Biblical Response

Debt, even if it is said to be a tool that can help one to prosper in life, I do not support that argument because debt can make one to live uncomfortable life full of stress. Debts enslave people, living their life to pay loans of money, which may otherwise have been spent extravagantly. Fro instance, borrowing money is easy such that people may be tempted to borrow without proper plan of use. This way, debts can make a person who was initially leading a prosperous life to loose his or her wealth.Influence of banks is one major factor that makes people to have debts since they have known on better ways of attracting customers to advance loans. Having debts beats the whole idea of living a disciplined life unless under unavoidable circumstances such as being unable to cater for your medical bills or education. When you tend to live with a lot of debts, it means you are trying to live a lifestyle that you can not afford. One should try to understand him or herself and put more efforts in order to improve ones life rather than being enslaved with debts.On the use of credit card, I do not agree whether one can manage credit card wisely and avoid having debts since credit cards are much tempting. It is true that people with credit cards tend to spent more than those who use their cash. This would obviously put an individual into unwarranted debts. Paying things with cash can enable one to even negotiate or bargain for reduction of the purchasing price where as is much impossible to bargain while using plastic money. In other words, it is easier to control money in from of cash than credit cards.Using credit card at the end makes one to spend more since one does not feel or realize the money being spent. Therefore, for one to avoid having debts there is need for one to use cash or debit cards whereby you have control of money spend. References Daveramsey. (2010). The Truth About Credit Card Debt. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. daveramsey. com/article/the- truth-about-credit-card-debt/ Daveramsey. (2010). The Truth About Debt. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www. daveramsey.

Piaget’s Developmental Psychology Essay

Piaget (1896-1980) believed that there was a quantitative difference between the intelligence of adults, young children and older children. He believed adults have better knowledge of the world and because children do not use the same logic in there thinking. He believed that children’s logic changed as they developed through their four stages of life Piaget came to this conclusion after completing his cognitive development test. Unlike psychologist Siegler and Huges, Piaget is a theoretical psychologist and carried out many experiments to illustrate his theories. These stages have been critisied by many psychologist including Hughes, Siegler, Rose, Blank. Sensorimotor Stage Piaget believed that a new born had basic biological motivations, and acquired knowledge by accommodation and assimilation, and once a child has acquired these schemas it would be at equilibration. It has been argued that Piaget underestimated the intelligence of a newborn. Piaget’s sample did not illustrate a wide variety of children therefore his experiment cannot be related to every child at that relevant age. His study was also only preformed on his own children therefore results could have been bias. Similar experiments were devised by other psychologist giving different conclusions, indicating Piaget’s results were not always reliable. Piaget’s first stage stated that a baby (0-2) first explores the world using motor and reflex actions. For example a child reaches towards an object and after many attempts will be able to eventually grasp the object and then bring the object to its mouth and will continue to explore it uses the senses of taste and smell. A child is said to have completed this stage of development once they have obtained object permanence (a child understands that an object still exists even when it is not visible). This theory was tested by giving a 5-6 months old child a toy to play with, the toy was covered with a cloth and the baby’s behavior observed. Results showed that a baby immediately lost interest as if the object never existed. However when tested with a 10 month old child it would continue to reach for the toy although it could not see it. Another explanation is that the child did not think the toy had seized to exist but was distracted by the movement of the cloth, which is why the child looks away and appears to have ‘forgot’ the toy. Bower and Wishart (1972) argued that it does still exist in a babies mind even when it may not be visible. There experiment was done on a baby less than four months; the baby was offered a toy but as it reached for the toy the lights were switched off this showed that even when the lights were off the child continued to reach for the toy. It can be argued that the child was not reaching out for the toy but was just reaching due to the discomfort of the sudden darkness. This study could also go against the ethics as the child could have been experiencing fear from the sudden loss sight. Pre-operational Stage At this stage a child develops symbolic thinking; another characteristic of this stage is egocentrism. Piaget devised a three mountain task to test this theory. A child was sat in front of a three mountains model, a doll was then placed at varies positions in the modeled mountains and pictures were presented, they were asked to pick the picture that represented what the doll could see. Four and five year olds selected the picture showing what they could see, this suggested that they thought the doll could see what they could identifying egocentrism. However most seven years old were able to identify the correct picture. Due to Piaget’s selection of children it was very difficult to apply his findings to others, his own children were used throughout most of his experiment and any others were from well educated backgrounds. It can be argued that this experiment lacked ecological validity as the child could not relate to the situation they were presented with. Hughes devised a task to test egocentrism in a child but relating to an everyday situation, children as young as three and a half answered the question correctly, and 90% of children tested altogether were able to give the correct answer. Concrete operational stage A child enters this stage when they understand the appearance of something may change although the item itself remains the same. Piaget tested this stage by setting out a row of counters in front of each child, than asking the child to make another row the same as the first one. Piaget would than spread out his row of counters and ask the child if there were still the same amount of counters. This experiment tested a child’s conservation of numbers. Most seven year olds were able to answer this question correctly concluding by the age of seven children are able to conserve numbers. To test the conservation of liquid Piaget collected two identical glasses A + B and a taller thin container C and asked the child which container held more, he then transferred the liquid from A+B to C and asked the child again. When a child was able to identify that both containers held the same amount of liquid they had achieved the concrete operational stage. Many aspects of this test have been criticized, including the social context of the child’s understanding. Rose and Blank argued that when a child is asked the same question twice they assumed there first answer was incorrect and changed their answer. When Rose and Blank replicated this experiment and only asked the question once most six years olds gave the correct answer. McGarriglr and Donaldson (1974) argued that as the adult changed the appearance children would assume this was significant so devised an experiment were the appearance of the items were changed accidently. Children tested were between four and six, results showed that more than half tested gave the correct answer. Confirming children conserve at a younger age than Piaget claimed. Formal Operational Stage A child shows logical thinking but generally needs to be able to work through sequences with actual objects. Once a child can manipulate ideas in their head it has entered the formal operational stage. Piaget tested this by giving each child string and weights and told them to find out which factors affects a complete swing of the pendulum they could vary the weights, length of string and strength of push. Piaget found children who had entered the formal operational stage approached the task systematically testing one variable at a time. Psychologist Robert Siegler (1979) tested children aged five and upwards, by using the balance beam test. Results showed that eventually the child would take into account the interaction between the weight and the disc but would not achieve this ability until they were between 13 and 17. This concluded that children’s cognitive development is based on acquiring and using rules in increasingly more complex situations instead of stages. Conclusion Piaget tested his children and well-educated professionals therefore making his findings ungeneralised and potentially bias. Subsequent questions relating to the child’s individual answer may have led children to give the answer researchers were looking for. Piaget underestimated the ability of children’s social understanding. A child’s perception of an adult the importance of a familiar context and the meaning of a second question all affect a child’s performance. Weaknesses in Piaget experiment prevent children from showing what understood. Piaget overestimated the age at which children entered the formal operational stage (Siegler). As Piaget focused on individual children he failed to take social settings into account. He failed to show that development is continuous and not in stages Evidence suggests that environmental factors, ethics and gender could alter a child’s development. Small samples and controllability of variables were not taken into account. Piagets had very little evidence to support his findings and believed that his finding could be applied to every child. Piaget’s focus on qualitative development has played an important role on education. Piaget opened the opportunities for others to learn and discover more on how children development.

Critically discuss the view that capital markets created the Essay - 2

Critically discuss the view that capital markets created the conditions that led to the new economy bubble and the banking crisis - Essay Example It is because of this reason that capital markets are considered to play a very significant role in the economic performance of any country, and therefore, they have a high influence on major economic indicators or drivers. Based on the significance of capital markets in the national economy of any country, this study seeks to discuss the view that capital markets created the conditions that led to the â€Å"new economy† bubble and the banking crisis. This study will support this view because of the simple fact that it has already been established that the capital markets plays a key role in the national economy and, therefore, it is equally able to create conditions that lead to bubbles and bursts within the economy. In order to validate this view, the essay will first discuss the concept of ‘new economy’ bubble and banking crisis and their correlation with the capital markets. The second part of the study will provide case examples, which will act as evidence to the fact that the capital markets created the conditions that lead to the new economy bubble and the banking crisis. The third part of the study will discuss the implications that globalization have on the capital markets. According to the writings by Kelly (1998), he referred to the term ‘new economy’ as the result of a shift that occurs when the economy moves from being based on the manufacturing sector to being based on the service sector. Alcaly (2003) noted in her research studies that this particular term was coined during the dot com bubble that occurred during the late 1990s and even the early part of 2000s. During this period, Alcaly (2003) argued that there were high levels of growth, which meant that there was an increase in the employment opportunities, and the inflation rate even declined, which resulted to optimistic predictions that were a bit exaggerated and based on irrational thinking. This is because the new economy era proved to have

Quantitative, Qualitative, or Mixed Methods research Paper

Quantitative, Qualitative, or Mixed Methods - Research Paper Example The research report under analysis examines the depth and breadth of reverse logistical practices in Ghana’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Apparently, the research used a mixed methods approach. In essence, the research exercise involved a proportional application of both the quantitative methods and qualitative methods. The first evidence of mixed methods approach is observable within the data collection context of the research. With respect to the data and methodology section of the article, it emerges that data and information were gathered through the use of questionnaires, specifically both open ended and closed ended questionnaires. Questions contained within the questionnaires were either open or close ended in nature. In this case, use of closed ended questions is an iconic characteristic of quantitative research methodology. On the other hand, the use of open ended questions is synonymous to qualitative research methodology. In addition, administration of per sonal interviews to managers and professionals within the pharmaceutical industry qualifies as an incident of qualitative research approach. Based on the nature of questions used during the questionnaire data collection exercise, it is admissible that a mixed research methodology was employed.Besides the proportional blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches in obtaining data and information, mixed methods approach is also evidenced by techniques used in the description and analysis of data and information.

How were native (first nation) societies in America affected by the Essay

How were native (first nation) societies in America affected by the introduction of the horse - Essay Example Native Americans always adjusted according to postulating and diverse environments and they also remolded the natural environments to fulfill with their needs. After the arrival of Europeans, many different societies emerged having different languages, ethnical conventions, and history. Europeans had an extremely devastating impact on the New World environment as they cleared vast piece of ground of woodlands and unwittingly introduced a huge variety of Old World weeds. They introduced domesticated animals who transubstantiated the ecology for grazing animals which consumed many indigenous plants to survive.2 Despite all the certain differences, Native Americans also benefitted by the European contact which eternally changed the livings and cultures of the Native Americans. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the profound impact of introduction of horse on Native American societies. Former horse species were eradicated by climatic alterations and disappeared entirely from Nor th America. For the first time around 3000 years ago, horses were domesticated in European regions and used for conveyance of both humans and freight.3 The horse had been extinct in the America for 10,000 years before European colonists arrived and it was reintroduced when the Spaniards, inhabitants of Spain, brought their higher-up breed of Arab horses to North America in the 1600s, transforming the culture of the Native Americans nearly infinitely.4 Impact of Horse Introduction on Native Americans Culture The horse held particular attraction and brought the best acknowledged and most spectacular change.5 Clark Wissler (1927, p. 154 cited in Ewers 2001) has called the time period from 1540 to 1880 in the history of the Native Americans "the horse culture period." The arrival of horses produced a cultural revolution among Native Americans and radically remolded the livings of the Americans by transmutation of transportation, hunting and warfare. Some groups called horses as elk dogs , because initially Native Americans did not know the use of these huge animals.6 Before the early 1700s the Native Americans depended on human beings or dogs for transporting their loads. Some famous groups of Native Americans such as Sioux, Kiowa and Cheyenne shortly determined that the horse could become crucial element of their lives, and its usage diffused to other tribes. Horses were being traded and sometimes allowed to wander away and even got stolen from a tribe. They were used to pull heavy loads, faster and farther than a human or a dog, through merely bounded poles made from young trees which were primitively designed for dogs and easily adapted to horses subsequently.7 Many Natives exchanged their goods for the horses which helped them get released from the particular area of the Plains and agricultural environment of their villages. Horses altered Native’s culture and way of life to become nomadic and mounted hunters as with horses, people can carry heavy loads, travel across long distances and hunt for their food and other needs. They searched for game particularly for hunting the thundery, roaming herds of bison.8 The vast herds of bison, which departed seasonally big distances from place to place, could move much faster than a man on foot and there was small cover on the vast plains for hunters to hide themselves for stalking which made it exceedingly hard for them to hunt. Only adept hunters managed to

Networking Assignment Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking Assignment Reflection Paper - Essay Example e is really passionate about market research, has a strong sense of responsibility, and very much knowledgeable about the situation of the different industries in the market. I believe that her professionalism enables her to generate interviewees from industry players and trade associations. Her innate passion for market research coupled with her strong sense of responsibility allows her to finish each project to the best of her ability. These values also encourage her to work amidst the difficulties in data gathering. Her interest in the market and knowledge on how it operates makes her as a credible source and enables her to giver accurate reports. Written skill is a very important requirement for her job because it enables her to communicate her knowledge about the market. The ability to make rational forecast on the market will perform is also important as it is a very crucial part of the industry reports. The capability of gathering data and analyzing them are keys to having accurate results. Compared to the interviewee, I am more comfortable in verbal communication than writing out my ideas. Being inexperienced, I am not adept in making forecasts about industries. However, I am also confident of my skills in gathering data and analyzing them. I love to do researches even though I know that I still need to learn more about judging the quality of the data and how they can be used in order to come up with rational results. I have always been interested in market research yet I am not really motivated to pursue this profession when given a chance. What I really want when I choose this interviewee is how various think-tanks like AC Nielsen come up with the market reports which they present to business organizations. Also, interviewing a market research analyst enabled me to understand her work and the important characteristics needed to excel in her career. The primary challenge when approaching an unknown professional is the fear of being rejected. Noting

Social marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social marketing - Essay Example This report focuses mainly on ways and techniques for social marketing. Social marketing is a source of creating awareness regarding any essential issue in a society and works for social benefits by means of various campaigns which are usually non-profit seeking. It is a way to change behavior of individuals in a society and strive for their good. These issues could be health related or may be associated with behavioral changes needed by a society. Social marketing must not be puzzled or mingled with â€Å"societal marketing â€Å"or â€Å"social media marketing† as these are entirely separate marketing techniques.(Kotler, Roberto, Lee, 2002) Social marketing may include various significant campaigns like stop smoking, and it should be avoided in public places and where kids are present in a family places like restaurants. Awareness regarding syringes to be disposed immediately after the use, to avoid HIV transmission. Here it also involves educating people to observe the laboratory technician or hospital staff whether they dispose the syringe in front of you in the trash can or not. Another health issue is the use same shaving razor in saloons that may lead to catch jaundice or hepatitis infections and skin diseases. (Ewing, 2001) Hence the aim of social marketing is to use commercial techniques for the betterment of society and common people regardless of considering the financial profit. HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY: One of the healthcare industries is a pharmaceutical industry that manufactures drug substances including tablet, capsule, injections, syrups, suspensions, creams and ointments. The label of a drug is one of the most important protocols that should contain all relevant information including generic name of the drug, weight of the active ingredient, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date , manufacturer’s name, dose, and other useful information which stands as a key factor in marketing of these medicinal agents. Another healthcare industry is a hospital where a patient is admitted for treatment and gets cured. These days many hospitals are occupied in social marketing related to human health like arranging free eye camps for treatment of cataract and free diabetes check up etc. Certain NGO’s and government healthcare departments are organizing various social marketing campaigns like prevention of drug addiction and counseling of such addict ed individuals. PRODUCTS FOR SOCIAL MARKETING: Social marketing products are non-tangible objects and are important for health, safety and environments benefits. There are many examples of social marketing products like, water conservation, keep the environment clean and green etc. (Vella, 2008) EXERCISE: Here we shall consider the example of â€Å"exercise† as a social marketing product. Exercise is considered as one of the most important aspect of human life style. It helps you staying fit and healthy. This act is very essential for prevention of various diseases like myocardial infarction, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis etc. Even pregnant women are advised for mild exercises during the period of gestation to keep themselves active. Exercise boosts your stamina and helps in ailment of numerous diseases. A brisk walk is supposed to be the best exercise for age groups. Nowadays there is a trend of going to gym for aerobics and use of fitness machines. Therefore exercise as one of social marketing product where different companies are also engaged in bringing people towards health and fitness and changing their views, plays a vital role in prevention and cure of a number of health related issues. There are four Ps of marketing: product, place, price and promotion. (Kotler, 2003) Product: means the preferred attitude that the marketing company anticipates from the consumers. This is usually a non-tangible object but could be physical as well (e.g. weight reduction pill). Price: The price should be affordable, like offering special packages for gym, swimming pool, games such as tennis,

IT Security As Required By Sarbanes-Oxley Term Paper

IT Security As Required By Sarbanes-Oxley - Term Paper Example However, it is a fact that Sarbox also provides parameters and mechanics for enhancing IT security. Thesis statement The benefits of incorporating the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in IT security far outweigh the short-term gains of non-compliance, since the Act injects organizational transactions with security and confidentiality. II) Brief overview/history of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted on July 30th, 2002. Because of the original intention and the mandate of the Act, financial accuracy must be certified by the management concerned. Because of the provisions of the Same Act, the penalties for financial fraud have been made more severe. Similarly, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 strengthened the autonomy of external auditors who analyze and reexamine the accuracy of corporate statements of accounts and also bolstered the oversight function of the board of directors. Simon, Smalley, and Schultz (2009) divulge that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 comes against the backdrop of serious corporate and accounting scandals such as the Enron, Adelphia, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems Scandals. These scandals had cost investors billions of dollars, following the collapse of the affected companies' share prices. These scandals, together with their serious effects weakened public confidence in America's security markets. The Act comprises 11 sections which range from criminal penalties to additional corporate board responsibilities. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 demands that the Securities and Exchange Commission implements rulings on prerequisites to compliance with the law. III) How the Sarbanes-Oxley Effects & Constraints on Information Technology Security (Industry & Management) Section 404 Compliance One of the ways the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 effects and constraints IT security section 404 compliance is by emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of internal controls, as a set of an enterprise's i nternal procedures, providing reasonable assurances that the enterprise will meet its target in all the specified areas. This is the case since Section 404 Compliance extends emphasis on not just historical financial reporting, but on internal controls also. Together with the rules spelled out in the SEC, there is a requirement that public companies' management should assess and report periodically, on the effectiveness of internal controls on financial reporting. To this effect, it is given that the report that the management hands in must be accompanied by statements of evaluations by an external auditor to provide an attestation to the credibility and reliability of the conclusions that the management has made. According to SAI Global (2010), the portfolio that Information Technology Security Section provides also addresses matters beyond Sarbanes-Oxley, to tackle other auditing and legal dimensions of internal controls and the responsibilities that sundry and all actors dispense , when executing systems of internal controls. Even though the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is leaner in scope than internal controls, the Portfolio agrees with the fact of the tremendous impact of the legislation and studies a number of its provisions which force moderations on diverse aspects of internal contr

Poetry interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poetry interpretation - Essay Example When the heart is full and when the lips refuse to speak, a lyric sprouts from the depth of the poet’s inner world. Its foundation is heart, not mind. The poet of lyrics is not interested in scientific research, but search of the inner world. In Family, the poet brilliantly portrays many dimensions of love of an elderly individual and how love is the cementing force in the family that leaves deep positive impact on all concerned. Subject: The subject of the poem is an elderly, affectionate lady, Aunt Lennie. The poet is the protagonist of the poem and he recalls his youthful days â€Å"It was so good to be young in her garden† (One Moment More,43). The main concept of the poem is the emotional remembrance of a senior family member. Theme: The theme of the poem is love and the disciplined approach to life as evident in the lines â€Å"To feel the constant pattern of her love in those early flights/the winged spirit caught within her bones.†(One Moment More, 42) Bone is the barometer of the strength of an individual and by comparing her spirit to the bones; the poet throws the hint that her willpower is strong. In article An introduction to Lyric Poetry William Wallis writes â€Å"Poetry frees language to create unforgettable visual images and emotion-charged ideas† (129). Appealing and arresting language lends strength and beauty to the lyric poetry. Lyrics are basically meant to be sung whereas the poem is for reading. Music is an integral part of lyric. â€Å"With all that said, lyrics and poems share a lot in terms of composition and form. One of the most important elements of poetry and lyricism is the poetic device†. (BandAMP)A lyric has much to do with the flights of imagination and a lyrist is the monarch of all that he surveys. William Wallis writes â€Å"Poetry does more with less, it dedicates its rhythm and sound patterns to creating striking visual images, then

Labour market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Labour market - Essay Example AUSTRALIAN LABOUR MARKET Introduction There are several ways through which a person gains human capital. However, the two main ways are education and the second is experience or on the job training. Various skills are required to perform different jobs and the basics skills are acquired through studies or formal education. However, without experience or practice the education is not as effective. Therefore, even at work, the worker is always in the process of learning. Considering the level of skills in the labour force in Australia, the government has been consistently undertaking various projects to support the workers in various areas and trying to expand and equip the workforce. Australian Labour Market There are a number of programs and workshops to assist organizations and also to train workers such as Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL). They train workers in English language and numeracy skills linked to various jobs. Similarly, WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIAT ION, SYDNEY (WEA Sydney) has been operating for the past century assisting organizations and providing wide range of public lectures and lectures in various subjects although it has not been funded by the government a lot. Also training has expanded to fields relating to communication technology and digital communication. (IMMI, 2010) The relaxed immigration policy of Australia is the evidence that the Australian government is attracting immigrants from abroad to work in Australia as the country is deprived of fully skilled workers for respective jobs. The Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI) on skill shortages conducted a research. According to the report it was found that seven out of ten Australian employers surveyed are still experiencing a skills shortage, and more than 85% believe  skilled migration  is necessary to the success of their organizations. Therefore, research results from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations are working to find out the area where the skills are lacking at state and national level as the ability to work matters on various factors such as season, geographical base and also knowledge. That is there might be a worker with a certain skill; however he or she might not be able to find the respective job in his or her locality and would be unemployed for sometime as he/ she would also not be aware of the job in some other locality. Therefore, there has been a shortage of workers in Australia. (IMMI, 2010) The Australian government therefore introduced a visa policy known as 457 visas in 1996 under which immigrants were given working opportunities in Australia. They allowed skilled people to temporarily work in Australia under an approved sponsor for up to four years. During times of economic progress the use of this policy was very effective as skillful employees invited from abroad could easily fill the demand gap. However, over the years it has undergone many changes since hiring employees from foreign countries reduces the opportunities for the local workforce. During times of the global economic recession like during 2009 the demand for the 457 visa workers fell and the usage of the policy reduced, but so did the demand for the

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Essay The setting in both books is mainly in the 18th century where there wasnt anything too modern which helped add the theme of gothic horror to the reading audience as in those times it was a lot darker and more horrifying. In an Interview with a vampire the story is set over 200 years. Showing as the theme of gothic horror in the book decreases, as the book becomes more modern. This is shown when Lestat is scared of the modern world and the artificial lights as he thinks they are sunlight scaring him into hiding. There are various themes in both books for example they have written one of the characters acting like God, Lestat in Interview with a vampire and Victor in Frankenstein. This was especially scary in Frankenstein 1816 as the people took religion very seriously and to talk about gods in this way was known as evil, which scared the people who read the book Which would inspire terror into the people who read it. When in Frankenstein the creature says I am thy creature, I ought to be thy Adam And in Interview in the vampire when Lestat acts as god by creating Louie and also when Lestat says they are the same as God when he says Gods kill, and so shall we This shows the God theme as Lestat connects being a vampire to being Gods which is shown in the quote. Another thing in both books they deal with the themes of outsiders. In Frankenstein when the creature is looking in On examining the dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the cottage had formally occupied part of it but the panes had been boarded up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost imperceptible chick, through which the eye could just penetrate. Through this crevice a small room was visible. Also in Interview with a vampire Louie became an outsider when he became a vampire. I said goodbye to the sunrise and went out to become a vampire The two texts are very similar though in many ways. First of all in both texts the main character is an outsider, Louie as a Vampire as he is different from everyone else as he is a vampire and Victor as an outcast to everyone else as he created this monster and is a criminal for doing so making him an outsider and different to other people. Also both authors have lost a child which may have helped write the book using their life experiences to help them writing the book. Both books have roughly the same plot when Louie or the creature both have a natural birth and find it hard to survive. Also in both books they murder when the creature kills people or Louie kills people for blood. As when Louie said, Now I am guilty of murder. I think the authors of these two texts have dont an excellent job in dealing with the theme of outsiders in the text as the setting, the characters and whats happening around them all make them outsiders. Also what the characters are and how they act and what they do which inspires terror or horror into the reader create the genre of Gothic horror and make it stand out. But what most of all stuck into my mind were the words from Louie, which really made me think Gothic horror and outsiders, was I wanted love and goodness in this which is living death I said It was impossible from the beginning, because you cannot have love and goodness when you do what you know to be evil, what you know to be wrong and also in Frankenstein when Victor said It was necessary that I should return without delay to Geneva, there to watch over the lives of those I do fondly loved; and to lie in wait for the murderer, that if any chance led me to the place of his concealment, or if he dared Both showing the Gothic horror in their words like when they say murderer and evil creating the gothic horror feeling. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Skills Audit Preferred learning style and SWOT analysis

Skills Audit Preferred learning style and SWOT analysis Skills audit is something which talks about your current skills opposing the skills you need in the future which will play an important role in your career. Skill audit helps you in determining your current skills, and diagnose what skills you need to accomplish your task which helps you to plan more effectively, and improve skills and knowledge in order to be a successful person in the future. Implementing these skills audit are as follows: The first thing you can do is to write down your existing skills and try to analyze what skills you will be needing in your future career which will helps you to plan and a leading dealer of the consequences. Try to analyze what skills are important for your current task. The second priority is to list the skills and knowledge which helps you in your future career, which will also make impeccable your future planning. Once you have completed your list you need to compare which skills are important and rate them accordingly. Determine your strong and lacking areas of skills where you need to work out. Ask your friend or your instructor to retrospect your list and evaluate at which level you are standing. Make Sure that the evaluator should be honest and who would easily tell your truth without being afraid. The last thing is to do develop your own strategy which will easily execute your plan and makes your strategy successful and fill the gaps of lacking areas. We have many strategies and different learning styles in which we feel comfortable we will apply that methodology. Some people emphasize more on soft skills they have that is also called communication skills. Soft skills help you in dealing with people at your work and people around you. People with good communication skills help in resolving the problem occur in the organization and in the personal life. And it may be help you in managing your task. SWOT ANALYSIS: The most important phenomena of living my life in an effective and peaceful manner is always be honest whatever you do be persistent and be delegated towards my work. These techniques would help me in achieving my targets and helps me in recognizing my strengths and opportunities and eradicate my weaknesses and threats around me. STRENGTHS: My communication skills helped me a lot and I have found new ways to deal with people. My delegation towards my work is really high that people always trust me and that is how I have good reputation among good people. The reason I am passionate about achieving my goal is because I am the person who possessed aim and I want to transmute my dreams into actualities. I am inspired by many leaders who possessed the good reputation in the past, and highly delegated towards their goals. OPPORTUNITIES: I always grab opportunities that can enhance my capabilities of learning something new and which will give a chance to find out new ways to deal with difficulties. I give my best when my team stands as one and cooperate with each other without any interruption. I always make people feel comfortable whatever the circumstances are I always give my best to deal with them. WEAKNESSESS: An emotional stability is one of my weaknesses that always infringe me in achieving my goals. The lack in emotional stability sometimes results in term of anger, which is hard for me to control. I am really looking forward to overwhelm these lacking areas. THREATS: People who damper my enthusiasm is the big threat for me. People focus more on negative aspects in my environment and try to discourage which affects my personal growth, and career. I always try to turn these threats into opportunities with the help of my communication strategies and communicate with the team and then make decisions. produce a detailed action plan which demonstrates how you intend to address areas for further management and leadership development The further management development starts from the responsibilities of manager towards achieving his task. In this fast changing and competitive environment managers need modifications in order to make new ways and strategies to cope up with the diversity occur in the organization. Responsibilities for achieving the task include the clear vision for the group that perfectly defines the direction and segregate work to keep in view the workers skills and flexibility. Determine which resources, processes, and systems are used. Develop the strategy to achieve the task, tactics, time, measurements and by understanding and delegation. Setting the benchmark is to restrict your subordinates to achieve the level that is up to the mark and gain maximum results. Entertain properly the control and maintaining activities and monitor overall performance against plan. Responsibilities as a manager for a group includes the standards and ethics to be performed in the workplace, define a proper organizational culture so your subordinates will be feeling comfortable in the environment and able to work efficiently and easily cope up with the situations. Manager should develop a team slogan to encourage his team towards the task and make them believe that they will be given their best to the task and will achieve the target. Threats which violated the organizations morale, try to turn these threats in to opportunities thats what many good managers with excellent communication skills does. The most important action plan which helps managers to manage the department includes the understanding of individual, their personalities, skills, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and capabilities and assists them in such a way that you can support individuals-plans, conflicts, and challenges they face by them. Classify every individuals objectives, and give appraisals in order to encourage them towards their tasks. Arrange career development programs to train them further because employees may need some new talent and in order to give them information about new technologies. The good leaders always have command over these main areas. First a leader believes to do the entire task no matter whatever the circumstances are, he keeps the right balance according to the situation, gets results, and strengthen the morale, quality, and develops strategies to attain maximum satisfaction. The most important function in leadership development includes planning keeping in view the appropriate information and elaborates the tasks in order to meet the standards. Commence the action and allocate the tasks with setting its standards. A good leader is proactive that supports individual and encourage team spirit and informing the tasks, plans, and schedule properly and give his feedback. Develop feasibility of plan to enable the assessment of the planned task. These all actions help leader in leading, and also includes strong emphasis by applying these techniques through training. Explain the impact of learning styles on personal development. Everyone has different learning style that is unique to the person and the way which seems interesting to him. Analyze your personal learning style by which you can give your best to the task and improve your personal life, which improves the time management also manage studies and, find new strategies to learn more. SELF-AWARENESS AND MOTIVATION Start realizing your thoughts, and be aware of your thoughts and decisions you take in order to make your life peaceful. Think position and develop healing pattern which encourage your thoughts and decision power in the position way. The more you know about yourself the better decision you will be taken. Self awareness also helps in spiritual growth when you have clear upstanding of your religion and believe you will start living accordingly. CREATE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS In order to progress in your field you must learn how to make solutions of the problems occur, and must be able to describe or investigate the problem. Diagnose the causes of the problem that affects in your personal life, develop strategies and make alternates to resolve the problem, and analyze your weak areas where you are not able to make proper decisions. And at last implement your own strategy and assess the effective and efficiency of the decision. COMMUNICATION SKILLS Convey your message in such a way that people understand them clearly and having perfect idea what are you conveying. If your conveying method is not effective you will receive ambiguous feedback that other person perceived wrong. Find new ways to learn more about communication style that you can deal effective with people around you and build a trust through your good communication and make a good relationship. PAIRED AND GROUP STYLE OF LEARING The paired and group learning style is the most effective way to learn because a person will find a new ways from other people and learn from their experience to improve their personal life. Group learning style provides you the regularity and you will get better results. The paired and group style of learning also helps you in building your confidence and overwhelm shy factor. The group discussion will not only increase your knowledge but also helps in you progressing in personal growth. The advantages of group learning are numerous which provides an opportunity to compare results and helps in making accurate interpretation regarding to the personal life and career. Assignment 2 Personal Development Planning Purpose The purpose of this assignment is to provide a framework within which the learner can: Prepare and implement a personal development plan . Scenario Your tutor has asked you to provide evidence of your own personal and professional development throughout the course of your studies for this learning programme. As professional development is an ongoing process, this assignment will not be completed until the end of the learning programme. Task 1 Produce an ongoing personal development plan and reflective record of management experience which sets out: This provides evidence for 3a Task 2 Compile a portfolio of evidence which demonstrates how you have implemented the actions in Task 1 above over a period of at least six months, and includes records of: training and/or development needs from a recent appraisal or job review action planning, diaries, learning journal feedback from a variety of sources (eg manager, colleagues, customers) This provides evidence for 3a Task 3 Write a report of between 1000-1500 words which evaluates how well the main themes of the learning programme have impacted (or could in the future) on your work role and chosen career path. You should include an analysis of your strengths and weaknesses both at the start and end of the programme, and explain the importance of self review and how this informs future professional development This provides evidence for 3b Your objectives for career and life planning. The actions you plan to take to meet these goals. Your short/medium/long term goals and objectives. The resources and support needed and available to meet objectives target dates for monitoring and review. >>>> Manager Personal Skill and Professional Skill Introduction: Developing effective management skills to deal with specific challenges and problems of each organization is the urgent needs of many businesses and organizations in the global competitive environment, rapid changing of technology and environment. The new tendency of training and development of successful organizations over the world today is developing effective skills in dealing with specific challenge of their own organization to reach their own mission and objectives in the new organization that characterized by networked, flat, flexible, diverse, global organization. Based on the research in the world and in Vietnam, and from the success of previous workshops, the Center for Excellence in Management Development (CEMD) continuously offers the workshop on Effective Management Skills to help people and organization improving their own effectiveness and efficiency. Through this workshop, participants are not only developed specific competencies in the schedule, but also improved learning skills, facilitating skills, and teamwork skills very important skills in the 21th century organizations. Participants: Managers of businesses, organizations, and people who want to develop competencies in creative problem solving, communications, conflict management, negotiation, and improving self-management and individual effectiveness to improve organizations effectiveness and efficiency. Objectives and Contents: 1. Creative Problem Solving Skills: (1) Describing and analyzing a problem, (2) Identifying causes of a problem, (3) Developing creative options and choosing the best course of action, and (4) Implementing and evaluating effective and efficiency of the decision. 2. Communication Skills: (1) Listening skills, (2) Presentation skills, (3) Feedback Skills, (4) Report witting skills. 3. Conflict Management Skills: (1) Identifying sources of conflict functional and dysfunctional conflicts, (2) Understanding personal style of conflict resolution, (3) Choosing the best strategy for dealing with a conflict, and (4) Developing skills in promoting constructive conflicts in organization and teams. 4. Negotiation Skills: (1) Distinguishing distributive and integrative negotiations, position and principled negotiation, (2) Identifying common mistakes in negotiation and ways to avoid them, (3) Developing rational thinking in negotiation, and (4) Developing effective skills in negotiation that benefits all parties involved. 5. Self-Awareness and Improvement: (1) Understanding the concept of self-management, (2) Evaluate the effectiveness of self management, (3) Developing creative and holistic thinking, (4) Understanding the importance of emotions in works as well in self-development, (5) Understand of self-motivation, and (6) Effectively managing self-learning and change. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Personal Learning Style PERSONAL LEARNING STYLE Who would have ever thought taking a college course would require one to learn how to learn?    It is a good concept we normally undergo at a very young age.    At the pre-school age one will find children learning their strength and weakness through their playtime.    As adults we almost forget we have to learn how to learn to continue growth in our workplace, school, and in life.    In our second week of online classes I learned strengths and weakness in my learning style with the aid of learning assessments, personality spectrums, and time management logs.    In this paper, I intend to describe the various components of my learning style and outline a plan to improve my time management and study skills. A big component of my learning style is hands-on experience; learning while doing.    This usually involved someone with more experience instructing me as I performed the task.    Through the hands-on approach, I picked-up the knowledge and gained proficiency >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Assignment Task 1 1 Introduction This task is about analyzing personal development plan and make strategy for development of PDP. Personal development plan (PDP) shows an evaluation of current skills and knowledge that includes individual strengths and weaknesses. As per scenario, Finance 4 U is finance and accounting based company. Managing director has lot of plans in ensuring that companys staffs fully participates in improving personal and professional skills as the company has problem with staff morale and motivation. Personal development plans needs to be discussed in this task. As Finance 4 U urgently needed a personal development plan in terms of professional and career development and assists the company in progression. 2 Objectives The objectives of this task are to identify strategy for developing a personal development plan, its importance and how plan can improve daily professional life? Characteristics of plan must also be explained such as à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ Objectives and goals (both short term and long term)       à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ Dates and time scale       à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ Resources       à ¢Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¢ Milestones and checkpoints (where performance should be reviewed) 3 Personal Development Plan its Importance Personal Development Planning is a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development. The primary objective for PDP is to improve the capacity of individuals to understand what and how they are learning, and to review, plan and take responsibility for their own learning. http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/pdp.htm Personal development is a field of practice and research. As a field of practice PDP includes personal development methods, assessment systems, learning programs, tools and techniques. As a field of research, personal development topics increasingly appear in higher education reviews, scientific journals, >>>> Skill Audit SKILLS AUDIT GRID We would encourage you to review this regularly and particularly before tutorials |Generic Engineering Skills:                      |Good    |Average|Poor    |Academic Study                                  |Work Experience                                  |Extra-Curricular Activity                   |Action Planning                                  | |Analysis                                                 |          |          |          |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       | |Modelling                                                 |          |          |          |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       | |IT                                                          |          |          |          |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       |                                                       | |Problem solving       |Project implementation                            |          |          |                                                       |                                                    |Appropriate use of laboratory and             |          |                                                       |workshop equipment                                  |                                                       |                                                       |                                     |Design                                                 >>>>>> ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ABSTRACT          Well as I begin I would like to remember you one point that no one can withstand in the market of an organization when the people lack certain skills and knowledge. In order to ensure for proper skills and knowledge a proper idea about the development of their skills are briefed in this report. Keeping in mind, the four skills developed in this report were time management, stress management, running meeting, and group discussion. Not only the skills but also the learning styles were discussed. What are the techniques and objectives to meet the desired characteristics? How to improve the management skills for the effective leadership? The main concept of learning is mentioned clearly in this report which may be useful in the future requirements for an organization to be effective and imaginative. CONTENTS       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ABSTRACT       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ OUTCOME 1 TASK 1: METHODS TO IMPROVE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS    1. (a) EVALUATION OF PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TASK 2:    1. (b) IMPROVIZATION OF SUCCESSFUL MANAGER SKILLS       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ OUTCOME 2 TASK 3: PERSONAL SKILLS AUDITS 1.2 (a) PREFERRED LEARNING STYLE FOCUSSING ON THE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ OUTCOME 3 TASK 4: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1.3 (a) DETAILED PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TASK 5: 1.3 (b) MONITORING FEEDBACKS AND ADJUSTMENTS TASK 6: 1.3 (c) IMPACTS OF LEARNING AND UTILIZING IN THE FUTURE       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ CONCLUSION       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ BIBLIOGRAPHY OUTCOME 1 TASK 1: METHODS TO IMPROVE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Communication, communication, communicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦!!! This is an important method to improve both personal and professional skills. This is the first factor required to develop in any organization.       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing the necessary business ethics and corporate social responsibility. This development of the workshop helps in understanding the ethical behavior and participants >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Personal Learning Styles Personal Learning Style Byron Taylor University of Phoenix Gen/101 Skills for Lifelong Learning Group ID #ONO61CS04 Daigre Victorine, Phd May 11, 2006 In the course of writing this paper I have learned a great deal about the styles of learning and how to incorporate personality traits into effectual learning principles. This paper will consist of an analogy of the components of my learning style to the facets of my personality. This will aid in strategically creating a plan to use in improving my time management and study skills. Components of learning style       I believe that my personal learning style, as do most people, encompasses many traits that extend far beyond categories and agree that these are tools to assist an individual in understanding capabilities, rather than give a definition of what type of person learns under different situations.    For instance, according to my scores in The Pathways to Learning Assessment, I am highly developed in Musical and Interpersonal learning and underdeveloped in the concepts of the Visual-Spatial and Naturalistic learner.    The fact is while I am very musically inclined, I have never created rhythms out of words, beat out rhythms with my hand, written a rap, changed materials to songs I already know, or used music while studying.    On the other hand, I realize that using some components of the Musical-Rhythmic learner I might be able to develop an additional style of studying, by evaluating the effectiveness of those components.       The components of an Interpersonal learner are traits that seem aligned with how I believe I would best learn.    When I was in sigh school, I thrived in the classes which were interactive in nature, as opposed to lecture driven.    I rarely understood the need for slide shows or other visual aids and often felt they had little bearing on the subject even though some of my classmates seemed to believe they helped them immensely. So if a category that fit most of what >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Personal Learning Styles Personal Learning Styles University of Phoenix Everyone learns differently.    This is something that we all discover at a young age.    Some of us absorb information from a Professors lecture very easily, while others will need to go back and read or recite this same information.    Everyone has a learning style that is unique to them, developed over time by their own learning experiences.    By examining our personal learning style, we are able to gain valuable insight on how we learn best, which allows us then to convert study material from its offered format into one that is more palatable for us as individuals.    After a thorough assessment, I have developed a detailed understanding of my own learning style and personality, as well as a strategic plan to improve my time management and study skills. Especially as children, we all have our favorite subjects in school.    Typically, we simply choose subjects we have a natural aptitude for as our favorites we enjoy things better when they come easy to us.    My favorite subjects in school were always math and science related; subjects where everything made logical sense.    I learn best when I can bring logical order to the information presented to me.    Not surprisingly, I also learn best when working on my own, so that I am able to organize my thoughts in a logical manner. After completing the Pathways to Learning1 assessment, I discovered, somewhat unsurprisingly, that I am most strongly developed in the Logical-Mathematical and Intrapersonal intelligences.    I then completed the Personality Spectrum1 and learned that my personality type is that of a Thinker. The results I received from these two assessments complement each other well.    I discovered that while I learn best through problem solving, my best study practices are to study in a quiet place, organize material logically (when possible writing outlines or developing charts and graphs), read text and highlight important points, write or rewrite >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> My Personal Learning Styles Like most people, I can definitely say there have been times in my life when learning was a chore. I can remember looking at the clock on the wall watching the second hand tick away while feverishly tried to grasp the material before me. On the other hand, I can clearly recall times when I was eager to learn. I looked forward to the experience, almost counting the hours until my next opportunity to dive into the scheduled material. As the years have passed from my early days of learning until now, I have realized there is a key word that defines my learning style: scheduled. I am a schedule person. From as far back as I can remember, I have always envied the organized person. The one who had a schedule for everything. The one who knew everything and knew where to go to get what they did not readily possess. I have studied temperament types and learning styles in great detail, primarily trying to find new ways of understanding others and myself. At one point, I took the Strong Interest Inventory Test to try to find out my personal learning style. In an interpretive report following the testing, Allen Hammer and Judith Grutter explained: Your score on the Learning Environment scale suggests that you are interested in applied or practical problems. You may be most interested in short-term training that can teach you practical skills that will help you prepare for a particular job. You probably learn best in settings where you can learn by experience, not through books or lectures (11). The Skills for Professional Development textbook provided four distinct tests to help me define my learning style even further. Test 1: Peak and Valley Learning Times (University of Phoenix 74), confirmed to me that I learn best in the early morning hours. Early morning is definitely a peak learning time for me. I can frequently be found early in the morning with a book and a cup of coffee. I wake up and my brain seems to be already engaged. Saturday mornings afford me the Criteria reference To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the learner is able to: Task No Page numbers 1 evaluate the personal and professional skills required to meet both organisational and own goals and objectives evaluate more effective ways to learn in the future 2 undertake a personal skills audit, identifying preferred learning style, which focuses on the skills required for effective management and leadership 3 produce a detailed personal development plan evaluate and review the effectiveness and impact of your learning

Royal Caribbean And International Travel Tourism Essay

Royal Caribbean And International Travel Tourism Essay The travel industry provides many positive aspects into leisure vacationing. It offers the ability to enhance ones self knowledge. A more cultural diverse knowledge will also broaden business choices. International travel has impacted businesses worldwide. Executives and employees increase their knowledge with different cultures, legalities and politics. This gained knowledge improves the corporations structure with financial, marketing, sales, management practices in addition to personal fulfillment. The cruise industry fits perfectly into this way of enhancement. Leisure travel and cruising has impacted many different economies, such as the United States and abroad. They do so by integrating and expanding regional markets, sales, supply, and demand across the globe. Purpose of Study This papers purpose is to explain the benefits of travel and the cruise industry in a corporate infrastructure. Royal Caribbean, the cruise industry and other travel methods will show how and why corporate executives choose to incorporate leisure into business. Some limitations of study would be the lack of knowledge and experience in managing an entire corporation in the United States or internationally. Also, the travel industry and cruise lines main focus is offering consumer vacations primarily to United States citizens. Only in the recent two decades have they embarked on becoming more globalized. Definition of Terms Terminology within this paper will be of common knowledge and common sense. Any unusual terms used will be explained in the section it resides. Review of Literature Organization of the cruise industry Annual cruise reviews from the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), announced the cruise industry will grow after prior years of economic slowdown. Despite the slumping economy, Royal Caribbean has continued to expand its fleets, introduce new port of calls (stops and ship destinations) and itineraries. In addition to American growth, international growth has also been reported. The United Kingdom is expected to double its passengers in 2010. The increase in passengers is attributed to Royal Caribbean, Holland America, MSC and Maritime Voyages (Griffiths, 2010, p. 10). Since the late 1980s the United States accounts for two-thirds of the global cruise market. Also, Europeans and Asians are quickly capturing shares in this growing industry. This is shown by Royal Caribbeans global expansion strategy by easing ships into Asia. Since 2009, Asian passengers increased to one million due to the rise of the middle class. Royal Caribbeans expansion strategy has left a footprint for other cruise lines to follow. Adam Goldstien, President of Royal Caribbean acknowledges his job is to lead a brand that delivers the Wow! (Kolesnikov-Jessup, 2008, p. 12). Strategy and organizational architecture Strategic planning often involves working with the National Tourism Organization (NTO). Although it has been argued that the NTOs of different countries describe strategic planning as an overall government strategy its mission is to research, develop and promote tourism on an economic level. NTOs help organizations in several aspects such as improving organizational levels, management, and performance to provide the needs of the organization, the industry and itself (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). Different models of plan of action are used depending on the industry, economic environment and organizational needs. Royal Caribbean uses the most common type, known as the normative model. This strategy requires a proactive view in establishing and achieving goals, such as to observe environments and economic conditions, assess internal capabilities, and research and development (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). This proactive view consists of restructuring the organization. There are several factors that affect the organizations operations. These factors include, control systems, incentives, organizational culture, processes, and people. This is referred to as organizational architecture of a company. These five factors are divided into subunits often called product divisions, national operations and functions. These divisions provide the ability to improve on executive decision-making, integration of teams domestically and internationally, and the coordination of processes and activities. Processes are the method of how decisions are agreed upon and approved (Hill, 2009, p. 451). Internal capability Royal Caribbeans level of competency is a major determinant on whether the NTOs normative model will be successful. Some factors of competency are whether management understands the commitment to the past, present and future development of the organization. Other factors are time management, the ability to deal with disruptive crises, manage disruptions and the desire to focus on what is important to the organization (Soteriou and Roberts, 1998, p. 21). Royal Caribbean and the NTOs main focus are to become more globalized. Decisions on how to perform and achieve the ultimate goal is important. Most of the critical issues are centralized to hierarchy executives at the main headquarters in Miami, Florida. For example, strategic and financial decisions are primarily the responsibility of the President and board of directors. These major company changes and objectives need to be kept consistent, avoid cultural problems, and poorly repeated activities (Hill, 2009, pp. 451-452). International local offices have more of decentralized decision-making capabilities. Local offices in Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Australia and Singapore have better flexibility, control and professional freedom. For example, if there are employee, entertainment, ship safety and maintenance issues with ships in the Australia region, that local office has the ability to make quicker decisions in resolving problems (Hill, 2009, p. 453). Globalization of the cruise industry Globalization is important for most organizations to expand through the ever-changing world of technology. Over twenty years ago cruise ships were exclusively available to travelers of the United States. Royal Caribbean, the second largest cruise line behind Carnival Cruise foresaw globalization as a way to help lead the industry into the millennium (Griffiths, 2010). Significant changes and benefits have spanned over-seas. New emerging market industries have appeared in some European countries such as Germany and Italy. Royal Caribbean and other large cruise lines have invested time and money into these countries to utilize their prime locations and joint ventures for ship building. While Royal Caribbean expands their fleets, they are also helping to improve economies. Improvements can be seen in providing employment and wages to drawing attention to the European nations through tourism (WTTC, IFTO, IHRA, ICCL, 2002, p. 45). According to MaryAnne Howland of Black Enterprises, globalization encompasses mixing business with leisure. Whether your single or have a family, business trips do not require suffering through boring hotel stays and horrible food. With the ease of internet access, making reservations for the next business trip can also be you and your familys next mini-vacation (2004, p. 125). In addition to having quality time to yourself and saving costs to the company or client, business trips can now involve family, education and the chance to broaden your cultural diversity. Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines offer exactly this-with ports all over the world, amenities and activities for all age groups. While the family is enjoying themselves, conferences and meetings can be conducted with minimal interruptions with a more refreshed attitude. Globalization also provides more opportunities in obtaining new contracts, prospects, and clients enabling positive memorable first impressions with personal meetings (Mancini, 2004, p. 15). Although obtaining flights and hotels all over the world are the primary choice of conducting business and gathering new prospects and clients, cruising has offered a different option. For most executives, being away from the family and children is the first sacrifice when building an organization. Business trips can often span over several weeks of time especially when traveling overseas. Some business dealings are conducted via the internet and conference calls, but nothing makes a better impression than in-person meetings when closing the deal. This aspect proves why it is undeniable the ease of flights and hotels as a primary choice of conducting travel. With all success comes sacrifice and in most instances it is the personal lives of family that carries that burden. This inevitably creates stress for the executive in addition to the family dynamic. Stress not only affects the family dynamic, but will also transfer into the workplace. This is where Royal Caribbean comes into the picture. They provide a choice of combining work and pleasure. The family no longer has to always sacrifice personal happiness and growth for the sake of better careers and higher incomes. It is true, families can fly to worldly destinations on business trips, but unless they are familiar with the country, location and culture most often they are stuck in the hotel. With Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines, this is no longer a problem. Safety is their number one priority in addition to reaching the different age groups of providing fun and entertainment. Everything is inclusive, from staterooms (sleeping quarters), food, pools, gyms, daycare to bars, casinos and shopping (Mancini, 2004). Regional economic impact on global economies The United States and international economies are in dire need of recovery. According to the Travel Trade Gazette business travel is on the rise and will be an important factor in repairing global economies. Corporations such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise among other large companies are trying to achieve that competitive edge. A survey recently revealed that approximately seventy-nine percent of organizations prefer a more personal approach in conducting business. Eighty-nine percent of business executives believe face-to-face interaction is crucial to finalize the deal. It is essential for executives to visit and personally interact with people and analyze new market industries, especially in a recession (Travel Trade Gazette, 2010, p. 11). The cruise industry has impacted many different economies in addition to the United States. The most well known areas are Mexico, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Bahamian and Caribbean locations. More recently a new trend has emerged. Several countries offer unexplored and untouched regions. Despite pirate-infested waters, Royal Caribbean among other larger cruise lines is adding new routes to their itineraries. Some itineraries include Asia to Europe, South and West Africa, Australia, Mediteranian and Singapore to Rome. Each different port offers several offshore excursions. These lesser-explored areas create excitement to the consumer. For example, Africa currently offers heritage tours remembering past slave trades. National parks, exquisite beaches, chimpanzee and hippopotamus sanctuaries are only a few of the choices consumers have, while cruising with Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines. These underdeveloped, international areas have increased in revenue because of the cruise industry r evenue from tourism that would not have normally been accessible other than by air (Jainchill, 2010, np). Despite recent port additions Royal Caribbean felt the hard reality of three key factors in the early 1990s. These three factors affected most of the cruise industry; the war in the Middle East, the United States recession and increased costs of supply, primarily fuel. Glenn Withiam of Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administrations cited from analyst Arthur Little that the United States recession was affecting the cruise industry, tourism and international economies worse than the war (1992, p. 1). Although the early 1990s looked bleak, four encouraging factors were offering a positive outlook leading up to the year 2010. The four factors were; the consumers continued interest in adventure and cultural diversity, the cruise industries earned reputation from word of mouth of having the best customer satisfaction, decreasing production schedules on fleet expansions and cost control because newer ships run more efficiently. Other interrelated lesser, encouraging factors will continue to be higher air fares, more conservative lending institutions and the slowing of supply due to space constraints in shipyards (Withiam, 1992, p. 9). Cultural diversity and impact Royal Caribbean offers luxury and lavish attention which can be enjoyed by vacationers and executives on business trips. Cruise ships offer interesting and exciting destinations and an excellent way to visit several different geographic areas in a short period of time. In addition to meeting new prospects on port-of-calls, cruise ships have the most cultural diversity within its passengers (Magic at sea: The cruise industry, 2005). When vacationing or conducting business on or off the ship, it is important to be aware of different societies and their shared values and norms. The last thing desired is to offend societies or possible new customers or business partners (Hill, 2009, p. 89). Religion and ethical systems (or moral principles) play a large part in shaping cultures (p. 96). Royal Caribbean embraces cultural diversity. They believe in employing a well rounded workforce and inspiring other cruise lines to adopt the same way of thinking. They often choose to employ people from the different country and island destinations that are on the itineraries. Employing people from local cultures exposes passengers and fellow employees to new learning experiences (Our Company, 2010). According to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) the cruise industry employs about eighty five to ninety percent of people from international countries. As Royal Caribbean is providing new cultural experiences for everyone onboard, these international or local workers are gaining financial independence, personal autonomy, economic, social and cultural equality. Extensive training and education required for all company personnel provides a sense of pride and empowerment not otherwise gained in the country of origin (WTTC, IFTO, IHRA, ICCL, 2002, p. 48). In addition to providing a more diverse environment on ships, it has been proven that cultural dining and entertainment is exciting to consumers. For example, employing European, Japanese and Mexican chefs offer the chance to taste the very best cuisine that would normally be available only in four-star restaurants and hotels. Foreign entertainment coordinators also provide unique experiences in traditional and exotic shows. Cultures are never constant and are always changing through the decades thus providing an endless array of different styles of entertainers and entertainment (Our Company, 2010). Discussion Review of Findings Royal Caribbean has helped lead industries into a new way of vacationing and business travel. Their global expansion strategy, positive impact on the United States, international economies and cultural diversity has been noticed by many different industries and corporations worldwide. Smaller cruise lines have also noticed how globalization has affected the market. Unfortunately due to their lack of capital, fleets (numerous ships) and vision they are unable to effectively compete with the large corporations like Royal Caribbean. These smaller organizations are primarily localized in small city-limit areas and are often privately owned and operated. These limitations keep them from expanding. Working with the NTO, Royal Caribbean has improved on several internal levels of the organization such as, management and performance. Their strategy focuses on a proactive view when making decisions in regards to company goals, research, development and internal capabilities. Although determinants sometimes exist such as lack of competency, commitment and conflict management skills, most of these abilities can be learned through experience, proper training and role models. Globalization has been a key part of the cruise industrys success in the last three decades. Creating new itineraries and new foreign relations has helped Royal Caribbean and their leading competitor Carnival Cruise to expand their fleets and improve the United States and international economies. To keep a competitive edge on industry markets, executives from all over the globe have the choice to utilize cruise ships to achieve a more personalized first impression to confirm and close the sales deal. Nearly ninety percent of organizations prefer a personalized method. Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry continually strive to improve different economies, increase supply, demand, and boost revenue to countries that would not normally obtain the benefits of tourism. Interpretation/Analysis of Findings Economic slowdown will continue to occur in the future. This affects all economies and markets, including the travel and cruise industry. Since the conception of Royal Caribbean in the 1970s, they showed ambition and promise for a bright future. In the 1980s Royal Caribbean among other large cruise industries accounted for two-thirds of the globalized cruise market, even though this ratio had not yet included the growing interest in European and Asian countries. The National Tourism Organization appears to be of great help to large corporations trying to break into globalization. Their strategic planning and general know-how seems to be having an overall positive effect for Royal Caribbean. Their internal levels of; management, research, development and financial restructuring has helped them lead the industry and influence other corporations. Their market strategy, entrepreneurial spirit and NTO support helps guide them. Strategy changes such as their target market of GenerationX and Baby Boomer age groups, adopting new accounting methods, and implementing new financial practices like the Dupont system of analysis (Block, S., Hirt, G., Danielsen, B., 2009), has proven to be successful and going in the right direction. Although, snapshots of their stock fluctuates and is currently showing a slight drop of .07% according to the Wall Street Journal (Company Research: RCL Stock Quote, 2010), internal organizational changes to become more globalized has increased their asset turnover and return on assets in addition to their enthusiasm (Block et al, 2009). Their belief in cultural diversity within the workforce has created wonderful experiences for vacationers and executives alike. Providing a more diverse environment has proven to be successful in maintaining the excitement of consumers. Exotic entertainment and destinations, to four-star dining experiences has set Royal Caribbean apart from the average cruise line. The goal of creating that Wow! factor appears to be working. Summary and Conclusions Royal Caribbean will continue to grow, as they have for the past four decades. Keeping a competitive edge and continuing to strive for more globalization while being proactive in decision making will ensure their successful existence in the cruise industry for years to come. Although the National Tourism Organizations strategy planning is considered a government plan by most countries, they have significantly helped Royal Caribbean and the travel industry in becoming more globalized. Working with the NTO will also help them stay focused on the continual improvements with their internal levels and capability of the organization. Globalization is the key to Royal Caribbeans success. Although they probably would have continued to stay in business it would have been at a smaller scale. Their expansion into European countries is what has cemented their legacy in the new millennium. Building local offices in countries like Italy and Australia, in addition to ship-manufacturing joint ventures in areas such as Finland, Germany and France has improved cultural diversity, increased fleets and intensified economies with employment, wages and tourism. Royal Caribbean has also provided another choice for executives to mix business and the family dynamic. In this dire need of economic recovery, the executives or owners of other companies and industries should be Royal Caribbeans next demographic to strongly focus on. Leisure travel and cruising has impacted many different economies, such as the United States and abroad by integrating and expanding regional markets, sales, supply, and demand across the globe.

Sufi Teachers and Redefining the Traditional Student-Teacher Relationsh

Sufi Teachers and Redefining the Traditional Student-Teacher Relationship "What does it mean-and more important, what should it mean--to be educated?" (58) A response to Spayd's begs another question. Is education the objective itself or the means to the objective? For some people education is just a degree, a piece of paper framed on the wall. One can say, a person with a diploma has received an education, but it is not certain that the person is educated. This paper relates to those individuals who use education as a means to reach their objective. For them, education is not a straight line with a definitive start and finish. It is a journey full of crossroads and choices, which require direction from a guide. For a student, the teacher is that guide. The teacher teaches the student how to find the right way in his journey and from time to time, help redefine student's objective. The teacher's role in a student's journey is a central issue for a fruitful education. A teacher's methodology and the relationship between student and teacher greatly affect the content of education and its relevance to real life. A student's role is equally important in an effective teacher-student relationship. As a receiver of information and training, the student must respect and love the teacher and also have keen interest in the subject matter. This paper is intended to focus on the importance of a teaching methodology, content and philosophy of teaching and learning for an effective and fruitful student-teacher relationship. A dramatic example of a powerful teacher-student interaction is found in the Sufi Order and the way the Dervish teach their students. By understanding the teacher-student relationship in the Sufi Order, one may... ...espect and admiration for the teacher in addition to having a keen interest in the subject matter. A Sufi Master's relationship with his student, however dramatic it may be, is the most productive and rewarding model for a life-long student-teacher relationship. Works Cited Helminski, Kabir. "Dervishhood". http://www.sufism.org/books/sacred/dervish.html (9 March 2002). Spayde, John. "Learning in the Key of Life." The Presence of Others Voices and Images That Calls for Response. Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz. New York: Bedford St.Martin's, 2000 , 58-64. Lessing, Doris. "On Sufism and Idries Shah's The Commanding Self (1994)". January 31, 1999. http://www.sufis.org/lessing_commandingself.html (9 March 2002). "Initiation and search for a murshid". Hazrat Sultan Bahu . November 24, 2000. http://www.bahu.co.za/hazrat_sultan_bahu.htm (9 March 2002).

The Modern Day Gikuyun Farmer :: Economics Kenya Agriculture Essays

The Modern Day Gikuyun Farmer The following are excerpts from a research project undertaken by Ramya Bavikatte on her Washington Semester at American University. Ramya traveled with her class to Kenya, where she learned more about the issues of small holder agriculture and the Gikuyun farmer. The purpose of this research project is to study the economic and social implications of smallholder agriculture in Kenya. The shift of smallholders from subsistence farming to cash crop farming created significant changes in the standards of living, social security, reproduction, and the sexual division of labor. With the strong social impact of commercial farming, many Kenyans are wondering whether they are materially better or worse off than they were thirty five years ago. One of the most evident ways in which commercial agriculture affects the Kenyan people is through ecological and land degradation. Due to the ever-increasing pressures put on the land, frequent aridity has led to greater risk of a bad harvest or even famine. Food relief to Kenya has become more common, therefore elevating the dependency on donor countries. Since a well-organized system of providing social security does not exist in Kenya, the best assurance of economic security comes through the ownership of land. In addition to the land security, commercial agriculture provides an inlet for added security through market extensions. Market extensions aid farmers and their families by providing loan and investment services. Unfortunately, the population boom in Kenya, as everywhere in Africa, means less land and agricultural opportunities; consequently, the increased rural density has forced people to seek work in the cities. Although the city dwellers have more control over their work conditions, they are by no means financially stable since the work will inevitably be in the informal sector. All the needs of the city dwellers must be met by cash payments, of which they rarely have enough. Perhaps commercial agriculture is not entirely to blame for the population boom. It could be considered, however, as a catalyst for industrializatio n. Industrialization coupled with commercial agriculture will exacerbate social tensions already in existence among the Kenyan people. Any shift towards higher productivity or income growth in the population as a whole must increase the range of wealth differences. Unfortunately, the economic gap between the North and South grows as wealth continues to transfer of the North's sector. The Natural Environment of the Gikuyu Farmer Gikuyuland makes up a large portion of the great East African plateau.

The 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers :: Hockey History Winning Sports Essays

The 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers It is the dream of every child that has ever played hockey to one day be able to hold hockey’s most prized possession over his or her head. The glory, honor, and prestige that goes along with this trophy is by far the most elite in any sport. It is amazing to me how many years and the amount of effort these players put in just to hold this cup over their heads. Why is there such a drive and how did this trophy come to mean so much to so many people? This trophy has such humble beginnings. Originating in Canada, Hockey was taken very seriously. There was a lot of rivalry going on throughout the country, especially in the Amateur Hockey Association, as to who had the best hockey team. It was in response to this that Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor of Central-Canada, decided to present a trophy to the team that won the championship. He said, â€Å"I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion (of Canada)† (Nhl.com). Lord Stanley purchased a cup-like trophy for the equivalent of only $50.00, and from then on, it was presented to the winning team. â€Å"The Stanley Cup—today the symbol of the hockey championship of the world, oldest professional sports trophy in North America, glittering prize of a multi-million dollar industry, was then for amateurs†(McFarlane 14). The cup wa s first awarded in 1893 and the names of each member on the team were engraved on it. As the years went on, they were forced to add more rings around the cup to make room for all of the champion’s names. The cup started as a challenger’s cup, meaning whoever won had possession of it, but any other team could challenge them at any time for their chance at the cup. â€Å"Over the years the Stanley Cup has grown in size and importance† (McFarlane xi). The New York Rangers, who entered into the National Hockey League in the 1926-27 season, quickly became aware of what it was like to rise to the top of the league and to hold the Stanley Cup over their heads. Lead by Lester Patrick, the head coach and Bill Cook, who won the scoring title that year, the Rangers finished at the top of the league.

Wahaha Case Study

QUESTION 1: What â€Å"international strategy† and â€Å"modes of entry† did COKE/PEPSI use to penetrate the Chinese Market? How effective were these choices? When Chinese markets opened up in 1980’s, Coke/Pepsi focussed on defining several strategies to Differentiate, Market and distribute their Cola products to Chinese consumers. International Differentiation Strategy: Both used two main aspects of this strategy â€Å"Branding† and â€Å"Cost Leadershipâ€Å"to force local producers to withdraw from the market or establish joint ventures with them.They invested heavily in Brand recognition and used lots of advertising and sponsoring to support their cola brands. They replicated their global rivalry in China and initially were determined to seize market share from domestic cola producers, even at the cost of profitability. Later, Coke instituted the â€Å"Glocal† strategy which means â€Å"Think Local, act local but leverage global† but Pe psi instituted its positioning on young consumers. International Marketing Strategy: Coke spent heavily on Marketing to create a sound brand image and included Chinese cultural icons like windmills and dragons in its advertising.Local films and sports stars were engaged, sponsored National Soccer teams and International Olympic Committee as well with funding up to $1. 1 Billion for Beijing Games. Pepsi also used a great deal of Marketing like using popular entertainers such as Faye Wang, Guo Fuchen as endorsers. Pepsi became the most popular soft drink brand for young consumers due to its focussed Marketing for this demographics. International Distribution Strategy: Both preferred to establish their own distribution networks while setting up Joint Ventures with bottlers and bottlers managing sales in their assigned territory.They set stringent sales targets for bottlers, and in turn bottlers would set targets for distributors. While in most of the joint ventures, Coke did not have m ajority shareholding but Pepsi sought a majority share in the joint ventures. Global vs. International Strategy: Coke/Pepsi both maintained a global image and product offerings with a strong level of standardization in terms of Product quality, taste and branding but adapted their marketing strategies as per local market.For Example, Coke has taken the â€Å"think local, act local† approach and localized their marketing activities to be in sync with Chinese consumers. They sponsored National Youth Soccer Team and also extended their sponsorship for Beijing Games to create a sense of belonging among the end consumers. International Collaborative Strategy: Both Coke/Pepsi did collaboration with local Chinese companies and set up joint Ventures which helped them understand cultural, political, competitive and economic differences among various provinces in China.They were also successfully able to reach end consumers through local companies and create accurate customer profiles which helped them understand complexities in Chinese market. International Diversification Strategy: Product diversification strategy entails any modification of a current product that serves to expand its potential. Product diversification is different from product development such that it involves creating a new customer base, which expands the market potential of the original product. Coke/Pepsi used this strategy quite effectively to widen their customer base and target new segments.They launched several local products specific to Chinese needs and culture and did marketing in localised manner. For Example: Coke launched Minute Maid Pulpy Super Milky drink and the Sprite Tea drink and both have been regional hits. Both drinks have been developed out by the research and development unit in China. These strategic choices made by Pepsi/Coke were quite effective in China as they had successfully implemented them in other countries and both companies gained combined market share of 7 1% in Chinese Cola market by 2000.QUESTION 2: What resources, capabilities and competencies enabled Wahaha to compete successfully against Coke and Pepsi when most other local Chinese soft drink manufacturers had failed? Wahaha was able to successfully compete against Coke and Pepsi due to these factors: Wahaha’s Leadership : Wahaha Group was managed by Zong Qinghou who had a great vision and deep knowledge of markets and consumers in various regions. He had 20 years of sales experience in Chinese rural markets and Wahaha launched Future Cola in rural areas first which was untapped.Wahaha’s Marketing : Marketing, research and development (R&D) and logistics management were centralized at headquarters, while the subsidiaries were engaged in production. Wahaha’s marketing was clearly home grown and pitched the product as a â€Å"Chinese Cola† creating a sense of patriotism among end consumers. Wahaha’s Advertising : Wahaha’s advertising target ed the mass market, and not just the wealthier urban consumers. The prices of its products were usually lower than those of comparable products from its multinational competitors.They spent half of their advertising on CCTV which had huge rural coverage and credibility among consumers. Wahaha’s Distribution Network: Wahaha had developed unique relationships with distributors over last 10 years and was able to quickly deliver its products, reaching even remote corners of China within days. Wahaha established offices in more than 30 provinces with sales staff co-ordinating operations with the distributors.Wahaha JV’s and Acquisitions: In order to obtain world class production technology and survive competition from both local and multinational companies, Wahaha chose to partner with French giant Groupe Danone and both established several production oriented Joint Ventures(JV’s) which resulted into revenues and profits growing more rapidly. Wahaha also made several acquisitions such as loss making companies which were larger but poorly managed and it supported geographic expansion and production in local provincial markets.Wahaha’s R&D : Wahaha co-operated with R&D institutes and leading domestic flavor producers to ensure that its cola would be of a high quality and conducted thousands of taste tests worldwide. Its taste was designed to be close to international colas, but a little bit sweeter and stronger to cater to the Chinese consumers’ taste. Wahaha’s Production: Unlike Multinational companies, Wahaha had set up its own bottling plants as subsidiaries which allowed it great flexibility and also opened 68 production lines over China in various provinces.Wahaha’s Competitive Edge: The biggest competitive advantage which Wahaha had over Coke/Pepsi is that being a local company it understands the Chinese culture diversity pretty well and also their unique relationship with distributors in even remote parts of Chi na. They identified the opportunity in rural markets which was untapped by big multinationals and advertised heavily on local TV Channels, especially CCTV to create a solid Brand image in minds of Chinese consumers.Above all, since Wahaha had successfully sold many products like bottled water, flavoured milks, children’s nutritious drinks before launching Future Cola so it had enough experience, network and capital to support its Marketing, advertising expenses unlike other local Chinese soft drink manufactures who failed. QUESTION 3: What were the relative â€Å"Strengths & Weaknesses† of the three competitors in the Chinese Cola War? | Strengths| Weakness|Coke| International ExperienceStrong presence in urban areasExcellent sales force Huge capital to support price warsWide Range of productsIncreased local market knowledge| Weak Rural presenceCross territory sales by distributorsRivalry with Pepsi| Pepsi| International ExperiencePopular among young consumersProven St rategy in other marketsStrong hold on main cities| Weak Rural presenceJoint Venture conflictsRivalry with Coke| Wahaha| Understanding Chinese Culture DiversityRelationship with distributors in rural areas68 Production lines over ChinaJoint Venture with DanonePricing flexibility due to production by own subsidiariesChina’s own Cola| Week attendees in main citiesSales force|Wahaha seems to be winning the Cola war if they build on the strategies and implement them successfully in urban areas as well where multinationals have strong presence and also continue protect their current market share in rural areas. Another reason why Wahaha seems to be winning over because it has branded its products as â€Å"China’s own Cola† Made in China products and which resulted into a sense of belonging and loyalty among the Chinese consumers and it can be successfully implemented in big cities like Beijing, Hong Kong as well. QUESTION 4: Describe the Competitive Strategies and Tac tics each company (Wahaha/Coke/Pepsi) used to gain Market Share in China.Did any company appear to be winning the cola war? Support your answer. We can describe the competitive Strategies and Tactics used by each company to gain market share using Porter’s Five Force model. Industry Rivalry: When Chinese markets opened up in 1980’s, Coke and Pepsi invested heavily in Brand recognition and used lots of advertising and sponsoring to support their cola brands. They replicated their global rivalry in China and initially were determined to seize market share from domestic cola producers, even at the cost of profitability. They either forced local producers to withdraw from the market or establish joint ventures with them.Wahaha decided to target the rural market first because it knew and understood this market, and because it was not the focus of Coca Cola and PepsiCo. It focussed on the mass market of 1. 1 billion people in rural areas. Suppliers: Pepsi and Coke preferred to establish their own distribution networks while setting up Joint Ventures with bottlers and bottlers managing sales in their assigned territory. They set stringent sales targets for bottlers, and in turn bottlers would set targets for distributors. They used this model successfully in many countries. Their bottlers will map every place where their products can be sold and create one of them most accurate customer profiles.Coke had 28 bottling plans with Joint ventures (Minority shareholding) but Pepsi had 16 bottling plans with Joint ventures (Majority shareholding). Bottlers had little Supplier Power since they were into joint ventures with Coke and Pepsi. Wahaha did not had any suppliers since it had set up its own bottling plants as subsidiaries which allowed it great flexibility with its sales team and resulting into more price flexibility. It had more than 40 WOS and majority holding companies in 23 provinces. Buyers: Chinese cola consumers were segmented into two broad area s urban and rural, while urban market was captured mostly by Coke and Pepsi and Wahaha had excellent rural reach due to its unique relationship with its distributors in remote parts of China.Coke target market was large population centres, rolled out its products in cities based on population with up to 85% distribution penetration, Pepsi focused on key markets and cities, youth segment and had 65% distribution penetration but increasing faster than Coke. Wahaha focus initially was on smaller cities and rural areas which was yet untapped by big multinationals. Wahaha priced its products quite lower than Coke and Pepsi since rural consumers had more price sensitivity than urban buyers. It spent heavily on CCTV advertising which had huge rural coverage and credibility among consumers. They did the Marketing of their products as â€Å"Made in China† which made consumers more loyal towards it.Pepsi/Coke made money from sale of concentrate while Wahaha made it from sale of final p roducts due to its own subsidiaries doing production and so Wahaha had high pricing flexibility than Coke/Pepsi and was able to undercut multinationals. Potential Entrants: Coca Cola and PepsiCo’s success against the domestic Cola producers in the early stages and their strong brand name and sales network in big cities formed a high entry barrier for new competitors. However, later Wahaha successfully competed against them due to good knowledge of Chinese culture, sound distribution network and excellent Brand Management and timely launch of quality products in rural areas which was untapped by big companies. But, still sector has high entry barriers there by resulting into limited potential entrants.Substitutes: There are several substitutes to Cola like Iced Tea, Sports and Energy drinks, Non – Carbonated drinks, juices, packaged water etc which pose a great challenge to Cola Industry and growing at a higher rates up to 10% in comparison to 2-4% growth rate in Cola d rinks. This has resulted into Coke, Pepsi and Wahaha launching several other products in these categories Value Creation for Shareholders: While Coke/Pepsi endorsed local film stars, included cultural icons in its advertising and sponsored various Chinese Sports programs to localise their marketing as per Chinese consumers but Wahaha focussed on advertising using TV Ads especially on CCTV which had huge coverage and credibility and also sponsored Soccer World Cup and spring festivals. QUESTION 5: What future strategies should Wahaha consider to compete successfully against such large multinational enterprises?There should be a Four Step Action Plan which Wahaha should consider to compete successfully against such large multinational enterprises: Step1: Wahaha need to maintain and protect its leading position in Rural market since both multinationals Pepsi/Coke are going to improve their distribution network, product offerings and further localise their Marketing to penetrate rural m arket. It can do it by increasing Marketing activities in rural areas and projecting its â€Å"Chinese Cola† brand image more comprehensively. Step2: It need to target main cities where multinationals have strong presence and fetch market share so that it can maintain its overall market share in case of downside in rural market share. Step3: It needs to explore new markets which are yet untapped fully by multinationals and are similar to Chinese ulture since it can brand its products successfully in similar manner as it did in China Step4: It needs to broaden its product line and enter into other substitutes category like Iced Tea, Bottled water etc which are posing a threat to Cola segment by registering higher growth rates. It can also start research on new product segments like Alcoholic drinks etc to see if market potential exists or not. Strategy| Actions| Protecting and maintaining leading position in Rural Market| * Increase Marketing activities in rural areas( Sponsor for local events and ads) * Offer Bounce system to maintain distributors loyalty . | Market Penetration| * Target Main cities first where Wahaha has good reputation like Beijing, Hong Kong etc. Promotional campaign every quarter for Brand Recall| Market Development| * Expand in neighbour countries with similar Chinese culture since it can use similar marketing and branding strategies in those countries which Wahaha has successfully implemented in China. * Use the Danone JV to enter in markets where Danone has good presence. | Product Development| * Prepare new production line for non – carbonated soft drinks since other substitutes like Iced Tea, Juices, Bottled waters are showing a higher growth rates than Cola segment. * Start Study to produce alcoholic drinks like Beer. | References: 1: International Trade & Academic Research Conference (ITARC ), 7 – 8th November, 2012, London. UK. on â€Å"COCA-COLA: International Business Strategy for Globalization† 2: Por ter’s Five Force model of Competition: http://www. managementstudyguide. com/porters-model-of-competetion. tm 3: Cola Wars in China: Case Study Analysis Source: Strategy Analysis and Practice 2005 McGraw Hill Education Europe 4: Cola Wars in China : The Future is Here ; Case Study by Nancy Dai at Richard Ivy School of Business. 5: Cola Wars – UTS 21715 – Strategic Management Lecture 3 University of Technology Sydney 6: Alon, I. , Littrell, R. F. , & Chan, A. K. (n. d. ). Branding in China: Global product strategy Alternatives. http://www. aabri. com/OC09manuscripts/OC09002. pdf 7: Espitia E. , Manuel and Ramires A. , Marisa The impact of product diversification strategy on the corporate performance of large Spanish firms. Spanish Economic Review Volume 4 Number 2. P. 119-137 2002.