Analysis of Claude Monet's Stacks of Wheat Term Paper

Analysis of Claude Monet's Stacks of Wheat - Term Paper Example Monet asserted the cyclical essence of the seasons and of his own creative activity. Notably, he was unbelievably responsive to the nuances of nature (Art Institute of Chicago, 2000). The melting of the snow was a representation of the earth and the features of the background with the sun glowing gently as opposed to glowing angrily. In this series, the stack seems to loom larger than those in Sunset, Snow Effect, but their actual sizes are roughly equal. His main intention was to see the Stacks of the wheat paintings function both independently and as part of the series (Art Institute of Chicago, 2000). The monumental stacks depicted in the paintings arose 15 to 20 feet and stood just outside the artist’s farmhouse at Giverny. The stack-according to Monet-was a resonant symbol of sustenance and survival (Art Institute of Chicago, 2000). The Stack’s association of abundance and of man’s ability to sustain himself and his animals on the richness of the harvest are obvious and compelling. His subsequent series after the 1891 depicted poplars, the facade of Rouen Cathedral, and later his own garden at Giverny. In Monet’s painting, the sun casts a golden orange over the wheat stack. This shadow was a representation of a contemporary color blue-lavender (Art Institute of Chicago, 2000). Although the mundane subject was dominant throughout the series, the outstanding theme of the series was the transience of light. This concept enabled Monet to use repetition to show nuance of perception as series, weather changes and time of the day (Richard, 1987). The dominant subject provided the foundation from which comparisons could be made in changes of light across this series (Art Institute of Chicago, 2000). Traditionally, it has been thought that the motifs in the Monet's Stacks of Wheat Series paintings were just objects utilized to explore how light, color and form changed during the day and in regard to different weather conditions (Richard, 1987).  

Make Prejudice and Discrimination a Subject in School Essay Example for Free

Make Prejudice and Discrimination a Subject in School Essay Because of the immigration in the world and the great assimilation that are in progress prejudices and discrimination are more important than never before. People need to learn from young ages that it doesnt matter where you come from or what color your skin is, the only thing that matters is your personality and how you respond to other people. Yesterday, in Stockholm, I was talking to my cousin and she told me that I never should live in Tensta because, according to her, its a very dangerous place because it only lives criminals there. Personally Im sure that the majority of the people in Tensta are normal, nice people that never have done anything criminal its only her prejudices that say something different. I see every day how common prejudices are, my friends have prejudices, my family has prejudices and I, that see myself as a very prejudices free person, find sometimes that even I have some prejudices. Discrimination is unfortunately also common in our society. A while ago I read a study that professors at the Linnà © university in Kalmar had written and it showed that the majority of the companies in Sweden discriminated people with Arabic names. If there were two persons with exactly the same qualities and experience in the study, and one of them was named Martin Johansson and the other Abd al Hakim only the first would be called to an interview while the second would be sorted away immediately. But I think that it is easy to forget and that we have to remember that discrimination can work in every way white against black, black against white, men against women, women against men, and so on. Therefore I believe that we have to work for a society that is equal on every scale. I think that a way to solve the problem with prejudices and discrimination is to make it a main subject in school. In that way every kid in Sweden would get information about and be able to discus prejudices and discrimination every week from the age of 6 to 16. I believe that information and knowledge are the key to everything, and in this case the key to an equal society without prejudices and discrimination.

Oppositional World Views: Plato & The Sophists Essay -- essays researc

The Sophist views and beliefs originated in Ancient Greece around 400 B.C.E. The Sophists were known as wandering rhetoricians who gave speeches to those who could afford to listen. The Sophists deeply believed in the power of rhetoric and how it could improve one’s life. Plato on the other hand was opposed to all Sophist beliefs. He viewed the Sophists as rhetorical manipulators who were only interested in how people could be persuaded that they learned the truth, regardless if it was in fact the truth. Plato basically opposed every view the Sophists held true and tried to disprove them throughout his many dialogues. The Sophists and Plato held two very contrasting views and this paper will attempt to sift through them all in hopes of illustrating each one. This paper will first focus on each group. It will begin by identifying both the Sophists and Plato and then citing the significant principles associated with each world view. This paper will then focus on how each compon ent of their world views relate specifically to rhetoric. Finally, this paper will focus on illustrating each world view by way of current newspaper editorial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As noted, the Sophists were rooted in ancient Greece but traveled to many places, giving speeches on rhetoric to those who could afford to listen. Within their teachings, the Sophists focused on rhetorical techniques and how they could be used to successfully argue any side of an argument. They harped on the idea that through their teachings, self improvement could be achieved because those who controlled language had the power. The Sophists were relativists, which means they believed that an individual or society’s beliefs, while true for that particular individual or society, might be untrue for others. (Bizzell P. & Herzberg, B., 2001, pg. 6) The Sophists referred to this as kairos and said that because of it, there could be no absolute truth because the truth was dependent on that particular person’s point of view. They believed that the only knowledge that humans could achieve is knowledge that is probable because absolute knowledge is unattaina ble. The Sophists feel that this probable knowledge can be boiled down through what they refer to as dissoi logoi. This technique, in which each opposing side of an argument is examined in order to identify the probable truth, was developed by Protago... ..., this would be dusting away the debris (the myths) and uncovering the absolute truth of what really happened. Through rhetoric, probable truths such as McDonalds had to pay three million, are cleared out and absolute truths, McDonalds had to pay $640,000, are uncovered. (Doroshow, J. pg.1-3) This is exactly how Plato would have had it. To summarize, the Sophists were traveling rhetoricians who were paid to teach people techniques to becoming great arguers and persuaders. They were relativists who believed there was no absolute truth, only probable. This probable truth was discovered through kairos, dependent on a person’s situation, or dissoi logoi, the truth is uncovered by examining opposing arguments. The philosopher Plato was in opposition to virtually every belief the Sophists had. He believed in absolute truth and that rhetoric and discourse should be used to uncover this truth. He also believed that false rhetoric was that of the Sophists. Whether the Sophist view is correct or Plato’s view is, there is some sort of truth out there and maybe one day it can be decided as to which method best uncovered it. But until then, the debate will rage on, as it did within this paper. Oppositional World Views: Plato & The Sophists Essay -- essays researc The Sophist views and beliefs originated in Ancient Greece around 400 B.C.E. The Sophists were known as wandering rhetoricians who gave speeches to those who could afford to listen. The Sophists deeply believed in the power of rhetoric and how it could improve one’s life. Plato on the other hand was opposed to all Sophist beliefs. He viewed the Sophists as rhetorical manipulators who were only interested in how people could be persuaded that they learned the truth, regardless if it was in fact the truth. Plato basically opposed every view the Sophists held true and tried to disprove them throughout his many dialogues. The Sophists and Plato held two very contrasting views and this paper will attempt to sift through them all in hopes of illustrating each one. This paper will first focus on each group. It will begin by identifying both the Sophists and Plato and then citing the significant principles associated with each world view. This paper will then focus on how each compon ent of their world views relate specifically to rhetoric. Finally, this paper will focus on illustrating each world view by way of current newspaper editorial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As noted, the Sophists were rooted in ancient Greece but traveled to many places, giving speeches on rhetoric to those who could afford to listen. Within their teachings, the Sophists focused on rhetorical techniques and how they could be used to successfully argue any side of an argument. They harped on the idea that through their teachings, self improvement could be achieved because those who controlled language had the power. The Sophists were relativists, which means they believed that an individual or society’s beliefs, while true for that particular individual or society, might be untrue for others. (Bizzell P. & Herzberg, B., 2001, pg. 6) The Sophists referred to this as kairos and said that because of it, there could be no absolute truth because the truth was dependent on that particular person’s point of view. They believed that the only knowledge that humans could achieve is knowledge that is probable because absolute knowledge is unattaina ble. The Sophists feel that this probable knowledge can be boiled down through what they refer to as dissoi logoi. This technique, in which each opposing side of an argument is examined in order to identify the probable truth, was developed by Protago... ..., this would be dusting away the debris (the myths) and uncovering the absolute truth of what really happened. Through rhetoric, probable truths such as McDonalds had to pay three million, are cleared out and absolute truths, McDonalds had to pay $640,000, are uncovered. (Doroshow, J. pg.1-3) This is exactly how Plato would have had it. To summarize, the Sophists were traveling rhetoricians who were paid to teach people techniques to becoming great arguers and persuaders. They were relativists who believed there was no absolute truth, only probable. This probable truth was discovered through kairos, dependent on a person’s situation, or dissoi logoi, the truth is uncovered by examining opposing arguments. The philosopher Plato was in opposition to virtually every belief the Sophists had. He believed in absolute truth and that rhetoric and discourse should be used to uncover this truth. He also believed that false rhetoric was that of the Sophists. Whether the Sophist view is correct or Plato’s view is, there is some sort of truth out there and maybe one day it can be decided as to which method best uncovered it. But until then, the debate will rage on, as it did within this paper.

Principles of communication in adult and social care settings Essay

Ai Identify four different reasons why people communicate Making and developing relationships People communicate to make new relationships. The way I first speak and listen to a newcomer can make them feel welcome or overlooked. As I speak or comment, listen and watch, take an interest, smile and nod, whether to a service user, a member of their family, a colleague or a visiting practitioner I am building and developing my relationship with them. Communication will continue to be the main way I nurture and develop my relationships at work. Read more: Identify different reasons why we communicate  essay Giving and receiving information At work I will be expected to give and receive different types of information. Perhaps a service user confides in me, or a member of their family asks me a question. A colleague could give me instructions a visiting practitioner might make an observation. The information I give, receive and pass on will help me to carry out my work effectively. Expressing needs and feelings Expressing needs and feelings is part of being human and these are communicated through behaviour as well as speech. Most people need to share needs and feelings with each other and in this way build up a sense of trust with the person they confide in. Sharing thoughts and ideas Human process many of their thoughts by discussing them. If I have ideas, questions and opinions about my work, sharing them with colleagues helps to clarify, develop and even change the way I think and act. The way in which I respond to the thought processes of service users could encourage or discourage their sharing with me. Affirming one another Affirmation is about acknowledging and encouraging each other and reassuring individuals of their worth and value. Affirmation is communicated through positive words, praise and gestures. Some care settings use support groups, staff meetings and appraisals as ways of affirming practitioners about their work performance. Aii Describe two ways how communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues and other practitioners. The ability to communicate well is a key skill that enables me to work effectively with others. Communication process is much about listening and receiving messages as it is about talking and giving messages. As a care worker I need to be skilled in both aspects. My communication skills will develop and become more effective as I gain experience in my work role, learning from observing more experienced colleagues. Learning from others, seeking for advice and using support are all part of this process. During my work with service users there will be specific situations where good communication skills are particularly necessary. Sharing information In a care setting it is vital that information is shared appropriately between workers to enable each member of team to carry out his or her role effectively. I will also need to share information with service users and their relatives. Sometimes the information might be of a sensitive nature, such as when breaking bad news or dealing with private information, and I will need to be especially sensitive. In the course of my work I will need to find out information, pass on information and listen information. Providing support Communication is the main way in which I continue to sustain relationships and build this up. As a health and social care worker I will need to offer support to service users and their families and this is enabled through both verbal and nonverbal communication. I will need to listen, as much as I  speak and the use of appropriate and non intrusive touch can add to sense of being supportive. Aiii Using the table below, identify three ways of finding out the communication and language needs of an individual. For each method, describe how effective it is at establishing the needs of the individual. Asking/Observing the Individual. Asking/Observing is probably the best way of establishing the individual’s communication and language needs as this would immediately allow me to establish their usual language, if they are visually or hearing impaired etc. Check the Care plan for the individuals communication needs. The Care plan can be a good source of information on the needs of the resident, but if documented incorrectly due to human error this method becomes ineffective. If the first two don’t provide me with the needed information I could ask resident’s family, friends, doctor or other professionals who have worked with the individual. This is another effective method, only to be used if the first two fail. Aiv Describe three factors to consider when promoting effective communication Proximity. Physical distance: the better you know a person the closer I am likely to be physically. Closeness can encourage sharing. Positioning chairs at an angle rather than side by side makes it physically easier to talk to another person. Sitting directly opposite is more formal and can feel confrontational. Sometimes a table between me helps a person feel protected. Yelling from one room to another doesn’t aid communication. Orientation. Body position: leaning forward can communicate that you are interested, but too close might invade â€Å"body space†. Turning away can show lack of interest , but standing directly opposite a person can be too direct, where being at  an angle can provide a helpful space. Posture. Behaviour: folded arms can look defensive and discourage communication. Friends and family without realising, often mirror the other person’s posture during conversation, which is thought to increase a sense of familiarity. Standing over a person who is seated might feel patronising or threatening. Av Describe three verbal and three non verbal communication methods and styles that a social care worker may use in an adult care setting. Communication is a complex process made up of many different elements to do with verbal and non verbal language. These are reflected in a range of communication styles and methods. Communication is also a two-way process that must take into consideration the reactions of others and respond appropriately. To be a skilled communicator and interpreter of communication I must pay close attention to my words and actions, as well as the words and actions of others. Verbal communication. It’s about the choice of words being spoken, but also the way the words are said. Vocabulary. Choosing words that are appropriate to the service user’s level of understanding is important. Perhaps English is not their first language, or they have communication difficulties associated with a physical condition. At the same time, I need to be aware of not being too simplistic and coming across as patronising. Tone of voice. Tone of voice concerns the emotional message being conveyed alongside the spoken words. When these don’t match, people can become aware of my emotions and will pick up whether I am irritated or anxious, for example. Pitch of voice. Pitch of voice concerns how low or high my voice sounds. Speaking in a low voice can be calming and soothing, but too low and I can sound boring. In contrast, a high pitch can sound shrill and be unpleasant to listen to. Non verbal communication Non-verbal communication is a form of communication that take place almost subconsciously, that is, without being aware of thinking. It provides clues about the meaning of spoken language. Body language. Body language relates to the way my body reflects my thoughts and feelings. This can add emphasis to my words, but if I don’t really mean what I am saying it can also reveal a truer and contradictory message beneath my words. For example, exclaiming, â€Å"how fascinating† might sound as though I am interested, but body language of tapping fingers, poor eye contact and stifled yawns betrays I am actually bored. Gestures. Gestures are signs made with the hands and arms to illustrate or emphasise my words or to stand in place of words. People often gesticulate during conversations without really thinking about it. I might see someone gesticulating while talking on the phone, even though the person receiving the call cannot see their gestures. Some gestures are understood across many different countries of the world, such as thumbs up, meaning â€Å"good news†, but not all the gesture are universal and instead of clarifying a message, could create a confusion. Eye contact. Eye contact is very important and sometimes it is difficult to know if a person is telling the truth unless I can look into their eyes. Holding someone gaze is a sign of intimacy, but to do so with a person I don’t know well can feel uncomfortable, even threatening. During most conversations it is normal for my gaze to flit to and from another’s face. When working with service users who have communication difficulties it can help to exaggerate elements of non-verbal communication to provide more clues about my spoken message. Avi Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions  during communication. The following qualities will help to respond appropriately to the communication of others. Awareness of how my communication is being received. Look for nonverbal cues that indicates the recipient’s interest and understanding and equally those that indicate misunderstanding or boredom. Sensitivity to tune into my recipient’s emotional responses to my words. Flexibility to change the way I am saying something in order to clarify my meaning and increase understanding. Communication techniques. Some communication techniques assist with the process of responding to the reactions of others. Echoing. Echoing is a technique where I repeat back what a person has said in a way that both checks my understanding of their words and also affirms the underlying feeling being expressed. For example, if a distressed resident of a care home tells me she thinks someone has stolen items from her room, I might say, â€Å"It must be upsetting for you to think someone has been interfering with your personal belongings.† Mirroring. Mirroring is a communication technique used to improve rapport with another person. In many cases it happens naturally, where one person reflects the other person’s physical positions and mannerisms, their tone of voice, word use and communication style. Asking questions. If I want a person to express their ideas and feelings I am best to ask open questions which invite broader responses. ‘How are you feeling today’ Is and example, where a service user is free to respond in a way they choose. If I ask a closed question the answer is usually reduced to one word, for example ‘Are you feeling better today?’ Invites a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ Avii Explain how an individual’s background can influence the way they  communicate. Communication is all about sharing with one another and yet each person communicates slightly differently according to their different background and experience. The impact of differences. Diversity is something to be celebrated and enjoyed, but our differences can also lead to misunderstanding and different interpretations of the same communication Cultural background. Cultural differences refer to a variety of different influences, such as family background, peer group, religion, and ethnicity. These all play a part in shaping the way a person views the world and spin dot it. Cultural differences are revealed by particulars attitudes, values and practices, all of which have bearing on how a person communicates and understands the communication of others. For example, if an individual comes from a family where it is usual to make decisions through noisy and heated discussions, this person might find it difficult to accept an order without question. Individual personality. Although individuals share personality traits in common with others, the unique make-up of these and the way they operate together is individual to that person. One individual might be quiet and reserved, another enthusiastic and bubbly and this will affect the way each communicates and responds to communication. Levels of confidence. All communication requires a certain amount of confidence to speak up, make a statement, or share with others through spoken or written words. Sometimes a person has had their confidence undermined by a previous experience of communication, such as being misunderstood, or laughed at for mispronouncing a word, or perhaps an experience from childhood, such as failing their English exams. Confidence builds up over time but can be knocked down in seconds by a thoughtless or unkind response. Competence in communication skills Literacy skills refer to a person’s competence in reading, writing and speaking in a particular language. The service users I work with may be a different levels of competence in literacy and need to be communicated with a level they can cope with. Some adults struggle with literacy and may feel embarrassed by their difficulties. As well as literacy skills, some individuals will have better access to and be more competent using information and computer technology (ICT) than others. I should not assume that everyone I have dealings with at work has access to the internet and email, or mobile phones, or that they are competent in using such technology. Aviii Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier. Barrier: sender speaks different language. Overcome: to have a translator or a dictionary Barrier: poor or incomplete information selection. Overcome: to give as many details possible Barrier: hearing difficulties, visual difficulties. Overcome: to seek for medical advice and find a way of communication Barrier: sender cannot express message clearly, I speech or writing. Overcome: to use body language and sign language Barrier: distraction. Overcome: to change the environment, to focus Aix Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstanding Communication is a complex process and Health and social care is a complex area, so it is inevitable that misunderstandings will arise from time to time. When a. Is understanding happens it is important to have a range if methods to clarify the situation and improve communication. Adapt my message: Sometimes the message needs to be said or written in a different way. Perhaps the tone need to change, or the message style. The language I have used might need to be simplified. Maybe a phone conversation has been unsatisfactory in some way, but a face to face meeting would help establish better communication. Change the environment: It might be necessary to make changes to the environment to enable better communication. For example, if I am conducting a meeting in an office where people are constantly coming in and out, or the phone keeps ringing, I will need to find a quieter place to speak. Ask for feedback: In most situations it is acceptable to stop the flow of conversation with the person I am speaking with to check that I have understood correctly what is being spoken about. Equally, I can check that the person I am communicating with can hear me or understand me. Ax A social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or service that they may be helpful. There is a range of support available to enable effective communication with the service users I work with and members of their family. Importantly, individuals need to be informed about these services and be able to access them. For example: – support available via local authorities and services, such as NHS and adult social services departments. Help is also available from national charities, such as ICAN, for speech and language needs and the national Autistic society for those with autism. – The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is another source for advice and assistance on advocacy, translation and interpretation. – in addition there may be projects operating in local areas and these are likely to be advertised at a local library or community centre, or in a health centre. Communication support tends to include these categories: – speech and language services – translation and interpreting services – language service professionals (LSP) – advocacy services. Task B case study You are a social worker and a service user, Hannah, tells you she is unhappy  taking her medication. She thinks she does not need it and so she is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does not need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep this confidential and not to tell anyone especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry. Bi How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality to Hannah’ I would say to Hannah that confidentiality refers to the need to handle personal information in ways that are appropriate, safe and professional and meet legal requirements. And it is my duty of care to look after her and to inform the appropriate people about possible situations when she might be at risk. In this case, not taking medication could be a risk for her mental health and I need to report to my managers in first instance and to seek for medical advice or other professional advice if need it and to explain all this to Hannah. And also that might need to involve family if necessary or if it specified in Care plan. Bii Describe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others or Hannah’s decisions and keeping this information totally confidential. The relationship I built with service users and their families are central to my care role. If I share their personal information with others who have no need or right to know I risk breaking their trust in me. Hannah also needs to know thee are secure systems and procedures operating in the care stating to protect confidential information. Some information must be kept confidential for safety reasons. For example, some service users as categorised as vulnerable adults, such as a person with special needs whose wearer outs might need to be protected from a relative who abused them in some way in the past. Biii Describe ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication A great deal of information will pass around at my work placement through conversations, hand-over reports, letters, written reports and emails. Some  of it will be confidential and I need to know how to manage this appropriately in a care setting. If I am unsure whether information is confidential, ask a senior member of staff. Spoken information: Oral information can be transferred via face to face conversations, or over the phone. These might take place during meetings, or in less formal settings. If I need to discuss a confidential matter with a service user, family member, or with a colleague or visiting practitioner, I have to make sure I find somewhere private where I will not be interrupted or overheard. In care settings it is not generally the policy to discuss confidential matters over the telephone, unless I can verify the person is who they claim to be. Never leave confidential messages on an answering machine. Do not at any time be tempted to gossip about confidential work matters. Paper information: Personal records including notes, reports and letters concerning individual service and their families should be kept together in a file which is locked in a safe place. A lockable filing cabinet is inky safe if keys are not left lying around. Equally, rooms with keypads are not secure if the door has been propped open. To be aware of leaving documents around such as diaries, telephone messages and faxes if these contains confidential information. Many organisations have a policy that personal records must not be removed from their workplace, because could be lost, seen by others, damaged, or the information could be taken and used wrongly. Electronic information: These days great deal of information is stored and transferred electronically, via computer. Computer files should be protected using passwords which are only shared with authorised individuals. Care must be taken to close private documents after use, to prevent individuals who are passing from catching sight of the screen. To be vigilant when transporting information between computers via memory pens or discs. To make sure the memory pen doesn’t get lost and that the information doesn’t remain on the hard drive of the computer it was played on. Biv Explain when and how a social care worker should get advice about  confidentiality Anytime need it. We can always ask our superiors for advice, read policies and procedures and talk with appropriate bodies. When we are not sure about a situation or a person we should always double check first with our manager and to go to their files or documents and find out more information. We can always ask HR department as well.

Marketing plan †Huawei Essay

This marketing plan is specially measured to the company Huawei. Huawei is an international company which produces devices for telecommunication, with their phones being the most important product. Their vision is to deliver electronic communicating solutions to make the life of their consumers better. This marketing plan is requested by Huawei to find a way to accelerate the sales of Huawei’s phones internationally, with a targeted 10% raise in market share in Europe. In this report the proposition of the marketing plan can be found, with specific data about the different subjects and explanation of a market winning approach. We will start by analysing the company and the environment, to define the SWOT of the organization. Afterwards we will introduce these conclusions into a matrix where it will be visible what the company’s best aspects are. Then we will choose strategic options and further instruct on the matter. Next, we will create a mix of strategic marketing as pects that will further help to develop the importance on how and where to place the advertisements and stores and so on. Finally, a financial analysis will be done in order to predict the costs Huawei is going to make on this venture, and whether or not their new mission seems feasible. This report has been created by Quirijn, Ruben, Robbert, Amine and Erim. Management summary This marketing plan gives answers to the question whether it is feasible for Huawei to increase brand awareness in Europe by launching a market campaign and to increase market share with 10% within 4 years. The research phase had various angles. Based on micro, macro and meso level some interesting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are revealed. The most important ones are: (Strength )Huawei has a great cost advantages in comparison with the competition. (Weakness) Inability to maintain high quality professional service and sales support in western markets (Opportunity) Huawei offers low priced phones, which can be very attractive for people affected by the financial crisis. (Threat) A lot of competition in the western markets. The internal analysis consist out of various models. The canvas model was created to analyse Huawei as a company. Within the BCG-matrix, Huawei’s smartphones are placed as a question mark. And the computed Abell matrix shows that Huawei targets students and the most important need is the price and the most important technologies are calling and texting, internet and connectivity. On external level a survey is conducted within this marketing plan. The most striking result is from the question; â€Å"Do you know Huawei?†. 53% of the surveyed audience was not aware of what Huawei is as a brand. Within the Meso level, Porter’s five forces is analysed. The most important findings are: The power of the customers is not particular strong. The threat of new entrants is not very impactful as Apple and Samsung are the undisputed leaders. If done right the power of substitutes can have an impact on the market. There is no threat in the power of the suppliers Huawei operates within a highly competitive market, the rivalry is massive. After doing research on 5 strategies, the best strategy proven is the low-cost strategy. The reason it is a perfect match for Huawei is because they are able, because of their cost-saving combined with their excellent financial situation, to sell their products for a lot less than the competition The BCG matrix is an analytical tool for companies to evaluate their business units and their business potential. With help from this matrix Huawei can create and adapt marketing strategies, product strategies and more, all to help the strategic management of a company. The BCG matrix connects a company’s market share with a company’s growth rate. The model is divided into four areas, the stars, dogs, cash cows and question marks. Huawei and its mobile phones are placed in the box of question marks. It’s put in this box because of the fact that the worldwide market share of Huawei’s mobile phone is relatively low, and the market growth rate, again worldwide, is relatively high, with expanding markets all over the world. Market leaders already have established and a lot of companies operate in this market, but because of the wide and depth of the mobile market there is still a lot of potential for Huawei. In the coming time they will find out if their question mark can become a star. Abell model The Abell model is a model for seeing in what kind of market a company operates. With segments, needs and technologies there is a quick overview of what a company or a product is about. The Abell matrix for smart phone Huawei Students, young starters and parents are the main segments that Huawei is targeting, excluding senior citizens and children. The most important needs are the price of the phone, together with its appearance and the quality. Convenience is important but not a main objective. The technologies specific to the phone are being able to call and text, having internet, and being able to connect all around the world. Interactive display and such, are also not the main objective. Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths 1. Huawei has very strong financial position. Being financial healthy means that they can investment and start new projects. 2. They have great cost advantages in comparison with the competition, this allows them to produce against low prices and have low production costs. 3. Because of these great cost advantages Huawei is able to sell products against relatively low prices. This gives them a huge competitive benefit 4. Huawei has high brand recognition and is rapidly increasing their brand awareness in their new markets, such as Europe, which gives them fast closure to the big brands. 5. Superior technologies enable Huawei to come with fast efficient solutions, and gives the whole company effective process. 6. Huawei has a very high customer loyalty. Customers are satisfied and keep their preference for the brand, which allows Huawei to focus more on finding new customers. 7. R&D is a very strong department within Huawei technologies, having R&D centres all over the world, to create products that are needed by every person all over the world. 8. Their market share in the African markets is very high and Huawei invests a lot here, which pays off with a high return rate. 9. Huawei has a broad range in products, which give them the beneficial ability to provide end-to-end solutions, keeping more customer processes inside Huawei. 10. They have a strong connection with the Chinese government, which helps them to maintain their number one position in China. Weaknesses 1. the supply chain of Huawei has a lot of flaws, with late and insufficient deliveries occurring. This is partly because of the high amount of products and the market penetration in the US and Europe. 2. the customer service is not what it should be, not dealing with customer complaints properly, mainly because there starting services in Europe and the lack of integration with supporting services. 3. Inability to maintain high quality professional services and sales support in Western markets. 4. Except for China, Huawei lacks the strong global physical presence that a company needs to establish itself as a true market leader. 5. contracts with the most important and biggest server providers are not optimal, which prevents an efficient integration between product and server. 6. Huawei excels at telecommunication, but does not have much experience in their new services, and does not have the same knowledge to overcome difficulties that some of their big competitors do. 7. The brand image of Huawei is mostly focused on their mobile process and selling, and customers are on a large scale unaware of the other practices of the company 8. employee satisfaction is high within Huawei, but a lot of complaints arise from workers that operate in Huawei’s supply chain, which has a negative effect on how ethical Huawei is. 9. Huawei still depends on their low-pricing strategy, and has no alternative selling strategy’s for their products. 10. Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government are a strength, but is at the same time a weakness, as it complicates creating relationships with other specific governments, such as the US. MESO analysis Meso SWOT Strength: R&D, patent ownership, growing their innovative and advanced technological products which have earned their global recognition Weaknesses: Lack in transparency and image of secrecy, worrying companies and governments who might otherwise trust the brand to protect valuable security information. Huawei has failed to understand the US legal system and market demands, as well as its image as a risk to national security which has resulted in its failed acquisitions. Opportunities: Continued innovations and technology advances. The continued growth and expansion of technology usage and literacy offer both brands unlimited growth opportunities, so long as they stay ahead of the competition though continued improvement. Threats: R&D takes time, if the competition provides solutions first, the brand will struggle to compete. Development in this industry is simply risky as the business relies upon continued growth of the internet and internet-based-systems. Merger and acquisitions ha ve no assurance and are inherently risky, particularly in this industry due to the advanced, high-technology companies with particularly high overhead and sunk costs. Global politics and exchange rates are also a threat to international trade as a whole. Porter’s five forces Now that Huawei is entering the European market there are certain things to take note of. Porter’s Five Forces helps us define which types of pressures could be present that have to be identified before entering a competitive market like the smartphone business Huawei is entering on a regional scale. Power of customers The power of customers in the particular market is not that strong. There isn’t a lot of influence into the product directly by the consumers. Whatever features are implemented into the product is similar to those of the competition, and is mostly influenced by the R&D departments. So the customers will mostly decide on preference of design or depending on the price that is being offered. Altogether there are not endless choices for the customers to choose between. This means that the customers simply don’t have the power to strongly influence the market by demanding critical changes from a product or brand. Power of new entrants The threat of new entrants is also not very impactful for the market Huawei is entering. This is especially due to the reason that it takes a certain brand awareness to convince a large number of the (potential) buyers into buying the new product they are bringing to the market. However, when this product is offering a whole range of new features or improvements that seem very attractive, this may threaten the existing products on the market, making them harder to promote against a superior product. But in almost any case it doesn’t seem feasible to go up against popular brands like Apple and Samsung. This means that, overall, new entrants aren’t expected to be a huge threat. Power of substitutes Huawei is financially very strong and strives for operational excellence in which they score relatively high already. This means that they are able to offer considerably low prices compared to competitive brands on the market. At the same time they are able to offer stylish designs and similar features to other brands. This means that Huawei is able to give consumers a choice that they will most likely not regret, but before they do so they are going to have to decide to trust Huawei into offering them a worthy product. The marketing campaign must show the difference Huawei is bringing to the market, and with that they have to convince the consumers of something worth buying. This will prove difficult however, due to the fact that a lot of people have already been convinced by the flashy designs of Apple for instance. The brand is already widely-known and both Apple and Samsung enjoy a great deal or the market share today. This means that eventually the power of substitutes is rather high at this point and probably the biggest problem on the board for Huawei. Power of suppliers The power of suppliers doesn’t have to be seen as a threat to Huawei. They are importing from their region of origin, namely South-East Asia. They enjoy low labor and production costs overall, which goes in combination with high efficiency meaning they are able to keep costs very low. There are many different suppliers for the raw materials that needed for the production process which also lowers the power of the suppliers. Rivalry Eventually the market proves to be a highly competitive one, especially if we start talking about Apple and Samsung who are highly involved in the mix. They are offering high quality products, one for relatively high and one for relatively low prices. They have similar features but some small differences, mostly in handling the device. It mostly comes down to the design of a smartphone, as almost all brands offer pretty much the same features. This means that the product with the strongest marketing campaign offering the flashiest design will most likely hit the jackpot and win the hearts of most customers which means that this is going to be very challenging for Huawei to compete against. So basically the market growth is rather high as technology development is an ongoing process and there are several key players in the market meaning that they are calling the shots. Huawei has to gain trust in potential customers and attract them by offering as flashy as the newest model Apple has brought to the market, and give it some extra features in order to make the difference.

How to Survive Your Admissions Interview

How to Survive Your Admissions Interview Getting into a private school isnt as simple as just deciding to go. You must apply, which means youre going to need to submit an application, take a test  and prepare for the admission interview.   Why? Because schools want to get to know you in person to see how you will fit into their community. They have your transcripts, recommendations, and test scores to give  them a profile of your abilities. But, they also want to see the person behind all those stats and achievements. Check out these 12 tips on how to survive your admission interview: 1. Plan Ahead The interview is important, so make sure you schedule one well in advance of the interview deadlines. This also gives you time to prepare for the interview and review some potential interview questions that might be asked of you, and give you a chance to come up with some potential questions to ask your interviewer. 2. Take a Deep Breath and Relax An admission interview  can be  stressful, but theres nothing to worry about. Dont be scared and dont worry about how you look or what they will ask you; we have tips to help you with all of that. Remember: almost everybody is nervous at an interview. The admissions staff know this and will do their best to make you feel comfortable, at ease and as relaxed as possible. The trick is to not let your nerves get the better of you. Use your nerves to give you that natural edge and alertness you need to present yourself in the best light possible. 3. Be Yourself Be on your best behavior, socially speaking, but be yourself. While we all want to put our best foot forward when we interview, its important to remember that schools want to get to know you, not some perfectly poised robotic version of you that you think the interviewer wants to see.  Think positively. As a rule, the school will be trying to sell itself to you as much as you are trying to sell yourself to it. 4. Leave the Technology Behind Always turn off your cell phone, iPad and other devices before you go into the interview and put them away. It is rude to text or read messages or playing games during an interview. Even your smartwatch can be a distraction, so take a temporary hiatus from technology during your interview, which usually lasts only about 30 minutes. To avoid the temptation, leave your devices behind with your parents in the waiting room (and make sure the sound is off!).   5. Make a Good First Impression From the first moment you step foot on campus, remember that you want to make a good first impression. Greet people you meet openly, looking them in the eye, shaking hands, and saying hello. Dont whisper, dont stare at the ground and dont slouch. Good posture makes a strong impression. That goes for the interview itself, too. Sit up tall in your chair and dont jitter or fidget. Dont bite your nails or pull at your hair, and never chew gum. Be polite and respectful. Please and thank you are always appreciated and go a long way to indicating respect for authority and your elders and even your peers, should you meet other students. 6. Dress for Success Its common for students to ask, What should I wear to my private school interview? Lets remember that youre applying to private school, and most schools have strict dress codes and high standards for their students. You cant roll up to the interview looking like you just fell  out of bed and couldnt care less about the experience. Wear comfortable clothes appropriate for the occasion. Look up the schools dress code and do your best to align. You dont have to go out and buy the uniform itself if they have one, but make sure youre dressing appropriately. For girls, opt for a plain blouse and skirt or slacks, or a nice dress, and shoes that arent sneakers or flip flops. Use minimal makeup and accessories. Keep your hairstyle simple. Remember that youre applying to school, not to walk the runway. For boys, opt for a plain shirt, slacks and shoes (no sneakers) work for most situations. There is nothing wrong with expressing your individuality. Just make sure that the way you express it is appropriate. 7. Be Honest Dont lie or panic. If you dont know the answer to the interviewers question, say so. Look her in the eye and admit that you do not know the answer. Similarly, if she asks you a question you dont want to answer, dont avoid it. For example, if she asks why you failed algebra, explain why that happened and what you are doing about it. Showing that youre willing to own a mistake or problem and are actively working to fix it can go a long way. If attending their school is part of your strategy for improvement, say so. Honesty is an admirable personal quality which schools prize in an applicant.  Give truthful answers. If you are not a top student, admit it and tell the interviewer how you plan to achieve better results. Remember, they will see your transcript! Interviewers like to see an honest appraisal of ones strengths and weaknesses. If you can point to some challenge you had in your school work, for example, not understanding quadratic equations, and how you overcame that, you will impress the interviewer with your positive attitude and approach to life. This goes back to being honest. If you are honest and truthful, you will learn more and learn more easily. 8. Ask Questions Ask questions about the school, its programs, and facilities. Find out how it can help you achieve your goals. Determine as best you can how the schools philosophy meshes with yours.  Dont feel like you should ask questions just to ask, but instead, be sure to cover the topics you and your parents want to know more about. For example, you may be an avid  linguist who wants to study Mandarin. Ask in-depth questions about the Chinese Studies program, its faculty and so on. Its also important to do your research before the interview though. Dont show up asking if they have a soccer team; thats the kind of information you can easily find online. Also, dont ask a question that was already answered earlier in the interview. That shows youre not paying attention. You can, however, ask for more details about something you talked about earlier. 9. Pay  Attention Listen carefully to the questions being asked and what is being said. Is what you are hearing what you want to hear or is the school just not suitable for you? You will get a feel for that early in the interview. The last thing you want to do is zone out during the interview and not know what the interviewer said.   10. Be Thoughtful Think before you answer. Avoid mannerisms such as like and you know. Careless speech patterns can indicate a lack of discipline and general sloppiness. Standard business English is always acceptable. That does not mean that you have to repress your personality. If you are a free spirit, let that side of you show. Communicate clearly and convincingly. Make your points without being rude or overbearing. 11. Reflect When the interview is over, record your observations and compare these with your parents. Both of you will want to discuss these observations with your consultant later. Those recollections are important because they help determine which school is the best fit for you. 12. Follow Up Its important to follow up with your interviewer once its over. If theres time, send a handwritten thank you note to your interviewer. It will speak volumes for your ability to follow through and your personal sincerity. It doesnt need to be long, just a quick note thanking your interviewer for the meeting and perhaps reminding him of why you want to attend the school. If youre short on time, an email is a suitable alternative if youre on a fast track for decisions with limited time between the interview and decisions.

Free Essays on Survival Of The Fittest Shown In London’s The Call Of The Wild

Survival of the Fittest Shown in London’s The Call of The Wild Thesis statement: In The Call of The Wild, Jack London demonstrates the survival of the fittest through his depiction of Buck’s experiences with the drivers of the sled, with the different rules of the North, and with the wolf pack. I. Introduction of paper A. Influences for work B. Thesis of paper II. Drivers of the sled A. How Buck survived B. What Buck learned III. Rules of the Northland A. What Buck learned B. What Buck gained IV. Pack of wolves A. How Buck survived B. What Buck gained V. Conclusion of paper A. Restatement of thesis B. Summary of main points C. Sentence of emphasis Survival of the Fittest Shown London’s The Call of The Wild In 1897 Jack London ventured into the Klondike in hopes of finding gold. London found no gold, but he did come back with ideas for his most popular novel, The Call of The Wild (Ashley np). In The Call of The Wild, London relived his Yukon adventures (Flink 124). For example, Flink states that London describes himself through Buck, the main character. Likewise, Buck and London even share similar experiences. For example, in The Call of The Wild when Buck is being captured, he â€Å"accepted the rope quite dignity† (London 20). At a young age London was arrested. He allowed himself to be jailed because he, like Buck, thought he would be set free. He ended up being imprisoned for thirty days. London drew from these experiences of being held captive to write his works (Flink 121). In addition, London was a social Darwinist, meaning he believed that only the strongest or more fit can survive (Allen np). Consequently, London demonstrates the survival of the fittest through his depiction of Buck’s experiences with the drivers of the sled, with the different rules of the North, and with the wolf pack in The Call of The Wild. Buck gets his first chance to s... Free Essays on Survival Of The Fittest Shown In London’s The Call Of The Wild Free Essays on Survival Of The Fittest Shown In London’s The Call Of The Wild Survival of the Fittest Shown in London’s The Call of The Wild Thesis statement: In The Call of The Wild, Jack London demonstrates the survival of the fittest through his depiction of Buck’s experiences with the drivers of the sled, with the different rules of the North, and with the wolf pack. I. Introduction of paper A. Influences for work B. Thesis of paper II. Drivers of the sled A. How Buck survived B. What Buck learned III. Rules of the Northland A. What Buck learned B. What Buck gained IV. Pack of wolves A. How Buck survived B. What Buck gained V. Conclusion of paper A. Restatement of thesis B. Summary of main points C. Sentence of emphasis Survival of the Fittest Shown London’s The Call of The Wild In 1897 Jack London ventured into the Klondike in hopes of finding gold. London found no gold, but he did come back with ideas for his most popular novel, The Call of The Wild (Ashley np). In The Call of The Wild, London relived his Yukon adventures (Flink 124). For example, Flink states that London describes himself through Buck, the main character. Likewise, Buck and London even share similar experiences. For example, in The Call of The Wild when Buck is being captured, he â€Å"accepted the rope quite dignity† (London 20). At a young age London was arrested. He allowed himself to be jailed because he, like Buck, thought he would be set free. He ended up being imprisoned for thirty days. London drew from these experiences of being held captive to write his works (Flink 121). In addition, London was a social Darwinist, meaning he believed that only the strongest or more fit can survive (Allen np). Consequently, London demonstrates the survival of the fittest through his depiction of Buck’s experiences with the drivers of the sled, with the different rules of the North, and with the wolf pack in The Call of The Wild. Buck gets his first chance to s...

3 Variations of Misplaced Modifiers

3 Variations of Misplaced Modifiers 3 Variations of Misplaced Modifiers 3 Variations of Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol When information is added to the main clause of a sentence to provide more detail, whether it is inserted directly or parenthetically, careful placement enhances comprehension. In each of the following sentences, modifying phrases are clumsily included. Discussion after each example explains the problem, and a revision demonstrates a solution. 1. Smith played Bozo the Clown from 1959 to 1970, a clown character particularly popular in the U.S. in the 1960s because of widespread franchising in television. This sentence’s subordinate clause, which describes Bozo the Clown, follows not that epithet but rather a range of years, but the proper syntactical location for such a modifying phrase is immediately after its referent: â€Å"From 1959 to 1970, Smith played Bozo the Clown, a clown character particularly popular in the U.S. in the 1960s because of widespread franchising in television.† 2. Jones admitted he was nervous after his botched skating routine. Here, the suggestion is that only after Smith finished the skating routine did he become nervous, but the intent of the sentence is to express that Smith’s state of nervousness before the routine contributed to his poor performance. The admission, not the nervousness, is what followed the routine, and the word order should clearly represent this fact: â€Å"Smith admitted after his botched skating routine that he had been nervous.† 3. Researchers found that face-to-face interactions contributed to a sense of well-being rather than contacts via computer. Here, the syntax represents a sense of well-being and contacts via computer as possible outcomes of face-to-face interactions, but it is face-to-face interactions and contacts via computer that contribute to a sense of well-being. To clarify the relationships between the three phrases, the two forms of communication must be mentioned consecutively in counterpoint, with the outcome clearly distinguished at the end of the sentence: â€Å"Researchers found that face-to-face interactions, rather than contacts via computer, contributed to a sense of well-being.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?36 Poetry Terms50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain†

Illustrating your answer with specific examples, evaluate the impact Essay

Illustrating your answer with specific examples, evaluate the impact of structural adjustment programmes on agriculture in southern Africa - Essay Example They encourage balanced budgets by increasing taxes and reducing government spending on essential services like education, health and elimination of subsidies. They also encourage production of goods for export as opposed to consumption and also imports. The market is controlled by demand and supply and not the government even where intervention is required in order to stabilize prices. These structural policies were supposed to develop the economies of developing countries but less or no achievements have been made. They have discouraged private investors or made them to be monopolies hence straining the poor. The standard of living of member states has deteriorated due to high prices as a result of currency devaluation and lack of price controls. It has also contributed to poverty, unemployment due to reduced investments, and environmental degradation due to overemphasis on cash crop production among others (Holden, 1997). Environmental degradation is a hindrance to agricultural development. Agriculture has further been hindered by removal of subsidies on inputs such as fertilizer and entrance of subsidized imports from European markets as well as lack of credit for agriculture expansion. This paper is a critique of the impact of structural adjustment programmes on agriculture in Southern Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of most economies in Africa. Many countries engage in food crop production for subsistence, livestock farming and cash crop farming as a foreign exchange earner. Bryceson (1995) observes that agriculture is mostly considered as the practice for women and children as men engage in formal careers or sometimes cash crop production. Many factors affect agricultural activities leading to poor yields, hunger and malnutrition. These include; climate change, cost of farm inputs like fertilizer, market accessibility, land tenure, land degradation and health of workers among others. The southern African

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

American Government - Essay Example All these ads were by the candidates running for the election and all three were coming from Iowa and North Hampshire. All candidates with the exception of few are sure to win the nominations and even the elections for the next President of US. It has been unanimously agreed by the intellectuals that negative advertising may not be the good thing as it tend to pollute the environment. It is not only unfair but also creates cynicism about politics and therefore may not be the right thing for the society to experience. However, it may not be always the case; negative advertising can result into better things. Every candidate has the weaknesses and it is always expected that opposition candidates would find those weak points to attack the candidates and engage into sort of any negative campaigning against each other. One criticism of negative ads is that they can be fairy inaccurate but positive ads can be inaccurate too. An unfair ad always meets with the opposition from other candidates and in order to sustain, an inaccurate ad need to sustain the onslaught from the other members. Sometimes, public even respond negatively to the ads and those engaging into negative campaigning can end up at the receiving ends and other candidates can take advantage of the negative ad campaign. Advertising cannot always be decisive in nature and other important things also matter too in the elections. Debate is one of the things which can actually help candidates to actually prevail over each other even in the presence of negative ad campaigns. One of the criticisms by the high minded people about the negative ads is that they can actually erode the confidence of Americans in the institutions which America once held as one of its finest achievements. However, data indicates that last time Americans actually showed some sort of

Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Communications - Essay Example Nonverbally, smiles, head nods, focused eye contact, and facial expressiveness work well (Knapp and Vangelisti 2004). It is possible to say that nonverbal communication is more important to American audience because of cultural and social diversity. All cultures and nations have different behavior patterns and communication patterns which influence their perception of the information and interpretation of the environment. Non-verbal communication can be interpreted differently by different cultural and religious groups (Gesteland, 1999). First, the vast majority of nonverbal behaviors is intuitive and is based on normative rules. Except for behaviors such as good manners or etiquette, little formal training is provided for nonverbal communication. For instance, eye contact may indicate a liking for the other person. It also serves as simultaneous communication because eye contact allows people to send and receive messages at the same time (Knapp and Vangelisti 2004). According to cultural traditions, Muslim women avoid direct eye contact while Europeans interpret this behavior as impolite and suspi cious. In Japan and China, status and power are shown by eye contact. In meetings, organizational members with the most power will be looked at more often.

Apple Operations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Operations - Term Paper Example The company has a wide range of products such as desktop computers, laptops, mobiles and different application software. Along with its subsidiaries the company develops and markets various portable applications as well. Some of the bestseller items of the company include portable music players, mobile communication devices and several other digital gadgets. Buzzwords such as I-pod, I-phone and I-pad are all creations of Apple. The company also has a strong presence in the field of software. The software segment includes operating systems such as Mac OS and other utility and productivity applications like Quick time player, I-work and logic studio among others (Apple Store, n.d.). The company has a global presence and owns more than 370 stores. It has a workforce of 20,000 people. Apple mainly distributes its product through whole sellers, retailers and Apple owned exclusive stores. Hewlett Packard, Dell, Google and Research in Motion Limited are the direct competitors of the company (NASDAQ, 2012). However companies such as Lenovo, Compaq, Toshiba and Hitachi are also considered as the circumlocutory competitors of the company. The aim of the report is to offer the domestic operations of the company. Also the report will stress on the global operational strategy of the company. In the operational strategies the report will offers insights about the way Apple markets its products. Finally the report will conclude by revealing the differences between the domestic operations and the global operations of the company. Domestic Operations of Apple Operations management can be regarded as the process in which human, material and financial inputs are transformed into output of products, service or other utilities (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2006, p.279). However the actual creation of the product takes place in the mid half of the process and is referred to as manufacturing, production or the operations (Finch, 2008, p.164). In addition to that material management or logistics controls the transfer of raw materials through the process of value chain. The distribution on the other hand deals with the delivery of goods to the end customers. Finally the after sales provided by the company are known as support. Figure 1 (Source: McCubbrey, 2010) Value Chain of Apple The value chain of the company is discussed below:- Inbound Logistics Most of the essential components which are required for manufacturing Apple’s products are available from several sources. However some of the essential materials are obtained from single sources. In order to cite an instance IBM is the only supplier of G5 processor, which is being used in the products of PowerMac, while Motorola is the only supplier of G4 processor to the company. Operations The company has highly innovative products (O’Grady, 2008, p.xii). Hence the materials also need to be of high quality. Now as the raw materials are obtained the final assembly of the products is carried out in the manufacturing and assembling plants of Apple. Sacramento and Cork are the two places where the operations take place. Nevertheless the operations are also carried out by external vendors in places such as Netherlands, Korea, China and Taiwan among others (Day, 2010). In the portable category the products are assembled in Japan, China and Taiwan. Therefore from the findings it is clear that Apple only manufacture few of its products in USA and most of them assembled by third party vendors.

Business Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Policy - Essay Example Strategic management is a complex process which has the following steps: Establishing the strategic intent: Strategic intents include defining the ‘mission, vision and the objective’ of the organization. Vision is that broad spectrum where the organization wants to go. It signifies what the organization wants to achieve. It is the long term goal which the organization wants to achieve. It is the purpose of the business. The vision of the company should be very clear so that the company could identify where it is heading to. Good visions can inspire and exhilarate the employees as well as the management. Mission statement links the organization with the society. It states why the company exists. Mission statements comprises of a set of activities which are related not only with the individual but also with the global and national needs and priorities. Mission statements should be short but clear, feasible and distinctive and should motivate the employees as well as the cu stomers. They must feel that working in that organization is worthwhile. The mission statement signifies how the company can achieve the objectives. Objectives can be defined as the set of targets which the company has to achieve in a given period of time. These are the short term goals of the organization. Objectives are specific compared to goals which are more general in nature. The organization’s vision is achieved through its objectives. It enables the management to concentrate on those areas where strategic decisions should be taken. Objectives should be clear and precise, time bound, measurable, achievable, challenging and should be made keeping in view the available recourses. All the objectives must correlate with each other. Strategy formulation: Once the vision, mission and the objective of the organization is determined the next step is to formulate the strategy. Strategy formulation involves deciding on the strategies which are to be implemented to achieve the or ganizational objectives. Formulation of strategy starts with scanning the environment. Environment includes both internal as well as the external environment affecting the organization. These environmental factors are then analyzed through various techniques; these are SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Porter’s five force model etc. SWOT analysis enables the company to analyze its strength and weakness and also the opportunities it have and the threats it is facing. It is very important tool in making strategic decisions. PEST analyses the various political, economic, social and technological factors affecting the organization. After this the organization decides upon the corporate level strategies that is whether they have to integrate its activities or diversify. Decisions are taken on whether there will be vertical diversification that is a new product should be made or not, horizontal diversification that is whether the company should make a new brand or merge with someone to make that product or they shall outsource the work to some organization. In case the company is incurring loss then the company has to decide on the options of retrenchment, selling a part of the company that is divesture or whether they should liquidate the

Apple Operations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Operations - Term Paper Example The company has a wide range of products such as desktop computers, laptops, mobiles and different application software. Along with its subsidiaries the company develops and markets various portable applications as well. Some of the bestseller items of the company include portable music players, mobile communication devices and several other digital gadgets. Buzzwords such as I-pod, I-phone and I-pad are all creations of Apple. The company also has a strong presence in the field of software. The software segment includes operating systems such as Mac OS and other utility and productivity applications like Quick time player, I-work and logic studio among others (Apple Store, n.d.). The company has a global presence and owns more than 370 stores. It has a workforce of 20,000 people. Apple mainly distributes its product through whole sellers, retailers and Apple owned exclusive stores. Hewlett Packard, Dell, Google and Research in Motion Limited are the direct competitors of the company (NASDAQ, 2012). However companies such as Lenovo, Compaq, Toshiba and Hitachi are also considered as the circumlocutory competitors of the company. The aim of the report is to offer the domestic operations of the company. Also the report will stress on the global operational strategy of the company. In the operational strategies the report will offers insights about the way Apple markets its products. Finally the report will conclude by revealing the differences between the domestic operations and the global operations of the company. Domestic Operations of Apple Operations management can be regarded as the process in which human, material and financial inputs are transformed into output of products, service or other utilities (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2006, p.279). However the actual creation of the product takes place in the mid half of the process and is referred to as manufacturing, production or the operations (Finch, 2008, p.164). In addition to that material management or logistics controls the transfer of raw materials through the process of value chain. The distribution on the other hand deals with the delivery of goods to the end customers. Finally the after sales provided by the company are known as support. Figure 1 (Source: McCubbrey, 2010) Value Chain of Apple The value chain of the company is discussed below:- Inbound Logistics Most of the essential components which are required for manufacturing Apple’s products are available from several sources. However some of the essential materials are obtained from single sources. In order to cite an instance IBM is the only supplier of G5 processor, which is being used in the products of PowerMac, while Motorola is the only supplier of G4 processor to the company. Operations The company has highly innovative products (O’Grady, 2008, p.xii). Hence the materials also need to be of high quality. Now as the raw materials are obtained the final assembly of the products is carried out in the manufacturing and assembling plants of Apple. Sacramento and Cork are the two places where the operations take place. Nevertheless the operations are also carried out by external vendors in places such as Netherlands, Korea, China and Taiwan among others (Day, 2010). In the portable category the products are assembled in Japan, China and Taiwan. Therefore from the findings it is clear that Apple only manufacture few of its products in USA and most of them assembled by third party vendors.

Anthrax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthrax - Essay Example They are of three types: Symptoms: The causal agent does not cause the infection immediately but requires incubation period from 7 to 60 days. The initial symptoms are similar to flu with a very high temperature > 100 F followed by coolness or sweat. It may give chest distress, difficulty in breathing, muscular fatigue. The symptoms also include non-productive cough, aching throat, headache and nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal distress, vomiting or diarrhea (Mikesell,). 1. Cutaneous anthrax (skin): The causal organism gains entry in the body through a cut or an abrasion especially when a person encounters either contaminated animal products or diseased animal. The organism establishes the infection with a raised bump similar to an insect or mosquito bite, followed by itching. After 1-2 days it develops into a vesicle which takes the form of a painless ulcer. This ulcer after 7-10 days becomes black necrotic in the centre called as eschar. The body responds to this by swelling in the adjacent lymph glands. Fever, headache and distress occur. It could be fatal if antimicrobial treatment is not given. 2. Inhalation anthrax: The incubation period varies from 2 to 60 days. The symptoms are similar to common cold or sore throat with a mild fever and muscular pain and malaise. It is not contagious but if untreated the condition results in severe breathing discomfort, shock, symptoms like pneumonia or may give rise to meningitis. It may become fatal in 24 to 36 hrs. 3. Gastrointestinal anthrax: It is more severe form of anthrax than cutaneous form, caused by the consumption of contaminated animal product. This is featured by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. The condition onset with nausea, vomiting with blood, followed by loss of appetite, fever and severe abdominal pain and severe diarrhea with blood. It may be fatal in 25-60% of the cases as ascites fills the abdomen, followed by shock an death within the span of 2-5 days. 4. Oropharyngeal anthrax: It is not a popular form of anthrax. This encompasses fever, swelling in the lymph nodes especially in the cervical region and severe throat pain and discomfort in swallowing. Sometimes ulcer may appear at the basal region of tongue. If condition is not cured then breathing distress occurs (http://www.bt.cdc.gov). Treatment and Prevention: The disease is not contagious but the fomites of the patients may be contaminated with the spores of the causal organism. Decontamination of people and belongings is crucial with an antimicrobial agent or with bleach especially formaldehyde as chlorine is ineffective to kill vegetative cells and also the spores. Articles can be decontaminated by boiling them in water for at least 30 mins. Timely care and antibiotic therapy can enhance the chances of survival of the victims. Therapy can be started with the oral course of antibiotics followed by intravenous doses (IV). Fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin (cipro), doxycycline, erythromycin, vancomycin or penicillin. Early antibiotic prophylaxis can prevent the disease taking the fatal form. Quarantine

PESTLE Analysis Template Essay Example for Free

PESTLE Analysis Template Essay Your notes Potential Impact: Implication and importance The list below is just to get you started. Remember to put these, and others that you add in the context of your organization or business. For example if you are a small private company the behaviours of a Wall Mart / Tesco or other large international player may well impact on you.If you are a local authority, government changes will change your priorities. In the NHS changes to treatments and public attitudes will also impact etc. About your organization.How might the factors listed on the left impact your business or part of the organization? H – HighM – MediumL – Low U – Undetermined Time Frame:0 – 6 months6 – 12 months 12 – 24 months 24 + months Type:Positive +Negative Unknown Impact:Increasing Unchanged = Decreasing Unknown Relative Importance:Critical Important Un-important Unknown Political – SWOT Trading policies Funding, grants and initiatives Home market lobbying/pressure groups International pressure groups Wars and conflict Government policies Government term and change Elections Inter-country relationships/attitudes Terrorism Political trends Governmental leadership Government structures Internal political issues Shareholder/ stakeholder needs/ demands ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Economic – SWOT Home economy situation Home economy trends Overseas economies and trends General taxation issues Taxation changes specific to product/services Seasonality/weather issues Market and trade cycles Specific industry factors Market routes and distribution trends Customer/end-user drivers International trade/monetary issues Disposable income Job growth/unemployment Exchange rates Tariffs Inflation Interest and exchange rates Consumer confidence index Import/export ratios Production level Internal finance Internal cash flow ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Social – SWOT Consumer attitudes and opinions Media views Law changes affecting social factors Brand, company, technology image Consumer buying patterns Major events and influences Buying access and trends Ethnic/religious factors Advertising and publicity Ethical issues Demographics (age, gender, race, family size,) Lifestyle changes Population shifts Education Trends Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Health Living standards Housing trends Fashion role models Attitudes to work Attitudes to people doing certain types of work Leisure activities Occupations Earning capacity Staff attitudes Management style organizational culture Changes to education system ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Technological – SWOT Competing technology development Research funding Associated/dependent technologies Replacement technology/solutions Maturity of technology Manufacturing maturity and capacity Information and communications Consumer buying mechanisms/technology Technology legislation Innovation potential Technology access, licensing, patents Intellectual property issues Global communications Inventions Innovations New discoveries Research Energy uses/sources/fuels Communications Rate of obsolescence Health (pharmaceutical, equipment, etc.) Manufacturing advances Information technology Internet Transportation Bio-tech Genetics Waste removal/recycling Email M-learning E-learning Collaboration tools Software changes RSI ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Additional split of information if doing a PESTLE analysis rather than a PEST analysis: Legal – SWOT Current legislation home market Future legislation European/international legislation Regulatory bodies and processes Environmental regulations Employment law Consumer protection Industry-specific regulations competitive regulations ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Environmental – SWOT Ecological Environmental issues International National Local Environmental regulations Customer values Market values Stakeholder/ investor values Staff attitudes Management style organizational culture Staff morale Staff engagement Global factors EU based factors ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ top Remember this is only a tool. Call it what you like – use whatever factors you feel are appropriate. Other variations include: PEST analysis (STEP analysis) Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological PESTLE/ PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, Environmental; PESTEL analysis PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Labour (Labor) related; PESTEL analysis (rare no references available) PESTLIED analysis- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, International, Environmental, Demographic STEEPLE analysis – Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical SLEPT analysis – Social, Legal, Economic, Political, Technological STEPE analysis – Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological ETPS analysis – Economic, Technical, Political and Social – Scanning the business environment PESTLE Analysis on an HR department or other internal function While the PEST or PESTLE analysis is primarily aimed at looking at the external environment of an organization, many HR courses ask students to use the PEST or PESTLE analysis model to look at their own function. In this context we need to imagine that the department (HR) is an organization in its own right and look outside. Factors to include in your analysis may include the following: Political What is the culture of the organization, How is the HR function viewed by other functions? Who are the political champions of HR (or its adversaries)? Shareholder views Economic What is the budgetary position of the department, Is more money available? Are our customers likely to spend more or less money on the services we offer? What is happening to the financial status of the organization Interest rates Inflation Salary trends in the sector Sociological Other departmental attitudes to HR Population shifts (age profile) Education Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Health Living standards Housing trends Fashion role models Age profile Attitudes to career Technological What changes may be coming our way? What new technology/ systems, How do we record attendance, performance? how might this change? Use of and encourage home working? Communications technologies changes of technology that will increase/ reduce the need for recruitment changes to HR software Legal What is happening in our sector that will impact what we do? Minimum wage, Working time, Food stuffs, Under 18 working, Occupational/ industrial Training etc. What changes will impact the services of the organization Environmental Staff morale Staff engagement Need to reduce storage needs Management attitudes (inside dept/ function) Organizational culture PESTLE Analysis for Schools or Education By rapidbi Last updated: Sunday, April 19, 2009 Save Share 2 Comments A PESTLE analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management and staff involved in the analysis of the changes in the school’s environment that could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable them carry out a more comprehensive analysis. A PESTLE is usually used in commercial organisations as a part of the strategic development of a business and marketing plan, however a PESTLE analysis can be used as part of identifying the opportunities and threats (swOT) for operational planning within educational and school environments. The PESTLE provides a simple framework within which to consider external factors. PESTLE is used as part of a SWOT for identifying the external factors (OT) Political Schools being privatised (like the NHS) A government initiative creates the risk that the school may fail to deliver the policy or be diverted away from local priorities etc. Changes to the skills required to be a teacher/ tutor Changes to curriculum with short lead times Requirement to be self managing Requirement to be self financing Economic Central or local government funding decisions may affect school/ establishment finances Closure of a local industry may affect fund raising plans etc. Ability of parents to raise funds for optional activities The need to run breakfast/ after schools clubs Ability to invest ‘savings/ surpluses’ Cost of providing resources: Staff – teaching support Basics – books/ paper Technology solutions laptops etc Interest rates Shortages of materials on national/ international markets Over provision of school places in the area resulting in competition from neighbouring schools The risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more ‘up and coming’ schools/ academies Social Decline in birth rate, reflecting national trends Local population changes (increasing/ decreasing numbers) Demographic changes may affect likely pupil rolls or the nature of pupils needs e.g. pupils with English as a second language etc. Closure of local firms providing employment Inability to attract staff Social networking – blogs, facebook, twitter Changes to qualifications expected Integration with local community Integration of students with special needs parental preference – an increase in ‘parent power’ has allowed parents more freedom of choice over their child’s school the risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more up-and-coming establishments Information is accessible to staff anywhere in the world via the Internet Staff were not given enough training or access to effectively change their habits and how they expected information to be made available Technological Changes to standards/ equipment required Risk of selecting the wrong technology at times of change (i.e. windows -v- open source) New computer viruses may affect school/ college operations, Disturbing/ illegal images on the internet may affect ICT security measures etc. Move from paper based books to e-book readers Computer hardware being out of date Computer software being out of date Time to manage IT systems Legislative new legislation may create risks of non-compliance with the law, create new administrative burdens etc Changes to child protection legislation Raise the age of school leaving age Raise/ lower the age of starting school. Nursery/ kindergarten Change to school opening hours Changes to funding of charity based organisations Health safety legislation Environmental A new highway layout near the school may create new dangers for pupils etc Waste disposal Reduction of green space available for activities Changes to local bus routes Using a significant amounts of paper and photocopier toner to produce printed information. For a more comprehensive PESTLE article see our pain page. A PESTLE Template: Area being reviewed Factor: Is factor positive or negative? Political P – N P – N P – N P – N Economic P – N P – N P – N P – N Social P – N P – N P – N P – N Technological P – N P – N P – N P – N Legislative P – N P – N P – N P – N Environmental P – N P – N P – N P – N Remember this is only a tool. Call it what you like – use whatever factors you feel are appropriate. Other variations include: PEST analysis (STEP analysis) Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological PESTLE/ PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, Environmental PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Labour (Labor) related PESTLIED analysis- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, International, Environmental, Demographic STEEPLE analysis – Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical SLEPT analysis – Social, Legal, Economic, Political, Technological STEPE analysis – Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological ETPS analysis – Economic, Technical, Political and Social – Scanning the organizational environment Choose the acronym that most suits you or your organization. http://www.familybunker.com/forums/students-workshop/11967-swot-pest-analysis-part-ii.html Examples of SWOTs Strengths and weaknesses à ¨ Resources: financial, intellectual, location à ¨ Cost advantages from proprietary know-how and/or location à ¨ Creativity (ability to develop new products) à ¨ Valuable intangible assets: intellectual capital à ¨ Competitive capabilities à ¨ Effective recruitment of talented individuals à ¨ Competitive Advantage à ¨ Brand reputation à ¨ New product Opportunities and threats à ¨ Expansion or down-sizing of competitors à ¨ Market trends à ¨ Economic conditions à ¨ Expectations of stakeholders à ¨ Technology à ¨ Public expectations à ¨ All other activities or inactivities by competitors à ¨ Criticisms by outsiders à ¨ Changes in markets à ¨ All other environmental condition à ¨ Global Influences à ¨ Nothing PESTEL Analysis for Macro-Environment http://accalecturenotes.blogspot.com/2011/01/pestel-analysis-for-macro-environment.html PESTEL Analysis is used for the assessment of macro-environment (environment which indirectly affects business decisions) in which the business operates. Managers have to identify changes in macro-environment that influence their business decisions. These can be identified using PESTEL analysis. In exams, using this framework ensures that we have gathered sufficient information necessary to analyze the scenario. Other frameworks used are equally acceptable. Below discussed factors are interrelated, points discuss in one factor can be included in other. 1. POLITICAL. The following points to be considered when evaluating the political environment of the industry or business. 1. Availability of government grants or assistance in the form of cash or other asset perhaps upon fulfillment of some conditions. 2. Award schemes to enforce quality standards. 3. Stable or dynamic political environment i.e. is the government changes frequently resulting in changing policies being implemented by every new government or the country are under martial law or war? 4. Rules and regulations are polite or stringent. This indicates the venerability of the business to legal risk i.e. fines (can be discussed under legal also). 5. Barriers to entry and exit. Example by imposing licensing requirements. 6. Provision of training to workers. 7. Provision of infra-structure, includes sewerage, transportation and energy. 2. ECONOMICAL 1. Business cycle, identify the stage from which the business is suffering. The stages are depression, recession, recovery and boom. 2. Industrial cycle, identify the stage from which the industry is suffering. The stages are introduction, growth, maturity and decline. 3. Access to resources, finance at reasonable cost, workers at reasonable rates, material economically and easily and equipment with maintenance and spare parts. 4. Customers suppliers, their availability and bargain power should be assessed. 5. Taxation policies i.e. direct or indirect taxation and rates 6. Inflation, interest and exchange rates. 7. National income can also influence demand for the firms product. 8. Level of unemployment in the country, high unemployment may suggest that employer has dominant position and can negotiate low wage rate with workers 9. Stock market condition rising stock market index means rising demand of shares in the stock market may suggest easily availability of finance at cheaper cost. 3. SOCIAL 1. Stakeholders demand, taste and behavior. Example customer, financers and supplier who may not support if your business conflicts their principles. 2. Increasing or decrease population. Increasing population may suggest that higher demand for younger people products e.g. toys while decreasing population suggests opposite. 3. Attitude to work. Are people committed to their work or they just comply with standards. Healthy workers are more productive than overstressed workers. 4. Income distribution, how wealth for the country is scattered among individuals, even distribution may suggest that majority of the people can buy our product while uneven distribution may suggest that majority is poor and minority is rich which create demand for high volume and low priced and low volume high priced products respectively. 5. Social footprint. Impact that business leaves on the society 6. cultural change should be identified e.g. identifying societies leisure activities, changes in customs. 4. TECHNOLOGICAL 1. Stable or robust. Stable environment may suggest longer product life cycle and low level of obsolesces while robust environment suggests otherwise. 2. New product developments may permit doing business more efficiently, cost-effectively and effectively. Employer may move towards automation, this is turn may affect other factors of the framework 3. Innovation leads to break-through in economy and it may affect society as well. Example facebook, youtube are the products which affecting youths behavior. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL 1. Green house effect has affected the way business trades. There are increasing demands of environment friendly products. Example using hybrid cars and paper bags instead of plastic bags. 2. There are increase emphasis on environmental footprints and sustainability. 3. There are legislations being enacted related to environment. This forces the business to change its policies (the way they do business) and disposal costs to business like restoration of site. 6. LEGAL 1. Competition law imposes restriction of mergers and acquisitions to promote efficiency gained through competition. 2. Employment legislation protects rights of workers by setting minimum wage requirements, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment legislation. 3. Health and safety legislation to protect workers. 4. Imposition of high import duties to protect home industries. 5. Licensing requirement as discussed above Students are advised to think as many points as possible so they can quickly identify if they come in the exam scenario. Having thought its impact on business activities can save you lot of time. PESTEL ANALSIS is frequently used framework in exams and in practice. It is worth spent some time on it.