Greek and Etruscan Architecture

Greek & Etruscan Architecture Greek and Etruscan architecture began to take shape during the Archaic and Early Classical periods. There were similarities between the early Greek and Etruscan architectural styles, but there were far more differences. One of the most obvious similarities between the Greek and Etruscan styles was the use of a gabled roof. A gabled roof resembles a triangle in that it has a peak in the middle, and then has two straight slopes from the peak to each side wall. These roofs were often supported by the use of pillars or columns and is evident in both Greek and Etruscan architecture. Like Greek temples, Etruscan temples also featured an â€Å"inner chamber† known as a cella. A cella is typically an enclosed prayer room located in the center of a temple. Many of the structures made during this time period were comprised of wood or a mud-brick mixture, which is why there are few structures that remain today. Beginning with the Classical period, Greek architects began to set themselves apart from Etruscan builders by using more durable materials like limestone and marble to construct their temples and buildings. Greek temples were mostly built in the Doric or Ionic orders, while the Etruscans used the more primitive Tuscan order. The Doric and Ionic orders are very ornate, detailed, and aesthetically pleasing. They feature a column with a fluted design, which gives the pillar a thinner, taller, more elegant look. The Tuscan order on the other hand, is a very plain design and features columns with a simple base (foundation), capital (crown of the column) and frieze (horizontal section resting on top of the capital, but below the entablature). Etruscan pillars of the Tuscan order were often made of wood and did not have flutes. Some of the other major differences between Etruscan and Greek architecture can easily be seen when comparing the Greek Parthenon to an Etruscan temple. The Parthenon features a colonnade (row of columns) and steps around the entire perimeter of the complex, while the typical Etruscan temple would have a colonnade and steps in the front of the building only. The Parthenon also featured a one-room cella with two porches. One porch would lead into the cella and the other porch would lead out of the cella. Etruscan temples featured a three room cella with only one porch in the front. The final distinction between the Parthenon and a typical Etruscan temple would be in the artistic level of detail each one was designed with. The Etruscan temple was built in the very plain and basic Tuscan order, with no ornamentation built into the actual structure itself, but multiple statues of gods placed on the roof of the temple. The Greek Parthenon however, was built in both the Doric and Ionic orders, with hundreds of lavishly decorated statues, figurines and figural reliefs built into the pediments (triangular section above the entablature), metopes (a decorative band that fills the space between the frieze and the entablature), and frieze.

Evaluating Website

Evaluating a Website for Credibility Rebekah Reed Chamberlain College of Nursing NR500: Foundation Concepts and Applications Fall 2012 Evaluating a Website for Credibility With so many health-related websites on the internet it was hard to choose one. I settled on one that is personal to me and that I do a lot of teaching on with patients. I chose American Diabetes Association at www. diabetes. org. This website is found by searching any of the search engines. This website has both a consumers and professional page. Diabetes is on the rise in the nation and to have a source that has reliable information for patients is a necessity.EVALUATING WEBSITE Evaluating this website for authority was a little cumbersome. The website gives you access to news and research where information on the author and publication is listed. There is a section for communication and discussion boards as well. The majority of information is organized by tabs, ie: living with diabetes, food and fitness, etc. T here is no author on these pages, but you can find information by going to tab about us page. The purpose of this website is to give consumers objective information both education and for entertainment use.The American diabetes association is an associated started in the U. S. to help those affected by diabetes. You as a consumer are able to donate in various ways to help support the research. The website assists you in finding your local chapter and events that are happening in your geographical area. The site provides basic information regarding diabetes and care of the disease. The ease of navigation is very user friendly. I enlisted my twelve year old son and mother who is in her late sixties. I asked each to find the page that gave users information on finger sticks.Both were able to find the information with relative ease. Graphics are loaded quickly and links are functioning. A nice feature I found on this website is the ability to click on an icon that states listen to text and it reads the text to you. This is wonderful for those who have difficulty reading. In addition there are pictures on every page that are related to the topic being discussed for those who learn by visual education. Looking for privacy and security policies shows this website to be certified by Norton Symtec security, Better Business Bureau, Trust wave Trusted Commence and National Health Counsel.You do not have to be a member to get information from this website. You can become a member for no fee and receive information on diet, control and other subjects. Your information is not shared with a third party or placed on a listserv. The privacy policy is easy to understand and find. Empirical Evidence â€Å"This website serves to provide the consumer, as well as the healthcare professional, with information about diabetes, its history, development, treatment and impact on the lives of the diabetic patient. The website homepage makes information available in both English and Spani sh.It is designed to give quick information to the viewer about the latest research and news summaries, a tip of the day, a recipe of the day, personal health risks for diabetes and a link to get local information about diabetes through your zip code. † (Overman, 2006) In this website the section for professionals gives you access to their search engine for any articles in the five main diabetic journals. You also have the option for professional resources which include information for professional education, patient educational information to use and diabetes animation clips to use in presentations.The option for continuing education is provided by both live and online programs through many various links. As a nurse or health care professional you are giving and teaching patients how to manage their disease. You are liable for the information you give that in making sure it is accurate and appropriate. The first decision point in recommending a website is to determine the goa l the website resource will address. For example, a dietitian might refer a patient to a specific recipe website that offers tips and recipes to help the patient become more comfortable preparing low-fat meals.Other specific reasons for referring a patient to a website might be to help the patient 1) learn more about a specific aspect of diabetes; 2) obtain recipes that meet taste preferences, the food budget, and health needs; 3) track activity levels; or 4) receive daily tips on being more successful meeting personal goals. (Evert et al, 2008) Conclusion In conclusion the website www. diabetes. org is a credible health-related website and a source of information for both consumers and professionals.It’s a wealth of knowledge and resources for the consumers in an easy to understand layout and language. For professionals it is a one stop area for up to date information, studies and articles regarding diabetes and related care. References Overman VP; Website Review: American D iabetes Association. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2006 Feb; 4 (1): 55 (journal article – website) ISSN: 1601-5029 Evert, A. , March, S. , Powers, M. ; Use of Internet Technology to Support Nutrition and Diabetes Self-Management Care. Diabetes Spectrum, 2008 April; 21 (2) 91-99

A passion for practicing medicine in Developing Country

A life with purpose is a life without misery. While yet many choose purpose out of a mere likeness, I have chosen mine out of interest, vision and passion. To live beyond a committed life in the world of medicine is my focal point. Yes, an opportunity to live a noble future that reflects constantly on the healing assignment, making people appreciate the privilege of breath.Of more interest of course, is the agendum to study medicine.A worthwhile career to contribute to life, making the world a better place to live. Health is wealth, so says a common saying. The study of health hence is the study of wealth. I am quite positive that my interest dwells in the study of medicine not only for a mere need to able to treat the ill ones, but a mission to spread the awareness of the need of good living and good health to all and sundry.Awareness that many of human ways bring about many diseases. Very few is aware that there are many more lethal diseases than AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Sy ndrome).Diseases like Bird flu, Cancer, Leukemia, SARS, to mention but few, are relatively unaddressed by many.Another issue that needs attention is the nutritional intake of human. Good nutrient does not only strengthen the body system, it also allows the body to resist some diseases. In the developed world, many eat and overfeed yet without taking the necessary nutrient. While in the developing countries, the case is more severe.The reason is not unconnected to the fact that they have shortage of food, hence shortage of nutrient necessary for good health. If only there could be more seminars, campaigns, and other media of awareness creation, many could have been saved from many diseases.I will like to join the presently available campaign teams across the world. Bodies like WHO (World Health Organization), USAID and lot more are doing a great job in sensitizing the entire globe on several health issues. Better still, if given all I require, I will like to create a new body that wi ll focus on the developing countries. The Old and the young in the developing countries go through so much concerning their health.Unaware of repercussions of many of their ways, hence leading to many diseases.They are locked up in a vicious circle of ill-health simply because of their poverty which does not afford them good health care. Countries like Somalia, Angola, Nigeria, to mention only but few among others, they need face lift in their attitudes towards their health schemes. Many children die of malaria or typhoid and yet many crippled by polio. These are diseases that could be cured or prevented with just a vaccination or some other simple drugs as the case may be.Of more focus is the old, weak and fragile both physically and emotionally. They suffer dissertation and low appetite. Their psychological status is assumed defective; they feel an aura of rejection. The chewing skill is increased but without enhancement, for their teeth become weak like cotton.Of more concern to me are the aged ones in the developing country, where the government of the masses cares less for the aged ones. Retired with little or no pension, living a practical vicious circle of no income, no health. I wish I could grow up in skill and knowledge in medicine vastly to help these people crying out everyday.For long, I have watched mentors making things happen in the world of health; it is high time I joined the train and contributed my own quota, lest it will be late.

Commet To Peer Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Commet To Peer Response - Essay Example You also mention that problems with a master brand can spill over into the other house brands. Lenovo has to ensure that to maintain an excellent reputation with customers. This can be achieved by providing superb customer service, quality, reliability, and value. The company’s strategy of being one of the most innovative companies in the industry will help the firm achieve high customer retention. Customer retention is important due to the 80/20 rule. Pareto’s 80/20 rule states that 80% of a company’s sales come from 20% of its customers (Reh, 2012). In the computer industry innovation and efficiency are two critical success factors. The deal Lenovo made with IBM was a great strategy move that will bring synergies to the company. The ability to advertise the laptops using the IBM logo will drive the sales of the company upwards. The company has to have a long term plan in place because the marketing deal with IBM only lasts five

Exchange Mergers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Exchange Mergers - Essay Example Mergers continued to occur in the 1970’s and 1980s but it wasn’t until the 1990s that mergers started to occur for a different reason. After 1990 mergers were being form to obtain operating efficiencies among two entities to compete against other players in an industry. Mergers have occurred in many industry including the airline, computer and retail industry. A particular business segment in which merger activity was not a common occurrence was among stock exchange institutions. There had been mergers in the past, but recently this segment of the financial services industry has been bombarded by multiple huge types of merger transactions among players in this industries including transaction across different international boundaries. This industry has changed and new alliances are changing the rules of the game. This paper studies the new tendencies of merging among stock exchanges and it describes the implication these new tendencies have in the Canadian exchanges and the investment atmosphere. A stock exchange is a place on which shares of stocks and common stocks equivalents are bought and sold, basically a marketplace for financial assets (Investorwords). There are numerous stock exchanges in different parts of the worlds such as Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, London, China, Europe among other locations. All these marketplace work independently but always have cooperated with each other when possible to satisfy the needs of clients when orders where placed for stocks not traded in their particular marketplace. The stock exchange business interest in the stock market is to have companies registered their stocks with their particular stock exchange to benefit from commission transaction of having companies participate in their particular exchange. The competition among exchanges became fierce and like other industries cost began to rise due to inflation and

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) - Assignment Example The number of people suffering from CFS has been increasing overtime. Research shows that by 2011, approximately 270,000 people in the UK suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. More than 1 million of America’s total population has CFS, with about 75 % of these being undiagnosed (CDC). For CFS patients, severe fatigue is the major complaint that is recorded. Records show that the number of women who suffer from this condition is three times higher that of men, a ratio of 3:1. In the diagnosed cases, women comprise 60-80 % of the total (CDC). Also among adults, the highest level of occurrence of the disease happens between 40-49 years. In addition, children are more disposed to the condition as compared to adults, with the highest frequency of occurrence happening in adolescents between 10-17 years. Research further shows that African Americans are more susceptible to the condition (CDC). Though the medical field has not identified and proved the main causes of the condition, there are several suggestions on the same. Some of the common social determinants suggested include gender, race, age, cultural differences, socio-economic status, psychological distress, domestic workload, employment dissatisfaction, physical diseases and presence of

Biological Aspects Of The Evolution Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biological Aspects Of The Evolution - Case Study Example The ancestral character is normally inherited from a distant ancestor while the derived character is one that has experienced fresh evolutionary transformation in a group. The derived characters are employed to classify species that share the trait together to signify that a common contemporary ancestor had similar traits. The sharks share a common character with the rest of the organism in the tree, which is a vertebra. This implies that all animals in the phylogenetic tree are vertebrae. The second trait that is found in all the animals except the shark is a bony skeleton that developed in Phase 2 of the tree. This makes the shark different from the other organisms. At level 3, the specific trait that is shared amongst the rest of animals is four limbs. Therefore, ray-finned fish are separated from the other animals at this stage of growth. At the development stage, 4 the common trait is an amniotic egg that is present in the remaining species. At level 5, the derived character that makes primates, rodents, and rabbits to be distinct is the existence of hair. The crocodiles, dinosaurs, and birds, have one trait, which is two post-orbital fenestrae (University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2011). In conclusion, transformation in character happens in a period where traits may be acquired or become extinct.

Management team decision Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management team decision - Coursework Example The plan of interest is the modification technique as it provides greater amounts of sustainable and near-term profitability. Currently, General Motors produces over 85 models and the appropriate move is to regulating production of various models. The company will be in a position of reducing the overlapping models and concentrate on the product mixes for purposes of allowing future redevelopment. General Motors should take away the GMC Passenger Van and Cargo Van as their Chevrolet brand offers similar vans with minor variations of the model. The organization should also include major changes in the current product mixes to achieve a turnaround for the current situation. The firm can achieve its profitability goals through a reduction plan of the overlapping vehicles in various brands since ascertained brands should not drive away customers. The strategies are intended to take the business away from competition. The entity can concentrate on defining several strategic decisions since it takes time to attach justifications behind the removal of each model (Peng 2008). As the company experiences reduced SUV sales, the corporation has to reduce the Envoy models to three as well as the Yukon models. Pontiac needs to remove the Montana Vans in the product line as the vans are outdated in terms of design as it not profitable. The company’s past strategy was to offer a broad assortment of cars under each brand. General Motors has changed the strategy through limiting the product portfolio and focusing on Cadillac and Chevrolet as marquis brands (Sekhar 2009). The organization has repositioned Hummer, Saab, and Saturn within niche brands. The approach combines Buick, GMC, and Pontiac into distribution channels that are complementary. Success of the firm appears to embed on taking strategic steps towards the profitability direction through making

Analysis of US to cut 'lost pleasure' analysis from public health Essay

Analysis of US to cut 'lost pleasure' analysis from public health approach - Essay Example In particular, the article seeks to weigh the effects of the proposed regulations on tobacco and the lives of the consumers. The article makes various remarks on the benefits associated with the government’s intentions on tobacco consumption. The regulations will have indirect health benefits in terms of dollars. For example, reduced tobacco consumption will bring down the chronic illnesses associated with smoking. The United States’ government incurs billions of dollars in treating cancer-related diseases associated with smoking. It therefore, shows that the government’s move that will bring a â€Å"lost consumer surplus† is vital to the public. Government officials claim that the economy can grow bigger even without the revenues from tobacco trade. They claim that smoking brings an expenditure burden of curing the smoking-related illnesses. Doing away with the expenditures is far more important that earning the revenues from tobacco trade. Health care economists argue that the government seeks to benefit from its move as well as secure the public from harm (Begley & Toni, 201 5). The article points out that economic growth can only be realized by a healthy and stable public. Cracking down on tobacco consumption goes far in building a stable nation focused on economic growth. The Congress mentions that tobacco-related issues cost the government more that the revenues earned from the tobacco business. Health related issues have been a major issue that affects the government’s pace of economic growth (Zeller, 2009). The overall demand will face a downward trend once the government’s regulations are put in place. The authorities claim that shifting the consumers’ utility towards a healthier diet is beneficial to the nation. The government will face fewer challenges in the health sector. Consumer pleasure also faces uncertain future with the proposed regulations on tobacco consumption. Additionally, the

Roller coaster accidents Essay Example for Free

Roller coaster accidents Essay Abstract Now that summer vacationers are filling up amusement parks on a daily basis how safe are you on the towering roller coasters? Am I the only one who wonders what if something happens? What if something goes wrong will I have enough time to react? With the recent death at Six Flags over Texas, these things cross my mind. Who checks these roller coasters for safety and how often are they checked? Though it seems like there are very few fatalities on rollers coasters it seems to me one is one to many. These questions always enter my mind as I wait for an hour or so in line to ride on one of these metal giants. According to Steph Solis (2013) from USA TODAY, â€Å"out of the 300 million amusement park visitors 37,154 people were injured and 35,977 were release and only 1,177 were admitted to the hospital or died†. So where is the exact number of deaths and why are they not recorded separately? Does anyone care just how many die at amusement park roller coasters or do we as consumers not want to know? According to Harris (2007) the odds of getting seriously injured from being in the amusement park is one in 25 million which odds in your favor are. Harris (2007) goes on to compare this to the odds of getting seriously injured in a car accident which is 15 in 10,000 which is much higher. According to the article, (What are the odd of dying on a roller coaster, 2013) â€Å"The odds of dying on a roller coaster are one in 300 million†. Ok so that makes me feel slightly safer but it doesn’t answer my question on the number of deaths alone that occur in amusement parks. So far the first two of my resources seem to try to make light of the odds of getting injured by comparing them to something more dangerous. In my mind more people own and drive automobiles so this is like comparing apples to oranges. I am still searching for my answer but so far all I am getting is the surrounding questions that try to make me forget about the deaths so I feel safer at the amusement park. My third source of information concentrates on the G-forces of the roller coasters and how this causes head injuries that could possibly lead to death but according to researchers at the U. of Pennsylvania that there isn’t enough G-forces to cause bleeding or swelling of the brain that would result in death (Puskar, 2002). I realize that there are signs in the park that you must be in good health to ride the roller coasters but there isn’t a doctor standing at the end of the line before you get on to give you a check-up so unless you know you have a health risk those signs are meaningless. Are going to be required to have a note from our doctor to ride roller coasters? Is this what it’s coming to? So this source concentrates on one type of injury and there is some concern that the roller coasters should be limited to how much G-force they are allowed but my question still goes unanswered so on to the next source. According to Dessauer (2008), â€Å"That with even years of research and safety precautions these rides can still be very dangerous and even deadly†. He goes on to give tidbits on the history of the roller coaster, but he has his own doubts about how safe are roller coasters really. So I’m not alone out there wondering where we draw the line. How safe should roller coasters be and what is a realistic number of deaths a year that we would consider allowable? To me one death is one to many and I think that all could have been avoidable. Weisenberger (2012), talks about the ASTM F-24 committee and how they develop the minimum safety standards for everything that goes into building and operating a roller coaster. Do they know how many deaths occur every year on roller coasters? If anyone would know I sure they do, but I haven’t been able to find anything by researching that committee. So even though I was unable to find the answer to my question I feel as if I am not alone as to wanting the real number of deaths that occur at our amusement parks on these giant coasters and why aren’t they being prevented. These questions will probably enter my mind every time I enter an amusement park. References â€Å"A Short History of Roller Coasters†. (1996) Themed Attraction. com. Retrieved on 7/22/2013 from http://www. themedattraction. com/coaster. htm Dessauer, Brain. (2008). Roller Coaster Deaths and Dismemberments. Purple Slinky. Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://purpleslinky. com/offbeat/roller-coaster-deaths-and-dismemberments/ Harris, Tom. (2007). How Roller Coasters Work. HowStuffWorks. com. Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://science. howstuffworks. com/engineering/structural/roller-coaster9. htm Puskar, Gene J. (2002). ROLLER COASTERS’ SAFETY SUPPORTED BY UNIVERSITY STUDY RESEARCHERS SAY RIDES DON’T RAISE RISK OF BRAIN INJURIES. The Free Library. Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://www. thefreelibrary. com/ROLLER+COASTERS+SAFETY+SUPPORTED+BY+UNIVERSITY+STUDY+RESEARCHERS+SAY -a092986518 â€Å"Six Flags roller coaster death: Safety bar worried victim, witnesses say†. (2013). MercuryNews. com. Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://www. mercurynews. com/nation-world/ci_23707295/six-flags-roller-coaster-death-safety-bar-worried Solis, Steph. (2013). How safe is a roller coaster? USA TODAY. Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://www. usatoday. com/story/news/nation/2013/07/22/roller-coaster-death/2574425/ â€Å"What are the odds of dying on a roller coaster†? (2013). Retrieved on 7/22/13 from http://www. asktheodds. com/death/roller-coaster-odds/ Weisenberger, Nick. (2012). Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Pg. 34.

Prescriptive and emergent approaches for developing strategies

Prescriptive and emergent approaches for developing strategies Introduction The concept of corporate strategy battles with the perennial issue of determining the overall purpose and scope of an organisation. From a contemporary perspective, it involves the specification of long-term goals and objectives that will add value to the business and cope with the uncertainty of modern times. As a practice, it consists of adopting courses of action and allocating resources in ways necessary for carrying out the overall objectives. Widely recognised as the most principal theories for strategy development, the prescriptive and emergent approaches must be examined within the context of an increasingly dynamic, highly competitive and global business environment. Powerful external forces are driving organisations to reduce costs, enhance processes and identify new opportunities for growth. Many businesses are compelled to make dramatic improvements not only to compete and prosper but also merely to survive. This brings to the fore the importance of determining how effectively the prescriptive and emergent approaches can meet the needs of todays businesses when formulating strategy. The Prescriptive Approach The prescriptive approach regards strategy development as a systematised and deterministic process where analysis of the organisation, its performance and external environment leads to the formation of a rational, long-term plan. Senior management is in charge of defining the final objectives and the plan is then put into action through the successive layers of the organisation. Techniques which feed this process include Porters heavily structured Five Forces model for analysing industry and Value Chain Analysis which highlights existing capabilities as a solid basis for competitive advantage. It is pointed out by Ansoff that firms in fast-paced, competitive environments who use a systematic process for strategic planning very often go on to dominate their marketplace. Their logical, analytical approach allows them to devise predictive and pre-emptive strategies from which they can meet new opportunities head on. For instance, in 1995 EasyJet used incredible foresight to introduce low cost flights allowing it to take advantage of a more cost-conscious European Market. Whats more, this approach makes it possible to organise complex activities and exercise a greater degree of control over different business units. For example, Tescos planning process resulted in well defined long-term goals and clear boundaries for its UK core business, retail service, non-food and international sectors. It has succeeded in achieving consistent growth and profit in all of these areas over recent years. Strategy formation which places a lot of weight on existing capability strengths is thought to be a secure basis on which a firm should define itself and optimise its position, particularly in times of rapid and turbulent change. For example, Motorola has successfully met the needs of emerging markets by using its fundamental technological strengths in electronic components to progress from supplying TVs and car radios to offering telecommunications services. From a contrary perspective,ÂÂ  Johnson states that the prescriptive model contains many assumptions that are unsustainable in todays business world. The logical approach implies that strategy development is always deliberate and that strategies are realised according to plan. However, empirical research by Mintzberg discounts this, highlighting that realised strategy tends to be only 10 to 30 percent of the intended strategy. This is mainly because unpredictable events, such as the introduction of new regulations or technologies, will regularly act to force the original strategy off its course. Additionally, the prescriptive approach to planning falls short in allowing for any learned elements to be absorbed into the strategy and so can limit an organisations ability to respond flexibly in todays rapidly changing environment. The narrow-minded manner in which it focuses on established areas of business and capabilities can hinder serious transformational change where reinvention is required. A further criticism is that the prescriptive model fails to complement modern organisational cultures where employees at lower levels are included in the decision making process. This type of involvement is frequently found in small or medium sized businesses. As a result, organisational creativity can be stifled and employee dissonance may occur as it is at these levels that work processes are most fully understood. The Emergent Approach Mintzberg put the idea forward that strategies can be unplanned, developing incrementally over time as a businesses actions adapt to a changing reality. Instead of meeting a premeditated plan, he argued that strategy evolves through a process of learning, adjustment and experimentation. Formulation of strategy runs parallel to implementation and managers at multiple organisational levels have a key input into the actual strategies pursued by the organisation. This models emphasis on learning underlies more recent theories which focus on the value of knowledge as a core organisational competence for gaining competitive advantage. An emergent approach leads to more creative and responsive strategy making which is well suited to the hyper-competitive and unpredictable environments of today. Interestingly, Hamel and Prahalad pointed out that the most successful firms in the world such as Microsoft and Apple Macintosh do not tie themselves down to mission, goals and objectives or the predetermined plan. In contrast with the prescriptive approach which focuses on creating a fit between established strengths and emerging opportunities, the emergent approach challenges the status quo by intentionally creating a misfit between these factors. Hence, it is more suited to instigating positive, transformational organisational change such as diversification or restructuring. It also has the added benefit of helping to reduce resistance to change as it allows time to build employee support while the strategy is taking shape. On a negative note, when formulation and implementation occur simultaneously there is a risk that strategy development becomes too slow and jumbled a process. This means that valuable opportunities may be missed along the way. Also, conflicting objectives from different groups can hinder strategy development, particularly when there are power shifts taking place during a major strategic change such as a merger. Without strict analysis and identifiable targets, objectives can lack clarity and there may be no real basis for evaluating performance. Indeed, it was pointed out by Brews and Hunt that an over-reliance on emergent strategy formation could result in underperformance. Conclusion Within the framework of an environment which is by and large unpredictable, many organisations are forced to become more flexible and adaptive to change. This supports the adoption of an emergent approach to strategy development which invokes a more intelligent capacity to respond to new opportunities. Nonetheless, such a strategy can preclude control over actions and may risk a lack of direction. A greater use of strategic planning tools for internal and external analysis would certainly facilitate improved organisational learning and enhance strategic thinking even while following an emergent approach. This recognition that the prescriptive and emergent processes, rather than being mutually exclusive, can be complementary approaches that reinforce each other is being highlighted in more recent theories such as the Logical Incrementalism approach proposed by Quinn. All in all, most viable strategies in todays business world should have customised elements of prescriptive and emergent characteristics in order to manage the complexities of their business and still triumph over changing circumstances.

Essay --

Butler’s Bodies that Matter Judith Butlers book entitled ‘Bodies that Matter’ examines and questions the belief that certain male-female behaviors are natural within our society. The behaviors that Dr. Butler has distinguished between in this book are femininity and masculinity. She believes that through our learned perception of these gendered behaviors this is an act or performance. She implies that this is brought to us by normative heterosexuality depicted in our timeline. In which, takes on the role of our language and accustomed normalization of society. Butler offers many ideas to prove some of her more radical idea’s such as examples from other philosophers, performativity, and worldwide examples on gender/sex. Some philosophers that seem to be of relevance to her fighting cause are Michel Foucault, Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and George Herbert Mead. Her use of the doctrine of constitution takes ‘the social agent as an object rather than the subject of constitutive acts† (Performative). In other words, Dr. Butler will question the extent to which we as a human race assume the given individualism between one another. She has said that â€Å"this will constitute him-or herself† (Butler 13). She also wonders to what extent our acts are reputable for us, rather, by our place within dialect and convention. Dr. Butlers followings being of a postmodernist and poststructuralist practice, decides to use the term â€Å"subject† rather than â€Å"individual† or â€Å"person† in order to underline the linguistic nature of her position. This approach should be of credit to philosopher Jacques Lacan because symbolic order gives the system and signs of convention that determines our perception of what we see as reality. With the exception of ... ...Bodies 10). The very act of saying something about sex ends up imposing cultural or ideological norms, according to Butler. As she puts it, "'sex' becomes something like a fiction, perhaps a fantasy, retroactively installed at a prelinguistic site to which there is no direct access" (Bodies 5). Nonetheless, that fiction is central to the establishment of subjectivity and human society, which is to say that, even so, it has material effects: "the 'I' neither precedes nor follows the process of this gendering, but emerges only within and as the matrix of gender relations themselves" (Bodies 7). Overall, I really liked butlers voice and articulation of certain dilemmas and her theme and reiteration of important facts. I leave you with a quote in which i like from her because you can interpret it in so many ways. It read â€Å"more lives are grievable than others† (Butler).

Romeo is More to Blame in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Essay

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is about two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, forbidden to be together because of feuding families. Countless people contribute to Romeo and Juliet’s predestined fate and misadventures. This ultimately leads to Romeo and Juliet’s suicide. Who is more to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death? Although Juliet acts rashly, Romeo is more to blame. Furthermore, Romeo starts the whole tragedy. True, Juliet acts naà ¯ve, nonetheless Romeo acts hastily by encouraging the relationship. Prior to Romeo and Juliet’s encounter, Romeo is in an infatuation with Rosaline. In Act 1.1, Romeo depicts Rosaline's beauty and says, "She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair." Romeo’s love for Rosaline is only skin deep and faces heart break when she chooses to be celibate. Yet when Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, he forgets all about Rosaline and instantly falls for Juliet. In Act 1.5, Romeo is the first to spot Juliet and immediately feels an attraction to her. In addition, Romeo thinks Juliet is very beautiful and convinces her to kiss him without knowing each other. Then in Act 2.1, Romeo pursues Juliet and goes to her balcony and begins to profess his love for her. When Romeo is swearing that he is in love with Juliet, she stops him and says everything is happening so quickly. However, Romeo reassures Juliet and they pl an for their marriage. Moreover after knowing Juliet for less than twenty-four hours, Romeo goes to his companion Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry them. True, Juliet is the one who sets up the marriage. However, Romeo is the one who pushed the relationship too far and too soon. In Act 2.3, Friar Lawrence is in shock with the sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet and comments on the ind... ...nd grieving for Juliet. Thinking Romeo’s is defiling Juliet’s grave, Paris and Romeo begin sword fighting. Romeo is extreme with anguish and kills Paris. Consequently, Romeo poisons himself and Juliet wakes up in confusion and heartbreak. Juliet alone and in shock feels her only alternative left is to kill herself and commits suicide. In the end Romeo is responsible for five deaths, Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Juliet and himself. Juliet kills herself because she is under different circumstances and does what she feels is the only option left. Juliet is courageous and strong for seeking advice and not being overly sensitive. Romeo is not only weak and foolish but is responsible for the tragic death of his own and Juliet’s. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet.† Literature and Language. Illinois: McDougal, Littell and Company, 1992. 722-842

Essay --

Throughout our lives we all have been in a situation where we are outside at a sporting event, concert, or some type of outside event. While we are at the events all bundled up in our coats and hats and such, what do we do about our hands when the gloves just aren’t cutting it? My mother always suggests I just open a pack of Grabber hand warmers. Grabbers are a pack of 2 individual mini hand warmers that use a mixture of chemicals and different chemical reactions to produce heat us by you rubbing the two together. I must admit these little things have saved me from many cold nights out at the football field. Although when you are trying to warm yourself up you probably aren’t worried about what chemicals are in these warmers or how they work, but I am so I figure I’ll fill you in too. The reason I decided to try and go in debt on the idea of how a hand warmer works and what goes in to it to cause it to exert heat. Also because these are things I use almost every day during the winter and never knew how they worked. For starters all grabbers hand warmers are air activated, they are n... Essay -- Throughout our lives we all have been in a situation where we are outside at a sporting event, concert, or some type of outside event. While we are at the events all bundled up in our coats and hats and such, what do we do about our hands when the gloves just aren’t cutting it? My mother always suggests I just open a pack of Grabber hand warmers. Grabbers are a pack of 2 individual mini hand warmers that use a mixture of chemicals and different chemical reactions to produce heat us by you rubbing the two together. I must admit these little things have saved me from many cold nights out at the football field. Although when you are trying to warm yourself up you probably aren’t worried about what chemicals are in these warmers or how they work, but I am so I figure I’ll fill you in too. The reason I decided to try and go in debt on the idea of how a hand warmer works and what goes in to it to cause it to exert heat. Also because these are things I use almost every day during the winter and never knew how they worked. For starters all grabbers hand warmers are air activated, they are n...

Costco Case Study Essay

Jim Sinegal and Jeff Brotman in Seattle Washington founded Costco Wholesale in 1993. Costco merged with Price Club, and doubled their market share in the wholesale industry. They became an immediate leader in the industry. Costco’s sales model is to sell a wide variety of products for low prices at a high volume. These brand-name products are sold at a discounted price to their members. Customers of Costco must pay a membership fee in order to purchase their merchandise. Their focus is on customer satisfaction and a guaranteed low price for its members. They have managed to maintain a large customer base using this balance where both small business and personal needs can be met simultaneous. Problem Statement Costco could increase their shareholders return on investment by making changes to their business model. They are currently doing favorably with their customers and employees, but need to maximizing their potential and increase revenue. Costco seeks to increase more of the market share in the industry from Sam’s Club, their largest competitor. This can be accomplished by continuing with their growth strategy to open more warehouses, increase their membership, and to upgrading their merchandising techniques to motivate members to shop more often. Analysis * Costco currently has 429 warehouses US; 82 warehouses in Canada; and 81 warehouses internationally * They have realized an increase in comparable warehouse sales of 7% in the US and 16% internationally * 14.2% increase in net sales * Costco currently employs 92,000 full-time employees and 72,000 part-time employees * Members include: Gold star 25,000; business 6,300; business add-on primary4,000; and additional card holders 28,700 * The gross margin has increased by 10.69% as a percent of net sales Alternatives * Costco can increase revenue by raising membership fees * Revenues can also be increased by removing the 15% on product markups * Reducing the number of employees receiving health benefits will increase revenue Recommendation The recommendation for Costco is to implement changes in their wages for their employees, benefits packages, and raising membership fees. Implementation The recommended changes can be gradually implemented throughout the company. The increase in membership fees would be the easiest to do first. Negotiating new rates for employee benefits will help reduce these costs associated with providing insurance. Costco can pay their employees less to be more competitive with the wages of Sam’s Club. Summary Costco’s current growth strategy is to open warehouses, execute merchandising techniques to increase customer shopping, and to increase their membership. These efforts are an attempt to increase their shareholders return on investment. Costco has focused more on customer satisfaction and pleasing their employees. They have managed to increase their revenues annually without building many stores as Wal-Mart. Costco has 417 US warehouses while Wal-Mart has 3,800. Wal-Mart has been aggressive in pursuing international acquisition by increasing the human spirit South Africa and the UK. Strategy to attract more members relies on the members doing a larger percent of their shopping with Costco. Chief Executive Officer Craig Jelinek has been keeping prices low and adding more service areas, such as vision centers, to increase store visits. (Townsend, 2012) They want to reward these members by allowing them the opportunity to purchase big-ticket items at a low price. The members will be motivated to return on a weekly or monthly basis in order to have the opportunity to purchase these limited deals. Costco has been using the term â€Å"treasure hunt† for years to explain why up to a fifth of its stock is limited-quantity items that are in the store for as little as a week. (Gibson, 2011) This strategy has shown some increases, but will need modifications. Strengths Costco currently has about 64 million cardholders and members. The company has managed to provide great customer service, which has resulted in members renewing their subscriptions. Employees receive an array of benefits within a month of their starting date. The generous benefits package that employees receive help build loyalty to the company and its mission to their customers. Members are taken care of by the employees, and employees are taken care of by the organization. This is fostered a positive environment that has landed Costco several awards. Costco provides their customers with one-time opportunities to purchase products and services that may not be available at other warehouses. The merchandise sold to Costco’s members has value to be of high quality and low price. They continue to be dominant in the retail wholesaler market because of the selection and quality of the merchandise offered. Weaknesses Costco faces the burden of finding adequate merchandise in the current financial crisis. Consumers are not buying large ticket items due to a decrease disposable income. The demand for large volume purchases has decreased with the increase of single-parent families. The high-volume low price model has continued to work, but the economic recession has slowed its growth. Costco’s employees make a higher wage than Sam’s employees do. These employees also benefit from a multitude of costly benefits. These expenses have caused the company to accrue less revenue. It will be difficult to maintain their profit margin under the circumstances. Any decline in membership renewals would decrease revenues. The plan to increase warehouses may infringe on their current stores. The expenses associated with building the warehouse could negatively affect their sales in such tough economic times. Although they are behind Sam’s Club in number of facilities, this is not the best time to expand. Opportunities Costco has the potential to continue to expand on their diverse offerings. By refining their business model, Costco have the opportunity to ride the broader economic trends to bigger profits and take customers from their rivals. Consumers are being more selective among the discounters such as Costco and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has seen an increase in competition from Costco for market share. Despite efforts by rival Sam’s Club, a unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., to improve merchandise in its warehouse clubs, Costco continues to notch higher revenue out of fewer stores in the U.S. (Zimmerman, 2011) Providing value to its members could result in Costco stealing Sam’s Club’s customers. There are still opportunities for Costco to expand the number of warehouses. This is a major part of their growth strategy to assist in building a larger customer base. There are reasonable expansion ideas that will help Costco. They can increase their brand internationally through expansion and by becoming a leader in social responsibility. Threats A major threat for Costco is potential for continued economic downturns. Customers are being more selective with their disposable income, and have chosen to downsize. Smaller quantities products have become more attractive due to these bad economic times. Costco must continue to market to the more affluent customers. The presence of price competition amongst customers and vendors will require Costco to carefully negotiate reasonable prices for the merchandise. Costco has to walk a fine line between absorbing the costs and passing them to customers because of its positioning as a warehouse club that, while catering to generally higher-end consumers, does have a reputation for offering decent prices. Competing internationally, poses the threat of economic instability abroad. Costco does not have a global presence and Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club and BJ’s will always pose a threat to Costco. Solution Our recommendation to the Costco management would be to implement an increase in the membership fees. â€Å"While the increased fees could add 20 cents to 25 cents to earnings per share over the next two years as memberships are renewed, Janney analyst David Strasser expects roughly half of the fee increase will be used to hold down prices†(Wohl, 2011). Costco employee’s compensation should be adjusted competitively to their competitors. The number of employees receiving benefits reduced to relieve expenses. We recommend that Costco increased to 15% placed on the product markups to 20%. Implementing these recommendations will result in an increase in company revenue and the shareholders return on investment. Implementation * A 10% increase in membership fees will begin in the next quarter * Increased the product mark up from 15% to 20% * Adjust the employee compensation to 10% of the market value * Increased revenue will be added to the shareholders return on investment References Gibson, E. (2011, July 09). Stores find success by focusing on the bargain hunt. USA Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-07-09-stores-bar gain-hunt_n.htm Talley, K. (2011, May 26). Costco feels inflation’s effect.WSJ. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576344900721794900.html Townsend, M. (2012, October 10). Costco profit tops estimates as low prices drive traffic. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-10/costco-profit-tops-analysts-estimates-as-prices-drive-traffic Wohl, J. (2011). Costco raises membership fees; profit misses view. Reuters, Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/05/us-costco-idUSTRE7942D620111005 Zimmerman, A. (2011, September 02). Costco ceo to step down. WSJ. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903895904576544883964721042.html

Ageing Population â€Any Resolutions?

Ageing population –any resolutions? According to the World Health Organization , a country or a city is defined as an ageing society if the number of elders who aged 65 or above exceed 7% of the whole population. With 14% of elders in population, the country would be considered as an aged society. Worse still, if the amount of elders still keep on increasing and reach 20% of the population, the country would be classified as an hyper-aged society. Recently, the ageing population has been under the spotlight all over the world.This worldwide issue has aroused public concern and surely Hong Kong is not an exception. According to the Hong Kong Population Projections published in July, 2012, there are in total 13% of elders who aged 65 or over in our population, which means that Hong Kong is going to transform into an aged society. What’s more, it is predicted that we would turn into hyper-aged society in 2026, with 23% of elderly people in population. Such shocking data ac tually did a good warning effect , which successfully remind government to take long term measures at once to tackle the problem.Or not, ageing population would lower Hong Kong’s labour force, which would then affect Hong Kong’s productivity and hence our competitiveness in the world market. Furthermore, the ageing population would also burden the health care system. To solve the problems, people from all walks of life have raised different suggestions. It is proposed to import talents from other parts of the world, and implement effective policies to convince children born here to non-local parents and their families to stay here in order to alleviate the shortage of labour force.On the other hand, the tension in existing health care system can be eased by several programmes held by the hospital authority, like the psychological support programme , which can help strengthen staff morale and address their work stress. As the above mentioned, one of the severe problems provoked by ageing population is the shortage of larbour force. According to the Summary Results of the 2011 Population Census published in February,2012, the labour force participation rate has dropped from 61. 4% in 2001 to 59. 7% in 2011.In addition, with reference to the Hong Kong Population Projections , the overall dependency ratio is predicted to rise from 352 to 712 ,which is over a double increase. Besides, it is also estimated that every three persons in the workforce will need to support one elder by 2029. Therefore, we can see that ageing population not only lower our larbour force, and hence Hong Kong’s productivity and competitiveness in international market , but it would also put more burden to the workforce, which bring great challenges to Hong Kong economy. To increase the supply of labour force in near future, it is believed there are few ways to do so.Firstly, we can introduce more talent admission schemes and seriously investigate both push and pull facto rs affecting talents to stay or to leave Hong Kong. For instance, the government are now expanding the international school system. There would be in total 5000 additional international school places in the coming four years. Furthermore, the government is planning to invite the international schools to express interest in expanding their school by using several vacant school premises. These actions definitely help import talents from other countries, but the government should note that it should not be a short term measure.The government should keep improving the education in international school and try best to assist international school to have more resources so that more school places are available for the talents and talents would stay here for better education. Or not, the students from outside Hong Kong may choose to study in other countries with better education, other than Hong Kong. Yet, there are some critics believes that it is totally not enough to solve the population problem by only those talent admission schemes.Therefore the babies born in Hong Kong to non-local parents have been seen as a simple way to alleviate the problem. But whether those babies and their families would stay here or not later on, it mainly depends on the government efforts to implement policies for that purpose and see whether the city can promise them a stable and good enough future. Compared to the talent admission schemes, it is a more effective means to meet the uprising demand of manpower as the number of mainland families who stay here is greater than those talents.This can be proved by the results of our 2011 Population Census . According to the Hong Kong Population Projections, about 77% of the Mainland women whose husband is a Hong Kong Permanent Resident, would bring their children back to Hong Kong later. And about 53% for those Mainland women whose husband is not a Hong Kong Permanent Resident would also later bring their children back to Hong Kong. Other tha n the shortage of labour force, the ageing population would also burden the health care system. More elderly people would definitely increase the demand of medical services and it would ncrease the work stress of frontline staff in hospital and the financial burden to the government. To strengthen the staff morale and ease their work stress, it is suggested the Hospital Authority can hold more relaxing measures , for instance, improving the working conditions, recruiting more full-time and part-time staff and preventing excessive overnight duties. All these are useful ways to reduce frontline workload, and it is believed it can help lower the staff turnover number, and hence help prevent the manpower shortage in public hospitals.Just like the psychological support programme which help staff deal with work stress has lower the overall turnover rate of physicians in public hospitals from 5. 2 % in 2010/11 to 4. 8% in 2011/12. And the overall turnover rate has further decreased to 4. 4 % in the first 4 months of 2012/13. All in all, it is the responsibility of the government to stop our aging situation from being worse. The government should plan detailed and long term policies to solve the aging situation. Or not, Hong Kong will be suffered badly with economic and social problems in the near future. Word count: 1035 words) REFERENCES Peng,P. (2012, February 24). The problem is not ‘non-local’ women but intermediaries. Retrieved from http://www. cdeclips. com/en/hongkong/The_problem_is_not_'non-local'_women_but_intermediaries/fullstory_72200. html Demographic Statistics Section, Census and Statistics Department. (2012,July). Hong Kong Population Projections. Retrieved from http://www. statistics. gov. hk/pub/B1120015052012XXXXB0100. pdf Pang,F. C. (2012, October 12). Letter to the Editor . Retrieved from http://www. ha. org. k/haho/ho/pad/121016chi1. pdf Li, A. (2006,August 12). Coping with old age. Retrieved from http://www. scmp. com/article/559945 /coping-old-age Census and Statistics Department. (2012, February 21). Summary Results of the 2011 Population Census. Retrieved from http://www. censtatd. gov. hk/FileManager/EN/Content_1214/presentation_summary_results. pdf HKSAR. (2012, May 30). Government releases Steering Committee on Population Policy Progress Report 2012. Retrieved from http://www. info. gov. hk/gia/general/201205/30/P201205300456. htm

Indus Motors

Indus Motor Company (IMC) is a joint venture between the House of Habib , Toyota Motor Corporation Japan (TMC) , and Toyota Tsusho Corporation Japan (TTC) for assembling, progressive manufacturing and marketing of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan since July 01, 1990. IMC is engaged in sole distributorship of Toyota and Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd. vehicles in Pakistan through its dealership network. The company was incorporated in Pakistan as a public limited company in December 1989 and started commercial production in May 1993. The shares of company are quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have 25 % stake in the company equity. The majority shareholder is the House of Habib. IMC's production facilities are located at Port Bin Qasim Industrial Zone near Karachi in an area measuring over 105 acres. Indus Motor company's plant is the only manufacturing site in the world where both Toyota and Daihatsu brands are being manufactured. Heavy investment was made to build its production facilities based on state of art technologies. To ensure highest level of productivity world-renowned Toyota Production Systems are implemented. IMC's Product line includes 6 variants of the newly introduced Toyota Corolla, Toyota Hilux Single Cabin 4Ãâ€"2 and 4 versions of Daihatsu Cuore. We also have a wide range of imported vehicles. Corporate Profile| | Our Profile Indus Motor Company Private Limited, (trade name, Indus Motors) is the top ranking Maruti Dealer in India. The Company having its registered office at Indus House, Chakorathukulam, Calicut and Corporate Office at Thevara, Kochi was incorporated on 11th July, 1984. The business life of the company is started by starting their Ist Dealership in Calicut in the year 1986. The sale of Maruti vehicle is soundly boosted by marketing intelligence of the Indus Motors. Indus maintains the No. 1 dealer position continuously for the last five years. Based on the recent business reports, the company delivers one Maruti Car in every 13 minutes. The company will assist the customer from the time of choosing vehicle model, colour, finding the best finance option that suits them. They will constantly keep the customer update about their vehicle status until the delivery of the Vehicle is done. In case of servicing of vehicles, the company is at their service, with options of collecting vehicle from doorstep and once the works over deliver it back to the customer. They have Maruti on Road Service in case customer’s vehicle gets breakdown on the way. Their Maruti skilled technicians will come to the location where and rectify the problem or if it is a major work that has to be attended at the workshop the vehicle will be towed to the nearest Service Station. Our Vision Transform Indus into World Class Dealership Forever No. 1 in India Delighted customers and Delighted Employees Our Mission We will pursue the development of our financial and human resources through diversified business activities, in an ethical and socially responsible manner and in pace with the advancements of the day. We will uphold a professional code of conduct in the pursuit of our goals and are committed to taking up social responsibilities as a corporate citizen by dedicating a significant share of our productive surpluses for espousing social causes that would benefit our employees, their families and the society at large. Chairman ; Managing Director Mr. Abdul Wahab P V, Chairman PEEVEES ; Bridgeway Group of Companies Mr. P V Abdul Wahab is a person who rose from a humble background and now is a dynamic entrepreneur heading the PEEVEES and Bridgeway Group of companies. Today, Mr. Wahab’s business portfolio includes a conglomerate spread across India and the Middle East. Besides his business interests, Mr. Wahab is associated with various cultural and social organizations and He Elected unopposed as Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) from Kerala for the period from 2004 to 2010. He is a member of Rajiv Gandhi International Sports Foundation, Malabar Development Board, Malabar Chamber of Commerce and Chairman, Malabar Airport Development Action Committee (MADAC). Besides various distinguished awards, Mr. Wahab was also honoured in House of Commons, London in November 2003. | board of Directors| Sl No| Name| Designation| 1| Mr. Abdul Wahab P V| Chairman ; Managing Director| 2| MR. P. A. IBRAHIM HAJI| Vice Chairman| 3| MR. P. V. MUNEER| Director| 4| MR. P. V. ALI   MUBARAK| Director| 5| MRS. YASMIN   WAHAB| Director| 6| MR. T P AJITH KUMAR| Director| 7| MR. T P ANIL KUMAR| Director| | MR. JABER ABDUL WAHAB| Director| 9| MR. AJMAL ABDUL WAHAB| Director| 10| MR. P. A. MOHAMMED SHAFI| Director| | Values ; Beliefs The enduring belief that their corporate destiny is inextricably entwined with those of the employees and customers carries them towards a profitable and ethical business model. Quality Policy Customer satisfaction through quality services achieved by through constant adherence and continual improvement in quality services and systems following P. D. C. A (Plan, Do, Check and Act) technique in all their functions and actions complying with the requirements. Dealerships of the Company 1st dealership in Calicut – 1986 2nd in Kochi – 1991 3rd in Trivandrum – 1994 4th in Muvattupuzha – 2005 5th in Royapettah, Chennai – 2006 6th in Kattupakkam, Chennai – 2008 As on today, Indus has 6 Dealerships 40 Workshops 10 True Value Outlets 2 Maruti Driving Schools 18 E-Outlets 75 sales outlets Major departments Sales Service True value Spares Accessories Insurance Sales support Institute Maruti Driving School| INDUS GROUP CAR SALES TREND | | |   | | | 9745 997 333 | | | 9847 000 000| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | INTRODUCTION OF INDUS MOTOR COMPANY Indus Motor Company (IMC) is a joint venture between the House of Habib,Toyota Motor Corporation Japan (TMC) , and Toyota Tsusho Corporation Japan (TTC) for assembling, progressive manufacturing and marketing of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan since July 01, 1990. IMC is engaged in sole distributorship of Toyota and Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd. vehicles in Pakistan through its dealership network. The company was incorporated in Pakistan as a public limited company in December 1989 and started commercial production in May 1993. The shares of company are quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have 25 % stake in the company equity. The majority shareholder is the House of Habib. IMC's production facilities are located at Port Bin Qasim Industrial Zone near Karachi in an area measuring over 105 acres. Indus Motor Company’s plant is the only manufacturing site in the world where both Toyota and Daihatsu brands are being manufactured. Heavy investment was made to build its production facilities based on state of art technologies. To ensure highest level of productivity world-renowned Toyota Production Systems are implemented. IMC's Product line includes 6 variants of the newly introduced Toyota Corolla, Toyota Hilux Single Cabin 4Ãâ€"2 and 4 versions of Daihatsu Cuore. We also have a wide range of imported vehicles. VISION AND MISSION IMC’s Vision is to be the most respected and successful enterprise, delighting customers with a wide range of products and solutions in the automobile industry with the best people and the best technology†. * The most respected. * The most successful. * Delighting customers. * Wide range of products. * The best people. * The best technology. Mission of Toyota is to provide safe & sound journey. Toyota is developing various new technologies from the perspective of energy saving and diversifying energy sources. Environment has been first and most important issue in priorities of Toyota and working toward creating a prosperous society and clean world. PRESENT PERFORMANCE: Currently the company is performing well in automobile sector of country. Its sales for the year 2003-2004 is 29,565 units. It has captured the largest automobile market share in the country. It is greatly contributing in human resource development by training and other such activities. The demand for its products is more than the company’s capacity. Its has certain advantages upon its competitors like largest market share, customers’ liking of its products more than its competitors. The company is continues to maintain a strong commitment towards its Human Resource. To enhance Consumer Satisfaction, extensive training programs were held during the year. Company continuously arrange service campaigns in the cities where its dealerships are present to provide quality service to customers and collect their complaints, suggestions and comments about company. The company also checks its dealerships continuously for not only maintaining but enhances its standards to give to customers maximum satisfaction. FUTURE OUTLOOK With the growth of the economy, political stability and availability of car financing, our automobile market has immense potential. According to some estimates, including that of the Pakistan Automobile Manufacturers Association (PAMA), the demand for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles could grow from 115,000 units to 160,000 units by 2006. nvestment by the industry could double to Rs 98 billion, employment could grow up from 170,500 to 290,000, and the industry’s contribution to the national exchequer could jump from the current Rs. 51. 50 billion to Rs. 121 billion. However, for the automobile sector to realize this potential, it needs a clear, consistent and longterm government policy so that automobile manufacturers and vendors, specially our foreign partners, feel confident of making long term investme nt for future expansion. The status of our localization program in the post TRIMS era is still unclear even though the Government has applied for an expansion of TRIMS applicability for another two years (up to December 2005). The world is becoming more and more open. We can learn from other countries e. g. India and Thiland, who have adopted policies that not only assist indigenous manufacturing but also make their manufacturing internationally competitive. MANAGEMENT POLICIES Management as a team at Indus Motor Company is committed to comply with the requirements of our Integrated Management System and to endeavor to continuously improve upon it in order to: Manufacture high Quality Products. Generate Customer Satisfaction. Provide Service to the Society. Maintain Market Leadership. Identify and avoid/mitigate those environmental aspects which have negative environmental impacts. Comply with all applicable legal, regulatory and other requirements related to Environment, Health and Safety. Design and maintain facilities, establish systems, provide training and conduct operations in a manner that safeguard people and property. Identify, evaluate & mitigate health risks related to our operations that potentially affect our employees, contractors and the public. MANUFACTURING FACILITIES Just in Time spirit implies two opposing forces of providing fast and flexible response to customers, yet building efficient mechanisms and systems that are efficient and waste-free. The concept is to provide the right product and information, at the right time, in the right amount, in the right manner, while maintaining high standards of efficiency and cost control. We have to SWOT STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREAD Strengths:  · Qualified and well trained staff  · Biggest sale network  · Best production plant in the world  · Financial Strong  · Biggest market share  · People Trusted Products  · High Quality Products  · ISO Certified  · Resale value  · Customer Care  · Customized products  · Brand Image  · Availability of Spare parts  · Best delivery system (Transportations) Weaknesses  · High Price of Products  · Political instability  · Low per capita income of public  · Less overhead rates of competitors  · Increasing Prices of Oil Rising inflation Opportunities  · Industry expansion  · Technology upgrading  · Strong Position * Market Integration opening up * Opportunity growing in other countries * Newly developed Areas/Markets (e. g. Gawader) * Favorable govt. policies * Big Market * Economy is expanding Threats  · Chinese cheaper products challenges  · Free Trade & WTO  · Strong comp etition from competitors in near future  · Instability of Government  · High rate of Taxation  · Bad infrastructure ORGANIZATION HIERARCHEY The above chart shows the centralization in the industry. The main decision comes from the Chairman of the company while Board of Directors approves his decisions and this implement in organization by respective committees. The Board of directors is committed to good corporate governance. The company is managed and supervised responsibly and proper internal controls and risk management policy. Its procedures are in place for efficient and effective operations of the company, safeguarding of assets of the company. This is compliance with laws and regulations and proper financial reporting in accordance with International Financial Reporting standards. indu

The Red Cross

Kevin Smith The Red Cross is an International organization that thrives on donations and the kindness of others to succeed. This Red Cross supports military families, disaster relief, health and safety training along with education, and blood drives that save thousands of lives yearly. The Red Cross started In the year 1881 and was mainly used to help wounded soldiers from the battlefield. â€Å"The global Red Cross has evolved into the world's largest humanitarian network- the only non-governmental organization with specific irresponsibleness outlined In the Geneva conventions†(RedCross, 2013). The Red Cross has established itself in the cyber community to succeed. With online donations exceeding 36 million dollars the Red Cross has been able to far exceed anything It did In the years prior to the Internet. The Red cross relies on its volunteers as its strength to work donation sites for all actions the organization participates in. The challenges the Red Cross faces today is the ability to keep enough volunteers on hand to run the organization. While the Red cross has full time members like any business this organizations success comes from those willing to help. The challenges the Red Cross faces In the media environment include many things. System hacking can be seen as hackers will set up take websites that look like the Red Cross web page. This in turn turns out to be a scam and people will give donations to a hacker Instead of the Red Cross. There can be other challenges out there for this organization that would include government policy. Foreign policy. ND legislative issues that can be strain the mission of the Red Cross. The Instant access the Red Cross has to the world has helped this organization in ways that are unimaginable. The Instant media environment has created an unlimited amount of people it can reach throughout the world. The money raised on dally donations Is lox the amount today ads It was In the uses. This is due to the instant access the world has to the Red Cross. The Red Cross uses the social media during disasters because this is the fastest and most effective way to reach a large number of Individuals.The Instant media environment has done nothing but help the Red Cross succeed. I mentioned earlier that volunteer are a challenge for the Red Cross, but with social media and instant media the Red Cross as been able alleviate some of the stress as they can collect for volunteers over the internet The Red Cross will use multiple tactics to get its message out to the community. The Red Cross will gain its target audience by associating someone within the organization to speak or Interact with the community that Is In question.This tactic is used by military recruiters and it tends to work well with inner city communities as well as communities with language barriers. The Red Cross has volunteers trot all walks tot elite so it would only be natural to use those people trot that community to spread the Red C ross message too particular group of immunity. The internal messaging of the employees Is that of care for the community and to give security to those in need The mission stays the same in the Red Cross and that is to provide care to all walks of life that may need it.The message stays the same internally throughout the world for the Red Cross as well. The Red Cross is not the largest humanitarian organization by doing things the wrong way. The internal structure is sound and solid and provides excellent support to all communities throughout the world. This is done with compassion, time, and hard work on behalf of the employees and the thousands of volunteers within the organization. I researched the Red Cross for numerous hours and found that it takes compassion and dedication too cause to make this organization successful.The Red Cross can be unified with many different events and by anybody willing to put in the time and energy to do so. I recently was a part of the Golf for Life rally which was to raise money and blood donations for the Red Cross. There are other events that happen all over the United States on a daily basis in which blood and money is raised for this organization. This is not only going on in the United States, but all over the world. If a person was to look up how to do an event on the Red Cross website it would show them exactly not only to go about doing it, but also show them ways it can be successful.

Russian Jews and Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Russian Jews and Hollywood - Essay Example What became widely accepted as the American dream was essentially forged in Hollywood by a handful of East European Jews. The stimulating feature-length documentary Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream were produced by two-time Emmy award-winning filmmakers Simcha Jacobovici and Elliott Halpern. Many Russians Jews had to overcome obstacles of heavy accents, being cut off from their cultural base, being forced to work beneath their talents, and taking roles that promoted ethnic stereotypes. As with most Hollywood stories, there are also great artistic and personal triumphs; many relished the opportunity to pursue their dreams largely free of political entanglements. In the story of Russian migrs, Robinson also discusses the impact of such Soviet artists as Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Prokofiev and their visits to Hollywood. The book is also an informed and entertaining analysis of the representation of Russians and Soviets in American cinema. As a result, it was mainly through the medium of film that Americans' images of and attitudes towards Russia were shaped. The Jazz Singer (1927) was not the first Vita phone or in other words sound-on-disk feature, it was the

Professional Code of Ethics Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Code of Ethics Exercise - Assignment Example In Principle I, professional teachers have the duty to help foster civic virtues by treating the child justly (without distortion, bias, or prejudice) in accordance with the law and school policy, by protecting their rights to confidentiality of information and exposure to disparagement, and by moving away the students from conditions detrimental to learning, health, and safety. In Principle II, the professional educator is deemed responsible and accountable for his or her performance in order to preserve the dignity of the profession, obey the law, and demonstrate personal integrity. Thus, a professional educator has the responsibility to do what is expected of him of her in the school, in the educational organizations, and in the community. He/She must not use his/her connections for partisan advantage and instead, values hardwork by continuing professional education and remitting all funds accounted to him/her. In Principle III, a professional teacher must respect the right of colleagues to confidentiality of information and freedom of choice and should not make willfully make false statements about a colleague or school system. Lastly, Principle IV states that a professional educator aims to achieve a quality education and develop partnerships among parents and communities by informing them of plans that would be best for the students, respecting diversity in classrooms, and manifesting positive and active role with school/community. Yes, I agree with everything that was stated in the AAE Code of Ethics. In order to attain a quality education, a professional teacher should observe ethical conduct when dealing with students, parents, professional colleagues, and self. Adherence and implementation of rules should be interactive like learning and must be consistently executed to foster discipline and good example. Yes, there is. I would have

Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance - Case Study Example This involved the rise in the price of diesel, a shortage of drivers and an effort to maintain their depreciating fleets. Problem Statement The biggest challenge included debts from credit cards, commercial mortgages and machine financing. Exchange of money for a new issue of preferred stock and warrants was the beginning of GE Capital. This led to deterioration of the company at a remarkably fast rate. This deterioration, in turn, led to a fall in price of credit default swaps, lenders’ insurance and actual bonds of the company (Norton, Diamond and Pagach 245). Sales of common stock does not always imply a success in the financial position. Other Issues In debt and borrowing, it is of importance that GE Capital embraces its position with the AAA ratings. This rating is of the essence as it helps generate 40% of its revenue from the units. GE experienced a fall in earning up to below 110% of the fixed charges of the unit. This is defined as interest expense with an additional portion of rental costs. To gain financial stability, GE Capital needed to take the ratio back to 110%. A rise in the debt ratio above 8 to 1 would require the parent company to add more funds. Revenue was fixed at 170% at year end for GE Capital. This, however, was not matched by the equity to debt ratio as it was above 7.3 to 1 on the high end that was the case for various companies. Moreover, there is a greater share of more than $43 billion in loans that were securitized. Another problem was recruiting and employing quality drivers and raising finance for its operations. Other widespread concerns were the increasing expense on diesel fuel and machine parts and maintenance. There were also other concerns regarding the costs of operation related to complying with government regulations. Analysis Liquidity Current ratio Industry 2002 2001 2000 =1.1:1 2.3:1 2.8:1 3.4:1 Acid Test Ratio Industry 2002 2001 2000 =0.9:1 1.7:1 1.9:1 2.2:1 Working Capital Industry 2002 2001 2000 N/A 34,421 28,252 33,062 Profitability Return on Equity Industry 2002 2001 2000 30.2% 52.6% 13.0% 0.0% Stability Industry 2002 2001 2000 Debt/Equity 1.56:1 2.2:1 4.2:1 0.23:1 Interest Coverage N/A 5.5* 1.7* 1.0* Industry 2002 2001 2000 Age of Receivables 42.6 days 18days 16days 40days Age of Payables N/A 19days 14days 34days The liquidity ratio indicates that GE Capital has the ability to meet its financial needs. It is higher than the industry ratio. However, there is a decline in the ratios every year from 2000. There is no consistency in the levels of working capital throughout the three years. In 2002 working capital is greatest an indication that GE is doing well. Profitability of the company has been on the rise throughout the three years. It is higher than the industry level implying acceptable profitability. Stability of the company is higher than the industries as well as the repayment periods. This shows that the GE Capital is at a favorable financial position. Statement of Changes Sources: Other Receivable 53 Prepaid Expenses 1,172 Loan (New court) 13,631 Loan ( GE Capital) 189,000 Retained 56,999 Uses: (20,092) Net Cash Increase 300,732 Cash 31st Dec 2000 (3,877) Cash 31st Dec 2002 8107 The net cash increased by 300,732 and there was also an increase in cash in 2002 to 8107.It indicates the ability of GE Capital to meet its short term financial responsibility. It shows that the company has a remarkable liquidity. The Four C’s of Credit Character refers to the credibility of a business

Feedback from Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feedback from Instructor - Essay Example In terms of the revenue earned it is the largest software producer in the world. The products of the company are widely used in every part of the world. Company History Microsoft is one of the leading US based multinational computer technology corporations. The organization develops, produces, supports and licenses vast range of differentiated products and services related to the computer technology. The organization is considered as the largest software developing organization in terms of revenue. The organization established in the year 1975. Microsoft was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates. The organization was established in order to develop process and sell the Basic Interpreters. This Basic Interpreter is required for the operation of Altair 8800. The Altair 8000 was developed in the year 1980 to control the market of personal computer OS with the help of MS-DOS. In addition to this, this Altair 8800 considered as the useful element of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Corporation ’s succeeding rise in share price and initial public offering in the year 1986 helped the organization to become one of the largest and successful software developing organization. Since 1990 Microsoft Corporation diversified its business practices. Slowly and gradually the organization started corporate acquisition to enhance significant market share growth. The organization acquired Skype Technologies in the year 2011 for 8.5 billion US dollar. This acquisition is considered as the largest acquisition of Microsoft Corporation till date. Vision and Mission Statement This part of report will determine the Mission and Vision statement of Microsoft. Mission Statement Microsoft Corporation’s value and mission is to help the businesses and people across the globe by realizing and understanding their full potential (Microsoft, 2013a). Vision Statement The vision of Microsoft Corporation is to develop innovative technology which is accessible to everybody. The developed tech nology will meet the need of the customers. Accessible technology eradicates the barriers with disability (Microsoft, 2013b). The software and innovative creation of Microsoft Corporation will enable people to take significant advantages of the capabilities. Strategic Elements of the History Bill Gates and Paul Allen are childhood friends. Both these individuals had the passion and interest in computer programming. The tried to develop a new business based on their skills in the year 1972. Bill Gates and Paul Allen established their first organization named Traf-O-Data. After effective hard work they succeeded to establish Microsoft in 1975. The organization entered in the operating system business in the year 1980. MS-DOS was developed by the organization in 1980 that solidified the dominance of Microsoft in the global technology industry. In 1984, the organization jointly developed new operating system collaborating with IBM (Ward, 2002). After this, the organization introduced Mi crosoft Windows. It is the graphical extension of MS-Dos. After successful business practices, the organization introduced Microsoft Office. This suite includes several key applications, such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel etc. both Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows dominated their representative operating years for a longer period of time. The organization expanded its product and service line into World Wide Web and Computer Networking in 1995. Successful business

Strategic Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Strategic Perspectives - Essay Example Moreover, micro environmental analysis signifies that in the current scenario there is considerable lower level of threat of substitute for Tesla. Whereas, the application of fund towards the CSR activities, reputation management through high level of innovation, and conserving towards the ethical issues helps Tesla to overcome from the financial crisis situation. Nevertheless, the report identifies that diversifying the business activities in other segment; divestment or reengineering strategies in the loss making units, and enhancing the specification of vehicles based on customer perception will assist the company to earn competitive advantage in future. The prior aim of the report is to evaluate the provided case scenario of Tesla Motors in order to present the strategic position in the global environment. Additionally, in the current global competitive environment, the phenomenon of globalisation has significantly influenced various global business organisations and led them to undertake their business operation further than their domestic territories. Correspondingly, the international business accordingly response to the changing scenario through taking diversified strategic choices and decision making in order to maintain its competitive advantage in the global environment (Hill, 2006). Tesla Motors founded in the year 2003 named after Nikola Tesla one of the inventor of electric AC induction motor. Since, its formation company has attained unprecedented growth and expansion in their competitive position. Besides, company engage itself in designs, production, and distribution of electric cars and its components. Furthermore, du ring the year 2014, company earned US$ 3.198 billion revenue (1Tesla Motors, Inc., 2014). Correspondingly, the aim of the report is to evaluate and analyse the strategic prospective of Tesla Motors in the

International Business Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business Master - Essay Example The manufacturers can alert customs about unauthorized products entering the United States, and customs will act to prevent this. However, not all people feel that these products should be excluded from the market. The idea the United States grew up around is the free market economy, and many argue that these actions are just another offshoot of this. Many people who purchase these unlicensed imports view manufactures in a hypocritical light, saying that manufactures sell off excess items in gray markets to bring up cash flows. One industry that felt this gray market bind is Apple Computes, Inc. Apple has spent quite a bit of time and money in an effort to bring up the value of the Mac and further improve the reputation of the computer and the company. Apple Computers has spent much of its time and effort focusing on providing excellent customer service and instruction in order to help people who purchase their computers better use the computers. However, gray marketers are not concerned at all with customer service quality, and this is where Apple Computers, Inc is running into problems. Customers can purchase Macs from these gray markets and then complain about the customer service presented after the computer has been purchased.

Hepatitis C virus in Africa (focus on Ethiopia) Research Paper - 1

Hepatitis C virus in Africa (focus on Ethiopia) - Research Paper Example after a series of tests and the discovery of the Hepatitis c virus was published in the journal Science the following year (Bailey 105).this paper will elaborate on Hepatitis C virus in Africa , discuss its signs, symptoms vaccination and treatment. This was a significant discovery in the medical world and led to the improvement of related areas such as diagnosis of hepatitis as well as antiviral treatment against the disease. The research on hepatitis is an ongoing process and scientists are still trying to learn more about the virus in a bid to find a way to effectively eliminate it form the world (Fisher, Harvey & Champe 362). The discovery of the virus led to a clear baseline on which research could be done having determined the subject of their studies and this has greatly improved the chances of the medical world at fighting the virus. The significance of this discovery was portrayed in the year 200 when Dr. Houghton and Dr. Alter received honors from the Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in recognition of the role they played in the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (Halliday, Klenerman & Barnes 634). Hepatitis C can be described as an infectious disease that primarily affects the liver of an individual and in bad cases leading to cirrhosis (Thomas & Lemon 530). The disease is caused by the Hepatitis C virus, and if not handled effectively, the disease can lead to liver cancer, esophageal and gastric varices and liver failure. The spread of the Hepatitis C virus occurs mainly through blood-to-blood contact and thus those who use intravenous drugs face the highest risk of being infected (Bailey 101). This occurs when the equipment used during the intravenous intake are not properly cleaned and sterilized beforehand and have previously been used by an individual with the virus (Fisher, Harvey & Champe 362). The virus tends to persist in the liver of most people who are infected though this condition can be treated via medication. Hepatitis C has

History of Cadbury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of Cadbury - Essay Example r by the name of â€Å"Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham† in 1847 and started operating an office in London; following the partnership in 1854, they received Royal Warrant of manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria. Before 1850s chocolate was a luxury food item, enjoyed only by the elite society of Birmingham but in the 1850s due to a decline in the import taxes, the prices reduced and everybody could afford chocolate. In 1861, John’s partnership with his brother Benjamin was dissolved by mutual agreement and Cadbury was handed over to John’s sons George and Richard Cadbury because of the poor health of their father. Richard took over the marketing and sales side of Cadbury, George managed the manufacturing of Cadbury chocolate and in 1866, they launched â€Å"Cocoa Essence† (all natural products without any starchy ingredient) as George acquired a revolutionary cocoa press. George and Richard decided in 1878 to expand their business and for that reason, they acquired the Bournbrook Estate, situated in the south of outskirts of Birmingham. This estate was named Bournville and later they opened the Bournville factory. In 1905, Cadbury launched its first milk chocolate with higher milk content than other chocolates and became the best selling product in the year 1913. In 1918, Cadbury’s trade increased and it spread globally when Cadbury launched its first factory at Hobart Tasmania (BBC, 1). In 1919, Cadbury was merged with JS Fry & Sons to compete against Rowntree (brand owned by Nestle). On 22 September 1955, Cadbury advertised itself on TV for the first time. In 1969, Cadbury was again merged with beverages company Schweppes and formed Cadbury Schweppes. Cadbury Schweppes then acquired other companies but in US, the manufacturing of Cadbury’s confectionary products was licensed to The Hershey Company. In 2009, Kraft foods made a bid of $ 16.2 billion to takeover Cadbury but according to Cadbury, the bid was undervalued. Later in 2010, there

Studies and researches on diverse groups of English speakers Essay Example for Free

Studies and researches on diverse groups of English speakers Essay In lieu of the English language expansion throughout the globe, particular nation should really take the advantage of being proficient in the English language even if it is not its official language. As stated earlier, the English language is widely known and used not only by the English-spoken countries but also by the international community (Cheshire 2007). Thus, it is really an advantage if countries would learn how to speak and understand the English language. However, the inclusion of the English language in the curriculum of education of different countries is not really that simple. Moreover, the English language itself is being draft and constructed in a new structure depending on the culture, tradition and established educational method. Hence in a way, there is still a different way of using and understanding the English language. Shaobin’s â€Å"English as a Global Language in China† According to Ji Shaobin, the English language is a very important tool for the Chinese in order to have access on the international scene. He argued that in this modern period, the language that is commonly used in the international scene is the English language hence China should improve their proficiency in the English language (2002). He said that in the ancient times China was against having any contact with the Western culture because of a fear that their Chinese cultural heritage might be contaminated (Shaobin 2002). However, such conservatism would not really help China in advancing itself economically and politically speaking (Weixing 2003). Also, such attempt to close China from the influence of the English language became so impossible given the fact that in order to have a good international business transaction or any international affair, one should do it using the English language otherwise both parties would not understand each other. Moreover, China realized that only through the use of the English language can they penetrate and have access on modern scientific and technological advances (Liu 2007). Besides, the English language is the language that is being used in economic transactions globally (Ross 1993). Hence, China was forced to recognize the importance of a foreign language – that is the English language. In 1978, the reformation of the Chinese economy marked the total entrance of English as its foreign language (Shaobin 2002). With the consideration that Western companies and other transnational organizations may really help the economy of China, English was allowed to be used and practiced in China (Ross 1993). Due to overwhelming advantages of learning and using the English language, China included in its curriculum of education the teaching of English. Such change in educational system facilitated the economic progress in China wherein people who have something to do with business and marketing were using the English language to make business transactions outside China (Shaobin 2002). In addition, Chinese students, even if learning English was not really compulsory, were forced to study it since it has a great advantage on employment. There was an increase of need on English teachers who would teach the English language top the Chinese students (Shaobin 2002). And because of this event, even Chinese teachers were motivated to take English courses too. Nonetheless, China does not really intend to embrace the Western tradition. It is only the English language that they want to adopt. Evidently, China is rising as one of the superpowers in this modern era (Weixing 2003). Together with Japan, China has truly made use of the English language to boost its economic and political aspects. Japan on the English Language and English-speakers The English Language has been considered as the second official language in Japan (Porcaro 2002). It cannot be doubted that Japan has a distinct culture and tradition as well as form of educational system that which is far different from other countries. However, due to economic pursuit, Japan realizes the importance of having a second language that other countries can understand. Japan uses the English to advance itself politically, economically and internationally (Marciamo 2005). The English language is widely used in Japan as public signs. Although, these signs are still printed in Japanese language, it is translated in the English language. Street signs, area maps, transportation directions, post offices and banks’ signs are also translated in English. Such is made for the benefit of the tourists. It is a lot easier and practicable to translate those signs in the English language in order for the tourists to understand the signs posted in Japan (for travel convenience) (Marciamo 2005). When it comes to internet and websites, Japanese companies provide an English version of their websites. Further, the government of Japan and its agencies has also an English version of its websites (McMillan 1999). With regards to media and movies, Japanese films are shown with English subtitles (Marciamo 2005). There are also bilingual programs that are being simulcast and shown in the national TV channel of Japan – in Japanese and in English (McMillan 1999). Major newspapers and magazines are also printed with English translations. Japan’s curriculum for education includes the teaching of the English language (just like China). The Japanese government makes English a required subject. All Japanese schools include English in their education program (Saito, Nakamura, Yamazaki 2002). However it is not the case that all Japanese are proficient in the English language – in writing and speaking of it. Yet, it shows that Japan’s proficiency in speaking the English language is rising (Marciamo 2005). Moreover, the Japanese language is said to have an increasing character of having assimilations on the English language (Marciamo 2005). But then, it does not follow that all English speakers worldwide can understand the Japanese language. Only that the English language is being used extensively by the Japanese people in their everyday activities and dwellings (Stanlaw 2005). There is no other country but Japan where the English language has a special status (McMillan 1999). As mentioned above, it does not follow that all or even most of the Japanese can speak and understand (Marciamo 2005) English. Hitherto, Japan is one of the countries which regard the English language as an essential means to communicate with other people of different culture, race and tradition.