Does god really exist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Does god really exist - Essay Example In this regard, it is difficult to challenge the contents of religious beliefs especially to the believers because they rely heavily on hope and faith to elucidate matters pertaining to God (Hoyle, 1983, p93). However, many events occurring around the world signify the presence of greater force that cannot be adequately explained and be predetermined by man. This paper discusses that irrespective of one’s religion, there is evidence that proves existence of God. From scientific point of view, we as human beings exist freely in nature and we are made of various compounds, such as water and other structural compounds and elements that have been indentified by scientists (Morris, 1967, p 90). By the virtue of our existence, it is clear that we all originated somewhere. The Biblical point of view holds that in the beginning, God created heaven and earth, and man was created thereafter (Morris, 1967, p52). Atheists argue that there was no beginning of life, an assertion supported b y the science proclamation that matter cannot be created or destroyed and therefore is eternal (Andrews, 1978, p57). However, the atheist assertion is wrong because cosmic observations and processes around the world indicate a gradual consumption of energy that affirms that if there was no beginning, our world could have become extinct long time ago (Andrews, 1978, p19). For example driving a vehicle requires energy in form of fuel. When the fuel gets used up, the vehicle stalls and cannot function again. In the planet, the sun is sole source of energy and besides it; there are numerous stars in the atmosphere. Scientists have established that in order for the stars including the sun to emit energy, hydrogen gas is compressed into helium and in the process; vast amounts of energy are released. The sun compresses an approximate 564 million tons of hydrogen to form 560 million tons of helium and 4 tons of energy per second, through the process of nuclear fusion (Hoyle, 1983, p42). Tak ing into consideration that there are numerous stars, the amount of hydrogen used by these cosmic bodies is astronomical and by now, it could have become exhausted. This means the world has a beginning, because if it has been ongoing forever, there could be no hydrogen left. Hoyle (1983, p51) noted that the sun remains with 98% of its initial hydrogen composition and this shows that at some point, there was a beginning and there shall be an end. The earth undergoes numerous chemical and physical processes, which imply that its composition has changed. Therefore, the assertion that matter remains unchanged is scientifically erroneous. There must have a beginning, a force that brought everything to existence, and this could be God, just as the Bible states (Douglas, 1993, p37) In this respect, there was a beginning to the universe, and the question arises on how both the living and non-living creations came into existence. From a religious perspective, a certain force, meaning that it did not occur spontaneously, caused the creation. On the other hand, atheists argue that matter is self-sustaining and cannot be created or be destroyed. Atheists do not show the cause to the creation, suggesting that the matter happened out of undefined or unexplainable process. Logically, if matter had a beginning, there must have been something that came from nothing to give the matter existence. Then how did matter come into existence if there was no force, energy and intelligence? This

Structure and Chemical Composition of Silk

Structure and Chemical Composition of Silk Silk: A Natural Polymer By: David Church â€Å"The Silk Road,† a trading route that can be traced back to over 3600 years ago, but still is a household recognized name. Standing the test of time proves that this product was extremely important in shaping history. According to Chinese historians, silk began with the prince of China, Hoang-ti, and his wife, Si-ling-chi. The prince wanted his wife to contribute something important to their people. He assigned her the task of finding a use for the thread that came from silk worms. Si-ling-chi was able to develop a method to feed the worms, extract and reel the thread, as well as create clothing from the silk. The Chinese were able to keep not only the method of producing silk but also the source (the silk worm) a secret until about the sixth century. The nobility of the world was forced to pay as much as its weight in gold for silk until about 555 A.D. This is when two Nestorian monks were able to bring a few silk worm eggs to Constantinople, which began the spread of pr oduction through Europe and other parts of Asia.6 Silk can come from many different insects, including caterpillars, spiders, and worms. The most economically viable silk is produced from mulberry silkworms because they can be raised in captivity and their silk can be mass produced. The larva is born from an egg and must be fed mulberry leaves for up to one month before it is ready to create a cocoon of silk. Once it creates this cocoon, workers kill the larva inside using hot water or steam, and then proceed with the rest of the manufacturing process.5 The structure of this silk is composed of amino acids linked together in a long chain. Three main amino acids comprise 83.4% of the total polymer structure with trace amounts of many other amino acids. A total of up to 2592 different amino acids can be found in a polymer chain of silk. The three frequent amino acids include glycine, alanine, and tyrosine, with ratios in the polymer chain of about 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16 respectively. This leaves a ratio of about 3/16 of all other trace amino acids. If we denote glycine as G, alanine as A, tyrosine as T, and all the other amino acids as X, an outline structure of the polymer can be created to follow a pattern similar to: [G-A-G-T-G-A-G-X-G-A-G-X-G-A-G-X] n.2 Even though the chemical structure of this polymer chain seems like it could be very complex, the actual structure of the chain is relatively simple. The two most frequent amino acids present (glycine and alanine) in the polymer make up about 75% of the polymer chain and fortunately have two of the simplest individual structures of all amino acids. Glycine’s and alanine’s chemical structures are shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively.2 Figure 1: Glycine Chemical Structure Figure 2: Alanine Chemical Structure The third most frequent amino acid present, tyrosine, is a little larger and more complex because it contains a benzene ring. Its chemical structure is shown in Figure 3.2 Figure 3: Tyrosine Chemical Structure The similarities in the chemical structure of these amino acids should be noted. As a generalization, all amino acids can be represented with an amino group, a hydrogen atom, a carboxylic acid group, and a side â€Å"R† group all attached to the alpha carbon as shown in Figure 4.2 Figure 4: Generalized Amino Acid Chemical Structure The method of synthesis that is used is step growth condensation polymerization. To perform this reaction, a hydrogen atom from the amino group of one amino acid reacts with the hydroxide molecule from the carboxylic acid group of another amino acid to form water. This allows for the nitrogen atom to bond directly to the carbon atom and start a chain. One step in the polymerization process between glycine and alanine is shown in Figure 5.1 Figure 5: Polymerization Step This process propagates in a chain of amino acids with the pattern previously shown in Figure 1. Denoting â€Å"R† for the side chain in tyrosine and â€Å"R1† for all the side chains in the numerous trace amino acids, a simplified polymer chain diagram would look something like what is shown in Figure 6.1 Figure 6: Simplified Polymer Chain2 As the name suggests, â€Å"The Silk Road† was a route taken in order to trade silk between communities, however, silk was not the only product being transported on this route. Silk is arguably known as the most significant product being transported at the time, but because of the existence of the Silk Road, it made it much easier to trade other commodities, such as gold, precious metals and stones, ivory, exotic animals, and religion. The route provided a means for Buddhist missions to travel from India to influence China. The starting point of the Silk Road and capital of China was Changan. During the heyday of the Silk Road, about 740 A.D., Changan grew into one of the largest cities of the time with a population of about two million people. As the Silk Road developed and the precious items became more widely known, it in turn became more dangerous to travel. Bandits took advantage of the long, desert road by attacking and looting caravans. To combat this, sections of the G reat Wall of China were constructed to defend the caravans.9 The simple pleasures that silk provided like comfort and social hierarchy caused a chain reaction that in turn led to the globalization of trade, religion, economy, and mass construction. Today, silk has taken on a new importance to society with the many technologically advanced uses that will be discussed later. Both the advantages and disadvantages of silk can mainly be contributed to the inherent biological nature of its formation. The advantages of silk come from comparing it with other natural threads and with artificially created threads. The mulberry silk worm produces large amounts of silk in a convenient cocoon shape that is easily industrialized unlike other natural threads. The natural process of protein organization with such chemical control has not been able to be replicated artificially in a laboratory. The first disadvantages of silk are bound by the limitations of nature. The only insect that is currently capable of mass producing silk is the mulberry silkworm. Other insects that produce silk such as spiders are carnivorous and independent in nature, and cannot produce mass quantities silk. Therefore, creating a farm of spiders that can produce enough silk becomes very difficult. The mulberry silkworm only creates one type of thread whereas a spider can produce typically five types of thread that have different and desired properties.4 A few other disadvantages include photo-yellowing, wrinkling recovery, and rub-resistance. Photo-yellowing is a phenomenon where the silk turns a yellowish tint after prolonged exposure to light. Silk cloth has poor wrinkling recovery meaning after it is creased; it is difficult to get it smooth again. The rub-resistance or abrasion-resistance of silk cloth is also poor, which is the ability to resist surface wear from flat rubbing on another material.5 The obvious example of a use for silk is cloth which also takes up the greatest portion of silk consumption. There are many other uses of silk specifically in the medical field that have arisen recently due to advances in technology. The fibers of silk have been used for sutures of wounds, because it does not trigger a response from the human immune system. For the same reason, it has been used as replacement ligaments, tendons, bones, and cartilage.3 After further research and development, a potential use is an artificial cornea made from a silk film that is lasered to become permeable. Another potential use currently under research is very thin, degradable silk films with electrode arrays printed on them. These films could form to the contours of the brain and potentially treat epilepsy and other conditions with less scarring than traditional procedures. New innovative uses for silk are surfacing and being researched regularly.4 Silk is a rapidly renewable resource that is both reusable and biodegradable. It has much less negative impact when compared to other fabrics if it is produced safely and organically. There is not much processing involved in the creation of silk that normally would cause unnecessary environmental impact. The mulberry plantations provide prevention to soil erosion from wind and water, as well as improving air quality by naturally filtering the air. Some silk has been advertised as being a â€Å"green† product when produced with the appropriate caution, but it also has negative environmental impacts associated with its production. 7 In non-organic production, pesticides and fertilizers are used in the growth of the mulberry trees that pollute the air when sprayed and the ground water when washed away by precipitation. Chemicals are used in the â€Å"degumming† process that are eventually wash off creating wastewater that in certain cases may or may not be reclaimed at a w ater treatment plant. In most areas silk is produced where populations are large and land is sparse, such as China, Japan, Italy, and India. The mulberry plantations take up a significant amount of land. 8 These are some of the few locations that have been able to successfully grow mulberry plantations; subsequently a great deal of transportation is required to deliver the silk to its consumers leading to pollution. As with any industrialized production, there are always environmental impacts both positive and negative that arise.7 References Ahluwalia, V.K., and Anuradha Mishra. Polymer Science. New Delhi: Ane Books Pvt. Ltd., 2008. Print. Bergmann, Max, and Carl Niemann. On the Strucure of Silk Fibroin. Journal of Biological  Chemistry 122.2 (1938): 577-596. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Web. 25 Sept.  2014. Boado, Christine. Hand Designed Silk Embroidery Art with Over 2,500 Years of History.  Importance of Silk. Art of Silk, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.  http://www.artofsilk.com/blogs/news/6565365-importance-of-silk#.VCpd-GePLIV>. Fountain, Henry. The Reinvention of Silk. The New York Times 7 Mar. 2011, sec. Science: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Harding, John G., Lin M. Romer, and Thomas R. Scheibel. Polymeric Materials Based on Silk Proteins. Polymer 49.20 (2008): 4309-4327. Science Direct. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Kitching, J. Howard. The Cultivation of a Silk Worm. The Decorator and Furnisher 5.2 (1884): 56. JSTOR. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Muthu, Subramanian Senthilkannan. Assessing the Environtmental Impact of Textiles and the  Clothing Supply Chain. Wiltham MA: Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2014. Print. Soulivanh, Somphong. Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Silk Handicrafts Sector of the Lao PDR. International Institute for Sustainable Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Wild, Oliver. The Silk Road. The Silk Road. Earth System Science University of California, 1992. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html>.

Juvenile Delinquency Essays -- Youth Crime essays research papers

Juvenile Delinquency There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of juvenile delinquency, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence. However, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have to have training or a license in order to become a parent. Without specialized educational programs in child development and parenting, many of our future parents will not have a chance at becoming successful parents and worse, yet, many parents today are already contributing to the ever-increasing problem of juvenile delinquency simply by not knowing how to be parents. Being a parent is a lifelong commitment and new parents must learn parenting skills immediately; they do not have the luxury of internships and often times, mistakes in parenting will have drastic effects on the child. There are many reasons for the widespread crisis in families today. Below are some of those causes: Changes in the Social Environment - there have been many changes in our social environment over the last twenty-five years. These changes have made a risky environment for today's youth. Children and teenagers spend more time with peer groups than ever before. Drugs and deadly weapons are used increasingly as ways to solve problems. Illicit and explicit sexuality and violence are the main subjects of choice in the media; and the impact of media influence has widened and become more vivid with the introduction of computers, video games, portable stereos and MTV. Changes in Family Structure and Functioning - The prevalence of divorce and the increasing number of women in the workplace have reduced the number of adults who provide interaction, structure and supervision in a child's life. Along with this, institutions have not kept pace in providing alternative programs for unsupervised kids. Add to this new parenting expectations that come with single parent and step-parent families and you now have a confusing, often inconsistent and/or unreliable home base for children. Confusion... ... Reference Page 1. Kortege, Carglyn. Parenthood Training Promoted. The Register Guard. Des Moines, IA www.os/c.org/InTheNews/parenthood 2. Child Abuse Prevention Network, "Moral Development and Boys, James Garbarino, PH.D www.child.cornell.edu/npr.violentboys 3. Conseur, Amy, Rivera, Frederick P., Baronski, Robert and Irvin, Emanuel, "Maternal and Perinatal Risk Factors for Later Delinquency." Pediatrics, June, 1997, v. 99, p 785 (6) 4. Berg, Stacie Zoe, "High Praise For Strict Parenting," Insight on the News, Sept. 1, 1997, v 13, n 32, p. 43 (1) 5. Encarta Online Deluxe, Juvenile Crime www.encarta.msn.com/encart 6. Alternatives For Parents Who Have Lost Control www.fbcbaytown.org/parents 7. Boostrom, Ron, "Enduring Issues in Criminology - Opposing Viewpoints," Greenhaven Press, Inc., P.O. Box 289009, San Diego, CA 92198-9009, p. 121-125, 173-174, 180 8. MacKenzie, D.L. 1997, Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention. In Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What Looks Promising (A Report to the United States Congress), eds. L.W. Sherman, D. Gottfredson, D.MacKenzie, J. Eck, P. Reuter and S. Bushway, Washington, D.C. - National Institute of Justice

Managerial Functions Essay

Managers create and uphold an internal environment, commonly called the organization, so that others can work efficiently. In any organization, a manager’s job consists of planning, organizing, staffing, motivating, leading and controlling the resources of the organization. These functions also include counseling and coordinating with subordinates and peers. These resources include people, jobs or positions, technology, facilities and equipment, materials and supplies, information, and money. Managers work in an energetic environment and must foresee and adapt to challenges.† Eight Managerial Functions Planning Planning involves selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them. It requires decision-making. For every organization, planning process is rational and agreeable to the scientific approach to problem solving. It consists of a logical and systematic series of steps. Managers of higher level have to follow these steps: * Define the mission. * Conduct a situation analysis by assessing strengths and weaknesses and identifying opportunities and threats. * Set goals and objectives. * Develop related strategies. * Monitor the plan. Almost every manager, junior or senior is involved in planning process, directly or indirectly.† (Principles of Management) Organizing â€Å"It is that part of managing that involves establishing an intentional structure of roles for people to fill in an enterprise. The purpose of the organizing function is to make the best use of the organization’s resources to achieve organizational goals. Organizational structure is the formal decision-making skeleton by which job tasks are divided, grouped, and harmonized. It is the extent to which the units of the organization are explicitly defined and its policies, procedures, and goals are clearly stated. It is the official organizational structure envisaged and built by top management and supervisors.† (Allen, 1998) Leading It influences people to strive willingly and passionately toward the accomplishment of organization and group goals. Since leadership involves the exercise of influence by one person over others, the quality of leadership showed by supervisors is a critical determinant of organizational success. If a manager is able to influence people to achieve the goals of the organization, without using his or her formal authority to do so, then the manager is demonstrating leadership. Thus, leading is a major part of a manager’s job. Yet a manager must also plan, organize, and control. Generally speaking, leadership deals with the interpersonal aspects of a manager’s job, whereas planning, organizing, and controlling deal with the administrative aspects. (Kevin & Jackie, 1996) Staffing Managers in all types of organizations are responsible for the human resources in their departments. Selecting competent, high-performing employees capable of supporting their performance over the long run is a competitive advantage. The Staffing consists of forecasting employment needs, recruiting candidates, interviewing applicants, and hiring employees. The managers develop a team of job candidates from which to select qualified employees. The local labor market, the type or level of position and the  size of the organization decide which source is used to find prospective job candidates.† (Allen, 1998) Coordinating Manager depends on collaboration from their employees, because without group support, the chance of achievement is slim. Effective supervisors empower employees by giving them more decision making power and by seeking ideas from every worker. He is the liaison with external constituencies such as upper management, other internal teams, customers, and suppliers. It is the supervisor’s job to build and sustain an effective team. Managers, as team leaders, share information, trust others, surrender authority, and understand when to intrude. (Likert, 1967) Motivating Since motivation influences productivity, manager understands what motivates employees to reach maximum performance. It is not an easy task to increase employee motivation because employees respond in different ways to their jobs and their organization’s practices. Motivation is the set of processes that moves a person toward a goal. Thus, motivated behaviors are intentional choices controlled by the individual employee. The supervisor (motivator) wants to influence the factors that motivate employees to higher levels of productivity. Counseling In any organization, managers use controls to help employees achieve objectives. An employee’s problem performance is often related to non-job factors. The supervisor is in the best position to spot and handle problems when they arise. He can use counseling to provide relief for the troubled employee. Counseling is a behavioral control method used by the manager to solve performance problems. As a counselor, the supervisor is a helper, discusses the employee’s private problems that are affecting his or her job performance, aiming to resolve them. The manager helps staff help themselves. Controlling â€Å"Control is the process through which standards for performance of people and processes are set, communicated, and applied. The manager observes what happens and compares that with what was supposed to happen. Efficient control systems allow managers to know how well implementation is going. Since managers are eventually held responsible for their employees’ performance, well-timed feedback on employee activity is essential.† (Allen, 1998) Expected changes in future As time and requirements of an organization change, there is always a need to change managerial functions. Mangers at all levels must anticipate and adapt to changes. In any ordinary but expanding organization the next future change might be to restructure the organization. For this purpose of course more staffing is required and the whole setup and functions will be needed to change according to the particular requirements of organization. Conclusion The job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management: planning, organizing, staffing, motivating, leading, counseling, coordinating, and controlling. These functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent. The intensity of these functions always changes with the circumstances and requirements of the organization. Works Cited Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg, 1996 Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, 1996 Bard Press Allen, Gemmy, 1998, Modern Management: Supervision. Principles of Management. McGraw Hill Likert, Rensil, 1967 New York McGraw Hill

Economy of the Philippines Essay

The Economy of the Philippines is the 43rd largest in the world, according to 2011 World Bank statistics and it is also one of the emerging markets in the world.[24] According to the CIA Factbook, the estimated 2011 GDP (purchasing power parity) was 391.1 billion.[5] Goldman Sachs estimates that by the year 2050, it will be the 14th largest economy in the world, Goldman Sachs also included the Philippines in its list of the Next Eleven economies. HSBC projects the Philippine economy to become the 16th largest economy in the world, 5th largest economy in Asia and the largest economy in the South East Asian region by 2050.[25] Primary exports include semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. Major trading partners include the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Taiwan, and Thailand. As a newly industrialized country, the Philippine economy has been transitioning from one based on agriculture to one based more on services and manufacturing. The Philippines is one of the Tiger Cub Economies in Southeast Asia together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Contents| Macroeconomic trends See also: Economy of Asia, Economic history of the Philippines (1973–1986), Post-EDSA macroeconomic history of the Philippines, and Economic Crisis and Response in the Philippines The Philippine economy has been growing steadily over decades and the International Monetary Fund in 2011 reported it as the 45th largest economy in the world. However its growth has been behind that of many of its Asian neighbors, the so-called Asian Tigers, nor is it a part of the Group of 20 nations. Instead it is often grouped in a second tier of emerging markets or of newly industrialized countries. Depending upon the analyst, this second tier can go by the name the Next Eleven or the Tiger Cub Economies. It has not suffered from the downturn in the world economy that began in 2007. A chart of selected statistics showing trends in the gross domestic product of the Philippines using data taken from the International Monetary Fund. Composition by sector As a newly industrialized country, the Philippines is still an economy with a large agricultural sector; however, services have come to dominate the economy.[citation needed] Much of the industrial sector is based on processing and assembly operations in the manufacturing of electronics and other high-tech components, usually from foreign multinational corporations. Filipinos who go aboard to work–-known as Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs—are a significant contributor to the economy but are not reflected in the below sectoral discussion of the domestic economy. [edit] Agriculture The agriculture sector makes up 12% of the GDP and employs 33% of the workforce. The type of activity ranges from small subsistence farming and fishing to large commercial ventures with significant export focus, such as major multinational corporations like Dole Food Company and Del Monte Foods. The Philippines is the world’s largest producer of coconuts producing 19,500,000 tonnes in 2009. Coconut production in the Philippines is generally concentrated in medium-sized farms.[30] By 1995, the production of coconut in the Philippines had experienced a 6.5% annual growth and later surpassed Indonesia in total output in the world.[31] The Philippines is also the world’s largest producer of pineapples, with 2,198 thousand metric tons.[32] Rice Production in the Philippines is important to the food supply in the country and economy. The country is the 8th largest rice producer in the world, accounting for 2.8% of global rice production.[33] However, the country is also the w orld’s largest rice importer in 2010.[34] Rice is the most important food crop, a staple food in most of the country. It is produced extensively in Luzon, the Western Visayas, Southern Mindanao, and Central Mindanao. Shipbuilding and repair The Philippines is a major player in the global shipbuilding industry with shipyards in Subic, Cebu, General Santos City and Batangas.[35][36] It became the fourth largest shipbuilding nation in 2010.[37][38] Subic-made cargo vessels are now exported to countries where shipping operators are based. South Korea’s Hanjin started production in Subic in 2007 of the 20 ships ordered by German and Greek shipping operators.[39] The country’s shipyards are now building ships like bulk carriers, container ships and big passenger ferries. General Santos’ shipyard is mainly for ship repair and maintenance.[40] Being surrounded by waters, the country has abundant natural deep-sea ports ideal for development as production, construction and repair sites. On top of the current operating shipyards, two additional shipyards in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan province are being expanded to support future locators. It has a vast manpower pool of 60,000 certified welders that comprise the bulk of workers in shipbuilding. In the ship repair sector, the Navotas complex in Metro Manila is expected to accommodate 96 vessels for repair.[41] Â  Automotive The ABS used in Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volvo cars are made in the Philippines. Ford,[42] Toyota,[43] Mitsubishi, Nissan and Honda are the most prominent automakers manufacturing cars in the country.[citation needed] Kia and Suzuki produce small cars in the country. Isuzu also produces SUVs in the country. Honda and Suzuki produce motorcycles in the country. A 2003 Canadian market research report predicted that further investments in this sector were expected to grow in the following years. Toyota sells the most vehicles in the country.[44] By 2011, China’s Chery Automobile company is going to build their assembly plant in Laguna, that will serve and export cars to other countries in the region if monthly sales would reach 1,000 units.[45] Â  Aerospace Aerospace products in the Philippines are mainly for the export market and include manufacturing parts for aircraft built by both Boeing and Airbus. British company MOOG, is the biggest aerospace manufacturer with base in Baguio in the Cordillera region. The company produces aircraft actuators in their manufacturing facility. Another British company British Aerospace is to open manufacturing facility in southern Philippines for the manufacture of galleys used in aircraft cabin.[46] In 2011, the total export output of aerospace products in the Philippines reached US $3 billion.[47] Electronics Intel has been in the Philippines for 28 years as a major producer of products, including the Pentium 4 processor. A Texas Instruments plant in Baguio has been operating for 20 years and is the largest producer of DSP chips in the world.[48] Texas Instruments’ Baguio plant produces all the chips used in Nokia cell phones and 80% of chips used in Ericsson cell phones in the world.[49] Until 2005, Toshiba laptops were produced in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Presently the Philippine plant’s focus is in the production of hard disk drives. Printer manufacturer Lexmark has a factory in Mactan in the Cebu region. Â  Mining and extraction The country is rich with mineral and geothermal energy resources. In 2003, it produced 1931 MW of electricity from geothermal sources (27% of total electricity production), second only to the United States,[50] and a recent discovery of natural gas reserves in the Malampaya oil fields off the island of Palawan is already being used to generate electricity in three gas-powered plants. Philippine gold, nickel, copper and chromite deposits are among the largest in the world. Other important minerals include silver, coal, gypsum, and sulphur. Significant deposits of clay, limestone, marble, silica, and phosphate exist. About 60% of total mining production are accounted for by non-metallic minerals, which contributed substantially to the industry’s steady output growth between 1993 and 1998, with the value of production growing 58%. In 1999, however, mineral production declined 16% to $793 million.[citation needed] Mineral exports have generally slowed since 1996. Led by copper cathodes, Philippine mineral exports amounted to $650 million in 2000, barely up from 1999 levels. Low metal prices, high production costs, lack of investment in infrastructure, and a challenge to the new mining law have contributed to the mining industry’s overall decline.[citation needed] The industry rebounded starting in late 2004 when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an important law permitting foreign ownership of Philippines mining companies.[citation needed] However, the DENR has yet to approve the revised Department Administrative Order (DAO) that will provide the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), the specific part of the 1994 Mining Act that allows 100% foreign ownership of Philippines mines.[citation needed] Offshoring and outsourcing According to an IBM Global Location Trends Annual Report, as of December 2010[update] the Philippines has surpassed India as the world leader in business process outsourcing.[51][52] The majority of the top ten BPO firms of the United States operate in the Philippines.[citation needed] Total jobs in the industry grew to 100,000 and total revenues were placed at $960 million for 2005. In 2012, BPO sector employment ballooned to over 700,000 people and is contributing to a growing middle class. BPO facilities are located mainly in Metro Manila and Cebu City although other regional areas such as Baguio, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Clark Freeport Zone, Dagupan, Davao City, Legazpi, Dumaguete, Lipa, Iloilo City, and CamSur are now being promoted and developed for BPO operations. Call centers began in the Philippines as plain providers of email response and managing services and is now a major source of employment. Call center services include customer relations, ranging from travel services, technical support, education, customer care, financial services, online business to customer support, and online business to business support. Business process outsourcing (BPO) is regarded as one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The Philippines is also considered as location of choice due to its less expensive operational and labor costs and high proficiency in spoken English and highly educated labor pool. In 2011, the business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines generated 700 thousand jobs[53] and some US$11 billion in revenue,[54] 24 percent higher than 2010. By 2016, the industry is projected to reach US$27.4 billion in revenue with employment generation to almost double at 1.3 million workers.[55]

KARL MARX AND ERIK H. ERIKSON essays

KARL MARX AND ERIK H. ERIKSON essays The philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary, Karl Marx, is without a doubt the most influential socialist thinker to emerge in the 19th century. Although scholars in his largely ignored him own lifetime, his social, economic and political ideas gained rapid acceptance in the socialist movement after his death in 1883 historyguide. org/intellect/marx.html. Karl Marx was born in Germany in 1818. He came from a long line of rabbis on both sides of his family and his father, a man who knew Voltaire and Lessing by heart, had agreed to baptism as a Protestant so that he would not lose his job as one of the most respected lawyers in Trier historyguide.org/intellect/marx.html. He lived his life as an independent intellectual and political activist, and worked as a journalist in Germany and in 1843 left for Paris. In 1849 he settled in London and began his scholarly labors in the public reading room of the British Museum. Marx was the dominant intellectual and political fo rce behind the working peoples movement known as the International. He died alone in 1888, shortly after the deaths of his daughter and wife both named Jenny. Marxism as a political and social philosophy took many forms, with different effects-from the terror Stalinism to the aesthetically subtle explorations of economic and cultural life by critical theorists and other students of culture today. Labor-power and Capital is one of the most powerful examples of Marxs critical and structural method (Lermert, C. 30). In this book he talks about the relation between labor and economic value, and says that the secret of capitalist profit cannot be seen in the visible market place, and in his another book he talks about materialist feminism. Marx believed that philosophy ought to be employed in practice to change the world (philosophypages. com/phmarx .htm). He thinks that the worker becomes all...

I Love Nike.

I Love Nike. I love Nike.I'm not unique in my love for the company. I'm like the greater majority of Americans (increasingly humans) who look to the company for athletic footwear and attire. While I'm not in the growing group that has swooshified their entire wardrobe, I recognize as much as the next Fool that they own a dominant position in the world of sportin' shoes and apparel.I also love Nike's marketing program.The Company has designed promotions to establish its name as a stronger brand than the word America. Nike's advertisements have preached inclusiveness, merit, and spirit in a nation that doesn't always prize those.For instance, the Tiger Woods promotions have effectively waved a scolding index finger at country-club exclusivity in America. And these ads don't simply say, "Shame on you." They champion the idea that false authority, exclusivity and arrogance will get walloped by the qualities listed above the same qualities that are the Nike shoe, and shirt, and cap, and the swooooooo oooooooosh.Richard Foo, Collaboration Director, NIKE, Inc.I also love their income statement.Take a look at the positive business momentum over the past three years.1996 1995 1994Sales $6.5 bil. $4.8 bil. $3.8 bil.Earnings $550 mil. $400 mil. $299 mil.Net Margins 8.5% 8.3% 7.9%Here's another company whose sales are growing dramatically, but whose profitability is expanding at an even greater rate. Over the past two years, it has boosted net margins by over 7 1/2%. At that growth rate, in twelve years, Nike will be driving 20 cents in profit per dollar of sales. In the clothing and shoe businesses, the likelihood of extending margins that high are nil. But Nike's margin expansion over the past twenty-four months has been outstanding.Not surprisingly, the stock has also been a spinning slam-dunk over...

LEssentiel - Essential French Phrases

LEssentiel - Essential French Phrases Even if youre just going to France for a week, you should know some survival French - a few essential words and phrases that youll use over and over. This is a somewhat miscellaneous list of the basics, so be sure to follow the links at the end for even more essential French like hello and please.Je parle (un peu de) franà §ais  Ã‚  Ã‚  I speak (a little) French.Parlez-vous anglais ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do you speak English?Comment ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  What?Je ne comprends pas.  Ã‚  Ã‚  I dont understand.Que veut dire ___ ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does ___ mean?Rà ©pà ©tez, sil vous plaà ®t.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat, please.Plus lentement  Ã‚  Ã‚  More slowlyEncore une fois  Ã‚  Ã‚  One more timeComment dit-on ___ en franà §ais  ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  How do you say ___ in French?Je ne sais pas  Ã‚  Ã‚  I dont knowJai une question  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a questionJai un problà ¨me  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a problemoui  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  yesnon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  nosi  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  yes (in reponse to a negative question)daccor d  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  OKet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  andou  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  orqui  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whoquoi  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  what*quand  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whenoà ¹Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  wherepourquoi  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whycomment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  how*Be careful, there are several ways to say what in French. Practice Essential French Vocabulary Essential French quizCrossword puzzleWord seek More essential French 100 essential French wordsEssential French gesturesEssential French grammarEssential French phrasesEssential French verbsEssential French for travelersHow to say ___ in French For more in-depth study, check out French for Beginners.

Zappos Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Zappos Company - Case Study Example ution is one of the factors that can affect the revenue levels since it defines the number of customers that can be served over a specified period (Michelli, 2012). For example, the institution focuses on online purchases as the main source of revenue. Evidently, this is one of the success strategies of the firm since many people in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries have resorted to buying via the internet (Gray and Vander, 2012). However, the capacity of the firm may not be well exploited since some customers may be left out of the equation. Thus, this paper highlights the importance of capacity to an institution as well as the approaches to be used to improve the situation. Notably, the company has many employees that serve the customers via the internet, but the capacity can be used to improve the revenue generated. Illustratively, a segment of the market may not have access to the internet at all times, and they may need a physical market for the products. In such a situation, the customers have to visit the shops so that they can make their informed purchases. Principally, this may increase the revenues collected by the firm. Additionally, some individuals choose to procure products after ascertaining the exact quality of materials used. In such a situation, the clients will feel the products and may as well fit in the clothes, shoes and other apparels. Resultantly, the customers can make additional purchases. Furthermore, prevalence of physical stores in different parts of the market increases the chances of the employees to make sales. A diverse niche market offers the firm an added advantage as the approach encourages impulse buying. Accordingly, studies about consumer behavior cite that some people create a need for a product after seeing it (Lussier, 2012). Thus, the company can improve its capacity through introduction of additional shops in more locations. Lastly, the amount of time used to place orders should be reduced

Frederick Taylors Scientific Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Frederick Taylors Scientific Management - Essay Example Because of this work, Taylor gains the reputation of being the father of scientific management. Scientific management methods, as put forward by Taylor, "called for optimizing the way tasks were performed and simplifying the jobs enough so that workers could be trained to perform their specialized sequenced of motions in one best way" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management 1). The formulation of scientific management is Taylor's response to the working conditions during his time. It should be noted that prior to scientific management, the various works in the factory are solely performed by skilled craftsmen who have acquired their knowledge and skills through long and tedious apprenticeships. Having no particular specifications from the management on how jobs should be performed, workers during the period are given much autonomy, giving them the sole discretion on how their jobs should be performed. Thinking that their apprenticeship has been adequate in shaping and preparing for the jobs required, management are often left with other decision making tasks. However, scientific management changed this situation in the workplace by "taking away much of this autonomy and converting skilled crafts into a series of simplified jobs that could be performed by unskilled workers who easily could be trained for the tasks" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Managemen t 2). Taylor, through his time and motion studies formulated the most scientifically efficient in doing performing a single task which do not only lessen the workload for each employee but also shorten the time that the task is performed. The main contribution of Taylor in the field of management can be delineated within the bounds of management service practice and organisational management. The main premise of Taylor in the concepts which he put forward is the utilisation of scientific principles in every situation including the solution of problems in business organisations (Frederick Winslow Taylor 2). Through his exposure on steel workers, Taylor has observed what he calls soldiering which he explains as "underworking, that is, deliberately working slowly so as to avoid a full day's work" (Taylor 6). He observes that the current situation facilitates this inefficiency of workers. According to him, there are three primary reasons which causes soldiering: first, the universal belief that if workers become productive, less workers will be needed causing elimination or termination; second, the non-incentive wage system which encourage workers to work at a slow pace considering that they will be paid the same wage regardless of the amount of work that they finish; and third, the reliance on rule of the thumb measures and the absence of optimal work methods in order to enhance efficiency (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management 4). With this, Taylor lays down the four principles which become the foundations of scientific management. Scientific management calls for the replacement of the rule of the thumb work methods with systems derived from scientific studies (Frederick Taylor

Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising - Essay Example But United States of America allows direct-to-customer drug advertisement and some people appreciate this policy. In this paper categorical imperative will be used to solve this dilemma of drug advertisement. We will argue through Kant’s deontological approach that drug advertisement directed to the end users is not ethical. Why Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising is unethical? Deontological ethics emphasize on the moral duties of a person irrespective of the consequences of an action (Stanford Encyclopedia, 1). An act, therefore, is ethical or good only if it is morally right. An act cannot be ethically justified only by the consequences it follows because wrong actions (like lying) can sometimes lead to good consequences. Therefore deontologists argue that rules or duties make an action ethical, and not the consequences of those actions. Drug advertisement is not morally right because it violates the moral rule that one should act in a way in which one wants to be treated. D rug advertisement is not something desirable for a person who has limited knowledge of medical sciences. I am simply arguing against customer directed drug advertisement because I would not want to expose myself to such advertisement that can harm my health. Drug advertisement will only have limited information and they will entice a person to take self medication. The moral principle that should guide our behavior tells us that drug advertisement should be banned irrespective of the good and bad consequences it has to offer. Categorical imperative is a moral philosophy given by Immanuel Kant. Categorical imperative calls for behaving in a manner that would one be willing to make a general universal principle (Kant, 30). A person, according to Kant, should act according to his or her moral duties and should not take into account the possible consequences of an action. Ethical actions should be based on moral principles rather than ‘good’ consequences. Direct-to-customer drug advertisement is similar to lying in many ways. No one would like to be on the receiving end of lying therefore it can be termed as an unethical behavior. In advertisement no company can tell everything about a drug therefore there will be chances of misunderstanding. Most of the people are not familiar with the medical terms therefore they may perceive it differently. It will be similar to concealing and therefore cannot be termed as an ethical behavior. No matter what are the consequences of drug advertisement to consum ers, the act itself is not moral therefore it cannot be allowed. It is also important to understand that drug marketing can hurt children considerably. The main principle of categorical imperative calls for acting in a way so as you, by will, allow that act to become universally applicable. No one would like their children to see drug advertisements at homes therefore it is not justified morally to legalize customer directed drug marketing. There are also people who argue that it is in the best interest of the society that customer directed drug advertisements should be allowed all over the world. Their arguments stem from the sheer need of the ordinary people who are not able to go to doctors. It will allow them to treat themselves in a better way and avoid high costs of doctors. The argument is of utilitarianist nature that argues maximum good for the majority of population (Bentham, Chapter 1). This argument does not strengthen the case of customer directed

Game changers in the us economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Game changers in the us economy - Essay Example Shifting through more than a dozen possible game changers to boost this sluggish growth, five such theories have been identified as feasible for US market. These five will act as a catalyst for the US market and revive it from this depressing state. These five can further be dived into: Shale energy, knowledge intensive trade, big data, infrastructure, talent development. Shale, knowledge, and infrastructure will prove to be the most effective game changers to help revive US from this crucial stage and all of the five will provide a strong foundation for long term growth and competitiveness. Shale energy is the production of natural gas and light tight oil extracted from very deep grounds. It is too costly to extract these energy resources but US possessing the 4th biggest Shale gas resources has to utilize it properly so that they can enter the market accordingly. The production of natural gas and light tight oil is already booming in places like Dakota, Texas, and Pennsylvania as t he some stakeholders have realized the importance of the energy in terms of economical progress. If utilized properly then it could add a potential boost of $380-$690 billion to annual GDP by 2020. And this will in turn generate an additional 1.7 million jobs. Moreover, by producing their own energy from natural resources the US imports will reduce to zero. But along with that the environmental risk must also be controlled to fully realize its potential.

Initial Public Offers for Global Firms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Initial Public Offers for Global Firms - Essay Example Initial Public Offers for Global Firms: Risks and Laws for Mitigating the RisksRisks Associated with Global Firms’ IPOsGlobal firms face relatively more challenges when launching IPOs because of the diversity of environments they trade in. For instance, an IPO may face the risk of failure due to negative perceptions by investors of the firm’s country of inception. The legal requirement for full disclosure ensures investor confidence, thereby shielding against this type of risk. Equally, countries face political risk; a risk emanating from a change in host country’s policies towards the country of inception. The Byrd Amendment cautions firms against discriminate treatment on political grounds since such is also the violation of the rights of American investors in a foreign firm (Tolar et al, 2011).Foreign Exchange RisksWhen floating an IPO in a foreign country, there is the relative risk of losing out due to unstable currency exchange rates. To effectively elimina te the risk of losing investment money through currency fluctuations, the management of the global firm may decide to trade in a more stable currency. Alternatively, the firm’s management may decide to price their investments and commodities at prices that reflect the foreign exchange projections over a safe period of time. The firm could also arrange for a forward exchange contract. Â  

Visual Effects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Visual Effects - Assignment Example The principles of the visualization illustrate content focus. The visualization concentrates on illustrating how HAI is contracted. Data visualization 02 is studied through the common dash board mistakes of Stephen Few. The data arrangement is poor (Edward 93). This is because four bar graphs and one pie chart are squeezed in one slide page. This minimizes visual clarity. There is also poorly highlighting of the most important information. This is because a lot of information is illustrated in a single page, leading to confusion. Data visualization 03 is analyzed through the excel dashboards. Excel enables effective illustrating of statistical data through graphs, tables and charts (Edward 36). The top hashtags and top mentions are summarized accordingly through the bar graphs. However, illustrating a lot of visual information in one page is not desirable, as it may confuse the audience. The dog images are illustrated through the analytical designs principles. The two dog images illustrate a dog in a jumping motion. The first image illustrates the dog jumping into a water body. The second image shows the impact that the do has on the water surface due to the jumping

Initial Public Offers for Global Firms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Initial Public Offers for Global Firms - Essay Example Initial Public Offers for Global Firms: Risks and Laws for Mitigating the RisksRisks Associated with Global Firms’ IPOsGlobal firms face relatively more challenges when launching IPOs because of the diversity of environments they trade in. For instance, an IPO may face the risk of failure due to negative perceptions by investors of the firm’s country of inception. The legal requirement for full disclosure ensures investor confidence, thereby shielding against this type of risk. Equally, countries face political risk; a risk emanating from a change in host country’s policies towards the country of inception. The Byrd Amendment cautions firms against discriminate treatment on political grounds since such is also the violation of the rights of American investors in a foreign firm (Tolar et al, 2011).Foreign Exchange RisksWhen floating an IPO in a foreign country, there is the relative risk of losing out due to unstable currency exchange rates. To effectively elimina te the risk of losing investment money through currency fluctuations, the management of the global firm may decide to trade in a more stable currency. Alternatively, the firm’s management may decide to price their investments and commodities at prices that reflect the foreign exchange projections over a safe period of time. The firm could also arrange for a forward exchange contract. Â  

1984 George Orwell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

1984 George Orwell - Essay Example All privacy of the people is done away with. An individual cannot express, he is part of the collective conformity. Each citizen is required to be a loyal follower of the government. Physical and emotional tortures are the accepted procedures to achieve the reformation goals. The supreme leader eliminates the fundamental rights and freedom of expression of the citizens. They are like the dumb, driven cattle. Since each movement is monitored, people are afraid to exhibit even emotions. Human nature is suppressed. Youth is taught to rebel against the parents. "It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children." (Orwell n. d.) They are afraid of their shadows! Newspeak relates to domination of the thought process where in the State will command it in totality, with no scope for the opinion of others. It will remove all shades of meanings from the language that which is not conducive to the philosophy of the state. Thus, the vocabulary gets reduced every year and the words like rebellion, freedom etc., will vanish from the dictionary of the totalitarian state. The processes of destruction of words begin with the introduction and use of Newspeak to give a blow to logical thinking with a deliberate scheme to oppress the freedom-loving speakers. Its negative connotation is its ‘beauty.’ The government’s main aim is to know what is going on in the minds of the people, and telescreens are installed to watch their moves. News about false hopes is broadcasted. The tools like newspaper, print media and speakers give information, not truth, and what is convenient from the government point of view. Psychological principles are used to brainwash the people and to secure their commitment to the philosophy of the party. For example, they apply electrical shocks to subdue and weaken the spirit of Winston. The constant supervision makes the citizens the virtual prisoners in their daily lives in Oceania.

Strengths and weaknesses in sampling

Strengths and weaknesses in sampling Firstly, it is essential to understand a sample, and its purpose. A sample can be defined as a section of a population who are selected to be participants in a study. The specific selection of participants is chosen to give an overall representation of the whole population. Due to a variety of factors, particularly money and time constraints, it is not always possible to study the entire population, with the sample taking a considerable amount time, that when the sample if complete, the data acquired may no longer be representative of the population. As a result a sample is conducted, considered to be part of the population which is observed. (Cochran, 1977) Without sufficient forms of sampling, generalising with a respectable degree of accuracy is unachievable. There are 2 types of sampling, non-random and random, and this sampling is reliant upon the notion of unsystematic selection. The basic principles denote that in order to provide generalisations related to unique population, the characteristics of the sample must reflect the characteristics of the unique population that has participated in the sample. Thus, a sample can be understood as a miniature population. The only accurate alternative would be to select the entire population to take part in the sample. Whilst there are scenarios where this could be achieved, it is highly unlikely that this could be achieved, but for the population being small enough. When conducting a sample, many see a direct relationship between the overall accuracy of the sample and the population used to create the sample. Consequently, several people will consider a sample to be more accurate when the population used within the sample is greater. This is not necessarily true, as a sample of 100,000 people will not be 10 times as accurate as a sample with a population of 10,000. When conducting a sample, it is essential to consider a variety of factors when calculating the size of the sample that will be used. For example, the cost of the sample, the time duration of the sample, and the size of the population that will be used in order to obtain relevant information and the level of sampling error that will occur once the results of the sample are complete. However, using a larger population when conducting a sample leads to less sampling error, also known as standard error. Therefore, this simply insinuates that the larger the sample, the smaller the error. As a result, those chosen for national samples and national surveys are assiduously selected, resulting in specific samples of only 2,000-3,000. With participants for samples and surveys being specifically selected, the level of sampling error diminishes considerably; nevertheless it is imperative to remember that sampling error can never be eliminated, irrespective of population size. (Barnett, 1991) Random sampling, also referred to as probability sampling, involves a type of random selection which is responsible for choosing the element of the sample. Considerably more confidence can be found in random sampling compared to non-random sampling. The main methods when conducting random sampling include cluster, simple random, stratified random and systematic. The selection procedure ensures each element within the population has an equal, as well an independent chance of being selected to take part in the sample. The elements within a non-random sample are selected through non-random method. This has a detrimental effect on producing representative samples compared to random sampling. However, many researchers still choose to use non-random samples when conducting their research. Their non-random samples are determined by the 3 main methods used within the sample; convenience, purposive and quota. Random samplingensures that each and every member within the population has an equal and identical chance of being included within a sample. Thus, many believe random sampling to be the easiest, fastest and simplest method in order to draw a sample from a population. When choosing random sampling to conduct research, it is essential to have a complete and full list of the population in order to select a completely random sample. (Jessen, 1978) However, this can be seen as very difficult to accomplish. Developing a thorough population list is considerably simpler when using a distinct and smaller population. Several researchers and those involved in conducting samples consider random sampling to be most beneficial, believing random sampling should be used as often as possible. This is very much due to random sampling highlighting authentic, realistic and reliable generalisations. For example, researchers would prefer to conduct a random sample of 100 people, rather than a non-random a sample of 1,000 people, therefore highlighting random sampling as a general preference amongst those who are responsible for conducting samples. Accordingly the advantages of using random sampling are that the population sample is only influenced by chance, ensuring the sample is fair, non-biased and non-discriminative. However, obtaining a list of the entire population is complicated, and as a result this can prevent entirely random sampling. (Wiley, 1992) The method of systematic sampling consists of two factors that will determine involvement in the sample, and they are chance and the system. This system can be described as the process of facilitating random selection within systematic sampling. For instance, when selecting a sample of 50 names from the population of 100, instead of random selection taking place within the population to determine who takes part in the sample, a researcher may select every second name from within the population to take part in the sample. Systematic sampling can as similar to random sampling, unless a systematic bias is evident through the presentation of names on the population list. However, it is very simple to avoid a systematic bias from occurring, through examining the list prior to conducting the sample, as well as communicating with those in charge of putting together the list, asking how the list was assembled. (Foreman, 1991) Quota sampling is a type of sampling that is frequently used in market research and in opinion polls. Those conducting the sample are given a quota of specified subjects to recruit. For example, when conducting a sample concerning favourite music, the interviewer might be asked to find and select 10 adult females, 10 adult males, 10 teenage boys and 10 teenage girls. (Wiley, 1992) However, many imperfections exist when conducting a quota sample, with the simplest fault being that the sample is not random; consequently this means that the sampling distributions of all and any statistics are unknown. The non-random sample is selected in a precise and specific manner in order to ensure that the known characteristics correspond with the overall population sample. When conducting a quota sample, it may be advantageous to set the quotas before the sample is selected; in spite of this it is also possible to use quota sampling strategies spontaneously. Some researchers may feel that it is no t beneficial to carry out research prior to conducting the sample as they are working with an intact group. As a result, the researcher may include questions concerning the characteristics of his respondents; this is in addition to questions related to the outcome variables. The additional questions to those within the questionnaire should concentrate on the topics that are most expected to introduce biases. Once the data has been has been analysed, in order to validate that there are no obvious biases, the researcher could compare and contrast the characteristics between the population and the sample. For example, a small association with a minor budget may want to conduct a private investigation to find out the attitudes, opinion and viewpoints of British University students concerning alcohol and drug issues. Being realistic, the association will believe that the students will respond to the questions by giving socially desirable answers. Therefore, the organisation may hire a co unsellor/researcher from a local University in order to meet the students, gradually build a strong rapport with the students, and this will result in the students feeling calm and comfortable around the counsellor/researcher, meaning they are considerably more likely to respond to questions with authentic, realistic and truthful answers. (Cochran, 1977) Planning prior to conducting a quota-sampling greatly minimises differences, ultimately leaving the researcher with more accurate and precise results. A significant advantage of using quota sampling is that it can be used when random sampling is impossible; quota sampling is also a very simple process that is quick to carry out, and therefore an ideal form of sampling when restricted by time constraints. However, within the quota sample, biases may still exist, with them being difficult to eliminate as they are not controlled by the quota sampling. (Kalton, 1983) Stratified sampling involves putting the members of the population into categories/groups. The advantages of using stratified sampling are that is focuses on the priority subpopulations, ignoring the less relevant subpopulations. Stratified sampling also allows the use of different sampling techniques for different subpopulations, this considerably improves the overall accuracy of the hypotheses and result, in addition to being a practical and valuable solution to sampling when the population is too large to use in one long list. However, the selection of relevant stratification of variables is difficult to achieve, with the data not permanently useful when there are no identical or similar categories/groups. Stratification sampling is also an expensive form of sampling as it requires accurate information about the population that is being used, with the risk of biases being introduced due to there being errors within the measurements, or a clear bias when the selection takes place. Stratified sampling can also be combined with other sampling techniques in order to achieve the most accurate results possible. (Barnett, 1991) Quota sampling and stratified have some very clear similarities. Both specify the number of subjects that are to be included within the sample based on selected characteristics. The function of quota sampling is to ensure the sample gives an accurate, genuine and realistic representation of the population regarding important characteristics that have been put into place prior to the sample being conducted. This is achieved through subjects with specific characteristics that have been placed into sub-categories containing similar populations. Stratified sampling can be seen to take place in order to ensure adequate and ample numbers for sub-analysis once the sample has been concluded. (Foreman, 1991) Many respected organisations and researchers are forced to rely and use non-random sampling due to random sampling being difficult to accomplish. Non-random sampling can be clearly justified if it is highly unlikely, or impossible, to conduct a truly random sample. As a result of these difficulties, the organisations and researchers are most likely to resort to conducting a quota sample or stratified sample. (Kalton, 1983) Cluster sampling involves the population being divided into groups, or clusters. The researchers involved randomly select the clusters to be included in the sample, with each element being assigned to one group solely. Providing the size of the sample is continuous across all the sampling methods, cluster sampling does not provide as much accuracy as other sampling methods, namely random sampling and stratified sampling. Thus, it is logical for people to ask, when conducting a sample, why use cluster sampling? With the answer being when using a limited budget to conduct the sample, the researcher(s) will be able to use a bigger sample using the cluster sampling method, with the increased size of the sample compensating for and counteracting the deficit of precision. Therefore, when on a limited budget for a sample, cluster sampling may be seen as the most appropriate and suitable method to use. (Jessen, 1978) Convenience samples are conducted through the researcher, at their own convenience and discretion, choosing whether to make a valid attempt to ensure the sample is an accurate representation of the general population. An example of this is the researcher standing in a public area, for instance a shopping centre, and choosing who to stop and ask question and/or fill out a survey. Therefore convenience sampling is a form of non-random sampling, meaning the data obtained is inconsistent and does not give an accurate representation of the whole population. Whilst it is difficult to generalise the results of a convenience sample, they can still be informative, although not used by many to gain information and statistics. (Wiley, 1992) When choosing a sampling method, it is essential to choose the method that most effectively links the particular goals involved. Budget can greatly affect the sampling method chosen, therefore it is important to ensure the sample is as accurate and precise as possible, identifying the types of sampling method that will bring the best results, achieving the goals set prior to sample being conducted. Therefore, it is not possible to choose an outstanding sampling method, as each method is dependant on a variety of factor, as mentioned before such as budget, population size and time constraints. It is the responsibility of the researcher to pick the best method, studied to the sample in order to illustrate a fair and realistic representation of the population. Bibliography Barnett, V. 1991. Sample Survey Principles and Methods. Edward Arnold, London, 173pp. Cochran, W.G. 1977. Sampling Techniques, third edition. John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 428pp. Foreman, E.K. 1991. Survey Sampling Principles. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY. Jessen, R.J. 1978. Statistical Survey Techniques. John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York. Kalton, G. 1983. Introduction to Survey Sampling. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences 35, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA, 96pp. Levy, P.S. and S. Lemeshow. 1991. Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications. John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 420pp. Thompson, S.K. 1992. Sampling. John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 343pp.

Discuss the various ways in which globalisation is affecting the world of work. :: essays research papers

The term globalisation is a particularly elastic concept. Not only does it embrace a wide range of ‘things’, it also straddles the realms of ‘fact’ and ‘value’ of ‘idea’ and ‘reality’, thus to define the word globalisation requires an amalgamation of both moral and material values which may include and encompass events as dynamic as economic, political and social. At its simplest globalisation has tended to denote the idea that societies are becoming increasingly affected by events of other societies, thus the idea of an interconnected world is a central theme for many scholars who have remarked upon the focus of globalisation. It should be noted however that there has been and continues to be schism surrounding what some commentators constitute as being a limitless phenomena as others stand in direct contradiction and consider the globalisation thesis as merely a ‘buzz-word to denote the latest phase of capitali sm.’ The word globalisation is often assumed to be a relatively recent emergence in world history, however although the ancestry and precise timescale of the use of the term is nebulous for ease of analysis many scholars suggest the 1980s to be the era in which the seeds of globalisation were set and subsequently initiated historians and fellow scholars alike to begin to question the existence and effects of globalisation. It is visible that the globalisation thesis is not clear cut therefore in this essay I will not be looking at it in isolation but will also attempt to highlight the issues surrounding globalisation, whilst attempting to find a correlation between the neo-liberal stance of globalisation and how they regard this to be affecting the global domain in regards to employment, before concluding as to if we can conclusively say that globalisation is affecting the world of work in society today. Endeavouring to find a specific definition of globalisation can be onerous as there are a multiplicity of both positive and negative ideas and beliefs of what the term actually implies, however Rosabeth Moss Kanter in ‘Thriving Locally in the Global Ecomony’ (1995) has provided an original explanation of the term, ‘the world is becoming a global shopping mall in which ideas and products are available everywhere at the same time.’ M.Waters has also commented on this issue, but perhaps adopting a less positive stance, ‘a social process in which the constrains of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding.

The Meaning and Symbolism of the Hunting Scenes in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

The Meaning and Symbolism of the Hunting Scenes in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Sir Gawain is a poem of heroism, chivalry, brave knights and even romance. The story itself is so engaging that all too easily the reader may miss many of the symbols present within. Here we will consider the symbolism and importance of the hunting scenes and how they help develop and enhance the plot. The hunting scenes in Sir Gawain are numerous and told in detail. Why did the author spend so much space in what seems to be just action scenes? Unquestionably such a talented author would never carelessly spend time on lines that do not add meaning to the story. One critic's overzealous opinion is: all the hunted animals convey connotations of evil, and this is doubtless the reason why the author of the poem seems so involved in the outcome of the hunts and never tires of triumphantly describing the final slaying of the pursued animals. (Howard 85) This is an interesting interpretation and could possibly serve as a religious meaning in the poem. Nevertheless the animals themselves are never described as evil nor is there any implication of evil animals in the poem. The animals do hold specific meaning though not malevolent like the above quoted critic believes. Medieval people loved stories of animals that assumed human qualities; for example Chantlicleer, the rooster in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Many animals were thought to have qualities of human emotions, spirituality and even intelligent qualities; the three hunted animals in Sir Gawain included. To begin, "Certain facts about the animals which formed the quarry of the medieval huntsman...and certain popular beliefs about their habits and temper" (Savage 32) will allow the reader to draw parallels between the hunt, happening outside the castle; and the "hunt" happening inside the castle between Gawain and the Lady of the house. Insight is provided by understanding the attitude the medieval huntsman would have toward the animals. Hunted animals were classified as either "beasts of venery" or "beasts of chase". Beasts of venery included the male and female red deer, wild boar or the wolf. Beasts of chase were the male or female deer and the fox. Animals of the first class were considered noble to hunt. Animals of the second class do not fair as well, especially poor Reynard. At the time Sir Gawain was written "the fox was regarded as vermin to be hunted out and destroyed" (Savage 33).

Because of postmodernist changes in economic conditions

The current business environment is characterized by a considerable level of competitive rivalry and therefore businesses have to constantly reengineer their internal processes in order to build and maintain a competitive advantage. In this respect, a business organization has three strategies at its disposal: differentiation, cost-minimization and focus (cited in Dess, 2007).Because of postmodernist changes in economic conditions, businesses have been globalizing their operations in order to implement the strategy of cost minimization. This is because in some countries lower labor costs reduce the cost of operations. This enables businesses to build a competitive advantage.However given the high state of competitive rivalry in the current business environment, achieving sustainability is the critical success factor. Strategies of differentiation, cost minimization and focus cannot meet this objective of achieving sustainability. In order to meet this objective, the top management ha s to build the right organizational culture.Organizations structures must adapt constantly to the changes taking place in the external environment. As a result, the process of managing change becomes a critical success factor in the organizational context. When it comes to managing change involving an IT project, the strategic alignment process becomes relevant.This alignment takes place between IT strategy, business strategy, organizational issues and information systems issues. Managing change is a difficult process because alignment with strategic focus must be maintained. Otherwise the value of managing change will have been lost.In this regard, the critical consideration is to minimize the level of employee resistance. Most change management projects fail because of employee resistance. However the management can avoid this problem by involving the employees in the process from the beginning. In this respect, building an organizational culture based on ownership, responsibility and accountability is the critical success factor.This enables the management to enhance employee motivation.According to Hammer & Champy 1994, the process of reengineering internal business processes is best facilitated through implementing the balanced scorecard methodology. This methodology becomes particularly relevant in the context of David Harvey’s account of post-modernity. According to David Harvey’s account of post-modernity, the process of international business has facilitated the high speed of labor mobility.This means that working conditions cannot be monitored sufficiently. This is because businesses are reengineering their internal business processes in terms of globalizing their operations. The balanced scorecard methodology views the organization from four perspectives: financial, customer, learning and growth, and internal business processes.The advantage in managing change under the framework of the balanced scorecard is that this process emphasize s the interconnectedness between different process chains. This facilitates the development of the project management team.Because the different process chains are interconnected, managing change means that more than one department will be affected. This enhances the complexities of managing change. However the management must maintain the continuous improvement program as a result of post-modernity as described by David Harvey.This is because the rising level of competitive rivalry forces businesses to seek new segments of the market in order to maximize shareholder wealth. This leads to the process of globalization. Normally this would increase the cost of production since the supply chain must be managed on an international basis.However in the context of post-modernity as described by David Harvey, the management in an international business can conduct the process of global segmentation in order to standardize operations across political boundaries. This facilitates the impleme ntation of the strategy of cost minimization.This confirms the need for business process reengineering as described by Hammer & Champy, 1994. As a result of this framework for strategy formulation, the competitive advantage becomes sustainable.One of the critical considerations when it comes to globalization is the need for delegation of authority. This is because consumer tastes and preferences vary across political boundaries. As a result, businesses have to vary their strategies in order to target the local market effectively. However the international business environment is characterized by a fast pace of change and therefore, local business units must be given the autonomy to formulate their own strategies.However these strategies must be in alignment with the corporate strategic focus. For this reason, delegation of authority must be supported by an efficient and effective world-wide communications structure. However in the business environment characterized by post-modernity , businesses have to reengineer their internal operations in order to meet the demands of consumerism.This standardizes demand patterns to some extent and as a result reduces the cost of operations. This also leads to the development of a sustainable competitive advantage.

Causes and Consequences of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Essay

The leader of the Bus Boycott was a local preacher called Martin Luther King who formed the ‘Montgomery Improvement Association’ to orgnaise the boycott – and the protest made him the leader of the Black Civil Rights Movement until his assassination. SO – no Montgomery Bus Boycott, no non-violent direct action, no ‘I have a Dream’ speech, no Million-Men march etc. 5. During the Boycott, the Ku Klux Klan attacked the homes of Black leaders – this turned public opinion against the Whites. From then on public opinion, specially in the north, PLUS the Federal Government – openly supported Black Civil Rights. 6. Rosa Parkes became ‘the mother of the Civil Rights movement’: a role model, not only for Blacks, but also for women. In particular, the bus boycott showed ordinary Black men-and-women-in-the-street that – little as they could do individually – nevetheless, if they stood together and each did their little bit, that ‘we shall overcome one day’.

Global Expansion Plan

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 22 November 2012 Datuk Steven Sim Chief executive officer and managing director Secret Recipe Cakes and Cafe Sdn Bhd Malaysia Dear Sir, FINAL REPORT SUBMISSION – EXPANSION PLAN TO VIETNAM MARKET Please find attached the reported requested by the Board. This report reveals an insight into the Vietnamese market and explains why this is a potential one to invest in. We hope that the information provided is useful in the decision-making with regard to further development of Secret Recipe in the future.If you need any farther clarification on the report, please do not hesitate to contact me, the team leader, at an email address: [email  protected] nottingham. edu. my Yours sincerely, Nguyen Huynh Bao Ngoc On behalf of the Global Strategy Team Table of Contents 1. Executive summary3 2. Introduction4 3. Methodology5 4. Findings and Discussion6 4. 1. Motives of internationalization6 4. 2. Justification of entering into Vietnam6 5. Conclusion13 6. Recommendation s:14 6. 1. Most appropriate strategy14 6. 2. Entry mode14 6. 3.Appropriate organization structure15 7. References16 1. Executive summary This report critically examines the possibility of Vietnam to be the next stop in Secret Recipe’s global expansion plan. Initially, the report highlights the current great achievements that Secret Recipe has been attaining from its very first internationalized activity. Employing the proper strategy and being favored by consumers all guarantee an auspicious future for the chain. Taking all of these merits, the company consecutively looks for new marketplaces with new resources.Simultaneously, findings have shown that Vietnam is an appealing market because of its potentials in a fast-growing economy and long-term profitability, as well as rich resources. Then, the country risk analysis and the country market and industry opportunities analysis were introduced to evaluate Vietnam’s benefits and drawbacks. The result is that there are ro oms for both of them. Therefore, so as to be successful, recommendations on appropriate entry mode, strategy and organization structure are specified.To be more detailed, the most suitable entry mode is master franchising via a joint venture because it brings about the positively high certainty in operating. As for strategy, it is an international one to ensure consistency in the menu and concept by taking control over the core competencies and leaving other decisions to foreign subsidiaries. Besides, the Worldwide Area Structure is vital in terms of managing the company’s global expansion as it enables local responsiveness and decentralized authority, which both matter for future growth.Finally, the main conclusion is that Vietnam is the right solution for the Board’s decision to expand overseas. Nonetheless, the management should cautiously take into account the recommendations so that Secret Recipe can win. 2. Introduction Secret Recipe has gained its popularity not only in Malaysia but also across the region. The great succeed stemmed from the ambience brought to customers and the high-quality food served at reasonable prices. The number of foreign outlets is now exceeding 40 and is expecting to increase.According to Welch and Luostarinen (1988), internationalization can be described as a process by which the level of involvement in overseas activities of a firm rises. Indeed, adding the number of overseas outlets up to 100 was part of the ambitious global expansion plan. Recently, the company has spent RM60 million to invest in 2 more new markets which are India and Cambodia (TheSundaily. com, 2011). Evangelista (1994) argues that the readiness to fund international activities proves that firms desires to move further.In the past 3 years, the company has witnessed an annual growth rate of 30% (Articlebase. com, 2011). Taking advantage of both the reputation and the growth pace, it is the right time to put one step further and seize the oppor tunities available in a new market to grow even larger. The Global Strategy Team, after doing research on several potential markets within the Asian area, strongly recommends Vietnam. In this report, the motives of internationalization of Secret Recipe will be disclosed, as well as the motives of choosing Vietnam as a new international market will also be revealed.And as for a smooth penetrating process, recommendations relating to the strategy to be implemented, to the entry mode to be executed, and to the organization structure to be formed will be offered. 3. Methodology The information and data given were collected from many government and organization websites, namely Datamonitor, Trading Economics, General Statistics Office of Vietnam, etc. Besides, a proportion of them were also taken from reliable online newspapers such as TheSundaily. com.In addition, knowledge from International Business books and journals was also introduced to help provide a better understanding. Neverth eless, due to the unavailability of official information about Secret Recipe performance, the analysis had to rely entirely on online newspapers and the CEO’s reported interviews. In addition, the focus of the report is mostly on the food sector, not the franchising one. It is due to the well-structured characteristic of the franchising that it promotes a simple way to interpret and analyze.By contrast, food is a subjective topic as it relates to personal opinion, thus there are limits on suggestions. 4. Findings and Discussion 4. 1. Motives of internationalization Secret Recipe is now among the fastest-growing restaurant chains both domestically and regionally. For the last 5 years, the growth rate has been an amazing double-digit figure (TheSundaily, 2011), accompanied by a rapid increase in the number of outlets. Currently, its outlets present in 8 Asian countries including China, Australia and Pakistan.In any market, there is always a positive reaction from the consumers. A proven fact is that Secret Recipe has been awarded with many titles such as â€Å"Best Cheesecake award†, â€Å"Malaysia’s best local restaurant chain†, â€Å"Indonesian's Best Restaurant Award†, â€Å"Singapore's Excellent Food Award†, â€Å"Best Restaurant Award – Philippines Talter†, etc. This is to say, Secret Recipe, after securing its stance in Malaysia, is continuously gaining customer awareness and fame throughout the region. As a result, Secret Recipe’s movement could be best explained using Eclectic paradigm (Dunning, 1980, 1981).Among the 3 advantage factors recognized by the Eclectic paradigm, the Ownership advantage appears to be most relevant to the context of Secret Recipe. As stated above, the company now possesses a valuable intangible asset which is good brand awareness. Besides, stated in the theory, one of the reasons behind the internationalization of a multinational firm is market seeking investment. In this particular case, Secret Recipe is to exploit new market (i. e. Vietnam) because of its prospects of market size and market growth (Dunning and Lundan, 2008) 4. 2. Justification of entering into Vietnam Vietnam risk analysis:Political risks Vietnam is famous for its political stability. This diminishes the insecurity and uncertainty of foreign investors deciding to invest in Vietnam. According to Worldwide Governance Indicators (2011), the Vietnamese political environment remains almost steady in the past 15 years. Figure 1 Source: Worldwide Governance Indicators (2011) Note: Percentile ranks indicate the percentage of countries worldwide that rank lower than the indicated country, so that higher values indicate better governance scores. The line graphs include margins of error shown as dashed lines, corresponding to 90% confidence intervals.Competitive risks Corruption level in Vietnam is reported to be one of the highest in the world. According to Transparency International, 2011’s score was 2. 9, which increased 0. 2 points compared to the year before. Indeed, in comparison to other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Thailand, Vietnam’s freedom from corruption index remains low (refer to figure 2). However, the formation of the Vietnam Anti-Corruption Initiative Program 2011 (VACI) supported by World Bank somehow saves the situation. Figure 2. Vietnam’s freedom from Corruption in comparison with Malaysia, Thailand and the World AverageSource: Heritage (2012) Operational risks Suppliers play an important role in deciding the quality. In any market, suppliers are abundant but not all of them can provide what Secret Recipe desires for a good menu. Therefore, an insightful search should be carried out before entering the market. Economic risks The inflation rate of Vietnam fluctuates wildly (refer to figure 3). This issue somehow imposes a concern, as the less wealthy class will be more conscious with eat-out whenever the rate is high, which eventually will negatively impact the foodservice sales. Figure 3 Source: TradingEconomis. om | General Statistics Office of Vietnam Vietnam market and industry opportunities: Market: In the World Bank’s 2011 Annual Report, Vietnam is perceived to reach a middle-income level country soon enough. The Vietnamese foodservice industry grew at a CAGR of 6% from 2005 to 2009. It is estimated that the growth rate would be at a CAGR of 4. 5% from 2010 to 2014 (Datamonitor, 2011). In recent years, the country has also witnessed a steady urbanization, with a rate of 3. 1% in 2010 (ReportLinker, 2012) accompanied by a sharp rise in population, implying an increasing demand for food.The rationale behind this is that as people move to big cities to work, they will have little time to prepare their own meals. Thus, eating out becomes an optimal choice. Also, according to that report by ReportLinker, there has been a surge in the number of households in Vietnamese econo my. Two types of households that contribute the most the industry are single member households and working couples as it fits into their fast-paced lifestyle. Furthermore, Vietnamese population is huge (87. 84 million in 2011) and young. Specifically, in 2010, the group 15-29 (i. e. argeting customer of Secret Recipe) appeared to be significantly larger than others. It is predicted that the group will be expanding in the next ten years, indicating a long-term growth for Secret Recipe in Vietnam food industry. Figure 4. Vietnam population by age and sex in 2010 Figure 5. Vietnam population by age and sex in 2020 Resources: Labor: Secret Recipe can be beneficial from a low-cost and huge workforce. According to General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 57. 2% of Vietnam’s population participated to labor market and 32. 5% of them had undergone or completed a vocational/professional training.It somehow guarantees skilled labor force availability. Raw materials: Basic ingredients are available here in Vietnam. However, only qualified suppliers worth the contracts otherwise they may ruin Secret Recipe’s image. Nonetheless, some of the flavors can be costly as they are imported goods with high prices. An approach to this problem could be buying in bulk and storing them for further process. Location: A number of shopping malls and superior residential areas are being built as a developing plan (Food services in Vietnam, Market Analysis, 2012). Therefore, Secret Recipe can easily reach to its customers.Apparently, however, rental price should be considered consciously. Competition: Porter’s Five Forces model, which consists of five elements, is used to give an overall picture of the food industry in Vietnam. Intensity of rivalry: Medium Currently, in terms of cheese cake, which is a core product of Secret Recipe, there are no direct competitors as none of the existing players emphasize their menu on that. Nonetheless, as for other Vietnamese dishes tha t will be developed later on, Secret Recipe should be aware that they have been being offered by domestic independents for years (Food Service profile, 2012).Their primary advantage is the understanding of the market, customers and their taste, which will take times for Secret Recipe to gain. Threats of new entrants: Medium to High Setting up a food business generally does not require high capital in comparison to other businesses. However, the procedure to ask for permission to do business in Vietnam needs good relationship with the authorities. Undoubtedly, food is a recession-free industry; hence business entities can earn profit eventually setting foot into this industry. Bargaining power of suppliers: LowAs mentioned, in order not to ruin Secret Recipe’s name, only reliable and qualified suppliers selected. Therefore, once the contract is signed between the two parties, it will be a long-term one and thus the switching cost would be relatively high, causing the suppliers ’ bargaining power to be low. Bargaining power of customers: High Vietnamese food consumers are offered with many choices. Currently, there are several cake brands operating in Vietnam such as Paris Baguette, Chewy Junior (Singapore brand), Tour le Jour (Korean brand).Besides, street vendors’ food is plentiful with many different taste and prices to choose from. Consequently, together with a favor in low switching cost, customers can easily go to another restaurant if they want to. Threats of substitutes: High Cakes are not that essential in a person’s daily life. Moreover, food in general in Vietnam is diversified and can be found on any street with a relatively reasonable price, mostly serve local cuisines to their largely native customers especially in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City.Thus, when it comes to hunger, people can choose from a wide range of them. 5. Conclusion To put it in a nutshell, the motives of internationalization of Secret Recipe can be be st enlightened applying Eclectic paradigm, particularly the Ownership advantage. At the moment, the company’s strategy is trying to spread its brand name beyond borders by constantly looking for new international markets and by bravely spending budget on them. Accordingly, one with great potentials would be worth the investment.All the findings and data have proved that Vietnam comes in the first place in the list of promising marketplaces due to its strongly growing economy, low-cost labor, and dynamic food market. Although entering into the country poses obstacles (e. g. intense competition, good authorities relationship) and economic threats (e. g. unstable inflation rate, high corruption rate), choosing the right strategy, the right means of going into it and building a suitable organization structure would foster an effective and efficient managing job. 6. Recommendations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1.Most appropriate strategy The most suitable strategy to be executed when ent ering Vietnam market is international strategy. There are two reasons for this choice. Firstly, the Secret Recipe’s menu on cheese cakes was originally developed by Malaysian chefs. People come to the restaurant mostly to enjoy the unique fine taste and the ambience there. Therefore, the R;D function should be in the home country so that the uniqueness making the brand name will always be the same. This happens to be parallel with the top management’s viewpoint in which the menu stays unchanged in any market.Secondly, the pressure for local responsiveness is low, not zero. Also, the most crucial characteristic of any organization is the willingness to develop products for foreign markets (Rosson and Ford, 1982). In fact, the success of Secret Recipe in foreign markets has its root in the willingness to include the popular dishes of the local food culture. Furthermore, Vietnamese consumers favor their traditional dishes such as Pho, spring rolls, etc. Thus, being able t o fruitfully offer them in the menu will certainly be an advantage. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1. 7. 2. Entry modeOviatt and McDougall (1994) advise that firms should use †alternative governance structures†, such as franchising, licensing. And together with the analyses about Vietnam risks and industry opportunities, the recommended entry mode for Secret Recipe is establishing a master franchise via a joint venture. The reasons are as follows. First of all, Secret Recipe is in the food industry where the best mean of doing business is franchising. Indeed, the company has achieved its regional prospect thanks to properly implementing that form. In other words, the management is experienced.Moreover, the franchising is now widely perceived and accepted by Vietnamese business entities and the government, making the process easier and less costly. Secondly, Secret Recipe is still on the progress of opening a foreign market, thus what matters the most to the management would be the development costs and risks. As a result, setting up a master franchise will somehow save the management from many problems as it is now the master franchisee’s job to select and train franchisees, select locations, etc. Also, the costs and risks will be shared with the local partner in a joint venture.Thirdly, there is always a need to reduce control challenges and to protect the brand name, as well as to benefit from a local partners’ knowledge of the host country’s competitive conditions, culture, language, political and business systems whenever expanding internationally. In this sense, a joint venture appears to be essential and practical. Besides, due to the complexity of Vietnamese market, a Vietnamese partner would be helpful in negotiating with the authorities, finding suppliers, recruiting personnel, etc. 7. 3. Appropriate organization structureIn terms of global expansion management, the recommendation structure goes to Worldwide Area Structure. The reason is that for farther development, Secret Recipe will obviously expand to other markets in different countries and territories around the world. Sooner or later, the management will have to deal with problems arising from dissimilarities in customers taste, operational issues, etc. Consequently, to save costs and efforts, it is necessary to have a decentralized bureaucracy, which can be built under a Worldwide Area structure.Plus, the structure facilitates local responsiveness, which is relatively crucial to a restaurant chain like Secret Recipe. On the other hand, the structure bears the threat of fragmentation of the organization. Hence, it needs close monitor and periodical review. [Words count: 2,254] 7. References A recipe for success (2011) [Online]. Available at http://top10malaysia. com/home/index. php/trail-blazing-companies/secret-recipe [Accessed 19th October 2012] B. M. Oviatt, P. P. McDougall (1994). ‘Toward a theory of international new ventures’.Jour nal of International Business Studies, 25 (1994), pp. 45–64 Corruption in Vietnam is serious, blatant, rampant (September 2012) [Online]. Available at http://tuoitrenews. vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/politics/corruption-in-vietnam-is-serious-blatant-rampant-1. 85998 [Accessed 12th November 2012] Dunning, H. J. , ; Lundan, M. S. (2008). Multinational Enterprises and The Global Economy. (2nd Edition). UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Foodservice in Vietnam to 2014 (July 2011) [Online]. Available at http://www. marketresearch. com/Datamonitor-v72/Foodservice-Vietnam-6446347/ Accessed 28th October 2012] F. U. Evangelista (1994). Export performance and its determinants: some empirical evidence from Australian manufacturing firms ,in: S. T. Cavusgil, C. T. Axmin (Eds. ), Advances in international marketing, vol. 6JAI Press, Greenwich, CT (1994), pp. 207–229 General Statistics office of Viet Nam [Online]. Available at http://www. gso. gov. vn/default_en. aspx? tabid=515;idmid=5;ItemID=10 6550 [Accessed 5th November 2012] Hill, C. W. L. (2012), International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, (9th ed. McGraw Hill, p434-439. L. S. Welch, R. K. Luostarinen (1988). ‘Internationalization: evolution of a concept’. Journal of General Management, 14 (2) (1988), pp. 34–55 P. J. Rosson, L. D. Ford (1982). ‘Manufacturer–overseas distributor relations and export performance’. Journal of International Business Studies, Fall (1982), pp. 57–72 Secret Recipe to invest RM60m on expansion (December 2011) [Online]. Available at http://www. thesundaily. my/news/243733 [Accessed 21st October 2012] Secret Recipe in Malaysia (July 2011) [Online]. Available at http://www. articlesbase. om/customer-service-articles/secret-recipe-in-malaysia-5066674. html [Accessed 22nd October 2012] Secret Recipe plans more foreign outlets (January 2008) [Online]. Available at http://biz. thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=%2F2008%2F1%2F24%2Fbus iness%2F20105989;sec=business [Accessed 22nd October 2012] Vietnam Anti-Corruption Initiative Program 2011 Awarded 34 Proposals to Minimize Corruption http://web. worldbank. org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/VIETNAMEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22793085~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:387565,00. tml [Accessed 12th November 2012] Vietnamese foodservice: The future of food service in Viet Nam (October 2012) [Online]. Available at http://www. reportlinker. com/p01010818-summary/Vietnamese-Foodservice-The-Future-of-Foodservice-in-Vietnam-to. html [Accessed 5th November 2012] Vietnam Inflation rate http://www. tradingeconomics. com/vietnam/inflation-cpi [Accessed 11st November 2012] Vietnamese population pyramid for years [Online]. Available at http://www. nationmaster. com/country/vm-vietnam/Age_distribution [Accessed