How Minimum Wage Is A Trending Topic Within The United...

Introduction There is one very important topic in Human Resource that this paper will discuss which is minimum wage. The first thought that comes to my mind when hearing those two words should be the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. The 1938 Act provides for minimum wages, maximum hours, overtime, and child labor protection. The law amended many times, covers most employees (Dessler, 2013). I believe this is a Human Resource topic because it deals with employee compensation. Employee Compensation â€Å"includes all forms of pay going to employees and arising from their employment† (Dessler, 2013). Minimum wage is a trending topic within the United States as well as around the world. History of Minimum Wage In today’s society a lot of the different countries around the world have established some sort of minimum wage. The first minimum wage law in the United States was established in 1912 in the state of Massachusetts. Several states would follow suit over the next two decades, and, in 1938 at the height of the Great Depression Congress established the first federal minimum wage as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The minimum wage was last increased (to $3.35) in 1981. Since then, average hourly wages have risen by 25 percent, eliminating any momentum for a lower minimum wage for youth but reviving proposals for another increase in the nominal minimum (Brown, 1988). All US states but 5 have their own minimum wage laws. Five southern states have no minimum wage laws,Show MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Human Resource Departments Act2906 Words   |  12 Pagesemployees. Despite a human resources departments many functions, benefits and compensations tend to be what attracts employees to its potential employers. Regardless of the country a company may be located in (e.g. Netherlands, Brazil, or the United States), benefits such as: vacation, sick leave, overtime, etc. will always be relevant. 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They were united as a federalRead MoreUnited Arab of Emirates Country Notebook18844 Words   |  76 PagesUnited Arab of Emirates Country Notebook Presented to Dr. Shahira El Alfy Prepared by: Mohamed Ibrahim Osama Mosher Ismail Ahmed El-Mohamady Hesham Mostafa Eslsca 36 – Global Management I. Cultural Analysis: Identification of the Emirates History: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of the seven emirates, which are: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al-Qaiwain, and Fujairah. They were united as a federalRead MoreCollin Technologies Case Study Essay examples33525 Words   |  135 Pages2013 Collin Technologies Case Study Baldrige Performance Excellence Program National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) †¢ United States Department of Commerce July 2013 To obtain Baldrige Program products and services, contact Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Administration Building, Room A600 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1020 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020 Telephone: (301) 975-2036 Fax: (301) 948-3716 E-mail: baldrige@nist.gov Web: http://www.nist.gov/baldrige The Collin TechnologiesRead MoreJcpenney Industry Analysis17889 Words   |  72 PagesFeinstein Graduate School AN ANALYSIS OF JC PENNY’S AND HOW IT RELATES TO COMPETITION WITHIN THE RETAILING INDUSTRY A Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the MBA Degree Course: MGMT 6800 MAY 9th, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 COMPANY PROFILES 4 1. JC Penney 4 Strategy initiative 4 Mission†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 2.KOHL’S†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Read MoreInfrastructure for Knowledge Management42738 Words   |  171 PagesThe Impact of Knowledge Management ...................................................................................12 What is a Knowledge Worker ...................................................................................................13 How can we manage to â€Å"Not Manage†? ...............................................................................13 Knowledge Worker vs. Unskilled Labor...............................................................................14 Organizational StructureRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 Pagesperiod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION 1. 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K D Logistics Free Essays

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Ensuring Tourism is Sustainable Governmental Regulations

Question: Describe about the Ensuring Tourism is Sustainable for Governmental Regulations. Answer: The article focuses on the practices and the varied governmental regulations associated with mining and how these have changed over time. Though earlier mining was considered to be a disturbing and disruptive factor; however, today it has been termed as a process important for social responsibility and sustainable business practices to be executed in the best possible manner. The mining industry has now been considered as an important factor of the economic dimensions of a particular country. The paper helps in understanding how mining plays a crucial role in economic sustenance of a state. Data collection in the paper has been done from reliable and effective resources that can be relied on. According to the conclusions, although mining has made considerable contributions to economics; however, social, environmental and other economic areas seem to still require improvements. It is yet to be seen how mining is diverted in WA towards ensuring the perfect balance is maintained conside ring the people and the place both. This article will be extremely useful for me in exploring the varied dimensions of my topic i.e. Ensuring Tourism is Sustainable since it discusses a major factor i.e. mining that affects the tourism industry largely. It is important for a state to ensure that it possesses the right places and number of junctions that people across the globe would love to know about. With mining, WA has made excellent explorations and discovered some important aspects that have assisted in the growth of the Tourism industry. With the study of this paper, I would be able to better understand the implications of mining on the tourism industry and whether mining will help in the overall promotion of the tourism industry or lead to the downfall of the same in Western Australia specifically. Since, my paper is to ensure that tourism is sustainable in the country, the study of the mining factor has become all the more crucial. Reading 2: Herremans, I. M. and Reid, R. E. (2002). Developing awareness of the Sustainability Concept. The Journal of Environmental Education. The article primarily focuses on the primary usage of sustainability and the best means to use the same for teaching the concept in class. A case study of the national park has been taken up to understand how the concept is used to learn more about the three dimensions i.e. economic, social and environmental. The paper focuses on understanding if the three concepts are aligned with each other or differ considerably. Through the paper, the concept of sustainability and its use can be understood in a more elaborate form. Furthermore, the paper discusses the best practices that can be used to help students understand the concept, recognize the intricate dimensions of the subject and implement the dimensions in a clearer pattern. Apart from this, it also includes the description of the various conferences and declarations that were laid to help understand the need for integration of sustainability in educational programs specifically. My topic Ensuring Tourism is Sustainable is directly related to this since tourism is a strong part of the sustainability process. It is extremely important to bridge the gap between the class and the real world environment and hence this Journal will help in understanding how an unsustainable practice can be made sustainable. Tourism is an important part of each country. Sustaining the environment and making it a better than before is mandatory to ensure that sustainability is identified. The three dimensions of sustainability i.e. economic, social and environmental are crucial for Tourism as a subject. Tourism is directly related to the improvement in the economic conditions of the country. Apart from this, the social advantage to the citizens are high and the environment is also uplifted with the enhancement of tourism. Hence, the sustainability of Tourism in a country is very important. The understanding of the three dimensions and how they facilitate the process of Tourism will be done using this Journal. Reading 3: Anonymous. (n.d.) What is Sustainability? This reading entails the understanding of the concept of Sustainability and the varied factors have been included that have helped in learning more about the term. It includes some popular definitions on the topic, highlights systems that best describe sustainability, common characteristics of the systems that define sustainability precisely and important descriptions of the three dimensions of the term sustainability. Apart from this, the varied challenges faced with ensuring sustainability in varied factors have been highlighted along with certain responses that have proven to be extremely crucial in the understanding and study of the term since a long time now. Some individuals have highlighted sustainability as a disciple and this statement has been further discussed in this paper. The reading will help me in understanding the varied intricacies of the term. Since I am compiling a paper on ensuring tourism is sustainable, it is firstly crucial to understand the meaning and varied dimensions of the subject so as to ensure that the results of the paper are adequate. Sustainability is best understood considering the three dimensions it includes i.e. economic, social and environmental. Through this article, my understanding of the term sustainability will be all the more strengthened and I would be able to relate it to tourism in a much better manner. The challenges described in this article will help me understand if assurance with the sustainability in tourism is feasible and for how long. Hence, the reading will be a crucial factor in the overall writing and understanding of my topic and to reach the right conclusion. References: Brueckner, M., Durey, A. Mayes, R. and Pforr, C. (2013). The Mining Boom and Western Australias Changing Landscape: Towards Sustainability or Business as Usual? eContent Management Pty. Ltd.: Rural Society.

Persuasive and Expository Paragraph Example free essay sample

Persuasive: Have you ever looked at that vibrant rainbow frosting on your cupcake and wondered where that colour came from? That stuff doesnt come from nature-and it sure isnt good for you. I believe that all artificial food dyes and colouring should be banned. These colourful menaces have been proven to cause hyperactivity, restlessness, and attention problems In many children particularly those with They may look innocent on the backs of your favourite Lucky Charms cereal boxes, but Green 3 was inked to bladder cancer back In 1981 and Blue 2 was linked to brain tumors In mice. If you and I went to Metrotown McDonalds right now to get a strawberry sundae, it would be packed with artificial Red 40, which side effects can potentially cause severe hives from head to toe for some children; however, if we got the same sundae from a McDonalds In the Its colour would Instead come from natural strawberries. We will write a custom essay sample on Persuasive and Expository Paragraph Example or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many other countries have already placed numerous bans on food dyes, and I think Its time for Canada to take action, too. Expository: A lot of my friends tell me that living with siblings is hard, but to be honest, being an only child isnt all that great, either. First of all, all my parents nagging is directed at me. If I had a sibling, they probably would need to care about my slster/brother, too. Secondly, my parents can be very over protective especially since Im their only child. I wasnt allowed to walk to school by myself until last year, and most of my riends have been walking to school themselves since they were nine or ten. Something else that bothers me Is that my parents have that mindset where they have everything in my life planned out and controlled, where if I had a sibling they probably wouldnt have all their hopes and dreams put on my shoulders. Lastly, being an only child means you cant have a younger sister who you can bring trick-or- treating with a cute little toddler always makes people stuff extra candy into your bag.

Multiculturalism Literature Review essays

Multiculturalism Literature Review essays Education in the United States will need to become significantly more multicultural if it is to meet the needs of its student base, according to reported statistics and results of studies. Such curriculum changes will be required for children at all educational levels, from those in general classes to those in exceptional or gifted programs. Over the next 50 years, the country's Latino and Asian populations are expected to triple, reports the U.S. Census Bureau. The white, non-Latino population will drop to just 50.1 percent by 2050 the lowest in the nation's history. The African-American population is projected to rise from 35.8 million to 61.4 million in 2050, or an increase of about 71 percent. At the same time, the world is becoming considerably more global in economic, political, social and technological spheres. These factors, alone, will necessitate a change in the now standardized Anglo-American Studies report a number of other reasons in addition to population changes that will make diverse education mandatory. A number of reports show that a multicultural curriculum can increase academic relevance for students of color, attitudes in ethnic group interrelationships and degree of creative learning for everyone. Other benefits for students may include greater intellectual involvement, more advanced thinking, enhanced intellectual and academic skill building, better cross-racial socialization (Bowen and Bok, 1998), and more preparation for living in a culturally rich As early as 1975, sociologist Coser emphasized the advantages gained by all ages when living in complex social structures or social situations, as he defined them, that are familiar to the residents yet often quite discrepant with past lives. Complex structures are composed of many rather than few people who have different contradictory expectations of one other. Coser argues that unfamiliarity,...

The Francophone Literary Movement (La Négritude)

The Francophone Literary Movement (La Nà ©gritude) La Nà ©gritude was a literary and ideological movement led by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politicians. The founders of la Nà ©gritude, known as  les trois pà ¨res  (the three fathers), were originally from three different French colonies in Africa and the Caribbean but met while living in Paris in the early 1930s. Although each of the  pà ¨res  had different ideas about the purpose and styles of la Nà ©gritude, the movement is generally characterized by: Reaction to colonization: Denunciation of Europes lack of humanity, rejection of Western domination and ideasIdentity crisis: Acceptance of and pride in being black; valorization of African history, traditions, and beliefsVery realistic literary styleMarxist ideas Aimà © Cà ©saire A poet, playwright, and politician from Martinique, Aimà © Cà ©saire studied in Paris, where he discovered the black community and rediscovered Africa. He saw la Nà ©gritude as the fact of being black, acceptance of this fact, and appreciation of the history, culture, and destiny of black people. He sought to recognize the collective colonial experience of Blacks- the slave trade and plantation system- and attempted to redefine it. Cà ©saires ideology defined the early years of la Nà ©gritude. Là ©opold Sà ©dar Senghor Poet and first president of Sà ©nà ©gal, Là ©opold Sà ©dar Senghor used la Nà ©gritude to work toward a universal valuation of African people and their biological contributions. While advocating the expression and celebration of traditional African customs in spirit, he rejected a return to the old ways of doing things. This interpretation of la Nà ©gritude tended to be the most common, particularly in later years. Là ©on-Gontran Damas A French Guyanese poet and National Assembly member, Là ©on-Gontran Damas was the  enfant terrible  of la Nà ©gritude. His militant style of defending black qualities made it clear that he was not working toward any kind of reconciliation with the West. Participants, Sympathizers, Critics Frantz Fanon: Student of Cà ©saire, psychiatrist, and revolutionary theoretician, Frantz Fanon dismissed the Nà ©gritude movement as too simplistic.Jacques Roumain: Haitian writer and politician, founder of the Haitian Communist Party, published  La Revue indigà ¨ne  in an attempt to rediscover African authenticity in the Antilles.Jean-Paul Sartre: French philosoper and writer, Sartre assisted in the publication of the journal  Prà ©sence africaine  and wrote  Orphà ©e noire, which helped to introduce Nà ©gritude issues to French intellectuals.Wole Soyinka: Nigerian dramatist, poet, and novelist opposed to la Nà ©gritude, believing that by deliberately and outspokenly taking pride in their color, black people were automatically on the defensive:  « Un tigre ne proclà ¢me pas sa tigritude, il saute sur sa proie  » (A tiger doesnt proclaim its tigerness; it jumps on its prey).Mongo Bà ©tiAlioune DiopCheikh Hamadou Kane  Paul NigerOusmane Sembà ¨neGuy Tirollien

Formative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Formative - Essay Example For all these reasons, television is a good source of health information. There has been a remarkable reduction in diseases and an overarching improvement in the living standards of people all over the world in general and in the advanced countries in particular ever since the introduction of television in the society. â€Å"Among the nations that receive the greatest amounts of international assistance in health, education, child rights, ecology and the environment, many now contain 20 to 40 million or more individuals who regularly see TV† (Palmer). Television has helped raise awareness about behaviors and practices that are unhygienic. The programs, television shows, and documentaries shown on television not only educate people on the factors causing diseases, but also create awareness about the measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting diseases. Television has promoted health information on a variety of levels. People are educated not only through shows and documentaries, but also the ads supporting those shows create a wealth of information for the audience. Even a milk ad starts with how bones need calcium, how bones lose strength with age, and what nutrients are essential for the bones to maintain their density and strength as one ages. Then the ad suggests the consumption of milk of a certain brand because it contains those essential minerals and nutrients that bones need. Many ads also refer to reliable research results in an attempt to support their claims. Some of the best sources of health information are exercise and yoga practices that are described in the television shows. People can follow the trainers without having to pay them or leave their homes to join a training center. This makes it very convenient as well as cost-effective for them to do exercise daily. Such shows have a huge impact on the audiences’ perceptions of health and fitness because they can see

New product Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New product - Research Paper Example This pricing strategy allows the business to attract customers through using persuading the customers emotionally in terms of the pricing messages (Schlag & Schade, 2003). The business set the prices of their offerings at prices points that seem unusual which makes the customers feel that the prices offered are los. For instance, more consumers will go for the products with prices set at $29.99 rather than $30. This pricing strategy will attract the customers who usually look for value of the product. The preference of this method is due to the chance that if gives to the business allowing it to attract more customers without changing the content of the product. This pricing strategy allows the business to adjust pricing in favor of the customers with reference to variety of circumstances. The differential pricing may come in form of discounts coupons or rebates. The discounts will increase the number of customer since it attracts those who might not be able to afford the original price. The differential pricing serves as a form of incentive to the customer since it relieves them of the supposed high prices. This is a pricing strategy used by firms, which would like to sell different products in the same product range and at different prices points based on the features and benefits (Smith, 2012). It is suitable for the business since it would like to offer mobile grooming services that always come with multiple products. Mobile grooming is the primary while other product arises from this such as maintaining friendly environment for the pets. This strategy is suitable for Pyramid Solution business since it involves the firm being flexible in their prices (Smith, 2012). This pricing strategy allows the business to reduce the price of offering in the quest of attracting customers. It applies to almost all existing industries hence it will be suitable for the business. Road transport involves the use of the motorway network to transport goods to

Soviet Participation Essay Example for Free

Soviet Participation Essay When the games were reinstated in 1920 and again in 1948, [9]the Soviets initially declined to take part. The primary goal of â€Å"Socialist sports† was to benefit the masses, not the elite athletes. Marxist-Leninist ideology intended all citizens to participate to enhance their own strength as well as the strength of the state. They believed that recreation and the training of the body allowed workers to remain strong and healthy as well as productive. Health and productivity would also lead to building moral character and social responsibility. Since sports were intended for the masses, rather than for an athletic elite, the Soviet rulers saw no use for participation in the Olympic games. Soon after the 1917 revolution ended, Bolshevik leaders established a state-run sports system, which consisted of hundreds of sports clubs as well as two large sports societies run by the secret police and the Army (Rosellini n.pag.). Unfortunately, as quickly as these well- intended clubs were formed, their original purpose began to disintegrate. As early as 1926, the sports clubs were accused of ignoring â€Å"the vast mass of young people† and focusing on the athletic elite, because the sports facilities were straying from their initial goal of supporting the masses and focusing on the athletically gifted (Rosselini n.pag.). Between the World Wars the Soviets remained separate from the games. But away from the rest of the world, they were devising a plan to make their athletes rank among the best in the world. Finally, in 1948, the Soviets and their Satellites decided to challenge the West in the 1952 Olympics. The ruling Soviet party demanded that government officials â€Å"raise the level of skill, so that Soviet sportsmen might win the world supremacy in the major sports in the immediate future† (Rosellini n.pag.). To do this children were evaluated and if found suitable, were taken to live in â€Å"sports factories.† There, children were trained many hours a day and were secretly dosed with steroids. Child athletes were usually between the ages of six and eighteen in these training facilities and could have been taken from their parents as early as the age of three. Each athlete had his or her own trainer, doctor, masseuse, physiologist, and sports conceptualizer to plan an individual program. The outside world remained unaware of the Soviet design for sports dominance. Not until members of the Soviet Union entered Olympic competition did steroid use affect athletic achievement. The Soviet factories greatly threatened the ideals of the International Olympic Committee. Competitive fair play and international cooperation were jeopardized by the Soviet’s desire for political superiority. The factories were a symptom of one of the greatest threats to the Olympic ideals: countries seeking political influence and international recognition. The Soviets used these â€Å"factories† as a way to improve the international standing of their country. If they came out on top in sports they believed they would appear to validate the communist political system to the rest of the world. But, Soviet athletes physically looked different. When swimmer Raik Hannemann was seventeen, his trainer approached him and said, Were going to try something secret, keep it to yourself. It will add two percent to your time and bring you to that extra level of excellence (Rosselini n.pag). Hannemann knew the blue tablets had to do something with steroids, but he didn’t know what the side effects were and trusted his trainer. He was even told to keep the tablets a secret from his parents. Once he took the performance-enhancing drugs his speed immediately increased by six seconds (Rosselini n.pag). Athletes competing in a variety of sports were treated with performance-enhancing drugs, but the swimmers especially boasted abnormal musculature. The judges and spectators demanded explanations, of how these athletes grew so grotesquely strong. Although no medical tests for sports enhancing drugs existed yet, in 1976, performance-enhancing drugs were placed on the International Olympic Committee’s banned substances list in response to the unproven Soviet’s steroid use in the recent Olympic games (Chidlovski n.pag.).[10] A decade later the Olympic committee introduced newly designed doping tests to detect if athletes used the drugs in their training period rather than during competition. Some Olympic events, such as the Hungarian defeat of the Soviet water polo team in 1956 took a large symbolism significance (Sterngass pg. 37).  Drug Use by Other Countries  Of course, the U.S.S.R. was not the only country to seek international recognition through Olympic success. Many other countries have defied the Olympic code by using performance-enhancing drugs as well. â€Å"Sports became a propaganda tool and athletic success was closely tied to nationalism and patriotism† (Sterngass pg.37). [11] As medal counts became more important, the use of performance-enhancing drugs also became more prevalent. Steroids first threatened the Olympic ideals by countries seeking political superiority. Suspicion of steroid use began as early as 1968, but the drugs did not become common until the 1972 Olympic games (â€Å"Steroid Abuse in Sports-Steroid Abuse.com† n.pag.)[12] The East German’s joined in the use of performance-enhancing drugs early on as well. â€Å"In 1968 East Germany’s chief medical officer submitted a report to the government recommending the total and collective administration of steroids to all East German athletes† (â€Å"Steroid Abuse in Sports- Steroid Abuse.com† n.pag.). In the twenty years preceding this recommendation, Eastern Germany dominated nearly every international sporting competition. The East German drug use was yet another effort to prove their own superiority over the West, just as the Soviets had done just a few years earlier. Many East-German athletes were told that they were taking vitamins, rather than steroids. So, not only was the East German government practicing the use of unfair drugs, but they were also lying to their own athletes and jeopardizing the long-term health of the individuals. Since then, as more drugs have been developed, drug tests and methods for testing have also expanded (Benagh n.pag.).[13] In recent years, many American athletes have been accused and have tested positively for drug use. This kind of cheating is highly unethical and defies the Olympic code of fair play and good sportsmanship. Performance-enhancing drugs add a more political aspect to the games, causing less focus on the actual competitive athletics. As more and more athletes defy the Olympic ideals, rules must be regulated even more closely. These changes in rules also affect the spirit of the Olympics, which fosters an international feeling of community and competition. As more athletes break the rules, more stringent oversight ensues. This strict regulation takes much of the integrity out of the games, diminishing the Olympic spirit. In the 2008 Beijing games alone, 4,500 athletes were tested; only eight of those tested positive and were banned from competing (â€Å"OLYMPIC GAMESà ¢â‚¬  n.pag.).[14] But, many more athletes also may have been guilty, perhaps they were not caught because the tests were not rigorous enough. Canadian sprinter, Ben Johnson, was just one athlete who was found guilty after winning an Olympic medal. In 1988, Johnson won the gold medal in the one hundred meter final in the Seoul games, setting a world record and was considered the best one hundred meter runner of his time. However, just three days after winning Olympic gold, Johnson’s urine sample tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and his medal and records were stripped. Johnson was suspended from competition until 1991, but re-entered the indoor track scene and qualified for the 1992 games, where he placed last. Just one year later, Johnson came close to a fifty-meter record, but again failed a drug test (Whooley n.pag). [15]Marion Jones, a former track star who won five medals in the 2000 Sydney games, was convicted of steroid usage and all of her medals were stripped. Years later, evidence and testimony supported a conviction, sentencing Jones to six months in prison (Mulero n. pag.).[16]

The Work of F. Scott Fitzgerald :: Fitzgerald Author Essays

Francis Scott Fitzgerald once said "Mostly we authors must repeat ourselves?that's the truth. We have two or three experiences in our lives? experiences so great and moving that it doesn't seem at the time that anyone else has been so caught up" (de Koster n. pag.). Fitzgerald's works contain many themes that are based from experiences in his life. Many of these experiences he talks about were with the women in his life. People like his mother, Ginerva King, and Zelda Sayre all had major impacts on Fitzgerald. The women in F. Scott Fitzgerald's life influenced his writing in a number of ways. The first major woman to make and impression on Fitzgerald's life was his mother. Mary (Mollie) McQuillan was of Irish decent. Her parents were Irish immigrants who became rich as grocery owners in St. Paul (Bruccoli 1). Mollie inherited a fair amount of money from her family, but the family had difficulty maintaining the high standard of living they were accustomed to (Bloom 11). When they fell into financial trouble it was her father they turned to. The fact that Fitzgerald's mother, rather than his father, was the financial foundation for their family influenced Fitzgerald greatly. Even as a young boy he was aware of this situation. The theme that arose from this about a wife's inherited money appears frequently in Fitzgerald's writing (Magill 679). When the Fitzgeralds fell into financial trouble, the family had to depend on Mollie's family's money. When times like that came Mollie "abandoned the attempt to Tarleton 2 keep up her personal appearance (neglecting both grooming and fashion), which embarrassed her fastidious son. Scott later recorded a dream in which he admitted being ashamed of her" (de Koster 15). Furthermore, Fitzgerald's attitude toward his mother influenced him as a person. Because two of Mollie's children had died before Fitzgerald, she was very protective of him. She often worried about his health and babied him. But "her attempts to spoil him stren gthened his distaste for her" (de Koster 15). She wanted her only son to have "social ambition" ("Brief Biography 1). Fitzgerald's negative description of her in "An Author's Mother" where he describes her as "a halting old lady" in a "preposterously high-crowned hat" reveals his feelings (de Koster 15). Fitzgerald was affected by all these emotions towards his mother in his personality and his work. Another influence on Fitzgerald was his first love, Ginerva King.

Political, Economical, Social Effects of Globalization

Globalization has been the main theme of most news articles, magazines and even to most policies that exist in many countries around the globe today. Globalization transforms various things and ideas in order to come up with a new set of products and services that will meet the present demand of the market. With the increasing knowledge of many scholars regarding the effects of globalization to political, social, and economic status of different nations across the globe, it would be extraordinary on observing how people from different walks of life react to the benefits and loses that globalization has been offering to the international community. Though, many still believes that there are far more losers than gainers with the existence of globalization in the international community, the fact that the said global phenomenon continuous to become prevalent even to the developing countries nowadays serves as the evidence that globalization is indeed having enough influence to penetrate even the most conservative countries with respect to embracing global changes and pressures. Globalization has profound both negative and positive effects to the field of politics, society, and economics and since these three fields signifies the entire sectors of a nation/country it would be necessary and beneficial for a given government to determine the effects of globalization on their country. This global phenomenon has been the source of down turns and competitive advantages of different countries around the globe which can be seen to many developed and developing countries of different regions around the globe. With the inability to determine the kind of effect that globalization is providing into a given country, there is a great possibility that either this country would be able to fully utilize their potential gains to its optimal level or this country would just let globalization to destroy the stability of its various vital sectors. Therefore, it would be very important to pinpoint the effects of globalization to the said identified three fields above in order for a given country to determine how they will use globalization in order to attain impressive political, social, and economic stability in the present and coming years. At the end of this paper, expect a set of alternatives wherein countries can utilize globalization into their major source of competitive advantage and ways in order to protect their interest on the negative effects of globalization into the various sectors of a given country. Effects of Globalization to Political Stability Globalization has been being associated with democracy for many political analysts say that in order to attain the optimal benefits of globalization one must first embrace democracy (Hewa & Stapleton 2005: 1-2). With the launching of Bush administration’s â€Å"Freedom Agenda†, which main objective is to democratically transform Arabic countries through encouraging most Arabic countries to open their market [globalization] and with the opening of their market to international trading comes democratization according to the speech made by Bush during the G8 Summit at Prague last 2007 (Burnett 2007: 1) & (Yerkes 2006: 1), presently the Middle East is becoming a democratic region as many countries are starting to open their market into the international market and embrace the idealism behind globalization. In this regard, it is clear that globalization provides enough force for most of the Arabic countries like Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan to accept democracy and become one of the United States to promote democracy around the international community. Another effect of globalization’s rise would be the relaxation of some of the â€Å"serious† international policies of different countries to give way on the entry of globalization into their doors. Globalization has been greatly associated with international trading and most countries concentrates on regulating their trading volume with other countries for the past years. Globalization promotes free market principle wherein there would be as much as possible less government interference that will happen in the market and this can only be achieved through the relaxation of some of the current government policies that impedes the existence of free market system in the international market. At the end of the day, by the time those â€Å"serious† government policies pertaining to international trading is already relaxed, then that is the only time wherein gains from globalization can be realized. The only thing that makes this scenario negative to some countries is that only the developed countries receives the highest benefits from the relaxation of government policies of the trading countries while developing countries are being left with fewer gains relative to the developed countries. This is the main reason why many are opposing to globalization since they believe that this will only make rich countries richer while poor countries poorer considering that most of the benefits will still fall under the sides of rich/developed countries in the international market. Furthermore, globalization is said to be deteriorating the autonomy of many countries around the globe as pressures coming from the external market continues to leave no room for less influential countries to oppose the demands of developed countries when it comes to shaping the formers international trading policies (Sarget 2003: 3) & (Held & McGrew 2000: 13). Like for instance, the United States, for many years, has been keeping its hands to the policy making decisions of most developing countries like the Philippines which at first seems beneficial to both countries. But through close analysis one can see clearly that United States already stands into the sovereignty of the Philippines while at the same time receives most of the benefits from the said trading partnership. In this regard, globalization serves as a tool in order for developed countries to easily hold on and gets into the sovereignty of developing countries like for the case of the Philippines wherein they left with no choice but grant the demands of the United States in exchange for a small amount of gain even if it will cost their sovereignty or autonomy. Based from the identified effects of globalization above, it is therefore clear that globalization only benefits developed countries more while leaving developing countries with less gains. Both developed and developing countries gain from the advent of globalization although it also led for the developed countries to get into the way of developing countries and become more powerful in the international community compared. Effects of Globalization to Social Stability. It was identified above that only the developed countries benefits more from the advent of globalization in the international community as compared to the developing countries. In response to this inequality, various groups, organizations of the society have been organizing mass demonstrations in order to condemn the said inequality when it comes to the distribution of gains from the advent of globalization plus the interference of most developed countries to the sovereignty of many developing countries. Pro and anti-globalization groups have been on conflict which created various social conflicts between both parties. It has been identified that the rise of globalization led for many countries to suffer from the lose of nationhood as many of its sector starts experiencing instability like geographical political instability, rise of â€Å"trans-border† ethnic and religious identities to name a few. With this differences, political instability and conflict of various communities and civic groups within and outside the territorial boundaries of many countries around the globe caused by globalization was identified as one of the many reasons why cold war exists between many countries nowadays and from the past and one possible example to this would be the cold war between Yugoslavia and Soviet Union. The big question now would be if whether democracy, which is caused by globalization, could solve the internal stability that reigns on many countries nowadays (Raghavan 1997: 1). Another social effect of globalization would be the down turn of the labor union in many countries like the case of the United States. During the 1970s when the presence of globalization starts to exist in the market system of United States, there was a pressure for the economy of the United States to recover after World War II thereby leading for the rise of the private sector and rise of the free market system on the domestic market of United States. In this regard, most of the federal laws and regulations supported the interest of private sector leaving labor union with less bargaining power and support from the government in the form of government policies. Labor union membership in the United States during that time starts to deteriorate as the working class begins to lose their trust regarding the power of labor unions to protect the interest of its members. Actually, it was not only the membership of labor union that was affected, even the number of labor union on the domestic market of United States begins to decline resulting to rampant injustices coming from the members of the private sector (DeLong 1999: 1). Wages of the workers were cut at least twice a year plus different kinds of harassment were just some of the injustices that American workers experienced with the birth of globalization in United States. Countless mass demonstrations were held by the remaining labor unions during that time in order to show their opposition on the rise of private sectors power backed up by government policies due to globalization. It took years before this social conflict between the private sector and labor union community to settle down by the time the federal government starts shifting their support from the private sector going to the labor union during the early 1990’s (Rodrick 1997: 4-5). Therefore, globalization does not only disrupt the sovereignty of many nations, but also provides internal instabilities even on developed countries like the case of United States which causes social conflicts between different social class, civic groups to name a few. Effects of Globalization to Economic Stability Despite of the fact that globalization only led developing countries to lose their grip on their autonomy/sovereignty, globalization still provide enough room for the improvement of their economic growth (Hoang & Liao 2002: 2). Globalization, as what have already discussed earlier, provides an avenue towards the attainment of greater gains from international trading. International trading has been the main source of wealth and influences of many countries in the international community since the higher a country’s role on the international market, the greater is the probability that it can influence the supply or prices of goods in the global market. Globalization provides enough avenue towards the influx of foreign investment from developed to developing countries which offers additional job opportunities to the workers of the latter while giving competitive advantages to the former. In this regard, both of the trading countries benefits from this kind of market set up. With the improvement of number of job opportunities for developing countries, households will now receive higher income, and with higher household income comes higher domestic activities awaits local investors (Goldberg & Pavcnik 2006: 1). In the end, developing countries become self sustainable by using the foreign investments in order to improve the welfare condition of every households of a given country plus their trade balance which is one of the main economic indicator of how well a country is performing in the international market. Look at the case of China, with its cheap and abundant supply of laborers for many multinational companies from different countries have given the said country impressive economic growth for the past years during the time globalization forced many multinational companies to operate internationally and outsourced some of their products to other countries (Hoang & Liao 2002: 18-19). With this, China presently becomes one of the top performing countries around the globe in terms of volume of exports plus large foreign reserves generated from their surpluses from their trade balance. Many countries are becoming dependent on the products and laborers of China such as the United States despite of the fact that the former is still being considered by many countries as a developing one. Furthermore, globalization provides enough pressure for different industries of various countries to become innovative in developing new products to supply the growing needs of man kind. The development of new product provides competitive advantage for a given country since the latter can monopolize the production of that particular product which in the end would grant the country on issue higher income and influence in the international market. For instance, the innovations of Microsoft on its software in the market provides enough room for the United States to have more influence in the international market since they have the competitive advantage in producing software for personal computers present in the market. Globalization dictated to many consumers in the international market that computers nowadays are already necessity and one must have a personal computer with software from Microsoft. With this booming demand for Microsoft’s software, United States starts experiencing improvement on their income, trade balance and bargaining power with other countries. In other words, through globalization, the booming of the IT industry in the United States would not be as high as it is today and the federal government will not be able to charge Microsoft with higher tax if the latter’s products did not successfully penetrated its target market. At the end of the day, it is therefore clear that globalization serves as a tool in order for both developing and developed countries to mutually gain from its existence in the global community through the improvement of country’s trade balance, job opportunities, per capita income and domestic consumption. Effects of Globalization on Technology Technology serves as the main driving forces of many globalization processes especially in the field of international trading. Many countries spent billions of dollars just to invest on technologically advanced machineries and equipment that will further increase their production level and efficiency (Rand. org 2008: 1). Technology, aside from capital and labor, is among the main factors of production in today’s market system as well as the source of competitive advantages of many countries in overcutting the performance of their competitors in the international market. The know-how of technology of a given country could contribute for the attainment of impressive growth like for the case of Japan who presently leads the production of various lines of appliances, automobiles, mobile phones to name a few. Japan has been known for its ability to surpass the technology of many top nations in the international market. Despite the fact that it is still being considered among the developing countries, still, Japan has been able to compete at par with top developed countries like United States, United Kingdom to name a few. In this regard, considering the case of Japan, it is therefore clear that globalization has been forcing the development of technology beyond its limits in order to suffice the growing needs and demand of the international community when it comes to machineries and gadgets that would make their everyday living easier and more comfortable. Effects of Globalization on Culture. With the increasing integration and linkages/connectivity between various region and countries of the international community, there has been a transfer of cultural influences between those countries that interact with one another (Tomlinson 2006: 2-3). Like for instance, with the improvement of the trading condition between the Philippines and United States, the former starts to imitate Western style of living after becoming familiar with the customers, preferences, tastes, and behavior of American through the transfer of products between the ports of the said two countries. Asians has been known for their ability to imitate Western style of living through consuming imported products from western countries. With globalization, the entry of western products will now be much greater as compared before leading for countries in Asia to become more familiar and exposed to western products. At the end of the day, the transfer of customs, style of living, and product preferences will serve as the main tool of globalization to culturally link different countries. By exposing each trading country’s product to one another would provide enough roads for one country to influence one another like for the case of United States and Asian countries like the Philippines and Japan. Conclusion Though globalization has negative effects being imposed to both developing and developed countries, at the end of the day when we add all of the benefits and loses caused by globalization, the result would provide a positive answer; meaning the global community did gain from the advent of globalization in the international market. As for the developing countries, they must tried to find other ways in order to attract more foreign investment without sacrificing their sovereignty like providing incentives instead of restructuring their current policies based from the demands of developed countries. On the other hand, developed countries must watch out for the internal conflicts that globalization might bring into their territory as different social class fight and struggle with one another for dominancy.

Black House For David Gernert and Ralph Vicinanza

You take me to a place I never go, You send me kisses made of gold, I ‘ll place a crown upon your curls, All hail the Queen of the World! -The Jayhawks. Right Here and Now . . †¦..RIGHT HERE AND NOW,as an old friend used to say,we are in the fluid present,where clear-sightedness never guarantees perfect vision. Here:about two hundred feet,the height of a gliding eagle,above Wisconsin's far western edge,where the vagaries of the Mississippi River declare a natural border.Now:an early Friday morning in mid-July a few years into both a new century and a new millennium,their way-ward courses so hidden that a blind man has a better chance of seeing what lies ahead than you or I.Right here and now,the hour is just past six a.m., and the sun stands low in the cloudless eastern sky,a fat,confi-dent yellow-white ball advancing as ever for the first time toward the fu-ture and leaving in its wake the steadily accumulating past,which darkens as it recedes,making blind men of us all. Below,the early sun touches the river ‘s wide,soft ripples with molten highlights.Sunlight glints from the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad running between the riverbank and the backs of the shabby two-story houses along County Road Oo,known as Nailhouse Row,the lowest point of the comfortable-looking little town extending uphill and eastward beneath us.At this moment in the Coulee Country, life seems to be holding its breath.The motionless air around us carries such remarkable purity and sweetness that you might imagine a man could smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile away.

An Overview of Brazil and Its Geography

An Overview of Brazil and Its Geography Population: 198,739,269 (2009 estimate)Capital: BrasiliaOfficial Name: Federative Republic of BrazilImportant Cities: So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, SalvadorArea: 3,287,612 square miles (8,514,877 sq km)Coastline: 4,655 miles (7,491 km)Highest Point: Pico da Neblina 9,888 feet (3,014 m)Brazil is the largest country in South America and covers nearly half (47%) of the South American continent. It is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world, is home to the Amazon Rainforest and is a popular location for tourism. Brazil is also rich in natural resources and active in world issues such as climate change, giving it significance on a worldwide scale. The Most Important Things to Know About Brazil 1) Brazil was given to Portugal as part of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 and the first person to officially claim Brazil for Portugal was Pedro lvares Cabral.2) The official language of Brazil is Portuguese; however, there are more than 180 native languages spoken in the country. It is also important to note that Brazil is the only country in South America whose dominant language and culture comes from Portugal.3) The name Brazil comes from an Amerindian word Brasil, which describes a dark rosewood type common in the country. At a time, the wood was Brazils main export and thus gave the country its name. Since 1968 however, the export of Brazilian rosewood has been banned.4) Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents.5) Brazils literacy rate is 86.4% which is the lowest of all South American countries. It falls just behind Bolivia and Peru at 87.2% and 87.7%, respectively.6) Brazil is a diverse country with ethnic groups including 54% European, 39% mixed European-Africa n, 6% Africa, 1% other. 7) Today, Brazil has one of the largest economies in the Americas and is the largest in South America.8) Brazils most common agricultural exports today are coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus, and beef.9) Brazil has a plethora of natural resources which include: iron ore, tin, aluminum, gold, phosphate, platinum, uranium, manganese, copper and coal.10) After the end of the Brazilian Empire in 1889, it was determined that the country would have a new capital and shortly thereafter, the site of present-day Brasilia was chosen in an effort to promote development there. Growth did not occur until 1956 and Brasilia did not officially replace Rio de Janeiro as Brazils capital until 1960.11) One of the most famous mountains in the world is the Corcovado located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known worldwide for its 98 foot (30 m) high statue of the citys emblem, Christ the Redeemer, which has been on its summit since 1931.12) Brazils climate is considered mainly tropical, but it is temperate in the south. 13) Brazil is considered one of the most biodiverse places in the world because its rainforests are home to more than 1,000 bird species, 3,000 fish species and many mammals and reptiles such as alligators, freshwater dolphins, and manatees.14) The rainforests in Brazil are being cut at a rate of up to four percent per year due to logging, ranching, and slash and burn agriculture. Pollution of the Amazon River and its tributaries is also a threat to the rainforests.15) The Rio Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous attractions in Brazil. It attracts thousands of tourists yearly, but it is also a tradition for Brazilians who often spend the year prior to the Carnaval preparing for it.To learn more about Brazil, read the Geography of Brazil on this site and to see photos of Brazil visit the Images of Brazil page on South America Travel. References Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, April 1). CIA - The World Factbook Brazil. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Brazil: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/country/brazil.html United States Department of State. (2010, February). Brazil (02/10). Retrieved from: https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm Wikipedia. (2010, April 22). Brazil - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro Before the middle of 20th century, people lived in a Velcro-less world where zippers were standard and shoes had to be laced. All that changed though on one lovely summer day in 1941 when an amateur mountaineer and inventor named  George de Mestral  decided to take his dog for a nature hike. De Mestral and his faithful companion both returned home covered with burrs, the plant seed-sacs that clung to animal fur as a way to spread to fertile new planting grounds. He noticed his dog was covered in the stuff. De Mestral was a Swiss engineer who was naturally curious so he took a sample of the many burrs stuck to his pants and placed them under his microscope to see how the properties of the burdock plant allowed it stick to certain surfaces. Perhaps, he thought, they can be used for something useful. Upon closer examination, it was the small hooks that enabled the seed-bearing burr to cling so stubbornly to the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. It as during this eureka moment that  De Mestral smiled and thought something along the lines of I will design a unique, two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like the burrs and the other side with soft loops like the fabric of my pants. I will call my invention velcro a combination of the word velour and crochet. It will rival the  zipper  in its ability to fasten. De Mestrals idea was met with resistance and even laughter, but the inventor was undeterred. He worked with a weaver from a textile plant in France to perfect a fastener by experimenting with materials that would hook and loop in a similar manner. Through trial and error, he realized that nylon when sewn under infrared light formed tough hooks for the burr side of the fastener. The discovery led to a completed design that he patented in 1955. He would eventually form Velcro Industries to manufacture and distribute his invention. In the 1960s, Velcro fasteners made its way to outer space as Apollo astronauts wore them to keep items like pens and equipment from floating away while in zero-gravity. In time, the product became kind of a household name as companies like Puma used them in shoes to replace laces. Shoe makers Adidas and Reebok would soon follow. During de Mastral’s lifetime, his company sold an average of over 60 million yards of Velcro per year. Not bad for an invention inspired by mother nature. Today you can’t technically buy velcro because the name is the registered trademark for the Velcro Industries product, but you can have all the velcro brand hook and loop fasteners you need. This distinction was done on purpose and illustrates a problem inventors often face. Many words used frequently in everyday language were once trademarks, but eventually become generic terms. Well-known examples include  escalator, thermos, cellophane and nylon. The problem is that once trademarked names becomes commonplace enough, the U.S. Courts can deny exclusive rights to the trademark.

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin - Research Paper Example The most famous inventions of Eli Whitney was the cotton gin which saw forth the revival of slave trade, a practice that was by the time of the invention was on its rapid decline not only in the south but also in the northern parts of the American continent (Alan, 2014)1. The cotton gin bore tremendous benefits to the slave owners and plantation farmers. The invention and production of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin created a very profitable business in the cotton industry. This invention later led to increased slavery in both the south and northern America and consequently seeing through the dawn of civil wars. Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765. He graduated from Yale College in 1792 with some hopes of becoming a lawyer (Olmstead, 1832: 207)2. After graduation, he got a job as a tutor in South Carolina. On his way to South Carolina, he met a woman by the name of Catherine Greene, who was a widow of a general. She had invited Eli to stay on her plantation called Muylberry Groove to study law (Mitchell, Simon, & Schuster, 1954: 75)3. After Eli found out that his tutor job was not going to be half of what he was told, he accepted Catherine Greene’s offer. While staying on Catherine Greene’s plantation, Eli learnt about cotton production and the difficulty farmers underwent while eking out a living from cotton production. Cotton was a very important crop, it was easy to grow and its fibers could be stored for a long time. The problem however, was that cotton had seeds that were very hard to separate from the fibers. Another type of cotton called ‘the lone staple’ was very easy to clean but only grew along the coast. Most of the farmers had to grow the ‘short staple cotton’ which required a lot of labor. It had to be cleaned by hand, which was a very difficult and very time consuming4. A cotton picket could pick the seeds from one pound of short staple cotton a day. In this

Alternative Methods of Involvement of Employees in Decision Making Essay

Alternative Methods of Involvement of Employees in Decision Making - Essay Example Managers today are under pressure to engage employees in all aspects of their jobs. Generally, they must find ways to engage employees so they will stay working in the organization. Without engagement, many employees begin to slack in their duties (Farndale, van Ruiten, Killiher & Hope-Hailey, 2011; Gupta, 2011; Liu, Listen-Heyes & Ko, 2010). Companies are pressed to find alternative ways of engaging employees to motivate them to stay. Part of this engagement happens when employees have a voice in the decision making process. When they have a voice and understand that their ideas and opinions are valued and often taken into consideration when large decisions are made, the individuals have a better time of staying with the organisation. Employee Decision Making and Retention One of the ways to retain employees is to give them an opportunity to provide information about change and opportunities for advancement. Many employees bring their most creative and innovative ideas when they fee l they have the opportunity to be heard. Chen, Ployhart et al. (2011) studied the issue of employee turnover and why this often happened. They found that an employee’s job satisfaction is central to whether they stay in on organisation or whether they leave. Part of job satisfaction came from the employee’s perception of their control within their job. Control was often felt by the opportunity to take part in specific decisions as they happened. ... (2011) add to this discussion on voice because they suggest that employees have more commitment to the organisation when they perceive that their voice is being heard. They also found that this perception was directly related to whether employees developed trust in senior management. The authors state that the employee must have a psychological attachment to the organization and its values. This means that employees must be actively involved with decision making and there must be an â€Å"exchange relationship† which means a â€Å"one party provides a benefit to the other, thereby causing an obligation to respond by providing something beneficial †¦ â€Å"(Farndale et al., 2011, p. 115). In an exchange relationship in the organisation, employee voice is heard on a regular basis. The positive aspects of treating employees as stakeholders is that it makes them feel valued, makes them create a stronger commitment to the organisation and motivates them to contribute (Wilkin son and Fay, 2011). With employees as active participants in the decision making process, the managers would become more accountable in their financial practices as well as in their accounting of what they were charged to do (Chilosi and Damiani 2007). Some of the challenges to this method include that some employees may feel they do not have to work as hard because they are important to the organisation, and this attitude can lead to a lessening of productivity. Also, employees involved as stakeholders could create a challenge for outsiders who come into the firm to bring their assistance because they would know as much as the insiders. In some cases, managers can become disgruntled because they may perceive that they do not have as much power because all employees have a say (Chilosi and Damiani 2007).

HRM Case study (giving HR advice) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HRM Case study (giving HR advice) - Essay Example Elements of organizational structure Specialization Managers need to decide how much work is to be done by each employee. Less degree of specialization would mean one worker handling many tasks at a time. This works with small organizations. But with a large organization, tasks need to be divided into chunks and each chunk should be handled by the designated worker. This improves productivity which also gives total control on the task (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2010). Departmentalization Forming departments as per different functions is a logical way to do things in a large organization. It is a practical solution in which two different functions cannot hinder each other as they have been separated by their respective departments (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2010). Authority An important issue arising is of who is going to take how much authority in his hands. None of the organizations are completely centralized or decentralized. Managers must consider the experience and personality of the s ubordinates when deciding for the management style and strategy of the organization (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2010). Span of control First and foremost, organizational structure of an organization should be determined. This will determine the nature of responsibilities and authority on each member of the organization. ... A narrow span of control would have fewer people to report directly to the manager. This would add more layers to management and hence communication would be slow between lower employees and top managers. A wide span of control would have more subordinates to report directly to the manager. There is a good flow of communication between its lower level employees and top managers. Few layers are involved in the structure (Thomas, 2011). It has been researched that a small span of management with a taller organization structure would be more expensive to run because of greater number of managers. It would also show communication problems. A wider span of control would is more recommended and proves to be useful in most environments. The reason is more employees report to managers directly which would increase employees’ motivation, morale and productivity (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2010). Coordination of activities Even if there is departmentalization and specialization, there shoul d be coordination between its activities. Problems arise when there is lack of coordination of activities. There should be a link between the functions of two departments (O'Fallon & Rutherford, 2010). A Functional Organization Mr. John Brown needs to make his hotel a functional organization. A functional organization organizes itself along functional lines, with departments being grouped according to their specific functions. Each department is further sub-divided into further small departments. For instance, if there is Rooms Department in a hotel, it is further subdivided into other smaller departments such as laundry department. This way, specific tasks are performed by employees in a specific pattern and there are fewer chances of errors. A functional organization

The Obstacles Between Israel And Palestine

The Obstacles Between Israel And Palestine The Israeli Palestinian conflict is the longest running contemporary conflict, still ongoing, to date. The origins of the conflict and its history provide the context necessary to understanding the obstacles to a to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The obstacles to a peace agreement are both numerous and complex. Some of the more major obstacles, recent and still current today include: (1) land issues over the West Bank and Gaza strip, (2) status of Jerusalem (3) security concerns, (4) Palestinian refugee problems, and (5) issues over water resources. The purpose of this academic essay is to provide a brief overview of the origins and history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, placing a primary focus on providing a detailed account of the aforementioned major obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The origins and particularly the history of Israeli Palestinian conflict can become mindboggling as the conflict has gone on for so long; a simple, selective and brief overview would best facilitate an understanding of this epic saga like conflict. Starting from the very beginning; in ancient times Judea was originally the home of the Jews until it was conquered by the Romans, renamed Palestine, and later reconquered and inhabited by Arabs for over a thousand years. Zionism, a movement of national liberation to achieve a homeland for Jews (Heywood, A. 2007) later came about and it aimed to restore the Jews to Israel, largely ignoring the existing Arab population. In 1917, Britain was granted Palestine as a League of Nations mandate under the Balfour Declaration, in which Britain committed itself to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. Arab resentment over the loss of their land to the Jews fostered repeated riots and a revolt that later prompted Br itain to cease Jewish immigration to Palestine. Jewish immigration to Palestine resumed due to the pressure created by the Holocaust and murder of 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis and in 1947 the UN partitioned Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. This would cause Arab tempers to flare, they could not accept the partition and as a result a war broke out. Israel would win a decisive victory and expand as a state, and in doing so create Palestinian refugees in the hundreds of thousands. This was only the beginning of the conflict. The Arab states would refuse Israel both recognition and peace; wars would break out in 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982. There were also many terror raids and Israeli reprisals. Each side blames the other entirely for the conflict and expects an apology. The intensity of the Israeli Palestinian conflict has varied over the years, but with the continued involvement of the international community, the calls for peace are growing ever louder. The Peace proc ess began in 1993 with The Oslo Declaration of Principles. In this document, both sides recognized the rights of the other to exist as a people within the borders of Palestine/Israel, and committed themselves to negotiating a permanent settlement and to improving relations between the two peoples. (MidEastWeb, 2008) Since then, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), currently led by Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli government, currently led by Benjamin Netanyahu, has been committed to an eventual two-state solution. The two parties have taken part in direct and official negotiations mediated by the Quartet on the Middle East, represented by and consisting of the United Nations, United States, Russia, and the European Union. Since 2003, however, the Palestinian side has become divided between its two major factions, that of Fatah, traditionally the dominant party, and that of Hamas, its later electoral challenger. Hamas seizure of power over the Gaza Strip in June 2007, caused a division of governance over the territory formerly controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (the Palestinian interim government) between the Fatah in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Annapolis Conference of 2007, would set out the central issues, and therefore the major obstacles needed to be ov ercome, in order for a peace agreement to be reached. Land issues over the West bank and (until 2005) the Gaza Strip is just one of the major obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The 2,200 square miles of land was occupied in the 6 day war of 1967, and since then Israel re-established old communities (destroyed in 1929 and 1948) and built new settlements for its people in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the majority of which reside in the West Bank. Israel expanded these settlements throughout the peace process that began in 1993 with the Oslo Declaration of Principles. The United States, United Kingdom, European Union along with the International Court of Justice have declared these settlements illegal under international law. In 2005, Israel enacted its unilateral disengagement plan, evacuating all residents of Jewish settlements located in the Gaza strip, as well as four settlements in the northern West Bank, and demolishing all residential buildings. The West Bank, however, still remains in dispute. The Palestinians demand a complete hand over of the West Bank in its entirety. Israel on other hand maintains that it needs to retain some land and settlements in the West Bank to act as a buffer against future acts of aggression. This issue remains unresolved and as such is one of the major obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The status of Jerusalem is another major obstacle to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians because of its significant religious importance to the three largest Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Both Israel and Palestinians assert claims over the eastern part of Jerusalem. For Israel, Jerusalem was the capital of Judea in ancient times and the site of the Jewish holy temple, of which only the Western Wall remains. For Palestinians, Jerusalem is also the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque, regarded by many as the third holiest Islamic site. Both sides also have grave concerns regarding the welfare of their respective holy sites being under the control of the other. Israel asserts that Jerusalem should not be divided, rather it should remain unified under Israels control. Palestinians claim the parts of Jerusalem that were not a part of Israel prior to June 1967. As of 2005, of the 719,000 people that lived in Jerusalem, 465,000 were Jews, most of which live d in West Jerusalem, and 232,000 were Arabs, most of which lived in East Jerusalem. At the Camp David in 2000 and Taba Summits in 2001, the United States proposed that the Arab parts of Jerusalem should be given to the Palestinians while the Jewish parts of Jerusalem should be retained by Israel. Both sides accepted the proposal in principle, but the summits ultimately failed. No concrete action has been taken on this matter as of yet and it remains a major obstacle to an Israeli Palestinian conflict resolution. Israeli security concerns are also a major obstacle in the resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Throughout the Israeli Palestinian conflict, Palestinian political violence has been of particular concern to the Israelis. The Palestinian political violence against Israel, its civilians and military are considered acts of terrorism. Although violent Palestinian groups may disagree with each other on specific issues, they are united and motivated by a common goal; to eliminate the state of Israel, replacing it with a Palestinian Arab state. Another concern is the close proximity of Israeli cities to Palestinian territories. Many of Israels cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are within the Palestinians artillery range and the threat of Qassam rockets fired from the Palestinian territories is of great concern to Israeli defence. The Israeli government recorded 1,726 such rocket launches in 2006 alone. It is because of this Israel insists that the Palestinian state should be d emilitarized. These are not the only security concerns Israel has. The West Bank is of enormous strategic importance to any country intent on invading Israel. Israel insists that the Palestinian state provide guarantees that foreign armies will not be permitted to enter its borders; to ensure this Israel insists on the establishment of bases within the West Bank as a safeguard. Another major obstacle in the resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict is how to deal with the Palestinian refugee problem. In 1948, about 726,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in the war that followed shortly after the creation of Israel. Additional Palestinians fled from their homes in the 6 day war of 1967. Today there are about 4.6 million Palestinian refugees. Many of them live in poor conditions in crowded refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Palestinians demand that these refugees should have the right to return to their homes in Israel under the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948 which states that: the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible. Israelis refute this right arguing that in 1948 Jews fled Arab lands to Israel in almost equal numbers. One of the main reasons Israelis oppose the return of the Palestinian refugees is because that would create an Arab Palestinian majority and thus would put an end to Israel as a Jewish state. Most Palestinian groups agree with and support this outcome wanting to see a resolution to the refugee problem and the end of Israel; killing two birds with one stone, as it were. The Israeli government also asserts that the Palestinian refugee problem is largely due to the refusal of all Arab governments, with the exception of Jordan, to grant citizenship to Palestinian Arabs who reside within those countries borders. Water resources and their management is another major obstacle peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians as it is a scarce commodity. The Israel National Water Carrier, however, has made a high population density and standard of living possible. The carrier works by pumping water from the Sea of Galilee and carrying it to areas in the centre and to the south of Israel and the Palestinian areas as well. Up to 1.7 million cubic meters of water can flow through the carrier in just one day; but this is not enough. Israel receives a great deal of its water supply from two large underground aquifers that continue under the Green Line. The use of this underground water has been contentious as some of the wells used to draw the water reside within Palestinian Authority areas. Even though Israel withdraws some water from these areas, it also supplies the West Bank with approximately 40 million cubic meters annually, contributing to 77% of the Palestinians water supply in the West Ba nk, which is to be shared among a population of about 2.3 million. Both sides need water for survival and development and want to ensure an adequate water supply from the limited resources available. Israel has reserved for its own use a large percentage of the water in West Bank aquifers. One of the Palestinians most central concerns is obtaining land and resources that have enough contiguity to provide them with a viable society, and not be forced to give up too many resources to Israel, as this may lead to economic collapse. The purpose of this academic essay was to provide a brief overview of the origins and history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, placing a primary focus on providing a detailed account of the aforementioned major obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. There are 5 major obstacles to a to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. (1) Land issues over the West Bank and Gaza strip consisting of the Palestinians demanding a complete hand over of the West Bank in its entirety and Israel wanting to retain some land and settlements to act as a buffer against future acts of aggression. (2) The status of Jerusalem with both sides asserting claims over the eastern part of Jerusalem and fearing for the welfare of their respective holy sites being under the control of the other. (3) Israeli security concerns regarding: the Palestinian political violence and terrorism, Israeli cities being within the Palestinians artillery range, with the threat of Qassa m rocket attacks; and the defence of the West Bank from foreign invasion. (4) Palestinian refugee problems and finding a proper home for 4.6 million refugees living in poor conditions in crowded refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. (5) Issues over water resources, with both sides needing water for survival and development and wanting to ensure an adequate water supply from the limited resources available.

The Republican Party Essay examples -- Papers Government Politics Essa

The Republican Party The Republican party is one of the two major POLITICAL PARTIES in the United States, the other being the DEMOCRATIC PARTY party. It is popularly known as the GOP, from its earlier nickname Grand Old Party. From the time it ran its first PRESIDENTIAL candidate, John C. Fremont, in 1856, until the inauguration of Republican George BUSH in 1989, Republican presidents occupied the WHITE HOUSE for 80 years. Traditionally, Republican strength came primarily from New England and the Midwest. After World War II, however, it greatly increased in the Sunbelt states and the West. Generally speaking, after World War I the Republican party became the more conservative of the two major parties, with its support coming from the upper middle class and from the corporate, financial, and farming interests. It has taken political stances generally in favor of laissez- faire, free enterprise, and fiscal responsibility (at least until 1981) and against the welfare state. The Founding of the Party Scholars agree that the origins of the party grew out of the sectional conflicts regarding the expansion of slavery into the new Western territories. The stimulus for political realignment was provided by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. That law repealed earlier compromises that had excluded slavery from the territories. The passage of this act served as the unifying agent for abolitionists and split the Democrats and the WHIG party. "Anti-Nebraska" protest meetings spread rapidly through the country. Two such meetings were held in Ripon, Wis., on Feb. 28 and Mar. 20, 1854, and were attended by a group of abolitionist FREE SOILERS, Democrats, and Whigs. They decided to call themselves Republicans--because they p... ...en George Bush won the presidency by a large margin. President Bush's approval rating reached an impressive 89 percent in 1991 after the international coalition he forged against Iraq achieved victory in the Persian Gulf War. However, a recession that began in 1990, combined with the electorate's growing concern with domestic issues in the aftermath of the Cold War and public impatience with "gridlock" in the government, counted against him in his reelection bid. Led by Bill CLINTON, the Democrats in 1992 captured the presidency (with 370 ELECTORAL votes to Bush's 168) and solid majorities in both houses of Congress. In 1994, having blocked Clinton's legislative agenda and mounted an aggressive counterattack in that year's mid-term election campaign, Republicans seized control of both houses of Congress. Bibliography: American Encyclopedia on line

Enterprise Strategy Essay

This type of business structure that is E-business is more common in the developed countries than in third class countries; to sell products customers in the comfort of their homes is widespread in these countries, so Forejustin Passman the founder and general manager plans to make widespread this type of business even in a developing country, Botswana. 1. 0 THE entrepreneur 1. 1 The motivation for starting the business Pull factors are exploiting opportunity and a financial incentive whilst the push factor that led him to open the business was threat of unemployment. The pull factors He was pulled into this business because he wanted to exploit an opportunity to sell gadgets such as tablets i. e. Apple’s Ipads, Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes &Nobles’ the nook. Consequently he decided to open Group Little, a predominantly virtual company, having little physical presence and high internet presence. After a market research he realised that most gadget stores in Botswana undermine internet trading and he decided to exploit this opportunity. Citing most gadget stores are set up according to a strategy and are purposely designed to make customer experience as pleasant as possible but their websites normally do not have a similar strategy applied to them, as the sites are normally a glorified business card that does not engage visitors and in some cases even harm the business image. Mr Passman was also pulled to gain financial incentive he paid meticulous attention to primary research in order to weigh the benefits, the cost and opportunities of his approach. The push factors The threat of unemployment is the only push factor that influenced Forejustin to start his business. At age 18 he performed poorly in his A-level results which caused him to fail to pursue a business degree at university, other than compromising and pursuing other degree programmes that he lacked interest in he decided to re-sit some examinations. Whilst in wait for examination results he did not want to be considered to be part of the unemployed so he started his company Group Little. 1. 2 Forejustin Passman’s character traits Proactive- he is one of the few people who do not believe in luck, he seeks after opportunities other than wait for them to present themselves to him. He is also quick and decisive, when faced with the dilemma of whether to go into just conventional retailing he decided and to have the virtual retailing, where he has limited physical presence and a fully-fledged internet presence. His logic behind such a decision being that the internet is a necessary portal for success in the 21st century business and beyond. He is regarded by some a restless while he considers himself easily bored because as he says he is easily diverted to the most recent market opportunity. He is especially known as a man who acts and then learns from the outcomes of his action, and thus far his upbeat approach has worked positively to advance the company. Visionary- Mr Passman has and had a clear vision for Group Little; for it to become a household name in virtual companies of Africa and to be an expert in Africa’s virtual market space. He wants Group Little to be benchmarked by any international company exploring to invest in the virtual market place of Africa. Now this visionary flair has positioned him to be always at the right place at the right time and being able snatch opportunities within his vision. 1. MR Passman’s personality type Mr Forejustin Passman is certainly spontaneous. Spontaneous because most of the things he does, he does instinctively. This matches positively with his proactive character trait mentioned previously in section 1. 2. He is a creative, lively and open-minded person. His humorous nature disposes a contagious zest for lif e. Forejustin’s enthusiasm and sparkling energy inspires the team to work harder, his strengths therefore are creative problem solutions, discovering new ways and opportunities, the conceptualization of new ideas on one hand, but not so much his concrete implementation on the other. To compensate for this weakness he has staff of capable colleagues that takes over his concepts and runs with them. Spontaneous is the best classification of Mr Passman, other than classifying him as an introvert or extrovert which is a widely used approach of personality type definition, which in some cases is limiting to define peculiar individuals as Mr Forejustin Passman. 1. 4 Decision making and leadership style Decision making style Forejustin Passman’s decision making style is conceptual. He has high tolerance for ambiguity in that even when he was not sure how Batswana will respond to an e-business he still went on decided to do what he planned. He has a broad outlook in business, with the resident of truth being not enough Batswana are connected to internet currently, he deemed it fit to go ahead because most industries around the world are adopting e-business and even though Botswana is still lagging behind the time is eminent for her as well to join in. His conceptual decision making style is also evident in that he has found a creative way to solve the local problem of segregated demand and supply. Where people in difficult to reach areas have a high quantity demand of some products from businesses yet they cannot reach those businesses to be supplied with what they demand, so he decided the customers will shop in the comfort of their own far away home and he will deliver the products to them. 1. 5 Leadership style Laissez-faire style, he is a leader who has consciously made a decision to pass focus of power to the outsourced employees. He considered since the workforce is already talented and qualified to do the job they must be able to positively exercise judgement to respond to issues. Mr Passman simply sets out the targets and deadlines afterwards he charges the taskforce to do the work that is at hand, he is not very interested in how they do the job he just wants the work to be done in due time. Some have criticised his type of leadership saying he is risking the success of his business by delegating power the employees but according to him this type of environment breeds creativity, and that is what he wants from his team, creative ways to solve problems, which is a direct match to his decision making style he wants them to think like him. 1. 6 Mr Forejustin Passman’s role within the business Forejustin oversees the review of Group Little’s corporate strategy, looks for market opportunities, acquires strategic assets and protects Group Little’s existing competencies. As this organisation is relatively small, Forejustin has adopted this multidisciplinary role. His acquisition of strategic assets is done in order to solidify their position in the market, he cites sometimes organic growth is too slow for the company’s vision therefore acquisition of some assets provides an impetus to desired growth. The staff The majority of his staff is outsourced, the employees are highly knowledgeable about internet business. Being a cheerful entrepreneur he advocates for a cheerful workforce because he believes if employees are happy that drives up productivity which in turn brings healthier profit margins. 1. 7 Entrepreneurial networking Forejustin’s decision to effectively network sprung up in the beginning stages of his business, he wanted a trademark for Group Little and he just happened to remember months earlier he sent his broken computer to some young technicians; one of them named Kabelo had recently graduated from a creative arts university of Limkokwing where he studied graphic designing. He had saved his contacts in case he needed computer help but his contact wound up birthing more than just computer solutions but also a trademark for his business. This was a highlight to Forejustin that networking especially informal networking is a tool for success, his response; * He strikes conversations with strangers, to get any bit of information he can, exchanges contacts with such an individual and then regularly contact that individual until they establish a network that can provide him relevant business information, advice and support services. Chats with movers and shakers of different industries in order to get some referrals and leads. Mr Passman’s formal networks In this the entrepreneur is lacking. He has not signed up to any formal network which means his chances for collaborative opportunities with others are diminished. It is highly unlikely for him to form new business relationships and lastly it is slow to solve problems because there is no access to a si gnificant number of possible solution providers as emphasised by Kay (2010). His professed inhibitors to formal networking are high membership fees of some formal arrangements. He also attributed inflexible structured timetable for some of these formal networks as a major impediment for him join as he prefers groups that are open where he can come on casual ‘drop in’ basis. But considerations are still being made to join the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) network an outlet that informs and organizes exhibitions for small enterprises. 1. 8 Innovation There a certain drivers of innovation that prompted Forejustin Passman to pursue e-business and figure a, is quite very useful in illustrating that. Source: Sheth and Ram (1987) Figure a Because of technological advances, after the internet boom he realised he needed to adopt an approach in business which matches the changes in technology. The change in technology alters the business environment. This then means that threshold competencies and basic resources are redefined, he implication to Forejustin’s company is, whatever used to be basic necessities of successful trading is now redefined to fit the current robust and continually changing business environment. Group Little’s business environment is no longer just about having the right gadgets, it is also about close interaction with customers and widespread, effective marketing therefore Mr Passman had to approach service delivery differently. Competition for selling gadgets has intensified, with Incredible Connecti ons, Hi-Fi, Game and other gadgets stores exerting pressure, Group Little had to distinguish itself by going online. Understanding that service delivery is directly related to the customer’s psyche he found it fit to offer technological products in a technological platform such as the internet which sends a message to customers of technological proficiency. He also had to innovate since customer needs are frequently changing consequently he had to effectively address them. The weakness of his innovative approach Even though innovation is commendable and obtaining ideas from the international front is encouraged it is evident Forejustin Passman has failed to address the contextualization of this worldwide trend. His payment outlets for instance should have been modified to fit the traditional payment outlets other than just adopting the internationally proclaimed payment system PayPal. 2. 0 The enterprise 2. 1 Business strategy According to Meyer (2010) strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term. General enterprise strategy Emergent strategy is Group Little’s adopted strategy. Having considered the high turbulence in the industry he trades in Mr Passman decided to use this approach to guide his business. This strategy has been adopted since this industry is uncertainty and innovation based. It allows frequent feedback on the business environment which in turn permits reallocation of resources to address any information that is received about any changes in the business’ external environment. Operations strategy Figure b Source:ibbusinessandmanagement. com(2012) Using Michael Porter’s generic model figure b above, Forejustin has opted differentiation operational strategy. In this strategy unique attributes that are valued by customers and which are perceived to be better than the gadgets of the competition are intensively adopted by Group Little. This company has the following internal strengths to make this differentiation strategy successful; * Highly skilled and creative development team. * Strong sales team with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths of the gadgets The risks linked with this strategy include imitation by competitors and changes in customer tastes. In addition, a range of firms pursuing focus strategies may be able to achieve even greater differentiation in their market segments. 2. 2 E-business As Group Little is a typical example of an e-business it is quite instructive to use the SWOT model to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats this organisation it has; Strengths Global reach to marketing. Since the web is an international platform Group Little’s marketing is not just limited to local media and advertising opportunities it spreads out to other regions. There is improved customer interaction. The customer and the enterprise meet in the comfort zone of the customer, therefore the customer can openly offer ideas, orders and even complaints all this will better Group Little’s service delivery. Weaknesses Security; customers are always concerned with the integrity of their payments, most shy away from revealing confidential bank information in the web, which costs Group Little significantly. The other weakness is the customer has no idea of the quality and physical condition of the gadgets; it is very common for discrepancies to exist between what sites advertise and the actual product. Opportunities New technologies surfacing could open up internet accessibility in Botswana which will be advantageous to Forejustin’s company since the critics’ argument pivots around this matter. Group Little also has prospects on cutting down local competition. As local competition has not adequately used the online trading space which can give Group Little an online competitive advantage if Forejustin Passman chooses to invest significantly to develop this area. Threats Fraud; given that there are some individuals that are out to deceive for financial gain are always Mr Passman’s concern, they may fake Group Little’s website and deceive the customers. Changes in law and regulation are always a threat. Regulatory authorities to protect customers from fraud they may place laws and regulations that will stifle Group Little’s competitiveness. 2. 3 Organisational culture This has been defined as, a system of shared actions, values and beliefs that develop within an organisation and guides the behaviour. This is as cited by Uhl-Bien et al. (2010). Forejustin Passman has directed Group Little culture, one of the shared values is the ‘no Sunday policy. ’ In this Forejustin has reflected his Christian beliefs and his philosophy of people before profit into the corporation’s culture. His belief in God prompts him to keep the Sabbath which to him is Sunday and his people before profits philosophy leads him to protect their wellbeing by giving them rest on Sunday. Any order placed on Sunday is attended on Monday by rejuvenated and more productive employees. This has its obvious disadvantages such as foregone sales but Mr Passman believes his policy is beneficial to all parties involved. When work is on between Monday to Saturday the team is relaxed and open, this as Forejustin says allows for conception of creative ideas. Any facet that stifles creativity is minimized be it the tangible such as tables or chairs or the intangible aspect like a mental attitude that stigmatizes mistakes. This culture solves two important issues external adaptation, which deals with reaching goals; how to reach those goals and if members have developed this freedom to make mistakes they can effectively guide their day-to-day activities. It also solves the issue of internal integration, members can easily merge and share ideas when mistakes are not stigmatized and this leads to greater productivity. . 4 Critical success factors of his business Branding Forejustin’s Group Little has to create a brand that appeals to the African technologically adept. Now as asserted by Perry (2009) a brand is more than just a corporate symbol it is an intangible asset that provokes emotional responses from individuals which presents a sustainable competitive advantage. This entrepreneur must position his company’s brand to be able to leverage from being one of Botswana’s few companies that are committed to successful internet trading. Little is known of Group Little but this is an incentive not a deterrent because the brand can be driven in any direction that Forejustin sees proper to execute his vision. Even though his company was registered with the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property in 2009, not long ago every product and or service he introduces must align to the strategy of the company; he has to monitor Group Little’s identity, as the perception portrayed to customers over these few years is the one that affords the company to leverage on the brand premium. Realising that the company’s brand was its critical success factor efforts to protect his brand symbol from infringement were undertook; he decided to copyright the brand symbol. Distribution Comprehending their need for effective systems, Group Little has rationalized their distribution systems to enhance performance of their products. As an attempt to enhance the logistics execution and capabilities Mr Passman decided to form a synergy with Botswana Couriers. This he decided to do in order to quicken delivery of the gadgets sold, in contrast to sending the orders via Botswana Post with their renowned incompetence he decided to solidify his distribution by having an exclusive agreement with Couriers. As Meyer (2010) asserts exclusive distributor agreements will constitute a major impediment to the distributors if the distributor wants to switch from the commitment. In this synergy Group Little is offered discounts because of the volume of gadgets it trades around the country and basic efficiency in the distribution of the products is greatly enhanced. Technology It seems obvious yet still noteworthy that Group Little has technology as their trading platform has to remain on vigilant and aware of new technology developments. Most gadgets they sell use mobile applications, applications are pieces of software that are designed to fulfil a particular purpose, for Group Little that purpose simply is to make easy access to its website’s content and increase sales, therefore Group Little is in the process of having their own application. The entrepreneur has looked at engaging a company named Bright labs which operates in Tlokweng for the development of Group Little’s very own mobile application this will enable those who have bought these gadgets to also download the application and then browse for more products from Mr Forejustin Passman’s Group Little. 2. 5 Conclusion Forejustin Passman’s Group Little’s performance has been average, but if he can put measures in place to direct its strategy the company will realise its potential to become a benchmark e-business in Botswana and even in Africa. He simply needs to re-assess who he is and what Group Little is, a point of focus (the target market to approach, how he is going to approach that market). In addition he is required to solidify his networks as this is one business competence he has ignored and it will ultimately cost him and his business from growing from being a small medium enterprise to being the envisioned benchmark multinational. Contextualisation of Group Little’s business model also can provide an impetus its success as well, Mr Passman shall consider adopting traditional transaction means in order not to inhibit his business from reaching every possible customer. Bibliography Books 1. Meyer, R, Wit, B, (2010), Strategy-process, content, context an international perspective, 4ed, Hampshire: Cengage learning EMEA 2. Perry, B, (2009), Enterprise operations, Oxford: Cima publishing 3. Uhl-Bien. M, Schermerhorn J. R. , Hunt . J G, Osborn R. N, (2010), Organisational behaviour, Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons 4. Kay. F, (2010), Successful networks, London: Kogan Page 5. Yves, L, Goz, G. H, (1998), Alliance Advantage-The art of creating value through partners, Boston: Harvard business School Press. 6. Sugars. B, (2012), Super Size your sales, the entrepreneur, August, p. 2 7. Bessant J, Tidd J,(2011), innovation and entrepreneurship, 2ed, Sussex: John Wiley and sons 8. Moon. R, Gee. S, (2012), Creating business opportunity, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan 9. Mullins L. J, (2010), management & organisational behaviour, 9ed, Essex: Prentice Hall Websites 10. Multiply (2012): Spontaneous idealist [online] Available from: http://mirau. multiply. com/jo urnal/item/116/My-Personality-Type-Spontaneous ,[ accessed 14 December 2012] Appendix Personal reflection Studying real entrepreneurs and real companies always equips I as the student beyond lecture content. The study of this enterprise and Mr Forejustin Passman was a delight because I got to know interesting real aspects about business, I have learnt when in real business some academic theories will have to be set aside and suspended to deal with the challenges of real business. The more I researched I understood what differentiates successful entrepreneurs and unsuccessful entrepreneurs and that content I learnt were not part of the assignment requisite but I did learn This module lectures are also noteworthy, I figured this was a reiteration of Enterprise anagement I did in my second year, so lectures consisted of emphasis of year two material. Even though the material is more or less the same as of second year the assessment was interestingly structured, it was strategic rather than operational that seems like an obvious comment but this has really marked the difference in our approach. We were no longer just reporting facts, concepts and academic theories we had to apply and use our groomed understanding to critically analyse the business case.