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social impact of Facebook - Essay Example Likewise, Wilson (2009) reported in The Australian that the negative effect of Facebook in students grades is due to putting off schoolwork; because of the addictive nature of scrolling through photos, reacting to messages and viewing video clips, a student’s attention is diverted from his schoolwork onto Facebook skimming without noticing the passing of time. While many studies prove the negative impact of Facebook on grades, there are, however, also those that disprove this relationship. A more recent study by Pasek, More and Hargittai (2009) found that based on data gathered from a nationally representative sample of American 14- to 22-year-olds, there was no significant relationship between the use of Facebook and the level of grades and that changes in academic performance were no different from non-users. The Pasek study noted that â€Å"if anything, Facebook is more common among individuals with higher grades†. Those who have formed an obsession with the service and are constantly connected to it could not be healthy nor helpful to a student’s studies, but anything overdone is likely to be harmful. Used in moderation as it was intended to be used, there is little connection between grades and the usage of Facebook. There are other broader effects that the use of Facebook has not only on students but society in general. It seems that the particular attraction of Facebook compared to other online services is the relative lack of commercial advertisements, making the interaction feel personal (McConnell, 2009).

Monday, September 9, 2019

Tax Treaty Comparison Between the United States and India Essay

Tax Treaty Comparison Between the United States and India - Essay Example Due to phenomenal growth in international growth in international trade and commerce and increasing interactivity among the nations, residents of one country extend their sphere of business operations to other countries where income is earned. It is in the interest of all the countries to ensure that undue tax burden is not cast on persons earning income by taxing them twice, once in the country of residence and again in the country where the income is earned. Double taxation can be defined as the levy of taxes on income / capital in the hands of the same tax payer in more than one country in respect of the same income or capital for the same period. The problem gets complicated since taxation schemes of different countries contain divergent notions regarding definition of income as source. The position becomes anomalous in a situation where an assessee residing in one country earns income in another country, and the tax rates in both the countries are higher than 50%. If taxed at both places on the same income the assessee will be left with a negative income. This is bound to affect the economic growth. To avoid such a hardship to individuals and also with a view to seeing that national economic growth does not suffer, Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (D.T.A.A.) are entered into with other countries. Such tax treaties, therefore, serve the purpose of providing full protection to tax payers against double taxation and thus prevent the discouragement which double taxation may provide in the free flow of international trade and international investment. Besides, such treaties generally contain provisions for mutual exchange of information and for reducing litigation. Coming to specific provisions contained in the Indian Income-tax Act, such tax treaties are made under the provisions contained in Section 90 of the Income-tax Act which enables the Central Government to enter into treaties to avoid double taxation. Govt. of India has entered into DTA agreement with several countries, some of the main countries are Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, UAE, UAR, UK, USA, USSR etc. Government of United States of America and Government of Republic of India entered into an agreement on Double Tax Avoidance Agreement, which was signed in New Delhi on 12 September 1989. The Convention would be the first tax treaty between the United States and India. In general, it follows the pattern of the United States model tax convention but differs in a number of respects to reflect India's status as a developing country. According to Article 1 of the Convention, it shall apply to persons who are residents of United States of America or India. However in Article 4 (Residence), it is clarified that the person is said to be the resident of the particular Contracting State, if that person in under law of that Contracting State and thereby liable to tax by reason of his domicile or similar other criteria, subject to certain limitations as described in Article 4. Under the Convention the income of the permanent establishment is taxable, and both the profit and loss of the other two businesses are ignored. Under the Code, all three would be taxable. The loss would be offset against the profits of the two profitable ventures. The taxpayer may not invoke the

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Fast, global,and entrepreneurial; supply chain management , hong kong Case Study - 1

Fast, global,and entrepreneurial; supply chain management , hong kong style and interview with victor fung - Case Study Example Several changes have been done since its establishment in a bid to conform to the recent demands in the supply chain management field. Globalization has brought about increased interactions among countries in different continents. As such there has been increased focus on eliminating some of the most recurrent challenges faced during conduction of international business such as language barrier. Organizations conducting international businesses have invested deeply in overcoming language barriers among other challenges leading to elimination of intermediaries such as interpreters. During the first years of its establishment, Li Fung ripped heavily from interpretation due to the ability of its founder to speak English. However, such a role in the modern day is seemingly irrelevant hence the need to come up with other strategies to gain competitive advantage. For instance, Li Fung came shifted focus to production of full products from the entire region rather than a single product from one place. This increased relevance of the company in the supply chain since an organization could rely on Li Fung to get all necessa ry materials required at one point. This implies that organizations need to constantly come up with strategies corresponding to market changes in order to prevent elimination. However, production techniques changed once again hence Li Fung was now charged with the responsibility of managing the entire production process for its clients to come with a finished product. However, changes in economic status in Hong Kong triggered yet another shift to employment of dispersed production. This shows that market status is heavily dependent on the economy among other external factors. The changes evident in the life span of Li Fung are a clear indicator of the many changes requiring attention taking effect in the supply chain management sector. This implies that