Friedrich Nietzsche’s “God is Dead” Essay

It is a bright sunny morning with the students rushing to go to their classrooms. Inside the Philosophy classroom of Mrs. Beckham, college students are starting to stack their books out of their bags and on to their table. Mrs. Beckham arrives and without saying anything, writes on the board in big bold letters â€Å"God is Dead. † Everybody fell silent and remembered the research task assigned to them two weeks ago. Mrs. Beckham: (sits down on her chair) God is Dead. Of course, Catholics and believers consider God to be dead as He no longer exists on Earth. Several stories have their own representations of how God died a long time ago through crucifixion. All of us have seen that. Do you think God is dead? A student raises his hand from the back of the room†¦ Mrs. Beckham: (points towards the said direction) Any thoughts worthy of the class’s attention, Ms. Fuller? Andrea Fuller: I believe the phrase written on the board is from a well-known German philosopher who introduced great ideas into the 19th century (Baird 2006). He is well known for several works and is referred to as Friedrich Nietzsche. Mrs. Beckham: Indeed, you are right, Andrea. This gives insights with regard to the background of the quote and from whom this is taken from. I wanted to hear your thoughts regarding the death of God from your personal point of view and another one in consideration of how it is perceived by Nietzsche. Another student is acknowledged by Mrs. Beckham, one sitting right in front of her†¦ George Riley: For me, God remains to exist even in our fast-paced time. He has proven himself to be present in the different corners of the globe as exemplified by the establishment of churches in each of the smallest unit of territory that could be distinguished for a country. Likewise, technology and science made its corresponding contribution that enables the churches to be more accessible to the people. This serves as a constant reminder and incessantly strengthens the belief of the people that God remains to exist today. As for what Nietzsche stated, God is dead and the people are the murderers. It is a statement that really has the tendency to provoke reactions from people (Zizek 2006). There is indeed a time wherein people have made several commentaries and this statement even enjoyed comparable attention during the time when it is sensationalized through different mediums (Zizek 2006). To a certain extent, it can be seen that the reaction earned from the people considers the topic of whether God is alive or dead to be a concern for a significant number of people. Mrs. Beckham: That is quite an interesting thought. But I still believe that God today has died. There are more things that are not seen than simply the establishment of churches and the access to such. Andrea Fuller: (reads from her book and scans the pages) Indeed, in the few last quotes from Nietzsche, Kaufmann (1974) cites the statement that â€Å"What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God? † (97). God has died a long time ago within the hearts of people. In the heart of each and every person is where God exists. Not physically for His biological death occurred a long time ago. In spirit, it is where God could remain in the hearts of the people but with the sins and crimes that are committed, God slowly died and vanished. It is all attributed to the thoughts and deeds of the people through time. Michael Dutton: So can we refer to Nietzsche as a member of the movement that is directed towards bringing about an antichrist movement? Seemingly, the arguments are leading towards the fact that Nietzsche proposed that God no longer exists, He is no longer alive, and that the people are left on their own. Anne Morris: As it is seen that this statement could easily provoke a sense of uncertainty and doubts with regard to the existence of God. In fact, in Europe, the impact of such is considered by many to have brought about a wider set of horizon for the people especially with the nonexistence of a Supreme Being that oversees everything (O’Flaherty & Doniger 1995). I quote O’Flaherty & Doniger (1995) in this book that states â€Å"for the demythologized, Nietzsche was right and Plato was wrong; when the gods died, they left behind an empty myth, a play in search of characters, a Hamlet without Hamlet† (160). With the death of God, there is seen to be an uncertainty of some sort. The important element that exists in a particular portrait, for example the subject, is missing and that the background is the only one left. That is what I understand from what is given in the previous statement. God has died a long time ago with the confusion and ignorance of people about the things that keep Him alive. Nietzsche has only emphasized this but there is a space left which could say that he may be simply describing the picture he is seeing. John Grahm: Indeed, we could consider that impact that it has over the European society where during the time when Nietzsche launched the idea, Skirbekk and Gilje (2001) proposed that â€Å"the belief in the Christian God has become unworthy of belief† (354). This represents that the statements of Nietzsche has led to the destruction, in part, of the belief that is bestowed upon the existence of Christ. Nietzsche, in making this assertion, can not be condemned as an anti-Christ per se. This is because of the fact that the context upon which the statement is made also deserves attention. He is trying to propose another thought and this is seen to be more important. Mrs. Beckham: What is this thought, then? John Grahm: That God continued to exist even after his physical death placed upon Him by people. Where we are not contented with this, we have even let him die in spirit and in thoughts. We have lost the meaning and the belief of having a God. It is the people who are to blame and this requires reclamation of our beliefs. However, this is not happening right now and Nietzsche only wanted to provoke the emotions of people and catch their attention. Mrs. Beckham: (stands up and starts to erase the phrase in the blackboard) We had a pretty much good discussion and debate that shared the ideas and research that you have done for this assignment. We have seen both the importance of critically assessing the arguments of other people and making a response thereto based on the facts we have gathered from different sources. Just the same as Nietzsche has provoked the thoughts of others in his statement, you also made your own share and provoked other people to take part in this discussion; something that is definitely helpful for us. As for me, God remain to be alive. Despite his death, there are still people, I believe, who would continuously give Him honor and carry his life within them. It is all up to us whether we would let God die in our hearts or not. References Baird, R. M. (2006) â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche† Microsoft ® Student 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation [1 November 2008]. Kaufmann, W. A. (1974) Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist, 4th Ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. O’Flagerty, W. & Doniger, W. (1995) Other Peoples’ Myths: The Cave of Echoes. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Skirbekk, G. & Gilje, N. (2001) History of Western Thought: From Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century. London: Routledge. Zizek, S. (2006) The Parallax View. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Research paper Essay

Research topic Increase In tourism In Samoa Introduction Samoa has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in the Pacific Islands due to its natural beauty. Positively, the tourism industry has been beneficial for Samoa economically but it also has its disadvantages which affects the environment and our culture. This research will aim to identify and describe three impacts as a result of the Increase in tourism In Samoa. It will further discuss the measures that have been taken to address these Issues as well as the consequences. The Information collected for this research will be used as supporting references to my answers which were composed from an interview with the management of Le Lagoto Resort, a report from the Central Bank of Samoa and the use of internet sources relevant to this research. Impact of the increase in tourism to the environment Samoa is well known as a tourist destination for its natural and undisrupted environment which attracts people overseas resulting in an increase of tourist arrivals. The promotion of our country is advantageous but at the same time it has negatively Impacted our environment through air and sea pollution. For example, a tourist to travel to Samoa requires travelling on an airplane and travel to Savaii earns transportation by boat. Due to transportation needs to get to a destination these transportation methods are required. Therefore, the more flights travelling to Samoa will mean air pollution which contributes negatively to global warming. On the other hand, the ferry that travels between Savaii and Upolu Island operating six times a day contributes to sea pollution which affects our marine life which most locals depend on for food and as a source of income. Furthermore, car rental companies holiday. This increase in vehicle use also contributes to air pollution but also results n damaging our road infrastructure. An increase in tourism results in a high demand for resorts to build more rooms to accommodate guests. Locally owned beach falls are built using local timber from our natural resources or cutting down trees which in effect diminish bird and wild life creatures such as bats. Moreover, cutting down these trees for infrastructural use also results in soil erosion which removes minerals in the soil required for vegetation growth. Impact of the increase in tourism to our social & cultural values Tourist arrivals to Samoa consists different people travelling from overseas such as New Zealand and Australia, Just to name a few. These people have their own culture, values and a different way of life compared to our Samoan culture in which the â€Å"infusion of tourist and locals can disrupt local traditions and cultures†2. For instance, the Siva Samoa or traditional dance has for some time now been incorporated together with other actions influenced by famous international moves that we see on the television. Also, we lose some of our cultural values when associated with â€Å"plagues† or Europeans as we get caught up or interested in their culture especially the influence in clothing is very obvious. On the other hand, social relationships are formed between locals and tourists when they interact. However, in extreme cases where sexual interaction occurs between a tourist and a local, it may lead to diseases such as HIV Aids which is very common nowadays. Furthermore, tourists travelling individually may encourage local women into prostitution by offering them money for sexual favors which is demeaning and unacceptable in the Samoan community. Impact of the increase in tourism to Samoa’s economy Tourism has become one of Samoa’s main revenue earners with still 95% of our tourist industry locally owned. Samoa saw an increase in tourism earnings for the month of March according to the latest Tourism and Remittances Report from the Central Bank of Samoa which shows that tourist arrivals were Just over 9,000, a 25 percent increase from the previous month. 3 The higher arrivals in the month under review reflected increases in all the main source markets, particularly, Australia and New Zealand, though there was a drop in travelers from the United States. It was also noted that ‘Samoa hosted several regional conferences and workshops during March and total tourism revenues rose 22 percent to 23. million tala; 7 percent higher than the same time last year’. 4 â€Å"Increase in tourism helps create employment for a large number of unqualified workers from the traditional sectors in the developing countries†5 such as Samoa. This statement is a fact as according to the interview I conducted with Gabriella of Le lagoto Resort. During their busy season they hire more employ ees which are mainly from the neighboring villages of and with the majority having low level of qualifications and minimum skills in the industry which leads to customer dissatisfaction and complaints. This result in tourist’s not returning back to Samoa which reduces the number of tourist arrivals. However, having employment offered to the local community has contributed in them earning an income to support their families’ livelihoods. Secondly, it has also generated income for the people managing tourist attraction sights which are locally owned. For example, the Swimming with the turtle’s attraction is owned and those who want to swim and see the turtles. Moreover, due to the increase in tourists there is also an increase in demand from resorts for supplies of local vegetables and rusts to meet their guest’s dinning needs. According to the interview, it was stated that Le purchases their produce mainly from the villagers with plantations instead of buying supplies from the main island to provide an income, as most locals are not employed due to the lack of business and industrial Jobs within the area. MEASUREMENTS In regards to maintaining a clean environment in Samoa, the Samoa Tourism Authority has implemented the Samoa Beautification scheme. This measurement is aimed at improving the cleanliness of Samoa and its environment which is an attraction to people from overseas. Generally, the Samoa Tourism Authority awards the villages with the most outstanding cleanliness which is an incentive for the village community. In addition, other policies have been taken to address other environmental issues, such as the village communities marking or preserving certain areas for marine conversation which is seen along villages along the coast of Savaii. Moreover, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has also restricted certain forest areas for cutting down trees in order to maintain habitats for species. Other measures include restrictions by village communities such as preventing rubbish rom being dumped in our oceans and burning rubbish in open areas which causes pollutions. Furthermore, the Samoa Tourism Authority has helped in addressing training requirements for the tourism industry sector in order to improve skills and knowledge in the hospitality trade. For example, APTC has offered assistance to most industry employees for customer service, and chef trainings. Other trainings include bringing in specialists in the tourism industry from overseas to provide further knowledge on how to maintain the standard of tourism in Samoa. These trainings and conferences have made it possible for locals to obtain further knowledge and specific skills that benefit the tourism industry of Samoa. Moreover, our culture and people also promotes Samoa, it is obvious that our cultural heritage is preserved through different ways. For example, our Siva Samoa or Samoan cultural performances are show cased by resorts and hotels during their flavor nights. In addition, activities such as showing tourists how to husk a coconut, how to make a usu, how to weave mats promotes the Samoan way of life. In my opinion concerning the environment, I think that planning is necessary to address environmental issues as this will help preserve our natural resources. For erosion and depletion of our wild life creatures can be addressed through enforcing laws by mates or high chiefs in the village. Air and sea pollution can also be reduced if tourist arrivals decrease as this means less flights operating. In relation to social and cultural issues affected by the increase of tourism, some measures should be undertaken to prevent tourists from performing unacceptable acts or behavior while in Samoa. For example, if we look at countries in Asia, tourists are the main customers for prostitution centers; although it is legal in these countries it still does not portray a good image of this country. However, these types of acts will certainly not be accepted in Samoa, a country with strong values and good morals in which we hope to maintain in the future. In regards to employees with low qualifications and no skills in the industry, Gabriella stated that they address this issue through on the Job training by our assistant manager. Another method used to address this problem has been implemented by the Samoa Tourism Authority through their industry training delivered in the workplace programs. This includes the Signature Cocktail and Bartender Competition to be held during Teuila Festival which will help improve bartenders services for hose employed at resorts and hotels.

Family Tradition

Elizabeth Ashleigh Petersen Mrs. Perniciaro English 1101 MW March 15, 2010 Family Tradition I always know it is Thanksgiving morning when I awake to the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven and the cinnamon apple spice tea brewing on the stove. The rest of the morning is spent helpingmy mom and grandmother cooking in our large open kitchen. Every year for as long as I can remember, my grandmother uses my Nana’s recipies when cooking the thick butter garlic mashed potatoes, homemade sweet red cranberry sauce, and the rich creamy dark gravy. On the other hand, my mom and I always cook the french green beans, sausage and bread stuffing, and also our homemade pumpkin pie together. While the women spend most of the early afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready, the men normally gather in the living room and watch sports or play a board game on the coffee table. It is a rule in our house that no man is allowed in the kitchen while we are cooking unless he is coming to help with dishes; otherwise the men eat all the food as it is being prepared. Thanksgiving is a day where my entire family can get together and enjoy excellentfood as well as each other’s company. My father who lives in the beautiful Birmingham, Alabama drives down every year the day before Thanksgiving and stays with us throughout the weekend. He always brings the finest fresh sweet tea and homemade peach cobbler you can find in Alabama which are essential to our Thanksgiving meal. However, my maternal grandparents drive down from Memphis, Tennessee and bring along with them a small present for each of the kids; which include my two brothers, Johnathan and Harrison, and my sister Alise. Even though this is a day for my family to spend time together, we have always welcomed anyone without a place to go or family to be with to spend it with us as well. Some of the past years we have had neighbors join us and also friends of the children. As I’ve already stated, this day is very important and special to me and every member of my family. Although we each lead our own chaoticand busy lives, we will always make time for each other especially for holidays. Thanksgiving in our home promotes a sense of togetherness and thankfulness, while also incorporating homemade food. We have specific recipies and certain important family traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next and so on. Even though we do some of the same things each Thanksgiving, I cannot help but feel excitement for every year thereafter.

Motivational Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Motivational Theories - Essay Example The X and Y theory The theory X and theory Y formulated by Douglas Mc Gregor in the year 1960 positions previous negative perceptions about employees (Theory X) against a positive outlook towards employees and mindset of individuals (Theory Y) eg: Theory X- People inherently dislike work. Theory Y - People view work as being as natural as play and rest. Motivator- Hygiene factors theory : The hygiene factors theory by Frederick Herzberg in the year 1966 is another path breaking concept which clearly listed the factors of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Most accurately explained as Motivator factors that increase job satisfaction and Hygiene factors whose absence can create job dissatisfaction. The essence of the theory is that hygiene factors are the essentials of any employee or an individual at work they are - Security, Salary, Supervision, Company policy, Working conditions and Peer relationship. On the other hand, motivator factors are - work itself, Responsibility, recognition, achievement, advancement and growth. However, the first two theories give a general insight about an individual's needs and perceptions to understand a human's psychology about work was the theory of Frederick Herzberg that clearly lists the requisites of any given job for an individual. The three needs theory -... The highlight of the theory is direct relation it draws to the relevance to the word "Motivation' or factors that motivate. In this case factors that motivate individuals to perform and succeed. The needs theory includes all factors that come from within an individual. Eg: Competitiveness, influence that one exerts on another, need for achievement, acceptance and friendship. Goal Setting theory and Equity theory: The goal setting theory by the Stacey Adams in the year 1965 states that specific goals set by any organization for an individual increases performance in the of sales the goal is monthly target of sale on products to be achieved. The theory further goes on to explain that acceptance of a difficult goal only results in higher performance, even when compared to a goal that is easily achievable. The equity theory is nothing but the simple equation that any individual draws between the efforts and rewards an individual is constantly trying to match both sides by reducing efforts or increasing the same depending on the rewards and recognition expected. Eg: If a sales representative sees the reward or recognition is receives after he meets the required monthly target is unequal to his effort or sincerity he is bound to under perform the following month. Expectancy Theory: This theory by Victor Vroom in the year 1964 aims to substantiate the motivation theory more accurately for any sales unit. Victor Vroom explains the theory in three simple questions: 1. How hard will I have to work - Effort 2. What is the reward - Reward 3. How attractive is the reward - Attractiveness of reward. Thus the above mentioned theories in one way of or the other help in understanding the various factors of

Strategic managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic managment - Case Study Example veraging them further because the firm was aware that their old ways of coming up with a finished market was over, and that technology needed to be incorporated to come up with a world class product and also market it (Marsh, 1998). The firm was also aware of some of the markets that they could venture into in order to leave a mark. S&M scores on Kay’s three areas by ensuring that their products are long lasting. For instance, in consumer handtool labels, S&M was able to come up with a label that would last for nearly 10 years without wearing out and still have the same effect it would have when it was new (Marsh, 1998). Some of the lessons that can be drawn from this case study are that firms should be willing to accept change in their production and marketing strategies if they want to overcome the stern competition in today’s world. However, the risk of using cheap means of production is that another competitor, one day, might beat them, and consumers might be forced the switch their

Sustainable Solutions Paper Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sustainable Solutions Paper - Research Proposal Example They also have more powers with their suppliers given their market share in the industry (Kurtz & Boone, 2011). Bargaining power of buyers: Comcast product prices have been on the rise, hence showing their powers on consumers. Most consumers are willing to buy even at higher prices because they have no options since this is the only company offering cables. Switching cables with others is expensive, hence minimizes the pain by buying from Comcast (Teen, 2014). Availability of substitutes: there had never been a substitute until recently when consumers had a choice of satellite or cable. For now, consumers can choose their connection to be cables or satellite, and it seems they will stay for longer (Teen, 2014). Competitive rivalry: there is competition from satellites which has resulted in price cuts, but not much. The prices have started rising again, despite the competition (Teen, 2014). However, there is fear that Cables or satellite will wipe the other to enable price cut. Comcast is a big organization and able to get favorable deals with content producers such as Disney and football leagues. This gives them the advantage to have a frequent supply of content to its customers hence adding value. Similarly, the organization has a close tie with technology partners, hence have a strong ability to offer superior products to customers (Eaton, 2010). The company has also increased customers value by converting its infrastructure to digital to maximize bandwidth capacity. It has also cluttered its acquisitions to improve the existing infrastructures. More so, it is leading in innovation by researching on products and developments as well as supporting activities to enable it satisfy its clients (Eaton, 2010). Secondly, the company has focused category targeting. For instance, it has products tailored for each market niche it

Current Concepts in Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Current Concepts in Leadership - Essay Example The mystery is how leaders whether good or bad can get others to follow them, in many cases even die and sacrifice what they hold most dear - their lives - in order not to let the leader down. Leadership therefore is the sum total of several personal qualities that a leader has, and it is the almost perfect combination of these qualities that spell "Leadership". Gardner (1989) listed down the following qualities of almost every leader: physical vitality and stamina, intelligence and action-oriented judgment, eagerness to accept responsibility, task competence, understanding of followers and their needs, skill in dealing with people, need for achievement, capacity to motivate people, courage and resolution, trustworthiness, decisiveness, self-confidence, assertiveness, and adaptability or flexibility. Think of every leader through history and most of them possess these qualities in spades. Leadership and management are often confused because they have similarities but, in reality, mean two different things. The most basic similarity is that both leaders and managers have most of the qualities listed above. Nevertheless, not all leaders are managers, and neither are all managers, leaders. There are difference in a few key areas, such as the way they get others to do things (leaders inspire people on the basis of what they are (their personality and charisma), while managers get others to do things based on their position of aut... In the traditional definitions of management, leadership is seen as just one aspect of management, the others being planning, organizing, and controlling or directing. So while the leader is followed willingly, at times even blindly, managers rule over their subordinates within the organization. Most companies are founded by leaders but it is managers who make them grow, although in many cases, such as the Marriott or Microsoft or Apple Computers, the leaders are able to work effectively as managers or they hire good managers to run the company and to put order into it. The best combination, of course, is having a manager who is also a leader, or being a leader with managerial qualities. Bennis (1998) best summed up the difference between leadership and management when he said that "managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing." Being a leader-manager is therefore a skill worth developing. Leadership Theories and Examples The human race has been grappling with the issue of leadership since time immemorial: elections, conquest, great battles, and the rise and fall of civilizations have been all determined by the presence, absence, or disappearance of leadership. This explains why leadership theories have multiplied like mushrooms over the last several years, especially with the growth of business corporations. We are so obsessed with what leadership can accomplish (power, wealth, success, and everything else that go with these) that we search for its secrets and its sources so we can either recognize or develop it in ourselves. Among these theories, we can give five that can be better understood with examples in a management setting. These theories have several similarities, and we can group them

The effect of gender minority status on womens experience of Essay

The effect of gender minority status on womens experience of male-dominated work and mens experience of female-dominated work - Essay Example They were established at a time when those roles made sense for the survival of the human race as is realized with the dedicated role of women in child care. But with advancing technology, some of the roles that have been attributed to various gender is becoming obsolete. However, people still make assumptions about roles of men and women through these stereotypical notions that claim to apply to all men and women in the world. Some of the roles associated with women include preparing and serving food but most important, taking care of children. Even with the games that are played at this age, it is evident that women are supposed to stay at home, cook, clean and take care of the children while males are supposed to go to work. From a young age, boys are taught more roles that are considered 'manly' like mowing the lawn and taking out the trash instead of the more 'womanly' roles of cleaning the house (Chodorow, 2004). The stereotypes however do not apply to all men and women in society. Each individual in society is often free to act as they please, a factor that has realized an increase in the number of women who have taken up manly roles and vice versa (Schein, 2005). It is considered normal for a woman to pursue roles that are manlier like construction and men to pursue roles that are more feminine like cooking and cleaning.Gender should not be the basis by which a person's identity is created; it should merely be a part of someone's personality. It is on the basis of this understanding that conflicting roles have come up for both men and women in society. Gender minority status results when a person decides to engage in a profession that is considered less suitable for their gender. (Lupton, 2000). They are thus considered the minority members of the particular profession because they are either less in number or they are simply taking up roles that make them be considered either lesser males or females. This is considered in light of the belittling roles that women have been subjected to over the years because of their gender orientation. In the past, there were certain jobs that were reserved for male gender owing to their intensive nature. It was thus considered as work that women could not engage in and if they did, there would be repercussions. Society would regard them as misfits and socialization with them would be naturally forbidden or undertaken under different scenarios (Chodorow, 2004). Gender minority status results from observed differences in behavior and personality between the genders that result from a person's innate personality. Personality is affected by culture and social interaction with other members of society and is largely not att ributable to physiological and biological differences. There are those who perceive that children learn to orient themselves towards their gender roles as a result of their learned observations and interactions with their environment (Chodorow, 2004). Boys are often provided with tools that are used to manipulate their environment like vehicles, trucks and engines while females are often dressed up with pink frilly dresses and provided with dolls that have pretty hair and makeup. In so doing, girls learn that they are objects to be viewed and as such

NHS Direct Phone & Internet Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NHS Direct Phone & Internet Healthcare - Essay Example Data collection has larger ramifications in this system of healthcare than it might in a traditional or commerce-based system. Apparently, despite the availability of this healthcare, there have still been segments of people who have fallen into the cracks and have received less care than others, generally in a higher level of income. A study in the 1970's showed up problems in infant mortality, death rates of mothers in childbirth and a deathrate from tuberculosis that was higher than in the 1930's. In addition, this system of healthcare is subject to the economic decisions of the government from year to year, and is currently being cut back in some areas (Dworkin 1997). The NHS Direct web page, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, includes: 1) enquiry page, 2) health encyclopaedia, 3) self-help guide, 4) common health questions, 5) interactive tools, 6) newsletter subscription, 7) directory of physicians and medical practitioners, 8) NHS services link and links in several languages as well as many other helpful links. It also refers people to their phone line which is available 24 hours a day, which is how NHS Direct first started. In 2005, a newspaper article (Evening Chronicle) stated fears that the Tories would "pull the plug" on Tyneside's call centre if they were elected. The fears were dismissed by the Tories and the Conservatives. The call centre employs about 200 people. The Tories insisted that they rather aim to improve the system. The Tyneside centre was one of the original sites that was begun in 1998. They handle over 30,000 calls a month. Since the system went national, it has handled more than 10 million calls. According to Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley (2005) the Conservatives plan to reconfigure NHS Direct with a more integrated emergency care network that will enable doctors' out-of-hours services, ambulance trusts, walk-in centres and NHSD to be used as is best for each network, and better local service. The main point of NHS Direct is to reduce hospital queues (Gibson 1999) by giving people access to medical information. The phone operators and nurses in the call centres are trained to diagnose symptoms and offer information on available treatments. "Cyber docs" and "net nurses" online (Gibson 1999) offer health advice after the 'patient' types in their symptoms. They, too, can suggest possible medical treatments, if needed. The year that NHS Direct was begun, the National Health Service had 50 years of service yet the UK was still behind other European countries in dealing with health issues such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. So in addition to the internet service, NHS Direct also set up "observatories" to monitor facts and figures across the country, called the "White Paper". Question 2: What contributions can the internet make to effective service operations With reference to S. Ghosh's article "Making business sense of the internet" in the Harvard Business Review of 1998, the same opportunities and threats that traditional businesses face on the internet are also true for a government-run site such as the NHS Direct internet site. Ghosh wrote that setting up a web presence is easy but creating the business model is very difficult (Pandya 1999). Since the inception of the internet, there have been a

The current strategy of Sony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The current strategy of Sony - Essay Example As such, it can be said that Sony aims to become the leading global provider of networked consumer electronics and entertainment which is to be attained by strengthening its core businesses, enhancing network initiatives; and leveraging international growth opportunities to build for the future and drive further growth and profits for the company. Since innovation is at the heart of Sony’s business model, Sony intends to enrich its strengths with external expertise by accelerating the efficiency of R&D, as well as by enabling the company to effectively respond to rapidly changing customer needs and preferences in the network era. Thus, through the creation of new user experiences, strengthening core businesses, driving innovation, and minimizing the environmental impact of its operations, Sony strives to achieve not only sales volume, but also sustainable and profitable growth. Furthermore, Sony believes that the key to achieving such goals lies on accelerating and aligning its business operations. In this light, two business groups were formed during the formation of this strategy: the Network Products and Services Group and the New Consumer Products Group. The Network Products and Services Group is comprised of Sony Computer Entertainment, personal computers, mobile products including the Walkman, and Sony Media and Software Services. Through this group, Sony aims to bring new technologies to the market and increase the pace of innovation. Along with the introduction of new technologies, Sony also created digital services that tie together all of its products, thus, sustaining profitability and maintaining a cohesive corporate culture. On the other hand, the New Consumer Products Group is composed of television, digital imaging, home audio, and the video business. Through this Group, Sony targets to achieve profitability and growth through product innovation, as well as to improve efficiency and speed of operations. In between these two groups are two teams that help in software development and render logistical support. The first is called Common Software Technology Team. It develops and implements integrated technology and software solutions. The second one is called Manufacturing/Logistics/Procurement team that ensures efficient supply chain solutions for the aforementioned business groups. With this, a brief look at the financial report of Sony in 2008 reveals that there is a substantial increase in terms of its net income as driven by the increase in sales. Thus, such figure can be attributed to the growth in sales. Summarizing all the gathered information, it can be claimed that the strategy of Sony banks pri marily on the internal alignment and reorganization of its primary business units in order to increase production efficiency while minimizing costs. Q2. Evaluate the strategy being adopted by Sony to regain lost market share. Reference to the material presented in book Strategy for Business, which theory/concept that the current strategy of Sony was based on. You need to critically justify your argument  The business strategy of Sony, which banks on strengthening the coordination among its core business through the creation of

Computer Sciences Course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Computer Sciences Course - Essay Example It also reflects on the degree at which I feel that I have realised my expectations so far as well as the fears and expectations I have for levels 5, 6, and beyond. Finally, the report highlights the action plan that I have set to see to it that I am highly employable in future. PART 1: Critical Reflection on the Modules Semester 1 Modules Website development This module brought into perspective the foundation of web applications development using HTML and CSS. The key purpose of HTML (hypertext mark-up language) is to define the structure of a document and this structure can comprise of blocks of text formatted in paragraphs, tables, links, lists etc. However, the structuring of HTML document, or the way the HTML document should look like, is determined merely on the browser. Apparently, it has become common knowledge that even the different versions of a browser tend to display HTML differently. Main advantages of HTML include: ease of use, it is free, is supported by majority of b rowsers and is easy to learn and code for novices. On the other hand, it offers limited security features and cannot work on its own. With the introduction of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), the plain HTML pages can now adopt different styles in terms of character spacing, background colors, padding, font size etc. The main advantage of CSS is that it makes web pages presentable and beautiful. However, it may be difficult to learn bearing in mind there is no other language like it. I acquired vast knowledge on HTML and CSS mainly from class lectures and exercises, from friends, and video tutorials on YouTube. Interdiction database This module introduced database design and implementation using Oracle. Oracle SQL is a language for managing data stored in a relational database management system (RDBMS). Advantages of Oracle include: It has a centralized management and control. Database administrator adds records, modifies existing data, deletes redundant or unwanted data, creates users, and assigns them different privileges all from a central tabulated repository. It is standardized and therefore has consistency in implementation Some key disadvantages of the Oracle SQL include: It is complex and has data incompatibility in time and date syntax, case sensitivity, and string concatenation It does not implement recursive processing according to Zeiss et al (2009). It also has limited functionality. It is a domain specific technology, limited to the tabular representation of data. System modelling This module brought into perspective the ideas behind information systems. Information systems in the term used to mean the interaction between people in an organisation, data, processes and technology. The key concepts as far as information systems are concerned are people in the organisation, computers or workstations, instructions, stored facts and procedures. An organization uses an information system to engage its personnel and the computers into working on the availab le resources to meet the desired goals of the organization. As such, there are different types of information

Improvement of the International Trade Essay Example for Free

Improvement of the International Trade Essay Introduction Organizations are facing increased global competition, economic uncertainties, and changing markets. Technology is changing the way we conduct business and manage information. Outsourcing of goods and services enables companies to take advantage of lower costs in areas such as labor, energy, land and capital. By doing this, companies hope to lower their overall cost structure, improve profit margins, and enhance product quality, reliability and distribution, thus allowing them to compete more effectively. Suppliers and vendor partners may be located in the same city, region or country. But they are just as likely to be located halfway around the world, adding new challenges to business management. The growth of international strategic partnerships has risen exponentially in the last twenty years. Competing in a global marketplace has made it increasingly important to align business strategies with a risk management strategy that includes strengthening global supply chains and vendor partnerships. In the near future, it is supply chains that will compete, not companies. Global supply chains must be carefully selected and monitored to ensure the competitive edge required to achieve success in the global market place. Typically, the first order of business has been logistics and operations. 1. Logistics moves the entire economy Economic developments in recent years have led to the creation of complex company networks and systems of goods flow in the process, the globalization of procurement, production and sales as well as the division of labor have increased. In addition, the complexity of international logistics systems in many sectors has grown as a result of increasing product variations and differentiation. Another factor is that many companies are concentrating on their core skills and are reducing their vertical integration. The efficient management of the resulting global flows of goods has boosted both the business and economic significance of logistics. Structure of Global Trade International trade, both in terms of value and tonnage, has been a growing trend in the global economy. It is important to underline when looking at the structure of global trade that it is not nations that are trading, but mostly corporations with the end products mostly consumed by individuals. Inter and intra corporate trade is taking place across national jurisdictions is accounted as international trade. The emergence of the current structure of global trade can mainly be articulated within three major phases: †¢ First phase (immobile factors of production). Concerns a conventional perspective on international trade that prevailed until the 1970s where factors of production were much less mobile. Prior to the end of World War I, global trade was mainly structured by colonial relations. Particularly, there was a limited level of mobility of raw materials, parts and finished products. After World War I international trade became fairly regulated with impediments such tariffs , quotas and limitations to foreign ownership. Trade mainly concerned a range of specific products, namely commodities, (and very few services) that were not readily available in regional economies. Due to regulations, protectionism and fairly high transportation costs, trade remained limited and delayed by inefficient freight distribution. In this context, trade was more an exercise to cope with scarcity than to promote economic efficiency. †¢ Second phase (mobility of factors of production). From the 1980s, the mobility of factors of production, particularly capital, became possible. The legal and physical environment in which international trade was taking place lead to a better realization of the comparative advantages of specific locations. Concomitantly, regional trade agreements emerged and the global trade framework was strengthened from a legal and transactional standpoint (GATT/WTO). In addition, containerization provided the capabilities to support more complex and long distance trade flows, as did the growing air traffic. Due to high production (legacy) costs in old industrial regions, activities that were labor intensive were gradually relocated to lower costs locations. The process began as a national one, then went to nearby countries when possible and afterwards became a truly global phenomenon. Thus, foreign direct investments surged, particularly towards new manufacturing regions as multinational corporations became increasingly flexible in the global positioning of their assets. †¢ Third phase (global production networks). There is a growth in international trade, now including a wide variety of services that were previously fixed to regional markets and a surge in the mobility of the factors of production. Since these trends are well established, the priority is now shifting to the geographical and functional integration of production, distribution and consumption with the emergence of global production networks. Complex networks involving flows of information, commodities, parts and finished goods have been set, which in turn demands a high level of command of logistics and freight distribution. In such an environment, powerful actors have emerged which are not directly involved in the function of production and retailing, but mainly taking the responsibility of managing the web of flows. The global economic system is thus characterized by a growing level of integrated services, finance, retail, manufacturing and nonetheless distribution, which in turn is mainly the outcome of improved transport and logistics, a more efficient exploitation of regional comparative advantages and a transactional environment supportive of the legal and financial complexities of global trade. Trade Facilitation The volume of exchanged goods and services between nations is taking a growing share of the generation of wealth, mainly by offering economic growth opportunities in new regions and by reducing the costs of a wide array of manufacturing goods. By 2007, international trade surpassed for the first time 50% of global GDP, a twofold increase in its share since 1950. The facilitation of trade involves how the procedures regulating the international movements of goods can be improved. It depends on the reduction of the general costs of trade, which considers transaction, tariff, transport and time costs, often labeled as the Four Ts† of international trade. United nations estimates have underlined that for developing countries a 10% reduction in transportation cost could be accompanied with a growth of about 20% in international and domestic trade. Thus, the ability to compete in a global economy is dependent on the transport system as well as a trade facilitation framework with activities including: †¢ Distribution-based. A multimodal and intermodal freight transport system composed of modes, infrastructures and terminals that spans across the globe. It insures a physical capacity to support trade and its underlying supply chains. †¢ Regulation-based. Customs procedures, tariffs, regulations and handling of documentation. They insure that trade flows abide to the rules and regulations of the jurisdictions they cross. Cross-border clearance, particularly in developing countries, can be a notable trade impediment with border delays, bottlenecks and long customer clearance times. †¢ Transaction-based. Banking, finance, legal and insurance activities where accounts can be settled and risk mitigated. They insure that the sellers of goods and services are receiving an agreed upon compensation and that the purchasers have a legal recourse if the outcome of the transaction is judged unsatisfactory or is insured if a partial or full loss incurs. The quality, cost, and efficiency of these services influence the trading environment as well as the overall costs linked with the international trade of goods. Many factors have been conductive to trade facilitation in recent decades, including integration processes, standardization, production systems, transport efficiency and transactional efficiency: †¢ Integration processes, such as the emergence of economic blocks and the decrease of tariffs at a global scale through agreements, promoted trade as regulatory regimes were harmonized. One straightforward measure of integration relates to custom delays, which can be a significant trade impediment since it adds uncertainty in supply chain management. The higher the level of economic integration, the more likely the concerned elements are to trade. International trade has consequently been facilitated by a set of factors linked with growing levels of economic integration, the outcome of processes such as the European Union or th e North American Free Trade Agreement. The transactional capacity is consequently facilitated with the development of transportation networks and the adjustment of trade flows that follows increased integration. Integration processes have also taken place at the local scale with the creation of free trade zones where an area is given a different governance structure in order to promote trade, particularly export oriented activities. In this case, the integration process is not uniform as only a portion of a territory is involved. China is a salient example of the far-reaching impacts of the setting of special economic zones operating under a different regulatory regime. †¢ Standardization concerns the setting of a common and ubiquitous frame of reference over information and physical flows. Standards facilitate trade since those abiding by them benefit from reliable, interoperable and compatible goods and services which often results in lower production, distribution and maintenance costs. Measurement units were among the first globally accepted standards (metric system) and the development of information technologies eventually led to common operating and telecommunication systems. It is however the container that is considered to be the most significant international standard for trade facilitation. By offering a load unit that can be handled by any mode and terminal with the proper equipment, access to international trade is improved. †¢ Production systems are more flexible and embedded. It is effectively productive to maintain a network of geographically diversified inputs, which favors exchanges of commodities, parts and services. Information technologies have played a role by facilitating transactions and the management of complex business operations. Foreign direct investments are commonly linked with the globalization of production as corporations invest abroad in search of lower production costs and new markets. China is a leading example of such a process, which went on par with a growing availability of goods and services that can be traded on the global market. †¢ Transport efficiency has increased significantly because of innovations and improvements in the modes and infrastructures in terms of their capacity and throughput. Ports are particularly important in such a context since they are gateways to international trade through maritime shipping networks. As a result, the transferability of commodities, parts and finished goods has improved. Decreasing transport costs does more than increasing trade; it can also help change the location of economic activities. Yet, transborder transportation issues remain to be better addressed in terms of capacity, efficiency and security. †¢ Transactional efficiency. The financial sector also played a significant role in integrating global trade, namely by providing investment capital and credit for international commercial transactions. For instance, a letter of credit may be issued based upon an export contract. An exporter can thus receive a payment guarantee from a bank until its customer finalizes the transaction upon delivery. This is particularly important since the delivery of international trade transactions can take several weeks due to the long distances involved. During the transfer, it is also common that the cargo is insured in the event of damage, theft or delays, a function supported by insurance companies. Also, global financial systems permit to convert currencies according to exchange rates that are commonly set by market forces, while some currencies, such as the Chinese Yuan, are set by policy. Monetary policy can thus be a tool, albeit contentious, used to influence trade. The close relationship between international economic growth and logistics Mobility is a critical condition for gains to be achieved in productivity, growth and employment in a macroeconomic context. The connection between economic growth and demand for product-transporting services is the result of various effects. These effects can clearly show the growing significance of the economic sector of goods distribution: 1 The effect of goods volume For a long time, it was assumed that in highly developed economies fewer and fewer quantities of goods were produced for the macrologistics system and that the transport volume rose at a slower pace than the economy. Today, it can be assumed that the development actually goes in the opposite direction as a result of the increasing inter-company division of labor created by intensified outsourcing in some highly developed countries. Transport intensity that is, transport performance per production quantity unit increases for many types of goods. Individual parts or components of a product are transported numerous times during various stages of the value chain, e.g., transports between plants. 2 The effect of goods structure In highly developed economies, the number of high-quality consumer and production goods rises. The share of mass goods, on the other hand, stagnates or even falls. The distribution of goods then shifts to high-quality products that must be shipped quickly. Because of the relatively low costs, road transports Road transport generally benefit. Railroads and inland water transports generally suffer because of their low speed. 3 The effect of logistics Logistics systems constantly undergo optimization. Supply chain management Supply chain management, production-synchronization deliveries that employ just-in-time Just-in-time concepts, the forgoing of storage and global outsourcing are just a few examples of this. But the application of modern logistics concepts affects the economic sector of goods distribution. This is because the new logistics focus of industrial and trade companies has altered the demands placed on the goods-distribution system. Road transports can react relatively flexibly and well to these demands. Railroads and inland water transports have a difficult time making this switch. At the same time, air-freight transports profit from time-critical shipments. 4 The effect of integration The creation of large economic regions gives rise to international, cross-border logistics systems. For instance, the European Union and regulations from the World Trade Organization [World Trade Organization (WTO) have propelled globalization Globalization in the goods-distribution sector. As economic regions spread, cross-border trade expands and the distances that must be covered by logistics systems lengthen. The effect of integration describes the increasing demands placed on the economic sector of goods distribution that are arising from the creation of larger economic regions and cross-border logistics systems. Conclusion: In all likelihood, globalization will continue and intensify. Trade is critical to economic growth and to global development. Trade facilitation has been pointed out as the lowest-hanging fruit in this respect. It has also been argued that logistics services play an important role in matching entrepreneurs in poor countries with foreign customers, whether these are retailers or downstream manufacturers. In particular, as the traditional wholesalers are increasingly being bypassed in modern supply chains, developing countries need to ensure that their entrepreneurs have access to modern intermediaries that can help match local suppliers with foreign buyers and with ensuring that products meet quality as well as time reliability requirements. The future growth of world trade will not be evenly spread, any more than world trade has ever been evenly spread in any period in world history. Individual countries are in very different positions with respect to their ability to benefit from world trade. Part of that is luck – having a coast, and rich neighbors help. But part of it is skill. Countries that are open to world trade, that create the infrastructure, and above all the right attitude, will be best placed to weather the current hiatus more successfully, and to prosper in the years ahead. References: http://www.dhl-discoverlogistics.com/cms/en/course/trends/macroeconomics.jsp http://www.na-businesspress.com/Wisma.pdf http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/conc5en/ch5c2en.html http://www.unece.org.unecedev.colo.iway.ch/fileadmin/DAM/trade/agr/meetings/ge.01/document.r/wppdf.pdf

The Process of Development

The Process of Development Introduction This essay, will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of culture in the process of development. As it will be demonstrated, culture can both be a catlystic agent just as it can be a stumbling block for development process. Whether we like or not,we have to understand that culture plays an indespensable role in the way people respond to diferent development policies.Thus according to Spackman,in what he called Postmodern appraoch , an economic policy that leads to sustainable development opt to take into account a psychological angle also known as development with a focus on personal needs and growth; secondly, it should consider a spiritual dimension given that this trend constitutes the deepest root of human existence . Such policy he added will provide legs and not clutches .This policy is also referred to as People Centered Development (PCD) in short. (Speckman2007:24-25). The aim of this essay however is not to discuss which policy is the best but the advantages and dis advantages of culture on development process and,for the sake of this paper , I have decided to base my discusion on five important elements. These are: Sexism and Patriarchy; the impact of Lobola (dowry) on Development; African understanding of knoweledge, the understanding of Culture visavis of different deseases mainly HIV and AIDS and finally, culture and environmnet. What is culture? According to the Oxford Dictionary (1999), Culture is defined as arts and other manifestations of human itellectual achievement regarded collectively.the custums institutions and achievemtnet of a particular nation people, or group.(Oxford Dictionry, 348:1999). For an Africans the topic concerning the impact of culture and development progress is crucial because on one hand, we are eager to keep our culture of which we are proud of but on the other hand, as a leader, we are compelled to guide people toward a sustainable development. (Speckman2007:44). Christianity as a culture: From the definition provided above, one may also suggest that culture is not only what our ancestrors left to us which were transmited to us through oral traditional. After our grand parents had converteed to Christianity they somehow adopted a new culture that we inherit.In other word, I wsh to argue that Christianity itself and the way we adopt it contitute culture which deserve a special attention while discussing the isue of the impact of Culture and Development. For instance, some Zulus will say I dont practice ancestros worship because I am a Christian. In order words, this implies I dont practie that cultural practice because I have adopted another one. Thus the topic: christianity and Deveopment. What is development? : Acording Oxford Dictionary, (1999) simply one maysimply say that Development is a specified state of growth or advancement. (We will argue that s mant African scholars such as Kalenkole and Mbiti have argued Africans are very religius people and yet remained poor. (Oxford Dictionary, 1999:392). What is the relation between Culture and Development? Historically speaking, Schech and Haggis(2002) argue that the origins of the notion of development in the sense of promoting social progress lie in the same set in the nineteeth century as which are associated with the origins of the concept of culture . They added, Indeed culture and development sometimes mean almost the same thing until discourses of development planning and cultural specificity diverged in the ealry decades of the present century. (Schech and Haggis, 2002:5). Thus in Africa, specifically in South Africa, given the place ocupied by culture, one may argue that if we are projecting for a sustainable development, it is indispensable to scrutinize both the strenghts and the weaknesses that cuture can bring about and, when possible try to challenge critically some of our cultural practices and believes that appear to be as an obstruction to Development.But at all time, we first have to be conscious that we can not impliment efficient development policies while ignoring the presence of culture. Larry Yost nd Hugh Tracy were right in their eighth principle of Community Development Work when arguing the importance of involving the local leadership since the ultimate responsability for continuing development rests with the local citizen (Yost and Tracy: 1997;21). Beside that, either one is an economist or traditionalist; we all heartily and sincerely endorse the striving for economic development. In other words, Economic development expresses one of our fundamental hopes and aspiration. Moreover, in its report published in 1996, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), defined human development as the endeconomic growth a means. (Human Development Report 1996). (http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/). Disadvantages of Culture: Speaking about the disadvantages of culture on development, one may argue that sometime people because of their ignorance or lack of knowledge can deny even what is indispensable for their survival on the basis of their cultural beliefes. Thus, as it has been argued by Spackamn, people need to be empowered as toward decision making.And, in my view, any theologian and any educated person who cares about the Development of Africa should think critically about the impact of culture.According to Spackman, culture can have positive impact on development just as it can have negative repercussion on development. Thus, this situation often plunge us into a dilemma because on one hand we are eager to keep our culture of which we are proud of but on the other hand, as leaders, we are compelled to lead people toward a sustainable development. (Speckman2007:40-44), Impact of Sexism ad patrirchy on development As mentioned before, this paragph will be discussing sexism in Africa and its impact on development. I will demonstrate how sexism and patriarchy have contributed all along many years to the oppression of women and, consequently this situation has also lead to the oppression of men and the impoverishing of Africa. Definition of Sexism: According to Cambridge Dictionary, Sexism is the belief that the members( in this case women) of one sex are less intelligent , able skillful, less accepted/valued by God than the members of the other sex. Especially that women are less than men are. (Cambridge Dictionary2005:1166). Mercy Amba Oduyoye argues that Womens status in most societies is far lower than that of men. In her view, this situation is due to cultural stereotype specified under attributes and responsibilities. (Oduyoye, 2007:22).Beside that, even the way the Bible has been often interpreted has immensely contributed to women oppression. In most African society, at the death of parents in most only male children will inherit and never a girl.Thus in African society and all over the World, there is a tendency to consider a boy more valuble than a girl.when there is shortage of income in the familly, often it isthe girl who has to interrupt her studies in favor of the boy. Secondly, though a woman is said to be a partner, in most decision making, either within the society or within the familly practically, she does not have much to contribute if not nothing. In other word she is just there as an auxilliary to her husband. Once divorced, a woman loses respect and finds herself despised if she does not quickly remarry. The whole education has been in preparation for marriage, so a failure here is a total failure. No woman is destined to stay single if so she has done something wrong. (Oduyoye, 2007:22). Apart from sexism found in the culture, we also find that even the way Bible has been interpreted does not encourage wo mens emancipation. To use Nyangweso words, Marriage is endocentric. This is a universal experience that cries for reexamination.'(Nyangweso2007:61). From the Hebrew Testament to the New Testament, the position occupied by women is often portayed to be lower to that of men. Thus, Oduyoye argues that gender stratification has distorted the quality of human relations and it continues to deny the parity between women and men to accept female and male as equivalent expression of being. (Nyangweso2007:62). How then do sexism and patriarchy impact negatively on Africans development? By oppressing women, some men think that they will monopolize the power and order will be established. However, a careful observer will agree with me that by oppressing women, men are doubly oppressed. First, men are deprived from the closest source of support. As when woman and man have equal access to education and make their economic decision together, this can boost their economy. In the previous decades we saw that in some part of Africa like Senegal, women were not allowed to attend school and this in my view was oppressive toward a man as he has by himself to provide not only for himself but his wife and children whereas a woman well educated will have access to better job and financial resources. And this will solve not only her financial problem but also will be able to raise the household income. (Oduyoye, 2007:22).By doing so the man is secured from working doubly. And more interesting, a husband will have peace of mind knowing that after his death his wife and children wi ll not be mistreated by the rest of his family. Womens contribution was not really valued in terms of Development .That is why pne may ague that sexism constitute a stubling block as women are considered as passive agents in the process of the development whereas ,if they were to be valued, their input should have boosted our Development. I dare to say that taking as reference to our modern time where men and women appear to ocupy the same position and deliver the same service.Thus tooday we have Nurses, Doctors, Enginneer, Political parties Leaders such as DA in South Africa and so on.In one word, one may say that African Development will not progress untill all of those who are oppressed by sexism and partiacrhy are free. Thus the UNDPs statement (Unitied Nations development Programme), Gender equality and womens empowerment are central to achieving for inclusive, democratic, violence-free and sustainable development in Africa and therefore a condition to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). www.undp.org/porvety The impact of our religious and social beliefs on development. Land and devolpment: Culture has a huge impact on land development. Werner Sombart argued that any economic system is nothing but a manifestation of the existing culture. And, a culture exists because of a certain spirit. (12).Thus in section I wish to discuss some of both positive and negative impacts of Culture on Agriculture and environmnet in general given its role in Development. Speaking about African culture and development, it is important to understand that knoweledge as a crucial component of technology raises some pertinent questions in Arfrican culture. Its cultural construction raises questions like: What value is placed on different forms of knowledge? (And by whom)Who has access to, or access to exploit knowledge? Consequently, individual are not free to engage in research given that only a certain group of people has access to that field.Often, it is found that our Culture imposes some practices that dont encourage development. For istance, in some areas where the tra dition is still highly observed, we find that there are some places which are reserved strictly for ancestors worship as well as some restrictions to cultivate some products. This can be a challenge when the government want to develop a such area either in terms infrustructrure, roads or practice an Agriculture which will benefit many.Often, when the Government insists and go against the will of the resident of that area, it is found that the project is never successful given that as the ABCD methods states a true development project, has to be initiated by people and with people. (Class notes) Impact of Lobola on development: Beside the issue of land, another pertinent issue in our modern time which arises from culture to be discussed is the issue of Lobola and weding ceremonies .Today, in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, the issue of Lobola present a stumblig block to development for different individuals. Originally, Lobola was meant to express a link between the two families. According to one of my South African friends, lobola was like a gift of appreciation to the best familly. Howerever, as time goes on, this practice has changed its aim and has tendency to become a business whereas life does not always allow it. Consequently, most couple ends up in debts.Speaking about development, this practice does hinder financially the new couple from achieving other goals such as education of quality of both their children and themselves because they can not afford it.In the future, this situation affect both the familly and the Nation as we can only produce a service of q uality if we have rceived an education of good quality. Furthermore, any carefull observor, will argue with me that the economical situation doe no more allow to feast for a long period.Thus to enforce the new couple into endless parties and ceremonies just in the name of culture is irrespective to what is defined as Sustainable Development as According to The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, development is sustainable if it meets the needs of the Present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs..Here the point I am trying to make is that there are many cultural practices that may seem to be fastidious whereas they dont encourage savings. (http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/) Deseases, Culture and Development: Today, no country in the World is unacquainted of HIV and AIDS. According to the report generated by the UNDP in 2007, South Africa was experiencing the most severe AIDS in the World. 5.7 millions of People living with HIV and almost 1,000 AIDS deaths occuring every day. In its efort to fight this deasease, South African Goverment together with Who (World Health Organization) spent millions of Rand in order to support people who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. (http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm) One of the reasons why this desease continue to spread extremely beyond major is our behavior due to our cultural beliefs and practices .Some of the practices to consider here are levirate mariage and poligamy. Levirage mariage implies that when the father of the house dies, his brother has to replace him. And, often this happen inspite of the wish of the wife of the desease.Consequently, this practice perpuates the spread of HIV in case one of the new couple is already infected. Apart from levirate mariage, polygamy which is accepted in most African Culture like Zulu culture for instance is another obstacle.Furthermore, beside levirate mariage and Polygamy, the way our tradition conceives and deals with deaseses such as HIV and Aids and many others such as Swine Flu, Cholera and so on often end in disastrous result. On 30th of November 2006 for instance, the SACC adressed its concern about a traditional healer who claimed to have cured 500 HIV-positive people with the use of herbs which acording to the invistigation done it was just a way of attracting people to draw their attention to traditional medications.( http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-11-29-church-council-outraged-over-aidscure-claim) Beside that, some traditional healer do often suggest method which rather than leading to the cure encourage the spread of HIV. This, being because they have another understanding of the disease. Some believe that by sleeping with a virging girl they would get rid of the desease , others argue that the use of Condoms is not in accordance with our culture.I remember in my culture that there is an odd say ntawurya umunwa wugaye meaning no man can eat the mouth closed implying that a man could never have sex and stop the semens from entering the female private part.Others will go even further by arguing that condoms are Westerns assert used to spread the desease among Black People in other to exterminate them. Consequently, these b elieves have been the cause of death of many talented and energetic young people indispensable for the development of Africa. Thus while encouraging our young generation to assume the continuity of our Culture, we should be keen to think critically about certain practices that hinder the Development of our people. Beside that, each African should endeavour to reduce the cost of supporting people living with HIV and AIDSas it has huge repercussion on national economy. Impact of HIV on Development South African Government spends millions of rand each month to fight the desease and especially in the support of people living with HIVand AIDS by providing ERVs and other medications including the distribution of free condoms.These huge amount of funds which are used to support people living whith HIV and AIDS constitute a big lost as there should be used to support many other projects such as Education, scientific research,the fight against Women oppression and crime, and different studies that may help to kep our Environmnent from degradation and many other projects which in return will contribute to the Development process. By criticizing the investment in the fight against HIV and AIDS, I am not arguing that it worthless project.I do believe that People who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS are still people who deserve dignity and support. This being because first of all, they remain human like others and, most of them are indispensable for our Development. However, the point I am trying to make is that the support of people living with HIV and AIDS is very costy .Therefore, wherever possible we should be willing to divorce ourself from any practice that favor the spreading of HIV and AIDS in this case certain cultural pratices and believs mentioned above. Impact of Christianity on Development. Speaking about the church as one aspect that has shaped our culture (cfr introduction), While speaking about Development and Culture, it might look easy to criticize what had been passed on to us by our forefathers. One of the reasons is because; these cultural practices appear to be too old. Some of them are not even in practice today.They are just part of our history though we claim them to be part of our culture .And; often we just refer to them when it suits us as a way to defend our manhood, political argument and so on for instance. However, if we will have to engage critically, I think we should speak more about what appears to be a burning issue. Thus in my view, it is essential while discussing culture and development not to leave aside Christianity. This being as discussed before, the way we practice Christianity can constitute a culture.Though it is universally known that Chrisitianity is a religion, I wish to ague that Christian life is itself a culture. Thus, just as one can engage critically with his/her culture, we should also be bold to discus some of the impacts of Christianity on Development. Positive impact of Christianity on Development: One of the positive impacts of Christianity for us as African is that it has free us from diferent ancestoral practices which dont encourage development. This is for istance the total dependency on spiritual agencies and forgeting that we are the custodians of the earth.Beside that, Christianity does encourage hard working. Thus looking unto Jesus, Paul (He who does not work should not eat). And, today, some churches have sort to preach the prosperity Gospel. This kind of Gospel has some good aspects of development in a sense that it does encourage people to know that it is their fathers will that they may prosper (verse).Some individuals argue that one of the reason why Europ is more developed than africa is because we as African put the spiritual realm first and undermine our ability to create.This is often explained by the fact that in Europ, during the modern period, Europe develop dramatically especially in terms of technology and economy. Negative impact of Christianity on Development Though one may say that Christianity enclose numberous positive aspects for development, one has also to be aware of the negative impacts that Christianity can revert on Development and often due to the way, we interpret the scriptures. Often, church leaders do teach that we have to live a poor life. We have to look on things above. We should not keep our tresearues on earth here roast and will eat them. Thus, a missinterpretaion of such verses has leaded some of believers to be satisfied with their porvety and therefore hinder them from seing any need for development. Beside that, another negative aspect of Christian teachings is its impassibility visavis to issues regarding development and politic.Scholars in nowadays came to the conclusion that such attitude reveals ignorance given that the church operates within the society and whaterver strikes the society also strikes the church (Simangaliso.). It is therfore good time that the church starts to engage with not only spiritual is sues but also social issue. Conclusion In Conclusion, this essay has discussed the impact of Culture on Development. I have demonstrated how some facets of culture such as partiacrchy, sexims and Chrsitainity do impact both positively but most largely negatively on Development progress.Most extensively; I have discussed how culture in Africa has hindered the development process. I came to the understanding that there is no culture which is universal and there is no culture which is eternal. Consequently, each cultural practice should be understood from its historical and socialogical context and applied in contemplation with the current political, social and economic situation. Reference Ife,J.(2002), Community Development,(2nd edition), Pearson ,Sydney Australia NIV Bible Nyangweso.,M 2007,FemaleCircumcision, Maryknoll, New York :Orbis Oduyoye, Mercy Amba, 1986.Hearing and Knowing: Theological Reflections on Christianity in Africa,Maryknoll:Orbis.2001 Simangaliso, R, 2005, Theology and Education, the role of the Church in education for social transformation: A Methodist contribution, Cecil Renaud Library Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Speckman MT, 2007, A Biblical Vision for Africas development ?, Cluster Publication http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-11-29-church-council-outraged-over-aidscure-claim http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm www.undp.org/porvety http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/ Schech,S and Haggis,J.(ed)(2002) Development: A Cultural Studies Reader ,Publisher Blackwell Yost,L and Tracy,H(ed).(1997) (class notes)

The History Of Break Even Analysis

The History Of Break Even Analysis The initial capital requirement is estimated to be $50,000 to $60,000. The sales margin is expected to be 7-10%, whereby each business segment contributes differently to sales and earnings. The classical logistics segment, of all segments, will have an average contribution to sales in relative terms (6.5%), but given the high sales volume, the largest in absolute terms. Revenues from transportation services can be differentiated into those from low priced single services to comprehensive and long-term transportation. The sale of services is expected to generate a 12% to 15% sales margin, while the margin from sales of services is expected to be closer to about 10%. Figure 7.1 shows the source of revenues by segment during the start-up phase. Depending on the initial investment sum, cost and revenue estimates vary. Figure 7.2 shows the expected relationship of cost and revenues. As can be seen, the relationship is not linear everywhere, but costs decrease relative to sales at an initial investment of $50,000. This effect is due to the better utilization of capacities in personnel at rising revenues at constant cost. If capacity is fully utilized, additional personnel must be recruited. At an investment sum of $100,000, administrative costs are expected to return to a linear relationship of sales. At sales levels between $1,000,000 to $2,000,000, costs increase by the factor 1.85. The cost revenue relationship is important, not only during the start-up phase, but also for planned further expansion. Often such expansion strategies are based on this relationship. Other industries are able to generate cost savings of 30-50% during expansion periods, whilefor the logistics industry, this factor is close to 15%. At a specific s ize, this relationship reverses because administrative costs rise sharply. This affects small businesses between 10 and 20 employees most severely. Investment Plan The investment plan comprises primary capital needs for the foundation and operation of an international logistics company with different products and services for sale. The plan also includes initial marketing and sales promotion expenses. Break-even Analysis The break-even analysis shows how earnings rise as a function of sales. The break-even point is the point at which revenues from sales cover total costs (fix costs and costs rising with sales). This analysis is important for the development of the liquidity plan. If the break-even point is not achieved, in the long run the business loses liquidity and may become insolvent. This requires that a critical amount of revenues must be generated. At sale revenue of $600,000 and given fixed costs, the business will generate a profit. Fixed costs are estimated at $120, 0000 to $130,0000 and variable costs at $480,0000. At realizable revenue of $10,000,000 after 2-3 years profits will rise to $700000 pre-tax. This represents an earnings margin of 10% pre-tax and 7% after-tax. These estimates are realistic in this market segment. Increasing sales volume will increase pre-tax earnings margins, but this development reverses when administrative costs begin to rise sharply. Up to a sales volume of $3,000,000, earnings margins rise to 12.5%, after which the margin decreases to constant 11.5%. Figure 7.3 shows at which critical sales volume the business generates a profit. This serves as a base for a pricing strategy. Additionally, the graph shows the amount of sales at which a marketing campaign can be run profitably. Liquidity Plan The liquidity plan shows the amount of finances necessary to assure permanent liquidity of the business. The plan is based on 4 representative months of a typical business with 3 to 5 employees, annual sales of $1,300,000 and net profits of about $300,000. Revenue estimates are drawn from a standard normal distribution. Earnings Plan The earnings plan shows the results from ordinary operations. The plan is based on the first 4 years of business. Revenue estimates are drawn from a normal distribution with an estimated growth rate of 20 to 30%. Figure 7.4 shows profit over time. Risk Analysis The risk analysis considers critical factors that may lead to a failure of the business concept. Such factors can involve failures during the implementation phase, as well as during operations. Such potential factors are ordered according to the probability at which they can arise. Shown is the key factor that led to the failure only. Data are drawn from questionnaires of 10 logistics Businesses with comparable product offerings and revenue- and cost structures That went bankrupt during the last 3 years, as well as analyses of different research institutes. Insufficient demand: This is the most frequent reason that leads to business failure. This includes permanently low demand, as well as a temporary collapse in demand. Often demand estimates were too optimistic at the outset. Such failures might also come from external shocks instead of operating deficiencies. 19% of businesses with insufficient demand go bankrupt. 50% of these businesses report that, once demand slacked, they did not react accordingly, because they believed that this phenomenon was only temporary. Since the expected frequency of customers during the start-up phase is still low, a critical success factor is to focus promotional effort so as to generate customer loyalty early on, which will help minimize the effects of demand fluctuations. This is also important for the future development of the business. Behavior of Competition: Due to low entry barriers, additional businesses can enter the market at low cost. Approximately 16% of insolvent businesses were driven out of the market by that competition. A better service concept, innovative ideas and concentration on core businesses are easy means for an entrant to gain a competitive edge. Personnel and capacity utilization: Often personnel capacity cannot be adjusted easily when demand slows down. Currently, business services have a capacity utilization rate of personnel of 70%, i.e. 70% of employee working hours can be directly credited to sales. At small businesses this value is often lower, which means that 30% of working hours arise without generating any further revenue. 13% of such businesses go bankrupt for this reason. Liquidity constraints: Another frequent reasons for bankruptcy is insufficient liquidity. In that case, it is possible that all liquid funds are used to cover losses or that liquidity needs were planned too tight. To be able to flexibly react to changing liquidity needs, it is important that sufficient funds be planned, even during the start-up phase. Thus, 5-10% of the investment sum should be held as liquidity reserve permanently. 13% of insolvent businesses reported liquidity as the reason for bankruptcy. Over-indebtedness: Many business are run on a small equity base. The majority of investments are funded by debt. If the business becomes unprofitable, debt obligations cannot be covered. Little more over 10% of insolvent firms reported over-indebtedness as the reason for going bankrupt. It is therefore important that a share of earnings is retained for debt service. Macroeconomic Conditions: In a cyclical downturn, revenue expectations may not come in according to expectation. Although this factor does not affect the business in itself, it does have an impact on profitability, liquidity and leverage. Costs remain constant during such periods, but revenues typically decrease which affects overall profitability. 10% of all insolvent businesses report that they went bankrupt due to macroeconomic conditions, although the relevant indicators of the business looked healthy. Location and market: The market of the business and the selection of the right potential customers is an important success factor and one of the fundamental decisions that has an impact on the future prosperity of the firm. Therefore, a careful analysis is necessary. More than 10% of insolvent businesses reported that they went bankrupt because of the wrong market selection. Often start-ups did not consider that, even when the choice of market may not be wrong at the outset, it may later become so when economic conditions worsen. This may be due to structural changes or different interest of customers. Wrong Business Decisions: Often wrong business decisions and difficult situations go unnoticed for some period, which can lead to a failure of the business. A critical and independent reflection of a decision is critical factors to determine the value of a management decision and evaluate the business profitability. Studies have shown that many businesses fail in their start-up phase because of managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s inability to make sound business decisions, while once a business is settled, such mistakes are very rare. A critical management instrument is the ability to detect potential failures and problems. Certain key figures can help measure this ability and objectively determine a decisions chance for success. Small businesses should use such indicator ratios to assess their Business outlooks. Figure 7.5 shows the relative importance of each factor for businesses that went bankrupt. The numbers are based on the most relevant reason that triggered bankruptcy, but not the reason responsible for bankruptcy. External factors that changed the competitive environment and changing macroeconomic conditions were the most important reasons relative to internal factors Sources http://www.storeboard.com/blogs/business/business-plan-template-for-accounting-services-sample-only/134 (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11207319/Business-Plan-for-a-Logistics-Company

Janey’s Dance :: Child Development Short Stories Essays

Janey’s Dance The Doe household is silent, seemingly without life in all its rooms. Yet listening carefully, a faint sound can be heard leaking from the walls of little Janey’s playroom. Moving closer, the tunes of Lamb-Chops sing-a-long cassette tapes become impeccably clear: â€Å"This is the song that never ends . . . â€Å" Peeking inside, not wanting to disturb the natural environment of the 11 month old, we see Janey’s reactions to this â€Å"classic† song. She is standing latched onto her chartreuse play table, bouncing up and down and flailing her right arm in an infant’s rhythmic motion. Her mouth is open in a wide, goofy grin as squeaks of happy sounds are released into the air. She is, in effect, dancing to the rhythm of Lamb Chop. What has contributed to Janey’s behavior? How has she progressed from a sedentary, crying newborn to an active, excited infant? There are a few different ways to interpret this developed behavior, stemming from four distinct theoretical frameworks used in the field of developmental psychology. Each model has its own explanation of Janey’s Lamb-Chop dance and all provide important contributions to a justification of this charming behavior. An examination of the infant’s dance from a biological-maturation perspective focuses on the development of Janey’s physical structures and physiological processes that allow her behavior to take place. This activity should not be expected from a three month old because an infant of that age has not experienced the maturational changes in the body and brain that are necessary to facilitate dancing in it’s earliest manifestations. Human development occurs in a cephalocaudal pattern, thereby beginning in the head and working downward from that point. Coordinated muscle movements of the arms are not apparent until approximately three months of age and the same behavior in the legs usually not witnessed until around nine months. To allow movements to occur, an infant’s bone and muscle structures must develop from the soft, thin, fragile structures they are born with. â€Å"The bones in the hand and wrist are among the first to ossify† (Cole & Cole, 2001, p.

Mans Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Essay

Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Solzhenitsyn's turning to history has extremely important consequences for his total literary heritage. As he himself has said, "Literature that is not the very breath of contemporary society does not deserve the name of literature." To be true literature, "the pain and fears of society must be held before it, society must be warned against the moral and social dangers which threaten it." History to Solzhenitsyn, as to Leo Tolstoy, is the theater and the arena in which the abominations as well as the glories of human behavior are revealed at their most powerful and on the grandest scale. This is not to say that Solzhenitsyn actually "writes history," meaning by that a formal history text. Rather, his novel August 1914 is a vehicle for the telling the larger story of the human condition. As in One Day, characters are minutely inspected in order best to understand the historical environment in which they participate as well as being affected by it. In other words, history at its present juncture provides Solzhenitsyn with concrete, "living" referents or the actual background against which the moral fiber of realistically depicted characters are not only revealed but above all tested and tempered. As in the later work, Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn's historical novel about Leninist-Stalinist terror and the labor-camp system, so in August 1914 events do not simply "happen," as though they were products of the action of Fate. It is precisely over the issue of Why Events Happen that Solzhenitsyn parts company with the great Russian writer, Tolstoy, who himself used history (War and Peace) as a mea... ...," not by means of dogmatic insistence upon "historical law" and "ultimate truth." So, for Solzhenitsyn, man's Tragedy does not consist in his being ground under by an historical juggernaut, a dumb force guided by inexorable historical laws, impersonal forces, economic determinism, and so forth. Instead, man makes his own history. Ideologies, religions, policies do help shape the lines along which history will be made, but above all for Solzhenitsyn, it is men who make history. It is they who can be blamed. So can the makers of ideologies be blamed for the postulates they develop and the consequences which result from them. "Who is to blame?" the author of Gulag Archipelago asks in the chapter entitled, "The Law Becomes a Man." He answers, with bitter irony: "Well, of course, it obviously could never be the Over-All Leadership!" Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Essay Man's Tragedy in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch Solzhenitsyn's turning to history has extremely important consequences for his total literary heritage. As he himself has said, "Literature that is not the very breath of contemporary society does not deserve the name of literature." To be true literature, "the pain and fears of society must be held before it, society must be warned against the moral and social dangers which threaten it." History to Solzhenitsyn, as to Leo Tolstoy, is the theater and the arena in which the abominations as well as the glories of human behavior are revealed at their most powerful and on the grandest scale. This is not to say that Solzhenitsyn actually "writes history," meaning by that a formal history text. Rather, his novel August 1914 is a vehicle for the telling the larger story of the human condition. As in One Day, characters are minutely inspected in order best to understand the historical environment in which they participate as well as being affected by it. In other words, history at its present juncture provides Solzhenitsyn with concrete, "living" referents or the actual background against which the moral fiber of realistically depicted characters are not only revealed but above all tested and tempered. As in the later work, Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn's historical novel about Leninist-Stalinist terror and the labor-camp system, so in August 1914 events do not simply "happen," as though they were products of the action of Fate. It is precisely over the issue of Why Events Happen that Solzhenitsyn parts company with the great Russian writer, Tolstoy, who himself used history (War and Peace) as a mea... ...," not by means of dogmatic insistence upon "historical law" and "ultimate truth." So, for Solzhenitsyn, man's Tragedy does not consist in his being ground under by an historical juggernaut, a dumb force guided by inexorable historical laws, impersonal forces, economic determinism, and so forth. Instead, man makes his own history. Ideologies, religions, policies do help shape the lines along which history will be made, but above all for Solzhenitsyn, it is men who make history. It is they who can be blamed. So can the makers of ideologies be blamed for the postulates they develop and the consequences which result from them. "Who is to blame?" the author of Gulag Archipelago asks in the chapter entitled, "The Law Becomes a Man." He answers, with bitter irony: "Well, of course, it obviously could never be the Over-All Leadership!"