Gender Issues in Sri Lanka Essay

Gender issues In general, when considering third world countries, most would say that they have some very similar characteristics. Third world countries are often thought of as places that are impoverished, have significantly high birthrates, are economically dependent on advanced countries, and have not evolved socially in regards to equal rights issues. Although many of these characteristics do apply to Sri Lanka, the latter has definitely evoked some discussion on the topic of gender issues in underdeveloped countries. Issues such as decision making in the household, educated women and their role in society, and attitudes towards women in employment will be discussed. As stated earlier, most would agree that from a distant perspective Sri Lanka would seem to be socially underdeveloped in regards to equal rights. One way that this misconception is debunked is by looking at the roles of male and female in the household. There are many variables to take into consideration when looking at roles of family members and who has the balance of power; for instance, if the wife is working or not could be considered at both ends of the scale. If she is working than her husband may feel that because she is making a financial contribution she has more of a right to make important economic decisions that may effect the family. On the other hand he may feel as though her being away from the children is a detriment to their upbringing, and in turn is placing a burden upon the family leaving the wife with few domestic decisions. Another variable that has to be considered is if the residence is with the husband’s family or if it is with the wife’s family. In this case one would assume that whichever house was being resided in would have the balance of the say towards family decisions. The last variable that will be considered is that of marital duration. Does a longer marriage necessarily mean that the financial and domestic decisions of the household will become split evenly between the husband and wife? The answers to these questions were the focus of a study conducted by Anju Malhotra and Mark Mather in 1992. The study showed that when the wives were working, regardless of whether or not they shared their wages or kept them, they had an increase say on financial matters. However, the domestic decisions were not nearly as great, especially if the wages earned by the wife were kept for herself (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). When looking at the balance of power in regards to household arrangement, the study found that the wife had almost no say on financial matters when living at the husband’s parents house but did have some say on domestic issues. The opposite it true for when the family resided at the wife’s parents house. The wife typically had a significant say on financial and domestic matters with the latter outweighing the two (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). As far as marital duration is concerned, it seems as though as the family grows together there is somewhat of a role reversal. The husband becomes more concerned with domestic matters and the wife takes some responsibility for the financial decisions (Malhotra et al. 1997:620). These findings led my research group to believe that the people of Sri Lanka are generally very similar to those of western societies in regards to household decisions. Education is not something we think about when speaking about developing countries, many assume that it is just not an option for underprivileged people. Although that is the unfortunate truth that effects many third world countries, it does seem that Sri Lanka is on its way to recovering itself. For many years the gender gap between male and female scholars needed to be decreased. In the early 1980’s the percentage of the total amount of people with university degrees that were women was barely above 40%. A more alarming fact might be that the percentage with post-graduate degrees was barely above 25% (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 217). The majority of women pursuing a degree usually did so in the fine arts category or the education and teacher training fields, many staying away from disciplines such as business or engineering. Although these numbers may seem staggering Sri Lanka has shown some promise in terms of social welfare. Programs are now in place to encourage female education and to decrease the inequalities women face today. In the early 1990’s the gender gap between literate males and females was only a 5% difference (Malhotra et al. 1997: 602). Many believe that the more westernized Sri Lanka becomes the more independent the thoughts and wills of women will expand, creating a country of little inequality. Women in the work force today in western society face many barriers; this is after years of trying to refine the social economic status of women. In Sri Lanka, because of its poor economy, employers may have actual complaints that may affect the profitability of their business. In general in Sri Lanka, men are usually preferred over women as employees. Some employers complain that because of the possibility of the need for time off to bear children that it may disrupt the flow of the work force. Many men could feel as though women were being treated with undeserved favoritism, which could cause conflict. Others feel that the financial burden of having to install proper facilities to accommodate women could create too much of a loss that they would not be able to overcome it. The topic of most discussions seems to revolve around the Maternity Amendment Act of 1978, which states that women workers are entitled to six weeks maternity leave with pay. It also states that they are allowed two nursing breaks of one hour each or two breaks of one half hour each when a day care center is available (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 219). Women cannot, under the law, be fired for any reason that stems from them being pregnant. An unfortunate fact that is slowly being eradicated is that many women are just not qualified for the jobs that are available in Sri Lanka. Because of the gender gap in education and training that has plagued Sri Lanka for years this trend will surely continue until the inequality has subsided. In many ways Sri Lanka has come very far in terms of gender equality when discussing kinship and education. However, women’s economic situation has shown to be less favourable. The people of Sri Lanka acknowledge that women have a place in the work force but financially cannot accommodate them. Until the economic growth of Sri Lanka can develop further, people will continue to have the ‘survival of the fittest’ kind of attitude, which will continue to alienate and repress the women or Sri Lanka.

Porters five forces Essay

Threat of New Entry: Obesity is a big problem in the United States which is becoming a government and healthcare issue. Weight Watchers has played a role in the development of a new national awareness of healthful eating, lifestyles changes, and weight control. Weight Watchers International had experienced it biggest threat mostly because of new competition and changes in technology. When the over the counter weightless drug launched it had a drastic effect on their market. Switching Cost – Weight Watchers dropped their prices not because they focused on consumers, but because they are more focus on the health insurance business. Employers are giving incentives to employees to use weight watchers for health insurance purposes. Threat of Substitutes: In the weight loss industry there are lots of substitutes but Weight Watcher appears to be in the business of helping people make lifestyle changes. However, of course they want to make a profit. Weight Watchers is innovative and this is the reason they have been around for 50 years. Weight Watchers realizes the growth in health insurance and realizes their strength is their brand and reputation. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Presence of Substitute Inputs – Weight Watchers has the upper hand in regards to suppliers. They can turn to any alternative especially being an industry leader. Bargaining Power of Customers: Brand Identify-Weight Watchers has a great brand identity being one of the leading diet plans and having 1.4 active members. Weight Watcher uses many celebrities to market their brand to consumers. Rivalry among Existing Competitors: This force could be a big problem since new workout plans and diet products are always popping up on the market. Some diet plans are even using Weight Watchers’ formula for counting points and creating calculators. 1. Threat of new entrance3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5. Rivalry among Existing Competitors 2. Threat of Substitutes4. Bargaining Power of Customers Weight Watchers has a great thing going and will be around for years to come unless someone makes that magic pill to have the fat shed off you overnight. It seems as if the 5 Forces of Competitive Strategy is really working for  them. It also seems as if Weight Watchers understands its industry and where the industry is heading. They found themselves in the position to create a profitable company without totally relying on consumers. Internal forces The strongest part about the weight watchers program is the community and employee morale that comes along with the product. The program consist of two elements that really make the culture thrive. First off is the programs that it offers such as plans and dietary supplements. Second is the community and group support that really makes it hard to contest with. With all the human planning and preparation this is the key to internal success in the business market. External forces Strategy Development. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://strategyatheinz.blogspot.com/2013/05/shaping-weight-loss-with-five-forces-of_30.html

A Film Adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude Essay

We have reached an age, where most things are done through TV and cinema. It is unfortunate many people do not read many books anymore. People would rather sit for a few hours in a dark room eating popcorn and watching a screen. In my opinion it is necessary for more books to be adapted in films. Some people might argue whether a great book such as Madame Bovary and The Great Gatsby can shine in the same light with a film adaptation. With the film techniques available and the great talent this is very possible. I am a strong believer that watching an excellent movie on Pride and Prejudice or any other literary masterpiece is equal to reading the book. For this reason I have taken on the responsibility of adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a novel about a family, the Buendias living in a town called Macondo. The novel is postmodern. There are many instances where time jumps around. Along with the postmodernism feel there is also an element of magical realism. The magical realism is where characters can do things that are not possible in real life. In example of this is Remedios’s ability to fly in the air and go away. The elements of postmodern and magical realism make One Hundred Years of Solitude a difficult novel to adapt. For this particular paper I have chosen to adapt chapter 1. Chapter 1 includes flashbacks, magical realism, and the encounters with the gypsies. I have chosen chapter 1 because it includes the elements the novel is based on. The title of my film on One Hundred Years of Solitude is Opportunity. The main reason I have chosen this title because it is rooted in the last sentence of the novel, â€Å"†¦Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred year of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth (Gabriel Garcia Marquez 448). In this quote, Marquez discusses how civilization with cease to be if there continues to be the solitude that is outlined in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Because the Buendia was the first attempt at a ‘perfect’ world, I have called it Opportunity, since this family was the first opportunity at the ‘utopia’. By adapting chapter 1 of One Hundred Years of Solitude I hope to show that a film can be just as or better than the novel it is based on. One Hundred Years of Solitude is an excellent choice for a film because more and more, films are becoming postmodern and One Hundred Years of Solitude is a prime example of postmodernism. Also, this film would serve as a great tool to show the history of Latin America, as it is a microcosm of it..

World civilization Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

World civilization - Coursework Example tremendous zeal in supporting the crusades aimed at recovering the Holy Land and thereby succeeded in bringing in a measure of political unity in Christendom under the aegis of the Catholic Church (Moore 24). As a Pope he was very tough on the pagans and heretics and took a series of measures aimed at annihilating all sorts of heresies and paganism existent in Europe (Moore 24). This further strengthened the domain of the Church over Europe and made the leading European monarchies pledge subservience to the Pope and hence to the Catholic Church. He centralized the Church’s administration and extended sanctions to the varied Catholic mendicant orders with the sole objective of doing away with the rot and corruption existent in the Catholic Church. One of his biggest achievements was the usage of the Fourth Lateran Council to consolidate the Church’s hold over the ecclesiastical and political proceedings in Europe (Moore

Critiquing a mixed-method study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critiquing a mixed-method study - Essay Example Because it allocates money for expensive operations on the elderly. Such a statement indeed rises up a lot of comments and touches a lot of conflicting attitudes. For one thing it can easily slip into the political arena. The point is that the statement draws upon an important issue the United States is presently facing, the expense of health care. It makes this point as it draws up another important issue, that of the sanctity of life and one's ultimate responsibility in medical care which is to respect that sanctity. Getting back to the theme, apparently the concern which the article lies upon is one shared among several countries in the western world. A recent World Health Publication revealed that in some countries the health system would not think twice about transplanting a kidney to an elderly person. There was a recent program on the radio in which the South African health care system specifically denied such transplants to older age groups. The point is that there are pre-un derstandings behind the Goodridge et al article and they definitely lie upon or assume a western system of values. Is this okay? What does this mean? For one thing this means that there is no 'disembodied intellect' as Horsburgh points out. There is no neutrality here that could take in the position of countries outside the Western realm, such as South Africa. But this view doesn't say the study is wrong on in fault. It simply means, as Flemmings points out, one’s knowledge does come from our social interaction and experiences, and, from then stance of this article, these happen to occur in the Western world. The dominant theme in the United States part of this western World happens to be sensitive questions dealing with health care. Hence the main research question would immediately become suspect, as it would recall the political sphere where such confusing issues as 'death panels' were raised. But it is not the United States. The article is based on Canadian experiences. B ut still, there is a hidden assumption in the article. The assumption is that quality of care can be measureable as significant when one is dying in an intensive care unit and when one is dying of an obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The assumption appears that life can be extended in the case of COPD. Life should, of course, when possible, be extended. It is an assumption that is usually accepted. It is important that this assumption, and if it lies also in the authors, be reflexibly revealed. What would the hypothesis of this article be? Would it be that 'the care needs of people with COPD who die in the ICU' are different from the care needs of people receiving end of life (EOL) care who die in 'critical care settings' without COPD? One cannot be sure. This is a mixed methods study, combining both qualitative and quantitative data. The authors seek to measure the quality of EOL care in the ICU, but have many challenges. One challenge is that the 'ICU patients experience alter ed cognition and are unable to participate directly in quality of care assessments'. 2. The literature review is concerned with describing the difficult state of the patients. It speaks of how depression, anxiety and other illness contributed to the comorbidity state of the patients, explaining the complexity of the care provided. The background reviews literature dealing with the many issues concerning EOL critical

Question Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Question - Lab Report Example om the supply side of Economics, the traditional proposition is that producers should exploit natural resources and subject them to the highest and best use possible. This implies that in our Capitalist dispensation, there is a risk and a possibility that if the fundamental concepts and ideas of Economics are employed, most natural resources are prone to becoming depleted. This is because Economics encourage businesses to exploit the natural resources to the best way and manner possible. This is because anything that can bring money that is not illegal can be pursued. Traditional laws do not criminalise the massive exploitation of resources. This is because the mainstream process of making law is to fundamentally protect the people living in society. Hence, there was a general trend in which traditional Economics neglected the rights of the unborn. Thus, it is generally rare for laws to be made to strictly control the misuse and depletion of natural resources. However, environmental awareness and the need for sustainability have grown over the past 50 years. And the fundamental premise of environmentalism is that there must be some kind of sensitivity to environmental concerns when dealing with Economics. Therefore, there is the need for Economics to be adjusted. There is a natural tendency for Economics to adjust to embrace important changes and modifications in society. Therefore, in relation to sustainability, there is the need for Economics to emphasise on the need for environmental and natural capital to be identified and treated differently and separately from other forms of capital. This new approach must provide metrics and processes for the measurement of environmental footprints of businesses and corporate entities. And with these systems and processes in place, there is the obligation for firms to be tasked with environmental responsibility. And this is to be done through the creation of a Corporate Social Responsibility system that will ensure that

The Pros and cons of globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Pros and cons of globalization - Essay Example The decentralization of economies and goods allowed trade, commerce and services to be transferred to other countries, regardless of distance. Globalization is not only confined to economic sectors, but it has also given rise to the adaptation of social, political and administrative aspects of other countries (Maharjan, 2006). For example the integration of EU made the region competitive by following the common EU foreign policy. EU remains an example where balance is maintained by social solidarity, allowing freedom of movement and establishment across different states (Steinmeier, 2006). The anti-globlist view globalization as a negative phenomenon that has is making rich more richer and poor more poorer. They argue that globolisation has increased poverty and diluted responsibility to the capital owners, slashed down the jobs and increased threats to resources in poor countries with no solution in place. While others mention that positive impact of globalization has removed barriers across the states, accelerating the growth of reforms and allowed greater information access to all parts of the world. (Kennedy, 2001). Globalization has pros and cons and has different interpretations in different continents, which will be discussed further in this essay. The arriv Benefits of Globalization The arrival of global market has allowed the aspiration of big players to expand their niche and derive maximum profit in the global market made possible through geo-economic expansion. Globalization guarantees this sustainable competitiveness through a steady leadership of technological networks, generating added value and production facilities with unlimited human capability. It contributes more to the global development producing greater scientific and technological resources. Even the countries that do not have such vast resources still play essential role in over all global development (Nikolayev, 2004). One of the most important roles of globalization is its economic role in international trade and economy. According to Visto (2002) globalization is competition and reorganization, attracting countries that were in need of investment and such investment improved their economic condition. One such example is Mauritius, where per head income has increased from $500 to 1600 due to foreign investment. The foreign direct investment involves a long reflects a lasting interest in the host country. It implies that the investors have enormous control in another country's economy due to its own interest, which ultimately leads to economic development. Thus any increase in FDI flow is directly associated with increase in GDP. FDI is undertaken by large and technologically advanced firm, which accelerate the speed of economic pace on one sided and also helps in transfer of technology in the host country with heavy return for the firms and provides more jobs in the countries where jobs are scarce. For example when Toyota setup car plants in countries outside Japan, it requires higher level of standard to maintain the quality of it products, which means training the local workers. Thus if Toyota gets the competitive advantage, the host countries gets the skills and jobs. The recent joint ventures of China with Japanese companies are also such move by the Chinese entrepreneurs to get skill directly

Batson v. Kentucky 476 U.S. 79 (1986) Case Study

Batson v. Kentucky 476 U.S. 79 (1986) - Case Study Example In this case, the peremptory challenge that was laid before the court in order to remove all Black representatives in the jury and this was done so without a valid cause. Although the defense tried to object to the jury set up prior to the jury being sworn in, the judge in the case over-ruled their motion stating that the peremptory challenge could be used against anybody that the court felt it should be used against (Batson v. Kentucky). After the decision of the court came out, the defense went to the supreme court to raise their objection once again to the fact that Mr. Batson was tried by a jury composed solely of Whites and therefore, was not truly represented by a jury of his peers as the law promised all of the accused in a jury trial. Supreme Court Justice Powell held the decision that the 14th Amendment was violated in this instance and that in no case can the prosecution ever use a peremptory challenge without stating a valid reason for doing so. The state must always support its claim to have a juror removed with a valid cause. However, a dissenting opinion was voiced by Supreme Court Justice Berger, who believed that although the burden of proof lay within the responsibility of the state, the Equal Protection clause was not violated in this case. Justice Marshall further bolstered the claim of Justice Berger by indicating that the peremptory challenge cannot be used to distort the jury process by exclusion on racial grounds (Batson v. Kentucky). Having now come to an understanding that a peremptory challenge cannot be instigated simply on a whim by either the prosecution or defense, it is important to understand that such a challenge is not the same as a â€Å"challenge for cause†. To make things clearer, let us first differentiate the meaning of the two legal terms. â€Å"... the right of the plaintiff and the defendant in a jury trial to have a juror dismissed before trial without

Financial health of HKM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial health of HKM - Essay Example We see that HKM is doing a profitable business and the profits can sustain growth and expansion. The balance sheet allows a comparison of the assets the company owns and the liabilities. HKM has total assets amounting to 14278. Comparing this with the liabilities it reveals that HKM is not overburdened in any way by debts. Some ratios can help here. Liquidity is defined as a business' ability to meet its financial obligations2. It shows whether it is able to pay its short term bills (liquidity) and also projects whether its going to be able to service its long term debts when they become due (solvency). Two of the applicable ratios to calculate for HKM are: Going by the above analysis, HKM is doing rather well for a two-year old company. The company has recorded an impressive net profit, it is very liquid and the asset turnover ratio confirms that the company is very efficiently utilizing its assets. For more on ratio analysis see Lynch foulks (2001). The next tool of determining the condition of a business is the break-even analysis. According to some authors it is the volume of unit sales that must be made to at least recover the cost of sales3. For HKM Break-even is calculated as below Break-even analysis helps the management of a business to know the volume of sales that is needed to start making a profit4. ... Current ratio. It is a measure of a company's stability and efficiency. It is calculated as Current assets/current liabilities. = 3278: 1 372 = 8.81: 1 This is saying that HKM is able to pay its short-term obligations 8 times over and that's good news. Net working capital ratio. Net working capital is Current assets - current liabilities Net working capital ratio = Net working capital Total assets = 2966 = 0.21 14278 Return on assets. This ratio tells you the asset intensity of a company and is calculated as; Net income/Total assets = 17966:1 14278 = 1.258:1 1. Activity analysis ratio: Assets turnover ratio. Determines the total sales for every asset. The ratio tells you how efficiently a company utilizes its assets. = Sales Total assets = 87824:1 14278 = 6.15:1 Going by the above analysis, HKM is doing rather well for a two-year old company. The company has recorded an impressive net profit, it is very liquid and the asset turnover ratio confirms that the company is very efficiently utilizing its assets. For more on ratio analysis see Lynch foulks (2001). Chapter 2. Break-Even Analysis The next tool of determining the condition of a business is the break-even analysis. According to some authors it is the volume of unit sales that must be made to at least recover the cost of sales3. For HKM Break-even is calculated as below Contribution per item = 87824-56676-3954.6 500 = 54.39 Break-even point = 9227.4 169.66 54.39 Margin of safety = 500-170 * 100 500 = 66% 2.1 Benefits of the break-even analysis. Break-even analysis helps the management of a business to know the volume of sales that is needed to start making a

Financial Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Management - Assignment Example The analysis of the data present in the financial statements helps the top level management of the organization to take a correct decision. The decisions taken after proper analysis of the financial statements are appropriate having reduced chances of flaws. The financial statement is known as the raw form of data which cannot be utilized by anyone without proper knowledge. In such case implementation of different types of analysis tools bring accuracy in the analysis process. Ratio analysis is one such important analysis tool which helps in the analysis of the financial performance of an organization. Ratio Analysis Any sustainable business needs effective financial planning. Ratio Analysis is an essential management tool which helps in improving the financial performance of an organization over time along with providing key indicators associated with the organizational performance (Siddiqui, 2006). The managers use ratio analysis for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the or ganization based upon which new strategies can be evaluated. ... s financial performance, the financial ratios act as an indicator indicating the places where the company requires rectification for achieving competitive advantage. Moreover when the ratios are far above or below the industry standards then it indicate that the company needs to change its existing strategies for bringing their ratio values close to the industry average. There are mainly four types of ratios: 1) Liquidity ratio 2) Profitability Ratio 3) Solvency Ratio 4) Efficiency ratio Liquidity Ratio The liquidity ratios help in finding out whether a company is able in repaying its short term debt in a proper manner. This ratio is very significant because if any company fails in meeting its short term liabilities then it may even lead to bankruptcy (Gallagher and Andrew, 2007; Hitchner and Mard, 2011). High liquidity ratios signify that the organization is performing in an efficient manner for meeting the short term liabilities. In the context of liquidity ratio, two ratios of Kin gfisher Plc have been calculated. The first is the current ratio and the second is the quick ratio. Current Ratio Current Ratio is measured as: Current Ratio = Current Assets/ Current liabilities Calculation of Current ratio As on 1.1.2012 As on 1.1.2013 Current assets 2989 3068 Current liabilities 3050 2870 Current Ratio 0.98 1.07 The current ratio will help in finding out whether Kingfisher Plc is performing in an appropriate manner in order to meet the short term liabilities or not (Kuppapally, 2008). The current ratio of the company has increased from the year 2012 to 2013. This implies that the inventory value of the company has increased significantly. Kingfisher Plc is utilising the current assets in efficient manner for meeting the current liabilities. Quick Ratio Calculation of

Individual Reflective Report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Reflective Report - Term Paper Example The merits of the proposal can be attributed to the thorough research that was done about coming up with the topic and engaging the team members with it. The idea screening and market research questionnaire were well thought out. The questions addressed the key points around the Clarks footwear; its demand, market niche, target audience, and pricing. In the market niche and target audience, I think we should have included examples of advertising fashion magazines like ELLE, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan as a marketing strategy for the company. This is because the age of the target audience is 18-35 and people in this age bracket read these magazines. Furthermore, celebrities who wear these shoes, for example, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Rihanna are a great pull to the social and electronic media marketing strategies. We should have mentioned the social media sites that have been integrated with Clarks for marketing purposes. For example, Clarks is associated with Facebook and Twitter w hich has been incorporated into their proprietary website to promote the brand (Clarks.co.uk, 2014). The SWOT analysis was well done with the main points about the business coming out clearly. However, we could have expounded on the threats column by mentioning the rival companies and then comparing the prices of their products. Under Strengths, we should have included the reason why the shoes are of high quality that is having them made in Vietnam. The other strength we should have incorporated is that the product has increased the number of their Directly Operated Stores that is a defensive strategy by taking the volume share control in the market. In the weakness section I believe most of the facts were left out, For example, we left out that a big chunk of income has always been got from retailers who have a tendency to give the same experience to consumers without showing the dissimilarities between the brands they sell. Also, Clarks have margins that are squeezed, as the selle rs often tend to move the low price pressure onto Clarks (Cps.gov.uk, 2014).

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Paper Essay Example for Free

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Paper Essay My decision to go back to school did not happen overnight. It was a discussion after another with my husband, because we both know, this is a serious matter that needs planning and teamwork with the whole family. Going back to school after 20 years with three children plus working full time will be very challenging. It was more of a personal decision, wanting to advance and achieve more in my chosen field. I’m aware this entails hard work and dedication on my part. My mother even asked me, â€Å"Why bother? You’re already a Director of Nursing†. But deep inside me, I don’t want to stop there. After all these years, I feel rusty, mentally and skills wise. I crave for a mental challenge and hone my communication and written skills to be more effective. â€Å"Great leaders reinvent continuously on a personal level. They are always interested in ways to enhance their own knowledge and skills† (Blanchard Miller, 2007, p. 72). In this essay, I was asked what would be the three challenges I will face in pursuing my study and its corresponding strategies for achieving success. The first challenge is financial. When I called the University and spoke with the financial counselor, I almost choked when I heard the cost. I have an idea beforehand, that going or pursuing graduate school is very costly but I did not realize to be that much. Having two teenagers in a catholic school and a paid help 8-10 hours a day for my special girl, made me think twice again and discuss the matter seriously with my husband. Second challenge for me to study again, is my lack of computer skills, knowledge with APA writing guidelines or writing skills, per se. A friend of mine, who is going to graduate school, mentioned that it demands a lot of writing and research work. This aspect scares me because I don’t have a great background in these areas. During my student days, I don’t have even the basic computer skills and using APA format for my writings. I was doing my presentation using Manila papers, not in the power point back then, and used to the traditional way of learning through reading from textbooks. All of these things, such as navigating the student’s web, looking for on-line resources are all new to me, that is why I am a bit overwhelmed. The third challenge is time management. Balancing my schedule between my family, work and school will definitely be a challenge. My other friend was actually shocked when I mentioned that I’m going for my graduate study. She said, â€Å"What are you doing? Killing yourself by stressing you more? You have a special baby to tend and two teenagers to drive around wherever they have to go, work full time and school? Where will you find time to study? † I know, this will be a tough journey but I’m in for a challenge. To overcome my first challenge, the best strategy is to do proper budgeting. â€Å"A budget plan shows you the flow of money in your everyday life. By making slight adjustments to your budget, you may have the ability to save more† ( â€Å" Informative articles on how to budget,†2009, p. 1). This is something that I will take seriously because I am an impulsive buyer and loves shopping a lot. I have a tendency to shop for the entire family, and spoil them with fancy or beautiful things and not looking at the price. I will be a smart shopper from now on and list things that are only necessary when I do my grocery. I will also cut back some expenses in entertainment such as movies, dining out and personal care such as going to beauty salon and massage parlors. For my second challenge, an open mind and positive attitude towards continued learning will be the best approach. It has been 20 years since I last attended school, but I believe it is not too late to learn and acquire new skills again. I will stick with my goal and will try to overcome any obstacles that will come along the way. Another attitude that I need here is discipline. According to Covey (2004), â€Å"Discipline is just as important as vision. It’s the executing, the making it happen, the sacrifice entailed in doing whatever it takes to realize that vision† (p. 73). Since I’m well aware of all my shortcomings, I’m taking advantage of those free workshops being offered on-line such as Microsoft Office to improve my computer skills. I’ve started reading books also to exercise my brain rather than just watching TV with my kids to improve my critical thinking and writing skills. As for the third challenge of time management, a good strategy here is being organized. Allen (2001) stated, â€Å"Organizing allows your mind to let go of lower-level thinking and graduate to intuitive focusing, undistracted by matters that haven’t been dealt with appropriately† (p. 138). I just bought a planner, and now, I’m writing all my schedules for the month such as my doctor’s appointment, children’s activities, parties to attend, staff meetings and assignments deadline. By looking at my planner every day, it gives me a feeling of control over my life. Planning ahead of time lessen my anxiety and by crossing out each task that has been accomplished, makes me more motivated to finish another one and stay focused to my goal. My journey to finish my study will not be an easy one. I know there will be a lot of obstacles or struggles along the way. But having identified my challenges so far, and effectively applying the strategies to overcome these obstacles will make it easier and worthwhile. Staying focus to my goal, maintaining discipline and having a positive attitude will ultimately lead me to a successful journey. References Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. New York, New York: Penguin Group. Informative articles on how to budget. (2009). 2010 American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc. , (), 1. Blanchard, K. , Miller, M. (2007). The secret What great leaders know-and do. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.. Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8th habit From effectiveness to greatness. New York, New York: Free Press.

Sources of news in the Media

Sources of news in the Media The evolution of the news media has presented an interesting tale to be told over the last several hundred years, and the changes have become more abundant over the last two decades with the advent of new technology and ways of reporting. Getting news and special interest stories to the American public has always been the top priority of the news media, but over the last several years, the way of doing so has evolved tremendously. There are several ways of getting the news to the public, among them television, radio, internet, satellite radio, newspapers, magazines, and even cell phones. The news world is far different today than it was a century ago, and things are on their way to changing even more. People have interacted with the news since the beginning of news media. The printed word was the first incarnation of news media. Newspapers and different forms of propaganda were widespread ever since the written word came into existence. However, with the invention of the printing press (Kreis, 2000), the printed word became more and more commonplace. Before long, learning to read and write became a priority for the learning processes of children all over the world and education became a major part of a childs life. Once the printing press was commonplace, the act of publishing newspapers became an everyday occurrence. At first, reading newspapers and books was something reserved for the economically and social elite. However, with advances in education and more and more people in the states becoming literate, people began to read newspapers. With the freedom of the press instilled into the United States Bill of Rights, the press began covering subjects that was at one time off limits, such as religion, government, politics, and other sensitive material. Editorial pages began appearing and people began writing letters to the papers, voicing their opinions and trying to be heard. In the early 1900s, the invention of the radio became a major player in the world of news and the press. News reporters began covering stories and events, and for the first time, people were able to hear major history making news stories within 24 hours of the events actually happening, and sometimes even live in real time. One particular impact of radio was noticed in the audio recording provided by reporter Herbert Morrison at the scene of the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937 (Widner, 2008). The day after the disaster in New Jersey, the recording of Mr. Morrison covering the explosion of the giant zeppelin was broadcast on NBC and several other major news networks. In those days, most of the large radio stations never broadcast recorded material and preferred to be all live, all the time when broadcasting the news. This was one of the few exceptions of that rule. Morrisons broadcast went down in history as one of the most famous ever recorded and has been referred to millions of times since. In the 1940s and 1950s, a new invention called television opened up the possibilities of better news coverage. The evening news became a staple in homes across America, especially once the country made its way into the 1960s, when most households in America had finally purchased a television set. People around America had a visual news source, and in addition to radio, newspapers, and such newspapers as Time and Life, America now had several great ways to keep up with news both locally and abroad. Aside from television going to colour, the news and the way people engaged it maintained its status quo for several years. The next big change came in 1980, when Atlanta businessman Ted Turner founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first ever twenty four hour cable news station. This dramatically changed the landscape of broadcast journalism, and forced the evening news programs to step up their efforts to keep viewers, especially since the American public no longer had to wait until six o clock at night to catch the latest news. This also hurt newspapers to a small extent, who had to look for other ways to entertain, as well as inform in the growing competitiveness of the news market. In the 1990s, the broadcast journalism market grew by leaps and bounds. Along with several new cable news channels such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and business networks such as CNBC, the American public was also introduced to a new medium: the internet. The internet made its major impact on journalism with a story involving President Bill Clinton. On January 17, 1998, internet writer Matt Drudge obtained the information that Newsweek was on the verge of reporting that the President Bill Clinton had had an extramarital affair with a White House intern but had scrapped the story (Whitworth, 2008). He posted it on the internet, and the next day supplied the womans name. That woman was Monica Lewinsky, and the story grew into quite possibly the biggest bombshell in Presidential history. This story also started a major trend of breaking news hitting the internet first before any other source and made way for internet journalism. After the Lewinsky scandal broke, it became commonplace for the internet to be the grounds on which to break sensational stories without risking the consequences of being wrong on national television. Over the next decade and up to present day, national news networks, newspapers, and several other news outlets used the internet more and more extensively in their research and work. The internet was also a place free of censorship, and reporters could get away with a lot more on their own personal web pages as opposed to working for a big corporate news outlet. Over the last several years, more and more people are getting into the journalism business, often putting their amateur skills to work on their own and not relying on an employer. In ways, this has both helped and hurt the media, but the final impact of this trend will not be seen for some time. News media has come a long way since the first newspapers were printed on the press over two hundred years ago. Now, nearly any American can access any news they want with a few mouse clicks and the push of a button. The radio, television, and the internet all now offer 24 hour, around the clock live news coverage and have made all media accessible to anyone. The convenience is there, but with so many sources, it now becomes an issue of credibility. How does one know that their source is correct and who to believe? Only through hard work, research, and a keen eye and ear can todays journalists and readers alike engage the news and get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is the price of todays journalism environment. References Kreis, Steven, 2000. The Printing Press, The History Guide website, http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html, retrieved July 27, 2008. Widner, James F., 2008. Hindenburg Disaster, http://www.otr.com/hindenburg.shtml, retrieved July 28, 2008. Hughes, Lain, 2004. The New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2643, retrieved July 29, 2008. Whitworth, Damian. 2008. Oral History: The Monica Lewinsky Scandal Ten Years On. Times Online http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article3185449.ece, retrieved July 28, 2008.

The Concept of Efficiency Essay -- Efficiency Philosophy Essays

The Concept of Efficiency This article aims to give an analysis of the concept of efficiency. The importance of such an analysis lies in the fact that the role which efficiency plays in different sectors of our society leads to opposite evaluations resulting in a clash of opinions concerning this role. In order to clarify this situation, I first trace the historical roots of the concept. This brief historical reconnaissance shows that ‘efficiency’ is not a unitary concept. Moreover, I also argue that our use of the concept of efficiency presupposes the decisions which we make with regard to the kinds of costs we recognize. Such decisions do not come out of the blue; they relate to the opposite evaluations of efficiency mentioned above. The decisions concerning what we consider to be costly determine in part the actual content of the concept of efficiency. I argue that this content must be in harmony with the meaning of the different practices in which we are engaged, otherwise this concept can ea sily lead us astray. Therefore, a proper use of the concept of efficiency demands a clear and reliable view of these meanings. 1. Introduction Efficiency is a concept widely used by economists, engineers, organization theorists, consultants, politicians, managers and others. It figures large in the many vocabularies that abound in the world today and it seems that 'efficiency' is one of the focuses of Western culture. Efficiency has met with enthousiasm as well as critique. An early advocate of efficiency is Frederick Taylor (1911). (1) Shortly after, John Dewey made critical remarks on scientific management but considered efficiency to be a "servant of freedom" (Middle Works, Vol. 10, p. 119). Kotarbinsky (1968) defended e... ...8 R.Heilbroner An Inquiry into the Human Prospect. New York 1974. ———Business Civilization in Decline. New York 1977. ———Behind the Veil of Economics. New York 1988. T.Hobbes The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, Vol.3. Aalen 1962, repr.London 1839-1845. F.Klemm A History of Western Technology. New York 1959. T.Kotarbinsky Praxiology. An Introduction to the Sciences of Efficient Action. Oxford 1968. G.W.Leibniz SÃ ¤mtliche Schriften und Briefe. Erste Reihe. Berlin 1950. J.St.Mill Complete Works, Vol. II, III. London 1968. H.Mintzberg Mintzberg on Management. New York 1990. H.Simon Administrative Behavior. New York 19763. Reason in Human Affairs. New York 1983. R.C.Solomon Ethics and Excellence. Oxford 1993. F.W. Taylor The Principles of Scientific Management.19111, New York 1967. Xenophon Memorabilia and Oeconomicus. London 1923.

Aristotle :: essays research papers fc

Research Paper: Aristotle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle (b. 384 - d. 322 BC), was a Greek philosopher, logician, and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory. Aristotle’s’ writing reflects his time, background and beliefs.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle was born at Stagira, in Macedonia. His father, Nichomacus, was the personal physician to the King of Macedonia, Amyntas. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle left for Athens to study at Plato’s Academy. He studied at the Academy for about twenty years, up until Plato’s death. Plato’s death sent Aristotle to a city in Asia Minor, called Assos, where his friend, Hermias was ruler(Encarta). It was in Assos where Aristotle met, Pythias, who is described as either a niece or daughter of Hermias, who Aristotle married after the murder of Hermias, by the Persians. Aristotle then went to Pella, the capitol of Macedonia, where he became the tutor for the king’s son, Alexander, who later became Alexander the Great. When Alexander became King, Aristotle went to Athens where he began to lecture at the Lyceum. He lectured while walking about in one of its covered walkways, earning him the nickname Peripatetic†, which means walking about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle lectured and directed the Lyceum for twelve years, producing during this time the lecture notes which now form his works. Only a small amount of Aristotle’s works have survived. The writings which did survive like: â€Å"Metaphysics,.† which were his writings on the nature, scope, and properties of being; and â€Å"Physics,† his writings on astronomy, meteorology, plants, and animals, these writings have changed the way we think and live. Aristotle’s works encompassed all the major areas of thought: logic, science, metaphysics, ethics, and politics. He developed a new, non-Platonic theory of form, created a system of deductive reasoning for universal and existential statements, produced a theory of the cosmos, matter, life, and mind, and theorized about the relationship between ethics and politics and the nature of the good life(Young Students Encyclopedia). His system rival Plato’s for the next 2000 years.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle was a firm believer that philosophy came from wonder, and that knowledge came from experience. He had a wealth of knowledge, from many experience; if he was correct about philosophy coming from wonder, he would have had to wonder quite a bit. Aristotle was a genius, this is evident in his writings, because the ideas and concepts he proposed in his writing were ahead of his time. Aristotle learned from the best and taught the best so his ideas and thoughts were always being challenged, which made him thrive for knowledge. Aristotle is consider to be the one of best if

Flowering Judas Essay -- Analysis, Katherine Anne Porter

Judas Iscariot, the disciple, hanged himself from a tree after betraying Jesus Christ and giving him a kiss. The tree in which Judas hanged himself is known as â€Å"Judas Tree† mainly found in Southern Europe and Western Asia. In the short story â€Å"Flowering Judas† written by Katherine Anne Porter the title is related to this religious event of betrayal, murder, and denial. The two main characters in this short story are Braggioni and Laura. Braggoni is a cruel, powerful leader of Marxist revolutionaries in and around Mexico City. Laura a beautiful American women, age 22, who took up residence in Mexico. The most known theme in Porter’s short story â€Å"Flowering Judas† is betrayal. Laura, Braggioni, Braggioni’s wife, and Eugenio are all guilty of betrayal. Laura betrayals love in her life. By rejecting all men who intend to reach for her heart. Laura pictures Braggioni a â€Å"revolutionist would be lean, animated by heroic faith, a vessel of abstract virtues† (Porter p.1692). Picturing a revolutionist as a Christ figure. Laura betrays Braggioni by leading him to believe that she is interested in him. â€Å"She knows what Braggioni would offer her, and she must resist tenaciously without appearing to resist† (Porter p. 1692). Laura does not intend to tell Bragioni to vanish from her life. Laura fears that she might mess with his pride and knows that Braggioni is powerful that it can lead in to hurting her. Porter states â€Å"Braggioni is cruel to every one, for it is dangerous to offend him, and nobody has this courage† (p. 1992). Not only is Laura betraying Braggioni but Braggioni’s wife as well. Laura is committing adultery by being leading false judgment on a married man, and she can cause a separation of somebody else’s marriage. A nineteen ye... ...ura declares that she has taken the narcotics to Eugenio. In the last supper where Jesus Christ presented his disciples with bread as his body and wine as his blood; they were to eat and drink of it in memory of him and accepting him as their savior. In the end of the story Porter presents to us a related event in a dream that Laura has with Eugenio. Eugenio says to Laura in the dream â€Å"Then eat these flowers, poor prisoner,† and from a Judas tree he stripped the warm bleeding flowers, and held them to her lips (p.1700). Here Porter mentions Judas as to referring to the disciple that betrayed Jesus. By Laura accepting and eating the bleeding leave from Eugenio, ripped from the Judas tree, she is accepting the contribution in his murder. Just as a Christian’s accept Jesus on Sundays by Holly Communion. Laura has betrayed Eugenio by participating in his murder.

Compare the poems for childhood and parenting

Wordsworth present his views on childhood and parenting, in many ways such as language, structure and form. He portrays children as the epitome of innocence while he depicts adults as the essence of experience. His poems had set the foundations of childhood and parenting. The three main poems that show this are: The Idiot Boy, We are Seven and Anecdote for Fathers. Wordsworth uses The Idiot Boy to ask the reader two questions. The first regards the happenings of his imagination especially what happened at night and the second regards of his imaginative adventures. Wordsworth does this intentionally, to show that children use their imagination to keep themselves occupied, also he might have wanted to show that their imagination was one of the keys to a hopeful future or their personality. Wordsworth explores different states of mind of both the mother and the son. The mother is shown through the language used. She experiences a range of emotions: overconfidence, doubt, fear and anxiety. However, when we compare her to her son, who is mentally disabled he remains joyful, innocent, imaginative and closer to nature than even his mother he remains unperturbed. The rhyming scheme is first established after the 1st verse, abccb, it adds pace and suspense and it underpins a sense of comedy. Wordsworth doesn't only use this rhyming scheme to add a sense of comedy, but it is like a nursery rhyme, so it can be enjoyable and understandable to everyone. Wordsworth portrays the mother as someone who is caring, also someone Wordsworth would trust as she would protect her loved one. The language of the poem is very positive as Wordsworth uses words such as â€Å"glee† and â€Å"merry†. These adjectives give a sense of hope and respect towards Johnny. Therefore Wordsworth wants to portray children as a pure being, someone you must not tarnish with logic or even education, as they will learn their knowledge from the best teacher; imagination or nature. Another poem, where the readers see Wordsworth conveying his views on childhood and parenting is in We are Seven, this poem is slightly different compared to the other Wordsworth poems, as we see two perspectives on death, one by the little girl and another by the ignorant narrator who could be a father, at first until he is taught by the little girl. It is structured in four sections, Verses 1-3- are about the girl and her landscape, verses 4-9- are outlining her family background and her response to the narrator's enquiry. Verses 10-15 are a filling out of her enigmatic reply about her life and the death of her siblings. The stand-off between these two is polarised and entrenched positions. Wordsworth uses his language, to make the girl and the narrator take a different viewpoint on death, the girl's language is obviously taken from the mother and it is euphemistic: â€Å"released from her pain† and â€Å"[John] was forced to let go†. This conveys the pain the little girl had to suffer; she is trying to ease her pain and trying to make the reader suffer less. Wordsworth is showing that children are knowledgeable. However, she does not like the fact of death at all, as it saddens her. She still keeps the memory of her loved ones, which is only seen in children rather than adults. Wordsworth deceptively uses simple approach in language and form, the poet has suggested that we can share and accept the mystery of this young's girl view. Wordsworth makes this poem more like a nursery one with the use of internal rhyming such as â€Å"green† and â€Å"seen†. It is written in quatrains consisting of 3 lines of iambic tetrameter and a final line which is an iambic trimester, the mood is a sing-song. This makes the poem more towards the child and Wordsworth is trying to present her as a strong character. He portrays the narrator as a preacher, something Romantics hated. As he tries to force his religious teachings upon everyone, however the roles are swapped, the little girl is teaching him, that he must care about everyone but especially children, as they are all individuals, who should not be ruined by logic and rationality. Like We are Seven, Anecdote for Fathers explores the nature of wisdom in children and adults. Similarly it is written in quatrains with 3 iambic tetrameters and a final iambic trimester, rhyming abab. It also, like We are Seven, encourages us to view the father ironically and to see his interrogation of his son, something initiated â€Å"in very idleness†, as an adult indulgence, either to fill a moment or to selfishly focus on his own sentiments and emotions. Even though the boy responds illogically, it portrays to us the feelings that Wordsworth might have had during his childhood, as the child doesn't know how to respond to the father it's quite difficult for him. The boy is suffering due to his father's alteration of mood or his complex emotions that are unknown to the child. The poem contrasts the cynicism and selfishness of the father with the physical and mental purity of the child. Time is meaningless anyway to a child's short existence and the poem illustrates how children are corrupted by society and adults. Wordsworth is implying that we should not force logic and rationality on our children, as we must respect their feelings: we are not all the same and that is the key to the mystery and beauty of life. In the last verse it can be seen that the father is the ‘child of the man'. The child can be seen as a symbol of nature, which is common in the three poems of Wordsworth. Overall it can be said, that Wordsworth sees a cynical point of view towards parents, but not towards the mother. It can be also said that the narrator and the father are both male, he could be seen as quite anti-male. He sees children as someone we must delicately take care, as they are our future's generation and happiness.

Applying Lean Logistics to Scm

Applying Lean Logistics to SCM The system of interconnected businesses used to push a product from supplier to consumer is defined as a supply chain. Supply chain management (SCM)[1] focuses on managing the supply chain in an effort to improve the quality and time it requires to manufacture a product. The marriage of lean production and supply chain management creates lean supply chain management, which provides a much leaner and more economical supply chain for the product to flow through. Much uncertainty about what supply chain management entails is present in today’s society.Many people treat supply chain management as being synonymous with logistics, which is the management of the flow of goods from the origin to the consumers. However, supply chain management encompasses much more than the purchasing or management of goods to the consumer. Supply chain management is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers. The following are five basic components of SCM. [2]The concept of Supply Chain Management is based on two core ideas. The first is that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations. These organizations are referred to collectively as the supply chain. The second idea is that while supply chains have existed for a long time, most organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their â€Å"four walls. † Few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer.The result was disjointed and often ineffective supply chains. Supply chain management, then, is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective and efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities.Lean is how a properly designed and operated supply chain should function. A lean supply chain process has been streamlined to reduce and eliminate waste or non-value added activities to the total supply chain flow and to the products moving within the supply chain. Waste can be measured in time, inventory and unnecessary costs. Value added activities are those that contribute to efficiently placing the final product at the customer. The supply chain and the inventory contained in the chain should flow. Any activity that stops the flow should create value.Any activity that touches inventory should create value. Supply chains gain waste and non-value added activities for many reasons, both internal to the company and external. Regaining the lean supply chain may mean addressing many of the same issues that created the problems of extra and unneeded time, inventory and costs. The ideal approach is to design the perfect supply chain and fit your company’s operation onto it. Supply chain management is meant to reduce excess inventory in the supply chain. A supply chain should be demand driven.It is built on the pull approach of customers pulling inventory, not with suppliers pushing inventory. Excess inventory reflects the additional time with the supply chain operation. So the perfect supply chain would be lean with removing wasteful time and inventory. A supply chain, with the pull, flows back from deliveries to the store or to the customer warehouse back through to purchase orders placed on suppliers. Anything that delays or impedes this flow must be analyzed as a potential non-value added activity.To develop a lean supply chain, firms should: understand lean is an ongoing, continuous improvement approach as compare d to business process reengineering which can be viewed as a one-time change, build a multi-discipline team for the project-one that understands lean supply chain management, analyze the total supply chain process, not just the outbound part or just the inbound part, calculate the risks of the lean supply chain, rationalize the process, improve the process to drive change.Lean supply chain management is not about â€Å"fixing† what someone else is doing wrong. It is about identifying and eliminating waste as measured in time, inventory and cost across the complete supply chain. This requires continuous effort and improvement. ———————– [1] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Supply_chain_management [2] http://www. cio. com/article/40940/Supply_Chain_Management_Definition_and_Solutions

Mobile Phones Essay

Scheme 1: A payment of 15 per month for the line rental, plus 50p per minute for each call made Scheme 2: A payment of 24 per month for the line rental, plus 20p per minute for each call made Scheme 3: A payment of   31 per month for the line rental, plus 10p per minute for each call made. I am going to investigate which scheme is best for people using mobile phones. I will also vary the line rental, vary the cost of each call, make comparisons, and make generalisations. I will show graphs, tables and a conclusion to my investigation. Scheme 1: A payment of   15 per month for the line rental, plus 50p per minute for each call made. My conclusion to my investigation is that all 3 schemes are cheap in there own way. Scheme 1 is good for people who like to make the odd call for a very short period of time in a month. Scheme 2 is good for people who maybe are more likely to use there mobiles more often but not for long in a month. Scheme 3 is good for people who want to and need to use it frequently and make long periods of calls per month. So there is no real best scheme for people to use, it depends on who the person is and how often and long they will use the mobile phone in a month. The 3 schemes could be used for a family who has 4 members. Scheme 1 would be ideal for there kids who would just need it for the quick call to get picked up from school, scheme 2 would maybe suite the mother because she would want it to keep in contact with her kids and her husband, and scheme 3 mite benefit the husband who could use it for keeping in contact with his family and also to use it for clients at work.

The Importance of Tourism for the Malaysian Economy in a Recession

Given the relatively small size of our economy, Malaysia is a country heavily reliant on exports as a source of income. Manufacturing, our biggest foreign exchange earner, currently accounts for the bulk (70%) of total exports led by electronic parts and components, followed by commodities such as oil and gas as well as palm oil. As long as this over-dependency remains, Malaysia will always be exposed to the risks of the cyclical nature of global ICT product demand and the speculative prices of raw materials. Based on the growth experience of industrialized economies, manufacturing has also already reached its optimum share of 30% contribution to the Malaysian GDP. In other words, traditional means of exports will continue to decline and diversification of our export earnings is imperative for us to compensate for the resulting gaps. Dato Seri Najib Razak’s recent announcement of further liberalization to the services sector couldn’t have been more well-timed. Through this, we can expect to speed up our reduction of on imported services while boosting our exports (in various other categories) to register a healthier overall bank balance. We’ve only just started seeing trade surplus for services since 2007. This would not have been possible without tourism, which contributes to almost 50% of the services sector and Malaysia’s 2nd largest foreign exchange earner. Besides having an incredible multiplier effect in terms of income and employment distribution due to far-reaching linkages to other sectors (construction, finance, insurance, manufacturing etc. – tourism, unlike other goods or services, has no exact substitutes; meaning demand for holidays is more likely to grow rather than be traded with something else. Neither is it subjected to price fluctuations affected by speculative factors like commodities for example. If the index of average international tourist expenditure equals the price of the international product , prices received enjoy greater stability versus raw materials. In fact, prices have tended to increase in a stable manner due to among other things, demand for holidays and the rigidity of destination supply in the short and medium term. Tourism also has the capacity to recover foreign-currency investment in a shorter time – a strong motivation for FDI inflows to the country. The UNWTO estimates that a medium-class beach hotel in a developing country will earn back in 1 year the entire foreign exchange required to build and equip it. In this bleak climate however, decline in international arrivals is naturally expected. Unless enough measures are put in place to safeguard the industry – the impact would overwhelming on not just travel per se, but on a massive chunk of businesses that rely on tourism as a demand stimulus. There are several key things we need to do. Firstly, we need to be extremely targeted in terms of our source markets. This recession is quickly speeding up the shift of economic power to emerging economies – the result of the contrast between the excess of savings in Asia and the debt burden of Europe and North America. While it is a global downturn, China, India, and MENA region are still expected to post positive growth – which is a far cry from the -3% growth forecasted for developed countries. Besides ASEAN, contribution of international arrivals from these countries will make up a substantial share of our prospects. What this also means, is that our ASEAN counterparts would be vying for the same piece of the pie. Even more difficult is the fact ASEAN destinations share their own equivalent of what Malaysia offers as a travel destination – common key interests like cultural experiences, beaches and spas, historical monuments, shopping, local cuisine, sports etc. As witnessed from most communication efforts both regionally and globally, countries have more often than not packaged these attractions together in a beautifully crafted montage of pictures either on television or print advertising that spells out what a destination has to offer. During a time when such demonstrations become expected proof of value, how do we then break through the clutter and arrest the traveler’s attention? To do this, we need to create ideas that mean something to them, ideas they would want to spend their time with. Value need not necessarily mean tangible or functional attractions to a traveler alone. Rather than starting with the multitude of things a destination has to offer, we need to look at our arrival prospects as people first – and identify a fundamental need, that could be emotional or rational, before tailoring our destination to resolve them. An example of how this approach has worked lies within Tourism Malaysia’s own communications targeting the South and West Asian markets by JWT-Sen Media Malaysia in 2008. In India, 2 large and rapidly growing segments of travelers were identified – honeymooners and young, affluent working couples with kids. Surveys revealed an interesting discovery amongst newlyweds, the fact that a majority of marriages in India were still largely arranged, by choice. A honeymoon for them is akin to a couple on a first date, where an awkward tension exists between both parties. By tapping on this, we demonstrated the emotional value of a Malaysian holiday by telling a story of how a relatively unknown man called a husband becomes a close friend of a woman with each passing day, having gone through different experiences in Malaysia together. As for young families – the main motivation behind a holiday is to indulge in quality time with their family, as 55% feel they don’t spend enough time with their children back home. To capture this segment, a story of a busy, successful boss who rediscovers the dad in him was spun around a holiday experience in Malaysia. Similarly for West Asia, we tapped on a finding that the target looked forward to the refreshing feeling of â€Å"water† when they go on a holiday, as it’s a transient form of escapism from their natural surroundings. We sought to bring this feeling to life by weaving a tale about a little girl who comes to Malaysia with her parents, equipped with a tiny parasol, looking for cool hills and the excitement of rain†¦and finds it. Through selling value based on fundamental â€Å"people† motivations instead of purely selling the destination, Malaysia posted a growth of arrivals from India by 28% within the months of October to December 2008 (when the campaigns ran) versus the same period during a recession-free 2007. In the largest West Asian markets – Saudi Arabia and Iran posted an astonishing 47% and 64% growth in arrivals respectively. The question we need to ask ourselves now is – what are travelers looking for in these times, and how do they want to feel? Once this has been identified – it’s a matter of ensuring the most efficient way to reach them. While this sounds seemingly simple, the proliferation of channels to reach ever-changing consumers is continuing to evolve rapidly. It’s no longer enough to assume threshold weight on traditional mediums like print or TV advertising alone to talk to different segments of travelers with incredibly different needs. The availability of broadband connections has expanded speedily in our target markets – the number of Internet users in China has grown by over 40% YOY to 298 million in 2008, whereas in India, a growth of 33% was seen among urban users. Increasingly, travelers in the Asia Pacific region prefer to plan their travels online – 75% of them in fact, as evidenced by the latest PATA/Visa Travel Intentions Survey; strongly catalyzed by the growth in low-cost airlines over the years, where most transactions happen online. Planning usually kicks off broad based, before honing into destinations that arrest their attention for more focused planning. The Internet allows travelers to find what interests them more easily and connect with like-minded people in ways they never could before. Top sources for information are travel, hotel, airline websites, as well as word-of-mouth and recommendations. Where the latter stemmed mostly from family and friends in the past; it has found its way to be readily available in the form of travel blogs, networking sites and various other forums. The Internet as an alternative media channel is unrivalled in its targeting and accountability, providing the capability to track what people search for and where they surf – and allow communications and information to be tailored specifically to travelers’ presumed special interests. The on-going advancements of the infrastructure also give much fluidity to the medium; allowing the creation of the destination experience digitally to make travelers feel a certain way; which is far more powerful than asking people to think about the value. In the TV era, getting trial happened at the end of the marketing process – now it can be the start.

Louis Vuitton Case Study Essay

The global luxury goods’ marketplace in the past decade has experienced nothing short of a complete evolution and transformation. This industry has endured global economic downturns in advanced economies such as the United States requiring them to branch out of their comfort zones and expand into emerging markets specifically the BRIC countries. These Asian nations possess high GDP rates that are anticipated to increase significantly in the upcoming years. Luxury goods were once a possession of strictly the wealthy, brand conscious consumer with a high disposable income. Within these developing economies reside a â€Å"new breed of young entrepreneurs and noveau riche consumers†, offering large potential within the middle class market for luxury brands (Pan). Although these countries offer significant promise, access will come at the cost of fierce competition, potential of counterfeiting and international trade barriers. Bernard Arnault, the head of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy brands, recognizes that penetration, growth and development in these emerging markets are a critical part of the brand’s long-term global strategy. LVMH is the parent company of around 50 sub-companies that run autonomously and implements the Star Brand formula. The company is determined to capture the growing Asia market with particular focus on China, Japan, South Korea and India. Although these areas are quite affluent and familiar with Western luxuries, LVMH faces difficult challenges such as raising consumer awareness, counterfeiting, and emphasizing purchase within one’s own nation state. The recommendations of this case analysis addresses each of the challenges and offers both a short term and a long-term implementation plan. If LVMH executes the suggested recommendations, the organization will be a global powerhouse by both western and eastern standards. LVMH’s Mission, Vision and Core Values LVMH Mission: To represent the most refined qualities of Western â€Å"Art de Vivre† around the world. LVMH must continue to be synonymous with both elegance and creativity. Their products, and the cultural values they embody, blend tradition and innovation, and kindle dream and fantasy. Five Fundamental Values: Be creative and innovative Aim for product excellence Bolster the image of brands with passionate determination Act as entrepreneurs Strive to be the best in all they do Challenges Maintain Status as the Leader in the Luxury Goods Market Part of LVMH’s mission is to be the leader in the global market for luxury goods. LVMH is the world’s largest and most profitable player in the luxury goods market. They have established this with a product life cycle that emphasized product elegance, quality and uniqueness. The challenge is to stay on top. The vision of the company is to maintain its customer’s loyalty and its strong brand name, while finding new markets worldwide. LVMH is working hard at keeping its star brands in the limelight and constantly reinforcing the value of its brands. Economic Downturns Threat of New Entrants: Multiple distributions channels/marketing strategies Brand loyalty and recognition of larger companies Large investment cost for initial entrance Government intervention (import tariffs) A plethora of distribution channels are available for new entrants into the luxury goods industry. These marketing strategies include but are not limited to franchising, mergers and acquisitions. Many of today’s largest luxury concerns have achieved their success globally through implementation of these approaches. Although opportunity exists for new entrants, barriers are quite high in regards to qualitative and quantitative measures. Mature and established luxury goods brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, have a strong brand loyalty and recognition amongst consumers, suppliers and retailers (Manning-Schaffel). Luxury goods raise awareness and sales to the public through marketing tactics, which are quite costly. With any product in the early stages of the product development there is a substantial initial investment required to create brand consciousness. This is most felt by small and or independent brands. A typical global advertising campaign is extremely costly and ultimately drives sales (Wittner). Lastly, depending on the country a luxury good is looking to penetrate government intervention and import tariffs may act as a barrier, especially in the Asian market. In China alone, import duties have increased from 10% to 30% since 2007 (hktdc.com). Regardless the amount of tariffs imposed and transportation costs make it quite difficult for new entrants into the  luxury goods global market place. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Various suppliers available Independent sourcing initiatives Supplier bankruptcy Within the luxury goods industry, a suppliers’ role is to provide materials such as fabric, and raw goods in order to create the end high quality end products. The number of suppliers varies based on geographical location and specific material need. Hence supplier power can vary but in most cases is quite high. Therefore because some raw materials are limited and/or more costly across the globe many concerns are taking matters into their own hands. The brand Hermes is a perfect example of this. In the past the group had worked with crocodile suppliers in Louisiana, but due to high charged costs this changed (Wheeler). Instead the luxury group now breeds its own crocodiles in Australia independently in order to address global demands for the Birken handbag (Jlieman). During the current economic times and conditions many suppliers have been forced to file bankruptcy. This has a detrimental effect on many luxury concerns. According to one article, â€Å"the company would lose time trying to buy materials directly, resulting in a delay in the construction† (Jieman). The time it takes to switch suppliers is also one that is quite costly to the luxury concern. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Global economic & security crisis Brand recognition and perceived value High concentration of distribution channels There have been several notable economic and security crises that have occurred globally, which have had significant impact on the luxury goods market place. Therefore buyers (consumers) have a significant possess a tremendous amount of power. The last few years have shown that no country is invincible to recession. This point is evident in the Asian financial crisis, the current United States recession and most recently, the debt crisis of the European Union. Strict financials are not the only woes causing decrease sales in the luxury goods industry. Decline in travel is also attributed to security issues. These security concerns include the terrorist attack on the United States in 2001, as well the SARS outbreak and chicken flu within Asian in 2003. Each of these events has had a detrimental effect on the luxury goods market (Prince Associates 2008). Security measures have escalated tremendously and are conducted far more thoroughly therefore increasing travel. The luxury goods market therefore has seen considerable growth (Prince Associates 2008). Many residents within Asia will travel internationally for western goods due to perceived quality and value associated with specific brands, such as Louis Vuitton (Chadha). There is a high concentration of distribution channels of luxury goods ranging from high-end retail chains to privately owned boutiques. Due to the global recession, buyers within these channels have a substantial amount of bargaining power. It is important to note that this bargaining power varies significantly around brand. For example, Louis Vuitton and Hermes offer no sales or discounts to their products regardless of geographical location. Therefore there is little bargaining power possessed by buyers. It is this lack of negotiation to both consumers and buyers that increased the perceived value of brands (Noor). Threat of Substitutes: Counterfeit merchandise presence Increase in discounted designer goods Purchase of designer goods overseas versus in home country Although many financial opportunities exist for luxury brands to expand their availability internationally, there is also a presence for threats of counterfeits. These risks are most often associated to Asian markets, in particular China and Hong Kong. According to a USA Today article, it has been calculated that 80% of all confiscated counterfeit luxury goods originate from China (O’Donnell). This imitation merchandise is available through an array of distribution channels ranging from the street vendors to online store sites. These outlets allow for individuals to purchase these goods at a low cost regardless of geographical residence. Therefore, threat of substitutes is radically high. In a time of global recession, many designers have adjusted their products to a cost effective strategy. Products such as Prada and Gucci for example allow for their high-end merchandise to be sold at a discounted price in order to reduce inventory. In addition, designers such as Vera Wang and Dana Buchman have created lines to be sold at retailers such as Target and Kohls to appeal to the middle class (Coffey). Jimmy Choo who also offers a special line to H&M in certain geographical areas implements this sales strategy (Sibbles & Pidd). Louis Vuitton as mentioned above does not offer sales or discounts on any fashion or leather goods merchandise and therefore runs a high risk of substitution to price sensitive consumers (Noor). Prices are raised internationally in order to offset the price of import tariffs to certain geographical settings. For example for European luxury brands in order to import goods to the Asian market the price of the good significantly greater than one would pay in a European country. This has caused the threat of substitutions to rise. Competitive Rivalry: Large concerns economies of scale Availability of counterfeit merchandise Shift from â€Å"superluxe to simpleluxe† (Wheeler) Competitive rivalry is exceptionally high globally in the luxury goods market. This occurs because of the existence of many large economies of scale, availability of designer counterfeit merchandise, low cost designer products, and a shift from expensive elaborate brands to more simplistic less expensive ones. One reason in particular is that there are several large concerns of economies of scale. These concerns include but are not limited to Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, Gucci and Cartier. According to hoovers.com, â€Å"Large companies have advantages in economies of scale in operations, can more easily raise capital, and have strong name recognition†. It is with this available capital that successful advertising campaigns have been launched, driving market share and consumer brand loyalty. As mentioned previously, the availability and demand of counterfeit designer goods is on the rise. Availability of this merchandise decreases sales of the legitimate designer products. According to one article by Donald Brown a journalist from the Independent, â€Å"Research has found as many as seven out of 10 buyers of luxury goods are willing to â€Å"mix and match† designer brands alongside known fakes. And evidence has emerged of a soaring market for â€Å"lookalike† goods in which cheaper products are passed off as the real thing, simply without the designer label† (Brown). The depressed global economy has been named the main culprit in even the rich and wealthy seeking â€Å"simpleluxe vs. superluxe† (Wheeler). This transition defined in an article by Karen Wheeler is that many people, â€Å"†¦are looking for now is simple-luxe – smaller, accessibly priced luxuries that improve everyday life rather than flaunting your wealth† (Wheeler). This phenomenon has been seen across continents, as individuals are not willing to spend a month’s salary on a luxury good, therefore impacting the luxury goods industry tremendously, especially on sales of their bigger price tag items. Alternatives LVMH should introduce security labels to eliminate counterfeiting and for â€Å"gray-market† protection. Pros: Implement â€Å"intelligent security labels†, a unique label that will identify genuine Louis Vuitton products from counterfeited products. Louis Vuitton created the signature monogram Canvas to prevent counterfeiting. The company takes counterfeiting seriously and employs a team of lawyers and special investigation agencies that are actively pursuing offenders through the courts worldwide. LVMH is allocating a significant budget amount to counteract piracy of its goods. The company closely controls the distribution of its products; Louis Vuitton sells its products strictly through its own retail stores, small boutiques in high-end department stores and online through its website. Cons: Louis Vuitton is one of the most counterfeited brands in the fashion world  due to its image as a status symbol. LVMH faces a †gray-market† in Asia, where handbags cost 40% more in Japan than they do in France. Arbitrage business of handbags – people fly to France to buy handbags for the purpose of resale through parallel channels in Japan. LVMH should increase the number of Duty free shops and airport stores presence around the world. Pros: Over 100 million of Chinese travel annually and Duty-free shops are important shopping locations for Chinese travelers. On average Chinese travelers spend $928 on shopping in duty-free shops and airport shopping during their outbound trip. Shopping is considered a â€Å"must-do† by most Chinese travelers when traveling overseas. Chinese outbound travelers tend to be young (20-39 years old), well educated and with higher income, working professionals, tech-savvy and fashionable (interested in cutting-edge gadgets and latest fashions). Confectionery, fashion, fashion accessories and cosmetics are the most popular or international branded items purchased by Chinese travelers during their foreign overseas trips. India has been ranked as one of the fastest growing travel and tourism economies in the world both for inbound and outbound travel. India has an increasingly affluent middle class with growing disposable income willing to spend on luxury items. The product categories mostly purchased by the Indian outbound travelers on their trip abroad are confectionery, fragrances/perfumes, fashion and accessories, leather goods and cosmetics. Duty-free shops and stores at overseas airports are the most frequented purchasing places for Indian travelers. Shopping at Duty-free shops and airport stores is more impulse driven than pre-planned for Indian travelers which they expect to see various offers available such as exclusive fine gifts or exclusive fashion collections. There is not much else to do at most airports other than walk around window-shopping and occasionally making purchases. Cons: Price difference can be quite large from one duty-free to another, depending on its location, sometimes for the same size, brand and product purchased. Even though Duty-free shops do no apply local or national taxes and duties, shoppers may still have to pay duties in their home country on items purchased from a duty-free shop. LVMH should reach out to the middle-class  customers who are willing to purchase luxury items. Pros: Sales of luxury products are on the rise in Asia-Pacific area. Growing middle class in India and China is increasingly buying designer goods. In India, shoppers mainly comprise of â€Å"status seekers† and â€Å"technology savvy†. Cons: In order to make their products more affordable for middle-class consumers, LVMH might have to compromise on quality, by lowering labor costs or moving production offshore. Using less skilled workers and the ability to provide more merchandise lines to their stores, could make the brand less exclusive in the long run because of increase in popularity and mass appeal. Open manufacturing plant for handbags in India Pros: Reduce/Eliminate tariffs and transportation costs. India has an English-speaking population. Improved social and political stability in India. India has cheap labor force and will cost the company less to manufacture the handbags. Growing middle-class with disposable income willing to spend on luxury items. Cons: â€Å"Made in France† was an important selling point at LVMH, although 2 of 14 factories were in Spain and one in California. Customers expect western quality. Buyers in India are concerned with being offered the latest products and designs. The myth of the brand is linked to where the product is manufactured. Compromise on quality by slashing labor costs and making the products in India. Conditions in operations in India are not promising. Create new markets and advantages by introducing LVMH brands to children/teenagers Pros: Introduce LVMH brands to kids – they become lifetime customers. Create new markets by offering merchandise specifically to children/teenagers. These offerings will allow for womb to tomb mentality and increase customer lifetime value as well as brand loyalty. Cons: Investment and research is costly. Very risky. Small market segment. Recommendations Combat Counterfeiting Diversification of product lines and innovation is essential for LVMH to stay ahead in the luxury goods market. One-way LVMH to achieve this is to extend their customer base to include children and teenagers. â€Å"Many reports indicate luxury buying is supported more from Baby Boomer grandparents and relatives who are eager to spare no expense. Some experts even theorize that the lavish spending and pampering is due to an opposite psycho-economic creation to a person’s own strict upbringing,† (Mesa). Parents are also experiencing higher incomes and tend to save on certain items the families consume but are â€Å"trading up on products for loved ones – specifically children and pets,† (Mesa). Children also have more say in regards what products they prefer. Children and teenagers are experiencing higher allowances than we’ve seen in the past (Mesa). Louis Vuitton would not be the only luxury goods brand when launching children’s and teenage product line. Luxury goods producers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Versace embraced this opportunity and broadened their product lines by launching clothing lines. Dolce & Gabbana launched the ready-to-wear line D&G Junior and â€Å"offers a unique 2004/2005 collection aimed at newborns and pre-teens,† (Mesa). Versace rolled out a clothing line that target kids ages 4 to 14 (Mesa). This strategy may prove to be risky and LVMH will have place investments towards research and development and eventual marketing and advertising costs upon launch. The children’s market, although potentially lucrative for a business, is a small segment. However, Louis Vuitton, among other luxury brands, has already entered in the baby market through products like baby bags. This will provide LVMH with leverage in that particular product segment. â€Å"Since baby bags are more about a fashion accessory with functional benefits for parents to carry, it is not surprising that luxury handbag makers have jumped on the baby bandwagon,† (Mesa). Many products such as mini-handbags, jewellery, and shoes can be diversified and included in the children’s product line. Works Cited (2009). DATAMONITOR: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA SWOT Analysis, 1-8. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. Boorstin, J. (2005). Louis Vuitton Tests a New Way to Fight the Faux. Fortune, 151(10), 34. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. CLCB Website (2009, October 22). LVMH Acquires Chinese Traditional Spirits Distillery: Could Westerners Be Sipping Baijiu In Coming Years? Retrieved February 21, 2010, http://chinaluxculturebiz.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/lvmh-acquires-chinese-traditional-spirits-distillery-could-westerners-be-sipping-baijiu-in-coming-years/ EU Business Website (2007, March 31). India in Advanced Talks with EU to ‘Correct’ High Liquor Duties. Retrieved February 23, 2010, http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/trade/india-eu.34 Fitszimmons, E. (2008, September 8). LVMH to Boost Awareness. Retrieved February 21, 2010, http://www.media.asia/searcharticle/LVMH-to-boost-awareness/2008/32488?src=relate Foster, D. (2007, February 21). Dressing Lean: Louis Vuitton Edition. Retrieved, http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2007/02/dressing_lean_l.html Haisma-Kwok, C. & Jones, G. (2009). Arnault Bullish On LVHM, China. WWD: Women’s Wear Daily, 197(109). Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. Kerns, J. LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. Retrieved February 20, 2010, http://www.answers.com/topic/lvmh-mo-t-hennessy-louis-vuitton-sa

Homeowners file a tort claim against a theme park Case Study

Homeowners file a tort claim against a theme park - Case Study Example to 7 p.m. There was nary a moment of peace for the village residents since then because of: Roads clogged with traffic. On opening day of the amusement park itself, roads to and from the village were impassable, such that the milk tanker that regularly picks up milk from the dairy farm of Farmer Green could not get in. When the tanker came the next day, the 1,500 liters of milk it was supposed to pick up the previous day was already spoiled, which translated to a big loss for Farmer Green. Noise. Screams from the Haunted House and rides at the park prevent Ms. Bourne, who works night shifts at hospital, from sleeping at home by day. Mr. Goode, who runs a wildlife sanctuary nearby, also says the noise causes distress to his animals. Carelessness in garbage disposal. The daily garbage from the theme park is collected in man-made waste bays placed alongside the road, which often contain more than the amount of garbage that they can hold. Such overloading caused one waste bay to fracture, spilling rotten food that pollutes Farmer Green's land. Errant water from a multi-level log-flume water ride. Water from this facility seeps through a crack and collects behind the wall separating the park from the railway tracks. As the water level increased, the pressure toppled the wall and caused a landslide that busted a sewer pipe owned by the local water company. Principles of Tort The tort law is characterized by a loose set of relatively abstract principles, which allow maximum discretion to be exercised by reference to common-sense values (Hocking & Smith, 1996).4 Thus, the judgment on whether the Ashenhurst Village residents...In criminal law, the state is portrayed as the bigger offended party than the plaintiff such that if a defendant is proven guilty the state metes out the appropriate punishment. It is different in tort cases, in which the plaintiff, whose more popular assignation now is â€Å"claimant,† is the victim of the alleged wrong. There seems no doubt that the management of the Ashenhurst amusement and theme park has a duty of care in seeing to it that its operations do not cause harm to the village residents, some of whom assume a â€Å"sufficient relationship of proximity and neighborhood† with the park. The main offenses for which the park could be held liable are the torts of negligence and nuisance as well as for intentional and statutory torts. The traffic and noise from the rides are forms of nuisance, whereas the water seepage from the water ride and the overflow of garbage from the park amount to acts of negligence. As for intentional tort, the law says the theme park management is liable for this offense if it acted the way it did although it could have reasonably foreseen the harm that it would cause (Barker & Padfield). Based on the Occupier’s Liability Act in UK, the park is also answerable for statutory tort if it never attempted to take health and safety measures to avoid causing harm to its neighbors. However, it has to be proven if the park management breached its duty of care as determined by the accepted tests and principles of tort.