Evaluate the effectiveness of technology in monitoring national Essay

Evaluate the effectiveness of technology in monitoring national borders and preventing trafficking of drugs or humans - Essay Example 37). In order to counter these crimes, prevention measures have to be implemented to forestall the trafficking of human beings and drugs into the country. Various measures have been implemented to tackle these problems such as imposing heavy penalties on individuals who break these laws and also protecting the national orders through a team of well trained personnel and equipment (United states 2010, pg. 16). The use of technology in monitoring the national borders and preventing human and drug trafficking will be discussed as well as its effectiveness. Application of Technology in monitoring National Borders The national borders are monitored by different organizations all with the intention of preventing illegal activities from taking place. This involves prevention of illegal drug and human trafficking and also the illegal immigration of individuals into the country. For this purpose, technology is required to keep track of the activities being carried out along the border and als o to verify the legality of individuals or activities. For example, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses technology to identify illegal aliens in the country and further rank them according to the severity of their crimes (National Research Council (U.S.) 2009, pg. 29). Particularly, they apply biometric identification techniques which are used to identify individuals according to their traits or characteristics. In addition to that, illegal activity can be monitored through closed circuit television cameras. The authorities use these cameras to monitor the boundaries and detect whether there is any crime being carried out (Manning 2008, pg. 97). The cameras are usually hidden and are on a 24-hour basis. They are set in a position where they can hold a wide view of the area thus making it easier for the law enforcers to monitor. Law enforcers then observe the borders through the cameras in shifts and also by carrying out patrols around the area. It is possible to record information through these cameras and the information is stored in form of tapes. The tapes are important in court cases as they serve as evidence pointing towards illegal activity being carried out across the border and into the country. Application of Technology in Drug and Human Trafficking Different forms of technology can be applied in drug and human trafficking. For example, scanners are used in major airports to identi fy illegal substances in an individual’s package (Belliotti 2009, pg. 117). Airport authorities use advanced imaging technology which is programmed to detect various threats against the crew members and the passengers. Other than threats, the imaging technology also highlights the illegal substances thus allowing for further human searching. This form of technology is less invasive compared to the previous methods thus encouraged by many airports. In addition, technology is used to monitor and track the whereabouts of individuals involved in criminal activity particularly drug and human trafficking. Authorities are able to track cell phones using tracking devices that function by tracking the cell phone number. This gives them the accurate position of the phone thus making it easier to take action upon the traffickers. Traffickers prefer using prepaid cell phones which makes them harder to track and thus preventing the control of these vices. However, police officers are allo wed to plant tracking devices on such phones and consequently gain

Terry vs ohio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terry vs ohio - Research Paper Example Ironically, this chance presented itself in form of a case, the Terry versus Ohio case. Many other cases have taken place in federal and Supreme Courts, and the Terry versus Ohio case, which took place over 40 years ago, is applied. Some people argue against the terry versus Ohio outcome. This work, therefore shall give a detailed account of what led to the arrest, who was involved, the charges, the outcome of the case and thereafter look at several issues that arise and can be seen from this case. Background The events of that case began on the afternoon of 31ST October, 1963.A law enforcement officer in his civilian dressing making his afternoon tour, spotted two men from a distance. In his testimony, the officer, Mr. Martin McFadden told the court that he spotted two men in Euclid Avenue. He took keen interest in them as he had never seen them before, not that he knew everyone in that town, but he just took keen interest in them. For him, they appeared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He took his time to study them and that is when he realized their questionable actions and movements.3 These two men talked briefly, and then one of them walked along the corridor, stopping for some time to look through the windows of a particular and specific store. After this, the man went back to his company, and after some time, the other man did the same thing, walked along the corridor and stopped at the same store. This further increased the curiosity of the officer. After around six times of this repeated routine, the two men were joined by another man. More talking was done and then the newly arrived man left. The law enforcement reported to the court that after this man left, the two men who were there earlier continued with their earlier suspicious routine. They did this for about fifteen minutes and then left, following the direction that the other man had taken. This further increased the curiosity of the officer, who had been watching them from a close enough distance. According to him, he suspected that they were ‘casing a job’. He followed them and found them in the company of the man who had left earlier. After all, as he said in the court, McFadden had enough experience to tell when something wrong and suspicious was cooking. In his 39 years of service, dealing with pickpockets and shop breakers, the officer had learnt to read the signs of such people.4 Officer McFadden approached them and produced his identification. He asked them what their names were, but they officer did not comprehend what they said. They mumbled incoherently. They officer had a strong suspicion that these three men were up to no good, and that is when he grabbed one of the men, Terry and spun him round. He felt a gun in Terry’s overcoat pocket, but could not reach it. He ordered the three men to enter into the nearby Zuckers store and face the wall. The officer removed Terry’s overcoat, from which he recovered a 38 caliber revo lver.5 He also patted the other men’s outer clothing. He recovered a pistol from Chitton, the man with whom Terry had done the routine walks with. On the other man, Kartz, there was no weapon found. The two men

Business Essays Puma Company Brand

Business Essays Puma Company Brand Puma Company Brand 1. Executive Summary Puma AG is a multinational company that is based in German and manufactures high athletic and sportswear shoes both for women and men, It was founded by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. 1.1 Introduction Puma was founded in Dassler Schuhfabrik, Herzogenaurach, Germany by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Until early 2003 puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. This report is divided in three parts, Part one presents the factors that influenced puma to change it brand image and it further goes to describe these factors under Macro-environmental analysis basing on market trends, rivalry between customers and strategic group mapping. The second part presents the puma’s resources and capabilities in terms of strengths and weakness as well as virtuallity as seen as strengthens and the third part of the report presents puma’s winning strategies basing on pumas situation that fits the company, sustainable completive advantages and as a better performing company. According to case study of Puma AG (in Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J. and Gamble, J. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy (Fourteenth Edition), McGraw-Hill, New York, pages C411- C432), The environmental and competitive factors that influenced Puma’s strategic decision to improve its Brand image is identified under Macro- environmental factors, rivalry between competitors and strategic group mapping as below. 1.1.2 Macro –environmental factors Lack of social acceptance of Puma brand from the upper class customers who were not willing to wear the brand because they considered to of poor quality and were sold â€Å"dirt-cheap† Puma’s brand was compromised and this a affected it’s value for example Rudi’s son wanted puma products to reach all the customers of all social back ground and this move was seen by the upper class people as some thing below them and they can not be seen wearing the same brand as people on welfare recipients. In order for pumas brand to be accepted as a high quality brand of value, force puma to change and improve its brand so that it can be socially accepted by customers. Change in customers taste and style for example there was high demand for supports ware and fashion apparel tend that was oriented toward high value and lifestyle products, this change in customers demand influenced pumas to changed it’s brand image to meet the customers growing demand Demographic change in soccer market for example their was a high demand to respond to needs of both kids playing on local pitch and nationals soccer team playing professional at international level that required high quality brand and in order for puma to tap in to these demographic change puma needed to improve its brand image. Market change of 1980 when sports brand became more dynamic and consumers taste diversified into new and more exciting high price that make products more desirable this forced puma to change its brand image so that they can charge high price as customers associate high prices with quality of brand or product and the more highly charged the more desirable the brand. Introduction of niches in the market offered attractive growth rates both incumbent and new market players for example skateboarding markets, golf sports, sports equipments for out door activities made puma change its brand image, for example for puma to enjoy this attractive growth its brand has to be of high quality. Merging of manufactures to form one big group for example Rosso joined forces with several other manufactures in northern Italy to form Genius group this was seen as a threat because this means more resources and strong financial stand and this led to high fragmented global market and for puma to survive in a highly fragmented market it needed to change its brand image Puma’s brand was disreputable and had lost specailised sports dealers in its distribution network in order for puma to gain its distribution network it had to improve on its brand image 1.1.3 Rivalry between competitors Puma greatest rivalries are from the following competitors: Nike Inc Nike is the number one sports brand in world over and from the case study Based in USA Has got sub brand like Tiger words and Michael Jordan Adidas Salomon AG Deals on core sports (soccer, athletics skiing) Has got stronger financial resources Has got it’s marketing and design departments in Germany and France Prada Sports Luxury brand It has entered in to sports segments four years ago Deals in trendy fashion wear of high prices Diesel Based in Italy Fashion brand ,majoring in sunglasses, footwear Competitors entered the market such as Adidas, Nike, Rebook among others entered the market and made competition for market share was very high and these competitors had better quality brand than puma and among them, they shared 27% of the market share, this stiff competition influenced puma to improve on it’s brand image to survive to survive in the competitive market Nike was the biggest competitor of all and it had the largest market share for example Nike was became the world’s largest sports equipment manufacture in the late 1980 and maintain this position since then. Puma was dealing in almost identical products like puma but its brand was poor so in order to have a share in the market place puma needed to improve on its brand image. Adidas-Salomon was also another competitor that entered the market as the second world’s largest producer of sports equipment manufacture in world with approximately $6.5 billion in sales and was present in every country this put puma in a very difficult situation and in order for puma to have a favorable share in the market it needed to change its brand Reebok also entered the market at the time when puma brand was poor, Reebok was the world third largest player in the sports market, Reebok identified footwear industry as a key market and began to aggressively into overseas market this expand was seen as a threat to puma and to survive it puma had to change its brand image Prada though a luxury bran, it also started deal in sportswear four years ago and this is a threat for Puma and because though the price for Prada brand is high, it high quality goods do attack customer who are willing to spend for example super starts, this is a threat to puma because puma has to not only with Prada but with Nike, Adidas and Reebok for customers. 1.1.4 Marketing strategies Acquisitions of groups for example Rosso bought out other partners and embarked on growth and expansion this means more competition for market shares as he built a solid and vast distribution platform across five continents reporting annual sales of $330 million with luxury brand selling jeans for as much as $100-$200 a pair making it’s brand more appealing to customers and in order for puma to survive Such a hash market, it needed to change its brand image Innovations as a marketing strategy for example Nike diversified his product portfolio to target people of ages 20 -30 with enthusiastic sports appeal, Reebok changed its marketing strategy and began transition toward football, baseball and soccer which Puma was one of puma product line and in order for puma to attract new customers it has to change it brand image for example puma designing and new functionality in new collections and launched retro looks of the 1970s/80s All companies engaged in massive advertisement for their brand a awareness so that they can compete favorable in the market for example in Nike marketing strategy, it focused on sponsoring huge events and popular events, Reebok also sponsored popular events and had a licensing agreement with national basket association that increased its brand awareness To compete with each other favorability each company outsource production and raw materials where their cost was cheap and labour was available this enables each company to cut on production cost. Product differentiation causes constraints on rivalry for example the is high rivalry for example between Nike, Adidas and Reebok because thought there is high brand identification in the market they almost dealt in similar sports equipments which offer customer the usage. 1.1.5 Strategic group mapping to position competitors Strategic Group Map on Footwear Mark From the strategic group mapping, the rivalry between Puma and Nike is very low and puma doesn’t pose a threat because Puma doesn’t enough market shares as compared to Nike, This is because Puma is a stage where its brand is poor and customers are not willing to buy puma products and this explains why the position of puma and Nike are far a part from each The close positioning of Nike, Adidas and Reebok are and narrow and almost tight because they are competing for almost the same size for example the rivalry between Adidas and Reebok are almost of the same size in market share and they have to keep competing for the market with no dominance from Adidas and Reebok as a leading rivalry, this is because the cost of production is low and so is the cost of labour The cost of switching from one brand to another is very low for customers the rivalry firms because customers can freely buy from another from Nike, Adidas and Reebok especially where there is no brand royalty that’s why they are so close together Nike, Adidas and Reebok entered the market almost at the same time when puma’s brand image needed improving this cause high competition for the market shares and for customers and this explains why less room for expansion for Nike , Adidas and Reebok that needs to protect it’s market share from Puma The cost of production was low between the rivalry firms as most of had outsourced all production and raw material where they were cheap to produce, this made the market so unstable and due to high competition for the market share. 2 Puma’s strengths and weakness 2.1 Strength Puma had collaboration with some of the famous designers from different cultural back ground for example puma’s new projects were developed under the supervisions of trendsetters like Yashuiro Mihara and Jil sanders which are strongly influenced by kickboxing. This cooperation and collaboration opened a new wide market for puma for example where high fashion meets sportswear, for example this collaboration led puma to produced high quality brand that suppers starts like Madonna were happy to be spotted wear puma brand and this made many fashion and brand wearer buy more of puma products Puma launched new collections which blended with sports, lifestyle and fashion for example puma curato shoes, unala cropped woven women’s ware which are very sport fashionable and trendy, such causal sportswear became like very day kind of wear for certain age group for example the young starts who identified themselves with puma logo and style, this made it easy for puma to target and reach the right market as at the right time as puma knew it’s market and customers well Innovations -puma carried innovations at each part of the process for example puma worked with engineering teams of Jordan grand prix Racing to learn about new materials like carbon fire which are then built into pumas shoes like shudou shoes, this innovation enabled Puma to produced high quality sportswear that were so desirable that puma gain a lot more customer that puma became looked upon as a trend starter in the footwear market for other companies like Nike and Adidas as follow Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries , this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors Puma had knowledge and experience, this is one of pumas major strength because according to the case study Zeitz’s understanding of fashion as â€Å"the new combinations of elements of the past it easy for puma to produce products without having to design for scratch rather than use its heritage, this made it easy for Puma to re-launched older products for example the retro look where some parts were taken from 1970/1980 collections were re-launched after adding modern elements such as fit or color way shoes Puma has good planning and timing for example puma for example puma entered the sports market two years before its revival in order to maximize profits and this gave puma enough time to prepare for up coming demand, Puma had gain market experience and gave customers the impressions of always being in the sports market. Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arose customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, for example Puma use the MTV and Music Mongol as Jazzy to promote footwear and other apparel this made lead to the popularity of puma brand and in the last five years saw increased sales as the brand was considered â€Å"rebellious and stylish â€Å" as two most desirable attributes as compared to it’s competitors Acquisitions of other company for example puma acquired Swedish company Tretorn, Europe’s third largest manufacturer of tennis ball from Proventus for â‚ ¬23 million which the contributed to â‚ ¬45 million in sales and puma was able to allocate its over head cost of distribution functions Puma had a shareholder New Regency which put puma in several successful Hollywood movies such as devil and high crime this benefited puma massively from generous product placement. This new regency made it easy for puma to reach it market audience through movies, adverts that portrays the image of puma as a company Technologically puma created a web presence that fit its imaged for example its home page displayed different adverts from Jamaica line. Interactive stories transported readers into managers’ thoughts during his 96 hour business tripe around the world wearing pumas casual and business attire. A project promoted on the internet was the â€Å"top winner thrift† A collection of 510 unique and individual shoes was created and sold at premium prices all over the world. 2.1.2 Weakness Poor brand Image Before the revival, puma has a very bad brand image that most customers from the upper social class did not want to buy puma products because it was considered cheap, this ruined poor reputation and it took years for this image to be rebuilt through phases. Luck of financial resource Puma did not have a strong financial resource as can be seen from the balance sheet of 1999-2002 this could have been due to reduced sales as the brand was of poor image. From the case study puma has the lowest balance sheet compare to its competitors Luck of customers Due to puma poor brand image of 1992-2002 it was not attracting customers because the brand was poor the substitute were readily available on the market most of pumas customers might have crossed to Nike or Adidas as they had better quality footwear Limited market when the brand was poor puma has the least market share as compared to Nike, Adidas and Rebook that to gathered shared 27% of the market share. This failure by puma to capture a larger make share is a weakness and this decreased on brand attractiveness, this can be due to puma’s marketing communication which is different for market segment Puma lost its sports dealers distribution network due to poor brand image and unhealthy sale. Though this was gained, Puma still missing the sports segments distribution systems From the case study Puma has a higher overhead as compared because some of its products were sold cheaply at a very low price making it really hard to figure out what the profit was made as costs were being attached to total sales regardless of what product segment was sold 2.1.3 Virtuality Puma is the first virtual sports company according to pumas mission statement and uses Virtual Warehouse Management System. According to Jochen Zeitz, CEO of puma Virtual actually may be the wrong word. One should probably say a virtualized company, where location doesnt really play a role anymore. Its totally independent from location and how you do business, and move things forward. Take product development, for example. Its actually divided among all the three hubs, with certain development functions in Germany, certain in the U.S., and others in Hong Kong. They each complement each other and work together. Its all integrated through proper IT, so no matter where you are, you can access the same kind of information and add to the entire development chain†. (Reveries.com, Dec 2202). 2.1.4 Virtuality as strength for puma Information sharing Puma has a global management structure several head quarters supported by a strong information technology infrastructure this makes it easy for sharing of vast network resources on a global scale for example during design stage and using the Lotus notes and information database application, key information about design process and procedures and it can be entered in to the database and it can viewed by all the production team located in all the regional hub, this makes exchange of idea and decision making fast without the need for production team and designers to be physical locations in one place. For example footwear can be designed in German then it can be checked by product development team in another country, the review is done throughout the production cycle till the product is finished and ready for sale. Hi technology infrastructure The strong information technology infrastructure can be used to link all the global regions together for example during executive meetings video-teleconference can be use link all the mangers in the various regions together during a meeting enabling fast sharing executive information for managerial decision marking Online Reseller Puma’s virtuality has enabled puma to provide its customers with aid of viewing and buying products through a web based stores and retailers for example puma’s â€Å"Qualified Puma Online Reseller† has made it possible for customer to order products and view their purchase status as they a wait delivery whenever their locations Family Websites Through virtual presence puma has been able to a couple of puma family websites for example in 2000 puma featured an online store in offering a few product in United States only though this has become more common of Pumas online stores, this makes it easy for puma presence to be very where in any country in the world and makes it easy for puma sales team to interact with customers online. Puma also open it’s door to the public via web presence (Pumabiz.com) by allow users access to company information such as corporate structure, financial reports and puma performance in the market, this web presence enabled puma attack potential and future business partners as well as recruiting new staff using the Pumabiz.com website. Virtual warehouse Puma’s virtualisation process lead to the creation of a virtual warehouse where as soon as customers order goods they are assigned with unique making it easy to locate the goods and goods are dispatched to customers no matter where they are with the specific given period. The virtual warehouse system solves puma’s traditional way of storage and led to a feeling that puma is everywhere as the virtual warehouse was everywhere puma has a subsidiary. By using vitulised system puma has competitive advantage for example Puma all core competence is seen as a single big company and globally it’s employees are all over the world and through use of puma communication technology employees are able to share all the resources and the process of virtualisation is being seen as a future that most companies will follow (cf Fuderholz, 1998) The interaction of customers, suppliers and shareholders through the use of information system and communications between organisations have brought only supplier and investors together but has brought shareholders closer for example shareholder through the use on information system are able to search and find out how the company id performing in the market 3 Winning strategies There are evidences from Puma financial reports that suggest puma strategies in the resent years have led to winning strategies; this can be seen from its broad actives that have improved puma’s image considerably. 3.1 Fits the Company’s situation well Increase in orders Pumas orders has increased by product line according to puma’s outlook for example order for footwear went up by 4.7% to â‚ ¬ 721.1 millions and order for apparel has increased by 19.9% to â‚ ¬ 397.7millioms followed by accessories which increased by 13.6% to â‚ ¬68.9 million See Appendix ii 111 Global branded Sales growth Puma management confirmed increase in sales on of footwear, apparel and accessories for based on the financial results for the first quarter of 2008 this has the strength of Euro against other currencies for example footwear sales were down by 4.6% to â‚ ¬404.1 millions, Apparel almost remained the same as last years total â‚ ¬246/9 millions and accessories increased by 30.0% to â‚ ¬ 90.1million Consolidated sales In the first quarter of 2008 consolidated sales grew for example sales in footwear flat but with all puma region meeting satisfactory sales level except USA, the sales of apparel goods increased by 18.5% to â‚ ¬ 231.8 million and accessories in creased by 16.5% to â‚ ¬ 47.3 million with contributions from the entire region in double digits Europe, Middle East also saw increased sales of 19.9% which all together left the company with 3.4% revenue of which footwear sales accounts for up to1.9%, apparel increased by 5.7% and accessories by 3.7% despite a slow sales in America. (26 February 2008 | Source: just-style.com) Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7% Gross profits at 5% from the sales and earning development report, puma’s gross profit from the first quarter increased to 52.2% as compared to last years. The margin of footwear increased from 52.0% to 52.1%, accessories increased from 53.4% to 54.9% and apparel was low compared to last year’s gross profits Puma embarked on phase IV Puma has started its phase IV in 2006 of becoming â€Å"most desirable sports lifestyle company† that consists of expansion out side of European market as all as expansion of product categories; this includes entering the already existing markets as well as entering into new areas for example puma aim to offer products that cover all the sport lifestyle such as incorporating sportswear into fashion and making puma more distinguished to beat off competition from its rivalry. Phase IV expansion strategy show tremendous growth in profits as result of continuous high sales and puma ability to spot new trends in the market and offer products accordingly Puma’s shareholders value In 2007 Puma’s main long term goal was founded, when Pinault Printemps Redoute of France take over Puma, this brought the two companies that share the same vision and culture together, for example the take over made it possible for each company to provide support to the other to reach it’s strategic objectives. The take over was not objected by the share holders because the offer price of â‚ ¬330 per share was considered fair and this made both companies more money. Good balance sheet Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7%, this as compare to pre 2003 shows that puma has got a healthy balance sheet for example puma equity ratio is above 60% and of March 31, 2008 total assets increased by 0.8% to â‚ ¬ 1,811.5 millions 3.1.2 Competitive advantage Barney (1991) defines sustainable competitive advantage as A firm is said to have a sustained competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors and when these other firms are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy (italics in original) (p. 102). Based on both Barney’s work and the definition in the dictionary, a sustainable competitive Advantage is defined as long term benefit of implementing some unique value-creating strategy not currently being implemented by any known or potential competitors along with the incapability to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. Factors that have enabled puma achieve sustainable competitive advantage are identified below Knowledge and Expertise Puma has uses expertise in design knowledge with major competencies in all parts of design and marketing for example with the acquisition of Puma by PPR group has enabled puma to use PPR large base design team to produces high quality of desirable brands, this knowledge and expertise makes puma completive set a part from it’s main competitors. Brand as completive advantage Pumas brand is so strong and dynamic according to Zeitz that by 2003 puma’s popularity was so strong that mega starts like Madonna was proud to wear Puma’s, This brand image and associations of it’s brand with international starts is of competitive advantage in selling of apparel and footwear because it brings about publicity for puma and brand awareness and open up venues for other opportunities for example by 2003 puma signs a deal to be the official supplier of apparel and footwear to the FIA world rally champion. Expansion into other market Puma has been expanding its market especially in china, for example puma has open many stores in Olympic village in china to showcase new collection and meet the demand for Puma’s footwear demand , this expansion has attacked new customers and puma has provided support to individual sports personality for example, the CEO of Puma is quoted as â€Å" If we find the right person we will consider partnering with those Chinese sports starts† ( China daily report 26,2007) Innovative products Puma has a advantage in footwear, apparel and accessories because it a lot easier for puma but fashion know who with the help of designers and the CEO of puma has the understanding of fashion â€Å"the new combination of elements of past† in which when puma spots a new trend instead of making a new brand, puma uses it old brand to design and this counted for 10% of footwear, apparel and accessories based on the old design and this also made puma a trend starter. In footwear puma also collaborated with sought after designers like Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen to produce new line of women’s and men’s footwear which was launched in the spring of 2006 Broad consumer appeal Puma offer a very diverse product line for everyone and this accounts for the broad customer appeal because there is product for everyone. In the spring collection of 2003 did carter for both male and female for example Nuala product line with cropped woven pants and Nuala Nylon coat for women as well as Kings ss soccer shirts that catered for both men and women. Puma also ventured into Action sports line for emerging sports like BMX skateboarding and downhill mountain biking creating platinum series offering causal footwear and apparel and accessories for such events Relational market asserts Puma has got greater bond with its customers this has forged a working relationship work with customers to manufactures highly unique and customized brands for example in the case study puma promoted the â€Å"top winner thrift† a collection of 510 unique and individual shoes that were created out of recycle cloths from Jeans and ties, with the purchase of such items, customers allowed to enter puma’s exclusive community on the web. Supplies to meet the various demands of consumers Puma’s major supplier was Yue Yuen, the largest supplier of footwear, so when the demand for particular footwear goes up puma is more readily meets the demand from constant supply of branded products from YueYuen. Intellectual market asserts Puma has great in depth knowledge regarding customers needs and preferences for example puma has gained knowledge and credibility in sportswear and equipment, this was a results of many years of trading on the same product line and which made it very easy to have competitive advantage over others fashion industry, this knowledge made it easy for puma to re-launch products that customers most prefer to have. 3.1.3 Better company performance Marketing campaign Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arise customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, this has resulted in o better performance because it improved brand awareness which in turns led to high sales performance. Out sourced production Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries, this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors, this results in a better company performance because it enables puma to meet the market needs effectively and save a lot of money from having

Stephen King Essay -- Essays Papers

BIOGRAPHY ON STEPHEN KING Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947, the son of Donald and Nellie Ruth king. His father, a merchant seaman, deserted the family in about 1950. His mother took a succession of low-paying jobs to support him and his brother, David. A lonely, rather introverted child, King invented a more outgoing alter ego – Cannonball Cannon, a daredevil who â€Å"did good deeds† – and derived other vicarious thrills from listening to tales of horror on the radio, reading such spine-tingling comic books as Weird Science, Tales from the Crypt, and Tales from the Vault. He also went to see science fiction and monster movies. In October 1957, the local theater manager interrupted a Saturday matinee screening of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers to announce the Soviet Union’s launching of Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite. It was then that King sensed for the first time â€Å"a useful connection between the world of fantasy a nd that of what my Weekly Reader used to call current events.† Eventually, countless viewings over the years of such classic horror films as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Thing, and It came from Outer Space convinced him that the horror movie’s chief value is â€Å"its ability to form a liaison between our fantasy fears and our real fears.† The fortunate discovery of his father’s paperback collection of fantasy-horror fiction gave King, in his own words, a â€Å"...

Communications Paper

Communication Paper Ana Espinoza SOC-110 April 29, 2010 Zack Zardo Communications Paper Attitude is the first thing people usually sense in communication. Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behavior. There are two different types of communication, verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication usually means spoken or in some cases signed, as in American Sign Language, it also includes; rate, volume, pitch as well as articulation and pronunciation. Nonverbal communication is facial expressions, body movements (i. ; shoulder shrugs, slight shutter in the body (at the sight of something disgusting)), diversion of eye sight (example: flirting, staring, looking away when looked at. Great example from Wiki answers. com is, a man comes home late, he hears from the kitchen the slamming of pots, pans and cupboard doors. He enters the kitchen, asks his wife, â€Å"What’s the matter, honey? † Sh e answers, â€Å"Nothing! † as she slams another cupboard door. Now she has spoken the word â€Å"Nothing†, but it is her unspoken communication that tells him that â€Å"Nothing† is not the real answer. It is clearly communicated by her actions. Men and women are really not the same. Their thinking, acting, communicating and many other behaviors are different. One can make broad generalizations about males and females. The primary difference between these genders is that men are resolvers and women are relaters. Being resolvers, men tend to focus on doing, resolving issues, finding solutions and solving problems. As relaters, women generally focus on pleasing, understanding, feelings, communicating, exploring emotions, making connections and being understood. An opposite gender can understand differently than the other because we all perceive things differently. For example, one gender can see the glass as half full, and the other can see it as half empty. Even though it is the same thing, we all see, hear, understand or comprehend things differently because of our gender. Communicating across cultures improves productivity and promotes healthy and happy learning and work environments. It helps to understand cultural differences and language problems/barriers. However there are problems and challenges of cultural differences or communication. Culture can be viewed by which groups of people understand and interpret or view the world. Generally there are two types of cultural differences. They both affect communication. Differences in body positions and movements; and differences in views and practices concerning various factors of human relationships (time, space, intimacy ect. ). Body languages differ among cultures as well. For example, sitting versus squatting, and manners of walking, communication with body parts- hands, arms, head ect, may also vary by culture. Diversity describes the reality of a national and world community made up of people from different cultures with different kinds of languages and social customs very different from our own. Communicating with different cultures does not come easy, because of a lack of knowledge. It is important to be open minded, listen and try to understand others differences. Put yourself in their shoes. Our ways of thinking and our orientations to our environments are important, we each learn diverse culturally based sets of perceptual communication contexts. For someone to fully understand communication across cultures they would need to learn a little about it in order to successfully communicate. Touching and hand shaking are important to understand in cultural communication. Some cultures do not like much touching. Their handshake may be taken as weak. Other cultures that are okay with touching, have different greetings, ranging from embraces to kisses to even nose rubbing. Differing attitudes toward various factors of human relationships cause communication problems. While American English is the predominant language in the United States the number of non- native English speakers continues to grow. Although many tools can help create a productive diverse environment, one of the most important is good communication skills. We must try to be careful in our choice of word or expressions because once something is communicated it cannot be taken back. To improve communication we must better understand what t is to communicate. Verbal and nonverbal communications are the two key aspects of communication, (especially important in high context culture). In order to communicate effectively we need to utilize these communication skills. The way cultures and genders do things are all different. We do not all walk, talk, and act the same. We do not all wake up the same, pray the same, think the same or believe in the same things. Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical experiences and ways in which various cultural groups have related to each other is key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming more aware of cultural differences as well as exploring cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others more effectively. References Http://wwwindependent. co. uk/news/science/womens-brains-uareu-different-from-mens-ndash-and-heres-scientific-proof-870849. html. Http://www. slideshare. net Http://www. university of phoenix. com (2008) Small group and team communication. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, SOC-110 Website. Http://www. wikianwers. com

Administrative Law – Paper

Administrative law simply means that the branch of public law which deals with the organization and powers of administrative and quasi administrative agencies and prescribes the principles and rules by which an official action is reached and reviewed in relation to individual liberty and freedom. Technically, from the definition it is clear to state that administrative law is bound and founded to determine the legality of the government action, the nature and scope of the powers conferred to the government official through checking abuse of administrative power.Meanwhile, the study of administrative law can be explained in broader after pondering the red light and green light theories, in which the red light theory views primarily that objective of administrative law is to consider the law and control the state power and desires to minimize the encroachments of the state on the rights of individual whereby this is monitored and controlled by judiciary.In connection to that, Green the ory relies much in operation of the state in the sense that it allows the intervention of the state in larger public interest ensuring right of citizen and well being of society as whole and this can be achieved through freedom of information, active involvement, positive deliberation, effective consultation and other similar action at the level of administration. In the same vein, the issue raised, if the means are not trustworthy, how the end could be?Just or unjust. In the light of the control mechanism discussion hereunder is considering intensively how far the means which are not trustworthy could result to unjust end. POLITICAL PARTIES; as per the political parties Act ,is defined as any organized group formed for the purpose of forming a government or local government authority within the united republic through election or for putting up or supporting candidate to such election .Now, the modern political thoughts tends to accept the notion that political parties are absolute essential to democracy so far the political parties try to crystallize many shades of opinion into one coherent policy unify many diverse element into one manageable unit. The political parties are manifested from the right of freedom of assembly as stipulated in the constitution .The political parties are mechanism to perform an important function of interest articulation, whereby an individual finds out the open channels to express their interest and needs, and also performing function of interest aggregation ,where peoples demands converted into general policy alternatives. Therefore in modern democracy ,it has always been necessary to guarantee and protect the freedom of assembly ,in that line it is one of the platform for attainment of social development and nurturing of democratic advancement in a given society.But the situation contrary to our country today, the right is restricted and its enjoyment subjected to the laws of the land, the problem comes in the course of interp retation and ,implementing the realization of this right. Experience can be drawn respectively from Tanzania, that the state limits the occupation of political parties so as to enhance the sustainability of state powers, there various laws and aspect which curtails the freedom of association for political parties and its operation . Starting with:- Cumbersome procedures for the registration of Political parties. t is a requirement of the law under political parties Act that any political party upon the request for registration must have at least 200 members from ten different region in the country. this number is too large and unrealistic especially in Tanzania where democracy is at infant stage. this provision denies the nourishment of democracy. Forinstance the denial of CCJ(chama cha jamii). Also under the same act it is provided that any political party ,by its constitution advocates the break up of union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar shall be disqualified and denied registrat ion. gain this provision limits the scope for scope discussion and will of the people towards union. The system of permanent national voters registration under the national election Act where without being registered the constitutional right to vote and being voted is vanished. in 2010,some irregularities in the system contributed good number of citizen not to vote due to typographic errors, double entry, false inclusion of alive in the list of deceased. Mere technicalities defeated the rights of citizens.Denial of independent candidate; one should not be compelled to join a political party in order to enjoy political right. the right to participate in governance of state includes right to vote and be voted. Also the practices shows that the ruling party during election used the government resources in the campaign. forinstance using of government vehicles and converting the government plans to political promises. this act are against free and fair election which is fundamental aspe ct of democracy.The role of police force; basically the police force does not guarantee the right to freedom of assembly but merely regulates the enjoyment of the right. on the ground of national security or public safety the police have the power to prohibit the assembly , however ,Lugakingira J,viewed that the law does not operate to take away the right to hold assembly or procession ‘it only empowers the police and magistrate to step in far the preservation of peace and order. but the police used such discretion power contrary even where is not necessary and sometimes used in favour of ruling party.To underscore this, refer the case of Mabere N yaucho Marando&another Vs Attorney General where it was held that ‘’in order to maintain public order and security during political rallies ,it was important for permit to be issued. however that discretionary power to issue permit had to be exercised judicially which required that all political parties get same and equa l treatment†¦ Therefore, the above means seems to be not trustworthy ,hence bars the growth of democracy which is the spirit of our constitution, and participation of people in a matter and due political process fear to face the iron bar of law enforcers.Hence this will defeat the interest of change and justice in community. ACCESS TO JUSTICE; this emanates from the cardinal principle of law that every person is equal before the law. Regardless of political stands ,religious affiliation, all should be treated alike without affording unnecessary privileges and exemption. Right to access justice is fundamental principle of rule of law. As in the case of Mwl. Paul john mhozya Vs Attorney General held that everyone and every institution or organization in this country is enjoined to pay respect to the principle of supremacy of the law.Access to justice should be devoid of undue technicalities which defeats the end of justice, the procedure of taking government to court is very cumb ersome . this is supported by the case of Peter Ng’omango Vs Gerson Mwangwa and Attorney General held that the right of an individual to have free access to the court is well recognized by constitution. the requirement of the consent of the minister before one can sue the government as imposed in section 6 of government proceeding Act infringes constitution â€Å"therefore this law is arbitrary and oppressive since it does not subjected to any control, therefore offends proportionality test.Also access to justice goes further to the speedy in dispensation of justice. As in the case of Hussanaira Kharton Vs Home Secretary State of Bihar held that delay in trial by itself constitutes denial of justice. In some circumstances citizens are denied the right o be heard ,while one has to be heard so as to access justice, failure to heard a party constitutes the violation of natural justice which is the spirit of the law. As in the case of Judge in charge of Arusha &Attorney General Vs Munuo that ‘’no one should be condemned unheard’’.On the other hand, independence of judiciary and impartiality of it determine highly the proper access and attainment of justice. But number of means such as judicial appointment, poor remuneration, and judicial infrastructures denies a number of people not to meet justice. also some enactments such as civil procedure code on the issue of security for cost and election Act on requisite for money so as to launch an appeal of election. , denies the access of justice . refer Francis ndyanabo Julius ishengoma Vs Attorney general. Therefore, justice should not be commercialized ,but should be done though heaven falls.Through easy entry to judicial system, availability of legal representation, equality before the law, our means will be trustworthy and end will be just. HIGHER ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES; These include president, ministers ,civil service, higher institutions, and boards, these bodies ought to co mply with the principle of natural justice in the course of discharging their duties. the principle are to give reason(s) for any decision made, to hear both sides. And should not be dominated with the personal interest but public interest.The failure of decision maker to take into account a relevant consideration in making administrative decision is one of the instance of abuse of power and discretion, this would entitle a party with sufficient stand to seek for judicial review of ultravires administrative actions. Now, proper procedures must be followed and decision maker not be biased. In supporting the above arguments ,the following cases are material. in the case of Mohamed Jawad Mrouch Vs Minister for home affair held that discretionary power must be exercised fairly, and this requires adherence of the rules of natural justice .Also the case of Said juma muslim shekimweri Vs Attorney General held that I this country,civil servant are dismissed for misconduct only and not pleas ure of president. and when civil servant dismissed cause must be assigned. Therefore, in the light of the case of James Gwagilo Vs Attorney General where Mwalusanya J(as he then was)held that ‘’there is no doubt that the absence of reasons would render the constitutional right of appeal and judicial review ineffective and illusionary† I have come in the view that the administrative authority must omply with legality and proportionality test. ORDINARY JURISDICTION; The matter of jurisdiction is not a mere technicality but fundamental. And independence of judiciary is the spirit of the jurisdiction of the court. by the virtue of Article 107 of constitution, the court is conferred jurisdiction to provide justice. Independence of judiciary rely on the basis of condition of service and tenure, manner of appointment of judges and discharge of their duties, and degree of stability and logistical protection against outside pressure and harassment . ut judges are appointee s of President from another pillar, remunerations comes from executive, this is ridiculous. Also application of law must be of retroactively, and each case must be adjudicated objectively and on merit and not self interest of judges, and impartiality is paramount important. Refer the case of James Bita Vs Iddi kambi held that the judiciary is an instrument of state set up to adjudicate impartiality disputes between subjects and subjects or subjects and government. Judicial officer at any level should not flinch from performing this sacred duty.Therefore ,the court should not be subjected to the means which are not trustworthy and unreliable so as to enable this temple of justice to be free and dispense justice and justice only without fear. WRIT JURISDICTION;This includes writ of mandamus,prohibition,certiorari,and habeas corpus. , as stipulated under the law reform (fatal accident and miscellaneous provision)Act . The citizen may be aggrieved with the actions and decisions of admin istrative authorities and request upon the high court to make review and issue an order which is prayed.However, the court writ jurisdiction is oustered by other laws and cause the court to remain dumb in case of the abuse of of power by public authorities. Article 41(7) enshrines that there shall be no challenge from any person and no any court shall have the power to investigate or entertain the issue of legality of president who announced by National electoral commission. The court of law is jealous of its jurisdiction ,as held in Mtenga Vs UDSM that it is trite to observe that the court is and has to be for the protection of public ,jealous of its jurisdiction and will not lightly finds its jurisdiction oustered.Also presence of undue technicalities such as one can not ask for the judicial review unless he/she has obtained leave. This mean leave could defeat the interest of justice; frankly this is not proper approach to justice. in the case of Timothy Mwakilasa Vs Principal sec retary held that it is an admitted fact that applicant has not obtained any leave from this court to make his application. That being so, the purported application is incompetent in law and this court ca not entertain it. Court of law is guardian of citizen rights and it is a temple of justice in which everyone is free to access and attain justice.The means to reach it should not be complex but smooth and trustworthy so as to arrive at the peak of justice. PUBLIC OPINION AND MASS MEDIA; This two aspects are underscored under the article 18 , and constitutes a primary element of democratic society . It cannot be conceivable without free debate and freedom of media. However the freedom of collecting and publishing newspapers,magazines,books,bulletins are hampered by the government through the laws which are not trustworthy. Minister ,in his opinion on the ground of public interest may decide to bann any newspaper in the land .Forinstance banning of Mwanahalisi newspaper. this law oust ers the jurisdiction of the court ,in which the court is jealous on it. Also according to Africa media barometer report, Tanzania communication regulatory authority(TCRA) is not entirely independent since both board chairman and director general are presidential appointees. This situation can compromise impartiality of media. Harassment and killings of the journalists;wherejournalist tend to shock the higher authority by publishing some news ,entered in hostility with the power.On February 2010,journalist Asraj mvungi and others were arrested by police officer following the order from district officials that they instigate land conflict. in connection to that ,killing of one Daud Mwangosi (journalist)draws a road towards the killing of freedom of media. And another challenge is that media is owned by politicians, tycoons and religious institution, hence editorial freedom demises. Therefore ,the laws that regulates enhancement and betterment of the media is subjected to the absolute discretion of government authorities.This is ridiculous and peril towards transparency and accountability of the government of the day. Hence,with this path the end shall not be just. As I arrive to the conclusion ,I am of the view that trustworthy means and procedures are cornerstone towards a good end, and always an end justifies the means. therefore,it is high time for us to look back on our laws making bodies and interest of justice for the purpose of modifying them. it is my humble opinion that citizen and government has to respect and adhere constitutionalism and democracy.

Art in our life essays

Art in our life essays There had been difficulties defining art, but as it was defined in general, it is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form. Art cant easily be defined as simple as any ordinary object because it implies value..monetary, social and intellectual. And it is also ever-changing and growing making it harder and almost impossible to have a constant clear definition. As it was said, when people ask, What is art? or state that something is not art, they usually are not seeking a philosophical definition but are instead expressing an opinion that a painting is not realistic enough, that it is offensive, or that it does not use traditional materials. This also shows that people not only make art, but also choose which objects should be called art. Make judgments, but get specific..that is one of the rules of art. You cant say something isnt an art just because you want to say so; you have to give good reasons. Originality, individual expression, something to contemplate rather than use..these are some of the qualities that are commonly associated with art. But as we all know, most of the works of arts are famous and considered work of art today because of some powerful bodies just like the church and government who considered it such, instilling in every peoples mind that it is indeed a work of art without further questions. You got to see that art in all its forms could display power. Aside from power, art displays wealth and prestige in a sense that a work of art is almost priceless. Priceless that it could give extreme emotion to the one who owns it or the one who get to see or hear it. Life is so boring without art, thats how priceless art is. There is art in our everyday life. Music is played in almost everywhere. We can hear music in almost everywhere we go. The kind of music that we wanted to...

Marlene Dietrich Madonna and the Male Gaze essays

Marlene Dietrich Madonna and the Male Gaze essays Marlene Dietrich, Madonna, and the Male Gaze in Blonde Venus and Desperately Seeking for Susan As audiences, we subconsciously identify the male protagonists and take female as spectacle during the film watching, due to the social function of narrative films. (Turner 72)1 Thus feminists have been slashing the objection of female body in  ¡male gaze ¡ in the narrative films over the decades. Male gaze is in term of the fetishistic scopophilia and sadistic voyeurism. Fetishistic scopophilia deals with male visual control over females for the aesthetic presentation, which influence the presence of female body in films. And sadistic voyeurism is the erotic gaze in pains, which shapes the female characterization in films. Thus, the female characters in narrative films share the common pattern  ¡Ãƒ  beautiful and fragile, in other words, not intellectual and dependent on men. Nevertheless, Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus and Madonna in Desperately Seeking for Susan smash this pattern. They breaks the rule first by being the leading characters in films and such concentration of the female protagonist also means the depiction of male as peripheral to the plot. ( Turner 171)2 Another breaking-rule is their characterization different from the conventional female role. Marlene in the Blonde Venus as Helen Jones is intellectual and capable of men ¡s role of raising a family and Madonna ¡s role, Susan,  ¡plays ¡ with men, mentioned by Jimmy, Susan ¡s boyfriend. But the most alienated from the conventional female role in films is in their way of performing. And even though they all pose some challenge to male gaze, their ways of role-playing are at opposite poles. Their role-playing can discuss from the three elements to shape their characters, camera movement, mise-en-scene and the performance of star. The camera always shoots Marlene from a relative low angle when she ¡s with other male characters. ...

Anti-cataract Activity of Abies Pindrow & Luffa Cylindrica

Anti-cataract Activity of Abies Pindrow Luffa Cylindrica â€Å"Evaluation of in-vitro anti-cataract activity of Abies pindrow P

Module Four Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Module Four Assignment - Essay Example The high profile individuals with information falsification charges included a former director of â€Å"Massachusetts Institute of Technology†, head coach at â€Å"Notre Dame† football team and â€Å"CEO of RadioShack†. These mentioned individuals were fired due to resume forgery. According to a survey conducted by â€Å"ADP Screening and Selection Services† in 2001, it was found that more than 44% of the applicants furnish fake information in their respective resumes (DeKay & DeKay, 2008). Falsification of employment application relates to fraud resume information which is usually found to be furnished by the applicants during interview and candidates found guilty of such activities are usually barred from proceeding further (Texas Workforce Commission Values, 2011). It has been deciphered from the case that Laura serves as a transcriptionist in a company where Jeremy acts as a director of ‘Health Information System (HIM)’ department. Laura was known to acquire this position by providing incorrect information that she held an associate’s degree. But after a definite period of time Jeremy discovered the reality from one of Laura’s colleagues that she was yet to receive the degree after completing two classes. In such a circumstance, Jeremy should terminate Laura from her designation as soon as possible. However, if Laura is found to hold an effective performance record then it would be quite difficult for Jeremy to undertake such an action. In this situation, Jeremy needs to consider the fact that whether his decision of firing Laura would affect the profit of the company or not as a company’s profit is believed to depend on employees’ performance (McCuen Sayles & Schnering, 2007). According to the US employment act, this kind of fraudulent information is considered to be illegal by the companies. Jeremy can terminate Laura for a specified time period till

Managing Hospitality Enterprises Literature review

Managing Hospitality Enterprises - Literature review Example In order to help revive the monastery, this paper examines strategies that could be used, approaches to change management and restructuring of the MdTF by the new owners. The management could use Porters generic strategies of cost leadership, cost leadership and segmentation to improve its competitiveness. The change could be initiated through learning and communication (Diamantis 2004, p. 307). As noted by Eldring (2009), modern scholars have focussed on the application of business strategies in the hospitality industry given the dynamism of the industry. The hospitality industry has grown rapidly and is attaining maturity at a fast pace than expected. The industry is characterized by intense competition in terms of high-quality services and products, price and market share. In addition, it is also characterized by high concentration. Due to these changes, some scholars have perceived change transient (Wratshko, 2009). Strategic management in the hospitality industry could be defined differently based on different schools of thought. Drake et al. (2007, p. 86) note that strategic management could be taken to imply the decision-making process that is future oriented. The goal of this definition is for firms to formulate good decisions today in order to improve future performance. Strategic management could also be perceived as establishment a management that is result oriented. Miller & Dess (1993, p. 577) note that in such cases, managers are expected to present the results of their efforts after a given period. According to Beamish & Williams (2008, p. 91), strategic management believes in the superiority of the proactive approach to management. Many strategic plans involve firms that analyze their current business environment and future environments, evaluate the situation and attain success instead of waiting for events.

Zipcar Company Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zipcar Company Analysis - Case Study Example The case study "Zipcar Company Case Analysis" talks about the lessons a marketer can learn from the largest car share company in the world in terms of marketing strategies. Zipcar Company established itself as a major company in the market through diversifying its services from just offering car hire services but ventured in other services direly needed by the customers. They choose a densely populated geographic segment to offer its services and they went on to be successful. From their operation, there are two important marketing concepts identified in the case, segmentation and CSR. These are used by the company for winning the best market for its services. The future of the firm looks way ahead of the competitors where there is a plan to expand to other populated market segments and win the developments in the market. This case, therefore, brings two lessons; in a course or work like marketing, customer loyalty and market segmentation brings about high-level success to the company. Its main work is to rent out cars on daily basis and has grown and positioned itself to become well-endowed in the market that commands a high level of car rental companies. The company is also a car rental company that has its own services modified to fit other specialities in which case the whole issue is not just about cars but more than that. Its main services are to people living in densely populated regions where it is very cumbersome, costly and ineffective (actually irresponsible) to own a car.

Environmental Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Science - Essay Example Understandably, there was an angry response from the Indian intelligentsia, some of them calling Bush an imperialist, while many others blamed America for being the cause of the food crisis by its diversion of grains for manufacturing biofuels. The burgeoning population of the less developed countries like India and China has always been a favorite butt for some scientists and politicians to blame for all the ills of the world from climate change to the food crisis. They quote the Malthusian catastrophe, but according to Paul and Anne Ehrlich, all the developed, rich nations can be called overpopulated because they are using up the resources of the planet rapidly. (Ehrlich & Ehrlich 1990). The poorer societies make do with much less. The consumer oriented life style of the developed nations , with their hunger for more and more energy is responsible for the depletion of resources and the environmental degradation of the planet. Rainforests of the Amazon basin are being destroyed to produce ethanol, to fuel the energy hungry West. Michael Grunwald in his article "The Clean Energy Scam" , published in the Time magazine says, "Brazil now ranks fourth in the world in carbon emissions, and most of its emissions come from defore station". The invaluable rainforests, with their enormous biodiversity.

Environmental Challenges that Sony Faces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Environmental Challenges that Sony Faces - Essay Example The present research has identified that various changes in the marketplace which particularly should always involve political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors and more. Under political factor, it is always common to look at the government’s conservatism when it comes to dealing with business. One perfect example would be the case of privatization. In every government, there is always a strong stand on controlling the rise of the certain organization. In Japan, for instance, various organizations are faced with remarkable challenges because the government is trying to protect the interest of small organizations in their respective industry. However, the ability of Sony to leverage its core competencies together with other organization is a proof that there is always the right timing in politics. For instance, Sony’s intent to leverage its core competencies with a Swedish telecommunication company in order to beat Nokia resulted in the bi rth of Sony Ericsson. This joint venture is a remarkable proof that finding the right place for each organization is needed in order to enhance its core competencies. This at some point has specifically involved the prevailing political stand of a nation which basically has a great impact on the entire business process of an organization. For instance, a government saying no to privatization may significantly create an impact on those organizations planning to leverage their core competencies through it. With this, it is important to understand politics as a major thing that affects how the entire business should be conducted primarily because of the prevailing government’s stand. However, it is not only in this broad and general illustration how politics essentially affects Sony. In modern situation, politics itself could stand between competitors or even within an organization. This is a proven trend in the whole business industry of electronics. For instance, every profit organization in this industry is simply trying to be a cut above the other by reaching its competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is something that needs to be worked out because it serves as something that will enhance core competencies.

Narni Pty Ltd v National Australia Bank Limited [1998] VSC 146 Essay

Narni Pty Ltd v National Australia Bank Limited [1998] VSC 146 - Essay Example The conduct of National Australia Bank Limited clearly shown there was an agreement to exceed the overdraft Limit hence creating an implied term in the contract which barred the bank from terminating the extended overdraft limit without a notice. Narni suffered losses from the dishonor of the cheques hence had to sue the bank for damages. Implied term of arrangement and why significant for Narni and banker- customer relationships According to the agreement made between the bank and Narni, overdraft limit was $ 65,000 hence honoring $ 40,000 would exceed the approved limit. However, their October 1988 agreement provided for provision of finance for the renovations which were being carried out by Carrum Nursing Home and at the same time the bank would continue honouring the cheques notwithstanding the approved limit of $ 65,000. By the implied conduct of the two parties, the approved limit was varied to $ 100,000 hence creating an â€Å"overdraft extension†. At the end of 1988, all assets of Narni had been financed by loans to the total of $ 896,165 hence Narni was responsible for making $ 66, 718 per annum installments as payments for the loan. Majority of the income also came from Federal Department of Health and Community services (DCS) as advance payments at the beginning of each month. The total income of 1988 stood at $ 225 M where patient contributions were below $ 400, 000 with majority of the income being advance payments by DCS at the rate of $ 150,000 per month. From the account transactions history, the account always had a credit balance at the beginning of each month and a debit balance at the end of the month. DCS would pay between $ 90,000 to $ 124,000 as initial payment to the account and another final payment after two weeks which made that the balance would be above the extended overdraft limit of $ 100,000. However, withdrawals would occur evenly throughout the month with majority being wage payments which accounted for 62%of expenses w hich translates to $ 1.4 M which was paid after every two weeks. In some months, wages would amount to $ 120,000. The Branch manager would approve overdraft facilities depending on the account balances of the account. Below is a summary of the account balance for the six months from January to June 1988. Month Start Balance Zero Balance Date End Balance January 1988 $99,716.09 CR (5/1) 20 $24,669.34 DR (1/2) February 1988 $66,069.68 CR (2/2) 19 $47,512.02 DR (1/3) March 1988 $59,282.35 CR (2/3) 17 $69,168.08 DR (6/4) April 1988 $26,683.13 CR (7/4) 14 $94,162.28 DR (3/5) May 1988 $1,533.12 DR (4/5) 2 $87,897.80 DR (1/6) June 1988 $7,016.25 CR (2/6) 10 $71,675.53 DR (1/7) From the account balance figures, extended credit facility was provided in every month while payments in to the account from DCS delayed were delayed in some months meaning the account would still have a debit balance at the beginning of the month and an overdraft would still be approved. In July 1988, the same trend continued with automatic payments from DCS of $ 109, 608 leading to account credit balance of $ 29, 582. From the transactions of July 1988, the end of the month account balance was overdrawn. The account reflected a debit balance at the start of August 1988 but it was reduced by a deposit of $ 85, 671 to settle to a debit of only $ 1,375. In September, the account was overdrawn to a

Environmental Challenges that Sony Faces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Environmental Challenges that Sony Faces - Essay Example The present research has identified that various changes in the marketplace which particularly should always involve political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors and more. Under political factor, it is always common to look at the government’s conservatism when it comes to dealing with business. One perfect example would be the case of privatization. In every government, there is always a strong stand on controlling the rise of the certain organization. In Japan, for instance, various organizations are faced with remarkable challenges because the government is trying to protect the interest of small organizations in their respective industry. However, the ability of Sony to leverage its core competencies together with other organization is a proof that there is always the right timing in politics. For instance, Sony’s intent to leverage its core competencies with a Swedish telecommunication company in order to beat Nokia resulted in the bi rth of Sony Ericsson. This joint venture is a remarkable proof that finding the right place for each organization is needed in order to enhance its core competencies. This at some point has specifically involved the prevailing political stand of a nation which basically has a great impact on the entire business process of an organization. For instance, a government saying no to privatization may significantly create an impact on those organizations planning to leverage their core competencies through it. With this, it is important to understand politics as a major thing that affects how the entire business should be conducted primarily because of the prevailing government’s stand. However, it is not only in this broad and general illustration how politics essentially affects Sony. In modern situation, politics itself could stand between competitors or even within an organization. This is a proven trend in the whole business industry of electronics. For instance, every profit organization in this industry is simply trying to be a cut above the other by reaching its competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is something that needs to be worked out because it serves as something that will enhance core competencies.

Personality Analysis Essay Example for Free

Personality Analysis Essay Most people understand personality as the image that people display and project to the outside world. However, personality is more than this and includes even the psychological experience that is hidden inside us (Ewen, 2003). The word personality is a derivative of a Latin word-‘persona’ who’s meaning is ‘mask’ (Ewen, 2003). Personality analysis can therefore be referred to as the comprehensive investigation of all the aspects relating to personality. For many years people have tried to explain behavior as well as what it is that makes a person. In an attempt to offer explanations, personality theories have been advanced some of which are the existential/humanistic and dispositional theories. Just like many other theories, these personality theories are fallible and they cannot be proved. These theories have their similarities as well as their differences. Dispositional theories of personality try to explain personality using innate tendencies. These are the tendencies that individuals are born with and they can be hereditary or not. Dispositional theorists believe that genes play a big part in determining one’s personality. Words and phrases are mostly used to reflect this theory (Weiten, 2010). For example when one says that someone is kind-hearted. These theories are also known as trait theories and trait theorists’ assumption is that physique does not determine behavior but that the stable personality traits are the ones that determine behavior. Personality traits are described as stable qualities that one displays in all the situations. These theories were advanced in reaction to a personality theory known as type personality theory which linked human physique to certain temperaments or personality characteristics. Several people are associated with the development of trait theories and examples include Gordon Allport, Lewis Goldberg, and Hans Eysenck but the person who originally introduced the trait theories was known as Carl Jung (Nicholas, 2008). Carl Jung is the one who introduced the idea of temperaments and his theory purported that one is either born an introvert or an extrovert and that this cannot be changed. Gordon Allport described personality as a combination of both mental and physical personality aspects (Nicholas, 2008). He described personality as a dynamic organisation meaning that the aspects of personality keep on changing throughout an individual’s life in response to situations (Nicholas, 2008). These personality changes occur only to a certain degree and the personality remains relatively stable over time. Allport’s trait theory also portrays personality as naturally deterministic. This means that behavior, personality and thought are influenced and controlled by a mechanism that is inborn. In development of his theory, Allport categorized all the words contained in the dictionary that describe personality traits into central traits, cardinal traits and secondary traits (Nicholas, 2008). The cardinal traits are those that dominate in the whole life of an individual. People who exhibit these traits are rare and people tend to associate these people with these traits. Central traits on the other hand are less dominating compared to cardinal traits. They are the characteristics that constitute the foundation of an individual’s personality and are commonly used by people to describe others. For instance when one says that someone else is intelligent they are describing those people using the central traits. The last personality characteristics are secondary traits. These are the traits that manifest depending on situation and are sometimes related to preferences or attitudes (Ewen, 1998). Lewis Goldberg and Costa McCrae among others expanded the theory of Fiske D. and this led to development of the big five model. The personality traits attributed to this theory are classified under five categories. One is extraversion where some people are social and outgoing. The second one is conscientiousness where individuals display high levels of organization and thoughtfulness (Oliver, Robins Pervin, 2008). The third is openness where individuals display insight and imagination. The fourth category is agreeableness where individuals are trustworthy, kind, and affectionate. The last one is neuroticism where individuals with this trait tend to be anxious, sad, moody and emotionally unstable (Oliver et al. , 2008). Based on this theory, individuals who have traits such as extraversion and agreeableness will get along well with people while people with neuroticism traits will not get along with people. Hans Eysenck built on Jung’s idea by approaching the idea of temperaments from a mathematical point of view. Since his theory is built on the work of Jung, then this theory also assumes that a part of personality is genetically determined. Jung said that though it was impossible for an introvert to change to an introvert, depending on the situation one can modify their behavior (Boeree, 2009). He created a test that was used to determine people’s traits. Based on his theory there are several personality characteristics. One of these is introversion and extraversion where extroverts are outgoing and introverts are reserved. The other personality trait is emotional stability/neuroticism where individuals with a high level of neuroticism exhibit nervousness and emotional instability (Boeree, 2009). The last personality trait is psychoticism where people find it hard to deal with the reality (Boeree, 2009). These personality traits determine how individuals interact with others. People who are extraverts tend to get along well with people as they are outgoing while introverts are not social and may be viewed as unfriendly. Another thing is that people with psychoticism do not relate well with people as they tend to be hostile and manipulative. Humanistic personality theories approach to personality is phenomenological. This phenomenological approach focuses on the subjective experiences of individuals. The leading theorists associated with humanistic theories are Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. These theories are known as humanistic because their emphasis is on the unique characteristics of people. According to these theories, all people have an inborn tendency to become self-actualised and that self actualization serves as the main force that drives behavior (Mitterer Coon, 2008). This self-actualisation is an ongoing process where one naturally grows towards fulfilling their potential. Humanistic theorists acknowledge the uniqueness of personalities as people’s perceptions of the world are unique to them. These perceptions are reflected in the way people behave. According to these theorists, people’s perceptions are not determined by their personality traits, their reinforcement history, or their ego development (Mitterer Coon, 2008). They further say that by nature people are good. Carl Rogers’s humanistic personality theory portrays personality as being composed of structural components. These components include self, self-regard, self-ideal, and self-concept (Mitterer Coon, 2008). Of these components, Rogers says that the main component is self and it consists of concepts, ideas, perceptions, and values that define an individual (Mitterer Coon, 2008). According to him, a person’s behavior and perception of the world is influenced by their self-concept. In addition, he says that in addition to self-concept every individual has an ideal self and that happiness and fulfillment are increased if the ideal self is closer to the self concept (Mitterer Coon, 2008). He further says that a phenomenal field is composed of both an individual and their world and that reaction to the world involves the individual as a whole and not merely parts of the individual (Mitterer Coon, 2008). Maslow’s humanistic personality theory is similar to that of Rogers. Maslow just like Rogers believed that individuals have a tendency to grow towards self-actualisation. In addition, just like Rogers’s theory Maslow’s theory views individuals as beings whose approach to current issues and perceptions is subjective (Engler, 2008). According to Maslow there are several characteristics associated with people who have gained self-actualisation. One of these is awareness meaning that these people are very much aware of the meaningfulness of life and that due to this they are usually constantly enjoying life. The other characteristic is that they are reality centered and this means that they are usually concerned with issues in their environment. Acceptance is the other characteristic and it means that these people accept their environment as well as what cannot be changed. Lastly these people exhibit a sense of humor that is not hostile meaning that they do not joke about others as they consider this offensive (Engler, 2008). All the above theories in one way or another attempt to give an explanation of human behavior. They all acknowledge that personality characteristics affect the way people behave in different situations. It is the differences in personalities that make people to react differently to the same situation. Each theory has a number of personality characteristics which are attributed to them and these determines how individuals interact with others so that some people tend to get along well with people while others do not. References Boeree, G. (2009). Trait theories of personality. Retrieved 1 May, 2010 from http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/genpsytraits. html Engler, B. (2008). Personality theories (8th ed. ). USA: Cengage Learning. Ewen, R. B. (1998). Personality, a topical approach: Theories, research, major controversies and emerging findings. New Jersey: Lawrence Eribaum Associates, Inc. Ewen, R. B. (2003). An introduction to theories of personality. New Jersey: Lawrence Eribaum Associates, Inc. Mitterer, J. O. Coon, D. (2008). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (12th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Nicholas, L. (2008). Introduction to psychology (2nd ed. ). Cape Town: UCT Press. Oliver, P. J. , Robins, R. W. , Pervin, L. A. (2008). Handbook of personality: Theory and research. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Weiten, W. (2010). Psychology: Themes and variations (8th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

The Documentary The Times Of Harvey Milk Film Studies Essay

The Documentary The Times Of Harvey Milk Film Studies Essay The documentary The Times of Harvey Milk and Michelle Teas memoir Valencia offer insight into the experiences and attitudes of San Franciscos gay and lesbian communities at two different moments in the citys history. Consider Harvey milks and Michelle Teas backgrounds, the issues they faced, their feelings about the possibility of change, and the spirit or mood of the times in which they lived. How do you think they each felt about San Francisco, and how does that affect your sense of the city. Answering the questions by Comparing and contrasting backgrounds of Harvey and Michelle, and discussing the different issues or obstacles they faced of the career decisions they made and personal issue which led them to ultimately different paths. Also answering by considering the twos feelings about the possibility of change in the future and the changes that they proceed to make; and lastly discuss the mood of the times in which they lived and the era issues which they faced. All will offer insight into the experiences and attitudes of San Franciscos gay and lesbian communities at its separate moments in history. Michelle teas back ground is somewhat similar to that of Harvey milks background from how they both migrated to San Francisco and both came from a normal nucleus families, but are different from the lifestyles they choose. Michelle tea is originally from Chelsea, Massachusetts or Boston which she referenced in Valencia, she was born in the 70s and had both her parent when she was growing up, lived in a predominantly heterosexual society, and choose to come to San Francisco to discover her sexuality. Career wise she didnt have the drive often growing tired of her jobs which led to her getting fired or quitting. In her own word she states, I was irresponsible, had no work ethic, was raised by parents who called in sick regular as weekends, (Tea 200:43). Michelles misfortunes in the work force led her to become a sex worker. Her personality background information is she is an intense, passionate loving person who can be loyal and dedicated said in another quote. I had ceased to care. My love for her was religious, it was patriotic; like god or country it was something I pledged myself to in service of something huge and perfect that I was honored to have anything to do with. (Tea 2000:45) To classify what kind of lesbian Michelle tea is I would put her in the category of being Lip-gloss Lesbian similar to a femme lesbian, but a little less feminine. She may still do manly things like watch sports and in the case of Michelle chug 40oz beers while still displaying feminine qualities. A lip-gloss lesbian is just as similar to the girl-next-door that everybody loves; who wont be viewed as hot, but cute still being able to attract men and women. She has her own sense of style i.e. looking at the outfits described in the story (Tea 2000). The lip-gloss lesbian are mostly attracted to feminine lesbians, and sometimes butch lesbians like Michelle being attracted to Wilma and Iris with her motorcycle. Harvey milks early background begins being born and raised in Woodmere, New York came from a great family and lived in a society that condoned homosexuality so he kept up a facade his whole life to avoid persecution(Epstein: 1984). Similar to Michelle Tea because he to left his home to come out of the closet in the safe environment of San Francisco gay community but during the beginning of the migrations and of the gay communitys (Epstein: 1984). Different from Michelles background was his apparent success he maintains during his employment career he had a lot of jobs being a high school teacher, diving officer, working at an insurance firm, a Wall Street firm and finally becoming a business owner of a camera store(Epstein: 1984). The background of Harvey personality was stated in the documentary that he was a friendly and outgoing person whod go out of his way for people he didnt even know(Epstein: 1984). Even with the good aspects of his personality he had bad aspects was stated that sometimes Harvey was known to throw childish temper tantrums when he didnt get his way (Epstein: 1984). Im not sure how to categories his sexual background in terms of homosexuality probably in the middle of a dominant (butch) and submissive (femme) homosexual. The Issues Harvey and Michelle faced where sever but of different types. Harvey issues were discrimination based on sexual orientation (Briggs initiative) and Government interference in private sexual matters mainly Police persecution of gay establishments like bars, bathhouse and others in San Francisco (Miller 67:1994). Apparently Oral sex was consider a felony, and during the 1970, almost 90Â  people in San Francisco were arrested for the act, such persecution was so severe that homosexuals Faced eviction if they were caught having homosexual sex in a rented apartment (Miller 67:1994). Homosexual men were embarrassed and unwilling to face arrest in gay bars and other establishments, so they turned to having sex in public parks at night (Miller75:1994). Author Neil Miller of the history of gay and lesbian states that, In 1971, over 2,800Â  gay men were caught and arrested for having public sex in San Francisco parks. Compared with New York City who recorded only 63 arrests for th e same offense that year and was at the time the current record holder and had the largest population; therefore Any arrest for such a lewd public charge required immediate registration as a sex offender(miller 77:1994). Issues that Michelle Tea faced was more personal and some of the issues involved where a major problem during her time period. The personal issue was her employment issue of holding down jobs and figuring what she wanted to do or more like she wanted to work less and make a quick buck. She chooses to take an easy route of selling her body for money as most women did. She personally struggled to come to terms of being a prostitute, I could whore. I had done it, vowed I would never do it again because it was so gross and weird. (Tea 2000:46) The community issues of her time were the problems of drugs and sex causing people to contract STDs, overdosing off of drugs and depression people suffer from resulting in them committing suicide. Considering Michelle Tea and mainly Harvey Milks feelings about the possibility of change for the future is that Michelle made no reference to change that had no desire at the moment and Harvey Milk who had a grand vision for ideas to change the future (Epstein 1984). Only reference of change that took place in Michelle teas life was who she virtually slept with. Harvey Milk change ultimately came when he took up in the involvement in political and civic matters. When Harvey came up against civic problems and policies he disliked; he felt it was his duty to change the problems for the betterment of the people (Epstein 1984). One incident infuriated him about politics when a teacher came into his camera store and asked if a projector could be loaned to him/her because the equipment in the schools were malfunctioning (Shilts 88:1982). Harvey believing it should be city assemblys main priority rather than anything else. Milk decided that the time had come to run for city supervisor He s aid later, I finally reached the point where I knew I had to become involved or shut up (Shilts 67:1982). One the first change Harvey felt need to be put into effect was he and other gay business owners needed better representation , as a result founded the Castro Village Association, as milk as the president using the philosophy that gays should buy from gay businesses(Epstein 1984). This was the result of when two gay men tried to open a business and the Eureka Valley Merchants Association (EVMA) attempted to block them from receiving their business license and also discriminating towards selling to gays (Epstein 1984). The community changes that Harvey initiated caused non gay citizens and the non gays business owners to stop discriminating against gays or to move out, creating what is known as the predominately gay community of the Castro today(Epstein 1984). Milk had failed many times in his election for a bid in san Francisco politics he had shown great leadership in the small community of Castro District (Epstein 1984). Harvey felt he was starting to be taken seriously as a candidate but not serious enough and decided to run again for supervisor with a different approach (Epstein 1984). He reconsidered the approach of looking more professional as he used to look back as his day as a stock broker and cut his long hair, stop smoking marijuana, and started to wear business suits again. Harvey Milks new approach earned him the support of the teamsters, firefighters, and construction unions (Epstein 1984). Harvey changed his Castro Camera from a small rinky dink shop to become the center of activity in the neighborhood (Epstein 1984). Milks fiery, flamboyant speeches and savvy media skills earned him a significant amount of press during the 1973 election. He earned 16,900Â  votes-sweeping the Castro District and other liberal neighborhoods and coming in 10th place out of 32Â  candidates (Shilts 67:1982). One of Harveys last changes was the possible manipul ation of reorganizing to allow districts to elect their own supervisors which allow him to win a seat on City assembly (Epstein 1984). The spirit of the mood of the city during the times of Harvey milk and Michelle Tea were different because they were set in different time periods. The mood of the city was more radical for both of them because of the 60s radical change or revolution. During Harveys time 10 years after the 60s, the mood of the city was just starting to unravel it was the 70s and San Francisco was becoming the hotspot for or destination for homosexuality. Thousands upon millions of gay men and women were migrating to San Francisco to openly express their sexuality (Epstein 1984). Also during the time of Harvey the spirit or the mood of San Francisco was probably a lot raunchier and sexually open because they did not quite know about AIDS and the repercussion of unsafe sex. The Castro the main gay community was just starting to get its beginnings and was being fought for. Michelle Teas era of San Francisco was probably based in the late 90s as of the reference she made of crack cocaine, Where is Waldo, and finally the reference about O.J Simpson that was a clear giveaway. The mood of San Francisco was that of awareness because of the AIDS and other STD epidemics going around people werent as raunchy or having polygamous sexual relationships. The gay community also had its issues with drugs; suffering already from heroin which was already around since the 70s in the Castro but with the invention of crack cocaine, Methamphetamine and the rise in popularity of powder cocaine effectively altered the mood of San Francisco gay environment. The Castro during the 90s was by Michelles time a predominately gay community with its own businesses and residents. I believed that Michelle Tea and Harvey Milk each felt or thought about San Francisco as a safe haven for their sexuality were they could openly express their homosexuality and not be persecuted Because in the environment they were in everyone was gay; if not people learned to accept their homosexuality for what it was. This reinforces my view of the city as being open minded and liberal giving me a sense of pride of being a native in such an almost free place.