Advantages of the constitutional system of the United States Essay

Advantages of the constitutional system of the United States - Essay Example Such anomaly in law can be answered only when there is a practical guide who helps identify the basis of all laws formulated. Being a developed country, there is bound to be a shift in government from time to time. In contrast to a monarchy, it ensures that there is change in the ruling government after every fixed period. However, each government has its own notions and ways of working. Therefore, whenever there is a shift in government, the policies which it follows is bound to change and as such new legislation is introduced time and again. This poses a great threat to the American population, because the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number† theory is bound to hurt somebody’s rights and interests. To jeopardize even a single person’s rights is to question a whole systematized form of governance. To check this illegal infringement, the constitution in its written form is a policing authority which safeguards the extent of change that can be brought about. Whatever is a written word is not easily erased off the face of an independent nation’s bill of rights. To be written is to be laid and accepted. To alter any such stance any individual or body will need to follow due procedure followed by law. This entails a lot of questions and answers about the new alterations, making the entire procedure tedious and hectic and thus affording no scope for unnecessary intrusion. Being a world power, the US will in all probability have one form of tiff with one country or another from time to time. The written constitution helps define the extent of the rights recognized by such state and limits of both national as well as state authority. The constitution holds the authority and declares the United States as a republic, free from all encumbrances of any sort. This means that it gives to its people a free form of government where citizens are free to elect as well

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Research - Essay Example The detrimental effects of the continuous industrialization and modernization of the corporate world had turned the trend of the organizations and companies from the objectives of financial prowess solely towards expansion of aims and priorities in terms of responsibilities thus including the welfare of the environments and surroundings including the adjacent communities and other issues related to ethics and behaviours of the employees and the members of the company or organization. The CSR then can be defined on the basis of giving attention to three objectives that includes the profitability in the financial aspect, the social responsibility and the environmental issues and concerns (Catalyst Consortium, 2002). In the study that had been undertaken, the main objectives and aims include the research, analysis and presentation of data related to corporate social responsibility. The said concerns are achieved through the gathering of researches that had been conducted by different academic groups and authors and comparing results and methods that had been applied. Through the said procedures the areas that are covered and studied can be generally viewed. In turn then, the main output of the research conducted is the presentation of the view on the said issue at a glance. The review of the published papers in CSR can be considered to present an access that can introduce the data in the said field of discipline. In the review conducted, three published papers on CSR that had been presented after the year 2000 had been included and analyzed on the basis of different points. The research design characteristics are points that are considered important that had been presented in the research works that had been studied. The summary of the characteristics of the papers is presented in tabulated form (Appendix 1-4). The main issue that is discussed in the articles under study is the effects of CSR with other

Perception of Politics in the United States

Perception of Politics in the United States Are you happy with the United States political environment right now? Pew  Research says that 77% of Americans are not. Aristotle was a great Greek philosopher  and he thought of politics as The center for human debate and theory. Do the citizens  of the United States value politics in the same way Aristotle envisioned? As humans of  the world, politics should be a safe place where tough decisions are made by the  people. Political issues should be discussed in the open, with ethics at the forefront. At  the end of reading this, you will understand why politics should be focused on ethics,  and the issues should be ethical dilemmas that we can all agree need to be fixed.   The modern word political is derived from the Greek word politikos. The Greeks  believed that politics, religion, and culture were intertwined. Greekcitystates, like  Athens and Sparta, architected their infrastructure after this idea. Creating town  epicenters where political debate could take place as theatre, and social events could  be held to discuss ethical issues. Aristotle believed that politics should be used as a  practical science, enriching all citizens lives in a transparent way. Aristotles ideas  about politics formed the foundation of todays Political Scientists. Political Science is a  study of the tasks a politician must undertake. Put yourself in the shoes of a political  scientist; How hard are the problems that politicians are responsible for today? How  would you advise them to solve those problems? These critical questions must be asked by the citizens of the United States in order to empathize with politicians, and ultimately progress as a cou ntry.   To help myself understand what the current perception of politics in America, I  asked members of my family two questions: 1) What is your perception of politics in the  United States? 2) Regardless of that perception, what things would you change about  politics in the United States? My side of the family is very right wing, republican, and pro  trump. My wifes side is very left wing, democrat, and pro Obama. The range of answers  I received was wide, but they mostly had a common theme; America is doing just fine,   but we want fair treatment and inclusion for all citizens.   Lets start with the first question. Right side responses were mostly positive,  stating that the country is trending upwards and things actually getting done by  politicians. Left side responses were positive as well, stating that government has a  good system of checks and balances in place, but that it is being tested. Both sides  have an overall positive view of our country. I did have outlier responses however. One   family member who identifies as a republican stated their current perception of politics is  corruption and intolerance. They would like to see transparency and accountability for  actions taken by government officials. Another family member who identifies as  democrat noted that their current perception of politics has not changed almost their  entire life, no matter the president. They advocated for the importance of local  government and the affect it has on our lives.   The responses to the second question were much farther from each other on the  right and left. Right side responses mainly focused on term limits for all politicians. They  want a constant cycle of politicians so that we dont have career politicians, and so that  we can have a steady turnover and broad representation. Left side responses varied  from each other. One member saying they wouldnt change anything because we have  adequate checks and balances in place to handle problems. Another member  advocating for citizens proactivity in politics, wanting to make it a holiday on election  days, and encourage people to get involved in local government.   These responses to my inquiries are interesting. During their interviews, most  family members stated that they want the division between our country fixed. Its  interesting that the overall theme of their responses was similar. Maybe if we all took an  approach similar to what Aristotle suggests, making politics the center of our cultural  lives, we would be able to understand each other better, and put aside social  differences to focus on ethical issues. Social Issues divide the country; ethical issues  unite us all. Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a persons behavior or the  conducting of an activity. Political issues usually come in two different types; Ethical, or  Social. Social issues are things like: Should we give more funding to inner city  schools? or Would incentivizing diverse business hires improve our economy?.   Whereas ethical issues are things like: Do we need to act on climate change? or  Should women be allowed to choose when they receive an abortion?. The difference  is simply this: Ethical issues deal with what is right, Social issues deal with improving a  specific part of society. Are you starting to understand why Aristotle says that Ethics  should be the core of politics? Aristotle wanted politics to be used for the happiness of man, he says The  science that studies the supreme good for man, is politics (Living Ethics, 92). The  Supreme Good is often referred to as ethics in todays culture. Aristotle believed that  ethical issues should be the center of politics. I believe if we focus on ethics and  combine cultural aspects into local political discussion, the social issues can be solved  by the people, while ethical issues could be solved by the government. Ethical issues  are usually the most debated problems. Some examples of ethical issues today are:  Poverty, Education, Immigration, Sentencing, Environment, and Climate Change. Both  left and right politics have strong views on how these ethical dilemmas should be  handled, but both sides agree that they are in fact problems that need to be addressed.   What do you want from government? As a citizen of the United States, I want  government to solve ethical problems while taking input from citizen representatives. As  a member of society, I would like to see more social outreach and involvement from  everyone so that we may come together to solve social issues. As humans of the world,  politics should be a safe place where tough decisions are made by the people. Political  issues should be discussed in the open, with ethics at the forefront. Aristotle believed in  this, and so do the citizens of the United States today.

Argumentative Essay: The Appalling Lack of Gun Control in the United States :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

There is an appalling, despicable lack of gun control in the United States. In my opinion the manner in which the issue of gun control is approached in this country is bordering on criminal negligence in and of itself. The insanity surrounding this controversial issue is taking the Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights in the United States constitution way too far. I ask myself this question, could the Founding Fathers of this amazing country have possibly envisioned a world in which teenagers could casually walk into a classroom, pull out a loaded pistol and cold bloodily murder their teachers and fellow classmates? I think not. I would posit that these fine men, these symbols of American liberty and democracy would turn in their graves if they could see how their words, their intentions, were manipulated and grossly misinterpreted, to serve the purposes of those who pretend to be protecting the rights of their fellow American Citizens. On the contrary, it is my belief that t hey, the politicians, are recklessly endangering those whose rights they claim to be protecting. The Government needs to take a hard, honest look at the tragic loss of life that occurs in this country due to gun shootings, both intentional and accidental. The government needs to assume responsibility for this outrageous situation and realize that gun control in the United States needs to be Federally regulated, sooner rather than later. Wherein lies the difficulty in subjecting citizens to more stringent gun control measures? What possible reasons could politicians have for opposing safety measures such as the mandatory registration of firearms, five day waiting periods, gun licensing for owners, permits to purchase and permits to carry guns as well as mandatory background checks? If you want to carry a firearm, I feel that all of the afore mentioned requirements, at the very least, should be instituted in every single state. For heavens sake, it is more difficult to enroll your child in school than it is to buy and own a gun in this country. Does that seem logical? Not to me. The reason being that as this controversy plays out, as the NRA (National Rifle Association), the various politicians and the many interest groups squabble aimlessly back and forth with each other, more innocent people are losing their lives everyday, no in fact, every minute!

English First Additional Paper 1

NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE P1 EXEMPLAR 2007 MARKS: 75 TIME: 2 hours This question paper consists of 11 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 2 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 1. This question paper consists of THREE sections, namely SECTION A, SECTION B and SECTION C. †¢ †¢ †¢ 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. SECTION A: Comprehension (30 marks) SECTION B: Summary (10 marks) SECTION C: Language in context (35 marks) Answer ALL the questions. Start each section on a NEW page and rule off across the page on completion of EACH section.Leave a line after EACH answer. Write neatly and legibly. Follow the instructions carefully. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. Pay special attention to spelling and sentence construction. Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 3 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read the following passage and answer the questions. In the case of multiple-choice questions, write down only the question number and the letter corresponding with the answer. 1.Now 54, Sabina Khoza started her working life as a salesperson. Then the company she was working for shut down and sold their delivery vans to staff members. ‘I managed to buy eight of the kombis,' says Sabina. That was the start of her taxi fleet – which eventually grew to 17 vehicles. But crime forced her to 5 abandon her budding taxi business. In fact, sick of the hijackings and violence, Sabina decided she needed a break from township life altogether. And she didn’t have to go far! A farm was for sale in Zuurbekom, on the outskirts of Soweto. ‘It was strange,' she recalls. I’d just moved from Mofolo in Soweto 10 and started off-loading my furniture when a group of people came to help. ‘Once the work had been done, they disappeared without as much as asking for a cent. This surprised me. Township people do not do any work without being paid. ‘On the fourth day I saw these people again. I asked where they were staying. It turned out they were living on my farm. When they realised I was the 15 new owner, they begged me not to evict them. ‘ Sabina was sympathetic to their predicament, and realised she’d have to find a way to make the best of the situation.The opportunity came when her tenants approached her about breeding chickens. ‘I had never come close to a live chicken in my life,' laughs Sabina. ‘As a matter 20 of fact, I was rather afraid of chickens. ‘ Still, she bought 10 chickens and a feeder – and waited for the eggs to come. And waited. And waited. ‘Then one day a visitor told us we were actually rearing cocks without hens,' laughs Sabina. This setback didn’t discourage her, though. Soon she had her hens and had also received training in how to raise chi ckens. I remembered 25 that when I stayed in Soweto, I could only get chickens in Kliptown,' she says. ‘So I went and spoke to people in the area. Then one of my tenants went there to sell the birds. We’d spent R11,20 on each chicken and sold them at R20 each. In less than a week, we’d sold our birds. ‘ ‘Since then, we’ve been getting chicks regularly from a supplier and we’re 30 currently producing 150 000 birds a year. We also supply supermarkets with vegetables. ‘ 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 4 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 10.Khoza’s successful farming venture incorporates the latest technology and farming methods, and additional community projects include vegetable and maize production, as well as a guest house, which accommodates trainee 35 farmers. ‘I train members of the community and offer them opportunities as partners, not just as employees,' says S abina, who has won numerous awards, including the Department of Agriculture’s Female Farmer of the Year in 2003 and the 2004 Shoprite Checkers Woman of the Year Award. 40 ‘During the festive season, when people go on holiday, I stay at home and make money from all the Christmas bonuses people have been paid.And when all the holidaymakers have returned home, I take leave and book myself into a luxurious hotel, glad to have missed the peak season,' laughs Sabina. [Adapted from Bona Magazine] 11. 12. QUESTIONS 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 Why did Sabina not continue working as a salesperson? Quote a phrase of not more than six words which tells you why Sabina had left the township. Refer to paragraph 2. Three of the following are likely kinds of ‘crime' in this context. Which ONE is the exception? A B C D 1. 4 Hijacking Passengers robbed at gunpoint Cash in transit heists Intimidation from rival fleet owners (2) (1) 2) The word ‘budding' (paragraph 2) implies that her taxi b usiness at this time †¦ A B C D was in the early stages of development. seemed headed for success. seemed headed for collapse. Both A and B (2) 1. 5 When Sabina said, ‘It was strange' (paragraph 3), she meant that it was strange that †¦ A B C D she didn't have to go far. the place was called Zuurbekom (instead of, say, Soetbekom). you could buy a farm so close to Soweto. the people who helped her didn't ask for any money. (2) 1. 6 What difference did Sabina observe between township people and the people on the farm?Quote a suitable sentence from paragraph 4 to support your answer. (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 5 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 1. 7 The ‘predicament' referred to in paragraph 5, is most probably that the tenants †¦ A B C D were prepared to help off-load furniture without expecting to be paid for it. had been unaware that Sabina was the new owner. had nowhere to go if Sabina evicted them. were all unemploy ed. (2) (3) 1. 8 1. 9 Explain in your own words why Sabina's first attempt at breeding chickens was unsuccessful.Explain the meaning of the following expression as used in line 6 of the passage: ‘†¦ abandon her budding taxi business' (2) (3) (2) (4) (2) 30 1. 10 1. 11 1. 12 1. 13 Suggest TWO reasons that Shoprite Checkers probably had for naming Sabina their 2004 Woman of the Year. (1? + 1? ) What aspects of Sabina's story are surprising, considering that she is a woman? Describe any TWO incidents from this passage which show you that Sabina does not give up easily. In NOT more than 7 words, provide a title for this article which draws attention to Sabina's achievements. TOTAL SECTION A:Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 6 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 SECTION B: SUMMARY QUESTION 2 Imagine that you are preparing an essay on ‘Dieting and Eating Disorders'. Read the article below and extract SEVEN important points to include in your essay . INSTRUCTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4. Write your points in full sentences using NOT more thant 70 words. Number your sentences from 1 to 7 and write only ONE fact per line. Write in correct sentences and use your own words as far as possible. Indicate the number of words you have used in brackets at the end of your summary.Note that you will be penalised if you ignore these instructions. There is a constant deadly battle between what teenagers want to look like and what they will do to get there. Teenagers fear that the weight that they’ve gained during puberty and teenage years is permanent. They panic and desperately try to lose it. Once they start losing weight, people might compliment them, which makes them feel good. They may start to believe that losing weight will make them happier, but no matter how much weight is lost, it is never enough, and they are never happy.Teenagers spend a lot of time worrying about what others think and they desperately try to conform to societyâ€⠄¢s unattainable ‘ideal' body image. They are lead to believe that if they are thin, they will be accepted. Many of them are constantly exposed to images of thin models appearing on television and in magazines. This only reinforces their belief that in order to be happy, successful and accepted, they must be thin. These factors lead to many teenagers going overboard with dieting, which can then result in eating disorders. Dieting is about losing weight gradually in a healthy way.Eating disorders are about trying to make your whole life better through eating or not eating food. Sufferers seek approval and acceptance from others and believe life won’t be good until a bit (or a lot) of weight is lost, without any concern for the damage done to their bodies. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are two common eating disorders. Anorexia is when someone experiences a significant weight loss resulting from excessive dieting. Anorexics consider themselves to be fat, no matter w hat their actual weight is. Often they don’t realise that they are underweight.They avoid food and taking in calories at all costs, which can result in death. Bulimia is characterised by a cycle of over-eating and vomiting. A sure sign is regular bathroom visits after eating so as to induce vomiting. [Adapted from: Teen Zone] TOTAL SECTION B: 10 Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 7 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 SECTION C: LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT QUESTION 3: VISUAL LITERACY 3. 1 ANALYSING A CARTOON Study the following cartoon and answer the questions that follow: Frame 1 3. 1. 1 3. 1. 2 3. 1. 3 Frame 2 Frame 3 Frame 4 (1) (2)Where does the conversation between the two women in the cartoon take place? Why are certain words (perfect, lose, gain and hate) in bold print? Refer to Frame 1. Describe the speaker's facial expression, stating what it reveals about her feelings. (2) (2) 3. 1. 4 Refer to frame 4. Explain why the speaker says ‘I HATE HER! à ¢â‚¬Ëœ Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 8 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 3. 2 ANALYSING AN ADVERTISEMENT Study the advertisement below and answer the questions. Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 9 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 3. 2. 1 3. . 2 3. 2. 3 3. 2. 4 State TWO ways in which the advertiser attempts to attract the readers’ attention. Explain why the advertiser has used the word ‘overnight' in the headline. Do the dots below the word ‘overnight' serve any purpose? Give a reason for your answer. Do you consider the name of the product, Clean & Clear, appropriate? Give a reason for your answer. (2) (2) (2) (2) [15] QUESTION 4: LANGUAGE AND EDITING SKILLS The article which follows, contains a number of deliberate errors in grammar and punctuation, as well as words within brackets which indicate the writer's uncertainty about which word to use.Read it carefully and answer the following questions: DOME à ¢â‚¬â€œ THE DK PATRIOT 1. Inspired by TKZEE, Dome (has started/started) his music career in Grade Ten as the production half of kwaito group, Rossmoda. The crew soon dissolved and he formed a new one known as Scrybe. He continued doing music as a hobby until he, at The National School Of The Arts, met up with former Skwatta Kamp member, Master Sip, widely known as Ngwenya, 5 as well as a huge community of hip hop artists. ‘(Here's/Heres) were I cut my teeth,' Dome says, ‘because the level of competition was so high. Dome started making tracks at the old Skwatta Kamp studio in Leondale. He simply (couldn't/can't) aford the rates and got hold of a sampler that had belonged to Jo'burg beat legend, Iko. Connecting Iko's sampler to his 10 father's hi-fi, Dome was able to produce at the alarming rate of a hundred and fifty beats a week. Dome says, ‘I got into the circle of current hot properties from Soweto and I was able to assemble a host of artists for my first produc tion series, Domestic Violins'. 15 ‘I sold the album out of my backpack and with the money I made, I bought my studio,' says Dome.Dome continues to single-handedly direct the musical score of the South Western Townships. To a number of artists, his music has proved to be the key to massive airplay. To us, the DK patriot (holds/hold) the key to the 20 future of Soweto hip hop. [Adapted from: Hype Magazine] 2. 3. 4. 5. Copyright reserved Please turn over English First Additional Language/P1 10 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 4. 1 Choose the correct word from those in brackets. Write only your answer next to the question number (4. 1. 1 – 4. 1. 3) in the answer book. 4. 1. ‘Inspired by TKZEE, Dome (has started/started) his music career in Grade Ten as the production half of kwaito group, Rossmoda. ‘ (Lines 1 – 2) ‘(Here's/Heres) were I cut my teeth,' Dome says. (Lines 6 – 7) To us, the DK patriot (holds/hold) the key to the future of Soweto hip hop. à ¢â‚¬Ëœ (Lines 20 – 21) (1) (1) (1) (2) (1) (1) 4. 1. 2 4. 1. 3 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 4. 5 Explain why TKZEE, Rossmoda, Scribe and Skwatta Kamp are written in italics. The word ‘were' (line 6) has been used incorrectly. Replace it with the correct word. Give the correct spelling of the word ‘aford' in paragraph 2 (line 9).Provide the correct form of the word within brackets in the following sentence: Dome is a (success) artist in South Africa. (1) (1) 4. 6 4. 7 Provide a synonym (word similar in meaning) from the passage for the word ‘began'. Choose the correct word from within brackets. My dad thinks rap music is the (worse/worst) kind of music he has ever heard. (1) 4. 8 Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct preposition from the list given below. Write only the question number (4. 8. 1 – 4. 8. 2) and the answer. by; of; with; for 4. 8. 1 4. 8. 2 Dome was influenced †¦ Skwatta Kamp. I am a gread admirer †¦ Dome. (1) (1) 4. 9Ident ify the parts of speech of the underlined words in the following sentence: Dome said, ‘I sold the album out of my backpack. ‘ (1) 4. 10 Change the following statement to a question to which the underlined part would be the answer: Dome said that he was going to perform in Durban. (1) Copyright reserved English First Additional Language/P1 11 NSC DoE/Exemplar 2007 4. 11 Give the antonyms (words opposite in meaning) of the underlined words in the following sentence: Dome has sold many albums in this country. (1) 4. 12 Give the opposite gender of the underlined word in the following sentence: He met the manager of the studio. 1) 4. 13 Write down the plural form of the underlined word in the following sentence: Dome met a huge community of hip-hop artists. (1) 4. 14 Replace the underlined phrase with a single word: The award for the best hip-hop artist is presented once a year. (1) 4. 15 Fill in the missing word in the following sentence: I love Dome's music. He is my †¦ artist. (1) 4. 16 Rewrite the following sentence in reported speech: Dome said: ‘I sold the album out of my backpack. ‘ TOTAL SECTION C: GRAND TOTAL: 20 75 Copyright reserved Please turn over

Focus Group Essay

Qualitative research Definition- it is a research, which is undertaken using an unstructured research, approach with a small number of carefully selected individuals to produce non-quantifiable insights into behavior, motivations and attitudes. Qualitative and quantitative research as two distinctly separate bodies of research – many studies encompass both approaches, with qualitative research being used to explore and understand attitudes and behavior, and quantitative research being used to measure how widespread these attitudes and behaviors are. Qualitative research can be used when managers need exploratory research. Managers use exploratory research to understand customer attitudes, emotions, preferences and behaviors. It can also be used in new product development or creative development research. Individual depth interview It is an interview that is conducted face-to-face, in which the subject matter of the interview is explored in detail using an unstructured and flexible approach. As with all qualitative research, depth interviews are used to develop a deeper understanding d of consumer attitudes and the reasons behind specific behaviors. This understanding is achieved through responding to an individual’s comments with extensive probing. The flexibility of this probing sets this interview approach apart from oter questionnaire-type interviews. Although there is an agenda of topics to be covered, the interviewers will use their knowledge of the research objectives, the information gained from other interviews and the comments of the respondent to select which parts of the dialogue with the respondent to explore further, which to ignore, and which to return to later in the interview. Not only is the depth interview flexible, it is also evolutionary in nature. Focus group Focus groups are depth interviews undertaken with a group of respondents. It is different to individual interviews in the number of respondents and interaction between participants. Several factors affect focus group Recruitment is a very critical element of group discussions and has long been a major quality-control issue in the UK marketing research industry. Group discussions are unlikely to achieve their research objectives if the wrong types of participant are recruited. The research proposal will set out the type of participants required for a group discussion. For example, if Colgate is researching a new type of toothpaste for a sensitive teeth. Their specification may request respondents who regularly purchase toothpaste with sensitive protection function. Respondents age (for example 25-64), living area, etc. Managers can also use Screening questionnaire to identify suitable respondents for its group discussion. The area that respondents are recruited normally should be in street or telephone interviews. The location that group discussions were held should let respondents feel comfortable. Locations such as viewing rooms or hotels for business should have no special facilities apart from audio type recorder. Food or snacks will also be provided to assist in relaxing the atmosphere. Time to hold the discussion should be well scheduled. Times should be available to target group. For example, outside working hours, times of available public transport etc. The number of groups should be 3-4. As the 3rd and 4th group can used to exam atypical views. * There are problems involving focus groups. For example in the case of overlapping dialogues from different speakers which may affect the transcript. * Moderators must learn to control such people and encourage those less willing to speak up and let their opinions be heard. Comparing to traditional group discussion, online group discussion or chat room is becoming popular. Apart from lower cost and possible time-saving, it can allow more people to be involved in observing the research, particularly if it is being carried out in a different region or country. However, a cheaper version of online group discussion or chat room where a group is recruited who are willing to discuss a subject online usually using text. It can be difficult to develop any real group dynamics and it is impossible to see people’s facial expression. Even with webcams, the video picture is usually so poor. Participants may also be distracted by events within their own office or home, as the environment is not under the control of the moderator. However, it may be useful with people who could be unwilling to attend a group discussion because of their geographical dispersal or their introverted nature. Projective techniques Projective techniques are techniques used in group discussions and individual interviews to facilitate a deeper exploration of a respondent’s attitudes towards a concept, product or situation. They enable respondents to express attitudes that they find difficult to verbalize. Projective technique projective techniques may gather ‘richer’ data than do standard questioning and discussion. There are many types of projective techniques. The most common three techniques are projective questioning. It is a projective technique that asks the respondent to consider what other people would think about a situation. An example of this could be â€Å"What do you think people in your street would think if they saw a BMW parked in your driveway?† The advantage of projective questioning is that it usually reflect the opinions of the respondent without causing them any embarrassment. Managers can get more objective answers. Word association tests It is a projective technique that involves asking respondents what brands or products they associate with specific words. In marketing research, word association is typically used in conjunction with brand names or celerity endorsers. This can assist marketers in developing communication objectives and strategies to position or differentiate their brands from those of competitors. In addition to the direct outputs of word association, the technique is also very useful as a way of warming up a group by getting everybody contributing and involved. Brand personalities Brand personalities involve respondents imagining a brand a person and describing their looks, clothes. Lifestyles, employment etc. For example, if ‘Nokia’ was a person, what type of person would he or she be? The answer could be such as a modern, relatively young slightly quirky male. This could compare with other brands. Developing brand personification can help to verbalize the imagery and vocabulary associated with the brand. Sentence completion Sentence completion involves providing respondents with an incomplete sentence or group of sentences. Respondents are then asked to complete them. For example, ‘Tesco, as a supermarket, is†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in many way, sentence completion is similar to word associations, although it can enable researcher to put the respondent’s thinking process into a proper context. Observation research Observation is a data-gathering approach where information on the behavior of people, objects and organizations is collected without any questions being asked of the participants. Observation can take a quantitative format where a large number of events or people are observed and the outputs are analyzed using statistical method. The major advantage of it over surveys of respondents is that the data collected do not have inaccuracies as a result of memory error or social desire bias. The data recorded reflect the actual behavior that took place. For example, video record gives a true representation of rental behavior. Observation overcomes the high refusal rates that may exist for some survey research. However, observation cannot investigate reasons behind behavior. Also, only public behavior is observed. Examples of what can be observed are consumers behavior in store, family consuming behavior at home, comments on the internet. Typical methods of observation are internet monitoring (club card, cookies), in-store observations (CCTV), mystery shopping(researchers participant into observation to look at process not the outcome of number of satisfaction), content analysis(how many time that the word appear in the article), ethnography(could be costly and have ethical issues). Ethical problem Questionnaire A questionnaire is the research instrument designed to generate the data necessary for accomplishing a project’s research objectives. Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as focus group, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data. However, questionnaires also have many of the same problems relating to question construction and wording. The effect of questionnaire might also limited by the location that respondents do the questionnaire. For example, respondents who did questionnaire in high street could be affected by noise. There are many types of questionnaire. There are open-ended question, closed question, scaling questions. There are many factors when comparing Focus group, depth interviews, projective techniques, observation and questionnaire. In terms of degree of structure, focus group are relatively high as managers will guide and control the whole discussion until all tasks are finished. In terms of probing of individual respondents, depth interviews are high and focus group and questionnaire are low. Moderator bias in depth interviews are high and others are medium. Observation has none effects in terms of both probing of individual respondents and moderator bias. Focus group is also high in discovering innovative information. Projective techniques and observation are high in uncovering subconscious information and obtaining sensitive information. Questionnaire and projective techniques are involving unusual behavior or questioning.

Free Essays on Online Banking

Online Banking (Citibank) INTRODUCTION The use of computers and Internet in today’s society makes life much more convenient for everyone. This case proves the point that online banking as services are becoming more trusted with the increase in popularity. Also, consumers are finding financial services more suitable with Internet banking. Thus, as result, online banking is spreading like wildfire. As the number of consumers using the Internet expands, banks have to keep up with the demand and provide quality products and services online. Along with this, many users of online banking feel a sense of freedom that these new services offer them. Due to some of its benefits, financial services have never been as simple as they are with online banking. One key advantage, among others, is that consumers can access their accounts from any computer with the Internet around the world. However, like anything else, online banking has its disadvantages as well as advantages. LITERATURE REVIEW What is Online Banking? Online banking is just what it sounds like. You access a bank’s web site over the Internet and enter a user ID and password. This gives you access to your account information over a secure server. Service for online banking is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You no longer have to rush to the bank at lunchtime or stand in line-ups in the bank or at the ATM, just to find out information about the availability of your funds. While a number of the largest banks have gone to the Web and introduced free online banking to attract new customers and allow existing consumers to manage accounts online, not much else has changed, according to Bankrate.com’s fifth semiannual Checking Account Pricing Study (Buckham). Some online banking services are free while others have a fee. These banks determine rates and fees for online accounts based on where you live. That is why these banks ask customers wh... Free Essays on Online Banking Free Essays on Online Banking Online Banking (Citibank) INTRODUCTION The use of computers and Internet in today’s society makes life much more convenient for everyone. This case proves the point that online banking as services are becoming more trusted with the increase in popularity. Also, consumers are finding financial services more suitable with Internet banking. Thus, as result, online banking is spreading like wildfire. As the number of consumers using the Internet expands, banks have to keep up with the demand and provide quality products and services online. Along with this, many users of online banking feel a sense of freedom that these new services offer them. Due to some of its benefits, financial services have never been as simple as they are with online banking. One key advantage, among others, is that consumers can access their accounts from any computer with the Internet around the world. However, like anything else, online banking has its disadvantages as well as advantages. LITERATURE REVIEW What is Online Banking? Online banking is just what it sounds like. You access a bank’s web site over the Internet and enter a user ID and password. This gives you access to your account information over a secure server. Service for online banking is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You no longer have to rush to the bank at lunchtime or stand in line-ups in the bank or at the ATM, just to find out information about the availability of your funds. While a number of the largest banks have gone to the Web and introduced free online banking to attract new customers and allow existing consumers to manage accounts online, not much else has changed, according to Bankrate.com’s fifth semiannual Checking Account Pricing Study (Buckham). Some online banking services are free while others have a fee. These banks determine rates and fees for online accounts based on where you live. That is why these banks ask customers wh...

Marie Antoinette essays

Marie Antoinette essays Marie Antoinette was immature, brazenly self-indulgent, impetuous and wholly unprepared for the role history cast for her. Her sad attempts to consummate her marriage read like bedroom farce, and she did little to quell the rumors of her increasingly dangerous liaisons. Bolstered by the staged receptions that she mistook for papular approval, she was out of touch with the nations economic troubles, the social and political climate of prorevolutionary France, and eventually retreated from both her husband and the public behind a wall of courtiers and into a world of opulent fantasy ( Lever 6). On November the second of 1755, the Empress Maria Theresa gave birth to her fifteen child, a daughter named Maria Antonia. Austria was at the time enjoying a brief period of prosperity and peace, but the chastening celebration was shadowed by the terrible earthquake which devastated three quarters of the town of Lisbon and prevented Maria Antonias godfather, the King of Portugal, from attending the ceremony. In later years the tragedy of Lisbon was often referred to as the first portent of disaster in a life which began under the happiest of auspieces in the midst of a loving and united family (Haslip 10). As Maria Theresas youngest daughter with seven older sisters to be married off before her, Maria Antonia seemed destined to a quiet, uneventful life as the wife of one of the innumerable Wittelsbach or Hapsburg cousins. But typhus and smallpox, hose two fatal diseases of the eighteen century, carried off two of her sisters within a year, leaving a third, the most beautiful of all, as an invalid. By 1767, when Maria Antonia was twelve years old, she had become a candidate for the richest matrimonial prize in Europe, to be offered to the grandson of the King of France ( Haslip 13). Ten years had gone since the Westminster Convention signed between England and Prussia had caused a diplomatic revolution, changing the ...

ACT Essay Format and Templates You Can Use

ACT Essay Format and Templates You Can Use SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Most of the ACT is entirely multiple choice. All you have to worry about when answering the questions is that you’re filling in the correct answer bubble! But then there’s that (optional) Writing section, which requires you to give your answer in words. How are you supposed to write a persuasive essay in 40 minutes? What format should your essay have? Is there an ACT essay template that can guarantee you a high score? We'll answer these questions in this article. feature image credit: homework ritual by woodleywonderworks, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. What Does Your ACT Essay Need? 5 Key Elements In order to do well on ACT Writing, your essay will need to have the following five elements (not necessarily in this order): 1. An Introduction The first thing the grader will see is your opening paragraph, so you should make a good impression. Don't just jump right into the meat of your essay - introduce your perspective (your thesis statement) and how it relates to the other perspectives given by the essay prompt. You don't necessarily have to start out by writing your introduction (you can always leave a few lines blank at the top of your essay and come back to it after you've written your example paragraphs), but you MUST include it. 2. Your Thesis Statement (should be in your introduction) You must take a perspective on the issue presented in the prompt paragraph and state it clearly. I advise using one of the three perspectives the ACT gives you as your position/perspective; you can come up with your own perspective, but then you have more work to do in the essay (which is not ideal with a time constraint). Your thesis statement (the statement of your perspective) should go in the introduction of your essay. 3. A Discussion of All Three Perspectives In your essay, you must discuss all three perspectives the ACT gives you. Make sure to discuss pros as well as cons for the perspectives you don’t agree with to show you understand the complexities of the issue. 4. Examples or Reasoning to Support Each Point To support your arguments for and against each perspective, you need to draw on reasoning or specific examples. This reasoning should be in the same paragraph as the arguments. For instance, if your argument is about how globalization leads to greater efficiency, you should include your support for this argument in the same paragraph. And it's not enough to just say â€Å"Because freedom† or â€Å"Because Stalin† or something like that as your support and leave it at that. You need to actually explain how your reasoning or examples support your point. 5. Clear Organization Avoid discussing multiple points in one paragraph. Instead, our recommended strategy is to discuss one perspective per paragraph. This organization will not only make it easier for you to stay on track, but will also make it easier for your essay's scorers to follow your reasoning (always a good thing). Ketty by Elena Gurzhiy, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Pro tip: To gain motivation to make your essay easier to follow, imagine your essay graders with sad puppy eyes. ACT Essay Outline The 5-paragraph structure might seem boring, but it is a good way to keep your points organized when writing an essay. For the ACT essay, you'll need an introduction, three body paragraphs (one paragraph for each perspective), and a conclusion. You should state your thesis in your introduction and conclusion (using different words in your conclusion so that you're not repeating yourself exactly). So how do you write in this five paragraph structure on the ACT? I'll show you how to put the plan into action with an essay template that can be used for any ACT essay question. First, here's the prompt I'll be using: Public Health and Individual Freedom Most people want to be healthy, and most people want as much freedom as possible to do the things they want. Unfortunately, these two desires sometimes conflict. For example, smoking is prohibited from most public places, which restricts the freedom of some individuals for the sake of the health of others. Likewise, car emissions are regulated in many areas in order to reduce pollution and its health risks to others, which in turn restricts some people’s freedom to drive the vehicles they want. In a society that values both health and freedom, how do we best balance the two? How should we think about conflicts between public health and individual freedom? Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the conflict between public health and individual freedom. Perspective One Perspective Two Perspective Three Our society should strive to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people. When the freedom of the individual interferes with that principle, freedom must be restricted. Nothing in society is more valuable than freedom. Perhaps physical health is sometimes improved by restricting freedom, but the cost to the health of our free society is far too great to justify it. The right to avoid health risks is a freedom, too. When we allow individual behavior to endanger others, we’ve damaged both freedom and health. Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the conflict between public health and individual freedom. In your essay, be sure to: analyze and evaluate the perspectives given state and develop your own perspective on the issue explain the relationship between your perspective and those given Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples. Next, I'll break down the ACT essay into its individual parts (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) and give examples for what each should look like. Because I'm writing in response to a specific prompt, some of the information may not translate exactly from essay to essay; instead, focus on the structure of the paragraphs. I've bolded key structural words and phrases for you to focus on. Introduction (2-3 sentences) Begin your introduction with a general statement about the topic that draws the reader in; should provide some context for what you’ll be discussing in the essay. Can be omitted if you’re short on time (1-2 sentences). As society progresses into the 21st century, there are some pundits who create a false two-sided fight between individual liberty and complete dependence on the government. Next comes your thesis statement that includes a clear position on the issue. For highest score, you should also mention the other perspectives in contrast to the position you’ve chosen (1 sentence). While individual freedom is essential to society, I believe that the freedom to avoid health risks supersedes freedom of the individual when individual behavior endangers others. Sample ACT essay introduction: As society progresses into the 21st century, there are some pundits who create a false two-sided fight between individual liberty and complete dependence on the government. While individual freedom is essential to society, I believe that the freedom to avoid health risks supersedes freedom of the individual when individual behavior endangers others. Body paragraph 1 (Opposing perspective) (5-7 sentences) Open with a transition to one of the other two perspectives (1 sentence). Perspective Two espouses the view that â€Å"[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither.† Provide an example of how this perspective is somewhat true and explain why (2-3 sentences). This perspective is true to some extent. For instance, in the Civil Rights movement, schools were integrated at the cost of both the mental well-being of racists, who had to deal with the blow to their world view, and the physical and emotional well-being of those being integrated, who had to deal with the abuse flung upon them by said racists. The freedom to attend any public school was deemed more important to society than the temporary mental, emotional, and in some cases physical health risks caused by that freedom. Provide an example of how this perspective is mostly false when compared to the perspective you agree with and explain why (2-3 sentences). I do not believe, however, the Perspective Two is always a useful way to think about the world, particularly when life and death is at stake. During the Civil Rights movement, parents who were afraid their children might incur physical or even fatal harm from being forced to integrate still had the freedom to homeschool; the same goes for parents who were racist and did not wish their children to interact with children of â€Å"lesser† races. While the government pushed the issue of freedom of all people to attend all public schools, it could not make it mandatory for every child to attend a public school (rather than being homeschooled, or attending private or church school) and risk physical injury or worse. Sample Body Paragraph (Opposing Perspective): Perspective Two espouses the view that â€Å"[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither.† This perspective is true to some extent. For instance, in the Civil Rights movement, schools were integrated at the cost of both the mental well-being of racists, who had to deal with the blow to their world view, and the physical and emotional well-being of those being integrated, who had to deal with the abuse flung upon them by said racists. The freedom to attend any public school was deemed more important to society than the temporary mental, emotional, and in some cases physical health risks caused by that freedom. I do not believe, however, that Perspective Two is always a useful way to think about the world, particularly when life and death is at stake. During the Civil Rights movement, parents who were afraid their children might incur physical or even fatal harm from being forced to integrate still had the freedom to homeschool; the same goes for parent s who were racist and did not wish their children to interact with children of â€Å"lesser† races. While the government pushed the issue of freedom of all people to attend all public schools, it could not make it mandatory for every child to attend a public school (rather than being homeschooled, or attending private or church school) and risk physical injury or worse. Body paragraph 2 (Opposing perspective) (5-7 sentences) Same as above, except with the other perspective you disagree with/don't entirely agree with. Make sure to use transition words so that the change of topic (from the previous perspective) isn't abrupt or unexpected. The Spanish Inquisition, Torture Chamber, Loket Castle, Czech Republic. by Jim Linwood, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped and resized from original. To make your example of the Spanish Inquisition less unexpected, make sure to use transitions. Body paragraph 3 (Your perspective) (5-7 sentences) Acknowledge the value of the other two perspectives, but affirm that your perspective is the truest one (1-2 sentences). As can be seen from the examples above, sometimes the greater good means individual freedom is more important than personal health. For the most part, however, allowing individual behavior to harm others damages both freedom and health. Provide one final example of why this perspective is true (3-5 sentences). Some parents worry that vaccines contain toxic chemicals and so have fought for the right to not vaccinate their children against once deadly diseases like measles. By being allowed this freedom, however, these parents are not only putting their children at risk of catching these virulent diseases, but are risking the life of anyone with a compromised immune system who comes into contact with a non-vaccinated child. The results of the anti-vaccination movement can be seen in cases like the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland and the mumps outbreak at a New York City daycare company; both of these outbreaks unfortunately led to fatalities. When the health risks caused by personal freedom reach life-and-death stakes, it is necessary to restrict individual freedom in favor of freedom to avoid preventable health risks. Sample Body Paragraph (Your Perspective): As can be seen from the examples above, sometimes the greater good means individual freedom is more important than personal health. For the most part, however, allowing individual behavior to harm others damages both freedom and health. Some parents worry that vaccines contain toxic chemicals and so have fought for the right to not vaccinate their children against once deadly diseases like measles. By being allowed this freedom, however, these parents are not only putting their children at risk of catching these virulent diseases, but are risking the life of anyone with a compromised immune system who comes into contact with a non-vaccinated child. The results of the anti-vaccination movement can be seen in cases like the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland and the mumps outbreak at a New York City daycare company; both of these outbreaks unfortunately led to fatalities. When the health risks caused by personal freedom reach life-and-death stakes, it is necessary to restrict indivi dual freedom in favor of freedom to avoid preventable health risks. Conclusion (1-2 sentences) Transition into restating your thesis, using different words (1-2 sentences). Sample ACT Essay conclusion: America was built on the idea that there is a fundamental right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – in that order. When individual behavior puts others’ lives at risk, it must be curtailed. Putting Your Essay Together Here is my final ACT essay template (excluding the second body paragraph): As society progresses into the 21st century, there are some pundits who create a false two-sided fight between individual liberty and complete dependence on the government. While individual freedom is essential to society, I believe that the freedom to avoid health risks supersedes freedom of the individual when individual behavior endangers others. Perspective Two espouses the view that â€Å"[t]hose who give up freedom in order to gain security deserve neither.† This perspective is true to some extent. For instance, in the Civil Rights movement, schools were integrated at the cost of both the mental well-being of racists, who had to deal with the blow to their world view, and the physical and emotional well-being of those being integrated, who had to deal with the abuse flung upon them by said racists. The freedom to attend any public school was deemed more important to society than the temporary mental, emotional, and in some cases physical health risks caused by that freedom. I do not believe, however, that Perspective Two is always a useful way to think about the world, particularly when life and death is at stake. During the Civil Rights movement, parents who were afraid their children might incur physical or even fatal harm from being forced to integrate still had the freedom to homeschool; the same goes for parent s who were racist and did not wish their children to interact with children of â€Å"lesser† races. While the government pushed the issue of freedom of all people to attend all public schools, it could not make it mandatory for every child to attend a public school (rather than being homeschooled, or attending private or church school) and risk physical injury or worse. [Body paragraph two on the other opposing perspective would go here] As can be seen from the examples above, sometimes the greater good means individual freedom is more important than personal health. For the most part, however, allowing individual behavior to harm others damages both freedom and health. Some parents worry that vaccines contain toxic chemicals and so have fought for the right to not vaccinate their children against once deadly diseases like measles. By being allowed this freedom, however, these parents are not only putting their children at risk of catching these virulent diseases, but are risking the life of anyone with a compromised immune system who comes into contact with a non-vaccinated child. The results of the anti-vaccination movement can be seen in cases like the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland and the mumps outbreak at a New York City daycare company; both of these outbreaks unfortunately led to fatalities. When the health risks caused by personal freedom reach life-and-death stakes, it is necessary to restrict indivi dual freedom in favor of freedom to avoid preventable health risks. America was built on the idea that there is a fundamental right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – in that order. When individual behavior puts others’ lives at risk, it must be curtailed. Even though there are some minor grammatical issues in this essay, because they don't significantly affect the readability of my essay they don't matter. There are also some factual inaccuracies in this essay (as far as I know, there haven’t been any reports of a mumps outbreak in NYC daycare facilities), but that doesn’t matter for the ACT as long as the facts are persuasive and make sense in the context of the essay. Adding false information about a mumps outbreak added to the persuasive impact of the essay, so I put it in, whereas I couldn’t figure out a way to work dinosaurs into this essay, and so they were not included. Velociraptor by Tomi Lattu, used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. Next essay, my velociraptor friend. Next essay. How Do You Write Essays In This Format? Now that you have a structural template for your ACT essay, how and when do you use it? An essay template is most helpful during the planning phase of your essay. Whether you're writing a practice essay or taking the test for real, it's important to take the time to plan out your essay before you start writing. I personally believe 8-10 minutes is a good amount of planning time to start out with, although you may get faster at planning as you practice, leaving more time for writing and revising. It might be tempting to leave out this planning stage so that you have more time to read the prompt or write. Don't fall into this trap! If you don’t take the time to plan, you run the risk of writing a disorganized essay that doesn't really support your argument or omits one of the perspectives. If you’re struggling with decoding the prompts, be sure to read my article on how to attack ACT Writing prompts; it'll help you break down every ACT Writing prompt so that you can extract the information you need to write your essay. In addition to using this essay template when you're planning out your essay, you also need to make sure you practice writing this kind of essay before you take the real ACT Plus Writing. Don't expect to just memorize this outline and be good to go on test day - you'll need to practice putting the template to good use. Practice with as many ACT Writing prompts as you can - our complete guide to ACT Writing prompts will get you started. ACT Essay Format: A Quick Recap Remember, your essay should be in the following format: Introduction (with your thesis) - 2-3 sentences Your point of view on the essay topic (should be the same as one of the three perspectives the ACT gives you). Body paragraph 1 (Opposing perspective) - 5-7 sentences Reason why it's true (with reasoning or examples for support) Reason why it's not as true as your perspective (with reasoning or examples for support) Body paragraph 2 (Other opposing perspective) - 5-7 sentences Reason why it's true (with reasoning or examples for support) Reason why it's not as true as your perspective (with reasoning or examples for support) Body paragraph 3 (Your perspective) - 5-7 sentences One last reason why your perspective is true (with reasoning or examples for support). Conclusion (with your thesis restated) - 1-2 sentences What’s Next? Want to learn more about how to write a top-scoring ACT essay? Watch as I construct an ACT essay, step-by-step. Looking to put the icing on your ACT essay cake? Check out our top 15 ACT Writing tips and strategies. Wondering how much you have to write to do well on ACT Writing? Read this article on essay length and your ACT Writing score. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this ACT Writing lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get your ACT essays hand-graded by a master instructor who will give you customized feedback on how you can improve. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

China Admits New Tainted-Milk Case is Older Essay

China Admits New Tainted-Milk Case is Older - Essay Example New York Times continues to point out that enquiry into the Shanghai Panda Dairy Company started about two months before Chinese regulators arrested the culprits. According to New York Times reporter David Barboza, doctoring of milk came to attention of news and China regulators back in February the year 2009. According to Shen Weiping, one of officers at Fengxian District prosecution officer, the apprehension of executives from Panda Dairy occurred in the April in the year 2009 (Barboza, 2010: 1). This story continues to reveal that Mr. Shen took a lot of time to alert the public about contaminated milk from Shanghai Panda Dairy. Mr. Shen did not inform the public about the closure of the dairy factory in question. This created unwanted tension in the public arena. Actions of this prosecution officer contravened China’s safety law, which it enacted in June 2009. The law demanded that food producers should notify businesspeople and consumers of grave food safety troubles. To a ggravate the conflict between Shanghai Panda Dairy, consumers, and the public, the government of China maintained silence on the matter. It did not report on whether the contaminated milk at stake had caused sickness to any citizen (Barboza, 2010: 1). ... The actions of media houses to reach the dairy hit a dead rock. The factory did not answer any phone call that emanated from outside source. To aggravate this grave issue, the General Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine did not reply to the appeals of media for an interrogation. This prompted legal experts to declare the delay to report the contamination of milk to the public and consumers a troublesome case (Barboza, 2010: 1). Wang Xixin, who is a professor of constitutional law at Peking University, claimed national and local quality supervision bureaus contravened China’s law for failing to report Shanghai Panda’s case to the public. According to the professor, the government of China concealed important information thereby putting the health of Chinese at stake. David, writer with New York Times, reveals that executives at Shanghai Panda convened a meeting in December 2008, after the public demanded a recall of melamine-tainted milk powd er (Barboza, 2010:1). According to this story, the executives come to a decision to re-sell the tainted milk. The management disregarded public outcry and did not mind the health issue of Chinese. Mr. Shen disclosed that Panda Dairy blended contaminated elements with other safe products and resold it. Media in China was instrumental to bring stories of outraged parents who claimed that their children suffered from melamine-related disorders. This prompted government of China to stage a countrywide crackdown on melamine-contaminated milk. According to New York Times, China inspection agencies found that 22 huge dairy companies processed milk that contained high levels of melamine (Barboza, 2010: 1). The stories of the sale of unhygienic milk in China

Cash flow, gearing and working capital & liquididty ratio analysis Essay

Cash flow, gearing and working capital & liquididty ratio analysis - Essay Example In the year, 2011 the company net cash flows from operating activities was  £3658000 compared in to  £3147000 in 2010. This is 16.42% increase in the cash inflows meaning that the company realized improved cash from its day-to-day operations. From the cash flow statement, the positive improvement can be attributed to the increase in profits from continuing operations from  £2924000 in 2010 to  £3557000 in 2011 (Zytronic, 2011). The increase in depreciation cost on property, plant, and equipment increased the not cash inflows because in determining the net cash inflows the values are added back since the does not account for any actual cash flows. In 2011 for instance, the depreciation value was  £802000 meaning that the company incurred more depreciation cost because of the increase in the assets. The improvement in the cash inflows could be much more if the company could have reduced the values of inventory and receivables in 2011. The increase in inventory from 85 in 2010 to 166 in 2011 and of receivables from  £356000 in 2010 to  £647000 in 2011 is significant and adversely reduced the cash inflow figures in 2011 (Zytronic, 2011). At the same time, the increase in trade and other payables made the net cash flow from operating activities to improve. Finally, tax paid is also a component of the operating cash flows. In 2010, Zytronic paid a tax of  £65000 compared to  £821000 in 2011. The increase in the tax obligation between the two years is attributed to the increase in the profit recorded by the company. Tax is charged as a percentage of profits and therefore an increase in the profits would automatically translate in increased tax expense which as an outflow. The second component of the cash flow statement is the cash flows from the investing activities. Investing activities are those activities that a company puts its resources in order to earn profits, increase its capital assets in

Economic and Political Situation in a Developing Country (India) Essay

Economic and Political Situation in a Developing Country (India) - Essay Example The research paper Economic and Political Situation in India discusses the Foreign Trade Policy of the country and Indian economy’s resiliency. India's economic growth and foreign trade has taken new dimensions in recent years and it has expanded considerably. Looking at the huge population base of India, this is indeed a good sign for the country and the world economy. For last several years, India’s GDP is growing at the average rate of more than 7 percent; however in order to maintain high economic growth rate and a recognition in the International arena, India needs to continue with high-powered performance in foreign trade. India's major policy initiatives began in July 1991, which catapulted the country in the high growth rate trajectory. The reforms undertaken were responsible for high export growth rates in the last few years. International trade is likely to become a major stronghold of the Indian economy if the country continues with more reforms in years to c ome. An independent monetary system is essential for a country to manage macroeconomic factors and for the smooth economic growth of the country. In this perspective, it is pertinent to study the monetary system of India. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank, has money management policy in the form of regulating base interest rates and making changes in Cash Reserve Ratio. Objective is to contain inflation rate and liquidity in the market to stabilize macro economy of the country. Besides, RBI also announces a credit policy every quarter.

Deep Origins of World War II Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Deep Origins of World War II - Research Paper Example in on September 16 1939.1 Some of the factors in his favor included high tides, an enormous fleet of barges, powerful air force, availability of vessels, and a harvest full moon. The previous day the Nazi air force attempted to raid the colossal scale. The author claims that many German troops had assembled at the invasion port and their plan botched after Royal Air Force discovered their intentions quickly and they adopted a sustained offensive attack. Some of the Germans were using waterways while others used the railway. Royal Air Force damaged the railway a tactic that delayed the Germans coming for war while they dislocated the waterways as they sunk German ships at the harbor. Hitler had planned an attack on Britain since it was the only power in Europe that stood in his European conquest. Britain has earlier on declined to become an ally of the Germans. Robertson says that Hitler planned to eliminate Britain after France yielded to the Nazi invasion. Hitler assumed that Britai n would surrender and when the country did not he was surprised and he issues Directive Number 16.2 The operation was code named Operation Sea lion that had the objective of destroying English motherland and occupy it entirely. The German military agreed to defeat the Royal Air Force then to invade the country. German air force depended on the success of air battle before invading in the country. The head of military operations formulated a plan to destroy the Royal Air Force in four days. Other military strategy to invade Britain included locating the river craft so that they could train the troops in amphibious landing. They also planned to arrest the political elite that could present resistance such as Churchill. Viktor Survov was a former Russian Military Intelligence that published the Icebreaker.3 His thesis in the book argues that the soviet forces had well organization and they mobilized a Europe invasion as they prepared for defensive operations in their country. According to

Conferences and conventions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Conferences and conventions - Essay Example Recently conferences and conventions have started extended facilities to delegate families and there is not a single economy which would say that it did not get benefited by conferences. "THE economic contribution of conferences to the Welsh economy is underscored in the financial results of the Cardiff Conference Bureau. This council initiative has won business for the city worth 1.7m during 2006" http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_headline=conference-business-boosts-cardiff-by--pound-1-7m&method=full&objectid=18363801&siteid=50082-name_page.html Another face of conferences is the advantage being gained by tourism industry. By placing conferences in far away venues of cultural, naturalistic and historical backdrops, many countries and business have given enormous facelift to the tourism industry. This has given way to business tourism, considered today as a major branch of tourism. Britain is an important country that has been benefited by business tourism, mainly because it is reachable from all directions and has well developed, affordable venues. are rumoured to be affordable. One of the UK advertisements says: "Vibrant, dynamic cities, elegant spa towns combining tradition with state-of-the-art facilities and cosmopolitan seaside resorts... Britain has it all" http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-nb-NO/businesstourism/conferencesconventions/conferences_conventions.aspx Indian cities with luxurious five star hotels and much cheaper economy have provided some more major business tourism destinations, where many international conferences and conventions are held today. The wildlife sanctuaries, historical monuments, natural wonders, religious temples have all... Conferences and conventions have created a global industry of their own. The origins of the conference industry are quite recent and it has been connected with business tourism and leisure tourism throughout. New trend of winning through partnerships has started in the business world. Business touring workshops are setting the trend. There are many direct expenditure benefits of conferences to the local area. In United Kingdom, conferences, meetings, conventions have created tourism benefit. Many conference venues and their neighbouring towns and cities usually become tourist centres for the convention representatives. According to a study conducted by UK National Tourist Board, with detailed figures of conference spending in the year 2001, total cost direct expenditure of one conference was  £1,092,960/-. Conferences and conventions also bring benefits to human resources, and employees. â€Å"Conferences are about communication†¦.An industry has developed to facilitate the satisfaction of the objectives of face to face communication: the conference industry. Suppliers to the industry are as diverse as their clients: Conference centres, hotels, specialist intermediaries, convention bureaux, caterers, production companies, and many others – all cooperate to create the right atmosphere and infrastructure, conducive to communication†

Possible entry modes strategies into china for australian beer product Essay

Possible entry modes strategies into china for australian beer product and examine the key strategic issues that need to be considered - Essay Example FDI, and then to cost-orientated FDI; Technology and marketing factors combine to explain standardization, which drives location decisions’ (Buckley et al., 1998, 539) The decision of a firm to entry a foreign market is depended on a series of factors. According to Gaba et al. (2002, 39) ‘firms face three interlocking questions with regard to international expansion: what market to enter (entry location), how to enter (mode of entry), and when to enter (timing of entry)’. On the other hand, it has been considered by Zacharakis (1997, 23) that international expansion involves ‘risks, including political instability in the target market, expropriation, social unrest, fluctuating exchange rates, poor infrastructures, host government regulations, differing language, norms, religion, and legal systems’. The presentation of the above factors however does not exclude the possible existence of other elements that can influence the company’s decision to enter a foreign market. In accordance with the views stated in the literature, a firm’s decision to enter a foreign market could be possibly analyzed using certain theoretical models. One of these models (Agarwal et al., 1992, 2), the normative decision theory suggests that ‘the choice of a foreign market entry mode should be based on trade-offs between risks and returns; A firm is expected to choose the entry mode that offers the highest risk-adjusted return on investment’. On the other hand, behavioral evidence indicates that a firms choices may also be determined by resource availability and need for control; Resource availability refers to the financial and managerial capacity of a firm for serving a particular foreign market while control refers to a firms need to influence systems, methods, and decisions in that foreign market’ (Agarwal et al., 1992, 2). Entry mode has been characterized as ‘the cornerstone of a firms market entry strategy’ (Au et al., 1997, 780). Moreover, in accordance

Conferences and conventions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Conferences and conventions - Essay Example Recently conferences and conventions have started extended facilities to delegate families and there is not a single economy which would say that it did not get benefited by conferences. "THE economic contribution of conferences to the Welsh economy is underscored in the financial results of the Cardiff Conference Bureau. This council initiative has won business for the city worth 1.7m during 2006" http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_headline=conference-business-boosts-cardiff-by--pound-1-7m&method=full&objectid=18363801&siteid=50082-name_page.html Another face of conferences is the advantage being gained by tourism industry. By placing conferences in far away venues of cultural, naturalistic and historical backdrops, many countries and business have given enormous facelift to the tourism industry. This has given way to business tourism, considered today as a major branch of tourism. Britain is an important country that has been benefited by business tourism, mainly because it is reachable from all directions and has well developed, affordable venues. are rumoured to be affordable. One of the UK advertisements says: "Vibrant, dynamic cities, elegant spa towns combining tradition with state-of-the-art facilities and cosmopolitan seaside resorts... Britain has it all" http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-nb-NO/businesstourism/conferencesconventions/conferences_conventions.aspx Indian cities with luxurious five star hotels and much cheaper economy have provided some more major business tourism destinations, where many international conferences and conventions are held today. The wildlife sanctuaries, historical monuments, natural wonders, religious temples have all... Conferences and conventions have created a global industry of their own. The origins of the conference industry are quite recent and it has been connected with business tourism and leisure tourism throughout. New trend of winning through partnerships has started in the business world. Business touring workshops are setting the trend. There are many direct expenditure benefits of conferences to the local area. In United Kingdom, conferences, meetings, conventions have created tourism benefit. Many conference venues and their neighbouring towns and cities usually become tourist centres for the convention representatives. According to a study conducted by UK National Tourist Board, with detailed figures of conference spending in the year 2001, total cost direct expenditure of one conference was  £1,092,960/-. Conferences and conventions also bring benefits to human resources, and employees. â€Å"Conferences are about communication†¦.An industry has developed to facilitate the satisfaction of the objectives of face to face communication: the conference industry. Suppliers to the industry are as diverse as their clients: Conference centres, hotels, specialist intermediaries, convention bureaux, caterers, production companies, and many others – all cooperate to create the right atmosphere and infrastructure, conducive to communication†

Intro to Business Essay Example for Free

Intro to Business Essay FRANCHISE Case Study Questions: 1) Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of opening a franchise. (6 marks) The benefits of opening a franchise is that the franchisor would provide support, assistance and training; they would have a recognized name and products and; opening the franchise would be a reduced risk to the franchisee. The drawbacks of opening a franchise is that there would be restrictions on operations as the franchisee would have to follow the franchisor’s rules and regulations; must pay franchise fees and the percentage of sales to the franchisor and; there would be a loss of management control, prices, wages or even innovation. 2) Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of running this franchise with a partner rather than doing it on your own. The benefits/advantages of running this franchise with a partner would be; It would be fairly easy to start the partnership with an agreement between two people; It would be easier to raise more capital than a sole proprietorship; We would have greater skills and expertise with two of us as partners and; flexibility to support and help each other. The drawbacks/disadvantages of running this franchise with a partner would be; there could be conflicts or disagreements with a partner; we would be sharing the profits and; there could be difficulty in leaving or ending the partnership. 3) List 6 key characteristics that you and your partner will have to display in order to be successful in this entrepreneur endeavor. The key characteristics that my partner and I would have to display to be successful in our entrepreneur endeavor would be, to be: Ambitious, committed, self-confident, energetic, passionate, creative, passionate, determined and risk takers. 4) List 6 stakeholders and discuss how they are impacted by your business. 1.Employees – my business would create jobs Customers – my business would be a convenience of another franchise available Suppliers – my business would give suppliers more business Government – my business would pay taxes (business and employee, etc) to help the economy Local Community – to create a better local economy of having a business Environment – to be environmentally responsible by using reduce, reuse and recycle FRANCHISE Case Study 1: Intro to Business 5) Using your knowledge of demand and supply theory. Draw a market for Dominos Pizza with demand (BLUE Line) and supply (RED Line) equilibrium assuming the average price customer pays for a Domino’s pizza is $9 and sells an average 500 units a week. (2 marks) Dominos Pizza – Supply and Demand in One (1) Week UNITS The pizza market is highly competitive and competitors prices impact and demand. On your diagram, draw the shift in demand that will result from new low price $5 hot and ready pizza offer by its competitor Little Caesar’s. Discuss the impact on Domino’s (in terms of its price and profits) . (2 marks) Due to the low price of the competition (Little Caesars) means Dominos pizza’s Demand Curve will DECREASE (GREEN Line) which means the profits will decrease along with the demand for Domino’s higher priced pizza. 6) As a local franchise, using your knowledge of the promotional mix, describe 4 tactics/strategies from the promotional mix that you could use to promote your local store. Be sure to explain how it will increase sales. (4 marks) 1. Personal Selling – to use a sales person to assist customers in making a purchase 2. Advertising – using different media channels to build awareness of the product 3. Public Relations – to create a good image of the company product through publicity and sponsorship 4. Sales Promotion – to stimulate sales through coupons, discounts, contests special offers 7) Make 2 recommendations to Domino’s Pizza Corporate on how the marketing mix could be changed in order to meet customer needs and continue to grow the company. (4 marks) The Marketing Mix is a blend of product offering, pricing, promotional methods and distribution system that brings a specific group of consumers superior value. My two recommendations to Dominos Pizza Corporate would be concerning the ‘Product’ to make smaller personal sized pizzas and my second recommendation would concern ‘Pricing’ to have a special introductory low price to attract customers, to the new personal sized pizza. My recommendations would meet the more ‘healthy = smaller sized portions’ of food to the healthy minded customer – and this would help with the growth of the company.

Change Management: Carrefour Group

Change Management: Carrefour Group Background to the organization Carrefour is a multinational company which has its retail stores almost all over the world. In the recent past it has expanded the business in the Asian Market. In the year 1995, this company had total of seven stores in Asia but in year 2004, this total went up to 126 stores which was a huge gain for the company. One of the best features of the company was that it was not affected by the economic crisis that happened and this was the biggest reason that company came up with its plan in UAE. Carrefour is an infrastructure group and the real estate was the section which was very much affected by the economic downfall but the company had enough capability to face the risk that it did not get affected (United Arab Emirates: Carrefour expands its services in retail sector). Carrefour is the second largest retail group in the entire world. Carrefour entered into UAE in the year 1995 and till now it has 11 big retail stores around UAE. And soon it will be a famous hypermarket at Dubai Sports City at Emirates Road in Dubai. The company provides as much as 6800 to 14000 sq m of area for a hypermarket in UAE. CEO: Josà ©-Luis Duran (Fortune Globe 500, 2007) Employees: 456,295 Address: 26 Quai Michelet, Levallois-Perret 92695, France (main office) Phone: 33-1-5563-3900 Website: www.carrefour.com Present Rank: 32nd in the World SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses (Internally COntrolled factors) Strengths One of the major strategic successes of the company is that Carrefour has collaboration with one of the most successful infrastructure company in the world, MAF of Abu Dhabi. This gives the company strength to the company to improve the internal built. The internal reason for the company to collaborate with MAF in UAE because of the restrictions that UAE government put on the foreign companies to start up a business in the country. In order to get the ease, this collaboration has occurred. As far as the industry average in the country in the field of real estate is seen, Carrefour is far above the industry average and the main reason is that it got unaffected at the time of economic crisis. The company is in a phase of a continuous success for the past fourteen years which is easily reflected in the financial ratios of the company which shows a continuous betterment for the past several years. The human resource management of the company is also very strong and it shows the increasing betterment in the performance matrix of the company. This gives the internal support to the company especially in the case of recruitment process. Companys standing at present is at the 32nd place which is really a remarkable success and strength for Carrefour and gives it a motivation to improve its ranking further. Due to the fact that most of the investments done by the company are huge, hence company takes a collaboration of government subsidiaries in UAE which prevent any hindrance in the future. The marketing department of the company is very highly appreciated because of the fact that the company has a huge brand value all around the world and after the success of Hypermarket at Dubai Sports City; it is going to be better and better. The financial department of the company and the research and development section are simultaneously doing a great job of understanding the financial situation of the people living in UAE and accordingly plan the investment. Hypermarket is the best suited for this purpose. Weaknesses The collaboration with MAF is absolutely very helpful for Carrefour in UAE but along with the strengths there are several weaknesses associated with this collaboration. The company does not have full freedom to take the decisions and especially the financial decision. The only area where the company can take the 100 percent decision is the operational department but otherwise there would be several restrictions posed by the collaborated companies. One of the biggest weakness can be that around three fourth of the total profit of the company is in the hands of MAF which means that the investment point of view is really weak because if any person would like to be the part of stakeholder of Carrefour, he would have to worry. There are several social concerns of the company like increasing Emiratization with in the company which means that there is a specific percentage that they have to give to the national employees. This may reduce the output of the company. It is true that economic crisis has not affected Carrefour but under the rules made by the government, there are several restrictions posed on the company which stops the company in its fast expansion. Opportunities and Threats (Externally COntrolled Factors) Opportunities There are several opportunities for the company to expand its business in UAE. The most important factor is its demography. The culture and social aspect of the country is absolutely support the advancement and enhancement of whatever the company is doing. There are several malls and several other locations which are suiting the infrastructure of Carrefour. The financial crisis in 2008 had made the situation worst for the country in the real estate structure. There are several companies which are still lagging because of that crisis. It gives a big opportunity for Carrefour to rapidly enhance the business so that there could be better prospects in the future. Dubai Sports City itself is one of the best opportunities for Carrefour group because of royal crowd and enthusiasm. Threats Of course, if there are so many opportunities for the company in UAE, then threat have to be there. The biggest threat that the company will seek is huge competition in the market. However, it would be lesser because of economic crisis of 2008 but still companies like EMAAR give Carrefour a healthy competition in the country. That too, when the company is foreign based and its major shares are not owned by the company itself. Change Identification This part of the projects deals with the different types of problems related to the identification of changes in the organization: Identification of different kind of changes which can exist Identification for the reason for such changes Identification of scopes and goals for such changes Identification of present part of the changes and comparison with the future prospects Kind of changes This project deals with the parts of the changes which have occurred in Carrefour with its collaboration with MAF in UAE to expand the business. There are several kinds of changes which company has undergone in order to commit this partnership with MAF. Several types of changes which company has seen because of this collaboration are as follows: Change in the working atmosphere in UAE Change in the policies of the company Change in the human resource activities of the company Changes in the process of implementation of work Changes in the roles and responsibilities of employees of the company Changes in the owner ship of the company In order to start for the working progress of Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City, Carrefour went into collaboration with MAF which has brought about several changes in the organization and its working. This collaboration has affected the atmosphere of the entire organization. Being a French organization, Carrefour has absolutely a different culture and different atmosphere which prevails in the company but entering into UAE was an absolute change for the company. The change in the working process of the company is very high as it does not match to the working standards of Carrefour in other countries. There are several changes in the policies and processes and especially the ownership has a great effect because of such collaboration Reason for changes There are different reasons which have led to the growth of such changes in the organizational structure and its working process. The main of them all is ors collaboration with MAF. Entering into UAE for a foreign based company is not an easy job to do until unless company do not have any partner who is national of UAE and that too with a partnership of more than 50 percent shares of the company. Hence, company entered into the UAE market with its collaboration in MAF for making Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City. Another reason for changes could be a sense of an easy capture to the market because of its collaboration with MAF because MAF is very well known Construction Company in UAE. Everyone in the country knows this company; it would be very much beneficial for Carrefour to enter into business in UAE having collaborated with MAF. Changes in the scope of the company Carrefour has undergone a change at the entire organizational level. There are some special areas where the company has seen a number of changes. These areas where company has seen a number of changes are as follows: Changes in the types of employees Working process of the company Levels of Departments Business process units Level of systems Above are the main areas which have undergone changes for Carrefour because of the collaboration with MAF. It was quite obvious for these areas to undergo changes because of the reason that there is a huge difference in the culture and the atmosphere of both the companies is entirely difference. One is a France based company and another is a UAE based company. Goals for Changes There are several goals which have been identified to connect them with the changes: Collaboration between Carrefour and MAF For fulfillment of law and order in UAE To benefit the name of MAF to seek the competitive advantage To make people of UAE know about the company Enhance the business Where are you now? GAP Analysis GAP Analysis basically deals with highlighting the difference between the implemented strategies and the expected strategies. There can be two different types of gap may be there, namely Knowledge Gap and Strategic Gap. The exact meaning of Gap analysis is to analyze the difference between the present situations of the company and the future prospects of the company. At the starting, it is necessary to analyze the present condition of the company and in the next situation, the future condition of the company is taken care of. Present and the future condition of the company are necessary to analyze because it gives an indication about the performance of the company. There are different types of analysis takes place in the GAP Analysis of any company. Comparison of organizational performance Comparison of marketing potential of the company Comparison of Business relationships of the company Comparison of operational activities of the company The following diagram shows the gap analysis of Carrefour. Fundamentals Applied for Changes (Kurt Lewin 3 step model) Unfreezing: This corresponds for Carrefour to getting itself ready for desired changes that it going to get in by making collaboration with MAF in UAE. Changes: This corresponds to present situation where the changes are being untaken by the company and making it happening for the customers and the staff. Freezing: This corresponds to the final approval of the changed strategies by Carrefour. Present situation of the company Carrefour is a widely known organization which operates in various countries. It sees different types of organizational culture wherever it starts its operation. This would happen in all the places and same in the case in performing operation in UAE. The culture of UAE is varied. Here, majority of the population is expatriates, which means that in this country there are people from different parts of the world. This is one of the biggest problems that the company is facing. Actually, this is not a problem but it is a concern which is so important to be taken care of by the company. Another concern with Carrefour is the restrictions which are imposed by the culture and the local government of the country on the company. These restrictions stop the company from taking various decisions due to the fact that company has a major share holding with MAF. The root of all such concerns of the company is the strict law which is followed in UAE and high number of expatriates coming in the country. But in another way, for business of Carrefour, this is profitable as well. There are some challenges associated with the present scenario of operational and all around management of Carrefour in UAE. There are several restrictions posed by the government on the foreign based companies to start up businesses in UAE. This is the biggest challenge that the company face and this needs to be soon addressed. Where do you want to be? Future State of the company This will describe the state of the company after little time (at least 5 years after the collaboration between MAF and Carrefour). The future of the company is supposed to be more in favor of MAF rather than Carrefour. The main reason behind this is that the majority of the shares of the company are held by MAF which accounts for more than 50 percent ownership of the company which means that in case of profit to the company, there will be more profit for MAF rather than Carrefour. The future prospects for the company in future are obviously growing as hypermarket in Dubai Sports City is one of the rare infrastructural buildings which are there in the city. This makes this a special place for the local population and the tourist to roam around. But the only problem which the company will have to face is that huge percentage of partnership is taken by MAF which means that huge percentage of profit will go to MAF. Another future prospect which can be helpful in generating more profit is that there is no tax charged by the government which allows the company generate more revenues and earn more money. The organizational culture in the future will be more or what same as the company has its organizational culture in Dubai at present. The organizational culture would be very much diversified. Reason being there are people coming from all over the world to this country. Around 80 percent of the total population of UAE comprises of expatriates. This means that staff in the organization will be of diversified culture. There are several steps which have to be done frequently by Carrefour. These steps are as follows: Company should well regulate its collaboration with MAF so that it can easily operate in the country Company should think of expanding the business and should keep an eye on the total earnings so that it can generate maximum possible profit Company should hire people with in the country and also should call some of the higher authorities from some of the different branches of Carrefour so that it can sustain the culture of the company in the internal matters at least. Company should formulate the strategies according to the marketing potential in the country and according to the diversified public of UAE but along with that company should also keep an eye on the laws, rules and regulations given by UAE. Company should formulate the strategies with in the company in such a manner which would help it to succeed in the plans and should help to generate more and more revenue. Readiness of the organization to undergo the changes This is one of the best possible reasons which could account for change management in the company. Carrefour, being one of the biggest organizations in real estate and infrastructure entered into the business for making hypermarket at Dubai Sports City by collaborating with MAF. There are several changes that company had to face in order to implement their business plan in the country. The biggest change that company had come up with is the organizational culture in the country which is very much different from any other country in the world. There are several restrictions on the business activities imposed on the company by the local government of UAE. The company is ready to adopt these changes in order to generate profit. It might be possible that company do not suit with such an atmosphere of organizational culture but the company is ready to accept the changes because it knows that UAE gives the best possible prospect for their business. Deliverable: To Identify whether the company is ready to adopt the changes Implementation Team Leader: Board of Directors Implementation Sponsor: Strategic Management Team PEOPLE READINESS Action Required When Completed Business Unit / Product Group Actions Were the contracts of business unit notified? Yes Were these contracts briefly explained to the team members? Yes Has the priority of business management unit set? Yes Training Has the identification of training team done? Yes Has the analysis of training been done? Yes Is the Training Information Sheet available? Yes Has the training provider been established? Yes Has all the training details provided by the coordinator? Yes Will the criterions are according to the training rollout? Yes SYSTEMS READINESS Action Required When Completed Information Communications Technology (ICT) Have tools of audit been configured? Yes Content Action Required When Completed Have the procedure published? Yes Is documentation for the procedure necessary? Yes Business Application Does deliverable require software assistance? Yes Does the distribution require any support model? Yes Have IT Business Unit been notified for support? Yes Particulars of the changes (Road Map for Changes) The main objectives which are covered in this part of the plan are: Alternative, methodologies, solutions and different ranges of actions and plans are considered especially or implementation of change Consideration of risk involved in the implementation of plan Consideration of cost to be estimated for the change to be implemented Kotlers 8-Step Change Model Following 8 steps will be used for making a road map for changes in Carrefour for its collaboration with MAF: There is a need to create urgency Formation of a powerful collaboration which the company ahs already done Company has a perfect vision which can lead to changes Communication will be done supporting this vision It is necessary for the company to remove obstacles coming in between Short term profit will be made Changes will be applied for every sector The entire organizational culture will experience the changes How will you get there? There are several changes which will be required by the organization to adopt the business sense according to the culture in the country: There are two types of strategies which will help the company to come up with the changes. These are: Rational This is quite natural that organizational structure of the company has to be changed. It requires changes according to the diversified culture of UAE. New system of workgroup and the human resource is necessary in the company so as to run the business properly in UAE. The main reason behind this is that this will be the first hypermarket in the country which means that the industry and exposure for the company is going to be new. Highly sophisticated system will be required by the company for the process because of the hugeness of the market exposure for the company in UAE Non Rational There will be change in the relationships as well. Carrefour needs to build good relationships with MAF and government of Dubai so as to get the best out of their business techniques in the country. The culture will accept the changes which will be made by Carrefour in UAE. Reason being these changes will be made according to the culture of UAE. Process Change It is required for the company to have process change as well. Process change is necessary. If it would have been a brand of some eatables, clothes, then it would have required that process should have maintained as it is every where but this is an infrastructure company. The structure of the building, shops in the hypermarket and every thing else which is a part of process in the companys operational activities need to be changed according to the destination (change management). Hence all the processes of Carrefour need to be differentiated according to the need in Dubai Sports City. There are some important process changes required by the company: Management process Recruitment process Operational process People Change In order to make changes it might be possible that job roles of the people and their responsibilities change. The biggest problem with the people change result in the de recruitment of some very intelligent people from the company so as to follow the rules and regulations of the company. Roles and responsibilities of the employees will be affected because they will be enforced to follow different prospect Knowledge and training will be entirely different, especially it would required by the employee to learn Arabic in order to work at the ground level Work practices will be entirely be different as a result of the change because these work practices would clearly adopt the culture of UAE. Third party relationships will also be built. This could be done mainly because of the relationships of MAF in the country. The relationships will be built with several agents of MAF. Carrefour will come in contact with these agent companies and will create third party relationships in the market. Information Sharing During the change in the process of Carrefour, there is some information which needs to be shared among the partners of the business. Carrefour and MAF are the two organizations who have collaborated to make hypermarket in Dubai Sports City. There is certain information which has been shared between the two organizations. These are: Financial Information (this needs to be very much critical because MAF has a huge sharing Hypermarket) Some parts of the operational information There are some policies of Carrefour which have changed due to the information sharing. These policies could be: Policies for the implementation of financial plan Policies for fixing up of prices There are several methods which are used for sharing information. These methods are: Direct Conversation In direct conversation There are some processes needed in order to manage the knowledge about the project. These processes are: Knowledge sharing process Internal Managerial Process Cost of Change Financial support is also needed to manage the changes. There are different types of cost which will be required in order to manage the organization. These costs are as follows: Cost of training the new employees in the organization Cost of integration with MAF ( all the legal formalities are included in that) Opportunity cost will also be included. This opportunity cost will be based on the opportunity of the organization to build up a hypermarket in any other country There are different modes of financial support available with the company. These are: Borrowing the money from an external source Issues shares in the share market Investment by the company itself Selling the fixed assets of the company Risk Assessment During the implementation process, it is highly possible that company will be affected by several risks. It is very much necessary that these risks are to be eliminated in order to carry out the work in a smooth manner. Risks that might be involved with the implementation of the project are as follows: Change could lead to incur losses Planning may not be effective Scope for change may not be there It is necessary to minimize the risks as well and hence following steps could be taken. In order to keep the project very much viable for the changes. It is necessary that changes are done with proper planning and keeping in view the culture with the country. For example in UAE, there is a diversified culture and hence accordingly changes should be implemented It could be possible that planning may not work well and hence alternatives should be made so that if one plan fails, company immediately can apply the other one In the case when changes are not adapted by the country and its people then obviously company should keep going with the old policies and old culture. Risk Assessment Matrix Change could lead to incur losses Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Planning may not be effective Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Scope for change may not be there Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Risk Assessment Table Risk no Date of occurrence Risk Description Low Medium High Mitigation action taken Approval of commencement Date 1 Change could lead to incur losses Communication Plan Made 31 August, 2010 4 Planning may not be effective Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 2 Scope for change may not be there Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 Change Approach (Developing a Critique) Main objectives of this section are: This section finds out the stakeholder of the company and their role in the company What are the barriers that come in between the growth Roles and responsibilities of change management team Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder is the one on whose stake the company is running. There are different stakeholders of Carrefour in UAE. Strategic management team Project leader Mangers Employees Customer The below stakeholder pyramid will give an indication about the role and the responsibilities of these stakeholder in the working of the company. There are different types of roles and responsibilities described by the below pyramid like driving, active participation, advocacy, willingness and understanding. Resistance to change It is necessary that every individual working in the company is resistance to change. It is required by the organizational growth and its survival. There are some important reasons which lead to resistance among the employees of the organization: This could the feedback given by the employees This could be several inputs given by the supervisor of the company This could be results of the audit Several decisions taken on the issues of various teams Resistance Assessment Survey is taken into care for resolving all the issues related to change. This survey is attached in the appendices Change Management Team Change Management Team is vital for the organization of various activities regarding progress of change in the company. For Carrefour, a committee is formed which analysis the effect of changes which have occurred due to collaboration with MAF in UAE (Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets ). There are several roles and responsibilities of this committee which are there for them in order to make the change management not liable for the company. Some of the important decisions taken by the change management team of the company are as follows: Change management team performs gap analysis between the present and future trend of the company. The present trend of the company is researched and the future trend of the company are estimated which means that company a possible gap between the two trends is analyzed by the company so that it can give suggestion for the changes to take place It works for devising the project plan of the company It works for the resistance management plan of the company It works for implementation of changes It see the results of the changes which are implemented on the company and accordingly give the suggestions and the review about the research It works on upgrading the action plans and the change management plan if any flaw is found in the plan (How to write an action plan) Strategies for Implementation There are several strategies implemented for the implementation of the change plan of the company. These strategies are as follows: Action Plan: Action Plan helps in analyzing the overall achievement of the company. The main objective of this is the change management plan and all measures are taken on the basis of percentage of the completed plan Communication Plan: Communication Plan is one of the most important plans of the company because it works for establishing communication between one team member to any other team member of the company Communication Plan Audience Key Communication Delivery Medium Date Length of session (if applicable) Location Leaders of each team, Managers of each Department Action Plan Various meeting, e-mails,etc. 31st August 2010 N/A HO Agents (senders) Operational manager, project