Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Networking - Essay Example This study also encompassed the fastest net providers in every country. In the United States, Verizon and the FiOS network was ranked as the fastest net provider with an average speed of 1,056Kbps (Tsukayama 1). The FCC has a leading priority of providing faster access to broadband networks and faster download speeds. This access has been influenced by the partnership with Microsoft, Comcast among other non-governmental organization like the Clinton Global Initiative. According to Bill Clinton who is the former president in the United States, South Korea provides the fastest internet speeds (Tsukayama 1). This factor is influenced by the governmental policy which encourages partnerships with other organizations. Nowadays, the South Korean citizens enjoy an average internet speed of up to 16.63 megabits per second. Therefore, the access to internet services in South Korea is cheaper. In the United States, the residents pay an average of $46 monthly while the South Korean citizens pay a monthly fee of $38. This asserts that the United States should aim in providing better internet services because; the South Korean government has already initialized their improvement project in the internet provision sector. In conclusion, the current president of the United States is committed to setting up a plan whereby 98% of the Americans will receive better broadband services. The slower internet services are attributed by the fact that most citizens do not have the appropriate internet speeds to stream videos and load web pages. Therefore, the United States should implement a plan to increase their internet speeds through partnering with other companies (Smith 1). Smith, Catharine. South Koreas internet to be 200 times faster than in U.S. The Huffington Post 23 Feb. 2011. Web. Tsukayama, Hayley. S. Korea leads the

Geely Automobile Essay Example for Free

Geely Automobile Essay In the first part, the ECLIPTER factors including econography, culture, legal system, income profile, political risk, tax regime, exchange rate and restrictions, together with the multilateral institutions such as WTO, EU and ASEAN will be examined by using UK and Malaysia as examples. Then based on this analysis, it will provide an assessment of the company‘s overall international expansion strategy and process. In the second part, legal system and income profile, the two most important ECLIPTER factors on Geely‘ overseas operations, will be evaluated. Furthermore, the scheme which Geely used to deal with the impact of these two factors and leverage the multilateral institutions will be shown. Finally, this report will analyze whether the company‘s international adaptation of the business function is effective, and then give some recommendations and lessons. 2. ECLIPTER Factors Analysis 2. 1 Econography Econography refers to physical and human assets including distance from major markets, and natural resources of nations that affect industry performance. In the first, the close distance between parent company and foreign subsidiary can help the company to reduce the transport costs and overhead expenses; it also can improve the connection between them. If the parent company is in China, it is better to build a subsidiary in Asia such as Malaysia. Secondly, the natural resources used for making cars mainly include steel, copper, and aluminum. If the country owns rich mineral resources, it can greatly provide benefit in the production of automobiles. One of the major purposes for many multinational corporations establishing overseas subsidiaries is to exploit the foreign natural resources. This is good for companies to 5 International Business Environment II reduce production costs and get competitive advantages. As World Steel Association reported in 2009 that the crude steel production of United Kingdom is 13. 5 in 2008, whereas the crude steel production of Malaysia is 6. 1 in 2008. 2. 2 Culture This paragraph will analyze the effects of culture on auto industry through power distance index and saving rate. Firstly, power distance index measures the degree of inequality exists in a society (Hofstede, 1997). The power distance index is 80 in Malaysia whereas it is only 35 in UK (Hofstede, 2008). The unequal distribution of wealth makes most Malaysian citizens prefer to hold a commercial auto. So the inexpensive Geely auto could be a good option for them. Secondly, saving rate could be a standard to show the attitude of citizens. The saving rate of Malaysia was 47 per cent in the year 1998 which ranks second in Asia (Azia, 2004). In contrast, the saving rate in UK was significantly low, which was less than 10 percent in the past ten years. For instance, the saving rate of UK household in 2008 was only 1. 7 percent (chart 1)(Presser, 2008). So UK citizens are apt to consume a relatively high price car. Chart 1 Resource from Posser (2008) 6 International Business Environment II 2. 3 Legal system The auto industry has been affected by laws and government regulations since the 1960s. The first safety act passed in 1966 by Congress and was called the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Highfill, 2004). This act forced manufacturers to improve the safety for the passengers, the driver visibility, and the braking of the car. Not only safety, but also environment is being growingly concerned even before the oil crisis. The Vehicle Air Pollution and Control Act passed in 1965 was the first act to set standards for automobile pollution. Then in the 1970s, Congress passed the Clean Air Act that led to a 90% decrease in automobile emission within the next six years (ibid). In the 1970s the oil crisis led to the approval of The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 which stated that all automobiles must meet a certain mileage per gallon. The act required that all automobiles had to meet a standard of 20mpg by the 1980 model and then 27. 5 mpg for the 1985 model (ibid). EU 2020 growth strategy also emphasizes the importance of low carbon automobile (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 2010). There are also many special laws for auto industry in different countries, such as Malaysia, which has built a free trade area for production and assembly of products for export-oriented enterprises. Companies can enjoy the minimum tariffs, raw materials and simplified mechanical equipment import formalities. Nevertheless, the Malaysia government regulates that more than 80% products should export to other countries (Daily News, 2006). Furthermore, the UK Byers Acts Measures to cut the average price of a car by ? 1,100 and save private car buyers around ? 1 billion a year. Although it may lower the profitability of auto industry, the number of consumers will increase gradually (DTI, 2000). 2. 4 Income profile Since automobile is not inferior goods, the demand of automobile would rise when income increases. In the economic aspect, income could be an indicator of the purchasing power of individuals and nations. Data from UK national statistics office (2010) demonstrated that despite the contracted 4. 9 percent of GDP in the whole year, the GDP increased 0. 4 percent in 7 International Business Environment II the fourth quarter of 2009. Furthermore, Household expenditure also rose 0. 4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 in UK (chart2). For Malaysia, the GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 4. 5 though the figure was negative in the whole year (chart 3) (Malaysia statistics, 2010). It can be observed that the economy of both UK and Malaysia seem to recover from the global financial crisis. This positive signal predicts the growing demand and distensible market for Geely in both countries. Chart 2 Resource from UK statistics 2010 Chart3 Resource from Malaysia statistics 2010 8 International Business Environment II The core competitiveness of Geely automobile relies on its high performance-price ratio. Per capital GNI (Gross national income) in Malaysia was 25784 RM in 2008. By analyzing the 2004 United Nations Human Development (UNHDP) report, except the 20% population of richest and poorest class, Geely will be a better choice for the rest citizens in Malaysia(chart 4) (Lumpur, 2004). In comparison, the young people account for a great amount of population in UK. A source from HMRC shows the average income of under 20 years is ? 9,570 and 20-24 years is ? 13,200 which is below the average (chart 5). It implies that when young generation decide to buy a car, price is the first consideration factor. For medium quality car manufacture companies, young population in UK could be a potential group of customers. Chart 4 9 International Business Environment II Chart5 Median Age Band Under 20 years 20 – 24 ? 11,800 years 25 – 29 ? 17,000 years 30 -34 ? 19,500 years 35 – 39 ? 20,100 years 40-44 ? 20,200 years 45 – 49 ? 20,300 years Resource from Lumpur (2004) ? 28,600 ? 24,800 ? 35,400 ? 15,200 ? 20,100 ? 28,100 ? 24,600 ? 34,600 ? 14,900 ? 19,800 ? 26,800 ? 23,600 ? 31,700 ? 15,500 ? 20,100 ? 23,900 ? 21,600 ? 26,700 ? 16,400 ? 20,100 ? 19,300 ? 17,800 ? 20,600 ? 15,900 ? 17,800 ? 13,200 ? 12,400 ? 13,800 ? 11,200 ? 12,300 ? 8,130 ? 9,570 ? 8,490 ? 9,810 ? 7,990 ? 9,250 Median Income Mean Income Income (Men) (Men) (Women) (Women) Income Income Income Mean Median Mean 2. 5 Political risk According to Guinger (2001), political risk describes the stability of government institutions. It can be measured in a variety of ways such as likelihood of foreign aggression and civil insurrection. The Transparency International (2009) showed that UK and Malaysia both face some problems of political corruption, which adversely affects the efficiency of economic operation. World Bank estimates that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 10 International Business Environment II billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP. The corruption in the UK is lighter than Malaysia, which ranked 17, whereas Malaysia ranked 56 in world in 2009 based on Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. But the corruption in UK is not unheard. Surveys by Control Risks and Simmons Simmons show that the awareness of UK laws against foreign bribery may be decreasing over time. In 2002, after the act came into force, 68 percent of respondents said they were familiar with its main points. But in 2006, 48 percent people said that they have totally ignored it (Global Corruption Report, 2009). 2. 6 Tax Regime Tax regime refers to the tax instruments that governments use to raise revenues from multinational firms, such as corporate taxes. The tax of Malaysia is transparent, the multinational corporate must be taxed 30% of the corporate income which is just the same as Malaysia companies Marketing directory, 2005) According to the tax incentive treaties, auto ( . industry may be eligible for pioneer status which is given by the way of an abatement of 70% of the profits for five years (ibid). The remaining 30% of the profits will be taxed at the prevailing corporate income tax rate. The profits abated are exempt from tax and will be available for distribution as tax-free dividends. In UK the resident corporate tax is the lowest in Europe, even the tax is zero for the small companies in 2002(Lawandtax-news, 2010). According to the tax treaties, multinational corporate which set up, purchase or control the companies in UK can follow the resident tax (Navstar, 2009). In the ordinary course of events, foreign companies cannot follow the low corporate tax, but with regard to double taxation and the agreement between UK and China, Chinese multinational corporates in UK now pay the low tax (ibid). 2. 7 Exchange rate Stable trade policies are extremely important for both the economic welfare of the countries and the multilateral trading system. Unfortunately, the liberalization measures were adopted by many countries. As Dornbusch‘s 1976 analysis has pointed out that when the exchange rate is used to provide protection for domestic firms, it is through undervaluation. An undervalued 11 International Business Environment II exchange rate protects domestic firms from imports and gives domestic firms greater incentives to export. For example, the Balance of Payments Committee of the WTO has received 39 requests from member countries for derogations from their international obligations and for a temporary increase in temporary protection. Moreover, several developing countries, such as Malaysia, have recently increased tariffs in response to financial crises even though the higher rates remain below the rates these countries bounded in the WTO. Moreover the analysis said China has become a great auto exporter, as a result of the huge subsidies, an undervalued exchange rate and dirt-cheap credit (Swaminathan, 2009). 2. 8 Restrictions Restrictions refer to the taxes and limitations that host governments place on foreign products and services or on foreign firms themselves when they enter or leave the host economy. Because of the policy of protecting their national automobile industry, the import tax of automobile is relatively high in Malaysia. Since 2004, Malaysia began to reduce the automobile import tax: for the import components the tax is reduce from 25% to 10%, and for the whole automobile the import tax is drop from 130% to 30% for the companies outside of Southeast Asia (MEI, 2009). In 2010, according to the agreement of ASEAN, the automobile import tax will be zero to all the regions of ASEAN. UK is a member of EU, it followed the economic agreement of EU which sets no import or export tax between members of EU and they must charge the same tax when they have business with the third country (European competitiveness, 2009). 12. International Business Environment II Scoring Analysis of UK and Malaysia Country Score Econography Culture Legal System Income Profile Political Risk Tax Regime Exchange Rate Restrictions Total (10) (10) (20) (20) (10) (10) (10) (10) (100) 8 7 18 8 8 8 7 7 71 7 6 16 15 5 9 8 9 75 UK Malaysia 3. Institutions 3. 1 WTO The major objectives of WTO‘s roles are ? the creation of a common automobile market through the elimination of barriers to intra-Community trade; the maintenance and expansion of a competitive world automobile industry; the use of voluntary import restrictions to prevent cheap imports and to maintain competitiveness? (European Commission, 2006). For example, in 2006, WTO announced the establishment of a panel to examine whether Chinas tariffs on imported auto parts violate WTO trade rules, following a joint complaint made by the United States, the European Union and Canada, who accused China for its discriminatory charges on imported auto parts. After examining China‘s related regulations, WTO panel declared that Chinas regulations are inconsistent with Chinas WTO obligations. China has agreed to make the necessary regulatory changes by September 2009 (Herd, 2006). 13 International Business Environment II. WTO facilitates Geely‘s international expansion since the elimination of trade barriers has cleared its path to world market and made it integrated to the world economy. In 2002, after China joined into WTO, 100 automobiles of Geely exported to Syria (Luo, 2005). 3. 2 EU EU functions as a rule-imposer. It sets strict requirements and institute rules and regulations to improve vehicle safety. Besides the vehicle crash tests executed by Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Program backed by European Commission), there are also some regulations set to protect the environment. First, in order to respond to the gradual aggravation of greenhouse effect, the European commission developed a mandatory emission standard to limit the emission of one major kind of greenhouse gas, CO2. The regulation set a fleet-average CO2 emission target for passenger cars, which is 120 g/km to be reached by 2015 (European Commission, 2010). The vehicle manufacturers must reach the CO2 emission target of 130g/km, with an additional reduction of 10 g/km to be provided by supplementary measures, such as the use of hydrogen fuel. A long-term target of 95 g/km to be reached by 2020 is also established by the regulation (ibid). This regulation will take effect in 2012. From 2012 onwards, vehicle manufacturers who do not meet this target will have to pay penalty for their excess emissions. According to DieselNet (2010), from 2012 to 2018, the penalties are â‚ ¬5 per vehicle for the first g/km of CO2; â‚ ¬15 for the second gram; â‚ ¬25 for the third gram; â‚ ¬95 from the fourth gram onwards. From 2019, manufacturers will pay â‚ ¬95 for each g/km exceeding the target. Another congressional mandate imposed by European Commission requires tire pressure monitoring systems on all new cars in 2012. According to Europe‘s Information Society (2010), many road accidents resulting in fatalities and physical injuries are linked to tire defects. Furthermore, under-inflated tires can result in severely inefficient use of fuel and cause an extra two million tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere per year. So this mandate enhances vehicle safety and protects the environment. 14 International Business Environment II These regulations have incurred a rise in car prices since vehicle manufacturers are forced to increase price to offset the cost of upgrading. These regulations put Geely in an unfavorable position. Since Geely is better known for making low-tech and cheap cars, making eco-friendly cars is not included in the competencies of the company and huge RD spending is inevitable for nurturing this competence. They set a high bar for the competition and limit Geely‘s ability to expand market in Europe. 3. 3 ASEAN ASEAN – Association of South East Asia Nations is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia. China and ASEAN are both newly-emerged, rapidly-developing auto markets. Cooperation in auto industry between China and ASEAN will bring a win-win situation for the two sides and make their cars more competitive in a global competition. For instance, according to Xinhua News Agency (2006), a report released by the Ministry of Commerce Indonesia has announced that compared to the expensive Japanese sedans, the China-made ones gradually gain popularity for more favourable price-performance ratio. ASEAN country also needs investment from Chinese carmakers to expand local employment and for more price-favourable cars, said a Germany auto expert at the China-ASEAN Expo, 2006. Consequently, in general, ASEAN opens its gate to Chinese car companies including Geely to achieve a win-win situation. 4. Assessment of Geely’s overall international expansion strategy Geely‘s current international strategy is to produce affordable automobile, so the market size and consume power of a foreign market are highly valued by Geely. Malaysia automobile market resembles China more than UK, in the aspects such as the people‘s income, the similar culture, and the similar geographical position, etc. As by now most cars have been exported to some developing countries like South-East Asia, Ukraine, Russia, and Mexico, Malaysia will be good choice. Meanwhile, although UK does not represent a neighboring or ? home‘ market, 15 International Business Environment II as markets in South-East Asia do, UK could be seen as an interesting market with a potential for higher margins, higher price levels and a more mature market for branding, technology, etc, as the UK‘s income per capita, and the automobile sales volume are higher than that of Malaysia. Considering the future international development, Geely should focus on UK. Therefore, at first, it is better for Geely to develop its ? producing automobile which most of people can buy‘ strategy in Malaysia, and when Geely is able to enter high-end automobile market, UK will be a better choice. In terms of multilateral institution, after evaluating the influence of international organizations, we suggest that Malaysia is a better choice for Chinese car companies to exploit new markets. Firstly, a win-win situation guarantees a favourably corporate relationship between Geely and ASEAN (Eichengreen, 2006). Secondly, there are various quality-related requirements and constraints in EU and probably NAFTA, which puts up a strong challenge for those Asian auto makers. Moreover, by far, there is no evidence to prove the acquisition of Manganese Bronze and Volvo have considerably increased Geely‘s sale in developed nations. Thus considering the opportunities and threats faced by Geely, it is recommended that the company emphasizes on developing nations‘ markets, rather than the developed markets. 5. Marketing analysis 5. 1 Legal system According to Alistair Darling‘s pre-budget report, UK will bring new opportunities for the low-carbon industries. Through the Innovation Investment Fund and the Carbon Trusts Venture Capital scheme, UK will invest at least ? 160m in low carbon projects (Guardian, 2009). They will also invest ? 90m in the European Investment Banks new 2020 fund, which will put 6. 5 billion Euros of finance in green infrastructure projects. In this report, there are alterations to the climate change levy, company car tax, and fuel benefit charge (ibid). This is good news for Geely because now it dedicates itself to produce high-tech and eco-friendly automobile. In 16 International Business Environment II UK the amount of car tax depends on the price and the discharge amount for carbon, which is from 9% for electric motor car to 10%-35% for petrochemical car. UK also has a successful car scrappage scheme, which gives consumers a ? 2,000 discount off. If they scrap their old vehicle, it will help up to 125,000 families replace their inefficient boilers with new models (Julia, 2009). Through the government‘s support of low-carbon industry, Geely has more opportunities to innovate high-tech and eco-friendly automobile. Furthermore, because of the low tax and car scrappage scheme, customer is inclined to buy or change an electric motor car,. In 22nd March 2006, Malaysia published the new automobile policy (MEI, 2009). Since that day, the import taxes of CBU (Complete Built Unit) are reduced from 20% to 5% for the ASEAN members and 50% to 30% for other countries. The import taxes of CKD (Completely Knock Down) are 10%. In 28th October 2009, Mustafa Mohamed announced many new policies for auto industry which will give much more preferences and subsidies for the new energy automobile companies (ibid). 5. 2 Income profile It is known that the success of Geely relies mostly on keeping low cost and offering the affordable cars. For instance, Geelys best-selling four-door sedan, the King Kong, has been sold 6127 in April 2010 and the retail price is between 47,800RMB 58,800RMB (Jiang, 2010). Geely sold 329,014 passenger cars in 2009, making it is the third largest domestic car producer (Zheng, 2010). However, Geelys winning formula is under pressure in china because Chinese consumers are becoming wealthier; the higher-end models will gradually be affordable for them. Meanwhile, brands such as the Chery QQ, Ford Fiesta, and Honda Civic are threatening Geely‘s current market position. Geeky‘s winning formula is also challenged at the oversea markets like UK and Malaysia. Date from HMRC (HM Revenue Customs) indicates that nearly 50% of the population in UK earns ? 16400 annually which is much higher than the middle class income of Malaysia. This group of population could be a dominant power in the automobile market in UK. It is not a wise choice to sell its inexpensive cars in UK considering that low price would not be 17 International Business Environment II attractive for these relatively rich citizens. The similar situation also happened in Malaysia which made Geely‘s low price cars less competitive. This is because that the predicted real GDP growth in 2010, 2011 and 2015 are 4. 7%, 5. 0% and 5. 0%, Malaysian people are becoming richer than before(IMF, 2010). Their increasing incomes will directly affect their car buying choice. People nowadays prefer the higher-end models and the market share of Geely‘s lower-end models are estimated to reduce gradually. 6. Geely’s reacts to the impact of the ECLIPTER First, since the middle of 2009, the sales of car exports decreased from 37940 in 2008 to 6297. Furthermore, although Geely exports to more than 50 countries, most of them are developing countries which are not so effective in the promotion of the brand image. In order to get rid of low-end image, Geely changed its strategy from ?produce automobile which most of people can buy‘ to ? do not produce cars which price is below 40000 Yuan‘ (Fang, 2009). Besides, Geely take over Volvo which also expressed its desire to promote the brand image. Geely‘s strategy changes starts in May 2007, which is focus on transforming its competitive advantage from price to technology. In 2007, Geely used three new motorcycle type—Yuan Jing, King Kong and Zi You Jian, which have relatively higher value added to substitute the Haoqing, Meiri and You Liou. For doing that, Geely scraped its old molds, jigs and production line which worth up to 8 billion Yuan. In 2008, the sales of these three new auto types grew 12% without discount marketing strategy (Geely annual report, 2009). Furthermore, in 2010, Geely will market 21 new auto types, and some of them were designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro, the Italy‘s famous auto manufacturer. Moreover, the new energy auto will also be produced in 2010, which will include Panda and DiHao (Wenqing, 2010). These new energy auto types have been showed in the Beijing car exhibition 2010 (Phoenix auto, 2010). In order to deal with these two factors, Geely also has a complementary strategy: cooperate or takeover other well-known international auto manufacturers. It will not only help Geely to promote its auto manufacture technology, but also improve its brand image. Geely has already cooperated with 18 International Business Environment II Britain‘s Manganese Bronze to produce luxurious brand-named taxi (China car Times, 2010) and assembled cars with Information Gateway Corp Sdn Bhd (IGC) in Malaysia, 2006 (Tan, 2006). 7. Leverage the multilateral institutions 7. 1 ASEAN One of the stunning news in 2005 was the political barriers Geely met in Malaysia, which was considered as the biggest challenge for its overseas expansion so far. Geely‘s President Li Shufu described Malaysia as ? an unexpected trap? because of Malaysia government‘s rejection on fulfilling the contract. After examining the ECLIPTER factors of Malaysia market, Li Shufu and his team regarded Malaysia as the first pillbox and cornerstone of its expansion to ASEAN countries. He believed the learning in Malaysia could be helpful. Therefore, in May 2005, Geely has made a joint contract with Malaysia IGC group for building CKD factory in Malaysia. However, Malaysia government denied the contract after a new document on automobile being published. According to the document, all cars made by foreign automobile manufacturers were prohibited to sell in Malaysia. Then the situation in Malaysia went against its expection of getting a huge sale. However, according to Geely officials, to some extent, ASEAN agreements have made Geely to reconsider the importance of Malaysia (Harwit). In South East Asia nations, there are some strict tariff-related regulations for automobile industry. Contrarily, tariff among ASEAN countries is in a minimum rate. According to an inner-ASEAN agreement, from 2003 to 2009, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore and Vietnam exempted auto import tariff for each other. From 2010, all ASEAN countries will implement zero auto import tariff for each other. At the same time, Indonesia, Thailand and some other ASEAN nations‘ demand of cars is increasing considerably (JAMA, 2008). Especially after an impressive increase in 2007, the car-sale in Indonesia becomes significantly dazzle. Therefore Geely 19 International Business Environment II planed to only manufacture cars in Malaysia and then export cars to other ASEAN countries, which seems like a forward-looking plan in a long-term development. Finally, Geely decided to move its Malaysia CKD manufacture center to Indonesia. However, its vision of leveraging ASEAN to pursue a sale performance in all ASEAN nations has not changed. 7. 2 EU In terms of EU regulations, since Geely has acquired 100% ownership of Volvo, the Sweden‘s company, Geely is no longer an outsider of European market. According to the EU Single market concept (European Commission, 2010), a free circulation of capital, labor, goods and services between EU members is granted. Geely now have got over tariff barriers and competes as an insider. 8. Implications and Recommendations One of the strategies of Geely is to promote new energy automobile, there are two advantages for this strategy: Firstly, Geely can get powerful support from government since the development of new energy is encouraged by the government. Secondly, since new energy automobile is environmental friendly goods, it not only reduces the carbon emissions, but also decreases the expenses on routine maintenance (Bond newspaper, 2010). However, there are also drawbacks, such as the inadequate facilities. Acquiring other world famous bands is the other strategy of Geely, which facilitates the company‘s global expansion. For instance, Volvo is well-known by its safety, which could provide Geely with a competitive advantage on its brand trust. It also provides a valuable, more upscale user image. Therefore, through merger or acquisition of international well-known brands, Geely can get greater international fame and advanced technology, integrate into the world market and attract more consumers. However, certain risks should be considered when Geely acquires Volvo. The first risk is that the culture conflicts between two countries. It has been reported that one of the hindering factors is that the union of Volvo in Sweden disagrees the acquisition for their reduced 20 International Business Environment II welfare and unemployment (Gasgoo, 2009). The second risk is that the value of acquired equity. It has been said that Volvo‘s vaunted reputation for safety has been challenged by other manufacturers which can also provide automobiles with same safety standard. In this case Volvo‘s ? safe? advantage may not be as competitive as before. 9. Conclusion To sum up, this essay has analyzed the ECLIPTER factors of Geely‘s two overseas markets, Britain and Malaysia, and examined influence of the related multilateral institutions. According to this matrix analysis, legal system and income profile have the most important impact on the auto industry. For multilateral institutions, ASEAN and WTO generally promote the Geely‘s international expansion strategy, while EU regulations are less favored in its expansion. Considering both ECLIPTER factors and related multilateral institutions, it is suitable for Geely to enter developing nations to acquire market share at its initial development. But for long-term development, Geely need to pay attention to research and develop higher-end models. With the development of Geely Company and the overall auto industry, Geely‘s focus will shift from developing countries to developed countries. Currently, Geely‘s low price strategy is challenged by the legal system and income profile of developed countries. Therefore, Geely is increasing its efforts in releasing new model cars and tapping into developed countries through merger or acquisition. Geely intends to promote its brand image and enlarge its market share through these strategic moves, although it has to face the risk of culture conflicts and the uncertainty of acquisition value. 21 International Business Environment II 10. References: Azia, A. Z. (2004) Malaysia-Encouraging Saving in a Dynamic Economy [Online]. Available at: h.

American Flag :: essays research papers

The United States Flag is the third oldest of the National Standards of the world; older than the Union Jack of Britain or the Tricolor of France. The flag was first authorized by Congress June 14, 1777. This date is now observed as Flag Day throughout America. The flag was first flown from Fort Stanwix, on the site of the present city of Rome, New York, on August 3, 1777. It was first under fire for three days later in the Battle of Oriskany, August 6, 1777. It was first decreed that there should be a star and a stripe for each state, making thirteen of both; for the states at the time had just been erected from the original thirteen colonies. The colors of the Flag may be thus explained: The red is for valor, zeal and fervency; the white for hope purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct; the blue, the color of heaven, for reverence to God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth. The star (an ancient symbol of India, Persia and Egypt) symbolized dominion and sovereignty, as well as lofty aspirations. The constellation of the stars within the union, one star for each state, is emblematic of our Federal Constitution, which reserves to the States their individual sovereignty except as to rights delegated by them to the Federal Government. The symbolism of the Flag was thus interpreted by Washington: â€Å"We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.† In 1791, Vermont, and in 1792, Kentucky were admitted to the Union and the number of stars and stripes was raised to fifteen in correspondence. As other states came into the Union it became evident there would be too many stripes. So in 1818 Congress enacted that the number of stripes be reduced and restricted henceforth to thirteen representing the thirteen original states; while a star should be added for each succeeding state. That law is the law of today. The name â€Å"Old Glory† was given to our National Flag August 10, 1831, by Captain William Driver of the brig Charles Doggett. The Flag was first carried in battle at the Brandywine, September 11, 1777. It first flew over foreign territory January 28, 1778, at Nassau, Bahama Islands; Fort Nassau having been captured by the American in the course of the war for independence.

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Throughout life I think everyone has a certain calling. God creates special gifts in people to be used to help others. Some people know right away what their calling is. I am sorry to say that it has taken me a few more years to figure out my love for teaching. I was a dance instructor for over fourteen years. During that time I attended College of West Virginia earning an Associates Degree in Business Administration. What was I going to do with that? I really did not like business, but my thinking was it would help in running my own dance studio one day. My real love was the involvement, interaction, and teaching of all my dancers. It was so rewarding to see the children learn the different movements I was teaching that day. The scaffolding method used in constructivism is very similar to how I taught dancing. Each week we would review the dance steps from previous weeks and then add on new dance steps. The children were learning dances that I had choreographed. Being a happy wife and a proud mother of a beautiful boy, I wanted to contribute more to the family financially. Although teaching dance is what I loved, it was not a job that paid well. How could I still do what I love, teaching, and bring in a little more money? That is when my husband encouraged me to go back to Concord College and get my Bachelor of Science Degree in Teaching Physical Education and Health Education. Physical Education and Health Education are two fields I feel very passionate about. Always being active throughout my life, I did not realize how sedentary and unfit our nation is. West Virginia ranks one of the highest states in the nation when it comes to being unfit and obese. I think education could place a more positive influence on this growing epidemic. The purpose of education is to help students gain knowledge to be used in their career, social, and personal lives. Education is important in teaching students the past and helping them make knowledgeable decisions for the future. As a teacher, I hope to be able to touch student’s lives in a way that when it comes to making a choice, they think of what I have taught them, and make a positive decision.

Effective Financial Policy and Procedures

Effective Financial Policies And Procedures Effective Financial Policies and Procedures Medical practices establish financial policies and procedures to control patient billing and the ability to collect money for services they provide. Successful billing practices start with thorough financial policies and procedures which explain patients’ payment responsibilities in terms that are easily understood. An effective medical office financial policy is one that both staff members and practice patients can easily follow and understand. Patients need to understand their obligations and staff members need to know what is expected of the patients. All possible situations should be addressed by a good financial policy. This includes financial arrangements and payment plans, payments for services not covered by the insurance company, and a variety of other circumstances. The basic elements of an effective policy should inform patients how particular situations will be handled. Collection of a patient’s copayment, deductibles and any past-due balances should be addressed; as should payment for services that are not covered by a patient’s insurance company. An effective policy should address how a practice handles prepayment for services they will provide and also any possibility for payment arrangements of unpaid balances on a patient’s account. If a practice offers charity care or discounts to patients with low incomes/financial need it should be stated in the financial policy. Finally, a practice’s financial policy should state their accepted forms of payment such as cash, checks, money orders, and credit or debit cards. Clear medical office procedures that are consistently followed by staff members help support the office’s financial policy. When administrative staff members collect appropriate copayments and other fees as stated in the financial policy, they are helping to support the policy. When staff members become lax in their collection duties and neglect to follow established office†¦

Prone to Clone essays

Prone to Clone essays The practice of human cloning is beneficial to society; therefore it must be legally endorsed. Since the cloning of Dolly, the sheep, the first mammal produced from an adult cell in 1997, the concept of attempting human cloning has become the subject of many debates. Parties in opposition to human cloning are simply frightened by the idea because it is a new and misunderstood science. A substantial benefit of human cloning is that with new technological knowledge, scientists are discovering means to generate entire separate organs and other tissues such as nerve and heart muscle cells without the creation of an entire person. At present, there is a great shortage of organs on hand for transplants, and persistent study in cloning of this nature may well eliminate this dilemma. According to an article in Scientific American: Once we are able to drive nerve cells from cloned embryos, we hope not only to heal damaged spinal cords but to treat brain disorders such as Parkinsons disease, in which the death of brain cells that make a substance called dopamine leads to uncontrollable tremors and paralysis. Alzheimers disease, stroke and epilepsy might also yield to such an approach. (Cibelli 3) An additional benefit of human cloning is that it can present couples that cannot reproduce with an opportunity to have children who are biologically related to them, whereas they otherwise could not. Current treatments for infertility are not very successful. Couples experience physically and emotionally painful procedures for a small chance of having children. Many couples are exhausted of their money and time without successfully having children. Reproduction through cloning is similar enough to other common reproductive techniques, such as in-vitro fertilization, that is should not be dealt with differently, and it must be presented as an option. Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio say...

Who Is the Admission Committee What Do They Look For

Who Is the Admission Committee What Do They Look For SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The admissions committee that decides whether or not you get into your dream school can often seem shrouded in mystery. Who, exactly, are these people? A group of soulless office workers who delight in stamping â€Å"Rejected† across applications? A team of well-trained robots who data-mine your application and input it into an algorithm? While it may seem like the admissions committee process is secretive, that’s actually not the case. Admissions committees are made up of real, live humans whose sole job is to put together the best incoming class possible for their college or university. Let’s learn a little more about college admissions committees. What Is an Admission Committee? A college admissions committee is a group of people who work together to make decisions about who is accepted as part of the next matriculating class. Admissions committees are made up of admissions staffers - university employees whose job it is to assess each applicant and decide whether or not he or she is a good fit for acceptance. Most highly selective schools are fairly secretive or nebulous about their admissions process, but many public schools have guaranteed admission for students who meet certain criteria, as well as offer specific information about expected scores and GPAs for applicants. The vast majority have multiple people read your application to decide whether or not you’ll be accepted. Who Reads My Admission Application? Your college application will likely be read by at least two groups of people - regional staffers and the wider admissions committee, which may be made up of deans, faculty members, and even current students. Regional staffers are college admissions employees who focus on your specific geographical region. They are typically the people who travel to college fairs in your region and may conduct interviews. You might have met them before, if you attended a college fair at your school or in your area. The rest of the admissions committee can be structured differently, depending on the college or university. Often, there are deans or other high-ranking members of the admissions office who participate in the second read-through of your application. If you’re applying to a specific school or program, faculty members who know their coursework may be part of the decision, as they have a good sense of who can handle their classes. Some schools include students on the admissions committee, who speak to whether or not applicants would be a good addition to the larger school community and student body. Over the past few months, the lawsuit against Harvard’s discrimination towards Asian students offered insight into the previously highly secretive process. The admissions committee at Harvard assesses the grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, intended majors, ethnicities, and regional background of every student. From this information, we can assume that other highly competitive and secretive schools use similar criteria. While you obviously can’t control your ethnicity or where you live, you can control the rest of your application, so it’s important to put as much effort in your grades, essays, and extracurriculars as possible. What Is a Typical Admissions Committee Process? Very few schools divulge what happens during their admissions process or give specific, data-driven criteria. That being said, schools like Harvard have released the questions that admissions committee members ask themselves as they’re reviewing your application. Here’s a sample of some of the questions Harvard admission committee members consider: Have you been stretching yourself academically and personally? How have you used your time? Do you have initiative? Are you a self-starter? Do you care deeply about anything - intellectual? Extracurricular? Personal? How open are you to new ideas and people? Will you contribute something to Harvard and to your classmates? Will you benefit from your Harvard experience? While the specific questions may vary from school to school, the basic gist is the same. Schools want to know whether or not you’ve been challenging yourself and how you’ll contribute to their campus and classrooms. Most college admissions committees have at least a two-step process for applicants. First, applications are read by regional staffers. These admissions committee members look over your application for basic qualifications like grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to make sure you match up to the standards of the typical matriculating student. If those qualifications match up, your application will be brought to the wider admission committee, made up of senior admissions faculty, deans, professors, and maybe even students. Together, that committee discusses your application and makes a decision on whether or not to admit you. Recap: Understanding the Admission Committee A college admissions committee is a group of people who read your application and decide whether or not you’ll be a good fit to attend their school. Considering that most colleges and universities have at least two read through of each student they consider a good fit, you want to make sure that your qualifications are obvious enough to pass through the first read and move on to the second. That means that your grades and test scores should be close to the middle range of scores for accepted applicants at your school so that you’ll be considered. You also want to make sure that the qualitative parts of your application are up to snuff as well. Consider what the admissions committee will be asking themselves about you. What does your academic, extracurricular, and personal record demonstrate? What story have you told about who you are and how you might contribute to the college or university of your dreams? What’s Next? Looking for application tips for some of the most selective schools? Read our complete guides to the University of California system and to the Georgetown application. Should you apply early or regular decision to college? Find out the pros and cons of early decision in this article. Not sure what to major in? Get expert advice in our guide to choosing a college major, and learn the five main factors to consider before you declare a major. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Chelicerates (Chelicerata)

Chelicerates (Chelicerata) Chelicerates (Chelicerata) are a group of arthropods that includes harvestmen, scorpions, mites, spiders, horseshoe crabs, sea spiders, and ticks. There are about 77,000 living species of chelicerates. Chelicerates have two body segments (tagmenta) and six pairs of appendages. Four pairs of appendages are used for walking and two (the chelicerae and the pedipalps) are used as mouthparts. Chelicerates have no mandibles and no antennae. Chelicerates are an ancient group of arthropods that first evolved about 500 million years ago. Early members of the group included the giant water scorpions which were the largest of all arthropods, measuring up to 3 meters in length. The closest living cousins to giant water scorpions are the horseshoe crabs. Early chelicerates were predatory arthropods, but modern chelicerates have diversified to take advantage of a variety of feeding strategies. Members of this group are herbivores, detritivores, predators, parasites, and scavengers. Most chelicerates suck liquid food from their prey. Many chelicerates (such as scorpions and spiders) are unable to eat solid food due to their narrow gut. Instead, they must expel digestive enzymes onto their prey. The prey liquifies and they can then ingest the food. The exoskeleton of a chelicerate is a hard external structure made of chitin that protects the arthropod, prevents desiccation, and provides structural support. Since the exoskeleton is rigid, it cannot grow with the animal and must be molted periodically to allow for increases in size. After molting, a new exoskeleton is secreted by the epidermis. Muscles connect to the exoskeleton and enable the animal to control the movement of its joints. Key Characteristics six pairs of appendages and two body segmentschelicerae and pedipalpsno mandibles and no antennae Classification Chelicerates are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Invertebrates Arthropods Chelicerates Chelicerates are divided into the following taxonomic groups: Horseshoe crabs (Merostomata) - There are five species of horseshoe crabs alive today. Members of this group live in shallow marine waters along the Atlantic coast of North America. Horseshoe crabs are an ancient group of chelicerates that date back to the Cambrian. Horseshoe crabs have a distinct and unsegmented carapace (hard dorsal shell) and a long telson (a spine-like tailpiece).Sea spiders (Pycnogonida) - There are about 1300 species of sea spiders alive today. Members of this group have four pairs of very thin walking legs, a small abdomen, and elongated cephalothorax. Sea spiders are marine arthropods that feed on nutrients of other soft-bodied marine invertebrates. Sea spiders have a proboscis that enables them to obtain food from prey.Arachnids (Arachnida) - There are more than 80,000 species of arachnids alive today (scientists estimate that there might be more than 100,00 living species). Members of this group include spiders, scorpions, whip scorpions, ticks, mites, pseu doscorpions, and harvestmen. Most arachnids feed on insects and other small invertebrates. Arachnids kill their prey using their chelicerae and pedipalps. Sources Hickman C, Roberts L, Keen S. Animal Diversity. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill; 2012. 479 p. Ruppert E, Fox R, Barnes R. Invertebrate  Zoology: A Functional Evolutionary Approach. 7th ed. Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole; 2004. 963 p.

Should the new republic called Azawadi be recognized as an independent Essay

Should the new republic called Azawadi be recognized as an independent state - Essay Example As their rebellion failed, the fighters left for Libya and joined Libyan Army. However, as the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was defeated in 2011, many of these fighters came back to the Azawadi region of Mali1. On coming back, many of these groups joined together and declared that they would be fighting for the liberation of all peoples of Azawad, including Songhal, Arab, Fula, and Taureg2. These various fractions joined together to form the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). According to its official website, MNLA consists of ‘old rebels from MFUA of 1990s, the members of 2006 MTNM, fighters who returned from Libya, volunteers from various ethic groups in northern Mali and various soldiers and officers who have let Mali Army (MNLA Website). MNLA started its armed agitation in January 2012. Soon, there were various attacks on various places including Anderamberkane, Menaka, Tessalit, Niafunke, and Aguelhoc. Soon, by March, bigger cities like Kidal, Gao, Tinzawaten , and Timbuktu were under the control of MNLA ((ibid). After capturing Timbuktu, almost the whole northern region of Mali was under the control of MNLA. ... More interestingly, the parties have failed to continue with the pact as MNLA has withdrawn from the same. as a result, presently, MNLA and Ansar Dine are in conflicts, and this resulted in the Battle of Gao on 27th June. Through this move, the Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) drove MNLA out of Gao city. Soon, Ansar Dine declared that it is in total control of all the cities in Azawad. The reasons behind the rebellion In fact, the Tuaregs are semi-nomadic people in the Saharan and Sahelian areas of Southern Algeria, Western Libya, northern Mali, northern Niger, and northeast Burkina Faso3. According to present day census, their number is around 1.5 million. They possess a combination of Islam and tribal practices. Thus, they do not belong to pure Islamism that is monotheistic in nature. As colonisation came, the nomads lost their freedom movement from place to place as territories were strictly guarded. Also, these people became further isolate d from centres of power. Though they had constant conflict over issues of autonomy, there were repeatedly defeated by the military might of colonial powers. When Mali gained independence, Tuaregs were in more trouble as they allegedly faced discrimination from the part of the southern ethnic groups which governed Mali. Secondly, they feared that their culture would be diluted as modernisation comes. Thus, they continued their agitation on and off. As the Mali president Moussa Traore realised that a military solution would be too dearer to bear, he held discussions with the Tuareg and reached the Accords of Tamanrasset. According to the Accord, a cease-fire was to be established, prisoners

Importance of Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Importance of Communication - Research Paper Example With respect to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), the company provides great example for understanding that how the market scenario had provided decision makers to understand the problems and opportunities and turn them to innovation. Innovation may rake the shape of a unique product, different methods or new approach of performing business. It arrives from inside of a company. Successful innovations take place by different outlooks and concepts. HLL had put great deal of efforts to develop innovative approaches and increase sales in the rural poor market of India. Generally, the products of multinational companies are targeted for developed market and the price is often beyond the purchasing power of rural citizens. Thus, multinational companies always market their products for the top level customers in poorer nations. HLL seeks to take the opportunity of making products available for poor consumers. They seek to reach to the poor customers by research and development approach. HLL ob served that to sell their products in the rural market of India there is need to shift from traditional media. In India, there were differences in using the television media among poor people and thus there was need for more direct and individual approach to communicate their message to the poor consumers. The main problem HLL faced for selling the products was illiteracy among poor Indian people. The decision makers had recognized that customers need to be educated first to understand the benefits they can get by using HLL products (Achtmeyer, â€Å"Hindustan Lever†). There was a great opportunity in front of HLL as the food market was strong in India. Food accounts for almost half of all commercial consumptions in India. India’s market was characterized by overwhelming national and social diversity. The HLL market researchers had studied the market of India and learned that majority of food purchased by poor people are raw in nature. The food products where made as w ell as sold locally. Each food products such as wheat, rice and salt among others have separate supply chain. As salt was the key input of majority of HLL products, the decision makers had selected salt as prospect for market growth (Achtmeyer, â€Å"Hindustan Lever†). HLL entered in the salt market of India by their new product ‘Kissan Annapuna’ in the year 1995. At that time, 10% of total consumer salt was sold branded. The decision makers had recognized the need for improving the customers’ knowledge. Besides the rural market, the consumers of urban market also purchased unbranded salt. In order to expand their business, HLL concentrated on the urban market to demonstrate the practicality of their branded salt. The demand and production of salt was well in India, thus HLL focused on upgrading the quality of their salt and purity in their products. The major issue for HLL was the price of product as their main competitor was local salt which was inexpens ive. The cost of HLL salt was high because it included the shipping expenses, packaging expenses and refinery expenses that were absent in local products.

To What Extent Was the Advent of Renaissance Architecture in Britain a Essay

To What Extent Was the Advent of Renaissance Architecture in Britain a Result of the Stuart Court and Monarchy - Essay Example The renaissance took place at different times in different parts of the world. Whenever Renaissance is mentioned, it must be remembered that it has to do with the conscious revival of certain aspects of the cultures of ancient Greek and ancient Roman societies. In terms of timeframe and order of occurrence, renaissance architecture came after Gothic literature. Some of the distinguishing features of renaissance architecture (like classical architecture) include precision of measurement and proportion and symmetry. All these features also took place during the British Renaissance. Renaissance got to Britain during the reign of Elizabeth I. Its advent in Britain can be said to have been influenced by Stuart courts and Monarchy. One must not however fail to realize that although renaissance Britain was the rebirth of classical culture, the purposes of the architecture peculiar to both of them are for different reasons. One of the most memorable attributes of the Stuart monarchy is that they brought to Britain, during their reign, influences from all over Europe and even influences from outside Europe. The implication of this is that, when one wants to consider their influence on British Architecture, it means indirectly that one is to consider the influence of other cultures on British Architecture. When the Stuarts were ruling Britain, the country became a floodgate for the architectural designs that were started in other parts of the world. In actuality, renaissance was not to the British. The rebirth that took place in Britain was only the direct consequence of the events that had taken place and happened earlier in Italy and France. In the first place, if there was never the Greek or Roman civilization, there would never have been anything like Renaissance in any part of the world, let alone in Britain. 1 The essence of all that has been aforementioned is that if the Stuarts rulers had not been so friendly to the arts or if they had not welcomed the architectu ral designs from other parts of the world, the notion of renaissance Britain may not have been possible in the first instance. 3 Some of the influences that the Stuarts took on include those from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. Then, the influence of other climes was so much that in a single building the building designs of more than one country can be combined. For example, the design of the French and the Italians may be combined in the British Renaissance Architecture design style and this is due to the fact that the Stuarts actually combined the designs of the French and the Italians in moulding the British Renaissance Architecture into what it became. The influence of the Stuart monarchy may be said to be most eminent during the Elizabethan period which marked the beginning of Renaissance in Britain. The round arch which was one of the ensigns of the architecture that emerged during the reign of the Stuart monarchy also resurfaced during the Elizabethan period.1 Yet it does not negate the fact that the Elizabethan period itself had features that were self-generated. One of the features of the architecture of the Elizabethans that shows that not all the architectural structures of the period were a direct influence of the Stuart monarchy is the fact that most windows and doors during the period were round-headed. On the other hand, as it was during

Eco-friendly textile production Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eco-friendly textile production - Research Paper Example The materials used in the making are very organic ranging from the fabric and dye to the buttons. The jeans are also called organic because the cotton used to make them is grown used organic means and is mainly grown in areas without access to these chemical fertilizers (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 4). Areas include West Africa where cotton is grown naturally with the conventional means of crop rotation. The creation was motivated by the choices made by consumers in regard to environmental impact. As a result, the line was launched despite facing challenges. Organic cotton is more expensive when compared to industrial cotton and, therefore, the company cannot make more of the jeans. Due to these factors, the textiles have a much higher price tag as compared to conventionally made ones. In addition, the Levi’s jeans manufacturers have taken into account the plight of farmers who participate in the production of cotton. By doing this, the farmers from solely depend on cotton farming for a living have an opportunity to improve their ways of living (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 5). This is through having the company buy their products from them at the appropriate price for the trouble they have gone trough and for the quality they provide. This overcomes unfair trade practices that certain countries impose, which, in turn, compromise on the quality of life for these farmers. Levi’s jeans company has created a way to instruct the consumer on how to take care of their products. This is by using recycled paper to print instruction using soy ink (Dunn, 2006, para. 1). In addition, the instructions are not just on how to clean but to clean them with lesser environmental impact and a message on recycling. Moreover, the recycling message encourages consumers to donate their worn out jeans to Goodwill than throw them out (Levi Strausse & Co., n.d., para.1). To be more eco friendly, the company is removing the need for tags attached to

Understanding - Active Listening or Maslows Hierarchy of Need Assignment

Understanding - Active Listening or Maslows Hierarchy of Need - Assignment Example Here people want to be treated with loved, affection and feel parts of groups. The next level of needs is the self-esteem and the esteem from others. When all these have been satisfies, a person would now look for self actualization, where he will be seen trying to achieve individual potential like power in the society. Maslow then sys that if we are motivated by the fact that we want to self-actualize, the every other need will just work out. As managers, we need to concentrate on the client centered skill like active listening. This is the skill that will enable a manger to listen carefully to the customer’s needs and react according to the client’s likes or dislikes. In this kind of feeling, a person is guided by the feelings displayed by the client about the kind of service being offered. It therefore requires one to actively react to such feelings in order to meet the client’s

Eco-friendly textile production Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eco-friendly textile production - Research Paper Example The materials used in the making are very organic ranging from the fabric and dye to the buttons. The jeans are also called organic because the cotton used to make them is grown used organic means and is mainly grown in areas without access to these chemical fertilizers (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 4). Areas include West Africa where cotton is grown naturally with the conventional means of crop rotation. The creation was motivated by the choices made by consumers in regard to environmental impact. As a result, the line was launched despite facing challenges. Organic cotton is more expensive when compared to industrial cotton and, therefore, the company cannot make more of the jeans. Due to these factors, the textiles have a much higher price tag as compared to conventionally made ones. In addition, the Levi’s jeans manufacturers have taken into account the plight of farmers who participate in the production of cotton. By doing this, the farmers from solely depend on cotton farming for a living have an opportunity to improve their ways of living (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 5). This is through having the company buy their products from them at the appropriate price for the trouble they have gone trough and for the quality they provide. This overcomes unfair trade practices that certain countries impose, which, in turn, compromise on the quality of life for these farmers. Levi’s jeans company has created a way to instruct the consumer on how to take care of their products. This is by using recycled paper to print instruction using soy ink (Dunn, 2006, para. 1). In addition, the instructions are not just on how to clean but to clean them with lesser environmental impact and a message on recycling. Moreover, the recycling message encourages consumers to donate their worn out jeans to Goodwill than throw them out (Levi Strausse & Co., n.d., para.1). To be more eco friendly, the company is removing the need for tags attached to

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Business Law - Essay Example It was thus making an offer of its product to firm of Taite, Lewis and Co, at a particular price each model specification is also spelt out in the brochure. Sagay, I.E., (1993) defined an offer in his book, Nigerian of contract as â€Å"†¦ a definite undertaking or promise made by one part with the intention that it shall become binding on the party making it as soon as it is accepted by the party to whom it is addressed†. Whizz PC Ltd becomes the offeror and Taite, Lewis and Co becomes the offeree. A contract comes into existence only between the offeror and the person or persons responding to the offer and accepting it. This principle was declared in the famous case of Carbolic Smoke Ball Co v. Carllil1 by brown, L.J., is now expressed by stating that an offer can be made not only to an individual or group of persons, but also to the whole world. In the case2, defendant had argued that no contract could arise from their advertisement because you cannot make a contract with the whole world. This argument the court demolished by stating as follows: For an offer capable of becoming binding on acceptance, it must be definitely clear and final. If it is merely a preliminary move in negotiation which may lead to a contract, it not an offer but an invitation to treat. This was the case when Whizz PC Ltd sent its brochure to the Taite, Lewis and Co firm. The offeror must not â€Å"merely have been feeling his way towards an agreement not merely initiating negotiations from which an agreement might or might not in time result†3. On 27 of January, the partners of Taite, Lewis and Co wrote to whizz PC ltd placing an order for 20 of the whiz 4000 PCs stipulating that the price of 500 Pounds must include installation and a 24 months onsite repair/troubleshooting service. The firm of Taite, Lewis and Co, stated that it will pay for the supply if machines 60 days after the date of the delivery. In the invitation of treat sent by

Goals of Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Goals of Financial Management Essay Money required for carrying out business activities is called business finance. Almost all business activities require some finance. Finance is needed : †¢To establish a business , †¢To run it †¢To modernize it †¢To expand it or diversify †¢It is required to buy whole variety of assets, they may be tangible like machinery ,factories,building,offices or intangible like patents, technical expertise etc. Success of business depends considerably on how well the funds are deployed in assets Financial management is concerned with optimum procurement as well as usage of finance. The financial management has to take three important decision viz. (i) Investment decision i. e. , where to invest fund and in what amount, (ii) Financing decision i. e. , from where to raise funds and in what amount, and (iii) Dividend i. e. , how much to pay dividend and how much to retain for future expansion. In order to make these decisions the management must have a clear understanding of the objective sought to be achieved. It is generally agreed that the financial objective of the firm should be maximization of owners economic welfare. There are two widely discussed approaches or criterion of maximizing owners welfare – (i) Profit maximization, and (ii) Wealth maximization. Profit maximization would probably be the most commonly cited business goal, but this is not a very precise objective. Do we mean profits this year? If so, then actions such as deferring maintenance, letting inventories run down, and other short-run, cost-cutting measures will tend to increase profits now, but these activities arent necessarily desirable. The goal of maximizing profits may refer to some sort of â€Å"long-run† or â€Å"average† profits, but its unclear exactly what this means. First, do we mean something like accounting net income or earnings per share? As we will see, these numbers may have little to do with what is good or bad for the firm. Second, what do we mean by the long run? As a famous economist once remarked, in the long run, were all dead! More to the point, this goal doesnt tell us the appropriate trade-off between current and future profits. Profit Maximization: Maximization of profits is very often considered as the main objective of a business enterprise. The shareholders, the owners of the business, invest their funds in the business with the hope of getting higher dividend on their investment. Moreover, the profitability of the business is an indicator of the sound health of the organization, because, it safeguards the economic interests of various social groups which are directly or indirectly connected with the company e. g. shareholders, creditors and employees. All these parties must get reasonable return for their contributions and it is possible only when company earns higher profits or sufficient profits to discharge the obligations to them. As long as we are dealing with for-profit businesses, only a slight modification is needed. The total value of the stock in a corporation is simply equal to the value of the owners equity. Therefore, a more general way of stating our goal . Finally, our goal does not imply that the financial manager should take illegal or unethical actions in the hope of increasing the value of the equity in the firm. What we mean is that the financial manager best serves the owners of the business by identifying goods and services that add value to the firm because they are desired and valued in the free marketplace If we assume that stockholders buy stock because they seek to gain financially, then the answer is obvious: Good decisions increase the value of the stock, and poor decisions decrease the value of the stock. The goal of maximizing the value of the stock avoids the problems associated with the different goals we listed earlier. There is no ambiguity in the criterion, and there is no short-run versus long-run issue. We explicitly mean that our goal is to maximize the current stock value. Because the goal of financial management is to maximize the value of the stock, we need to learn how to identify those investments and financing arrangements that favorably impact the value of the stock. This is precisely what we will be studying. In fact, we could have defined corporate finance as the study of the relationship between business decisions and the value of the stock in the business. Wealth Maximization: The term wealth means shareholder’s wealth or the wealth of persons who are involved in business concern. this is also known as value maximization or net worth maximization The wealth maximization (also known as value maximization or Net Present Worth Maximization) is also universally accepted criterion for financial decision making. The value of an asset should be viewed in terms of benefits it can produce over the cost of capital investment. †¢Wealth maximization is based on the concept of cash flow . cash flow are a reality and not based on subjective. †¢It considers time value of money.

Swot And Pestle Analysis Of Tesco

Swot And Pestle Analysis Of Tesco Executive Summary: This report outlines the Introduction of Oyster Cards and Mobile Phones Top Ups Counters at all TESCO Retail outlets in UK. The SWOT and PESTAL analysis reflects that TESCO has currently the strengths and resources to successfully offer this service to enhance the customer services to the clienteles. This report also envisages the process and implementation of change and its impact on the current structure while moving towards the service enhancement with the facilitation of marketing and change management tools, theories and framework. More emphasis would be on implementation of strategies for successful adaptation of newly introduced service. Introduction: Tesco is a well known Britains leading food retail group with an existence elsewhere in Europe, Asia and the United States. Tesco runs more than 2,300 supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores in the UK (where it is the market leader in food retail), Ireland, Central Europe, and Asia. Its operations include convenience and gasoline retailing (Tesco Express), small urban stores (Tesco Metro), hypermarkets (Tesco Extra), and financial services through Tesco Personal Finance. A global leader in online grocery sales, it owns a 35% stake in US grocery chain Safeways Grocery Works. It is the leading online grocery store and it is now expanding its business with a TV channel and a retail based education institution. The Tesco offers to its customers a wide range of food and non-food items under the single point of sale, non food items range includes clothing, furniture, Home electrical, personal care, computing, cameras and phones etc. Vision Values We talk about Every Little Helps a lot, but its not just a catchphrase or marketing slogan, it represents everything we stand for. For our people and our customers, its how we run our businesses from China to Chorley. (www.tesco.com) Literature Review My core books will be Essential Guide to Marketing Planning by Marian Burk Wood and Kevin Kellers Strategic Brand Management. Which has been the essential tool for helping me in devising the right approach for my dissertation? Furthermore, I will be using some of Change management books Making Sense of Change Management by Esther Cameron and Mike Green and John P Kotter s Leading Change Which can be useful in the analysis of change management process and tools for successful interventions. List of some of the resources that I will make use of it is as follows: HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATINAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ARTICLES OF EMRALD. WEBSITES CIPD, TIMES 100 AND PERSONNEL TODAY SWOT and PESTLE Analysis of Tesco A PEST analysis of the industry will examine the local, national and global influences of political, economic, social and technological factors to understand opportunities and threats well. INTERNAL STRENGTHS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diverse ranges of products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Open 24 hours a day à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong Cash Flow Position à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increase turnover and trading profits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong Balance Sheet à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leading Supermarket Chain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brand Awareness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Online Shopping à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Capabilities to turn resources into advantages OPPORTUNITIES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Develop brand awareness globally à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New Markets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Market shift to globalization à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Health awareness growth -GM crops à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovation Alliances à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low cost brand growth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diversification à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Non-food offers untapped new markets with higher margins EXTERNAL WEAKNESSES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Perception of low quality -(Tesco value brands) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of local knowledge of customers and culture à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Foreign brand THREATS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New existing competition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Volatility in Price of raw materials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Economic recession à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Market shift to globalization à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Takeover bids à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Far-East low cost brands à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Extremely high competition for customers and resources External Environment PESTLE Analysis All of those (political, economic, social, technical, legal and environmental) factors will to some extent apply to the retail industry in Sweden. POLITICAL Following the European Integration and Free Trade Agreements, the market has opened up for British Companies to invest in Eastern Europe. Tesco already has 60 Hypermarket store in Hungary. Lidl is uncompromisingly fighting to maintain its market share with an aggressive pricing strategy. ECONOMIC the Retail sector is fairly recession prawn and also very sensitive to changes in interest rates. Since the events of September 11th the world economies have suffered heavily, stocks plummeted and prices are at all time lows. The world economy is however, now on the up post September 11th. Consumers are optimistic and the retail industry is once again booming. SOCIAL changes in consumer taste and lifestyle represent both opportunities and threats for the industry. Opportunities in terms of new market and consumers, however, there are added threats in terms of alternative established Swedish national retailers (foreign company bias). TECHNICAL Changes in retailing methods as such clothes sales via the Internet is now a common place in retailing. Paperless operation, the management and administration of the company are undertaken on IT systems, which are accessed through secure servers; provide flexibility in the running of the business. As Sweden is at the forefront of technological advancement with national companies like Ericsson, Tesco would enjoy the comprehensive logistic and distribution channels already in place. LEGAL National legislation for health and safety both in terms of consumer rights and also in terms of production of own natural renewable resources for making clothes. ENVIRONMENTAL The renewable source of resources used in production, namely cotton and wool are environmentally friendly. The threats are in terms of legal consequences for livestocks in terms of health and safety. Critical Analysis: Todays world competition is very strong in every kind of businesses. Every organizations must provide excellent products or services in order to stay in competition, however their competitors also providing the same or comparable products or services. An important way to an organization to get an edge over its competitors is to identify the customer need and extra service to satisfy and delight their customers, which can retain them and also gain new customers and leads to ultimate profits. Therefore, the achievement of customer satisfaction must be a major objective in all organizations. To achieve customer satisfaction, an organization has to provide high quality products and also provide an excellent customer service. When the service and product that the company provided is good, they can obtain customer loyalty. The customers will go again and again. The above SWOT and PESTLE analysis shows that the TESCO is fully capable to introduce the Oyster card top ups counters at TESCO retail outlets to facilitate the customers and yield reasonable profit share from the market, where small retailers used to earn from the market. The cost of the entire project could be workout and oyster top up machine could be purchase in bulk at economic price from the suppliers. While introducing this new service certain structural changes would be under taken by the management and few strategies to adapt to successfully implementing the change process. This new service will engaged the attention of the huge existing customer base; nevertheless it will also attract the new customer who could be facilitated by this new service as an enormous people travels through rails, tubes and buses to their work places, schools, shopping malls, amusement centers from morning to evening. Until this report none of the competitor such as ASDA and Sainsbury has given this service to customer, so this service will give a competitive edge to TESCO on its leading competitors. Change Management: Everybody has a game plan until they get hit in the mouth. -Mike Tyson Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management Change management frameworks à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Lewin à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Bullock Battern à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢John P Kotter à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Beckhard Harris à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Nadler Tushman à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢McKinsey à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢William Bridges à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Senge à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Stacy Shaw Approach Uses Lewis Good for analyzing change at the start Bullock Batten Good for simple isolated changes Kotter Great approach for large or small changes, does imply a linear approach Beckhard Harris Simple change formula (C=[ABC]>X) for analyzing change at any point in the process Nadler Tushman Good checklist for what should be covered in change McKinsey Seven S Encourages problem focus looks at change from interdependent subsystems. William Bridges Good at tackling inevitable change Carnall Another good checklist Senge Different approach, start small and grow. Dont plan everything up front as you cannot control change. StaceyShaw A new framework promoting the fact that there are no easy solutions. Not very prescriptive. Aims and Objectives of Change: Change management is not an end in itself. Nor does the organization really care about how cutting edge the solution happens to be. The Objective is to see the resultant benefits actually being delivered: As fast as possible Completely Across all the end users With an enthusiastic adoption by stakeholders and end users Delivering the targeted benefits back to the client who invested all the time and money In this regard, change management has a real contribution to make. Change Process/ Methodology: Following the above change model Tesco strategic management will firstly develop the project team for the initiation of the oyster card project. A team/ project leader will be selected depending upon he required skills and experience. A team leader will create a clear vision about the installation of oyster top up machines at TESCO retails outlets in UK. After creating a comprehensive vision he project team will develop a concrete Project Plan and utilized all the available resources of TESCO including human resource. Will take assistance from the current IT team to link the oyster top up machines through networking and execute the necessary IT support to the newly developed project. Furthermore, work force would be hired and trained for the project and finally a test run would be executed for successful launch. After a launch, an appropriate monitoring will be done to review the short comes of the project and continuous feed back will be taken from the stake holders i-e employees an d customers. In this scenario a desired state will be achieved and result could be seen in terms of revenue. Implementation of Strategies in Change Management process: For the successful implementation of Oyster cards top up machines at TESCO retail outlets, two following strategies would be used for the analysis of the existing driving forces and restraining forces and an analysis of stakeholders to identify the readiness of stakeholders for the change. Lewin (1947, 1951) Force Field Analysis Force field analysis (Lewin, 1951) is a diagnostic technique which has been applied to ways of looking at the variables involved in determining whether organisational change will occur. It is based on the concept of forces, a term which refers to the perceptions of people in the organisation about a particular factor and its influence. Driving forces are those forces affecting a situation and which are attempting to push it in particular direction. These forces tend to initiate change or keep it going. Restraining forces are forces acting to restrain or decrease the driving forces. A state of equilibrium is reached when the sum of the driving forces equals the restraining forces. Lewin formulated three fundamental assertions about force fields and change. Increasing the driving forces results in an increase in the resisting forces; the current equilibrium does not change but is maintained under increased tension. Reducing resisting forces is preferable because it allows movement towards the desired state, without increasing tension. Group norms are an important force in resisting and shaping organisational change. As far as TESCO is concern, its driving force is leading position and rapport in retail industry and availability of huge finances along with structured frame work of outlets. In additions technology advancement and skilled work force is also considerable driving force in TESCO, however, established work patterns, complacency and lower profit margin would be resistance occurring factors. But driving forces at TESCO are stronger as compared to restraining forces. Stakeholder Analysis and WIFM In their book Organisational Transitions: Managing Complex Change (1987) Beckhard and Harris describe and illustrate two techniques for analysing relevant sources of energy. They analyse respectively the sources and potency of forces for change, and the readiness and capability of individuals and groups to enact change. First, the nature of the change demanded must be specified, using tools and techniques associated with environmental and organisational analysis. Then all the forces for change, both inside the organisation and external to it, are listed along one axis of a grid. On the other axis the potency of the forces is indicated, as high, medium or low. Sources and Potency of Forces (Beckhard Harris, 1987) Early on in the change process, organization need to identify which specific groups and individuals will be required to support the change if the change is to be successful. When they have done so they can determine the readiness and capability of these individuals and groups to enact the roles required of them in the change process. Understanding the readiness involves analysing attitudes: willingness, motives and aims. Capability is determined by whether they have the power, the influence and the authority to allocate resources, and the appropriate information and skills. Beckhard and Harris (1987, p.63) have developed a Readiness-Capability Assessment Chart which enables the user to list individuals or groups who are critical to the change effort, and to rank them (high, medium, or low) each according to their readiness and capability with respect to change. The following chart will be used to develop an analysis related to stakeholders readiness to develop the change or adopt the new procedure. Readiness and Capability (Beckhard Harris, 1987) Stakeholders (Key Individuals or groups Readiness Capability Action required to increase the readiness or capability Need to rate as high, medium or low Where a change must be implemented from the outside, ie when it has not been defined as necessary by the people involved, then it is unlikely to succeed (yield the full results of which people have ambitions) unless some of those involved are in favour of it. Several observers (Rogers, 1983) have suggested however that not everyone needs to support a change, and that not everybody needs to support it to the same extent. Senge in The Fifth Discipline (1990) talks of the difference between commitment, enrolment compliance, Suggesting that while it is more pleasant (and reassuring) to have considerable commitment, it is not necessary for everyone to be as fully signed-up as this. There exist a number of positions along a continuum, along which players may position themselves in response to proposed action and change TESCO implementation Plan: Clearly communicate the vision of TESCO via effective communication tools. Manage employee and customer prospects Project manage and measure the process Be seen to add value to organizational goals Build on some quick wins or shorter rewards. Use the line managers/ first line managers as well Be realistic about personally and corporately Manage conflict Repeat key messages and communicate even when important to say Manage Resistance Remain visible and out of the bunker Keep eye on the ball and dont forget about customers and competitors Conclusion: After conducting a thorough research it has been finally in the recommended that TESCO should have introduced Oyster Card top up counter at its all retail outlets in UK to acquiesce the maximum market share on the consumers product, this would be a unique step in the gain retail industry and satisfy the customer numerous population travels through underground metros, tubes, buses, daily to commute their workplaces, universities, schools, amusement centers etc. While introducing the oyster top up card facility, certain change process should be adopted by TESCO to analyze the readiness of stakeholders in acceptance of the change. However, TECO driving forces are tend to be stronger than its restraining force, so the change could be easily absorb by the employees and other associates. TESCO has a well establish infra-structure that appropriately supports the change. By this strategic move, I am sure that TESCO will not only increase the revenue but also attain the customer loyalty in ad dition to the competitive edge over the competitors.

Modern Labyrinth Essay -- Film Analysis

Film is a form of storytelling, and all stories are, in essence recycled, contemporary films must modernize a story of the past to make it accessible to modern audiences. This is the case with the film, Pan’s Labyrinth. The myth of â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur† has been rewritten and modernized in the 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth. The myth â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur† and the morals that exist within it, present a context in which it will be possible to interpret and analyze the film Pan’s Labyrinth as a modern day rewriting of the myth. In order to understand how Pan’s Labyrinth has been rewritten, it is important to first understand the original myth of â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur†. According to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, the story of Theseus and his quest to slay the Minotaur begins long before Theseus’s birth. â€Å"Minos, the powerful ruler of Crete, had lost his only son†¦while the young man was visiting the Athenian King† (Hamilton 211). In order to seek revenge, Minos invaded Athens and â€Å"declared that he would raze it to the ground unless every nine years the people sent him a tribute of seven maidens and seven youths† (Hamilton 212). When the victims reached Crete, they would be sacrificed to a beast that was â€Å"half bull, half human†, known as the Minotaur (Hamilton 212). The Minotaur was housed in a labyrinth where â€Å"escape was impossible† (Hamilton 212). â€Å"To this place, the young Athenians were each time taken and left to t he Minotaur† (Hamilton 212). This ritual continued until one year, Theseus, son of the Athenian king and heir to throne, offered to be one of the victims. Unbeknownst to the people, Theseus had every intention of slaying the beast. â€Å"When the young victims arrived in Crete they were paraded before the inhabitants ... ... bravely and defiantly act against authority rather than blindly remain obedient. This film shows the power of innocence over evil and the triumph of imagination over colorless servitude just as the original tale of Theseus and the Minotaur, but with a darker new interpretation. Works Cited Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack Reviews. (2007, January 05). Retrieved May 04, 2012, from http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/pans_labyrinth.html Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1942. N.p.: Back Bay Books, 1998. Print VC. (2010, September 23). The Vigilant Citizen. Retrieved May 05, 2012, from The Esoteric Interpretation of Pan's Labyrinth: http://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-esoteric-interprentation-of-pans-labyrinth/

Educational Psychology - Teacher Interview :: essays research papers

Educational Psychology - Teacher Interview I interviewed a teacher from the Philadelphia School District and here is the result from my interview. I am a teacher in the head start program of Philadelphia .I have been with the head start program for 10yrs. I see children younger than kindergarteners with special needs. I see this problem not only with education but behavioral. Children with special problems can learn. You have to know how to deal with children period. Regular children and special educational children all learn. Special educational children know exactly what they’re doing just as well as regular children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The teachers involvement with the process is the teachers observes the children than fills out an application or suggest that this student needs some type of help if its with speech, or any other problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In head start we have physiologist who get children mental health together and evaluate the children. They do a test and it is evaluated with staff and parents or guardian of the child. We are involved in the Early Invention Programs. This program is even for younger children with behavioral problems and we get help from a supportive staff. Pros  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cons 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.The terminology they slow the 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Free (help)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   staff uses with parents. 2. Not enough people to provide services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. Therapist does not follow up   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   year to year   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4. Dedication from pre k-12 grade   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5. Parents don’t show confidence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   in their child   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My opinion on issue special education. We as teachers and therapist really need to take our jobs serious. They are children all over the world that need help.

Exploring Reliability and Validity Essay

The Values and Motives Questionnaire, also known as the Values and Motives Inventory, is designed to examine a person’s motivation in relation to his values and activities. In order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of values, the VMQ assess three distinct areas, including: interpersonal, intrinsic, and extrinsic. Interpersonal values, according to the VMQ refer to one’s relationships with others. Intrinsic values contain one’s personal beliefs and attitudes. Finally, extrinsic values are one’s motivating factors at the workplace. Each of these three areas contain twelve topics addressed during the test. While the VMQ can be used for a variety of reasons, it is typically used in the workplace as a guidance tool. When exploring the Values and Motives Questionnaire, it is important to understand its reliability and validity. This paper will address the measurement’s reliability and validity, including its coefficients, strengths, and weaknesses. Type of Reliability and Validity According to Whiston (2013), â€Å"reliability refers to the consistency of such measurements when the testing procedure is repeated on a population of individuals or groups† (pg. 40). In its simplest form, reliability refers examines the dependability of the scores. It also measures the standard error of measurement (SEM) within the instrument. The SEM is a hypothesis of what the scores would be if someone took the test more than once. Whiston (2013) continues on to explain the various types of reliability, including: test-retest, alternate or parallel forms, and internal consistency measures. The designers and authors of the Values and Motives Questionnaire explain that the measurement used internal consistency reliability with the sample (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Internal consistency of reliability simply means that the test is divided into different sections. The scores are than correlated. This form of reliability assess the measurement internally to determ ine its reliability (Whiston, 2013). Another important area of the measurement to understand is validity. Whiston (2013) argues that validity addresses â€Å"what an instrument measures and how well it does that task† (pg. 58). Whiston (2013) explains that historically, validity has been separated into three distinct types: content-related validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity. The first, content-related validity, addressed the degree to which the results of the test adequately represented the specific behavior. In order for a measurement to be valid, it must be appropriate for its intended use (Whiston, 2013). This form of validity is evident in the VMQ, because the data is comparable to other instruments that measure both motivational and values factors (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Next, criterion-related validity focuses mainly on the degree to which the measurement predicted the specific criterion (Whiston, 2013). The correlations within the VMQ appear to be average and independent of one another (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Finally, construct validity is concerned with the degree to which the test measures the intended behavior or construct. This entails that the instrument is appropriate for the test taker (Whiston, 2013). The Values and Motives Questionnaire accurately measures motivating factors and values among individuals. It appears the test provides the validity for both content and construct but not for criterion-related validity (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Areas of Strength and Concern The Values and Motives Questionnaire gave us internal consistency reliability and SEM. The internal consistency of this measurement used the coefficient alpha. The coefficients were all over .5, but they each had various ranges. Because the scale had such varying ranges, one could wonder if this could indicate a problem with errors? The VMQ shows an overall internal dependability and a low level of SEM. The internal consistency does surpass the requirements for a reliable instrument. According to authors of the VMQ (n.d), â€Å"†¦the scales approximate or exceed acceptable levels of internal consistency† (pg. 16). However, it is important to note that the scores of this test are not normally distributed, which impacts the standard deviations of the scores. While the deviation of the scores is acceptable, the test results did not have an extremely high correlation. The VMQ also  demonstrated the validity scales having lower correlations (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). One weakness of the reliability to consider is that the test was only compared to other tests that examined values. It did not compare values to those of other countries/cultures. Specific cultures and/or family systems have specific values that are instilled in them throughout the years. It would be beneficial to use this instrument in comparison to different demographic backgrounds. In doing this, one will be able to gain insight into how these differences can affect the results and ensure all persons are adequately represented. Sample Size and Nature of Population The Values and Motives Questionnaire studied a specific population. It consisted of 159 MBA and psychology students (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). While research does need to start somewhere, this limited population will not produce results that represent the population as a whole. Using this specific population may lead to skewed results, specifically in the areas of achievement considering the total population that was studied were all continuing their education. Clearly, not everyone in the general population has had the chance to pursue a college degree, let alone and MBA. This high level of achievement would certainly skew the results. It is important to note that the sample size was relatively small and well over one third of the small sample was psychology students. These variables need to be taken into consideration when assessing the results of the Values and Motives Questionnaire. Personal Opinion Overall, I found the Values and Motives Questionnaire to be very interesting. Assessing one’s subjective feelings and value systems is not easily empirically proven. However, the idea of the test seems beneficial. However, I do believe the designers of the VMQ would gain more insight if they were to compare the results to various cultures’ values. Using the results from varying cultures will have totally different results than a small group of 159 college students. I do believe further research is needed to provide more concrete information on the topics of the VMQ. Although the instrument proved to be both reliable and valid, it is pertinent that further research be conducted to find higher correlations. References Values and motive questionnaire: The technical manual. (n.d). Bedfordshire, UK: Psytech International. Whiston, S (2013). Principles and applications of assessment in counseling. (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.