Sierra Nevada’s

The Sierra Nevada mountain range stretches across the eastern side of the state of California. The range begins in the south at the Tehachapi Pass near Bakersfield and stretches north to Lake Almanor. The Sierra Nevada range is 400 miles long, north-to-south and has an average width of 70 miles wide. It was formed through subduction when the Pacific plate slid under the North American plate. The range is made up of deeply imbedded rock otherwise known as batholiths. The eastern slope of the mountains rose steeply which cause those slopes to be steep while the western sides are only gradually steep but not like the east 1. Thus the range provided as an early barrier to entrance into California and travelers had to go through the various passes to proceed, such as the famous Donner Pass. Although the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which in Spanish means the snowy range, is grandeur as a whole certain mountains and peaks throughout the range are more important. The biggest mountain of the whole would be Mount Whitney which happens to be the tallest mountain in all of the continental United States. Mount Whitney stands at a modest 14,505 feet. It is located right outside of the town of Lone Pine and is an obvious attraction because of its record holding. Therefore, many people are eager to reach the highest point in the US so a trail was built on the western slope to allow hikers to conquer the mountain. The main trail is the Mount Whitney trail and it is 21. 3 miles long and can be completed in a day 2. Other trails are also available but take longer and usually require overnight stays but do provide more views of the mountain. Mount Whitney is not the only mountain available to hike in the Sierra Nevada’s but is one of the most popular because of its sheer height. Another significant mountain in the range lies right up the US395 and is called Mammoth Mountain. Mammoth is actually an active volcano and was formed through a series of volcanic eruptions throughout the years. However, there are not any major eruptions anymore just minor ones. The mountain peaks at 11,059 feet but it contains a great ski resort that is actually the highest ski resort in California. Mammoth receives 400 plus inches of snow every year and is considered to be one of the best if not the best resort in California 3. Also, located near Mammoth Mountain is the National Monument called the Devil’s Postpile. It is a natural awe which is columnar basalt that is created by a lava flow that when slowly cooled and dried creates what looks like symmetrical posts. Before the site became a monument in 1911, declared by President Taft, it was almost blown up for the creation of a dam 4. Thankfully, the project was not completed or many sight seers would have not had the opportunity to see this amazing work of nature. Another spectacular sight in the Sierra Nevada range is the half dome at Yosemite National Park. The rock which is in the shape of a half dome rests above the Yosemite Valley and is a well known sight often used as a logo such as for the Sierra Club. Half Dome was formed by exfoliation where the rock cracks into sheets and then the missing face was carried away by the apparent glaciers that once filled the valley during the Pleistocene Ice Ages 5. However, geologists believe that there was never a full rock and that the current state of the rock is fairly close to what it looked like before the ice age. Nevertheless, Half Dome has dramatic views that hikers enjoy when climbing to the top. The park rangers are on site at the bottom of the rock from May to October when there are poles and wires attached to the rock to assist hikers in the 400 foot climb to the top of the rock. Basically, the Sierra’s offer numerous attractions as well as awesome views that can accommodate anyone who enjoys being outdoors and appreciates the wonders of nature. Works Cited â€Å"Devils Postpile National Monument (U. S. National Park Service). † U. S. National Park Service – Experience Your America. http://www. nps. gov/depo/index. htm (accessed February 20, 2011). â€Å"Mammoth Mountain – Skiing and Riding. † Mammoth Mountain Ski Area – Skiing, Snowboarding, Rentals, Lodging and More. http://www. mammothmountain. om/MountainActivities/WinterActivities/SkiingRiding/ (accessed February 20, 2011). â€Å"Mount Whitney: Climbing Mt Whitney. † Mount Whitney: Climbing Mt Whitney. http://www. mount-whitney. com/climbing_mt_whitney. php (accessed February 20, 2011). Resendes, Mary. â€Å"Geology of the Sierra Nevadas. † Central Sierra Historical Society. http://www. sierrahistorical. org/archives/geology. html (accessed February 20, 2011). â€Å"Yosemite National Park, California. † Learning Online @ MJC Home Page. http://virtual. yosemite. cc. ca. us/ghayes/yosemphot. htm (accessed February 20, 2011).

Health Care Marketing Information Matrix

Source of Health InformationType of Health-Related InformationMarketing MessagesHow the Consumer May Assess the Accuracy or Reliability of the Marketing Messages List the information source, such as Internet websites, WebMD, MedLine, or the news media. Type of information provided by the sourceList at least one marketing message being communicated to the consumer within this information source. List one approach the consumer may use to verify the accuracy of the marketing message.Example: Website relating to Zyrtec McNEIL-PPC, Inc. (n. d. ). Zyrtec. In Zyrtec. Retrieved from http://www. zyrtec. com/econsumer/zyrtec/index. view Example: Information relating to the use of Zyrtec in the treatment of allergiesExample: Zyrtec is a fast-acting allergy medicine that maintains its effect for 24 hours after a single dose. Example: Use the product to assess whether it works as stated. Web MD relating to appetite suppressants http://www. ebmd. com/diet/guide/weight-loss-prescription-weight-loss -medicineInformation relating to a prescription weight loss drug to treat obesityAppetite suppressants trick the body into believing it is not hungry or that it is full. The best way to ensure if the appetite suppressants are reliable are by purchasing the product and trying the product for a few weeks or months to see if it actually works. Website relating to Listerine http://www. listerine. om/products-why-mouth-rinse-at-nightInformation relating to an antiseptic mouth wash (Listerine) to kill plaque and gingivitis germs. Rinsing with Listerine twice a day cleans your whole mouth and kills plaque and gingivitis for 24 hoursListerine is the only branded anti- microbial mouthwash among OTC rinses to receive the ADA Seal of Acceptance. On the other hand, it has 25 years of research to validate it kills plaque and gingivitis. Website relating to Infants’ Motrin http://www. motrin. com/product_links/20? val=overview#Information relating to infants’ Motrin that support red ucing fever, sore throat, toothaches, and minor aches and pains due to the common cold Infants’ Motrin contains Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) over-the-counter. NSAIDs are effective in relieving pain and reducing fever. Follow the label carefully and shake well before using. Locate the dosing chart and apply dose based on the weight, otherwise age. Use the enclosed measuring device. Only use up to 4 times daily and give to child every 6- 8 hours.

A Doll’s House – Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a well written play portraying women's struggle for independence and security in the nineteenth century. The drama revolves around Nora, a traditional housewife, who struggles to find a way to save her husband's life while battling society's norms. Her decision to forge a check to help her husband, Torvald, went against the patriarchical laws of that time: her plan was to borrow money and save her ill husband's life. Krogstad, the antagonist, discovers her deceit and threatens to expose her lies. As a result, the protagonist is torn between telling the truth to her husband or attempting to cover it up to save her marriage. In the following analysis, I'll discuss Torvald and Nora's relationship and Torvald's general view of women. In addition, I will evaluate his attraction to Nora, focusing on his attitude on treating like a doll, or a child. Lastly, I'll discuss how and why Torvald spoils Nora by giving her what she wants. Torvald and Nora's relationship appears to be more of a father-daughter relationship rather than a traditional husband-wife relationship. He spoils her, and further, finds reason to rain affection on her: â€Å"He goes up to her and takes her playfully by the ear. † Torvald views the effeminate, dainty Nora as a child, and refuses to take her seriously. His view was very much like male dominant view of women in that era: women were innocent, naiive, little â€Å"skylarks† and â€Å"squirrels† who were helpless and vulnerable. Torvald also believes the measure of a women is her man and he reinforces that view when he toys with Nora, â€Å"There you are. Gives her money] Do you think I don't know what a lot is wanted for housekeeping at Christmas-time? † This example illustrates his control over Nora. Despite her asking for money, Torvald playfully lectures her, but ultimately hands her the money and fulfills her desires. His playfulness is another facet of the dominant male symbol, playing games with a women's mind to prove his manly independence. There are other instances where Torvald reinf orces the patriarchical view of European society. For example, when Nora and Torvald were discussing money and loans, Nora mentions that she wouldn't bother with people who lend her money. Torvald replies, â€Å"That is like a woman! † His statement is key to understanding their relationship. Nora reinforces the husband-daughter paradigm by playing the role of a naiive wife, which Torvald easily falls for. And when Nora brings up Krogstad, Torvald is even more surprised by her comments: â€Å"Nora, Nora, and you would be a party to that sort of thing? And to tell me a lie into the bargain? Torvald believes that Nora should be under his influence; thus, a dominant male's influence. His idealistic view of women reinforces his manly independence persona towards Nora and proves that he is of touch with play's reality. He also states his opinions about the upbringing of â€Å"morally corrupted† people. Torvald lays the blame on their mothers saying, â€Å"Almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a dec eitful mother. † Torvald is close minded and believes strongly that morally corrupt is due to mistakes of a female's (mother's) upbringing. Simultaneously, Torvald is attracted to Nora, because she gives him all the credit and feeds his ego. He strongly believes that without him, she would not be able to live her life. When Nora asks Torvald to go to the fancy-dress ball, he replies,† Aha! So my obstinate little woman is obliged to get someone to come to her rescue? â€Å". Torvald enjoys being her hero, which reinforces his manly independence. Time and again, he is there to ‘save' her. To be clear, Nora does not stop Torvald possessiveness over her, explaining â€Å"Torvald is so absurdly fond of me that he wants me absolutely to himself. Nora is an object he owns and controls, while Nora continues to take her role as damsel-in-distress. Nora plays perfectly the role of a young doll in a play house. Torvald treats her like a child, which allows her to exploit him. She continually manipulates him for her desires. When Nora, â€Å"[Smiling quietly and happily] You haven't any idea how many expenses we skyla rks and squirrels have, Torvald. † Whether its societal pressure or her own views, Nora allows herself to be treated like a child and allows her husband to feel as if he's in control of their elationship. She admits that she acts the way she is, because she thinks of, â€Å"How painful and humiliating for Torvald, with his manly independence; to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relationship†. Its ironic to realize that their entire relationship is based on lies. Torvald's main priority is to thrust his manly independence and power over Nora, as both play the part of actors in society's drama. Torvald challenges Nora's attitude and character in the hope of having her fit his idealistic view of women. Torvald wants an out-of-touch-with-reality Nora in his life. As Nora explains, â€Å"Torvald can't bear to see dress making going on. † Torvald does not want to see Nora as an independent and rebellious woman. Her true self is quite different to what she portrays, yet she continuously plays this character that Torvald will agree with. Torvald later forgives Nora for bringing up the topic of Krogstad employment: â€Å"because it is such eloquent witness to your great love for me. † This clearly shows that their relationship is ruled by the more powerful character. Torvald wants Nora to be this weak and submissive woman by spoiling her so that he ends up reinforcing his manly independence. He even says,†I am man enough to take everything upon myself. † He is taking credit from their relationship, and doesn't give Nora any credit, because she's a woman. She is only there to compliment him and feed his ego. However, Torvald is concerned when he sees Nora all worn out, â€Å"But dear Nora, you look so worn out. Have you been practicing too much? † Here, Torvald thinks that Nora's worn out, because of practicing the tambourine. The truth is that Nora is worn out because of practicing her character to suit Torvald's life and attempting to save her marriage. Ibsen's A Doll House proves to be a critique of the traditional roles of men and women in 19th Century marriage. Nora treated by her father as a doll-like child, continues to be treated by her husband in the same way. This is how we begin to understand how Torvald spoils Nora as an act of reinforcement of his manly independence rather than an act of love.

International Market Entry and Development Research Paper - 1

International Market Entry and Development - Research Paper Example Increase in the purchasing ability of the people is another important factor along with easy access.    1. Explain the process for market research to assess foreign market potential.   Market research is crucial before an entry is made into the international market. Research conducted should be realistic and complete. Market research helps in developing an efficient positioning. Overall the analysis should have complete information about the general economic conditions and the market information about the target market. Detail information about the foreign customers should be present related to whom the services and products will be offered, detailed information about the segment and the niche. Detailed information about the suppliers working in that particular country and the details about how the supply chain is managed is also necessary. Also another important factor is the way and method of entering the foreign market, the way we can enter the foreign market and reach to our possible customers. The approach is an indirect approach which is using an intermediary or an agent in order to enter the market or directly entering the market. Another way is through collective exporting, trading house and consortium. 2. Explain the considerations for product adaptation in foreign markets and common  approaches to adjusting promotional strategy to fit foreign markets.   It is important for the firms to properly examine and adapt different market strategies once they enter the foreign market compared to the strategies they are already working with in the domestic market. The effect of these strategies on the performance of the firm is also an important factor which needs to be analyzed. Marketing mix plays an important role here which once adopted is very useful as it is based on the previous adaption strategies of the firm .Firms need to evaluate the importance if these marketing mix component so that they can analyze and check the possibilities of the firmâ⠂¬â„¢s success in it. The promotional strategies are also checked and analyzed again as a proper set of strategies defines the firm’s competitive advantage which is the basic tool for a firm’s success and performance in the foreign market. Market expansion helps a country in a lot of ways from increasing the sale of its product or the services offered which then increases the revenue generated from the products. Expanded market is great for the product category and also it helps in increasing the generic needs. It overall expands the size of the customer’s budget and acquires a share from it. 3. Explain the strategic marketing planning process, strategies for entering foreign  markets, and considerations for subsequent market expansion.   There are various ways and options which a firm can use once it has decided to enter the overseas market. Factors like cost, risk, degree of control and revenue generation are few factors which are kept in mind before the f inal decision is made of entering the foreign market. A simple form of entering into the foreign market is exporting which is through direct or indirect methods which include using agents when a former, countertrade or the final exporting decision is made. Another way of entering into an international market includes joint ventures or export processing zones (Blackwell Reference Online, 2012) Export strategy needs to be finalized along with deciding the specific channels

Think of an incident in your life when you felt pressured to go Essay

Think of an incident in your life when you felt pressured to go against your parents or religion. tell what happened, who pressured you and why, why you confirm - Essay Example Whether this is an all-powerful God, an uninvolved Creator or some sort of ‘alien’ life form I will not discuss here. Just suffice it to say that the same is some sort of a more powerful being which probably takes at least some interest in the actions of those that He has created or placed here on this Earth. The incident which I want to share with you is one that literally shook the foundations of my life. It brought a sense of going against my parents and more specifically my father. My issue was with my father who was an alcohol addict and for that reason I literally abhorred the very idea that I was his child. He has realized that he could have let go on this bad habit of his. Yet somehow or the other he found himself stuck in a quagmire of which he cannot find any solace. Alcohol addition has completely ruined his life and it has left him in shambles in front of one and all. The extent of his involvement was so immense that he did not have any knowledge of what was happening around him. He had some responsibilities to fulfill, some loving people surrounding him who had expectations from him but all this just went out of the window when he got himself into this bad habit. I was taken aback in the whole situation since everything was going against me and this sounded as a pretty pathetic circumstance for me, so to speak. This situation made me feel pressurized too much, so much so that I started losing concentration on many things that I used to do. I did not have my mind and energies towards different projects and activities that I did. The incident completely broke me from inside and the worst part of it was that I was not ready for all this. My pressure came from the different relationships in which I was tied. I had to take care of my father as well as my mother and siblings who were equally troubled by my father’s distress.

A critical review of the reading materials Assignment

A critical review of the reading materials - Assignment Example The review credits the rise of the Western type of film to that of a way to reflect on American history. The author of the article hints toward the fact that sometimes a rise in a certain area of movies has a particular motive in terms of influencing society. I had never really thought of it like that but in times where there are different societal issues, it does seem true that within the realm of film, media is another way to influence or inform a whole audience, several theaters or DVDs at a time. It seems as if there is one movie about one type of subject, then a few others pop up to mimic it or have similar story lines all around the same time (especially if a movie has performed exceptionally well at the box office within its initial running). Unforgiven begins with a fast pace cut from opening credits which the author of the article discusses. There is brutality shown in the context of the film and establishes where the movie is to be set. It is apparent through the use of characters such as a cowboy and a whore, guns and a saloon in the initial setting that this will be a Western film and early on establishes that with the films audience. This sets the initial mood of the film rather fast and the descriptiveness the author used to describe the opening scenes is somewhat intense and summarizes the scene of violence. Not only is the setting of the film to be in a small one-horse town but it is noted early on that this is a reflection to the olden days when trains were a useful means of transport. It also indicates that there is some level of civilization or industry as symbolized by the railroad shown in the film. Though a person has to travel to the nearby railroad, this is also symbolic that this is small town that is a little bit off of the regular beaten path but is connected to the rest of the world regardless. The author continues to describe events in the

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Research Paper Example Furthermore, the paper will also provide my own viewpoint regarding a positive relationship between the people of Middle East and the USA. After reading different course books, study material, and presentations on the topic I am glad to say that I have a complete different perspective regarding the Middle East. My pool of knowledge has increased through the videos I have watched and the news I have read as a part of the course. Initially, I did not have a clear understanding regarding the entire Middle East. I was familiar with only chief countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and U.A.E. etc., however, it was because of this course that I am able to understand the inside stories of various countries in Middle East, which I did not know. Moreover, it has also allowed me to observe things from a neutral perspective. The environment of Middle East is usually hot, dry, and humid. There are vast deserts in the region encompassing hundreds of kilometers. This does not let irrigation or agricu lture in most of the Middle Eastern countries. However, it came to my knowledge that regardless of this extreme dry weather, the region produces date palms and olives in large quantities. Both these commodities are the chief intake for many within the Middle East. Moreover, the oil reservoirs in the Arab countries surpass the oil reserves of any other region in the world1. This, however, is a bit frightening as various conflicts are present over the issue of oil reserves in the Middle East. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE, etc are all major exporters of oil to the international markets and member of OPEC2. It is through the export of oil to the rest of the world particularly the West that the countries are able to meet their economic needs. Sadly, the war, which started between America and some member countries of the Middle East, has given rise to various issues. The war led by America in the name of war against terrorism has killed as many as 1000,000 Iraqi s so far since 2003 and has also destroyed various cities and oil reserves of the region3. It is not appropriate for me at this stage to decide whether it is the war against terrorism or to conquer the extensive oil reserves. It was indeed sad for me to know that the conflict started after the issue of 9/11 in which thousands of US citizens along with others were killed. 5 Guantanamo detainees claimed the attack. They held themselves responsible for the attack saying that it was a response to the support of US for Israel4. The Middle Eastern particularly the Palestinians have suffered a lot because of the wars that are led by Israel. The Jews always had issues with the Muslims and so did the Muslims with Jews. This gave rise to various conflicts inside and outside the Middle East. Many did not appreciate the support of US for Israel. Islam is the major religion that is practiced in the Middle Eastern countries as per the guidelines given to them through the Quran. The Jews are consi dered as anti-Muslim element. They have always tried to lower the esteem of Muslims through different wars, conflicts and debates. In my perspective, this is huge cycle in which all issues are interconnected to each other in one way or another5. According to my critical thinking, the reason behind the rise of these issues is the conflict between Israel and

Gender Roles In The Second World War (UK) Essay

Gender Roles In The Second World War (UK) - Essay Example The term begins to take new meaning at the beginning of feminist’s movement who asked for equal rights, so it was called the first wave of feminism. The movement was briefly forgotten during the war upon which, feminism took a new meaning for them, that of leaving the patriarchal society to become members of the men’s world. The study of Ziegler, Kathryn, refers to two kinds of feminity, one is conventional and the other is the formidable femininity. To her, conventional roles are those associated with docility, passivity, and weakness. A formidable feminity has a redefined role in that they use their bodies to enact manly techniques. Their femininity is redefined as their performances are constituted with fighting, feminine fashions, and sexiness. Thus Kathryn, Ziegler, said, formidable femininity â€Å"diminish their dependence on men, maintain their femininity. She concludes that women can be both feminine and formidable at the same time. They can learn to protect t hemselves by learning techniques for fighting.Feminity is also defined by Brownmiller, Susan, as â€Å"making oneself as harmless, and that the feminine principle is composed of compliance and conflict†. Brownmiller argues that femininity merges female weaknesses with conflict avoidance. Brownmiller is a controversial writer because of her assertion that â€Å"rape is a process of intimidation in which all men keep women in a state of fear† She said rape is a tool used by men ever since as a form of oppression to women.

Business Function Integration Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Function Integration Paper - Assignment Example This paper declares that the human resource department, for instance, is responsible for helping an organization attain some of its targets. This is by managing the employees in the firm, and dealing with issues that may rise in the organization. Human resource is linked directly to employees in a firm since it is responsible for how they behave and relate to each other. Professional behaviour creates a pleasant working environment for everyone, thus ensuring an organization’s exceptional performance. This essay makes a conclusion that if one department fails to achieve the targets that are present in the organization, then all the functional areas are bound to fail. This means that all of them need to work together. No one functional area is seen as being superior to another. The togetherness ensures that all of them work toward the organization’s goals. This also prevents conflict, in the long run. Conflict that may emanate from employees who might presumably think their functions in the organization are above others. It is vital for organizations to realise that, in order to achieve success, it is best they look for functional areas that best suit them. The integration of these areas may mean that they will be better placed to tackle issues that may arise. This enables an organization realise its main objectives, and maintain their place at the top. This integration will determine this, and it is through proper management that success will arise.

The benefits of technology in giving presentations Essay

The benefits of technology in giving presentations - Essay Example Nowhere has the development of technology had a greater impact than in the domain of communication. In the world of academia and business, the usage of proprietary software like Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook have become quite common. The PowerPoint software in particular is a potent tool in giving presentations. Students use it to present their seminars; lecturers and professors use it to impart knowledge to their students; and business executives use it to convey ideas to their team members. In this sense, one could say that the use of technology in the world of colleges and business corporations has become quite pervasive. There are some decisive advantages in using tools such as PowerPoint over conventional chalk and black board. A PowerPoint presentation can be prepared beforehand whereas someone using white chalk on black board has to write down during the lecture. Moreover, using chalk can be cumbersome and clumsy compared to using PowerPoint. For example, the latter gives the user flexibility with respect to choice of template, font size, audio-visual options, color schemes, editing facilities, etc, which are not available in conventional methods used to give presentations. An allied tool that is used alongside PowerPoint is the overhead projector. Basically, the projector helps to magnify and display the content written in the PowerPoint slide onto a large white screen. The projector also allows the presenter to use light beam as a pointing tool. Moreover, the light shed by the projector on to the screen is quite bright, making it easier for the audience to focus on the lecture. The other striking aspect of technologically powered tools such as PowerPoint is provisions made by them for customizing the content. Instead of restricting the content creator with rigid templates and formats, these tools provide a range of customizing options that can be utilized to tailor the presentation to specific needs. While the overhead

Translating the Sixties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Translating the Sixties - Essay Example According to Joshua, this 60s decade was also termed the Swinging Sixties due to the relaxation or fall of some of the social taboos especially those that are related to the racism and sexism that took place during that time. However, the 1960s decade has resultantly become synonymous with the new subversive and radical trends and events of the period, which developed continually between the 1970s through to 1990s and beyond. Therefore this paper seeks to highlight how Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, translated the period, what was different about the story in illustrating the events of the sixties than the real thing. In addition, the paper will assess how the constellation of the historical moments of the 60s ended through discussion of the social, cultural, economic, and political events of the decade ended or changed according to the story, The Things They Carried. In accordance to Tim O'Brien's writings, the 1960s decade was also characterized by war movements. The Vietnam War eventually would have resulted to the commitment of more than a half a million troops of Americans that could result into the deaths of over 58500 Americans that may have produced an anti war movement in large scale in the American nations. By 1965, some few Americans made efforts to protest the involvement of America in the Vietnam War. The war however continued and the dead counts multiplied leading to the escalation of the civil unrest. The students and campuses of various Universities became so powerful and had disruptive force which sparked debates over the war nationally. Doubts about the war within the administration itself arose as the ideals of the movements spread beyond the university campuses. There was a mass movement that opposed the war of Vietnam that eventually ended the mass of the Moratorium protests in the year 1969 alongside the movement that resisted conscription for the war. In Tim O'Brien's short story The Things They Carried, the a trocious physical fears and conditions of a man that he is subjected to in order to have his reputation save is clearly revealed. The story illustrates the events of 1968, a story concerning the Infantry Platoon who fights in the Vietnam jungles including the weight which were both emotional and physical that they had to carry. The modern warriors of the day were particularly equipped with everything one could imagine. The book tries to translate the events of the sixties from what happened to the real things, according to Tim O'Brien, necessity determined most of the things they carried. Some of those things they had to carry as dictated by necessity were the pocketknives can openers, flak jackets, and helmets (O'Brien 281). Additionally, they carried other things that were basically determined by particular ranks of the warriors and their specialty such as weapons, radios, and ammunition (O'Brien 283). Superstition also contributed to the selection of some of the items they carrie s. These are things that were common with war in the sixties. For instance, a particular soldier carried a thumb cut from a dead VC body and another had the foot of a rabbit. The soldiers also carried other items that served the purposes of emotional comfort such as a pair of the pantyhose belonging to their girlfriends and bibles (O'Brien 287). The conditions of the weather in Vietnam were particularly harsh, humid and hot days and nights which were

Wal Mart s Competitive Advantage Essay Example for Free

Wal Mart s Competitive Advantage Essay Wal-Mart, likely the nation’s most popular discounter, entered the market at the right time, when the barriers to entry were low. Benefiting from first mover advantage, Wal-Mart moved into markets that were not already served by competitors and was able to set higher prices in these areas (6). Conversely, to compensate for low margins in areas heavily congested with competition, it cut costs (1). With an aim to offer low prices, the Company soon learned that it needed to trim its expenses and establish itself as a lean organization, eventually leading to profitability and strong competitive advantage. Refer to Exhibit 1 for Wal-Mart’s successful performance, compared to the rest of the industry, as well as the sections below for an explanation by expense item. Cost of Goods Sold Inventory logistics were positive. Turnover exceeded 4.5 in the mid-1980s, well above that of competitors and trucks were 60% full on backhauls (4). In addition, getting in the forefront of technology allowed for lower overhead costs. The use of UPC scanning increased: from 25 stores in 1983 to 91 stores in 1984 and 235 stores in 1985 (5). Even though the Company catered to a vast market, offering 36 merchandise departments across 70,000 SKUs, it was able to remain highly organized with a computerized system to track inventory, which set itself apart from its peers, as well as a central computer at headquarters, which was updated on a weekly basis (5), the accuracy of which led to efficiencies. The Company shopped around with its vendors, using around 3,000 of them, taking â€Å"no more than a fifth of its volume from any one vendor† (3). In 1984, the cost of inbound logistics was 50% that of the industry at 2.8% of sales (4). Still, Wal-Mart’s cost of goods sold was almost 2% higher than the industry average of 71.9%. Given the lack of distributors who would be able to offer competitive pricing, Wal-Mart built its own warehouse in 1970. By the mid-1980s, Wal-Mart’s five distribution centers served the rapidly expanding number of stores – over 850 stores, meanwhile racking on steep upfront expenditures. Operating Expenses Payroll Expense The Company was able to minimize employee costs by paying low wages (7), meanwhile keeping employees happy, in hopes of avoiding turnover costs. In 1984, Wal-Mart’s salary expense was approximately 1% lower than that of the industry. Unlike its competitors, the Company’s 12 regional VPs all lived in surrounding areas, enabling intimate visibility over a relatively smaller geographic network, which ultimately saved the Company about 2% of sales by not having to set up regional offices. However, contrary to intuition, this decrease in expenses did not adversely impact anyone at the Company. Instead, the offsetting increase in costs resulted in a company-wide benefit as Wal-Mart offered profit sharing, employee stock purchase plans, bonuses, and rewards for low shrinkage. With its â€Å"people-focused† initiatives, Wal-Mart was able to use intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to show employees how much they were appreciated. There was a huge emphasis on communication as management strived to be as transparent as possible with lower level staff. For example, executives came into the office for meetings on Saturdays, then disseminated the latest updates downward, starting with the regional managers, district managers, store managers, and so forth. With its personable CEO, who â€Å"kept a pledge to put on a grass skirt and dance hula on Wall Street to celebrate the achievement,† Wal-Mart was able to distinguish itself and was named one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States (7-8). Advertising Expense Refer to Exhibit 1 for a high level summary, as well as Exhibit 2 for a more detailed breakdown, of the Company’s advertising expense compared to the higher industry average. Marketers placed a heavy emphasis on low prices with tag lines such as â€Å"we sell for less† (5) or â€Å"everyday low prices† (6). As expected, the cost of advertising was directly correlated with the launch of new stores (6), as well as the location of those stores (i.e. cosmopolitan areas would be more costly): after entering a new area and establishing itself, Wal-Mart would then scale back advertising in that area. Branded merchandise, which made up the bulk of the inventory, was mostly nationally advertised (5), thus quickly building brand awareness among consumers. Rental Expense Rental expense at Wal-Mart was 0.3% lower than that of the industry. A large part of this was attributable to the fact that Wal-Mart did not permanently lock itself down to a certain location; of the 859 stores in the mid-1980s, 812 were leased. With the flexibility to move during flourishing times, the size of an average Wal-Mart store went from 42,000 square feet in 1975 to 57,000+ square feet in 1985 (3). In addition, the Company made a smart decision to stay out of locations that could not be expanded, again showing the Company’s long-term, instead of short-term, mindset. Counter-Intuitive Comparisons After further analysis of Wal-Mart’s costs in 1984, we encountered findings in the data that was counter-intuitive to the costs that we would expect to see from the most successful discount retailer of its time. Naturally, the area in which we would expect Wal-Mart to exhibit higher than average cost savings compared to the industry average would be in Cost of Goods Sold. However in 1984, Wal-Mart’s COGS at 73.8% was almost 2% higher than the industry average. As mentioned above, Wal-Mart’s system contained over 70,000 SKUs, a number larger than most other discount retailers which would lead one to believe that a high volume discounter like Wal-Mart would achieve economies of scale to produce a COGS lower than the industry average. Next, due to Wal-Mart’s efficient distribution network, inventory did not back up in storage as quickly as other retailers. Wal-Mart boasted inventory turn 4.5 times in the mid-1980s, which was higher than the industry average. With reduced inventory levels due to the speed at which Wal-Mart was selling its inventory, this would lead one to believe that there would be a smaller amount of ending inventory to subtract from beginning and purchased inventory. Expansion â€Å"Being the first warehouse club to solicit and introduce the concept in a market can be a major competitive advantage† (9). As a result of the distinctive features mentioned above, Wal-Mart was able to set itself apart from its peers and rise to the top of the industry. In 1984, it started to diversify by starting three new ventures, the most notable of which was  Sam’s, a warehouse club. The Company expanded from three stores in 1983 to 11 stores in 1984 and 23 stores in 1985. It took what it learned from the Wal-Mart venture and applied it to Sam’s accordingly. Conclusion Over the years, Wal-Mart’s success grew and it distinguished itself from its competitors, thus enabling the Company to expand its operations and diversify into the warehouse club market with the now-renown Sam’s Club. David Glass (later Wal-Mart’s president and chief operating officer) summarized the Company’s history best when he said: â€Å" ‘We are always pushing from the inside out. We never jump and then backfill.’ † (3) Instead of becoming greedy and aggressively dominating the market, the Company did so steadily over time; by not taking on more than it could handle, the Company was able to strategically position itself. In the years to follow, Wal-Mart’s market value was twice that of its competitor, K mart, even though it was a third as large.

HR Practices: Mergers and Acquisitions

HR Practices: Mergers and Acquisitions The purpose of this research is to recapitulate and discuss whether the contribution of a HR is effective in the success of cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions. This paper will discuss the common reasons for the success and failures of mergers and acquisitions, HR practices critical to successful combination and their role. Mergers and Acquisitions have become an unaccountable fact in recent years and it is a part of big business. In the early years, mergers and acquisitions researches are focussed on the financial and strategic issues. But the recent literature focuses on the Human Resources aspect of mergers and acquisitions. Merger can be defined as the combination of two or more companies merge or forming a new company. Whereas, Acquisitions are the process of purchasing one or more companies with no new companies are formed. This proposal will focus on a particular question (i.e.) whether the HR role is an effective tool for a company in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The earlier research paper which focussed on this topic has marked their fulfilment. HR function is becoming a strategic player in business. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW: The Human Resources issues are handled in a unique way during the acquisition process which is essential for the successful outcome. In more, the management of the acquiring companies realizes the early need for incorporating human resources in their acquisition strategy. Making mergers and acquisitions in other countries is one way in which firms can absorb expertise and new practices, but many firms are not successfully tapping the diversity of practice that international mergers and acquisitions bring. This has a clear implication on the performance of organizations growing in this way. The Conference Board (1997) report states failure to recognize that HR issues are capable of derailing alliances that have all the prospects of financial success. In cross-border mergers and acquisitions, information regarding the merging or acquiring company is imposed and their impact on employees is more urgent for the acquired firm in order to understand the goals or ideas and the philosophy of the foreign acquiring company. Moreover, for the acquiring or merging company, should understand the local workforce, work conditions, national and organizational cultures and customs which is important in managing the integration process more effectively. In one cross-border merger or acquisition, the employees are not used in communication from top management, and consequently, communication after the merging or acquisition is an indication of weakness on the part of the acquiring company [Schweiger et al (1993, p.64)]. Therefore, in cross-border mergers and acquisitions the management team has an additional difficulty of understanding cultural issues, customs and incorporating them in the design of the integration process. Nowadays, mergers and acquisitions are a growing trend, and analysts in this field dont see any downturn over the next 10 years. Therefore, the need is to look at how human resources professionals can be effective in the success of an acquisition or merger. In the long run successful mergers and acquisitions occur when both sides are open to new possibilities. Merger and Acquisition activity presents a different and unique set of challenge for the human resource managers in both acquiring and acquired firms. This activity is found to have serious impact on the performance of the employees during the period of transition. The different practices in human resources, cultural differences, and differ Certain key issues that HR needs to address if the chances of success are to be effective includes: understanding, prior situation on acquisition, the strategic rationale underpinning the deal, opportunities to identify the cultural differences prior to a deal, so that effective integration programmes can be implemented immediately post-deal, the appointment of new management teams at all levels in the business, and exercising caution in estimating both the timeframe and the potential cost of redundancies and the costs of pragmatism are factored into the deal establishing early a flexible project management process, and ensuring that it has the necessary time, resources and processes to manage the transition communicating consistently, truthfully and when necessary. 3. METHODOLOGY: This proposal is to deliver the importance and need of human resources practices in mergers and acquisitions. In the early business the knowledge of human resources are very low and hence there is no chance of using it. But nowadays, it has been viewed a dramatic development among the organizations. Thus its essential to use these human resources professionals to be much more successful in mergers and acquisitions especially in cross-borders. This research proposal also showcase the handling of HR issues during international mergers and acquisitions is highly political which means that a lot of key issues reflect the competing interests of different groups within the merged firm. Hence, lot of issues are resolved in the way of negotiations and compromises between the two parties of the merger. The dynamics of cross-border mergers and acquisitions are relatively similar to those of domestic MAs. But, due to their international nature, they also involve typical challenges, as countries have different economic and cultural structures. Cross-border merger and acquisitions can be used to access nw markets, as well as expand the market for a firms current goods. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CROSS-BORDER MAS AS A DYNAMIC LEARNING PROCESS: *The due diligence process in cross-border MA: To identify appropriate acquisition targets and to negotiate and effectively complete acquisitions requires a thorough due diligence process. This process has features similar to the due diligence for domestic MAs. However, it is complicated by a few elements such as different institutional environments between the two firms and their two different cultures that appear even more crucial in cross-border MAs (Angwin, 2001). * The negotiation process in cross-border MA: Once the target firm has been selected and the initial due diligence process has been completed, the acquiring firm often has to settle the transaction to conclude the deal. Thus, the negotiation process becomes important. * The integration process in cross-border MA: The integration process is highly critical and important process for the success of the most acquisitions whether it is a domestic or international. While research on post MA integration, especially in cross-border MA, is very limited. DIFFRERNT METHODS OR APPROCHES IN MA: *Three Phase Approach: The human resource issues in the mergers and acquisitions (MA) can be classified in three phases. The literature source [e.g. Jansen 2000; Haspeslagh/Jemison 1991] provides ample evidence of difference in between the human resource activities in the two stages: the Pre-MA phase and Post MA phase. The first stage consists of preparation phase and transaction phase and the second stage has integration phase. The preparation phase diagram explains the need for a merger or acquisitions, which have been given by the companies objectives. There are many Human Resource issues along with other issues in the first phase. The preparation phase involves in the valuation of the cultural and organizational differences, which will include the organizational cultures, role of leaders in the organization, life cycle of the organization, and the management styles. The mergers often prove to be awful for the employees of acquired firms and their impact can range from anger to depression. The Transaction phase includes the search for an appropriate target company, the valuation, legal and financial negotiation. The last phase, integration, consists of fusing the two companies into one. The main idea for the merger and acquisition are similar, e.g. a respond to revolutionary change in the industry, the asset of funds to spare, the increase of shareholder value, the exploitation of economy of scale and scope [Haspeslagh/Jemison 1991; Gerpott 1993; von Krogh, et al. 1994]. *Multistage Approach: Factors affecting pre-merger planning and cross-border MA implementation processes are due diligence processes, and ultimately premium paid, influence the post-acquisition integration approach choice, speed of implementation process, transition management structure and cross-border MA. *Multidisciplinary Studies: The influence of strategic factors vary in MA in different countries, industries (high-tech vs. traditional). Insights can perspectives from strategy, organisational behaviour, international management, psychology, sociology, anthropology and other disciplines provide to our understanding of the nature, antecedents and cross-border merger and acquisition. *Multilevel Approach: This approach explains about the influence of the strategic factors, such as related vs. unrelated MA, which affect individuals stress, attitudes, and turnover in cross-border merger and acquisitions. Various human resources practices influence the effectiveness of post-acquisition integration and finally the overall merger and acquisition performance measures in cross-border MA. ETHICAL ISSUES: Mergers and Acquisitions are always involved in a wide range of questions. When two companies are merging with each other, a mismatch between them can sometimes lead to very serious problems such as when one firm invests heavily on the labour and another firm focuses on share holders and customers. In cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions these issues can happen because of their cultural and legal differences. In the case of such differences, the human resources professionals of merging companies should fight with the differences and indentify the fair sets of issues between them and what help them to build a cohesive organization with a single set of ethical standards. The specific aim of this research proposal is to review the current literature and some research by very reputable researchers to identify a best practise for human resource professionals in the cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The earlier research also suggests that up to 65% of mergers and acquisitions are failed due to the human resources which results n poor productivity. This proposal will deeply concentrate on the cultural and legal differences in the cross border mergers and acquisitions which can be solved by the effective human resources. TIMEFRAME and FEASIBLITY: There are three stages or elements of cross-border acquisition process anywhere around the world are Identification and valuation stage, Settlement of the transaction stage, Post acquisition management. *Identification and Valuation: To identify the target firm by entering a highly developed market which offers the widest choice of publicly traded firms with relatively well-defined markets. Once the identification of target firm is finished then the valuation process starts immediately. In todays global business a variety of valuation techniques are used with its relative merits. *Settlement of the transaction: Once the acquisition target company has been identified and valued, there comes the settlement stage which is time consuming and complex. This stage has three steps such as, tender process, regulatory approval, compensation settlement. Post acquisition management is the most critical of the three stages in determining an acquisitions success or failure. An acquiring firm can pay too little or too much, but if the post transaction is not managed effectively, the entire return on the investment is wasted. In this stage the motivations for the transaction must be realized. 4. RESEARCH CONTEXT: The purpose of this research is to recapitulate and discuss whether the contribution of a HR is effective in the success of cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions. In the early years, mergers and acquisitions researches are focussed on the financial and strategic issues. But the recent literature focuses on the Human Resources aspect of mergers and acquisitions. Merger can be defined as the combination of two or more companies merge or forming a new company. Whereas, Acquisitions are the process of purchasing one or more companies with no new companies are formed. The specific aim of this research proposal is to review the current literature and some research by very reputable researchers to identify a best practise for human resource professionals in the cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Previous research paper from CIPD had demonstrated the way these issues are handled is strongly conditioned by the national systems. One feature of this is that the nationality of the dominant firm in a merger or acquisition leads to a country of origin effect, while another feature is the unique institutions and the culture of each national system that creates a host country effect. In cross-border mergers and acquisitions, information regarding the merging or acquiring company is imposed and their impact on employees is more urgent for the acquired firm in order to understand the goals or ideas and the philosophy of the foreign acquiring company. Merger and Acquisition activity presents a different and unique set of challenge for the human resource managers in both acquiring and acquired firms. This activity is found to have serious impact on the performance of the employees during the period of transition. Research on post-acquisition activities is limited and the study of post-acquisition and merger change has been rather fragmented. 5. FINDINGS: Human Resources role in Merger and Acquisition transactions can have a critical impact on deal outcomes. Factors such as the success and failure rates of Merger and Acquisition, motives of merger and merger types and provide significant insight into the reasoning for the exceptional role of HR in MA deals. In spite of the literature supporting the critical importance of Human Resources involvement in all phases of a transaction for the execution of successful MA, the empirical evidence suggests that there is little actual participation of Human Resources at the strategic level. The overall findings of a study conducted by the London School of Business (Hunt et al 1987) found that the Human Resources function is a theory or hypothesis to have a minimal, if any, role to play in the Merger and Acquisition process [http://airaanz.econ.usyd.edu.au/papers/Bennett.pdf]. Across the globe these finding results, are considered to be the whole Merger and Acquisition process or particular stages of the transaction such as identifying a target, negotiation, planning, implementation. 6. CONCLUSION: The challenges of HR is becoming much more difficult when it is compared with others in the business. Nowadays, HR functions are growing along with firms undergoing mergers and acquisitions. This proposal is the first stage of an ongoing research project. It has served two main purposes. The first has been to provide an authoritative picture of the nature of Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions which shedding light on the nature of the HR function, the characteristics of HR policies and the process of organisational learning. The key to managing many integration issues successfully is an effective communication. This highlights the comprehensive communications strategy and implementing it with care and diligence. Thus the effective contribution of the Human Resources in the cross-border mergers and acquisitions are discussed and the key factors have been explained. Becoming an effective HR player adds the measurable economic value to firms in Cross-Border MA. REFERENCES: FAULKNER, D., PITKETHLY, R. and CHILD, J. (2002) International mergers and acquisitions in the UK 1985-94: a comparison of national HRM practices. International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol 13, No 1. Pp106-122. CIPD. (2003) The HR role in international mergers and acquisitions. Research Report. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. pp1-35. Bijlsma-Frankema K., 2001, On Managing Cultural Integration and Cultural Change Processes in Mergers and Acquisitions, Journal of European Industrial Training, pp. 192-207. Griffith, V., 2000, The People Factor in Post Merger Integration, Strategy Business, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 83-90. http://www.bizresearchpapers.com/17%5B1%5D.Plessis.pdf http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4467/is_10_54/ai_66499153/pg_4/?tag=content;col1 http://www.123eng.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=137357 http://www.cyberessays.com/Term-Paper-on-The-Role-Of-Hr-In-Mergers/2451/ http://xlrisapphire.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/the-role-of-hr-in-merger s-acquisitions/ http://www.pearsoned.co.nz/LinkedFiles/Free/9780733980848/Eiteman-CH22.pdf http://faculty.business.utsa.edu/kshimizu/Publication/Cross-border%20MA%20%28JIM%29.pdf http://airaanz.econ.usyd.edu.au/papers/Bennett.pdf http://www.ifb.unisg.ch/org/ifb/ifbweb.nsf/SysWebRessources/beitrag48/$FILE/DB48.pdf http://stdwww.iimahd.ernet.in/~sandeepk/merger.pdf http://www.eurojournals.com/IRJFE4%208%20dimitrios.pdf http://www.chrs.rutgers.edu/pub_documents/Beatty-Schneier%20-%20New%20Roles%20-%20Partners%20to%20Players.pdf

Women In 20th Century Europe

Women In 20th Century Europe Women are the blessings; they are a gift from God because they play a vital role in every part of our life. From being infant till maturity an individual just need his mother to feed him, to control him, to motivate him, to love and to encourage him. (Young, 2010) Those unfortunate who had lost their mother during childhood can better understand the importance of women. Women are able to serve men in every form that is a mother care for her child since birth, then a sister assists her brother in solving his problems, a wife supports her husband in order to make him successful and finally a daughter holds her fathers hand in order to share burden and difficulties. Role of women can never be forgotten. They are an essential element since years and are struggling a lot for their family, their children and for their state. Before fifteenth century women were not given such regards, respect and honor as in today; but after eighteenth century women took the challenge to prove them as material by serving the world during World Wars (Pepek, 2000). After the advents of French Revolution, there were crises everywhere that is, economic crises, people were not able to meet up their needs because of rise in bread prices, then financial crises because of France being bankrupt, social crises, etc. Both women and children were treated in a ruthless manner, they were threatened, coerced and thousands of women and children got dead. Due to which people start to migrate from Europe to other parts of the world (Stoff, 2008). People before eighteenth century were not very much educated, they were illiterate who dont know the difference between right and wrong, they were strong so they had ruled over women. Due to poor level of education, women were unaware of their basic rights so they follow the rules of their society that is they did the same as their mothers and sisters did in past. They consider them as inferior and men as dominant authority (Helms, 1997). In Europe women were not allowed to enter in any reputable position, they were not a part of business world; they were not allowed to move beyond the four walls of house. Women were interested to serve their nation, so they themselves hold authority and led out certain movements for independence (Tudor, 2000). Actually after French Revolution, several wars and events were conducted that is First World War and Second World War, Napoleon Era, Colonial period, Civil Pact, Russian Revolution, European Union, Cold War, etc. In all such events women played a vital role; proved themselves as materialistic, they hold guns, they serve as nurses, they led out movements for independence, they did food strikes, etc. Finally in twentieth century women entered in business world; they enhanced their level of education, their market experience and took steps to further diverse their powers. After European Union, women quickly gained independence, they move out from their houses to work along with men. They gained voting rights and their presence was then confirmed by government. Explanation: Women have worked so long that it cannot be restricted to introduction only and if the topic is on European women then one can discuss up to years and years because history has discussed a lot about their efforts. Women always had an influential and powerful role in the prosperity, affluence and growth of any group of people (Radek, 2006). These roles have varied depending on the time period, geography and race of the people. As explained above that before eighteenth century European women performed as a care taker, as a nurse or as a mother, but women of twentieth century was a ruler, a warrior, professionals or a teacher. Speaking about women of Europe then they are renowned for their hard work, bravery and valor. Besides being servants or the one who had faced a lot of restrictions they were still had a lot of passion and spirit to prove them. Later women became an agent to satisfy needs of people, to resolve their problems and to improve life conditions of women in European Union (Helms, 1997). During the times of war, European families suffered from financial crises, in that era, they were under privileged to hold servants so women worked like slaves, that is, besides holding household duties they worked a lot for freedom movements (Pepek, 2000). Usually their day begin with starting the fire, then milking the cows, and creating cream and butter, that what the life style of poor European women then they spent the bulk of her morning preparing food for the day and bread for the dinner. Their afternoons were every now and then taken up by functioning in the garden, restoration, or taking grain to the miller (Young, 2010). Besides being a daily house wife, her point in time also was seasonal, as she had to elevate the farm animals, make sausage, maintain bacon, and comprehensive the sewing of clothes. The workload obviously didnt get easier for the women. They also had to take care of their own children as well (Stoff, 2008). There role was even harsh then that of men, they were only responsible for earnings but European women has to hold those earnings to adjust their life in accordance with the desired money. At the commencement or inception of the twentieth century, the thoughts or ideas of nineteenth century on the subject of the separate, and incontrovertibly paradoxical, natures of men and women, which had been further exaggerated by the industrial revolution in defining computerized manual labor as the province or territory of men and the domestic responsibilities as the ordinary or natural domain of women, men and womens relationships to and with each other in addition to society change (Helms, 1997). It was because they have realized the importance of women and the power they have, so a natural thought appear that the one who supports in crises can support throughout life. In addition to that women had also decided to never restrict them inside the boundaries of house and to work along with men (Radek, 2006). Government of Europe then launched Equal Employment Opportunities Plan with regard to access to employment, professional training and career development. It was then suggested to have equal votes of women in decision making, women workforce to gain maximum authority and participation of women in science research was made compulsory. Speaking in terms of historical period of wars then European women played a vital role by supporting factories that is they went to work instead of men as all men were drafted into European armies. Women were the only soul to fill the economic and social needs that was performed by men preceding the war (Young, 2010). Due to the severity of World War I not only women but children suffered as well, they shed their blood, they strive from hunger but never divert or change their faith. Some of the courageous women had decided to move along the battle field in order to serve their armies, so a group of Aristocratic nurses and Austro-Hungarian POW Relief went to assist them but there they become dishearten because they did not enjoy the positive response from the armies (Rubio, 2011). These women were not in supplementary medical positions assistant to male workforce, but rather they were in positions of authority and power assigned with the task of reporting on the conditions of the POWs within the camps and ensuring their loyalty to the Austro-Hungarian government. It was reported that during war times, men often found it complex to accept women as a care taker who were working outside their houses (Helms, 1997). Besides this women fought for their personality as an individual because German Nazi and Italian Fascist which were led by Great Adolf Hitler and Mussolini respectively had clearly addressed that role of women is only to produce more children, but Modern Feminist Movement which was led by Wollstonecraft stood along with women to bring Industrial Revolution. Women entered the workforce in huge numbers and a majority stayed in the workforce after the war (Tudor, 2000). At the very initiation women faced difficulties; there were small number of women units. Some extremists were against their work so they brutally attacked those who work in factories, women rapes; killing and kidnapping were common in that period. Soon after observing the terrorism against women, provincial government set up voting privileges for women in order to enclose that from now onwards women will have complete rights to vote along with a small number of social rights (Stoff, 2008). It was then included in Code of Communism that there will be no difference between men and women; they both carry equal rights and both can work together according to their level of talents. European women also hand round as soldiers during the Russian Revolution and later World War II. After the rebellion, women hold rights to have equal opportunities in terms of education (Young, 2010). They become allowed to go to institution of higher education and to work in all fields of employment. The state opened the doors for medical care, education, and day-care for all women. By gaining a diversified level of knowledge role of women in French society had reached at its peak. They represent themselves as a strong player in every field. Due to having enough education they mold themselves as an independent body that have their own identity and served Europe as being professionals (Radek, 2006). Throughout the century, upper class women inaugurated salons which are considered as most heavy work for inexperienced one and though they were inexperienced and less motivated to speak or debate but they had fulfilled their responsibilities by inviting intellectuals, scholars and philosophers to share their experience and to define the necessary ways to lead a successful life. Besides economic stability they cultivate social connections between those philosophers and the community of Europe. Also, they inaugurated various institutions to provide guiding principles for those women who want to be a part of prosperity (Helms, 1997). European women who belong to lower or middle class did not lag behind in terms of their responsibility as already discussed that women began exercising their powers during the era of revolution by storming Bastille. They hold guns and shells; participated in bread strikes as they remained hungry for weeks and weeks, they assist in invading the palace of Versailles, arresting the Royal family and forming high-ranking political organizations. Although they were women of twentieth century but due to their extra ordinary efforts, women of today are worthy. They were not very educated or some are completely illiterate but their role was incredibly modern (Tudor, 2000). It was reported in past that after the murder of Jean-Paul Marat, who was a scientist, a physician and a renowned character of European Revolution, by Charlotte Corday, another renowned figure from French Revolution, women felt broken and it seemed like that there democratic movement will would not precede. Above mentioned women that is, Marat, Corday, Catherina Sforza, Isabella I along with Jacobin Terror were key figures who support women in every step but due to the heights of unfortunate both women were charged for engaging themselves in the political circles by supporting German Nazi in the reestablishment of France and for this act they were punished. Due to this people lost their belief and trust from them and thus they failed to revive their position again. They try to regain competitiveness by joining allied forces or by introducing the sense of modern Europe but got defeated (Stoff, 2008). Earlier, France was the intellectual capital of Europe but when it got defeated by Germany, there were threats that due to France being a central figure, threat of war will always be there, so idea of continents having their own capital was doomed to disaster. Till that era, women were dominant enough to contribute their role through industrial revolution and some of them had put their steps in business world. Some women joined government and political offices so as to work for European Union (Tudor, 2000). The concept of Feminism was then discouraged as it has only promoted the rights for women whereas concept of communism was promoted as it has allowed all people of all classes to have equal rights. Women were continuously climbing the stairs of success which was unacceptable for men to digest at any cost. It was difficult for them to work under women and to observe them holding authority or dominant position in any organization. The gender disturbance between men and women soon transformed into hostility and aggressiveness which then hold war between men and women in every field (Radek, 2006). It has been observed that men often avoid females; sometimes insulting or dishonoring them in front of seniors or juniors, there were lack of support and guidance but women then also fought and raised the flag of success through their skills, abilities and talent. European women enjoyed a suitable position in Soviet Union and contributed there by educating young girls, they raised the minimum age of marriage because before eighteenth century childhood marriages were common (Radek, 2006). It was the women of twentieth century who contributed a sense of career and growth. They presented a prosperous role in times of Ottoman Empire as well by amalgamating the western style with that of east. In the later twentieth century laws were bring to an end that has limited the roles of women and women of Turkey then gained the right to vote (Vinciguerra, 2012). Conclusion: The prosperous phase that Europe is now facing with is because of the women of twentieth century. They were the one who were responsible for generating peace, prosperity and success in Europe; they were diligent, honest, industrious, well planned, brave and trustable because besides controlling their house as a house wife they assisted their men in earnings. They always hold their husbands at the time of crises like they run out to work in factories at the time of war in order to bear their expenses, to maintain the economy of state and to avoid financial crises. As far as thesis statement is concerned then European women had groomed a lot in twentieth century. They worked along with men from shoulder to shoulder, although there aim was to assist men but doing so their objective becomes vast and now they are holding such a dominant position in every sector, whether it is business, finance, politics, government, law, medicine etc. So, by observing such a tremendous growth women should be given equal rights as that of men as they are the one behind the success of men. European women suffered a lot but never got that prestige that they really belong. So, in order to give them a pride of honor for their efforts, one can salute them with equal rights, protection and security. It is because of European women that women all over the world are now building or developing their career and ate struggling to run accordingly with success.

Study Of Environmental Issues Associated With Industrialization :: essays research papers

Study of Environmental Issues Associated with Industrialization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although our industrial ways seem to be a very progressive step into the future, there are many flaws to the way many things are today. Things have definitely changed over the past century, as we can currently do things much more efficiently then before. The cost of this efficiency may seem inexpensive in many ways, however we do not realize that the cost of these new technologies do not just include money, time and labour, but it also costs us our well being as well as the beauty and comfort of our own home, earth. Ozone depletion, climate change as well as the direct effects of chemicals from industrial emissions and fuel combustion are a great threat to our planet and if nothing is done to resolve this problem soon, the results may be disastrous. There is a layer of chemicals twenty kilometers up in the stratosphere called the ozone layer. This layer protects the inhabitants of earth by reflecting much of the suns harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. Without this layer above us, many living things including humans could not survive. The ozone layer is currently depleting and the reason for this is believed to be caused by a few things. Deforestation, fertilizer use and fuel combustion are minor contributors to this problem while chemicals such as chloroflourocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide and hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs) are the major contributors to the deterioration of the ozone layer. These chemicals have industrial halocarbons that break up into chlorine and bromine in the upper stratosphere when they react with the sun's rays. Chlorine eats up the ozone layer while bromine acts as a catalyst and speeds up the process. Often found in Antarctica, there are frozen chemical clouds in the upper stratosphere called polar stratospheric clouds. These polar stratospheric clouds destroy the ozone layer at a much faster pace then the industrial halocarbons. The depletion of the ozone layer is a great threat to mankind and all other living things on earth because without this layer of chemicals, we will be exposed to excess UV rays. This excess exposure can lead to many things such as malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, damage to eyes by means such as snow blindness and cataracts, which is the clouding of the eye that can eventually lead to blindness. Above all this, excessive UV exposure can lead to symptoms similar to AIDS as prolonged exposure could weaken the human immune system. As far as plants and animals go, plants may die or may not be as healthy as a result of too much UV exposure and animals will suffer

Essays --

Holiday Hazards: Overcrowded Warehouses Stuffed With Presents! In 2012, Amazon was selling 306 items every SECOND during the holiday rush. As more and more people shop the Internet for the next best deal, remember the method behind the madness. All these goods come from warehouses. It can be tempting to crowd out the aisles in the warehouse to up the sales ability and logistics of your company. Think Twice – OSHA doesn’t care about soaring sales, safety is especially significant during this busy time of year. Safety issues can arise at any time, but since Americans spend the most money around the holidays, conducting self-inspections and keeping notes on what went well and what went wrong can give insight for improved logistics and safety in the New Year. However you organize, a clear plan should be in place for optimal functionality with minimal interruption for the product to get from storage to the loading dock – and safely. Here are a few items to consider this season: †¢ Keep Forklift Traffic and Pedestrian Traffic Separate. Have clearly marked paths for pedestrians...

Financial Ratio Analysis: Pakistan State Oil Essay

In 2011, company is more liquid than other two years this is due to increase of Rs 983917 in current asset from 2010 to 2011. And in 2011 to 2012 there is decrease of Rs 227300 in current asset. Quick Ratio is high in 2012 because stock-in-trade i.e. inventory decreases by Rs. 6854599 in 2012. Fixed Asset turnover is higher it means company has utilized its fixed assets more efficiently as compare to other period. Debt ratio and debt to equity ratio indicate that Company is more leveraged in 2012 than other periods. This higher leverage in part explains Company’s poor financial performance of 2012 relative to 2011 because the leverage commits Company’s interest payments that must be paid regardless of economic and market conditions. The ratios indicate that Company’s has a higher cost of sales in 2012 than the 2011. In 2012 Company’s has a better liquidity position, with both the current ratio and the quick ratio being higher than other years. In 2012, total assets are higher than other two years and its fixed asset turnover is significantly higher than other year. Alternatively, the poor fixed asset turnover may indicate overcapacity caused by extremely poor forecasts of future sales. Or, the poor ratio may indicate a fundamental inability or inefficiency in using the deployed assets. Keep in mind, though, that the debt ratios used in the ratio analysis above used total liabilities as a measure of debt. In contrast, capital structure analysis focuses specifically on long-term debt in calculating leverage. DuPont System of Financial Analysis: The DuPont analysis is similar with analyzing ratios: Company has an advantage in its leverage ratio in 2012 (Assets to Equity 6.95 compared to 6.26 and 6.89) and in its use of assets in 2010 (Total Asset Turnover of 4.93 compared to 4.19 and 3.9), yet has a poorer return on equity due to its low net profit margin. While one would expect a somewhat lower net profit margin for a firm with a higher leverage ratio (the firm has to pay interest to service the debt that gives the higher leverage ratio). Reference: Â  PSO Annual Report 2012 and 2011

Comparing Health Care Systems: The United States and Cuba Essay

For many years, the health care in the United constituted the best that any country had to offer (University of Maine, 2001). But as the facts would tend to display, it is slowly becoming one of the most inefficient in the world (Maine, 2001). The United States health care system may tout itself of being in the category of being the most expensive in the world, meaning a dearth of resources for the care it delivers (Reed Abelson, 2008). But the disparity in the amount that the people spend and the quality of the service attached to that cost is seemingly not parallel to each other (Abelson, 2008). A report released on the United States health care system shows that the country is spending about twice the amount on the health care needs of its citizens is compared to that of the expenditures of other developed nations (Abelson, 2008). But if the prices of health care in the United States, the country is listed at the bottom of countries that in the mortality of people if treated with efficient medical care (Abelson, 2008). This is a growing concern across the social spectrum of the United States (Meena Seshamani, Jeanne Ambrew & Joseph Antos, 2008). The amount that the United States spends annually on health care is truly staggering. In 2006, the United States spent $2. 1 trillion on health care services alone, double what the country allotted a decade back and about half of that is targeted in nine years time (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). The United States currently ranks as the third largest nation in the world, with a population of around 294 million (Samuel Uretsky, 2008). Of this number, it is believed that approximately 75 million Americans have inadequate medical insurance or do not have insurance altogether (Abelson, 2008). It was also found that the quality and the attendants cost of health care greatly varies across the societal spectrum (Abelson, 2008). These costs drain the finances of American businesses, which in turn contribute a quarter of the capital for health care needs (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). The costs to employers in terms of contribution to the health care fund increased by a staggering 98 percent in the span of seven years- from 2000 to last year, which outstripped the increases in wages by four to one (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). In 2007, the cost of employee-based insurance cost about $12,000, nearly matching the wages for minimum wage employment (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Adding to the burden of high insurance payments is the fact that these have to be paid with higher service and deductions (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). This issue also has an impact on the senior citizens of the United States (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Elderly Americans, in the current scenario, have to accumulate about $300,000 dollars in non-Medicare covered health costs (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). These costs have contributed to the access of health care by many Americans (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Citizens who are covered by employer-based health insurance in 2006 fell five percent, from 66 percent to about 61 percent in the six-year period preceding 2006 (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). But how is health insurance in the United States given? The United States offers a variety of avenues of health insurance coverage both from public funds and from the private sector (Uretsky, 2008). In a report released by the United States Census Bureau in 2003, it found that about 6 out of every 10 Americans were covered by employer-based health insurance, about 3 of the 10 from the government, and the remainder with no insurance (Uretsky, 2008). In 2001, it was found that the United States spent more of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than any other developed nation in the world (Uretsky, 2008). For that period, America spent more than 13. 9 percent of its GDP, compared to Japan, which spent about 7. 8 percent; Canada, 9. 4 percent and the United Kingdom, 7. 6 percent (Uretsky, 2008). It should be interesting to note that even if the United States outpaced Japan in terms of health care spending, the United States ranks just 24th in the world for life expectancy (Uretsky, 2008). Life expectancy in the United States is about 70 years old, while the valedictorian on the list, Japan, comes in at about 74. 5 years for its citizens (Uretsky, 2008). Memberships in life insurance and access to adequate health care have been shown to work together (Devi Sridhar, 2005). The availability of health insurance is essential to instances and times that people would be able to rely on medical care in relation to the overall health of the person (Sridhar, 2005). Lack of available health insurance will take a toll on a person’s physical well-being (Sridhar, 2005). The individual will not be able to go to medical facilities for preventive medical treatment, fill out prescriptions, and will likely be receiving that medical treatment in the latter stages of a disease (Sridhar, 2005). Unlike the United States, Cuba, on the other hand, is not prone to the failures of the private and public fund problems found in the United States (Harvard Public Health Review, 2002). Cuban authorities exercise complete administrative, budgetary, and operational responsibility for the delivery of health care services for all its citizens (Harvard, 2002). The Cuban health care model is purely derived from the government, defining it as a public health care system seeking to provide universal health care coverage for all Cubans (Oxford Journals, 2008). It has been seen as a model of matching few available resources with the needs of the people in getting adequate medical care, often getting extremely high marks (Oxford, 2008). Compared to other developed nations, the United States has the distinction of being the only one that does not provide the availability of universal health care to its citizens (John Battista and Justine McCabe, 1999). In the developed world, it is found that 28 of the industrialized nations practice a â€Å"single- payer system, while Germany practices a multi-payer system akin to the proposed system of the President Clinton (Battista, McCabe, 1999). This would lead most observers to take a second look at the health care system of the United States (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In the analysis of the American health system, it is good to debunk some of the fallacies and errors that have been around the effective and quality of the United States system of health (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The United States, though having one of the best health professionals and an exceptional system of delivery and technology, still lags behind some of the industrial world’s health system (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In fact, if several factors in health care statistics are considered, the report card for the United States is a dismal failure (Battista, McCabe, 1999). Several of these factors would evidence how the system of health care in the United States has failed to give an improving system to its citizens. In 1960, America ranked 12th in terms of infant mortality (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In 1990, the United States ranked 21st in the world, settling at 23rd in recent times (Battista, McCabe, 1999). A central issue in the United States health system is the issue of universal health care. A current misconception of arguing against the consideration of universal health care is the prohibitive costs associated with it (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The opponents for the policy of a single payer system are of the belief that institutionalizing the policy avers that the country might end up paying too much (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In fact, the United States is already paying about 40 percent more than any other country in health care spending per capita (Battista, McCabe, 1999). Two of the top priorities currently in the area of health care are the ever increasing costs in the provision of health and the decreasing levels of access to health care (Sridhar, 2005). This fact is continuing to drive a wedge between those that can afford to provide for their health care needs and those that can ill-afford to purchase or do not have the means and the opportunity to be covered by insurance (Sridhar, 2005). This problem of individuals not covered by the health care system in the United States is expected to expand also to affect the insured patients (Sridhar, 2005). The issue seems to be in how the universal system of health care would operate (Sridhar, 2005). Many opponents of the policy are criticizing the system as an added layer of the bureaucracy and might result in the centralization of the health care system (Sridhar, 2005). But the current practice of Americans in purchasing their health-care needs might be more expensive than the provision for universal health care (Sridhar, 2005). At present, and as mentioned earlier, Americans are covered by health insurance in three ways: it is a benefit to workers and retirees, through government programs and the purchase of non-government insurance (Uretsky, 2008). But is the opposition to the universal, or single-payer, heath insurance system justified? The main opposition as again mentioned is the cost of the system (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In addition to the seeming â€Å"overspending† of Americans on health care, the institutionalization of the single payer system could means savings (Battista, McCabe, 1999). According to studies done by the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting office, it shows that with the practice of the single-payer system, the United States can accumulate $100 to $200 billion a year in health care savings, with the coverage expanding to cover uninsured individuals and improving the quality of services offered (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The Cuban Health System: Making do with less, and then some As mentioned earlier, the health care system of Cuba is completely run and operated by the government (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). This health care system provides not only diagnostic procedures, but also preventive, therapeutic and ameliorative treatments for the people of Cuba (Harvard, 2002). The Cuban health system is also distinguished as the one possessing the highest ratio in terms of people to doctors (The London School of Economics and Political Science, 2003). These health practitioners are trained in the country’s 21 medical educational facilities (London, 2003). In turn, the family physicians, as they are called, 20,000 of them, are tasked to administer the health care system of the Cuban government, one family physician to about 600 people (London, 2003). It should also be noted that these achievements in the field of health acre by the government in Havana have been done in the presence of an economic embargo imposed by the United States since 1961 (Harvard, 2002). The embargo put severe restrictions on the ability of Cuba to source out funding for its health car initiatives (Harvard, 2002). Since these sanctions covered even the importation and food items and medical supplies, the Cuban government practiced a system of preventive cure as a means to cushion the impact of the embargo (Harvard, 2002). In essence, the family physicians, at least in epidemiological terms, serve their fellow Cubans in the best way that they know how (London, 2003). Not only do the family physicians provide excellent preventive care, they also make it a point to provide treatment and diagnostics to prevent the onset of diseases upon the people (London, 2003). These family physicians are usually stationed in the nation’s consultorios, or small clinics situated in small neighbourhoods that they are assigned to. These doctors usually reside in the space above the clinic or just nearby (The Social Medicine Portal, 2006). These physicians attend to the patients who come in the morning to the clinic, then set out in the afternoon for home visitation for patients who are unable to come to the clinic (Social Medicine, 2006). For complicated and more delicate cases, the people can go a facility called a â€Å"polyclinic† (Social Medicine, 2006). These polyclinics, numbering about 400 scattered throughout the nation, function similar to a hospital’s outpatient department (Social Medicine, 2006). Some outpatient procedures are administered here in the polyclinic, but the facility is mainly geared for consultation sessions with specialists (Social Medicine, 2006). Also, acupuncture, physical therapy sessions and ultrasound procedures are conducted in the facility (Social Medicine, 2006). This is the first level of health care in the island nation; the second tier of care being administered by local and regional health care facilities (Social Medicine, 2006). The Cuban health system is one that can be characterized as an undivided, cohesive and devolved system that caters to the health and well-being of the people (Francisco Rojas Ochoa & Leticia Artiles Visbal, 2007). Also, the right to universal health care is guaranteed as a responsibility of the government under existing Cuban jurisprudence (London, 2003). In stark contrast to the Cuban guarantee of the right to free and adequate health care for its citizens, the United States does not obligate the government to deliver universal health care to is people as one of their rights as citizens of the United States (Battista, McCabe, 1999). This resiliency and dedication of Cuba to provide for its citizens was also seen as one of the reasons that health care delivery was not too affected by the economic crisis in the 1990’s (Oxford, 2008).

Stay in Hometown or Move

After they complete their university studies, some students live in their hometowns. Others live in different towns or cities. Which do you think is better -? living in your hometown or living in a deferent town or city? Give reasons for your answer. There are various reasons why a university student chose to stay in their hometown or leave.Relocating to another city or a country may be due to better Job opportunities, safer environment for the family, and better quality of life for the family. For those who stayed behind may be u to satisfaction within the community, personal commitment to work In and Improve the community, and the family Is deeply Involved with the customs and traditions of the community for generations. A student deeply rooted In the local traditions chooses to continue to live and work In the community he or she grew up In.He may Introduce new concepts to Improve the livelihood and quality of life of the other members. Sometimes It Is the camaraderie among the me mbers that makes the person stay rather than pursue opportunities elsewhere. On the other hand. Some graduates opt to relocate in search of greener pastures. If the family were living in an unsafe environment that threatens their livelihood, they would most likely relocate. A better location can give them a better quality of life.They can have peace while pursuing their careers. Their children can also concentrate in their studies because they are assured that they are free from any harm. In summary, most university graduates would relocate to seek greener pastures that offer a better quality of life for the whole family. For those who stayed behind they would rather work and contribute to the community where they grew up in. 251 words (body)

Apple Introduction: Iphone, Ipad and the Company Essay

Apple Inc. (Apple), incorporated on January 3, 1977, designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. The Company’s products and services include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and OS X operating systems, iCloud, and a variety of accessory, service and support offerings. The Company also sells and delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, App StoreSM, iBookstoreSM, and Mac App Store. The Company sells its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. In February 2012, the Company acquired app-search engine Chomp. See more: how to write an introduction paragraph for an essay The Company offers a range of mobile communication and media devices, personal computing products, and portable digital music players, as well as a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions and third-party hardware and software products. In addition, the Company offers its own software products, including iOS, the Company’s mobile operating system; OS X, the Company’s Mac operating system; and server and application software. The Company’s primary products include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, iTunes, Mac App Store, iCloud, Operating System Software, Application Software and Other Application Software. iPhone iPhone combines a mobile phone, an iPod, and an Internet communications device in a single handheld product. Based on the Company’s Multi-Touch user interface, iPhone features desktop-class email, Web browsing, searching, and maps and is compatible with both Mac and Windows-based computers. iPhone automatically syncs content from users’ iTunes libraries, as well as contacts, bookmarks, and email accounts. iPhone allows customers to access the iTunes Store to download audio and video files, as well as a variety of other digital content and applications. In September 2012, the Company launched iPhone 5, its latest version of iPhone. In addition to the Company’s own iPhone accessories, third-party iPhone compatible accessories are available through the Company’s online and retail stores and from third parties. iPad iPad is a multi-purpose mobile device for browsing the Web, reading and sending email, viewing photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and more. iPad is based on the Company’s Multi-Touch technology and allows customers to connect with their applications and content in a more interactive way. iPad allows customers to access the iTunes Store to download audio and video files, as well as a variety of other digital content and applications. In March 2012, the Company launched the iPad, its third generation iPad, and in October 2012, the Company announced its fourth generation iPad and iPad mini. In addition to the Company’s own iPad accessories, third-party iPad compatible accessories are available through the Company’s online and retail stores and from third parties. Mac The Company offers a range of personal computing products, including desktop and portable computers, related devices and peripherals, and third-party hardware products. The Company’s Mac desktop and portable systems feature Intel microprocessors, the OS X operating system and the iLife suite of software for creation and management of digital photography, music, movies, DVDs and Websites. The Company’s desktop computers include iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini. The Company’s portable computers include MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. iPod The Company’s iPod line of portable digital music and media players includes iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle and iPod classic. All iPods work with iTunes. In addition to the Company’s own iPod accessories, third-party iPod-compatible accessories are available through the Company’s online and retail stores and from third parties. The iPod touch, based on iOS, is a flash-memory-based iPod with a widescreen Retina display, a Multi-Touch user interface, and built-in iSight camera. iPod touch allows customers to access the iTunes Store to download audio and video content, as well as a variety of digital applications. The iPod nano is a flash-memory-based iPod that features the Company’s Multi-Touch interface allowing customers to navigate their music collection by tapping or swiping the display and built-in Bluetooth for wireless listening. The iPod shuffle is a flash-memory- based iPod that features a clickable control pad to control music playback and VoiceOver technology enabling customers to hear song titles, artists and playlist names. The iPod classic is a hard-drive based portable digital music and video player. iTunes iTunes is an application that supports the purchase, download, organization and playback of digital audio and video files and is available for both Mac and Windows-based computers. iTunes features integration with iCloud, AirPlay wireless music playback, Genius Mixes, Home Sharing, and syncing functionality with iOS devices. iTunes is integrated with the iTunes Store, a service that allows customers to discover, purchase, rent, and download digital content and applications. The iTunes Store includes the App Store and iBookstore. Mac App Store The Mac App Store allows customers to discover, download and install Mac applications. The Mac App Store offers applications in education, games, graphics and design, lifestyle, productivity, utilities and other categories. The Company’s OS X operating system software and its iLife, iWork and other application software titles are also available on the Mac App Store. iCloud iCloud is the Company’s cloud service, which stores music, photos, applications, contacts, calendars, and documents and wirelessly pushes them to multiple iOS devices, Mac and Windows-based computers. iCloud’s features include iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Contacts, Calendar, Mail, automatic downloads and purchase history for applications and iBooks, and iCloud Backup. Users can sign up for free access to iCloud using a device running qualifying versions of iOS or OS X. Software Products and Operating System Software The Company offers a range of software products for consumers and for SMB, education, enterprise and government customers, including the Company’s iOS and OS X operating system software; server software; professional application software; and consumer, education, and business oriented application software. iOS is the Company’s mobile operating system that serves as the foundation for iOS devices. iOS supports iCloud and includes features, such as Notification Center, a way to view and manage notifications in one place; iMessage, a messaging service that allows users to send text messages, photos and videos between iOS devices, and Maps, with turn-by-turn navigation. iOS supports Siri, a voice activated intelligent assistant, which is available on qualifying iOS devices. OS X, the Company’s Mac operating system, is built on an open-source UNIX-based foundation. Application Software iLife is the Company’s consumer-oriented digital lifestyle application suite included with all Mac computers. iLife features iPhoto, iMovie, iDigital Versatile Disc (DVD), GarageBand and iWeb. iPhoto is the Company’s consumer-oriented digital photo application and iMovie is the Company’s consumer-oriented digital video editing software application. iDVD is the Company’s consumer-oriented software application that enables customers to turn iMovie files, QuickTime files, and digital pictures into interactive DVDs. GarageBand is the Company’s consumer-oriented music creation application that allows customers to play, record and create music. iWeb allows customers to create online photo albums, blogs and podcasts, and to customize websites using editing tools. iWork is the Company’s integrated productivity suite designed to help users create, present, and publish documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. iWork includes Pages for word processing and page layout, Keynote for presentations, and Numbers for spreadsheets. The Company also has a Multi-Touch version of each iWork application designed specifically for use on iOS devices. Other Application Software The Company also sells various other application software, including Final Cut Pro, Logic Studio, Logic Pro, and its FileMaker Pro database software. The Company manufactures the Apple LED Cinema Display and Thunderbolt Display. The Company also sells a range of Apple-branded and third-party Mac-compatible and iOS-compatible peripheral products, including printers, storage devices, computer memory, digital video and still cameras, and various other computing products and supplies. Apple TV allows customers to watch movies and television shows on their high definition television. Content from iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr, as well as music, photos, videos, and podcasts from a Mac or Windows-based computer can also be wirelessly streamed to a television through Apple TV. Strategy Implementation in Apple Inc Apple Inc. Is arguably one of the most successful companies in the world, enjoying one of the most visible brand names in the world. Its launch of new products is usually waited with heightened anticipation by consumers around the world, and its financial performance has been exemplary. This success can be attributed to two main factors; the visionary leadership offered by its immediate former chief executive Steve Job and the strategic goal of emphasizing on design and the willingness to develop new products by taking risk of developing new products for the market. The strategic goal of developing new products, while at the same time emphasizing on design, has been successful because it has utilized the components of strategic implementation. The allocation of resources by the company in the developing of new products has been substantial, and more often in well thought and planned processes. The financial resources focused on the development of new products with new and superior designs can be said to follow Sun Tzu’s strategic principles of knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, who in this case would be the competitors. Apple Inc., by utilizing the superior capabilities in its possession, has been able to develop products superior to those developed by its competitors and thus acquiring a valuable market segment. The institution of best practices for continuous development has seen Apple Inc. Develop some of the best practices in design in the industry. The quality standards in Apple are some of the best, and the design teams in the company are reputed to put in some extreme efforts to ensure that the products developed are of the best standard possible. Tying rewards to the achievement of key strategic goals can also be said to be a factor in the success of the design strategy of the company. The remuneration process of offering bonuses at the good performance of the company can be said to be a motivation to the employees of the company to develop better performing products. Since Steve Jobs joined the company in 1998, the company has been growing in leaps and bounds simply because of the building of a capable organization by focusing on the areas of improvement. The company has been able to make a focus on the development of new products of superior design to those of competitors, and has improved continuously on these products. Steve Jobs can be compared to the military genius with all the traits developed by Clausewitz; intellect, courage to develop new products for the market, ability to adapt to changes and strength of character. These traits of the chief can be said to have contributed to the strategic success of the company. The support systems employed in Apple Inc are some of the best, and the company being in the electronics and telecommunications business has seen to it that their implementation is well carried out. The company has numerous operation centres spread across the globe and despite this the working towards the development and production of new products seems seamless because of this excellent support system utilised by the company’s employees. Communication between the layers of operations of the company is seamless, and no time and resources are wasted on the process of communicating decisions and feedback between the hierarchical levels of the company. This can be likened to Sun Tzu’s advocacy for speed in battle; good support systems offer an opportunity for fast and efficient decision making which ultimately leads to corporate success. The policies of the company that have been established in the recent past indicate their supportiveness to the strategy of developing new products superior in design, one of the eight components of implementing strategy. The outsourcing of production of apple products to China can be used as an example of this, with the goal of reducing production costs while maintaining the high quality of the products.