Assimilation Essays - American Culture, Cultural Assimilation

Immigrants have been seeking refuge in America, for centuries in search of a fresh start, freedom from oppression, and economic prosperity among other reasons. With their new home, it was thought that they should eschew their culture and beliefs to become one and the same. However, one might ask: one and the same to who? While the idea of the melting pot is an amiable concept, it has simply failed to create a ?new race of man? and instead was insistent upon assimilating people of various ethnicities and races into a form deemed acceptable by the dominating Anglo-Saxon man. The ?melting? of various peoples into an American race was not successful for many reasons. First and foremost, there was not a set of guidelines created by all the different types of people that would create a truly new type of person. Contrastingly, only one race was the standard set to which the rest must have adhered to: the white man. For a new ?race? of man to have ever existed, not only would the immigrants have to eschew their culture and beliefs, but also the domineering race. It does not make sense to call something new on the basis of assimilation. The word assimilation implies that something that already exists changes into something else that already exists. How could something be new if it already exists? It can't. Becoming an American was unjustifiably biased by the prevalent race occupying America. The only type of person assimilation had in mind was the white person. Coming to America did not mean becoming an equal to all other Americans. It meant becoming white. If it were so, that assimilation meant becoming equal, the concept of minorities would not exist. Everyone would just be American. Crevecoeur stated that becoming and American meant ?leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners?, the only race that did not give up a single thing was the Anglo-Saxons. In fact, Anglo-Saxons could very well be the sole responsibility for the failure of the melting pot, for they kept to all their prejudices and manners. It was these same prejudices and manners that made all of the immigrants minorities and not equals. However, not everyone sees things the same way. Arthur Schlesinger Jr., for example, is a proponent of assimilation for he is a believer that assimilation's aim was to make life for everyone in America more cohesive. He also believes that education should ignore all of the different race's cultures and adhere to a curriculum that is based entirely on the facts. Unfortunately, I cannot say that educational curriculums are unbiased. For example, in an average high school American History book the murder, arguably genocide of the Native Americans was simply called Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny? The idea that ?the United States had the right and duty to expand throughout the North American continent?. This implies that the natives of the country did not have the right or duty to live on their land. It also perpetuates the concept of white supremacy over all and any other that differentiates from themselves. If you moved to another country, would you want to give up everything that you came from, who you are, and what you believe in, as to become a minority when promised equality? The goals that the melting pot held did not deliver. It furthered intolerance of different types of people in favor of the pseudo-ideology that one could become part of the ?American Race? even if they were not white. America would have been a better country for immigrants if differences of culture were accepted and understood instead of trying to make everyone the same. Racism has affected every American minority in a profoundly negative way. Maybe if the basis of being an American originally was to get along with others different than yourself instead of becoming assimilated, many of the racial and ethnic problems that have plagued the country for centuries would not have existed.

Internet Replacement Book Essay Example

Internet Replacement Book Essay Example Internet Replacement Book Essay Internet Replacement Book Essay Today, internet very prevalent on the world. Internet have already taken a major role. But, internet replacement books? Internet is a global network and prevalent in every family, company. Internet help us search information, get in touch with people through email and chatting on internet. The book is a document providing information, knowledge of many issues in society when people read. Now, books very many and diverse genres. So internet replacement books. I think internet not replacement books. Because, indispensable books in life of people, books are the key to success and important the basic platform. Books will always concrete sources of information. In short, internet very prevalent, but it cant replace books. The book is very important to make up internet. I think not book not internet Thank you very much 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222 Today, internet is very prevalent on the world. Internet accounts for a significant role. But, why books still can replacement the internet ? Internet is a global network system and prevalent in many households, company. Internet help us search informations, get in touch with people through email and chat on the internet. The book is a document providing information, knowledge of many issues in society when people read. Now, books very many and diverse genres. So internet replacement books. I think internet not replacement books. Because, indispensable books in life of people, books are the key to success and important the basic platform. Books will always concrete sources of information. In short, internet very prevalent, but it cant replace books. The book is very important to make up internet. I think havent got book havent got internet Thank you very much

Gun control does not reduce violence Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Gun control does not reduce violence - Thesis Example Gun control is seriously considered as one of the solutions to end violence because it is thought of as tool of violence, it being a weapon that can indeed harm, mutilate and even kill an individual. This concern is not without basis because there are incidences of crimes and violence that are gun related. The proponents of this solution posit that if the tools or weapons that were used in those crimes and incidence of violence did not become available, then violence will be reduced. While this may seem to be a plausible solution to reducing violence, gun control may pose a problem of infringing on our basic rights as Americans to bear arms as stated in the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution of the United States of America. The Second Amendment contained in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States exegetes that â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed†.... tate regulation such as a provision in the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 law in the District of Columbia that requires all firearms including rifles and shotguns to be kept "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock. The Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 also contained a provision that prohibits the residents of the District of Columbia from owning handguns except those that were registered prior to 1975. As expected, the law was challenged and was elevated in the Supreme Court. Until finally on June 26, 2008 the Supreme Court made a decision to affirm the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Heller v. District of Columbia. The Court of Appeals had initially made a decision to remove two provisions in the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 as unconstitutional. The provisions that were removed as unconstitutional were the provision that prohibits the residence of District of Columbia from the ownership of handguns except prior 1975 and the provis ion that requires all firearms to be "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock" at all times. The decision elaborated that the Second Amendment â€Å"protects an individual right to bear arms† further stating its decision was "premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government† (Library of Congress, 2012). Further, this right help preserve a citizen militia â€Å"the activities [the Amendment] protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia." (Guncite.com, 2010). With regard to handgun ownership, the Supreme

The Effects of Globalization and Foreign Direct Investment Essay

The Effects of Globalization and Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example This has served many companies in producing cheaper goods by taking use of the low cost of labor and machineries involved, from different countries. The other side of globalization that is also prominent is the decline in product quality, by outsourcing cheaper equipments and low cost of the unskilled labor (Pragmatic Outsourcing, 2012). Employing the trend of globalization has increased significantly in the industrial sector of the European countries. The increase in population and global competition has narrowed the profit margin of many industries and has ignited the need of producing more volume of products, to beat other competitors (Isidro, 2011). Hence, many European industries utilize the cheap labor, fuel and low government taxes of under developed nations to produce bulk quantity of their products within the limited budget for it. A flashback of the European industries would lead to the fact that globalization started from the textile industry in the early 20th century and then it was adopted in electronics, furniture and books publishing sectors (Blass, 2005). With the change in policy by Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) of trade tariffs and eradicating the concentration rule in Europe, monopolization in industrial sectors was broken to a great extent. It allowed several new companies to enter into the corporate market and intensify the business competition (Blass, 2005). In this respect, the Italian footwear industry is considered to have gone through considerable changes in its managerial and production strategies, by implying globalization in its system. Historical trade data of Italy suggest that its footwear sector that has a prominent contribution in its overall GDP and has a high impact on the international footwear market (Milan, 2010). However, present market position and sales figures present a different scenario of prominence of the Italy’s footwear industry. Pressure of the international market and emerging entrants has forced Italy’s footwear industry to delocalize their resources, which has resulted in losing their distinct image. The vertical integration methodology of these industries was replaced with a global supply chain network, which resulted in less flexibility and control over the finished product. This paper aims to provide hypotheses of the effect of globalization on Italian footwear, based on the understanding and evaluation of sales figures and current standing in national and international market. The will use the academic and theoretical data to compare other footwear industries with the Italian, to justify the hypothesis presented (Larch, 2005). Theoretical Overview The pattern followed in the Italian footwear industry involves foreign direct investment in the production cycle. Since, Italy footwear sector is largely delocalized several of its resources are involved in production and designing is being outsourced (Amighini & Rabellotti, 2003). This brings the ownership of foreign investors in different production units carried out in other countries. One essential thing to consider is the formation of several business groups, which is the result of market fragmentation. Such business groups act as the middle man between the actual producer and the company been outsourced. Therefore, there are

Summary on Henry Ford Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary on Henry Ford - Essay Example The real turning point for Ford’s career was joining the Edison Company in Detroit as an engineer in 1892. Here, he struggled with building a gasoline engine strong enough to power a motorcar, but in 1896 the first Ford motorcar was born, and it could reach 90 miles per hour. From here, Ford accumulated funding and released the Ford model T in 1908, hugely increasing growth with assembly line production. Having become reputedly the richest man who ever lived, Ford was in a position to publish his opinions and moral-code on a huge scale. Ford detested all that was un-American (in his eyes), strongly backing the pioneers and detesting the immigrant Jew. This eventually led to Ford financially backing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a widely distributed anti-Semetic text favoured by Hitler. Ford is often mistakenly assumed to be anti-History, but he had a great passion for collecting and an admiration for the American past. He used this passion further in 1920 to restore his family home using real archaeological techniques. He then went on in 1926 to recreate a whole village as a tribute to village life and God’s nature, which he truly

How Sustainable Is Tescos Strategic Position?

How Sustainable Is Tescos Strategic Position? Jack Cohen, Tescos founder, began as a barrow boy. In 1947, he established one of the first pilot self-service stores in St. Albans in Hertfordshire (Bowlby, 2001, p7-18). Tesco is presently the biggest retailer in the United Kingdom with revenues in 2009 clocking $96,210 million. One third of the entire national food expenditure in the UK occurs at Tescos (Tesco, 2009, p1). The supermarket business in the UK is experiencing difficult times in the wake of the economic downturn. Tesco states that its UK sales growth was nearly flat during the previous quarter, even as it battled declining food prices (BBC, 2010). A supermarket chief who declined to be named stated that a bloodbath might be looming and thousands of jobs might be threatened (Finch Wood, 2010, p1). A fresh generation of supermarket chiefs is taking over the running of the  £130 billion UK retail sector at this uncertain juncture (Finch Wood, 2010). Sir Terry Leahy, Tescos Chairman, will retire in March 2011, after directing the retailer for 14 long years. He will be succeeded by Philip Clarke, currently in charge of Tescos Asian and European business (Telegraph, 2010). Sir Leahys departure proclamation came mere weeks after new chiefs had taken over at competitors Asda and Morrisons (Finch Wood, 2010, p1). This study aims to analyse various important strategy models to understand the strategic position of Tesco, its key external drivers of change, and how it adds value. The study also examines the sustainability of Tescos strategic position. 2. Analysis The retailing business, both non-food and food, is going through a crisis (Finch Wood, 2010). The Like-for-like turnover for Tesco, excluding new store openings and petrol, increased 1.1 percent in the quarter to 30May (BBC, 2010, p1). The growth figure reduced to only 0.1 percent after factoring in the reinstatement of VAT to 17.5 percent; post its temporary cut (BBC, 2010, p1). Company sources said that the 30 percent increase in fuel prices over last year had reduced customer spends on other goods (BBC, 2010, p1). Richard Hunter, Head of UK Equities in Hargreaves Lansdowne Stockbrokers observed that imminent government belt-tightening measures would make it even harder for Tesco customers (BBC, 2010, p1). He added that the company is now exerting itself to achieve the type of progress customarily expected of it by the markets. Sir Terrys looming retirement has exacerbated uncertainty further, even as Tescos competitors continue to threaten its market domination (BBC, 2010, p1). 2.1. Tescos Strategic Position Johnson Scholes, in Exploring Corporate Strategy, (2002), defined strategy thus: Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves competitive advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfil stakeholders expectations (Stirr, 2003, p1). Michael Porters Generic Strategies model (1985) categorises 3 generic strategies into (a) cost leadership (b) differentiation and (c) market segmentation. Porter argues that a successful company needs to practice one of the 3 strategies. It must not get stuck in the middle between the two fundamental generators of competitive advantage, namely low prices and differentiation (Referaty, 2010, p1). He also recommends that companies with high market share should adopt cost leadership strategies to become profitable, even as companies with low market shares should target profitability through market segmentation or differentiation (Referaty, 2010, p1). Tescos strategies do not however appear to be influenced by Porters model. Whilst the company has over 30% market share in UKs grocery retailing, it does not offer discount shopping. It is also not the cheapest amongst major supermarket chains. It furthermore offers customers options of Tesco Finest and Tesco basic foodstuffs (Referaty, 2010, p1). Empirical evidence suggests that several companies adopt both low-cost and differentiation strategies (Referaty, 2010, p1). Tesco utilises low costs to offer superior differentiation and subsequently reinvests the returns to reduce the costs even more. It also strategically works towards differentiating through its community building approach (Referaty, 2010, p1). Tescos customers cannot be categorised into distinct social groups. Offering both cheap and expensive merchandise, it provides goods for customers with thin budgets and also for those with more purchasing power (Referaty, 2010, p1). Whilst this approach challenges Porters requirements for successful strategies, it seems to be functioning in Tescos favour (Referaty, 2010, p1). Cliff Bowmans Strategy Clock helps in the examination of a companys competitive position, compared to the offerings of competitors (E-fost, 2010, p1). Bowman, like Porter, believes that competitive advantage emanates, either from cost leadership or from differentiation advantage (E-fost, 2010, p1). Bowman however differs from Porter in some ways. Whilst agreeing with the concept of cost leadership he feels such tenets to be too general and brings in more detailed combinations of perceived added value and price. Bowman suggests the active consideration of eight core strategic alternatives (E-fost, 2010, p1). Table 1 below illustrates the eight alternatives Table 1: Bowmans Strategy Clock (Zanthus.com, p1) Bowmans eight alternatives comprise of (a) low price / low added value, which is liable to be segment specific (b) low price, which carries the danger of price war and small margins or organisations to be cost leaders, (c) hybrid options with lower cost base and reinvestment in differentiation and low price (d) differentiation alternative with / without a price premium that is able to bear price premium or yield market share benefits (e) focused differentiation, yielding perceived added value to specific segments (f) increased price / standard product, which could lead to risks of losing market share (g) increased price / low values, which is feasible in a monopoly situation, and (h) low value / standard price, resulting in loss of market share (E-fost, 2010, p1). Tesco has a firm and deep based strategy for growth, which works towards reinforcig its core UK operations and its the growth thrust in fresh markets (Quick facts, 2009, p1). The fundamental tenet of its strategy, formulated in 1997, concerns the expansion of business scope to permit delivery of robust and sustained long-term growth (Quick facts, 2009, p1). Such expansion is realised by pursuing existing Tesco customers and making them customers of various other UK Tesco businesses like non-food, telecommunications, and financial services (Quick facts, 2009, p1). The companys strategy has five objectives, viz (a) to be successful in its global retail business (b) to develop its mainstay UK business, (c) to be equally strong in non-food and food sectors (d) to expand other retailing and financial services, and (e) to position community at the heart of its strategy (Tesco plc, 2009, p1). Sir Terry said that when I became CEO I had a plan to build Tesco around its customers, to make it number one in the UK and to find new long-term growth in non-food, in services and international expansion. It has taken 14 years but that strategy has become a firm reality now and so I feel my work is almost complete (Telegraph, 2010, p1). 2.2. Key External Drivers PESTLE analysis helps in the analysis of the external macro environment within which a business functions (Rapdbi, 2010, p1). The understanding of opportunities or threats within the big picture environment in which a company operates helps in exploiting opportunities and minimising threats (Rapdbi, 2010, p1). It is a valuable tool for understanding the relationship between market growth or decline and the potential, position, and direction of a company or its business (Rapdbi, 2010, p1). PESTEEL is another extension of the same model and is an acronym for the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, educational and legal dimensions that need to be analyses to evaluate the market for the strategic plans of organisations or businesses (Rapdbi, 2010, p1). These factors are briefly discussed as under. Tescos operations are often influenced by political conditions and developments within and outside the UK (Docstoc, 2010, p1). The company might for example have to respond to British and Columbian politics to protect its coffee supply (321books, 2010, p1). Recession has caused unemployment levels in the UK to rocket to 28.93million. Adverse economic conditions can affect consumer spending, as well as impact prices, costs, profits, demand and supply. UK retail turnover, for instance, reduced 0.7% during January 2010 in relation to the January 2009 numbers on a like-for-like basis. Sales in 2009 had increased 1.1% (KPMG, 2010, p1). Sociological factors can also greatly influence Tescos operations. Such factors are immense and can range from immigration to changes in fashion and consumer behaviour (321books, 2010, p1). British consumers have, experts state, turned into one stop shoppers urging chains to stock ever increasing ranges and varieties of goods (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Tesco makes use of technology to drive its business. It uses forecasted weather patterns to estimate demand and sales of its products and services. Their software, developed after 3 years of research, can indicate changes in sales that can occur because of a degree rise in temperature rise or an extra hour of sunshine (Swaminathan, 2009, p1). Technology also facilitates services like Tesco.com and self-checkout facilities (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Tescos environmental policy has resulted in adoption of measures to lower carbon emissions. The company aims to attain a 30 percent decline in the carbon impact on it entire supply chain by 2020; the overall objective is to become a zero carbon group by 2050 (Tescoplc.com [Press release, 2009]) (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Increasing educational levels affect organisations. Higher educational levels facilitate people to receive higher incomes. Increases in incomes also generate opportunities for procurement and sales of additional goods and services (Referenceforbusiness.com, 2010, p1). Tesco is also subject to various government policies and national legislatives, especially in areas of health, safety and labour. Failure in adhering to these can have a direct affect on its performance (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Porters Five Forces analysis for companies involves the evaluation of the external environment vis-a-vis the industry structure. The five forces comprise of barriers to entry, buyer power, consumer power, the threat of substitutes, and the degree of rivalry. Such assessments help firms to formulate approaches for exploitation of opportunities and protection from threats. Companies can thus accomplish competitive positioning and achieve differential advantage over the goods and services of their market rivals (Referaty, 2010, p1). The supermarket retail industry has very high barriers to entry. High capital requirements create major entry barriers for prospective firms. The need to achieve scale economies and high quality and specialised logistics also constitute difficult entry barriers. Tesco and other major supermarket chains have the financial and operational strength to buy and handle enormous volumes of merchandise, which helps them in pricing of products and satisfaction of various customer needs (Referaty, 2010, p1). New firms also need to contend with the loyalties developed by existing firms, such barriers being evinced by the failure of discount stores like Lidl or Aldi that been unsuccessful in not growing up to become major contenders in the retail market (Referaty, 2010, p1). Customers have options of shopping from diverse supermarket chains that compete on price and various promotions. Suppliers can wield considerable influence when they are in positions to claim price premium and also when the final merchandise on offer can be impacted by their quality and their delivery schedules. Tesco prefers to use a number of smaller suppliers rather than one big supplier. This increases its bargaining power and provides the company with the option of switching suppliers, if market and operational conditions so demand (Referaty, 2010, p1). The threat of substitutes plays an important role in assessment of competitiveness. Companies need to examine the tendency and chance of customers to switch to substitutes. They need to for example, in the case of an obsolescence threat, keep competition at bay by making their goods and services more attractive. Tesco, for instance, offers merchandise price check facility on its website, thus enabling customers to view substitutes by themselves (Referaty, 2010, p1). The extent of competitive rivalry depends upon the competitiveness of market participants. With all four major retail players aiming for a higher market share, the supermarket space in the UK is particularly competitive (Referaty, 2010, p1). Porters Five Forces, therefore, is a bottom line method of company analysis, from its own perspective. Essentially if goods or services cannot be differentiated, then competition mainly becomes price-based, and customer loyalty is difficult to ensure (Referaty, 2010, p1). 2.3. Tescos Value Addition Michael Porter advanced his theory on Value Chain Analysis in 1985 in response to criticism on the inadequacies of the Five Forces framework in implementation methodology that connected internal capabilities with opportunities in the competitive landscape (Provenmodels, 2010, p1). This framework centres on industry attractiveness being a causal factor in the earnings potential of all organisations in a particular industry. Considerable differences in performance occur between organisations operating within an industry (Provenmodels, 2010, p1). Value Chain Analysis can assist in identifying an organisations core competencies and differentiating the activities that give rise to competitive advantage. An organisations cost structure can be segregated by this method into discrete functions or processes on the presumption that the cost drivers for each of such activities work differently (Provenmodels, 2010, p1). Porter was able to compress an activity-based cost scrutiny into a standard template comprising of five primary and four support activities (Provenmodels, 2010, p1). These nine activities are categorised under two primary and support activity group areas. The primary activities comprise of (a) inbound logistics, comprising of materials handling, warehousin g, transportation and inventory control (b)operations, including machine operating, testing, assembly, packaging and maintenance (c) outbound logistics of warehousing, order processing, transportation and distribution (d) marketing and sales, comprising of promotion, advertising pricing, selling and channel management, and (e) services, including installation, spare part management and servicing (Provenmodels, 2010). The other support activities encompass (a) firm infrastructure, including general management, finance, planning, legal and investor relations (b) human resource management, encompassing education, recruitment, promotion and reward systems (c) technology development, including research development, product and process development and IT, and (d) procurement, comprising of purchase of raw materials and supplier contract negotiations (Provenmodels, 2010, p1). Attempts to engage in Value Chain Analysis of Tesco reveal various primary variables that can add or deplete value to the organisation (Docstoc, 2010, p1). In terms of primary variables, inbound logistics have an essential significance in the generation of the value chain since they offer the initial prospect to create value. Tesco has sophisticated and ever-improving inward logistics that strive to improve the level of in-store consumer choices (Docstoc, 2010, p1). The effectiveness of Tescos distribution system could be improved. The quality control system should also be administered more proficiently by the organisation to reduce customers being burdened with the cost of losses (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Service orientation lies at the core of Tescos operations. Services that need to be diligently administered include 24*7 activities and various store management functions involving opening and closing stores, shelf maintenance, and stock replenishment (Docstoc, 2010, p1). With regard to outbound logistics, value addition for Tesco can come about from reaching the goods to the customer, improving customer service, and implementing a customer friendly trolley service (Docstoc, 2010, p1). Tescos marketing and sales activity is represented by its distinct Clubcard. The card is instrumental in giving discounts, providing customer loyalty offers, and selling health, wellness, and environmentally friendly merchandise. It carries Tescos advertisements and the latest promotions on deploying recycled goods for assisting Tesco in becoming carbon free by 2050 (Docstoc, 2010, p1). 2.4. Unique Resources and Capabilities All organisational resources are not essential for an organisations competitiveness. The resources that do not help in building competitive advantage constitute threshold resources (Lioukas Voudouris, 2010, p1). Unique resources on the other hand are those which are not easily obtained by the competitors and can help development of competitive advantage (Lioukas Voudouris, 2010, p1). The same argument holds good for capabilities, which are obtained over time through application of resources and knowledge collation. DQE (Design, Quality and Environment) aims to develop unique capabilities and unique resources, which can help in building the foundation of competitive sustainability and competitive advantage (Lioukas Voudouris, 2010, p1). Table 2, provided below, illustrates the permutations of the unique resources and capabilities in forming the foundations of competitive advantages. Table 2: Unique resources capabilities: The base of competitive advantage (Lioukas Voudouris, 2010, p1). The strategy of sustainability entails all characteristics of strategy and incorporates elements of strategy formulation, strategy definition and execution, as also the issue of strategic options (Stirr, 2003, p1). Strategic position is generated by the inter-relatedness of activities (Stirr, 2003, p1). Organisations that really comprehend strategic positioning are experienced in activity mapping. They recognise their core competencies and frequently plot their own and their competitors activity network in order to assess the sustainability of their own strategic position (Stirr, 2003, p1). Any organisation can replicate a particular competitive activity. Discrete activities per se do not generate a strategic position (Stirr, 2003, p1). It is the grouping of activities that an organisation selects to execute for every strategic function (be it marketing, finance, operations and human resources), and the manner wherein such activities are supported and interconnected by business processes and systems, that lead to the building of a strategic position. The extent of interconnectedness and support of these activities determines the degree of sustainability of an organisations strategic position (Stirr, 2003, p1). Organisational strategies relating to marketing, finance, operations and human resources are sustained by internal business systems. These refer to the intricate combination of policies, procedures, hardware, software, budgeting, control mechanisms, et al, which facilitate the optimal flow of data and information through the entire organisation as it tries to provide for the requirements of its customers. An organisation that does not have a lucid strategic position will be transparently riddled with backlogs, omissions and breakdowns within its business systems (Stirr, 2003, p1). Business systems also focus on the means by which core competencies satisfy customer needs. It is through such systems that organisations leverage their entire accessible wherewithal on their customer requirements, build unique activity networks, remove waste through the entire organisation, and curtail their costs to the maximum possible extent. Conclusion: How sustainable is Tescos strategic position? The analysis of the diverse strategy models during the course of this study highlights the significance of strategy in garnering competitive advantages. The key external and internal drivers that compel continuous changes have also been examined. It has also been examined how core resources and competencies need to be utilised effectively and continuously to keep renewing drivers of growth. Activities or strategies per se neither generate competitive advantage nor sustainability. Enterprises that build a sustainable strategic position achieve it through the development of a number of distinct core competencies and by carrying out activities, (which stem from these competencies) that meet customer requirements (Stirr, 2003, p1).Organisations construct sustainable strategic positions by integrating their marketing, finance, operations, and human resource planning functions. They vigilantly review all the activities carried out by every functional sphere to ensure utmost integration (Stirr, 2003, p1). Strategy drives the scale and direction achievable by organisations in the long term and helps organisations in accomplishing competitive advantages through the arrangement of resources in a dynamic and aggressive changing environment to fully satisfy stakeholder expectations (Stirr, 2003, p1). The foregoing analysis reveals how Tesco actively and persistently works in different areas of strategy formulation to achieve competitive advantage and value addition. Tesco strives for sustainability though the deployment of its core resources and integration of all its functions across the board. This renders it with sustainable competitive advantages through the construction of high entry barriers in different operational areas. Such barriers keep new competition from getting and existing competition from achieving parity. The sustainability of Tescos strategic position is also evidenced by its purposeful aim to be a carbon free global organization by 2050.

What is Sin? Essay -- Adam Eve Religion Sinning God Essays Papers

What is Sin?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adam and Eve, the two that started it all. These two names will remain as a reminder to us forever because of their actions. Genesis chapter two talks about how man was made perfect; flawless and in God’s favor. These two individuals change how mankind would be from that time on. Sin entered the world and things began to change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before Adam and Eve’s decision there was no sin or death, because of their actions we now have to deal with both. This brings up the question of where original sin came from. We know that God cannot create evil, so it did not come from Him. He gave man free will. From this man went against God and therefore created sin. Because of this we know have inherited depravity. We can not have the relationship that God intended us to have. We now must make a choice if we are going to follow Him or not. Since Jesus’ death we can now ask Him to enter us through the Holy Spirit; God just does not walk with us like He did with Adam in the garden.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sin has been defined as many things by many groups throughout the ages. In the Old Testament it was defined as a failure to hit a mark or an attitude of rebellion. In the New Testament it is defined as failing to conform to a standard or as a condition. However, we must decide for ourselves what it means in our own lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our definition. Without being taught right and wrong we still are able to decipher between the two.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bible uses sin in...

Existentialism & Fight Club Essay

?From an existentialism point of view, there is no right or wrong choice, since one gives an action value by the virtue of choosing it. Choices can only be judged on how involved the decision maker is when making it. Judging by this standard, the narrator is justified in killing Tyler, since he fully became involved in choosing to both accept and reject Tyler’s values by that action. â€Å"Existentialism’s first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him. † In my essay, I shall first discuss how shooting Tyler is crucial in allowing the narrator to achieve the first move in embracing existentialism. He acts as the catalyst for the narrator to make the first move in existentialism: being aware of what he is by acknowledging all his primal instincts and assuming responsibility for his existence. Tyler does so through his acts of escalating violence and atrocity to provoke the narrator to confront both who he is and his responsibilities, culminating finally in his own death. I shall also discuss the theme of consumerism as portrayed in the movie, and how the decision of shooting Tyler relates to the narrator’s interpretation of this theme. The narrator had been hesitant to assume full responsibility for his existence at the start of the movie. He dislikes his present circumstances- he is jaded with his current job and lacks a clear purpose, as illustrated by the quote †A single serving package, a single serving†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Once he consumes the single serving, he is done. He makes a fleeting impression in someone else’s life before he fades from their memory. He feels his existence is meaningless because he has no connections with anyone. He is not content with the present state he is in, but makes no active effort to consciously define his own existence. He shows bad faith in this respect, because he deceives himself into believing that he lacks complete freedom of involvement in making this decision. He is a coward by Sartre’s definition: â€Å"Those who hide their complete freedom from themselves out of a spirit of seriousness or by means of deterministic excuses. † He possesses the desire to redefine his existence by rebelling against the values in society, but this conflicts with his conscious mind (the ego), which restraints him from doing anything socially unacceptable. His conscious mind hides these unacceptable desires in the subconscious mind, coming up with excuses that prevent the narrator from fulfilling these desires. Eventually, the repressed energy from these unconscious desires resulted in the fracturing of the ego itself- into two conscious minds, hence resulting in the manifestation of Tyler. Tyler represents everything that the narrator subconsciously wishes to be. He is the personification of the ID itself, representing the narrator’s repressed death instincts (our innate instinct for survival), aggression instincts (instincts for violence), and the libido. Before he meets Tyler, the narrator is defines his existence though furniture he purchases and assembles from IKEA. He attempts to make himself into a being-in-itself, believing his perfect state of existence can be reached by purchasing that last piece of furniture he needs. When the narrator’s house was bombed, annihilating the means by which he defines his existence, the narrator felt as though his existence itself was erased. â€Å"Every stick of furniture in there was my life. † Tyler teaches him not to rely on material goods but to define his existence by his actions. The fight club thus became the new means through which the narrator could define himself through acts of fighting. The narrator learns to revel in violence and physical pain as a means of defining his existence and to transcend the physical limits of the body. He achieves the first step of self-awareness by satisfying his primal instincts for aggression. His first epiphany occurs when he realizes Tyler is himself. In a sense, he realized that he (as Tyler) is free and capable of inventing and creating himself as whom he chooses to be. This is an important step because he now wants to assume responsibility for his existence. His second epiphany occurs when he shoots Tyler, and thus himself. On the first level, the narrator acknowledges his death instincts by confronting his fear of pain and death. He accepts Tyler’s ideas of experiencing death so as to be fully conscious of his physical existence. When he shoots Tyler, he does so with the awareness that he is shooting himself. This is the final step he needs to take in order to be fully aware of what he is. On the second level, by rejecting Tyler’s nihilistic ideas of destroying institutions and value systems, he chooses what values to stand for and thus creates his own purpose for himself. â€Å"In choosing his ethics, Man makes himself. † He also translates the belief in these values into the actual action of shooting Tyler, thus defining his existence through actual action. On the third level, by shooting Tyler, he assumes responsibility for all of Man, not just himself. He assumes responsibility for Man because he invents what Man should be: one who does not act in an uncaring and destructive manner towards others. On the fourth level, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to be defined in a way he wishes to be defined in the eyes of the â€Å"other†. Shooting Tyler is crucial towards removing the existence of Project Mayhem. He does not want Marla to find out about Project Mayhem because he will then lose his connections with her. It is important to the narrator to have a close relationship with Marla. Firstly, she is the only surviving real human being he has a close relationship with in the movie. Secondly, Marla, playing the role of the â€Å"other†, allows him to seek out knowledge about his existence and she is the condition for his existence. By shooting Tyler, he prevents the loss of this â€Å"other† that is crucial for his existence. Important themes discussed in the movie include consumerism. To be specific, it shows how the modern consumerist society affects Man’s determination of his existence. In Sartre’s words, how a change in the â€Å"a priori limits which outline man’s fundamental situation in the universe† affects Man’s determination of his existence with respect to these limits. According to Sartre, all configurations â€Å"either appear as attempts to pass beyond them or recede from them or deny them or adapt to them†. Consumerism imposes limits on Man to work and to consume, because only if Man works can he consume, and he can consume only if he works. He is emasculated because he is unable to fulfill his natural role as a hunter-gatherer as dictated to him by biology. Man is limited or restricted in the sense he is unable to fulfill his primitive instincts. As seen in the movie, Tyler tries to pass beyond these limits by destroying symbols of consumerism, such as credit card companies, so as to â€Å"return to Ground Zero†. Since many people define their existence by numbers in their bank accounts, destroying the bank records will erase their previous existence and allow them to create their existence anew, much like how the narrator’s apartment was bombed so that he could create his new existence through Fight Club. Tyler’s ultimate goal seems to be changing the limits by which people define their existence by. He envisions the destruction of modern civilization, and a regression back to a more primitive hunter gatherer state. â€Å"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the same canyon forests around the ruins of Rock feller Centre†. In the world he envisions, the new limits by which people will define themselves with respect to are undoubtedly physical strength and prowess. On the other hand, the narrator, like so many of us today, adapts to these limits by embracing consumerism as indoctrinated into him by society through advertisements. He avidly purchases IKEA furniture and defines his existence by these material goods. In Tyler’s words, he works jobs he hates so he can buy shit he doesn’t need. He assumes that his furniture uniquely defines him as a person, from the â€Å"glass bowls with imperfections made by the simple and honest people of wherever† to â€Å"his yin-yang coffee table†, while missing the irony that IKEA is a chain-store that mass produces furniture. He is no other different from many other consumers of IKEA who believe that their furniture is unique on virtue of it being selected by them. At the end of the movie, the narrator realizes he needs to strike a balance between the two opposing configurations, one that is in the pre-consciousness state, afraid to confront his freedom, and the other that embraces existentialism and freedom to the point of reckless destruction. Shooting Tyler thus allows him to reunite his opposing configurations and strike a middle balance. Marla is an example of how a person recedes from limits that outline the human condition. She does not know what values to choose to define her existence. As a result, she adopts a nihilistic attitude and attempts to hit rock-bottom by trying to court death. Lastly, another important theme in the movie is that of mental pain. Many characters in the movie experience mental pain because they are unable to reject the â€Å"being in itself† others force upon them. Thus, they cannot achieve a true state of â€Å"being for itself† This is because we â€Å"perceive others as a condition of our own existence†, as how Sartre puts it. According to Sartre, once we realize we exist, we realize the existence of others who are free to define us according to how they view us. We are objectified in the eyes of others because others view us as a â€Å"being in itself†. We lose our freedom through their perception of us. Only we looking back and viewing others as objects can we regain our freedom. Bob is viewed as a man who has lost his masculinity. He accepts this â€Å"being in itself†, believing that he is condemned to this fixed and unchanging physical body. Thus, he suffers mental pain because he does not reject the attempts of â€Å"being in itself† others force upon him by realizing his freedom to create his own existence. The narrator similarly suffers from accepting the â€Å"being in itself† society forces upon him- as a member of society whose purpose is to work, to consume and to obey his superiors. His ideal self-image is that of a strong and ruthless primal human being. However, he dares not embrace his freedom to reject this â€Å"being for itself† and work towards the transcendent goal of his ideal self-image. Thus, his mental pain caused Tyler to manifest, who violently abuses the narrator to symbolize the mental pain the narrator is experiencing. Tyler tries to push the narrator to be fully aware of his unconscious desires, and to assume responsibility for his freedom. Only when he confronts this mental pain (Tyler’s physical abuse) can he reject â€Å"being for itself† and achieve true â€Å"being-for-itself†, the state where he is constantly and freely choosing his future. His decision to shoot Tyler was justified-because he is freely choosing to reject Tyler’s destructive ideas, and to transcend his initial transcendent goal of becoming Tyler. In conclusion, the movie has strong themes of existentialism running through it. The act of shooting Tyler was justified because it signifies the first step of existentialism for the narrator- he becomes fully aware of what he is, and assumes full responsibility of his existence. It also shows how human beings may choose to define themselves with respect to the limits of the world they exist in. Lastly, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to confront his mental pain and reach the true state of â€Å"being for itself†.

World trade organization essays

World trade organization essays One should probably start an argument on the issue of the Group of 21 proposals with a statement from Oxfam International's 2002 report Rigged Rules and Double Standards: "the problem is not that international trade is inherently opposed to the needs and interests of the poor, but that the rules that govern it are rigged in favor of the rich.' Starting from this, I aim to prove not only that WTO's role is almost exclusively in favor of the rich, but also that the important players in the WTO system do not abide by the very rules that they have created. The recent Cancun round of negotiations within the WTO, regarding especially agricultural subsidies, showed that finally the developing countries starting with giants such as India and Brazil, preponderantly agricultural countries with significant contribution to world trade, backed up by China, could finally make a common point and a stand still against the European Union and the United Stated. The strange and somewhat revolting point of discussion is that, while boasting liberalization and free trade, the EU and the United States spent an approximated $300 billion in subsidies, almost all of them going to agriculture. Isn't a subsidy a way to ignore the free trade boasted as the main program by the WTO' Of course, you do not use taxes to raise imported goods prices, but you follow a reverse pattern and use subsidies to lower national goods prices and make them more competitive on the foreign market. The agricultural problem is a first concern for the G-21 demands and it should be noted that these demands are not necessarily for lowering custom taxes or creating a privileged position for the developing countries in the group, but for respecting the conclusions of former WTO negotiations. If trade is to be liberalized, how can this be done in an environment of high subsidies from developed countries' How can the G-...

Top 10 Medical Careers That Dont Require a Graduate Degree

Top 10 Medical Careers That Dont Require a Graduate Degree according to the experts over at bestmedicaldegrees.com, there are at least 30 promising career options for people  with an interest in a medical profession but without the time or resources for medical school. here are the top 10 highest paying careers that require a bachelor’s degree and either on-the-job training or professional certifications. take a look at the list and see which one will be right for you!10. dietician and nutritionist ($55k)professional dieticians and nutritionists are required to have bachelor’s degrees in nutrition science and will need some kind of partnership or mentoring from physicians or fellow dieticians. these partnerships allow access to patients so dns can practice the development and implementation of schedules and lifestyle plans. they may also work in hospitals, care facilities, or other clinic or gym settings where they can work directly with clients.9. cytotechnologist ($61k)with a  bachelor’s  degree and graduation fr om an accredited cytotechnology program, certified cytotechs work in laboratories where they research cells and cellular anomalies to contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and illnesses.8. medical sonographer ($64k)sonographers operate imaging equipment during diagnostic appointments or assist physicians and surgeons during procedures. you’ll need an associate’s degree and a professional certification.7. registered nurse ($68k)rns must be licensed to practice in hospital and physicians’ offices, but many schools are moving from a two-year diploma to a two-year associate degree or a bachelor’s of science in nursing. many medical institutions are reporting a shortage of nurses, so the job prospects are promising.6. nuclear medicine technologist ($70k)an associate or bachelor’s degree in nuclear medicine technology prepares you to operate scanners and administer drugs to assist in a diagnosis or treatment of various ailments.5. radiati on therapist ($75k)â€Å"rad techs† are responsible for administering radiation treatments, most often for cancer patients, and working alongside radiation oncologists and radiation physicists. jobs may be available in hospitals, cancer centers, and outpatient clinic settings.4. biomedical engineer ($86k)biomedical engineering is a relatively recently established field that involves the research and development of diagnostic medical technology, including imaging equipment, prostheses, and pharmaceuticals. a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and professional training on the job is necessary to secure a position in medical equipment manufacturing, hospital, or university settings.3. physician assistant ($90k)â€Å"pas† work closely with physicians to diagnose and treat patients; you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like nursing and an accredited physician assistant educational program. this in-depth but highly supervised work may also help you discover whether you want to pursue a degree in medicine further down the road.2. cardiovascular perfusionist ($94k)a cardiovascular perfusionist is responsible for maintaining heart and lung functions during surgery, monitoring blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and blood gasses. many work in operating rooms or intensive care units and have completed perfusion training programs in addition to a bachelor’s degree in health studies.1.   medical and health services manager/administrator ($40-110k)if you like a demanding environment and excel under pressure, a position as a medical and health services manager/administrator may be for you! administrators are expected to stay up-to-date on relevant policies and laws, technological changes, and the daily operations of physicians’ offices, hospitals and clinics.

Servise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Servise - Essay Example The discipline of service thinking involves an understanding of various disciplines way of handling customer service issues with a blend of different interdisciplinary methods and tools. This involves tools and methods from the traditional service thinking, the current thinking and going beyond. Service thinking offers organization with new ways of thinking apart from depending solely on the academic disciplines. Instead, service thinking integrates both the necessary academic and professional together with the application of set service design and thinking (Moote, 2008). The main objective of this approach to service provision is to ensure the best customer experience that provides mutual benefit to both the service providers and the end users of the services offered. Service thinking appreciates the interdisciplinary relationship that aims at integrating the customers and the producers throughout the service process (Bettencoat, 2011). For an effective and efficient service provisi on, some chronological steps of service delivery have to be observed. The steps include; first understanding who the customers are, make visualizations about the service and what it can deliver, understand how the service will flow, design the project including all the relevant resources, and lastly deploy the service. According to the article, one of the major motivators for organizations and firms to adopt the service thinking in their marketing strategies is the speed and the scale of labor migrations. Service thinking and design have the ability to expand revenues fetched by a firm. Service thinking has also proven to be one of the economic fuels by ensuring production of quality services and putting up high levels of productivity. Services are one of the fundamentals in the worldwide business competition dome. Through good service provision that enhances high customer satisfaction, organizations are able to build competitive advantage over their competitors. However, the author of the article acknowledges some of the challenges of building a systematic service innovation as the nature of services being multidisciplinary, the incorporation across technology, social, business and customer innovations. It is evident how services have raised the revenues for companies due to service provision and revenues of the organization in general. Services are more paying if well rendered to the customers. Giving an example of two competing hotels adjacent to each other, with the same products, at the same price in the same quantity, and of the same quality, customers may be observed to prefer one to the other despite of the similarities. The question is what makes a customer prefer one hotel to the other, yet they have similar products at similar prices. The most possible answer to this question is the service difference in the two hotels. One hotel may have friendly waiters than the other, may be it may be serving its meals in a more appealing designing compared to th e other hotel, and may be one hotel has more attractive seat arrangement compared to its competitor. Such service provision has made organizations gain more competitive advantage over their competitors not necessarily as a result of the products produced but how customers are served, and the services customers can get apart from the product itself. The economy worldwide is

Media studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media studies - Essay Example It shall aim at the way the newspapers are written edited and made. Research proposal Review of the prior newspapers I endeavored the reviewing of the earlier newspapers so as to have the prior knowledge of the news papers. The review is aimed at establishing the exploration degree in the field of research. It is now vivid that after the analysis of the other newspapers, I realized that this field has been explored thoroughly but I will conduct a research or the other reasons that I will mention later. After conducting the prior review, I realized that the main problems likely to occur during the actual study. The problems that occurred There were power shortcuts There were no cooperative respondents. There was a lot of the work There were several researchers in the site. Schedule 7.00-7.30: The troop left to the media house. 8.00-8.30: The troop arrived in the news room and introduced to the attendants 9.00: The troop started the study and answering the questions. 10.00-10.30: The t roop went for the breakfast in the canteen within the compound. 10.30-1.00: The team proceeded and conducted the actual study. 1.00-4.00: After the lunch hour, the troop proceeded and conducted the study. ... I have an aim to promote the newspaper publishing press by informing the companies the essence of advertising through the newspaper. I will also encourage the upcoming generations people like the students the essence of studying the journalism so as to promote this newspaper sector. Buy establishing the exact figure of the company that advertises its products through the news papers, I will deliver the information to the relevant companies and prospective consumers of the companies. Then the information that is delivered shall be used by the customers to gauge when to find the products, where to find it and who supplies the product. Similarly, the associated companies shall serve to find the potential customers through the newspapers and also know when to meet them. A successful research shall help to establish the major challenges that are usually faced by the editors. This is because, by getting to know what the editors are bored largely with, we shall try to solve the situation. I f it is the idea of the modern printing devises or any thing else, stands a chance to be solved. In this case, solving means that working on it and getting him better ways. This is through writing the report to the willing people who can help donate the cash to bring out the change. The report is also written to the central government to help solve the problem (Greene, 2005). This research shall only help to gauge out net requirements t to meet the position of editing. This is because; I have to stimulate most of the upcoming minds and students to pursue the related courses so as to become the editors of the newspapers. This is because; editing is one of the fields of study that should be thoroughly pursued by most people (Basu, 2010). My research is also aimed at establishing