Econet Wireless International and the African Telecommunications Industry Essay

Activities to be completed in this presentation: Carry out a SWOT analysis for Econet Wireless International, identifying the key issues that Econet needs to address from the results of your analysis. Undertake an industry analysis of the African Telecommunications market using Porter’s Five Force Model. Using a competitor analysis framework of your choice, analyse the Big Five mobile operators in the African market Econet Wireless International is facing or faced challenges in a number of markets it entered. Identify these challenges and the sources of these challenges. What Marketing strategy options should Econet use at it tries to grow its operations (Justify your options) and what should it do to successfully implement these strategies? Introduction The selection of a growth strategy is ultimately determined by the company’s strategic goals, core competencies and strategic assets as well as by its target customers, collaborators and the overall economic, technological, socio cultural, regulatory and physical context. An integrative approach of analysing these factors is essential for the development of a successful growth strategy. Overview Econet Wireless International (hereafter to be referred to as EWI) is a Zimbabwean –owned international telecommunications group. The result of Dr. Strive Masiyiwa’s vision, Econet began in mobile telephone service in July 1998, after years of legal battles. Thus it began leading the change in the telecommunications terrain. Zimbabwe has issued only 3 mobile  telecommunication licenses to EWI, Orascom-owned Telecel and the government-owned NetOne. SWOT Analysis for Econet Wireless International As a result of the internal and external analysis, our SWOT analysis is as follows: Strengths Growth through international expansion. As EWI expands onto 3 continents in 10 countries, they are able to develop global footprint, thus increasing their capital base and securing their company. Innovative product range. They continuously developed product range, they developed into becoming a full-service communications company offering mobile telephony, traditional landline telephony, Internet services, data streaming services, transactions systems and contract services for other operators. For example, in Zimbabwe alone, they have a number of viable product offerings, namely Buddie, Ecocash, EcoFarmer, EcocashSave, Econet Solar, Econet Broadband and BusinessPartna Contract Lines. Their business model enabled them to offer quality products at competitive prices. They collaborated in the form of consortium partnerships and also joint ventures. For example, it was able to penetrate markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, New Zealand, Lesotho, Malawi and Burundi. Their joint venture was with Altech in South Africa. The benefit of this partnership firm was listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange thus exposing them to a new source of capital. Their mutually formed company, Newco, would have eventually taken over almost all of Econet’s companys, allowing EWI to backward intergrate with a supplier which in terms of future growth, would enable them to develop an even wider product offering. This alliance would have been mutually beneficial, with Econet getting access to technology products, finance and administrative structures while Altech would get the opportunity to diversify riding on EWI’s mobile network. Multi-branding. EWI used it’s name in countries where it had a controlling stake such as in Nigeria, Lesotho, New Zealand, Malawi and Burundi. In countries where it was the minority shareholder, it operated under different names, namely Mascom ( Botswana), Gulfsat Maghreb SA ( Morocco). Their management structure was such that in each country, the operation was headed by a national, who knew the business climate in that country but the financial aspect was headed by an expatriate from head  office thus maintaining effective control and providing support. This encouraged business relations in those nations as the national heading the operation was able to negotiate deals from a knowledgeable point. Weaknesses Limited capital for operations, thus curtailing their growth, especially in New Zealand and Nigeria as the case study says, the consortium partners resisted a higher stake in Econet, believing they did not have the financial means and/ or resources to invest. In addition, Econet did not have enough money to finance the upgrading of its network and it came under government threat of having its licence revoked, thus they had to borrow $75 million Export-Import Bank. Also, in Kenya, their license was cancelled due to failure by the consortium to fully honour the license fee obligations within the given time frame. They failed to provide a service recovery alternative for the suspended Buddie cards in 2002 in Nigeria. The implication here was that they created low switching costs for their subscriber base, boosting the sales of their competitor. Econet gave their competitors an edge over them in Nigeria, as evidenced by the outcome of their decisions to suspend Buddie cards and also, during their subsequent reintroduction. Both times, MTN gained from these moves. In reintroducing the cards, they were not able to support the resulting call volumes. They had not had the foresight to prepare for this possibility as a result of their reintroduction. Network quality problems resulting from failure to support capacity when the Buddie lines were reintroduced. It was a situation of demand outstripping supply. They had also not expected this outcome as a result of reintroducing the previously popular lines. It’s strong dependance on their Zimbabwean operations means they weakened their efforts at expansion due to the unfavourable economic climate. They had raised capital via the Zimbabwe Stock Market but could not use it externally due to stringent government controls on the basis of hard currency remittance limitations. Their failure to capitalise on the license in New Zealand meant a loss on their part. Opportunities Their listing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange gave them the opportunity to raise more capital. Acquisition of licenses in various countries through consortium partnerships meant they gained a foothold in countries such as  Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, Morocco, New Zealand, Lesotho, Malawi and Burundi though from a minority position in the consortium. They were able to obtain licenses in various countries. Threats Stringent government controls. Restrictions to remit it’s foreign currencies to finance it’s operations in other countries, e.g. in New Zealand Intense competition, e.g. in New Zealand where the market was duopoly delaying their entry into that market. Low switching costs. In most of their markets, subscribers are multi-networked. As subscribers used a number of networks to maximise on particular network availability and promotions, EWI could not in depend totally on that these subscribers would be faithful. Key Issues Limited capital for operations. They could list on the Stock Exchange to attract investors. They could offer rights issues to existing shareholders, thereby attracting new capital. Network challenges. They need to upgrade their systems. They need to ensure they have enough technological infrastructure, e.g. base stations, to be able to cater for network loads. Collaboration with suppliers. Government regulations and restrictions. They need to form relationships with the host governments. Decision making. Improve their decision approach at corporate level, e.g. their decision to limit the number of days subscribers had access to the network. From the above analysis, the following threats are of high importance and Econet would do well to take notice: Stringent government controls Intense competition Low switching costs Mergers and acquisitions present an attractive and profitable opportunity thus Econet should explore this avenue further. Industry analysis of the â€Å"Big Five† using Porter’s Five Forces model. Threat of new entrants – High because: There are strong barriers to entry in terms of obtaining an operational license due to government restrictions, e.g. Zimbabwe, as shown in the case when Masiyiwa argued the case that the Telecel consortium should be  disqualified as they did not meet tender specifications. Restrictive license fees in terms of costs of getting the license such as in Kenya when EWI had their license cancelled after only two months due to failure to meet their obligation in terms of the license fee. A lot of capital is needed to start the business. It is estimated that $14 billion on average is needed as investment in the mobile phone business. Bargaining power of buyers: High because: Low switching costs such as in Nigeria when Econet opted to suspend the sale of its prepaid Buddie cards for 6 months due to quality problems, resulting in them losing subscribers. The buyer’s power is strong in Burundi because they have a population of 7 million people with only 4 mobile subscribers. Bargaining power of suppliers – High because: The government controlled operator supplier, Nitel, had strong bargaining power, as evidenced by their holding back to supply Econet with transmission links for more than a year and Econet had no option but to wait. There were few suppliers. Industry rivals – High because: Customer base grew rapidly between year 2000 and 2005 Intense competition among players in the mobile industry. Substitutes – Low because: Landlines penetration rates were low, for example, in Chad, the rate was on average one landline per 70 people while the mobile phone users expanded between year 2000 and 2005 from 15.6 million to 135 million. The overall rating is high because rivalry is high, threat of new entrants is high, bargaining power of suppliers is high and bargaining power of buyers is high. Competitor Analysis Competitor Key Strengths Key Weaknesses Perceived Strategies Key Segments Millicom First-mover position Market leader status Cost leadership Multi-branded Wide market coverage within South America Less aggressive business approach Easy to attack Low revenues in the big five Mass-marketing Multi-branding Cost leadership Low population markets International markets MTC Innovator High capital base Strong market coverage Market strength through acquisition An aggressive player High rate of economic growth Narrow product range Multi-branding Full market segmentation High population areas MTN Market coverage Market leader Strong capital base Economies of scale Resource utilisation Wide product range No multi-branding Blue ocean Leveraging existing business Growing new markets through acquisitions Research and development High population areas Niche, e.g. Middle Eastern Orascom Strong capital base through conglomeration Multi branding Cost leadership Wide product range Market leader Multi-branding Removed operations in Africa Market development High population Vodacom Strong revenue base Market leader Adequate resources for expansion Investment opportunities Least internationalised Market growth limitations Taking unnecessary risks Joint venture franchising Forward integration Domestic International Table 2 Company Capital/ Revenue (in billions $) Market Coverage (number of countries) Mobile Subscriber Number (in millions) Millicom 1.4 16 13 MTC 3 20 23 MTN 3 21 32 Orascom 2.1 9 41 Vodacom 3 5 27 From the analysis above, the market leaders are MTC, MTN and Orascom in terms of revenue. Millicom and Vodacom take the role of market challengers. In looking at mobile subscriber, Orascom and MTN are the market leaders followed by Vodacom, MTC and Millicom respectively. In terms of market coverage, MTN leads followed by MTC. Millicom is the market challenger. Orascom and Vodacom are nichers as they focus on specific markets. Challenges Legislation Government controls in the form of price controls, barring establishment of private mobile networks Trading policies License to operate Government regulations – licensing board Intense competition Duopoly in New Zealand Infrastructure problem Network support Lack of foreign currency Government foreign currency regulations in Zimbabwe Changes in exchange rate Economical meltdown in Zimbabwe Lack of capital Delay in listing on stock exchange Poor quality Buddie cards in Nigeria Product development and testing was poor Marketing Strategy Options Ansoff Matrix Market penetration – The organisation tries to grow it’s market share through sales of existing products to the present market, for example Econet Zimbabwe trying to grow its market share from 70% to 80%. They could achieve this through promotions such as offering discounted tariffs. This can be done through ensuring that they have got enough capital to support the reduction of cost on pricing. The company needs to develop budgets to steer ample resources towards promotion and advertising. Product Development – Coming up with new or modified products, for example Ecocash has been modified to include an account, that is, EcocashSave. They need to invest in a Research and Development department, tasked to come up with more innovative products. They also to need to emphasize on Total Quality Management to avoid product recalls, for example, in Nigeria where the cards had quality problems. Market development – The company seeks for and finds new markets in which to expand, for example they go into a totally new market such as penetrating Canada. They can do this through acquisition of licensing in that country.  Before acquiring the license, they would need carry out market research to ensure that that market is attractive and can be profitable for them. They should also ensure that they have enough capital to successfully implement this marketing strategy. In addition, they need to have the right management and organisational structures. Blue ocean The process of identifying an untapped market in an effort to run away from competition. For example, Econet came up with Econet Solar where they tapped into the solar provision market in an effort to ensure that their customers’ phones’ battery life did not affect their network accessibility. In these topsy-survy times where clients have become complicated, the only way to survive in business is through eliminating competition through investing in new technology and/ or Research and Development. As a result, they can realise much in terms of profit. We advise Econet to take the Ansoff matrix strategies because it covers the wide scope of marketing strates or options of growth.

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Essay

1. Hero introduced in his ordinary world Odysseus is a strong ruler of Ithaca (Greek city-state), however lacks experience in war. He is also the son of Là ¤ertes 2. The call to adventure  He wins the Trojan war through his guile nature. As his fleet left for Ithaca, strong winds sweep them off course 3. Hero is reluctant at first Odysseus and his men get a little afraid after realizing that they had no idea where they were heading for 4. Encouraged by the wise old man/woman Along the way, Odysseus obtains lots of advice of how he should carry on with his expedition from Circe the Enchantress 5. Hero passes the first threshold The first issue that Odysseus faces would be in the beginning of the Odyssey, where his fleet land on the city of Ismara, and plunder the Cicones inhabiting the region 6. Hero encounters tests & helpers Other hazards for Odysseus were: Polyphemus, The Lotus-Eaters, Hades, The Sirens, Scylla etc. 7. Hero reaches the innermost cave The largest issue ever faced by Odysseus’s fleet would be the Man-eating Cyclops named Polyphemus. Being the son of Poseidon, Odysseus’s trickery angered the God of the sea, which would cause much more implications on them. This would largely affect Odysseus’s quality to a greater extent 8. Hero endures the supreme ordeal Odysseus try to escape Polyphemus’s island first, but Odysseus hubris turns against their own people. Polyphemus attacks Odysseus’s men with boulders and rocks. With luck, they escape into the waters, out of reach from danger 9. Hero seizes the sword Odysseus finally defeats all enemies 10. The road back Unfortunately, as he does so, he loses all his men, when Poseidon strikes his  fleet with the power of the raging sea 11. Resurrection He alone gets away from the impending danger and realizes his mistakes. He finally reaches the Phaeacians, and tells them his story, since it had been more than 10 year since he had left for battle 12. Return with the treasure His â€Å"treasure† is more in a form of a lesson, where he realizes that greed is something that corrupts a man. His adventure is definitely an example, since with his greed came the loss of his men and valuables

Team Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team Paper - Essay Example As the fields of criminal justice and drug offenders’ treatment are getting a lot of help from the drug courts, the number of drug courts all over the world is significantly increasing. Drug courts are improving the judicial system because they provide leadership for the treatment of offenders, provide supervision as a vital component of the drug courts and it also helps in improving communication between the offenders and the drug court teams. Apart from the cons related to drug courts, drug courts are not only helping those people who are brought to such places by their relatives for the purpose of drug addiction treatment, but also it has proved to be a great place for such people who really want to get treatment, not a forced one by their relatives. Bewley-Taylor (1999) found that drug courts are important for drug offenders because they provide the offenders with such treatment programs which may result in dismissal of the charges and lesser penalties. A model drug court includes incorporation of drug testing into case processing, creation of an association between a defendant and the court, sending the defendants for treatment soon after identification, providing access to a range of not only treatment but also rehabilitation services and observing self-denial through drug testing. Nolan (2001) found that a single agency can’t alone tackle drug and crime offenders, so drug courts work in cooperation with judge s, court personnel and treatment providers. A large number of drug court evaluations have been done over a decade mainly focusing on two outcomes; criminal recidivism and rates of retention and completion. After discussing pros and cons of drug courts, it is recommended for the county to create an operational drug court which will not only help the government and the tax payers in saving money but also will help in reducing case load of judicial courts. Use of

People, Profit and Price Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

People, Profit and Price - Essay Example Q2: What do you mean by income elasticity? Identify the symbolic form of income elasticity. Income elasticity of demand refers to the reaction of demand to change in consumers' income. In other words, it is the extent of change in demand to a change in consumers' income. Income elasticity of demand is calculated by the ratio of percentage change in demand to income (Anon., 2005, p.22). According to Anon (2005, p.22) it is represented as: Income Elasticity of Demand = In symbolic form, eY=  Where eY =Income elasticity of demand; Y =income of consumer, Q=quantity demand, Y=proportionate change in income Q: 3 what is mean by production function? What is the use of production function in production analysis? The production function refers to a technological relationship between input and output (Anon., 2005, p.50).It indicates the output of a business, industry, or economy for the input. When it comes to the use of production function in production analysis, assume a firm that uses N amount of inputs, such as, machinery, labor, and materials, for producing a single output. Production function (q=f(x)) is used to summarize the technological possibilities of that firm. Here, q represents the output and x=(x1, x2†¦xn)' is an N?1 vector of inputs (Coelli, Prasada, Christopher and George, 2005, p.12). Q: 4 what are the characteristic features of free market economics? How are the central problems of resource allocation solved in such economic? Characteristics of free market economy include: consumers, producers, private owners, and government are primary actors, three actors (consumer, producer, property owners) are driven by self-interest while government is driven by social welfare, all factors of production are the property of private owners, owners have the right to buy and sell through market mechanism, competition exists when there is freedom to allocate resources. Decision making is decentralized since individual economic actors are free to allocate th eir resources. Resource allocation is defined by individual economic agents. Economic actors pursue their interest but resource allocation is in interest of society (Anderton, 2006, p.22). Q: 5 explain the term â€Å"economic costs†? How do these differ from accounting costs? Use examples to illustrate your answer The economic cost (EC) is greater than the accounting cost (AC) because EC includes both explicit accounting cost and implicit cost which is the value of owner's personal resources.EC incorporates implicit costs that could have been gained when same resources are invested somewhere else. If a couple decides to invest $100,000 on building for opening a restaurant. Implicit costs would be 3 percent or $3,000 or the money earned from some other investment. It is because of different rate of return in mutual funds (9 percent) and capital investment (6 percent) on $100,000(Musgrave and Elia, 2001). Task: 2 Explain the causes of market failure. Should market failure alway s invite government intervention? Discuss the different ways in which government intervene in the market. Give example in support of your answer? Introduction "Market failure is a blanket term used by economists to describe situations in which markets might not work and/or markets might

German paper 3+4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

German paper 3+4 - Essay Example He was consistent with conventional history when he said that after the US joined the war, Germany was defeated. But what conventional history did not say, which he said was that the Germans blamed Zionist Jews for the entry of the US, thus their defeat (Freedman, par.24). This he said was the root of German discrimination against Jews which was indeed justified. If what he said was true, was conventional history then wrong in saying that the Germans at that time were envious of the economic success of Jews? Was it wrong in saying that the Germans were blaming their difficulties on the Jews because the Jews were in control of media and a lot of the industries then? As an aside, Freedman also said that â€Å"Jews happened to be maybe 98 percent of the Communists in Europe at that time† (Freedman, par. 26).† Unbelievable! To fight back, the Jews declared war on Germany (Daily Express, p.1). It called on Jews all over the world to boycott all products made in Germany. Germa ny depended a lot on its exports. By declaring economic and financial war, its aim was to hurt Germany economically, starve its people, and compel Germany â€Å"to end its campaign of violence† against Jews (Daily Express, par. 7).

Auditing process Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Auditing process - Case Study Example This type of risk is known as engagement risk. The probabilities of different loss or damages that can be caused due to this type of risk can be a financial loss, loss of reputation, and ultimately leading to the downfall of the audit farm. Engagement risks can further be subdivided into three types of risks, namely 1) Client’s business risks, 2) Auditor’s business risk and 3) Audit risk. In the cited case of Aerospace Lighting Inc. (ALI) there are several audit issues related to engagement risks. All those audit issues involved with ALI and its impact on the financial statements and the audit process have been discussed here. ALI is a Chicago based company which is involved in the business of providing cabin lighting system to its clients in aerospace industry. There has been a change in ALI’s business strategy and its external auditors. This study entails about the different business risks associated with ALI and the corresponding audit issues. Client Business Risks Business risk can be defined as the probability that a given company will make less profit than what has been anticipated or there is a possibility that the company will make a loss instead of profit. Several factors influence business risks, like cost of inputs, volume of sales, price per unit, government policies and so on and so forth. The validity of items in financial statements of a company can be evaluated by an auditor based on certain factors. They are: knowledge of business risks associated with the business activities followed by the client, structure of the organization, internal and external environment of the business concern and the interactions between them (Bell et al. 1). Business risk methodology of audit process includes some of the following key points: 1) Developing an understanding about the process of risk management in the organization. 2) Developing an understanding about the risks involved in the business of the organization. 3) The risks which are i dentified give an idea about its expected impact on the financial statements. 4) Assessment of the control system about how much efficiently it manages risk (Rittenberg 121-123). In ALI’s case, various factors which have an impact on client’s business risks can be subdivided into three headings, namely management, entity and industry. A review of the previous auditor’s report and views of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are available and can be used as good audit evidence. CAS 620 relates to the decision of an auditor to use the work of an auditor’s expert. CAS 500 provides the necessary requirements and guidance to auditors regarding audit evidence. Consultant advice is also a good option in this case which is explained in CAS 220 (Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada 1-8). Hence, regarding client’s business risks, following evidences can be considered as being the business risks involved in ALI: 1) Management: Firstly, regarding man agement of ALI, its integrity is the key. Certain evidence that ALI is not loyal to its parent German company named BmG can be inferred from the case. ALI’s management is only concerned about the financial performance of the company. While achieving its financial target, ALI calls for a strategy involving rapid growth of the company. ALI is not concerned much about reporting BmG regarding the means adopted by them to achieve its target. Here lies the business risk in the part of ALI’s management. There is a high probability that ALI can restore to unfair

Basketball as Religion in He Got Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Basketball as Religion in He Got Game - Essay Example After six years since then, Jesus has worked hard to become a brilliant prospective basketball player just at the age of eighteen. Several colleges are interested in him with lucrative offers of scholarship, and making a career with the NBA also remains an option. However, the Governor wants to sign Jesus with his alma mater, the Big State. With his power and influence, he releases Jake on parole for a week. If Jake is able to convince his son Jesus to play for Big State his sentence would be drastically reduced setting him free. Otherwise, he would be sent back to jail. Now an emotional tug of war begins. Jake seeks to convince his estranged son. Martha (Lonette McKee), who is Jesus’ younger sister, wants a better life and suggests his brother to look for more profitable opportunities. Jesus’ girlfriend, Lala (Rosario Dawson) plays a double dealing role in the complex environment with a ‘not so innocent’ approach. The characters like Jesus’ uncle, a unt, coach, etc. appear as both selfish and empathetic in the course of the drama. As Jake returns to his family, Jesus has to confront him and go through emotional ups and downs. On the other hand, he faces the contradictions, glamour, challenges, and dark realities of the multi-billion dollar basketball sports industry of America. At times, he is at the dilemma of horns, but the young athlete is a good-natured son who ultimately seeks reunion and peace with his lonely and troubled father. Basketball craze is a huge factor in the sports culture of American life. It has emerged as a multi-billion dollar business in the American sports industry. Almost all the resourceful and reputed colleges of the country are rivaling each other in order to leave a mark in the various basketball leagues. This helps them to levy high amounts of profits. On the other hand, there is the celebrated NBA, where several

Bethoven and Joseph Haydn's relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bethoven and Joseph Haydn's relationship - Essay Example Their relationship is said to have become sour and started to decline due to Haydn’s insistence that Beethoven mentions him as his student in one of his composition. Beethoven had a temper and was impatient and this only added to declining their relationship even further than it already was. The success of Haydn’s musical career became a source of envy for Beethoven. All in all, Haydn taught Beethoven very greatly and he contributed greatly to the success of Beethoven’s musical career despite their constant fall out. His constant absence also taught Beethoven to be independent and be confident of his own compositions based on the lessons he had and was receiving from Haydn. In spite of the sour relationship between the student and the tutor, they maintained a cordial relationship and Beethoven also kept in touch with his tutor way after he had stopped becoming his student and it continued that way till Haydn passed away. Haydn also admired his student’s determination and success and was proud of what he had achieved under the numerous tutors including him (Schindler and MacArdle,

Management and Leadership Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Management and Leadership Paper - Essay Example These activities are a wide array of functions being performed in different shapes. The scope of management is quite broad and it curtails various activities, namely planning organizing, staffing controlling and leading. Individual members are being assigned for it who perform their duties according to the requirement (Kreitner, 2008). Comparison between Management and Leadership: While different units of management can be defined separately, the scope of management quite broader compared to the leadership. Leadership involves only the leading function, management involves various other functions which partly covers the leaders’ roles and responsibilities at the same time. The umbrella of management applies both the personnel involved and the activities undertaken. While personnel enable performing these activities, the resources are worked upon by the man power. Hence the spectrum of management is far wide and broader than the leadership, yet it does not undermine the importa nce of leader and leadership because without it no organization or project can run or survive. Example of a firm in general: Apple Inc is a prime example of successful organization in recent times. It has been brought to this level by its innovative and visionary leader Steve Jobs (Daft & Lane, 2008). It would not be wrong to say that he in modern times delivered and introduced the new forms of leadership that serve as symbol and best example for the modern day challenges and situations an organization is faced with. It is commonly being said that the leader should lead from the front. Be it practical work, be it ideas and innovation, or be it management and strategies. Steve job’s work and practices are commendable in almost all of the above mentioned disciplines of a organization and its projects. He led through his practical example of innovation. This served as motivation for the other members of the team to think out of the box and deliver something unique in their own c apacity. The best contribution a leader can provide to any organization that he or she is associated with can be in form of leading and performing through practical actions. Besides the leadership, Apple Inc has a successful planning and management strategy in place. The roles are clearly defined. So are the objectives, and the tasks that are to be accomplished. Different sections in form of departments within the company work accordingly. It has the research and development unit, it has the marketing unit; it has the scientific exploration unit. In short it has all the components that are needed to make a successful brand. The company also involves a team of members who work on ideas which are new in nature and of help to the organization. In other words keeping a team which thinks ahead of other competitors and makes it to the customers earlier than the rest. Organizing: Organizing is the process of assortment of all the activities in the enterprise. It could be the organizing of the schedules, activities, units, previous reports, or even the items and elements that are being used in daily routine. Staffing: This is another important aspect of the management field. It involves inducting the right kind of man at the right place. It may also involve recruiting and screening the individuals and then determining who fulfils the requirements best. Control: Controlling is an essential component of any project and therefore is ranked in priority activities of the entire management process (Havinal &

Teletech Case Essay Example for Free

Teletech Case Essay Background The Teletech Corporation operated in two business segments: Telecommunications Services (TS), and Products and Systems (PS). Though Teletech was a dominant service provider in the area, the company has been experiencing a downtrend of earning growth and stock prices due to keener competition and worse performance in certain segment. Problems statement Teletech has been using economic profit as a measure of value creation at the segment and business-unit level and net present value as a measure of value creation at the project level; and both these values were calculated using the hurdle rate. The main problem faced by Teletech was that the company leaders had to decide what hurdle rate(s) should be used for evaluating performance and budgeting of each segment; and what would be the future of the PS unit, having in mind the accusatory letter of the new 10% stakeholder, Victor Yossarian. By October 2005 only one corporate hurdle rate of 9. 30% was used for performance assessment, and the rate was based on the Teletech’s WACC as a representation of the opportunity cost of money. There was an ongoing debate if one common corporate hurdle rate should continue be used for valuation, or different hurdle rates which take into account the associated with the investments risk should be implemented. There was a doubt that the returns of the PS segment were relatively high because they were compared to the not risk-adjusted corporate hurdle rate, and that in fact the PS segment was reducing the shareholders’ value. Victor Yossarian’s opinion was that Teletech had to get rid of the PS segment as it was not providing adequate return. Hurdle rates recommendation We recommend that Teletech should use two different hurdle rates for both segments. First, using WACC as a corporate hurdle rate is not appropriate since different segments have different investment risks. The Products and Systems segment (with the beta of 1. 36) clearly had higher risk than Telecommunication services (with the beta of 1. 04). Thus, instead of using one hurdle rate calculated based on the corporate beta of 1. 15, using two rates will allow the returns of the segments to be compared to more suitable risk-adjusted rates. See Exhibit 1) Second, our calculation shows that using two hurdle rates would result in higher economic profits of each segment as well as in total (See Exhibit 3). Higher profit would make company more attractive to investors. Third, using different hurdle rates also would help the assessment of capital-investment proposals more accurate. Since different segment has different risk, when evaluating a project, the firm shoul d classify the project into each segment and use an appropriate hurdle rate of the corresponding segment to calculate NPV of the project. That would make the NPV of the project more precise. For example, the Telecommunications services had lower risk, lower beta, thus it had lower cost of capital. So, if everything else equals, the NPV of a project in the TS segment should be higher than that of the PS segment. This should be reflected in a lower hurdle rate for TS and a higher hurdle rate for PS. PS recommendation We recommend forming PS as separate entity (financially) , considering possible unit reorganization or sale. Our reasoning is: †¢ The PS segment does not provide satisfactory return, although it is shown as profitable when compared to the corporate hurdle rate of 9. 30% (or even with a PS segment hurdle rate see detailed calculation in Exhibit 1 and returns-hurdle rates comparison in Exhibit 2), or in terms of Economic profit (see Exhibit 3). However, the reported high returns are mainly because PS is able to receive low-interest debt based on the higher aggregate corporate rating. However, if the PS segment is organized as a separate entity (with assumed BB rating), then it will need at least 86% equity financing to be break even, assuming that PS 11% ROC will remain constant (see Exhibit 4 for the calculation). †¢ The TS segment will be able to provide higher return; because of the expected A rating and the associated lower loan rates and higher leverage. The TS will have a higher price per share, closer to the industry, as a result of the reduced investment risk (surpassing the risk of higher leverage). Assuming that the company activities are transparent, the price per share could go even higher, as there will not be doubt that a profitable segment of the company will cover the unsatisfactory performance of another segment. Other recommendations We recommend that the company should disclose more information. The view that â€Å"All money is green† and investors do not know as much about the firm’s operations as the company, should be rejected. More transparency would narrow the gap between uninformed (or small) and informed (or large) investors, thereby lowering the cost of capital.

History of the River Nile

History of the River Nile The Nile River At over 4,100 miles long, the Nile River is the largest river in the world. It is located in the northwestern part of Africa. The Nile River flows through many African countries. These countries include Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Burundi. The White and Blue Nile are two extensive channels that feed into the Nile River. The Nile River runs north into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River had a major impact on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Egyptians. Around the same time, every year, the Nile would flood. The flooding would happen between June and September. There are two reasons people believed why. One reason was the snow and summer rain would overflow the river. Another reason, or theory consisted of the goddess Isis. Ancient Egyptians believed the Nile would flood because she would cry so much over the death of her husband, Osiris. Out of these two theories, back in Ancient Egypt the most believed one was the snow and summer rain theory. As a result of the flooding, the Nile River provided many sources for the Ancient Egyptians. One of these sources included fertile soil. The soil around the Nile River was very rich, therefore it was good for farmlands. Papyrus, wheat, and flax were the three main crops grown from this rich soil. These weren’t only the main crops, but they were the most important crops grown. The papyrus was used to make sandals, ropes, baskets and paper. Wheat was used for making bread; the flax was used for linen cloth, which was used for clothes. As a result of the rich soil, and the growing of the three crops, the Ancient Egyptians were able to make a living. The Nile was also good for building materials. The flooding of the river provided a black silt. This black mud was used for building homes. The silt was used for many purposes especially for building purposes like walls. The Nile River was also used for transportation. Ancient Egyptians used this a major tradeplace. They used the river for transporting goods and people. The Nile River has three of its own seasons. The first season, which was the season of the flooding was named Akhet. The second season, Peret, which was for growing their crops. Finally, the last season, Shemu, was for harvesting. Each season has it own special purpose, just like the seasons we have today. The calendars that the Ancient Egyptians used were created around these three seasons. The Ancient Egyptians divided the calendars they used up into these three seasons. The Ancient Egyptians divided the calendars they used up into these three seasons. In ancient Egypt there was a god for just about everything. Hapi was the god for the Nile River. Hapi was often depicted with women breasts and a bulging belly, even though Hapi was a male. The breasts and belly portrayed fertility, the ability to produce young. That contradicts with with his capability to sustain the land around the Nile when the flooding happened every year. Hapi was also depicted as wearing papyrus plants, which I mentioned before was used a lot around the Nile River. Since the Egyptians believed that Hapi the god of the Nile they would often thank him for the flooding that happened because it provided them with many useful things. As I have mentioned before, the White Nile is one of the two extensive channels that came from the Nile River. The White Nile was larger than the Blue Nile. The White Nile comes from Lake Victoria. Since the White Nile had a longer way to travel it only gave 15% of it’s water to the Nile River. The White Nile gets its name from the color of it. It has a whitish-gray color. The White Nile has this color because of the things that travel throughout it, such as the gray color of sediment that flows with the White Nile. The second extensive channel that comes from the Nile River us the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana, which is found in the highlands of Ethiopia. The Blue and White Nile eventually meet to form the Nile River. Just like the White Nile, the Blue Nile gets its name from its color. The Blue Nile is originally bright blue color. Since the Blue Nile passes through Sudan it picks up sediments as it travels, so the color goes from bright blue to a darker shade of blue. Even though the Blue Nile is smaller than the White Nile it carries 66% of water that flows into the Nile River. Many animals lived in and around the Nile River. Crocodiles were one of the many animals the lived in the Nile River. Birds such as heron, cranes, ibises, ducks, and geese lived around the Nile River. One animal, that many people feared, was the hippopotamus. The hippopotamus was the most powerful animal around the Nile River. Many frogs, fish, and lizards lived in the water. Gazelles, camels, donkeys, cattle, and sheep are some of the animals that lived on the land around the Nile. Today the Nile River isn’t much different that what is was like in ancient Egypt. The land is still a little desolate. The Nile may make up about only 5% of Egypt’s land, but over 95% of the population in Egypt lives around the Nile. Just as it was in Ancient Egypt, the Nile River is still lifeblood of the country. The Nile River is now under control with the flooding. The Aswan Dam helps control the flooding. The winter snow and summer is still the main cause for the Nile’s flooding. Citrus fruits, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton are some of the many crops that farmers grow around the Nile River. Many of the same animals still live in and around the Nile River today. Crocodiles and the birds are some of the animals that live in the Nile. Today, the hippopotamus still lives near the Nile River. Also, the Nile River is used for many things. Hydroelectricity is one of the many things. Dams were built to help generate hydroelectric power; these dams also help with the Nile’s annual flooding. Websites (Sources) http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/geography_nile_river.php http://www.ushistory.org/civ/3a.asp http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/egypt/nile.htm http://www.egyptianmyths.net/hapi.htm http://theonlyrivernile.weebly.com/the-white-nile.html http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africaweb/factfile/africauniquefact2.htm http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/environment/animals.htm http://animalssafairs.blogspot.com/2012/10/africa-river-horses-hippopotamus-trails.html#.VKsOJpUtBMs http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/nile-river4.htm

IQ Tests Are Appropriate as a Part of a Job Interview Essay example --

William Stern in the 1912 took the mental age of an individual, divided it by the chronological age and obtained the ratio, which he called an intelligence quotient. Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a score used to express the relative intelligence of a person. In the modern society with high competition in different areas intelligence tests are widely used. IQ tests starting to appear in job interviews as a part of the application process as well. This is still a controversial issue about whether IQ tests should be included in the employability process, but due to the increasing rivalry for job placements worldwide, IQ tests are one of the options to be brought up. IQ tests are standardised tests, which signifies that the tasks appearing in the examination are the same for all participants, the conditions, given instructions and amount of time for completion are equal for each applicant. Standardised tests help prevent stereotypical errors, for example, there is no preconception related to ethnic or cultural background, age or appearance differences. Although it is argued that there are noticeable differences between genders’ performance on various tasks, it is widely acknowledged disparity, particularly in mental rotation of three-dimensional objects tasks (MRT). (Linn, 1985) Males tend to perform slightly better than women, although females tend to score to a greater degree at verbal skills, for instance linguistic reasoning. IQ tests are administered properly and being evaluated using means and standard deviations - normal distribution measures – which carries no effect on the performance of different genders. IQ tests are meas ured in a standard manner which allows to evaluate every individual retaining their anonymity and rely o... ...Mills, C. (1997). Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues. Kaufman J.C., Plucker J.A. (2011). Intelligence and Creativity. The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge. Linn, M. C., & Petersen, A. C. (1985). Emergence and Characterization of Gender Differences in Spatial Abilities: A Meta-Analysis. Child Development, 56, 1479–1498. Roid, G.H. (2003). Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition: Technical manual. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing. Sattler, J. M. (1992). Assessment of Children (3rd edition). San Diego, CA: Author. Wechsler, David (1939). The Measurement of Adult Intelligence. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. Wechsler, David (1944). The Measurement of Adult intelligence (3rd edition). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. Stern, William (1912). The Psychological Methods of Intelligence Testing.

Another New Horizon :: Personal Narrative Writing

Another New Horizon What did Mississippi have in common with New York, Hong Kong, Boston, Australia, Vancouver, Venezuela, Montreal, the Philippines, China, and Toronto? Nothing. Those were my exact thoughts as my parents tried to explain why we had to move once again. With a missionary as a father, our family constantly moved from country to country. When we had finally settled down in Canada, I had hoped that I would, for the first time, find some stability in my life. I listened to my parents and nodded while my heart broke for the thousandth time. Though I was only nine years old, I felt like I had already lived a lifetime of good-byes. As I stumbled up the stairs, I didn’t even remember where we were moving to; all I knew was that it was my world we were now moving from. I thought of all the friends I had already left behind, and I couldn’t even bear to think of the friends I would now have to leave. On the morning we left for Mississippi, my father picked me and my brother up from our beds and gently laid us down on the back seat of our small car. He never woke us up, knowing I would cry all the way to the airport. I thought about my best friend, Tim, as we waited to board the plane. I had promised him I would never forget him. But my greatest fear every time we moved was that I would forget. I was afraid of losing mymemories—the only things I could keep with me no matter where I went. I feared that if I just looked away for a second, I would lose my most precious possessions. I wanted never to lose the memory of Tim’s face whenever he laughed at my jokes or the feeling of invincibility when I finally made my Australian school’s soccer team or even the boring French songs we sang in our Canadian classes. I worried that once the bruises from my Kung-Fu classes had healed, perhaps all of Sensei’s teachings would just fade away. I feared most of all that I would forget who I was—that once the memories had passed, the very soul of my being would slip through my fingers. I thought that perhaps with every place I left, an irreplaceable part of me would also be left behind. The passengers began boarding the plane, and my brother and I fought only half-heartedly for the window seat.

Typical Life :: essays research papers

Typical Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is about Holden Caulfield. Just four days before the winter vacation Holden is kicked out from Pencey prep. School. He is kicked out from school for not passing most of his classes, except English class. Being alone bored out of his mind and not know what to do. Holden decides to go to New York by train. For about 3 days, and stay in a cheep hotel. Just to relax by himself till Wednesday. While Holden was at New York Holden smokes, gets drunk, goes to bars and tries to pick up females at a bar. While he tries to get drunk at most places he needs to lie about his age, also at the same time Holden shows how immature he is by the way he is talking to the three females at the bar. Also while staying at New York, Holden talk a lot about his little sister Phoebe. Holden goes to a Broadway, to buy a record for his little sister. Holden goes to a record store to waist some time before his date with Sally. H olden was suppose to meet Sally so they can go see a play together. After the play Holden goes to an ice skating ring with Sally, but they end up sitting in side and talking. Holden starts a conversation. Asking Sally: â€Å"If she ever got fed up?† And then Holden starts to tell her how this world is such a bad place and that all the adults are getting corrupted. And that when he (Holden) will be able to stop the kids from growing up he will be able to prevent the kids innocence’s and from growing up and save the world. In other words, threw out of the book Holden talk’s about his problems and how he feels about the world. At the end of the book Holden goes to the park and watches his little sister Phoebe on the coracle. And how he wishes that he could prevent Phoebe from learning bad things that she could see on the graffiti that is drawn on the walls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think that Holden Caulfield is a very unique teenager because he is a very ill person, yet at the same time he is very bright human being. Even though he is being kicked out of a lot of prep.

Quotation Integration

Quotation integration Awkward – If your writing does not include proper quotation integration then it is awkward. Smooth * The clauses before the quotation make a clear sentence when joined with the clauses from within the quotation. * If a change in pronouns in needed, then use square brackets. * Sentence: Made up of various clauses * The material before the quote is written in the literary present Ex:// In order to preserve her clientele, Rosa Huberman decides to sent Liesel out to collect the laundry from the rick customers because â€Å"Those rich people are less likely to fire [Rosa] if [Liesel’s] the one standing in front of them† (Zusak 92) Information that does not help me illustrate my point about ‘a prompt delivery’ has ben replaced by three ellipses. * Do not add â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬  at the beginning or ending of quotes. (We know there’s more to the book) * When taking extracts out of a quote, use . . . instead of †¦ (notice t he space between each â€Å". †) * Take a moment to notice the citation. There is no comma, in between author and page number. The punctuation that is necessary to the read of your paper comes after the final bracket. * Notice where two quotation marks are used, versus one, versus three. Refer to your quotation marks note.In order to convince Lisel that a prompt return from delivering the clean laundry to their clientele is imperative, â€Å"Rosa Huberman stood up, selected a wooden spoon, and healed it under Lisel’s nose. It was a necessity as far as she was concerned†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢you take the back to each place and bring it straight home . . . No going to Papa . . . No mucking around with that little Saukerl, Rudy Steiner. Straight. Home. (Zusak 92) The Whole thing * Introduce the quote and then explain its importance after wards * A colon works best for long integration * If your quotation is more tan three typed lines, then you need to offset it. Each line of the quotation should be indented and double-spaced. * Hit enter before beginning the quote and after you have to end it * When a quotation is offset, it does not require quotation marks; however, if the narrator begins to quote a character, then you should use one. * If it is a character speaking for the ENTIRE QUOTE then you do not need any quotation marks. * For offset quotation ONLY, put the text’s punctuation before them embedded citation, not afterwards. A WRONG CITATION Close to the end of the novel, Liesel moves from an avid reader to a ferocious writer and scribes an autobiography of sorts.The final line of this memoir revels that â€Å" I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right† * As you know the subject of a sentence needs to agree with the predicate. Sometimes an error in agreement happens when you attempt to join your class to your quote. * In this case, the pronoun â€Å"I† seems awkward because it does not identify wh o the â€Å"I† is; therefore, we need to change the pronoun, and will end up having to change the verb. THE RIGHT WAY Close to the end of the novel, Liesel moves from an avid reader to a ferocious writer and scribes an autobiography of sorts.The final line of this memoir revels that â€Å"[Liesel has] I have hated words and [she has] loved them, and I hope I have made them right† (Zusak 528) * You may need to change a verb from the following sentences * To make tge verb in the quotation agree with the subject before the quotation. * If you have changed the subject, such as in this case then you may need to change the verb form. * Use square brackets if you need to change verb form * If you need to change a subject and a verb that are adjacent to one another, then you can put both words within the square brackets.

Qwerty

The Effect of Extreme Dependency on Computers| Extreme Dependency on Technology Technology, good or bad? Some say it’s great, but that is said by drug users about illegal substances as well. They are essentially one in the same; once you have used them and they become part of your life, you are never the same again. Once you have researched via computer, or found your way to an unfamiliar area with a gps, doing it the old way is never as easy or as foolproof as it once was. These days, when you loose your phone or even have little reception, you worry; your pulse races, your palms sweat, and you perspire.This is not good. Something that used to make our lives easier now makes our lives harder. Most of us don’t even know how to use a map or to mail a letter anymore. The library, what’s that? If you go to a library, it’s probably to use the internet, not to read a book. The computer is a wonderful invention if you like moving fast. We can do everything a com puter can, except it takes us much longer. Wall Street is a big blue and green blur of humming computers and screens, it almost seems to have a life of its own, it’s like an urban jungle.If that system crashes, our economy falls to the ground in flames as well. Books are written in months instead of years. School becomes a mad thrash to get everything typed, created, or turned in on time. What happened to good old paper and calculators? Calculators are a hot issue in my opinion. While they are wonderful little contraptions, our dependency on calculators is worrying. When I walk through that door into the calc room, my grade rests in the hands of a small shiny piece of blue plastic dotted with smooth yellow buttons and stuffed with four triple-A batteries.Compare me to a crack addict, honestly; without my Texas instruments calculator I’m as good as dead. Gps’s are amazing little gadgets. About the size of a slice of bread, they help you find your way like a perso nal tour guide perched on your dashboard. Maps might as well be carved in stone; they’re old news. Does a map tell you where the nearest taco bell is? Does it recalculate when you miss a turn? Unfortunately, no — Gps’s are a godsend for the directionally challenged. The subtle, warm feeling of accomplishment you get when you find your way around with a crumpled up paper map is likely gone for good, it’s a shame.Survival of the fittest, I guess. But when you run out of batteries, or your gps breaks; good luck finding your way. They are as addicting as anything else humankind has created. As I was browsing for a topic for my illustrative essay, something funny happened. I clicked my merry little way to Google. And within minutes, I had a topic, quite ironically, about dependency on computers. My initial thought on what to write about did not come about by careful thought and planning, it came about through Google and my horrid dependency on computers.Depend ency on computers is unavoidable, unless you are Amish or a member of a tribe deep within the jungle. Computers have allowed us the monumental achievement of space travel, the wonder of deep sea submersibles, and the deadliness of heat seeking missiles. No doubt, great achievements not possible without computers. But for everyday activities like finding your way, doing mental math, or writing a paper, computers are a shortcut, they make life easier. We need to learn to do things with and without a computer. For example, I know many people who cannot do mental math to save their lives.At this point, technology is really part of us. Instead of having that knowledge of simple math to rely on, we build upon the base that calculators provide instead. More advanced math is not possible without that technology, though honestly we should be able to do it either way. Through this it’s much easier to screw things up; once you have become used to listening to music anywhere, anytime, th rough your ipod, it’s a downer to not have music. If your ipod breaks, it’s almost like quitting smoking. You MUST buy a new one, you can’t just stop listening.Cell phones are an utmost convenience. Nary a child or senior citizen lacks one, and they do everything from email to texting to taking pictures. How long until they come equipped with electric toothbrushes? If you’ve ever been in an accident or had car trouble, that cell phone is your lifeline, and there is no alternative. You cannot mail someone; and pay phones are nearly nonexistent. Without your phone, you get the jitters, you feel unsafe, and out of it. It happens to me on those days where I forget and leave it at home – I know 95% of the population is the same way.So obviously technology had done much good. Our quality of living has gone up substantially. But at the same time being perched up her in this greatly advanced society, on top of stacks of microchips and USB ports, it’ s a lot easier to lose our footing and tumble back to earth. At some point, the infrastructure will crumble; everything needs an overhaul sooner or later. We would live in much more stable times if it were not for computers. On the same note, we would live in a much slower, less equipped world. Is his a good trade off? It depends on your outlook and opinion. There is no doubt technology can crash and burn, and there is no doubt that technology has simplified out lives. Hopefully we can stabilize it before something drastic happens and we are left moving at 1889 speed. Thus technology has made it a whole lot easier to do most things – and much easier to mess them up – a double-edged sword| Computer addiction  is a mental illness which causes the excessive use of  computers  to the extent that it interferes with daily life.Excessive use may explain problems in social interaction, mood, personality, work ethic, relationships, thought processes, or  sleep deprivati on. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not include a diagnosis for such a disease. The term ? computer addiction? originated long before the Internet. Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders.Contents  Ã‚  [hide]   * 1  Effects * 2  Origin of the term * 3  History * 4  See also * 5  References| ————————————————- [edit]Effects Excessive computer use may result in, or occur with: * Lack of social interaction. * Using the computer for pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress. * Feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it. * Spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer-related activities. Neglecting work, school, or family obligations. * Lying about the amount of time spent on computer activities. * Risking loss of career goals, educational objectives, and personal relationships. * Failing at repeated efforts to control computer use. * Never getting off the computer. A cause for many of the above-mentioned effects may be that computer games do not stimulate the release of neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of satisfaction and relaxation, such as oxytocin and endorphin, in the same way that real world activities do.

Personality Assessment Instruments Essay

Personality Assessment instruments are comprised of theories and techniques to measure an individual’s personality traits. The traditional psychoanalytical theories provide a framework for understanding negative behavior as well as concepts that predict future behavioral outcomes. Because of the possibility of predictive personality traits, career counselors and organizations have used personality assessment instruments to screen possible employers for qualification. In addition, personality assessment instrument have also been used to detect disordered personalities or other unresolved issues that cause negative behavior patterns in an individual. In this paper I will discuss three Personality Assessment Instruments widely used in measuring an individual’s personality; Myer-Briggs Type Indicator, Rorschach Inkblot Test and self help books. I will discuss the validity, comprehensiveness, applicability and cultural utility of these personality assessments in also examine the strengths and weaknesses of why some work and some do not. The strength and weaknesses of each personality assessment instrument is key in understanding which instrument is â€Å"appropriate† to use. Myer-Briggs Type Indicator Largely based on Carl Jung’s Theory of Personality, The Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was created by Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myer, during WWII to evaluate personality types to know where to place women entering the industrial workforce. The MBTI would assess women for jobs they were best qualified for. Seeing how successful the MBTI was in placing women in the workforce, today it is still used as an assessment instrument by career counselors and organizations for team building (McCaulley, 2000). The MBTI is a self-report, forced-choice questionnaire. The letters represent the respective personality types which have 16 unique possible outcomes. The test has about 100 questions with only two choices to pick from. MBTI divides an individual’s personality into four areas (McCaulley, 2000); 1. Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I) . Sensing (S) or intuition (N) 3. Thinking (T) or feeling (F) 4. Judging (J) or perceiving (P) This scale is an important factor in determining the dominant, auxiliary, tertiary and inferior behaviors of the individual (McCaulley, 2000). Each individual is measured by the four-letter type formula. Each group of letters reveals the dominant function of the individual and followed by the auxiliary. Each of the 16 combination of letters explains the person’s personality and what area they best function in. Rorschach Inkblot Test Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychiatrist, created ill-defined designs on paper using ink. After much trial and error, Rorschach settled on 10 inkblot cards used to show to patients and illicit a response. It was determined that different patients in a particular psychiatric group gave different responses. The test was created to understand the mind of an individual. During the assessment, the patient is shown a card and is expected to explain the thoughts that come to mind when analyzing the card (Cervone, 2010). The test-giver waits to see the type of response that comes from the patient. And the question of how the patient responds or perceives the inkblot determines the type of personality the patient may have. If the patient’s response matches the inkblot structure’s intended meaning, then the patient’s thoughts are geared towards their reality. If the patient’s response does not correspond with the inkblot then the patient is perceived to have a dysfunctional personality. Self-Help Books Widely popular, Self-help books are a great way for a person to understand psychological disorders and possible treatments. There are a variety of books written by scholars and psychologist who have done extensive work in their area of expertise. Many people who are skeptical about going to therapy choose self-help books as a way to self-administer treatment (Redding et. al, 2008). The problem people face when relying on these books for help is that there is no discussion to make sure that the person understands what they are reading. Also, the books cannot assess the person to see if they can help the person like the MBTI and Rorschach Inkblot do. There is no way to measure if the specific book can help the person. Personality Assessments: from Theory to Practice In this next section I will examine the validity, comprehensiveness, applicability and cultural utility. Throughout my research I have discovered that some critics have argued that each of these personality assessment instruments have weaknesses that do not support what it claims to produce. Others critics have shown the strengths’ in these widely used personality assessment to be applied in various cultures that have shown consistent scoring. Validity One of the most widely used personality assessment instruments is self-help books. They are easily accessible by most people seeking to resolve psychological issues. However, it is difficult to say if what the writer proposes to be a solution works effectively for the reader (Redding et. al. , 2008). The problem with the validity of self-help books is that not all are written by professional psychologist. Often people are faced with serious psychological disorders that they wish to resolve on their own as opposed to therapy (Redding et. l, 2008). Another issue with self-help books is that they do not test people to see if they have applied the information coming from the book to the area in their life where they face challenges nor can it pinpoint the exact disorder a person is dealing with. I would have to say that the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator holds the most validity out of the three personality assessment instruments and is the most favored. The MBTI has been tested and based on the 16 different possible personality types most people have fallen under one of the combinations. The MBTI follows the theory of personality traits by Carl Jung. Jung’s theory distinguishes two dichotomous pairs of cognitive behavior: extraversion and introversion (McCaulley, 2008). The MBTI has been shown to be successful in determining an individual’s personality that fits a specific career or in organizing groups for team building. On the other hand, when a person has been assessed using the Rorschach inkblot test, disordered personality can be revealed thru extensive testing. The validity of the Rorschach inkblot test as but argued that there is a bias in the testing because Hermann Rorschach’s training was in psychoanalytical theories. Another problem that arises with the Rorschach in examining its validity is the scoring of the test. Many of the scorers give a higher score to the test taker if their response matches those of previous scorers (Sendin, 2010). Comprehensiveness Self-help books focus on an areas in an individual’s life such as alcohol addictions, Attention Deficit Disorder, How to deal with a Break-Up. And while the books can be informative the theory behind the solution must be examined. Most self-help books are written in the opinion of the author writing the book. Some of these opinions may not be in accord with the reader’s background so it is difficult to say if the reader is able to comprehend what the author is conveying (Redding et. al, 2008). It also depends only what the reader is looking for. If the reader is open to alternative solutions as opposed to traditional one then the book will help but because a person is not tested on the self-help books they are reading it is hard to determine how comprehensive the book is. MBTI has 16 possible personality types that this world-wide instrument uses to address issues faced by individuals, groups and family counseling that are challenged with communication, career planning, learning and life -long development (McCaulley, 2000). When assessing an individual’s personality not only is this helpful in career counseling but also when determining why individuals or family members are having communication problems. Applicability Self-help books can be easy to understand. Some of the methods are broken down in simple steps that anyone can apply. However, if one wants to assess the type of personality that can handle a certain job the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator is more appropriate to use. This assessment instrument has been used by career counselors and employers to match individuals to specific studies or industries (McCaulley, 2008). I would not recommend using the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator when assessing an individual’s personality for disorders. The Rorschach Inkblot has been a successful instrument in examining the mind of a person (Cervone, 2010). However, the Rorschach inkblot was constructed according to Hermann Rorschach’s training in psychoanalytical theory. Cultural Utility Each culture is made of its own belief system and traditions. What applies in one culture may not necessarily apply in another. Some assessments can be used in most cultures and give the same results across the board. However, not all cultures will accept the theories behind the assessment. The issues that I have noticed in researching the MBTI and Rorschach Inkblot test is that in applying to different cultures there has been challenges faced by psychologist. For one, psychologists have not had extensive training in cultural diversity. Nor have they had training in language. Most ethnic low income groups have had poor health service in which there has been a misdiagnosis due to language barrier (Dana, 2000). Also to consider are groups who come from another country and have different views on the mental health system. For example, in administering the MBTI and Rorschach Inkblot test to Russian Jews challenges are faced because of their cultural belief. Russian Jews are highly suspicious of mental health professionals and find it difficult to believe that community health agencies do not have ties to the government (Dana, 200). As a result, they deny any mental health issues. The fear that exists with Russian Jews is because of the way they saw the Soviet Government force people to commit to a mental health institute (Dana, 2000). Consequently, self help books have been successful in reaching a mass audience because books have been published in various languages. Conclusion As you can see Personality Assessment Instruments have been very useful in helping to examine an individual’s personality for career choices, in team building and examining a disorder. However, specialist have has revealed their weaknesses and show that these instruments cannot be applied in any situation without further investigation. Each personality assessment instrument is unique with it’s own characters. In order to be able to better serve the mental health industry only a particular assessment can be used for a specific analysis.

Chinese Wedding Tradition Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A wedding day is considered as the most important and memorable event in one’s life because it is their way of affirming their love and intimacy in public. At that very moment, the couple makes sure that everything is perfectly planned, from proposal to reception. This is because the groom usually wants to offer the best to his bride. A wedding is also considered among many nations as a very sensitive event because all aspects of the wedding shall conform to their beliefs and traditions. The date and place of the wedding are also given considerable significance. Moreover, the wedding rites are meticulously carried out because everything used symbolizes something especially among Chinese.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Chinese tradition, the wedding is purposely to continue their clan and to strengthen the relationship of the two families. It is in the best interest of the parents and so they exert a great deal effort of finding good match for their son. The matching is made very carefully through rituals to ensure the absence of bad omens. Furthermore, a traditional Chinese wedding is interestingly coupled with complicated beliefs to ensure luck, joy, and happiness for the couple. Before the Wedding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The proposal in Chinese wedding is not made by the boy, instead, his parents find a girl that matches him. When the match has been found, the proposal and expression of the match is done through a â€Å"go- between† who would present a gift to the girl’s parents. If the proposal is received, the go- between will get the girl’s birth date and birth hour to be recorded in a formal document which will be placed in the altar of the boy’s family for three days (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). If within three days, no inauspicious omen occurred like trouble between the two families, the information is given to an astrological expert for confirmation of the match (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). When a favorable horoscope is found, the girl’s family will also do the same ritual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next process is the bethrodal where both parents exchange presents as a form of their intentions. During the bethodal, the parents would extensively bargain for the amount of money and goods as a gift to the girl’s family. Usually, the bethodal gifts includes, tea, dragon and phoenix bridal cakes, pairs of male and female poultry, wine, tobacco, and others (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The cake received by the bride is shared to family friends and relatives as a sign of the wedding announcement and invitation. In exchange, the girl’s family would offer foods and clothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the same day, the wedding date is set. It is important among Chinese that the wedding date is a lucky day. The date is chosen according to the lunar calendar when the moon and the stars are properly aligned with the guidance of an astrologist (983Weddings.com). Moreover, it has been a practice that the couple marry when the hands of the clocks are moving up instead of down because it is their belief that their married life would begin in an upswing manner (983Weddings.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before the wedding day, the bride is required to stay in seclusion together with her closest friends where she would be rendered a lamentation for her separation from her parents (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). Another preparation made is the installation of the new bridal bed by married men or women having many children. The night before the wedding day, the groom is required to sleep on the bed with an innocent young child to invite fertility. Wedding Day   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the very day of wedding, the bride takes a bath in water filled with pomelo and other varieties of grape fruit to cleanse her of evil influences (Chinese Weddings by the Knot). Her hair is combed by a married woman four times and each stroke symbolizes good luck, fertility, longevity, and happiness, respectively (Helium). Her hair is styled in a bun at the top of her head like that of a married woman. Moreover, her hair dress, made of either red silk veil or curtain of tassle or beads, is hanged from her Phoenix crown so that her face will be covered (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The brides wear a simple yet elegant red wedding dress and red shoes (Helium). The presence of a â€Å"good- luck woman† is also required during the bride’s preparation (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). After all the preparations, the bride bows to her parents and to the ancestral table then waits for the bridal procession (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the groom wears a long gown, a red silk sash with a silk ball on his shoulder together with red shoes, (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). As he kneels before the altar, his father places the cap, which is garnished with cypress leaves, on his head (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). Before the groom goes on a bridal procession, he is required to kneel before the tablets of Heaven and Earth and his ancestors then to his parents and relatives (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Noticeably, the color used for wedding dress, invitations, and envelopes is red. For the Chinese, red stands for luck, joy, happiness, and courage. On the red wedding invitations and decorations, the symbol of double happiness is placed on them to represent a wish of happiness to the newly wed (Fong & Chuang, 2003, p.138).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the preparation, the groom leads the bridal procession to pick up his bride. The procession is accompanied by the noise of firecrackers, loud gongs and drums (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The groom is also accompanied by a child to symbolize his future sons (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The wedding ceremony itself is simpler than the preparation. The couple is led to the altar to pray to the Heaven and Earth, to family ancestors, and to the Kitchen god, Tsao- Chun (Hudson Valley Weddings). Afterwards, a tea with lotus seeds is offered by the couple to the grooms parents (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The marriage ceremony is completed when the couple bows at each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The wedding feast is prepared by the bride’s family separate from that of the groom’s family. On each feasts, the men sits separately from women. Then bride and the groom are presented with the two goblets of honey and wine tied together with red ribbon (Kingma, 2003, p. 166). They partake in these two drinks to represent that they have come together in marriage in love and in courage. After the Wedding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the day after the wedding, the bride is required to wake up at dawn to honor their ancestors and bow before the groom’s relatives as she receives gifts from them. That is the only day when the bride is formally introduced to the grooms family and relatives. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It can be considered that the trditional Chinese wedding is the most complicated and meticulous yet most elegant wedding there is. It can also be said that since the wedding has the longest preparation, the parents of both partners may plan for it while the future couple are still young. Moreover, the wedding ceremony itself is given utmost importance as it is enriched by beliefs to ensure good things for the couple and for their family. Works Cited â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions.† 2008. Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"A Guide to Chinese Wedding Customs.† 2008. Helium. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions.† 2008. Hudson Valley Weddings. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions- Marriage Customs.† 983 Weddings.com. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Fong, Mary & Chuang, Rueyling. Communicating Ethnic and Cultural Identity. Rowman &   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Littlefield, 2003. Kingma, Daphne R. Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary & Traditional Ceremonies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   for an Unforgettable Wedding. Red Wheel, 2003. â€Å"Wedding Style: How to Make Your Wedding Unique.† 2008. Chinese Weddings by the Knot. 4 June 2008 .

Globalization and culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization and culture - Research Paper Example Anglo-American producers still comprise an absolute majority in the field of TV and film-making. In comparison with European and Asian countries, US fashion, media trends and cultural patterns dominate in international communications. â€Å"Syn-fin† rules and deregulation policies of 1980th – 1990th promoted quick growth and strengthening of national media market. Merge of CBS Corporation and Viacom in 2004 was the result long-term favorable atmosphere on the US domestic market. Newly created media giant owns a wide range of services such as television broadcast networks and stations, radio, film and TV production, publishing, news etc. Media globalization results into misbalance of international communications flows, because, for example, Turkish or Danish television viewers subject to Americanization. Although they come across cross-cultural variety and partial glocalization on MTV, MTV2, the majority of foreign songs and clips bear Anglo-American patterns. Such a large media conglomerates as Viacom monopolize international market and hinder activity of smaller national companies. English still remains a dominant international language, but Showtime en Espanol, MTV Spain, MTV Brazil/Latin America, Spanish-speaking broadcasting network and other projects approve redirection of Viacom media infrastructure towards preferences of multinational audience. Hispanic population is steadily growing in the USA and other countries and their culture (music, dancing, festivals) also is a source of revenue for the media giant. Thus, Viacom appeals to its consumers through variety of provided services and glocalization. The 1996 Telecommunications Act broadened rights and terms of simultaneous ownership for different kinds of media, i.e. local TV stations, radio stations. Both abovementioned companies advantageously supplement each other. CBS news serve as basic instrument of Viacom products and programs propagation. For

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Global Warming - Essay Example Policy adoption and implementation can help contain manmade global warming. Climate change is caused by the forces of nature. Man has little or no influence on natural climate change, and they occur from time to time as the world readjusts to the forces. Leading causes of natural climate change include volcanicity and change in the energy of the sun reaching the earth. When volcanicity occurs, magma, ash, and other toxic gases are thrown into the atmosphere. The temperature rises to extreme levels due to the sweltering magma being ejected. The volcanic activities produce highly lethal gases such as Sulphur and methane. These gases become trapped in the air thus increase the temperature of the earth. The ash clouds the air and catches lots of heat. The volcanic ash and gases reflect back the sun’s rays trapping much temperature that causes global warming (Victor, 2011). Another cause of natural climate change is the change in the intensity of the sun reaching the earth. During the ice age, the sun was very instrumental in converting the mass of solid water into liquid water. The sun’s rays were weak, and water froze to ice. When the sunshine level increased, the earth became hotter, and more water liquefied, the liquid water collects to form lakes and oceans thus the land that had been buried resurfaced. Man’s activities that contribute to change in the climate include the release of greenhouse gases and clearing of vegetation such as trees. Plants play an enormous role in maintaining the worlds temperature. Plants use the carbon dioxide in the air and convert it into stored energy. When plant absorbs carbon dioxide, they release oxygen. The oxygen the combines with hydrogen to form water that precipitates as rain. Cutting down plants destabilizes the balance by increasing the level of carbon dioxide. The excess carbon dioxide becomes trapped in the air. Trapped carbon dioxide creates an insulation for

Reflective report on business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflective report on business - Essay Example The basic objectives of a task have been highlighted below: To critically evaluate the website of the client and to compare the outlook of its website with other websites that introduces the similar features like Birmingham and Leeds. How can the website be improved and what changes might it require? To conduct a market research and to find out the target audience of the current website. To evaluate the website using 10 usability criteria. Jobs Assigned There were 11 group members involved in the project that were assigned with different tasks to help completing the project on desired time. Following are the names of group members and their tasks which were assigned to each individual: Khurram was provided with the opportunity to describe the project plan and project scope related to the improvements in the website of Salford City Council. The project plan includes describing milestones of the project, its goals and deliverables. The work also includes making up of Gantt chart. Nadia and Ruby were provided a mutual task in which they had to develop 15 questionnaires for the survey and found the target audience of the website as described by our client Ruth. ... Case studies template was designed by me. Ozon and Marios described in their part of how Salford City Council can design mobile application in their website. The Aim of this Report The aim of the particular report is to describe the driving force of the group in conducting the particular research for the term project. This report helps in understanding how the project was performed since the very beginning and how did the team coordinated in achieving the desired results. Theories McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory has been applied to increase the motivation amongst group members. The theory helps to identify the nature of every group members to which they are motivated. If a person is praised in a group meeting for his good performance but it not made any impression on the person but rather it made him feel bad. The idea behind this theory is that, every person has different personalities and managing every person is never easy (Jelencic 2010). If a person is managing a tea m, it is essential to know what motivates an individual group member that is how a person can be motivated effectively. The theory helps a leader in identifying the motivational driver for the group member. Similarly, the group leader used to assign suitable tasks according to our own taste and if a person would never want to stand out in a crowd, then a person is appreciated in private. The second theory relates with the Tuckman’s theory which was introduced by Bruce Tuckman in 1960’s. According to the theory there are five stages in developing a group. The stage one of the group has successfully been applied in our group which focuses upon making small groups between people that have good understanding amongst themselves (Anyanwu 2009). This

School Uniforms A Necessity or Just Another Extreme Policy Essay

School Uniforms A Necessity or Just Another Extreme Policy - Essay Example Though some might disregard it as trivial, yet the reality of the matter is that this very issue decides the basic foundation of our society and its regimentation. The issue that this paper would seek to analyze would be that of school uniforms; are they actually a necessity or just another ploy to keep the society in check. Whether it is in fact actually a matter of extremity of regulatory behavior or something that can hold the society fundamentals in place. School uniforms as we all are aware are common to many nations across the globe; used mostly in the primary and secondary schools. While the most widely recognized are those which are worn by students at schools, other types can be occupations such as nursing etc. If one was to examine the dress code itself, the normal pattern has been that of wearing clothes of more passive nature. In the United States, the scenario is such that though many schools do not have uniforms per see, they do have regulated dress code. The dress code limits the amount of skin that can be exposed. The limitations can be found for such garments that either have holes in them, or are obscene, gang-related or even unsafe in certain cases.( Millikan) However, certain elements of what this standardization has to be analyzed and studied before deciding the fate of these uniforms. As this paper would go on to prove, the requirement of today is the existence of these uniforms. The society of today has been considerable weakened by negative influences and such uniforms are required in order to hold together the foundations of our society. In the private schools such as the Catholic ones uniforms can be found as a common aspect.( Millikan) The above details highlight the fact that though there are none of the stringent uniform codes, schools still sticks to certain standards. The reasons behind are due to the government's requirements to create such a society in which acts of violence, obscenity are controlled. The American society is a society which strongly believes in the rights of its citizens ,at the same time, these rights are regimented within certain boundaries and by instilling these values form the primarily level, the governments hope achieve to goal. (The Star online,2008) The above paper has merely examined the sort of practices that prevail regarding the use of uniforms and the variations that can occur due to the type of control and interest that is exhibited by the government. Now, regarding the question of how efficient a role these school actually play as a tool of necessity or a weapon to subdue the masses from the foundation; a study which was published by David Brunsma and Kerry Rockemore states: "The findings indicate that school uniforms have no direct effect on substance use, behavioral problems or attitudes". (Brunsma & Rockemore 1998) This paper will go on to prove contrary to the above findings that school unifo

Hip Hop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hip Hop - Essay Example These men were the rebels of the day. But as hip hop has become more popular, its stars have become brands and multimillionaires too. They do not commit crimes because it would reduce their brand value. Instead, like Michael Corleone, they try to become legitimate businessmen. In the process, they sell their music as entertainment. They become the fat cats and authority figures that they once railed against. In early times they would talk about how hard their lives were and how impoverishing the ghetto was—but now they told such stories from their Manhattan penthouses. This tension causes a real problem for hip hop. The answer to the above question must be â€Å"no.† With commercialization, hip hop has lost much of its authenticity. It is no longer a product of the street, but is instead a product of the businesses and record people who sell it at Walmart. Record labels can try to fabricate and market street cred, but that does not make it authentic (Watkins, 2). Authen tic hip hop still exists in clubs and among the undiscovered, but it has lost something over the years. It is no longer as real as it once was. What does the transformation of the â€Å"hood† from an inner city location to a consciousness allow artists like Jay-Z to do? Through his music, Jay-Z is capable of transforming a physical location or state of poverty into something much more inspiring.

Company Profile- Ted Baker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Company Profile- Ted Baker - Essay Example But through them it has continued the journey of its prosperity and advancement. The company has opened many outlets worldwide; also it has jumped into the online shopping market. The Ted Baker Company used high quality materials and techniques in their production. It is one of the chief reasons of its prosperity (Ellen, 2007, p. 281). In this study we will discuss deeply the company profile of the Ted Baker Company. The history of the company, its products details, marketing and advertisement strategies, recent development, competitors and customers will be the main topics of discussion. In this way we will be able to understand the growth and the impact of the market values on the development of the company. It is important to note that the Ted Baker Company has only completed two decades since its appearance in the market. The founder of the Ted Baker Company is the passionate and the capable business man Ray Kelvin. Kelvin belonged to the long line of fashion retailers. In his childhood he worked in the garment shop of his uncle and after that he developed the idea of a long chain fashion store in his peak years. The aspect which greatly contributed towards the success of his idea and the acceptance of the company among the customers is the fine taste of Ray Kelvin. He had the ability to capture the needs and tastes of the buyers. He was also awarded a CBE for his extraordinary services to the industry of fashion and clothing. He used his greater sense of marketing techniques to capture the attention of the customers. The journey of the Ted Baker Company started in the year 1988 when the company opened its first store at the Glasgow. The progress was then followed by the opening of three more stores. The places were Nottingham Exchange Arcade, Manchester and King Street. The promotional strategy was that they offered dry cleaning services with every shirt they sold. At that time the chief product was men’s dress shirt (Ellen, 2007,

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century Essay

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century - Essay Example In the United States, trade deficits with China have soared as American products are unable to compete with the less expensive Chinese imports. American agricultural exports of corn, soybeans, and wheat reach markets all around the globe as vegetables from Chile and Mexico fill our supermarket shelves. Trade is everywhere and world trade seems to be a chaotic mix of goods and money, commodities and cash. However, world trade, administered under regional trade agreements and the World Trade Organization, are actually rather well-orchestrated transactions with rules, agreements, quotas, and regional trade organizations. A central component of the agreements on international trade is the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is the "only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations" (What is the WTO?). The WTO was established in 1995 as a successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The GATT evolved as an international forum for establishing fair trade guidelines, negotiating agreements, and settling trade disputes. The biggest accomplishment of the international forum is that it has "dramatically lowered both tariff and non-tariff barriers around the world, creating freer trade and contributing to postwar world growth" (Democratizing the World Trade Organization). In addition, the WTO has addressed the issues of quotas and subsidies that give nations an unfair advantage on the world market. The 153 members of the WTO have agreed to non-discrimination in regards to tariff levels among the member nations, and have agreed to treat them all equa lly. The WTO is simply an organization that works to liberalize trade and reduces the barriers to international commerce. The vast amount of world trade is conducted under the WTO and is regulated by a set of agreed-upon principles. All members agree to treat all other members equally.

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Introduction Social class typically refers to an individual’s position in an established hierarchy in a particular society. Classifications of people have been established in all societies since the dawn of civilization. The hierarchy may be based on wealth, ability, education, occupation, even geographical location. Historically, social class pertains to groupings to refer to occupation or role, i.e. landlord or tenant. Each grouping is accompanied by privileges and responsibilities, with varying levels of control and power within the society.   It also generally carries some type of class identity, so while it applies to individuals, it is not merely a personal characteristic, but exists within a certain context that applies to groups of people. This shared identity is affected by attitudes and lifestyle of its members, and thus establishes a â€Å"culture† or a set of values and practices. (â€Å"Social class†)   The purpose of this paper is to consider current research   that deal with the degree of correlation, if any, between social class and educational attainment in the United States. Review of Literature Education is considered the most widely used aspect that determines social position together with occupational status and income, but none of these factors are pure concepts to be taken in isolation. They are each affected by other social factors such as race and ethnicity.   Educational attainment directly affects social status in the sense that it provides credentials and access to economic benefits as well as establishes social networks.   In the period between 1940 and 1980, the number of persons to have completed higher education has increased to 68.6% of the total US population according to census data. (MacArthur and MacArthur â€Å"Measurement approaches†) The role of education in achieving social status is an important one, and attempts to study the variables that directly affect educational outcomes usually focus on parental education and occupation as well as race, gender and cognitive ability. A study of 1,927 subjects focused on the effect of self-esteem and locus of control (nature of environmental control) on educational outcomes of children net of these other factors. It was found self-esteem and locus of control affect educational outcomes independent of each other and of other variables. (Wang, Kick, Fraser and Burns 288-289) While some people are born into a class, such as royalty, most develop social mobility through shifts in education, occupation or income. There are no tangible measurements to establish social class, but it may be inferred from general guidelines based on achievements. Of the indicators of social status, education is considered the simplest and most universal, although it is limited generally up to early adulthood, when educational activity typically ends. Social class may have significant effects on educational attainment mostly because social class is typically associated with economic capacity. Wealth has a substantial impact on education because it provides access to resources that may not be available to one of lower economic means. Other characteristics of social class include levels of self esteem and locus of control, which also has significant effects on educational outcomes and occupational choice. (â€Å"Social class†) Rouse and Barrow state that students from lower socioeconomic families tend to attain less in education because they have greater psychological costs and less access to good schools that those from families with higher incomes (99). Since higher education attainment translates to occupations with higher earning potential, the long-term effect of this trend is to propagate a cyclical pattern of disadvantaged families producing low-earning progeny who will in turn raise a disadvantaged family. Attempts to break this cycle through programs like the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† has met with small success. Many studies conclude that smaller class sizes are the most effective way to improve student achievement. The importance of social class in influencing a person’s life prospects is investigated in the US. The goal of providing equal opportunity for all Americans in achieving success in life solely through their own efforts and skills regardless of social class is as yet not completely in place. Social class still has a great influence on an individual’s chance in leading a productive existence despite efforts to level the playing field. The tendency for parents, even in an open and fair democracy, to extend the advantages which they have to further the interests of their children prevails, resulting in a greater access to opportunities and resources. This is especially true of people from the higher socioeconomic class in the United States. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Data from following the progress of 20,000 eight graders from 1988 to 1994 from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 provided a wealth of information about the educational experiences of the subjects. The subjects were divided in four groups based on their socioeconomic status, the first group (Group 1) being the most advantaged and the fourth group (Group 4) the most disadvantaged. Results showed that the average test scores of children from Group 1 were higher that those from Group 4. Group 4 children were more likely to be held back and to drop out of high school than those in Group 1. The results also suggest that parental abilities, which may be hereditary, may account for the economic status of the family, and should also be considered as an influence on educational attainment. (Rouse and Barrow 100-102) A study by Gordon Dahl and Lance Lochner focused on the effect of higher income on academic performance. They found for every $ 1,000 increase in income for a family with two children, math and reading scores also increased up to 5%. (Rouse and Barrow 104) The correlation between fathers and sons in the US with regards to income and occupations is very strong, to a degree of 0.4, which means that there is a significant probability that an adult son will approximate the income of the father, and sons of white collar workers has double the probability than sons of blue collar workers to become a white collar worker. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html#chart2#chart2 Recent trends suggest that the attainment of higher education has begun to change this pattern of occupational mimicry. This is fueled by the economic boom in the US which has unfortunately slowed down, and the trend of an upwardly mobile labor force has slowed down with it. Overall, upward mobility composition is that of growing individual opportunity (college education) and a lackluster economy. Social class in no longer the force it had been before, which will benefit people from the lower socioeconomic brackets. For those in the upper social strata, the emphasis on individual ability and skills and the decline of social class importance will likely result in a drop in social status. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"The Offsetting Effect of Economic Growth†) One considerable portion of the US population which may benefit from this decline in insular social classification is second-generation Americans, or those who were born in the US of immigrant parents. Nearly one-fourth of young Americans are second-generation immigrants and most are found in the cities like Los Angeles. Recent migration trends in the US have transformed the social character of American society to a marked degree. The long-term effects of these patterns are most evident in the educational attainment profile of the population. On average, these second generation population, especially those of Asian ethnic origin, exhibit better academic performance than native-born Americans. As an illustration, 32% of all Asian high school graduates who applied for slots in the University of California was accepted, as compared to 16% eligible native-born American, and 7% of Latino-descended applicants. (Feliciano) Feliciano accounts for these disparities by considering two explanations: cultural values, belief systems and attitude differences, i.e. children of Asian families tend to be more successful because of the high currency placed on academic achievement; and structural differences, i.e. accessibility of opportunities and resources. Immigrant social class status may be different before and after migration to the US, which could explain why some groups are more successful at overcoming barriers to educational attainment such as poverty and low socioeconomic status than others. To investigate this theory, relevant pre-migration information on educational levels in 31 immigrant groups was determined by cross-referencing census data in the US and the home country of the immigrant group from 1997 to 2001, using the Net Difference Index. The subjects were second-generation Americans ages 20-40 with at least some college education. Results show that immigrants to the US tended to have attained higher educational levels than those who stayed in the home country, especially those who come from countries remote from the US, such as Asian countries. (Feliciano â€Å"Methodology†) In considering the correlation of pre-migration class status with second-generation educational attainment, a strong positive relationship was revealed.   Regardless to their social status in the US, children of highly-educated immigrants demonstrated the highest educational attainment rates. While pre-migration class status had a significant effect on second-generation educational attainment, economic security in the US as a factor accounted for 41% of the variability. In effect, to accurately account for ethnic variability in academic success among second-generation Americans, social status of the parents before and after migration should be considered. Such cross-referencing adequately explains 60% of the disparity in educational attainment observed in this population segment. (Feliciano â€Å"Pre-Migration Origins and Second Generation Outcomes†) Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social class is a nebulous concept that dictates the individual’s eventual role in society to a great extent. Educational attainment depends in a significant way on social class because of the socioeconomic factors that influence is such as income, occupation and family values are all related to social class. Individuals from the higher social class are more likely to have parents who possess high cognitive ability, more self-esteem, more money and better access to resources that would enable the attainment of higher education such as college. Second-generation Americans with immigrant parents who have lower social status in the US but higher social status in the home country are more likely as well to complete a college education. However, public policies and other programs aimed at providing higher education access to individuals from lower social classes could help to break the like father-like son trend in educational attainment and occupational choice and facilitate an upwardly mobile majority. References â€Å"Social class.† Encyclopedia of Public Health. 2007. 15 March 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/class-structure Feliciano, Cynthia. â€Å"Another way to assess the second generation: look at the parents.† Migration Information Source. 1 May 2006. 15 March 2007. http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=396 MacArthur, John D. and MacArthur, Catherine T. â€Å"Educational Status.† UCSF. 8 August 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Social%20Environment/notebook/education.html Mani, Anandi and Mullin, Charles H. â€Å"Choosing the right pond: social approval and occupational choice.† Williams College. October 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.williams.edu/Economics/mani/manimullin.pdf McMurrer, Daniel P. and Sawhill, Isabel V. â€Å"The declining importance of class.† Urban Institute. Number 4 in Series, Opportunity in America 01 April 1997. 15 March 2007. http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html Rouse, Cecilia Elena and Barrow, Lisa. â€Å"U.S. elementary and secondary schools: equalizing opportunity or replicating the status quo?† The Future of Children 16.2 (2006) 15 March 2007. http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/06_5563_Rouse-Barrow.pdf Wang, Li-Ya, Kick, Edward, Fraser, James, and Burns, Thomas Jerome. â€Å"Status attainment in America: the roles of locus of control and self-esteem in educational and occupational outcomes.† The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2007) 15 March 2007. http://www.unc.edu/~fraser18/publications/Locus_of_Control_SelfEsteem_%20and_Status_Attainment.pdf