Adidas History Essay

Adidas was founded in 1924 in Germany by two bothers Adi and Rudolf Dassler. The company was first named Dassler shoes and later became Adidas. By the Dassler shoes being seen in the Olympics this really helped the company get its name known. However, in 1948 Rudolf Dassler leaves to start his own company which is now known as Puma. Once Rudolf left his brother came up with the famous three stripes logo and changed the name to Adidas. The 3 stripes were created to keep the foot stable, but ended up being the logo. Throughout the years Adidas was seen in the Olympics, and it was the leading brand making their shoes highly sought after by Olympic athletes. In 1978, Adi Dassler passed at age 78 and his wife Kathe ran the company. Six years later Kathe passed and the company was left for their son Horst Dassler to run, and three years later Horst passed at age 51. After Horst’s death Adidas ran into some major financial problems, and later Bernard Tapie comes to make an attempt to save the company. Well to be honest, later down the road a hip-hop group named Run-DMC came and put Adidas on another level just like Jordan did for Nike, and the rest is history! They even made a song called â€Å"My Adidas†, and it was a hit all around the world. After Run-DMC came to Adidas they even had their own signature line. Run DMC is still making Adidas money today just like Jordan is still making Nike tons of money these guys are true legends to the â€Å"Shoe Game†. Adidas has worked with many famous people and has a signature shoe line for Stan Smith, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady aka TMAC, Missy Elliot, and many others. (The Shoe Game) Adidas America, Inc. manufactures and wholesales sports footwear, apparel, and accessories. It offers tennis, running, and basketball shoes; women’s and misses’ outerwear; men’s and boys’ clothing; and women’s and children’s clothing, as well as rubber or plastic footwear. Adidas America, Inc. was formerly known as Sports, Inc. and changed its name to Adidas America, Inc. in 1993. The company was incorporated in 1975 and is based in Portland, Oregon. Adidas America, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Adidas AG. (Inside View) Sportswear giant Adidas gets a new headquarter for its 1700 staff members in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Their new home surely matches the German reputation for quality engineering. I also love the  excess of white used for the interior design, pretty sure their cleaning company has a great time doing their job. (Nimvo) MISSION OF THE COMPANY The adidas Group strives to be the global leader in the sporting goods industry with sports brands built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle. †¢ Adidas is consumer focused and therefore it continuously improve the quality, look, feel and image of its products and its organizational structures to match and exceed consumer expectations and to provide them with the highest value. †¢ Adidas is innovation and design leaders who seek to help athletes of all skill levels achieve peak performance with every product it bring to market. †¢ Adidas is a global organization that is socially and environmentally responsible, creative and financially rewarding for its employees’ and shareholders. †¢ Adidas is committed to continuously strengthening its brands and products to improve its competitive position. †¢ The Company is dedicated to consistently delivering outstanding financial results. MISSION OF THE MARKETING PLAN To devise a marketing plan and formulate strategies which would help in the achievement of the marketing objectives of the company which are, Market penetration – gaining market share across all markets in which it compete Market development – expanding into new markets and addressing new consumers Awareness – increasing awareness and visibility across all brands, providing clear and consistent messaging and supporting product initiatives at the point-of-sale. TARGET MARKETS — The target market of Adidas is the urban youth with the brand proposition competition to lifestyle. The principle consumption centers namely the metros are also a potential target market! MARKET NEEDS †¢ Comfort †¢ Durability †¢ Style †¢ Price †¢ Brand SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE CHALLENGE COMPETITIVE SCOPES OF  ADIDAS Porter’s five forces of competition framework view the profitability of an industry as determined by the five forces of competitive pressure. It is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. It helps a firm in understanding its current strength in the industry. It also brings into light the strengths of the competitors. With a clear understanding of where power lies, a firm can take reasonable advantage of a situation of strength, improve a situation of weakness, grab the opportunities and keep away from taking wrong steps. This makes it an important part of planning a strategy for any firm in any industry. At the same time, the tool helps in identifying whether new products, services have any future prospect and the potential to be profitable. (Scribd) Five forces analysis for Adidas: Threat of entry (Low-moderate) Threat of Substitute (LOW) Supplier Power (Low) Buyer Power (High) Rivalry (HIGH) Chapter 3 book page 60 Expectation of Suppliers Global Sourcing is a key organization of the adidas Group and its primary responsibility is the creation and implementation of sourcing strategy, supporting the diverse needs of all the brands (adidas, Reebok and Tailor-Made-adidas Golf), product divisions, categories and regions within  the Group. The Company strives to become the leading organization in the industry by establishing an adaptive supply network which excels in speed, innovation, agility and connectivity. This could not happen without the support and commitment of its product suppliers. Thus this is essential for them to share the same values and principles so as to drive the success of the supply chain as a whole. What does Adidas look for in its product suppliers? Overall Competence Regarding its product suppliers as strategic business partners, Adidas recruit them based on a number of criteria which comprise the overall competence of a supplier: 1. Vision: with a vision to become the leading organization in the industry through establishing an adaptive supply network which excels in speed, innovation, agility and connectivity, Adidas expect it suppliers to share this vision, and participate proactively in developing these core capabilities and contribute to the overall supply chain. 2. Supplier Partnerships based on Shared Values: adidas Group seeks suppliers who have close alignments with their values and demonstrate great passion for adidas Group products and brands. Adidas suppliers should strive to become leaders in the fields of performance culture, social and environmental affairs, quality, efficiency, price/value, and innovation. 3. Technical Capability: the Company seek product suppliers with advanced technical capabilities, not only limited to product innovation and quality, but also with the ability to perform business electronically and flexibly enough to upgrade their systems to adapt to future market demands. It suppliers should continuously promote communication and information visibility throughout the supply chain. 4. Leadership: adidas Group seeks suppliers who have a clear and aligned  vision for their organization. The suppliers’ leadership teams are expected to build positive working culture and lead their workforce to achieve improvement and performance targets on a continuous basis. 5. People Management: The Company looks for suppliers who commit to talent management. Suppliers should maintain a professional organization structure which includes dedicated development / merchandizing, planning, industrial engineering, quality and information technology teams, as well as committing to deliver lean operations, competitive cost structure, and cost transparency. 6. Workplace Standards and Ethics: The Company believes better working conditions yield higher quality, efficiency and flexibility to meet customer needs. Suppliers should provide their workers with competitive wages, safe and good working and living environments as well as proper incentives for higher quality and productivity (e.g. lower average working hours in general, decent accommodation and fringe benefits, etc.). 7. Financial Stability: The Company seek suppliers who are financially stable and comply with international and local statutory regulations for the interest of maintaining a viable supply chain and protecting adidas Group shareholders and consumers in the long term. Suppliers should be willing to share selective financial information with adidas Group upon request. Risk Management To minimize risks in Adidas business operations, the adidas Group and its suppliers should actively build and take action plans to manage the following types of risks: 1. Social -They adhere to their established Code of Conduct, the â€Å"Workplace Standards† of Engagement (SOEs) 2. Political – They minimize asset and cash exposure in countries which are considered to be politically unstable. 3. Regulatory – They actively review and adjust sourcing strategies annually to minimize trade restrictions exposure 4. Legal – They utilize extensive legal procedures to combat counterfeit operations in order to minimize the risk of infringement of trademarks and patent rights related to adidas Group products 5. Natural – They maintain high safety standards and have disaster recovery plans in place to deal with such circumstances Business Culture To ensure Its business operates in an efficient and effective manner, adidas Group has established a unique business culture which comprises the following: 1. Right Product at the Right Time – Suppliers are expected to deliver the right products at the right time and in the right quality. The aim is to shorten the end-to-end supply chain lead time from raw materials sourcing to the delivery of final products. 2. Quality Excellence – Quality is one of the main focuses for adidas Group. Its suppliers should ensure all products manufactured meet the defined set of standards. 3. Continuous Improvement – Product suppliers are expected to continuously embrace and drive positive changes and make necessary investments to achieve operational improvements in their organizations. 4. End-to-End Mindset – Suppliers are expected to share equal responsibilities with adidas Group in building an optimum supply network so as to achieve maximum and sustainable total profitability for all stakeholders. 5. Performance Culture – Suppliers should instill a performance culture by continuously setting and meeting aggressive yet reasonable business targets. Customer-Focused In today’s fast-moving world with ever-changing consumer needs and demands, it is crucial for adidas Group and its supply base to keep abreast with the changes and align its development and product allocation strategies closely to market trends. The Company expects its suppliers to instill this customer-focused mindset and be fully committed to the implementation of its development and product allocation strategies. Cost Efficiency As part of a global organization, Adidas focus on the best interest of the entire supply network. It achieves this by driving Performance Culture, Quality, Reliability and Innovation which will enable its suppliers to offer leading price and value. Adidas suppliers are expected to collaborate on improvement programs that continuously increase efficiency and reduce cost. This means that suppliers should utilize productivity and efficiency gains to offset increasing cost drivers and minimize impact on customer prices (Adidas Group) References: http://theshoegame.com/Adidas-History.html http://www.insideview.com/directory/adidas-america-inc http://www.nimvo.com/adidas-head-quarters-in-germany/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/8760709/Adidas http://www.adidas-group.com/supplierrecruitment/expectationonsuppliers.aspx?loc=en

Current Legislation Essay

Introduction As a teacher I must ensure that current legislative requirements are met. Gravells (2008) states that there is legislation that applies to the entire lifelong learning sector. There are also areas of legislation that apply to particular courses. This paper explains the general areas relevant to me and the areas I must also consider in teaching Business Administration and Planning. Legislation Relevant to the Lifelong Learning Sector General Legislation Although ECM refers to learners to the age of 19, OFSTED applies it to the performance of FE colleges. The Protection of Children Act 1999 legislates that teachers must have current Enhanced Disclosure checks by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988 and The Data Protection Act 1998 also apply. Human Rights, Diversity and Equality The six areas of diversity in law are disability, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and religion / belief. Discrimination is forbidden in these areas by legislation including: †¢Sex Discrimination Act 1975 †¢Race Relations Act 1976 (amended 2000) †¢Human Rights Act 1998 †¢Equal Opportunities Act 2004 †¢DDA – Disability & Discrimination Act 1995 †¢DDA Part 4 Code of Practice 1995 †¢SENDA – Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 Health and Safety Petty (2009) confirms that the sector has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for learners. This is also where specific needs for specific courses arise. Generally, the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 and the Management of the Health & Safety at Work Act always apply. For Business Administration and Planning The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 is an example of HSE legislation relevant to my own area. Conversely the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and COSHH – Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 do not apply to my work. Codes of Practice I am also responsible for fulfilling responsibilities prescribed in Codes of Practice. For example, I must register with the Institute for Learning and comply with their Code of Professional Practice (2009). Colleges may also have Codes of Practice to which I must comply. References Gravells, A. (2008) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector 3rd ed. Exeter: Learning Matters. Francis and Gould (2009) ‘Achieving Your PTLLS Award – A Practical Guide’. London. Sage Publications Limited. Department for Children, Schools and Families (2004) ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ [online] UK: Available from http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (2004). ‘Children Act 2004’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/pdf/ukpga_20040031_en.pdf [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1999). ‘Protection of Children Act 1999’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/pdf/ukpga_19990014_en.pdf [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1988) ‘The Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/ukpga_19880048_en_1.htm [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1998) ‘The Data Protection Act 1998’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980029_en_1 [Accessed 4 February 2010] Petty, G (2009) Teaching Today 4th ed. Cheltenham. Nelson Thornes Office of Public Sector Information (1975) ‘Sex Discrimination Act 1975’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (2000) ‘Race Relations Act 1976 (amended 2000)’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1998) ‘Human Rights Act 1998’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (2004) ‘Equal Opportunities Act 2004’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1995) ‘DDA – Disability & Discrimination Act 1995’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1995) ‘DDA Part 4 Code of Practice 1995’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (2001) ‘SENDA – Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1974) ‘Health & Safety at Work Act 1974’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1995) ‘Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1999) ‘Management of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1999’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (1992) ‘The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992’. Available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advanced-search/index [Accessed 4 February 2010] Institute for Learning (2009) ‘Code of Professional Practice’. Available from http://www.ifl.ac.uk/professional-standards/code-of-professional-practice [Accessed 4 February 2010]

The evaluation of the methods used by US Airline Company to increase Essay

The evaluation of the methods used by US Airline Company to increase customer sales in the competitive market - Essay Example The challenges range from high fuel prices to entry of smaller industry players offering lower introductory prices to clients (Pfeffer, 2012). What makes some register more sales over the others is the customer satisfaction initiatives employed to encourage repeat business. This proposal analyses and evaluates the methods used by American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Air Tran and Virgin America to increase customer sales in this increasingly competitive market. Airline companies under study, the operational challenges facing this industry, methods used by one major Airline Company to increase sales and the methods used by two smaller companies to increase sales. Interviews with the top company management on the methods used to increase customer satisfaction and eventual sales. This is used as it allows for clarity on information that is not so clear for instance, obtaining clarity on company strategic plans and other documents. The sampling strategy used reflects diversity in operations between the bigger and smaller players in the American airline industry. To clarify on this, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines enjoy economies of scale in sourcing for resource inputs while Air Tran and Virgin America are smaller players who get these operational resources in relatively smaller quantities. These are big companies experiencing the same hindrances to growth, as well as same opportunities for success and so, just having one from the major airline segment and two from smaller airline group gives a holistic view of what is happening in the American airline industry. There are 11 major airline companies, 3 major cargo operators and 30 smaller companies operating within American and global airspace. Given that the number of small airlines is almost double of those listed as major companies, a ratio of 2:1 is therefore appropriate for this qualitative research. The purpose of the research is to

Complexities of the U.S. Financial System Research Paper - 1

Complexities of the U.S. Financial System - Research Paper Example Therefore, one way in which the financial markets affect the economy is through determining the flow of both savings and investments into the economy, a pattern which in turn determines the rate of economic growth. Therefore, the financial markets offers an opportunity for savings that have been made by individuals and other business entities to re-enter the economy through the sale of shares, bonds and other financial securities, thus allowing the economy to have a consistent flow of money, which then promotes economic growth (World Financial Watch, 2014). Thus, when the financial markets are not operating smoothly, the economic growth is deterred. On the other hand, one way in which the financial markets affects businesses is through the provision of financial capitals for the business to invest further and grow (World Financial Watch, 2014). Different businesse entities convert their financial worth into shares, which are then listed on the stock market. Additionally, business can form different nature of securities and trade them in the stock and security markets, in order to raise capital for the further investment. In this respect, the financial markets determine the capacity of businesses to raise capital, which in turn determines the level of investment by businesses and the consequent profitability (Metcalf, 2014). In addition, whenever companies and businesses wants to raise money directly from the public, as opposed to raising it from the investors, the businesses issue their shares as Initial Public Offer (IPO) directly to the public, so that they can raise more capital, while making the businesses public entities. This way, the financial markets provides a platform through which private businesses can convert into public entities, while also providing the platform through which the willing and able members of public can own some stakes in some businesses and companies of their choice

Advance process Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Advance process Engineering - Assignment Example (I) Any value in a pump system can be taken as an outlet. Therefore, taking point j to be an outlet, it the head loss of the point can be calculated from the point j as; †¦(II) Therefore the flow velocities in the pumps will be given as; †¦. (III) †¦ (IV) †¦ (V) The friction factors in the respective pipes can be calculated using Colebrook equation as below †¦ (VI) †¦ (VII) †¦. (VIII) Question 3 a) i.) Such high pressure is needed to provide the propelling force of the gas and to reduce the volume of the gas being transported. ... This is achieved by putting a given quantity of a solid into appropriate conditions that result in solid/fluid mixture to have properties of a fluid. The relationship developed to predict the minimum fluidizing velocity is mainly based on experimental work, despite the fact that many of its important applications is in high temperature locations. According to the tests to show the relationship between fluidization over a range of given temperature, there is a marked discrepancy between prediction and the value of the measured velocity when physical properties values are used appropriating the operating conditions. There is a relationship between the pressure drop across the fluidized bed and buoyant weight per unit area in that the pressure drops is approximately equal to buoyant weight per unit area. There are two approaches in describing these two phenomena in which one considers the process of sedimentation occurring due to dense packing and the other considers the general velocit y of the particles. For either consideration, bed voidage is necessary at minimum fluidization. Voidage refers to the function to the particle distribution, particle size and particle shape. The voidage reduces with an increasing size distribution. Also, the operating temperature relates to the voidage in that as the bed voidage increases, there is a significant increase in operating temperature. During the experiment, the hot fluidized bed is contained in a 188 mm diameter stainless steel cylinder. The fluidization gas is then introduced into the bed through stainless steel distributor plates having a diameter of 0.5 and 1.0 mm drilled holes on a 6 mm 6 mm square pitch

How can English Government Gain Trust Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How can English Government Gain Trust - Article Example According to the report  in the view of many scholars it is the prime duty of the government to gain an adequate level of public trust because governmental bodies are fundamentally supposed to guard the interest of people. If the general public has not been able to trust government officials anymore then it simply means that government has failed in terms of representing interests of the public. However it is also important to note that ordinary people cannot decipher the level of government’s ability to fulfill public interest and therefore the duty of evaluating governmental machinery’s tendency to serve the public lies with political analysts, writers and other intellectual persons such as religious scholars.  This paper outlines that  the prevailing law and order situation in the society is considered as an effective measure of government’s power to protect public interests. Moreover the financial well-being of each and every citizen can also be taken a s a mean of determining governmental effectiveness. Additionally citizens trust those governments that provide them with state of the art medical services at an affordable price.  The governmental bodies can do that by bettering the overall law and order situation of the society and it is also expected to sponsor sporting musical and cultural events in a particular society.  The e-mechanism causes the problems of people to resolve quickly that fosters trust and respect for the government.... Additionally citizens trust those governments that provide them with state of the art medical services at an affordable price. Based on the above argument government can win public trust by offering an ample amount of job and business opportunities while it has to provide healthcare and safety services as well. According to Offe the governments should work towards providing the citizens with a fulfilling life (42). The governmental bodies can do that by bettering the overall law and order si tuation of the society and it is also expected to sponsor sporting musical and cultural events in a particular society. Levi added that the role of government in terms of releasing the citizens from a job and work stress is a significant indicator of growing social activities in the community (6). Silcock identified electronic form of government as an ideal way of providing public services because in this way the governmental issues are run with the help of computerized and automated system. The e-mechanism causes the problems of people to resolve quickly that fosters trust and respect for the government (88). According to Wang and Wart the governments that involve citizens in the decision making process will reap more trust than those that follow an authoritative style of governance (268). Thus the decentralized chain of command can really help the government in fostering trust within people. Nevertheless it is interesting to know that those governments that follow the raw public o pinion in order to devise policies tend to fail because the mere public viewpoint is a crude way of policy development. The governments are suggested to invite the opinion of experts before making critical decisions.  

International B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International B - Essay Example The specific Forum reflects the trends in globalisation as developed both in the literature and the empirical field – i.e. the daily activities and policies of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The concept of globalisation has been considered to include seven different forces: in this paper, emphasis is given on the globalisation of markets – one of the seven forces mentioned above. The trends on the globalisation of markets – as highlighted in relevant studies – could help to understand the importance of this concept for the increase of the effectiveness of governmental and commercial strategies. The globalisation of markets has affected the strategies and performance of governmental and non-governmental organizations – referring especially to the commercial firms – both positively and negatively. The specific issue is highlighted in the study of Perrone et al. (2010) who focus on the effects of globalisation on small and medium enterprises – a study which can be used also in order to evaluate the effects of globalisation on large and multinational firms. In accordance with Perrone et al. (2010) ‘globalisation represents a threat, since new emerging companies are entering their domestic market, but on the other hand, it represents the opportunity to enter new emerging and growing markets’ (Perrone et al., 2010, p.356). From another point of view, globalisation can highly affect a speficic part of commercial firms: the corporate governance (Berry, 2010, 234); the different principles and cultures of the global market and the national market c ould negatively affect the firms that try to enter the global market. The importance of culture, the social ethics and the political system – actually referring to the traditions, the social principles and the politics of a specific country - on the success of the efforts for entering the global market is also highlighted in the study of Standing et al. (2010, p. 56). The above

Porter's Five Forces Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Porter's Five Forces Model - Essay Example It is needed to discuss to what extent that Porter's model of national competitive advantage adequately accounts for variations in national business systems and comparative economic performance. Porter's theoretical postulates on national competitive advantage have been critically examined by many authors. Egan (1995) suggests that Porter's focus on a specific country's success in international trade in one particular industry is of importance due to the fact that there is the untiring accent of the often superior model that the customer comes first. This paper examines Porter's emphasis on the four determinants (the Diamond) of the national competitive advantage (Porter, 1990). Porter's arguments on factor conditions go to the other extreme as well. He proposes that lack of resources would not act as a barrier to development, Eg. Switzerland, Singapore like countries. His demanding conditions are equally loaded with such positivity as a complicated domestic market and its implications in guaranteeing a competitive edge in international markets to the country concerned. Eg. wine industry of France. His related and supporting industries argument parenthetically emphasizes the technology-related benefits (Rao, & Holt, 2005). The spill-over effects of main industries lead to the creation of supporting industries and next the cyclical effect goes on and on to bring about a very positive outcome in competitive advantage, Eg. Italy's leather shoe industry. Finally his firm strategy, structure and rivalry related posture focuses on capital markets, individuals' career choices, management structures and strategic competitive environment in domestic markets. AnalysisOutline of Porter's Diamond of national competitiveness Competitive advantage in international trade is defined as "the nation's capacity to entice firms (both local and foreign) to use the country as a platform from which to conduct business" (Paulson, & Wilber, 2002). The sectoral strength /weakness analysis of a nation's economy to determine competitive advantage in international trade by Porter is a revolutionary idea which gathered some more drive during the post 1998 period. Whereas many economists have doubted the efficacy of Porter's conceptual framework of the "diamond of national competitiveness" basically owing to its many shortcomings in structural consistency, others agree that its theoretical underpinnings have stronger relevance to modern international trade context. Factor conditions, as Porter defined them, not only refer to mere physical resources such as land, labor and capital but also to some key or specialized factors which are being continuously created as against being inherited (Murmann, 2003). For example the firm continuously innovates and produces a specialized set of resources such as capital, skilled labor and infrastructure. After all such specialized resources cannot be copied by rivals - the resource-based view of the firm and leadership.Porter also discusses non-key or non-specialized resources such as unskilled labor. According to him they fail to create a permanent competitive advantage because they are not endowed with those difficult-to-duplicate characteristics that are inherent in specialized

Online Education Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Online Education Theory - Essay Example Bullen and Janes (2007) reckon that institutions of higher education around the world are now appreciating the importance of e-learning as a strategy of managing the ever-growing and ever-changing student populations. Life-long learning has become a necessity, while at the same time time-constraints and job commitments and the sheer numbers of students pursuing education make it more sensible to pursue other forms of delivering education besides the traditional institution-based form. As a result, distance learning was born and developed and now online education is developing at ever increasing rates. Beard et al. (2007) however argues that there is a risk of e-learning focusing on the technological aspect rather than the educational aspect; that is, more emphasis on the â€Å"e† than on the â€Å"learning†. A deep theoretical foundation is thus required to sustain e-learning. From the learning theories developed for traditional face-to-face education, theories for onli ne teaching and learning can be extrapolated and studied. This paper addresses a theoretical framework for online education based on existing ones, based on the statement that a constructivist-minimalist theory is the most effective in guiding online teaching and learning. This theory is developed from my own experience as an online learning student and hence I will focus on how the theory guides my approach to e-learning and how it affects my learning practices. The Constructivism-Minimalism Theory I developed this theory from two existing theories; the constructivism and the minimalism theories. To begin with, the constructivism theory is one in which cognition is focused upon. The learner undertakes an active learning process in which new ideas are constructed from their knowledge (Kearsely, 1994). It is meant to influence the student to explore beyond the information given to them by the instructor through cognitive structures which provide meaning and organization. Bruner (1966 ) states that the instructor should aim to influence the students to construct their own hypotheses, and make decisions and discover principles on their own. A spiral model is utilized to make students build knowledge upon existing knowledge in them. The instructor designs the most effective sequence for presentation of material and structures it to facilitate the learners’ comprehension. A consequence of the constructivism theory is that it enables me to associate it with another theory so as to come up with my own perspective. Carroll’s Minimalist theory is specifically designed for computer users and hence quite applicable to online education. In a close relation to Bruner’s constructivism theory, the minimalist theory also focuses on exploiting the learner’s previous knowledge and experience besides advocating for an active learning process. The backbone to the minimalist theory is the idea that instructors should minimize the obstruction of learning resulting from instructional materials and instead focus efforts on activities that are learner-directed. Passive forms of learning are minimized, with the learners being prompted to fill in the gaps, besides error recognition and recovery activities (Carroll, 1998; Kearsely, 1994; Patsula, 1999). The Constructivist-minimalist theory that I have developed

Parody Through Counter Examples Essay Example for Free

Parody Through Counter Examples Essay Counter examples are used throughout this play, and is a key role in the parody of the play. On both male and female sides of the dynamics in the play the first one is right from the start. â€Å"the streets are absolutely clogged with frantic females banging on tambourines. No urging for an orgy!† (727) In the â€Å"Classical Age† of Athens upperclass women assumed the role of a housewife, where their duties were to either clean up the house or organize the slaves of the house to do it for them. It was unheard of for women to be out in the streets like this period much less at night. The women of Athens formed together to plot against the men to bring them home from the war. As the women were gathering to plan against the men, Lysistrata said, â€Å"Im on fire right down to the bone. Im positively ashamed to be a woman—a member of a sex which cant even live up to male slanders! To hear our husbands talk, were sly: deceitful, always plotting, monsters of intrigue†(728) this quote makes me laugh, because while she is saying this her and multiple women are plotting a way to get back at the men. This quote plays off the stereotype that a woman is always out to make a mans life miserable in everything they do, but this is exactly the thing they are trying to do. While the women are out in the streets they continue to show how ridiculous they are when they are complaining on how much they do for their men. This quote by Kleonike is a prime example, â€Å"Theyll be here. You know a womans way is hard mainly the way out of the house: fuss over hubby, wake the maid up, put the baby down, bathe him, feed him† (728) Kleonike goes on and on about how much work they have to do, but she mentions that she gets up the maid, which does the work for her. This quote plays of the stereotype that women do a lot of house work, but in the play they have maids so obviously they are not doing too much. Counter examples are a huge part of the parody that is within the play, all of my previous quotes had stereotypes in them, but they all counter themselves. Parodys are still very popular today, for example the movie Space Balls which is a parody of Star Wars. Space Balls makes fun of everything that is taken very seriously in Star Wars, which gives the movie that comedy feel a parody comes with. Throughout the play, parody is seen in both the men and the women. The stereotype that men are strong and tough is presented towards the beginning of the play at the gates of the treasury. â€Å"Never been confronted with such backtalk. Cant allow it. Somebody pick up a log and pulverize that brass.† (740) Immediately following this the men are easily silence by nothing more than a bunch of women carrying water. These rough and tough men seen in the previous quote were defeated by nothing more than water. â€Å"[Shivering, the CHORUS OF MEN retreats in utter defeat]† (742) After the mens defeat they run away to the Commissioner, and he is sent home packing after several attempts to â€Å"out man† Lysistrata. â€Å"Gross ineptitude. A sorry day for the Force.†(745) This also relates to a parody in our modern day times with our own military. I here people complain about so many things our military does and stands for, yet the majority of the people criticizing are too afraid to join the military to begin with. So this â€Å"manly† stereotype applies to modern times as well, men are quick to jump up to fight someone, but do they go through with it most of time, no. This quick battle also shows how brutal these Athenian women are, when women of the classical age were to only be seen not heard. Women were used as trophies most of the time, to be seen only and never heard. In this quote you get a typical stereotype of the women of this time, â€Å"Glamor is our only talent. All we can do is sit, primped and painted made up and dressed up,† (729). Women were never known to be violent, but in this quick battle with the men and the commissioner we see how brutal these women are, â€Å"INTO THE FRAY! Show them no mercy! Push! Jostle! Shove! Call them nasty names! Dont be lady like!†(745) In no way, form, or fashion are these ladies being lady like in this scene, which is another perfect example of parody runs wild throughout this play making it out to be the comedy it was made to be. All of these counter examples play favor to my leading argument which is the fact that the women in this play use parody the most through abstinence by withholding sex. This is the biggest parody of them all. This play revolves around sex, but the whole goal of the womens tactics is to refrain from it. Its easy to see with my following examples that this play uses parody around every turn. The parody in this play does not come without a type of counter example of a stereotype that is either assumed or given throughout the play. In this time frame, women would have never been allowed to do this. If you can put your mindset in the classical age of Athens its easy to see how funny and how much parody is actually used.

Encountering God And Excuses Excuses Religion Essay

Encountering God And Excuses Excuses Religion Essay Theres a story of a Scottish discus thrower from the nineteenth century. In the days before personal trainers, he developed his skills by himself in the Scottish highlands near his village. He made his own iron discus from a description he read in a book. What he did not know was that the discus used in competition was made of wood with an outer rim of iron. The discus he made was solid metal and weighed three or four times as much as the ones used by his would-be competitors. This committed Scotsman marked out in his field the distance of the current record throw for all of Britain and trained day and night to be able to match it. For nearly a year, he labored under the self imposed burden of the extra weight. He became very, very good. He reached the point where he could throw his iron discus the record distance, maybe farther. He was ready. He traveled south to England for his first competition. When he arrived at the games, they handed him the regulation wooden discus, which he p romptly threw like a tea saucer, like wed throw a Frisbee. He set a new record, a distance so far beyond those of his challengers that no one could touch him. He thus remained the uncontested champion for year after year after year. From that moment on his life had a defining image: Train under a great burden and you will be so far beyond the rest of the world you will be untouchable. Each one of us has a story that tells us who we are. Every life is defined by a narrative. There was a time when our culture had such a defining story. The hours of the day were marked by the ringing of church bells. We lived Anno Domini in the year of our Lord. Our role models were the lives of the saints. When we left we said, God be with you, which we have today compressed into our word, Goodbye. But todays role models are movie stars and sports celebrities. Our greeting is Have a nice day. Oh, once in a while a story will come along, like the terrible tragedy or a terrorist threat, and pull us all together for a moment or two. Or we find a kind of togetherness in cheering for a sports team. I dont know about you, but I yearn to hitch my itty bitty life to some grand story that makes every moment throb with meaning and purpose and excitement and adventure. Ive found that story for me in the pages of this book the Bible. This book tells me the hunger in my heart corresponds with the reality of the universe. Thats why I like the name of our radio programme Word Alive. Theres a God who wants to enlist you and me to join him in loving, redeeming, and restoring the world. And this God comes to you the same way he came to an aimless wanderer named Moses centuries ago. To meet this God is to discover why youre alive and on this planet. So how big an adventure are you up for today? Are you ready to stop watching other peoples reality shows and star in one of your own as one of Gods everyday heroes? Lets step into Gods story today as we continue a series of messages on the foundational event of the Bible, God leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Jane Thank you for joining us for todays Word Alive with Dr. Derek Stringer and Im Jane Moxon Ill be commenting from time to time. Derek has been teaching from the life of Moses and explaining how we can encounter God today and get His direction for our lives making it significant and of value. Heres Derek Derek And thanks for your help Jane. Have you ever been reluctant to take a call? I think weve all have been there, especially now that many of us have caller ID on our phones. Have you ever gotten a call, looked at the ID and then were reluctant to take the call? I am so thankful for the ex-directory in England because I think every salesman in the country knew when I sat down for a meal. They would decide thats the time were going to call Derek Stringer. Incidentally, someone has come up with a list of twenty responses to use with these telemarketers. I like several of them, but one is my absolute favourite and one of these days Im going to get up the courage to do it. It suggests: Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him if he will give you his home phone number so you can call him back. When the telemarketer explains that they cannot give out their home number, say, I guess you dont want anyone bothering you at home, right? When he says, Yes, then you say, Me neither! Lets face it weve all had calls at times that we just didnt want to take, and we were reluctant to answer. I want us to consider the fact that sometimes were reluctant to answer the call even when we know that its God whos doing the calling. I want to talk a little bit about what it means to be called by God. Jane As we study Gods call of Moses at the burning bush, we understand that God doesnt call us the same way that he called Moses, but he does call us. Derek In fact, you may recall that the Greek word for church is ekklesia. It literally means, the called out. We are the called out people of God. Peter said, You areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. I know that this broadcast will reach people who make no claim to be Christians. And I want you to understand that God is calling you this very day, calling you to make the decision to become a child of God. Many who listen to this broadcast are Christians whom God is calling to greater heights of service. There are things that God wants you to do for him. There are people that God wants you to talk to. God is calling you to proclaim the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness and into the marvellous light. As we look at the call of Moses, I want you to consider how God is calling you. Jane Were going to look at the first part of Exodus 4. Derek When I say Moses, what comes to mind? The old Hollywood Movie with the piercing blue of eyes of Moses Charlton Heston standing before the throne of Pharaoh Yul Brenner? When we glamorize Moses we create distance between ourselves and him. The more distance you put between yourself and any Bible character, the less help the character provides us in our life before God. The real Moses? He was probably a lot more like Charlie Brown. In one of my favourite Peanuts cartoons Lucy says, Life, Charlie Brown, is like a deck chair. Like a what? he says. Havent you ever been on a cruise ship, Charlie Brown? Passengers open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun. Some people place their chairs facing the rear of the ship so they can see where theyve been. Other people face their chairs forward. They want to see where theyre going. On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown, which way is your deck chair facing? Charlie thinks a minute and says: Gee, Ive never been able to get one unfolded. Ever feel like that? Like people all around you are going somewhere in life and you cant even unfold the deck chair? Yet as the curtain rises on the man who will become the most important person in the Bible, second only to Jesus, Moses is a foot-dragging loser. Moses had it made in Egypt, then killed a man and fled for his life. Ever since, hed been going nowhere. What do you say to someone 80 years old who doesnt know what he wants to be when he grows up? (Someone has said the reason adults are always asking children what are you going to be when you grow up? is because we dont know ourselves and were looking for suggestions.) Moses was tending his father-in-laws sheep not even his own in the desert of Midian. He squinted out across the parched landscape in search of shrubs for the hungry animals and noticed a bush on fire that did not burn up. As he came closer to investigate, suddenly a voice spoke to Moses out of the fire. Moses mouth fell open at a bush ablaze with God: I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians. Jane Youll recall from our past couple of lessons that Moses is at the burning bush. Derek God has revealed to Moses his sacred name I AM, Yahweh and God has announced that he has chosen Moses to go to tell Pharaoh to let His people, the Hebrews, go. Jane Then Moses answered and said, But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, The LORD has not appeared to you.' So the LORD said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, Reach out your hand and take it by the tail (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. Derek Furthermore the LORD said to him, Now put your hand in your bosom. And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, Put your hand in your bosom again. So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. Jane Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land. Derek Then Moses said to the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. So the LORD said to him, Who has made mans mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say. Jane But he said, O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs. Derek God comes to Moses with a job to do. I want you to understand that when God has a job he wants you to do, he doesnt ask you; he tells you. He doesnt extend an invitation; he gives a commission. God said to Abraham, You go to this place I will show you. He said to Elijah, Go, present yourself to Ahab. Jesus said to his disciples, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But now the call of God comes to Moses and Moses doesnt want to answer the phone. And I can understand a little bit of what Moses is thinking. Have you ever been asked to go back to the place of your absolute greatest failure? I would imagine that everybody can think of a place or think of a person that frankly you wouldnt mind if you never saw that place or that person again. Because it brings back a memory of a time when you blew it on a scale you dont even like to think about. And when we dont want to do something, we tend to make excuses, and thats exactly what Moses does here. Lets look at some of his excuses and as we do so, were going to notice that were still making the same excuses today. The first excuse Moses made was, I dont have any credibility. Jane He said in verse one, What if they dont believe me and they say, The Lord did not appear to you? DS Now Moses question may seem to be valid, but its actually a denial of Gods clear promise because if you look back in chapter 3, verse 18, God said, The elders of Israel will listen to you and Moses says, in essence, Yes, but what if they dont? Now that shows you what failure can do to a mans thinking. If we have tried and we have failed, it has a way of inhibiting us, it has a way of paralyzing us for years to come. In Moses mind, he was certain that he was damaged goods. There was no way that he could ever go back to the Hebrews and effectively exercise any authority in their eyes. He says, Lord, youve got the wrong guy. Ive got no credibility with those people. Now God graciously recognizes what Moses is worried about and the difficulty hes facing. So what God says is, All right, Moses, heres what were going to do. Im going to give you some authenticating miracles so that you can be convinced that you do have my credibility and you can be a man they can listen to. The first thing God says is, Take that staff and throw it down. So he did. It became a snake and the Bible says that Moses ran away from it. Now theres finally one thing that Moses and I have in common. If we see snakes, we both run away from them. I do not understand people who want snakes for pets. Snake experts will tell you that most snakes are not poisonous, and you can tell the pit vipers theyre the poisonous ones they have these little pits behind their snouts. I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking, You idiot! I dont ever intend to be close enough to the face of a snake to see if hes got pits! You dont take any chances. You see a snake, you run. Now God knows exactly what hes doing with Moses. Hes got to deal with Moses fear. So that thing becomes a snake. And then what did he say next? Pick it up by the tail. You dont do that to snakes! But God said, Pick it up by the tail. And Moses obeyed. And it turned into a staff. Jane Then God said, Put your hand in your cloak. Derek And Moses did, and when it came out it was covered with leprosy. You need to remember you couldnt cure leprosy in those days. Leprosy was fatal. You dont think Moses was afraid? Whats God doing? Hes teaching Moses, Listen, the things that you think are deadly are nothing in my hands. Like Pharaoh. The things that frighten you dont need to frighten you. You dont need to be afraid. And God says, Moses, you dont need to promote your authority. You just need to report and represent my authority. God has all the credibility he needs to deliver people from their bondage. You and I dont need to worry about credibility. Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking, Theres nothing I can say that will change this persons life. Who am I that he should listen to me? Folks, the authoritys not ours. Its Gods. Were just his ambassadors. We need to go and tell people what God said they need to hear, and Gods got enough credibility to take care of both of us. Jane Paul said to the Thessalonians, For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. Derek And so, the second excuse. He said to God, I dont have the ability. Jane Verse 10, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. Derek Its strange that Moses should say that, because Stephen said in his sermon in Acts 7 that Moses was powerful in speech. So either Moses didnt want to admit his ability, or Moses had forgotten about his ability, or maybe after 40 years in the desert, he felt like he lost that ability. But at any rate, Moses is absolutely persuaded, God, youve got the wrong man. I dont have the gifts. I dont have the ability. And it sounds as if Moses is being very humble. Lord, Im just not good enough. Jane He said the same thing back in chapter 3 when God said to Moses, Im going to send you to Pharaoh, and Moses responded in verse 11, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Derek Now that sounds very humble, doesnt it? I hear Christians say the same thing all the time, Id love to teach a church class, but Im just dont have the ability. Id love to do this or do that, but I just dont feel qualified. And that sounds so very humble. After all, doesnt the Bible say we shouldnt think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think? I want you to learn something. Be careful not to confuse the virtue of humility with a spirit of inadequacy that causes us not to do Gods will. Now were supposed to deny self. So if youre talking about a humility that denies self, thats good. But if youre talking about a humility that denies Gods ability to use you, thats not real humility. But thats what we often do. We often refuse the call of God under the guise of humility, when thats not what it is at all. When Moses says, I dont have the ability, this is not Moses being humble. This is Moses displaying a lack of faith. And again, Gods patience with his servant is amazing to me. Jane So God says to Moses in verse 12, You go, and I will help you speak and Ill teach you what to say. Derek Well I want to make three quick points here about our feelings of inadequacy. First of all, God is aware of our weaknesses when he calls us. When Moses said to God, Im not eloquent, Im not a very gifted speaker, do you think God went, Oh, I forgot. Somebody pull up the file on Moses. If you say, God, you shouldnt choose me because Ive got a lot of weaknesses, well then who in the world is he going to choose? Who doesnt? Jane Paul wrote, We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Derek Lets admit it, were all clay pots. Lets just admit our inability, dont hide it, but lets not be paralyzed by it. God knows our weakness when he calls us. Second point God never abandons us after he commissions us. You can search the scriptures all you want, but youre not going to find one time in the Bible where God gives a call and then he says, Now youre on your own. When he said to Abraham, Go to the land he said what? He said, that I will show you. Jane When Jesus said, Go into all the world he said what? He said, I will be with you always. Derek This whole matter of saving the Israelites doesnt depend on Moses eloquence or his lack of it. It depends on the presence and the power of God. God says, Moses, you may not have all the answers, but youve got me, and thats all you need. Third thing If God commands you to do something, if God calls you to do something, he will empower you to do it. God does not ask the impossible, it just seems that way if you try to do it without God. But and this is very important God usually chooses to supply the ability only after youve stepped out on faith to answer the call. You say, God, I cant do that because I dont have the ability. God says, Well, Ill give you the ability. And we want to say, God, you give me the ability, and then Ill go do it. God says, No, thats not how it works. You go do it, and Ill give you the ability. Let me give you an example of what I mean by that. I wonder how many times Ive stood outside a hospital room knowing that someone inside was suffering, needing a word of comfort. And if I waited outside that room until I felt adequate, I would never go in. But I pray, God help me to say what needs to be said and you step in by faith and you find that when you act by faith, God will not let you down. But if you wait outside the door and say, Im not going in until I have something profound to say youll never go in. And so, what God often does is to say, I know you dont have the ability, I know youre just a clay pot, but if youll obey me, if youll step out in faith, then I will not let you down. I believe the key to self-confidence is to have the right view of God-confidence. Paul said, I can do all things. now thats self-confidence. But thats not what he said. He said, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Its not humility to deny that God can use you. Rather, its a blatant insult to his grace. Now Gods been patient with Moses. Moses has had some legitimate concerns. Lord, I dont think I have any credibility. God says, Ill deal with that. But Lord, I dont think I have the ability. God says, Ill deal with that, too. Then look at what Moses said next: Lord, please send someone else to do it. After all the legitimate concerns are met, Moses finally just blurts out the truth. What he said was, I dont want the responsibility. Its a good plan, Lord. The Hebrews need to be delivered. Pharaoh needs to be confronted. Its a great plan, but find somebody else to do it. By the way, have you ever noticed that all of us want to serve God, but most of us want to do it in an advisory capacity? Were quite willing to sit back and tell God how it ought to be done. Now God has been willing to work through all the specific objections that Moses has had, God has been patient, but the Bible says that finally the Lords anger burned against Moses. And I think the reason that God was angry is because basically Moses was saying, God, you told me youre going to be there for me, you told me youre going to give me the authority I need, you told me youre going to be speaking through me, but I just dont think thats going to be enough. But even in his anger, God was gracious to Moses and gave him Aaron. Jane Let me ask a question why do you think God was so patient with Moses, and why is God so patient with us when we act the same way? Derek Now one answer is obviously because he loves us. But I think theres another answer. I think its also because he loves the people whose prayers hes calling on you and me to answer. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about the fact that the reason that God is calling you is because somebody else has been calling God? Back in Exodus chapter 2, the Hebrews were calling out to God, and God was concerned and he heard their prayers, so God turned to Moses and said, Ive a job for you to do. And I wonder how many times God has called you and said, OK, Ive got a lot of people praying for someone to help them, someone to teach them, and so Im calling on you to do something about it. Ill give you the ability. I just want you to go be my messenger. And you were reluctant to answer the phone. You had all sorts of excuses ready as to why you couldnt do it. Be assured that God is patient, but dont take his patience as an inability to see through our flimsy excuses. Moses said, Oh, come on now, be sensible, not me, Im a terrible speaker. Theyd never listen to me. And God said, Oh, for crying out loud, OK, Ill use your brother to help with the speaking. And Moses led Gods people out of disintegration. And Jonah said, Oh, come on now, be sensible, not me. Im not the type. And after a rather unexpected vacation in the fish just thinking things over, he talked to Gods people and led them Gods way. And Zechariah said, Oh come on now, be sensible, not me. My wife and I are too old to have any kids. And God said, Oh shut up. And he did shut up. For nine months. And John was born, and the way for the Christ was opened up. And I heard a child say, I cant serve God. Im too young. And I heard a boy say, I cant serve God, Im not good enough. And I heard a woman say, I cant serve God, Im not skilled enough. I wonder if God ever gets any new problems? What is it that Gods calling you to do? I heard once about a fellow that was going to preacher training school. They were sending them out on weekends to preach in different churches. He was asked to preach at this one country church with just a few old people but he felt it was beneath his considerable skills. He made the mistake of actually making that comment out loud. It seems there was a young lady who overheard him and she said, You know, the worlds a better place because Michelangelo never said, I dont do ceilings. Think about it. This worlds a better place because Noah never said, I dont do animals. Because Abraham never said, I dont do travelling. Because Ruth never said, I dont do mothers-in-law. Because David never said, I dont do giants. Im glad Paul didnt say, I dont do correspondence. Im glad Jesus never said, I dont do crosses. And I think the world would be a better place if God didnt hear, I dont doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ quite as much. Jane Paul wrote, We have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. Derek Gods only option is to use clay vessels. Thats all hes got. And thinking about the audience for Word Alive, Id say theres nothing but clay vessels that listen. Its simply a matter of whether or not were willing to allow God to work through us. I love the story that is told of the famous Polish pianist, Padarewski, who went on to become prime minister of Poland. He was touring the United States, and was going to give a concert one night. There was a mother who was trying to get her little boy interested in the piano, so she bought tickets to hear this master pianist. The show was supposed to start at 8:00 and prior to that people were standing around and visiting. This mother didnt realize that her son had slipped away. Imagine her shock when she heard and saw her son at the piano playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. As the story is told, Padarewski walked out in his tux, sat down beside the boy and whispered, Dont stop playing. He put his left hand out and played some bass notes, put his right hand out and started playing, and he made this beautiful sound out of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I want you to see that this describes so well what God does with you and me. God says, What do you have in your hand? A staff? Give it to me. And when God calls, you just give him whatever youve got in your hand. And once you allow God to use your life, he does things with it you would never dream possible. Maybe you need to respond to God and say, OK, here I am. I want to follow you. I want to serve you. I want to dedicate my life to you. No more excuses, no more delays. Just what do you want me to do? Jane Dr. Derek Stringer is our Bible Teacher here on Word Alive and this is a Good News Broadcasting Association production. Derek My thanks to Jane Moxon and my thanks to you for being with us today. Please join us again next time as we continue to explore the life of Moses and how we can encounter God today. Jane Thats Derek Stringer and Phil Critchley has been our Producer. From all here at Good News Broadcasting Association we send you our greetings. Good-bye and God bless.

Beer for Everyone Essay -- legal drinking age, alcohol, drunk driving

Beer for Everyone Each year there are tens of thousands of people who die each year because of drunk drivers, and because of binge drinking. The solution to this problem is not necessarily in raising the drinking age, or in stopping the production of alcohol. America has already tried taking away alcohol, and the effect of that was moon shine. In raising the drinking age it would only mean that older people will be the ones that are drunk and getting into accidents. The solution to this would be in lowering the drinking age and raising the driving age. It may not make a big difference at first, but there will be a time when the number of deaths each year will drop down to the hundreds instead of tens of thousands. If the drinking age is lowered to 16 and the driving age raised to 18, students will perform better in college. They will not want to be part of drinking games when they get older. Also the students know how much alcohol they can handle before driving. Some people would argue that the legal drinking age is just how it should be. Having the drinking age lowered could cause more disruption, some people might say. These people might think that the kids will listen to the song â€Å"The Other Side† by Jason Derulo. One line in the song goes like, â€Å"Tonight we’ll get drunk/ Disturb the peace† there might those kids who here this song and do what it says. Everyone knows that the majority of kids look up these artists as their role models. The artists are not thinking about what effect this will have on others some of them just want to make money. People will say that if 16 year olds can drink then they will cause destruction. The positive effect if younger people can drink is how they will perform in school. A popular activity a... ...k. Prod. Simsoul1. Youtube. N.p., 28 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. . Ansari, Walid E., Christiane Stock, and Claire Mills. "Is Alcohol Consumption Associated with Poor Academic Achievement in University Students?" International Journal of Preventive Medicine 4.10 (2013): 1175-88. Print. Barnett, Nancy P. "The minimum drinking age debate." DATA: The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory & Application 27.11 (2008): 8. Print. Drunk Driver nearly causes Multiple Accidents - Ends up Crashing. Prod. IDUVO. Youtube. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. . Durkin, Anne. "Educating Nursing Students About the Dangers of Drinking Games." Nursing Education Perspectives 29.1 (2008): 38-41. Print. Derulo, Jason. â€Å"The Other Side.† Tattoo. CD. Ammo and Martin Johnson. 2013. 12 Dec. 2013.

Policing Worldwide Essay -- Law Enforcement Police

Policing Worldwide The world of policing is one of constant change. As far back as the early days of Peelian police philosophy the missions and goals of police departments have constantly been altered. In our diverse communities and cites worldwide we see police departments engaged in very different forms of policing. Even across the many jurisdictions that operate within our nation we see departments that run at the very opposite ends of the policing spectrum, with some acing in extreme public service roles and others involved in aggressive crime fighting ideologies. These different approaches are all based of what the police identifies as the needs of the community. As constant research is conducted in the field of policing, departments adopt new policies and programs. As new technologies arise they too are incorporated into law enforcement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The New York City Police Department like any other department in the world is constantly changing and adapting its policies to conform to that of new technologies and trends in law enforcement. One of these policies that has been put into use in recent years has been that of a community policing initiative. Finding its roots in police-community relations policies of the 50’s and 60’s, community policing is a philosophy that seeks to form a partnership between the police and the community. Through this bond the community can fully identify its needs and work together with the police to battle crime as well as many other services that do not fall within the traditional roles of policing. All of this is aimed at taking a proactive approach to crime. Its basis is simply trying to work with the community to identify its problems and fixing them before they escalate or lead to crime. Community policing is far different than any other philosophy seen in pol icing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although throughout history, â€Å"there have been sporadic variations in the underpinnings of American law enforcement, its substantively has remained a legal-bureaucratic organization focusing on professional law enforcement (Gaines and Kappeler, 2003 p. 476)†. This legal-bureaucratic set up of the American police department has it as an agency concerned with statistic and numbers. The outputs of policing that include number of arrests, volume of recovered property, number of citations issued, response times and the other stats of policing play a more i... ...mmander is then praised for his success in lower crime. However, I feel that this alienates the police from a community. If the police implement aggressive tactic in an area, the public often perceives this in almost a military sweep. The cops are seen as the bad guys that only come in to arrest the criminals and then go on their way to other high crime areas. If CompStat identified the high crime areas and then used community policing tactics to permanently rid the underlying problems of crime in that  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However the hierarchy of the New York City Police Department chooses to deal with these two new tactics in policing will change the course of our city. I feel that while both valuable tactics, the NYPD should stress its role in community policing. If the police continue to adopt aggressive styles of policing and continue to alienate themselves from the community, they might find themselves being hated by the city they protect. I think that CompStat has been a val uable tool for New York to lower its crime rate, however I think it fosters reactive and aggressive tactics. Unless it is changed or abandoned, the police will continue to widen the gap between themselves and the public.

Educating Rita essay :: English Literature

Educating Rita essay "I've been realizing for ages that I was you know slightly out of step, I'm twenty six, I should have had a baby by now, everyone expects it, I'm sure me husband thinks I'm sterile. He was moaning all the time you know come off the pills, lets have a baby. I told him I'd come off the pills, just to shut him up. But I'm still on it, see I don't want to baby yet. See, I want to discover myself first, do you understand that? Changes take place in every one through our lives everyday; In this essay I will be exploring the changes that have happened in Franks and Rita relationship in the play Educating Rita by Willy Russell. I will be mainly focusing upon the attitudes of the two main characters towards each other and towards themselves. Rita is a mature woman seeking an education, as she didn't take the opportunity to learn when she was an amateur student because of the environment she lived around in and the fact she didn't want to learn because of her popularity and her working class culture. Frank: Rita why didn't you become what you call a proper student? Rita: you know, boring, ripped-up books, broken glass everywhere, knives and fights and that was just in the staffroom. Nah, they tried their best I suppose, but studying was just for the whimps, wasn't it? See, if I'd started taking school seriously I would have had to become different from me mates and that's not allowed. In reflected, Rita has come to realise how the law expectations surrounding her and her working class culture held her back from her real potential. She wants to change now and break this cycle. Frank, the other main character, is a teacher at the university where she has applied to do her course. He is around his 50's and is Rita's tutor. He is a lazy man, bored and frustrated by his life he too does not feel like he belongs anywhere. Frank does not like his job very much; he does not have any respect for himself at all. FRANK: my dear I actually an appalling teacher, most of the time, you see, you see it most of the time, you see it doesn't matter appalling teaching is quite in order for most of the appalling students. And the others manage to get by despite me. They expect us to teach when the pubs are open. The relation ship between frank and Rita at the beginning of the play is not strong, frank doesn't really want to tutor Rita because he

Death of a Salesman Essay

An essay on the use of dashes in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman The dash is a handy device, informal and essentially playful, telling you that you’re about to take off on a different tack but still in some way connected with the present course – only you have to remember that the dash is there, and either put a second dash at the end of the notion to let the reader know that he’s back on course, or else end the sentence, as here, with a period. __ Lewis Thomas How does a writer – a good writer – convey epiphanies exactly so that it’s grammatically appropriate for – eureka! – a dash is used – placed just so – to convey, establish – a mood, feeling, tone – a character feels – whilst saying a line, monologue – even an exclamation – wherein characters experience a lot of feeling and – dominance is implied when a line is ended by a dash – interruption in short – by another character – allowing the reader to see – feel – the personality – traits, characteristics – of a character subtlety. This simple line – the dash – is a many faceted gem – a treasure – that can be used to highlight many ideas – key terms – certain events jump off the page because of the use of a dash – rather than an ellipsis – causes a noticeable break – a sharp break – unlike that of an ellipsis – which immediately gives off the impression of abruptness – just as it appears visually – a sharp-edged line in the center of a line that breaks the fluidity of words – just as the dash in a sentence breaks the flow of thought or conversation. Dashes – menial as they are – give substance to a pause, break – charging it with emotion and meaning – no number of words could do the same. Although dashes may seem like a punctuation mark so rarely used, it is an integral tool in writing conversations. The dash represents a discontinuation of an intended statement – a visual representation of the abruptly derailed trail of a train of thought – allows the writer to interrupt characters – as is normal in an average conversation – like most of Linda and Willy’s conversations. Linda’s lines are often ended by a dash – interrupted by another speaker – subtlety informing the reader of Linda’s subservient personality. The dashes imply the abruptness of Willy’s interruptions – thereby insinuating that he doesn’t listen to her – including times when she expresses her adoration for him – clarifying that Willy’s view – behavior – towards Linda is rather poor- which in turn personifies Willy’s personality. â€Å"Linda: You are, Willy. The handsomest man. You’ve got no reason to feel that- Willy: I’ll make it all up to you, Linda, I’ll- Linda: There’s nothing to make up, dear. You’re doing fine, better than- Willy: What’s that? Linda: Just mending my stockings. They’re so expensive- Willy: I won’t have you mending socks in this house! Now throw them out! † (Page 39) This whole conversation establishes the relationship between Willy and Linda – Willy being the dominant – though insensible – one, while Linda is the subservient – although quite practical one – as well as giving insight to Willy’s guilt over the woman – all done with four appropriately placed dashes at the end of a character’s lines. However, dashes are not only useful at the end of lines but in the midst of a sentence as well. Just as the dash on the page is a break from the stream of words – a break in the voice is represented by a dash on the page. Thus, when a character is overcome by emotions, a dash is placed in the proper place in the sentence’s structure and a feeling of overwhelming portions is conveyed to the reader. In a tragic play such as Death of a Salesman, the proper use of the dash is essential to establish certain key conversations – and the significance of the feelings of the character – and their significance in the overall meaning of the story line. Such a conversation is seen when Willy is affirmed of Biff’s love (Page 133) – where there was placed four dashes upon the page – in the span of the conversation – each of which insinuates a great deal of emotion. It is these emotions that help build the tragedy in the story line – characterizing Willy and Biff in the process. When Biff tells his mom – or whoever it is he is speaking to – to put Willy to bed – â€Å"Put him-put him to bed. † – the dash stresses the exhaustion that Biff feels – his inability to finish his sentence implies a deep caring for his father – an overwhelming emotion. It is the strength of this emotion that astonishes Willy and awakens Willy to the fact that Biff still loves him, and the following lines he says are also broken with dashes – so choked with love and boundless joy is he – â€Å"That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent! † (Page 133). These statements foreshadow Willy’s decision to kill himself for the sake of his sons – making an impact – greater or equal to that of – Willy’s statement on page 98 – where he states â€Å"After all highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. † Both statements imply that Willy is going to commit suicide, playing against each other. The quote on page 98 establishes that Willy was considering the option – the possibility – while the conversation with Ben – prior to Biff’s outburst – acknowledges the cause of Willy’s hesitance and indecisiveness – the effect the suicide would leave on Biff – the opinion that Biff would have of him afterward. Thus, when Willy is offered that which is all he really wants – his life as it was before, with a loving relationship with his Adonis son and the admiration that this son once had for him – through Biff’s compassionate voice and tears – Willy makes a definite choice as to what he intends to do – first seen in his line â€Å"That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent! † (Page 133). It is this line that resolves the inner conflict that Willy feels over Biff and over his lack of success – it is in this line that Willy decides to kill himself. Without the use of the dashes, the emotions would not have been conveyed to the reader appropriately – losing its power and significance in the overall storyline. Another significant line – dash – in the play – though not necessarily filled with emotion – begins Biff’s voyage into realization and truth. A dash can represent a hesitance – changing of mind – as to what must be said to convey the thoughts – and sometimes feelings – of the character. â€Å"I tell ya, Hap, I don’t know what the future is. I don’t know-what I’m supposed to want. † The dash before â€Å"what I’m supposed to want,† allows the reader to realize that Biff’s restlessness and lack of success is not failure – not in the true sense of the word, for Biff would have to truly attempt – thus want – success in order to fail. Biff’s definition of success is different to that of his family’s and this makes him uneasy – insecure as to what his life really means. This dash allows the reader to acknowledge that Biff is at a loss of exact words to define what he means and the thoughts running through his head. It is this pause that changes the overall meaning of the sentence – without the pause, the sentence would pass over – unnoticed. The pause – dash – underlines Biff’s uncertainty which continues throughout the play – until Biff realizes the absurdity of his situation and awakens. The dash informs the reader that here lies Biff’s conflict – this dash is the resolution wherein the conflict is introduced. The dash – is the conflict. As a modern tragedy, Death of a Salesman is – when broken down – an informal play, thus the dash is the perfect punctuation for the certain situations -and sentences – that needed to be highlighted in the subconscious. The dash evokes an awareness that is subtle – sliding beneath our mind’s eye – to implant ideas – emotions and feelings – thereby creating importance to an event – or phrase. When a dash is used, it’s used to emphasize – and encourage analysis of – a phrase. The involuntary response to a dash should be curiosity – as to the purpose of this dash. A dash is not so easily used and is thus, so rarely seen. Therefore when a dash is used in writing – be it at the end of a line or in the midst of a sentence – â€Å"so attention must be paid†1! Bibliography: Arthur Miller (1949) Death of a Salesman Penguin Books USA Inc. 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA 1 Page 56 said by Linda. Jolene Kui September 6, 2002

Analysis †Mein Kampf Essay

Hitler’s contemporaries – Baldwin, Chamberlain, Herbert Hoover – seem pathetically fusty figures, with their frock coats and wing collars, closer to the world of Edison, Carnegie and the hansom cab than to the first fully evolved modern societies over which they presided, areas of national consciousness formed by mass-produced newspapers and consumer goods, advertising and tele-communications. By comparison Hitler is completely up-to-date, and would be equally at home in the sixties (and probably even more so in the seventies) as in the twenties. The whole apparatus of the Nazi super-state, its nightmare uniforms and propaganda, seems weirdly turned-on, providing just that element of manifest insanity to which we all respond in the H-Bomb or Viet Nam – perhaps one reason why the American and Russian space programmes have failed to catch our imaginations is that this quality of explicit psychopathology is missing. Certainly, Nazi society seems strangely prophetic of our own – the same maximising of violence and sensation, the same alphabets of unreason and the fictionalising of experience. Goebbels in his diaries remarks that he and the Nazi leaders had merely done in the realm of reality what Dostoevski had done in fiction. Interestingly, both Goebbels and Mussolini had written novels, in the days before they were able to get to grips with their real subject matter – one wonders if they would have bothered now, with the fiction waiting to be manipulated all around them. Hitler’s ‘novel’, Mein Kampf (Hutchinson, 1939) was written in 1924, nearly a decade before he came to power, but is a remarkably accurate prospectus of his intentions, not so much in terms of finite political and social aims as of the precise psychology he intended to impose on the German people and its European vassals. For this reason alone it is one of the most important books of the 20th century, and well worth reprinting, despite the grisly pleasures its anti-semitic ravings will give to the present generation of racists. How far does Hitler the man come through the pages of this book? In the newsreels Hitler tends to appear in two roles – one, the demagogic orator, ranting away in a state apparently close to neurotic hysteria, and two, a benevolent and slightly eccentric kapellmeister sentimentally reviewing his SS bodyguard, or beaming down at a picked chorus of blond-haired German infants. Both these strands are present in Mein Kampf – the hectoring, rhetorical style, shaking with hate and violence, interspersed with passages of deep sentimentality as the author rhapsodises to himself about the mystical beauty of the German landscape and its noble, simple-hearted peoples. Apart from its autobiographical sections, the discovery by a small Austrian boy of his ‘Germanism’, Mein Kampf contains three principal elements, the foundation stones, walls and pediment of a remarkably strong paranoid structure. First, there are Hitler’s views on history and race, a quasi-biological system which under-pins the whole basis of his political thought and explains almost every action he ever committed. Second, there are his views on the strict practicalities of politics and the seizure of power, methods of political organisation and propaganda. Third, there are his views on the political future of the united Germanies, its expansionist foreign policy and general attitude to the world around it. The overall tone of Mein Kampf can be seen from Hitler’s original title for the testament: A Four and a Half Years Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice: A Reckoning with the Destroyers of the Nazi Party Movement. It was the publisher, Max Amann, who suggested the shorter and far less revealing Mein Kampf, and what a sigh he must have breathed when Hitler agreed. Hitler’s own title would have been far too much of a giveaway, reminding the readers of the real sources of Hitler’s anti-semitic and racialist notions. Reading Hitler’s paranoid rantings against the Jews, one is constantly struck by the biological rather than political basis of his entire thought and personality. His revulsion against the Jews was physical, like his reaction against any peoples, such as the Slavs and Negroes, whose physique, posture, morphology and pigmentation alerted some screaming switchboard of insecurity within his own mind. What is interesting is the language in which he chose to describe these obsessions – primarily faecal, one assumes, from his endless preoccupa-tion with ‘cleanliness’. Rather than use economic, social or political arguments against the Jews, Hitler concentrated almost solely on this inflated biological rhetoric. By dispensing with any need to rationalise his prejudices, he was able to tap an area of far deeper unease and uncertainty, and one more-over which his followers would never care to expose too fully to the light of day. In the unanswerable logic of psychopathology, the Jews became the scapegoats for all the terrors of toilet-training and weaning. The constant repetition of the words ‘filth’, ‘vileness’, ‘abscess’, ‘hostile’, ‘shudder’, endlessly reinforce these long- repressed feelings of guilt and desire. In passing, it is curious to notice that Hitler’s biological interpretations of history have a number of striking resemblances to those of Desmond Morris. In both writers one finds the same reliance on the analogy of the lower mammals, on a few basic formulas of behaviour such as ‘struggle’, ‘competition’, ‘defence of territory’. There is the same simple schematic view of social relationships, the same highly generalised assertions about human behaviour that are presented as proven facts. Hitler talks without definition of ‘lower races’ in the same way that Morris refers to ‘primitive societies’ and ‘simple communities’. Both are writing for half-educated people whose ideas about biology and history come from popular newspaper and encyclopaedia articles, and whose interest in these subjects is a barely transparent cover for uneasy fantasies about their own bodies and emotions. In this preface, the translator of Mein Kampf describes it as written in the style of a self-educated modern South German with a talent for oratory. In this respect Hitler was one of the rightful inheritors of the 20th century – the epitome of the half-educated man. Wandering about the streets of Vienna shortly before the first World War, his head full of vague artistic yearnings and clap-trap picked up from popular magazines, whom does he most closely resemble? Above all, Leopold Bloom, his ostensible arch-enemy, wandering around Joyce’s Dublin at about the same time, his head filled with the same clap-trap and the same yearnings. Both are the children of the reference library and the self-improvement manual, of mass newspapers creating a new vocabulary of violence and sensation. Hitler was the half-educated psychopath inheriting the lavish communications systems of the 20th century. Forty years after his first abortive seizure of power he was followed by another unhappy misfit, Lee Harvey Oswald, in whose Historic Diary we see the same attempt by the half-educated to grapple with the information overflow that threatened to drown him.

A universal language Essay

According to a biblical account found in the book of Genesis, people once spoke the same language. Then, because those people banded together to build a tower in Babylon that glorified their own achievements, rather than those of their deity, God punished them. He ensured that mankind spoke different languages so that they’d never be able to work together to dishonor God again. Was there once just a single language that all people could understand? Linguists don’t know; there’s just not enough information about the origins of language, and there are only theories about how our early ancestors formed their first words and sentences. Did early people imitate sounds they heard in the environment? Did they babble until certain sounds took on meaning? We’ll probably never know, though linguists still study babies’ brains to determine if language or grammar comes hardwired in our heads. One prominent theory about the development of the first languages rel ates to tools and resources. Teaching another person how to use tools requires a certain, agreed-upon vocabulary, as does the process of sharing  and protecting resources like food and shelter. Small groups of people living in close quarters would therefore need to develop a way to understand each other, so they came up with a vocabulary and syntax that meant something to them. A group of people across the world from them, though, would probably need an entirely different vocabulary of words, so the languages would have developed differently in isolation. Think of the oft-quoted (but erroneous) example that Eskimos have 100 different words for snow because they have so much of it. While that common statement is wrong, there are cultures that have far more words for rice and camels than, say, English does. So these small groups of people, living in isolation from one another, agreed on names for their tools and food, and they came up with ways to describe how resources would be divided. But when another group migrated into the area, or came with different resources to trade, the groups had to find a way to merge their different lexicons and communicate. Over time, that’s how languages have developed, and as some groups conquered others, that’s how some languages died out. Travel among groups who speak different languages has been difficult over history; now, we live in a world where we can board a plane in New York City and land in China hours later. In a global world, wouldn’t there be a benefit to speaking the same language? Some groups have advocated that a universal language be adopted, but it would be difficult to find any group willing to give up their own language if only because so much culture and history becomes embedded within it over time. After all, the English would no sooner give up the language of Shakespeare than the Spanish would forsake the tongue of Cervantes. Attempts to create a universal second language have failed as well, but even if we could agree on a common language, it’s unlikely it would resemble itself 100 years from now. After all, thanks to the Internet’s influence, language has become a mix of emoticons and abbreviations like LOL. Languages simply evolve too rapidly to ever speak just one.

What are acid rains?

What are acid rains? â€Å"Acid rain is another side-effect of civilization. As soon as acid rain was discovered and understood, it was attributed to human action.† (Jurgen Stock, Arthur R. Upgren, p.4)Acid rain can be called any atmospheric precipitate (rain, snow, smog, rain with snows, etc) which has the following characteristics: the increased level of acids (mainly sulphuric acid); and the hydrogenous index of pH is less than average index of rain water (average pH for rain water is 5.6), mainly it is rain with pH

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

International business - Essay Example To Black Well (UK) to effectively penetrate the business, a proposed entry strategy will be provided in the study. For the last part of the study, the impact of cultural and ethical factors in shaping the involvement of Black Well will be tackled. Prior to conclusion, recommendation on how Black Well should standardise its marketing mix within Holland’s floricultural industry will be provided. The strong support of Holland government in the development of floricultural activities is an important success factor. As a way of encouraging floricultural breeders to develop new variety of plants, the government protects them under the intellectual property rights to enable them to generate more income out of exclusively selling a specific plant variety (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, 2008). Aside from protecting the players within the industry, Holland government also supports the development of more effective greenhouses by sponsoring the trials of newly innovated greenhouse that enables the growers to make use of surplus heat during summer which will be consumed as heat during winter or convert the heat into electricity (Alter, 2006). Since there is significantly large number of players within the Holland’s floricultural industry, the business players within the industry are experiencing tight competition in both domestic and international markets. For this reason, each business player need to pay close attention on having a tight quality control over cut and potted flowers to enable them to maintain a close business relationship with its domestic and global distributors and regular customers. Aside from giving importance with the tight quality control on horticultural production, each business player within the industry also need to continuously innovate new technology that will enable them to effectively produce their specialized floral species with less operational cost. (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and