Monday, September 30, 2019

I Love Yous Are For White People

Reading your book brought to surface many of the occurrences in my life that I have found myself hiding from. You told my story seen through your eyes but from a deferent environment, I honestly thought I was alone In this world until I read your book.From moving from your home land, to being bullied and picked on for your accent, losing a friend through tragedy and having to meet new friends In a new world, from being physically and mentally abused by your father to molested by a family member, from ranking to numb the pain to Joining a gang/clack to feel at home and have a real family who cared, and finally occurrences to which I could have lost my life. Every story you told had a deeper meaning to me and my stories, you have helped me shine a light on the past which has held a strong grip on me for so long.Growing up in another country brought to light In my eyes the Importance of family, having respect for your elders, and to speak when spoken to along with not speaking out of tu rn. I grew up Belize with an abusive/ alcoholic father, in a way he was similar o what you described he was strict on me getting good grades and staying out of trouble: in any way I dishonored or disobeyed his orders he would be waiting my arrival home, his glare which literally made me weak in the knees and most of the time made me cry, but the various objects he would hold to give me my beatings never made me budge in a way; I was ready it was a routine.My mother I can say was in a way similar to the mother you described, she was always quiet and never intervened in anything my dad was involved in; she could never defend or protect e, she had to stay quiet, and had to make sure my father was satisfied whenever he was around. The phrase you used on chapter fourteen â€Å"l realized one thing- I am my father† really caught my attention. I found myself in life trying my hardest to run away from the thought of becoming my father not realizing that every action I participated in brought me closer to being him.At the age of eight I started stealing money from my parents and sneaking alcoholic beverages to drink so I could numb myself from my surroundings and the pain I was feeling, then it became worst as mime progressed. I don't usually talk about my best friend because it brings back painful memories and the feeling of hate and revenge, he was my big brother older than me by close to a year but he was too young to lose his life.I was eight when we loaned the family gang which Included friends and family members, at the age of 10 during a drug deal he was gunned down by a rival gang during their Initiation phase. Seeing my only brother lifeless In a coffin drove me to a dark place and I felt I had to do something about it. When I turned 10 years old my mother who feared for my life took me from my father and we left Belize to come to America; she wanted to give me a new start, a better life and a future to live for.In Tampa, Florida the elementary school m y mother enrolled me In I didn't feel alone the children were nice and friendly although I had my heavy Caribbean accent, then It changed when I graduated and went to a different middle school from the little bit of friend I had befriended the bullies and never was I picked on again; instead I was protected. My other received a better Job in a different location and I had to switch schools.The second middle school I was enrolled in became my worst nightmare; I was called names, physically picked on by the students and couldn't make friends, I was an outsider and found myself roaming the school yard alone. I became depressed, found myself eating away my pain, and started stealing drinks from my mother's wine bottles and from her boyfriend's liquor collection. I pleaded with my mom for a new change, as a result we moved to Long Beach, California after I graduated middle school; before arriving I swore to myself I would never stand for getting bullied ever again.In High school I starte d working out and turned all my fat into muscles and I also found myself getting in too much fights, about close to 70 in the first two years, then I switched schools to a predominated white upper-class high school in which I joined the wrestling team and took the varsity position at ass's my first year, ever since I moved to the new environment my life has changed. I am in college now pursuing a career in the Fire Service; I want to help people not cause harm to them.I never wanted to be a violent person, I was driven into it because at the time I felt there were no other possible solutions. Today I strongly believe the person I grew up to be does not shape my future, it's my choice; I can either stay and dwell in the past or move forward and strive for my future. You helped me enforce this idea and that's why I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read your novel â€Å"l Love Hoys Are For White People†.You can change the lives of many individuals Just by being able to elate, a lot of people feel they have to bottle up their emotions because no one out there would be able to relate and understand. I would and will recommend this novel for all my friends and family to read. I have come to witness that am still here in this world for a reason, I believe in the phrase you used and that is â€Å"Eve come across a couple of angels in my days here on earth†. I want to say thank you once again for speaking to me through your story and I really appreciate the words you wrote. Sincerely Clifford Usher

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Peter Cratchit Essay

Dickens reveals his feelings about the importance of children and family in many ways. He vividly describes to us in several scenes, children and family enjoying themselves on Christmas despite their poverty, for example the Cratchit family scenes. However in contrast to this he also shows children hopelessly suffering on the streets, for instance the ignorance and want scene and the surplus population scene. Dickens writes in a personal, conversational and emotional way. He has the imagination and the creativity of a child. His style of writing challenged the views of Victorians, who disapproved of the importance of children and family. In Victorian times the society was declining so much that they had built workhouses and prisons for poor families and the surplus population to live in. Dickens style of writing is very unique and inventive. It is unlike any other Victorian authors who wrote in a manlier like attitude. They weren’t as emotional or sensitive as Dickens was. Unlike Victorians Dickens writes with the imagination and creativity of a child, whilst still writing the novel in a professional and successful manner. He uses effective similes and metaphors to create almost ridiculous imagery, for example when Dickens describes a house in a neighbourhood, he describes it as, ‘playing at hide and seek with other houses’. This description would surprise many Victorians readers. Dickens made Victorians think, why is Charles Dickens a respected popular author writing as though he is a child? Dickens perhaps writes his descriptions in this manner because he wants Victorians to know that children are actually cleverer then what they are credited for. Dickens fully believes that children should be free to unleash all their childish energy at times such as Christmas. Dickens creates a scene full of fun and excitement. When he writes, ‘What would I not have given to be one of them! ‘ this is a personal comment, typical of Dickens’ friendly, honest, conversational style. The Victorian readers would be impressed and slightly surprised by a grown man admitting to having such childlike impulses. Dickens describes children and family who enjoy Christmas despite their poverty. This is clearly shown in the first of the Cratchit scenes where he shows the family ecstatic with excitement and joy. This ecstatic energy and excitement is shown when Tiny Tim was at the dinner table curiously waiting for his Christmas lunch, ‘he beat on the table with the handle of his knife’. This description makes the reader think that even Tiny Tim, of all children, persists to be active and enjoy Christmas. This is uprising due to the fact of Tiny Tim’s disabilities. Dickens also portrays how grateful the Cratchits are for the things they have. The Cratchits are not troubled with the miniature amount of food they have in their Christmas lunch, instead they are satisfied and content with it. This is shown when Dickens allows the reader to know what thoughts are there inside the minds of the Cratchits, ‘nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family’. Dickens uses another technique to portray his message, this technique is called irony. He writes the phrase, ‘small pudding for a large family’, just to show to the readers how undersized the pudding would have really been compared to the amount needed for the family. Of curse the Cratchits would think the pudding was small but there is so much family strength and appreciation that none of them actually minded the size of the pudding. Tiny Tim is an extremely important character in the novel. His character represents unfortunate and disabled children enjoying themselves at a time like Christmas. Although Tiny Tim is crippled and is on the edge of life he is still enthusiastic and grateful for the life given to him by God. At the end of the novel Dickens shows Tiny Tim’s importance and affection to others by him saying, ‘God Bless us, Every One’. Dickens writes these words with all capital letters in them to show the significance of the phrase. The death of Tiny Tim is a very depressing event which occurs in the novel. Dickens uses a personal and emotional style of writing to describe Tiny Tim’s death. It is as if though Dickens realises Tiny Tim’s death as soon as the readers do, ‘The colour? Ah poor Tiny Tim! ‘ The Cratchit family are no longer described as cheerful and as ecstatic as they were in the first Cratchit scene. Instead Dickens describes Bob Crachit in the second scene as, ‘a man whose face was care-worn’, to describe what used to be a ‘joyful man’ in the first scene. The death of Tiny Tim has a very large impact on the Crachit family’s atmosphere. Although the Crachits are deeply upset and depressed in the second scene they still persist to show the same family strength they had in the first scene. Every member in the family compliments each other no matter what the situation is like. For instance when Bob Cratchit says ‘you were a good wife’, straight after the remark his son Peter Cratchit says ‘everybody knows that! ‘ This is an indication of the immense respect the family members have towards each other. Scrooge is delighted when the first spirit takes him back to the past to show Scrooge when he was a child at school. Scrooge is ecstatic to see his former self, this is indicated to the reader when Dickens describes the atmosphere, ‘a thousand odours were floating in the air with joy’. Dickens describes Scrooge’s journey to his childhood in such a positive way, this makes the reader realise that even Scrooge, a man who hates children, is delighted to see him back as a child. Scrooge wishes he was still a child and resents all the precious times where he has wasted his life on. Scrooge, a solitary dispassionate man even cries when he sees himself as a boy again, he lets emotion take over him unlike ever before. This is pointed out to the reader when Dickens describes Scrooge’s actions and dialogue: ‘after drying his eyes with his cuffs: ‘It’s too late now to be a child’. As Scrooge sees his own childhood it changes his attitude towards children, he becomes more emotional and this makes Scrooge realise what a stubborn ignorant man he has become. This is shown to the readers when Scrooge shared his feelings to the spirit, ‘there was a boy singing Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should have liked to have given him something. That’s all’. The reader gets a feeling that maybe Scrooge is feeling guilty of not giving the boy anything last night. Slowly the spirit is opening gateways into Scrooge’s mind making Scrooge more emotional and less ignorant. Fred and his uncle Scrooge have a very mixed relationship. It is obvious that Fred likes his uncle because he talks proudly of him, he also defends his uncle’s name when other people are mocking Scrooge. In one of the scenes Fred says to a crowd of people, ‘A merry Christmas and a happy new year to the old man, whatever he is!

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay Twenty or so years ago in the ‘old’ world of work there was emphasis on the following: making a career choice for a long-term career; concern with only one career theme; hierarchical progression (climbing the career ladder); having a career and job for life; loyalty to one company and employer; benefits and a pension in recognition of loyalty. The 21st century world of work is very different. With rapid developments in technology and globalisation of the economy and job markets, there is an increase in competition. The global economy is focused on information generation and delivery of services. There is constant outsourcing of work, downsizing of companies and customising of jobs. More people are in temporary and part-time employment and increasing numbers of people are self- employed. In most occupations there is a trend towards change, unpredictability, spontaneity, innovation and creativity and a demand for people with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Many ca reers today can thus be described in terms of the following: uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, reduced likelihood of promotion, work intensification, increased likelihood of mobility out of one’s initial occupation, non-standard contracts, part-time work and self-employment In this context one needs to think of oneself as a ‘portfolio of skills’ (4-8 career changes will probably be made in your lifetime). There is a constant need to invest in maintaining employability, engaging in life-long learning and enhancing one’s personal growth. Increasingly, individuals also have to manage their own benefits such as pension schemes and medical aids. To be success in career development, we have to continue to have high adaptation. We should be flexible, adaptable and willing to gain knowledge and learn new skills. Besides, as a key of success, we must be prepared for lifelong learning – the ability to access information and develop knowledge and enha nce new skills on an ongoing basis. It is essential that you are constantly on the lookout for possibilities to develop yourself and your skills. There is a trend toward multi-skilling: the acquisition of a number of different skills rather than just focusing on the skills in which you were originally trained. Continuous learning process is essential in career development. In career development, building up a valuable network of contacts so that we are able to increase our network coverage in the future. Besides, we have to be prepared to perform tasks that may not be exactly what you want to be doing, but which could pave the way for future development (develop transferable skills). On the other hand, don’t expect to stick to the same job for your entire life. It is advisable to move around while you can. Gain fresh experiences. In fact, find yourself a mentor-someone whom you can rely on to give you feedback, encourage you and help you to find opportunities to develop in yo ur career. The last but not the least, learn to work effectively in a team. Right from your first year make a start on your career development. Career development is not about planning exactly what you will do for your career from the time you start studying to the day you leave; it’s about exploiting every opportunity that you come across to acquire new skills which will enhance your employability.

Friday, September 27, 2019

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ART - Essay Example There is asymmetrical balance in the figure since the artist used lighter colors at the front with dull shads at the background to illustrate the use of depth. Forms have been used to illustrate the volume and mass of the portrayed 3-diemensional object that occupies a larger positive space making the entire painting asymmetrical. The artist has well used patterns, which involves random repetition of shapes and other elements. Patterns will mostly occur in nature with artists using similar repeated motifs to create the required shape (Loupton and Philips, 28). Therefore, pattern is used to enhance visual excitement by enriching the surface interests. In the artwork in question, there is deliberate repetition of forms to create rhythm through reflection of the main artwork. Visual movement in the art work is used by the artist in directing the viewer through their intended work to a focal point, which functions as the point of interest. Movement is achieved by use of lines edges, shap es and colors in creating different values (Natomas High School, 2002). In the artwork in question contrast, shapes, and color are used to create this movement where the viewer is taken to the main figure, and its continuous reflection, with color value and contrast used to a mirage that resembles a pool of water. The artwork thus enriched through contrast. Contrast is the difference in values, texture, color, shapes and other elements that result into visual excitement, and adds to interest towards the artwork. This prevents having the same color value that would result to monotony and boredom of the artwork (Natomas High School, 2002). Image 7 The painting uses lines and contrast resulting into the effects of multiplicity and unity of figures that interact to bring about a single interactive artwork. Color has been extensively used in the painting to create dominance and contrast. The red color on the foreground creates an effect of danger, with red signifying blood. The use of sh apes and forms such the human head at the front with color red from its nose signifies death where the head and the body separate. The entire unity of picture thus brings about the feeling of conflict, chaos and disharmony, with items in the artwork scattered all over to indicate disharmony. The contrast caused by the red coloring at the foreground and the background results into a good balance. There is a good balance of visual effects using value contrast; the light intensity is uniform in the painting leading to the background images that have the same message as the activities on the foreground reflecting conflict. The conflict and disharmony is further amplified using color and lines. This leads to flow, where the painting seems to flow away from its frame area to reflect dynamism, and blood flowing reflecting conflict. The color value and temperature contrast used creates a 3-D artistic work. Pattern is evident in the artwork. Forms have been repeated over and over both planne d and random repetitions enhanced by variation of lines and color to create richness in the art work as can be observed from the forms of clothes spread all over. The high contrast used creates clarity to amplify conflict and disorder in the artwork. Visual movement is achieved using forms at the background; where two men are walking past a woman at the center, and the overflowing blood all that integrates to create the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Passing or Defeating Legislation of your chosen bill Case Study

Passing or Defeating Legislation of your chosen bill - Case Study Example The initial step in the legislative procedure is the introduction of the bill in the legislative house by a representative or a senator. After the introduction, the bill is read to the whole house to create awareness of the bill, a process known as the first reading. The bill then undergoes the committee stage where the committee meets and considers the bill. The bill then undergoes the Floor Action where the entire House or the Senate receives the bill for the second reading. At this stage, the house gets the opportunity to debate the bill. If the bill has no amendments arising from the Floor Action stage, then it proceeds to the subsequent stage. In case of any problems, the bill goes back to the originating chamber for the amendments. The next stage is the governors stage where the governor receives the bill. The governor may sign the bill, veto it, or permit it to be a law devoid of the signature. Projected adjustments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolution s rather than of bills and needs a vote of two-thirds of the full house in every house for acceptance. The Higher Education Bill was under the House Committee on Higher Education (C290). The committee was under the leadership of the Rep. Dan Branch, and the vice-chairman was Rep. Diane Patrick. Other members included Rep. Roberto Alonzo, Rep. Travis Clardy among others making a committee of nine members. The committee members should support the bill because it would bring a great transformation in the learning sector in the state. Supporters of the legislation: The legislation process is significant in that it helps amend the bill to suit the learning sector in the state. The legislation will help enable needy students in the state to access higher education learning institutions. The legislation will give the budget committee power to augment the finances allotted to the education sector to ensure full funding of the academic activities. On the other end, the

Competitive Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Competitive Marketing Strategy - Essay Example Mitchell and Butler focus mainly on increasing its food line and succeeded at increasing the market share. However the profit resulted from increasing market share and sales amounts are loss in the operation of the company. Diversification strategy is producing good results, but there are several segments where the group is over optimistic and produces over capacity. I believe that the diversification strategy, which is intended to receive gain from many segments, could present a future problem. Corporate strategy of expanding brand lines is proven to be working properly up to today. However, enhanced management capabilities to handle problems of strategic alliances should be developed in order to maintain cooperation and harmony among existing brands. Therefore, the key strengths for Mitchell and Butler in restaurant industry in the U.K. are its diversification strategy and segmental focus. In addition the company is also able to increase market share in certain segments. The company has realized the importance of addressing various customers' demands that I believe will help the company to sustain in today's fierce competition in restaurant business in the U.K. The company says that it will continue to evolve and develop its pubs and restaurants outlets in order to meet the needs and tastes of the British public while strengthening its position as the UK's leading managed pub operator. II.1.2 Weaknesses The major weakness of Mitchell and Butler is the inability of the company to turn the valuable brand equity of Mitchell and Butler into efficient financial performance. I think the cause of the inefficiency in the company is its unplanned diversification strategy. Compares to five major competitors as mentioned above, I can see that its competitors have ability to make profit from its operation. II.1.3 Opportunities There are several factors that influence an opportunities of a business. They include following items: 1. Customers' Confidence 2. Demographic trends 3. European Presence Concerning the issue on operator of pubs and restaurants' business, I see that Mitchell & Butler has great opportunities in providing the business since dance music based nightclubs have been around for approximately twenty years [and still become a profitable business to conduct]. II.1.4 Threats In addition to strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities; I found that Mitchell & Butler also faces potential threats as following: 1. Volatility of Demand Pub and restaurant still becomes attractive business. However, there are times when the would be a shifting from attending Mitchell & Butler-typed business to another hanging out places like cafes. 2. Strong Competition Despite being defined as specialized sector of the leisure services, the pub and restaurant industry is in direct competition with other hospitality services like hotels that also have their own pubs and restaurants. II.2 PEST II.2.1 Political PEST Analysis is a way of dividing the factors influencing businesses into four different groups. The first is Political factors. Political situations have a huge impact on business regulation. The stability of the political environment, international trade agreements, religion, cultural

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Perspectives in Human Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Perspectives in Human - Research Paper Example I must say, I didn’t understand many principles that my family stood for, but I always tried to reason them out with a positive presumption. I was brought up amongst these ideals, and I was on my way to becoming a helf-decent Paxton myself. But things have changed a lot since my first semester in College. Growing up in the Paxton family, the first thing I was taught was to sing the glory of god and his creations. Not a day passed without my mother reading out a verse from the Bible before I went to bed. Sometimes, these verses would manifest themselves into biblical dreams. The holidays brought the entire family together and it would be a refresher course of all the family ideals. The eldest son always joined the forces. Serving the nation was a family mandate. But in a family full of ex-service men, the true heroes were the war veterans. Like Uncle Avi, who served during Vietnam. I was always convinced that My Brother Franklin would also join the marines and also doubted if h e’d ever return. The very concept of patriotism was now muddled with the hatred I had brewed towards wars and conflicts. The Paxtons also have strong preferences. We never employed Mexicans in our gardens, which meant ours’ was the dullest garden in the neighborhood. ... My family is the dearest thing to me. And I have always aspired to be the ideal Paxton. I am almost certain that for it is the most important thing to me. However, experiences that I have had this semester have completely shaken the very foundations of what I believed. This semester I learned many things. Not all of them were in line with what I always grew up learning. It can be very mind-boggling at times, when your very constitution is challenged by something new. It is like trusting someone all your life and learning one fine day, that the person was a lie. Honestly, I’d have preferred to be in that hypothetical situation than the predicament that I was in a few weeks ago. Mainly because it was my prerogative to understand, accept the latest developments and embrace change. And I have always found change to be the most uncomfortable thing. I guess the seeds were sown deep by my family. One of the things that I learnt this semester was that every human being is born with a set of rights that are inalienable. This means that we are born with some rights which cannot be taken away by anybody. Our Bill of Rights only lists these rights out. It was strange for me to believe that we always had these rights with us. Like an inherent part of our body. I always thought that people spoke, behaved and lived the way their parents did. So if I ever met a person who condemned our Country, I would think badly about his parents or family and wonder why they never disciplined him. Similarly, if someone was a homosexual, I’d wonder why his parents never sent him to the doctor. Now I have become aware that our families, societies and countries are not the reason why we choose to behave or express

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

IMC is Not a Proven Marketing Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IMC is Not a Proven Marketing Theory - Essay Example Direct Marketing is an approach used to create relationship with customers and delivering information about products to customer, the method is mainly used for selling financial services to customers, direct marketing also helps to close sales cycle within a short time period. Sales Promotion is the process that helps the company to increase brand visibility in point of sales and point of purchases, companies use the technique to increase new product usage ratio among customers, the process also helps to increase customer footfall in the retail stores, companies use loyalty card, discount method, incentive schemes to increase purchase ratio among customers. Public Relation companies can go for organizing public events or news paper editorial about their new product, they use trade shows to increase category visibility among customers, creating good word of mouth about the product is one of the major objectives of public relation (Jones). Many advertising agencies have shifted focus f rom creating unilateral promotional message to making multidimensional promotional message. Main purpose of IMC is to channelize the promotional message in a unified manner though all promotional medium. David Ogilvy has characterized IMC as one stop solution offered by advertising agencies to companies. Keith Reinhard (CEO of DDB Needham) thinks IMC is an effective way to produce creative brand message. Many research scholars think demassifiction played pivotal role in evolution of IMC. After 1970, media industry started to restructure into smaller operational units. They started giving importance to various promotional medium rather than concentrating on age old advertising model. In this way IMC has emerged as a common platform to integrate various promotional medium (Schultz, Tannenbaum and Lauterborn 6). IMC is a process to align communication objectives of a company with corporate goals to achieve business efficiency. Jerome McCarthy used the concept of four P’s (Produc t, price, place and promotion) during 1950’s for the first time (Jerome McCarthy used 4P’s concept in his book â€Å"Basic Marketing† published in 1960 and he used the concept to explain campaign made by JWT). Philip Kotler and other academicians (in 1965, Philip Kotler described 4P’s as various marketing variables in his article) proselytized the concept in coming years. Four P’s can be described in the following manner. Product- the strategy emphasizes on manufacturing products, maintaining the quality standard of product and optimum utilization of resources during production process. Price- deciding the price of the product in accordance with the demand of the product, setting high price or low price for the product is an important part of pricing strategy. Place- designing distribution network for the product, company creates distribution network to expand the reach of the product, appointing c&f agents, stockiest, wholesalers, retailers are pa rt of distribution strategy. Promotion- companies use direct marketing, sales promotion, and advertising activities to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Country Briefings Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Country Briefings - Research Paper Example However the country in the recent years has become less competitive in the global market. One of the major disadvantages of investing in Italy is the highly rigid labor market which has also resulted in a slow growth of the GDP in the last few years. The industries of the country require extensive restructuring to have a high growth rate. Overall the economic risk of the country has been categorized as low by the AMB Country Report. China on the other hand has exhibited a fast growth rate in the recent years. It has become third biggest economy in the world. The export sector of the country has experienced a fast growth rate in the last decade, thus making it a lucrative destination for foreign investment. The government has also spent substantially on the improvement of the infrastructure. The monetary regulations of the country had followed an expansionary policy. As a result the economy has growth steadily; however there is a chance of increase in the number of non-performing asse ts. The country which is extremely dependant on the export sector was affected by the recession of 2008 to 2010. But stimulus programs by the government had a good impact and the country has shown a very good recovery after the economic crisis of the world in 2010 (China, 2010; Italy, 2010) Italy offers a stable political environment.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The reasons for stalemate on the Western Front Essay Example for Free

The reasons for stalemate on the Western Front Essay WW1 started as a war of quick lightning thrusts and high mobility, but degenerated into an astonishingly protracted war of static battle lines. The Western Front was the name given to the line of trenches stretching from the Belgium coast to Verdun. Following the Battle of Marne and Aisne of 1914, both sides dug in believing trenches to be temporary. The Front stretched for hundreds of miles, meshed with complex trench systems and barbed wire. Why Stalemate The military plans (Schlieffen, XVII) had established a strict war by timetable. However, aside from the quick mobilisation of nations, the plans failed. They were proved to be useless as modern warfare removed the momentum from conflict. A poverty of strategic thought led to the stalemate. Both the British and French commanders were afflicted by the cult of the offensive. French generals Joffre and Nivelle were obsessed with the philosophy of esprit de corps mass infantry charges (a reluctance to charge was linked to defeatism). The British generals shared this outlook, as is superlatively demonstrated by Haigs Big Push. The aim to engage the enemy and bleed them proved successful in the end, however it needed time over years to prove so. The supremacy of defence due to technology helped prolong the war. WW1 was the first total war- a conflict between highly industrialized economies and militaries. Factories churned out ammunition; mass shells and people from both sides were conscripted. Barbed wire, machine guns, gas and rifles held out enemy advances. The absence of super weapons such as the tank and bomber were not yet developed and thus failed to counter these defensive tactics. The ability of the machine gun was equivalent to half a company of riflemen. Thus, sides were able to repel the enemy with relative ease. The Somme illuminates the verity of the artilleries misjudgements. A massive  8-day bombardment of the Germans did very little, with 1/3 of the shells failing to explode. This also suggests the effectiveness of dugouts. The German dugouts were up to 8 metres deep, thus very few shells hit the troops. Technology of mass transit systems also prolonged the war. Railroads and roads were used to bring ammunition and troops quickly to the front, to restock losses. Added to the unwillingness of generals to follow up on small victories, this led to neither side being outweighed by the other. Attempts to break the stalemate Both sides attempted to end the war quickly, however many of these strategies did the opposite. The development of tanks, gas and aerial support all served the purpose of shortening the war. Both the Battle of the Somme and Verdun represent the respective mass pushes to topple the enemy. However the Somme was left unchecked despite the huge casualties. Generals were set to sacrifice troops, and time for eventual strategic victory. The 1917 Battle of Cambrai also illustrates the successful use of the tank to mobilise the war. Entente tanks pushed through the German lines, giving an indication of how future battles would be fought. Total war- the attempt of both sides to sink all efforts to the waging of war, was for the purposes of breaking the stalemate. Troops were conscripted en masse, while an economic war was being fought. The naval blockades helped starve the enemy.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Study And Analysis On Session Hijacking Computer Science Essay

Study And Analysis On Session Hijacking Computer Science Essay Generally the most common way of tracking a user login state is done by using a cookie. The process is quite simple, go to a page and enter the login id and password. If the information provided is correct, the next response is in the form of a cookie which uniquely identifies a particular user. In order to check the login credentials, cookie is checked for each page of the site and it verifies your originality by being intact, until you log out. Introduction: Session hijacking term means the exploitation of presently running session. Sometimes it is often referred as session key, it is used to gain the unauthorized gain to a system or to exploit services in the a computer. When a magic cookie which is used to authenticate the user to the server is stolen and used for the unauthorized purse is referred as session hijacking. Generally it is relevant to the web developers, as HTTP cookies are used to maintain the session on a site can be easily stolen by an attacker or the attacker can utilize by gaining access to the computer where the he can find the saved cookies. Cookie: When the user runs a machine, the machine stores a small text file which is called as a cookie. Cookies are plain text, they do not contain any executable codes A web page or sever instructs a particular browser to store the information and sent it back whenever there is a request based on certain rules. Majority of sites identifies the users by these cookies. A user login state is done by using a cookie. The process is quite simple, go to a page and enter the login id and password. If the information provided is correct, the next response is in the form of a cookie which uniquely identifies a particular user. In order to check the login credentials, cookie is checked for each page of the site and it verifies your originality by being intact, until you log out. Session hijacking in TCP In the session hijacking in TCP, the attacker takes over the TCP session between the two computers. As the most of the authentication is done at the starting of the session, this allows the hacker to gain over the machines. One of the common methods used is source- routed of IP packets. It is generally middle in the middle kind of a attack, where a hacker a point B intercepts the conversation between the A and C by encouraging the packets to pass through the attackers machine. Even though the source routing is turned off, the attacker can use a method called blind hijacking, where the attacker tries to guess the response between the two machines. If he is successful, then the hacker sends a command but he can never see the response but however a common command is like password, which allows to access from some other place on the network. One of the purposes of such an attack is to cause the denial of service attack at one end point so that it will not respond. This attack can force the machine to crash or it can force the network connection for heavy packet loss. Problem: The main problem with this kind of a system is that it leaves the user identification at a single data point and more over the cookies sent over the internet is in the form of plain text, which makes it to highly vulnerable to packet sniffing, where hacker intercepts the conversation between the network and the computer. One the user login cookie is stolen; it can be used to run the similar session at a distinct place by manually setting the cookie. Because the server canà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t differentiate between a original cookie and a duplicated cookie which was modified by the attacker through the packet sniffing, so it shows as if the user is logged on. This type of attack is generally referred as session hijacking. To prevent session hijacking using cookies there are few methods. The first one is, sending the cookies over the SSL; this is a common method technique. SSL uses the encryption method for the request on the site before responding across the internet and cookie value cannot be solely determined by the sniffing. The banks and stores generally use this method frequently since most of the session is for short duration of time. Another method is to generate the session key randomly or which is based on the information of the user such as login id, IP address, and time when he logged in etc. It makes the session key un- usable, though it is possible. The other way is to revalidate the particular user before performing assigned to a higher security level, such as, many sites as for login information for the second time before modifying the password. Cookies in JavaScript Creating, removing and manipulation of cookies can be done in JavaScript by using document. cookie property. This property behaves as a set cookie header when it is assigned to a cookie header. While creating a cookie, string must be used in the same format. You can create, manipulate, and remove cookies in JavaScript by using the document.cookie property. This property acts as the Set-Cookie header when assigned to and as the Cookie header when read from. When creating a cookie, you must use a string thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s in the same format that Set-Cookie expects: document.cookie=name=prahald; domain=nczonline.net; path=/; just by modifying the values of document.cookie does not delete the cookie. It just either creates or modifies the particular string. So that whenever the next request is made to the server, these cookies are sent along the set cookie. To retrieve cookie values in JavaScript, just read from the document.cookie property. The returned string is in the same format as the Cookie header value, so multiple cookies are separated by a semicolon and space. Example: name1=Munn; name2=prahalad This is the reason why, we need to compulsory make a cookie string manually as an original cookie Cookie stealing and XSS To able to load JavaScript from a distinct domain onto a page opens up at a particular week point or security loop holes. In fact a request from a third party, the JavaScript doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t include the cookies containing in a page. The JavaScript can get access to all of them. All the script page are considered as, running on a common platform. With the similar path, and by using the similar protocol as the page. This means a script form loaded in other domain page by reading the cookie as cookie. Document. For example, it can be dangerous , if a person lodes a script from evil-domain.com which consists of some useful codes. However, users at evil-domain.com can switch that code to the following: (new Image()).src = http://www.evil-domain.com/cookiestealer.php?cookie= + cookie.domain; As this code is being loaded on to the user page, without being recognized by user send users cookie to the evil-domain.com. This problem happens to each and every person who visits the site. Once the hacker has the user cookie, it is very easy to penetrate and doing other attacks including the session hijacking. Whenever attack happens due to injection of third-party JavaScript into a page, it is referred as cross-site scripting attack or it is generally referred as XSS. Cookie theft doesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢nt occur by just injecting a malicious scrip onto your page accidentally, it can also happen due to poor input filtering. Such as a page, where the user can enter the text, which is the output, onto the page. If the text consists of a script tag with the similar code as mentioned above then it is possible to steal the cookies The cross site scripting attack has been used against large sites for example, live journal and MySpace. The best way to protect is of forms: Never ever include the JavaScript for sites or domains which are untrusted. The CDNs of big companies like yahoo,AOL and Google should be more secure; using best precaution which includes other locations. From all the user input the HTML should be filtered out. You should not accept any user input and outbound onto a page without filtering it. Conclusion Hence it is safe to use cookies which all the security issues around them. That is why HTTP cookies are considered as important over the standard cookies implementations. If a cookie is marked as HTTP, a attacker cannot inject or get access to the malicious script by cookie via document. So it becomes difficult to steal the cookies. When such a HTTP cookies are supported by the browsers it becomes a third option.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Movie Version of Grapes Of Wrath - The People and the Depression :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast

Movie: The Grapes Of Wrath - The people and the Depression In the movie The grapes of Wrath, the Joads undergo the hit of the depression, they have to leave their farm. They go to California for jobs, but find there are few jobs, and it pays little, or at least less then what they were told. The government tried to start programs to house and employ people like the Joads. Since the people who already lived in the cities in which these developments were put didn't want them there anyway, they tried to start a riot and have the police Arrest them. Although in the movie the plan was foiled, it could have worked in many other places, or the towns folk could have just created a lynch mob, and eventually the people living in the development would leave. I believe that the economic situation of the country has a great effect on the fall, or succession of people like the Joads, but I don't believe government programs will effect them at all. For example, the great depression was a major economical event, and it greatly effected more then just people like the Joads, but programs like the public works administration which employed people for government construction projects. Another program, the Works Progress Administration, later called the Works Projects Administration was created to develop relief programs, and to keep a person's skills. From 1935- 1943, it employed 8 million people, and spent 11 billion dollars. But in 1939, there were still 9.5 million still unemployed. Another program was the Civilian Conservation Corps. Unemployed, unmarried young men were enlisted to work on conservation and resource-development projects such as soil conservation, flood control, and protection of forests and wildlife. These men were provided with food, lodging, and other necessities, and were given a small monthly salary. Another program was the CWA, the civil works administration. It employed more then 4 million workers to build and repair roads, and teach in schools, were just a couple of the jobs. Some of these programs would work temporarily, but eventually there would be no more work to do, or the government would run out of funds. All these programs were hated by some, and loved by others, and some just didn't care. The business men that were lucky enough not to lose everything, and the other employees working in the cities who still had jobs during the depression didn't like these new programs. In the movie, The Grapes Of Wrath, The towns people didn't like the government funded version of a "Hooverville".

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. Mansoor Khan An investigation to see how concentration affects the 1 rate of reaction. Introduction My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. I am going to use calcium carbonate (marble chips) to react with hydrochloric acid that will produce carbon dioxide gas. The equation for this reaction is: Word equation: Calcium Carbonate + Hydrochloric acid Calcium Chloride + Carbon Dioxide + Water Symbol equation: CaCO 2HCl CaCl CO H O For my experiment, I will be experimenting on different concentrations of acid on marble chips. The other variables that I could have chosen for this particular experiment are: Temperature- I thought about choosing this variable but was put off by the difficulty of control the temperature. Surface area- I have not choose this because I did not like the fact that there were only three different sizes of marble chips, when I needed five results, and also it requires quite a long preliminary experiment to find the right concentration of acid. Prediction I predict that if a high concentration of acid is used, the reaction will be faster and thus resulting in more carbon dioxide being produced as gas. The weaker the concentration of acid, the slower the reaction and the less amount of carbon dioxide gas that will be produced. The collision theory states that if particles in a solution have enough energy to break free from their existing bonds to form new bonds they will, the amount of energy needed to form new bonds is called the activation energy. So if you increase the amount of particles in a solution they will be more collisions. The collision theory also says that if the particles are constantly moving and colliding with each other, when one particle collides with another, energy is transferred between these particles and so energy is constantly gained or lost. The number of collisions with enough energy greater or equal to the activation energy, determines the rate of reaction. I predict that the 2 molar of hydrochloric acid when reacting with marble chips will produce the most carbon dioxide and in the least amount of time, because they are more reactants in the solution and more particles that will collide with the reacting particles. Also because this is the most concentrated solution that I am experimenting on there are more reacting particles of colliding about in the solution this means that the will be more collisions between the reacting particles which is likely to cause a reaction, these reacting My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. Mansoor Khan An investigation to see how concentration affects the 1 rate of reaction. Introduction My aim for this experiment is to find out how concentration affects the rate of reaction, when marble chips reacts with hydrochloric acid. I am going to use calcium carbonate (marble chips) to react with hydrochloric acid that will produce carbon dioxide gas. The equation for this reaction is: Word equation: Calcium Carbonate + Hydrochloric acid Calcium Chloride + Carbon Dioxide + Water Symbol equation: CaCO 2HCl CaCl CO H O For my experiment, I will be experimenting on different concentrations of acid on marble chips. The other variables that I could have chosen for this particular experiment are: Temperature- I thought about choosing this variable but was put off by the difficulty of control the temperature. Surface area- I have not choose this because I did not like the fact that there were only three different sizes of marble chips, when I needed five results, and also it requires quite a long preliminary experiment to find the right concentration of acid. Prediction I predict that if a high concentration of acid is used, the reaction will be faster and thus resulting in more carbon dioxide being produced as gas. The weaker the concentration of acid, the slower the reaction and the less amount of carbon dioxide gas that will be produced. The collision theory states that if particles in a solution have enough energy to break free from their existing bonds to form new bonds they will, the amount of energy needed to form new bonds is called the activation energy. So if you increase the amount of particles in a solution they will be more collisions. The collision theory also says that if the particles are constantly moving and colliding with each other, when one particle collides with another, energy is transferred between these particles and so energy is constantly gained or lost. The number of collisions with enough energy greater or equal to the activation energy, determines the rate of reaction. I predict that the 2 molar of hydrochloric acid when reacting with marble chips will produce the most carbon dioxide and in the least amount of time, because they are more reactants in the solution and more particles that will collide with the reacting particles. Also because this is the most concentrated solution that I am experimenting on there are more reacting particles of colliding about in the solution this means that the will be more collisions between the reacting particles which is likely to cause a reaction, these reacting

Summary and Analysis of The Reeves Tale Essay -- Canterbury Tales The

Summary and Analysis of The Reeve's Tale Prologue to the Reeve's Tale: The reactions of the crowd to the Miller's Tale were mixed, although many laughed. Only Oswald, the elderly Reeve was offended. He claims that with age the qualities of boasting, lying, anger and covetousness fade away. He vows to repay the Miller's Tale. Analysis The prologue to the Reeve's Tale continues the pattern established with the prologue to the Miller's Tale. Just as the Miller told his tale as a reaction to the Knight's tale, the Reeve vows to tell a tale as a reaction to what the Miller has told, offended by his satiric description of aged carpenter in comparison to the younger characters of the Miller's Tale. He believes that the Miller's Tale was an attack on him, and will so tell a tale that is an attack on the Miller. The Reeve's Tale: At Trumpington, near Cambridge, there is a brook where nearby stands a mill. There is a miller who lived there once who wore ostentatious clothing and could play the bagpipe, wrestle and fish. He always had a knife with him, and had a round face and flattened nose. His name was Simon, and nicknamed Symkyn. His wife came from a noble family; her father was the parson. Symkyn was a jealous man and his wife pretentious. They had a daughter who was now twenty and a toddler. The miller was dishonest in his business dealings. He cheated the college worst of all, and stole meal and corn from the dying steward of Cambridge. Two students, John and Aleyn, received permission from the provost to see the corn ground at the mill. Aleyn tells Symkyn that he is there to ground the corn and bring it back, since the sick steward cannot. While they ground the corn, Symkyn found the students' horse and set it loo... ...n this distinction is minor. Although they are students, they come from the more rustic northern area of England and show little of the savvy that Nicholas displayed in the previous tale. They are cheated out of their corn and lose their horse through the miller's deception. When they seduce the miller's wife and daughter, they do so merely out of opportunity and jealousy, and their actions seem to be little better than rape. The two students even lack that measure of lust that is present in the Miller's Tale and which might make the characters more sympathetic. In the end, most of the characters suffer some physical injury, but most of all the miller. For deceiving the students he found himself cuckolded, his daughter deflowered, and himself robbed and severely wounded. Even the means by which he is wounded is comic  ­ his wife conks him on the head with his staff.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing as a Solution Essay

As it is anticipated that there is a fundamental objective of the company to reduce costs, make informed decisions and consolidate information, there is urgent need to for resilient development of the business intelligence and data warehousing (Collier, 2012). The poor response by IT in the provision of strategic information indicates that the system is incapable of guiding the company to success. This is a potential threat to the prosperity of the business, and hence a quicker intervention is required to ensure success is attained. Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing as a Solution The implementation of BI and DWH services in the sales department would ensure a sustained growth and a competitive edge to the company. Integration of business intelligence would cover the use of information necessary to drive the organization insight. Operational business intelligence would produce an improved analysis of sales data and provide in-depth knowledge of the performance indicators of the marketing department such as the customers of the company, competitors, economic environment and internal operations that would in turn help in making efficient and best quality sales and marketing decisions (Collier, 2012). Also, the concept of data warehousing would enable a central integration and management of sales and marketing database containing data from the four operational sources in the department from heterogeneous sources. The created database would contain structured sales data for query analysis and can be accessed by all the authorized users. The good news reads that th e data warehouse can be created and updated at any time, with limited disruption of the operational systems (Simon, 2014). There is a broad set of technologies, applications and knowledge for gathering and analyzing sales data for the purpose of helping users make sales and marketing decisions. Issues Needed to be Addressed There is need to integrate BI and DWH applications in the operational systems as there is a significant requirement of current data for the purposes of sales. These tools are critical in supporting the sales and marketing decision makers in the organization. However, without proper governance, it would a long-awaited dream to achieve the value offered by BI and DWH. As such, there is urgent need to develop BI/DWH governance framework in the sales and marketing department based on universal principles and clear information ownership and dissemination. Essentially, there is a need for designing, implementing and making effective use of BI tools to achieve marketing objectives and increase revenue returns. Summary Making the most of the company’s data assets is the purpose of BI at a high level. The company would increase its competitive advantage such as reducing costs, increasing investment returns, reducing risks by making best data-driven decisions through a structured BI. Therefore, we can begin by developing the governance framework through designing, executing, monitoring and controlling and implementing to enhance proper management of the company sales data. References Collier, K. (2012). Agile analytics: A value-driven approach to business intelligence and data warehousing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Addison-Wesley. Simon, A. R. (2014). Enterprise business intelligence and data warehousing: Program management essentials. Source document

Monday, September 16, 2019

Lease versus Buy Essay

When an individual is trying to decide whether or not to lease or buy, he or she needs to know the purchase cost, the lease cost, as well as the interest rate of a loan that will be used to purchase the item. The residual value of the item also must be known up front to help determine if leasing is the better option. When determining whether to lease or buy, the cash flow for both should be compared so the best decision can be made. Below is a chart on lease vs buy. (www.smartcomputing.com; Retrieved November 6, 2006) Lease/Buy Cash Flow – Usually better from a short-term cash flow perspective. Frees up cash for other purposes while you generate income to pay the leases. You pay less overall but need to have available cash. Financing as an alternative costs more than a lease. Tax Treatment – If properly structured, a lease may give your company a larger expense write-off than a purchase. Consult your tax advisor. Depreciation write-off is based on IRS rules for the type of equipment that you are buying. Consult your tax advisor. Upgrades- Many lease companies let you upgrade to newer equipment during the term of the lease without renegotiating. If you need newer equipment, you are on your own. However, simple upgrades (RAM, hard drive, etc.) cost you only whatever the upgrade is. Equity- At the end of a lease, you don’t own the property, and you will need to replace it or buy it from the lease company.You own the equipment and can do with it whatever the needs of your business dictate. Disposal – The lessor is responsible for whatever it costs to dispose of the equipment. You are on to your next set of computers. You can use the equipment for a different purpose within your company, sell it, or pay someone to recycle it for you, but disposal is up to the owner of the equipment. The first scenario is an organization called Bonnesante Research based out of Irvine, California. Bonnesante is set up with Venture Capitalist (VC) Funding. Bonnesante major focus is asset acquisition, which is why the Chief Financial Officer has to weigh the pros and cons of leasing vs buying. Bonnesante’s is trying to determine if purchasing or leasing is the better option for a mainframe computer. I chose to lease the mainframe computer because the loan options have a higher outflow whereas the lease option of 18 months with no down payment has the lowest present value of cash outflows. Because the Mainframe would not be used through its entire economic life, it was better for the organization to lease the mainframe. If a loan was acquired to purchase the mainframe, the organization would have to record the purchase on the balance sheet and the depreciation and the interest payments would be recorded as expenses. If the organization was taxed then purchasing the mainframe would be beneficial because the depreciation and the interest payment would lower the outflows. In the second scenario Bonnesante Research is tasked with finding the best option to acquire a spectrometer. The options Bonnesante Research is faced with are: – Operating Lease – Capital Lease – Loan After evaluating all the information, buying the spectrometer would be the best option for Bonnesante. Buying the spectrometer is beneficial because it is considered to be a long term asset with no threat of becoming obsolete. The spectrometer can be used for its entire economic life. An operating lease would not be beneficial because an operating lease is considered when equipment is to be acquired on a short term basis. The capital lease was another option but was not chosen because the 60 month capital lease would have cost more in present value terms than what the loan amount would have  been to purchase the spectrometer. If the organization had cash flow issues, then the capital lease might have been a better option. Whether the company pursued a capital lease or received a loan to purchase the spectrometer, both options can be recorded on the balance sheet so the organization can reap the benefits of depreciation. The final scenario is Bonnesante Research has been in operation for 6 years and wants to acquire a manufacturing facility. Bonnesante Research already has a facility in mind but that facility will require an upgrade. Bonnesante Research has the options of a capital lease or Bonnesante can purchase the facility by obtaining a loan. Also, Bonnesante Research has to keep in mind the organization is having a cash flow crisis that needs to be resolved. The challenge Bonnesante was faced with was to acquire the facility at the lowest cost possible and to resolve the cash flow shortage. Although the buy option was more expensive than the lease option, it gave Bonnesante more flexibility to upgrade the facility and to carry out a sale and leaseback transaction. Due to the leaseback transaction, Bonnesante was able to resolve the cash flow crisis. The leaseback option was more beneficial to Bonnesante rather than the bridge loan. The bridge loan is a short-term loan with a higher interest rate compared to long term borrowing. A bridge loan would have been more costly to Bonnesante Research and the organization could not afford to go with this type of loan. A sale and leaseback is beneficial to any organization that has a cash flow shortage. Selling the asset can bring forth a large amount of cash and the organization can retain use of the asset by leasing it back hence the name sale and leaseback. The risks involved with lease vs buying depends on an organizations financial status. Whether or not an organization decides to lease or buy is determined by what option is more beneficial to the organization. An organizations attitude toward acquiring assets and financial strength all affect the decision on leasing vs buying. Whether an organization leases or buys, the organization needs to make sure the asset that is being acquired will add value to the organizations capital budget. â€Å"The advantage of computing present value considers all factors such as  inflation and forgone interest on money. That is, account must be taken of the fact that utilizing capital in ‘investing’ in equipment could result in the loss of income that would have been earned if it were invested elsewhere. To properly evaluate the alternative cash flows, it is necessary to discount them and express them in terms of their present values, to determine their net present values. In summary the Net Present Value calculation determines today’s value of future cash flows.† (www.pngbd.com Retrieved November 6, 2006). When determining when to lease vs buy, an organization should take into account the financial and non-financial issues. When considering the financial aspect, it should include the cost to acquire an asset; if there will be a tax advantage, cash flow, and the benefits to the organizations balance sheet. The non-financial issues that should be considered are asset-management and the cost to dispose of obsolete equipment. In conclusion, under certain circumstance leasing is the better way to go rather than purchasing a capital item outright and vice versa. By leasing, it gives an organization a way to acquire up-to-date equipment while maintaining cash flow. By maintaining cash flow through leasing, an organization can use the cash flow for more pertinent renovations such as office expansion or research and development. Leasing has less of an impact on an organizations budget whereas purchasing an item outright has more of an impact on an organizations budget. Overall, leasing is a way for an organization to recognize operational savings and production improvements in a timely manner. Reference: Smart Computing; Lease vs Buy; Executive Decisions; March 2004, Vol. 8 Issue 2 Page(s) 55-57. (www.smartcomputing.com) Papua New Guinea Business & Tourism; Making Capital Expenditure Decisions-Leasing vs Buying vs Borrowing; (www.pngbd.com Retrieved November 6, 2006).

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Notes Safety Management

Definition of Terms: Accident – an unplanned, undesired event that may result in harm to people, damage to property or loss to process. Near miss or near accident – an incident resulting in neither an injury nor property damage. Hazard – is any existing or potential condition in the workplace that by interacting with other variables, can result in death, injuries, property damage, and other losses. Hazard control -involves developing a program to recognize, evaluate, and eliminate (or at least reduce ) the destructive effects of azards arising from human errors and from conditions in the workplace.Loss control – is accident prevention, achieved through a complete safety and health hazard control program. Loss control involves preventing employee injuries, occupational illnesses, and accidental damage to the company's property. It also includes preventing injuries, illnesses, and property damage that may involve visitors and the public. Responsibility †“ is having to answer to higher management for activities and results. Authority- the right to correct, command, and determine the courses of action. Delegation – the sharing authority and responsibility with others.Even though we delegate responsibility, we cannot be completely relieved of it. Accountability – an active measurement taken by management to ensure compliance with standards. Safety Management: Safety Management will help us understand our safety responsibilities, take positive actions to prevent accidents, and give you a way of measuring how well we perform our safety duties. As a necessary part of the management process, hazard control is made up of safety audits and evaluation, sound operating and design procedure, perator training, inspection and testing programs, and effective communication regarding hazards and their control.A hazard control program coordinates shared responsibility among departments and underscores the interrelationships among wor kers, their equipment , and the work environment. Many of us mistakenly believe that accidents are only those incidents that result in serious injuries. If a minor injury or property damage results in an accident, some supervisors shrug off the incident and return to their routine work. They let the results of an accident determine their evel of interest in investigating its causes and preventing a recurrence.But we know that the results of an accident ( the degree of loss resulting from it ) are a matter of chance. It would be better to try to control the hazards that lead to accident than try to minimize, the damage done once and accident occurs. Loss control through accident prevention must be accomplished at all times. During safety inspection, be alert for anything that may cause an accident, such as tripping hazards, fire hazards, poorly stacked materials, poor housekeeping, safeguards are missing from machines, nd/or unsafe worker practices.Safety responsibilities cannot be s eparated from the other parts of your work. The best way to describe your Job is to say that you are responsible for safe production. Safety Responsibility as Performance Measure: Areas ot Responsibility: There are tour areas that supervisors must control: 1 Production 2. Quality 3. cost 4. Loss control Production, quality, cost, and loss control are of equal importance in measuring Job performance and cannot really be separated. When you accept a supervisory Job, you lso assume responsibility for the safety of your people.Every supervisor in any company is responsible for the safety of his or her workers. The top manager cannot handle all the details of every Job, so he or she delegates accident prevention responsibilities, along with commensurate authority, to various middle managers. In turn, the middle manager, will delegate responsibility for safety and accident prevention to the supervisor. Thus, you are accountable to your manager for accident prevention, Just as he or she is accountable to the top manager.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Economic and Financial Committee Essay

This letter is to address the widening gap between the rich and poor in developing nations, and how globalization policies create a situation that lessens that gap. In many developing countries there is simply a poor class and a rich class. Developed nations are characterized by the presence of a middle class. The middle class bridges the gap between rich and poor, and when developing nations can create a fully functioning middle class within their societies, the contrasts between rich and poor seem to deplete. In a viewpoint essay edited by Debra Miller (2008) entitled â€Å"Globalization Promotes Democracy Both Directly and Indirectly† this concept is demonstrated. The premise of the article is that globalization efforts create an economic and entrepreneurial middle class who then demand and facilitate democratization in developing countries. As a matter of policy, economic reform, through globalization, should precede democratization. For example glasnost in Russia, or democracy and freedom before economic reform, proved to be unsuccessful. While in China economic reform before political change has proven to be an effective policy. The conclusions of Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University economics professor and U. N. advisor, demonstrate the process of bridging the economic and class gap. A small farmer in India used the internet to take his crops to both local and international markets. This tool of globalization gave him the freedom to control prices, as well as supply and demand. This increased economic independence and experience of personal control often translates into political aspirations that eventually lead to policies that bridge the economic gap in such countries. The internet is just one tool of globalization. As your committee examines the conditions and policies of other developing nations, it is imperative that you consider the process of globalization that leads to economic reform that leads to democracy. Policies and initiatives must focus on supplying developing nations with the tools of globalization, particularly access to international trade opportunities, that have a direct impact on the individual’s economic and financial situations. As these individuals transform into an economic middle class, they will take action in the social and political affairs in their nations that will, in turn, create a more democratic society that will provide better economic opportunities for all citizens. Reference Globalization Promotes Democracy Both Directly and Indirectly. (2007). In Debra Miller Current Controversies: Globalization(). Detroit: Greenhaven Press. 5 May 2008, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center via Gale: http://find. galegroup. com/ips/start. do? prodId=IPS Respectfully Submitted,

Friday, September 13, 2019

Nonverbal Communication and Ray Birdwhistell in Ethnographic Films Essay

Nonverbal Communication and Ray Birdwhistell in Ethnographic Films - Essay Example According to ethnographic films, presentation of nonverbal communication may have different meaning to the students. There are student having the difficult while hearing while others are not in a position of interpreting the signs. There teachers should be in a position of distinguishing the nature and type of the signs depending with the environment. Some schools are specialized with the sign teaching to student while others major with the verbal for normal students. During the mixture of the students, the lecturer should also employ the use of the signs and facial expression more than the talking. The ethnographic films addresses some of the issues covering the ethnographic tools that are applied in nonverbal communication. These includes body signs such as facial expression and sign languages. The most important issues are connected to the relationship of the lecturer and their students in school context and how they impact on the education. Therefore, ethnographic films aims in p resentation of the appropriate approach that are essential in the development of the body language especially through nonverbal communication approach. There are student whom have challenges in speaking and were normal previously and other students whom have no challenges in speaking, leads the lecturer to have a good understanding of appropriate expressions that would accommodate the two groups. The issues that are supposed to be considered while lecturing are directly to the understanding of the students and expression of the feelings.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Can Values and Morality have Different Meanings Essay

Can Values and Morality have Different Meanings - Essay Example Even though Henri claimed to be French he was not so in reality. In other words, Henri is described as cunning character in this novel. Steinbeck tells us that Mack and the boys can be viewed as antisocial elements by a society; but in reality these antisocial elements also hold some positive elements. Society may consider them as "sons of bitches", but Steinbeck likes to labels them as "the Virtues, the Graces, and the Beauties of the hurried mangled craziness of Monterey" (Steinbeck p.18). Steinbeck tries to judge them based on what they truly are rather than what they do. In his opinion, what they do cannot be taken as a measure to label them as antisocial elements since they are not doing any immoral activities intentionally. Steinbeck blames society for the making of Mack and the boys as antisocial elements. In his opinion, when people are deprived of freedom and virtue, they may engage in antisocial behaviors. Doc is portrayed as a loveable character in this novel. Even aggress ive people like Mack and his company were very much attracted by the personal behaviors of Doc. In the novel, Cannery Row, Mack and his friends are trying to do something nice to their loyal friend Doc, who actually demanded nothing from them. The intentions of Mack and his friends were positive; but the Thank you party organized by Mack and his allies ended up in a disaster because of their own fault. In other words, Mack and his friends tried to demonstrate the value of friendship; however, they failed to demonstrate in an ethical manner. Steinbeck reminds us that even successful people in this world may have both bad health and bad souls because they "tear themselves to pieces with ambition, nervousness, and covetousness"(Steinbeck, 133). In his opinion, it is better to live naturally rather than artificially. In other words, keeping something in the mind and doing something exactly opposite to that cannot be labeled as a moral activity. Of course by doing so, a person can uphold the integrity of values publicly, but it should be remembered that he is doing something opposite to his instincts. For example, in our society we can see so many people who admire celebrities publicly and criticize them privately. Such activities cannot be labeled as moral activities even though it can be perceived as valuable activities. According to Steinbeck, the essence of humanity is living naturally based on instincts. In that sense, Mack and the boys can be considered as successful men, since they tried to live naturally. â€Å"Henri loves boats, but he is afraid of the oceans"(Steinbeck, p.37). Steinbeck tries to ridicule the attitudes of the public through these words. A boat is intended to use in oceans. If it stays on land, it may become useless. The utility of the boat can be exploited only if it is used in water or ocean. Steinbeck compares people who are living unnaturally to a boat staying on land. There are many people who try to live in accordance with the social norms even though their instincts are against it. For example, there are many people who like to have more than one wife at the same time. But the social norm is to have only one wife at a time. Even though, people like to have more than one wife, they forced to live with one wife alone. Such things are upholding social values, but it cannot be

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Discussion Questions - Essay Example The private sector organisations ownership is the hands of private individuals whereas the criminal justice agencies are run by the government. Organisations in the private sector work towards profit making for the benefit of the shareholders while the agencies are non-profit making providing services to the citizens. Thus they rely on governmental financial support as well as funds from charities. The private sector organisation can extend their operation globally while the criminal justice agency operation is mainly within a city, state or country e.g. The New York Criminal Justice Agency (DeJong etal., 2013). The presence of regulatory measures defines/limits the activities that both organisations can engage in without contravening the law. In addition, since they both have vested interest in security, they at times create some form of cooperation in flushing out offenders in the society to create a peaceful environment. Lastly, since the agency operates as non-profit making organisation, they are not involved in advertising which is common in private sector. Bailes, A. J. K., Frommelt, I., & Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. (2004).Business and security: Public-private sector relationships in a new security environment. Solna, Sweden:

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

African American Cultural Practice Research Paper

African American Cultural Practice - Research Paper Example Therefore, it was not illegal to practice racism. Racism against African Americans remained institutionalized in America throughout 17th and 18th centuries, notes Nedoma (56). The success of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery were seen by blacks as the turning point in their lives. This is because they believed that the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War would mark the beginning of a new chapter in their life (Williams 68). However, the hopes that American Americans that racism would end did not materialize. In fact, reports indicate that the end of Civil War and slavery only ushered in the beginning of a new form of racism. Since then, the social and racial identity of African Americans has been constantly and systematically under attack because of their blackness as will be demonstrated in this document. Sociologists argue that the social identity of an individual has a direct link to racial and cultural identity, which gives the individual a sense of purpose in life (Bobo and Fox 321). It is not uncommon to find people of different races across the globe enjoy being associated with their races. For instance, the Greeks, Swedes, Italians, Spaniards, French and Germans have recognizable cultures that are directly linked to their racial and social identities. In fact, they cherish and embrace the identities wherever they go. Some of the cultural identities they are linked to include food, religion, and all manner of good things. In fact, in most cases, their cultural practices are portrayed on a positive note. However, a very different story is usually told when it comes to people of color, African Americans, in particular. In this regard, societies where racism is highly prevalent such as the United States tend to associate African Americans with negative things. African Americans ar e portrayed as if they are non-Americans merely because of the color of their skin. Bobo and Fox observe that in a

Monday, September 9, 2019

Confederation and Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Confederation and Constitution - Essay Example The American constitution underwent a lengthy process during its drafting and various amendments have been made so that it can be more efficient for the governing of the states. In 1776, the continental congress drafted â€Å"the article of confederation† which brought together 13 founding states of the United States of America: This article was later ratified in 1781. In the article of confederation, the relationship between the uniting states was defined and also a common name was adopted for the union of the states (Howard, 2005). After various administrative set backs, this article of confederation was found to be inefficient and hence was later replaced by the American constitution in 1789. Though the article of confederation had some similarities with the constitution, these two documents were different in the following ways. The constitution established an organized form of government. The government was divided into three main braches, which included the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. In the constitution, the executive was the supreme arm of the government and it was headed by the president. The constitution provided the rules and regulations governing election of the president and his deputy. However, in the article of confederation, there was no such structured government. The states had the liberty to decide the method of leadership they wanted. The constitution established a federal system government. In this system, the states had some authority.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

The dangers of Online Gaming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The dangers of Online Gaming - Essay Example Online gaming tend require a high degree of involvement. As these games integrate communication and entertainment in a play environment they become significant to players and their lives, they become more and more popular drawing obsession from players across the globe. This paper has illustrated that online games could have an adverse impact on a person’s well-being especially when played excessively. Online game addiction is characterized by the same symptoms and effects as those other addictions that are considered as illnesses and medical cases. Personal relationships, social interaction, physical activity – these factors are just some of the casualties of online game addiction. Finally and most importantly, online games display a worse kind of media violence that threatens to undermine the proper development of young people. Positive values are under attack as shocking images of images of violence and human sufferings are glorified with computer and technological a esthetics. According to David Trend, while such images do not necessarily compel players to action, they gradually reinforce acceptance. As previously mentioned, players are no longer spectators in the violent acts as in movies and television materials. They partake in the action and, needless, to say it adds up to the influence on a player’s psyche. Numerous cases have already been reported in the media, directly linking online games to deaths, ruined relationship and bad health implications. This is the reason why attention must be given to this sector either by governments and the parents. Studying, monitoring and possibly regulating online games could address the dangers that it may pose not just to individuals but to society as a whole.

Strategic Retail Management in Competitive Environment Essay

Strategic Retail Management in Competitive Environment - Essay Example Perception of many people from brand name has moved towards product quality cost and service delivered (Experian, 2011). This has motivated several new retailers to enter into the already competitive market. This has raised survival issues for many new and old retailers, and demands for new strategies and activities to sustain their position in the market (Experian, 2011). The culture of buying has shifted largely towards online viewing and ordering. People visiting the store are easy to urge towards company’s product, and they are the ones who gives the company greater revenue than the online buyers (Experian, 2011). However, this ratio has also taken a 180 degree change in many of the top retail stores, including the ones discuss in this paper, where online buyers makes around 80% of the total income of the company (Experian, 2011). 1. Competitive Environment of UK Retail Industry The retail sector of UK is the only largest private recruiter because it employs around three m illion people. This sector covers a prominent percentage of employment in UK because more than half of the UK population work part time in retail stores. The retail industry of UK is immensely supportive for the economy of the region as it generates abundance of revenue to sustain the economical position of UK. Therefore, the in order to evaluate the environment of this sector Porter’s five forces analysis and PEST analysis of the industry are being done (Obitz, 2009). Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of UK Luxury Retail Sector The analysis of the retail industry of UK is significant for accomplishing the purpose of the paper. Therefore, when it comes to analyze the competitive environment of any industry, Porter’s Five Forces Model appears covering all the areas required for evaluating a competitive environment. i. Threats of Substitute The threat for substitute products in the luxury retail market of UK is quite low as non-food items sold by luxury retailers do n ot have major substitutes. This is due to the fact that buyers purchase luxury items as a result of their perceived luxury associated with their purchases and therefore they do not substitute these products. The threat of substitute is not apparent and the actual threat is only limited to the pricing offered by different retailers for similar products (Nwankwo & Gbadamosi, 2011). ii. Threats of New Entrants In the luxury retail side of the market, there are lower threats of the new entrants in the industry. This is due to the high level of barriers for developing brand and then high level of investment is required for developing brand recognition and its positioning in the luxury brand market. It is difficult for new market entrants to offer product differentiation in the cloth retailing and also change buyers’ attitude which keeps them loyal to already existing luxury brands. Moreover, it has been noted in the luxury retail market that existing brands place barriers for the new entrants by increasing their marketing activities and also undertaking other initiatives that could

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Enterprise Strategy Essay Example for Free

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