Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management - Essay Example That is the goal of crisis management, which can be defined as a set of activities aimed at minimizing the potential, or responding to an existing crisis effectively. As such, an effective crisis management plan may provide a company with an opportunity to effectively take urgent actions for minimizing the harm caused by a crisis and, in such a way, save the future of the organization. Furthermore, relevant crisis and issue management activities may even help the company to avoid a crisis and, as a result, save valuable resources to be invested into further growth and development. In is especially true considering the fact that news in the contemporary world spread within hours. Therefore, urgent actions for rescuing the company should be taken immediately after an issue arises. At the same time, good and well-structured relationships with the media may help an organization to decrease the level of crisis’ impact on the company’s future. Therefore, the given paper will try to draw up a basic crisis management plan for Shuanghui Business Group, a food business group that majors in processing pork. The company has already had some experience managing crisis. However, the presented plant will help it to forecast and assess potential future crisis, recommend specific crisis management processes and team structures, as well as provide a list of materials to be to be produced as part of the crisis toolkit. In addition, business continuity considerations will be addressed and a proposal for testing and refining the crisis plan will be presented. All this information will help the company to prepare for a potential crisis and, furthermore, get an opportunity to avoid it and save money. Forecasting and assessing a potential crisis the organization could face. On the 15th of March, 2011, Shuanghui Business Group was suspected of using clenbuterol pigs. As a result, the stock of the company dropped to the trading limit causing a loss of CNY 5.2 billion in th e capital market. Furthermore, the company had to withdraw its products form all the major supermarkets, while some marketplaces even stopped selling the products of the Business Group or refused to continue working with the company. The organization took back all of its products circulating in market and closed manufacturing down to be rectified (Zhang, 2011). Nevertheless, what Shuanghui Business Group experienced is the crisis of consumers’ trust or, if defined more precisely, a product-harm crisis (Dawar & Pillutla, 2000, p. 215), since it involved recalling products from all of the distribution networks due to safety concerns (Chen, Ganesan, & Liu, 2009, p. 214). As a result, the brand’s equity and company’s reputation got damaged, customers’ loyalty decreased, and revenues and market shares – lost (Laufer & Coombs, 2006, p. 379). So, in order for the Business Group not to experience such a disastrous situation again, continuous forecasting an d assessing a potential crisis the organization can face should be conducted. The very first condition for forecasting a crisis is noting both internal and external inputs. People’s perceptions of information differ – what one may consider to be a potential threat will be missed by another. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the organization does not miss any internal or external issues that might indicate a potential crisis (Harvard Business School, 2004, p. 12). For this reason clear and open communication channels should be determined and

Markteing Consultancy Report part 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Markteing Consultancy Report part 3 - Essay Example duction of iPhone, they changed the way people perceived smart phones – phones that exploit the benefits of what the Internet can offer with their easy to use web applications. The AppStores for iPhone products has created a new market for software programmers, from office applications to modern day games and video softwares. In order for iPhone to increase its market size and improve their profitability, this paper will focus on recommendations of marketing programmes that the company would need. The paper is centred on the Lauterborn’s 4C’s of marketing instead of the traditional McCarthy’s 4P’s. The traditional marketing programmes are concentrated on product, pricing, promotional and place strategies. With Lauterborn’s 4C’s, the marketing programmes will be motivated by consumers, costs, convenience and communication. Forget product. Apple must focus on consumer wants and needs. In today’s highly connected world, a company cannot sell whatever they can make any more. A successful company can only sell what a customer specifically wants to buy. Apple must need to lure each customer one by one and offer something in particular that each customer wants. Mobile phones, nowadays, are seen as a fashion item rather than a functional device. Most of the current mobile phones in the market offer similar features and functionalities. Apple can improve their market share by making iPhone available in different range of colours and features. Each customer must have an option to customize the physical aesthetics of the phone in order to suit their character and mood. A customized mobile phone would give the customer a feeling of ownership and uniqueness. Several designs of phone’s front and back covers should be made available in market in order to lure them to customize their own iPhone. Also, it is recommended that the company would create a suite of Internet based services that delivers email, contacts and calendars that can be linked

Management Objectives for a Semi-natural Woodland

Management Objectives for a Semi-natural Woodland Niamh Fitzpatrick An effective and long term successful management plan of Derrybeg woodland is critical to conserve and protect the biodiversity of the site. To do this, the first and most important step is the implementation of a bassline study. This bassline study will provide information on the flora and fauna that is present on the site, allowing you to devise an appropriate management plan. The first management objective of Derrybeg Wood is to manage the mixed broadleaf woodlands which includes, oak-ash-hazel and wet willow-alder-ash. The management of these woodlands is imperative as they are natural or semi natural woodlands of high ecological importance. Throughout the management its vital that one firstly maintains and if possible restores the woodlands natural ecological diversity. The main technique for the management of these woodlands is coppicing. However, as Derrybeg Wood has not been actively managed for several decades, firstly it would be necessary for the standards to be thinned out. This will allow more light for the understory. By thinning the broadleaf species, it removes the less desirable or trees that are not as healthy as well as giving the remaining trees more space to develop (Betts Ellis, 2009). Thinning allows light onto the woodland floor, thus encouraging an understorey of small plants, shrubs and trees to grow. This generally occurs naturally in many woodlands i.e. as weaker trees die, thus this step is not causing any negative impacts on the surrounding flora and fauna and is simply working with nature (Betts Ellis, 2009). In terms of coppicing these broadleaved woodlands, all the multi-stemmed broadleaved trees and shrubs that occur together will be cut down to ground level. The size of the coppice coupes will need to be proportional to the woodland area (Betts Ellis, 2009). For this woodland, coupes of 1-2 ha would be suitable. For optimum coppice growth to be achieved, their density will be kept between 30% and 50% of the canopy. It is preferable to maintain coupes that are irregular and elongated in shape compared to those that are square or regular in shape because they create richer edge habitats (Betts Ellis, 2009). Coppicing works extremely well for the woodland on a whole. It creates ideal conditions for many different species. The influx of light is optimal for some wild flowers in the first few years after cutting. Also as the coppice grows and becomes denser, excellent conditions are created for nesting birds which are present on site (Betts Ellis, 2009) This is a long-term management objective that needs to be monitored and carried out over several years. According to a study by (Betts Ellis, 2009) the stools are expected shoot and in 5 to 20 years they will produce a crop of poles that will need to be cut again. As Red Deer are present in this woodland the advantage of the richer edge habitats may be lost unless they are kept out for the saplings to be able to regenerate. Deer can cause major problems as they are tall and the coppice takes a lot longer to grow beyond the reach of the Red Deers mouth (Betts Ellis, 2009). In order to prevent the deer from entering this site, a deer fence is the most effective form of protection. In terms of natural barriers, brash is an excellent and effective alternative. Objective two: The second objective is to remove the rhododendron that is present in approximately half of the woodland. From the bassline study, we found that the level of infestation varies throughout this woodland i.e. near the pools in the centre of the woodland and under the birch and oak, there is heavy infestation as well as near the eastern half of the woodland, within the conifer stands. These heavily infested areas are priority and will be cleared first. The bushes that are largest and most mature need to be removed first, therefore removal will begin in the middle and work outwards rather than starting on the edges with the youngest bushes. Its important to remove these bushes first because they have the highest yield of seeds, thus causing the biggest threat to the eradication of this area. Once these major seed sources have been tackled, the minor seed sources will become a priority. (Edwards, 2006) The technique chosen to remove the invasive will depend on many factors such as; the height in which its growing, the level of invasion and the accessibility to the area. for this site the removal of the invasive will be broken up into three different steps; The initial removal of the invasive the stumps will be cut therefore leaving no live shoots or branches. This will occur from September to March and the cut material will be removed to a suitable area to be burned. Only a small number of burning sites will occur as it creates more areas of bare ground, thus providing more areas for the seeds to thrive. (Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017) Controlling the stems and roots young bushes, residual seedlings and any regrowth will be treated using a foliar spray that contains an adjuvant to enhance the performance of the herbicide. This is necessary to remove the waxy layer that is present on the surface of the leaf (Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017). This will occur from May to October, preferably when the weather is dry. Mature bushes will then be treated using a stem injection treatment, i.e. cutting the main stem to allow a hole to be drilled enabling the use of the herbicide. (Edwards, 2006) Follow up treatments Its critical that these treatments are carried out thoroughly ensuring all ground is covered before moving on to a new site. If not, the invasive will re-establish. The rhododendron must be monitored and re surveyed at the end of every growing season to identify if there is any re-growth (Edwards, 2006). From this any follow up treatments can be established. Herbicides dont transport within the phloem of the plant, thus its necessary to repeat this process to ensure that the invasive is dead and cannot re-grow. (Betts Ellis, 2009) Its extremely difficult to achieve the complete elimination of rhododendron and it is a very time consuming process, however if its controlled until the surrounding trees close canopy then shading will halt its development (Betts Ellis, 2009). Additionally, as much of the rhododendron invasion occurs within the conifer stands, the dense evergreen crowns of these conifer species have a heavy shade, thus preventing the Rhododendron regenerating within the stand (Betts Ellis, 2009). In a report from the forestry commission (Edwards, 2006), it was recommended that the management plan should occur over a seven-year period, therefore these steps including the follow up treatments will take place over seven years to ensure the complete eradication of the invasion of rhododendron in this woodland. (Edwards, 2006) Objective three: The third objective for Derrybeg wood is the development of rides or glades. A ride is a linear open space within a wood that is formed for the need of access (Stephens, 2005). Rides generally have a hard-surfaced track which make up some of the width and they are usually made up of several zones. A path or track becomes a ride when it is wide enough for there to be an opening in the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the ground (Stephens, 2005). The first step in this objective is to survey all potential rides to establish which rides to open or create. This step is critical to choose the ones with greatest potential. All archeological features i.e. wood banks will be carefully considered to prevent damage in the process of creating or widening a ride (Stephens, 2005). The depth of the ride will be equal to or greater than the height of the adjacent canopy. Rides that are less than this width quickly lose any benefit gained in the early years (Stephens, 2005). The rides will have a wavy edge as this has a greater wildlife benefit. The wavy edge maximises the woodland edge, thus increasing the habitat diversity. In areas where wood mice and red squirrel are present pinch points will need to be included at no more than 100-metre intervals (Stephens, 2005). This is important as they are arboreal mammals which generally dont like to travel along the ground. Thus, they require aerial runways to cross open spaces. Rides that are w ider can also cause disturbances to the population and subsequent decline if links across them are not provided. The rides will be opened out to ensure maximum sunlight. It will run on the east-west line rather than the north-south line because east-west lines are in the sunlight for longer (Stephens, 2005). They warm up earlier in the year and cool down later and warmth combined with sunlight will promote the greatest wildlife benefit. The sunny ride edges will rapidly develop grasses and several plants that may be scarce or not found elsewhere in the wood e.g. violets (Stephens, 2005). Shrubs may grow on ride edges and this is a great food source for many butterflies and other insects which are present in the wood. Many flowers and butterflies present favour open-space environments at the woodland edge and therefore should thrive from this being extended (Betts Ellis, 2009). The careful management of open habitats is significant as it introduces greater habitat diversity. It enco urages a larger range of species as many prefer the edge of habitats for feeding due to the higher level of herbs and the larger invertebrate population (Betts Ellis, 2009). Once the rides have been identified and created, its important that they are maintained and managed appropriately for the following 20 years by doing the following; Mowing the area where the greatest amount of sunlight occurs every year. Cutting a herb or shrub zone once every three to five years. Cutting a transition zone between the herb / shrub zone to the high forest on an eight to twenty-year coppice rotation. Controlling the presence of deer, as this is required over an extensive area, culling is the most practical method as opposed to fencing. (Stephens, 2005) Objective Four: The management of the wildlife present in Derrybeg Wood is another significant objective. Many species present in the wood are protected or threatened per the IUCN red lists for example the red squirrel and the lesser horseshoe bat. These species are protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. In addition, the lesser horseshoe bat is also protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Given the conservation importance of these species its important to follow guidelines in relation to their management and the overall management of the wood. The red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, is a significant species present in this woodland, and it is critical that they are managed effectively to prevent their decline. As grey squirrels are not present in this woodland, food supply is one of the most important factors affecting the red squirrels population density. The management of the conifer species is important to provide a continuous food supply for the red squirrel. Generally, conifer species are of variable quality in terms of being a food source (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). The amount of seed produced depends on factors such as the age of the trees, thus conifers should be managed depending on the state of the woodland (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). The management of the conifer species in this wood will include; Sustaining a permanent proportion of the forest that is made up of stands of seed bearing age. This is important because conifer species dont generally produce cones every year. Many species can take up to seven years between cycles and some species dont start to cone until they are 15-20 years old. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). Maintaining a significant amount of a variety of species, i.e. not just Sitka spruce. This is important to ensure diversity of species. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017) Ensuring a constant tree canopy that is not disturbed. To do this, the structure of the conifers will need to consist of stands of trees that are of a similar age. This will also help to reduce forest vulnerability to wind throw. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017) The lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros is also protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. As this species has such specific requirements i.e. needing dense vegetation to forage and linear sites to travel, it is given added legislative protection under the Habitats Directive (McAney, 2017). To protect this species, the woodland will firstly be surveyed to identify trees that contain roosts. This survey will be carried out in both summer and winter. This will be repeated every 5 to 10 years after this initial survey to evaluate any changes in the population (Foresty Commission , 2005). After surveying, a natural reserve will be created to provide security and permanency for the species. The careful management of the rest of the woodland is vital and will enhance the feeding areas of the bat species as well as other species present in the wood. The natural reserve will be monitored and reviewed every 5 years. (Foresty Commission , 2005) Objective Five: The final management objective that will occur in this woodland is the control of bracken encroachment. From the bassline study, a substantial amount of bracken was identified in the north-eastern part of the woodland. The presence of bracken is a sign of soil disturbance and will require a long-term management plan. Although bracken can be significant where it is mixed with other vegetation as well as providing an important larval food plant for some species of butterfly, its removal encourages primary habitats to re-establish which is of greater importance for wildlife. The complete eradication of bracken is not necessary nor desirable for this site, therefore the objective is to control the spread of bracken on a long-term basis for numerous reasons e.g. to protect other valuable habitats and vegetation (Farrell, 1999). Firstly, the presence of bracken should be identified and mapped by surveying its distribution between the months of July and October as this is when it is most visible. Then its vital to identify the target specific areas that need to be controlled and tackle the target areas first, i.e. those that are increasing rapidly. Initially the bracken will be controlled chemically, using a herbicide. The most common herbicide used is asulox which is favoured over roundup as it is specific towards certain plants e.g. ferns (Farrell, 1999). The site will be sprayed using a portable knapsack sprayer from the middle of July to August where weather is not too windy or wet, and a dye will be used to identify the fronds that have been treated. Spraying doesnt have any direct effects on the surrounding animals or to human health, however it will affect the taste of the bracken, thus all grazing animals will be fenced off for at least two weeks (Farrell, 1999). This treatment is expected to remove 98% of the bracken present in the area, however the other 2% will re-establish on the land over the following five years if an appropriate follow up plan is not prepared. This site will require a ten-year management plant which involves the continuous monitoring and treatment of the site. Initial spraying needs to be followed by cutting every 2-3 years for the foreseeable future (Farrell, 1999). Its important that a period of at least two years is left in between spraying. This is to allow buds that are dormant on the remaining bracken rhizomes to develop (Roberts MacDonald, 2017). Bracken encroachment can also be controlled by sowing heather cuttings, as the regeneration of heather is an excellent way to keep the encroachment of bracken under control. There will also be a period where animals cannot graze allowing new vegetation to grow from regeneration (Roberts MacDonald, 2017) References Betts, A. Ellis, J., 2009. So, you own a woodland?, Bristol: Forestry Commission National Office . Edwards, C., 2006. Managing and controlling invasive rhododendron, Edinburgh: Forestry Commission. Farrell, F., 1999. Bracken Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.esatclear.ie/~fionafarrell/html/technical_writing.html[Accessed 10 March 2017]. Forest Service , 2009. Forestry and Otter Guidelines, s.l.: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food . Foresty Commission , 2005. Woodland Management for Bats , s.l.: Forestry Commission for England and Wales . Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017. Woodland management control of rhododendron and cherry laurel. [Online] Available at: http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/kwt_land_mgt_advice_sheet_9_-_woodland_management_-_control_of_rhododendron.pdf[Accessed 10 March 2017]. McAney, D. K., 2017. Vincent Wildlife lesser horseshoe bat (RHINOLOPHUS HIPPOSIDEROS). [Online] Available at: http://www.mammals-in-ireland.ie/species/lesser-horseshoe-bat[Accessed 27 February 2017]. Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017. Habitat Management in Red Squirrel Reserves and Buffer Zones in Northern England. [Online] Available at: http://rsne.org.uk/sites/default/files/Habitat%20Management.pdf[Accessed 27 February 2017]. Roberts, J. MacDonald, A., 2017. Bracken Control. [Online] Available at: http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/advisorynotes/24/24.htm[Accessed 10 March 2017]. Stephens, P., 2005. Managing woodland open space for wildlife, s.l.: Forestry Commission England.

The Sitcom - Similarities between Ourselves and the Characters Essay

The Sitcom - Similarities between Ourselves and the Characters A sitcom, short for situation comedy, is a comic television series made up of episodes involving the same group of characters in a recurring situation. When watching a sitcom one sees characters deal with life in an unmethodical, irrational, but humorous style. The ability to bring laughter out of situations dates back to variety shows, but dedicating a whole program around a group of characters is fairly new considering the long history of comedy. By being situational, sitcoms tend to poke fun at or bring the irony out of certain issues in life, whether at home or in the workplace. Because many people encounter these problems everyday, designing comedy programs with characters who also deal with these problems is easy. Seeing these characters turn our problems into humor is sometimes uplifting. All of a sudden, the problem may not seem as serious. The types of problems that the characters deal with are what categorize a sitcom. Sitcoms like â€Å"Everybody Loves Raymond,† â€Å"All in the Family,† â€Å"My Wife and Kids,† â€Å"Happ...

The Emerging Popularity of Human Resource Management

What were the socioeconomic changes in the 1980’s which contributed to the emerging popularity of Human Resource Management? Does the concept of Human Resource Management present a radical novelty or is it a mere repackaging of personnel management? Introduction During the 1980’s, a new management concept referred to as ‘Human Resource Management’ (HRM) became very fashionable. At that time, many academics questioned whether HMR was simply a renaming of the previously known personnel management (PM) tool, or whether it was, as some claimed, ‘a radically different philosophy and approach to management of people at work’ (1). Firstly, it seems appropriate to define HRM. However, the definition of HRM this has been widely debated, and so for our purposes, we will use Stephen Bach’s view that it ‘can be viewed as the involvement of particular strategies and approaches towards management of considerable labour’. We must also consider what we mean by â€Å"socioeconomic†, which we can state as the relationship between economic activity and social life. In this essay, the similarities and differences between HRM and PM are analysed in an attempt to see whether there is more to HRM than novel rhetoric. Socioeconomic Changes Towards the end of the 1970’s and the early part of the 1980’s, both the US and UK economies experienced recessions of relative magnitude. Both governments sought new economic solutions, and adopted policies known as â€Å"Thatcherism and Reaganomics†, that contained monetarism and free market economics. One of the consequences of this radical period was the reforming and reshaping of what many described as the ‘conventional model of industrial relations’ (2). These new policies inevitably led to the empowerment of employers, and resulted in substantive destruction of trade union power at that time and eventually became the turning point of the era of trade unionism. There were a number of consequences as a result of this reshaping of the economy; probably the largest of note was that there was a considerable decline in a number of the mature Basic industries, such as Steel and Coal, which was balanced by the increase in the Service sector (this is still apparent today as 70% of UK GDP comes from the service sector (3)). This period of decline in many Basic industries coincidently ushered in a time for new technologies based on hi-tech products, further assisting the aim of both governments to deregulate and intensify market competition through free market economics. With anti-union legislations and privatisation at the core of the Conservative party philosophy, as Thatcher pushed to remove the power of the â€Å"Socialist / Communist† trades unions, the result of which led to the encouragement of ‘firms to introduce new labour practices and re-order their collective bargaining arrangements’ (4). This gave companies the opportunity to develop direct relationships with employees, and hence reduce further the power of trade unions. These ‘direct relationships’ are what some people to consider as one of the fundamentals of HRM. On a more global scale, this was an important period in the development of globalization that saw competition intensify from overseas. Japan rapidly became one of the major exporters of very competitively priced manufactured goods to the US undercutting many domestic suppliers. This development, unsurprisingly, forced US companies to consider their cost structure in an attempt to see off this foreign competition. Companies quickly began to investigate the productivity of its workforce. One of the outcomes of this, which is judged to be one of the cornerstones of HRM, was to try to develop harmonious relations between employers and employees. The belief was already there that synergy could be created from the employee/employers relationship. Furthermore, it became apparent that an environment free of conflict could help unite an organisation so that individual employees could commit themselves to organisational success. This Unitarianism perspective became one of the antecedents of the development of HRM. Toward the end of the 1980’s as more and more academics continued to produce a wealth of literature on the subject of HRM, it became clear that there was a recurring theme for those companies that appeared to perform extremely well in these market conditions. It became obvious in these increasingly dynamic markets that companies that were proactive to market change were able to do so as a result of motivated workforce. The question that was begging to be asked was ‘how they were able to this so well’? The answer was through involved management styles that were instilling a culture in the workforce that was proactive rather than reactive. This is one of the key differences that will be referred back to later. It was suggested that these had been brought on by the intense competition and pressure, which eant a competent PM was more necessary than ever. There were several other socioeconomic changes that all acted as antecedents to the development and reshaping of PM that became known as HRM. These included increasingly strident demands of shareholders, changing work force (flexibility, part time largely through the employment of women), a changing age structure of the workforce, the young moving in the direction of private and service sectors, hence less prone to unionisation and finally increasingly mechanised manufacturing processes through new technologies. Differences between HRM and PM The second part of this essay looks at whether HRM was in actual fact a novel idea or whether in reality it was a re-labelling of PM. Looking through a variety of literature on the subject, it immediately becomes clear that it is extremely hard to find a definitive line to draw between HRM and PM. Legge for example mentioned he felt their wasn’t a huge difference between the two and in fact drew on some very clear similarities. However he does manage to point out some diverging aspects. While Torrington saw the development of HRM as only adding ‘a further dimension to the multi faceted role’ (5) therefore seeing HRM as an ongoing process in the evolution of PM. As a result he finds it hard to label HRM as a revolutionary model. There are those experts that do agree in the novelty of HRM. It’s these authors that remind us not to play down the effects of HRM, mentioning that while many of the techniques in HRM are similar to those in PM, it is the philosophical context of HRM that makes these techniques so much more effective. The model of HRM unfortunately is not uniform and is made up of several different theoretical approaches therefore it becomes even harder to define clearly. This is perhaps what has muddied water so much in the debate of HRM and PM. Perhaps the easiest was to try and find an answer to this question is to compare the differences versus the similarities. Firstly the differences: Storey puts particular emphasis on the ‘strategic character’ (1) and continuously mentioned how HRM decision and formulations of policies should take place on ‘strategic level within an organisation’. Meanwhile PM can be condemned for its limited consideration of business objectives during decision making. Another major concept that is fundamental to HRM (particularly in ‘Soft’ HRM) which cannot be identified in PM is the creation culture and values on an organisation level. The intention of this aspect is to drive towards employee commitment towards achieving organisational goals. This ‘commitment’ can be seen as a precursor of motivation and performance (6). Furthermore we can consider the aspects of communication within HRM, whereby it rejects collective bargaining and attempts to set up direct channels of communication with individuals. By operating in this manor, HRM attempts to meet the individual needs of the employee so that they can then go on to contribute to the organisation. Consideration of the ‘proactive versus reactive’ argument can also identify differences (with HRM viewed as proactive and PM viewed as reactive). Proactive workforces enable organisations to pre-empt changes in markets. However they can only be implemented if the workforce is sufficiently motivated. The final major difference that can be identified is the emphasis that HRM places on training and development, that PM does not seem to identify with in the same way (5). When we contemplate the similarities of the PM and HRM we can consider Legge’s work (he viewed the clearest change from PM to HRM to be the ‘re-labelling process’). He established three main aspects than run through both forms of management. He stated that ‘both emphasised the importance of integration. Both sought to deliver the right people to the right jobs’ (he saw this as the principal role of the management of people in an organisation). Both PM and HRM gave people- management to â€Å"line† managers. Guest also discusses personnel development and functioning on a strategic level. However the above theses partially contradict what many other authors thought (6). In conclusion, we can accept that while HRM and PM contain significant similarities, we have to acknowledge that they differ in terms of their meaning and emphasis. Perhaps cultural aspects and strategic considerations would be the most important alteration, when converting from one theory to the other. Perhaps it would be wrong to say that HRM was a completely novel idea, especially when so many of the procedures and techniques overlap. However it is correct to say that HRM took many of the principles of PM and applied them to a different philosophy and way of thinking, and in doing so, inherently took the continuous evolution of PM to what we today call HRM.

Justified and Ancient: Analysis

Justified and ancient. Throughout the years, the modern world has had an enormous impact on third world countries, where we continually influence them on different levels. Whether or not this is a good thing, is also continually discussed, like in this story where the theme is primarily our relations to the people from less developed countries. We usually fail to remember that we are in fact not cleverer nor superior when speaking of intelligence, just because we live in a world where electricity among other things is not an evolution, but a matter of course. These things are perfectly illustrated in the short-story â€Å"justified and ancient†, where Lee is a clear representative of the narrow-minded modern man. This confusion about the village grows as we follow Lee making his arrangements with the village president, until another happening makes the reader stop and wonder. When the deal is over the village president gives Lee a necklace worth nothing and expects the Zippo lighter in return as a â€Å"gesture of trust†. Punjee sharply announces that one must not offend the village president and Lee feels deeply pressured by this act. So why would anyone religious expect such gestures and why do Punjee and the president continually talk with mysteriously low voices in their own language? Soon the reader is about to find out. Throughout the story we have heard it all from Lee’s perspective, but as he walks out the village and sees a lady with a donkey, the perspective changes completely. Suddenly we hear everything from her point of view, which certainly changes the whole picture. From the neutral perspective of the woman, we learn that the village president actually delivers information to the local police, in favor of some money. This means that Lee will probably be caught the minute he steps into town and as it is described the policemen will enjoy this event greatly. Although the village has grown under these circumstances, which the president has created, the woman describes him as a man without honor. Surely she feels that despite the growth, corruption is too high a price to pay. What started out as giving the indication of a holy place, turns out to be a place founded on corruption. This indicates that the third world is not only influenced in a cultural way, as seen with the song, but also in their attitude towards economics and business. Materialism has had its entry in the third world, where the priorities are no longer religion or honor but in fact money. Lee’s attitude towards the Indian people, epresents the opinion a lot of western people posses. The opinion, that because we are richer, we are wiser and therefore superior to those people less fortunate. This story shows the complete opposite, because the bright one fools the less bright one, meaning that the village president fools Lee. Honorable or not the village president turns out to be far smarter than first expected, so perhaps the message of this story is, that one should never judge a book by its cover, but at least turn a few pages first.

Atomic Number 5 Element Facts

Atomic Number 5 Element Facts Boron is the element that is atomic number 5 on the periodic table. It is a metalloid or semimetal that is a lustrous black solid at room temperature and pressure. Here are some interesting facts about boron. Fast Facts: Atomic Number 5 Atomic Number: 5Element Name: BoronElement Symbol: BAtomic Weight: 10.81Category: MetalloidGroup: Group 13 (Boron Group)Period: Period 2 Atomic Number 5 Element Facts Boron compounds form the basis for the classic slime recipe, which polymerizes the compound borax.The element name boron comes from the Arabic word buraq, which means white. The word was used to describe borax, one of the boron compounds known to ancient man.A boron atom has 5 protons and 5 electrons. Its average atomic mass is 10.81. Natural boron consists of a mix of two stable isotopes: boron-10 and boron-11. Eleven isotopes, with masses 7 to 17 are known.Boron exhibits properties of either metals or nonmetals, depending on the conditions.Element number 5 is present in the cell walls of all plants, so plants, as well as any animal that eats plants, contain boron. Elemental boron is non-toxic to mammals.Over a hundred minerals contain boron and it is found in several compounds, including boric acid, borax, borates, kernite, and ulexite. Yet, pure boron is extremely difficult to produce and the element abundance is only  0.001% of the Earths crust. Element atomic number 5 is rare in the solar system. In 1808, boron was partially purified by Sir Humphry Davy and also by  Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and L. J. Thà ©nard. They achieved purity of about 60%. In 1909  Ezekiel Weintraub isolated nearly pure element number 5.Boron has the highest melting point and boiling point of the metalloids.Crystalline boron is the second hardest element, following carbon. Boron is tough and heat resistant.While many elements are produced via nuclear fusion inside stars, boron is not among them. Boron appears to have been formed by nuclear fusion from cosmic ray collisions, before the solar system was formed.The amorphous phase of boron is reactive, while crystalline boron is not reactive.There is a boron-based antibiotic. It is a derivative of streptomycin and is called boromycin.Boron is used in super hard materials, magnets, nuclear reactor shielding, semiconductors, to make borosilicate glassware, in ceramics, insecticides, disinfectants, cleaners, cosmetics, and many other products. Boron is added to steel and other alloys. Because it is an excellent neutron absorber, it is used in nuclear reactor control rods. Element atomic number 5 burns with a green flame. It can be used to produce green fire and is added as a common colorant in fireworks.Boron can transmit part of infrared light.Boron forms stable covalent bonds rather than ionic bonds.At room temperature, boron is a poor electrical conductor. Its conductivity improves as it is heated.Although boron nitride is not quite as hard as diamond, it is preferred for use in high temperature equipment because it has superior thermal and chemical resistance. Boron nitride also forms nanotubes, similar to those formed by carbon. However, unlike carbon nanotubes, boron nitride tubes are electrical insulators.Boron has been identified on the surface of the Moon and Mars. The detection of both water and boron on Mars supports the possibility Mars may have been inhabitable, at least in the Gale Crater, at some point in the distant past.The average cost of pure crystalline boron was about $5 per gram in 2008. Sources Dunitz, J. D.; Hawley, D. M.; Miklos, D.; White, D. N. J.; Berlin, Y.; Marusić, R.; Prelog, V. (1971). Structure of boromycin. Helvetica Chimica Acta. 54 (6): 1709–1713. doi:10.1002/hlca.19710540624Eremets, M. I.; Struzhkin, V. V.; Mao, H.; Hemley, R. J. (2001). Superconductivity in Boron. Science. 293 (5528): 272–4. doi:10.1126/science.1062286Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.Laubengayer, A. W.; Hurd, D. T.; Newkirk, A. E.; Hoard, J. L. (1943). Boron. I. Preparation and Properties of Pure Crystalline Boron. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 65 (10): 1924–1931. doi:10.1021/ja01250a036Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Presidential Speech Essay

Presidential Speech Essay Presidential Speech sample: A number of issues are eminent in the modern day America. The nation is fighting against economic recession, political intolerance, rampant unemployment, derailed healthcare programs, and expensive foreign wars with perceived threats to American national security. Therefore, as a responsible president my government is proposing measures to transform the state of the United States economy into a more stability and realistic paradise where every American citizen is bound to make their dreams come true daily. Our wise and great founding fathers fought against foreign oppressions because they were ready to sacrifice their lives for our freedom. The modern American must be ready to make one final sacrifice to be part of the team whose main ambition is to transform our economy with a view to create viable employment and investment opportunities for our people. Transform American Healthcare to promote collective and secure healthcare scheme. Last but not least, the government is challenged by a proactive foreign and security policy that needs to change its policies to reduce expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars in foreign territories and wars that eventually benefit a few technocrats. Improving the economic situation For a long time, America is proud of having the most attractive and influential economy in the world; however, in the 21st century unlike before, population has tripled following high birth rate and doubled inflow of immigrants since America is a free and democratic nation. Therefore, the economy is experiencing a shock of providing enough jobs for over 300 million American nationals. The trend is unlikely to change unless we take the following dire measure. Government in-conjunction with representatives must enact a statute to check on mismanagement of government resources. Few previous government regimes overspend and overstretched the treasury forcing government to raise taxes that in turn lowered household incomes. My presidency promise to make credit available for institutions and individual Americans at a lowered tariff aimed to encourage growth of both small and medium business investors and multinational companies. International investors who were been keenly watching our dollar systems and wondering how the dollar was likely to pick up are amazed at the success and performance of our attractive capital markets investment policy that has seen a myriad of international competitive IPO sales for the first time since credit crunch hit America earlier in 2008. Improvement and Provision of Employment Opportunities One in every six Americans cannot find a decent temporary or full time career because American is not ready to sacrifice for a democratic future by sharing knowledge. Not only do jobs need to be increased, but also the wages need to increase through measures such as reduction in taxation rates across all sectors. Income, business, and national sales tax have to come down for production to pick up once more. Prosperity does not come through increase in spending, but increase in investment. By lowering taxes, the money that would have gone into government spending, which is usually unregulated and uncontrolled, will go into investment projects. The money left in the hands of the Americans will end up in the banks and other investment projects that will grow the American economy further. Better Healthcare Programs The healthcare system is now more expensive, yet less effective. The existing health care policies do not serve their purpose, and increase the amount Americans sacrifice in taxes to sustaining it. Major reforms are necessary to make sure that we have a healthy care plan that delivers on its purpose, and safeguards the health of the Americans. Stopping the Foreign war America needs to mind its own affairs before choosing to spend billions of the taxpayers kitty fighting unnecessary wars in foreign lands. Foreign lives costs more than just billions in dollars, lives of innocent American soldiers are lost fighting over issues that are of little benefit to the average American. Our troops and resources should be withdrawn from the far off nations and those resources be put to better use. The last thing we need is more damage in our foreign relationships by fighting against foreigners over vague issues such as national security, when we have much greater internal battles to win, on the economic, social, and political front. With the solving of these issues, America will be on its way to achieving greatness, and that every American will achieve his or her American Dream. Thank you!

Intrusive vs. Obtrusive

Intrusive vs. Obtrusive Intrusive vs. Obtrusive Intrusive vs. Obtrusive By Mark Nichol What is the difference between intrusive and obtrusive? The distinction between these words, and those between each of them and their synonyms, are subtle but useful. To be intrusive is to involve oneself into the affairs of others, generally in an objectionable manner, tactlessly but not necessarily in a way that calls attention to oneself. To be obtrusive, by contrast, is to interfere without regard for propriety or subtlety. They therefore can apply to the same situation, but intrusive emphasizes the effect on the recipient of the attention, while obtrusive focuses how the attention is perceived from the outside. The common element in intrude and obtrude, the root words for these synonyms, is -trude, from the Latin word trudere, which means â€Å"to thrust.† Ob- means â€Å"toward,† and in- is self-explanatory; protrusive, from protrude, featuring a prefix meaning â€Å"forward,† also means â€Å"pushy† but is used less often in this context. (Yet another word featuring the stem is extrude, which means â€Å"to thrust out†; the adjectival form is extrusive.) Other synonyms for this behavior follow: Impertinent: insolent or unrestrained, though it also has an unrelated original sense of irrelevance (from the Latin word pertinere, meaning â€Å"to pertain†) Insinuating: stealthily ingratiating, though the more common definition is â€Å"to imply or covertly suggest† (from the Latin word sinuare, also the origin of sinuous and meaning â€Å"to bend, curve†) Meddlesome or meddling: interfering (from the Latin word miscere, meaning â€Å"to mix†) Officious: interfering (from the Latin word officium, meaning â€Å"service, office†) Presumptuous or presuming: going beyond the bounds of what is considered appropriate (from the Latin word praesumere, meaning â€Å"to anticipate, assume, or dare†) Informal and slang terms for intrusive or obtrusive behavior include nosy (also spelled nosey), prying, pushy, and snoopy. Related descriptive phrases include â€Å"being a busybody† and â€Å"butting in.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesAmong vs. AmongstWhile vs. Whilst

Business Logistics Export of coal from Australia Essay

Business Logistics Export of coal from Australia - Essay Example Substances that burn to release heat energy are called fuels. Fuels that are formed naturally in the similar way to fossils are called fossil fuels. Fossils are the remains of animals or plants preserved through natural process for millions of years below the earth. Fossils fuels are formed from these remains of plants and animals through squashing by rocks built over it through natural wearing process. Coal, Crude Oil and Gas are fossil fuels. Usually the fossil fuels are found underground and therefore very difficult to get out. The organic maturity of coal determines its quality. It refers to the temperature, pressure and time of formation of any coal deposit. There are four types or stages of coal known as coalification; Peat, Brown Coal, Sub-bituminous and Bituminous. Coals are ranked according to its coalification which is the amount of changes occurred during its maturity from peat to anthracite. Sub-bituminous and lignite are ranked as low coals because they have low carbon content and high moisture levels. Their material is very soft and appearance dull earthy. Anthracite is the highest ranked coal as it has high carbon content and low moisture level, having hard and strong black material with more energy. Figure 2 shows the different levels of moisture content and carbon and energy content for coalification of coal. (World Coal Institute, 2005) Figure 2: Moisture and Carbon energy levels of different coal types Uses of Coal The most significant uses of coal as shown in Figure 2 above are in generating electricity, producing steel, manufacturing cement and

Setting up an Organic Farming Business Assignment

Setting up an Organic Farming Business - Assignment Example The mission of this business is to provide high quality, healthy, organic produce that is otherwise difficult to find. By targeting the right sellers and customers the business will be able to sustain itself and expand; the customer profile for the produce encompasses people who believe that fresh, organic produce is important to healthy living, and that the preservation of traditional, rare vegetables is important for the ecosystem and maintenance of high vitamin and mineral levels. Once a foundational customer base is established the business can expand to produce a wider variety of rare vegetables as well as seeds for home use. Land value will rise, however equipment will need maintenance and replacing regularly; as the business expands more land will need to be acquired. By starting locally and selling organic produce in small farmer's markets a customer base will form, after which larger sellers can be called upon to buy in larger quantities. By focusing on unique produce with the organic label, this business will succeed where the average produce selling business fails.

Bullying. Types of bullying. Age and gender differences in Bullying Research Paper

Bullying. Types of bullying. Age and gender differences in Bullying - Research Paper Example According to a recent statistics, â€Å"1 in 2 students experience occasional bullying during any school term. Moreover, 1 in 4 students in primary school are bullied more than once or twice at least in any term†(Statistics on Bullying, n. d.). According to Dune et al. (2010), â€Å"Bullying, aggression and other forms of violence in schools can blight student experiences of formal education and their abilities to make the best of the opportunities they have† (Dune et al, 2010, p.1). There are many cases in which school bullying cased not only psychological problems such as depression but also suicide tendency as well. In short, bullying should be prohibited in school compounds at any cost. This paper reviews the available literature to find out what intervention can a Case planner use with 12 grade students in a Long Island, Commack- New York day program classroom to discourage the issue of bullying with students. In order to formulate an intervention plan against bull ying a case planner should have ideas about things like; Types of bullying, Age and gender differences in Bullying, characteristics of victims, Participant’s role in bullying, Reporting of bullying etc Types of bullying Bullying occurs in many forms such as physical, verbal, social, and cyber. ... Physical bullying can be prevented up to certain extent by taking actions against unnecessary gang formation in schools. â€Å"Verbal bullying is name-calling, making offensive remarks, or joking about a person's religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or the way they look† (Types of bullying, n. d.). It is an act of teasing. It is normally performed by a group of people upon an individual. Verbal bullying can lead towards physical assaults or physical bullying. Verbal bullying usually develops psychological problems such as depression, anxiety etc. to the victim. It can cause loss of interest in studies and other daily activities. Schools should implement a code of conduct for in order to avoid verbal bullying. â€Å"Social alienation is when a bully excludes someone from a group on purpose. It also includes a bully spreading rumours, and also making fun of someone by pointing out their differences† (Types of bullying, n. d.). It is an act of isolation. In s ocial bullying, the offenders will prevent the victim from interacting with others. Offenders normally spread fabricated stories about the victim so that nobody will try to mingle with the victim. Schools should take stern actions against those who try to isolate somebody from the main streams of school life. â€Å"92 students aged 11-16 from 14 London schools completed a survey on bullying. 22% had experienced cyber bullying at least once. 6.6% had experienced being bullied in this way in the previous two months† (International Network, 2010). Cyber bullying is an act of spreading rumors or false stories against the victim with the help of internet. Electronic devices such as mobile

Karen Lock Organic Hampers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Karen Lock Organic Hampers - Essay Example Organic food retailers and health food shops have experienced a significant growth in sales volumes of organic product over the last one decade. Much of this growth is advocated the Food Supplements Directive in the UK, which asserted that Organic food retailers and health food shops have to reduce their vitamins & food supplement ranges in order to create space for natural personal care products. The natural products also found their way to the shelves of department stores, chemists, spas, beauty shops, and hair salons. Hair care and skin care are the most popular of all the organic personal care products in the UK. In each of the two categories, there are more than 50 brands, making the market in the UK highly congested and competitive. Organic oral care products have also been observed to be highly popular in the UK, with many people starting to prefer them over those with chemical products. Despite the fact that organic cosmetics have not shared the same level of success with organic oral products, they are projected to experience the highest rate of increase in demand over the next five years. Previously, there were very few players in the organic personal care industry in the UK. However, as the popularity of these products continued to grow, the demand grew too. As a result, many investors saw the industry as a promising one, thus invested in it. At the moment it can be said that the industry is highly congested due to the fact that there are many investors who have opted to invest in this industry. This can easily mean that there are high levels of competition in the industry. As a result, there is an increase in the consumer bargaining power in the UK.

History of Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

History of Germany - Essay Example This stance humiliated that nation brisling with ego, and became one of the many reasons for the Second World War. After the Second World War, the reluctant participant United States, emerged as the super power, and dictated her terms to war-weary countries of Europe during the end stages of the war. European countries had to accept all the demands of US most of them willingly, some of them with reservations. A comparison between French demands after First World War and US demands after the Second World War, and in this comparison, we find that more of contrast lay in the altered circumstances. France acted purely on an instinct of her national survival, whereas US had hidden her intentions. France needed Germany to be humiliated and pay back for her foolhardiness, whereas US acted mainly on her self-interest with an additional desire to see Europe and the rest of the world secure without being plagued by further wars. This intention is rather remote compared to self-gratification. After Second World War, Germany was no doubt treated badly, but was made to feel that she too is one of the European countries. Even though the persecution continued for a long time, other nations and US (mainly during Kennedy regime) were ready to forgive and forget the past. The self-interest of United States was acutely apparent in every demand, be it about European countries, territory of maintenance or military presence in Europe, it had shades of world welfare in it. At least it was presented so. In comparison, we can state that both countries needed to create a war free secure future and acted with that appreciable instinct and desire. France might have been a little undiplomatic, but we say that with the benefit of a long hindsight. US has fared better and built for herself and others a much better future, while keeping German resurrection under check, without depriving Germany much of her dignity.================= ESSAY: French demands after the First World War and the American demands after the Second World War have been compared and contrasted many times by historians. Even though French demands are known to be more aggressive and thoroughly vindictive, they had a short term affect, while the American demands after Second World War, solicitous to Europe, were well calculated and had a very long-term results. Perhaps eventually, it led to the formation of a European Union. United States of America, without Europe on its side, is a bit of loner, a kind of world bully. America and European countries have helped each other over the years. In both cases, Germany was victimised with good reasons, and with the hindsight, Germany has shaken off her past and is a confirmed democratic nation today. Europe was dominated by America and her demands after Second World War and later, some regions, by Soviet block. Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau rightly said, "Yes, we have won the war and not without difficulty; but now we are going to have to win the peace, and that will perhaps be even more difficult". Perhaps France, suffered more than any other country in Europe from the First World War and was determined not to put herself in such jeopardy again, and this resolve reflected in her demands after the world war. One look at the sacrifices made by France, her loss for no fault of hers, her sinking low in the ranks of world powers entirely due to war, no one could blame her for being vindictive or

Medical Experiments on Incompetent Individuals in a Society Essay

Medical Experiments on Incompetent Individuals in a Society - Essay Example Many factors are important and need to be taken into consideration while a problem of this intensity is being discussed. The divisions in the society need to be taken into account. Racial differences and how intelligence in different races and societies are assessed is an important aspect of such a debate. One must also assess the question as to who possesses the right to assess the intelligence of people who are to be subjected to medical experiments. What constitutes intelligence also remains an important part of this debate that would decide the future of human society. Much of this debate can be argued to stem from the work of the great naturalist, Charles Darwin, who argued that in a world where the natural resources that is available to everybody is limited, the law of the ‘survival of the fittest’ would be the one that holds (Darwin). ... The fact that such reforms can be brought about or stalled only through the medium of legislation by the executives of nations makes the issue even more complicated. This is because the issue, like the legalization of abortion or animal rights, is an extremely sensitive issue and can create problems for political parties that usually take the decisions of the executive wing of the government of a nation state. Public perceptions are thus, an important part of this debate. An objective approach that brings people from various backgrounds together for negotiations would be the best way to seek a solution for this problem. This should be preceded by campaigns that seek to allay the fears of all sections of the society regarding this matter. This paper shall seek to look at the complexities of the issue at hand and examine the choices that are available to human society as a whole for the purpose of attaining a solution to this problem. The issue of whether people who are in states of co ma where they may not be able to inform others of their assent or dissent to be a part of a certain experiment conducted for the purpose of finding out the efficacy of a certain scientific or medical truth, is a complex one. What constitutes death for such people is a question that has not met with satisfactory answers from philosophers as of yet. People who have died may have, in their wills, decided to donate their bodies for the cause of medical research. The question of death, thus assumes importance in this matter. Also important is the assent of the person involved. In many cultures, the body of a person is considered to be important for the performance of the last

History of Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

History of Germany - Essay Example This stance humiliated that nation brisling with ego, and became one of the many reasons for the Second World War. After the Second World War, the reluctant participant United States, emerged as the super power, and dictated her terms to war-weary countries of Europe during the end stages of the war. European countries had to accept all the demands of US most of them willingly, some of them with reservations. A comparison between French demands after First World War and US demands after the Second World War, and in this comparison, we find that more of contrast lay in the altered circumstances. France acted purely on an instinct of her national survival, whereas US had hidden her intentions. France needed Germany to be humiliated and pay back for her foolhardiness, whereas US acted mainly on her self-interest with an additional desire to see Europe and the rest of the world secure without being plagued by further wars. This intention is rather remote compared to self-gratification. After Second World War, Germany was no doubt treated badly, but was made to feel that she too is one of the European countries. Even though the persecution continued for a long time, other nations and US (mainly during Kennedy regime) were ready to forgive and forget the past. The self-interest of United States was acutely apparent in every demand, be it about European countries, territory of maintenance or military presence in Europe, it had shades of world welfare in it. At least it was presented so. In comparison, we can state that both countries needed to create a war free secure future and acted with that appreciable instinct and desire. France might have been a little undiplomatic, but we say that with the benefit of a long hindsight. US has fared better and built for herself and others a much better future, while keeping German resurrection under check, without depriving Germany much of her dignity.================= ESSAY: French demands after the First World War and the American demands after the Second World War have been compared and contrasted many times by historians. Even though French demands are known to be more aggressive and thoroughly vindictive, they had a short term affect, while the American demands after Second World War, solicitous to Europe, were well calculated and had a very long-term results. Perhaps eventually, it led to the formation of a European Union. United States of America, without Europe on its side, is a bit of loner, a kind of world bully. America and European countries have helped each other over the years. In both cases, Germany was victimised with good reasons, and with the hindsight, Germany has shaken off her past and is a confirmed democratic nation today. Europe was dominated by America and her demands after Second World War and later, some regions, by Soviet block. Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau rightly said, "Yes, we have won the war and not without difficulty; but now we are going to have to win the peace, and that will perhaps be even more difficult". Perhaps France, suffered more than any other country in Europe from the First World War and was determined not to put herself in such jeopardy again, and this resolve reflected in her demands after the world war. One look at the sacrifices made by France, her loss for no fault of hers, her sinking low in the ranks of world powers entirely due to war, no one could blame her for being vindictive or

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Example for Free

The Relationship of Social Class and Educational Attainment in the US Essay Introduction Social class typically refers to an individual’s position in an established hierarchy in a particular society. Classifications of people have been established in all societies since the dawn of civilization. The hierarchy may be based on wealth, ability, education, occupation, even geographical location. Historically, social class pertains to groupings to refer to occupation or role, i.e. landlord or tenant. Each grouping is accompanied by privileges and responsibilities, with varying levels of control and power within the society.   It also generally carries some type of class identity, so while it applies to individuals, it is not merely a personal characteristic, but exists within a certain context that applies to groups of people. This shared identity is affected by attitudes and lifestyle of its members, and thus establishes a â€Å"culture† or a set of values and practices. (â€Å"Social class†)   The purpose of this paper is to consider current research   that deal with the degree of correlation, if any, between social class and educational attainment in the United States. Review of Literature Education is considered the most widely used aspect that determines social position together with occupational status and income, but none of these factors are pure concepts to be taken in isolation. They are each affected by other social factors such as race and ethnicity.   Educational attainment directly affects social status in the sense that it provides credentials and access to economic benefits as well as establishes social networks.   In the period between 1940 and 1980, the number of persons to have completed higher education has increased to 68.6% of the total US population according to census data. (MacArthur and MacArthur â€Å"Measurement approaches†) The role of education in achieving social status is an important one, and attempts to study the variables that directly affect educational outcomes usually focus on parental education and occupation as well as race, gender and cognitive ability. A study of 1,927 subjects focused on the effect of self-esteem and locus of control (nature of environmental control) on educational outcomes of children net of these other factors. It was found self-esteem and locus of control affect educational outcomes independent of each other and of other variables. (Wang, Kick, Fraser and Burns 288-289) While some people are born into a class, such as royalty, most develop social mobility through shifts in education, occupation or income. There are no tangible measurements to establish social class, but it may be inferred from general guidelines based on achievements. Of the indicators of social status, education is considered the simplest and most universal, although it is limited generally up to early adulthood, when educational activity typically ends. Social class may have significant effects on educational attainment mostly because social class is typically associated with economic capacity. Wealth has a substantial impact on education because it provides access to resources that may not be available to one of lower economic means. Other characteristics of social class include levels of self esteem and locus of control, which also has significant effects on educational outcomes and occupational choice. (â€Å"Social class†) Rouse and Barrow state that students from lower socioeconomic families tend to attain less in education because they have greater psychological costs and less access to good schools that those from families with higher incomes (99). Since higher education attainment translates to occupations with higher earning potential, the long-term effect of this trend is to propagate a cyclical pattern of disadvantaged families producing low-earning progeny who will in turn raise a disadvantaged family. Attempts to break this cycle through programs like the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† has met with small success. Many studies conclude that smaller class sizes are the most effective way to improve student achievement. The importance of social class in influencing a person’s life prospects is investigated in the US. The goal of providing equal opportunity for all Americans in achieving success in life solely through their own efforts and skills regardless of social class is as yet not completely in place. Social class still has a great influence on an individual’s chance in leading a productive existence despite efforts to level the playing field. The tendency for parents, even in an open and fair democracy, to extend the advantages which they have to further the interests of their children prevails, resulting in a greater access to opportunities and resources. This is especially true of people from the higher socioeconomic class in the United States. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Data from following the progress of 20,000 eight graders from 1988 to 1994 from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 provided a wealth of information about the educational experiences of the subjects. The subjects were divided in four groups based on their socioeconomic status, the first group (Group 1) being the most advantaged and the fourth group (Group 4) the most disadvantaged. Results showed that the average test scores of children from Group 1 were higher that those from Group 4. Group 4 children were more likely to be held back and to drop out of high school than those in Group 1. The results also suggest that parental abilities, which may be hereditary, may account for the economic status of the family, and should also be considered as an influence on educational attainment. (Rouse and Barrow 100-102) A study by Gordon Dahl and Lance Lochner focused on the effect of higher income on academic performance. They found for every $ 1,000 increase in income for a family with two children, math and reading scores also increased up to 5%. (Rouse and Barrow 104) The correlation between fathers and sons in the US with regards to income and occupations is very strong, to a degree of 0.4, which means that there is a significant probability that an adult son will approximate the income of the father, and sons of white collar workers has double the probability than sons of blue collar workers to become a white collar worker. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"Class Still Matters†) Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html#chart2#chart2 Recent trends suggest that the attainment of higher education has begun to change this pattern of occupational mimicry. This is fueled by the economic boom in the US which has unfortunately slowed down, and the trend of an upwardly mobile labor force has slowed down with it. Overall, upward mobility composition is that of growing individual opportunity (college education) and a lackluster economy. Social class in no longer the force it had been before, which will benefit people from the lower socioeconomic brackets. For those in the upper social strata, the emphasis on individual ability and skills and the decline of social class importance will likely result in a drop in social status. (McMurrer and Sawhill â€Å"The Offsetting Effect of Economic Growth†) One considerable portion of the US population which may benefit from this decline in insular social classification is second-generation Americans, or those who were born in the US of immigrant parents. Nearly one-fourth of young Americans are second-generation immigrants and most are found in the cities like Los Angeles. Recent migration trends in the US have transformed the social character of American society to a marked degree. The long-term effects of these patterns are most evident in the educational attainment profile of the population. On average, these second generation population, especially those of Asian ethnic origin, exhibit better academic performance than native-born Americans. As an illustration, 32% of all Asian high school graduates who applied for slots in the University of California was accepted, as compared to 16% eligible native-born American, and 7% of Latino-descended applicants. (Feliciano) Feliciano accounts for these disparities by considering two explanations: cultural values, belief systems and attitude differences, i.e. children of Asian families tend to be more successful because of the high currency placed on academic achievement; and structural differences, i.e. accessibility of opportunities and resources. Immigrant social class status may be different before and after migration to the US, which could explain why some groups are more successful at overcoming barriers to educational attainment such as poverty and low socioeconomic status than others. To investigate this theory, relevant pre-migration information on educational levels in 31 immigrant groups was determined by cross-referencing census data in the US and the home country of the immigrant group from 1997 to 2001, using the Net Difference Index. The subjects were second-generation Americans ages 20-40 with at least some college education. Results show that immigrants to the US tended to have attained higher educational levels than those who stayed in the home country, especially those who come from countries remote from the US, such as Asian countries. (Feliciano â€Å"Methodology†) In considering the correlation of pre-migration class status with second-generation educational attainment, a strong positive relationship was revealed.   Regardless to their social status in the US, children of highly-educated immigrants demonstrated the highest educational attainment rates. While pre-migration class status had a significant effect on second-generation educational attainment, economic security in the US as a factor accounted for 41% of the variability. In effect, to accurately account for ethnic variability in academic success among second-generation Americans, social status of the parents before and after migration should be considered. Such cross-referencing adequately explains 60% of the disparity in educational attainment observed in this population segment. (Feliciano â€Å"Pre-Migration Origins and Second Generation Outcomes†) Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social class is a nebulous concept that dictates the individual’s eventual role in society to a great extent. Educational attainment depends in a significant way on social class because of the socioeconomic factors that influence is such as income, occupation and family values are all related to social class. Individuals from the higher social class are more likely to have parents who possess high cognitive ability, more self-esteem, more money and better access to resources that would enable the attainment of higher education such as college. Second-generation Americans with immigrant parents who have lower social status in the US but higher social status in the home country are more likely as well to complete a college education. However, public policies and other programs aimed at providing higher education access to individuals from lower social classes could help to break the like father-like son trend in educational attainment and occupational choice and facilitate an upwardly mobile majority. References â€Å"Social class.† Encyclopedia of Public Health. 2007. 15 March 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/class-structure Feliciano, Cynthia. â€Å"Another way to assess the second generation: look at the parents.† Migration Information Source. 1 May 2006. 15 March 2007. http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=396 MacArthur, John D. and MacArthur, Catherine T. â€Å"Educational Status.† UCSF. 8 August 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/Research/Social%20Environment/notebook/education.html Mani, Anandi and Mullin, Charles H. â€Å"Choosing the right pond: social approval and occupational choice.† Williams College. October 2001. 15 March 2007. http://www.williams.edu/Economics/mani/manimullin.pdf McMurrer, Daniel P. and Sawhill, Isabel V. â€Å"The declining importance of class.† Urban Institute. Number 4 in Series, Opportunity in America 01 April 1997. 15 March 2007. http://www.urban.org/publications/307017.html Rouse, Cecilia Elena and Barrow, Lisa. â€Å"U.S. elementary and secondary schools: equalizing opportunity or replicating the status quo?† The Future of Children 16.2 (2006) 15 March 2007. http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/06_5563_Rouse-Barrow.pdf Wang, Li-Ya, Kick, Edward, Fraser, James, and Burns, Thomas Jerome. â€Å"Status attainment in America: the roles of locus of control and self-esteem in educational and occupational outcomes.† The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2007) 15 March 2007. http://www.unc.edu/~fraser18/publications/Locus_of_Control_SelfEsteem_%20and_Status_Attainment.pdf

Leadership style of reflective hospitality managers

Leadership style of reflective hospitality managers 1. Introduction The choice of a suitable leadership style of hospitality industry can be seen as the requirement of the features of the industry that is based on the experience of both sides, i.e., the experience of guests in consuming the service and the experience of the managers in running the hospitality businesses (Banks, L. 1997). Here, there are two relationships that are important in influencing the quality of hospitality management. One relationship is between the hospitality industry and the guests and the other relationship is between the managers of hospitality businesses and the employees. In fact, the latter relationship is of the same importance as the first one. This is because of the fact that the leadership style of hospitality managers is decisive in influencing the working attitudes of the employees which in turn may impact the effectiveness of the job of serving the guests (Van   Dyk, P.S. 2001). This essay, based on the analysis of the leadership style of the hospitality mana gers to the employees in motivating their initiatives in working, aims at clarifying the importance of leadership style of hospitality managers in promoting the general quality of their managerial job and the service quality of hospitality service as well. 2. Why employee motivation is important in promoting hospitality service Any employee bases his or her assessment of working life on their demands and expectations. No one will be content about his or her being a property of others (Armstrong, M., 1990). Anyhow, the concerning of life value still dominates the life philosophy of the human race. Therefore, in most cases, the question involved in the relationship of employment is not how an employee will fit into a company, but how the company will fit into the employees project. To put it another way, the motivation of an employees taking up a job lies in that how the job will provide the possibility of personal development as well as the realization of life value in the future. (Fielding, M. 1993) For the employee, it is not the question of fitting into the existing organization culture. Generally, if there is a mismatch between the personal value and the interests of the company, there are usually two alternative choices. One is that the person may drop the company to escape from the present condition. T he other is that he or she has to put up with the situation. Of course, such endurance has a limited scope. If there is a better career opportunity waiting for him or her, he or she will continuously look out for these opportunities and will migrate to a new company. Thus, such a relationship between the organization and the employee creates the first dilemma. For the company, the dilemma is how to make the company attractive to employees where as at the same time can obtain the maximum amount of benefit from the employee. Providing a luring promise to the newly employed staff members is of no avail if the company is not consistent to keep the promise in the future. Thus, what matters is that the HRM should adopt a strategy that will be helpful in keeping the long run of the personnel assets. However, this is definitely not an easy thing for any company or organization to accomplish. It is always a matter of contradiction. However, experienced hospitality business managers knows how to solve this problem by respecting the real needs of the employees and thus the initiatives of serving the guests will be encouraged. 3. Motivating the staff This means the measurement of the performance of employees and the delegated responsibilities of the employees. This is usually done through the detailed explanation of the technical specifications to the staff members to show them how to perform in their actions. This is effective in making the employees know the level of accountability that is related to his performance of the task. By clarifying these things beforehand, the employees can know better their duties in the management process and in this way, they can be confident in meeting the challenges that they will encounter in their job. Technical specifications are important in reflecting the experience of managers of hospitality industry. This is another important success guarantee of business organizations. By coaching the staff, manager of a business organization can delegate an assignment with more concise purpose. This is especially useful when allocating new tasks to staff members. New tasks can be confusing in many areas. So, managers should be patient enough to motivate the staff in a sustained way. PLOC management focuses specifically on the progress of HRM theories and practical implementation, growing emphasis on flexibility and individualization are leading to the serious challenge of how to ensure the spirit of community which are considered to be the basis for social relations and cooperative networks of organizations of various kinds. However, if the single employee in a department of a company is increasingly undertaking individual tasks and receives individual salary, and sees his or her career possibilities to be solely determined by his or her individual talents, then how will it be possible to create a spirit of solidarity in the department and think of it as an entity? This situation, with the development of the integration of world business, is further aggravated by the growing need for people to work across organizational or professional boundaries. On the other hand, technological advancement has made solving tasks increasingly complex and thus requires input fro m very different competence profiles. As a result, only a team can yield the best outcome (Carter, C.C. 1994). Therefore there is constantly a pressure of competence communities which emerges in a time when the preconditions for such communities are deteriorating. So, the contradiction between individual development and the interest of the community always exists. With regard to this contradiction, it is really a serious a challenge to practitioners to build up a framework for the negotiation between the individual interests and the companys gaining profits. In the meanwhile, such a framework also contributes to achieve a close relationship among people from both sides of an organization. If they fail to meet this challenge, working life will not only become atomized but also be void of human empathy and the spirit of community. To summarize, the principle for the parishioners to follow is that the mechanism for the development should be sustainable and flexible. It all depends on the role of the unions. However, the traditional role of unions is a watchdog of strict organizational rules and collective agreements. The employees neither expect nor wish to draw on the traditional support offered by unions. Rather, they want more direct influence on the contents of their incomes and working conditions. The role of the unions seems to be much negl ected by employees. 4. Service quality and team performance The core of the strategy of the improvement of the team performance is to treat the employees equally and this is the crucial requirement of improving the service quality of hospitality business. Although the diversified interests of the semi-groups within a business are difficult to evaluate, yet it is still possible to motivate the staff through the personal experience of the managers. This has proved to be significant in promoting the activeness of the employees in serving the guests in their workplace. In this sense, leadership style is not only a theory but also an important personal experience of hospitality managers. References: Armstrong, M. (1990). A handbook of business management. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Banks, L. (1997).   Motivation in the workplace: Inspiring your employees. United States of America: American Media Incorporated. Carter, C.C. (1994). Human resources management and total quality imperative. United States of America: American Management Association. Fielding, M. (1993). Effective communication in organizations. Kenwyn:   Juta Co, Ltd. Van   Dyk, P.S. (2001). The quality assurance approach to human resources management in   Nel,P.S. (ed.). Human resource management. (5th edition) Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

Eliminating Cancer with the Mind :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Eliminating Cancer with the Mind Over 1 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year and over 1,500 lives will be lost to cancer today (1). Many people undergo grueling hours of chemotherapy and radiation to discover that their cancer has spread to other parts of their body and that the treatments need to begin all over again. Unfortunately, there is no cure for cancer at the present time. Modern medical treatments attack the cancer and treat the organs affected by the disease, but pay little attention to the other areas of significance in the person's life. This calls for a new treatment that extends beyond the organs overcome by the disease and focuses on the person as a whole. Guided therapy, relying on the idea that the mind can affect the functions of the body and thus make people feel better, claims to do just that. But does it really work? Throughout history, the power of the imagination has helped people heal. In Eastern Medicine, envisioning one's well being has always been a large part of the healing process. In Tibetan medicine for example, physicians believe that creating a mental image of the healing god improves one's chances for recovery (2). The ancient Greeks, including Aristotle and Hippocrates, also had their patients use forms of imagery to help them heal. People continue to rely on imagery to hasten the healing process. Psychologists and neuroscientists use evidence from Positive Emission Tomography (PET) scans of the brain to demonstrate that guided imagery is effective. In a PET scan, the subject is injected with a small amount of radioactively labeled water. When an area of the brain is working hard and processing information, more blood flows through it and higher levels of the radioactive water are detected (3). In terms of brain activity, there is ample scientific evidence that imagining an experience stimulates the visual cortex, the same region of the brain activated by the actual experience (4). Stimulating the brain with imagery can have a direct effect on the nervous and endocrine systems, which ultimately affect the immune system. Thus, in terms of brain activity, picturing something and actually experiencing it are equivalent. Psychologists believe that relaxation, an essential part of guided imagery, is responsible for producing images and triggering the unconscious, which generates emotions (5). Research has shown that the physiological impact of relaxation is due to its inhibition of cortisol, a hormone released by the body in response to stress.

Fall of Man Depicted in Atwoods Backdrop Addresses Cowboy Essay

Fall of Man Depicted in Atwood's Backdrop Addresses Cowboy The sexual politics of the man-woman relationship, or more specifically the sexual exploitation of women by men, is a clear concern in Margaret Atwood's "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy." Although the oppressor-as-male theme is by no means an original source of poetic inspiration, Atwood's distinction is that she views the destructive man-woman relationship as a metaphor for, symptom and symbol of, bigger things. From the vantage-point of feminine consciousness, Margaret Atwood empahsizes the "backdrop" as being not only the woman, but also the land and the spiritual life of the universe; the "cowboy" is both a man bent on personal gain (possibly an American based on Atwood's strong anti-American sentiments in her novel, Surfacing) and an emissary of technological progress. The structure of the poem logically supports the theme of conflict and "imperialism" in that it is clearly divided into two sections or "camps." The first four stanzas offer a description of "you", the "righteous and heroic" cowboy who brutalizes life without creating new life. The perspective shifts then from predator to prey in the final five stanzas as "I", presented as victimized woman and exploited nature, "addresses" her antagonist. The tone or mood of "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy" also undergoes a change after the first four stanzas when the reader enters the tragic, joyless experience of one who is paying the price of "slaughter and desecration." At this point in the poem, it seems futile to consider whether or not the price should be paid and the metaphoric man-woman tension remains distrubingly unresolved. In terms of form, "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy" is written in open (org... ...esecrate", the emphatically placed word of the climactic line in "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy", emphasizes again the "backdrop" as being not only the woman, but also the land and the spiritual life of the universe. As an emissary of technological progress, man has committed a sacreligious act against nature and humanity and his "fall" embodies the fall of the spiritual, the historical and the rational. In Margaret Atwood's poem, then, the troubled man-woman relationship is symptom and symbol of a greater alienation within humanity. Man's past and present curelties to human, natural and spiritual life are expressesed metaphoricall in terms of a cowboy "winning the West" on a movie set, against a backdrop "supporting" his heroism. "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy" offers a vision that is both desolate and conscious-expanding but it does not present answers.

Philosophy of Space and Time Essay

At the end of the nineteenth century, physicists were looking back at an era of progress unrivaled in known history. Classical, or Newtonian, physics explained the motion of objects in space and on earth, Kepler’s laws accurately predicted planetary motion, and Maxwell’s electromagnetic unified electricity and magnetism theory and predicted, correctly, that electromagnetic waves behaved exactly like light; paving the way for the recognition that light itself was an electromagnetic wave. It appeared that the world was explained. It was not to be. Two revolutionary theories were introduced that changed forever the way in which scientists and lay people alike view the universe. These were the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics (Giancoli 730) . Physicists at the turn of the century assumed that any wave must travel through some medium. This assumption required there to be some transparent substance in space that would allow light to propagate through it, much like a ripple on the water. They knew that this could not be air, since light traveled from stars to the earth through the emptiness of space. Another medium had to be responsible. This medium was named the Ether and it was thought to exist in all space. They understood that the ether had a zero density, since it was very difficult to detect (Giancoli 731). Two physicists in the 1880’s, Michelson and Morley, designed a clever experiment that they thought would determine the speed of the Earth in orbit around the sun. They anticipated being able to measure the speed of light in different orientations. They anticipated that the speed would vary with the orientation of the light wave to the ether. What they discovered was that the speed was constant. They believed there experiment was a failure. What their experiment showed, although they did not accept it, was that the ether did not exist. In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed a theory that reconciled this and other issues. This theory would change how scientists and lay people viewed space, time, mass, and energy (Giancoli 730). Einstein’s equation relating mass and energy, E = MC2, is easily recognizable. It brings together matter and energy as different forms of the same substance. This would imply that mass could be converted directly to energy, and vice versa. This radical departure from classical physics had several implications, both for scientists and for our culture. For scientists, the theory of relativity established the ultimate speed limit. The speed of light in a vacuum, c, is as fast as anything can go (Giancoli 748). Culturally, the discovery of relativity and quantum physics made possible such things as nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and medical imagery such as MRI Scans, CAT Scans, and PET scans. The advent of nuclear weapons changed our society. Nuclear attacks were a common theme in Hollywood films. Citizens built there own bomb shelters, argued the pros and cons of the nuclear power industry, and have enjoyed the advances in medicine. Indeed, our society now takes for granted these advances, and assumes that there will be a continued rapid advance as our knowledge base improves. Cosmology, or the study of the universe, has benefited from the theory of relativity. Many phenomenons, such as black holes, are only describable in terms of relativity and quantum physics. The advent of space telescopes, radio telescopes, and optical telescopes that detect emissions outside of the visible spectrum have shown the world the images of a universe unlike the one that was believed to exist just a hundred years ago (Giancoli 914-942). The search for extra-terrestrial life was instigated with the federal governments backing. The private citizens embraced this search, of 3 so much so that when the government quit funding SETI, individual citizens continued to support it. The discovery of relativity, quantum physics, and the new nature of cosmology has changed not only the scientific community but society as a whole. SETI, CAT scans, an Einstein’s name are household terms. The changes in perception of the world around us really cannot be overstated.

Danone History Essay

1.history: The original company bearing the corporate name was founded in 1919 by Isaac Carasso, a Spanish physician of Greek origin, in Barcelona. In 1923, he came up with a unique treatment for patient with digestive problems and he developed a product that he distributed though pharmacies and drug stores, and which soon became a big success-yoghurt. The factory was named Danone, a Catalan diminutive of the name of his first son, Daniel Carasso. Ten years later, the company moved from Spain to neighboring France and the first French factory was built. In 1949, the yoghurt was firstly packaged in a glass can. In 1951, this glass package replaced the porcelain can which was used before and because of this change the yoghurt became more popular and very common in diary healthy alimentation. In 1968, Danone was firstly announced in TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZNtHoM6ZQ Some years later, they extended their brand by producing â€Å"petit suise† (1972), â€Å"Natillas† (1974) and also the first non-fat (1985). In 1988, Danone commercialized â€Å"Bio Yoghurt†, which nowadays helps us with digestive matters. In 1992, Danone was the main sponsor of the Barcelona 92 Olympic Games which added more popularity to the company. One year later, Danone Institute was born. The aim of this institute is to improve the citizen nutrition habits. In 1995, Danone continued extending its brand by incorporating Actimel, which supposed a revolution in the alimentary world due to its purpose of defense. In 1998, Danone was the official sponsor of France football world championship. 2 years later, they create the official website of Danone: www.Danone.es. In 2004, Danone commercialized â€Å"Danacol†, a product which aim is to reduce cholesterol in a simple and efficient way. Danone launched a campaign in order to encourage families to lead a healthy lifestyle :†Danone Family†. In 2006, Danone started producing soya yoghurts 100 % vegetal. DANONE NOWADAYS†¦ Since 1998, Groupe DANONE has been organised in three business divisions worldwide which, in 2004, represented more than 97% of its consolidated sales: Fresh Dairy Products which groups together yoghurts, desserts and infant foods represent about 50% of the Groupe’s consolidated sales,  Beverages, essentially packaged water, which represent about 25% of consolidated sales and Biscuits and Cereal products, which represent about 22% of consolidated sales. The motors of this supported growth are: a strong health/ well-being positioning, at the heart of concerns of consumers and new consumption opportunities (times or places) combined with the dynamism of the growth of emerging countries. This focus on 3 dynamic categories allows the company to have a determining strategic asset at its disposal to continue to display a growth rate that is higher than the average in the sector. 2.Internationalization: Balanced geographical presence Today nearly 31% of the company’s sales are on emerging markets. This brings Danone close to its target, which is to do 40% of business on emerging markets and 60% in developed countries – a balanced presence that means they benefit from both the high potential of developing economies and the steady demand of more mature markets. In recent years, Group DANONE has built up strong positions on emerging markets to take the number-one place in each of their three core businesses. This successful international expansion rewards a strategy focusing on a limited number of countries, selected for their growth potential, where Danone has the size to achieve significant economies of scale. Products within the reach of most consumers, high-profile brands, and effective, wide-ranging distribution for sales close to consumers are the essential components of our model for profitable growth on emerging markets, which we sum up as affordability, awareness and availability. In Western Europe, too, Group DANONE can look forward to continued, steady growth, building on strengths that include well-established positions. World leadership built on local strength In each of its business lines Danone is a world leader, which gives it a clear competitive advantage in terms of marketing expertise, industrial efficiency, breadth of product ranges and R&D. And in each case, world leadership is built on strong number one positions on local markets, enabling the company to forge both close ties to consumers and balanced, long-term relationships with major retailers., unrivalled familiarity with  local consumers, and a recognized capacity for effective innovation http://www.danone.com/en/company/global-presence.html 3.INTERNAL CHACARTERISTICS: VALUES/FUNCTIONS/ SWOT: -Strengths- In this part of the SWOT analysis we will focus on the strengths of the company. * Brand loyalty Danone disposes of an excellent background which, along with the consumer’s product perception creates this brand loyalty which allows the demand to be inelastic. Therefore Danone guarantees its sells stability. (falta rollo) * Innovation thanks to Danone Institute, this company is able to invest on a regular basis, in R&D, obtaining from it new product lines which fulfill consumer’s needs. * Distribution channels Since the beginnings Danone reaches daily every single supermarket in every corner of the world thanks to its perfectly adapted transportation system which maintains all the products fresh and ready to be consumed. * Danone has a perfect flow of information inside the company. Information travels perfectly, up and down the hierarchical pyramid. Departments have coordination policies in order to take the maximum profit of their resources. This philosophy gives a chance to creativity and allows to improve current product lines as well as to launch new ones. -Weaknesses- * Danone depends basically on daily products. We consider that if the company really wants to keep growing and becoming one of the multinational leaders, it should diversify its income sources. * A main problem Danone has, when willing to grow by exporting outside the EU is that its products are fresh and with a short caducity period. Therefore, if the company wants to take good positioning in foreign markets, it must invest in new facilities. Another option would be to create new product ranges of non-refrigerated yogurts which caducity periods are longer. -Opportunities- Danone Vitalinea has a strong presence in the fat free yoghurt market. Its 56% market share gives Danone the opportunity to invest in R&D in order to launch to the market new fat free products and sell them to the same  consumers. Taking advantage of the increasing personal image concern, Vitalinea should be one of the strongest ranges of Danone Yoghurts, in order to properly supply the latent demand. Some segments of the population are not a target for Danone, and this should change. Danone should be a brand that consumers would buy every time they go to the store. Danone should be a brand that every family should have at home. The way to achieve it is to differentiate its products by offering special flavours and innovative possibilities. The consumer needs to know that Danone is the only brand that can offer the more specialized products, without forgetting about health, quality and price. -Threats- Danone Vitalinea is facing a market where too many products are offered to the different costumers. As we know, Danone Vitalinea has a 56% yoghurt market share, but competitors actually fight for the rest 44%. Danone offers quality products with high prices and competitors offer lower prices for the same type of products. This means that the consumer should receive a big added value when deciding to buy a Danone product. This market is plenty of imported products from other countries that accomplish with health and quality standards that Danone offers. The critical point is that they offer it at a lower price and if consumers decide to change Danone for another cheaper imported brand and they like it, Danone will definitely loose these consumers.