Budweiser’s Internal Constraints

Budweiser is produced by Anheuser-Busch Companies (Anheuser-Busch), one of the world's largest brewers best known for its Budweiser and Bud Light brands. The group is a leading brewer and operates 12 breweries in the United States (Company Website, 2007). As a company, Anheuser-Busch’s internal constraints are as follows: 1. High dependence on domestic beer division Although the company operates through four business segments including domestic beer, international beer, packaging and entertainment it is still dependant on the domestic beer segment for majority of its revenue.During the fiscal year ending 2006, company generated approximately 74. 8% of its total revenue from the domestic beer segment. In contrast the other three segments accounted for only 25. 2 % of the total revenue during the same period. Strong dependence on a particular segment increases the business risk of the company thereby putting it in a competitive disadvantage (Anheuser-Busch Annual Report, 2006). This is why Anheuser-Busch is currently battling for a presence in China, the world’s largest beer market, as state owned breweries seek foreign help with privatization.In 2004, Anheuser-Busch outbid Miller for the Harbin Brewing Group of China (Modern Brewery Age, Weekly News Edition, June 14, 2004). This year, Anheuser-Busch may acquire Scottish & Newcastle's 37. 5% stake in India-based United Breweries. 2. ) Poor liquidity position Anheuser-Busch has substantial outstanding long-term debt. As of December 2006, the company had long term debt of approximately $7,653. 5 million. The company's debt equity ratio is 2. 2 times which is quite high as compared to industry average of 1. 3 times.The company's interest coverage ratio is 6. 2 as compared to industry average of 10. 1 times (Anheuser-Busch Annual Report, 2006). This ratio clearly signifies that the liquidity position of the company is bad and this would hamper company’s credibility in the market and would be diff icult for them to raise money from the market for their expansion plans. 3. ) High dependence on wholesalers Anheuser-Busch sells substantially all of its beer to independent wholesalers for distribution to retailers and ultimately consumers.During 2006, approximately 94% of the beer sold by the company, reached retail channels through more than 600 independent wholesalers (Anheuser-Busch Annual Report, 2006). In 2007, Anheuser-Busch was appointed as the United States importer for a number of the premium European brands of InBev (International Herald Tribune, 4 February 2008). Many of the wholesalers of these brands have not traditionally been wholesalers for Anheuser-Busch. As independent companies, wholesalers make their own business decisions that may not always align themselves with the company's interests.Dependence of the company on the wholesalers may affect the bargaining power of the company in the market, thus affecting its financial performance. Works Cited Anheuser-Busch . About the Company. Anheuser-Busch Website. 7 Feb. 2007. http://www. anheuser-busch. com/Company. html. Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch Annual Report, 2006. 7 Feb. 2007. http://www. anheuser-busch. com/Stock/2006AR_Anheuser_Busch. pdf. International Herald Tribune. InBev Linked with Mergers, 4 February 2008. Modern Brewery Age, Weekly News Edition. Anheuser is Victor in Harbin Bidding War, 14 June 2004.

Law reform regarding Animal Welfare Essay

As the world changes so do worldviews and therefore, so do the accepted morals and values of the time. With these changing morals and values come altering laws, amended or renewed to reflect these changing views. This is called law reform, in particular, the subject of Animal Welfare. Laws in relation to animal welfare have been made and amended to restore justice and equality to the voiceless members of society. Before recent times, the rights of animals had been severely overlooked. Attention has been brought to breeding and slaughtering practices around the world through wide scale media. In such countries these processes fly under the radar and are rarely monitored, until now. This is when worldwide regulations have to be put in place to ensure that appropriate and adequate treatments are adhered to around the world. Most animal cruelties on a small scale are kept quiet, and are performed either in secluded areas away from prying eyes or those who witness such things are unable or unsure of how to seek justice. Although most of the first laws regarding animal protection from human mistreatment were made in the early 19th Century, according to Peter Sankoff and Steven White’s book; ‘Animal Law in Australiasia’, these laws fall short of bringing adequate justice to the cruelties within Australia and New Zealand. Activists, academics, law professionals and many others share this view, giving even more reason to amend relevant legislation to cover any discrepancies and loopholes. Animal law has only recently emerged as a studied genre of law, which means it is slowly becoming more known. The constitution is the basis for all Australian law and in this case, particularly from section 51. Firstly, section 51 of the Constitution provides that the ‘Parliament shall†¦ have power to make laws for peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to’ 39 subject matters, known as ‘heads of power’. Although the constitution itself doesn’t outline laws regarding animals other than fish, it does give the conditions in which other laws can be created. The Commonwealth can enact any law, provided that the law is characterized as being under at least one of the heads of power. Subject to some limitations, a law that is characterized as being one with respect to one of these heads of power will be valid although it may regulate some other matter that is not specifically allocated to the Commonwealth (such as animal welfare). Through external affairs powers and corporations power came these treaties: Examples of the treaties form ed with other countries are as follows: * The Convention on Biological Diversity 1992, * The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 1973, * The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and Wild Animals 1979 (‘the Bonn Convention’) and * The Convention on the Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific 1976 (‘the Apia Convention’). Mechanisms of Reform- Non-Government Organizations. ‘Lawyers For Animals’ is an organization dedicated to advocating the need to improve animal welfare through education and law, as well as ‘Voiceless’. Voiceless is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering networks for law professionals, academics and politicians to influence law and the need for law reform regarding animal welfare. They conduct research regarding agricultural industry practices, exposing legalized cruelty and promoting need for debate. They also attempt to inform the public about consuming and which products have and have not come from low quality, quantity breeders. They recognize the need for a voice that projects the facts of cruelty among everyday people and corporations that give way to law reform and law making in relation to the protection and rights of animals. By building a forum, social justice movement, funding in education, participation in events and forming relationships with law schools and firms, Voiceless hopes to pr ovoke change and awareness about animal welfare. The key issues that have been addressed as contemporary issues regarding this subject are; * Animals as property * Animals in agriculture * Animal welfare legislation * Labeling * Live animal export * Intensive livestock production and climate change * Animals used for scientific purposes * Animals used for entertainment * Pets * Pests * Wild animals * Fish and crustaceans These are a vast range of issues, which call for a vast range of bills to be introduced from a large number of interested politicians. Having animals as property and pets, means that we as humans own them. We dictate what it is they eat, drink, do etc. We are responsible for taking care of them, and the blatant fact is that many people don’t. As Gary Francione, ‘distinguished professor of law’, states – animals are ‘as a matter of law, solely means to human ends. As such, their value is measured in terms of their usefulness to humans, and not in terms of their own interests’. The Animal Legal Defence Fund (‘ALDF’), was established in 1979 and has more than 100,000 dedicated lawyer members who apply their skills in a number of ways in order to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. For example, the ‘Litigation Program’ files cutting-edge lawsuits to stop the abuse of companion animals, and animals abused in industries including factory farming and the entertainment business; while the ‘Criminal Justice Program’ works with law enforcement and prosecutors to seek maximum penalties for animal abusers. ALDF has also been at the forefront of law reform in respect to one that can actually make a difference. With changing times also comes the once described as ‘likely to be the next great social justice movement’, animal welfare is becoming more well known. Universities have been reflecting this growing issue, providing more and more opportunities for education on and relating to animal rights and animals and the environment. Examples of such debates for reform topics and their respectable supporters ( as found on http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2008/will-‘animal-rights’-become-next-great-social-justice-movement) a re below: * Arguments in favour of basic legal rights for nonhumans (Steven Wise; President, Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights Inc., Coral Springs, Florida, USA ); * Suicide foods’: the anthropomorphising of animals (Prof Mark Kingwell, Uni of Toronto); * Animal rights activists’ case against the animal industries (Tom Regan, American philosopher and animal rights activist); * The philosophy behind animal welfare (Geoffrey Bloom, Geoffrey Bloom & Associates); * The law and pig farming (Dr Malcolm Caulfield, legal counsel for Animals Australia); * Animals and the law in Australia: a livestock industry perspective ( Kathleen Plowman; General Manager Policy for Australian Pork Ltd, with Alan Person and John Topfer); * The treatment of feral animals (Graeme McEwen, Barristers Animal Welfare Panel); * The ethics of animal biotechnology (Professors Mickey Gjerris and Peter Sandoe, University of Copenhagen); * Animal derived food labelling (Katrina Sharman, Corporate Counse l, Voiceless, the fund for animals); * The common law and animal rights (Nichola Donovan, Lawyers for Animals); * Animals, guardianship and the local courts Another benefit human’s get from animals is profit. Breeding and meat production are industries where greed comes into play and animals needs and rights are forgotten. These NGO’s raise awareness and with the help of media, put pressure on the courts and parliament to introduce change. Certain ministers will be targeted and issues put forward to so that agencies have a representative in court. Animal Laws that already exsist: * Animal Welfare Act 1992 (ACT) * Animal Welfare Act 1999 (NT) * Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (NSW) * Animal Care & Protection Act 2001 (QLD) * Animal Welfare Act 1985 (SA) * Animal Welfare Act 1993 (TAS) * Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (VIC) * Animal Welfare Act 2002 (WA The shortcomings of these laws are the lack of equal treatment among animals used for scientific research and those that are pets. Eg: Cats will receive better treatment than pigs, as they are pets and pigs are used simply to grow and once they are grown, to eat. Again, seen as property beneficial to humans, which goes against the rules of law. The majority of the difficulties with enforcement stem from the manner by which the power to enforce animal welfare legislation is granted. The power is granted to: * State government departments; * the RSPCA; * and the police. Much of the enforcement is carried out by the RSPCA. It is the state and territory governments that are responsible for enacting legislation appropriate to their areas, therefore this will be done through the New South Wales Law Reform Commission. The New South Wales Law Reform Commission takes care of localized matters in relation to the state and the Australian Law Reform Commission takes care of matters to do with international treaties of trade and animal treatment. The New South Wales Law Reform Commission may be the pinnacle of law making bodies for New South Wales, The Australian Law Reform Commission itself recognizes the altering times and calls for change throughout the country. Dated 19th May 2009, David Weisbrot, President of the ALRC spoke at the University of Sydney about their views upon the issue, with the NGO ‘Voiceless’. He stated that; â€Å"I think we need; national – or at least harmonised – legislation that protects animal welfare; and is not set at the lowest common denominator; or is so riddled with loopholes that you could drive a large factory farm truck though.† From the President of the ALRC itself, one would have to assume actions were being made in establishing new laws regarding animals, however it is not so. In the recent years, there has been much talk of changes yet no actions or amendments have been put in place as a follow through of this talk. David also stated that we evolve over time, resulting in the need for law reform and that it is this slow and painstakingly gradual task. Reasons for law reform regarding animal welfare: An example of the altering views are prime in the subject of Sweden banning importations of Australian wool in the fear that it would be supporting mulesing. This could go on to be a major issue for the wool trade industry. Another concept is that of the changing and growing world, as the population grows, so does the need for food. This pressures farmers into states of mass production; Eg: The mass breeding and steroid use in chickens so that they reach adulthood 10x faster than usual, leaving their legs to break and mutate under the abnormal weight that grows too fast for the rest of the body to keep up. These chickens have shorter and extremely painful life spans, are kept in battery cages where there is no room for them to walk or sit. This issue has been addressed in documentaries attempting to make the public aware of the cruel and selfish origin their produce is coming from and spur politicians into addressing the subject with observance of practices and laws to protect such a nimals. As is seen in the many above genre’s relating to animals as pets, food and many other things, a massive need for appropriate and widespread legislation has surfaced. Ways of mass production are under complete scrutiny for cruel practices, while more monitoring of animal owners has become paramount for the RSPCA. Universities have opened doors to educating the worlds youth about this topic, providing a new force of law trained individuals, able to influence people within their league into the advertisement and hopeful altering of current laws. These trained professionals have the ability to uncover the shortcomings of current laws that have been so far swept under the rug, and take them to members of the State and Federal Governments for consideration. The Non-Government Organizations such as the RSPCA or Voiceless project widely held views of the public, who may not be as educated or influential within the political spectrum, but allow the public a say all the same. With a new influx of technology from the late 20th into modern 21st century, brings both positive and negative possibilities when monitoring and even bringing about animal cruelty. That is, one can use cameras placed in chicken farms to monitor such breeding, but it is the development of scientific technology that has allowed such abnormal growth in the first place. Education towards use of technology in a morally aware way should be a priority for the government, as well as making the public more aware of those cruelties that happen every single day. By making the public largely aware of various aspects of animal cruelty, many more opinions can be altered to support the work of the RSPCA and Voiceless, so that both the N.S.W Law Reform Commission and Australian Law Re form Commission can alter their own priorities and make changes to relative legislation. Bibliography: * http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/welfare * http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/reform * http://www.lawyersforanimals.org.au/documents/Animal-Law-Subject-Proposal.pdf * http://lawyersforanimals.org.au/ * http://www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=9781862877191 * http://www.animallaw.info/nonus/articles/ovaustrailia.htm * http://lsa.net.au/wcb-content/uploads/lsa/files/2011/Animal%20Law%20-%20a%20need%20for%20reform%20(LSA%20State%20Conference%20March%202011).pdf * http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2008/will-‘animal-rights’-become-next-great-social-justice-movement * http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2009/voiceless-animal-law-lecture-series

Why California is considered a hazard hotspot and how it copes

A disaster hotspot is somewhere where there is a threat of two or more hazards to the area, ranging from geophysical to hydro-meteorological hazards. This is certainly the case in California, where there are an abundance of hazards which threaten the safety of the population. These hazards include earthquakes, bushfires, landslides, flooding, drought and fog. A major threat to the 40million strong population of California is earthquakes, which are caused by a network of active faults which run under the coastline of the state, including the San Andreas Fault and the Garlock Fault. The San Andreas Fault is a conservative boundary, which can give rise to powerful earthquakes. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was caused by a rupture on the San Andreas Fault, which is a strike-slip fault meaning it is a crack between two plates sliding past each other. This 7. 7 magnitude earthquake caused a lot of destruction in the San Francisco area, killing an estimated 3000 people and leaving an expensive bill of damage ($9. 5 billion in 2009 dollars). Much of the damage and death toll came as a result of the devastating fires which followed the earthquake, which lasted for four days. The people of California are vulnerable to earthquakes as the faults directly underlie the area and the earthquake events cannot be predicted. As California is part of one of the largest economies in the world, it can afford preventive measures such as an annual earthquake drill and building earthquake proof buildings. Drought is another prevalent threat in California, which also gives rise to wildfires due to dry grounds and air. Droughts are caused by a lack of rainfall, heightened by the onset of La Nina. A particularly bad example of a drought in California was in 1976-77 where they only had half the rainfall compared to a normal year, causing a major crop fail, which in less economically developed countries often leads to a famine disaster. Droughts lead to health problems, particularly for the young and old who are at risk of malnutrition and heatstroke. 2007 was a bad year for wildfires. Prior to these fires the area was experiencing a drought, meaning the land was dry which created good conditions for fires to spread. Across the 19 days of burning, there were 9 deaths, over 500,000 acres of land burned, along with 1500 homes. There had been a build up in bushes in the previous decades of no fires which added to the reason the fires were so destructive as they had a lot of fuel to burn on. California is also at risk of flooding, both coastal and from rivers. These events are largely caused by excessive rainfall. In 1964 the Alaskan earthquake caused a tsunami which devastated parts of California, killing 14 residents. A more recent example of flooding was in December 2010 when hundreds of people were evacuated due to more than 12 inches of torrential rain falling, causing flooding and mudslides. This again caused a lot of economic damage. Other mudslides have occurred across the recent decades, often caused by earthquakes or flooding and erosion. In La Conchita there have been two major mudslides, one in 1995 the other in 2005. The more recent event was far more destructive, burying 15 homes and killing 10 people and was caused by excessive rainfall. In conclusion California is considered a disaster hotspot because its population is vulnerable to a variety of hazards which occur quite frequently and sometimes lead on from one another, for example if there is an earthquake landslides could occur as well as the initial destruction caused by the earthquake itself. As a developed state it has invested money and time to ensure the safety of its residents as much as is possible when the events are unpredictable.

Community Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Community Project - Research Paper Example While most people may have little idea on Measles as a contagious infection, it is crucial to note that the disease is very transferable, unbridled, and fatal if not controlled within the predetermined period. The highest case of outburst of Measles was reported back between 1985 and1991. Statistics reveal that during this period, more than 790 cases surfaced. This number comprised 26 cases documented from four states of the US including California, Colorado, Utah and California. The cases were reported of people with running nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat. These are typical signs of measles. More than half, of the 26 were children infested with the virus and not vaccinated It farther shows that the most affected population comprised of the health workers as supported by the data. Of the total cases reported, workers in the health sector accounted for 1.1% and were mainly adults. It is interesting to note that 29% health workers were nurses, 15% were physicians 11% other occupational health workers mainly working in the laboratory and radiological technicians. However, there was a decline in the Measles incidence rates as of 1993 and late 1991 which was a reprieve to the world a little bit. During this period in time, there were as few as less than 40 cases reported. This number comprised of 1.8% health workers mainly the laboratory specialists, clinical officers and nursing professionals. Throughout 1988 to1990, California had its foulest measles endemic in more than a decade, with 16,400 recounted cases, more than 3,390 hospitalized and 75 deaths. The disease aligned in low-income Hispanic populations in central and southern California. The key cause of the endemic was stumpy inoculation levels among preschool-aged kids and young grown-ups. The rates of complications, hospitalization, and death were amazingly

Tax & Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax & Ethics - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the role of companies, their professionals, and HM Revenue and Customs and will discuss whether ethical principles should be applied to the payment of tax. The four major sources used for drafting this paper are BBC, The Guardian, KPMG, and HMRC, because these sources were found potential for providing analytical information about the topic under consideration. However, only facts and figures have been mainly taken from such sources, for news reports tend to be biased depending on the reporters’ personal outlook. A BBC report dated on 21st November 2012 reflects that UK lost billions in lost revenues as a result of corporate tax avoidance by multinational corporations. The report points out that new tax avoidance schemes are emerging each year and the situation makes it difficult for HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) to curb this issue. According to National Audit Office, taxation authorities identified nearly 2,300 avoidance schemes between 2004 and 2011 (ibid). Since the actual figures of tax avoidance are not available, the UK government cannot estimate the accurate amount of loss. It has been identified that specialist tax advisers suggest best tax avoidance schemes for their clients; and this practice significantly contributes to the issue. Recently, Margaret Hodge walloped the big four accounting firm for helping companies avoid corporate taxes (as cited in Toynbee 2011). According to another BBC report dated on 3rd December 2012, some leading multinational companies including Starbucks, Amazon, and Google were severely criticised by UK government authorities for paying little or no tax. The UK government officials point that it is unfair for these companies to practice different schemes to avoid corporate taxes despite the fact that their UK operations account for hundreds of millions of pounds (BBC 2012). UK Prime Minister David Cameron states that international co-operation is necessary to tackle this issue because some for ms of tax avoidance are very difficult to address (David Cameron). In order to publicly express UK’ stance on tax avoidance, the HM Revenue & Customs publicly named top tax dodgers for the first time (as cited in King). Reportedly, Starbucks, Google, and Amazon are the three major multinational corporations that have practiced schemes to avoid corporate taxes. In addition, small businesses including Cheshire wine merchant, Menemis, and Brian Clifford Tattersall were also criticised for tax avoidance. Yet another BBC report says that Starbucks sold goods worth ?400m in UK in 2001 but paid nothing in corporate taxes (BBC news Business 2012). Starbucks managed to avoid corporate taxes by transferring some of its funds to a sister company in the form of royalty payments, buying coffee beans from Switzerland, and paying high interests rates other parts of the business in the account of borrowing (ibid). Similarly, on the strength of some well structured schemes, Google also notabl y reduced the amount paid in corporate taxes. As per reports, Google could trim down its tax bill by approximately $1bn a year by transferring profits to subsidiaries having low tax rates (O’Carroll 2011). A subsidiary located in Bermuda assisted Google to save nearly $3.1bn over a period of three years because corporate tax rate is zero in Bermuda (ibid). In response to this criticism, a Google spokesperson said: â€Å"we have an obligation to our shareholders to set up a tax-efficient

The black cat by E. Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The black cat by E. Poe - Essay Example Virginia served as a pattern and embodiment of love in Poe’s several novels such as Annabel Lee, The Raven, and Ligeia. Poes one-time employer George Rex Graham said about their relationship: "His love for his wife was a sort of rapturous worship of the spirit of beauty." I believe that his devotional love in inherent in a good marriage. After her death, he tried to have a comfortable life with a poet, Sarah Helen Whitman. However, their relationship ended, because of Poe’s serious alcoholism. Such behavior was a result of the sorrow he felt after Virginia’s death. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the representatives of Gothic literature. Gothic art was predominant in the Romantic era, thus Poe’s writings were affected by Romanticism. Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that praised imagination over reason, emotions over logic, and intuition over science-making way. It rejected the rational and intellectual, and Allan Poe emphasized that didactic and intellectual elements were absent in his work. The Black Cat is an example of Gothic literature work. The black cat’s time and setting is obscure and vague, and it creates an uncanny atmosphere. The beginning of this story is ordinary and friendly, and narrator’s childhood sounds loving. However, happy introduction foreshadows the horrendous ending in Gothic literature. Moreover, there are many Gothic images in the novel. For example, cat’s figure imprinted on the wall brings grotesque illusion. Disturbing vision of cat to the protagonist is akind of foreshadowing of coming event. He tries to ignore superstition and offer a reasonable and scientific explanation. As the narrators extreme hatred and rage to the cat cannot be explained logically, I suppose that cat is a supernatural object, and symbolizes his tortured conscience. Humanity’s fear and fascination is unknown in Gothic literature. Narrator in The Black Cat commits

Democratic assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Democratic assessment - Essay Example However, in this particular article, we are going to lay emphasis on the democratic organization and structure of Canada and at the same time compare it to the various democracies globally. First and foremost Canada is a country situated in the North American continent. It is a vast nation which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the pacific and further to the Arctic Ocean. 1Apparently, it is a federal parliamentary nation and at the same times a constitutional monarchy with the royal family as the head of the nation. On that note, the nation is founded on the following values: freedom, democracy, democratic leadership, human rights and finally the rule of law. 2However, the democracy in Canada has faced harsh criticism on the fact that it is termed as being less participatory on the part of representation following the politicians advocating for policies which serve their own interest as opposed the interest of the majority of the people. Despite all that, the government has tirel essly worked to restore the participation of the public through election. In addition to that, elections have provided a forum in which the people of a nation have control over the governing authorities and their policies.3 Apparently, elections have served as a vetting forum for the leaders. In addition to that, through elections people have been able to elect credible leaders for the various public administrative positions for instance the Member of Parliament in the case of Canada and therefore accountability in office has been boosted greatly since failure to deliver on office means one would not be reelected during the next election. 4Furthermore, elections give the people the authority to select the leader they feel will represent them fully in the government; address their grievance to the governing body. On the contrary, through referendum exercises the people have been able to approve the policies they regard in their best interest and at the same time disapprove some of th e policies formulated by the government that they view are unsuitable for the nation’s growth. In other words, elections have given the people power to select which policies to approve to law. 5For instance, in case the government of a nation needs to amend the constitution; which is the law of the country, they may require a majority vote of the citizens in a bid to approve and ensure the participation of the people in democracy of the nation. On a similar theme, people are also given the power to control the policy through the fact that they get to elect new officials during every election. On that note, the newly elected individuals come in with new ideas and policies which are aimed at improving the living standards of people. Consequently, the people are able to keep in check the activities of the government. Apparently, in Canada elections are held on several fronts in the government. 6On that note, there are the national, provincial, municipal and finally the territori al elections. Notably, the parliament of Canada consists of two major divisions; the House of Commons which contain three hundred and eight members and the senate which has one hundred and five appointees of the governor general with the aid of the prime minister. During

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Taxation - Essay Example s taxation is replete with various complexities and disparities, while saving is discouraged in many ways, wherein simple interest-bearing accounts are meted out the harshest treatment, while the same time other types of savings are granted large-scale benefits for tax savings (Mirrlees, Adam, Besley, et al., 2012). This disparity and intricacy in tax treatment have led to the emergence of an industry that thrives on simply advising people on the nature of their savings allocation that is not based on the best form of underlying investments, but is more dependent on the form of tax treatment. In this context, the essay provides a brief review of the Mirrlees Review’s recommendation to provide a tax system with a neutral treatment of life-cycle savings for the vast majority of taxpayers. The Mirrlees Review aimed at addressing the challenge of designing a tax system that would enable the UK government to raise revenues necessary for achieving its distributional and spending objectives, while lowering its administrative and economic inefï ¬ ciencies and avoiding disparity in tax treatment across citizens and different types of economic activities. It main principle behind all its proposals was the framing of a progressive, neutral tax system, wherein the three words ‘progressive,’ ‘neutral,’ and ‘system’ form to be the important keywords that are suggestive of the main findings of the Review. Therefore, it can be suggested that first, policy makers must aim at designing a tax system that functions effectively as a ‘system.’ The way in which different taxes can be assembled together is important, as is a clarity regarding the role played by each tax within the system. Second, distribution plays a major role within the system of tax and beneï ¬ ts, similarly the trade-off between efficiency and redistribution is at the core of tax policy related debates. The redistribution ambit is ascertained by society’s choices and the system effect is based on

Cross-border Mobility and Immobility Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cross-border Mobility and Immobility - Article Example Some views also opine for the debarring of the worker flow from the foreign states which enhances the competition. The second domain circumscribes the progress from different countries like sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East infiltrating into the European culture and the views are against the mobility particularly from the Islamic countries although the nature of variation changes from country to country. Both the domain of discussion targets at the restriction mechanism of migration. However the discussion generates the significance of the regulation of immigration. An emergence of the cross border immobility is taken as the starting phase and it has been found that people remains immobile with respect to certain destinations and the preference of destinations among the people play a significant part in the mobility (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, pp. 218-219). Argument The argument stands on the premises of examining whether the borders generates incentives for the migrants to relocat e. In other words, the argument presupposes on the decision making aspects of the people in the migration procedure in association with the prime parameter being the border in this case (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, p. 219). Structure of the paper The decision making process of cross border mobility of the migrants incorporates into it the very notion of underlying uncertainty, instability as well as the precariousness affecting their mobility behavior. In order to examine the basis of the argument three components distinguishing the international migration are explained with respect to the argument in question and that is people, borders and trajectories. The people usually decide in crossing the borders or not and this specific endeavor they can remain mobile or immobile internationally. This nature depends on the various geographical borders they take into considerations. The people are also in the following specific routes for the movement from one place to the other and hence crossi ng the national borders (Velde & Naerssen, 2000, p. 219). Literatures In 1880s, Ravenstein revealed that the study of the actual and the potential migration reduces the migrants into infinitesimally small identities within the demand supply framework of the labor market. He also inferred that the wage differentials and the distance are the key variables in determining the migration decisions which later generated in the form of the famous push and pull framework. Some other theorist states that the notion of rationality does not always play in the migration decisions as in many cases it has been encountered that the migrants are guided by the asymmetric information. The concept of human capital which links the long run investment decisions also affects the migration decisions of the migrants. The transaction cost approach states that the people calculate the costs like opportunity costs, costs of adjustment to different cultures, adaptation to legal structures and so on and so forth . Stark (1982) changed the focus of the migration from the individual to the mutual dependence among the households, families and communities. Immobility is a fact which involves only a minority of

Disciplinary Literacy Writing Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Disciplinary Literacy Writing Project - Essay Example The data results obtained need to be of no biases; thus statistical research must be officially produced under no influence of political background. For instance, many social, military decisions, economic and political decisions cannot be made without applying the statistical techniques like structuring an experiment to gain federal approval of a new medice. In any organization or at any government the initial step to any project is plan analysis. (Szabo, 118) Actuarial are always involved in many activities within the organization since they form the major part of the running of most of the organization. The major duties of the actuarial involves collecting, receiving and obtaining data then analyze the information. This is done by identifying the underlying reasons or facts of data by simplifying the information. It includes analyzing social data, economical data; evaluate the level of probability of financial risk and conducting statistical modeling. (Crews, 87) Actuarial works in many different settings thus job duties may vary from company to company. Although the government is the largest employee of the actuarial, they can work in a number of places, mostly in insurance companies, Micro finance organizations, accountancy firms, pension funds, actuarial consultants, investment funds, life assurance companies but also can work in finance, marketing, government, manufacturing companies, and health care (Crews,35 ) As an actuarial, he is involved in compiling, coding, tabulating, categorizing, auditing calculating information. Once the information is tabled, the actuarial interprets the meaning of the information to which t is concerned this is by explaining the complex mathematical data and interpreting the tables or charts or graphs for economic or social research With the present level of technology the actuarial is core role also involve in using computer

Tanglewood Essay Example for Free

Tanglewood Essay There are thirteen strategic staffing decisions that should be identified and examined when developing a staffing plan. A change to any of these decisions can completely alter the entire staffing plan. Tanglewood department stores are a unique brand based upon how operations are handled, especially in relation to human resources and staffing. With the rate of Tanglewood’s expansion it is critically important to align all human resources policies and practices, especially those on staffing. Acquire and Develop Talent-Most operations use a â€Å"pure staffing strategy† which basically means focusing on quality and not quantity. Tanglewood should not adopt this strategy at this time. With the acquisition of stores, the focus should be on training and development to have a uniformed style of employee. This means that when staffing plans are developed they should look for candidates who are willing to learn about the company, the customers and develop skills to meet the requirements of the company. This does not mean we won’t be diverse in the hiring process but it does mean that meeting the minimum qualifications is not enough. Lag or Lead System -Tanglewood should implement and operate with the lead system. Tanglewood has no option here as people have already been acquired from the previous mergers. External or Internal Hiring-For corporate and management positions it is recommend that Tanglewood use internal hiring. This allows new managers to use their tanglewood experience to their advantage in their new role. This also works well due to our acquisitions because there may be operating procedures by the individual stores that would be beneficial to the entire company. For entry level positions, it will be necessary to hire externally. Core of flexible workforce-With the industry being retail, there will be a need to have both core and flexible workers. Core workers provided stability and help keep training costs down while for seasonal purposes flexible workers allow Tanglewood to operate effectively. Hire or Retain- Retaining employees allows Tanglewood to expand and grow because there will be experienced personnel more readily available. There must also be an effort on external recruitment to recruit talent and new personnel who may have exceptional experience with another retail outlet. National or Global- National staffing plan should be in plan; globalization leads to increased recruiting costs and has no benefit to the company. Attract or Relocate- The effort to relocate should be made, if this is unable to occur due to lack of internal candidates whom are eligible, then attracting new candidates would be necessary. Understaff or Overstaff- Tanglewood should overstaff employees with the current expansion in place. In a retail environment there will be call offs, early outs and no shows. Having staff allows tanglewood to move associates to other departments and call associates in with short notice. Hire or Acquire- There is no option as Tanglewood has recently acquired many employees. Person/Job or Person/Organization match- This should be implemented to assure new hires are able to blend into company culture and ensure customer satisfaction.

Title VII in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Title VII in the Workplace Essay History and evolution. Many employees can face discrimination or sexual harassment claims nowadays. Even in the US Congress, such cases are reported frequently. It is very difficult for the managers of companies to deal with this kind of problems because they can cost large sums of money to the company. For example, TX Bar Journal estimated that the average large corporation pays approximately $6.7 million to investigate, defend, and either settle or pay judgments for sexual harassment claims. Therefore, it has become very important for companies, especially nowadays, to pay lots of attention to legislation regulating discrimination in the workplace. It is much cheaper for the company to make studies of the necessary laws and make sure human resources management always takes into consideration everything marked in those acts than suffer losses from claims. Even though it is impossible to take into consideration every single aspect marked in the legislation, most of them can be followed without any difficulties. All of the people working and living in the United States want to have equal abilities for working and developing their career and building their happy future. If in the beginning of the century discrimination could be not punished, at present people believe in the ideals of democracy and fight for their rights because they want to have a prosperous future. People of different religions and outlooks live and work in the US and it is very important for companies to ensure equal conditions for them in the workplace. Title VII is one of the most important laws regulating the mentioned problems. Title VII coverage. Title VII is one of the most general laws which protects individuals from job discrimination in different fields, while all other laws regulating job discrimination sphere focus on issues which were not completely covered in the Title VII or which need some special description. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was adopted in 1964 which makes it the oldest law in the list of laws regulating discrimination in the workplace and which therefore means that it is a basic law in the field. Title VII covers all of the private employers, state and local governments, and education institutions that employ 15 or more individuals, private and public employment agencies, labor organizations, and joint labor management committees controlling apprenticeship and training. General characteristics, policies, and impact. According to Title VII, it is considered illegal to discriminate in the following aspects of employment, such as: hiring and firing; compensation, assignment, or classification of employees; transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall; job advertisements; recruitment; testing; use of company facilities; training and apprenticeship programs; fringe benefits; pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or other terms and conditions of employment. The mentioned aspects are the most important in the field because they cover all the general areas of discrimination where an individual can be denied his rights. There are also some other aspects which Title VII also prohibits, for example harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age; retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory practices. The act prohibits employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain sex, race, age, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities; and denying employment opportunities to a person because of marriage to, or association with, an individual of a particular race, religion, national origin, or an individual with a disability. It is considered an unlawful employment practice for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, or privileges of employment, because of such individuals race, religion, sex, or origin. Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial or religious group. Title VII prohibits not only intentional discrimination, but also practices that have the effect of discriminating against individuals because of their race, color, national origin. For example, at some jobs employers might want to require their employees to conduct their work only in English and therefore they have to speak English fluently, or otherwise they will not be employed. According to Title VII, this is going to be considered discrimination unless the employer can prove that without this knowledge, the employee will be unable to conduct any work in the particular job for which he is applying. Oftentimes people cannot get a particular job not because of their disability to work in this position but because some member of the family is of a certain race which is considered unacceptable by the employer, or because of religion which appears unacceptable to the employer, or because the individual is disabled, or because he does not speak English. Without any legislation prohibiting those practices, employees could never be protected against those practices and would have to suffer from discrimination which becomes very common in such multinational society as American Society. That is why human resources management in the companies should always be knowledgeable in all the aspects which Title VII and all other discrimination prohibiting legislation cover and make sure they avoid all the practices which may discriminate against certain employees or job applicants. Bibliography. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). Civil Rights Act of 1991.

Developing Strategy Innovation

Developing Strategy Innovation Strategy innovation is an element widely used today in reengineering the collapsing businesses. This involves a comprehensive monitor and regulation of the organizations business strategic measures in effort of new value creation for both the organization and the clients. It is indeed a very strong critical element for the survival and the success in the dynamic markets which are dominated by many competitors. It serves as a source of competitive advantage to the stable markets. The business models of many organizations become obsolete with time, exposing them to risks due to lack of customer value delivery. This has led to increase in new companies and organizations with more innovative and efficient business models increasing the level of competition in the profitable industries. Essentially many organizations and companies have taken the advantaged of the technology advancement with well strategized policies in gaining a big market share, boosting their revenue acquisition (Vadim, 2010). The technological advances in todays dynamic organizations and companies are continually changing the competitive global landscape due to increase in new materials with companies such as Nokia, IBM moving fast with the shift of technological advances and other strategic changes. Companies and organizations that are adjusted to the changes experienced in the market are well placed in the untapped potential business prospects and are essentially strategic oriented and regularly innovated. These are the companies that are eager in enhancing the value and the image of the company and involve in the redefining of the services offered to its customers. Innovation is becoming the building block of all the competition experienced today (Kenneth Klopp2010). The battle of the computer Innovation Toshiba is a company in computer industry which is a good example that gives us an overview of the strategic innovation importance in the dynamic markets. The company which was over the past very famous and prominent worldwide player of this business has been overtaken by events. It widely dominated the global market implementations which were patented in the instant computer industry segment. With the explosion of the unsettling technology due to the computer revolution, the technology became obsolete and lacked the credibility in the market. The company fails to put effort in the understanding of the potential implications on the emerging technology, and ignored the very early sign of technological advancement. Their strategic policies and the value creation in the emerging marketplace were poorly constructed. Today they are still struggling to revive their market share which has been taken by their well known competitors such as Dell and HP who were shifting their business in new value creation of both their customers and the company itself. The increase in the functional activities of the Dell Company is a fundamental and gives the company a competitve advantage due to the increase of competition which has outsided the Toshiba company. The implications of this entity is that product as well as strategy innovation is sustainable than those developed on the individual activities. Companies with a comprehensive coporate strategies which is beyond the product innovation enhances the business processes and puts the company in better position than their competitors. This involves creation of specific functions and the interelationship of these functions in they searve as the building blocks of the business model. Basically, the efficiency and the effectiveness of the business model is a criticals element of a companys strategy. Innovative Business Model According to Robert Douglas (2003), strategic innovation involves the process of innovative thinking applied not just to the products or the inventions but also to the companys businesses models. Product innovation is not the only important aspect in the market but he uniqueness and the superiority of the business model should also be a determinant in this particular matter. Creating innovative business model in the Toshiba company will bring much success. These innovative business processes involves the selling the bespoke and customized electronics devices through the internet with an effectieve supply chain management. Toshiba should take the advantage of the social networking which is currently connecting the globe not only for socila activities but also for business ventures. Toshiba company should have a clear understanding of the fact that the computers superiority doesnt approve it as the best in the market. This is widely be experienced in the todays world market on which t he companies which is not ranked in top RD capabilities are able to effectively compete in markets due to their intensive efforts geered towards development and implementation of a superior business case. The efforts used in business model and case in the company will actually provide tangible value to the company, offered the strategic significance of the companys business model in its capability to effectivelly compete in the market place. The management of innovation process builds a core resourcefull approach with the interplay facilitation between the internal company influences and the external practices. As explained in the diagram above, the central technologies and competence in the company sets the interanal companys ability in delivering value in the market. The Toshiba companys innovation change readiness drives this competence as new strategies successifully controls the companys operation functions. Sustainable competitive and viable Advantage Lack of the alignment and execution of innovation strategy by the Toshiba Company is a waste of resources. The company spends a lot of time and capital in creation of a new product which in the long run ends up being a disappointment as it is introduced to the market. The company needs to align their innovation strategy with the future technology as the technology advances. This reduces the risk and cost incurred as the companys products are well aligned with the businesses processes architecture. The company needs creation of sustainable growth strategies that empowers the business models. This involves a combination of the various approaches in effort of generating advanced values to the customers as well as the entire company. The conceptualization brings the innovations to the market thus ads the value. For a sustainable competitive advantage in the company, innovation is also required in the companys infrastructure of the people and processes. Developing and implementing the strategic invention dimension in the company helps in the achievement of the precise stability between extended and strategic company fitness. Toshiba remained for so long on the latest technological development instead of making a follow up on the technological advances and innovations which could have given the room for change. Testing the assumptions that constrain the change in new product development enables the company to maintain the strategic business alignment eliminating the short term effects. Thus the companys innovation portfolio needs the stretch which provides the equilibrium between innovative and evolutionary inventiveness (Vadim K. 2010). Innovation Engine and the road mapping Great ideas are generated that drives the future of the companys business needs to be executed and monitored by the innovative engine. Toshiba has been over taken by events in the sales of their products due to ineffective generation of ideas in their products development which entirely involves the incremental product improvements as the competition becomes stiff in the market. Implementation of innovative engine creates a competitive advantage as more significant innovation is well outlined. These are some of the efforts that excite the customers due to the reactive approach to the market. The true management value to the innovation engine is reflected in the main concern of the companys strategy. Creating the companys innovation lifecycle process allows the management to effectively plan the companys future innovation which is the guiding road map towards the company new innovations. According to Derrik Kaplan, (2010) the innovation process life cycle involves the following strat egic innovation processes: Ideation Development of the concept Business and technical evaluation The commercialization Incremental and improved innovation These incessant innovation periods encourages the innovative and outlined thinking in generation of new ideas. Road mapping allows the development of the innovation strategy in choosing and executing the important elements of the business. It is a tool that provides and triggers the innovation and creates links between the corporate. Toshiba requires the execution of the innovation management processes in implementation of the road mapping strategy of the company. This leads to the efficient companys projects portfolio management which in return creates a platform for the companys technological strategy expansion and assessment of the market approach. It is now evidently clear that innovation is an entity in the creation of new platforms of business growth. The company needs the development of an established concept in enhancing the chances of the future successes. This will enable Toshiba to fully realize the business innovation driven growth and a sustainable one for that particular matte, in ensuring a growth to mature company. understand of the process can harness the company growth strongly taking care of the frequently inevitable business disruption on which some are advantageous since they expand the business growth. The approach of identifying the areas of the opportunity and performing the SWOT analysis balances the companys both short and long term value and the return investment. A solid core technology in the company enhances competencies and provides a practical filter in companys investment and exploration of wide range of opportunities in the market. A profound customer needs insight and the future market trends tra nsform the ideas and strategies into actions with major strength in the companys inherent competence. The company should focus on the business uniqueness in its best practices. Strategies company Venturing The full success realization of the Toshiba Company comes with the development of an aggressive strategized venture with operation success of the companys critical elements. Many companies are today searching for new and emerging challenges in exploring the business opportunities in the emerging markets. The company should realize that efficiency developments are no longer adequate sources of the company growth as smaller companies are becoming the major determinant of their success. This is achieved as the companys makes the technological identifications and explores the market opportunities capitalizing them in advance and making them the market leaders with extensive market share. The new business models and the enhanced functionality of the products made at Toshiba secure the markets value scheme due to the superiority in the customers problems solutions. In full realization of the companys success, the company should exploit the external venture which involves the companys inves tment in new technologies and the rising markets. The partnership of the company with minor innovative firms drives the corporate strategies as both benefits mutually due to the exchanging of the service rendering. Systematic innovations in the company allow the acquisition and the integration abilities which an efficient source of business growth thus ventures acquisition in the companys strategies. Venture acquisition and incorporation allows the companys product supplement and business portfolio expansion with fast entry to emerging markets and provision of the quality technology. Both the external and the internal ventures really determine the companys business approach aimed at developing the innovative companys products. The constant improvement culture provides the companies sustainable competitive advantage as the technological continuous change continues to threaten the core business in market. The long lasting companys venture strategy increases the companys productivity due to increase of the new products production. Flexibility of the strategy Strategy flexibility can be achieved in the combination of various scenario based development elements of the companys business entities which will enable the implementation of a wide range of dependent strategies. The idea generation is also a recommended element with a comprehensive processes and a competitive collaboration business platform. This expands the business growth thus creating gradual innovation driven businesses. The flexibility of the innovation in the company need the assessment in its infrastructure which brings the managers understanding of the companys capability in innovation delivery to this/her attention. The innovation should incorporate both the divergent and the convergent way of thinking on which the divergent is composed of the strategic innovation approach. The divergent process is an open ended and tentative method with a qualitative discovery of new market trends. The companys innovations should posses a firm linkage to the core business competence in o rder to be viable. The unconsciously companys limit of their growth gives it self sufficiency in establishment and expansion of the market share (Vadim, 2010). Innovation System model Creating an innovation system model in the Toshiba Company creates and defines the central elements of the innovation together with their behavior and the business interaction. This allows easier understanding of the companys multifaceted issues and innovations dynamics. The establishment of the innovation framework that assist the company in identification of the driving forces which in turn shows the practices used by the competitors should be entailed. This involves the management of the uncertain business intrinsic with operations that generates the market value of the companys product and the future opportunities created by the innovation. Business architecture is fast growing with enhanced functional roles which are growing in demand due to the increase in the unbalanced company business systems. The company need creation of an enhanced innovation culture that inspires, organizes the business structural processes facilitating and influencing the diversity. This empowers and rew ards the company hard word in its business prospects. Discovering the probability for the organizational value addition to the company needs the systematic synergies business approach. This is due to the market gradual change that is increasingly accelerating randomly which further exposes the company to the market risk. Developing the business synergies is an addition of value in the company and this maximizes return of investment in the companys business transactions. Managing this business innovation needs a better formulated approach to the business system due to the assumptions that comes along the way. The companys strategic and operational practices should assist the customers in strategic decision making and the implementations of the business advancement in the parts of the business entities such as the clients relations, management of the supply chain, financial department etc. This improves the service effectiveness in the company with an overwhelming customer satisfaction in the market. Conclusion Toshiba Company should be on the forefront in the provision of the innovative solutions in improvement of the business performance boosting the companys revenue and the cash flow which is today being taken by its prominent competitors such as the Apple and the Dell companies. The companys strategy and innovation enables the companys to attain a sustainable superiors performance and return of investment enhancing the critical functions in align and defining them to the companys vision to strategic presentation capacity and management (Chris Stephen, 2010). The company should be concerned with the future more than the past in a proactive and deliquesce way as it experience a radical shift in the business diversification due to strategically innovative steps at the critical points in the market. As it is well know, creation of value both to the clients and the company changes the competition basis in the market place. This is achievable by the creation of an efficient business models a nd methods which aims at new value delivery in the market.

How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Def

How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Defy Audience Expectations Two genres which have always been Hollywood staples are science-fiction and the western. The genres can be seen in films made as early as Le Voyage Dans la lune (Georges Melies 1902) and The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter 1903). On the surface the two genres are very different, however if one looks closely at them they are similar in many ways. Both genres usually feature uncharted frontiers, strong silent protagonists, frightening savages (played by either space aliens or Native Americans) and damsels in distress. The formula for these two genres was established many decades ago and in recent years it takes a film that defies and subverts those expectations such as Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood 1992) or Alien (Ridley Scott 1979) to receive an enthusiastic critical and box office response. Two other films which subvert the traditional genres of westerns or science fiction films are McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman 1971) and Blade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982). These films use archetypal settings, characters and action in a way which is substantially different from our expectations and the results are extremely memorable films. McCabe and Mrs. Miller is the story of a man, John McCabe (Warren Beatty) who tries to set up a whorehouse/tavern in a small town in the Pacific Northwest in 1901. He meets an astute madam, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) who runs his business and shares in his profits. The business thrives and they develop a relationship. A mineral deposit draws powerful mining company men to the town to try and buy McCabe's holdings. He refuses to sell and they retaliate. He ultimately is mortally wounded in a bloody showdown with the mining company's thugs leaving Mrs. Miller all alone. Robert Altman created a film which Pauline Kael called "a beautiful pipe dream of a movie -- a fleeting, almost diaphanous vision of what frontier life might have been." The film certainly feels different from most Westerns, featuring the distinctively different music of Leonard Cohen and a washed-out style of cinematography which Altman claimed "was trying to get the feeling of antiquity, like the photographs of the time." The cinematography is starkly different from the vibrant colours of The Searchers (John Ford 1956) or Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks 1959... ...ells him to do but he does it anyway. This is a stark difference from Captain James T. Kirk or Luke Skywalker. Scott is clearly trying to create a film which does not fit into traditional science-fiction formulas and he has succeeded with Blade Runner. Both McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Blade Runner are excellent films, they manage to succeed in subverting traditional genres in a way that creates fresh and different movies which both critics and movie goers have not seen before. This kind of genre shifting has grown more and more popular in recent years as movie goers have grown tired of seeing formulaic films filled with stock characters. In the future as young filmmakers look to the past for inspiration to create fresh and unique films which subvert genres and defy audience expectations hopefully they will look to the work of Robert Altman and Ridley Scott as prime examples. Bibliography: Jacobs, Diane. Hollywood Renaissance: The New Generation of Filmmakers and their works. 1977. New York. Dell Publishing. Sammon, Paul M. Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner. 1996. New York. Harper Collins. Sklar, Robert. Movie-Made America. 1994. New York. Vintage Books. How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Def How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Defy Audience Expectations Two genres which have always been Hollywood staples are science-fiction and the western. The genres can be seen in films made as early as Le Voyage Dans la lune (Georges Melies 1902) and The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter 1903). On the surface the two genres are very different, however if one looks closely at them they are similar in many ways. Both genres usually feature uncharted frontiers, strong silent protagonists, frightening savages (played by either space aliens or Native Americans) and damsels in distress. The formula for these two genres was established many decades ago and in recent years it takes a film that defies and subverts those expectations such as Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood 1992) or Alien (Ridley Scott 1979) to receive an enthusiastic critical and box office response. Two other films which subvert the traditional genres of westerns or science fiction films are McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman 1971) and Blade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982). These films use archetypal settings, characters and action in a way which is substantially different from our expectations and the results are extremely memorable films. McCabe and Mrs. Miller is the story of a man, John McCabe (Warren Beatty) who tries to set up a whorehouse/tavern in a small town in the Pacific Northwest in 1901. He meets an astute madam, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) who runs his business and shares in his profits. The business thrives and they develop a relationship. A mineral deposit draws powerful mining company men to the town to try and buy McCabe's holdings. He refuses to sell and they retaliate. He ultimately is mortally wounded in a bloody showdown with the mining company's thugs leaving Mrs. Miller all alone. Robert Altman created a film which Pauline Kael called "a beautiful pipe dream of a movie -- a fleeting, almost diaphanous vision of what frontier life might have been." The film certainly feels different from most Westerns, featuring the distinctively different music of Leonard Cohen and a washed-out style of cinematography which Altman claimed "was trying to get the feeling of antiquity, like the photographs of the time." The cinematography is starkly different from the vibrant colours of The Searchers (John Ford 1956) or Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks 1959... ...ells him to do but he does it anyway. This is a stark difference from Captain James T. Kirk or Luke Skywalker. Scott is clearly trying to create a film which does not fit into traditional science-fiction formulas and he has succeeded with Blade Runner. Both McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Blade Runner are excellent films, they manage to succeed in subverting traditional genres in a way that creates fresh and different movies which both critics and movie goers have not seen before. This kind of genre shifting has grown more and more popular in recent years as movie goers have grown tired of seeing formulaic films filled with stock characters. In the future as young filmmakers look to the past for inspiration to create fresh and unique films which subvert genres and defy audience expectations hopefully they will look to the work of Robert Altman and Ridley Scott as prime examples. Bibliography: Jacobs, Diane. Hollywood Renaissance: The New Generation of Filmmakers and their works. 1977. New York. Dell Publishing. Sammon, Paul M. Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner. 1996. New York. Harper Collins. Sklar, Robert. Movie-Made America. 1994. New York. Vintage Books.

Christians Dons Have the Answer :: essays research papers

Irrefutable Questions that Christians Can't Answer 1. Explain why your god's only son had to die so we can go to magic happy land when we croak. 2. Did everyone who died before Jesus died go to Hell? Justify your answer. 3. If a Catholic, justify the Inquisition and other persecutions of "heretics" throughout the centuries, concentrating on why the Pelagianists, the Priscillianists, and the Manichaeans were persecuted; if a Protestant, justify the witch trials and the way that Protestants constantly hunted down native Americans until there were so few that the government could simply take their land; if a member of an Eastern Orthodox church, justify the persecutions of the Old Believers after the reforms of the seventeenth century. 4. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not Christian. 5. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not members of your particular sect. 6. Explain why I should believe that your god is all-good when the only real information we have about him is the Bible, which clearly describes him as both good and evil. (See Isaiah 30:32, Luke 14:26, Numbers 31:17-18, Matthew 10:34, Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 18:8, Deuteronomy 20:16, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 32:27, Isaiah 45:7, Psalms 52:5, Luke 22:36, and Jeremiah 18:11 for a small sample of Biblical passages which describe Jehovah as having an evil morality at times). 7. Explain why, when racism is clearly wrong, Jesus was clearly a racist (see Mark 7:25-29). NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe the idea that racism is morally acceptable. 8. Explain why, when discrimination against women is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports the oppression of women. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Cor 11 and 1 Tim 2:11-15. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that discrimination against women solely on the basis of sex is morally acceptable. 9. Explain why, when slavery is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports slavery. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Peter 2:18. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that slavery is an acceptable way to run a society. 10. Explain why children should submit to their parents' decisions even when those decisions are clearly evil. Answering this question entails refuting Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 13:24, and Hebrews 12:7-8. 11. Explain why, if your god loves us all, more than half of us are going to Hell after we die. Specifically, refute or explain the following words of Christ, as presented in the New Testament: "Many are called but few are chosen," and "Straight is the gate,

Harriet Powers :: biographies bio biography

Harriet Powers was born as a slave in 1837 in the state of Georgia. Powers was the creator of two specific quilts which are the most famous and well preserved examples of Southern American quilting tradition still in existence. Powers used the traditional African appliquà © technique coupled with the European record keeping and biblical reference traditions. Using these techniques, Powers was able to capture historical legends and Biblical stories in her quilts. Harriet Powers’ quilts were first seen at a crafts fair by an artist, a Southern white woman named Jennie Smith. Ms. Smith, who kept a diary and upon first meeting Harriet, recalls -- "I found the owner, a negro woman, who lived in the country on a little farm whereon she and her husband made a respectable living. She is about sixty five years old, of a clear ginger cake color, and is a very clean and interesting woman who loves to talk of her 'old miss' and life 'befo de wah.' " At first Harriet Powers was unwilling to sell her quilts to Ms. Smith. Yet when she and her family came into financial difficulty she agreed to sell them. Ms Smith writes -- " Last year I sent her word that I would buy it if she still wanted to dispose of it. She arrived one afternoon in front of my door in an ox-cart with the precious burden in her lap encased in a clean flour sack, which was still enveloped in a crocus sack. She offered it for ten dollars, but I told her I only had five to give. After going out consulting with her husband she returned and said 'Owin to de hardness of de times, my ole man lows I'd better tech hit.' Not being a new woman she obeyed. After giving me a full description of each scene with great earnestness, she departed but has been back several times to visit the darling offspring of her brain.

Needs Are Artificially Created

Skills assignment 1: ‘Needs Are Artificially Created’ Requirements Max 700 words incl referencing, titles Excl bibliography Source for every argument APA referencing Explain terminology Intro * Definition of marketing * Definition of needs -> motives -> biogenic or psychogenic, artificial needs? , wants and demands * Definition of artificially creating * Represent the guiding essay question, represent your stance: needs are already existent and marketing merely satisfies the needs. Needs pre-exist marketing. Essay question: Are the ‘needs’ of consumers artificially created? Body 1 Theoretical argument (assumption): * Theory of rational consumer choice * Microeconomics book: research combinations of prices and goods, preferences, optimal consumption point * Maslow pyramid: needs are in a hierarchical order, but they already exist. logical reasoning: needs are prefilled, therefore cannot be created. Marketing is mainly guidance for consumers about availability and prices of products. 2 Empirical arguments -> factual * Contra: observations that disprove iPhones/Tablets -> statistics of sales * Industry of organic food -> statistics * Pro * Safety advertisements Conclusion ————————————————- Summarize. Clear end sentence â€Å"Marketers do not create needs: Needs preexist marketers, marketers along with other societal factors, influence wants. Marketers might promote idea that Mercedes would satisfy a person’s need for social status. They do not, however, create the need for social status†. (Philip Kotler, Marketing Management: eleventh edition, chapter one, page no. 1) Need becomes motive (p 98 kotler) when it is aroused to a sufficient level of intensity to drive us to act. 3 theoretical arguments: freud, maslow, Herzberg. Freud: psychological shaping behaviour i. e. need for recognition, esteem or belonging. Freud states that there’s unconscious behaviour/needs/motivation†¦ Such as size, shape, weight and brand name. Marketers can use the technique â€Å"laddering† which traces a person’s motivations on a scale. (look up? ) This can help the marketer decide at what level to develop the message and appeal.

Delegation: Management and Work

AC 1. 1 Evaluate the benefits of delegation Delegation is widely acknowledged to be an essential element of effective management (Yukl, G. 1994). Delegation is basically a process of assigning responsibility, sharing authority, and producing accountability in organizations. It is a managerial instrument that allows managers to nurture subordinates to capitalize the subordinate’s potential and ability to meet organizational goals and objectives.As a form of employee involvement in decision-making, delegation describes a category of leader behavior that entails assignment of new responsibilities to subordinates and additional authority to carry them out (Yukl, G. 1998). Managers usually find it easier to speak about delegation of responsibility then to accomplish the organizational goals. Effective delegation can benefit the manager, the employee, and the organization. Perhaps the most important benefit for the company is a higher quality of work.Delegation can improve quality o f work by allowing the employees who have direct knowledge of products and services to make decisions and complete tasks. Quality can also improve through enhanced employee  motivation. Employees may do a better job because they feel a personal  accountability  for the outcome, even though responsibility ultimately rests with the individual who made the delegation. Motivation  should also be enhanced as delegation enriches the worker's job by expanding the types of tasks that are involved in it. Roebuck, Chris. (1998) Another advantage of delegation is efficient use of time and talent.Delegation will help a manager use her time and the time of her employees effectively, and it will allow a manager to get even more work done then they will alone. Delegation is a way of empowering employees as well, and this is a promising advantage. Giving responsibility and accountability to employees will give them an opportunity to showcase their skills and talents; it will also provide th em with the opportunity to have pride in their work. Managers who delegate effectively also receive several personal benefits; most importantly, they have more time to do their own jobs when they assign tasks to others.Given the hectic nature of  managerial  work, time is a precious commodity. Effective delegation frees the manager to focus on  managerial  tasks such as planning and control. Managers also benefit from the development of  subordinates' skills. With a more highly skilled workforce, they have more  flexibility  in making assignments and are more efficient decision makers. Managers who develop their workforce are also likely to have high personal power with their staff and to be highly valued by their organization. Straub, Joseph T. (1998) AC 1. 2 Explain how delegation can be used to empower others.Empowerment is the force that makes teamwork effective. An empowered team is significantly more productive than a group of individuals working under strict gui delines. As the people in workgroup become aware that leaders are willing to empower them, they are more committed to the tasks. Meyer, Paul J. (2007). Empowering team members through delegation involves transferring not only the responsibility for performing tasks, but also the authority, resources, rewards, and knowledge necessary to perform them. In some situations, standardization and inflexibility are essential.However, in giving assignments, recognize when teamwork and flexibility are the better approach. Empowering people requires a leader to become teacher, coach, colleague, and mentor, not just boss. Followers and peers in some cases even exceed leader’s abilities, ideas, and expectations. Successful delegation requires planning, careful introduction and training, commitment of all team members, and effective follow-up. Effective delegation always involves adequate communication. People accept responsibility and act when they know what you expect.Talk informally with a person before actually turning over responsibility. Non-threatening approach allows the person to express fears or enthusiasm about the idea of accepting delegated responsibility. Moving up to a higher level of delegation provides more time empowers the team member for increased productivity. Roebuck, Chris. (1998). In many ways, empowerment embodies principles effective managers and leaders have practiced for years. Two new driving forces in business, increased diversity and high-speed change, magnify the need for empowerment.Empowering people is now indispensable for effective personal productivity and maximum team success. AC 2. 1 Justify an appropriate process to follow when delegating work within your area of responsibility? When delegating work within one’s area of responsibility, following process can be tracked for appropriate process (UK’s NMC’s Council, 2007) – Treat people as individuals * Leader must treat people as individuals and respect their dignity. * Must not discriminate in any way. * Must treat people kindly and considerately. Must act as an advocate for those in one’s care, helping them to access relevant health and social care, information and support. Respect people's confidentiality * Leader must respect people's right to confidentiality. * Must ensure people are informed about how and why information is shared by those who will be providing their care. * Must disclose information if leader believe someone may be at risk of harm, in line with the law of the country in which leader is practicing. Collaborate with those in leader’s care * Leader must listen to the people in his/her care and respond to their concerns and preferences. Must support people in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health. * Must recognise and respect the contribution that people make to their own care and wellbeing. * Must make arrangements to meet people's language and communication needs. * Must shar e with people, in a way they can understand, the information they want or need to know about their health. Ensure gain consent * Leader must ensure that one’s gain consent before begin any treatment or care. * Must respect and support people's rights to accept or decline treatment and care. Must uphold people's rights to be fully involved in decisions about their care. * Must be aware of the legislation regarding mental capacity, ensuring that people who lack capacity remain at the center of decision making and are fully safeguarded. * Must be able to demonstrate that you have acted in someone's best interests if you have provided care in an emergency. Maintain clear professional boundaries * Leader must refuse any gifts, favours or hospitality that might be interpreted as an attempt to gain preferential treatment. Must not ask for or accept loans from anyone in your care or anyone close to them * Must establish and actively maintain clear sexual boundaries at all times with people in leader’s care, their families and cares. AC 2. 2 Allocate and monitor work that you have delegated within your own area of responsibility. To allocate and monitor work that one have delegated within his/her own area of responsibility following matters are required to be achieved (Barter M, Furmidge ML. UAP, 1994) and (BuerhausPI, Needleman J, Mattke S, Stewart M, 2002)- a) Outcomes Of Effective PerformanceOne must be able to do the following: 1. Confirm the work required of the team with his/her manager and seek clarification, where necessary, on any outstanding points and issues. 2. Plan how the team will undertake its work, identifying any priorities or critical activities and making best use of the available resources. 3. Allocate work to team members on a fair basis taking account of their skills, knowledge and understanding, experience and workloads and the opportunity for development. 4. Brief team members on the work they have been allocated and the standard or level of expected performance. . Encourage team members to ask questions, make suggestions and seek clarification in relation to the work they have been allocated. 6. Check the progress and quality of the work of team members on a regular and fair basis against the standard or level of expected performance and provide prompt and constructive feedback 7. Support team members in identifying and dealing with problems and unforeseen events. 8. Motivate team members to complete the work they have been allocated and provide, where requested and where possible, any additional support and/or resources to help completion. . Recognize successful completion of significant pieces of work or work activities by team members and the overall team etc. b) Behaviors Which Underpin Effective Performance One must knowledge about the following: 1. make time available to support others. 2. clearly agree what is expected of others and hold them to account. 3. 3prioritise objectives and plan work to mak e best use of time and resources. 4. show integrity, fairness and consistency in decision-making. 5. seek to understand people’s needs and motivations. 6. take pride in delivering high quality work. 7. ake personal responsibility for making things happen. 8. encourage and support others to make the best use of their abilities etc. c) Knowledge and Understanding One needs to know and understand the following: i. General knowledge and understanding 1. Different ways of communicating effectively with members of a team. 2. The importance of confirming/clarifying the work required of the team with your manager and how to do this effectively. 3. How to plan the work of a team, including how to identify any priorities or critical activities and the available resources. 4.How to identify and take due account of health and safety issues in the planning, allocation and checking of work. 5. Ways of encouraging team members to ask questions and/or seek clarification and make suggestions in relation to the work which they have been allocated. 6. Effective ways of regularly and fairly checking the progress and quality of the work of team members. 7. The type of problems and unforeseen events that may occur and how to support team members in dealing with them. 8. How to log information on the ongoing performance of team members and use this information for performance appraisal purposes etc. i) Industry/sector specific knowledge and understanding 1. Industry/sector specific legislation, regulations, guidelines, codes of practice relating to carrying out work. 2. Industry/sector requirements for the development or maintenance of knowledge, understanding and skills. iii) Context specific knowledge and understanding 1. The members, purpose and objectives of his/her team. 2. The work required of his/her team. 3. The available resources for undertaking the required work. 4. His/hers team’s plan for undertaking the required work. 5.The skills, knowledge and understan ding, experience and workloads of team members. 6. Reporting lines in the organization and the limits of his/her authority. 7. Organizational standards or levels of expected performance. 8. Organizational policies and procedures for dealing with poor performance. AC 3. 1 Review how well you delegated the task, based on the outcomes of the delegated task and feedback from others. Here are 10 ways  for effective delegation and reviewing delegation based on the outcomes of the delegated task and feedback from others: 1. Delegate early.Make an effort to delegate the task early to avoid unnecessary pressure. This allows the  person to better plan the task. 2. Select the right person. Ensure that the person has the time to take on the responsibility. Assess the skills and capabilities of his/her staff  and assign the task to the most appropriate person. Make sure the person has the training and resources  to succeed. 3. Communicate the rationale and benefit. Identify  the reason for the task and how it will contribute to the goals of the company or department or team. Also, point out how the  delegated task could benefit the person.For example, develop a specific skill that is needed to get promoted. 4. Delegate the entire task to one person. This gives the person the responsibility, increases their motivation and avoids ambiguity in accountability. Otherwise, different people will have different ideas about who does what when. 5. Set clear goals and expectations. Be clear and specific on what is expected. Give information on what, why, when, who and where. Be prepared to accept input from subordinates. Confirm and verify task goals and expectations. 6. Delegate responsibility and authority.Ensure that the subordinate is given the relevant responsibility and authority to complete the task. Let the subordinate complete the task in the manner they choose, as long as the results are what you specified. Be willing to accept ideas from the subordinate on task fulfillment. 7. Provide support, guidance and  instructions. Point subordinates to the resources they may need to complete the task or project. That could be people they need to coordinate with,  crucial information or  be willing to be a resource his/herself. 8. Take personal interest in  the progress of delegated task.Request to be updated on the progress of the task, provide assistance when necessary. Be careful not to be intrusive; giving the perception that he/she does not trust the subordinate. Keep communication lines open, regular meetings on large tasks can provide this ongoing feedback. 9. If he/she is not satisfied with the progress, don’t take the project back immediately. Rather, continue to work with the employee and ensure they understand the project to be their responsibility. Give advice on ways to improve. This ensures accountability and dependability. 10. Evaluate and recognize performance.Evaluate results more than methods. Analyze cause of insuff icient performance for improvements and recognize successes as soon as possible. AC 3. 2 Assess how you can improve your own ability to delegate and empower others. Here are some suggestions for improving one’s own ability to delegate and empower others (Credit Research Foundation, 1999): 1. Understand the purpose of delegating very clearly. 2. Decide specifically what one can delegate. Generally delegate as much of ones work as possible. 3. Recognize that subordinates will make mistakes. Make sure they understand what they are to do.Be willing to take blame for mistakes that may be made. 4. Clarify what he/she is delegating. Agree on what the task is and how much â€Å"power† he/she is delegating to them to perform a particular job. Also, let others know of the arrangements so that proper cooperation will be extended to get the job done. 5. Most important,  follow-up. Remember that although you have delegated responsibility and empowered others to get the job done, he/she still have the final accountability for the job. Ask his/her team for progress reports or discuss with them from time to time.Empowerment This newer strategy may in-fact be the culmination of all the points above. Simply put, empowerment is delegation taken a step farther. In delegation, the supervisor is not only accountable for the results, but also assumes some responsibility since in most cases the delegated tasks most often are the job of the supervisor. Empowerment is the total, unmistakable passing on of responsibility to a person or team to accomplish a job or perform a process. As coach or supervisor, one have to maintain accountability for the overall outcome or results of the process.Empowerment brings with it a challenge for the organization to provide state-of-the-art systems, education, tools and most importantly support to the team for maximum performance. Applying empowerment frequently shifts ownership of a function or process from a traditional supervisor to a group, and with that ownership transfer; pride, job satisfaction, motivation and creativity develop. References Barter M, Furmidge ML. UAP: issues relating to delegationand supervision. J Nurs Adm. April 1994;24:36-40 BuerhausPI, Needleman J, Mattke S, Stewart M.Strengthening hospital nursing. HealthAff. Credit Research Foundation, (1999), www. crfonline. com. Roebuck, Chris. (1998). Effective Delegation. New York: American Management Association. September-October 2002;21:56-64. Straub, Joseph T. (1998). The Agile Manager's Guide to Delegating Work. Bristol, VT: Velocity Business Publishing. UK’s NMC’s Council (6 December 2007), Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives for implementation. Yukl, G. (1998). Leadership in organizations (4th ed. ). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice–Hall.

A Strategy is Born Essay

The events that were described in this case study sounds to me as if they started off with the planning model of Rational Planning. I say this due to the fact that all the right parties were alerted to what needed to be done with goals being said and set to be put into place for starters. This did help with the main concerns being priorities and kept to along with formations being followed with effective organized tactics. They were put into place after the goals were set and made. As I read this case study and from my understandings this war was being analyzed and evaluated by senior officers in Washington who all had different ways and structures they thought would work best for meeting the goals that had been set into place. This was one of the Rational models of continuing opinions with the planning process in order to see what all has currently worked with what was set to be done and what was not working and needed to be taken out and improved. But with that being said this is where I could see were the Rational Planning model some what worked and where the weakness of the plan begin to splay its role. The thorough communications about the goals that worked and were not working were not being met let alone everyone was on different pages with alternative actions that needed to be done. There were no set connections information being made of all the shared resources at all. First Heading The heading above would be used if you want to have your paper divided into sections based on content. This is the first level of heading, and it is centered and bolded with each word of four letters or more capitalized. The heading should be a short descriptor of the section. Note that not all papers will have headings or subheadings in them. First Subheading The subheading above would be used if there are several sections within the topic labeled in a heading. The subheading is flush left and bolded, with each word of four letters or more capitalized. Second Subheading APA dictates that you should avoid having only one subsection heading and subsection within a section. In other words, use at least two subheadings under a main heading, or do not use any at all. When you are ready to write, and after having read these instructions completely, you can delete these directions and start typing. The formatting should stay the same. However, one item that you will have to change is the page header, which is placed at the top of each page along with the page number. The words included in the page header should be reflective of the title of your paper, so that if the pages are intermixed with other papers they will be identifiable. When using Word 2003, double click on the words in the page header. This should enable you to edit the words. You should not have to edit the page numbers. In addition to spacing, APA style includes a special way of citing resource articles. See the APA manual for specifics regarding in-text citations. The APA manual also discusses the desired tone of writing, grammar, punctuation, formatting for numbers, and a variety of other important topics. Although the APA style rules are used in this template, the purpose of the template is only to demonstrate spacing and the general parts of the paper. The student will need to refer to the APA manual for other format directions. GCU has prepared an APA Style Guide available in the Student Writing Center for additional help in correctly formatting according to APA style. The reference list should appear at the end of a paper (see the next page). It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in your text. A sample reference page is included below; this page includes examples of how to format different reference types (e. g. , books, journal articles, information from a website). The examples on the following page include examples taken directly from the APA manual.