Saturday, August 31, 2019

Northanger Abbey Characters Essay

Second of which, it is also important to note that the social identity theory claims that every person enacts multiple identities that functions in every social context such as for instance, mother, professor, volunteer, that could be drivers of buying actions (p. 11). The behavioral decision theory that is under the umbrella of the social identity theory claims that choices of consumers are often made in accordance with their attribute values. Closely related to this is the attitude theory which emphasizes consumer expectancies and evaluations on a particular product belief (p.11-12). The figure below presents consumer goals in terms of their buying preferences. It could be seen that the core reason that determines why such and such consumers buy certain products is primarily due to their life theme and values. In effect of these, their life themes and values deeply influenced how they are going to deal with their life projects, current concerns and consumption intentions. Finally, the benefits sought and the feature preferences are also considered as the end goal of the being and doing hierarchy. Figure 3:   A hierarchical model of consumer goals Source: Ratneshwar, Mick and Huffman (2000, p. 14) Life themes and values are the personal ideas of being and the highest goal in a person’s framework. A terminal value is a belief that is considered as an end in itself such as freedom r wisdom. These types of values are like existential concerns that every customer has to deal with their daily lives which are rooted on their personal histories (p. 15). Themes and values in one’s life are the core conceptions of the self. These values are deeply embedded, interconnected and central in order to maintain integrity of the self-system. Corollary with this, these values are relatively stable and accessible as well and could be activated easily in almost any circumstance. As such it could be said that themes and values serve as a yardstick or standard guide to lower-order goals and actions (p. 17). Current concerns such as activities, tasks or quests are also vital in a consumer’s buying behavior. For instance, activities or life projects that a customer wants to engage into like gardening, being an animal rights advocate and the likes influences them to buy certain products that are in accordance to such goals (p.18). 2. 5 CSR and Purchasing Decisions The link between CSR and consumer purchasing decisions is something that has a direct relationship. It has been said by Varadarajan and Menon (1988) that it is very relevant for consumers to first be educated on a particular company’s level of social responsibility before they could incorporate such on their pattern of behavior. This is important so that consumer purchasing decisions could be affected by the CSR programs that a company is employing. The notion of cause related marketing which is a way for companies to support non profit organizations by allotting a certain percentage of their sales to the former is one of the most effective way of doing the aforementioned (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). Albeit, it should be noted that although CSR has been highly exercised by most companies, the biggest inhibitor of the latter’s success is lack of consumer awareness on a particular company’s CSR program. However even if this is the case, there is a growing evidence that a lot of consumers are desiring to know more about how companies conducts their businesses. The purchasing information that was given by Council on Economic Priorities in 1994 tells that consumer interest on CSR has been steadily growing (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). 2. 6 Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty Customer satisfaction is difficult to understand and it is define in different ways. Many researchers argued that there is a difference between the customer satisfaction, which is gained from tangible products and intangible services. The difference is because of the intangibility of the services and the failure to separate production and consumption. Therefore, customer satisfaction from services and goods may come from and influenced by different factors. Hence, should be considered separately and differently (Veloutsou, C. et al, 2005). Two issues should be considered when looking customer satisfaction in services whether it is conceptualized or transaction specific or cumulative (Hoest, V. and Knie-Andersen, M. , 2004). Customer satisfaction has been perceived as not the sole determining factor for a loyal customer base (Griffin and Herres, 2002, p. 2). During the 1980s and the 1990s, the notion of customer satisfaction which is weighed in terms of providing quality customer service and excellence has been perceived as providing good financial results and repeat purchase. A study conducted by Forum Corporation (Stum and Thiry, 1991, p. 34) claimed that 40% of the customers who participated in the study claimed to be satisfied with a particular product found it easy to shift brands without any hesitation. As such, it has been perceived by Griffin and Herres (2002; p.4-5) that the true measurement that should be used in repeated business is Customer Loyalty. Customer loyalty focuses more on consumer behaviour than attitude. When a particular client is loyal to a brand, such a person is more particular in conducting purchase behaviour that is relatively more non random. A client who is loyal to a brand has developed a particular justified belief on which and what to buy from whom. More importantly, the notion of loyalty implies a purchase that occurs for a particular duration, which does not occur less than twice. Also, it could be significantly noted that the decision to purchase could be made by one or two or more individuals. As such, it could be the case that the decision making to buy a particular product could be a compromise, hence explaining one of the key reasons for one’s loyalty for a particular unit. There are two important factors that are closely associated with brand loyalty and these are customer retention and total share of customer. The former describes the duration in which a particular company has the business of a client. The rate of customer share on the other hand is equivalent to the percentage of a customer’s budget that is spent with the firm. For instance, a company is said to have 100% share of a customer’s budget if the latter spends his or her entire budget with a particular firm. As such it could be said that customer retention and percentage of customer’s budget is very important; however, there might be instances wherein a customer is prevented by certain laws to purchase just from one vendor such as government accounts. Gustafsson and Johnson (2000; p.50) presented a model which would effectively measure customer satisfaction. Satisfaction in terms of the model is perceived as â€Å"customer’s overall evaluation of the purchase and consumption experience with a product, service or provider†. The model presented by Gustafsson and Johnson (2000) appears to be different from transaction-specific portrayals of customer satisfaction that normally leads to repurchase. The model focuses on the importance of Customer Lens or the perspective of a customer on a particular brand, most especially how it benefits them. The lens of the customer will allow the organization to take a view of their product as it appears on the market place and not really how their organization perceives it (Gustafsson and Johnson, 2000, p. 5). It has been argued by Gustafsson and Johnson   (2000) that customers’ decisions to repurchase a particular product are deeply influenced by their overall purchase and consumption from a particular company or brand. In addition, customer satisfaction could pave the way for an enhanced reputation and an increase of brand equity for a particular organization. Such in turn could further attract customers that could have further increase the market share of a particular brand. 2. 7 The Body Shop International, PLC Values The Body Shop International PLC has five corporate values: Against Animal Testing, Support Community Trade, Activate Self Esteem, and Protecting our Planet (The Body Shop International plc a, 2007). 2. 7. 1 Against Animal Testing The company strongly advocated for the banning of the test of cosmetics on animals. In addition, the company prides itself due to its strict compliance of the internationally recognized Humane Cosmetics Standards (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). As such it has been implementing a so-called â€Å"fixed cut-off date† to all of their ingredients. Such means, that the company does not and will never test their cosmetics on animals, hence calling it an â€Å"immovable fixed date† (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). More importantly, the company has also assured that their products could also be suitable for vegetarians. This means that the company does not use any ingredient that is perceived to cause harm to animals (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). In effect of this, the Body Shop has been awarded on 2006 as the Best Cruelty-free Cosmetics by the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals). (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). The advocate of Body Shop to ban animal testing is stretched even by the company supporting researches that could bring about alternatives against animal testing. In 2004, the Body Shop Foundation has awarded the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing at John Hopkins University ? 20 000 in order to support the university’s research in finding other ways to test cosmetics   (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). 2. 7. 2 Support Community Trade Body Shop’s support for community trade focuses on the use of natural ingredients and handcrafted products from skilled people and was brought for a reasonable prize for more than 20 years on over 24 countries and 31 suppliers (The Body Shop International plc e, 2007). In another perspective, community fair trade provides workers in marginalized countries to earn a reliable wage that could help them build their futures (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). More importantly, the community trade that Body Shop made from the aforementioned also provides the company the assurance that it has been purchasing ingredients in which they know where came from (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). As such, it could be said that the company has been spreading not only its monetary assets but also its intellectual investments as well fairly among countries most especially to the ones which needed it most (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). 2. 7. 3 Activate Self Esteem Body shop also deeply upholds basic feminist values. Their motto: â€Å"Know your mind, love your body†; communicates the individuality of all women and the disregard to false promises, hype, and jargons of cosmetics and a fixed standard of beauty (The Body Shop International plc f, 2007). More importantly, the body shop emphasizes the importance of self awareness, self-confidence, self-growth and self-acceptance. As such it deems self respect while focusing on diversity, acceptance and empowerment (The Body Shop International plc g, 2007). 2. 7. 4 Protecting our Planet Protecting the planet is the last among the five core values of Body Shop. This value is deeply connected on the advocate of the company in using natural ingredients. Body Shop believed that through the use of natural ingredients and through helping on the ban against cosmetic test on animals, they are helping to protect the environment (The Body Shop International plc h, 2007). Furthermore, Body Shop also supports the use of renewable sources through the use of Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products. I

Friday, August 30, 2019

History Extension Proposal – Salem Witch Trials

Description of Preliminary Research The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693, and involved over two hundred people being accused of practicing witchcraft. After the execution of twenty people, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. Following the events, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice, and continues to beguile the common imagination.Initially, I aimed my research at allowing myself to attain a sense of the atmosphere that pervaded Salem, Massachusetts in 1962, as I was unsure about the focus of my project. After reading playwright Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, my interest in the social, cultural and religious context of the time was enhanced. The play encapsulated the hysteria of the townsfolk and provided a general arc of the events, adding to my fascination surrounding the Salem witch trials and why they occurred. To enhance my knowledge, I proceeded to investigate the general and historiographical information surrounding the event.I looked at various websites, primarily Wikipedia, the online article Salem Witchcraft: The Events and Causes of the Salem Witch Trials written by Tim Sutter and A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, an article written by Jess Blumberg. I extracted information from books including Witchcraft: A Secret History, written by Michael Steeter and ___________. From my research I gathered that the most important historiographical issue was not in fact the context, but the cause of the event, and I have extracted as many theories from my readings as I could collect.The evidence we have from the time before, during and after the period of the trials is expansively open to interpretation, as is the evidence that isn’t there, this being the spectral evidence and misdiagnosis of the afflictions of the alleged witches. Linda Caporeal’s hypothesis Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem? in vestigates a possible psychological condition afflicted on the women as the cause of the girl’s illness and misconduct. The recent article Were the American Colonists Drugged During the Salem Witchcraft Trial? ritten in 2008 by Josh Clarke demonstrates the continual debate over the cause of the trials amongst various historians. Description of Historiographical Focus The Research Intentions My project will focus primarily on the historical debate over the cause of the Salem witch trials, as from my research it has become clear that in order to deal with this topic, I must focus on the contrasting perspectives of historians and others, and why they hold certain opinions.In order to proceed with my research, I have comprised a list of subsidiary questions, these being: -Why is the cause of the trials a controversial issue? -What approaches have been taken by historians and others to investigate why the trials occurred? -How do different approaches to history reflect both the co ntext of the historian and their ideology? I am aware there is no ‘right’ answer in relation to cause, but I will investigate the answers to these questions and will attempt to better understand why a historical event is continually revised, reviewed, debated and theorised by historians.I intend to select, dissect and analyse three opposing theories surrounding the cause of the trials. At this stage in my research I am interested in exploring the oppressive religious beliefs and customs of the Puritan religion, as well as the Linda Caporeal’s theory on convulsive ergotism. I aim to select a third theory that will best demonstrate conflicting approaches to the ordeal following further investigation into the topic. Preliminary Essay Question Ideas

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The choice of toy(s) is up to you (except for Barbie). You can analyze Research Paper

The choice of toy(s) is up to you (except for Barbie). You can analyze gender-neutral toys. To what extent, if any, is gender-sp - Research Paper Example These gender norms define what acceptable masculine and feminine behaviors are in a given culture. Likewise the way in which a person becomes a part of society in the form of a male or female is the gender identity. It defines who we really are and becomes an integral part of our inner selves (Ryle, 2011). We may say that the process of gender socialization begins right at the time of our birth, when parents name their kids and we are assigned either a boy or a girl attribute. Then as a child grows he/she begins to understand the distinct specifics of both genders through, for example the surrounding events, interactions, education and entertainment. Family conditions and norms also shape up the gender role. This may include different treatments for siblings of other genders, like a boy may be allowed to go out more often than his sister, and perhaps the sister being scolded less harshly than her brother. The surrounding environment also play a great role, for example the color room, either blue or pink, may define the gender roles for children at an early stage. Then there is a wide variety of gender-specific toys and there preference for kids, like Barbie dolls versus Power Rangers. Gender-specific role is also emphasized in boys and girls through their gatherings and there topic of conversations. Boys often meet and play in larger groups as compared to girls’ preference for small groups and they often exchange information that is completely different. Through these differences we gradually collect information throughout our lives that define distinct gender roles. Hence interaction through the process of gender-socialization is important in defining the gender-specific roles. The above discussion is a brief reflection on what most of the social constructionists believe. They believe that the gender-specific roles are indeed learned through society and experience. They believe that certain behaviors such as ferocity and aggressiveness are more characte ristic of masculine than feminine gender, so boys often prefer to go with toys like cars, guns that fire fake bullets, robots and action figures etc. Conversely feminine gender is more characteristic of beauty, spontaneity, emotionality and like emotions hence they prefer toys like Barbie dolls, kitchen sets etc. However, Deborah Blum argues that the biology does play an important role in defining gender roles and establishing gender role identities. This is discussed in the following part of the paper. It has been experimentally shown that even very little kids respond different to the gender-specific toys. While this might be a great hint that some of the gender differences are biological and in-born, we cannot deny that socialization plays a major role in distinguishing gender roles after the birth. So it is rarely just one thing that accounts for the cumulative effect. We may view it as an interaction of genes with the environment. So to think that gender is entirely dependent o n socialization may be misleading because some of the differences are natural and in-born (Ridley, 2004). How Toys Promote Traditional Gender Roles There are rich and obvious sex differences in children toys and these are same across majority of cultures. Girls are heightened to play with dolls

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Criticism on Management by Objective (MBO) Approach Essay

Criticism on Management by Objective (MBO) Approach - Essay Example One of the major flaws within the MBO technique is the failure to address motivational factors effectively. Although the MBO approach allows the managers and subordinates to align their short-term goals with organizational objective, individual motivational components are not adequately addressed. According to Levinson, the MBO technique fails to incorporate emotional components of motivation into the system hence creating more pressure in the employees (1). In particular, employees are not emotionally motivated in achieving the set goals and hence the development of the conflict between the managers and subordinates. MBO technique does not provide means of achieving the set objectives. Ideally, in the MBO technique, the managers and subordinates formulate timely and measurable objectives within the organization (University of San Francisco 4). However, in this technique, the required sets of behavior in order to achieve set objectives are not stipulate. This causes confusion and challenge to the employees, especially the one who is not accustomed to the organizational process. In conclusion, the MBO technique has been criticized because of several flaws within the system. It is clear from the above discussion that failure to provide behavioral means of achieving objectives and lack of emotional motivation form the basis of criticism for the technique. Therefore, the manager using this approach should try to incorporate the discussed aspects in order to get the good outcome.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Southwest Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Southwest Airlines - Case Study Example According to the report findings the remarkable success and innovative ways with that Southwest Airlines has achieved has made this study interesting. It is worth studying the business concept of Southwest, which involves attracting passengers by flying convenient schedules and getting passengers to their destination on time using several strategic initiatives. The efficiency, quality of service, controlled growth, increase in demand for reliable low-fare travel, and other key success factors like leadership, culture, strategy and coordination are some of the factors that contributed to the success of the airline. This project aims to study the relative contribution made by these distinct factors that made this remarkable transformation possible for Southwest. As the discussion declares the Company’s vision statement expresses a â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, and individual pride and Company spirit.† The Company has the mission to â€Å"provide safe and comfortable air transportation in commuter and short-haul markets, from close-in airports, at prices competitive with automobiles and buses and to involve customers and employees in the product and the process, making the airline a fun, profitable and quality experience.† From the very start, Southwest Airlines’ goals were to make a profit, achieve job security for every employee, and make flying affordable for more people. (Freiberg & Freiber

Monday, August 26, 2019

Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Research Paper Example Lenovo has manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, and Huiyang in China and at Pondicherry, India and a center at Whitsitt, North Carolina. It will not be out of place to note that Compaq and Hewlett Packard got merged in 2002. It was in 2004 that IBM sold off their PC business to a state Chinese company called Lenovo. The Compaq and IBM were two dominating brands in the market in the mid-1990s. Dell and HP emerged as two strong players in the PC market during late ‘90s while share of IBM went on reducing year after year. With that state of affairs and highly competitive market coupled with aggressive pricing strategies by many other manufacturers, IBM became a minority share holder in Lenovo. IBM held 18.4% share holding in Lenovo and Lenovo was granted rights to use IBM brand for 5 years as per the agreement; however, Lenovo got the product brand ‘ThinkPad’ from the IBM on a permanent basis. (IBM sells PC†¦2004) Lenovo is a state-owned compa ny having most of its operations in China barring a few installations in India and Mexico. India and Mexico operations are mostly for the local needs of that country. Before we embark upon the marketing plan for Lenovo, it would be worthwhile to do SWOT analysis. SWOT Analysis of Lenovo It will be appropriate to identify the Strengths, and Weaknesses of the company along with the opportunities that company can readily harness and issues that may pose threat to the company. Strengths: a. The company is well guided and supported by qualified and talented managerial pool of IBM. b. Lenovo PCs are endorsed by IBM brand ‘ThinkPad’ providing a confidence to the consumers in the market place. c. Manufacturing facilities being in China, the company enjoys not only the low cost of manufacturing but additional skilled manpower for its expansion project. d. Being a state-owned company, the company is well taken care of at the time of any change in local rules and regulations durin g normal and adverse market conditions. Weaknesses: a. The company may have trouble during natural disasters or calamities within the country to maintain normal production programs as most of its manufacturing facilities are in China. b. Being a state-owned company, decision making process may not be quick enough to thwart competition when it is need of an hour. Opportunities: a. The Personal computer market is at fast pace of growth; there is large untapped market locally and globally. Lenovo is well placed to take advantage of this burgeoning market. b. The new technologies are making deep inroads in the personal computer field, making it more user-friendly and thus expanding the market with new applications. Lenovo, being backed by IBM is positioned appropriately to exploit new developments in the field of hardware. c. IBM’s long known history of R&D in the field of mainframes, servers, and personal computers is likely to benefit Lenovo immensely in the coming days. The lo w-cost manufacturing facilities coupled with technological back up from technology giant forms a good synergy in the quality conscious and price sensitive markets. Threats: a. Lenovo is pitted against some of the well known brands of the companies such as Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Acer. Any mergers among them may certainly pose a big threat to Lenovo. b. Dell and HP are expanding their manufacturing operations in China. In the event of this, the cost advantage to Lenovo will get nullified in the future. Marketing Plan Product Strategy

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Supervising Banks Liquidity Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supervising Banks Liquidity - Article Example The committee in charge of outlining and preparing these regulations has decided that banks should easily have enough money on hand to last them for thirty days if their outside sources dried up, allowing them to finish business and become more prepared for what should happen after the money has run out entirely. The banking industry is none too thrilled about the new liquidity rules, which would have a questionable effect on how much it would cost them to raise money. Unfortunately, this does not cover some of the more major issues, such as the amount and depth of information banks are allowed to share with their investors and the public about how they go about raising money. However, regardless of the feelings felt by the banks, the rules that have been laid out by the committee are not going anywhere, nor are they to be altered unless something comes up that suggests they should be. As a sort of compromise for those that are against the new rules, the central bankers and regulators will be spending the time prior to the rules taking effect, which is in 2015, determining and evaluating the effect of the new rules. Other rules, such as those that will make sure that banks have reliable sources of long-term financing, will not be implemented until 2018. These additional rules would prevent what almost took place with Hypo Real Estate when it was unable to refinance long-term obligations and needed an emergency bail-out from the government.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Inevitability of Globalization Research Paper

The Inevitability of Globalization - Research Paper Example The concepts of globalization and interdependence are tightly connected. Many literature refer to globalization as the intensification of global interconnectedness and interdependence. Roland Robertson, the key figure in the formalization of the term globalization, stressed on the increasing level of interdependence between national systems in the aspects of trade, military affairs and culture (Waters, 2001). Waters (2001) defined globalization as "a social process in which the constraints of geography on economic, political, social and cultural arrangements recede, in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding and in which people act accordingly"(p. 5). The definition of globalization given by Inda and Rosaldo (2002) described globalization very well as the "intensification of global interconnectedness, suggesting a world full of movement and mixture, contact and linkages, and persistent cultural interaction and exchange" (p. 2). However, in economic terms, global ization refers to the integration of national or local economies to the global economy, facilitated by trade, migration, investments. Indeed, the complex processes and mobilities that come with the phenomenon of globalization describe the world we live in today. Long gone are the days when the world and its peoples can be conceptualized as forming isolated or separate societies, each with its own and   distinct culture. According to Inda and Rosaldo (2002), culture was assumed to be intrinsically discontinuous.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Research Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research Project - Assignment Example The primary objective of this research is to critically assess the issues associated with customer and food quality of the organizations operating across different regions of the UK. In this regard, the research study incorporates an effective form of qualitative framework, critically analyzing the issues relating to the complexities faced by the customers due to food quality issues of the hospitality organizations operating in different locations of the UK. The methodology will also be justified in response to its relevance and accountability regarding the major objectives and goals of the research. Finally, this research will analyze the major findings obtained through the study, leading to the major issues associated with customers and quality related concerns of the food and beverage industry of the UK, providing an effective set of recommendations that can help the food and beverage industry to deal with the issues associated with customer and quality of their products and servi ces. With the intensifying pace of competition in the global food and beverage industry, organizations are often observed to face issues associated with sustainable customer services along with the concerns relating to the quality of their offerings. In this context, both the issues relating to customer and quality of food and beverage items have been observed to emerge at a significant level that impose major concerns for the organizations to retain their sustainable position in the competitive business environment (Szyplinska, â€Å"Food and Beverage Industry Focuses on Water Footprint and Greater Sustainability†). In this regard, it becomes an essential and most vital issue for research, which can ensure appropriate identification of effective measures to protect consumers from different flaws and inappropriate practices while producing foods and beverage items and accomplish

World Civilizations 2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World Civilizations 2 - Term Paper Example the modern era, in the circumstance that inquisition to the traditional authority in the west and discovery that gave way to the possibilities of renaissance in Europe and Asia. The enlightenment has been the result of scientific revolution, where the intellectuals have been highly impressed with the deed of scientific revolution and the philosophers influenced by the revolutionary thinkers of the 17th century in the ambience of intellectual darkness of the middle age. During the 18th century there was so many developments in all fields around the world. Great civilizations emerged in America, Europe, Asia and Africa. â€Å"The Enlightenment was the product of a vast set of cultural and intellectual changes in Europe during the  1500s and  1600s—changes that in turn produced the social values that permitted the Enlightenment to sweep through Europe in the late  1600s and  1700s† (The Enlightenment (1650-1800) par. 10). On account of this, Europeans gave up the antique scientific beliefs. As a result of expedition and enlargement of overseas empires, there was so many political and cultural changes. Another important feature of the 17th century was negligence to the loyalty of traditional religious authority. The concept of monarchy was abandoned in this period after thirty years of war, which occurred in Germany. Also, so many philosophical thoughts have emerged such as Individualism, Relativism and Rationalism – these three concepts proclaim the idea which spread the enlightenment. Overall, such unique ideas and philosophies have been responsible for man’s growth in all levels. There were so many great individuals who contributed to the cause of enlightenment. Most prominent among them were Gallilio Gallili, Johannes Kepler, Francis Bacon, Renà © Descartes, Isaac Newton, Baruch Spinoza, John Comenius and Hugo Grotius. Gallili was an Italian astronomuor, who supported the sun-centerd Copernican model of the solar system and displeased the Catholic Church.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

An inspector calls & by J. B Priestly Essay Example for Free

An inspector calls by J. B Priestly Essay As the curtains rise the light (dim) focuses on Mr Birlings factory. Outside, protesters are trying to convince Mr Birling to increase their wages. Lightning strikes a tree near the protesters and everything goes dark. The light brightens a little and focuses back on the factory where all the protesters are gone. As the light brightens more, Mr Birling walks out of the factory and locks the main doors. The night is dark and eerie; the deep mist envelops his feet as he moves. He walks along a path past Milwards, the palace variety theatre and up to the house. Set up of the stage Top view After Mr Birling enters the house the rest of the stage goes dark and is cleared apart from the house. The front of the house lifts up to show the dining room. The lights dim and focus on the dining room where the four Birlings and Gerald are sitting. Mr Birling pushes the port towards Eric. They talk about port for a while until Edna leaves. When Mr Birling starts his first speech about the miners strike being almost over, Last month, just because the miners came out on strike, theres a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future. Dont worry weve past the worst of It. The lights focus on the screen just next to the house as well, where miners are going on strike again. After he has finished the focus goes completely on the dining room again. Mr Birling starts his second speech, saying that theres not going to be a war. Just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, or a few German officers have too much too drink and begin talking nonsense, youll hear that war is inevitable. The screen shows pictures of World War 1. Mr Birling starts his third speech, when he says about the titanic being unsinkable, The Titanic forty six thousand eight hundred tons and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. Theres a slight pause and the light focuses on the screen in the background, it shows the titanic sinking. The inspector comes on the stage and walks up to the house, he stops and looks for a while and then goes up to the house. Edna opens the door and lets the inspector in, she shows him into the dining room. I went to the Milton Keynes theatre on Wednesday 8th November to see An Inspector Calls. The play had some symbolism in: the house represented the familys security, the house was on stilts it was like each member of the family was a stilt and when one of them were damaged the whole house falls apart; the inspector is a representative of the audience, he asks the family questions that you want to know. The play was set in the Second World War, I think that it should have been set before the First World War as it was in the original play because the play has references to class difference and that was more pronounced at that time. The director didnt change important things in the script that told you it was before World War 1, This girl left us nearly two years ago. Let me see it must have been in the early autumn of nineteen-ten. They are only small parts of the play but make a big difference to the set out of the play. However it was good to have it set in the World War 2 because Mr Birling talks about the mining strikes in one of his speeches and there was a lot more of them before World War 2 than World War 1.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay

Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay One way to analyze Chinas culture is to look at their Hofstede score. Hofstede is the name of a system that rates countries on a scale across five different work related values: power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long vs. short term orientation. Knowing these scored before operating in a country is very important. The power distance index describes the distance between those who are less powerful in the company, like middle and lower-management, and those who are very powerful, like the bosses and officers. The higher scores mean that it is very disrespectful to go to your boss and offer up your opinion about something, and you are suppose to just take what your boss gives you. A low power distance index means that everyone is close to a similar level, and you are allowed to and actually encouraged to offer up your opinion to your bosses. China has a high power distance index, with a rating of 80, being that the worl d average is 55. The individualistic vs. collectivistic index rates how integrated members of a company are. Individualistic countries value getting the job done yourself, and celebrates individual accomplishments. Collectivistic countries value team effort, and do not seek for individual results, and sometimes it can be very embarrassing to be singled out. In china, they have an individualistic vs. collectivistic index rating of 20, compared to the world average of 43. Masculinity, opposed to femininity, defines roles that each gender takes in an organization. Masculine countries show high levels of competitiveness and assertiveness, while feminine counties show low levels of those just described and high levels of modesty and care. A high score in the masculinity index means that the country is masculine, while lose scores mean the country is feminine. China has a masculinity rating of 50, while the world average is 50, which means China is indifferent between being masculine or feminine. Uncertainty avoidance index defines how much risk the population in general takes. Countries with a high index will take lots of risks, while a country with a low index will take little to no risks. High index countries are very comfortable with venturing to the unknown, while low score countries prefer to stay put where they are. China has a score of 60 in uncertainty avoidance, while the world average is 64. The last index is the long-term orientation. This defines how far into the future the country looks at decisions it has to make now. Countries with a high long-term orientation look to maintain steady flow in the long-run, while short-term countries looks for results now without thinking about the future. China has a score of 118, while the world average is 45. The official language of China is Chinese, though many business people speak English as well. The government is Communist run, and most people are atheist, with many different types of atheist-religions being practiced. As of May 2010, the population of China was estimated to be around 1.3 billion, which is about 20% of the worlds population. A couple notes about the behavior that are important to know when dealing with a Chinese business person is to never have personal contact, never point while speaking, point with a open palm, not with the index finger, do not put your hand in your mouth, always be on time, and do not discuss business at meals. Decision making is slow in China, and rushing them is considered very disrespectful. The culture of China is drastically different from the culture of the U.S., the home country of Coca-Cola. The Hofstede ratings for the U.S. are 91 for individualism, 62 for masculinity, 29 for long-term orientation, 40 for power-distance, and 46 for uncertainty avoidance. This means that China is more long-term oriented, has a higher power distance, and avoids uncertainty more, while the United States is more individualistic and masculine. Now that we understand Chinese culture, we can analyze Coca-Cola and their international business structure there. Marketing Plan/Strategy: Target Market: Coke can be enjoyed by anyone. Coca-Cola does not explicitly target a specific market overall, but they do have advertising campaigns that do talk to a specific group. Coca-Cola has to know the differences between the types of markets in China in order to send the right message to its intended group. One segment Coca-Cola looks at is urban and rural communities. Even though there are more potential customers in rural areas, there are more potential customers in urban areas. The economic diversity of the two groups makes it possible to separate them. The disposable income per capita in urban areas is three times more than in rural areas. There is also a difference in the province you live in. The different geographical regions of China have a difference in sales for Coke. Of the four largest cities in China, there are only 4 percent of Chinas population there, but accounted for 15 percent of sales, while all the other smaller cities and provinces had 80 percent of the population and h ad 50 percent of the sales. Age is also a segment that Coca-Cola builds on. Coca-Cola was introduced in the 1970s, and people who were born after its introduction grew up drinking Coke in their meals. Coca-Cola realized this and made all those born from their introduction on, which means everyone about 40 years are younger are a target market for Coca-Cola to advertise Coke to. 4 Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) The product is called Coca-Cola, but Coke is used for short instead of saying the whole thing. It is a carbonated beverage. It was originally a patent medicine sold in a pharmacy, but along the lines it made its way to sell in a variety of places to become the number one sold drink in the world. The ingredients of Coke are carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid v. caramel, and natural flavorings. The pricing of Coke is relative to other competitors in the market. The biggest competitor for Coca-Cola is Pepsi, and Coca-Cola takes account of what Pepsi prices their soft drink. Coca-Cola has an advantage though because they have a product that everyone sees as being a consistent and dependable one, so Coke is allowed to be priced 15 to 20 cents more without losing any sales to Pepsi. Promotion of Coke is very specific to the area being targeted. Coke implements pattern advertising, which keeps the video the same for countries targeted, but changes the audio, color scheme, and character selection to be similar to the area being broadcasted. Coke also does not make advertisements claiming to be better than Pepsi. In supermarkets, Cokes place is right next to all the other drinks, with no one product getting more exposure than others. Coca-Cola has at least one sales centre in cities with more than one million people. The sales centre also warehouse Cokes, and plenty of delivery trucks are there to disperse the products. Business Environment Coca-Cola expands in countries through a variety of licensing agreements and joint ventures. Coca-Cola licenses the selling of Coke out to bottlers. Coca-Cola makes the soda syrup and sends it to bottlers who mix it with carbonated water and bottle it, sending it to retailers. Bottlers are allowed to sweeten it differently depending on local tastes. Coca-Cola goes into joint ventures with other companies to come out with different types of products. Coca-Cola has joint ventures with companies like Proctor Gamble, Danone, and Nestle. Human Resources: Coca-Cola Company is not one in the same as the Coca-Cola bottlers, which are the majority of the whole business model. Coca-Cola does not have many offices world-wide for manufacturing, but do have executive offices. Coca-Cola sends expatriates out to deal with international sales. Glenn G. Jordan S. is the president of the Pacific Group for Coca-Cola, while Douglas Jackson is the President of the China Business Unit. Coca-Cola does not hire internationally for their executives and officers. For the Pacific Group, there are 2,900 executives working with 30,000 bottler employees. Coca-Cola states that people development is the stable for long-term success. One way they develop people is by sending them to Coca-Cola University, which is a virtual global university that teaches its employees everything they need to know. Coca-Cola pays its Chinese employees based on a couple of factors. First they make sure that what they are paying their employees is competitive with other consumer goods companies. Coca-Cola also offers benefits such as housing and transportation allowances, supplementary life and accidental insurance, free annual physical check-ups, free lunches and beverages, and festival allowances. They offer medical programs for the whole family. Twice a year, rewards are handed to employees who contribute significantly to the Company and the communities in which they operate. There are two ways in which Coca-Cola recruits new employees. First, they cooperate with local universities and business schools to directly go and recruit graduating students. Second, they post openings on their website to screen through hundreds of thousands of applications, which is later followed by a interview process if the resume was chosen. Finance: Since Coca-Cola licenses out the bottling and selling of Coke, they do not have to invest intensively in foreign investments. Coca-Cola has such a strong brand name that it allows them to have the freedom to invest anywhere with just about absolute assurance Coke will sell and make a profit. Coca-Cola has the leeway to introduce new products, seeing as they make such an income from Coke that it covers any potential losses. Coca-Cola has made a net income of about $6 billion for the past 3 years, so money is not an issue when investing in new products. Conclusion: Overall, Coca-Cola has been and for a long time will be a very successful company in China and the rest of the world. One of the biggest reasons for this is Coca-Colas consistency. They have a brand name with Coke that is recognized globally, and that will not go away from a long time unless they somehow hurt themselves publicly. Coca-Cola has realized that China is still a fast growing country, and has recently announced that they will open three new bottling plants in China. The new investments are set to cost $2 billion, which tops the total amount invested in now which is $1.6 billion. Coca-Cola tried to buyout Hong Kong-listed China Huiyuan Juice Group LTD, but was blocked by the Chinese government, which claimed that Coca-Cola was trying to set up a monopoly. Regardless what Coca-Colas intentions may be, they are still a very smart company and have certainly staked their claim as being the best in the nonalcoholic beverage industry. As long as Coca-Cola stays consist with their flagship product Coke, the sky is the limit for the Company.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Evaluation of theories and practices of Councelling

Evaluation of theories and practices of Councelling Discuss two approaches, evaluate their theory and practice. Which approach is your preference and why? Counselling has been defined by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP, 2009) as talking therapy, which involves a contractual arrangement between the therapist and the client where they meet, in privacy and confidence, to explore a difficulty or distress the client may be experiencing (p. 1). It works through the development of a therapeutic relationship whereby the counsellor actively and attentively listens to the client in order to gain insight and understanding into the difficulties the client is confronted with, from the clients perspective. Using different techniques, the counsellor can try to help the client to work through these difficulties, to understand them, and to solve them or accept them, depending on what the difficulties are. Importantly, counselling does not work by the provision of advice or direction; instead, the counsellor helps the client to gain mastery in directing their own lives. Counselling can be short-term or long-term, as well as individual or provided to families, couples, or organisations (Coren, 2001). Counselling techniques and methods will vary according to the approach or theoretical basis from which a counsellor works. Examples of different approaches to counselling include cognitive-behavioural therapy, solution-focused counselling, art therapy, person-centred counselling, psychodynamic counselling, and trauma therapy. A counsellor might adopt one approach within all of their work or take an eclectic approach whereby the theoretical framework adopted depends on the client (e.g. their age) or the problem (e.g. depression, phobia). The two counselling approaches discussed within this essay are person-centred counselling and cognitive-behavioural therapy. The theory underlying these approaches will be outlined, followed by examples of techniques used, and evidence of efficacy. Person-centred counselling, also known as client-centred or Rogerian counselling, is a humanistic approach to counselling founded by Carl Rogers in the 1950s (Rogers, 1951). The approach is based on the assumption that human beings are experts of themselves and that they have access to their own innate expert resources of self-understanding and self-direction. The role of the counsellor is thus to provide a facilitative environment and relationship for the client to find these resources within themselves. In order to provide this facilitative environment and relationship, the counsellor basis their interactions with the client on three key principles: 1) They are congruent (genuine) with the client, which can involve the counsellor showing their own human traits through appropriate and well-timed personal disclosure. This contrasts many other approaches to counselling, which tend to promote a more formal relationship between counsellor and client. 2) They provide unconditional positive regard, even if a client divulges something that the counsellor disagrees with; the counsellor remains accepting and caring of the client. Rogers believed this was important for clients to grow and reach their full potential. 3) They express  empathy (the ability to understand what the client is feeling) and  understanding towards the client. By providing empathy, the clients feelings are validated, which can be an important part of moving through and beyond those feelings. These three key principles demonstrate how the primary focus in person-centred counselling is the relationship between the counsellor and client. The person-centred counsellor seeks to establish a trusting relationship with the client in whom the client can gradually confront anxieties, confusion and other negative emotions. Central to person-centred counselling is the notion of self-concept, which refers to the perceptions and beliefs the client holds about themselves. The self-concept is influenced by an individuals experience of the world and comprises three components: Self-worth (self-esteem) thoughts about the self, which develop in early childhood and from experiences with parents or guardians. Self-image perceptions of the self, including body image, which can influence personality. Ideal self the self a person would like to be, including goals and ambitions. The  self-concept  is not necessarily consistent with how others view the client, as is the case in people with low self-esteem or conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder (characterised by perceived defects in physical appearance). Rogers based person-centred counselling the assumption that all human beings are seeking a positive self-concept (self-actualisation). It is this innate motivation towards self-fulfilment that is nurtured during person-centred counselling, with the emphasis again being on the clients own resources. Rogers has been criticised for having an overly optimistic view of human beings (Chantler, 2004), as well as focusing too much on a clients ideal self without considering whether this ideal self is realistic (Wilkins, 2003). However, despite this criticism, there is strong evidence supporting the efficacy of the person-centred approach, including a UK-based meta-analysis of scientific studies (Elliot and Freire, 2008). This meta-analysis demonstrated large pre- and post- changes in therapeutic outcomes that were maintained in the long-term. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) was founded in the 1960s by Aaron Beck when he observed that during counselling sessions, his clients tended to have an internal dialogue that was often negative and self-defeating. Furthermore, this internal dialogue was observed to influence behaviour. This led to the hypothesis that changing these internal dialogues would lead to changes in behaviour. Thus, CBT focuses on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes held by the client and how these relate to the clients behaviour or way of dealing with emotional problems. CBT takes a problem-solving approach to counselling, where the client and counsellor work collaboratively to understand problems and to develop strategies for tackling them. Clients are taught by counsellors, through guidance and modelling, a new set of skills that they can utilise when confronted with a particular problem. These skills are often focused on reframing negative self-talk in an effort to change ones interpretation of the problem. An event is not necessarily the problem, but more so the individuals interpretation of the event. CBT focuses on the present rather than the past, but does examine how self-defeating thinking patterns might have been formed in early childhood and the impact patterns of thinking might have on how the world is interpreted in the present, as an adult. These patterns of thinking can then be challenged by the counsellor and altered to fit the present. Taking a problem-solving approach means that CBT can offer effective outcomes in relatively short periods of time, most often 3-6 months. As an example, interpersonal psychotherapy for eating disorders has been found to take 8-12 weeks longer than CBT in order to achieve comparable outcomes (Agras et al., 2000). This is an obvious advantage the CBT approach has over other forms of counselling, making it a popular technique and the leading treatment for some mental health issues, such as bulimia (Wilson, Grilo, and Vitousek, 2007). The technique has even been incorporated into health interventions designed to assist overweight and obese individuals in losing weight (Wylie-Rosett et al., 2001) and to facilitate smoking cessation initiatives (Sussman, Ping, and Dent, 2006). CBT differs from other counselling approaches in that sessions have a structure, rather than the person talking freely about whatever comes to mind. At the beginning of counselling, the client meets the counsellor so that they can collaboratively set therapeutic goals to work towards. These goals then become the basis for planning the content of sessions as well as for assigning homework between sessions. The reason for having this structure is that it helps to use the therapeutic time efficiently and ensures that important information is not overlooked. Homework between sessions enables the client to practice and gain mastery in new skills with the opportunity to discuss any problems encountered in the next session. The counsellor takes a more active role at the beginning of counselling and as skills are mastered and the client grasps the principles they find helpful, the client is encouraged to take more responsibility for the content of sessions. The aim is that when the therapeut ic relationship comes to an end, the client is sufficiently empowered to continue working  independently. CBT also differs from other approaches in the nature of the relationship between counsellor and client. Some counselling approaches encourage the client to depend on the counsellor, as part of the treatment process, in an effort to build trust. CBT favours a more equal relationship that is more formal, problem-focused and practical. Such a relationship has been coined by Beck as collaborative empiricism, which emphasises the importance of client and counsellor working together to test out how the ideas behind CBT might apply to the clients individual circumstances (Beck, et al., 1979, Chap. 3). As demonstrated, patient-centred counselling and CBT are very different approaches to counselling, both in terms of structure and the role of the counsellor. In terms of preference, it could be argued that both are valuable, effective approaches to counselling. Evidence shows that they both work and thus preference would be better decided with consideration of the client and their individual needs. Whilst person-centred counselling might be preferable for a client with trust issues or who requires extensive examination of past trauma, CBT might be preferable for someone with an immediate problem or phobia to solve or someone whose problems are primarily governed by negative self-talk. Since CBT works with cognitions and behaviour and person-centred counselling works more with affect and emotion, their application needs to be based on individual context. Agras, W.S., et al., 2000. A multicentre comparison of cognitive behavioural therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, pp.459-466. Beck, A. T., et al., (1979).  Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press. British Association of Counselling Psychotherapy 2009. Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling Psychotherapy. Available from: http://www.bacp.co.uk [cited 09 January 2010]. Chantler, K., 2004. Double-edged sword: power and person-centred counselling. In Moodley, R., Lago, C., and Talahite, A. eds. Carl Rogers counsels a black client. Herefordshire: PCCS Books. Coren, A., 2001. Short- Term Psychotherapy: A Psychodynamic Approach. Palgrave Publishers Ltd. Elliott, R. and Freire, B., 2008. Person-Centred Experiential Therapies Are Highly Effective: Summary of the 2008 Meta-analysis. http://www.bapca.co.uk/uploads/files/Meta-Summary091708.doc. [cited 09 January 2011]. Rogers, Carl.,1951. Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable. Sussman, S., Sun, P., and Dent, C. W., 2006. A meta-analysis of teen cigarette smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 25(5), pp.549-557. Training and careers in counselling and psychotherapy (BACP) 2009. [online]. http://www.bacp.co.uk/admin/structure/files/pdf/811_t1.pdf [cited 09 January 2011]. Wilkins P.2003 Person-centred therapy in focus. London: SAGE publications Wilson, G.T., Grilo, C.M., and Vitousek, K.M. 2007. Psychological treatment of eating disorders. The  American Journal of Psychology, 62, pp.199-216. Wylie-Rosett., et al., 2001. Computerized weight loss intervention optimizes staff time. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 101, pp. 1155-1162.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Well guys, we've made it. We've made it through four years of one of the most highly involved times in our lives. We've seen all, we've done all, and at this point in the year, most of us have probably had enough of it all. If you think about it, four school years is really a long time. four years of high school is equal to 720 school days, 4,320 class periods, and if you're a busy guy like me and you tend to count things by the minute, then it might surprise you to know that we've been in class for about 237,600 minutes. Class of 2006- are you ready to graduate? There's a term I like to use to describe our high school experience: metamorphosis. As high schoolers, we metamorphosize; we change over the course of four years. We start as nothing and eventually we become something. When Terrace's doors opened in the fall of '98, we were not the same class that we are today. Something happened to us. Something made us change. That something was our hard work. It helped us to develop our talents, to accomplish great things, and to become the unique individuals that we are today. What, do you think that Brandon Gibbs began freshmen year as a varsity basketball player and a top runner? Did Mat Montgomery just walk into the school one day prepared to lead the Jazz 1 trumpet section? Would Sarah Abel, Keola Awana, and Chris Potts have been ready to serve on the top positions in ASB our freshmen year? What about guys like David Johanes and Tim Lehman, two of our great bowlers here at MTHS? Have you ever heard of an all-freshmen sports team winning state? I haven't. Four years ago, before I had anchored for morning announcements, I could not have imagined myself speaking to thousands of people. I would have been too scared to get up o... ...g. We have always been a diverse group and naturally, we will go on to different places next year. Class of '06 will enroll in as many schools and work in as many jobs as the variety of people that we come in. But one thing is for sure, and that is we have finally reached the end of our metamorphosis. We are at the final stage now and tomorrow, we will all head off to live very different lives. I myself will be going to the University of Washington next fall. Tonight, we will cease to be Terrace Hawks. Tonight, we will step out of our cocoons, and become new people. Tonight many of us will become Huskies. Others will become Cougars, Trojans, Tritons, Bulldogs, Vikings, and Dolphins. Tonight, we have transformed into the hard-working college student. Tonight, after four years, we have finally metamorphosized. Dunbar Class of 2006, the world is ours, let's go get it!

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Standards and Values by which the Court of Malfi Lives Essays

The Standards and Values by which the Court of Malfi Lives The values that govern character's decisions in The Duchess of Malfi are diametrically opposed to the modern day ethos by which we are accustomed to live. The play is set in a time and society where today's basic sociability, fairness and freedom from oppression were completely unheard of and unprecedented. Those in power saw no point to their authority if they did not take full advantage of their influence, nobody would lookout for anyone else and people's livelihoods depended on kings' fickle whims. Corruption was rife, fuelled by the ruthless backstabbing and do-or-die attitude. In fact, the play starts by amalgamating and spotlighting the flaws with the court system by referring to Antonio's recent excursion and comparing Malfi with the vastly different French court. Antonio is clearly a newly-converted Francophile and describes his experiences in glowing terms, emphasising its superiority with a pithy, italicised aphorism to show that the French head-of-state fully understands how his decisions affect the people - should someone "poison't near the head, Death and diseases through the whole land spread" (I, i, l. 14-5). Coining a superb simile in describing the court as "like a common fountain" (I, i, l. 12), the French communal spirit and sharing lifestyle is drawn to the audience's attention. Unlike the Duke of Calabria, the King does not punish freedom of speech and feels duty-bound to deracinate the inveterate "corruption of the times" (I, i, l. 18). Antonio is one of the most admirable characters and one of the few in the play's opening who displays an attractive side to their personality. He clearly has positive values, as shown by... ...her classes sufficiently, and several characters such as Rodgerigo and Castruchio seem to favour following this method. The Cardinal looks as though he has reached his elevated position only by extirpating himself from his conscience and things such as respect and position are clearly very important in court society. A moral character that would stick to ethical beliefs would not last long in this world of corruption and mercilessness. Right and wrong (only in respect to what is owed to you) is a vital issue and it is very important to learn to mix with the right people in order to rise to the highest echelons of the court. Overall, the emphasis in the Italian court of Malfi seems to rest on material worldly goodness such as money, appearance and status rather than aspects some would consider more important - spiritual well-being, conscience and morals. The Standards and Values by which the Court of Malfi Lives Essays The Standards and Values by which the Court of Malfi Lives The values that govern character's decisions in The Duchess of Malfi are diametrically opposed to the modern day ethos by which we are accustomed to live. The play is set in a time and society where today's basic sociability, fairness and freedom from oppression were completely unheard of and unprecedented. Those in power saw no point to their authority if they did not take full advantage of their influence, nobody would lookout for anyone else and people's livelihoods depended on kings' fickle whims. Corruption was rife, fuelled by the ruthless backstabbing and do-or-die attitude. In fact, the play starts by amalgamating and spotlighting the flaws with the court system by referring to Antonio's recent excursion and comparing Malfi with the vastly different French court. Antonio is clearly a newly-converted Francophile and describes his experiences in glowing terms, emphasising its superiority with a pithy, italicised aphorism to show that the French head-of-state fully understands how his decisions affect the people - should someone "poison't near the head, Death and diseases through the whole land spread" (I, i, l. 14-5). Coining a superb simile in describing the court as "like a common fountain" (I, i, l. 12), the French communal spirit and sharing lifestyle is drawn to the audience's attention. Unlike the Duke of Calabria, the King does not punish freedom of speech and feels duty-bound to deracinate the inveterate "corruption of the times" (I, i, l. 18). Antonio is one of the most admirable characters and one of the few in the play's opening who displays an attractive side to their personality. He clearly has positive values, as shown by... ...her classes sufficiently, and several characters such as Rodgerigo and Castruchio seem to favour following this method. The Cardinal looks as though he has reached his elevated position only by extirpating himself from his conscience and things such as respect and position are clearly very important in court society. A moral character that would stick to ethical beliefs would not last long in this world of corruption and mercilessness. Right and wrong (only in respect to what is owed to you) is a vital issue and it is very important to learn to mix with the right people in order to rise to the highest echelons of the court. Overall, the emphasis in the Italian court of Malfi seems to rest on material worldly goodness such as money, appearance and status rather than aspects some would consider more important - spiritual well-being, conscience and morals.

The Story Behind The Atomic Bomb :: essays research papers

The story behind the atomic bomb Atomic Bomb August 6th, 1945, 70,000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue over whether or not the US should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon? Yes, it was. First, look at what was going on at the time the decision was made. The U.S had been fighting a massive war since 1941. Morale was most likely low, and resources were probably at the same level as morale. However, each side continued to fight, and both were determined to win. Obviously, the best thing that could have possibly have happened would have been to bring the war to a quick end, with a minimum of casualties. What would have happened had the A-bomb not been used? The most obvious thing is that the war would have continued. U.S forces; therefore, would have had to invade the home island of Japan. Imagine the number of casualties that could have occurred if this would have happened Also, our forces would not only have to fight off the Japanese military, but they would have to defend themselves against the civilians of Japan as well. It was also a fact that the Japanese government had been equipping the commoners with any kind of weapon they could get their hands on. It is true that this could mean a Japanese citizen could have anything from a gun to a spear, but many unsuspecting soldiers might have fallen victim to a surprise spear attack! The number of deaths that would have occurred would have been much greater, and an invasion would have taken a much longer period of time. The Japanese would have continued to fight the US with all of what they had; spears, guns, knives, whatever they could get their hands on, just as long as they continued to fight the enemy. As mentioned before, it is a fact that some civilians had been ready to fight our military with spears! What made it possible that the Japanese would resort to using spears? Why wouldn't they use guns or other weapons? Well, the truth was, the government just didn't have the resources to give out a gun to just any citizen. US naval blockades are one of the major reasons that Japan was so low on resources, and a main point opponents of the decision to drop the bomb constantly bring up. Japan obviously was very low on resources.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Role of Ethics in the Life of an Engineering Student

As a college student for the last 2 years, if there is one important thing that I have learned, it is to follow the ethical guidelines of your school. Moreover, maintain the ethical code throughout the semester and more specifically for every course. Now, as an engineering student at The University of Texas at Tyler, I have an Engineering Code of Ethics to follow. This, in my opinion, is the closest to an actual professional code I have seen thus far. As a learned profession, engineering students are expected to show the upmost standards of integrity and honesty. Since this is the code that we will be following while providing services as an engineer, our complete honesty & fairness should be dedicated to the safety and welfare of the people. As an engineer, you are required to perform under a standard of professional behavior. It requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct. As students, we are to practice the Code of Ethics on both the college and the District level. Every student in the college/district is expected to represent himself respectfully, whether it is on paper or verbal. This representation calls for honesty of information on all forms, applications and official documentation. In addition, we are to behave respectfully faculty, staff, administrators, other students and visitors as we represent our college and district. Academic honesty and academic integrity are to be maintained at their highest standards. All of the student’s work should be original. No type of academic dishonesty is acceptable. This includes cheating or lying on any assignment, quiz or exam. Providing false information or making false statements is impermissible. Gaining an unfair advantage over other students by any means of cheating is also against the ethical conduct. Cheating furthermore includes plagiarism, which is when a student uses the ideas of another and declares it as his or her own. Students are required to properly cite the original source of the ideas and information used in his or her work. Students of the district are expected to adhere to the rules and regulations set by the District. Students are to be responsible for any costs of the damages resulting from their behavior. Furthermore, use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol should be highly avoided. We shall also refrain from using language or acting in a manner that is disrespectful or inappropriate towards other students and members of college. This also includes sexual assault and harassment. Students must behave respectfully toward their peers and professors. In the classroom setting, students may not interrupt their classmates or professor, make fun of them or their expressed views, or disrupt the learning environment. It is important to maintain the best learning environment for all students and professors. The fundamental canons lay down general duties. For example, engineers are required to â€Å"hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public,† to â€Å"issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner,† to â€Å"act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents and trustees,† and to â€Å"avoid all conflicts of interest. † Each engineer stands to benefit from these requirements both as ordinary person and as engineer. The benefits for an engineer as ordinary person are obvious: As an ordinary person, an engineer is likely to be safer, healthier, and otherwise better off if engineers generally hold paramount the public safety, only make truthful public statements, and so on. How engineers stand to benefit as engineers is less obvious . Generally, all the ideas from the Code of Ethics for Engineers apply to an engineering student. Two fundamental canons that stand out are number 3 and 6. Number 3 states that public statements issued should be in an objective and truthful manner. This means that all reports and statements from an engineer should include all relevant and pertinent information in such reports, statements, or testimony, which should bear the date indicating when it was current. The same way an engineering student is responsible for stating correct information on his/her assignments and reports with the mention of the correct date and time of any analysis or experimentation involved. Number 6 states the engineer conduct themselves honorably, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession. This applies to engineering students as much because we are responsible for our own work and are expected to incorporate originality in our work. We should acknowledge our errors and shall not alter or distort the facts. We, as students, should look at the big picture and realize the long-term commitment to the field of engineering. Misrepresentation of any kind is unacceptable. A code of ethics is necessary in part because, without it, the self-interest of individual engineers, or even their selfless devotion to their employer, could lead them to harm everyone overall. The authors of a code of engineering ethics are all more or less rational persons. They differ from most other rational persons only in knowing what engineers must know in order to be engineers and in performing duties they could not perform but for that knowledge. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that their code of ethics would not require them to risk their own safety, health, or welfare, or that of anyone for whom they care, except for some substantial good. It also seems reasonable to suppose that no code they authored would include anything people generally consider immoral. Most engineers are probably morally decent people, unlikely to endorse an immoral rule. All scientific and engineering professions have a high standard of ethics. It is quite necessary, because many of the things scientists and engineers do affect both their own lives and those of the public as well. If a scientist reports a development from the laboratory incorrectly, it can even endanger someone's life. If an engineer cheats on a design, it can also cost lives. Similarly, all of us would be concerned about driving over a bridge built by an engineer who cheated in school. We have learned of a number of situations in recent years in which people have acted unethically and the results have been very bad for the people who trusted them. This is also the reason why new disciplines of engineering ethics are emerging all over colleges and universities. Handouts and instructor's guides in different courses in the electrical, civil and mechanical engineering departments are made mandatory to a student to have a good sense of. Understanding the Code of Ethics for Engineers as a convention between professionals, we can explain why engineers cannot depend on mere private conscience when choosing how to practice their profession, no matter how good that private conscience and why engineers should take into account what an organization of engineers has to say about what engineers should do. What conscience would tell us to do absent a certain convention is not necessarily what conscience would tell us given that convention. Insofar as a code of professional ethics is a kind of a morally permissible convention, it provides a guide to what engineers may reasonably expect of one another. It describes what the rules of the game are. Just as we must know the rules of baseball to know what to do with the ball, so we must know engineering ethics to know, for example, whether, as engineers, we should merely weigh safety against the wishes of our employer or instead give safety preference over those wishes. A code of ethics should also provide a guide to what we may expect other members of our profession to help us do The question now is why, all things considered, an engineer should obey her profession's code. We should begin by dismissing two alternatives some people find plausible. The obligations of an engineer do not seem to rest on anything so contingent as a promise, oath, or vow. So, the convention between professionals is not a contract. It is more like an obligation resting not on an actual agreement, but on what it is fair to require of someone given what he has voluntarily done, such as accepted the benefits that go with claiming to be an engineer. One way society has of saying things is through law. No law binds all engineers to abide by their profession's code. Of course, society has ways of saying things other than by law, for example, by public opinion. But it seems doubtful that the public knows enough about engineering to have an opinion on most matters of engineering ethics. After all, there have been both irrational laws, those requiring the use of outmoded techniques and immoral laws, those enforcing slavery. The public opinion supporting such laws could not have been much less irrational or immoral than the laws themselves. In conclusion, Engineers should not only do as their profession's code requires, but should also support it less directly by encouraging others to do as it requires and by criticizing, ostracizing, or otherwise calling to account those who do not. They should support their profession's code in these ways for at least four reasons: First, engineers should support their profession's code because supporting it will help protect them and those they care about from being injured by what other engineers do. Second, supporting the code will also help assure each engineer a working environment in which it will be easier than it would otherwise be to resist pressure to do much that the engineer would rather not do. Third, engineers should support their profession's code because supporting it helps make their profession a practice of which they need not feel morally justified embarrassment, shame, or guilt. And fourth, one has an obligation of fairness to do his part insofar as he claims to be an engineer and other engineers are doing their part in generating these benefits for all engineers.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Midterm Exam questions

1. How can agriculture be seen as a development caused by politics or religion? What are the main ideas behind those theories? The development of agriculture as caused by religion and politics is comprehended when seeing how this economic activity affects food – its supply and production. Food, when its supply is limited and its acquisition is very difficult, tends to be equally distributed among those who engaged in its production. This was what characterized the earlier stages of our evolution. Everything, from food gathering and hunting, to cooking and eating, were social in nature because man was pitted against an environment that he still did not master. Thus, working together was the sole manner in which man was able to adapt to his environment and eventually survive. Cooking, with man’s discovery of fire, and subsequently eating food carried with it certain rituals that celebrated its availability and the human sustenance it will provide. As this process of mastering and changing nature as a culture continued, other ways of producing greater and more reliable amounts of food were discovered as in animal domestication and agriculture. When production activities eventually produced more food than what the social group needed, it was then that inequality in terms of the distribution of work involved and of its products emerged (p.51). This was what characterized the earlier engagement of man with plant propagation. While the elite (the nobility or those who ruled) do not work because they owned the land, they had an abundance of food. They are categorized as the non-food producers of society. Below them in the class structure, farmers toiled in the fields and ate less, giving land tribute to those who owned it. This kind of politics or the power over access to food without actually engaging in its labor enabled the elites to engage and further develop knowledge, not only in production but in warfare, philosophy, religion and the sciences. The social rituals involved in the pre-agriculture way of life of man, gave rise to religions that were integrated into the cycles of agricultural food production (p.52). Each stage of the cycle involves rituals that would ensure a season of plenty and bountiful harvests are celebrated with grand, religious festivals of eating the fields’ first produce. For example, the Aztecs conducted mass eating of sacred beans and corn stew, ingredients that came from the season’s harvests. Hence, both the political system and religious practices established the role of agriculture in society’s methods of food acquisition. 2. What are the common features of government and religion across all the river valley civilizations? Why were they common? Civilizations tended to rise in river valley areas because the physical conditions of these environments permitted a sustainable source of water for agriculture. This is a far better situation as opposed to farmers’ dependence on unpredictable rain fall. The waters also served as carriers of minerals vital to the maintenance of soil fertility. A reliable supply of water means a higher probability of superior crops and good harvest. Good harvest also means food abundance or excess, human energy and life. The excess in food supply enabled man to engage in other fields of human development. Governments or their political structures are also quite similar in that there are rulers-emperors and pharaohs for example, who belong to the elite class. Serving them as officials are the religious (priests, scribes) and military leaders and bureaucrats. Governments are centralized with institutionalized ways of administration as evidenced in the laws, codes and policies enacted and enforced through force or otherwise (p.79). The consolidated political control over the whole population resulted in an integrated economy and a homogenous culture (p.86). Hence, the trading of the surplus of economic production through the labor of farmers or artisans became possible and gave rise to a class of merchants and traders. Trading, or the export of excess food and other products and the import of food and other products not available locally, was a financially lucrative enterprise for elites and governments, not to mention the luxury food and non-food items they acquired out of it. Hence, kingdoms, empires and dynasties waged conquests upon their neighbors to control trade i.e. to eliminate competition (p.95). The enhancement of its routes (i.e. master the rivers, seas and land for trade) was also one objective. The history of the Silk Road is an example of this. These imperialistic undertakings also made way for them to obtain other tradable resources made abundant in the conquered societies through the latter’s own production efforts (p.96). In this manner of establishing control of others through force, they also protected their society’s resources (including their food supply). Religions across the river valley civilizations are characterized as involving elements of the natural environment as their gods (p.64). The Hindus considered water and some animals as sacred, Chinese religions centered on man’s harmony and unity with nature, civilizations pay tribute to the sun and moon. Incidentally, religion was not separate from government and their theology involved not just one but many deities who form a hierarchical system. Their practices reflect their interaction with nature as in crop cultivation, hunting, silk production, pottery making, etc. However, these religions were influenced by other religions as cultural contact as the result of trade became possible. The commonalities in government and religion among river valley civilizations stems from the same objective economic and political conditions which are consequences of their capacities to produce surplus food and other products for human consumption, adaptation to their environment. 3. What common characteristics of the empires of Assyria and Babylon share? What factors caused their failure? The empires of Assyria and Babylon were both river valley civilizations located in what is called the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They both had a developed agricultural production, engaged in trading, philosophy, science and technology, the latter leading them to build ships, hanging gardens and more sophisticated weapons. They both had armies and conducted imperialistic conquests of each other and neighboring states. Failure was mostly due to internal instabilities of their empires (p.105). For instance, Assyria focused so much on war, its military and related technologies, spreading its armies so thinly in efforts to conquer as many other states as possible. Their thin dispersal made them vulnerable to other empire-states who were after the same objective or who just did not wish to be subjugated and reduced to slave labor. As a result, the basic agricultural production for food was neglected as more of the population became soldiers. More importantly, diversification of food production was not considered significant to merit attention. Reliance on just one method of domestic food production as well as conquest and trade for obtaining resources also fostered reliance on the great rivers for irrigation as a trade route (p.126). This did not prepare them for environmental and climate shifts wherein the rivers receded and became heavily silted adversely affecting agriculture and trade. Partner states in trade also ceased to engage in it because of their own specific internal problems. The resulting limitations in food and resources supply led to more wars and conquests which characterized the region of Mesopotamia and eventually wore down some of the empires (p.127). 4. Compare and contrast the three Chinese philosophical ideologies: Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. Taoism is an ideology that focuses on the individual and his life’s mission of finding his place in the world. In order to achieve this, one has to study nature and one’s self as integral to it. Taoism promotes a view of nature whose beauty and rhythm is driven by a pervasive power in the universe. Drastic changes to the natural course of things would ruin this rhythm and balance (p.316). Confucianism emphasizes unity with one’s social and natural environment, establishing social stability through non-violent means (p.317). Man should nurture himself and the natural environment as well. It teaches adherence to society’s values and rituals, the hierarchical social order, education for further self-development and the government’s role of earning trust through ensuring and protecting public welfare. It further promotes the common good in every endeavor through both individual and cooperative efforts. Legalism on the other hand, teaches the absolute rule of law in creating social stability. Because man is considered as innately self-centered, punishing those who break the law and rewarding those who adhere to it makes people law-abiding. It advocated utilitarianism, or engaging in activities that directly benefits others such as agriculture (p.317). Both Taoism and Confucianism promote harmony with the environment while Legalism, through its utilitarian principles, sought the labor of people in transforming the environment through agriculture, the building of the Great Wall and others. While Taoism values the individual, Confucianism values the social structure while Legalism, the law. Nature unobstructed is central to Taoism, while Confucianism tends to include promote harmony with nature as well as changing it as long as it constitutes the common good. Legalism discourages discourse on non-practical matters and focuses on nature only if it is within the realms of the law. Reference: Fernandez-Armesto, F. (2006) The World: A History Volume One to 1500. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Â   Â   Â  

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Research Methods Essay

In case where I am taking part in a community mentoring program and have been assigned to help a local high school student who is experiencing difficulty in writing research papers, I am most likely to discuss the research methods that I utilized and why they worked best for me. First of all is experimental method. I will explain to the student that experimental research is a method of research wherein it aims to test a hypothesis in controlled circumstances, which means, â€Å"that all the causes/independent variables are controlled separately from a test variable to investigate the effect on a dependent variable† (Oulu.. 2000). I will also inform the student that the simplest model of laboratory experimentation is where two independent variables are contrasted (Oulu.. , 2000). I will provide examples for the student to understand it better, for instance, subjects are exposed to two different sound stimuli such as tones of different frequencies, to compare the effects on the dependent variable, which in this case is, heart rate (Oulu.. , 2000). It works best for me because the experimental method as a way to research because laboratory experimentation has been used to take a more in-depth look at human and animal behaviors basically because the effects of confounding variables including the influence of observation are controlled (Oulu.. , 2000). Another method of research that I will reintroduce to the student is the one which is technically referred to as â€Å"qualitative research† wherein its findings are not deduced by statistical or any other quantitative procedures (Bureau.. , n. d. ). I prefer this and it works best for me as well because it entails â€Å"detailed verbal descriptions of characteristics, cases, and settings or data deduced from observation, interviews, and document review† (Bureau.. , n. d. ). I will also inform the student about the objectives of the aforementioned method of research including the fact that it aims to: a) develop hypothesis or theory; b) understand behavior in a natural setting; c) study phenomena in their entirety rather than concentrating on narrow aspects of the phenomena referred to as independent or dependent variables (Ipsos, 2007).

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

In what way is American TV culture satirised in The Simpsons TV Violence?

Satire is an extensive form of mockery. The Simpsons uses exaggeration and comedy to mock the TV culture of America. In America, at the moment most children tend to go home from school and spend the rest of the night watching TV. This episode is trying to show that TV is killing children's imagination and influencing them negatively. When the children stop liking the cartoons they start going out and playing traditional games like hopscotch, marbles and fishing. In this episode Maggie is influenced negatively by the Itchy and Scratchy cartoons, Marge realises and starts protesting to get them banned. The children then find the new style of the cartoons boring and they go out to play rubbing their eyes, as they are not use to playing outside. The producers use parody, as a form of satire by copying the Psycho scene when Janet Leigh is killed. In the episode, Maggie is watching violent cartoons that influence her. The cartoon shows a mouse and a cat that are endlessly beating each other up. The opening song is catchy, â€Å"We fight, we bite, we fight, we bite, we fight†. In the episode of Itchy and Scratchy, the characters are hitting each other over the heads with mallets. Immediately after she goes down to the basement were Homer is doing some DIY, picks up a mallet and hits Homer with it. This proves that the Itchy and Scratchy Show is influencing the children. The producers of The Simpsons use parody as a technique to satirise the TV culture of America by including the Psycho scene. When Maggie attacks Homer for the first time the directors include the same music and camera angles. This is because Psycho is a well-known horror film, which is easily recognised. From then on, every time Maggie goes to attack Homer they include the same music as if to say she's about to do something evil. This is satire as you just laugh at the thought of a little baby beating her over weight father up and trying to kill him. The Simpsons copies many techniques to parody the Psycho scene but the two most noticeable are the music and camera angles. It uses the same kind of camera angles during the attack to try and make it more dramatic. There is a close up of Homer's mouth just as he realises that Maggie is about to hit him, this is the same as when Janet Leigh is just about to be killed. Also the directors copy the overhead shot of the plug which is faded out to become the eye once the victim had been hit. The music is easily recognisable, as most of the audience have seen the film or would recognise that it is out of a horror film. The audience will hear the music and think that something bad is about to happen. This is because the music is quite slow and quiet, and when there is a quick sudden movement it makes you jump. These techniques combine to make the scene recognisable and easy to relate to. Although it does this, it manages to put its point across in a humorous way. This means that if you were just watching you probably wouldn't think about the meaning behind it, as you know what kind of programme The Simpsons is so would just laugh which is the designed effect. In the second episode of Itchy and Scratchy, the cat and mouse are still trying to beat each other up and so are still influencing in a negative way. Itchy is trying to stab Scratchy and kill him. Immediately afterwards Maggie picks up a pencil and walks over to Homer, Marge spots this and stops her. She looks over at the TV and realises that the cartoon is what is influencing her and wants to do something about it. Marge writes a letter to the producers of Itchy and Scratchy telling them she wants the cartoons changed. In return she receives a letter calling her a â€Å"screwball† and that â€Å"one person cannot make a difference†. This is ironic as America is meant to be a democracy where everyone has freedom of speech and expression. She starts protesting and is invited onto a chat show. The title of the show was â€Å"Are cartoons to violent for children?† which the host replied to by saying, â€Å"of course not, what sort of stupid question is that†. Her they are using parody to satirise talk shows. The host is meant to be neutral but this host is obviously more one sided in the argument. She is given nine seconds to put her point across. So she is not aloud substantial time in order to put her point across. She ends up winning though and the cartoons are changed. The cartoon now begins with the song, â€Å"We love, we share, we love, we share, we care†. The Itchy and Scratchy cartoons are now about happy things and in the one Maggie is watching they are sharing the lemonade. Maggie is once again influenced and she goes over to Homer to give him a glass of lemonade. At first he doesn't know what she is doing and backs off and then he realises that her intentions are good and only wants to give her dad a drink. This shows that she is still being influenced but this time for the better. Once the cartoons have changed the kids do not like them and start going out to play. The music slows down and changes into a piece of happy classical music by Beethoven. The children started playing traditional games such as hopscotch, dancing round the maypoles and used their imagination and spirits to make them fun. Homer referred to this time as â€Å"the golden age† and told Marge that she had â€Å"changed the world for the better†. The children ate their dinner with manners and were polite to their parents. This shows that when children don't spend as much time watching TV they spend their time doing positive, worthwhile thing and are more obedient as TV is no longer poisoning their minds. At the end of the episode Marge lost the argument and the TV went back to having lots of violence. This was because the people did not understand how she could be â€Å"for one form of expression, but not for another†. She didn't feel that anything was wrong with Michel Anglos David, where as the other women in the town felt nudity was evil. The cartoons went back to being more violent than ever and all the children went back inside leaving the playground empty and the music becomes slower and less cheerful. Maggie was again influenced by the cartoons and picked up a toy gun and shoot it at a picture of Homer. In conclusion The Simpsons uses many ways to satirise the TV culture. They use music, parody, and exaggeration. They try to do it in a comic way and get their point across well. It could be argued that the September 11th attack could also have been caused by violence on TV. It may be that the attackers would never have got the ideas if it wasn't for films such as Independence Day. Although The Simpsons is only a cartoon it highlights the influence TV has on the actions of people.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Marketing Plan for Harvey Norman Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Plan for Harvey Norman - Assignment Example Due to the high demand of electronic products both locally and internationally, Harvey Norman Company has opened different stores to cater for the different needs of their customers both locally and internationally. The market situation analysis for the company indicates that the company has increased its sales significantly over the last years despite the harsh trading conditions they have operated. However, their retail spending has been largely affected by debt they have accrued both internally and externally. This is negative to the grot of the company, since most customers have decided to shop online because of the readily available substitutes for the products produced by the company by other companies (Synnot & Fitzgerald, 2007). Harvey Norman Company faces stiff competition from other companies dealing in similar products because of its large scale production tendencies. There are many companies that form strong competitive force for Harvey Norman Company dealings. Theses are companies that also share similar market as Harvey Norman Company, therefore, are major competitors for the company as they also target similar customers like Norman Harvey Company. Most major competitors for the company originate from the United States. ... According to the PESTLE analysis, there are different factors affecting the operation of Harvey Norman Company. These factors range from political, economic, social and technological. Political factors affect the company’s operation in terms of regulations placed by the government to control various activities being conducted by the company. Harvey Norman Company is both affected by internal and external regulation. Despite some of these working towards the growth of the company, others create conflict within the company, therefore, making the company unable to achieve its goals and objectives. Harvey Norman Company is forced to take into considerations various clauses stipulated by the law so as not go against specific regulations set by the government in their course of operation within different countries. An example is the environmental clause which is there to protect the environment from toxic waste or substances produced by companies. Moreover, there are consumer laws a lso plays a significant role in determining the success of the company. This is because all companies dealing in the same or different line are always eager to achieve a competitive advantage of their competitors. Harvey Norman Company is forced to adopt different consumer laws in the different countries they sell their products in despite some of the laws being unfruitful to their profits. Harvey Norman Company has devoted its time in concentrating on the society and engaging in various ways that has played in improving people’s way of life. In its contribution to charitable organizations, the company has show to the world that it not only concerned about their profits, but to the welfare of all their stakeholders which forms the current Harvey Norman Company. In addition,