Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Innovation and Change - Essay Example Legitimate innovations are not always the commercialisation of a significant advance in product concept, but can be the process of making enhancements to an existing product. Beacham (2006, p.9) reinforces that innovation is â€Å"the successful exploitation of new ideas†, meaning that specific business processes or management ideology can be representative of legitimate innovation which radically or incrementally change the methodology by which a business improves itself. The end result of innovation as a new idea, rather than a radically exclusive and exceptional product development, is being able to differentiate the innovative firm from its competitor base. For the sake of argument, it should then be recognised that genuine innovations involve making non-replicable changes to business strategy, service delivery processes, internal cultural dynamics both professional and social, improving functionality through software technology implementation, or blending existing technol ogies to create greater value for the firm in a way that has not been conceived of by rival firms. When attempting to determine whether SMEs are better able to innovate than larger organisations, it is necessary to clearly define the concept of what actually constitutes an innovation. An initial assessment of innovation, using the premise that a legitimate innovation is solely related to radical product development, would seem to point toward a larger organisation being more equipped to provide innovation than their smaller business counterparts due to higher capital availability, more labour and divisional support, and more refined manufacturing capacity. Taking into consideration the tangible definition of innovation, involving a variety of conceptions not always related to product, it is actually much more realistic to believe that the SME is much better equipped to provide innovation than the larger corporation. This essay describes the characteristics of the SME that actually m ake innovation more easily achievable than larger businesses, including an emphasis on leadership, cultural development, the political hierarchy, the nature of SME team functioning, organisational structure and managerial prowess in understanding the relationships between inputs and outputs that assist in sustaining the small to medium enterprise. The political hierarchy and business culture In order to successfully innovate, it is necessary to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge within an open culture environment. Tacit knowledge is highly specialised, consisting of expertise that is not easily translatable and transferrable to individuals within the organisation that do not maintain similar expertise. Explicit knowledge is generally defined as documented, easy-to-transfer information such as journals, drawings, schematics and internal procedures that is accessible and understood by all organisational members (Fodor 1968). In the large organisation, especially a multi -national company which maintains a high volume of inter-dependent business divisions, including procurement, research and development, sales and marketing, human resources, and manufacturing, each business unit/division maintains expert (tacit) knowledge labourers. Within the large corporation, it is uncommon for individuals that have been hired for their specific skills and capabilities to be cross-trained under a job rotation

Data Collection Essay Example for Free

Data Collection Essay * The Rough was excluded during the calculation of the mean as the rough was a trial to indicate the general whereabouts of the end point, which is inaccurate of the exact end point. Table 2. Observations collected during the experiment. Table contains observations which were recorded during each trial of the experiment. Trials Observations Before trials * When water was added to the crystals of oxalic acid, it dissolved almost instantly with a light stirring of the beaker. Rough * When two drops phenolphthalein was added to the solution of sodium hydroxide, the solution turned pink. * After adding about 20.8dm3 of oxalic acid into the sodium hydroxide solution, while swirling the conical flask, the solution turned completely clear the oxalic acid was filled up to 21dm3 to have a rounded rough end point to work with. 1 * When two drops of phenolphthalein was added to the sodium hydroxide solution, the solution turned pink. * After adding about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution, while swirling the conical flask gently, each drop of oxalic acid solution began to turn the pink solution slightly clear. * After about 20.6dm3 oxalic acid solution was added, the pink solution turned completely clear. 2 * Two drops of phenolphthalein was added to sodium hydroxide solution, producing a pink coloured solution. * After about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution was added, each drop began turning the pink solution slightly clear. * After adding around 20.4dm3 of oxalic acid solution, the pink solution turned completely clear. 3 * Two drops of phenolphthalein was added to the sodium hydroxide solution, turning the solution in the conical flask pink. * After adding about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution, each drop began turning the pink solution slightly clear. * When about 20.3dm3 of the acid was added, the pink solution turned completely clear. Data Processing 1. Write an equation for the reaction. (COOH)2 + 2NaOH 2NaCO3 + 2H2O 2. What amount (in moles) of NaOH is present in 20.0 cm3 of 0.097 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide solution? c = n/v c = 0.097mol dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.001 = 0.097mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.001/0.097 x 100%) = 0.097mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.03% v = 20.0cm3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.04 = (20.0/1000) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.04/20.0 x 100%) = 0.020dm3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.2% n = ? n = c x v n = 0.097 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.03% x 0.020 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.2% n = 0.00194 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (1.03 + 0.2)% ? n = 0.00194 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% 3. What amount of oxalic acid was present in the average volume required to react exactly with the sodium hydroxide solution? Using the molar ratio of 1:2 for acid : base respectively: 0.00194 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% / 2 = 0.00097 mols ? amount of oxalic acid present = 0.00097 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% 4. What amount of oxalic acid was present in your 250 cm3 volumetric flask? Concentration of acid in 250mL is the same as the concentration of acid in 1L. Therefore the concentration of acid in 1 dm-3 of acid solution is the same as concentration of acid in 250mL: c = n/v c = 0.0119à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.03% / 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(0.15/250 x 100%) c = 0.0476 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (2.03+0.06)% ? c = 0.05 mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% (concentration of acid) c = n/v 0.05à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% = n / 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06% 0.05à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% x 0.25à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06% = n ? n = 0.0125 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (2.09 + 0.06)% ? moles of oxalic acid in 250mL solution = 0.0125 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% 5. What is the mass of one mole of oxalic acid? n = m/MM MM = m/n MM = 1.5g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.02 / 0.0125mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% MM = 1.5 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(0.02/1.5 x100%) / 0.0125à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% MM = 120 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(1.33+2.15)% MM = 120 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% m = n x MM m = 1 x 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? mass of one mole of oxalic acid = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 6. How many molecules of water of crystallisation are present in one mole? MM of (COOH)2 = 2(12.01 + 32 + 1) = 90.04 MM of H2O = (2.02 + 16) = 18.02 (COOH)2.xH2O = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? 90.04 + 18.02x = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? 18.02x = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 90.04 ? 18.02x = 29.96à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% (/18.02) ? x = 1.6626à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? Molecules of water of crystallisation = 1.66à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06 Conclusion and Evaluation Discussion 1. Estimate the degree of uncertainty in your readings using the balance, the volumetric flask, the pipette and the burette. How accurately can you quote your answer? Balance = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.02g Volumetric flask = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.15mL Pipette = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.04cm3 Burette = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.15cm3 The equipments used were relatively accurate as the uncertainties compared to the collected values are small. 2. Compare your answer with the correct answer and work out the percentage error. Percentage error = [(experimental value actual value) / actual value] x 100% = [(1.6626 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 2) / 2] x 100% = 16.87% à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74% 3. Suggest any other reasons for possible error. Other reasons for possible error include the uncertainty of equipments, human errors and mistakes, possibility of contaminated solutions, air bubbles and transference of solution between equipments. This experiment was conducted to find the ratio of water in hydrate oxalic acid crystals. This included calculations of the theoretical and experimental values for the ratio of water in the hydrate oxalic acid crystals and the percentage errors of values compared. The equation for the reaction between the sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) and the oxalic acid solution ((COOH)2) was worked out, with the product being a salt (NaCO3) and water (H2O). As the oxalic acid solution is a dibasic acid solution, the reaction ratio with sodium hydroxide is 1:2. The amount of NaOH, in moles, was also calculated by multiplying the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution and the volume of sodium hydroxide solution used. The equation c = n/v was used to calculate this. The result was 0.00194 moles of NaOH in the sodium hydroxide solution with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%. The amount of oxalic acid presented in the average volume required to react exactly with the sodium hydroxide solution was also calculated; by dividing the moles of NaOH (0.00194à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%) by 2, based on the 1:2 reaction ratio stated before. The result was 0.00097 moles with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%. The amount of oxalic acid present in 250cm3 was also calculated. The concentration of acid in 250mL is the same as the concentration of acid in 1L, therefore, the concentration of acid in 1dm-3 of the oxalic acid solution is the same concentration as the acid in 250mL. With this understood, the equation c = n/v was used once again. The concentration was first calculated by dividing the moles of NaOH by 0.25dm3. The result (0.05mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09), was used in further calculations to determine the moles of oxalic acid by multiplying the previous calculated concentration (0.05mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09) with 0.25dm3, resulting in the moles of oxalic acid in the 250mL solution as 0.0125mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15%. This value was used in the calculation of the mass of one mole of oxalic acid. The equation n = m/MM was used in this calculation. The MM (molar mass) was first calculated, dividing the mass of oxalic acid crystals by the moles of oxalic acid (1.5 / 0.0125). The mass (m = n x MM) was calculated with the result of this (1 x 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%), resulting in the mass of one mole of oxalic acid being 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%. Finally, the molecules of water of crystallisation presented in one mole were calculated. This was done by using the mass of one mole of oxalic acid (120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%), subtracting the MM of (COOH)2 (90.04) from it and dividing the result by MM of H2O (18.02). The final result of the number of molecules of water in crystallisation equalled 1.66 with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% or 0.06. With this final result, the percentage error was calculated, being 16.87%à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74%. All the uncertainties within the values used were calculated into percentage through dividing the uncertainty by the value and multiplying it by 100%. The uncertainties were converted into percentages before doing calculations were done. There were several limitations found during this experiment which would have been the cause of an inaccurate final result the variation between the theoretical value of 2 and the experimental value of 1.66à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06. These limitations include the uncertainties of the equipment, human errors and mistakes, possibility of contaminated solutions, air bubbles found in solutions and the transference of solution between equipments. The significance of these errors and the improvements are listed in the table below. Limitations Significance Improvements Uncertainty of equipments Uncertainties were obtained during the experiment through the use of equipments. The inaccurate recording of data would have affected the results in the end. Eg. The readings on the electronic scale werent fully stable and consistent at one value, it varied increasing and decreasing slightly. In the case of the electronic scale, it was suggested that the variation in weight value was due to the air-conditioning blowing down on it. The air-conditioner could be turned off to reduce the uncertainties and variations. Students could also prevent themselves from breathing heavily down onto the scale while measuring, this could have contributed to the variation as well. Human errors and mistakes Mistakes could affect the outcome and accuracy of results. Eg. While adding water into the volumetric flask to dissolve the oxalic acid crystals, a student accidentally added a little too much, over the 250cm3 that was intended. This would have over diluted the oxalic acid. This could have been avoided through patience while adding the water into the volumetric flask. This could also have been done slowly and carefully, probably using a pipette towards the end at the 250cm3 mark. Reading the measurement of the pipette, burette and volumetric flask could have been inaccurate, causing results to be inaccurate and in turn affecting the calculations. Inaccuracy could have been due to improper way of reading the measurement. Students should have bent down slightly with the measurement at eye level. Student`s heads should not be tilted but level with the equipment as well. The measurement should also be read at the parallax, not above or below it. Possibility of contaminated solutions The experiment was conducted with the use of several different solutions. These solutions could have accidentally been mixed in with each other, causing the solution to be contaminated. The results obtained due to this could have been inaccurate, affecting the final results. Being careful with the solutions used would help avoid this. Using clean equipments for each different solution, making sure the solutions that are not meant to be placed together do not get mixed with each other. After the use of some of the equipments, they were to be washed and reused for another solution. The equipments were not dried before being used again; this could have diluted the solution and contaminated it. Drying the equipment each time after it is washed/cleaned would prevent access water and dilution of solutions. Air bubbles When transferring the dissolved oxalic acid into the burette, there were some tiny air bubbles. This would have because the measurement to be inaccurate as the air bubbles would have caused the reading of the solution to be greater than it actually is. Over time when the bubbles removed itself from the solution which would have caused a decrease in solution. The inaccurate measurement reading would have affected the final results of the experiment. The burette could have been left alone for awhile to allow the bubbles to float to the top. Whatever the amount the bubbles made up for, fill the burette up again with the use of a pipette. Transference of solution between equipments When transferring solutions between two or more differing equipments would have caused an increase of decrease in measurement. An inaccurate amount of solution would have affected the results or recorded data. When using a funnel during the transference of solution into the burette, it caused some increase in the desired amount. This is due to the tip of the funnel having some drops of solution left in it and when the funnel was removed, the movement could have caused those drops to drop into the burette, causing an increase in amount of solution. This could be prevented by either slowly removing the funnel or using the funnel up to a certain mark, remove it and fill up to the desired amount with the use of a small pipette drop by drop. When using the 20mL pipette to transfer the sodium hydroxide into the conical flask, the tip of the nozzle had a drop that was tempted to drop out of the pipette. Avoid touching the sides and move the pipette over the flask slowly would reduce the chances of it dripping out and altering the volume of solution. A small amount of the solution was also stuck at the tip of the nozzle after being emptied. By touching the tip to the side of the flask would help that tiny bit of solution flow out. If possible have the nozzle flat on the side of the flask, this would allow it to flow out smoothly. To avoid or reduce these significant errors, these solutions and improvements should be taken into consideration during future repetition of this experiment. The experiment overall was invalid. Though the values in data collection may have been to a 0.10cm3 difference, the final calculation of the percentage error, 16.87%à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74%, was much greater than the desired 1% causing the experiment to be invalid.

Fallen angels :: essays research papers

In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the war is unknown to him, but as the death and destruction increases, he realizes that in war there are no parts.In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the war is unknown to him, but as the death and destruction increases, he realizes that in war there are no parts.In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the war is unknown to him, but as the death and destruction increases, he realizes that in war there are no parts.In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the war is unknown to him, but as the death and destruction increases, he realizes that in war there are no parts.In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the war is unknown to him, but as the death and destruction increases, he realizes that in war there are no parts.In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, we read about the hardships and troubles of the main character, Richard Perry, during the Vietnam war. Richie’s understanding of his part in the

Pricing strategy in video game industry Essay

Video Gaming industry has gone dramatic changes when more and more digital platforms emerge and improved technology in portable devices, mainly in social games(Facebook, Myspace) and mobile games. 27% of US online population play at least one game on social network, and Facebook gaming revenue hit $1. 32 billion in U. S market in 20111. Also, as more than more people have smart phone especially apple’s iOS devices, gaming application becomes more and more popular in mobile market(72% game applications on iTune)2. There are traditional console game players such as EA, Activision, Nintendo and Ubisoft in this industry, also there are leading company in the social game area such as Zynga in the market. Traditionally, console games are sold in retail stores with $39. 99 to $59. 99 retail price for the whole disc content. Hard-core games such as Call of Duty(Activision), Assassin’s Creed(Ubisoft) and etc. usually price at $59. 99 while casual titles such as Nintendo wii games price around 30$. Usually the pricing approach for these console game companies is the industry standard – means every player in this market follows the same rule as the same price. It can be considered as based on cost structure because of the long time of development (18 to 36 months), money-consuming game development cost and all kinds of add-on cost (packaging, marketing and third-party licensing etc. )3 They also only have two months’ shelf time as the game lunch. Because of the high entry barrier in the console game industry and high brand perception among customers, several main competitors dominate the market. The console game price does not differentiate too much among these players. However, as facebook’s extreme success leads to people’s behavior change to be more â€Å"social† associated, a plenty of small companies start to enter into social gaming market and undergo blast growth speed such as Zynga. Zynga’s pricing strategy is â€Å"Free-to-Play† and charging in-game micro-transaction items such as virtual gift or buildings. The free-to-play concept is not new in this industry because plenty of Korean online game companies such as Nexon, NcSoft already using this business model while traditional online games use subscription model ($15. 99 per month) such as World of WarCraft(Blizzard) and EVE Online(CCP Games). As the internet bandwidth improvement and more internet users in US(250 million)4, online games and social games represent strong growth trend comparing to traditional console games. And as users have more options in â€Å"free† games rather than premium games, more and more companies enter into this industry by offering products for free with micro-transaction options. Zynga’s most popular title â€Å"CityVille† has over 70 million monthly active users while best selling single console game Call of Duty(Activision) has 14 million copies sold in US market. Facing the competition of Facebook games with free to play concept and high growth potential of online game market, some of the traditional package-good game companies start to offer cross-platform Facebook game titles to increase their competency in the market such as EA, Sony and Ubisoft. Their main strategy is to develop Facebook companion games(Free to Play) to featured console game title. Those companions games not only offer free-to-play game content but also allow users to unlock items in the main console game such as Dragon Age Legend(EA). They intend to leverage their brand awareness in the gaming industry, acquire more users to play main games and increase monetization channel to increase revenue. EA responded very quickly in this digital trend by doing aggressive acquisitions for popular facebook or mobile game studios. However, a lot of other traditional console game companies react very slow (Ubisoft, Sony) or refuse to change (Nintendo). Most of console game companies conduct a conservative strategy and will develop several social games(much shorter develop time) to make trial because overall the console retail sales revenue is much higher than that in social and mobile market. Others are not capable of following this fast-paced digital step and suffered loss (THQ laid off 200 employees in 2011 because of decreasing sales in retail products). Most customers that play hard-core video console games generally are not satisfied with the â€Å"free-to-play† social companion games because of lower quality of overall game content and totally different game play with main games. A low quality companion product of Facebook platform will damage the company’s reputation in this industry for new users. However, since the users profile between hardcore players (average 29 years old male) and social players (average 35 years old female) are so different with very few overlap, it makes these console game companies indifferent to the failure of Facebook product. Online game market, on the other hand, the free to play options have a big impact to customers’ options. For example, World of Warcraft ( Most popular Massive Multiplayer Role Playing game, 12million users with $15. 99 monthly subscription fee) lost 600,000 users since 2008 while RuneScape(Jagex) (free-to-play game with subscription options at $5) has 150 million registered users and over 10 million active users. Blizzard responded to the competition since 2011 on â€Å"free to Play† options until level 20 in the game. Another game Lord of the Rings switched from subscription model to free to play model and saw double revenue and 400% user growth immediately. I would suggest the pricing decision maker in video game industry to look at customer, company capability, product feature, customer and competitors’ issues. Company – Analyze company’s positioning in terms of digital trend in the industry and focus on the products with higher profit margins – Analyze company’s cost structure and allocate reasonable resources on other platform product development based on financial forecast Product. – Since console game products have fixed price in the retail stores, figure out other possible channels for monetization such as digital add-on contents, special side-product package etc. – Decide possible virtual buying items based on the game mechanics and gamers motivation (self-expression, social status and social network) Distributor – Corporate and form good relationship with retail distributors for more resources on shelf presence and brand promotion Customer. – Deliver social companion games with high-quality contents to enhance main game – Deliver social games that directly target Facebook users – Promote company brand and establish community to highly engage with users Competitor – Learn from competitors on the digital content development – Expand to other country that competitors did not focus. Resources: 1. www. bizreport. com/2011/07/2011-social-gaming-revenues-to-exceed-1billion. html 2. http://mashable. com/2011/07/13/mobile-gaming-trends/ http://www. businessinsider. com/getting-into-the-mobile-gaming-game-2011-7.

Can Military Force Promote Humanitarian Values?

Abstract Recent years have seen an increase in humanitarian interventions which have involved military operations. However is it feasible that the two operations, military and humanitarian are compatibleThis paper investigates whether this is the case and, to do so, assesses military force in terms of the values which underpin humanitarianism. This paper utilises a case study from the Libyan conflict to assess whether there is a politicised nature in the push for military led humanitarian operations, and examines whether there is a political undertone in the increased usage of military forces. It is argued that this undertone serves to undermine the possibility that military forces can promote humanitarian Introduction For several decades, humanitarian intervention has been a factor in military operations. This paper examines whether military forces can promote the values of humanitarianism during aid operations. To do so this paper will examine a number of elements and seeks to define humanitarianism. In doing so, the question of what role military forces can play is considered. This includes, for example, where military forces are deployed to affected regions or states and the role which they have been asked to conduct. This paper investigates whether the underlying aims of military forces are compatible with that of humanitarianism. This paper argues that they are not and that recent years have seen developments where military action has been wrongly justified on the grounds of humanitarian intervention. What is Humanitarianism? The concept of humanitarian intervention which utilises military force can be classed as a subjective one. Whilst some commentator’s class military led humanitarian interventions as being â€Å"the use of military force to protect foreign populations from mass atrocities or gross human rights abuses† (Waxman, 2013), others such as Marjanovic (2012) define the action as being â€Å"a state using military force against another state when the chief publicly declared aim of that military action is ending human-rights violations being perpetrated by the state against which it is directed†. Yet despite the subjectivity, there is a series of components which can be extracted from these various definitions. These components include: a form of war or conflict, the potential that non-combatants will be negatively affected by this conflict; and where human rights abuses are considered to be taking place In essence, there are a number of factors which should be present when military led humanitarian assistance is being considered. Weiss (2012: 1) argues that there is an underlying notion of a â€Å"responsibility to protect† and that this has a tendency to dominate modern geo-political thinking, but instead it is arguable that the global community can be accused of cherry picking where it seeks to intervene. Weiss had previously argued that any intervention should incorporate aspects of post conflict redevelopment programming (Minear & Weiss, 1995), yet since the perpetuation of military led humanitarian interventions, he has reconsidered his perspective to argue that such actions should now constitute â€Å"activities undertaken to improve the human condition† (Weiss, 2012: 1). This latter inclusion indicates that the shift in conflict dynamics, from one which is largely based on conventional warfare to the usage of non-state actors and combatants in an asymmetric conf lict zone has been a party to Weiss’s new perspective. Where values are considered, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (2013) argue that these incorporate aspects of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Essentially, therefore, it can be argued that where military forces are deployed to support humanitarian operations that it is essential they act according to these guiding principles. Role of the Military in Humanitarian Interventions Recent years, particularly since the end of the Cold War (Pattison, 2010), have seen military operations to support humanitarian interventions in a number of collapsed or failed states. These include, but are not limited to, Iraq, post-Gulf War One (1991 – 2003), Bosnia – Serbia (1995), Kosovo (1999), East Timor (1999) Somalia (2002), Haiti (2004), and Libya (2011) whilst other humanitarian interventions which have required military assistance can be considered to have taken place in post conflict Iraq and Afghanistan (Pattison, 2010). Weiss (2012) argues that the concept of humanitarian intervention has increased the potential for interventions into states in order to protect non-combatants from conflict. Contrary to this, the earlier reference to cherry picking provides a casing point when the political discourse which took place at the United Nations (UN) Security Council in relation to the ongoing conflict in Syria can be considered to be a case where the window o f opportunity for intervention has now closed, particularly since this conflict has led to the involvement of Islamic State and the Kurdish Peshmerga (Dagher, 2014). Increase in Military led Humanitarian Operations As stated, recent decades, particularly since the end of the Cold War, have seen a rise in the numbers of ethnically charged conflicts and where humanitarian interventions have been considered as necessary (Kaldor, 1998). In a review of this era, Kaldor noted that there had been a change in the dynamics of conflict and that the underpinning issue was of a series of belligerents and combatants which were not constrained by international regulations, such as the Geneva Convention protocols, Laws of Armed Conflict or relevant United Nations Charters (Kaldor, 1998). This changed dynamics has perpetuated and has spread to a number of conflict zones around the world, but has also seen a rise in the usage of conventional forces to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Similarly, Christoplos, Longley, and Slaymaker (2004) also noted a changed emphasis in humanitarian aid provision during this era. They argued that the underpinning programmes have been utilised to create a tripartite system of humanitarianism which incorporates rehabilitation (for both state and society), development of state and social infrastructures and relief programmes which provide for maintaining civil society during crisis periods. This particular perspective reinforces a belief that military interventions can help NGOs deliver aid by providing security (Seybolt, 2007). Nevertheless the incorporation of military activity into this mix has also resulted in a further complication since military operations deploy to aid zones with a preposition of maintaining operational security. This includes the potential for combating belligerent forces where such a need exists (Davidson, 2012). Stability Operations Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) (2013) argues that the first decade of the twenty first century has seen a near trebling of military support for NGOs in countries which have been affected by war, natural disaster or where the state infrastructure has been affected sufficiently that it is unable to assist with recovery programmes. GHA also note that peacekeeping operations have increased at a similar rate, particular in the years discussed earlier by Kaldor (1998) to the present day. UK military doctrine emphasises that any military activities which has a humanitarian focus should incorporate stability operations (Ministry of Defence, 2011). In clarifying this position, the UK Ministry of Defence added that: â€Å"The peacekeeper fulfils a mandate with the strategic consent of the main warring parties, allowing a degree of freedom to fulfil its task in an impartial manner, while a sustainable peace settlement is pursued.† (Ministry of Defence, 2011: 1.1). Such a perspectiv e indicates that the simple inclusion of additional personnel to assist NGOs is not the primary role of military forces but instead is indicative of a more political role which is intended to shape the political landscape of the affected region or state where assistance is being provided. This aspect does not sit comfortably with the principles of humanitarianism as espoused by NGOs such as the ICRC (2013). This perspective is further enforced when it is noted that the Ministry of Defence cannot rule out military action during humanitarian operations. Doctrinal papers evidence that military operations will also incorporate war fighting components as well as security duties. This was the case in Afghanistan, which was a stabilisation operation during which the UK military â€Å"had the consent of the host nation government but no other warring party (Afghanistan: Taliban 2001 – present) [†¦] A military force may decide in such situations that the defeat of a specific enemy is essential to the success of the operation.† (Ministry of Defence, 2011: 1.1). Essentially, therefore, there is a political perspective which can serve to undermine any arguments of altruism during a humanitarian operation which is supported by military efforts. Should Military led Humanitarian Interventions be justified? The UN backed military operation in Libya during its recent uprising and civil conflict was arguably mandated via humanitarian intervention based upon aid relief and assistance (United Nations, 2011). However it is arguable thatthat this particular intervention was politically motivated since it is evident that the Gaddafi regime had previously irked those states (USA, UK & France) which were at the forefront of the military aspect of intervention (Boulton, 2008). The argument put forward by the trio of states sought to ensure a quick resolution to the conflict and that a perpetuation of the conflict would lead to a humanitarian crisis. Kuperman (2011) notes that Resolution, 1973 allowed for a number of additional practices by military forces. These included, for example, allowing intervening forces to stabilise the Libyan conflict, to assist the undermining of the authority of the Gaddafi regime and to help bring the conflict to a swift conclusion. To achieve this Kuperman (2011) no tes that Libyan state financial and economic assets were frozen, the regime was also subjected to an arms embargo (Kuperman, 2011). It is also to be noted that the USA, France and the UK also operated outside of the mandate provided by the UN by deploying private military contractors to fight alongside insurgents seeking to overthrow the Gaddafi regime (RT News, 2012). That said, the Libyan conflict has not ended and continues to dominate local Libyan politics and society. This outcome serves only to undermine the utilitarian role of humanitarianism. It is fair to suggest that the actions by military forces were more political than humanitarian and served only to perpetuate the US led policy of regime change. This is a factor which Williamson (2011) argues has resulted in military planners utilising military force within humanitarian relief efforts and which has served only to muddy the political and societal dynamics of any affected zone. Williamson’s (2011) argument can be considered in tandem with the British military doctrine which refuses to rule out combat efforts but in relation to the post-Cold War era which has seen non-state combatants realign the battlefield to one which compares directly to a counter insurgency warzone (US Government, 2012). Legal Issues Where the Libyan case study is considered, it is worthwhile noting that, previously, Goodman (2006) had argued that there is a clear contradiction between military interventions into any state using a guise of humanitarian purposes. Goodman (2006) furthers his argument by stating that there is no legal justification for a unilateral humanitarian intervention into another country, and that it is highly unlikely that such a move will ever be likely. The rationale behind this argument is that states then have the potential to militarily intervene in other states using humanitarianism as a justification for regime change or some other ulterior motive. It is to be noted that Goodman bases his arguments upon the dynamics of recent interventions in Kosovo and Iraq as well as the refusal to intervene in the Sudan or in Rwanda (Goodman, 2006). Similarly when attempts were made to intervene militarily under the auspice of humanitarianism in Syria, this was rebuffed by the UN General Assembly s ince it was suggested that those who sought to intervene (again, the USA, UK and France) were doing so out of a political motive which involve a war fighting phase as opposed to relieving suffering on the ground, indeed a part of the proposal was to arm anti Assad militias which were aligned to the al Qaeda franchise (Benotman and Blake, 2013). The outcome of this particular policy has been the evolution of Islamic State. Conclusion In conclusion, the incorporation of a military force to benefit humanitarian operations can serve to benefit the potential for aid relief via the provision of security escorts for NGOs when operating in hostile environments. However with recent decades seeing a vast increase in the preference for military led humanitarian operations, the potential for a conflation between humanitarian principles and the advancing of political aspirations of donor states cannot be denied. This has been the case in Libya where humanitarianism was presented as a causal justification for military interventions which were mostly politically or ideologically led. With the vales of humanitarianism incorporating impartiality and neutrality it is hard to see how military forces can promote humanitarian values, particularly when their presence may result in engaging with potential belligerent forces in order to stabilise a country or region so that NGOs can conduct their own operations successfully. Essentiall y, therefore the aims of military forces (and their political masters) are vastly different from aid agencies, this serve to provide confirmation that military forces cannot promote humanitarian values, purely by virtue of their own activities and nature of their work. Bibliography Benotman, N., and Blake, R. (2013) Jabhat al-Nusra: A Strategic Briefing, London: Quilliam Foundation. Boulton, A. (2008), Memoirs of the Blair Administration: Tony’s Ten Years, London: Simon & Schuster. Christoplos, I., Longley, C. and Slaymaker, T., (2004) The Changing Roles of Agricultural Rehabilitation: Linking Relief, Development and Support to Rural Livelihoods, available at http://odi.org.uk/wpp/publications_pdfs/Agricultural_rehabilitation.pdf, (accessed on 13/11/14). Dagher, S., (2014) Kurds Fight Islamic State to Claim a Piece of Syria, (online), available at http://online.wsj.com/articles/kurds-fight-islamic-state-to-claim-a-piece-of-syria-1415843557, (accessed on 13/11/14). Davidson, J., (2012) Principles of Modern American Counterinsurgency: Evolution and Debate, Washington DC: Brookings Institute. Global Humanitarian Assistance, (2013) Counting the cost of humanitarian aid delivered through the military, London: Global Humanitarian Assistance. Goodman, R., (2006) Humanitarian Intervention and Pretexts for War, (J), American Journal of International Law, Vol. 100: 107 – 142. International Committee of the Red Cross, (2013) Humanitarian Values and Response to Crisis, (online), available at https://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jmlz.htm, (accessed on 13/11/14). Kaldor, M., (1998) New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era, Cambridge: Polity Press. Kuperman, A., (2011) False Pretence for war in Libya, available at http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/04/14/false_pretense_for_war_in_libya/accessed on 13/11/14). Marjanovic, M., (2011) Is Humanitarian War the Exception?, (online), available at http://mises.org/daily/5160/Is-Humanitarian-War-the-Exception, (accessed on 13/11/14). Minear, L and Weiss, T.G., (1995) Mercy Under Fire: War and the Global Humanitarian Community, Boulder: Westview Press. Ministry of Defence, (2011) Peacekeeping: An evolving Role for the Military, London: HMSO. Pattison, M., (2010) Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility To Protect: Who Should, Oxford: Oxford University Press. RT News, (2012) Stratfor: Blackwater helps regime Change, (online), available at http://www.rt.com/news/stratfor-syria-regime-change-063/, (accessed on 13/11/14). Seybolt, T., (2007) Humanitarian Military Intervention: The Conditions for Success and Failure, Oxford: Oxford University Press. United Nations, (2011) Resolution 1973, (online), available at http://www.un.org/press/en/2011/sc10200.doc.htm#Resolution, (accessed on 13/11/14). US Government, (2012) Counter Insurgency, Virginia: Pentagon. Waxman, M., (2013) Is humanitarian military intervention against international law, or are there exceptions?, (online), available at http://www.cfr.org/international-law/humanitarian-military-intervention-against-international-law-there-exceptions/p31017, (accessed on 13/11/14). Weiss, T., (2012) Humanitarian Intervention, Cambridge: Polity Press. Williamson, J., (2011) Using humanitarian aid to ‘win hearts and minds’: a costly failure?, (J), International Committee of the Red Cross, Vol. 93, (884): 1035 – 1062.

Compare and Contrast William Shakespeares Sonnet 18 to In an Artists Studio by Christina Rossetti Essays

Compare and Contrast William Shakespeares Sonnet 18 to In an Artists Studio by Christina Rossetti Essays Compare and Contrast William Shakespeares Sonnet 18 to In an Artists Studio by Christina Rossetti Paper Compare and Contrast William Shakespeares Sonnet 18 to In an Artists Studio by Christina Rossetti Paper Essay Topic: Christina Rossetti Poems Literature The pre twentieth century sonnets In an Artists studio (1856) by Christina Rossetti (1830 1894) and Sonnet 18 (1609) by William Shakespeare (1564 1616) are related because they explore the subjects of Beauty and Love, however it is important to acknowledge that although they are similar in content, they differ due to the way they present the object of their desires from contrasting perspectives. Furthermore, whilst the poems share the conventional fourteen line sonnet structure, Rossetti relies on the petrarchan whilst Shakespeares rhyme scheme is original. The Petrarchan sonnet portrays Christina Rossettis older brother, Dante Gabrielle, who was obsessed with the model Jane Morris whom he used for inspiration in his paintings during the Pre Raphalite period, which he himself founded. The aim of the Brotherhood was to produce earnest, quasi-religious works, motivated by medieval and early Renaissance painters up to the time of the Italian painter and Architect Raphael. This was because as a whole they eschewed the sombre colours and formal vision preferred by the Royal academy at the time. This is illustrated by Dante Gabrielles paintings of the nameless girl in freshest summer greens. By Contrast, Shakespeares sonnet is addressed to an anonymous person with whom he is infatuated. He begins by posing the rhetorical question of whether or not he should compare his subject to A summers day. He dismisses his question in the second line and argues thou art more lovely and more temperate. Although the diction used in the poem is ornate due to the tradition of courtly love of his time, his simple and direct analogy enables us to comprehend the nature oh his affection more easily. His use of iambic pentameter is also very efficient, there being ten syllables in each line and the use of a simple rhyming scheme with a couplet at the end helps to generate a calm and confident effect which contributes to Shakespeares general premise of the nature Love. Rossettis ode is written two hundred and forty seven years later and is therefore far simpler to grasp. She describes her brothers infatuation by using the word feeds which indicates that he needs the model to sustain himself as he feeds upon her face by night and day. Rossetti uses language associated with food to convey the impression that love is essential to the contribution of life itself. The nameless face is a portrait of perfection throughout all of Dantes canvasses. Whereas Shakespeare woos his beloved through flattery by stating that his love is better than the sun because, Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often his gold complexion dimmd. The first part of the quotation indicates that the heat of the sun is sometimes scorching and therefore unbearable, the personification of the sun as somebody radiating out heat and causing discomfort enables him to describe his love as something more lovely and temperate than the imperfections of the English summer. Although the objects of affection in each sonnet are presented differently, it can be seen that both poets are portraying perfection. Rossetti expresses that Gabrielle has presented Jane Morris beyond reality and has perfected her so, proving her to be not as she is but as she fills his dream. Comparatively Shakespeare conveys that the being whom he is flattering is better than a summers day. Summers lease hath all too short a date Stating that summer does not last whereas the beauty of his subject of desire will, expressing that the lease of his exquisiteness is everlasting. There is a prominent use of natural worlds in both poems to glamorise Rossetti and Shakespeares subjects of desire equally. Shakespeare chooses a summers day to reiterate that his entity of desire is far beyond the beauty of a summers day Whereas Rossettis simile Fair as the moon and joyful as the light suggests that the women in the paintings is presented as angelic and saint like which is reflective of the pre raphelite period in which they purposely hunted to bring a religious undertone to their art, and because they aimed to produce quasi religious works. Again verifying the embroidered depiction of the cherished individuals. Both admirers Shakespeare and Rossetti offer immortality. Shakespeare quite ironically states that Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade in line 12 of the sonnet, referring to the biblical reference, oh death, where is thy sting? Or grave thy victory (Psalms 23:3). This testimonial implies that death normally boasts of his conquests over life. Whereas Shakespeare implies that his magnificence will not be forgotten even if death captures her. When in eternal lines to time thou growest, suggesting that it is through these undying lines that his subjects elegance will be able to live by time. In his ending couplet, Shakespeare states that as long as men breathe and eyes can see his verses will live on commemorating and renewing the life he adores. Similarly Dante Gabrielles paintings of the selfsame figure will allow Jane Morris to be reminisced, obviously through the canvases. Although it can be debated that it is not the actual model of Jane Morris whom will be remembered, but instead the superficial self which Dante has created. A saint, an angel every canvas means Every depiction is created just as perfect as both a saint and an angel. I believe that this is a very important part to have identified because of Christina Rossettis tone whilst describing the nameless face. Rossetti highlights her animosity through the use of repetition in the first two verses. One face looks out from all his canvases One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans Her tone here is cynical as she repeats the word One suggesting that she is bitter and resilient to his portrayal of the model as well as his obsession. I personally enjoyed Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, because it is more effective in revealing the essence of Love and Beauty. Although both sonnets are about beauty and love they are still quite different to each other. In Sonnet 18 Shakespeare uses an analogy to evaluate his subject to a summers day. He presents her through adoration and displays her as she naturally is. However in In an Artists studio Dante sustains upon the selfsame figure that he possesses in his personal intellect. The model Jane Morris is placed on a pedestal to make her appear unblemished as well as angelic and unquestionably picturesque. Gabrielle does not portray her as she is but instead, as she fills his dreams. Both Sonnets characterize their treasured ones in unimaginable forms, they are exquisite to the outermost, simply by the use of unparalleled phraseology, manufacturing them neither as they arise but moreover as they saturate dreams.

Xisa essays

Xisa essays Toto begins to find interest in the opposite sex when he sees a new girl in his school. Toto and Alfredos talks take a turn towards women and love. Something that most fathers talk about with their sons. Alfredo tells Toto the story of a solider who falls in love with a princess. While telling the story, Alfredo doesnt tell Toto what it is supposed to mean or how he can relate it to his own situation. Alfredo leaves him with, And dont ask what it means. I dont know. If you figure it out, you tell me. EThis is for Toto to think on his own, about himself, and about the entire issue of love itself. Without this positive male role model, Toto could have ended up in jail or other serious trouble, but with the guidance of Alfredo he was able to succeed into adulthood. Toto, the main character in the film Cinema Paradiso Eis a lost child who requires the support and guidance of a father, the one thing missing in his life. Growing up in Giancaldo offered him a broad prospective on life and the world around it. With the direction given to him by Alfredo, Toto was able to come out of his young adulthood with knowledge and wits he would have never learned without him. In the end, Alfredo wants Toto to leave Giancaldo in search of a better Elife. I think what Alfredo wants is what he never got, to explore life outside of his hometown. But, for the most part, this hamfisted movie is very enjoyable. Despite his crowding of the film with familiar Italian-character cutouts (screaming parents, admonishing priests, masturbating boys and, yes, even a town idiot), screenwriter/director Tornatore gives these and other cliches an entertaining flow, a certain Mediterranean deliriousness. His excessive spirit is given appropriately sentimental swirl by scorer Ennio Morricone, and comely authority by cinematographer Blasco Giurato, who floods "Paradiso" with exquisite compositions. As the young tyke, Salvat...

The Difference Between Avere and Tenere

The Difference Between Avere and Tenere Learning a new language is not only tough because there are thousands of new words to learn, but even tougher because those words often overlap in meaning. This is definitely the case with the two verbs in Italian - â€Å"tenere - to hold, to keep† and â€Å"avere - to have, to obtain, to hold†. What are the main differences? First, tenere is often understood as to keep or to hold, like to keep a window open, keep a secret or hold a baby. Avere is to understood as meaning, to have, in the sense of possession, like age, fear, or an iPhone. Second, tenere is used, more often in the south, particularly in Naples, in the place of avere, but grammatically, its incorrect. Meaning, even if you hear Tengo 27 anni or Tengo fame, its not grammatically correct. Here are some situations where choosing between avere and tenere might be tricky. Physical Possession 1.) To have/keep an item Ho una mela, ma voglio mangiare un’arancia. - I have an apple, but I want to eat an orange.Non ho una borsa che si abbina a/con questo vestito. - I don’t have a purse that matches this dress.Ho il nuovo iPhone. - I have a new iPhone. In the situation above, you couldnt use tenere as a substitute for avere. Tengo questo iPhone fino alluscita di quello nuovo. - Im keeping this iPhone until the new one comes out. 2.) To not have any money Non ho una lira. - I dont have any money. Here, you can use tenere, but avere is still preferred. Non tengo una lira. - I dont have any money. Non avere/tenere una lira is an expression that literally means, I dont have one lira. To Maintain a Situation 1.) Keep/have a secret È un segreto che tengo per Silvia, quindi non posso dirtelo. - Its a secret that Im keeping for Silvia, so I cant tell it to you. However, if you have a secret and youre not keeping a secret for anybody, you can just use avere. Ho un segreto. Ho un amante! - I have a secret. I have a lover! 2.) Have/keep in pockets Ha le mani in tasca. - He has his hands in his pockets. In this situation, both avere and tenere can be used. Tiene le mani in tasca. - He has (keeps) his hands in his pockets. 3.) Have/keep In mind Ti spiegherà ² quello che ho in mente. - Ill explain to you what I have in mind. In this context, avere and tenere can both be used although the sentence structure will change. Tieni in mente quello che ti ho detto ieri. – Keep in mind what I told you yesterday. To Hold Something 1.) Hold/have a baby in your arms Tiene in braccio un bimbo. Il bebà © ha sei mesi. - She is holding a baby in her arm. The baby is six months. In this situation, you can use avere interchangeably. Ha in braccio un bimbo. Il bebà © ha sei mesi. - She is holding a baby in her arm. The baby is six months. 2.) Have a bouquet of flowers Perchà © hai un mazzo di fiori? Hai molti spasimanti? - Why do you have a bouquet of flowers? Do you have a lot of admirers?Non posso rispondere perchà ¨ ho un mazzo di fiori in mano. - I can’t answer the phone because I’m holding a bouquet of flowers. Then, the person youre talking to might respond to you using the verb tenere. Rispondi, che te lo tengo io. - Answer, and I’ll hold it for you. 3.) Hold a bouquet with style La sposa tiene il bouquet con classe. - The bride holds the bouquet in her hands with style. In the example above, tenere is used to stress the way she holds the bouquet. To help make this easier, use tenere whenever you have something that youre physically holding in mano - in your hands or in braccio - in your arms. It can also be used in figurative expressions, as you saw tenere in mente, but since we would be likely to translate that as keep in mind, its easier to distinguish from avere. Avere, on the other hand, is used to talk about something you possess, either literally or figuratively. If you find yourself in conversation, and you cant think of which one is right to use, its best to ask yourself what the simplest meaning is.  For example, instead of saying, He had a change of heart, you can say, He changed his mind or â€Å"Ha cambiato idea†.

Strategic Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic Plan - Assignment Example Creation of an online and face to face standards, behavioural research lab and development of a program structure to increase ALE opportunities to meet TSU graduation requirements will also boost the learning and teaching standards of the college. Evaluation and revision of the current curriculum to address development of global understanding, creation of entrepreneurial mind-set and development of IT infrastructure will help students increase their knowledge and sharpen their individual skills. Recruitment of qualified and more skilled staff in all faculties will help in decentralization of resources which will ease the management burden hence improve service delivery. This will also assist in the establishment of procedures to define and support budget, and policies for the operation of the college and cater for the expansion to accommodate more students. Creation of a student advisory board will help the administration in understanding the students need and demands hence create an ample learning environment. Also, through engagement in regional business networking, community services, alumni database and creation of an Investment Fund and a Financial Trading Lab for students to be involved in trade fairs will boost their skills. With all these strategies in place, the college will be able to achieve its core values, mission by creating current and future leaders with the capabilities of contributing responsibly and successfully in the dynamic business world. In such doings, the college will be the regional leader in business education as per the

Treaty of Verdun Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Treaty of Verdun - Research Paper Example From the ancient time, the ruling authority in European Union was keen on proper implementation or laws. The pattern of ruling by the leaders of Europe always suggested the fact that every step taken by the countries belonging to the European Union was based on various treaties which was approved willingly and constitutionally by the EU member countries. From a broader perspective, a treaty can be defined as an obligatory contract between EU member countries. In modern times any treaty related to the European Nation is consisted of the objectives of European Union, rules set by the European Union as a group for all the member countries, and most importantly how the decisions will be made in the future taking into consideration the relationship between the EU and its member countries. The main objectives of the Treaties are to ensure EU get more efficient and the process of ruling get more transparent. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the significance of the Treaties of Verdun, 843 which changed the history of the Europe for ever. The paper will also focus on how the treaties change the structure of the Europe as a whole, the consequence that this treaty had as a whole. From the historical perspective, the Franconian Empire was one of the most substantial changes toward integrated administration of the medieval passà ©. During this Reich, which was comprised of both Romanian and German people, the foundation for the political, social and cultural evolution of Western Europe was laid down thoroughly. The consequence of instincts originating from this initial social and party-political center can barely be exaggerated. The conjunction of Franconian kings and Kaiser with the papacy had a long lasting significance just not for the successive history of Franconia, but also for the entire Europe. â€Å"The alliance of Franconian emperor and the Papacy was of major significance for the

Marketing Essential Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Essential - Assignment Example The return on assets of the bank was only 0.65% as compared to the average industry return approximated to be only 0. 81%. According to research, this low performance was due to the low interest from the public sector, that gives about 48% of the deposits and 28% of the loans (Thomas 2001). The country's government, in its proposed housing report has given a directive to the Bank to give 100% mortgage finances to its civil servants for three years (Roger 2000). The strategic plan of the Bank for the period starting 2001 to 2004 does not however include this directive from the government, as the competition for the deposits is still high . This situation therefore is a clear indication that the Bank has a great task to manage and give funding for this kind of loan deposits if it's to work with the guidelines of the Central Bank. The government, however, has given the Bank an opportunity to increase its market share as the deal would generate more money. Therefore, there need to raise the required money through deposits, while giving the Bank a greater market share in the local industry and increase the profits for the bank in the coming three years. This has been analyzed by looking at both the internal and external factors. The external factors has taken a look at the â€Å"macro-environment† , and the rivals in the market, while the internal factors was the analysis of the performance of the Bank, its management, infrastructure, the mission statement and its market coverage. There was the â€Å"SWOT† analysis that was aimed at identifying the Bank's strengths, weakness, opportunities and the threats. The analysis gives the Bank an indication that their need to change the strategies the bank used that and to give the market coverage the importance. This does not show that the Bank should ignore its existing market such as giving service to the public sector but refocusing the already being used mission. This would help the bank to achieve her stat ed objectives over time. Introduction The directive by the government to the Bank to give mortgaging, financing to the public servants puts the bank in a hard situation to get the deposits required to finance these servants. The mortgages will have a repayment period of 15 years with the interest rates based on 7. 5 per annum. The mortgage amount the Bank is expected to raise for the civil servants is $ 65 million and according to a research the new mortgage plan is to amount to $10 million in the first year, $18 million in the second year, and $37 million in the third year. This marketing plan for the Bank is intended to enable it raise the required funds for the directive, while to secure a strong position in the market industry and get higher profits for the 3 year period and the future plan (Carl 2000). In order to achieve this objective, the Bank had to deal with the issue of retaining the existing customers, come up with new customers, raise the $65 million to fund the civil s ervants over the next three years, increase her market share, maintain loans to deposit ratio to be in line with central bank's guidelines (appendix A), and to increase the company profits (Mintel 2001). Analysis of the Company Situation Competition In the country, there are four other related banks that offer similar services as the Kenya Commercial Bank. The banks include, the Barclays bank, the Standard Chartered bank, the Equity Bank, and K-Rep bank. These banks have all been successful in their

Sex, gender and advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sex, gender and advertising - Essay Example This essay "Sex, gender and advertising" outlines the problem of the inequality and sometimes an irrespective image of some gender of an ethnical group in the advertisement. The role of advertising in portraying the sexual aspects is one of an important one since it makes the distinction as to what comes clearly under its jurisdiction and what is not a part of the fragment that we are touching upon. The role played by the human beings in a sexual mode is one of a taboo kind since it invites for a lot of harsh judgment and bitter thoughts start pouring in left, right and center. The racial and sexual stereotypes are removed before a message is deemed to be appropriate for a certain medium, let alone fit for the consumer to understand and seek some sort of change within the purchasing cycle of which he/she has to become a part of. Apart from the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ factors, it is also quite imperative here to state that the number of times the actual message is going to be run on television or radio or the size of the print ad in the newspapers and magazines or the exact placement of the billboard or shop sign in the outdoor medium reflects the favorable or unfavorable response from the people. So the amount of times the message is hit on the consumer’s mind and the heart reflects his or her positive or otherwise feelings about the product, not to forget the persuasion or repulsion towards this product as well. In the former case when the persuasion has taken place, he or she will now move on to the next step of purchasing the product.

Destination Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Destination Branding - Essay Example This essay stresses that the importance of destination branding experiment may be better comprehended by understanding what would occur if it were not undertaken. Lack of branding will lead to the lack of awareness that such a destination exists. It is this awareness that prompts him to entertain the idea of a vacation to that destination in the initial consideration. Lack of branding also leads to lack any uniqueness, cultural, emotional or any kind of association with the destination and constitutes a low motivation to be there. In the global competing arena, where the consumer is spoiled for choice and is bombarded by the various options, create a brand for the destination and its characteristics is the only way to lure visitors. This paper makes a conclusion that however spectacular the scenery, however famous the culture; however grand the history, the most important measure of any destination remains the reality of how visitors are treated and how they are made to feel. The most beautiful landscape in the world will not compensate for an inability to make a visitor or guest feel wanted, welcome and delighted. Above all, the tourist needs to know that there is destination that seems to beckon him, is a joy to visit and be pampered and taking a vacation there becomes a vision to him. In the global context, this visibility can only be achieved by building a destination brand and this seems no longer an option but a necessity to survive.

Sex, gender and advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sex, gender and advertising - Essay Example This essay "Sex, gender and advertising" outlines the problem of the inequality and sometimes an irrespective image of some gender of an ethnical group in the advertisement. The role of advertising in portraying the sexual aspects is one of an important one since it makes the distinction as to what comes clearly under its jurisdiction and what is not a part of the fragment that we are touching upon. The role played by the human beings in a sexual mode is one of a taboo kind since it invites for a lot of harsh judgment and bitter thoughts start pouring in left, right and center. The racial and sexual stereotypes are removed before a message is deemed to be appropriate for a certain medium, let alone fit for the consumer to understand and seek some sort of change within the purchasing cycle of which he/she has to become a part of. Apart from the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ factors, it is also quite imperative here to state that the number of times the actual message is going to be run on television or radio or the size of the print ad in the newspapers and magazines or the exact placement of the billboard or shop sign in the outdoor medium reflects the favorable or unfavorable response from the people. So the amount of times the message is hit on the consumer’s mind and the heart reflects his or her positive or otherwise feelings about the product, not to forget the persuasion or repulsion towards this product as well. In the former case when the persuasion has taken place, he or she will now move on to the next step of purchasing the product.

Financial Aid and its Affect on Grade Point Average Research Proposal

Financial Aid and its Affect on Grade Point Average - Research Proposal Example Using an exploratory research design, the researcher will investigate whether merit-based financial support to the students has any considerable effect on the class and exam performances of students or not. Problem Statement The problem statement for the research paper is: "Financial aid plays a significant role in improving the grade point average of first year students of both private and public higher education institutes". Conceptual Framework Aim of the Research Merit-based financial aid programs help both poor and academically brilliant students to study in prestigious institutes and prove their academic skills and potential. Such schemes not only provide a chance for the students with high academic potential to get higher education but also play a valuable role in improving overall class grade point average. The researcher believes that when students having academic brilliance will get a chance to study in high quality educational settings, they will also provide academic supp ort to other students which will consequently increase their GPAs as well. Therefore, the research in this area holds great importance. The aim of this research is to identify whether financial aid programs play a considerable role in improving the academic performances of students or not. The researcher will also examine the structure of financial aid being provided to students in both public and private institutes. The researcher will examine the data collected from 3 public and 2 private institutes and will analyze them to come up with the final stand point. Literature Review There has been some research in the area of student retention and higher education access through the implementation of financial aid programs in higher education institutes. According to Alon, the results of previous researches in this field provided all sorts of effects, which include positive, negative, and mixed (122). However, positive effects overshadow the negative effects as provided by the research. The main reason behind positive effects as provided by Alon in this regard is that students get the time to concentrate on studies instead of finding ways to earn money. A recent research aimed at identifying the effects of financial aid programs found that the retention rate of aid recipients is usually high which may be because of the fact that students like to be the part of the institute which provide them with financial support during the whole duration of the course (Kuh et al. 545). As Curs and Harper state, â€Å"merit-based financial aid has a positive and significant effect on first-year collegiate grade point average† (627). Other researchers studying the effects of both need-based and merit-based financial aid programs have also found that merit-based programs have more significant effects as compared to the need-based programs (Stater 782). Merit-based financial aid programs are also associated with a number of positive outcomes, such as high rate of retention, increased motivation among students, creation of a collaborative learning environment, completion of the study program, and increased academic competition among students (Dynarski 285). Methodology The researcher will perform a deep analysis of the data gathered from 5 public and private

Impact of Motivation on workers productivity in the construction industry Essay Example for Free

Impact of Motivation on workers productivity in the construction industry Essay This is a research on the relationship between motivation and performance of workers in the Nigerian construction industry. It identifies a number of motivational schemes that enhance the performance of workers. Findings from the research on productivity of construction workers are reported. Two sets of questionnaires were employed in the study. One set was administered on management staff and the other on operatives. The study reveals that salaries paid to operatives in the study were below the stipulations of the Nigerian National Joint Industry Council. It further shows that operatives are rarely promoted, and operatives prefer financial incentives to nonfinancial incentives. The study recommends that increases in salary via promotion, overtime allowances and holidays with pay should be used as motivators (financial incentives) for increase in performance of construction workers (operatives). Keywords: construction, incentives, motivation, operatives, productivity. INTRODUCTION The output of the construction industry constitutes one-half of the gross capital, and three to eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in most countries (Arditi and Morkhtar 2000). Mee-Edoiye and Andawei (2000) declared that the employees in the civil and building construction industry of a country are the largest. The population of the workers compared to the whole workforce of a nation is significant. Anything done to the employees could either make or mar the quality of their work, the speed of progress,  the economy of the country and the social well-being of the workers. It follows from the foregoing therefore that workers should be well motivated for high performance and for the production of good quality products. However, despite this significant role the industry plays in the Nigerian national economy, the performance has not been impressive. Eldin and Egger (1990) noted that construction productivity has been declining steadily in spite of the rising cost and large labour intensive nature of construction projects around the world. The decline in the workers’ performance causes the failure of the building industry to deliver projects timely with the obvious consequences of cost overrun. Labour productivity according to Akindele (2003) is defined as labour output per day (man-day). This is often reduced by delayed, unclear or inadequate instructions, provision of poor tools and equipment, unbalanced work gangs, use of working method, lack of incentives, and failure to delegate authority from senior to lower level supervisors (Heap 1987). Aiyetan and Olotuah The productivity of individuals, which in turn affects the productivity of a company, is a very important parameter to watch as it measures a company’s competitive power. It is an indicator of a firm’s profit margin, a measure of the firm’s survival in business, a yardstick for remuneration of employees, and a means of recognition of hard work. LITERATURE REVIEW Productivity Productivity measures how efficiently resources are employed, It is defined as the ratio of a specific measure of output to a specific measure of input  per unit of labour and is measured as total output divided by the members of units of labour employed to produce that output Williams (1997) defines human capital (labour) as the accumulated knowledge, skill and experience of the labour force. As individual workers acquire more human capital, their productivity and hence their income grows. Labour comprises the broad category of human effort, both physical and mental directed towards productivity. Motivation Motivation is an art targeted to getting people work willingly, and an art of inducing one to behave in a particular manner to achieve a task. Mee-Edoiye and Andawei (2002) viewed motivation as a human engineering approach being triggered by the individual needs. Flippo (1982) defined motivation as a psychological process initiated by the emergence of needs involving a goal directed action and behaviour aimed at satisfying a particular desire. It is the inducement given to workers for higher output. Motivated behaviour has three basic characteristics: 1. It is sustained – it is maintained for a long time until satisfied. 2. It is goal-directed – it seeks to achieve an objective. 3. It results from a felt need – an urge directed towards a need. Several authors including Robert and GeneNeuport (1995), Williams (1997) and Cole (1999) have propounded theories to help to understand the human being and how to handle him to get goals achieved. The theories propounded include: 1. The Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs: Abraham Maslow developed a needs–based theory of motivation. People are extraordinary complex creatures with many motives for behaviours on and off the job. Maslow (1954) identified and analyzed five basic needs, which he believed underlay all human behaviours, these needs relate to physiology (the needs for food water, air and sex), security (safety, the absence of illness), society or affiliation (friendship, interaction, love), esteem (respect and recognition), and self actualization (the ability to reach one’s potentials). These are perceptions for high performance and productivity of individuals. Before Maslow, most managers assumed that money primarily motivated people. With Maslow’s work, managers can evaluate their own actions, their companies conduct and their individual philosophies about people. Maslow’s needs theory presented a workable motivation framework for managers. 2. McGregor’s Hygiene Theories X and Y Motivation on workers productivity An unmet need can frustrate an employee and make him unproductive. Douglas McGregor published the human side of enterprise in 1960. In it, he explained that managers operate from one or two basic assumptions about human behaviour: Theory X and Theory Y. The first theory, the view traditionally held about labour, portrayed workers in industry as being lazy and needing to be coerced, controlled and directed. The second described people as McGregor thought them to be; responsible, willing to learn and given the proper incentives inherently motivated to exercise ingenuity and creativity. McGregor holds the view that the traditional way of treating people – regarding them as unthinking, uncaring robots – must change. Indeed, McGregor stressed that only by changing these assumptions could managers tap workers’ or labourers’ vast talents. He emphasized that what matters was how people were treated and valued in their work settings. He went further by advising man agers to give employees a chance to contribute, take control and responsibility. Table 1 shows the assumptions of Theories X and Y. With these theories, managers could discover what employees want from workplace, how to enlist their cooperation and commitment and how to unleash their talents, energy and creativity for their ultimate goal, which in most cases is high level of productivity. Familiarity with theories of motivation allows a manager an educated viewpoint from which to consider how to develop workers, capture commitment and develop a positive work environment. Table 1: Assumption about workers according to theory X and theory Y Theory X People basically dislike work and avoid it whenever possible Because most people dislike work, they have to be closely supervised and threatened with punishment to reach objectives. Most people have little creativity. They are not capable of solving problems. Rather, they must be directed. Most people have limited intellectual potential. Contribution above basic job performance should not be expected. Theory Y Most people find work as natural as play or rest and develop an attitude towards work based on their experience with it. People do not need to be threatened with punishment; they will work voluntarily toward organizational objectives to which they are committed. Most people possess a high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity with which to solve organizational problems. Although people have intellectual potential, modern industrial life utilizes only part of it. Source: Plunkett and Attener (1994) The core of theories X and Y is that a management philosophy influences the type of work climate the manager endeavours to create and ultimately, how the manager treats people. Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory developed in (1975) also called hygienemotivator. One set of the theory defines factors that lead to job satisfaction; these factors are called hygiene factors. Salary: To prevent job dissatisfaction, a manger should provide adequate wages, salaries, and fringe benefits. Job security: Company grievance procedures and seniority privileges contribute to high-quality hygiene. Aiyetan and Olotuah Working conditions: Managers ensure adequate heat, light, ventilation, and hours of work to prevent dissatisfaction. Status: Managers who are mindful of the importance of hygiene factors provide privileges, job titles, and other symbols of rank and position. Company policies: To prevent job dissatisfaction, managers should provide policies as guidelines for behaviour and administer the policies fairly. Quality of technical supervision: When employees are not able to receive answers to job-related questions, they become frustrated. Providing highquality technical supervision for employees prevents frustration. Quality of interpersonal relations among peers, supervisors, and subordinates: In an organization with high-quality hygiene factors, the workplace provides social opportunities as well as the chance to enjoy comfortable work-related relationships. The other set of factor the theory defines is that which produces job satisfaction and motivation called motivators. Achievement: The opportunity to accomplish something or contribute something of value can serve as a source of job satisfaction. Recognition: Wise managers let employees know that their efforts have been worthwhile and that management notes and appreciates them. Responsibility: The potential for acquiring new duties and responsibilities, through either job expansion or delegation, can be a powerful motivator for some workers. Advancement: The opportunity to improve one’s position because of job performance gives employees a clear reason for high performance. The work itself: When a task offers the opportunity for self-expression, personal satisfaction, and meaningful challenge, employees are likely to  undertake the task with enthusiasm. Possibility of growth: The opportunity to increase knowledge and personal development is likely to lead to job satisfaction. TYPES OF MOTIVATION Motivation can be classified into two categories. These are non-financial and financial incentives schemes. Non-financial motivation is intangible; it includes advancement, the work itself, responsibility, recognition, relations with co-workers, company policy and working institutions. Financial Incentive Scheme There are two areas into which financial incentives scheme fall; those of operatives and those of managers. According to Cole (1997), incentive scheme for managers include, extra payments or increase in salaries, fringe benefits covering such items as, car, sickness benefits, free education for managers’ children, and free holidays. Others are free lunches, free travel abroad with wife and family, access to newspapers and journals, free interest loan and free medical scheme (Pigors 1981). Financial Incentives Schemes to Operatives Cole (1997) gave a list of financial incentives to operatives, which include good holiday pay, extra pay for shift work and uncomfortable, dirty and unhealthy conditions, profit sharing, long service allowances, overtime availability when operatives require it, pension fund contribution by the company, death benefits and dependants, employee’s liability insurance and medical facility to operative’s family. METHODOLOGY The study was carried out in Nigeria, and random sampling technique was used for selecting firms for study. Some towns where construction activities are high were selected; one from each of the three parts of the country (the north, east and west). Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Lagos were chosen. Since construction processes are the same throughout the country, these towns were used as representative samples of the study area since all towns cannot be reached for the study due to the huge sum of money that would be required as well as the time needed for such an endeavour. The target population for the study was the management staff (architects, builders, quantity surveyors and engineers) and contractors. In order to obtain the sample size of the study, the Corporate Affairs Commission was visited to obtain the number of registered companies with them and particularly those that have their head offices in the selected towns. A total of 96 companies were listed (registered), the formula be low given by Siegel and Castellan (1988) was used to obtain the sample size. It gave a sample size of 16 companies. Data was collected from 74 questionnaires. The operatives were asked the kind of motivation the management gives to them and they prefer to indicate their productivity as high. The management staff was also asked the kind of motivation they give and that which operatives prefer for high productivity. The mean score of the sum of central tendency (statistical tool) was used for the analysis of data since parameters analyzed is small. Presentation and Analysis of Data from questionnaire type 1 (for management) Majority of the respondents, 33.33% showed that the salary paid is slightly below the Nigerian National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement. For 27.27% construction firms pay exactly NJIC agreement, and 21.21% assert that salaries paid  construction workers are far below NJIC agreement, while 18.18% indicated that salaries paid construction workers is a little above NJIC. From the analysis, it could be seen that most of the organizations pay salary, which is below NJIC agreement, and this may affect the performance of workers negatively (Table 2) Table 2: Salary structure used compared with current NJIC agreement S/N Salary Structure Far above NJIC agreement A little above NJIC agreement Exactly NJIC agreement Slightly below NJIC agreement Far below NJIC agreement No. of Respondents 0 6 9 11 7 33 Percentage of Respondents 0% 18.18% 27.27% 33.33% 21.21% 100% Source: Fieldwork, 2005 Twenty nine percent (29%) of the organizations carry out promotion on company’s policy because of performance of workers. The study found out that promotion is not done on a regular basis, for example after every 3 years but based on the performance of workers (Table 3). Of all the motivating factors available in the construction industry, the most used for higher performance is overtime with 9.4% followed by health care services with 9.0% and thirdly by provision of transportation facility to and from work with 8.9%. The least used motivating factor is profit sharing with 3.3% followed by telephone services. The reason for overtime being used mostly as motivation for higher performance is that to the operatives, they receive money in return and while to the organization work done is increased. While health care services, which are free put confidence into workers to work hard, and when sick they will be taken adequate care of without spending money of their own (Table 4). As far as the operatives are concerned, the motivation they preferred most is holiday abroad with pay. The mean ranking is 7.79%. The likely reason that could be adduced for this is that, workers will be exposed to more experience in their field of work, to the latest available tools and equipment, better construction techniques/methods, which makes them become experts in their field and hence production will be faster and with higher quality. This will have a resultant effect on their cadre, as they will receive promotion. Increase in salary is the second most preferred motivating factor, which comes naturally. They will be able to send their children to good schools, feed well and have a sense of belonging in the society. The least preferred motivating factor is telephone services, followed by responsibility. This is because it is not a financial gain (Table 5). Presentation and Analysis of Data from Questionnaire Type 11 (For Operatives) Most (51.22%) operatives indicated that salaries paid them is a little below NJIC agreement. This makes workers not to work well as they feel cheated and thereby it affects productivity negatively (Table 6). The two groups agree that salaries paid workers are slightly below NJIC agreement. Most of the operatives (26.4%) have a view that promotion is given to those who have people to influence it for them. While 26.2% hold the opinion that promotion is based on performance, and another 26.2% opine that promotion is rarely done (Table 7). An increase in salary of workers makes them committed to hard work for high productivity. It is the first among all the factors ranked. Following this is promotion, which if regular keeps the workers focused on their job, due to the evaluation report that shall be made at the end of year and later compiled for use as promotion guide. Next to this is overtime, which increases the take home pay of the workers at the end of the month, and makes them to work harder. The least factors that could induce the workers to working hard are telephone services, responsibility and the work itself. The reason could be that they do not have financial reward to the operatives directly (Table 8). A comparison of the questionnaires shows that both groups agree that the salary paid to labourers is slightly lower than the NJIC recommendation. This is likely to affect the labourers’ productivity and may be one of the reasons that delay in delivery of projects is experienced on majority of projects. There is a difference of opinion on the policy of organizations on the promotion of operatives. While the management claims that it is done very regularly and fair, the operatives believe it is rarely done and if done at all it is for those who have godfathers. The most motivating factors according to the management are overtime pay, health care services and provision of transportation in this order, whereas the operatives opine that these are increase in salary, promotion and overtime pay. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are hereby made based on the analysis of data from the field and conclusion reached. 1.  Companies are requested to adjust their salary structure to reflect the NJIC recommendation; this will enhance the performance of workers. 2.  Management should be concerned with the welfare of the workers and their families. This will give the workers a sense of belonging and being appreciated will make them to be focused and completely committed to their work. 3.  Increase in salary; promotion, overtime and holiday with pay should be used as motivators for increase in performance of construction workers. 4.  Promotion should be done regularly and should be based on performance of workers. CONCLUSION The paper discusses the impact of motivation on the productivity of workers in the Nigerian construction industry. Since motivation is an inducement for higher output it should be accorded a right of place by employers of labour for the construction industry to achieve higher productivity, which will lead to greater contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Output. REFERENCES Akindele, O A (2003) Craftsmen and Labour Productivity in the Swaziland Construction Industry. CIDB 1st Postgraduate Conference, University of Withwatersrand, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Arditi, D and Mokhtar, K (2000) Trends in Productivity Improvement in the US Construction Industry. Construction Management and Economics, 18(2), 15-27 Cole G A (1997) Personal management, 1st Edition Ashford Colour Press. Eldin, N N and Egger, S (1990) Productivity improvement tools, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 116(1), 100-110. Flippo, E B (1982) Personnel Management, 5th Edition, McGraw hill Inc. London Heap, A (1987) Improving Site Productivity in the Construction Industry. International Labour Office, Geneva Plunkett, W.R and Attner, R.F (1999) Introduction to Management 5th Edition, International Thomson Publishing, California. pp. 43-47, 394-407. Pigors P J W (1981) Personnel Administration: A point of view and method. 9th Edition, McGraw-Hill International Auckland Maslow, A H (1954): Motivation and Personality, Harper and Row, New York Mee-Edoiye, M and Andawei M.M (2002): Motivation, An Alternative to improve workers performance in Today Construction Industry. The Quantity Surveyor. 40(3), 2-6. Cole, G. A. (1999) Management: theory and practice. 5ed. Asford Colour Press, Gosport: Great Britain, 33–76 Robert, L. Trewatha and M. Gene Neuport (1995) Management. 3ed. Business Publication Inc. 359–367. Williams A. McEachern (1997) Economics. A Contemporary Introduction. 4ed. Southwestern College Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. pp. 111. Siegel, S. and Castellan, N. J. (1988). Non-parmetric statistics for the behavioural science. McGraw-hill Book Co., Singapore.

The Starbucks Company Profile Marketing Essay

The Starbucks Company Profile Marketing Essay Starbucks was founded in 1971 as a roaster and trader of the raw coffee, tea and spices with only one single store in Seattles Pike Place Market. Starbucks was named after the first mate in Herman Melvilles Moby Dick. This name reminded of the legend of the high seas and the oceangoing tradition of the early coffee traders. Starbuckss logo was also inspired by the sea. It was featured with a twinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ tailed siren from Greek mythology (Starbucks, 2013) After 14 years of doing business, Starbucks incorporated on 4 November 1985 and become a leader in coffee beverage industry operating in 62 countries with more than 18,000 locations globally nowadays. Starbucks plans to open more 1,300 new stores around the world in 2013 (Starbucks, 2013; The New York Job Source, 2012). Starbucks operates in four main segments: Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); China/Asia Pacific (CAP), and Channel Development. During 2012, the main revenues came from Americas market (75%), EMEA (9%), CAP (5%), and Channel Development (10%). The other market built about 1% of Starbuckss total net revenues (Reuters, 2013). Starbuckss products are many kinds of coffee and tea. Beside its own stores, Starbucks also gives license of its trademarks via other distribution channels, such as licensed stores, grocery and international foodservice. In addition to Starbucks brand, its portfolio also includes Tazo Tea, Seattles Best Coffee, and Starbucks VIA Ready Brew, Starbucks Refreshers beverages, Evolution Fresh, La Boulange bakery brand, and the Verismo System by Starbucks. Starbucks stores offer a wide option of normal and decaffeinated coffee beverages. There are a choice of Italian-style espresso beverages, cold blended beverages, iced shaken refreshment beverages, as well as selection of Tazo teas, packaged roasted whole bean and ground coffees; a range of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew soluble coffees, Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea K-Cup portion packs, Starbucks Refreshers beverages, juices and bottled water. There is also a variety of fresh food products which focus on nutritional value and flavour. Food items include pastries, prepared breakfast and lunch sandwiches, oatmeal and salads. In order to focus on coffee, breakfast sandwiches was stopped selling in 2008. In April 2008, Starbucks introduced Pikes Place Roast which is also new line of regular coffee (Reuters, 2013). Starbucks also announced that it would spend 100 million USD for buying LaBoulange Bakery in San Francisco which is famous for producing French pastry and bread from scratch and going to add these new items to Starbuckss store menu in the near future. Starbucks also said that it would want to buy the famous tea Teavana retailer for about $620 million (The New York job source, 2012). Starbuckss mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. Starbuckss goal is serving the best coffee for the customers. In order to achieve that goal, Starbucks ensures that its coffee to be grown with the highest quality standards, using ethical sourcing practices. The coffee buyers of Starbucks also do travel to the coffee farms in area such as Latin America, Africa or Asia personally to select the highest quality coffee beans. In addition, Starbuckss master roasters make the stability and rich flavour of the coffee beans via the signature Starbucks Roast (Starbucks, 2013). There are some of Starbuckss awards and recognition recently as listed below: No. 1 Best Coffee, Fast Food and Quick Refreshment categories Zagats Survey of National Chain Restaurants 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2011 No. 1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain Zagats Survey of National Chain Restaurants 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2011 One of The 100 Best Companies to Work For Fortune 1998-2000, 2002-2012 One of the Most Admired Companies in America Fortune 2003-2012 One of the Worlds 50 Most Innovative Companies Fast Company 2012 One of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies Ethisphere 2007à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2012 One of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens Corporate Responsibility/Business Ethics 2000à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2012 Sustainability Design Award Global Green USA 2011 Most Ethical Company, European Coffee Industry Allegra Strategies 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2011 Business Person of the Year, Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer Fortune 2011 (Starbucks, 2013) Technology After the millennium, the technology has been changing rapidly. Technology has been used in everyday life, everywhere including Starbucks. Starbucks use technology as a tool to develop itself. Social media Unlike many big companies in the world, Starbucks hasnt spent a huge amount of money on advertising on television, poster or newspaper. Starbucks marketing strategy is different. It is called creating a Starbucks community. By using the advance of internet technology, especially social network, Starbucks has successfully created a strong community around their brand and turn their social media fans into revenue. The success of Starbucks through social media firstly starts with a commitment of building the relationship, not sales. Recently, many organizations all over the world attempt to use social media on reaching as many fans as possible. In fact, focusing just on increasing the number of fans misses the companys true value. This is the loyal customers who are willing to build the long term relationship with the company (Ronan, E., 2013). Starbucks is considered as a leader in effective social media marketing. Starbucks is nearly the top brand in social media (Gembarski, R., 2012). The coffee house was also voted most loved out of 3,400 food brands in a survey. Beginning in 1971, Starbucks has transitioned into the era of the internet by using social media domination. Currently, Starbucks has over 34 million fans on Facebook and continues to add more than 300,000 new fans every week (Starbucks, 2013). Everybody knows that Facebook is very powerful today. With more than 964 million of users, this is one of the best ways for doing marketing (Checkfacebook, 2013). On their Facebook page, Starbucks listens to their customers. They focus on creating and maintaining the customer relationship. Starbucks tell a story of their own brand by using social media, via stories and videos. Social media is also used for social activity, such as donation for Haiti during its disaster in 2010 (Grand social center, 2013). Because Starbuc ks targets on young people, social media is the effective tool for marketing. As the world becomes more digitally focused, social media is best place for sharing information and using the word-of-mouth marketing strategy. Starbucks has an advantage over competitors. The company did not have to spend a huge amount of money for traditional advertising. The advertising for Starbucks has been done by millions of fans they already have on social network such as Facebook and Twitter.  Ã‚  That means when Starbucks share the photo on Instagram, post the video to Facebook or Twitter, share the information on website, it will reach to a million of target audients just by a simple click. Therefore, Starbucks is familiar with its customer when it comes to any social media campaigns.   Many of their marketing campaigns are initiated using Twitter, Facebook and their own website.   Instead of getting more and more fans, Starbucks tries to expand the brand awareness (Grand social center, 20 13). On the social media, Starbucks works on engaging a dialogue rather than pushing a one-way communication. Starbucks not only want to be recognized as fun and creative, but they also show their attention about what the customers think about their service, as well as their products (Practical social media university, 2013). On the website, Starbucks have a link to their My Starbucks Idea page.   My Starbucks Ideas is online place where the coffee lovers can do chatting and brainstorming new ideas to make Starbucks become the best one in the coffee businesses.   Starbucks really takes each idea into consideration. It shows to their customers that their requests arent going unheard.   By doing that, Starbucks wants to send the message to the customers that they really care about them and want to make their experiences at  Starbucks the best there are (Noff, A., 2010) Digital network Digital network By offering the free and unlimited Wi-Fi for every store, Strubucks now is not only the traditional coffee shop but also the meeting place or makeshift office for its customers. People can go to the Starbucks store, order a cup of coffee, and go to the internet for entertainment, searching information for discussion or chatting with the others. This is the style of young people nowadays which is the target customers of Starbucks. In October 2010, Starbucks made a move to develop its online offerings to its customers with the launch of its Digital Network. The Starbucks Digital Networks is available through the free Wi-Fi network in Starbuckss stores in the US (Starbucks Digital Network, 2012). It offers the users access for free to hand-picked, multi-media content from content providers such as the Yahoo, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Zagat and Apple which have to pay for from the Internet. This is a new type of Starbukss competitive advantage as it is the first offering of this kind. It makes Starbucks become a place that customers can stay connected, be inspired and entertained. The Starbucks Digital Network has immediately differentiated Starbucks from a number of other coffee shop retailers that also offer the free Wi-Fi in their coffee stores. The customer response of it has been noted as enthusiastic (Grove, J., 2010). New technologies in Starbucks New technologies bring international attention and customers to the company. Emerging technologies give solutions to pressing global challenges and providing productive ground for sustainable business opportunities. Brewing For decades, the technology of coffee brewing had been well established. Starbucks is known very well in the market due to its high quality coffee, care in selection and expertise in roast. Starbucks establishes its profitable competitive advantages by broadly differentiating its coffee and coffee related products, depending upon its competence and innovation. An innovative design that lets customers to discover new dimensions within a coffees familiar aroma, flavor, body and acidity is the Clover brewing system (The Clover brewing system, 2013). This machine, which made its debut in 2007, uses innovative Vacuum Press technology in order to create the cup in front of the customer. This system controls brew time and temperature digitally, as even small changes can affect the quality of the product. After the coffee brews, it is pulled through a 70 micron filter in order to produce the ideal flavor. Clover machine has speedily become regarded as the gold standard in innovation in brewing equipment, with its proprietary brewing process. Additionally, in order to expand and reach more customers Starbucks enter to the home of its customers by the home brewing system named Verismo TM System. This is the premium at-home brewing system which allows customers to craft Starbucks quality espresso beverage. Mobile app Another example how Starbucks has embraced modern technology is their use of smart phone capability. Starbucks is continuing to create amazing connections with the customers, offering them choices in how they want to pay. The company is betting big on mobile commerce to force its sales as more and more people use smart phones for their everyday needs (Kaushik 2012). Starbucks turns to mobile commerce to ensure that it grabs a slice of the every mobile user segment that does not hesitate to use their smart phones to transact. In early 2011, Starbucks launched a nationwide mobile payment app, available for Android, iPhone and Blackberry. This app is named Squares Wallet app, which let customers to buy a coffee by presenting the barcode that the app generates, brose menu information, store hours and transaction history, all on their phones. Adam Brotman, chief digital officer of Starbucks, explained that Starbucks was the first retailer to present its own mobile payment technology (Grov e, 2012). The Squares Wallet app is linked to the customers debit or credit cards, so there is never a need to reload a balance. Globalization Globalization had been widely debated in many areas (Friedman, 2006). It also affects the food industry (Traill, 1997). Globalization on food and beverage sector The globalization process affects The FB sector, like other industrial sectors. Specifically, the beverage industry is a bellwether in the food industry. In globalization studies three main lines of researches have emerged (Traill 1997). Firstly, it is the escalating influence of international trade and its role of promoting economic growth. The second line is the increasing importance of Multinational Enterprises in trade and foreign direct investment, especially in promoting an integrated economy. The third emerged line of appeared researches in Globalization is the significance of perspectives that come from the marketing profession. At this last research the Globalization is seen in terms of consumer markets /for example demographics as well as food preferences and attitudes/ (Vaydia 2006). Globalization has changed the face of this sector since 1980. According to Bolling (2002) three major shifts have occurred in the business environment of this sector since 1980. The first one is refocusing the business sector from national to international. Next shift is the expanding firms activities across business lines. The third one is growing the competition in the global soft drink industry. Soft drink companies have to account for the various changes, brought by the various changes by the always changing global market. Nowadays they produce for domestic and foreign markets, license their products and invest in plants in other countries. Globalization has been rising rapidly in last few decades and it has become one of the most discussed and debated topics. Globalization has effects on almost everything, economy, society, environment in their own different ways and it has become an important factor of business throughout the world. Upon globalization there are many changes to the corporations and those related mostly to the increasing of competition, change of price and quality, tremendous changes in technologies and information. The coffee industry has changed and impacted by the various changes of global change. Today coffee has become a lifestyle from a simple product. Last four decades coffee price had gone cheaper due to the globalization and increased and overproduction of coffee all over the world. Due to the increasing demand of coffee and overproduction some manufacturers produce low quality products, however, some consumers are willing to pay higher price for the cup of higher quality coffee. There was one company that made drinking coffee is not just for certain group of people to get an morning caffeine but for everyone to enjoy at anytime they what, that company is Starbucks. Drinking a coffee in the cozy coffee shop is a lifestyle in nowadays. Globalization has helped Starbucks to go global and build international company. Building international company is not easy for every organization. There are benefits and always has difficulties and drawbacks. When Starbucks went global they used exact same business model that quickly developed in United States, but soon they realized that the tactics that worked in local market would not work in international market. During their global expansion there were cultural conflicts with the many regions that those consumers did not want to accept Starbucks as the way they are. In addition, Starbucks had to find a ways to adopt the culture of these regions and understand them to get their support in those countries, and it was listening the opinions and suggestions of their customers. One of the big conflict were Chinese culture, Starbucks had to adopt many things, such as, store layout, timing of the opening and peak hours. Also, there were some food and drink preferences that they had to adopt to suit to the customers wants and needs in that specific region. They had to utilize Intellectual Properties for their name and logo. The reason was there were competitors or other coffee shops used the ir name and logo and to stop them and prevent this to happen again. As mentioned earlier, globalization has its both good and bad sides. One of the major good sides of it is more people employed, educated and trained. Starbucks gave their employees complete health benefits and they were the first company in USA who did this. Besides that, Starbucks offers complete training to their employees. Downside of Globalization We have read all the books writing about how amazing globalization is, but it is not working in the same way in all the times. Globalization also has its downside and all the multinational companies, like Starbucks, have suffered in different degrees according to the countries they conduct their business. As many globalized companies managing businesses in many countries, the problems like ethic, corporate social responsibility, political problems, human rights, culture of the different countries, etc. are arise. For Starbucks having many outlets outside U.S, they sure suffer from different problems in different countries. The problems most international company facing in global business can be divided in to strategic, operational, political, country, technological and environmental risks. Michael Porter stated five different forces, which has impact on competitiveness of company: threats of new entrance, threat of substitutes, supplier power, customer power and competition in the markets. These can be challenge to multinational companies like Starbucks because they need to make different strategic decisions according to different markets they are in. Operational problems are much more internal to the organization such as machine breakdown, stock shortage, lack of professional workforce, delay in supply and delivery, and so on. These operational problems can harm Starbucks, because they value their uniqueness and unity in all outlets. In different countries those problems can be vary according to the location, culture, systems but it is important for Starbucks to deal these problems in time. Starbucks also need to deal with political problems in different countries. Operating in many developing countries, where political volatility is high, Starbucks may needs strategies to deal with micro political problems such as changing regulations in industries. Country risk is similar to the political risk but it is wider. The government policies, security of the country, political factors can be different. Starbucks may also need to deal with such problems in different countries. The short-term problems like financial problems and other operational problems can be solved within a short time and if tackled properly, they can bring the organization to short-term success. However, problems like environmental problems are important for organizations to solve carefully because it can affect organizations image and if properly solved, it can also be competitive advantage in the long-term. Starbucks also needs to solve environment problems like pollution and peoples outcry in some countries. Cultural, Political and Ethical problems Starbuck had faced many problems in the years of their international expanding. Starbucks faced problems in Middle East because of the culture of the country and volatile policy. Due to the close relations between US and Israel, Arab students called for boycott to American brands in their county including Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Burger King. Starbucks was top of the list because CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, had close relation with Jewish community. He was awarded the Israeli 50th Anniversary Tribute Award by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish Ha-Torah, a group of activists supporting Israel. Things got worse when Howard Schultz allegedly made speech to students at University of Washington. In the speech Schultz said, one of my mission is to sensitize you; you should not be immune to what is happening in the world. I travel a great deal and one of the things I see is the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, especially France and England. Tensions became more intense when he addressed to Ame rican-Jewish society. He said, What is going on in Middle East is not an isolated part of the world. The rise of anti-Semitism is all time high since 1930s. Palestinians are not doing their jobs, they are not stopping terrorisms. Later, Starbucks released statement stating that the comments of the Schultz are those of his personal views and not concerning with companys policy and not of their views. Schultz also released a statement relating to the allegation anti-Palestine and said my position has always been pro-peace and for the two nations to co-exist peacefully. Moreover, Starbucks also had problems in Israel in 2003. When U.S declared war on Iraq, Starbucks had to close down their outlets in Israel because of security concerns. In China, Starbucks also faced with problems relating with culture. Unlike in U.S, the culture of China is different. Most of the customers from U.S has to-and-go culture where they came in, grabbed a coffee and left. However, in China many customers are sitting for hours and refusing to leave. Chinese customers love the place of the Starbucks so much they come in just to sit and chat with friends without buying anything from Starbucks. Sometimes they bring in their own foods into the store, which is a common culture in China but not in U.S. Another cultural problem Starbucks facing is the tea culture in India. In India, tea is the King. It has been the traditional drink for many years. Most of the India people only drink tea not coffee. Starbucks has to deal with the problem and had to market its product more widely. Because of these cultural problems, Starbucks need to make changes to its menu list to solve that problem, also offering tea but not the same taste that can get from local shops. While Starbucks is investing huge fund in training the staffs all over the world and for marketing, the company only received partial share profit and loyalty fees as most of its stores all over the world are joint venture or licensing agreement. Starbucks faced with ethical criticism in 2006 when company protested to US patent and Trademark office (UPTO) against the Ethiopias patent right application to the country famous coffee names. Many criticize Starbucks for hindering the trademark application of Ethiopia, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. This forced Starbucks to sign an agreement with Ethiopia government that acknowledge the Ethiopias ownership of the names of the coffee whether or not the patent or trademark application is granted. MKT GROUP ASSIGNMENT: GLOBALIZATION STARBUCKS SOLUTIONS TO ISSUES ARISING FROM GLOBALIZATION Given the solutions gained though exploiting global technology advances for harnessing business advantage, Starbucks international business model and marketing approaches have used a mix of differentiation and recognisable standardization, to generate solutions in the form of distinct competitive advantages. In terms of marketing approach Starbucks has had to seek other approaches to re-position itself due to culture conflicts in resistance to the larger trend of globalization. Due to this resistance in some areas, Starbucks has had to establish ways to build relationships with foreign nations and seek the support of the residents of those countries for successful franchise and marketing. Starbuckss key strength in achieving this is in listening so well to its customers. Jim Donald, CEO of Starbucks from 2005-2008, noted both the difference in peak times in China and in food preferences. These were adapted in the same way as followed market research in Europe, to understand these regional fluctuations and differences. With regard to successfully penetrating the European market, this was achieved over time as Starbucks evolved to specifically fit the demand of the European citizens. Incorporating nuances in cultural values associated with the coffee market and adapting its strategic succeeded in appealing at these levels the Starbucks strategy in Paris adopts the positioning of coffee purchasing as an endorsement and acknowledged support for foreign coffee producers creating flavours. The approach in this respect incorporates the traditionally culturally held view to blend the classic French concept of pride in a professional skill, with a green and sustainable brand promise. By these means it has focussed upon the understanding of cultural values as a core positioning tool for successfully marketing within the region. Product advertising has also been tailored to meet cultural differences and using a non-standardized promotion strategy, advertisement is country-specific according to trends, custom and culture. This has proved very effective. Using License and franchise ventures strategy, Investment was made to establish Starbucks coffee International as a new company for the expansion of the international business specific in the Asian Region. The strategy adopted was in licensing to local retailers and stores. Starbucks ensured that all the stores followed the same formula of Starbucks and coffee was sold to them only after them they sold to customers. This meant that Starbucks only gained licensing fees and royalties on revenues. Making use of competitive advantage strategy, Starbucks strategically focused on Differentiation. Using this, it remained focused on serving identified niche customers as opposed to its rivals. Using market segmentation strategy, Starbucks successfully built upon its unique capabilities to serve target buyers. In terms of the Starbucks overall Global Market Mix Strategy the retail formula of Starbucks is worldwide; there is to change in the retail system which operates in same way throughout the world. References; ICMR IBS Centre of Management Research case study Starbucks: Evolution of a Global Brand (2003) International IP Property Hart, R. (2011) The Globalization of Starbucks and its Effect on the World Bloomberg Business week (Sept 2002) : Planet Starbucks: To Keep Up the Growth, It Must Go Global Quickly http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_36/b3798001.htm References 1. The Clover brewing system (2007), accessed March 30, 2013 http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/learn/clover 2. Kaushik, P. (2012) Starbucks Best Big on innovation, Brand Extension and Mobile Commerce, accessed March 26, 2013 http://www.dailydealmedia.com 3. Owen, T. 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