Conversation between countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conversation between countries - Essay Example People adhering to cosmopolitanism and its different ideas are known as cosmopolites. Kwame Anthony Appiah uses the term â€Å"cosmopolitanism† to describe people with different abilities, who come from different backgrounds to get along with each other in a globalized and deeply connected world, an ability he likens to having conversations. Appiah also discusses cosmopolitanism as a rubric for social change, where the practice of people getting along together, conversing, is a more effective agent for change than reason or arguments. He writes, â€Å"Conversations across boundaries of identity; whether national, religious, or anything else, begin with the sort of imaginative engagement you get when you read a novel or watch a movie or attend to a work of art that speaks from some place other than your own† From the context in question about the subject matter being the dispute of the Diaoyu islands.US senator John McCain accused china for encroaching on Japanese territ ory claiming that â€Å"Diaoyu is Japanese territory† this statements have elicited mixed reactions from different quarters on the issue, with, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stating that these islands are Chinese territory and those claiming it are unwarranted to do so. The Chinese has called upon United Nations officials to halt their irresponsible remarks to prevent the situation from escalating any further. According to Kwame’s cosmopolitanism concept, is a critic of boundaries and claims we should abandon these boundaries and live like the citizens of the world. The islands dispute is a pointer that indeed Kwames argument is valid as this can stop the crisis on boundaries like the one on Diaoyu islands. It stated that these islands are part of the Chinese territory from historical maps and scientific data and it is evident that it was Chinese territory. Kwameh states that â€Å"There’s a sense in which the concept is not of the answer but of the problem† (15). Thus cosmopolitanism by itself is not a solution but it’s that aspect of people understanding each other. Conversation doesn’t have to lead to an agreement or consensus about anything or everything, especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people get used to one another (30). In line with the United Nations convention on the law of the sea Chinas possession of the island is indisputable. This casts a lot of doubt on the Japanese siege of the island and on grounds of its strategic location. But even more inviting is the involvement of the United States in the whole dispute it’s thus seen as the US is having a hand on the claims by Japan bearing in mind their close ties. The dispute finds the U.S in a closed fit due to its foreign policy to strategies though; it has overtime maintained an unbiased position. So as not to provoke China’s claim of the island; this again brings to the foe kwamehs’s principle of global ization. It shows how boundaries can lead to more conflicts bearing in mind the two nations are super powers. Appiah admits that conversation about boundaries may be delightful or vexing (19). Vexing is the core thing in this context where this dispute can potentially lead to a big diplomatic row among the states involved. Though on a greater probe its evident Mc Cain’s statements are to serve his own interest by settling political scores back home in America. This brings attention to kwamehs claim when he quotes that; what

Information Security College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Security College - Essay Example Information security essentially requires that the genuine parties to a transaction are identified, the actions they are allowed to perform are determined and their actions are limited to only those that are necessary to initiate and complete the transaction. Anything beyond that means that an intrusion attack is taking place. A new technology that has come up to secure information is the use of "tokens". Token is a form of two-factor authentication whereby the user needs a combination of something he knows for e.g. a password and something he has e.g. a token, to log on to a system. Tokens come in various shapes and sizes and they are mainly of two types; "passive tokens" are storage devices that contain a secret code that allow users to gain access to a network, whereas "active tokens" are usually small stand-alone electronic devices that generate a one-time password that is only useful for a single log-on and the user logs on to the system using this one-time password. Currently there are 20 vendors who are involved in the marketing of these handheld devices and the price ranges from $30 to $100 per unit. Companies wanting to use this technology can choose anything that serves their need and purpose because it can be customized and costs accordingly. However, four vendors are the market leaders because their products are sold the most; three vendors have the token device the size of a small calculator with a keyboard and use a 'challenge response' strategy. The fourth vendor supplies a device that is the size of a credit card and operates on a random number basis. Tokens are becoming increasingly popular among major companies today because they provide a very good and reliable solution to safeguard information. Over the years, companies have tried various means by which the network and information of the company would remain safe and not get in the wrong hands. However, more often than not, expert hackers have managed to break in and damage the whole network of companies. As a result of this, companies have faced enormous amounts of losses and experienced damages beyond repair. Companies using the technology of tokens are realizing that it is becoming extremely significant for the smooth running of their business without fearing the attack from hackers and losing valuable information. Tokens offer several advantages mainly: The password used in tokens is dynamic and cannot be re-used or guessed as it is a one-time password only. Tokens save costs as less money is spent on installing security technologies like firewalls etc and expert personnel don't need to be hired for the maintenance of these technologies. Since all the transactions require digital signing, it validates user identity. Even if the token device is lost or stolen, other built-in features prevent illegal access. Some tokens also have an audit trail and a built-in alarm that alerts the security director or mainframe operator to illegal access attempts. The size of the devices are such that they are portable and enable authentication for members of the company from anywhere, anytime. As more and more businesses are going online, the need to protect the company's network from attacks is greater than ever. A large amount of high-tec information passes to and fro among

Performance Management at Steel Co

Performance Management at Steel Co Contents Structuring individual performance to maximize firm’s performance Expectancy theory has three underlying concepts: Performance management system used to improve employee development and communication Effectiveness of linking performance to financial reward Bibliography Structuring individual performance to maximize firm’s performance Individual performance is determined by the following factors: Motivation, the desire to do the job Ability, capability, know how to do the job (cognitive ability, reasoning ability, physical ability) Work environment, tool materials and information to do the job The energy to perform in an organization is directly influenced by the level of motivation and the expectancy. As long as the desire to do something is present, the mount of performance output is directly proportional with the level of energy exercised. Motivation is a function of expectancy, instrumentality and valance and expectancy, is used as a tool to explain the determinants of workplace attitudes and behavior. In other words try to perform and you will succeed. Expectancy theory has three underlying concepts: 1. The Concept of valence refers to anticipated satisfaction. While value represents the actual satisfaction that a person experience from an attained outcome. Potentially a discrepancy can occur between the anticipated satisfaction from an outcome (valence) and the actual satisfaction that it provides (its value). When such disparity occurs, the reward system implemented will lead to loss of the motivational value. 2. Instrumentality represents a person’s belief about the relationship between performing an action and experiencing an outcome. The high performance is most likely to occur when both the valence and instrumentality are perceived high. It is important to understand individual’s motivational behavior by not only identifying his/hers satisfaction expected as a result of attained particular outcome, but also what actually the person thinks that he /she needs to do or not, to achieve the outcome. 3. Expectancies, representing a link between making an effort an actual performing well. It is more like motivation based on desire and effort. Expectancy should be accompanied by specific goals setting and type of performance desired in quantitative terms. Goals should be difficult enough, to where the individual motivation will be driven by the values received from a job well done. The concept of self-efficacy is based on the individual ability to complete the task if he/she tried. Self -efficacy can increase by: emphasis on past accomplishments, observation of others, verbal persuasion (appealing to individual self image) Performance management system used to improve employee development and communication (McCaffery (2004) explains that a key competent of learning and development support in managing performance is guidance given by line managers to develop the knowledge or skill of their subordinates. (McCaffery,p139 (2004) believes that ‘performance management is a cyclical process centred on learning and development-not a fixed one-off event†¦performance management does not just happen, as is often(wrongly) assumed, at an annual event set up for the purpose. Formal appraisal is but a single process. The core foundation of performance management is learning and development. (Armstrong, p246 (2009) believes that performance management has a vital role in an organisation, by ‘specifically helping people to appreciate the need for developing their performance and where and how it should take place,’ and ensuring that people can learn from their experience. Performance management can help people find specific courses on or off the job or by e-learning which will satisfy their learning need. But performance management’s most essential role is the help it gives to the development of a climate for learning- a ‘growth culture’. This process helps people avoid obstacles that can arise when guiding them through work challenges. It ensures that the workers have the resources and time that they need to learn, also that management can advice and support them and give feedback that is vital for them to learn. (Foot, Cook (2008) comment on the fact that often organizations want to develop by improving performance. They want to meet their strategic objectives, or gain high-performance standards in the organization, and they wish to increase profits for shareholders, develop their market share or provide better services for their customers to avail of. (Foot, Cook (2008) explain that in order to achieve these ideals, they need to select, recruit, motivates, develop and retain the best people for the job. (Foot, Cook, p277(2008) highlight that ‘learning and development is one of the key aspects in performance management which can help them achieve these things and it is also a key factor in managing talent.’ Individuals in an organization have the drive to improve their performance in their job, or gain new skills perhaps to get a promotion or pay increase or even move on to a more challenging and fulfilling job. (Foot,Cook(2008) believes individuals can achieve these aims with help from learning and development . Learning and development can help organizations by attracting individuals and can engage their loyalty so the organization benefits by retaining new recruits, this in turns helps the organization to optimize its current and future objectives. (Foot,Cook (2008) emphasize the fact that learning and development has gain popularity over the past years, as organizations have realized that in order to stay competitive they need to develop and utilize the knowledge of their staff as much as possible, in order to do so they need to focus their activities from training to learning. (Foot,Cook) continues, by saying, people learn in different ways, some of these ways can be planned others, unplanned. In order for learning to occur organizations have to ensure that they create suitable environments, so that workers can clearly benefit from the learning and knowledge of their workforce. (Foot,Cook, p278 (2008) reveals that ‘the concept of individualized learning implies that this occurs in all sorts of situations, not just in the more traditional, formal training opportunities.’ Learning and development include mentoring, coaching, job swapping and work shadowing which are less formal and are more learner centered approaches to learning. (Wilton, p183 (2013) comments how ‘in human resource development, it is important to highlight the role of learning and development in performance management and in fostering a culture of continuous improvement.’ In a firm, (Wilton(2013) explains that employee development is considered a key mechanism through which organizational performance can be improved. Learning and development provides substantial linkages within the cycle, forming part of both the evaluation or review phrase and the planning phase. (Wilton (2013) emphasizes the fact that learning and development plays a vital role in relation to remedial action to resolve performance problems. Effectiveness of linking performance to financial reward In many organizations the HR function and the business will attempt to align individual performance to a bell curve of anticipated or actual required performance ratings. This approach is often positioned as being necessary to reward the highest individual performers appropriately, or to justify how the actual business and individual employee performance compares to other high performing organizations (or both). However, when attempting to manage performance distribution across the organization the HR function is often faced with some pretty difficult questions and issues, such as, How can we have so many high performance ratings when we arent achieving our organizational performance goals? Why are we paying our best performers pretty much the same as our worst performers? Are we rewarding the right people? What is actually happening in many organizations is that they believe they are paying for one thing (performance) when in actual fact they are paying for something else. For example, reward for promotion often exceeds annual pay increases for performance within any given level, no matter how much the employee has contributed. Therefore, employees have a much greater incentive to try to get promoted than to stay put and do an outstanding job. This issue can be exacerbated by the use of broad band’s (grades) and salary ranges; all too often, organizations implement a new approach to pay without considering how to communicate to their employees the principles of progression within a salary range. If we take another example, you may work in an organization which is results-oriented, and management is only interested in financial measures such as profit or revenue. Financial rewards are probably used as the major motivator for staff, as we have seen within the financial services sector. However, this approach may not be the right one for employees who are not motivated by financial reward and are perhaps already highly committed to the goals of the organization. In this situation, non-monetary rewards may be the way to go. For smaller organizations where promotion opportunities are limited, the opportunities for employees to reap financial rewards for moving up and for performing well are also limited. Linking performance and reward effectively relies on a good understanding of your organizational context, and the mix of employee motivating factors.   Bibliography Armstrong, Michael.(2009) Armstrong’s Handbook of Performance Management. Clifford, Jackie, Thorpe, Sara. (2007) Advantage for your organisation. http://www.talentmanagementtech.com/blog/learning-and-performance-management-converge-form-emerging-best-practice Dam, Van Nick, Marcus, Jos, Medhurst Keith.(2007) An International Approach to Organisation and Management. Finch, Erik(2010). A talent development approach that integrates learning and performance management is needed to retain staff. Retrieved on the 20th of March 2014. http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/Benefits_Services/Performance_Management/Chapter_1.pdf Margaret, Foot. Cook, Caroline. (2008) Introducing Human Resource Management. McCaffery, Peter (2004) The higher Education Manager’s Handbook; Effective leadership and Management. Wilton, Nick (2013) An Introduction to Human Resource Management.

The Use of Computers on Car Crash-Analysis Programs :: Technology Computers Essays

The Use of Computers on Car Crash-Analysis Programs In the world today, computers are used in every field. Be it a major space exploration or a small chore like cleaning our room. The use of computers has made our lives easier but at the same time a computer failure can make our lives miserable too. We trust computers more than we trust anything else these days. We use computers to communicate, share personal information, buy goods online, etc. We also trust computers with our safety. Starting from house alarm systems and other safety devices we have now moved on to using computers to Test Car Crashes. Car crash analysis programs gained wide usage by the late 1980s but ARA (Applied Research Associates) Personnel in the Silicon Valley Office have been engaged in studying the crash response of vehicles, occupant safety, and right-of-way structures since 1971( ARA Website, 25h May). One of the major programs used for this testing is the DYNA3D which was developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (A Gift of Fire, Baase). DYNA3D is a computer simulation program that models the interactions of physical objects on impact such as vehicle impacts involving roadside structures such as signs, supports, guardrails and crash cushions. DYNA3D, suitable for solving problems involving rapid change, has had many applications in safety analysis. Laboratory analysts have used DYNA3D to study crashworthiness in a number of vehicle safety studies, where models of complex vehicles impact roadside safety structures and other vehicles, deforming under the impact. The DYNA3D progra m uses a technique called the finite-element method where a grid is superimposed on the frame of a car dividing the car into a finite number of small pieces or elements. The grid is then entered into the program along with data describing the specifications of the materials making up each element such as density, elasticity, etc. While reading the effect of a head-on collision on the structure of the car, the data can be initialized to represent a crash into a wall at a specified speed. The program in return helps compute the force, acceleration, and displacement at each grid point and the stress and strain within each element. Using graphics programs, the simulation produces a picture of the car at intervals after impact.

Black History Essay

â€Å"The events which transpired five thousand years ago; Five years ago or five minutes ago, have determined what will happen five minutes from now; five years from now or five thousand years from now. All history is a current event† (John Henrik Clarke). These were the words of the awe inspiring pan African American writer, professor, and historian John Henrik Clarke. Being that of a well self-educated intellectual, John Henrik Clarke argued for the power of black history as well as of its importance. During Clarke’s time, January 1, 1915 to July 16, 1998, he became a very respected historian for his push for the importance of Africana Studies. The African American community saw him as an influential powerhouse as he portrayed and pioneered the formation of Africana studies in the United States. Many argued that African and African American history was not worthy of being studied but Clarke had his morals set otherwise. His role as an activist drove him to challenge academic historians to alter the way African and African American history was taught and seen throughout the U. S. Though some would dismiss his views and denounce the importance of the black community, he fought back illuminating the biases Eurocentric views has upon our society in the U. S. Clarke was a role model to many afroncentric views because of his leadership in redressing racist suppressions among African and African American history that was taught by traditional scholars. John Henrik Clarke’s accomplishments were great motivations for the advancement of black empowerment with the United States nation. In the film describing the life of Ida B. Wells, â€Å"A Passion for Justice†, Wells was also a teacher in the empowerment of the African culture. Her commonalities with that of John Henrik Clarke’s were one in the same. Both scholars sought for the equality of African American’s through history in a Eurocentric based nation. Wells had power in the press, and was formally known as the â€Å"Princess of the Press†. She had the power to change the ideals and views that African’s and white people had to a more afrocentric based thought. Her journal entries and news articles inspired many African American’s to leave the south and start boycotting for their rights as citizens. Both John Henrik Clarke and Ida B. Wells had one major thing in common, the power of the pen. Both leaders in the Black Power Movement, these two writers knew they could enrich the black culture by validating to them their history, and the way they are treated in society. Wells and Clarke wanted to show their fellow African American’s that they should not be afraid of the nation they live in, and that they should be treated with respect and equality. At one point during her tenure, Wells was forcefully asked to get off a train that she was on. She fought the racism by taking a stand and declining the man’s command. The case was taken to court and although the court was in favor of the white man, Wells exhibited true courage to fight against racist demands. Wells deeds formed her into a role model and praised icon; African American’s started to see how unfairly they are treated and began listening to Wells words of encouragement for the power of the Black culture in the U. S. Likewise, Clarke’s action to form black power through teaching history was also an inspiration to fight for their rights. Another film, â€Å"The Spirit of Allensworth†, was a focus on Lietenant Colonel Allen Allensworth. Allensworth was a very influential African American man who initially was a man born into slavery. His drive to become something rather then a slave pushed him to escape and educate himself illegally. He was then able to join the army and prove that African Americans are worthy of this nation and showed the black culture that their race can furthermore aid to the success of the United States. Just like Clarke’s push for black empowerment, Allensworth wanted to uplift the African American spirits and bring equality. Through this, Allensworth was able to create and establish the town of Allensworth, of course named after himself. Clarke and Allensworth both supported the study of the black culture and had similarities in being the founders of black empowerment. In the book â€Å"Black Women in White America†, by Greta Lerner, Lerner portrays various incidents and situations that mainly black African American women had had to go through in this white based nation. One quote expressed that â€Å"In black women’s liberation we don’t want to be equal with men, just like in black liberation we’re not fighting to be equal with the white man. We’re fighting for the right to be different and not be punished for it. Equal means sameness†, (Black Women in White America, pg. 608). This quote furthermore exhibits that the injustice that black women must tolerate is not just a matter of becoming equal with men and whites, but a symbol of being who we are, and ultimately being accepted for it. It is a portrayal of proving that each and every person is different and not the same, yet in order to live and prosper, we must have different qualities and talents that help our nation thrive. Going back to John Henrik Clarke’s notion, all he wanted was to display how that from learning from our past helps to embellish our American will and culture altogether. By learning history from all different cultures pasts, this can, in the future, help our nation become more advanced. But in turn, there are always those people who do not want to accept others for being different then themselves. Many African American’s, â€Å"Used to think that there was hope, that maybe black and white people together could solve all the problems. But I the recent years I learned it is not true†¦ I think that black people now have to go back to what I call the Reconstruction days in order that black people will be able to stand in dignity and freedom. Because there is no way for the son of a slave to stand up to a son of a master and be two people together- because the psychological position of both parties is still that one is slave and one is master. And it does not change. Black people have to get freedom for themselves; it cannot be given to them† (Black Women in White America, pg.555). As one can see, Clarke’s incentives are expressed throughout this quote. Because some cannot see past one’s ‘book cover’, then others must prove their worth to become accepted. It is not fair to the black culture but if African’s do not step up to the plate and claim their rights, their power will just then be pushed further back. John Henrik Clarke fought for black empowerment, and his accomplishments are an inspiration too many African American’s to take a positive step forward in black power advancement. The book â€Å"From Slavery to Freedom†, by John Hope Franklin, acknowledges â€Å"The treatment of black troops throughout the war reflected how entrapped African Americans were in a Jim Crow society, no matter how vital or brave their service†¦ Blacks were subjected to racial insults†¦ African American soldiers vigorously protested these and other insults to their officers and, through letters to newspapers, to the American public†¦ Most exercised restraint, however, enduring insults and mistreatment in the belief that by demonstrating an indifference to racism, as well as by showing their patriotism, they would strengthen their race’s claims to equal treatment† (From Slavery to Freedom, pg. 331). This relates to Clarke’s approach towards seeking a positive change in the African American society within the United States. Blacks, no matter how good their deeds were, were still subjected to racial insults. The quality of black troops aiding in the American infantry portrays progressing black empowerment within the American culture. By stepping forth, like John Henrik Clarke, and proving their worth, these black soldiers become role models to other blacks and every other race as well to show how through toil and suffrage, they were still helpful in their nation’s success. African American’s were very prominent in the military and, â€Å"Performed all kinds of services in the union army. Organized into raiding parties, they were sent through Confederate lines to destroy fortifications and supplies. Since they knew southern country sides better than most white soldiers and could pass themselves off as slaves, they were extensively used as spies and scouts. White officers relied upon information secured by black spies† (From Slavery to Freedom, pg. 239). Without the help from black soldiers, the confederate army would have had the upper hand in the south. The former slaves knowledge from their past, helped to defeat enemy lines and furthermore help out the north’s prosperity. Because of the assistant from the former African American slaves, their freedom the south and cultural empowerment was escalated. This kind of knowledge helped to determine Clarke’s way of proving African American’s value in their past history. The text by Lawrence Graham, â€Å"Our Kind of People†, engages in the more privileged black community in the U. S. â€Å"Free blacks in the South were generally required to carry papers proving that they were not slaves and were required to register annually in their counties, listing their white guardians. However they were permitted to work for money and to own property, thus creating the first opportunity for blacks to establish their families with some moderate wealth† (Our Kind of People, pg. 8). This furthermore exemplifies the push that former slaves had strived towards in order to gain freedom and obtain financial support for themselves. Though starting at the bottom with nothing, newly freed African Americans were able to establish themselves and their families by working. Like stated before, becoming equal with the whites was not going to come easy or fair, but with work and help from each other, progressing towards African cultural empowerment was going to be inevitable. â€Å"When slaves were brought to Washington, a large concentration of them lived and worked in the Georgetown area. From there, they built roads and erected many of the government buildings and monuments. In the 1790s, Benjamin Banneker, a free black man, surveyed the city and designed the grid for the city’s main avenues and streets† (Our Kind of People, pg. 219). Washington is of much importance to our country, and without the contributions of the freed slaves, many of the nation’s government’s buildings and roads would have not been built during that time. In turn, this also exemplifies the impact even one African American had upon society. Just like everyone else or ever a white person, it was a black man that helped to design the basis of the city’s mainframe. Again, with the knowledge and help from African American history, in the eyes of John Henrik Clarke, more good to this nation is preformed. Though African Americans fought their way to freedom, â€Å"Their incomes, however substantial, and status, however high ranking, did not shield them from the ugly sting of racism, which is likely to never be completely rooted out in this country† (Jason Donovan). As much as racism is a terrible factor to have upon our society, their will always be those who will not let it go; and as black empowerment keeps progressing forward, the American culture will soon phase it out. Looking back in history, â€Å"We as a people, African-American’s, continue to strive and overcome the struggle. With our multicultural race; what you see is not always who we are†¦ You may see an African-American man, woman, boy or girl; each may have a different complexion on their exterior but their image does not define who they are† (Monique Washington). Many are so preoccupied with the color of skin and one’s appearance that they are all blinded by what good everyone is capable of doing. John Henrik Clarke’s aim for African American knowledge is not necessarily just to learn about African’s, but to teach of how many black American’s helped to contribute to America’s good fortune and personality. America is mixed with every kind of culture and without the history of blacks; our nation would not be where it would be today. â€Å"After decades of silently enduring second-class citizenship, blacks in the late 1940s and early 1950s began to challenge the injustices they faced on a daily basis. Although segregation in public facilities other than schools was rarely questioned during this time period, blacks were slowly gaining the resolve to finally stand up to Jim Crow† (Lisa Cozzens). It is a never ending sequence of fighting racism, prejudice, and inequality, but validates that in time, black empowerment will not be overlooked by America anymore. Just like how John Henrik Clarke stood up for the knowledge of African American studies, It was crucial for blacks to stand up to the unfair laws of Jim Crow. By fighting these laws, this gave a passageway to show power and courage in the black community, and that the unjustified rules of society can be overpowered by what is morally right. It is exclaimed that, â€Å"For too many years, black Americans marched and had their heads broken and got shot. They were saying to the country, â€Å"Look, you guys are supposed to be nice guys and we are only going to do what we are supposed to do—why do you beat us up, why don’t you give us what we ask, why don’t you straighten yourselves out? † After years of this, we are at almost the same point—because we demonstrated from a position of weakness. We cannot be expected any longer to march and have our heads broken in order to say to whites: come on, you’re nice guys. For you are not nice guys. We have found you out† (Stokely Carmichael: Black Power). This overall implies the injustice that early whites had put upon the black culture, and the fight back to show strength and not weakness. African’s and African American’s alike had taken so much intolerable pain in the past, and is finally standing up to unfair discrimination. It was implied for the longest time that what the white man was doing was right, but have been found out that their actions were in favor of supporting their own benefits, especially that of the southern states. The slavery exhibited through the southern states were awful and inhuman like, but, â€Å"Despite overall harsh conditions and the absence of freedom, slaves were not just powerless victims of their owners and the slave system†¦ though their lives were circumscribed in many significant ways, they sought to make the best of their circumstances. They succeeded to a remarkable extent, a testimonial to the endurance of the human spirit† (Pre-Civil War African American Slavery). Black empowerment and the spirits of their ancestors were never fully crushed. Even through the torture seen throughout the history of slavery, there was never giving up hope that one day life would get better for blacks, and initially everyone in the nation. As it comes closer to the future, black empowerment still continues to advance in culture, race, history, and throughout the American society, but only if African American keep pushing for their rights. â€Å"Blacks were told that it was up to them to improve their lives. Black Power advocates encouraged blacks to form or join all-black political parties that could provide a formidable power base and offer a foundation for real socioeconomic progress† (Black Power Movement). The Black Power movement instilled a sense of racial pride and self-esteem in blacks. Black empowerment will not advance unless people like John Henrik Clarke stand up and portray their knowledge and integrity. John Henrik Clarke’s main incentive was to merely educate the world about African history and how everything that happened in the past will always affect our nation and how we all live today. It is seen through the past all the injustice that blacks suffered through and endured and that in order for that to change, African American pride must step up to the plate and obtain its place in society. African American’s were first brought here to be used and abused, but in turn have helped the advancement of the America itself as well as its culture. It is only right that blacks have a right to power within the nation as well as within themselves. Works Cited â€Å"Black Power Movement – Blacks, Rights, Whites, Civil, White, and Racial. † Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Cozzens, Lisa. â€Å"Early Civil Rights Struggles: Introduction. † Www. watson. org. 29 June 1998. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Donovan, Jason. â€Å"Idlewild: A ‘Black Eden’ for African Americans. † Michigan Chronicle 13 Oct. 2010: 1-2. ProQuest. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Franklin, John Hope, and Alfred A. Moss. â€Å"Chapter 11/Civil War. † From Slavery to Freedom: a History of African Americans. 8th ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. 239. Franklin, John Hope, and Alfred A. Moss. â€Å"Chapter 15/The Color Line. † From Slavery to Freedom: a History of African Americans. 8th ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. 331. Graham, Lawrence O. â€Å"Chapter 1/The Origins of the Black Upper Class. † Our Kind of People: inside America’s Black Upper Class. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 8. Graham, Lawrence O. â€Å"Chapter 10/Black Elite in Washington, D. C. † Our Kind of People: inside America’s Black Upper Class. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 219. Lerner, Gerda. â€Å"Chapter 9/Race Pride, The Only Thing You Can Aspire to Is Nationhood. † Black Women in White America; a Documentary History. New York: Pantheon, 1972. 555. Lerner, Gerda. â€Å"Chapter 10/Black Women Speak of Womanhood, I Want the Right to Be Black and Me. † Black Women in White America; a Documentary History. New York: Pantheon, 1972. 608. â€Å"Pre-Civil War African American Slavery. † National Expansion and Reform, 1815-1880. 26 Sept. 2002. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . â€Å"Stokely Carmichael: Black Power (1966). † Encyclop? dia Britannica. New York Review of Books, 22 Sept. 1966. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Washington, Monique. â€Å"Changing History Is Changing Minds. † Los Angeles Sentinel.

Me Imperturbe- Walt Whitman Essay

The word imperturbe means care-free. The title of the poem, Me Imperturbe, means I am carefree. The poem starts off with Walt standing out in nature. As Walt stands out in nature he feels as if he is the master of everything and still has confidence even as the world is in turmoil. These things inspire him to find peace, the will to do things, and silence. When he is out in Nature, things such as â€Å"occupation, poverty, notoriety, foibles, crimes† (line 4) are not as important as they are made out to be. Walt wants to be on a permanent vacation, â€Å"Me toward the Mexican sea, or in the Mannahatta or the Tennessee†( line 6) are some of the places that he wants to be. If he wanted to become â€Å"A river man, or a man of the woods or any farm-life of these† (line 8) then he would do it. He could live in the â€Å"States or of the coast, or the lakes or Kanada† (line 9). Walt is saying that wherever he lives, he always has a backup plan and is going to t ake things as they come. In this poem, Walt wants to live prehistoric out in nature and feels as if this is the best way to do it. He wants to live his life the way he wants to live it and not follow society’s way of how someone is supposed to live. This makes sense coming from Whitman, because he is sort of rebellious in the way he does things and writes poetry. People are always worried about their job, or their fame, hardships in someone’s life is not as important as they are made out to be. Whitman is saying that we cannot simply follow the rules to enjoy life. Sometimes, one has to do things to make themselves happy. No matter how famous or rich someone is, if they do not enjoy what they are doing then there is not a driving force in living. Overall, Walt is saying that if it is not something one enjoys, then do not do it. Do what is going to bring one the most happiness. Me imperturbe has no consistent rhyme scheme or meter, so this poem is written in free verse. This poem’s main theme is to live your life the way you want it to be lived, and how you are living is always changing. With the application of free verse, it follows the poems main theme. Whitman uses repetition in this poem as well. The word â€Å"Me† is used at the beginning of lines 1, 6, and 10; which indicates that he is doing what brings him happiness. Also, throughout this poem, Whitman uses Cadence. While reading this poem, the reader feels as if Whitman is speaking directly to them, for example â€Å"O to be self-balanced for contingencies† (line 10). The letter â€Å"O† indicates that Whitman is speaking to the reader. Whitman also incorporates catalog. For example, â€Å"Finding my occupation, poverty, notoriety, foibles, crimes† (line 4). It is also used to conclude the poem, â€Å"To confront night, storms, hunger, ridicule, accidents, rebuffs† (line 12). Whitman uses diction to get his point across. He applies a lot of descriptive words to describe his love of freedom as opposed to conformity. Words such as â€Å"passive, receptive† (line 3) imply that being free is peaceful and things such as ones job, financial situation, or problems are less important than being free.

Free Essays on The Catcher in the Rye

Isolated And Victimized In J.D. Salinger’s, â€Å"The Catcher In The Rye† Holden Caulfield’s exclusion from the people around him greatly affects him throughout the narrative. From the first few pages of the book we learn that Holden isn’t attending the big football game between Pencey Prep and Saxon Hall. Despite being an event of great school importance and tradition, Holden isn’t in the bleachers and socializing with his fellow classmates but instead he is sitting atop a hill looking down on everyone criticizing their every move. Holden tries to justify why he isn’t there calling everyone below â€Å"phonies† or â€Å"crooks† saying how he doesn’t want to be bothered by them. Holden is extremely judgmental and overly analytical of his fellow human beings throughout the novel. In his excessive whining he often tries to find humor in his â€Å"obviously† inferior peers. At first Holden keeps his distance from others because he beli eves he is better than them but as the book progresses there are many cases where we learn that this is nothing more than a faà §ade and Holden is truly lonely inside. The three reasons Holden is alienated and lonely was best stated by Whissen, â€Å"He is alienated from others, sometimes because he cannot stand the company of others, sometimes because he becomes disappointed with their company, and sometimes because his actions seem calculated to drive others away.† Holden is also affected by his current family situation in which everyone is separated. Holden uses his alienation as protection because he doesn’t want to get hurt again. He lost his younger brother Allie, who he was very close to, which greatly saddened him. One of Holden’s biggest contributions to his loneliness and eventual mental breakdown is his immaturity. He drives many away with his childish actions and idea’s. Bednarczyk 2 His behavior around his old student advisor Luce is a perfect example of his ... Free Essays on The Catcher in the Rye Free Essays on The Catcher in the Rye A Moment of Revelation In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s innocence is taken away through a twisted chain of events. The novel opens up with Holden depresses after fluking out of Penecy, the suicide of a classmate, and the death of his brother, Allie. Because if these tragic events, Holden tries to preserve his innocence and the purity of the children around him. Holden wants to â€Å"catch† all of the naà ¯ve children who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. As a result of Holden coming across his sister Phoebe and the â€Å"fuck you† on the wall of the school, Holden’s dreams of becoming the catcher in the rye disappear. He finally realizes that all children must fall into adulthood, just as he has. While walking through the bust streets of New York, Holden notices a lighthearted little boy who is walking and humming â€Å"if a body catch a body coming through the rye† (43). Holden finds it humorous that the child can hum so nonchalantly as the cars on the bust street honk at him. Despite the fast-moving cars, which represent the average â€Å"phonies† in the world, the child pays no attention to them. When Holden sees that the little boy will not allow himself to be pulled into the average crowd of people, he realizes that not everyone wishes to fall from their simple childhood into adulthood. From Holden’s encounter with this little boy, he wants to become the â€Å"catcher in the rye.† He says to Phoebe: I kept picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody around-nobody big, I mean-except me. And I am standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. I mean if they’re running and they don’t look they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. (173) By saying that he wants to catch all the children that are runn... Free Essays on The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye is a book by J. D. Salinger and the story of a boy named Holden Caufield. He is no longer innocent, but exposed to the world. Phoebe, Holden's sister, is the opposite she is quite the innocent, never really being exposed to the world outside her protective bubble. Holden wants to protect such precious innocence only found in the children as a guardian of the innocent a catcher in the rye. The Catcher in the Rye is fundamentally a book about innocence. This book shows people of two different parties, the innocent (not tainted by the world) and the experienced (both good and evil), in their daily life and work. These innocents include Sally Hayes and Phoebe. Sally belies the world is a big party (or a social occasion), everyone likes her, and that the fun will never end. Phoebe, Holden's younger sister, is innocent just not quite as naive as Sally. It is clear that she is young and innocent, because of the odd things she does like constantly changing her middle name or paying for belching lessons, this she states towards the end of their conversation. One who is harden by and to the world would not take lessons in belching. A catcher in the rye is a defender or a guardian of the innocent. The idea and the name are purely symbolic. The meaning is as the children are running thorough the rye they do not see the cliffs ahead and the plummet they will make. When they make this "fall" they lose their child-like innocence. This fall could be related to a moral dilemma like maybe the city in the raw. Where he/she would be exposed to prostitution, drunkenness, and maybe drugs. Holden Caufield sees himself ruined and tainted by the world. He has failed out of school, drinks, and smokes. His attitude is it is too late for me. But, there is a ray of hope in his life; he feels it is his duty to save other children from the world as a catcher in the rye. He talks to people about his ideas, people like ... Free Essays on The Catcher In The Rye The Catcher in the Rye Some may say that the main character of J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, is merely the average teenager, although he seems to think about sex and women quite a lot for his age of sixteen. This point can be easily argued in many ways, one example being the time Holden called a perfect stranger, Faith Cavendish, to get together at an unruly time of night. Another example of the main character’s perversion is when he hired a prostitute named Sunny, and never actually accomplished anything. One last example could be Caulfield’s overall impression and cockiness when it comes to sex and women. In conclusion Holden Caulfield is engrossed in sexual thought. The protagonist’s fixation with members of the opposite sex can first be argued when he phone’s a girl who’s number he received from a guy he meet once at a party; he said that the girl was â€Å"not exactly a whore or anything but didn’t mind doing it once in a while†. After Holden had spent a good amount of time trying to persuade her to meet him, because he was â€Å"feeling pretty horny†, the girl, Faith Cavendish, finally got him to register the answer of no into his brain. At this point Faith asked the main character if he would like to meet for drinks the next day, but he declined, because the next day he may not be feeling horny anymore. Obviously, the main character was so determined to do something sexy that night he turned down a friendly invitation, which proves that Holden Caulfield is fascinated by sex and women. Over all because the protagonist called an unknown woman for sex, then refused her proposal for a get together the ne xt day; Holden is obviously fixated with both sex and women. Second, another example of Holden’s perversion is when he hires a prostitute named Sunny from the elevator man at his hotel. Although some may say that calling a stranger in the middle of the night, like Holden did wit... Free Essays on The Catcher In The Rye Isolated And Victimized In J.D. Salinger’s, â€Å"The Catcher In The Rye† Holden Caulfield’s exclusion from the people around him greatly affects him throughout the narrative. From the first few pages of the book we learn that Holden isn’t attending the big football game between Pencey Prep and Saxon Hall. Despite being an event of great school importance and tradition, Holden isn’t in the bleachers and socializing with his fellow classmates but instead he is sitting atop a hill looking down on everyone criticizing their every move. Holden tries to justify why he isn’t there calling everyone below â€Å"phonies† or â€Å"crooks† saying how he doesn’t want to be bothered by them. Holden is extremely judgmental and overly analytical of his fellow human beings throughout the novel. In his excessive whining he often tries to find humor in his â€Å"obviously† inferior peers. At first Holden keeps his distance from others because he beli eves he is better than them but as the book progresses there are many cases where we learn that this is nothing more than a faà §ade and Holden is truly lonely inside. The three reasons Holden is alienated and lonely was best stated by Whissen, â€Å"He is alienated from others, sometimes because he cannot stand the company of others, sometimes because he becomes disappointed with their company, and sometimes because his actions seem calculated to drive others away.† Holden is also affected by his current family situation in which everyone is separated. Holden uses his alienation as protection because he doesn’t want to get hurt again. He lost his younger brother Allie, who he was very close to, which greatly saddened him. One of Holden’s biggest contributions to his loneliness and eventual mental breakdown is his immaturity. He drives many away with his childish actions and idea’s. Bednarczyk 2 His behavior around his old student advisor Luce is a perfect example of his ...

Free Essays on The Tribute Money

Artist Report #1 The painting that I chose was Masaccio’s, â€Å"The Tribute Money†. In this painting, Masaccio displays his mastery of the human form. All of his figures stand in perfect contraposition giving them an easy, natural look. The story told in this painting is done in three parts, in â€Å"continuous narration.† In the middle of the picture, Christ (the central figure) instructs Peter (wearing blue and orange) to catch a fish, whose mouth will contain the money the tax collector demands. At the far left of the scene, Peter grabs the fish and takes the tribute money from its mouth. He then pays the tribute to the tax collector on the far right. â€Å"Masaccio achieves perfect perspective in this fresco by directing the viewer’s eyes to the central vanishing point located behind Christ’s head† (Arts and Culture, Benton, pg 301). â€Å"The architecture, unlike the figures, is not monumental in scale, as it would distract from the drama of the scene illustrated. The landscape background shows the use of aerial perspective and consistent lighting. The Tribute Money is an example of Masaccio’s mature work, demonstrating full accomplishment of his revolutionary new Renaissance style. The vanishing point for the linear perspective in this work focuses on Christ’s head. This point was considered to assist in drawing together all aspects of the painting (landscape, houses, and figures) in spatial unity. â€Å"All lines on the buildings in the right of the picture follow the orthogonals to the vanishing point. A mathematical division called caesura structures the painting. These are based on musical scales, and the first caesura falls upon Christ† (Mifflin, Houghton. Tribute Money by Masaccio, February 12, 2003. http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter 7/image92.html) The figures in The Tribute Money are individualized. Masaccio’s figures are constructed through an observational and anatomical... Free Essays on The Tribute Money Free Essays on The Tribute Money Artist Report #1 The painting that I chose was Masaccio’s, â€Å"The Tribute Money†. In this painting, Masaccio displays his mastery of the human form. All of his figures stand in perfect contraposition giving them an easy, natural look. The story told in this painting is done in three parts, in â€Å"continuous narration.† In the middle of the picture, Christ (the central figure) instructs Peter (wearing blue and orange) to catch a fish, whose mouth will contain the money the tax collector demands. At the far left of the scene, Peter grabs the fish and takes the tribute money from its mouth. He then pays the tribute to the tax collector on the far right. â€Å"Masaccio achieves perfect perspective in this fresco by directing the viewer’s eyes to the central vanishing point located behind Christ’s head† (Arts and Culture, Benton, pg 301). â€Å"The architecture, unlike the figures, is not monumental in scale, as it would distract from the drama of the scene illustrated. The landscape background shows the use of aerial perspective and consistent lighting. The Tribute Money is an example of Masaccio’s mature work, demonstrating full accomplishment of his revolutionary new Renaissance style. The vanishing point for the linear perspective in this work focuses on Christ’s head. This point was considered to assist in drawing together all aspects of the painting (landscape, houses, and figures) in spatial unity. â€Å"All lines on the buildings in the right of the picture follow the orthogonals to the vanishing point. A mathematical division called caesura structures the painting. These are based on musical scales, and the first caesura falls upon Christ† (Mifflin, Houghton. Tribute Money by Masaccio, February 12, 2003. http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter 7/image92.html) The figures in The Tribute Money are individualized. Masaccio’s figures are constructed through an observational and anatomical...

Aristotles concept of justice Essay Example for Free

Aristotle’s concept of justice Essay In his book The Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the concept of justice in Book V. Justice is used with its many different connotations. However, in order to explain the statement that justice can only be found in the laws established by the state I would like to point out the last two types of justice and the notion of equity Aristotle refers to in his book. The first is natural justice, true for everyone, and next to that there is conventional justice which can differ in different societies and there is the notion of equity that works in unusual cases. With understanding these three concepts we can reach to the conclusion that according to Aristotle justice can not only be found in the laws established by the state and he is right in claiming such an idea. Anyone who is a virtuous person can also be just. But not everyone who is just is also virtuous. Would you consider someone who kills the murderer of his wife a murderer? Would you put him in the same position as Jack the Ripper? Do you think justice is protected by the law? Is it just to stone adulteresses to death even if it complies with the law? Which law is just and which is not? What are the criteria? Are the laws of the state enough to maintain justice?Such questions can be boosted up to thousands if one starts to think about justice, itsconnotations and the relation between justice and law. The debate is a long-lasting one. In his book The Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the concept of justice in Book V. Justice is used with its many different connotations. There is particular justice, distributive justice, reciprocal justice, political and social justice, domestic justice, natural and conventional justice. I would like to point out the last two types of justice in order to understand Aristotle’s idea of law and justice relation in a state. According to Aristotle, there is natural justice, true for everyone, and next to that there is conventional justice which can differ in different societies. Natural justice is the kind of justice that can be applied to every human being regardless of nation, race, religion, etc. It has the same validity everywhere and do not depend on acceptance. Aristotle argues that â€Å"the things which are not just by nature but by human enactment are not everywhere the same, since constitutions are not the same, though there is  by one which is everywhere by nature the best† (124). Accordingly, the conventional justice is set by the society and in some cases by the rulers of the society. However, Aristotle suggests that, for the laws established by the state, a law can be just whether it is for the advantage of the law makers or the rulers or the dominant class. In The Nichomachean Ethics, he says that â€Å"the laws†¦on all subjects aim at the common advantage either of all or of the best or of those who hold power†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (108). He adds that every kind of conventional justice is created in one way from the natural justice and it is normal that they may differ from one society to another. For instance it is by the law to drive on a certain side in Turkey and in Britain people drive on the other side of the road. Both laws are created to maintain justice and order. However there are laws which are created by the state such as the law that women have to wear veils which seems to us not just but what is important to Aristotle is not what we think but how that society with that particular law is affected. As long as the law works for the society, regardless of its rightness, it maintains justice. Let’s give an example, at the times of Roman Empire the gladiators fight with each other or with lions, they know that they are going to die at the arena but they do not show any fear, they fight with their honors and they die with an honorable death. Mentioning that laws are created to be functional, to stabilize and control the society, Aristotle talks about the â€Å"equitable justice† in which he stresses that there are cases in which the universal law or justice does not suit to the case in hand. He suggests that laws guide people in the direction of justice but they do not encompass all the cases about justice or injustice. In such conditions he suggests that the judge interferes and corrects â€Å"the law where it is defective owing to its universality† (133). Equity means the correction of the law when it is too abstract for the situation in hand. Aristotle here suggests that the judge or the legislator should find the balance and give the right decision in such situations. Taking these ideas into consideration, according to Aristotle, the laws of  the state are enough to maintain justice for their people only to a certain extent because in some cases the decision making authority is not the law but the jud ge. I think Aristotle is right in making such a claim because of many reasons. First of all, if the conventional laws are the extensions of natural laws and the natural laws are universal and do not change in any situation but still there are circumstances in which the natural law is tooabstract for the case and the judge and the legislator is the one who is to adapt the law to the case, we can not say that either the natural laws or the conventional laws (the laws established by the state) maintains the justice. Furthermore, if there arecases in which the law does not work, we can not say that the laws established by the state maintain the justice at all times unless we see the starting argument as a generalization. However it is also not possible to know the qualities of the judge whether he is biased toward the case that he balances with the law. Accordingly there may be some cases in which justice may not be maintained because of the origin (in Aristotle’s words â€Å"universality†) of the law does not cover the case or because of the judge’s personal qualities. Consequently if the conventional laws are the extensions of natural laws and the natural laws are universal and do not change in any situation but still there are circumstances in which the natural law is too abstract for the case and the judge and the legislator is the one who is to adapt the law to the case, we can not say that either the natural laws or the conventional laws (the laws established by the state) maintains the justice. Aristotle’s concept of justice. (2016, Jul 25).

Abstract Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Abstract - Article Example These differences were pointed out various experts and authors, which have been featured in articles. So, this paper focusing on two articles titled Mentoring and coaching: what’s the difference? Written by David Macafee and Bob Garvey and Coach, Mentor: Is there a difference? written by Matt M. Starcevich will first provide a summary of the article, followed by the discussion of the main issues in both the articles and its impact organizations, finally ending with a contrast and comparison with the text titled Employee Training and Development written by Raymond A. Noe. David Macafee and Bob Garvey start of their article by providing details about the origins of the word and practice of mentoring and coaching. Then, before focusing on the differences, they first start off by providing the similarities between coaching and mentoring. In the main body of the article, the authors discuss coaching and mentoring separately, but in that discussion, they point out how both of them differ in the purpose and in the process. That is, they opine that mentorship is a long-term beneficiary act, while coaching is a short-term performance-oriented act. In the subsequent paragraphs, the authors discuss the difference by focusing on the applications of coaching and mentoring, and how they are applied differently in differently. The authors mainly point out how coaching has become more commercialized than mentoring. The authors Macafee and Garvey end the article by stressing the importance of having good and effective coaches and mentors, and how they can bring out positive effects on the employee and thereby the organization as a whole. On the other, in the second article, its author Starcevich begins off his article by pointing about an on-line survey conducted â€Å"to define what protà ©gà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s felt were the attributes of effective mentoring relationships† (Starcevich, 2007). Then he jumps in the main

Financial Statements analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Statements analysis - Essay Example KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, T.G.I.-Fridays and Harry Ramsden supplying food to alternative outlets such as schools, airports, military bases, and correctional and healthcare facilities. The company’s own profitable brands are Caffe Ritazz, Cafe Select, Upper Crust, Not Just Donuts, Franks, Sushi Q Restaurants. With an annual turnover of nearly $ 7.9 billion as of 1999, the company has emerged as one of the FTSE 100. The company was formed with the acquisition of Grand Metropolitan’ London catering division and its IPO on London Stock Exchange that followed in 1988. Competitors are Gardner Merchant in UK, Sodexho of France and Aramark of the U.S. When the Gardner and Sodexho merged and became a formidable challenge, Compass retaliated by purchasing Accor’s Eurest International and Accor received 22.5 % share in the equity of Compass. With this, Compass once again emerged as the world’s largest foodservice company (FundingUniverse, 1999). Compass’ major percentage (90) of revenue comes from outside the UK and it claims to be living up to the image of international business now spread over 50 countries. North American region contributes 47 % of the revenue, Europe and Japan contributes 34 % and emerging markets contribute 19 % thus aggregating to a total revenue of 17,557 m GBP in 2013. North American region has been the core growth engine for the company in terms of revenue as well as profitability ever since the business was established in the region in 1994. The company is the 11th largest employer in the private sector in the USA and it serves as many as six million meals per day. It had 506, 699 employees as of 30 September 2013. In terms of corporate responsibility, the company has achieved a reduction of carbon emissions from 7.3 % in 2012 to 6 % in 2013. Total GHG emissions were 119,874 Tonnes in 2013 as against 123, 630 Tonnes in 2012. The company aims at a reduction of 20 % against 2008 baseline by 20 17. Other corporate responsibility

The issue of nursing shortage Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The issue of nursing shortage - Coursework Example Many of these aging nurses are moving to primary care setting. As a result, the healthcare institutions are in dire need for more nurses, especially those who give specialized care to the patients. The number of complaints from nurses that they are working for long hours is an indication of the escalating problem of nursing shortage (Balogh-Robinson, L., 2012). In order to supplement for positions for those who have left the service, the existing nurses are working for long hours. Some healthcare sectors have set up incentives to motivate the nurses to work for extra hours. This is an indication that the demand for their services is increasing in order to cover for the shortage. In order to address this shortage, the government should embark on a process of employing new nurses. There are very many nurses that are remains unemployed in the society. Therefore, for the government to close this gap and avoid putting too much pressure on the current nurses, it should employ new nurses and expand the training institutions for nurses in order to ensure that the nurses being released to the market meet the set requirements (Chapman & Utica College,

Choose one of the eight schools of criticism. Choose a poem from part Essay

Choose one of the eight schools of criticism. Choose a poem from part two of your english 1302 textbook. Craft an argument through the lens of your chosen schools criteria or focus on that poem - Essay Example This serves as a challenge for the reader to try and relate the author’s events with that of a historical event. It is here that he reader is curious as to which race in history is known for martyrdoms? If the first of the reader’s guesses is the Jews, then this answer is conveyed in the latter parts of the poem. One cannot help but sympathise with the state of hopelessness of the author in the second stanza. This is evidenced in the lines: ‘nothing serves me to assuage the agony of our age.’ 1The second part of the poem which is at the beginning of the third stanza is also an emphasis on the hopelessness of the author that her life will not become better with time. We get to know of her obsession with redemption from the life she is living at that time. Short terse and compact lines compel he reader to sympathise with the author’s situation. The reader can feel the sorrow and agony of someone in despair from the use of such short and emotional lines. The reader also is constantly in question as to who is the cause of such misery to the author but a good historical background may serve well to inform the reader that he setting of the poem was in Nazi Germany, where the Germans oppressed the people of Jewish origin. From the line, ‘The Jew of ghetto crawls,’ the reader is given a distinct imagination ox the deplorable living condition of the Jews as they were living in the Holocaust. 2The reader sympathises with the author for the horrors that she experiences of her teenage years after reading the following stanza: â€Å"Like every living Jew I have in imagination seen the gas-chamber the mass-grave the unknown body which was mine and found in every German face behind the mask the mark of Cain I will not make their thoughts my own by hating people for their race.†2 Gershon says that ‘Here and there a Jew lifts an individual face, a man for the sake of his gifts

Ethical Issues Regarding Informed Consent in the Workplace Essay

Ethical Issues Regarding Informed Consent in the Workplace - Essay Example Different participants at these establishments have different views and beliefs on what is ethical and what is not ethical. An important concept to be derived from the study of ethics is that its applications in the different fields are interrelated and one application can be used to explain the other in a different field (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). Nevertheless, a lesson learned from ethical issues arising in business could be used to solve analogous issues in medicine or any other field. 2. The need for â€Å"informed consents† The controversial issues arising in ethics are due to the diverse human nature and the difference in cultural values. What an individual values most may be of very little value to the other person. In medical ethics, it would be considered that main aim of providing healthcare services is to promote good health and ensure a longer life for the patients. However, there are other factors that affect human desires and that will limit our access to the health s ervices (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). It would be argued that the health providers should make all the attempts to satisfy the needs of the patients by avoiding issues like the cost consideration. This becomes controversial as a point may be reached when the operations at the health center cannot continue due to lack of resources thereby endangering other people’s lives. Besides, it is worth mentioning the fact that a patient went to the hospital to seek medical services does not mean that the medical officer has a full say on what to be carried out, neither does it mean that the patient needs all that the doctor wants to provide or perform (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). Similarly, the view a shareholder would be that his profit in an investment be maximized. However, there will be other factors that influence the desires and that will determine if the profit maximization is the supposed interest. The effects of this profit maximization on the conditions imposed on the employees of an organiz ation will provide an evidence to evaluate such procedures. In most causes, it would turn out to be unjustifiable for an investor to be only interested in the profit maximization (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). These controversial issues call for what is referred to as â€Å"informed consent.† It involves informing the participants to a given decision making activity the probable risks and the conditions associated with the actions to be carried out (Ilgen & Bell, 2001, p.1). It is aimed at ensuring that ethical standards are observed in handling individuals with different interests. It has been found to be applicable in various fields of social sciences that entail research with human participants. The participants in a research need to be informed of the risks involved in participating in the research. However, the American Psychologist Association asserts that there are certain instances when the use of â€Å"informed consents† can be ignored, though it may not be very clear the circumstances under which this may be true. Various legislations have been enacted in the US that protects the rights of the participants in a given research (White, Parascandola & Bero, 2007, p.1). 3. Ethical issues and informed consent in medicine The basic guiding principles that most people value like profit maximization in business or good health and prolonged life in the healthcare

The issue of nursing shortage Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The issue of nursing shortage - Coursework Example Many of these aging nurses are moving to primary care setting. As a result, the healthcare institutions are in dire need for more nurses, especially those who give specialized care to the patients. The number of complaints from nurses that they are working for long hours is an indication of the escalating problem of nursing shortage (Balogh-Robinson, L., 2012). In order to supplement for positions for those who have left the service, the existing nurses are working for long hours. Some healthcare sectors have set up incentives to motivate the nurses to work for extra hours. This is an indication that the demand for their services is increasing in order to cover for the shortage. In order to address this shortage, the government should embark on a process of employing new nurses. There are very many nurses that are remains unemployed in the society. Therefore, for the government to close this gap and avoid putting too much pressure on the current nurses, it should employ new nurses and expand the training institutions for nurses in order to ensure that the nurses being released to the market meet the set requirements (Chapman & Utica College,

Ethical Issues Regarding Informed Consent in the Workplace Essay

Ethical Issues Regarding Informed Consent in the Workplace - Essay Example Different participants at these establishments have different views and beliefs on what is ethical and what is not ethical. An important concept to be derived from the study of ethics is that its applications in the different fields are interrelated and one application can be used to explain the other in a different field (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). Nevertheless, a lesson learned from ethical issues arising in business could be used to solve analogous issues in medicine or any other field. 2. The need for â€Å"informed consents† The controversial issues arising in ethics are due to the diverse human nature and the difference in cultural values. What an individual values most may be of very little value to the other person. In medical ethics, it would be considered that main aim of providing healthcare services is to promote good health and ensure a longer life for the patients. However, there are other factors that affect human desires and that will limit our access to the health s ervices (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). It would be argued that the health providers should make all the attempts to satisfy the needs of the patients by avoiding issues like the cost consideration. This becomes controversial as a point may be reached when the operations at the health center cannot continue due to lack of resources thereby endangering other people’s lives. Besides, it is worth mentioning the fact that a patient went to the hospital to seek medical services does not mean that the medical officer has a full say on what to be carried out, neither does it mean that the patient needs all that the doctor wants to provide or perform (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). Similarly, the view a shareholder would be that his profit in an investment be maximized. However, there will be other factors that influence the desires and that will determine if the profit maximization is the supposed interest. The effects of this profit maximization on the conditions imposed on the employees of an organiz ation will provide an evidence to evaluate such procedures. In most causes, it would turn out to be unjustifiable for an investor to be only interested in the profit maximization (Hardwig, 2010, p.1). These controversial issues call for what is referred to as â€Å"informed consent.† It involves informing the participants to a given decision making activity the probable risks and the conditions associated with the actions to be carried out (Ilgen & Bell, 2001, p.1). It is aimed at ensuring that ethical standards are observed in handling individuals with different interests. It has been found to be applicable in various fields of social sciences that entail research with human participants. The participants in a research need to be informed of the risks involved in participating in the research. However, the American Psychologist Association asserts that there are certain instances when the use of â€Å"informed consents† can be ignored, though it may not be very clear the circumstances under which this may be true. Various legislations have been enacted in the US that protects the rights of the participants in a given research (White, Parascandola & Bero, 2007, p.1). 3. Ethical issues and informed consent in medicine The basic guiding principles that most people value like profit maximization in business or good health and prolonged life in the healthcare

Social Work Essay Example for Free

Social Work Essay There is a crisis in social work which requires a radical analysis of the contradictions within contemporary social work. The confusion about the role of social work and the declining morale and self-confidence of social workers have resulted in the loss of experienced staff and reluctance of young people to consider a career in social work. This analysis inevitably challenges the present culture of professional training. Proposals to increase the professionalism among social workers have created a crisis in social work. Increasing professionalism will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who are committed to social change. There is more to social work than simply conforming to, and fitting in with organizations that employ social workers. The ability to show a certain independence of thinking is what makes the social worker a professional. Social work has a rich history of this independent thinking. Social work as a profession should assert that the assessment of a clients needs should not only be driven by the availability of resources but should also be concerned with the reduction of inequality and social injustice. Unfortunately, the social work profession now seems divorced from its roots in socialist ideology and too narrowly concerned with its promoting itself. These elitist pressures are contributing to the current crisis in social work and must be resisted. Proposals to increase the length of training of social workers and elevate their status are not the answer. Increasing professionalization will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who share their expertise and knowledge with each other and are committed to social change. At present the middle class training establishments are blind to class issues. They claim to be teaching non-oppressive practice but in reality it is a myth. Anti-discriminatory training has failed to put the spotlight on the position of the invisible oppressed i.e. the working class. It can only be assumed that social work  training takes the view that the s ituation of the working class is the natural order of things. If social workers genuinely seek to serve all the members of society there must be an overhaul of training and a radical shift in social work practice to ensure it reflects the centrality of class issues. Social workers today need to draw upon this rich heritage and challenges the increasingly conservative environment within which it operates. The gulf between the services that social service organizations say they deliver and the services that they actually they deliver. Departments may claim to provide services for people in need but social workers know that many people who are suffering material and social deprivation do not get essential services. Many service organizations today have actually become narrower in their focus because of new reforms such as welfare reform. In many instances, social workers titles have actually been changed to that of Case Managers where their roles have been reduced to that of mediator between the client and services they locate for them with other organizations. The overall effect of such changes has been to obscure the high level of poverty and deprivation of service users and to seriously undermine social work values. There is a crisis in social work which requires a radical analysis of the contradictions within contemporary social work. The confusion about the role of social work and the declining morale and self-confidence of social workers have resulted in the loss of experienced staff and reluctance of young people to consider a career in social work. This analysis inevitably challenges the present culture of professional training. Proposals to increase the professionalism among social workers has created a crisis in social work. Increasing professionalism will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who are committed to social change. There is more to social work than simply conforming to, and fitting in with organizations that employ social workers. The ability to show a certain independence of thinking is what makes the social worker a professional. Social work has a rich history of this independent thinking.  Social work as a profession should assert that the assessment of a clients needs should not only be driven by the availability of resources but should also be concerned with the reduction of inequality and social injustice. Unfortunately, the social work profession now seems divorced from its roots in socialist ideology and too narrowly concerned with its promoting itself. These elitist pressures are contributing to the current crisis in social work and must be resisted. Proposals to increase the length of training of social workers and elevate their status are not the answer. Increasing professionalisation will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who share their expertise and knowledge with each other and are committed to social change. At present the middle class training establishments are blind to class issues. They claim to be teaching non-oppressive practice but in reality it is a myth. Anti-discriminatory training has failed to put the spotlight on the position of the invisible oppressed i.e. the working class. It can only be assumed that social work training takes the view that the situation of the working class is the natural order of things. If social workers genuinely seek to serve all the members of society there must be an overhaul of training and a radical shift in social work practice to ensure it reflects the centrality of class issues. Social workers today need to draw upon this rich heritage and challenges the increasingly conservative environment within which it operates. The gulf between the services that social service organizations say they deliver and the services that they actually they deliver. Departments may claim to provide services for people in need but social workers know that many people who are suffering material and social deprivation do not get essential servi ces. Many service organizations today have actually become narrower in their focus because of new reforms   such as welfare reform. In many instances, social workers titles have actually been changed to that of Case Managers where their roles have been reduced to that of mediator between the client and services they locate for them with other organizations. The overall effect of such changes has been to obscure the high level of poverty and deprivation of service users and to  seriously undermine social work values. The Crisis in Social Work There is a crisis in social work which requires a radical analysis of the contradictions within contemporary social work. The confusion about the role of social work and the declining morale and self-confidence of social workers have resulted in the loss of experienced staff and reluctance of young people to consider a career in social work. This analysis inevitably challenges the present culture of professional training. Proposals to increase the professionalism among social workers has created a crisis in social work. Increasing professionalism will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who are committed to social change. There is more to social work than simply conforming to, and fitting in with organizations that employ social workers. The ability to show a certain independence of thinking is what makes the social worker a professional. Social work has a rich history of this independent thinking. Social work as a profession should assert that the assessment of a clients needs should not only be driven by the availability of resources but should also be concerned with the reduction of inequality and social injustice. Unfortunately, the social work profession now seems divorced from its roots in socialist ideology and too narrowly concerned with its promoting itself. These elitist pressures are contributing to the current crisis in social work and must be resisted. Proposals to increase the length of training of social workers and elevate their status are not the answer. Increasing professionalisation will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who share their expertise and knowledge with each other and are committed to social change. At present the middle class training establishments are blind to class issues. They claim to be teaching non-oppressive practice but in reality it is a myth.  Anti-discriminatory training has failed to put the spotlight on the position of the invisible oppressed i.e. the working class. It can only be assumed that social work training takes the view that the situation of the working class is the natural order of things. If social workers genuinely seek to serve all the members of society there must be an overhaul of training and a radical shift in social work practice to ensure it reflects the centrality of class issues. Social workers today need to draw upon this rich heritage and challenges the increasingly conservative environment within which it operates. The gulf between the services that social service organizations say they deliver and the services that they actually they deliver. Departments may claim to provide services for people in need but social workers know that many people who are suffering material and social deprivation do not get essential services. Many service organizations today have actually become narrower in their focus because of new reforms   such as welfare reform. In many instances, social workers titles have actually been changed to that of Case Managers where their roles have been reduced to that of mediator between the client and services they locate for them with other organizations. The overall effect of such changes has been to obscure the high level of poverty and deprivation of service users and to seriously undermine social work value

Inditexs Zara: An Analysis

Inditexs Zara: An Analysis The overall focus of this dissertation will be the Spanish organization Inditex, in particular its clothing brand Zara. More specifically it will concentrate on Inditexs past and current performance and its unique business model. In order to effectively write this dissertation it will be split into five sections. In the second section a brief overview of the company, operational and financial performance will be described as it is vital to establish an understanding of Inditexs background before commencing on further analysis. The third section will provide an industry analysis in relation the organisations business environment which will include a PEST analysis and Porters Five Forces model analysis. This will allows for an understanding of Inditexs external business environment which can then be used to analyze the marketing strategy (PEST) and an understanding of the industry in which Inditex is located (Porter). The next section involves an evalutation of Inditexs business strate gy through all stages of business process; design, manufacturing, distribution and marketing stages. The fifth section consists of the business model analysis and a SWOT analysis of Inditex. The business analysis explains why Inditex use a vertical integration model and the SWOT analysis allows for clear evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization. The final section offers a series of recommendations that I will put forward based on my research and analysis carried out in the preceding sections. The company overview 2.1 The company profile Inditex ( Industria de Diseno Textil) is a global fashion retailer and has expanded rapidly to become one of the largest fashion retailers in the whole world. The company designed, manufactured and retail apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children through its seven apparel retail chains: Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Skhuaban. Each of these brands targets varied market segments in terms of age and disposable income. The group owns more than a hundred companies involved in different textile, manufacturer, infrastructure and distribution businesses. At the end of the 2009, the group operated 4607 stores around the world. At the beginning, Inditexs operations were mainly focused on its domestic market in Spain with the first Zara shop was opened in 1975. Following on the company has expanded internationally quite quickly within clothing sector. History of Inditex In 1963, Amancio Ortega Gaona, Inditexs founder, founded confecciones Goa to manufacture products such as housecoats. As the demand increased, the company integrated forward into retailing, then the first Zara store was opened in 1975. Zara stores expanded quickly within Spain market. In 1985, Inditex was founded as the holding company of the group of businesses operating at the time. In 1988, Zara opened its first store outside of Spain and began to expand internationally. In 1991 , Pull Bear was founded, and Inditex bought 65% of the Massimo Dutti Group in 1991. Shortly afterwards, Inditex acquired 100% of Massimo Dutti Group and launched its first shop in 1995. Inditex launched the Bershka chain and then acquired Stradivarius respectively in 1998 and 1999. Soon after, the group launched Oysho chain in 2001 and Zara home in 2003. Zara home was introduced as Inditexs first online store in 2007. Exhibit 1 Timeline of Inditex Picture 1.png 2.3 Products Mix Over past few decades, Inditex has built its own multi-brand portfolio, which has allowed Inditex to target various market segments more effectively. The group uses a multi-brand name strategy to diversify their seven endorsed brands and one extended brand. Zara is the flagship brand of Inditex . Although Pull and Bear and Massimo Dutti are both fashion brands for women and men, their target market is different. The former brand targets a younger group with more leisure and sports based design, while the latter one targets men and women from 24 to 45 providing a higher quality. Bersha and Stradivarius provide elegant and latest fashion for only young woman. Exhibit 2 Inditexs brand portfolio 2.4 Financial Performance and comparison Exhibit 4 Total revenue Exhibit 5 Net profit margin Operating profit margin and return on capital employed  ¼Ã‹â€ ROCE ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° are two indicators used to evaluate profitability of the firm. The comparison of net profit margins between Inditex and its main competitors over the same period is another indicator to show how effective a company is at cost control and profitability. Net profit margins are calculated from the Net profit divided by net revenues. The net profit margin is a good measure to compare companies in the same industry due to similar business environment all companies confronted. The higher the net profit margin is, the more profitable the company is. To put it in another way, the more effective the company is at converting sales into profit . According to exhibit 4, we can see that HM have strong capacity to consistently convert around 22% of its total revenue into profit; Inditexs net profit margin is similar. However, when compared with Inditex and HM, GAP has lowest net profit margin. Exhibit 6 Return on capital employed Exhibit 6, above, demonstrates return on capital employed (ROCE) demonstrating how much profit a company can earn from the investments of its shareholders have made in their company. It basically is used to show how much a company is gaining from its capital. In figure 6, GAP underperforms in this measure, not just due to low profit levels, but also because of huge amount of capital in order to generate profit. However, GAPs return on capital employed ratio is increasing gradually. On the other hand, Inditex requires higher capital per unit of profit than HM. there has been a decline in its ROCE ratio since 2007. HM vastly outperforms all other firms. Inditex invests more than HM in fixed assets dues to its vertical integration. Inditex has 5371 million euro in assets, plants and equipment ¼Ã‹â€ Inditex Annual Report, 2009 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °, while HM only has 661 million euro. This is the main reason that HM has much more higher ROCE ratio than Inditex. Inditexs business model focuses mai nly on vertical integration and in-house production. While at the same time outsourcing is becoming a popular trend in clothing industry. Inditexs closest comparable competitors had narrower vertical scope than Inditex but outsourced all productions. In todays competitive business environment, more and more companies choose to send out non-core operations or their manufacturing sections to a supplier in order to reduce the cost by specializing and making the firm focus purely on its core operation. This is due to the low labor cost in some developing countries such as China and Vietnam. On the other hand, there are some companies that constantly try to gain control over as many sections as possible within entire value chain, usually by in-house production. 3. Industry Analysis The culture of fashion has been changed from haute couture and ready-to-wear to fast fashion. Generally, fast fashion retailers do not heavily invest in the creation of fashion trend and designs, but instead are inspired by the most attractive and promising trends spotted at fashion shows and by cues taken from mainstream consumers (Agins, 1999; Reinach,2005). They are able to keep up with these new fashion trends and add them into their products that can be provided on the market almost immediately with relatively lower price. Fast fashion is dominating the industry on the premise of several conditions. Firstly, short lead times and life cycles are two of key precondition of fast fashion. Secondly, considerable number of retail stores can reach potential customers. In addition, a very fast supply chain is required to connect customers demand with upstream operations from design, manufacture to distribution. Nowadays, more and more fashion retailers across the world engaged in this kind of fast fashion race. They make every effort to minimize the time in which they respond to fashion trends and the speed of their supply chains. For examples, Spanish Inditex (Zara), US GAP, Swedish company Hennes Mauritz (HM). British Topshop and Next, all focus on a fast fashion model. This fast fashion retail can be divided into two categories: some with factories to produce its products represented by Zara (Inditex); some without manufacturing competencies of their own such as HM and Gap, which therefore means they outsource production to labor intensive countries. 3.1 PESTEL Analysis Political factors Since 2005 the global system of quota has phased out, textile and apparel industry entered the global free market. In the meanwhile, the textiles and apparel market has become more competitive than before and has also become more intense for the small and marginal players due to such intense competition. It seems that large fashion companies such as Inditex, HM, can dominate the fashion industries due to economy of scale, which gives big companies lower cost per unit resulting from increased production. Also, the remove of all import quotas in clothing industry gives Indiex access to a larger market to operate with greater geographical reach and then generates more sales. Economic factors The world is facing global economic recession. Consequently, the business environment is difficult to operate within, which in turn has a huge influence on textile industry and fashion industry. This due to rising unemployment, the so-called credit crunch and reduced disposable income forcing changes in consumers spending habits. Many consumers have become more price-sensitive and cautious. Consumers are more likely to cut budgets on apparel and fashion accessories. Such a change allows Inditex to attract more consumers shopping at its chain stores. Social factors Strong brands play a significant role in sales, because consumers prefer branded products as oppose to generic products. Most consumers value highly good branded products or services. Even though many companies went to bankruptcy in economic recession, most Brand fashion retail still managed to remain profitable. In the international fashion retail market, strong brand identity is very important. This is not only a precondition to attract customers, but also is a foundation of global expansion. Inditex not only provides fast fashion with relative lower price, but focus on brands building as well. Technological factors Technology is not only limited to companies within the software and computer industry such as Microsoft and Intel. Currently, technology plays a very important role on the fashion industry. With the increased competition, companies are taking advantage of IT to improve its Supply Chain Management (SCM) and using it to ensure a competitive advantage is gained. Many fashion companies are relying on the technological capabilities to add value to their products. More and more companies have adopted an online shopping platform to enhance their service and increase sales. Legal factors The fashion industry has been calling for stronger worldwide copyright protection and intellectual property protection for fashion designs because they fear major losses to their competitors. Fridolin Fischer pointed out that a dynamic interaction between innovation and imitation can be seen as a competition. Indeed, new innovation creates superior products; imitation makes these products more available to a greater number of consumers. Therefore, a lively imitation process is crucial for dynamic competition. It is true in reality, but it is not fair to the designer. At present, more developed countries expand their copyright Law to include fashion designs, fashion design owners would be granted the exclusive right to place their design on the marketplace. These copyright Act will limit the development of some fast fashion retailer, such as Zara. Environmental factors The environmental impact of the textile and apparel industry stems from its consumption of energy and toxic chemicals. The apparel industry contributes to climate change indirectly through the burning of fossil fuels to create electricity which is used to produce chemical materials which are then used as raw material to take place of cotton. Other major energy consumed involves using fuel for agricultural machinery and for distribution. Toxic chemicals are used widely in cotton planting and in many manufacturing stages such as pre-treatment, dyeing and printing. The volume waste from the fashion industry has become higher because of the advent of fast fashion. It is undeniable as regard to the current situation that the Fast fashion is causing a pollution issue due to shorted clothing life cycle, which has more negative impacts on environment. 3.2 Five Force Analysis Fashion apparel is a highly competitive business industry that is completely internationalized and posses no boundaries to its operations. The fashion retail industry is a large, mature and highly competitive industry. The annual growth rate of the market was about ** in the past decade. In 2009, total apparel sales were 362 billion. However, high fragmentation gives rise to intensive competition and price pressure in this market. Porters Five-Forces Model will be used to illustrate business environment of apparel industry. Threat of entry The apparel industry has very low entry barriers. Entry does not require huge amount of capital, workshops can be set up with workers with relative low skills. However, the economy of scale in production has significant impact on the entrant. It forces the entrants either to accept cost disadvantage or produce in a large scale. On the other hand brand identification and production differentiation plays the significant role, because brand identification creates a barrier to entry. Threat of substitutes The threat of substitution in this market is very high. The threat comes from other apparel retailers, designer retailers and tailor houses. On the other hand, Generic substitution is more likely to present a threat by offering products at lower prices. Power of buyers Todays buyers have more purchasing power than ever before. Customers demand high quality, a large variety and more frequent changes in the choice available to them. They want the exact garment they require when they want it and accessories in their preferred color and size in same store. This is the reason that retailers differentiate its product in order to satisfy the consumers needs. This is done by ensuring there are alternative sources of supply available for consumer and the cost of switching is almost zero. Inditex exactly meets the these customer demand by offer most fashionable clothes to cover various target markets at inexpensive price. Power of suppliers Power of suppliers in apparel market is low because most of fashion retailers outsourced the production section to developing countries, switching costs are low, buyes brands is powerful enough to get strong bargain power. There existing fashion retail brands command strong enough bargaining power to attain low costs. Therefore, the possibility of forward integration and suppliers customers are not fragmented. One the other hand, Inditex has more bargain power due to its vertical integration business model. Competitive rivalry The apparel industry, due to its low barriers of entry and declined obstacles to trade among nations, is one of the most highly competitive industries in the world. Hennues and Mauritz (HM) and Gap are Inditexs major competitors in terms of size and sales. Hennes and Mauritz ( HM) Hennes and Mauritz, was founded in Sweden in 1947, is another high performing fashion retailor. Today HM has expanded to 2000 stores acorss the world with more than 76,000 employees(HM Annual report,2009). HM offers similar product mix with Inditex in the same market, such as clothes, accessorise, nightwear and underwear to women, men and children. While HM is considered as the closest rival to Inditex, there are many key differences. First of all, HM outsourced all its production section. Moreover, HM tends to offer prodcuts at a slightly lower price than Zara by outsourcing it production. Beyond store-based retailing, HM also ventured into online shopping and Internet retailing. Inditex has been relatively slow to develop its online selling. However, HM has relied almost exclusively on only one brand. Inditex has broader brand portfolio, which is made up of eight brands in order to reduce risk and refine the companys targeting of specific consumer groups Gap The second biggest clothing retailor, Gap, is American fashion retailer founded in 1969. The company has five brands: GAP, Old Navy,Banana Republic, Piperlime and Athleta. At the beginning, Gaps merchandise consisted of other brands such as Levis and LPs. After Gap continuing to expand rapidly across the United States, Gap started to sell its private label products in its stores. Gap is a famous fashion retailer with a distinct marketing campaign consisting of mainly primetime television adverts which target the fashion conscious 15 to 35 age old women and men. The company operates over 4000 stores all over the world. Gap was well known for extensive collections of T-shirts and jeans which is simple but stylish. However, since 2001 the pace of development became slow due to lack of a clear fashion positioning and failing to meet consumers fast fashion demand. More than 90% of its products are outsourced, which has meant the supply chain is too long and they have therefore a slow resp onse to fashion. Also, Gaps core customer base has aged. Gap needs a reposition for its brand and design, but the chain has struggled to attract a younger generation to its stores. The company lacks an effective approach to deal with it. Gap is suffering from a plummet in sales and its competitors such as Zara and HM have consequently profited from Gaps downfall. In 2008, Inditexs fashion chain Zara overtook Gap to become the worlds largest clothing retailer. Inditexs Business Strategies 4.1 Design-Fashion follower, industry leader The process of Inditexs product development design programme is constantly working in order to adapt to new fashion trends . Designers and managers attend high-fashion fairs and exhibitions to obtain fashion information and then convert the latest fashion trends of the season into their designs. Other sources of design inspiration come from TV, Internet, film content or trend spotters. product development teams focus on venues such as university campuses and clubs around the world to capture fashion trends and customer preferences. Zaras product development teams have frequent dialogue via their internal IT system. Inditex gave significant autonomy to each store manager in deciding the quantity of product needed by each store. Moreover, the store manager is able to decide which product to display in their stores and which product is to be sold at a reduced price. The managers responsibility is to make these decision based on market research and sales trends. Moreover, by employing yo ung and fashionable member of staff ensures that employees also contribute by helping to report the sales analysis, the product life cycles, and the store trends to the designers. There are specialized teams in headquarters to analyze feedbacks and information from each store, then design and produce their products. These sales analyses allow the designers to develop the right products to meet consumer Demand. Design team issues up to approximately 12,000 new design styles per year. Such a design concept obviously depends on the regular creation of new design. For example, Zaras designer team came up with approximately 40,000 new designs per year, from which only slightly more than one-quarter of them for production. Zara often follows the fashion trends of the high-fashion houses and offers similar products at much lower prices by using less expensive fabric. It also attempts to offer more colors and larger range of sizes to meet the need of consumers. After a prototype of new design was selected, a computer-aided design system is used to refine colors and textures. Limited number of new items were produced and presented in certain stores for a trial period and large volumes of the product are produced only if customers reaction is positive. As a consequence, failure rates on new products is only 1% which is less than the average rate of 10% of other fashion retailers. 4.2 Manufacture process Inditex has been able to obtain excellent financial record due to its vertical integration and fast fashion business strategies which provide Inditex with a competitive advantage over traditional fashion retailers in the industry. Generally speaking, apparel retailers always try to keep slower costs by outsourcing production to developing countries where the lowest labor could reduce its manufacture cost. On the other hand, Inditexs subsidiary retailing chain adopted a successful diverse method of doing business by working through the whole value chain. Highly capital intensity and vertical integration is a distinctive feature of Inditexs business model. From the upstream value chain, a subsidiary of Inditex company, Comdietel, funnels fabric and other input supplied by external suppliers. More than half of the fabric was undyed which provide maximum flexibility to produce in-season clothes. Comdietel is able to dye and process gray fabric into certain pattern within only one week to meet the requirement of downstream value chain. Inditex has 20 fully owned manufacture factories across the Europe. These factories use capital intensive production processes and provide cut garment and semi-manufactured products to approximately 500 in-house workshops. The relevant cutting machines and other systems produce semi-manufactured items and cut garments which will be transited directly into workshops. The progress looks rigmarole, but it is quite efficient because bar codes track the cut pieces through the every production steps. Workshops are located in labor-intensive areas across Europe such as Spain and northern Portugal. These workshops manufacture clothes in small scale to offer specialization in product type. The sewn clothes were sent back from these workshops to various product line under different brands. The center will inspect, iron and fold before sending finished garment to distribution center. The secret of Inditexs success is that vertical integration leads to short turnaround times and great flexibility. By implementing in-house production, inditex has obtained high level of variety, quantity and frequency of new styled clothes. Inditex adopts market orientation by reducing lead-times and increasing flexibility. Zara is able to upgrade products in its stores within 10 to 15 days from design to stores. Vertical integration decreased Inditexs stock to a minimum level and reduced fashion risk. In the mean time, providing small amount of products in a great variety of styles rendered Inditex shorter lead times and high level flexibility. As a consequence of offering fewer amount of product more often, Indite obtains larger percentages of the full price due to in-season sell and thus achieve higher net margins on sales. By focusing on shorter response times to fashion trends and keeping up with fashion. Inditex made efforts to make sure that its stores are able to offer latest fashion items that consumers desired at a given time. Inditex can move from coming up a design to having clothes in its stores within 2 weeks. Short lead times is Inditex one of the most important competitive advantages over its competitors. When Inditexs retail stores provide consumer with latest fashion items and gain huge amount of sales, its competitors have still struggled to catch up. In comparison, HMs lead time is more than 20 days. Traditional retailers use 4-6 months . 4.3 Distribution A more systematic approach to inventory distribution is another feature of Inditex. Each retail chain has its own centralized distribution system. Distribution center is located in Arteixo and small satellite centers across the world. In order to keep its stores refreshed with new merchandise every two weeks, the warehouses of Inditex is simply a place to transfer merchandise rather than store them. Under Indetexs distribution system, most of merchandise stayed at the distribution centers for only few hours. Products are inspected and shipped immediately in distribution center. Store managers can check lists of items available to be shipped to their stores. Based on their store inventories, they can request quantities and type of products. However, Inditexs international expansion required constant adjustment on distribution. Zara schedules the shipment by time zone to make sure distribute effectively. Inditex uses this method to gain a competitive advantage by minimizing the lead ti mes. 4.4 Marketing mix Placement Inditexs marketing strategy is very effective because its marketing policy involves zero advertising. Inditex invest in selecting locations for its subsidiary retail chains and the presentation of those stores. For example, products in Zara are relative inexpensive, but shopping in Zara shores does not feel cheap. Zara stores are centrally located with spacious and nice interior. The clothes were presented very tide and upscale. There is a big difference between Zara stores and the store of some upper scale stores. Product Inditex constantly changes its products. Therefore, customers are never sure what is going to be on Zaras shelves the following week. Zara designs apparel to meet consumer demand, attempting to pull customers in by producing small amount to create a fear that if customers do not buy immediately, the product will soon be out of stock. There is not any other company that can produce high fashion clothes faster than Zara, which positions itself as high fashion at cheap prices. Although Zara has been accused of copying the design of other upscale fashion retailers, the prime difference is the price, which allows high fashion to be affordable for average consumer. Price The pricing strategy chosen can affect revenue. The price of a product is very vital for a company to get back all its effort. The other three elements of marketing mix are costs. Thus, no matter how good the garment is. How efficient the supply chain and how creative the promotion, unless the price covers cost, the company will not make profits. Clothes might suffer from prices that are too low among competition. Pricing is very important since it often send quality cues to customers  ¼Ã‹â€ Jobber, 2007 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Inditex does not compete on price because they know their customers are more sensitive to fashion instead of the price. Inditexs subsidiary brands follow a market-based pricing strategy. Inditex sets price in line with its marketing strategy with reference to other marketing decisions such as position, strategic objective, promotion and value to customers. Therefore, Inditex sets price differently on different brands. Zaras prices are very reasonable. Its objective is to set price as cheap as possible to allow people to have fast fashion clothes. Inditex will adjust its price for certain product to keep low inventories if the company overestimated the demand. Promotion The fact that there is no advertising promotion strategy is another effective cost cutting approach for Inditex. Other fashion retailers spend 3.5% of their revenue on advertising, while inditex only spends 0.3% on promotion. Advertisement is carry out only at a new store opening. But that does not means Inditex make less efforts on promotion. Zara does not engage in large advertising campaigns on television and magazines. It just adopts a different approach to promote its products. It invests its money on location, Zaras stores are situated at commercial center. The company believes that their shop windows presentations are all the advertising it needs and its sores only opened in the most fashionable district. 4.5 International Expansion Inditex has become possibly the most internationalized fashion retail chain. Zara operates 2707 stores in countries outside its home market Spain. By 2010, its has 1900 stores in rest of Europe, more than 150 stores in Asia, 366 in America, 485 elsewhere in the rest of world. Inditex generates 68 percent of its total revenue from oversea markets. Zara contributes most of international sales and revenue to Inditex. Zaras international expansion started in 1988 with the opening of store in Portugal, when Inditex found that the company has dominated domestic market and abroad market was very profitable. Since then, Zara entered into one country per year until it opened stores in 7 European countries. After that, the pace of Zara expansion has speed up more rapidly. Zara has successfully entered 74 countries. On the same period, HM expanded its retail network to 36 countries, and Gap entered into 30 countries worldwide. .( Indetex Annual Report, 2009 ) SALES 2008 2009 Spain 3.730.099 3.708.967 Rest of Europe 4.809.263 5.221.491 America 1.038.065 1.096.709 Asia and rest of the world 829.333 1.056.347 Total 10.406.960 11.083.514 5. Business model Analysis This section will further analyze the reasons why Inditex, who are competing in the same business field and under the same conditions as rivals such as HM, next, Gap and Mango, choose different business models. It describes exact competitive advantages that have derived from Inditexs business model and the negative sides of business models. According to Inditexs financial ratios and business models, we can conclude that Inditexs higher income result from its business model of vertical integration which keeps costs and operating expenses much lower than Gap and HM. In-house production allows Inditex have little transaction costs. In light of the transaction cost theory, Madhok said that manage business activities inside the company is direct way to diminish the transaction costs. The costs of managing upstream or downstream of business activities within an institution will be much lower than through the market. Meanwhile, vertical integration gives a firm more control and flexibilities to operate directly. Forward integration can provide product differentiation advantages that are difficult to imitate as well as superior design intelligence. Potential advantage from integration is the degree of value added at the throughout all stages of the business. The group has authority to operate directly through designing, manufacturing and distribution. Due to vertical integration, the group gains a better po sition in the purchasing of raw materials, controlling the manufacturing process and obtaining better lead time to market. Decreased Cost does not only derive from lower transaction cost but also comes from waste reducing. This happens by designing and cutting its fabric in-house and it acquires fabrics in grey to keep costs low. Zara dyeing and printing fabric until close to manufacture to acquire more flexibilities in order to meet various design requirements, thereby minimize raw material waste and rendered Zara great flexibilit