HISD and Ryan Middle School Demographic Study Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Counselors and psychologists are 800, 500 counselors and 300 psychologists, and all of them hold masters degree. There are two hundred nurses; 104 with master’s degree, six with doctorate degrees and the rest hold bachelors degree. Secretaries are 96, and all of them possess a bachelor’s degree. HISD district and school’s organization chart include senior staff, board of education and superintendent of schools. By the end of 2010, there was reorganization, whereby HISD replaced the existing structure of five regions to a structure of 22 improvement officers in the school, 3 officers in the chief schools and a charter school compliance officer. The three chief school officers oversee high, elementary and middle schools. Besides, the officers provide management to principals and school improvement officers. Additionally, they align support and resources for teachers, and also ensure that the district provides quality and equitable education opportunities for all s tudents. There is also an advisory committee in HISD that assists in decision making process. The ethnic composition of the student body in HISD is 60% Hispanic, 28% African-American, 10% white and Asians. 79% of the students are challenged economically, and 90% qualify for title I funds. We will write a custom essay sample on HISD and Ryan Middle School Demographic Study or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now ESL/ LEP students comprise 40% of the whole students’ population. District and school’s enrolment involve registering a child in the district he or she is zoned. Age and identity of the child is proved using the birth certificate. Besides, the residential address and identity is proofed. In addition, child’s current immunizations must be presented. HISD ensures that students get proper diet that has lean proteins, vegetables fresh fruits and dairy products that contain low fats. 80% of the students in HISD receive free lunches because they come from economically challenged households. These children participate in reduced and free lunch program, whereby they receive lunch without any charge. In Ryan middle school, 185 students are eligible for free lunch, and 25 of them are eligible for reduced lunch. Food services support facility (FSSF) prepares food for the students by preparing approximately 15million breakfast meals, 25 mil lion lunch meals annually. The entire food services team ensures that students get proper nutrition. HISD has rental facilities to the outside organizations. Chief financial officer controls all the rental school facilities. Construction and facility services provide information on facility management capabilities as well as support and administration services.

Doe Season Andys Epiphany Essay - 1007 Words

The process of finding out who one is can be very turbulent and confusing. Through growing up one goes through so many different changes in terms of ones personality and deciding who they are and what they want to be. The little girl in David Kaplans quot;Doe Seasonquot; goes through one of these changes, as do many other adolescents confused about who they are, and finds out that there are some aspects of a persons identity that cannot be changed no matter how hard he/she tries. Andy is a nine-year-old girl who doesnt want to grow up to be a woman. When she talks of the sea and how she remembers her mother loving it and how much she hated it is a clue that she prefers to be a quot;boyquot;. The sea is symbolic of womanhood and†¦show more content†¦He refers to her as Andy even though her real name is Andrea and takes her with him to do manly things. The reader first gets a hint of the fact that Andy is unable to be a member of the male fraternity when she expresses her disliking of Mac. Mac is representational of the typical boy in this story. Andy thinks that Mac is stupid and is annoyed by all of the pranks and teasing he submits her to. This is an extension of her femininity, even though she doesnt quite grasp that fact. The next instance where she feels out of place in this quot;man-worldquot; is, when at lunch, they are conversing about deer. She makes the comment that she sees a deer once behind their house and Charlie Spoon tells her that was because it is not hunting season. They then converse about how deer know when and when it isnt hunting season and start laughing about it. This whole conversation confuses Andy and makes her feel out of place. Later on, when they set up tents, she has to sleep in a tent with Mac. The things that Mac talks to her about before they go to sleep make her feel uncomfortable. First he asks her if shes ever seen someones quot;peckerquot; and that makes her feel uncomfortable. Mac then talks to her about gutting a deer and it makes her think about how it would feel if someone did that to her. Two times during the story Andy sees deer. One time when she is gathering firewood and another when she takes a walk on her own. The reason she is able to seeShow MoreRelatedDoe Season855 Words   |  4 PagesDoe Season In the short story Doe season, David Kaplan creates a character named Andrea, who would rather be called Andy. Doe Season is not simply a story about a young girl’s hunting trip with her father and friends. During the few days that Andy is on the hunting trip, she takes an incredible journey trying to find out who she really is. Usually, hunting deer is an event reserved for young men and their fathers. Yet, it is through this outing that Andy experiences a rite of passage into womanhoodRead MoreDoe Season: Andys Epiphany820 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent changes in terms of ones personality and deciding who they are and what they want to be. The little girl in David Kaplans Doe Season goes through one of these changes, as do many other adolescents confused about who they are, and finds out that there are some aspects of a persons identity that cannot be changed no matter how hard he/she tries. brbrAndy is a nine-year-old girl who doesnt want to grow up to be a woman. When she talks of the sea and how she remembers her mother loving

Computers help in agriculture Free Essays

Agriculture Computers help in agriculture? It can’t sow seeds or harvest crops or irrigate fields. But it can definitely help the farmers and the agricultural scientist in various stages of farming. And why haven’t we used computers in agriculture till date? Just one reason, farmers are not comfortable with computers. We will write a custom essay sample on Computers help in agriculture? or any similar topic only for you Order Now And since there’s no market for such a technology, the industry never bothered to consider that field for making any software. Countries like USA and Australia use software in their day to day farming activity. It helps them choose the right crop for their field, track the growth and accounting after harvesting. Clearly such technology is useless for Indian agriculture scenario because most farmers in India cannot effectively use it and only a few would be willing to invest in such a tool. So can computer technology really help Indian or other countries agriculture? And my answer is a big yes. It has a bigger role to play in Indian agriculture than in any other countries. Indian agriculture systems have a symbiosis between farmers and agriculture scientists. Scientists need input from farmers about their experience, to come up with new strategies for farmers. If we can somehow avail all the necessary data to scientist, they can for sure come up with better strategies. And if we can aid in their strategy planning by providing tools to do that, scientists will be able to compare different strategies. Having leveraged the scientists to come up various farming strategies, the next obvious step is to enforce these strategies through farmers by letting them choose the one which suits their land the best. Imagine software, which can predict the soil fertility of a land after harvesting a particular crop, provided we have the soil fertility information of the land and the crop to be harvested now. Well if you can predict the fertility of the soil after a particular crop harvest, it lets you decide what’s the other crops can be cultivated later and helps decide the best crop rotation policy. This would guarantee the highest yield all the time. We are not in an ideal world where everyone is a computer wizard. In such a non-ideal world, what good would it bring if given to farmers? How many farmers are out there who can efficiently use such a tool? How to make software that is so easy to use even for farmers? On the other hand, if we give this tool to scientist or government officials, they can help farmers choose the best crop for their lands. How to cite Computers help in agriculture?, Papers

Fated Attraction free essay sample

Fated attraction Amarjit is a British born Sikh girl, who probably has an Indian background since the majority of Sikh people are from India. She is in a very tough dilemma she has to take a life changing decision. She has two choices one being the love of her life, the other sustaining her parents name and honour. In the ending of line 12 to the beginning of line 15 it says: â€Å"getting me married off is all that matters to them at the moment and, until that day come, they say they cant face their friends with pride†. Out of that part of the story, we can see that the parents want her married off fast. And before that, she describes how the parents concentrated on her older sisters, and that it now was her turn to get married off. I think she is in that age where you are supposed to get married, according to Sikh culture and traditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Fated Attraction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Or maybe even a younger age then her is considered normal to get married in, that’s why her parents are hurrying in getting their daughter married off because she might be late. Arranged marriages can be scary, irritating and most of all they can be awkward for both men and women. You might be marrying a highly educated person who comes from a rich family, but you don’t know his personality at all. You don’t even know how the person will treat you, which is the biggest concern women have over arranged marriages. I can’t generalize how all women are treated in the Sikh culture just by reading the story. But the way Amarjit is treated by her parents is terrible they put to much pressure on her, they even threaten her, which is bad parenting. I can tell from the story that women play a big role in sustaining the family’s honour according to their culture, they are also treated like maids before they get married and after. I don’t think Amarjit will runaway with Simon, because she simply feels kind of guilty about even being with Simon. She will just listen to her parents and get married to a man her family picks for her. If I were in Simon’s position I would first of all have patients, and let Amarjit decide. I would try to talk with Amarjits parents, and make a good impression so they can see that I still am a nice person even though I’m from another culture. I would keep interact with her parents until they maybe one day will accept me.

Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Atomic Bomb Essays

Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Atomic Bomb Essays Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Atomic Bomb Paper Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Atomic Bomb Paper HIROSHIMA The non-fiction book Hiroshima by John Hersey is an engaging text with a powerful message in it. The book is a biographical text about lives of six people Miss Sasaki, Dr. Fujii, Mrs. Nakamura, Father Kleinsorge, Dr. Sasaki and Rev. Tanimoto in Hiroshima, Japan and how their lives completely changed at 8:15 on the 6th of August 1945 by the dropping of the first atomic bomb. The author, John Hersey, through his use of descriptive language the in book Hiroshima exposes the many horrors of a nuclear attack. Through the shocking and troubling graphic detail of human suffering and the physical effect of radiation and burns caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb Hersey exposes to the reader the deeply disturbing physical impact of a nuclear attack. In the book when Hersey writes about Mr. Tanimoto helping people out of the river he uses the sentence, He reached down and took a woman by the hands but her skin slipped off in a huge glove like piece, to shock the reader with something a person would only expect to find in a horror movie. By him putting that sentence in the text Hersey exposes the physical effect a nuclear attack has on the human body and suggest we should never let this happen again. When the characters of miss Sasaki, a clerk in her young twenties who is crushed by a bookshelves that fall on her from the impact of the bomb and is severely injured and left crippled the author show that the bomb didn’t only affect people be directly burning them or by radiation but also by the structural damage. Another sentence John Hersey uses to expose the physical impact of a nuclear attack is, their faces were wholly burned, their eye sockets were hollow, and the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks. Through this sentence Hersey again shocks the reader with the graphic detail of human suffering caused by the nuclear attack. In the book Hiroshima the author not only exposes the physical impacts right after the bomb but also weeks and years after the nuclear attack. The effect of radiation caused by the atomic bomb on people for most lasted for the rest of there live and often was the cause of the death and for those who had children affected some of there children. One of the six people interviewed, Father Kleinsorge who had only suffered minor cuts when the bomb had been dropped, a month later they still hadn’t healed and was suffering from high fever and abdominal pain and low white cell count. But his character couldn’t receive the one thing which would have probably helped, a blood transfusion because with atomic bomb patients they weren’t sure that if you stick needles in them they’ll stop bleeding. By telling the reader about Father Kleinsorge Hersey shows the reader that the nuclear attack caused many people to suffer from radiation sick months after the actual bombing and the irony is that one of thing that could save them could also kill them. The author also tells us that by 1950 the incidence of leukemia in hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bomb) was between ten and fifteen time above the normal, this was five years after the bomb had hit Hiroshima. Hersey does this to show the reader that even for those that are lucky enough to escape death and the terrible burns from the bomb they still are affected physically by the effect of radiation sickness and also other sicknesses caused by the radiation from the bomb. Hersey not only expose the physical impact of a nuclear attack in his book Hiroshima but also the emotional impact the dropping of a atomic bomb has on people and a society. The character of miss Sasaki who was left crippled by the dropping of the bomb suffered more from the emotional impact of the bomb the just the physical. Hersey exposes to the reader that after the had nuclear attack left her crippled it also left her feeling hopeless. Being unable to walk properly for the rest of her life, Miss Sasaki knew that she wouldn’t be able to take care of her family anymore and that her chances of ever getting married had reduced, which in her society meant a lot because married women had a higher statue then those which were unmarried. All of this left Miss Sasaki depressed for a long time. By Hersey including this in his book he expose to the reader that a nuclear attack has a huge effect on people emotionally for years after the actual attack even if they’re not severely physically affect. The story of Mrs. Nakamura is another example Hersey uses to expose the emotional impact of the dropping of an atomic bomb. After the bomb is dropped it leaves the Nakamura with out much money and Mrs. Nakamura in one part off the book is forced to sell her dead husband’s sewing machine to pay for doctor bills. In the book she describes this as the lowest and saddest moment of her whole life. The bomb leaving them with nothing forces Mrs. Nakamura to do anything she can to care for herself and family which leaves her very emotionally distort. Hersey tell the reader this part of Mrs. Nakamura story to show the reader that even after the immediate damage the bomb still inflects emotional horror to those lucky enough to escape the physical impact of the bomb. The book Hiroshima also expose to the reader the sever psychological impact of the dropping of an atomic bomb. After the bomb had left a hundred thousand people dead in Hiroshima, Dr. Sasaki and Mr. Tanimoto were left wondering why they had survived while so many others had perished. On the day of the bombing Mr. Tanimoto spent most of his time helping people but in one part of the book when he was walking in the dark he tripped over an injured person. The book described him as feeling ashamed of hurting wounded people, embarrassed at being able to walk upright. Dr. Sasaki moved away from Hiroshima six years after the bomb to withdraw form the effect of being a hibakusha and the awful memories. But for his whole life he tried to forget yet couldn’t fully. He was still haunted by his failure to properly label all the dead to the Red Cross hospital so they could be properly honored. The Author shows the reader the damaging psychological impact the bomb had on those that had survived and had guilt over deaths that weren’t there fault simply because of the fact that they didn’t die like the rest. By Hersey exposing the psychological effect he also exposes to the reader that the effect of a nuclear attack can last for the rest of people lives. The dropping of the first atomic bomb not only had horrible effects on people but also a huge structural impact on there home. hey found that the power exerted by the explosion was 5. 3 tons per square yard and substances like mice which had a melting point of nine hundred degrees Celsius had fused with granite 80 yards from the center. The heat released by the bomb of six thousand degrees Celsius had pretty much destroyed every structure that it came in contact with which included thousands of peoples home and hundred hospitals. By Hersey telling the reader about the enormous structural damaged caused by the bo mb he not only tells about buildings being destroyed ut also lives. Thousands of people were left homeless and for the survivors a lot of the hospitals were destroyed leaving them with only a few places to get aid which resulted in many people not getting the help they needed. Hersey tells the reader this so they get the full impact of an atomic bomb. Through his uses of descriptive language Hersey exposes to the reader the physical, emotional, Psychological and structural damage caused by a nuclear attack. He shows the reader how peoples are physically changed but also how emotional psychologically scared by this act of horror. Through Hersey’s graphic detail of the horror after the bomb and the effects years after he shock the reader while also give the message that we shouldn’t let this happen again. In the book Hiroshima the author John Hersey exposes that a nuclear attack is not simply a disaster that fades away when the rubble is removed and buildings are rebuilt but an act of horror that changes the course of people’s live.

Research Paper And Ethics Example

Research Paper And Ethics Example Research Paper And Ethics – Term Paper Example Ethical issues in research paper: Sexual abuse in the Military Ethical issues in research paper: Sexual abuse in the Military Inbehavioral science research, particularly when investigating sexual assault in the military, ethical consideration is a necessity that researchers must adhere to (Carroll, 2010). Since sexual assault has a distinctively damaging effect on a society (the military for that matter), is harmful to morale, weaken unit cohesion, and show insolence for the command chain, researchers should observe the element of â€Å"respect for participants,† among other ethical issues, in their research. According to De the entire armed forces.ReferencesCarroll, J. L. (2010). Sexuality now: Embracing diversity. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth CENGAGELearning.De, C. D., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (2012). Behavioral business ethics: Shaping an emerging field.New York: Routledge.Denscombe, M. (2012). Research proposals: A practical guide. Maidenhead: Open UniversityPress.Lo, B., OConnell, M. E., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2006). Ethical considerations for research on housing-related health hazards involving children. Washington, DC: NationalAcademies Press.Loue, S., & Pike, E. C. (2007). Case studies in ethics and HIV research. New York: Springer.

Any Nursing Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Any Nursing - Research Proposal Example Some health care workers have died of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection and drug-resistant tuberculosis (Radford, 2004). Extensive illness results from many other occupationally acquired infections (Philips, 2004). Rather than receiving displays of public sympathy, however, health care workers with occupationally acquired diseases may be ignored or ostracized, their health care benefits imperiled (Greenberg, 2005). This study would help assess the student nurses who are engaged with their related learning experiences at the clinical areas. This study certainly promote health by practicing the preventive measures that are learned in school. Furthermore, the study would promote awareness on the detrimental effects that may precipitate when their compliance to the universal precautions fall short. Consequently, this study would provide health awareness to the

The Crusader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Crusader - Essay Example ians but as the time passed, popes and Christian kings used it for their own political benefit2 and this benefit was based on blood shedding of thousands of Christians and Muslims. Modern exploration of crusades is commenced by Erdmann’s work, Die Entstehung des Kreuzzugsgedankens3 in the year 1935. According to him crusades were the product of the eleventh century. They were a means of transmitting the active military towards another place. They can be regarded as products of the reform movement which were used to purify the church and the Christian society as a whole. In Erdmann’s opinion the apparent aim of the crusades was Jerusalem. The rescue of the Holy City was the motivation that made Pope call the First Crusade or it was according to Erdmann’s view, in the defense of Eastern Christians. The actual words of Urban II are still unknown but according to Cowdrey, the pope was worried about the holy city i.e. Jerusalem and that was when the first crusade was given birth. There is little criticism received to Erdmann’s work but Cowdrey criticized it. In his opinion, the crusades are linked to the Cluniac reform4. George VII (1073-85), Victor III (1086-7) and Urban II (1088-99) are examples in this context. Historians also believed that the medieval men could not take up the religious words uttered by them. They believed that the post Enlightenment era was full of people who talked about profiting the world hereafter but actually they were into profiting the existing world for themselves. The modern investigations led by Jonathan Riley Smith have proved it to the world that the number of men and women who participated in the crusades is larger than known to history. The crusade army was a mix of rich, poor, saints, sinners and all of them had some kind of motivation to do so. Pope Urban’s preaching motivated the people for the First Crusade which was successful for them as well because the drive for it was â€Å"spiritual†5. Muslims were not

Advanced Financial Accounting Assignment - Accounting by employers for Essay

Advanced Financial Accounting Assignment - Accounting by employers for employees' retirement benefits - Essay Example Actual returns on plan assets are reduced from this pension cost for purpose of its recognition on income statement. SSAP 24 requires that pension cost is the long term funding costs that is evaluated by actuaries and should be spread over the total period in order to smoothen the cost from year to year. Similarly actuary evaluated scheme surpluses are also spread out over the total period and the net charge of each year is expressed as percentage of payroll. On the other hand the approach under FRS 17 emphasis that ‘what is shown as the cost in the profit and loss account is the cost of buying one year’s benefits for the scheme members i.e., the benefit accrued during the current accounting period.’(Standard Life, page 4)1 SSAP 24 requires that a consistent valuation method be used to calculate best estimate of pension cost, and a regular and standard contribution rate is computed to meet the estimated pension costs. Surplus or deficits of pension costs are spread out over remaining working lifetime of current memberships. But SSAP 24 does not specify any amortization method. With the result there were prepayments on balance sheets when the company was in deficit and provisions when the company was in surplus. Accordingly a number of dubious assets and liabilities used to be created on application of this standard rate. Balance sheet was therefore not a fair representation of assets and liabilities under the pension plan. With implementation of FRS 17 ‘this spreading or accrual based approach was abandoned and instead proper recording of balance sheet assets and liabilities has become the focus of revised accounting standard.’(Robert Kirk, page 237)2 Every year the actual returns on plan assets are compared with the expected returns on plan assets. The expected return is generally equal to the fair value of the plan assets at the beginning of the period multiplied by the expected

Strategic analysis of Pepsi Co.

Strategic analysis of Pepsi Co. Strategic Analysis: PepsiCos Restaurant Business Divestment Introduction In 1997, Pepsi Co announced that it would spin-off its restaurant business into a separate publicly traded company through issuance of tax free new stocks. The argument put forward by the PepsiCo top management was that the firm would like to concentrate on its core carbonated beverage business. It would be complemented by the high profit yielding snack foods division of Frito Lays. The figures below for FY 96, show that the restaurant business contributed the least to the profits earned by PepsiCo conglomerate. This was largely attributed to the sluggish growth in this segment. PepsiCo was compelled to take the divestment route to boost its stock price and somewhat mollify the investors, analysts and the markets in general. I believe the new restaurant company will be a powerful organization with great potential. For the separated companies, independence would make them far more capable of improving their operations to create solid, sustainable growth. PepsiCo emphasized that it already has taken steps to prepare its chains for independence, including consolidating their payroll, accounting, purchasing, data processing, construction and real-estate functions as well as unifying foreign operations under a single management team. Franchisees willing to comment on the spin-off gave upbeat assessments of the deal. David Adelman, restaurant analyst at Dean Witter Reynolds predicted that Intangible boon to the spun-off restaurant company would be greater pride of ownership. Its managers could be inspired by a more direct compensation correlation between what the company earns and their rewards. Larry Walker, controller for Holland Foods Inc., a 17-unit KFC franchisee in Texarkana, Texas, said that, after the spin-off, These separate companies will have a clearer direction. PepsiCos been a conglomeration; you get confused when you try to run that many businesses. Besides TGI would benefit from certain advantages once it is spun off from PepsiCo Sound commercial credit rating High cash flow contribution from franchising fees and royalties Strong asset base in its real estate portfolio and ownership of nearly 13000 restaurants Pepsi did not transfer any of its $9.5 billion outstanding debt to the new company Tricon Global International (TGI) Tricon Global International (TGI) is the holding company for the three restaurant brands of PepsiCo Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Taco Bell Pizza Hut It owns, franchises or licenses the 29,000 worldwide branches of the three chains, whose worldwide sales exceeded $20 billion in FY 96 and was second only to $32 billion sales of McDonalds. The newly formed entity TGI would also be the worlds largest chain in terms of the number of outlets under its management, with around 29000 units. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Kentucky Fried Chicken was started in 1939 in Corbin, Kentucky. After ownership changed hands through the decades, it was finally acquired by PepsiCo in 1986 and rechristened as KFC. KFC primarily offers fried chicken recipes of which the iconic one is the Original Recipe prepared with secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. It was devised by the restaurant chain founder, Colonel Harlan Sanders. It later started to complement the mainstay product with add-ons like bread, potatoes, gravy, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages and also offered non-fried chicken dishes. The food is prepared and delivered on made-to-order basis, as and when customers place orders. KFC is the market leader in chicken QSR with 55% of the market share in the US in 1997. As of 1997, KFC operates 10397 outlets in 79 countries. In the US, KFC operates 5120 outlets either through franchises or through licensees. TGI is aggressively developing non-traditional outlets like educational campus, airports etc, where it expects to realize significant revenue that would reinforce sales from traditional outlets. KFC also has a significant international presence, with its major markets as below Taco Bell Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell in 1962 in Downey, California. It gradually grew into a restaurant chain specializing in Mexican food with a pan-American outlet network. The chain was acquired by PepsiCo in 1978 and made a part of its restaurant chain. Taco Bell offers typical Mexican food like tacos, burritos, salads and nachos. The delivery is done after preparation of the order placed by the customer. As of 1997, it was the dominant player in the Mexican fast food category, commanding 72 % share of the US market. Pizza Hut Pizza Hut was started in 1958 by Frank and Dan Carney in Wichita, Kansas. At the time of its debut, pizza parlors dedicated outlets for pizza was unheard of, and the concept soon caught up across the US. Business expanded, even went overseas (starting with Canada) and PepsiCo finally took over the firm in 1977, to make it an integral part of it restaurant division. The main offerings are pizzas, appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages. Pizzerias prepare the food after the customer places the order while express counters serve readymade pan pizzas. Future Roadmap TGI would adopt the following strategy to re-invigorate the erstwhile restaurant business of Pepsi The top priority was to addresses the high employee turnover endemic to the industry. To accomplish this goal, Tricon gave each Restaurant General Manager (RGM) a one-time, $20,000 stock option grant called YUMBUCKS. This plan provided an opportunity to earn even more options based on the RGMs restaurant performance, along with a unique program to recognize outstanding restaurant teamwork. Through product innovation, advertisement, promotions and customer service, TGI would aim to increase same store sales growth. Tricon also would combine the three brands within single restaurants in an effort to give customers more choice under the same roof and increase the chance of a share of their wallet. By working closely with top-performing franchisees and company operators, TGI would seek more effective ways to bring down costs. To leverage economies of scale, TGI purchases its food, paper goods and equipment for all its U.S. restaurants through a $4 billion cooperative. The company also uses new technologies that simplify operations and improve service time. Tricon would focus on reducing complexity and redundancy, general and administrative expenses. In this regard, company leaders and franchisees from all three brands would meet to discuss Tricons one-system approach, share best practices and explore bundled brand expansion opportunities. Tricon would try to enhance shareholder value by investing in high return restaurant units and exiting persistently low return units. Besides there would be added focus on sales margin growth, reducing redundancies and well thought out expansion plans. PepsiCo has decided to align itself with a different strategy where its restaurant business would not fit into the scheme of things. Restaurant business is more management-intensive and labor-centric compared to the beverage or snack food distribution business. PepsiCos core strength is in marketing and distribution. It would be best put into effect in the other two divisions where it has historically yielded good returns. However the incompatibility between the requirements of restaurant business and PepsiCos capabilities was pulling down the performance of Pepsi stocks and causing much angst to the investors and markets alike. PepsiCo realized that the food-service business is becoming increasingly competitive with a large number of established players. Growth has started to plateau in the domestic market which is not helping to increase the groups revenues. While other players mostly standalone, were aggressively pursuing overseas markets, TGI association with PepsiCo was not helping matters. There was bureaucratic delays and large lead time in decision making, being a division of a conglomerate. PepsiCo could not tap into the fountain-dispensed soft drinks business, long dominated by Coke. It was partly due to Cokes monopolistic actions by which it did not allow food service distributors to deal with Pepsi. Food service distributors provide broad variety of consumable supplies like food, drinks, paper etc to restaurant chains, movie theaters etc. Also PepsiCos ownership of food chains did not allow it to effectively pitch for fountain service business with firms which were essentially its rivals in food business. In the light of these, PepsiCo decided to concentrate only on business where its core strengths could be leveraged. Thus the renewed and exclusive focus on beverages and snack food segment which would entail divestiture of the restaurant business. In the light of the above developments, it would be important to deliberate on the decision and its impact through different aspects of strategic management perspective External Environment Analysis The external environment can be further classified as General environment Industry environment Competitive landscape The analysis of the competitive landscape for TGI starts with an overview of the food beverage segment. The food services sector in the US can be classified based on the mode of distribution Full-service restaurant Limited-service/Quick-service restaurant (QSR) Cafeteria Snack non-alcoholic beverage bar Food service contractor Caterer Mobile food service Alcoholic drinking establishment In addition to this, there is considerable overlap with other business which act as non-traditional distribution centers and dispense food beverage service Grocery or convenience stores Gasoline filling stations Supermarkets Educational establishment Business Level Strategy PepsiCo has followed a differentiation strategy at the business level due to the following reasons The wide portfolio of products including carbonated beverages and snack foods help it reach out to a vast demography among the customer base. The assortment of choices enables various customers to meet their refreshment demands through PepsiCo products of their preference. PepsiCo is a global company with operations in several countries. In order to obtain a share of wallet of consumers in different regions, it must provide products that are tuned to the tastes and preferences, prevalent in those local regions. This also explains the rationale behind having variety of products so that buyers perceive value for money through their preferred brands. PepsiCo operates in a duopoly market competing with Coke only. It need not adopt a cost leadership strategy as both the cola majors take price signals from each other and adjust markup prices accordingly, to retain market share and revenue. There has rarely been an all-out price war between the two which would have ultimately bled both to huge losses. This allows both players to compete on the basis of differentiated products targeted at a wider and more diverse customer base TGI on the other hand needs to follow an integrated cost-leadership and differentiation strategy due to the nature of the industry it operated in Dining is a higher involvement activity compared to purchasing cola or snacks. While rest of PepsiCos business required more of a product marketing approach, the restaurant group was more of service business. Differentiation is the key in such a scenario to attract customers. Variety in terms of menu options, ambience etc leads to higher footfalls. Also the local divisions in foreign countries need to be geared up to cater to the local needs. Unlike a duopoly in cola segment, restaurant business has many established competitors. This has led to pressure on the price front resulting in reduced margins. To stay competitive, all players have to minimize cost and pass on the benefit or risk losing customers. As evident from the discussion above, the business level strategy for cola snacks divisions and that of the restaurant division are divergent. PepsiCo would have conflict in its day to day operations as well as long-term planning while trying to manage the requirements of the business. Corporate Level Strategy PepsiCo has been trying to adopt a corporate level strategy of related linked diversification due to the following reasons The cola and the snack food business would lead to synergy in the corporate activities. While beverages could be mass produced in bottling plants, separate and dedicated manufacturing facilities for snack foods would be required. The raw materials would also be procured through different routes. The ingredients of cola would primarily be water, sugar and chemicals and plastic or glass bottles. These could be obtained freely or from institutional suppliers like sugar mills, bottle manufacturers etc. The inputs for snack foods would be farmed vegetables sourced through the contract farming route. In spite of the diverse operational requirements of both the business, there exists ample opportunity to leverage the core competencies of PepsiCo for both type of products marketing muscle and wide distribution network. Both the products could be marketed by sharing the expertise within the divisions and the reach could be extended using the superior supply chain and logistics arrangements of PepsiCo. Such a synergy would not benefit the restaurant business. It not only has operational divergence with the soft drinks and snack foods business, but also the core competencies of PepsiCo in marketing and distribution cannot be meaningfully transferred. More of a service orientation is required for the restaurant division apart from managing disparate supply chain, large base of fixed assets especially real estate. The human resource perspective would also be different as in managing workers who are service providers rather than working in production lines. On the other hand, TGI would need to follow a corporate level strategy of dominant business The mainstay would be restaurant business and each of the constituent brands can leverage the common pool of resources of the company. Existing real estate, previously being utilized by a single brand, can be shared among the others to focus on new store growth. The supply chain can be streamlined through coordination with logistics providers to reduce redundancy in operations. Suppliers can be managed in an integrated manner to reduce costs through economies of scale. This can be achieved by consolidating the procurement process of the restaurant brands with TGI. The business can be consolidated by working with top performing franchises to improve efficiency and drive shareholder value. Conclusion The above mentioned facts and ensuing analysis of PepsiCos strategic decision to divest its stake in TGI, point to a few aspects that stand out. The restaurant business is a dominant player in all the QSR categories it operates in sandwich, pizza and chicken. There are also ample growth opportunities in overseas markets though the US domestic market is gradually maturing and growth is slowing down there. Pepsis core competencies in marketing distribution do not fit well with the requirements of a service-oriented business like QSR. Also PepsiCo would like to pursue customers with differentiated products across a broad portfolio like beverages, snack foods, health energy drinks etc. To this effect it would like to bring synergy in its manufacturing and customer reach for all products. This would necessitate diversifying into related categories and focus on growth in these. TGI on the other hand, has to not only to offer differentiated service to its customer, but also needs to compete on the cost front more vigorously. The business of TGI is such that it is concentrated in the food service sector and there is not much scope or rationale for diversification. This would lead to loss of focus and much ground would be lost to the competitors. There is evidently some incompatibility in the operational as well as corporate strategy of PepsiCo and TGI. This would hamper the prospects of both the groups in the long run and seriously undermine the global growth prospects of TGI which is so critical at this point of time. That the divestment decision was well thought and done with lot of foresight, was vindicated by the more than average returns of both PepsiCo and TGI shares thereafter. Pepsi was able to arrest the slide in its margin and seriously challenge its rival -Coke in many emerging markets like South Asia, Eastern Europe etc. TGI on the other hand was able to maintain its dominant position in the QSR and also increase its global footprint substantially

The Black Cat Essay -- essays research papers fc

A Glimpse Into the World of 'The Black Cat';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who have read any of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories know that most of them are full of suspense and mystery and that they efflict a feeling of horror and shock upon the reader. Poe studies the mind, and is conscious of the abnormalities of his narrators and he does not condone the intellectual expedient through which they strive, only too earnestly, to justify themselves. He enters the field of the starkly, almost clinically realistic investigation of men who, although they may feel uneasy about their mental states when their tension lets up, are too far gone to understand their mania, let alone to control it (Gargano 171). His stories usually have a horrible murder theme in which there is a obsessive narrator and they follow the development of the theme step by step with a realism that, barring with genius, might case a history from the twentieth-century psychiatry. This could not be presented more clearly than in 'The Black Cat';. Those who may deny realism to Poe cannot be very familiar with our daily newspapers, which periodically carry true stories of murders committed under just abnormal psychological pressures as those described in 'The Black Cat'; (Buranelli 76). This story begins with the narrator ,who is about to be hung, confessing what he has done in some type of repention for his soul. The narrator step by step describes how he began drinking and then to neglect his dearly beloved cat and his wife. One day when he is maddened by the actions of the cat, he cuts out its eye and later kills the cat by hanging it. After his house burns down and he has lost all he owned he finds a new cat resembling all to well the first. One day while working with his wife in the cellar he is nearly tripped down the stairs by the cat, he then picks up an axe and tries to kill it but his swing is intercepted by his wife and he instead strikes her and kills her instantly. He conceals the body but then when the police come, he in a mocking manner taps the wall in which she is buried and reveals to the police what he has done(Poe). In Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat,'; his use of point of view, symbolism, foreshadowing, and theme all combine with what he calls 'a series of mere household events'; to show how the narrator is driven into madness (Poe 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tol... ...uld have not got the full effect that Poe was trying to convey, which is that just about anyone can be driven into madness and that the narrator in this story is not very different from any other person. Works Cited Buranelli, Vincent. Edgar Allan Poe: Second Edition. Boston: Twanyne Publishers, 1977. 76-77. Davidson, Edward H. Poe: A Critical Study. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1957. 190. Gargano, James W. 'The Question of Poe's Narrators.'; POE: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Robert Regan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1967. 169-171. Hoffman, Daniel. Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1972. May, Charles E. Edgar Allan Poe: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991. 78. Poe, Edgar Allan. 'The Black Cat.'; Ed. Martha Womack. n.page.online. Internet 29 July. 1998. Available http://www.poedecoder.com./Qrisse/works/blackcat.html. Prinsky, Norman. 'The Black Cat.'; Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magil. Vol. 1. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1986. 231-34. Womack, Martha. 'Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat.''; n.page.Online. Internet. 2 August 1998. Available http: //www.poedecoder.com/essays/blackcat.

International: Economics and Australia

A PESTEL analysis of the Australian market Australia is the 15th richest nation in per capita terms and is the 6th oldest continuously functioning democracy in the world. Australia has the 14th biggest overall economy in the world and the 9th biggest economy. Australia’s economy is open and innovative. Over the past decade solid productivity gains have been accompanied by low inflation and interest rates. Also Australia has low barrieirs to trade and investment .Australia foreign and trade policies promote the security and long term prosperity of Australia in a global context. Australia’s economy is highly susceptible to the impact of climate change. In 2008 the Australian Government committed to create an organization called â€Å"Infrastructure Australia† to provide a new national approach to planning ,implementing and funding the nations future. Being a safe, stable and prosperous country Australia is an increasingly attractive hub for international and region al business and business operations.According to recent survey it can be said that Australia’s economic success in the last century was based on its abundant agricultural, mineral and fuels resources. Numerous factors have contributed to this development Informations and communications technology is a key driver in economic growth,other factors such as advances in travel,exchanging of ideas,broader accces to standards to educations etc have also contributed to this success. Australia’s ICT market is worth an estimated $89 billion with more almost 25,000 companies employing 236000 IT specialists Political environmentIn Australia, it is a liberal-capitalistic democracy. The state keeps interfering substantially in the economy through the use of various roles; for instance the parliament might decide to set up importation taxes aimed to protect the national economy, or it might create environmental protection laws aimed to protect the natural heritage of the country. This affects international business because when taxes keep varying and increasing especially there will be an impact on the economy which in turn will affect the exchange rates and currency rate.Also according to the present situation as mentioned in The Australian Financial Review 2010: there is  fear that the hung parliament will negatively affect the economy. Australia's rate of economic growth slowed down between July and September as the high value of the Australian dollar dug into export earnings. The country's gross domestic product rose just 0. 2% during the third quarter period, down from growth of 1. 1% between April and June. Analysts deduced that Australian consumers were also hit by higher interest rates. However, the Australian economy is set to continue to grow, led by demand from China for its raw materials.According to Michael Blythe, chief economist at the Commonwealth Bank, the latest economic growth figure was a â€Å"disappointing outcome . Since Australia is he lped by its vast exports of iron ore and other raw materials, it has avoided recession for 19 years. One of the country's largest iron ore producers is the Anglo-Australian group Rio Tinto, which is increasing production, has announced $7. 2bn in new investment in the region since July 2010. According to surveys Australia's economy continued to gather pace in March as world demand for commodities boosted the nation's coffers.However due to recent uncertainty from the European debt crisis could lower expectations of economic growth in the future. Economic Environment Australia is an island continent in the Southern Hemisphere, lying between Antarctica and Asia. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean to the west; the Timor, Arafura, and Coral Seas to the north; the Pacific Ocean to the east; and the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean to the south. In other words its placement is a added advantage to business because when it comes to export and import, Australia is like a commuting place.Much of the continent is low, flat, and dry. The area of the continent is 2. 97 million square miles and the population is roughly 20 million Due to the harsh physical environment has encouraged people to remain close to the fertile coastal areas as a result urban and rural dwellers articulate different economic and social interests. Personal home ownership is a common goal, and the nation has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world. Therefore architecture and real estate business has a good scope in Australia.Australians are among the world leaders in fast-food consumption, fast food outlets are a plenty, beverages snacks and fast food companies have a recognized name in Australia and other countries because Australian chefs are known worldwide for their â€Å"fusion cuisine† Australia is a major regional financial centre and a vital cog in the global financial system. The Australian Stock exchange and the Sydney Futures exchange merged in 2006 to form the worldâ₠¬â„¢s 8th largest listed exchange. Australia has one of the highest percentages of shareholders in the world.Share market is one of the main aspects in international business and since the amount of people who invest in shares in Australia is high international business is also promoted really well. Trade has always been a vital component in Australia’s economic prosperity. The hallmarks of its trading success have been strong infrastructure and stable institutions. A skilled workforce, rich resources and a good agricultural base are added benefits. The goods and services tax (GST) is levied at 10 percent and applies to almost all goods and services transactions across the economy. Besides that there is only a flat corporate tax of 30 percent.When there was little scope for industrial or commercial enterprises, the pastoral industry became a key force in economic development. In particular, growth in the wool advanced rest of the economy. Gold surpassed wool as the nation's m ajor export in the 1850s and 1860s, resulting in a rapid expansion of banking and commerce. A move toward privatization at the state and commonwealth levels of government has been gaining momentum since the early 1980s. Some states, such as Victoria, have embraced this move much more than others have. Australia is highly integrated into the global capitalist economy.The economy is strong in the service sector in relation to goods-producing industries which include agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacturing, construction, and energy. It contributed around 31 percent of gross domestic product during the mid-1990s, whereas on the other hand the services industries contributed 60 percent. Goods-producing industries provided around a quarter of employment, with the rest provided by service industries. In 1996 and 1997, manufacturing was the most significant sector. In 1996 and 1997, manufacturing was the most significant sector.Another major contributor was the property and bu siness services industry. Primary industries in mining and agriculture are of key economic importance. The development of large mines in some remote regions has been associated with the establishment of towns and increased employment. In order of economic significance, Australia's current major trading partners include the United States, Japan, China, United Kingdom, , and New Zealand. Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of wool, meat, and wheat. Australia is a major supplier of sugar, dairy products, fruits, cotton, and rice.The above being the export of Australia the imports are passenger motor vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and crude petroleum oils. Australia is increasingly shifting toward an information economy that relies on a high-skill base. Thus, the workers most at risk of unemployment are laborers, factory workers, and those who learn their skills on the job. Highly skilled managers, medical practitioners, teachers, computer professionals, and elect ricians have the lowest risk of unemployment. Social environment Australia is a nation officially committed to ethnic and racial inclusiveness.For much of the nation's history, there has been a focus on assimilating different cultural groups into the dominant British Australian traditions. Australia is a collectivity of diverse peoples living in a relatively young society. However, the divisions within the nation continue to find expression in public life, arising from social differences in race, ethnicity, social class, and gender. Although the impact of environmental variation is highly evident in the traditional cultures of indigenous Australians, it has not been as strong a factor in immigrant cultures.The most significant lifestyle differences are affected primarily by variations in climate. Australia has six states ,Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, and two territories ,the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territo ry, majority of the population lives in urban areas around the coast. . The dominant language since colonization has been English, with little multi-lingualism among the majority population. Australia’s culture can be more likely said to be cosmopolitan.Factors that have shaped the national culture include the early small female population relative to that of men, which is said to have laid the foundations for a widespread ideology of mateship. The involvement of Australian and New Zealand troops in World War I has been characterized as the symbolic birth of the nation. Australia is a modern trading nation and it is a diversified and reliable supplier of high quality goods and services to over 200 countries with a sophisticated import market for products from all over the world.The main reason for all this is the due to Australia’s dynamic and efficient sea and air ports along the extensive coastline which allows massive amounts of iron ore, coal and array of other nat ural resources to be shipped. Technological Environment; The benefits of e-commerce to the economy in terms of reduced costs, higher quality, new products and larger markets are significant highlights in a country’s international business. Recent surveys show an increase in national output, real investment, consumption, real wages and employment.Australia is one of the world’s most connected countries, estimated revenues of business-to-business e-commerce in Australia for 2000 was over US$2. 3 billion, ranking higher than Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. Regions or regionally based businesses are more likely to succeed in the global market if they are major investors in new technology, export focused and competent in the use of IT and e-commerce. Mobile banking. Information and communications technology is a key driver of Australia’s strong economic growth and innovation. Based on this technology is most of Australia’s high budget business.Si nce in today’s world time factor is one of the most important factors in man’s life and time management is one of the key factors that most business magnets fail. Information technology is like a boon to all these people because it does half the work a particular individual has to do, man power is substantially balanced whereas if a man had to do each and every thing in a international business it would take ages for him to get through to all of that. For eg†¦In Australia and most European countries computerized systems are looming up in supermarkets, petrol stations, malls, banks etc.The technological background in Australia is one of its advantages when it comes to international business according to reports and business publications. Internet and e-commerce have boosted the international competitiveness of Australian businesses. Many Australian firms are now using internet technology to expand into new foreign markets, almost all of the enterprises are increasi ngly using e-commerce because it only requires low overheads and comparatively less initial outlay of capital but leading to a fast turnover on investment.According to surveys about 94 per cent of large businesses and 60 per cent of medium businesses in Australia had a website in 2006, while there was over 37 per cent of online purchase in all types of business. The percentage of all businesses receiving orders online in the same period was 21 per cent. In 2006–07, out of the 11. 3 million people who accessed the internet in Australia, 61 per cent used the internet to for online purchase or to order goods and services. Income for Australian business from internet increased from $24. 3 billion in 2002-03 to $56. billion in 2005-06 Legal Background Australian assistance gives priority to law enforcement, intelligence cooperation,transport security ,legal frameworks,countering terrorist financing and preventing terrorists access to nuclear materials. Australia has a sound and pr actical structure of financial regulations and institutions that provides certainty for business and is open to investment without undue delay. This is a advantage when it comes to international business because it makes investors more comfortable in relying and in turn make large investments.Even for investors and businessmen from other countries Australia’s business law is flexible and makes the procedure of opening up a business simple and easy to achieve for one and all. There is a strong, transparent governance system along with business oriented regulation and insolvency regimes. According to the World Bank a new business can be established in Australia within two days compared with an average of 20 days in most of the other countries. Need an essay? You can  buy essay help  from us today! IntroductionThe country analysis report on Australia provides a wide array of analytical inputs to analyze the country’s performance, and the objective is to help the reade r to make business decisions and prepare for the future. The report on Australia analyzes the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) structure of Australia. The report provides a holistic view of Australia from historical, current and future perspective. Insightful analysis on critical current and future issues is presented through detailed SCPT (strengths, challenges, prospects and threats /risks) analysis for each of the PESTLE segments.In addition, the PESTLE segments are supplemented with relevant quantitative data to support trend analysis. The PESTLE country analysis report series provides an in-depth analysis of 50 major countries. Features and Benefits – Understanding gained from the country analysis report on Australia can be used to plan business investments or market entry apart from a holistic view of the country. – Political section on Australia provides inputs about the political system, key figures in the country, an d governance indicators. Economic section on Australia outlines the economic story of the country to provide a balanced assessment on core macro-economic issues. – Social section on Australia enables understanding of customer demographics through the income distribution, rural-urban segmentation and centers of affluence, healthcare and educational scenario in the country. – Technological section on Australia provides strategic inputs on information communications and technology, technological laws and policies, technological gaps, patents data and relevant laws. Legal section on Australia provides information about the legal structure, corporate laws, business set-up procedures and the tax regime. – Environmental section provides information on environmental policies in Australia and the performance in terms of important environmental indicators. Highlights PESTLE analysis of Australia identifies issues that affect the country’s performance through the pr ism of current strengths (strengths), current challenges (weaknesses), future prospects (opportunities) and future risks (threats). The political landscape discusses the evolution of the political scenario in Australia in different periods.The economic, social, foreign and defense policies are considered in the political landscape section. It also discusses the performance of the country as per World Bank Governance Indicators. The economic landscape describes the evolution of the economy of Australia in different periods. It also examines the country’s performance in terms of GDP growth, composition by sector (agriculture, industry and services), fiscal situation, international investment position, monetary situation, credit disbursement, banking sector and employment.The economic landscape also explains the financial system in the country, especially with regard to financial authorities/regulators. The social landscape covers the demographics, education and healthcare scena rio in Australia. The social welfare policies of the government along with the country’s performance in terms of healthcare, income distribution and education are also provided. The technological landscape discusses the structure and policies in terms of Intellectual property, research & development, technology agreements/pacts; and policies related to the promotion of technology in Australia.The legal landscape examines the structure of the judicial system, legislation affecting businesses, tax regulations, labor laws, trade regulations and corporate governance in Australia. The environmental landscape in Australia discusses the environmental regulations and policies of the country. The performance of the country in terms of in terms of environmental indicators and impact of environmental policies is also examined. â€Å"The Australian economy grew at a CAGR of more than 3% a year during 1991–2008, but then slumped to 1. 3% in 2009. The economy was unaffected by the global slowdown in 2001, and grew at a significant rate of 2. %. The economic growth rate did not significantly decline even when the country was hit by the worst drought in its history in 2003, as it dropped from 3. 6% in 2002 to 3. 5% in 2003. The buoyant growth was driven by sound macroeconomic policies and fiscal prudence. The growth rate increased to 3. 8% in 2007 from 3. 0% in 2006. However, the growth momentum decelerated to 2. 3% in 2008 because of the global financial slowdown, and then slowed further to 1. 3% in 2009. Following this, 2010 saw the economy rebound with growth of 3. 0%. According to Datamonitor's forecast, the economy is expected to grow by 3. 5% in 2011. â€Å"Your key questions answered – What is the outlook in terms of political stability, policies towards businesses, external front and popularity of government in Australia? – What is the economic performance of Australia in terms of GDP growth, fiscal situation, international investment pos ition, monetary situation, credit disbursement, and employment among other economic indicators? – What is the performance of Australia in terms of healthcare, income distribution and education? – What is the performance of Australia in technology intensive sectors like telecommunications and information technology, patents and R&D expenditure trends? What is the legal structure in Australia and are the laws conducive for investment? – What is the performance of Australia in terms of environmental indicators and impact of environmental policies? ————————————————- How to Create a Pestle Analysis Template 15DEC The  PESTLE analysis  is the analysis of the environment as a whole in which abusiness  operates or tends to offer its trade. These are systematic factors that are beyond ones control and businesses need to chart out strategies keeping the re sults in view to peacefully coexist and keep on gaining revenues despite the concurrent situation.It is of utmost importance to understand in depth the meaning of  PESTLE  and how every letter of the acronym represents an important aspect of the environment your business is in. PESTLE stands for: * P for Political * E for Economic * S for Social * T for Technological * L for Legal * E for Environmental The political factors account for all the political activities that go on within a country and if any external force might tip the scales in a certain way. They analyze the political temperament and the policies that a government may put in place for some effect.For example, the fiscal policy, trade tariffs and taxes are those things that a government levies on traders and organizations and they greatly alter the revenue that is earned by those companies. The economic factors take into view the economic condition prevalent in the country and if the global economic scenarios might make it shift or not. These include the inflation rates, foreign exchange rates, interest rates etc. All these can affect the supply and demand cycle and can result in major changes of the business environment. Social factors have to do with the social mindset of the people that live in a certain country.This sums up the aspect of culture, age demographics, gender and its related stereotypes, at times this analysis has to include the religious factors (when pertaining to products or services of a different kind). Technological factors take into consideration the rate at which technology is advancing and how much integration does a company needs to have with it. Legal factors have to do with all the legislative and procedural components in an economy. Also, this takes into account certain standards that your business might have to meet in order to start production/promotion.Environmental factors have to do with geographical locations and other related environmental factors that may i nfluence upon the nature of the trade you’re in. For example, agri-businesses hugely depend on this form of analysis. PESTLE analysis template This is a  template  that allows a company to understand what basics are required to conduct the analysis onto the environment. It combines all the representative factors in one table, and then you need to analyze based on the current market situation. Here is a comprehensive list of headings that one must look toward while carrying out the analysis on a market. . Political factors: * Trading policies * Government changes * Shareholder and their demands * Funding, * Governmental leadership * Lobbying * Foreign pressures * Conflicts in the political arena 2. Economic factors: * Disposable income * Unemployment level * Foreign exchange rates * Interest rates * Trade tariffs * Inflation rate * Foreign economic trends * General taxation issues * Taxation changes specific to product/services * Local economic situation and trends 3. Soci al factors: * Ethnic/religious factors * Advertising scenarios * Ethical issues * Consumer buying patterns Major world events * Buying access * Shifts in population * Demographics * Health * Consumer opinions and attitudes * Views of the media * Law changes affecting social factors * Change in Lifestyle * Brand preferences * Working attitude of people * Education * Trends * History 4. Technological factors: * Technological development * Research and development * Trends in global technological advancements * Associated technologies * Legislations in technological fields * Patents * Licensing * Access into the technological field * Consumer preferences * Consumer buying trends Intellectual property and its laws * How mature a certain technology is * Information technology * Communication 5. Legal factors: * Employment law * Consumer protection * Industry-specific regulations * Competitive regulations * Current legislation home market * Future legislation * Regulatory bodies and their processes * Environmental regulations 6. Environmental factors: * Ecological * Environmental issues * International * National * Stakeholder/ investor values * Staff attitudes * Management style * Environmental regulations * Customer values * Market value

Indian Tea Industry Essay Example

Indian Tea Industry Essay Example Indian Tea Industry Essay Indian Tea Industry Essay Indian tea industry: A SWOT analysis Strong domestic market Monojit Dasgupta With tea prices rising, the tea industry is on the upswing again after several years and the expectation is that the trend will persist. But the industry is not without its challenges. The following is the SWOT analysis. Strengths The diverse agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the tea growing areas of India lend themselves to the production of a wide range of teas – black, (CTC, orthodox), green teas and organic teas. A one-stop-shop for high quality specialty teas e. g. Darjeeling, Assam, orthodox, high range Nilgiris, etc. Strong production base with 75 per cent of the production being accounted for by organised sector covering 1,600 gardens owned by nearly 1,100 entities. Competent managerial manpower. Strong research backing from well established research institutions. Availability of modernised and upgraded manufacturing facilities. Labour welfare laws protecting workmen. Emerging small grower sector with young plantation profiles. Availability of training facilities for plantation managers, supervisory staff and workers for continuous upgradation of their skills. Strong domestic market – by accounting for nearly 80 per cent of production offering demand cushion for the tea industry. Weaknesses Old age of the tea bushes – nearly 38 per cent have crossed the economic threshold age limit of 50 years and another 10 per cent on the verge of crossing this limit shortly. High cost of production mainly due to low productivity, high energy cost and high social cost burden. Diminishing availability of workforce particularly in South India. Remote location of the plantations and transportation of teas over long distances from tea gardens to sale points. Poor infrastructure – approach roads to gardens, inadequate warehousing at ports, constrained availability of containers, placements of vessels and high ocean freight charges (due to feeder–mother vessel transfers). Difficulties in introduction of mechanisation of field operations due to topographical and quality limitations. Unorganised nature of small growers with fragmented small and scattered holdings leading to production of poor quality teas mainly due to non-availability of technical know-how at the doorstep – weak extension service. Lack of quality monitoring mechanism for teas particularly sold through private sales. Opportunities Good awareness level world over as to the health attributes of tea leading to growing demand for good quality teas and specialty teas such as organic teas, green teas. Narrowing down of the gap between supply and demand due to increased growth rate of consumption in the major producing countries. Producing countries reaching an agreement for forming an exclusive forum for resolving their differences over common issues. Positive response by the tea industry responding to the Government towards renovation of fields and processing factories. (Special purpose tea fund and quality upgradation initiative). Increasing strength of small growers and showing good response to the suggestion of Tea Board for collective approach towards adopting GAP and GMP. Threats Round-the-year production in countries such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam. Low cost of production of teas from Kenya, Vietnam and Indonesia etc. Younger age of bushes (better quality of tea) of other producing countries. Consistency in quality commitment and high service quality perception of exporters of other countries. Better developed packaging and bagging capacity of Sri Lanka. thehindubusinessline. com/2010/10/01/stories/2010100151752100. htm

Marissa Mayer At Google Example

Marissa Mayer At Google Example Marissa Mayer At Google – Case Study Example Marissa Mayer at Google Mayer being the first woman in Google has played a big role in increasing the number of womenin technology and Google. She was the first female engineer in Google and contributed to a great improvement of search engine. In 2011, Meyer assumed the role of overseeing engineering design, product management and laying strategy for product like Google Maps, Google Earth and local search. The contribution of the Meyer in his role has encouraged other women to get involved in technology and Google. Meyer started a campaign that Google should recruit women in the engineering department to ensure that the products interest both genders. She focused on encouraging women in America to enter technology field in order to have many engineers. In 2008, Meyer created a list of the top 50 women in business and this shows that she was determined to identify the talented women in technology in order to help them get involved in technology business and Google (Meyer 5). In the re sponsibility of increasing the number of women in technology and Google Meyer was faced with some advantages and disadvantages. First, she campaigned for gender equality in Google workforce and this was impossible since only view women studies technology. Those women who did technology could not work with Google, because they had established their own business. Some men criticized women in the work place hence discouragement. On the other hand, Meyer being progressive in business could influence many women to join the filed of technology. Google was picking after involvement of women in the business and this encouraged more people to accept Meyer’s decision of gender equality (Meyer 3).Work CitedMeyer Marisa. Marissa Mayer Biography. Viewed on October 21, 2013 from biography.com/people/marissa-mayer-20902689

Compare and Contrast two Poet Laureate from U.S. and England Research Paper

Compare and Contrast two Poet Laureate from U.S. and England - Research Paper Example Analyzing the reasons for the admiration and desirable positions of the poets, many are of the view it is a God given talent which is unfeasible for an ordinary one to attain. If such a one attempts poetry, it will turn absurd and cannot be treated as readable. The great epics like Iliad and Odyssey, written in poetic language undoubtedly unveil enchanting power of poetry. If one goes little further, one can see that the plays of Shakespeare still bewitch readers and audience with their tremendous poetic language. Therefore, one is obvious about the decisive role of poetry in influencing the majority and the appreciated positions of poets. Poet Laureate has been one such means to honor the great poets. It is an official position conferred to the respectable or the well talented poets for a particular period of time. The proposed paper aims to study the title ‘Poet Laureate,’ identifying the popular poet laureates of the past centuries and attempting a comparative study b etween Poet Laureates from two different countries, specifically, England and The United States and make comparisons or contrasts, about them. Origin of the word ‘laureate’ It would be interesting for one to analyze the history of Poet Laureate before attempting a grave ‘study on this topic. Researchers have identified the word ‘laureate has some historical importance. ... term â€Å"laureate† comes from the use of bay laurel leaves in ancient Greece to create wreaths or crowns for heroes and the victors in athletic and literary competitions† (Holman and Snyder). Thus, it is evident that the victor was given the wreath of laurel leaves and the word ‘laureate’ began to be used in the sense of ‘victorious.’ Therefore, one can infer that ‘Poet Laureate’ became the title given to the most successful poet during a particular time period. Bob Holman and Margery Snyder observe, â€Å"In the Middle Ages, â€Å"Poet laureate† came to mean the poet chosen to serve a king or other noble patron by writing poems honoring the monarch and the state embodied in that monarch† (Holman and Snyder). The History of the tradition of the Poet Laureate The history of the English poet laureate dates back to the 12th century and the English Royal House of Plantagenet (The poet laureate). History identifies that t he poets during that time were known as ‘versifiers’ and were privileged by the kings and awarded fees and pensions. Regarding the English tradition it is identifiable that the English Royal houses continued their patronage for centuries and later the Tudors and Stuarts followed it. The online article entitled, â€Å"Poet Laureate† traces the history of poet laureate when writes thus, â€Å"The position of Poet Laureate was informally created by Charles I for Ben Jonson in 1617, however, the title did not become an official royal office until it was conferred by letters patent on John Dryden in 1670† (The poet laureate). The article adds, â€Å"The position became the Poet Laureate of Great Britain in 1707, when The Act of Union created "Great Britain" as the political name of England, Scotland, and Wales.† Some of the historical evidences

Nursing Leadership Philosophy and Diversity statement Essay

Nursing Leadership Philosophy and Diversity statement - Essay Example Therefore, it is the responsibility of healthcare management to lead and influence the development of expectations, vision, and shared values to ensure overall effectiveness and direct the organisation towards the achievement of planned goals and objectives. Healthcare and hospital providers are today adjusting to changes of environment and redirecting their management policies. For every nurse to provide good quality care to his or her patients, he or she should become more efficient when administering care, should improve peer practices, elevate peer’s standards of care within the hospital environment, and advocate his or her patients. All these acts represent the attributes of an effective nurse leader. A nurse who sees the need for improvement, change, advancement, and innovation forms fundamental traits that are essential in active leadership (Sherman, Schwarzkopf, & Kiger, 2011). As conditions change day by day, the delivery of care also changes, therefore, the need for flexibility and versatility during care giving, for effective adaptation to these changes as they occur. Thus, my nursing practice has been mentored through programs that are directed by the theory of situational leadership that has helped me to nurture and develop my innate traits for the betterment of my peers and patients depending on how the situations occur. The senior leaders in my organisation encouraged subordinate leaders to develop various leadership styles to manage different circumstances and situations better. I have researched a number of leadership theories in nursing during self-evaluation, and I have concluded that my leadership styles can be well described by situational leadership theory. This is because of my capability to adapt to various situations as they occur, love to work in a team, my practice is evidence based, and allow my peers to contribute in decision-making. The situational leadership

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 7

Business Ethics - Essay Example Social responsibility according to Ferrell & Ferrell 2014, p.30) refers to the obligations of an organization to ensure it positively affects the society while minimizing its negative impacts on the society. It is worthwhile to note that although the terms ethics and social responsibility are often used interchangeably, they do not have a similar meaning. Social responsibility is a general concept that relates to the impact of entire organization’s activities on the society, whereas business ethics is linked to a work group or an individual’s decisions that the society evaluates as right or wrong (Ferrell & Ferrell 2014, p.30). Bank Muscat is the flagship financial institution in Oman with a proven record of accomplishment of excellence in service. The bank enjoys a 40% market share in Oman. The bank’s head office is in Muscat, Oman and it has an extensive network of branches throughout Oman. Additionally, the bank operates directly and indirectly in all six Gulf Cooperation Countries states, a representative office in Singapore that focuses on trade business and financial institutions, and an associate in a securities company in India. The bank is publicly listed as a joint stock company on the Muscat Securities Market as well as on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Bank Muscat 2012, p.14). Bank Muscat is the pioneer bank in Oman to set up a fully functional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department. The organization considers CSR as one of its central values, and the bank’s CSR policy is founded on a strong belief in the positive significance of CSR. The bank’s CSR policy reflects its care and concern for various segments of the society. Bank Muscat does not view social responsibility as mere involvement in charitable activities and organizing voluntary programs, but responsibility for the overall society’s development (Bank Muscat 2011, p.15). The objectives of this paper are to explore the concepts of business ethics

Christian Theology in A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Example for Free

Christian Theology in A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Conner reflects the Christian belief that even the most unlikely of people can be recipients of God’s grace. The grandmother and the Misfit, both â€Å"bad† in their own ways, are each unlikely and undeserving recipients of grace. According to Christian theology, humans are granted salvation through God’s grace, which can be bestowed upon to even the most unlikely. The grandmother’s and the Misfit’s moral codes they live by that affect their actions, decisions and perceptions. The term â€Å"moral† doesn’t necessarily mean good, but is simply the way people choose to live their lives. At first it seems as if it is the Misfit who lacks guidance as he continuously murders people. It is the grandmother whose moral code is weak and inconsistent. She has built her morals solely on what she believes make people â€Å"good.† She pays a great amount of attention in being a lady, repeatedly deceives her family, and lacks a clear standpoint on the world around her. She boasts about her love for Christianity, but does not seem to be able to pray when she finds herself in crisis. She even begins to question the power and divinity of Jesus. It is clear the grandmother is not sincere and aware of her actions. The Misfit has a strong and consistent moral code. The Misfit believes that the punishments he received from his experience of being a convicted criminal were always disproportional to his crime, and the crime doesn’t even matter at the end. He also shows a genuine curiosity about religion. The grandmother accepts faith unquestioningly while the Misfit challenges these beliefs and thinks deeply on how he should follow them or not. The Misfit has chosen to live under his assumption that religion is pointless and goes with his own belief â€Å"No pleasure but meanness.† (OConner 941). The Misfit only wishes he was present to see Jesus rise from the dead so he could know the events were factual. It is obvious the grandmother in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† lies to her grandchildren, manipulates her son, and makes several remarks as to why the  past times have superiority to the present. She believes she is morally superior to those younger than her. She also believes she has the right to judge the goodness of others and tell them how to live their lives. The grandmother seems quite oblivious to reality as she heads the family to somewhere completely different than where she thought they were. The tragic wreck was all due to the grandmother’s ignorance. Towards the final moments of her life, she instructs the Misfit to pray, despite the fact she lacks the sincere qualities herself necessary to form a prayer. As she grows afraid of what will happen to her, she agrees with the Misfit and changes her mind about Jesus rising from the dead. Her doing so reflects she is confused and unsure of her beliefs making her a very unlikely recipient of grace. The Misfit is an unrepentant murderer who finds no pleasure in anything but meanness. He shows no remorse for his actions. The Misfit was aware of Jesus being crucified, but felt that he would have had to see it to believe it for sure. Both characters show habitual sins and ultimately are each undeserving recipients of grace. Even people like the grandmother and the Misfit have potential to be saved by God, according to Christian Theology. The grandmother experiences a moment of grace after the Misfit’s wish to know for sure what Jesus did and didn’t do. Her head clears momentarily and she says â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!† (O’Conner 948). This suggests that the grandmother is realizing that they both are of the same kind. Given the circumstances, her comment seems pretty insane, but this is the g randmother’s clearest moment in the story. She shows compassion which implies that God has granted her grace just before she is shot by the Misfit. The Misfit too, is open to grace at this moment. He claims earlier in the story there was â€Å"no pleasure but meanness† in life, and now denies there is any pleasure in life at all after killing the grandmother. All his killings have quit giving him happiness, suggesting that he, too, may foster the possibility to change. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† has a strong, somewhat harsh portrayal of religion. The characters in this story are both awakened and their faith is altered. The Christian idea of moments of grace in this story apply to real life. It is believed among many Christian followers that God’s grace is very powerful, unlike any other human could give to another. Most people misunderstand this and think that blessings are granted upon those who do good works and  punishments through bad works. The use of grace has nothing to do with any kinds of works, which is where most people are mistaken. Rather, the principle to the Christian theology of grace is recognized in the bible by Solomon. He said it is vain to judge God on matters of good or bad works. God can surely do as he pleases and His ways are opposite of man’s ways. Solomon says: â€Å"There is vanity that is done under the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous: I said that this is also vanity.† (Ecclesiastes 5:14) This quote suggests that despite the actions one may do, it is up to the grace of God that determines what that person deserves or does not deserve. The use of grace is all part of God’s plan for humans. No matter how many men judge a person, it is only God’s judgment that determines who receives grace. The grandmother and Misfit have been awarded the positive aspects of grace, which is not dependent on works of any kind. According to Christian theology, humans are commanded to be righteous and not evil. It says in the bible that God loves his creations so intensely he gave his only son to die for all human sins, which was a big question mark for the Misfit. If only he had known for sure maybe he would have never committed the immoral crimes he did. If the Misfit would have only known that according to Christian theology, all humans are destined by God’s divine grace no matter what deeds that have been done on earth, he would have made wiser decisions. If only th e grandmother had been shot every day all of her life, according to the Misfit, would she have been a better lady. When thinking of Christian theology, one would agree it just pertains to religion and God. Theology is the study of religion, and God’s relation to the world. Theology is based upon the Old and New Testament in the Bible, as well as historic traditions practiced by Christians. It has been practiced for thousands of years. People have always tried to make justifications to argue, examine, clarify, defend or promote Christianity. The Misfit seems to know most aspects when it comes to the Christian religion, as he talks about all of Christ’s works in the story. The way he viewed Christian beliefs was all an outcome on how he lived his life. â€Å"Our concepts about the divine  inform our lives more deeply than most people can trace. Whether God is viewed as distant or near, as gracious or capricious, as concerned or apathetic, the conclusions we reach—whether the result of careful reflection or negligent assumptions—guide our lives.† (Kapic 1) The wa y people live their lives depends on an individuals’ belief about theology and the way God relates to the world. It is the beliefs people choose to accept that ultimately guides everyday lives. Whether people choose to accept or deny that there is a God, it is all based on individual experiences and beliefs. The grandmother seemed to have thought she knew all about Christianity, but judging by her actions, it is clear she did not genuinely live righteously. There is no factual evidence that Jesus is real, but many have come to receive grace in their final moments, as shown in â€Å"A Good Man.† Believers of Christian faith are thought out to be hypocritical and this stereotype fits the grandmother’s character in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find.† Just like the grandmother and Misfit in the story, it is grace that enabled them to come to Christ sincerely. The final lines in the story depict both the grandmother’s and Misfit’s realizations as if they have received answers to all questions about life. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† reflects the Christian theology of grace. The grace of God is a gift, and if willing to accept it, even when undeserving, humans can be granted salvation like the grandmother was. The grace of God has been shown not to bestow upon the mere form of actions, but onto ones who are open to Christ, according to â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find.† Works Cited New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982. Print. Kapic, Kelly M. A Little Book for New Theologians. InterVarsity Press, 2012. Print. O’Conner, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find.† The Writer’s Presence. Bedford/St. Martins; Fourth Edition, 2003. 931-943. Print.

Social Exchange Theory

Social Exchange Theory Social Exchange Theory is a perspective of the field of social psychology and sociology to explain social change and stability, representing them as a process of negotiated exchanges between people. Social exchange theory can be described as the theory, according to which, human interaction is a unique transaction, which seeks to increase the rewards and to reduce the costs. The social exchange theory advocates that all human relationships are formed by using a cost-benefit analysis and comparison with alternatives.ÂÂ  For example, when a person perceives the costs of a relationship over the profits made, the person, according to this theory, leaves the relationship.ÂÂ  This theory has its roots in economics, psychology and sociology. The social exchange theory is linked to the rational choice theory and structuralism, its major features. Exchange theory arose as a reaction to functionalism, which focused on the impact of a phenomenon on the system.ÂÂ  This is not a single theory, but rather the band theory, describing the social world as a system of exchanges of goods (tangible and intangible) between individuals and social groups.ÂÂ  Social exchange theorists see every interaction as a transaction something for something.ÂÂ  It is like a theory of individual self-interest.ÂÂ  If a person takes any action, it does so with the prospect of benefit for himself.ÂÂ  Often it is the intangible benefit, such as respect from others, obedience, satisfaction, etc. Social exchange theory is a theory in social science which states that there are elements in social relations without discipline, sacrifice, and benefits that affect each other. This theory explains how humans view their relationships with others in accordance with the assumption of human self is to: the balance between what is given to the relationship and what is excluded from that relationship. There is no unified sociology of exchange, but one can distinguish three main theoretical points of theories. Taking the example of the mutual exchange of between the bride and groom, so this could be either a civil contract between two different-actors to the mutual exclusive use of their bodies, or a mutually donated sacrament, by which ChristianityÂÂ  continues, or view as an institutional and thus pacification a driver or will form. Exchange of individuals.ÂÂ  Sociological theorists think consider the assumption that individuals always act when exchanged (individualistic, paired, antagonistic perspective).ÂÂ  No matter what they share in a particular case, there are always sociological social sanctions.ÂÂ  As positive sanctions, for example, congratulations or goods, but as negative there are insults or threats.ÂÂ  Often in the exchange theory only positive or ambivalent sanctions are treated, but include more general approaches and negative sanctions. In the distribution of conflict the actors face each other with conflicting interests. The one advantage is the other drawback: any one tried if it goes to positive sanctions, and spend as little as possible from the opponent to gain as much as possible.ÂÂ  In economics, this strategy, which it called only for positive sanctions (such as goods for money in markets), is the minimax principle.ÂÂ  And also, if people have antagonistic re lations and negative social sanctions (for example acts of violence against violence, such as in war) taken into account, the exchange ends here trying to minimize its losses and maximize the opponent. Considering the criticism, critical is pointed out that this is based on Homans and Blau, Exchange Theory as a variant or mutation of the behaviorism. It had become a rational choice model, and this methodological simplification was achieved at a price, as compared toÂÂ  classical and other approaches in sociology would be neglected by extra-economic motivations, norms and institutions and their history in general. Durkheim or Mauss expected to behave in exchange for all social collectives (community, systemic view).ÂÂ  Controlled by the exchange, the consideration to the group received the actors (mostly positive) from each other sanction.ÂÂ  The players share a common interest in the welfare of the collective, which is the individuals self-interest.ÂÂ  Each exchange includes the end and always a compromise in favor of the collective, even as a loyal member of a community and even with regard to his own advantage.ÂÂ  The Collective is always with a person, which is reflected in valid rituals (for example the handshake) or norms (such as the Commercial Law) that express stability.ÂÂ  Because of that, all exchange behavior is also spoken of as amphibole exchange. The theorist Clausen considers one of some forms of exchange that, in addition to the nature of man involves him into it with acting. Here, the parties conduct an exchange so that the survival of the human speci es will be encouraged to nature and other species.ÂÂ  So it is not only a sociological but also the anthropological institution.ÂÂ  This refers in particular to reproduction, child care and fighting prowess.ÂÂ  The most common example is the dyad between infant and caregiver time (usually, but not necessarily the mother), is expected to result that in the both the exchange is biologically supported and the happier they are, the better it is for others. Exchange theory by Homans. According to George Homans, the social behavior is an exchange of material goods, and it is also intangible, such as the symbols of approval and prestige. Homans, George tried to explain the behavior defined in the broadest sense as a result of interaction in which individuals acquire, sell, or share resources. He tried to explain social behavior using fundamental concepts of behavior, developed by behavioral psychologists, and neoclassical economists.ÂÂ  Behavioral model of operant conditioning is based on the utilitarian principle that individuals will seek to maximize enjoying and to avoid or minimize the pain.ÂÂ  It is assumed that individuals will respond as expected to reward and punishment.ÂÂ  Any interaction provides an opportunity to share resources, in which each party tries to get resources, with a higher value in comparison with that which he or she gives or which refuses. All social organizations were created on the basis of the network exchanges.ÂÂ  The organization needs the unit to be fulfilled by other bodies belonging to this organization.ÂÂ  Homans has developed five general provisions relating to social behavior and resource sharing.ÂÂ  Three of them reproduce the model of behavioral psychologists. The first statement directly follows from the model of operant conditioning, and says: In respect of any acts performed by people, the more often a person is rewarded for a particular action, the more that person will perform this action.ÂÂ  The second situation is linked to recognition of the role of past experience: In the past, the emergence of a particular stimulus or set of incentives has created a situation in which human action is rewarded, the more the present-day incentives are similar to those past stimuli, the more that person will perform the same or similar toÂÂ  his action in the present.ÂÂ  However, the third provision states that for their actions when a person does not receive the expected rewards or receive unexpected penalty, he goes berserk and can behave aggressively.He created a series of allegations, among them are the claim of success, the assertion of deprivation and that there is saturation of aggression. These statements are a part of seven and, according to crowning this list is the assertion of rationality, which says that the body of the two alternative measures will choose the one which gives the most likely results to achieve greater benefits. The basic proposition is: success: the more action the individual is rewarded with, the more likely it is to take this action. the stimulus: if the past occurrence of a specific stimulus or combination of stimuli was a circumstance, in which individual action has been rewarded, the more likely it is that the unit would take this or a similar effect. value: the more the action is for the individual securities, the more likely that it will be demonstrated this action. -saturation of deprivation: the more frequently in the recent past, the unit received a particular prize, the less valuable it becomes for each additional unit of the award. frustration-aggression: If the unit does not bring action to obtain a reward or punishment received by the entity, which they did not expect, it will react with anger, and anger aggressive behavior results will have a reward value. Exchange Theory by Peter Blau. Peter Blau introduced the analysis of exchange, which processes the term marginal utility, which says that the more the expected rewards entity obtains from a particular act, the less valuable this action is, and the less likely it will be.ÂÂ  The idea is that if in a result of the exercise we get some action on the awards, you will have less value, which will be a new round of the award.ÂÂ  Another concept introduced by Blau is the concept of standards for fair exchange, which indicates what should be the ratio of rewards to costs in the exchange relationship.ÂÂ  If these standards are shaken, then the injured party may disclose to aggressive behavior. Blau concept differs from the concept of Homans that provides conflict situations. Balance in one relationship, which is impaired by homeostasis seen in another.ÂÂ  Blau has another concept, which is social attraction that is the perception of opportunities for reward.ÂÂ  This is according to sociologist factor, necessary for the existence of the exchange ratio, which is based on the belief that people who give awards, in turn, you will receive the award as payment for the goods delivered.ÂÂ  There are four types (classes): the prize money, social acceptance, respect (deference) and submission.ÂÂ  Of these, the greatest value is the submission, then the respect, acceptance, and the least appropriate reward in the relations of social exchange is money. Submission is the most valuable prize because for Blau it is inherent in the relationship of power, and this in turn gives a possibility of denying rewards to those who do not want to comply with the standards.ÂÂ  Power is born when the value of services exceeds the value of services received in return.ÂÂ  If people have to choose only one or a few alternative sources of awards, then it also comes to forcing submission.ÂÂ  This is further facilitated if people are not giving to the possibility to use the coercion and opposition to a person providing services.ÂÂ  Inability to work around without data prizes also affects positively the opportunity to force the submission by the person in possession of these awards. Exchange in social psychology. Social psychology also speaks about human relations as relations of exchange. These systems are based on the so-called rule of reciprocity, under which we are committed to the future for favors, gifts, invitations and the goods that we have received.ÂÂ  According to social psychologists one of the important principles is governing the human investigation.ÂÂ  This commitment to the rematch probably exists in all human societies.ÂÂ  Researchers say that this rule has developed in order to encourage people to contact, based on mutual exchange of services without fear of giving something to another, and we lose it forever.ÂÂ  Another form of this rule is called reciprocal concessions, namely: if someone goes to hand us, we do it to him, too.ÂÂ  Thus we can safely take the first step to someone, as he will be obliged to give us a similar sacrifice.ÂÂ  This rule is valid according to social psychologists and it is an effective r egulator of social relations. The emergence of social exchange theory. In general, the social exchange theory consists of social relations rather than public. The societies have viewed the behavior influence of each other in the relationship; there are also elements of discipline, of sacrifice and gain that reflect social exchange.ÂÂ  The reward is all that through the sacrifice, when the sacrifice can be avoided, and the benefit is reduced by the rewards of sacrifice.ÂÂ  So the social behavior of the exchange at least between two people is based on the cost-benefit calculations.ÂÂ  For example, patterns of behavior in the workplace, romance, marriage and friendship. Analogy from the case, at some point people can feel in any of their friends, who, usually, are always trying to get something from you.ÂÂ  At that time you always give what a friend needs from you, but the opposite is actually happening when you need something from your friends.ÂÂ  Each individual course has a goal to be fri ends with each other.ÂÂ  These individuals would be expected to do something for others, help each other if needed, and provide mutual support.ÂÂ  However, maintaining friendly relations also requires the costs, such as the lost time and energy and other activities.ÂÂ  Although these costs are not seen as something that is expensive or burdensome when viewed from the point of reward obtained from these friendships.ÂÂ  However, these costs should be considered if we are to objectively analyze the relationships that exist in a friendly transaction.ÂÂ  If the cost seems not in accordance with the compensation, what happens is the uneasy feeling of a person who feels that the benefits received were too low compared to the cost or sacrifice that has been given. An analysis of the social relationships that occur according to the cost and reward is one characteristic of the exchange theory.ÂÂ  This exchange theory has focused on micro-level analysis, particularly at the interpersonal level of social reality.ÂÂ  In this discussion the focus will be on the notion of exchange theory by Homans and Blau.ÂÂ  Homans in his analysis insisted on the necessity to use the principles of individual psychology to explain social behavior rather than merely describing it. But Blau, on the other hand, was trying to move from the level of interpersonal exchanges at the micro level to the macro level of social structure.ÂÂ  He attempted to show how larger are the social structures that emerged from the basic exchange processes. Unlike the analysis described by the theory of symbolic interaction, exchange theory was mainly seen as the real behavior, not the processes that are purely subjective.ÂÂ  This was also adopted by Homans and Blau, who were not focused on the subjective level of consciousness or reciprocal relationships between the levels of dynamic interaction of subjective.ÂÂ  Homans further argued that scientific explanations should be focused on real behavior and then can be observed and measured empirically. The process of social exchange has also been expressed by the classical sociologists.ÂÂ  As expressed in the classical economic theory of the 18th and 19th century, the economists like Adam Smith have analyzed the economic market as a result of a comprehensive collection from a number of individual economic transactions.ÂÂ  He assumes that transactions will happen only if both parties can gain from these exchanges, and welfare of the community in general can be very well s ecured when the individuals are left to pursue personal interests through negotiated exchanges in private. Conflicts of individualistic and social exchange in collectivism. Conflict that occurs is a result of the growing contradiction between the individualistic orientation and collectivism.ÂÂ  Homans is probably someone who was very stressed on an individualistic approach to the development of social theory.ÂÂ  This is certainly different from the explanation that the Levi-Strauss, a collectivist, in issues especially regarding to marriage and kinship patterns. Levi-Strauss is an anthropologist who comes from France. He developed a theoretical perspective of social exchange on the practice of marriage and kinship system of primitive societies. A general pattern of analysis is when a man marries his mothers daughter.ÂÂ  A pattern that happens is that people rarely marry the daughter of his fathers brother. This latter pattern was analyzed further by Bronislaw Malinowski, who advanced by the exchange of nonmaterial. In explaining this, Levi-Strauss distinguishes two exchange systems, which include restricted and generalized exchange.ÂÂ  In restricted exchange, members of the dyad groups are directly involved in the exchange transaction, each member of the couple give each other a personal basis.ÂÂ  And in the generalized exchange, members of a group of triads or even larger accept something other than a dyad who gives something useful. In these exchanges the impact is on the integration and solidarity groups are inÂÂ  a more effective manner.ÂÂ  The main purpose of this exchange process is not to allow couples who are involved in an exchange to meet the needs of individualization. An analysis of marriage and kinship behavior is a criticism of Sir James Frazers explanation of a British expert who studies the economic anthropology on patterns of exchange that occurs between mating pairs in primitive society. The theory of exchange today does not represent a single school of thought.ÂÂ  Strictly speaking, there are several theories that share a common position that human interaction is a process of exchange.ÂÂ  In addition, each of them has their own views on human nature, society and social science. Theories of exchange have been and still are often criticized for the lack of freshness, the evidence of certain statements, ignoring the existence of a forced situation.ÂÂ  Most can be found with the view that this point of view narrows the social life and relations between people only to the physical assets. As a fact, social forms of exchange are perceived differently and communicated, as a sociological and anthropological analysis would be expected to.ÂÂ  As the question of justice, including equivalence of an exchange is directed according to dominant values, or it is judged differently from the representatives of warring values. Social exchange theory Social exchange theory Main dependent factor(s): Value and utility: profit, rewards, approval, status, reputation, flexibility, and trust Main independent factor(s): Exchange relation, dependency, and power Summary of theory Social exchange theory was formed by the intersection of economics, psychology and sociology. The theory was developed to understand the social behaviour of humans in economic undertakings, according to the theorys initiator Hormans (1958). There is a fundamental difference between the two the theories: economic exchange and social exchange theories, which is the way in which the actors are seen. Exchange theory views actors (persons or a firm) as dealing not with another actor but with a market (Emerson, 1987, P.11), reacting to various market characteristics; while social exchange theory sees the exchange relationship between specific actors as actions contingent on rewarding reactions from others. (Blau, 1964, P.91) Nowadays, various forms of social exchange theory exist, but all of them possess the same driving force which essentially is the same central concept of actors exchanging resources via a social exchange relationship. Where social exchange (e.g., Ax; By) is the intentional transfer of resources (x, y ) between several actors (A, B) (Cook, 1977). A network model (Cook, 1977) with market properties (Emerson, 1987) is the evolved form of the theory which previously was a dyadic model. The core of the theory is best captured in Homanss own words (1958, P.606) Social behaviour is an exchange of goods, material goods but also non-material ones, such as the symbols of approval or prestige. Persons that give much to others try to get much from them, and persons that get much from others are under pressure to give much to them. This process of influence tends to work out at equilibrium to a balance in the exchanges. For a person in an exchange, what he gives may be a cost to him, just as what he gets may be a reward, and his behaviour changes less as the difference of the two, profit, tends to a maximum.In conclusion, social exchange theory is best understood as a framework for explicating movement of resources, in imperfect market conditions, between dyads or a network via a social process (Emerson, 1987). Agency Theory or Principal-Agent Problem Key dependent factor(s) Efficiency, alignment of interests, risk sharing, successful contracting Key independent factor(s) Information asymmetry, contract, moral hazard, trust Summary of Theory In economics, the principal-agent dilemma treats the technical hitches that come up under conditions of unfinished and asymmetric information when a principal hires an agent. A variety of mechanisms could possibly be used in an attempt to align the interests of the agent with those of the principal, for instance piece rates/commissions, profit sharing, efficiency wages, the agent posting a bond, or fear of firing. The principal-agent problem is seen in the majority of employer/employee relationships. Agency theory is focussed at the ever-present agency relationship, which basically is: one party (the principal) entrusts work to another (the agent), who carries out that work. The resolution of the two problems in an agency relationship that can occur is the primary concern of agency theory. Firstly, is the agency problem which surfaces when (a) the desires or goals of the principal and agent conflict and (b) its difficult or expensive for the principal to authenticate what the agent is actually doing. The predicament here is the principal cant confirm that the agent has behaved fittingly. Secondly, is the problem of risk sharing that arises when the principal and agent have dissimilar attitudes towards the risk. The problem at this point is that the principal and the agent may fancy different actions since they have different risk preferences. Relationship between theory and Information Systems Agency theory sees the firm as a nexus of contracts amongst interested individuals. The owner employs agents (employees) to execute work on his/her behalf and delegates some decision-making power to the agents. Agents must be under constant supervision and management; this stems the introduction of management costs. As firms grow consequently management costs rise. Information technology minimises agency costs by providing information without difficulty so that managers can oversee a larger number of people with fewer resources. Simply, technological changes support the agency theory, which enables managers to supervise more employees at a reduced cost. Technology in general, and information systems particularly, save companies lots of money by reducing the number of managers needed to oversee larger numbers of workers. Transaction Cost Theory or Transaction cost economics Main dependent factor(s) Governance structure, degree of outsourcing, outsourcing success, inter-organizational coordination and collaboration Main independent factor(s) Coordination costs, transaction risk (opportunity costs), coordination costs, operational risk, opportunism risk, asset specificity, uncertainty, trust Summary of Theory In the field of economics and its related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost incurred while making an economic exchange. A variety of transaction costs exist, for instance, search and information costs are the costs incurred in determining if a required good is available on the market, who has the lowest price, etc The costs required to achieve a satisfactory agreement with the other party to the transaction, drawing up an suitable contract, etc., is known as the bargaining cost. Policing and enforcement costs are costs that make sure the other party abide the terms of the contract, and taking appropriate action (regularly through the legal system) if this turns out not to be the case. Transaction costs consist of costs incurred in the process of looking for the best supplier/partner/customer, the cost of drawing-up a supposedly air-tight contract, and the costs of monitoring and enforcing the carrying out of the contract. Transaction cost theorists state that the total cost incurred by a firm can be grouped basically into two components: transaction costs and production costs. Transaction costs, which are often referred to as coordination costs, are the costs of all the information processing necessary to coordinate the work of people and machines that perform the primary processes, whereas production costs comprise the costs incurred from the physical or other primary processes necessary to create and distribute the goods or services being produced. Relationship between theory and Information Systems Transaction cost theory is based on the notion that a firm incurs transaction costs when the firm buys on the marketplace in comparison to making products for itself. Traditionally, in an attempt to reduce transaction costs firms wouldve gotten bigger, hired more employees, integrated vertically and horizontally, and wouldve taken over small-company. IT helps firms reduce the cost of market participation (transaction costs) and helps firms minimise their size while producing the same or even greater amount of output. In simplified terms, transaction cost theory supports the idea that assistance or through the help of technology businesses can minimize their costs of processing transactions with the same emphasis and enthusiasm that they attempt to minimize their production costs. Frameworks Traditionally, the Chief Information Officer (CIO)s job description entailed ensuring that the Business Strategy and Information Systems strategy were aligned. Successful information technology/business alignment, however, entails more than executive level communication and strategy translation. Achieving alignment is usually done by establishing a set of well-planned process improvement programs that systematically tackle obstacles and go further than executive level conversation to filter through the entire IT organization and their culture. IT/Business Alignment Cycle A generally used methodology is the IT/Business Alignment Cycle, which introduces a straightforward framework that the IT organization can take on to manage a broad range of activities. The cycles four phases are: plan, model, manage, and measure. Organization-wide shared expectations between business and IT managers are fostered utilizing this cycle, and a universal framework is defined for a wide-range of activities that jointly serve to align IT and business objectives. Within the cycle the best practices and common processes within and between IT functional groups are identified which makes IT/business alignment sustainable and scalable. When integrated and automated with software applications and monitoring tools the framework functions optimally. Plan Phase: In this phase business objectives are translated into quantifiable IT services. This phase aids in closing the gap between what business managers need and expect and what IT can deliver. Giga Research reports that IT leaders in poorly aligned organizations are still trying to elucidate technology management issues to their business colleagues and havent made that leap to comprehending business issues and communicating with them on a business-minded level. To bridge the gap between what business expects and what IT can deliver, IT must have an ongoing dialogue to elucidate business needs in business terms. Without any ongoing dialogue, its difficult for IT to determine which IT services to offer or how to efficiently allot IT resources to maximize business value. Also, when business needs change, IT ought to adjust and modify the service offering and IT resources fittingly. CIOs should consent the use of a regimented service level management process that will lead to agreement on precise IT services and service levels required to support business objectives. IT management can then translate service definitions and service levels into fundamental rules and priorities that empower and guide IT resources. Lastly, IT needs a method to measure and track both business level services and the underlying capabilities that support the services. Model Phase: An infrastructure should be designed to optimize business value. The model phase pinpoints resources needed to deliver IT services at dedicated service levels. This phase involves mapping IT assets, processes, and resources back to IT services, then prioritizing and planning resources that support those business critical services. The bottom line in measuring the triumph of an alignment is the extent in which IT is working on the things which business managers care about. This implies that IT must have processes in place for prioritizing projects, tasks, and support. To effectively prioritize resources, IT needs a service impact model and a centralized configuration and asset management repository to connect the infrastructure components back to particular IT services. This amalgamation is vital if IT is to efficiently plan, prioritize, and constantly deliver services at agreed-upon service levels while also minimising costs. Manage Phase: Results should be driven through fused service support. The manage phase permits the IT staff to deliver pledged levels of service. Assurance from the CIO that the organization meets expectations by providing a single location for business users to submit all service requests and by prioritizing those requests based on pre-defined business precedence. Without a single point-of-service request, it isnt easy to manage resources to achieve agreed-upon service levels. Furthermore, lacking a system for effectively managing the IT infrastructure and all changes, the IT staff is faced with the danger of causing failures. In order for the IT staff to ensure the effectiveness of the service desk they need to provide: A technique for prioritizing service requests based on business impact. A well-organized change management process to reduce the risk of negatively affecting service level commitments. An IT event management system to monitor and manage components that support business critical services. The basic operational metrics that enable service delivery at promised levels, in addition to the means for measuring and tracking the advancement of service level commitments using these metrics. Measure Phase: Involves the verification of commitments coupled with improvement of operations. Cross-organization visibility into operations and service level commitments is improved in this phase. Conventional IT management tools operate in functional silos which confines data collection and operational metrics to focused areas of functionality, relating more to technology than to business objectives. Component-level metrics and measures are definitely essential for continuing service availability. Nevertheless, to support real-time resource allotment decisions, these measures must be construed in a broader business context, with the inclusion of their connections to business-critical services. Without a business context for construing measures and metrics, isolated functional groups cant get a holistic view of IT services that sustain business objectives. By committing to the cycle and integrating and automating activities using software solutions, its possible to align a whole organization to make logical improvements that prevail over obstacles. Competitive Forces Model Porters competitive forces and strategies is one of the popular and effective models for formulating a strategy. After studying a number of business organizations, Michael E. Porter proposed that mangers can formulate a strategy that makes an organization achieve a higher level of profitability and reduce vulnerability if they understand five forces in the industry environment. Porter found the following forces determine a companys position vis-ÃÆ'Â  -vis competitors in the industry: The rivalry among existing competitors The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products and services The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of suppliers Porters framework (competitive forces model) has long been acknowledged as a valuable tool for business people to utilize when thinking about business strategy and the impact of IT. Porters framework illustrates why some firms do better than others and how they gain competitive advantage. It also analyzes a business and identifies its strategic advantages, as well as, demonstrating how entrepreneurs can develop strategic advantages for their own business. And lastly, it shows information systems contribute to strategic advantages. The threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants to an industry can create pressure for established organizations, which might need to hold down prices of increase their level of investment. The threat of entry from in an industry depends largely on the amount and extent of potential barriers, such as cost. The power of suppliers: Large, powerful suppliers can charge higher prices, limit services of quality, and shift costs to their customers, keeping more of the value for themselves. The concentration of suppliers and availability of substitute suppliers are significant factors in determining supplier power. The power of buyers: Powerful customers, the flip side of powerful suppliers, can force prices down, demand better quality or services, and hence drive up costs for the supplying organization. The threat of substitutes: The power of alternatives and substitutes for a companys product or service maybe affected by changes in cost, new technologies, social trends that will deflect buyer loyalty, and other environmental changes. Rivalry among existing competitors: In most industries, especially when there are only a few major competitors, competition will very closely match the offering of others. Aggressiveness will depend mainly on factors like number of competitors, industry growth, high fixed costs, lack of differentiation, capacity augmented in large increments, diversity in type of competitors and strategic importance of the business unit. Information Systems Competitive Advantage In order to be competitive, companies must have a degree of quickness, nimbleness, flexibility, innovativeness, productivity, thriftiness and customer centricity. It must also align its IS strategy with general business strategies and objectives. Given the five market forces mentioned above, Porter and others have proposed a number of strategies to attain competitive advantage: Low-Cost Leadership Information systems can be used achieve the lowest operational costs and the lowest prices. For instance, Wal-Mart has utilized IT to develop anefficient customer response systemthat directly links customer behaviour back to distribution, production, and supply chains. Product Differentiation Information systems can be used in the process of enabling new products and services, or significantly changing the customer convenience in the use of an existing products or services. Mass customization enables organizations to offer individually tailored products or services through the use of mass production resources. Focus on Market Niche Using information systems enables a firm to pinpoint a specific market focus, and thus allowing them to serve this narrow target market better than competitors. Information systems can support this strategy because it can be used to produce and analyze data for use in finely tuned sales and marketing techniques. Companies can now analyze customer buying patterns, tastes, and preferences closely so that they efficiently and effectively pitch advertising and marketing campaigns to smaller and smaller target markets. Strengthen Customer and Supplier Intimacy The use of information systems tightens linkages with suppliers and develops intimacy with customers. Switching costs increase when and where therere strong linkages between customers and suppliers (expense a customer or company incurs in lost time and expenditure of resources when changing from one supplier or system to a competing supplier or system). STRENGTHS OF THE FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES MODEL The model is a strong tool for competitive analysis at industry level, compared to PEST analysis It provides useful input for performing a SWOT Analysis LIMITATION OF PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Care should be taken when using this model for the following: do not underestimate or underemphasize the importance of the (existing) strengths of the organization (Inside-out strategy). The model was designed for analyzing individual business strategies. It does not cope with synergies and interdependencies within the portfolio of large corporations. From a more theoretical perspective, the model does not address the possibility that an industry could be attractive because certain companies are in it. Some people claim that environments which are characterized by rapid, systemic and radical change require more flexible, dynamic or emergent approaches to strategy formulation. Sometimes it may be possible to create completely new markets instead of selecting from existing ones.