The western Way of War2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The western Way of War2 - Essay Example The technologies they used were adopted from the eastern countries. Hence most of the technologies were not Western innovations. Any new inventions were followed by almost all the other countries. Western countries were not ready to accept and follow the new technology. (Geoffrey 2005). They remained hesitant to experiment any sort of technology. Technology was not the only criteria that decide the success of war. Instead other factors like economic power and war plans were the important aspect that decides the war’s success. The next principle of Western way of war was to maintain proper discipline among the soldiers in the army. Discipline was given more prominence than religion. The soldiers were trained to co-operate and work as a team. The military was formed with the people who resided in the same area(book). The leaders for such military teams were the leaders from their area. During the sixteenth century rally were carried out to recruit people for the military. In countries like Greece the normal people like farmers were also a part of the military regimen. Though army people were more disciplined, it was not secured. Technology and discipline alone did not decide the fate of the war. The war had to possess a vision which helped them to fight against their enemy. Religious constraints were not the deciding factor and it did not interfere in the success of the war. Success was decided only when the enemy was totally defeated. (Geoffrey 2005).This was not practiced in the other countries. The main aims of this war were to collect people who were used as slaves. These slaves were used to procure goods from the harbor and to assist them in other local work. Most of the countries relied on discipline and technological aspects. Western countries differed from them in this principle. They had the ability to change and preserve the practices they have followed. Countries in the West had the power to adapt to these changes. This

Criminal Justices Ethics Essay Example for Free

Criminal Justices Ethics Essay A few months ago, a woman was brutally raped, beaten and left for dead. Since the attack she remains in a coma. This case has risen to national prominence as an example of how today’s youth no longer respects fundamental social values, television and video game violence has desensitized young men to the consequences of crimes such as assault and rape, and as a demonstration of the inability of the police to keep the streets safe for law-abiding citizens. My partner and I work in the criminal justice system as police officers and handle most of the homicide cases in our area. The publicity from this crime has placed our police department under pressure to send someone to trial for this crime immediately. A gang of young men were spotted in the areas where the victim was found assaulting and threatening people that were passing by. Two members of the gang were arrested. The two members are both male and 14 years of age that both have previous records of robbery and assault. Our obligation as police officers is to follow the policy and ethical standards of our police department and the law, which states, minors must be informed of their legal right to have their parents present during the interrogation and to use videotape during important interviews. However, my partner has pushed his ethical obligation aside and interviews both of the minors while deciding not to contact their parents or tape the interrogation. When I confront him about the policy’s that did not take place he tells me not to worry about it that both minors are guilty as sin and we can close the case. His actions are unethical and don’t not follow the policy of prosecuting the guilty, respecting the rights of the accused, and creating a safe community. Ethics is crucial in decisions involving discretion, force, and due process, because criminal justice professionals can be tempted to abuse their powers (Felkins, 1987). I report this to my supervisor only for him to tell me to trust my partner and go to trial. Both suspects are arrested and bound for trial. Bail is denied. I do not feel good about proceeding with this. The organizational culture represented by my supervisor gives the answer to my partners’ behavior. The supervisor plays a large role in defining organizational culture by his actions and leadership. Both my supervisor and my partner have decided to use â€Å"moral relativism† which is the ethical premise â€Å"that decisions about right and wrong are purely personal and subjective and according to it, whatever anyone claims to be morally acceptable is morally acceptable, at least for that person. They have not thought about the consequences of their actions and how they may be beneficial or harmful from the result. In order to do so one must analyze the issues and make judgments by studying the details of the case, identifying the relevant criteria, determining possible course of action, and deciding which action is most ethical. I will choose to detach myself from the case. I cannot afford to lose my job by not following the legal or ethical standards. Laws have penalties when cases are violated and these penalties can be very severe if you violate legal norms. I believe that both my partner and supervisor have violated legal norms as well as ethical standards. References Felkenes, G. (1987). â€Å"Ethics in the Graduate Criminal Justice Curriculum.† Teaching Philosophy 10(1): 23–26. Ruggiero, V. R. (2008). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues (Seventh ed.). New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill.

Dark Matter :: physics science space

Missing Diagrams You, the computer you’re sitting at, the air you breathe, even the distant stars are all made up of protons electrons and neutrons. For a long time this ordinary matter, or what physicists like to call baryonic matter, was thought to be the main constitute of the universe. However, in the past twenty years evidence has been accumulating to the contrary, that in fact the universe is much stranger than ever thought of before and is almost entirely made up of something that we can’t see. For a long time astronomers weren’t concerned about the mass of objects that they couldn’t see. For example the earth is too small and dim to see from any great distance and all the planets in out solar system make up less than one percent of the total mass of the sun. However it soon became a concern when astronomers began to measure the mass of galactic clusters and it became apparent that there was a significant amount of matter unaccounted for. In the thirties, astronomers named Zwicky and Smith both examined closely two relatively nearby clusters, the Coma cluster and the Virgo cluster. They looked at the individual galaxies making up the clusters individually, and the velocities of the clusters. What they found was that the velocities of the galaxies were about a factor of ten to one hundred larger than they expected. In a cluster the main force is the gravitational pull of the galaxies on one another which gives rise to their velocities. By knowing the velocities of the galaxies the total mass of the cluster can be determined. If your web browser is Java-aware -- e.g., Netscape 2.0b or higher, try this experiment. It allows you to vary the mass inside a galaxy cluster, and watch the individual galaxies. Experiment I ( Courtesy of John's Homepage http://www.astro.queensu.ca/~dursi/dm-tutorial/dm1.html) Now like all observations there is a certain amount of error involved. In this case, watching the galaxies in a cluster takes years of observation and the velocities are hard to determine due to the expanse of the cluster. It’s not like the experiment were the dots are whizzing around. Also some of the galaxies measured may not be in the cluster but are just in the line of site of the telescope.

Meet the Miller Essay -- Canterbury Tales Essays

Meet the Miller In the "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer presents his reader with a blend of unlikely yet entertaining characters that find themselves on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer then describes the different characteristics and the outward appearances of these characters at length. He probably does so in order to bring these characters to life, giving us a more vivid understanding of what kind of people they were. The Miller is one of the most vivid characters that I have encountered in Chaucer's work for he is perfectly delineated as the man he is, without including any unnecessary detail. The Miller is described as a short and sturdy man who possesses uncanny strength. The undisputed champion of wrestling is he. He even seems hero-like at first: The millere was a stout churl for the nones; Ful byg he was of brawn, and eek of bones. That proved wel, for over al ther he cam, At wrastlynge he wolde have alwey the ram. He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre; Norton, 545-549. Although he is said to possess extraordinary strength, he is described in a derogatory manner as we read the passage. It seems that he is more of a brawl-initiator than a hero. The man wrestles for the ram, probably a prize awarded at such matches, clearly a peasant pastime. Even initially, it does not seem like we are dealing with a highly sophisticated person here. Actually, the Miller does use his head! I only hope he does so in rare instances for the author mentions that "ther was no dore that he nolde heve of harre, / or breke it at a rennyng with his heed" (Norton, 550-551). There you have it. Our hero engages in heaving doors off their hinges or breaking them down with his head. But do ... ...nded by. The Miller is, in fact, described as the scum of society, but he is necessary scum. Chaucer presents us with the facts of life, and whether we may think they are disgusting or unsuitable to be presented to us in such a blunt manner, they must be told, for they remain an undisputed piece of the Middle-English pie. Sources Abrams, M. H. and Greenblatt, Stephen. eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 2000. Sumner, Laura. "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell." Smith College Studies in Modern Languages. V, No.4: Mass., 1924. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/CT-prolog-para.html,10/24/00. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/, 10/24/00. http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/canterbury/,10/24/00. http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/canterbury/tale1.html, 10/24/00.

Management Robert Owen and Richard Branson

Intoduction It is said that management principles can be traced back as far as 5000 years, which has provided considerable amount of time to refine and develop these principles into efficient and successful ideologies. Throughout history, management practise has evolved thanks to a number of pioneers who have veered away from the norm to revolutionise views on what it means to be a good and efficacious manager. Both Robert Owen and Richard Branson can be seen as frontrunners of their time, performing feats in the realm of management that nobody before them would have dared to have even considered.Robert_Owen? Robert Owen was born in Newtown in Wales, United Kingdom. During his life he managed to improve well-being, education and rights of the working class. His driving ambition to create a better society made him a successful manufacturer and an important pioneer of Modern Management. ?†The most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been institut ed in any part of the world†1 [Owen, 1801] started when Robert Owen bought the New Lanark Mills in 1801.Under his management the New Lanark became a model community which was driving towards prosperity and making progress through the new technology. He was considered a kind man, who treated his employees very well. Owen highlighted the importance of education; he believed that knowledge is a useful skill that could release working class children from hunger and poverty. Thus New Lanark was the first place in the world that had an Infant School. This allowed parents to keep on working and created the opportunity for wider education provision, including evening classes for workers.He also introduced better working conditions for children; children under ten were not allowed to work in the village and no children were allowed to work for longer than 10 hours a day. Moreover he raised the minimum wage for child labour, raised wages for adults, reduced working hours and provided al l the employees with free medical care. Robert Owen always kept proper business records; these included daily and weekly measurement of productivity, output and stocks. A novel technique was used to control the employees; multicolored pieces of wood hung beside every worker.Each color indicated the previous day's quality of work. Everyone around was able to see this measure of employees performance, this piece of wood works as a good motivator towards quality performance, as people did not want to be embarrassed by everyone being able to see that they had worked to a poor standard. ?Even though Robert Owen had no formal university education his progressive moral views and entrepreneurial skills made his contribution to the modern management theory inestimable. What ideas individuals may attach to the term â€Å"Millennium† I know not; but I know that society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold; and no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance to prevent such a state of society from becoming universal. †2[Owen, 1816] Sir Richard Branson Sir Richard Branson was born in Blackheath, London in 1950.He studied at Stowe school and throughout his childhood struggled with dyslexia, and failed to do well at school, but by the age of 16, after dropping out of school, and a few failed attempts at selling Christmas trees and budgerigars, he had already taken his first steps to becoming a successful pioneer when he launched a magazine called ‘Student’ 3[Ahmed, 2011], which ran articles about prominent politicians, famous rock stars and different celebrities of the time.This turned out to just be the start of a successful entrepreneurial career, and he has now founded ‘Virgin Group Ltd. ’ which consists of more than 400 companies, ranging from airlines to mobile phone networ ks, employing over 50,000 people. Having started as a teenager, struggling to find his way into the business world, he is now worth about three billion pounds sterling, and is one of the most outstanding innovators in the world. Despite being renowned for promoting an extremely tranquil working environment, Richard Branson is a follower of F.W. Taylor, who proposed the ‘Scientific Management Theory’, which attempts to increase economic efficiency and productivity in the workplace by applying a scientific element to management, and Sir Richard Branson is known to apply some of Taylors ‘Scientific Management’ theories to his own style. Taylor was also known to reward staff with higher payment based on results, as an attempt to boost motivation, which Branson has also exercised by paying and rewarding employees based on performance and their ability to show signs of creative thinking. [Anon] Sir Richard Branson implements a style of a Theory Y manger in Dougla s McGregor’s theory5 [McGregor, 1960] which states that there are two types of manager: Theory X styled manager- Believes that the average employee dislikes works and only works because they have to earn money, therefore they need to be threatened with punishments in order to be motivated, and directed strictly, without any room for delegated responsibility.A Theory X styled manager believes that money is most important to the employee. Theory Y styled manager (Sir Richard Branson)- Believes that employees are more motivated when they have more self-control and can apply their own skills and creativity in the workplace. States that most employees want to do well and self-actualisation what motivates them, as oppose to financial gain. [Taylor, 2013] Richard Branson believes that by creating a relaxed working environment, and by trusting his managers and employees with responsibility, that his staff will consequently be enjoy their work, work better as a team, and therefore be more motivated as they will be achieving the Self-Actualisation level and Social level on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and therefore enhance the performance of the workforce, and resultantly the performance of Virgin.In the advancement of his management thinking, Virgin Group Ltd created a centralised website which endeavoured to link up all of the Virgin Group companies, and created a central hub, as previously they worked separately, so he therefore attempting to promote teamwork and build human relationships within the firm, allowing employees to communicate and information to be pooled and collected. Comparison and Contrast between Owen and Branson Despite being from entirely different eras, Owen and Branson exude many similar qualities; most notably in that they both believe that the key to success lies in the treatment of their employees. Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them. †7[Branson, 2011] It is clear that both men care greatly for their employees; Branson gives all employees his personal phone number, so that should they have any problems they can contract him directly, rather than having to go through Human Resources. Many managers would not identify with this and would rather their employees suffer in silence. Branson also claims to attempt to respond to as any emails as he can every day, â€Å"Recalling a time when [he] was just starting out and needed advice, [he tries] to respond to as many reader emails as [he] can. †8 . [Branson, 2011] Branson claims: â€Å"People don’t leave their jobs through lack of pay – they leave because they aren’t valued. Many companies leave people in boxes; encourage them to be adaptable and innovative. †9 [Branson, 2011] Owen exhibited his consideration for his employees in a very different way, but with the same aim of achieving employee happiness.Having to work in a grocery shop himself from the age of 8, Owen realised the harm of child labour and seeked to stop it in his later life. In 1815 he persuaded supporters in parliament to put forward a bill on child labour. While this bill did not have as much success as Owen hoped, as many mill owners fought against the proposition, Owen was an instigator in improving the lives of child workers. He also improved welfare standards for older workers, shortening working hours and increasing wages. Eight hours' daily labour is enough for any human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep†. 10[Owen, 1833] Branson and Owen’s methods of achieving employee happiness were highly influenced by the times they were working in. In Owen’s time, most working conditions were poor and wages were low, so simply by improving these factors employees would instantly become happier.In the current day there is a huge range of jobs with all ranges of wages, and many regulations in place to ensure employee welfare. Therefore, to appeal to his employees, Branson realised that a more personal approach was necessary, hence allowing his employees to contact him directly. Companies are a lot larger these days than in the early 19th Century when Owen was working, so being able to have a personal relationship with the head of a company is much rarer in this day and age.Both pioneers identified the most effective way of attaining contentment from their employees in the environment they were living in. Both Branson and Owen were pioneers of their time, achieving what many believed impossible. Despite leaving school at the age of 16 and being diagnosed with Dyslexia, Branson has risen above the odds and is responsible for starting over 400 companies, most famous for establishing Virgin, which ranges from record shops to airlines.No other manager in history has been at the helm of such a large business empire, and before Branson, it is doubtable that anyone would have thought it possible. Owen, on the other hand, was more of a pioneer in the domain of welfare than the extensiveness of his company, providing above and beyond what would be expected of a manager of his time, from nurseries to children to evening classes for adults. While, at the time, most managers would see these initiatives as an unnecessary expense, Owen’s cotton mills became very successful businesses with healthy, content employees.Quite possibly, were it not for Owen identifying how much success can come to a manager who treats his employees well, Branson may not have realised the importance of having such good relationships with his employees which could be seen as the key to his success. One of the main contrasts between Richard Branson and Robert Owen are their view s on education. Owen believed that education was one of the most important factors in a company; the better the education of the employees, the better employees they are. To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate†. 11[Owen, 1826] Owen provided schooling for employees and their children, putting children’s education ahead of their contribution to his company. Branson, on the other hand left school himself at 16 and hasn’t looked back. ‘Richard Branson, founder and chairman of London-based Virgin Group, didn’t breeze through school. In fact, school was something of a nightmare for him. His scores on standardized tests were dismal, initially pointing to a similar future.Despite the difficulties and challenges posed by his acknowledged dyslexia, his gifted interpersonal and business talents drove him to succeed. ’12[Anon] In contrast to Owen’s belief s, Branson is proof that education is not necessarily an important factor in success. Furthermore, Richard Branson believes that â€Å"work should not be a chore and should be fun. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work†13[Branson, 2011]. Owen also considered leisure and recreation important. He arranged concerts and dancing evenings for the benefit of community.However, even though both pioneers think of fun as an important part of working life, Robert Owen used a stricter approach to management and was a strong believer in discipline, for example by keeping track of employees behaviour by the aforementioned multicolored pieces of wood and disciplining those who repeatedly showed low performance. To conclude, Branson and Owen are and were strong pioneers of their time, who shared many values. Managers could learn ample from both men, especially when it comes to employee relationships.In general, it is indispensable that modern day managers consider how successful pioneers such as Owen and Branson apply and practise management theory, as it shows the outcome of different particular methods and techniques, in this pairs case; high levels of success. For example, Douglas McGregor stated that he believed that a Theory Y manager would be more successful at motivating their employees than a Theory X, and Sir Richard Branson was almost certainly a Theory Y manager, so a modern manager can consider whether the method that pioneer practised was positively effective or not.President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: â€Å"It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who laboured so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries † [Ensign, 1984]. 14

Fatiguer - to Fatigue, Tire - French Verb Conjugations

Fatiguer - to Fatigue, Tire - French Verb Conjugations The French verb  fatiguer means to fatigue or tire. Find simple conjugations for this regular -er verb in the tables below. Conjugations of Fatiguer Present Future Imperfect Present participle je fatigue fatiguerai fatiguais fatiguant tu fatigues fatigueras fatiguais il fatigue fatiguera fatiguait nous fatiguons fatiguerons fatiguions vous fatiguez fatiguerez fatiguiez ils fatiguent fatigueront fatiguaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle fatigu Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je fatigue fatiguerais fatiguai fatiguasse tu fatigues fatiguerais fatiguas fatiguasses il fatigue fatiguerait fatigua fatigut nous fatiguions fatiguerions fatigumes fatiguassions vous fatiguiez fatigueriez fatigutes fatiguassiez ils fatiguent fatigueraient fatigurent fatiguassent Imperative tu fatigue nous fatiguons vous fatiguez Verb conjugation patternFatiguer  is a  regular -ER verb

American Economics.

American Economics. A Report on American Economics in English Includes Social Security.American Government-Economics.Most of the problems of the United states are relatedto the economy. One of the major issues facing the countrytoday is social security.The United States was one of the last majorindustrialized nations to establish a social securitysystem. In 1911, Wisconsin passed the first state workerscompensation law to be held constitutional. At that time,most Americans believed the government should not have tocare for the aged, disabled or needy. But such attitudeschanged during the Great Depression in the 1930's.In 1935, Congress passed the Social Security Act. Thislaw became the basis of the U.S. social insurance system.It provided cash benefits to only retired workers incommerce or industry. In 1939, Congress amended the act tobenefit and dependent children of retired workers and widowsand children of deceased workers .English: In the United States, Social Security ben...In 1950, theact began to cover many farm and domestic workers, nonprofessional self employed workers, and many state andmunicipal employees. Coverage became nearly universal in1956, when lawyers and other professional workers came underthe system.Social security is a government program that helps workers and retiredworkers and their families achieve a degree of economic security. Socialsecurity also called social insurance (Robertson p. 33), provides cashpayments to help replace income lost as a result of retirement,unemployment, disability, or death. The program also helps pay the costof medical care for people age 65 or older and for some disabledworkers. About one-sixth of the people in the United States receivesocial security benefits.People become eligible to receive benefits by working in a certainperiod in a job covered by social security.Employers and workers finance the program through payroll taxes.Participation in the social security system is required for about 95percent of all U.S. workers.Soc ial security differs from public assistance. Social security paysbenefits to individuals, and their families, largely on the basis ofwork histories. Public assistance, or welfare, aids the needy,regardless of their work records.All industrialized countries as well as many developing nations have asocial security system. The social security program in the United stateshas three main parts. They are (1) old-aged, survivors, disability, andhospital insurance (OASDHI), (2) unemployment insurance; and (3)workers' compensation.THE SOCIAL SECURITY PAYROLL TAX.This tax was to be taken from the payrolls of the nation's employers andemployees. The government felt that, like unemployment benefits, thesocial security should be financed by those who got the greatestbenefit, those who worked, and were liable to need those benefits in thefuture.A plan that would affect those only who had paid such a tax for anumber of years would have done those who were currently suffering underthe Depression no good at all. As a result, the social security planbegan paying out benefits almost immediately to those who had beenretired, or elderly and out of work, and who were unable, primarilybecause of the depressed economic conditions, to retire comfortably. Inthis way, the government was able to accomplish two objectives: first,it helped the economy pull out of the depression, by providing a meansby which old people could support themselves and, by buying goods andservices, support others in the community ; and second, it showed theyounger workers of that time that they no longer had to fear living outtheir retirement years in fear of poverty.Therefore, the social security payroll tax has been used to providebenefits to those who otherwise would have little means of support, andas of this writing, there has never been a year when Social Securitybenefits were not paid due to lack of Social Security income. (Boskinp.122)PAYING OUT BENEFITS.Social Security benefits increased 142% in the peri od between 1950-1972.not only the elderly, but many of the survivers, the widows and children, ofthose who paid into the Social Security system, have received social security checks. Thesechecks have paid for the food shelters, and in many instances thecollege education of the recipients.Unlike private insurance firms, the United States Government does nothave to worry about financial failure. Government bonds are consideredthe safest investment money can buy-so safe, they are considered "riskfree" by many financial scholars. (Stein p. 198) The ability of theUnited States Government to raise money to meet the requirements of thesocial security should be no more in doubt than the governments abilityto finance the national defense, the housing programs, the StateDepartment, or any of the other activities that the federal governmentgets involved in.By paying out benefits equally to all participate in Social Security-that is by not relying so heavily on total payments in making thedecis ion to pay out benefits, the system is able to pay benefits topeople who otherwise may not be able to afford an insurance program thatwould provide them with as much protection. One of the main reasons forthe government's involvement in this program, is its ability and itsdesire to provide insurance benefits for the poor and widowed, who underthe private market, might not be able to acquire the insurance tocontinue on a financially steady course.The government, then, is in a totally unique position to pay outbenefits that would be out of the reach of many American families.Another great advantage of this system,is the ability of the government to adjust the benefits forthe effects of inflation(Robertson p.134)INFLATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY.Private insurance plans are totally unable to adjustfor the effects of inflation with complete accuracy. Inorder for an insurance company to make this adjustment, theywould have to be able to see forty-five years into thefuture, with twenty-twenty vision. When a private pensionplan currently insures the twenty-year-old worker, it canonly guarantee a fixed income when the worker reaches sixty-five and a fixed income is a prime victim of inflation(Robertson p.332) In order to adjust for that inflation, theprivate insurance firm would have to be able to predict whatthe inflation rate will be from the moment the worker isinsured until the day he dies, and then make the complexadjustments necessary to reflect this in the pension plan.An inflation estimate that is too small will result in theerosion of the workers retirement benefits.Because the government, unlike the private insurancefirm, can guarantee that it will exist well into the future, and willhave the continued income of the Social Security tax to draw upon, itcan make on-the-spot adjustments for changes in the inflation rate. Someadjustments, in fact, have been automatic in the recent years, thereforerelieving the pensioners of the periodic worry of whether this yearsben efits would be adjusted, or whether the level of payments wouldremain stable, thereby, relative to the cost of living, making thempoorer that ever before(Stein p.28).In the face of the government's ability to make thosenecessary adjustments and to continually finance the SocialSecurity program, many opponents of the system argue thatthe government programs are driving out the privateinsurance industry. The statistics remain otherwise.SOCIAL SECURITY FINANCINGThe social security tax is one of the fewest taxes inthe United States, and the only federal tax in the country,that is given for a specific purpose. All other taxes areput into another fund, so that welfare programs, defense,space projects, and the other categories of governmentspending are all financed from one giant, uncategorized bowlof tax revenues(boskin p.62).When the Social Security system was first established,it was felt that a direct payroll tax, based on the pay ofthe worker and paid both by employer and employee, wo uld bethe fairest way for the people that were currently workingto pay benefits to those who weren't working, as well as toprovide for some future requirements and disabilities.Therefore, a specially constructed payroll tax was usedto fund the program.By measuring the amount taken in by the tax to theamount, not only that is taken out, but to the amount thatwill be taken out in future years, opponents of the SocialSecurity system make the case that the system will be unableto keep itself in such a manner indefinitely. And, ifSocial Security were a private insurance program, itwouldn't. But the fact is that Social Security is nota private program. it is funded by the government.Further, the government is in a unique position tochange the laws of commerce and contract to adjust thesystem, making it more responsive to the needs of theretired, which, in turn, would reduce their need for theSocial Security benefits. For example, the United statesGovernment should raise the mandatory reti rement age. Byraising the age to sixty-eight, the Social Security Systemcould delay paying out benefits for several years tothousands of people, saving the system a significantamount of money in benefits.For these reasons, the government is in a positionwhich cannot be compared to private industry. In this sense,looking at social security as an insurance programand comparing it to other insurance programs in the privatesystem could easily give the impression that the system isgong bankrupt, when in the reality it isn't.THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL SECURITYThe thing to keep in mind about the Social Securitysystem, then, is this: the system itself is in nofundamental danger of collapse. There is only temporary,cash flow situation that must be carefully looked at.The federal government pays out 4.5 billion more in SocialSecurity benefits as it collects in taxes every year. Infact, $4.5 billion is a small price, compared to the otherprograms the federal government now finances from generalreven ue. Besides tapping the general revenue fund andraising the retirement limit to 68 or even 70,the governmenthas the option of raising the Social Security tax or evenreducing the benefits slightly. The government has so manyoptions with regard to financing the benefits that thequestion becomes of the cash management, not quite assignificant as the huge deficits that the Social Securityhas been accused of having.The government is already under way to help alleviatethis cash flow problem. Public officials have debated whichof the various ways would help best serve the publicinterest, and legislative action has been taken that wouldultimately result of the Social Security system to apositive cash base. This shift would provide the workers ofAmerica with the same benefits they have been guaranteedsince 1935- and have been paid, and expanded ever since.The social security system has withstood forty years ofchanging economic conditions and greater concern of publicwelfare. What would repla ce the system, if the critics hadtheir way?SOCIAL SECURITY PERSPECTIVESThe social security system has saved an untold numberof people from disaster throughout many years. Many of thenations old people- some as young as sixty-two, a few overa hundred, live from Social Security paycheck to Socialsecurity paycheck, with this government program as theirlivelihood. There can be no doubt that social security hasmade a tremendous effort to alleviate a lot of sufferingthat has occurred, even in recent times.The Social Security act was one of the cornerstones ofRoosevelt's new deal program, and it is one of who'snecessity has been proven, and whose usefulness has allowedit to live. Like all the other new deal projects,Social Security was never meant to show a financial profit,It was meant to show a profit only in the amount of humansuffering, It was able to lift. The social security programcannot be measured in the same manner that a private programcan be evaluated in, because it is a govern mental welfareprogram. which doesn't mean that it acts in competition withprivate programs, that was never its intent. The social securityadministration has written:"Today the American economic system has producedrelatively full employment, widespread ownership property,and a rapidly increasing standard of living for the majorityof Americans. It has developed a threefold structure toprevent economic insecurity: a public social objectives,mutual protection through private employee-benefit plans tobring the added strength of voluntary of group action:and private savings and other individual action to achievethe greatest range of choice".One only has to look at the number of people, and theamount of money, that those who are recipients of Socialsecurity effect, and the advantages of Social Securitybecome obvious: it has taken a group of people who havetraditionally been a financial burden on society, andprovided a program that they have contributed a littleto their own financial well b eing. the amount of dignityand self respect these people have gained cannot be measuredin dollars.

5 Tips for Writing an Opinion Essay

5 Tips for Writing an Opinion Essay You may be required to  write an essay  that is based on your own personal opinion about a  controversial topic. Depending on your objective, your composition could be any length, from a short  letter to the editor  to a medium-sized  speech, or a long  research paper. But every piece should contain some basic steps and elements. Collect Research to Support Your Opinion Make sure that your supporting statements match the type of composition you are writing. For example, your evidence will vary from observations (for a letter to the editor) to  trustworthy statistics(for a research paper). You should include examples and evidence that demonstrate a real understanding of your topic. This includes any potential counterclaims. In order to truly understand what you are arguing for or against, it is imperative that you understand the opposing arguments of your topic. Acknowledge the Previous Opinions or Arguments That Have Been Made More than likely you are writing about a controversial topic that has been debated before. Look ​at the arguments made in the past and see how they fit in with your opinion in the context in which you are writing. How is your point of view similar or different from those articulated by previous debaters? Has something changed in the time others were writing about it and now? If not, what does the lack of change mean?   â€Å"A common complaint among students is that the dress code restricts their rights to freedom of expression. Or â€Å"While some students feel uniforms restrict their freedom of expression, many feel the pressure to uphold certain standards of appearance by their peers.† Use a  Transition Statement Transition statements show how your opinion adds to the argument or suggests those previous statements and arguments are incomplete or faulty.  Follow up with a statement that expresses your opinion. While I agree that the regulations do hamper my ability to express my individualism, I think the economic burden that the new code brings about is a bigger concern. Or â€Å"The administration has developed a program for students needing assistance in purchasing the newly required uniforms.† Be Careful Not to be Too Sarcastic Many students come from low-income families and they simply dont have the resources to buy new clothing to suit the headmasters fashion whims. This statement contains a bit of a sour note. It would only make your argument less professional-sounding. This statement says enough: Many students come from low-income families and they simply dont have the resources to buy new clothing on short notice. Use Supporting Evidence to Back up Your Position The recent increase in fees has already led to a decrease in enrollment.Some of my friends are struggling to purchase necessities, due to the rising costs. It is important to keep the tone of your essay professional, by avoiding emotional language and any language that expresses an accusation. Use factual statements that are supported by sound evidence. Note:  Any time you develop an argument, you should start by thoroughly researching your oppositions point of view. This will help you to anticipate any potential holes or weaknesses in your own opinion or argument.

Film Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Film Journal - Essay Example Moreover, there is Gorge, who has shown the interest of marrying Tracy. Moreover, we have the family of Tracy, and that is; Margaret, Dinah and Seth Lord. Also, there is the boss of the Spy magazine by the Kidd among other characters featured in the film. However, the primary objective of this study is to examine the plot Philadelphia story critically as well an analysis of the principal characters in the film. The director of the film introduces us to the Main characters by showing us their character traits. For instance, the director presents Cary Grant as a violent character in the play. His violence features are seen when he pushes Tracy down in their time of divorce. Moreover, Cary is seen to gullible for Kidd blackmails him to sneak Ruth and Jimmy ( Liz and Mike) to the mansion impersonating to be Junius, the son of Seth. On the other hand, Katherine is presented to be a violent and temperamental individual. Her characters are clearly seen when she smashes Dexter’s suitcase at the doorway during their separation. Besides, Catherine is seen to be arrogant towards other people’s weakness. On the other hand, Ruth is introduced as a secretive because of her silence on her last divorce and at the same time she is presented as a loving parson. Costume changes in the film have contributed a lot towards the presentation of the real characters, more so the ladies. The designer of costumes in Philadelphia story (Adrian) has a lot of positive comments as well as an excellent reputation for his great influence in the female fashion industry. For instance, provision of men’s wear to Katherine was the first most revolutionary thing that he did in the introduction of the film. Therefore, putting on means’ wear depicted Katherine to be a strong woman who can handle any challenge before her. Therefore, the designer designed Katherine’s’ clothes in that, they can show her braveness.

DISCUSS THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES AN INDIVIDUAL MIGHT Essay

DISCUSS THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES AN INDIVIDUAL MIGHT ESPOUSE AND HIS OR HER BEHAVIOUR - Essay Example There appear to be two sides but the point where one side begins and the other side ends is not as divided as being drawn in by a straight line. It’s like traveling without actually leaving because your finger goes around but you end up where you began. The same idea goes for attitudes and behavioral choices we take. What catapults us to choose left over right and vice versa or doing right or wrong and evidently choosing one over the two? What leads an individual to act and think as he does and then act and think differently altogether? In understanding this, the working definitions which will ultimately set the pace for us in this article need to be clarified for purposes of discussion. Motivation and behavior, although loosely used in conversational English and interchanged conveniently, are two very different words in the study of psychology. Motivation is a goal-oriented behavior that varies in intensity and persistence, meaning we do the things we do because of a need to do it with reasons ranging from the logical to becoming illogical. It’s like eating because of hunger or plainly because its time to eat. People need people. Why? Because there is so much in us that craves approval, justification and belief that we find it in other people as well. It shapes us as the person we think we can be. And it leads us in bettering ourselves when we get the approval we want. Which is behavior†¦ it is then safe to assume that behavior gets us where we need to be but we need motivation to drive us to our desti nation. It is then imperative that we ask ourselves what comprises us to make the choices we do and what factors come into play that makes us the person we are. This is where social influence, norms and roles come into the fray. What moves us? Social Influence in the handouts highlights the source of the choices we make which is the influence of other people for our modified behavior. The amount of influence or behavior is significant

Evaluating Learning Curve for Kitchen Renovation Research Paper

Evaluating Learning Curve for Kitchen Renovation - Research Paper Example The objective of incorporating learning curves technique is to avoid steep learning curves and learn kitchen remodeling skills in a small amount of time.   The cumulative average curve is used to measure the learning curve and determines the efficiency of learning in quantified format. For the kitchen renovation project of 30 square feet of space, the rate of improvement was found to be 20%, which gives the learning percent of 80 in quantifiable terms (100 - 20 = 80). Learning efficiency was significant even for the purchased parts for which the efficiency remains in the region 80%-85% (Cyr, 2007). Kitchen remodels budgeting was the critical factor in determining the magnitude of the cumulative average curve. The general contractor was hired for the budgeting portion and over $500 was spent on budgeting alone. This cost was added to the total cost and then the learning efficiency was calculated. For installing ducts and plumbing, the learning curve remained above 70%, consuming 80 hours each. On the other hand, the learning curve for rewiring and installing lights was higher than plumbing. Due to proficiency in these tasks, less labor and time was consumed which instantly increased the learning efficiency and pushed it in the range of 85%-90%. Both of these tasks (lighting and rewiring) consumed 55-60 hours each. Follow-up on orders It is extremely crucial for a project manager to follow up on its products and services. Finishing and selling the product is one part of the battle, providing assistance after selling is another part of the job and constitutes as the backbone of customer retention. For the kitchen remodeling project, there are various aspects that need following up. Maintenance of various items is the necessary part of this project. The paint and varnish on the walls take some careful supervision after applying and needs following up. Enhancement and ongoing support are very important for a good customer feedback. Electric wiring system needs a l ot of care after installing. Follow up on the electric circuit as well as kitchen appliances counts as a regular follow up for the kitchen renovation. For this project, repairing drywalls of the kitchen required maintenance and follow up with the drywall contractor. This follow-up didn’t require any additional costs. There was also some problem in kitchen cabinets, which was discovered after installing them. Immediate replacement cabinets were called for from the contractor as he was responsible for all follow-ups. Finish carpenter was an independent contractor and the services he provided were not included in the initial contract. Therefore for tasks like Trim Molding, no follow-up service was available. For maintenance of the molding, the same carpenter was hired again at additional charges to take care of the moldings. The similar case was with the Laminate flooring, as a contractor was rehired to take care of the new flooring tiles. Another item which demands attention af ter purchase and installment is the Kitchen oven. Installment and the actual price of the oven were included in the contract price but maintenance and follow up was for one year only.  Ã‚  

Enterprise Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Enterprise Risk Management - Essay Example The reason lies in that it lacks the integrated approach to the management of risk which characterises enterprise risk management. It is precisely for this reason that regulators in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other developed countries have issued rules and guidelines that advocate an enterprise-wide approach to risk management, further pushing many companies to adopt ERM (Kleffner, Lee and McGannon, 2003). Quite simply stated, the drive towards the adoption of ERM, as opposed to RM is due to the fact that the integrated approach adopted by the former, and which is absent within the context of the latter, is regarded as a more effective and efficient approach to risk management. With that being the case, as this research will argue, the real question relates to the reasons why more corporations do not adopt ERM, as opposed to RM. In order to properly determine the reasons why ERM is considered superior to RM, it is important to define each of the two terms. These definitions will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of either approach and allow for a greater understanding of differences between them. Enterprise risk management has become a significant topic for larg... It provides an active, vital and comprehensive modelling approach for integrating all financial decisions and risks. This includes investment decisions, borrowing policies, liability, and setting of goals (Kleffner, Lee and McGannon, 2003). The comprehensive management of risks and the adoption of an integrated approach to risk management has several benefits. An enterprise with fully diversified losses requires much less capital than an enterprise with concentrated worst-case losses. In turn, the anticipated profitability of the company is affected by the degree of diversification since a reduction in capital will increase expected profits. The goal of ERM is to maximize the firm's overall profit, while maintaining its enterprise risks at acceptable levels (Mudge, 2000). Insurance companies, for example, should analyze their major risks so that adequate capital exists at the firm level to pay insurance policyholders in the event of legitimate insured losses. The desired level of capital depends upon the severity of claims. And since these claims are a direct function of random events, the insurance company must calculate a distribution of losses for its entire operations in order to set the proper level of firm-wide capital (Doherty, 2000). Due to this, Meulbroek (2002) insists that regulatory bodies should check these systems in order to validate that the risk management strategies are reasonably well developed and consistent with current approaches and practice. The firm-wide models are also known as Dynamic Financial Analysis. An ERM system consists of three primary elements. These are 1) a stochastic model for projecting a set of scenarios of the future --the scenario

Report on Google and Yahoo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Report on Google and Yahoo - Assignment Example It was the world’s greatest search elements because by the year 2001, it did an amazing thing that eluded a lot of dot.com business start ups of the moment in time and became profitable (DuVander, 2010). Its profits come from internet advertising revenue and also sell a number of subscription services that are; Google Earth Plus and Pro. The biggest and the most popular service is the web search which is mostly known for giving out related search consequences with a clear interface. So highly developed searching, Google prolonged past simply verdict websites based on the keywords. As the few prospering dot.com startups, it still retains many perks including free launch and laundry for the employees and games. Google has worked with several organizations, in order to improve production and services Yahoo is an internet entrance that integrates search engine and a directory known as WWW (World Wide Web) that are organized in a hierarchy manner of which is broadly known for its w eb entrance, search elements, Yahoo search and associated services which as well as Yahoo Directory (DuVander, 2010). Yahoo Mail, are concerned, plotting video, sports and social media website. It’s headquartered in Sunnyvale California is the most common sites in United States where roughly 700 million people use Yahoo website each and every month. Yahoo was first founded by two men known as Jerry Yang as well as David Filo in the year 1994 January and was amalgamated on 1st March, 1995. The previous Google administrative Marissa Mayer was named as the Yahoo Chief Executive and at the same time became the president on 16th July 2012. This utterance known as "yahoo" is an ellipsis for â€Å"Nevertheless alternative Hierarchical Intrusive Oracle† therefore the term "hierarchical" can be described as how the its database was well set in layers of subdivisions (DuVander, 2010). Yahoo is a technology company that delivers search, gratified, and email tools proceeding the W eb and on portable devices all over. The corporation’s Yahoo.com also gives out Yahoo! Finance which offers a set of monetary data, information as well as items for users to build financial decisions; Yahoo! amusement and Lifestyles; this is a collection of things focused on trends as well as information in civilization, women’s issues, and social media. It also gives out infrastructure tools that include Yahoo packages that provide users with and mobile phone text messages, and combined associates and datebook functionality. Therefore, the company provides mobile phones and upcoming products that are Into Now as for Yahoo, watching television, is a software platform that gives interactive television and provides a user with generated satisfied items. This site is available in more than twenty different languages in the world. 2. Structure and design These proprieties offer a simple directory structure and design which the user circumnavigates and chooses files to down load. Organization design is a method of arranging an organization's makeup within their own operation that is looking at the intricate relationship between assignments, workflow, responsibility or even authority and making sure that all these support the main aim of the business. Many efficiency and performance

Enterprise Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Enterprise Risk Management - Essay Example The reason lies in that it lacks the integrated approach to the management of risk which characterises enterprise risk management. It is precisely for this reason that regulators in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other developed countries have issued rules and guidelines that advocate an enterprise-wide approach to risk management, further pushing many companies to adopt ERM (Kleffner, Lee and McGannon, 2003). Quite simply stated, the drive towards the adoption of ERM, as opposed to RM is due to the fact that the integrated approach adopted by the former, and which is absent within the context of the latter, is regarded as a more effective and efficient approach to risk management. With that being the case, as this research will argue, the real question relates to the reasons why more corporations do not adopt ERM, as opposed to RM. In order to properly determine the reasons why ERM is considered superior to RM, it is important to define each of the two terms. These definitions will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of either approach and allow for a greater understanding of differences between them. Enterprise risk management has become a significant topic for larg... It provides an active, vital and comprehensive modelling approach for integrating all financial decisions and risks. This includes investment decisions, borrowing policies, liability, and setting of goals (Kleffner, Lee and McGannon, 2003). The comprehensive management of risks and the adoption of an integrated approach to risk management has several benefits. An enterprise with fully diversified losses requires much less capital than an enterprise with concentrated worst-case losses. In turn, the anticipated profitability of the company is affected by the degree of diversification since a reduction in capital will increase expected profits. The goal of ERM is to maximize the firm's overall profit, while maintaining its enterprise risks at acceptable levels (Mudge, 2000). Insurance companies, for example, should analyze their major risks so that adequate capital exists at the firm level to pay insurance policyholders in the event of legitimate insured losses. The desired level of capital depends upon the severity of claims. And since these claims are a direct function of random events, the insurance company must calculate a distribution of losses for its entire operations in order to set the proper level of firm-wide capital (Doherty, 2000). Due to this, Meulbroek (2002) insists that regulatory bodies should check these systems in order to validate that the risk management strategies are reasonably well developed and consistent with current approaches and practice. The firm-wide models are also known as Dynamic Financial Analysis. An ERM system consists of three primary elements. These are 1) a stochastic model for projecting a set of scenarios of the future --the scenario

Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dance - Essay Example (The library of Congress, 2008). However in the nineteenth century, the art of dancing was more popularized through literatures. The influence of the popularization of music also contributed to the popularity of dance. Many other factors like an improvisation of the women’s role in the society and the strengthening of their physical activeness towards the beginning of the twentieth century were also influential in the development of social dance styles (The library of Congress, 2008). The arena of social dancing emphasizes on the sociability of the art than on set rules and competition. The inclusiveness is the basic principle adhering to the social style of dancing and is not performance oriented. This style of dancing more relies on the spontaneity in accordance to the situation than on the rules and regulations. How ever the various disciples with in the social dancing style share some universal principles. It is creative, spontaneous, coordinated and conventional in terms of these principles (Renzland P, 2008). In short, it is the style of dance which connects the art form with the common public. Some of the social dances which are popular in America today are Break Dancing, Alpine, Hip Hop Dancing, Argentine Tango, Balboa, Cajun, Ceili(dh), Charleston, Circle Mixers, Contra, Hambo, Irish Set, Lindy Hop, Old-Time-Waltz, Polka, Ragtime, Scandinavian, Scottish (Country/Folk) Dancing, Square, Vintage, Zwiefache and Zydeco. An understanding on the social scenario existing in the United States of America would serve as a background to analyze the relevance of social dancing in the present socio economic situation. American society is at the threat of individualization and a reverse socialization process is happening at an increased pace. This may be the result of the insecurity among the younger generation due to the disturbed family backgrounds. This scenario is supported by the fact that ideal family

The End of the Cold War and the United Nations Essay Example for Free

The End of the Cold War and the United Nations Essay Abstract The end of the Cold War ushered in many significant changes in the international system. Many of these changes are seen to provide an impetus for the reestablishment of multilateralism and the collective security approach to the maintenance of international peace and security, under the aegis of the United Nations. The multilateral movement gathered momentum over the first few years of the post-Cold War era and saw a number of peacekeeping missions mandated by the United Nations across the World. However, a careful inspection of these missions, and other instances when any action failed to materialize, reveals that much of the impetus gained from the end of the Cold War conflict was lost due. Several factors contributed to this outcome, not least a lack of political will on the part of the United Nations and the Member States. The essay concludes by looking at the present situation and arguing that a similar opportunity as the one in 1991 has presented itself, leaving the United Nations in particular, and multilateralism in general, with a chance to redeem itself. Introduction: The UN during the Cold War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The end of the Second World War and the institution of the United Nations in 1945 were landmark events in the history of the world. While the conclusion of the War marked the demise of European imperialism (though the decolonisation process would continue till 1966), it also signalled a change in the norms of international society. Based on the principles of collective security, as elaborated in the Charter of the United Nations, these emergent norms sanctified (international) territorial boundaries, promising to usher in a new era of international history. However, the optimism and confidence which surrounded the formation of the United Nations – as a forward-looking model of international cooperation – was soon disturbed by the Soviet Union’s entry into the nuclear club in 1949. This was the beginning of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR, which mired international politics, as well as the UN, in an ideological conflict for the next four and a half decades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though the specifics of how the Cold War was fought fall outside the ambit of this paper, it is important to note its effects on the functioning of the UN. The composition of the UN Security Council – the organ charged with the maintenance of international peace and security – becomes salient here: as permanent members, both the United States and Soviet Union exercised the power of the veto (a single veto from any permanent being enough to sink a Security Council resolution), according to their geopolitical interests (see UN General Assembly, 2004, p. 13-19). This crippled the development of the UN, while consequently stunting the evolution of multilateralism. Changes at the End of the Cold War: Impetus to UN Multilateralism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The end of the Cold War, in 1991, brought with it a renewed optimism and injected fresh vigour into the UN; finally rid of the ideological divide of the previous decades, the new situation led some scholars to say that: The end of the Cold War lifts a central obstacle to the strengthening of multilateral peacekeeping and the extension of multilateral operations beyond traditional peacekeeping tasks. A revived United Nations Security Council and energetic Secretary-General are the global [centre] of this rapidly evolving effort†¦ (Roper, Nishihara, Otunnu and Schoettle, 1993, p. 1). Concomitant to this belief, the number of peacekeeping operation of the UN increased, along with the establishment of the UN Protective Force (UNPROFOR) – made famous by its engagements in Bosnia – in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, to truly understand the impact of the end of the Cold War on the UN, and its efforts to strengthen multilateralism, we must be appreciative of what actually changed at the â€Å"end of history† (Fukuyama, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An era of post-internationalism, defined by a complex system of relations between nation-states and non-state actors, was thought to be the most probable outcome of the end of the Cold War (Rosenau, 1990). In reality, the most important changes occurring in the international system were: The emergence of a unipolar world – with the United States as the lone superpower – though there was a brief debate over the possibility of a return to (a somewhat Westphalian) multipolarity. The structural and ideological impediments to the UN’s operations disappeared, resulting in an environment (apparently) conducive to international cooperation. The emergence of â€Å"New Wars,† which were intra-state affairs, and fuelled by ethno-religious and cultural divides (Kaldor, 1999). The intensification of the process of globalization, rapidly intertwining the national economies of the world into the world economy and with each other, meaning that conflicts would produce more stakeholders interested in their resolution. These changes made for an opportunity for the UN to capitalise on the changing dimensions of international politics and drive home the advantage for the renewed consensus for multilateralism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American preponderance in the immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War meant that the future of multilateralism would depend, to a great extent, on the willingness of the United States to support and participate in the operations of the UN. This dependence was only natural: the US was the most economically and militarily dominant power at the time, and for any successful venture on the part of the UN, US assistance (or at the very least, support) was essential. Because of the US’ political importance, Security Council resolutions backed by the country were more persuasive and influential than earlier, thus accelerating the strengthening of the UN’s multilateral foundations. Initially, the United States readily participated in UN-backed interventions and peacekeeping missions – in Iraq/Kuwait (1990) and Somalia (1992) – which coincided with its policy of â€Å"aggressive involvement† in response to international peace and security at the time (Art, 2003, p. 2-3). Thus, American primacy at the end of the Cold War provided a great impetus to UN-led multilateralism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fall of the East/West divide provided an opportunity to expand the realm of the UN’s multilateral operations beyond that of traditional peacekeeping, to include such areas of peace-building as providing humanitarian assistance, transitions to democratic governments and helping with national reconstruction in post-conflict scenarios. This expanding perspective was explained by the UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to have occurred as a direct consequence of the demise of Cold War animosities amongst the permanent members of the Security Council (1992). The proliferation of UN missions in the early 1990s – to Somalia, Cambodia, Namibia, Western Sahara, Angola, Bosnia, Croatia, El Salvador and Mozambique – goes to show how much of an impetus the removal of structural impediments gave to the UN at the end of the Cold War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The emergence of New Wars called for a change in the understanding of intra-state violence, along with a wider interpretation of the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter (UN, 1945). During the Cold War, the principles of state sovereignty and non-intervention were paramount; according to Article 2(7) of the Charter, Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter†¦ (1945.) However, in the post-Cold War era, there has been a considerable shift towards embracing the principles of internal justice (i.e. within states) and individual rights, which require the maintenance of certain universally accepted standards (Taylor and Curtis, 2003, p. 415). This movement towards a semblance of global governance also resulted from the impetus gained from the end of the Cold War. For example, the intervention in Kosovo (late-1990s) was purely on humanitarian grounds, and explicitly breached the (now contested) sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia. On the other hand, the intervention in Somalia was carried out at the state’s request, while that in Iraq (in 1990) depended on Memorandums of Understanding between the UN and Saddam Hussein. In all of these cases, however, the increasing tendency of multilateral involvement in the domestic affairs of states cannot be overlooked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the political and economic structural adjustment policies (enforced by the IMF against the supply of loans) experienced in many parts of the world during the 1980s, the end of the Cold War came at a time when the process of globalization had already taken shape to a certain degree. This process meant the expansion of markets, along with goods and services, across the world, making countries increasingly interdependent. Thus conflict, in any part of the world, now has the potential to disrupt more than a handful of national economies. Hence, there are more takers for multilateral action to resolve conflicts, especially after the (formal) removal of ideological differences within the UN after 1991. For example, in the case of the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, countries as diverse as Nepal, Fiji, Argentina, Senegal and Iceland, among many others, contributed personnel and supplies to the UN. This was another impetus received by the UN at the end of the Cold War, strengthening its role in multilateral ventures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Indeed, the renewed energy exhibited by the Member States of the UN to multilaterally solve international conflicts is evidenced by the fact that peacekeeping operations undertaken after the Cold War easily outnumber those mandated during 1945 to 1990 (UN Peacekeeping, 2008). There has also been an improved dynamism in the Security Council and the General Assembly since 1990, shown by the rise in the number of resolutions proposed and adopted, as against the oftentimes deadlocked scenario of the Cold War (UN Documentation Centre, 2008). These facts show the momentum gained by multilateralism, under the aegis of the UN, in the post-Cold War era. An Evaluation of Post-Cold War Multilateralism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important, however, to make a crucial qualification at this point: greater involvement through the multilateral framework does not tantamount to success in resolving or preventing international conflicts. If we are to make an analytical examination of how far the end of the Cold war proved to be an impetus for the reestablishment of the UN as the focal point for multilateral projects, we must judge the same in terms of what they achieved. The possibilities that the termination of the East/West conflict held for the UN have already been discussed; now, we shall attempt to provide a critical analysis of how multilateralism has fared to obtain the true nature of the impetus in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the UN’s existence, the question of intervention to stop genocide (or for genocide prevention) has been a thorn in its side. The history of the UN is replete with cases of genocide – Uganda (1970s), Paraguay (1974), Democratic Kampuchea (1975-78), Bangladesh (1970-71) and Burundi (1972-73) – where it did not take any concrete steps to stop the conflict (Kuper 1982). Regardless of the changes found in the post-Cold War era, the â€Å"right to intervene† (jus ad bellum, or humanitarian intervention), has only been enforced in Kosovo (Taylor and Curtis, 2003, p. 415). The UN, however, failed to act on time in the cases of Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia (1992-93), resulting in close to a million deaths. In Rwanda alone, the death toll reached more than 800,000, and led Secretary-General Kofi Annan to remark: â€Å"The world failed Rwanda at that time of evil. The international community and the United Nations could not muster the political will to confront it† (quoted in Glazer, 2004, p. 167). Similarly, the Security Council has been sitting on the fence with regard to Darfur, western Sudan, where Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, with help from the central authority in Khartoum, have been systematically killing (and raping and displacing) black Africans since 2003. Due to the reluctance of the UN to label the conflict in Darfur as genocide, hundreds of thousands continue to die, while more are forced to migrate across the western border into Chad (HRW, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Part of the blame lies with the Genocide Convention (concluded in 1948), which obliges Member Parties to â€Å"prevent and punish† any act of genocide. But, what this clause means in terms of policy directives remains unclear; many Parties are content to push for institutional solutions in these cases, while refraining to term a given situation as genocide, so that they are not dragged into a commitment of conflict resolution. However, at the end of the Cold War, with the consensus for international cooperation and multilateral action on a high, the UN had a golden opportunity to include or append policy recommendations to the Genocide Convention. It was essential to recognise that the history of the UN’s failure to prevent genocide was a function of reluctant nation-states wary of being drawn into a long-term commitment, rather than plainly understanding it as another aspect of the East/West conflict. By oversimplifying the causes of previous failures, the UN also lost that bit of impetus which the end of the Cold War had generated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, the multilateral movement suffered another jolt when, given the losses it incurred in Somalia (1992), the American policy slowly started shifting from aggressive involvement to selective engagement: the US, by many accounts, was only interested in taking part in such conflicts which served its national interests (Power 2002). It was the intransigence on the part of the US which, in large measure, contributed to the debacle in Rwanda. Indeed, the fact that the US was actively involved in the Bosnian peace process was not lost on many, leading to speculation that the country was atoning for it inaction in Rwanda, while spawning more radical critiques claiming that the US was more sympathetic to conflicts in Europe and North America (Cooper, 2003). In any event, the reliance on the US for multilateral action proved shaky – a reality further reinforced by its unilateral decision to engage in a preventive war in Iraq (in 2003) – and only retarded the impetus gained in 1991.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The UN, Kaldor argues, also suffers from weak conceptual and theoretical comprehension of â€Å"new wars† (1999). She maintains that it was not the unwillingness to provide resources, a lack of cohesion among peacekeepers or the general tendency of making policies offering short-term solutions which protracted the conflict in Bosnia. Instead, the international community failed to grasp the nature of the â€Å"new nationalism† that had steered the country into the abyss of an ethno-religious war (Kaldor, 1999, p. 53). This failure also led to the underestimation of how the war would progress; the UN peacekeeping force that reached Bosnia had neither the resources, nor the specific mandate, for conflict prevention. Hence, there was no peace to ‘keep’.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This brings us to the issues of deployment and mandates. The UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda, which was put in place to see through the transition to democracy – as part of the Arusha Accords of 1993 – employed 2,500 peacekeepers. At the outbreak of genocide in 1994, the Security Council decided to withdraw all but a tenth of the force, leaving those still remaining in Rwanda to stand by and watch the week-long massacres. In Bosnia, the situation was hardly any better; though the total UNPROFOR contingent totalled 23,000, the requisition to the Security Council asked for 30,000 troops for the safe havens – in Srebrenica, Zepa, Tuzla, Sarajevo, Gorazde, and Bihac – alone. In the end, 7,500 troops were provided for these areas, and resources for only 3,500 could be managed (Kaldor, p. 65). Again, in Darfur, the Security Council sanctioned a peacekeeping force of 25,000 to work alongside the African Union’s 7,000-strong peacekeeping mission; however, the mission is yet to be completely deployed, owing to organisational problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most importantly, though, it is crucial to understand that whatever be the deployment, if the same is not supplied with an aggressive mandate, history shows that it is deemed to fail. An aggressive mandate would entail peace enforcement, in turn requiring a wider reading of the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Sending lightly armed peacekeepers into zones of conflict only risks their lives and achieves very little in terms of conflict prevention. In recent years, the UN has found it preferable to mandate individual countries to enforce peace in smaller-scale incidents of violent conflict, like Australia (East Timor 1999), France (Congo, 2003) and the USA (Liberia, 2003). Whether such decisions indicate the complications of an aggressive multilateral approach is difficult to say, but these cases do suggest that unilateral solutions are sometimes simpler. The problems of troop deployment and mandates, therefore, seem to have eroded much of the impetus gained by the UN’s multilateral framework at the beginning of the post-Cold War era. Conclusion: Opportunity Lost, Perspective Gained   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two important conclusions that readily derive from the above discussion. Firstly, the changes in the international system at the end of the Cold War produced a scenario where the UN remained the only organisation capable of maintaining peace. This provided a thrust to the multilateral framework which had suffered till then under the shadow of the East/West bipolarity. Without doubt, the end of the Cold War had supplied the UN with a vital impetus to re-establish multilateralism as the definitive path to peace. Secondly, however, an evaluation of post-Cold War multilateralism reveals that this chance was squandered, leading many to call this phase of the UN’s history as â€Å"opportunity lost† (Johnson, 1999). Indeed, the breakdown of the consensus over the war in Iraq (2003) led Annan to declare that â€Å"[t]he past year has shaken the foundations of collective security and undermined confidence in the possibility of collective responses to our common problems and challenges† (quoted in UN Press Release, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Looking forward, however, we have to contend that it is precisely the US debacle in Iraq has cast grave doubts over unilateral actions, and has prepared the ground once more for the endorsement of multilateralism. Following its initial failures in peacekeeping, the UN maintained that its role in international peace and security remained â€Å"essential† (Crossette, 1994); the reverses early on in the post-Cold War era now serve as key points of reference from which to learn and devise more viable policies. The lessons of the past, thus, must provide the paths to the present (and the future). The opportunity given to the UN and multilateralism by the fall of the Soviet Union was spurned over the subsequent decade. The international system has again generated a similar impetus which should, this time, be treated with the utmost care and responsibility. References Art, R. J. (2003). A Grand Strategy for America. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Boutros-Ghali, B. (1992). An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peacemaking and Peace-keeping. A/47/277. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/docs/SG/agpeace.html Cooper, M. H. (February 23, 2003). Future of NATO. CQ Researcher, 13, 8, pp. 177-200. Crossette, B. (December 5, 1994). UN Falters in Post-Cold War Peacekeeping, but Sees Role as Essential. The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E3DC1739F936A35751C1A962958260 Fukuyama, F. (1993). The End of History and the Last Man. New York: Harper Perennial. Glazer, S. (August 27, 2004). Stopping Genocide. CQ Researcher, 14, 29, pp. 165-187. Human Rights Watch. (December 2006). Darfur Bleeds: Militia Attacks on Civilians in Chad. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.hrw.org/ Johnson, R. (January 1999). Post-Cold War Security: The Lost Opportunities. The Disarmament Forum, 1, 5-11. Kaldor, M. (1999). New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Kuper, L. (1982). Genocide: Its Political Use in the Twentieth Century. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Power, S. (2002). A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. New York: Harper Perennial. Roper, J., Nishihara, M., Otunnu, O. A., Schoettle, E. C. B. (1993). Keeping the Peace in the Post-Cold War Era: Strengthening Multilateral Peacekeeping – A Report to the Trilateral Commission. New York: The Trilateral Commission. Rosenau, J. N. (1990). Turbulence in World Politics: A theory of Change and Continuity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Taylor, P. and Curtis, D. (2003). The United Nations. In Baylis, J. and Smith, S. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 405-424. United Nations Documentation Centre. (2008). General Assembly Resolutions | Security Council Resolutions. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/documents/index.html United Nations General Assembly. (2004). Report of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other matters related to the Security Council. A/58/47. New York: United Nations. United Nations Peacekeeping. (2008). List of Operations: 1948-2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/list/list.pdf United Nations Press Release. (November 2003). Secretary-General Names High-level Panel to Study Global Security Threats, and Recommend Necessary Changes. SG/A/857. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/News/dh/hlpanel/press-release-041103.pdf United Nations. (1945). Charter of the United Nations. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/

Tesco Business Analysis

Tesco Business Analysis Introduction: Tesco Plc is a British based company, and is the largest food retailer in the UK. It is one of the largest British sellers and holds third rank in retail industry after USA based company Wal-Mart and France based company Carrefour. It sells around 4000 food products (Euromonitor, 2010). Tesco started with the business in grocery retailing, but now it also sell stationary, health and beauty, utensils, clothing, home entertainment, electrical goods, kitchen utensils and seasonal goods like barbeques and garden furniture in the summer. Annual profits of Tesco in year 2005 was announced as  £2 billion and in 2006 it announced that it was going to open foreign stores very soon. Tesco operates in 13 countries with 3275 stores of which 2115 operates in UK; its largest geographical market (Euromonitor, 2010). It operates through different store formats which include Extra, Express, metro, hypermarket and superstore. Tesco has its own products ranging from value, normal and finest for diff erent income group of consumers. Tesco was founded by jack Cohen 1919. It gets its name from the combination of the founder of Tesco, Sir Jack Cohen and a partner in a firm of tea suppliers who Cohen worked with, T.E. Stockwell (Marketing (00253650)). One of the biggest investment of Tesco was in the 1980s, when Tesco invested  £145m for a superstore development program and invested  £500m in building 30 new stores (BSC). The company floated on the stock exchange in December 1947 with an initial share price of 25p (LSE). Beyond the food, Tesco also sells non-food products including electrical goods, home entertainment, stationary, clothing, beauty and health, kitchen stuff, soft furnishing and season products as barbecues and garden furniture in the summer. The company has become as one of the UK’s biggest independent petrol retailer (Datamonitor, 2010). Moreover, the group provides financial services (Tesco Personal Finance) which was set in joint-venture with Royal Bank of Scotland and became one of the successful projects of the group. Tesco’s Core Purpose, as stated on their website is â€Å"to create value for customers and to earn their lifetime loyalty†. Competition in Retail Market: The market in which Tesco operates is a highly competitive field, where Tesco holds a disproportionate amount of power. Tesco has three major competitors – Sainsbury, Asda and Morrison. These giants of retail have many chains and a collective mass that can influence the food market as a whole. The figures below shows that Tesco holds over a third of the UK market share, and even double the amount of Asda’s market share which is the second largest supermarket chain. Following is a breakdown of the market share data published by TNS for the 12 weeks to June 15, 2008 (Reuters News, 2008): However, the recent financial crisis put Tesco under the pressure when its customers by seeking reduce its expenses switched to cheaper alternative supermarkets as Lidl, Asda and Aldi. According to the latest TNS data Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose are losing share of the UK grocery market. Tesco’s sales increased by 5.5%, Sainsburys sales went up by 5.6% , sales of Waitrose just climbed by 1.6% while such hard discount retailers as Aldi saw its sales jump 22.1% over the 12-week period and Lidl posted sales growth of 9.8% (Just Food, 2008). . To maintain its market share, the company has tackled the problem by releasing 400 low -cost new ranges of food and products on their shelves. Today Tesco has 273028 employees and it is the largest British retailer with profit exceeding  £2bn, including global sales and domestic market share. In 2008, Tesco became the 4th largest retailer in the world. STEEPLE+E Analysis: There are rules and regulations which are set by the government so that there should be no monopolies and healthy competition in the market. Consumer law emphasis on protecting the consumer rights and make sure that the entrepreneurs have the chance to compete in the market. According to the EU law there is assumption that the companies with large market share are dominant, the problem with this is there may be compromise on the quality of the product and costumer may end up paying higher prices for the products. As Tesco has a large market share, it has not been assessed till now but Tesco should bear this in mind. Planning consent is highly regulated in UK therefore Tesco should take care of this regulation as expansion is one of the strategies which Tesco follows. Therefore, before setting up a new store Tesco should check all the planning permissions and look if there are any resistances on law grounds or local people’s opposition. In the recent downturn of economy many r etailers were affected badly but Tesco was fortunate as it was not affected that much like others because it makes product for all, it offers a wide range of products from value to finest so it helped people to switch to value products in recession. Increase in tax or stock market fluctuation or change in currency can also affect Tesco. In the sociological aspect Tesco has focused on launching the products like meal for one and microwavable products to make life easy for the people migrate from the other parts of the world and are young professional. Tesco has made use of the technology fully by launching the site tesco.com which makes the life of people easy by order the products from their home and it also gives Tesco a competitive advantage. Tesco has supported the carbon reduction process and have raised 100 million pounds for sustainable technology fund; Tesco also encourages its customers to help in reducing the carbon emission by using the same plastic bag many times, another challenge for Tesco may the reducing the use of fossil fuel which is used in its transportation. SWOT Analysis: It has strong brand image and market leadership. Tesco is the largest retail group in the UK, which has about 30% of the UK grocery market as of June 2008, at the same time; it has successful business which operates in 14 worldwide markets beyond the UK. The company built up a good reputation enables the group to launch new products and services, and makes easier entering in new markets. One of the best examples was entering into financial services market with Tesco Personal Finance project (Datamonitor, 2010). The group has a stronger market presence in South Korea as compared its main rivals as Wal-Mart and Carrefour. These two Tesco’s competitors sold all of its stores and divest its operation in 2006 in South Korean, due to inability to meet consumer’s demand (Datamonitor, 2010). This success encourages the company on making investments in order to sustain market leadership and generate more profit. As the result, company is spending 958million pounds on expanding and acquisition new stores in South Korea (FT, 2008a). ‘Tesco.com is the largest online grocery shopping service in the world; it is the fourth biggest online retailer in the UK, behind Amazon, Dell and Argos.’ (Datamonitor, 2010). In 2008 Tesco.com sales continue to growth constantly. Sales from Tesco.com grew by 20% in the first half of 2008, reaching 902million pounds (Tesco, 2010). Taking into consideration the online sales are forecasted to increase from 10.9 billion pounds in 2006 to 28 billion pounds in 2011 (Datamonitor, 2010), Tesco can get considerable benefits from strong foothold in online services. Notwithstanding on company’s big plans to extent or open new stores in the UK, it becomes difficult to realize as not all expand projects satisfy local community’s requirements and finally have been frozen in waiting for government’s decision. There are some negative event influences, patent infringement claims, for example, in 2007, â€Å"Franks International filed suit against the company in US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marsheall Division alleging that Tesco’s CDS infringes two patents held by Franks† (Datamonitor, 2010). Tesco do not have the small convenience store to service customer who the small areas, while the Sainsbury has the small store in the local small town , it is convenience for customer, they do not want by a lot of things, maybe just some daily consumable. There are lots of opportunities in other international markets for Tesco; the Euro zone retailing sales has shown a growth of 33% as of August 2008 to compare as of August 2007, which comprised 4,732mllion pounds and 3,558million pounds respectively. While sales in Asia increased by 11% at the same period from 2, 862million pounds of as August 2007 to 3,151million pounds of August 2008, despite of a small loss in the first half as a result of establishing operations and supply hubs in China (Tesco, 2010). About 80% of group’s capital is being invested in international growth (FT, 2008b). For instance, investment in markets of rapidly growing economy such as India with planned investment around $114 m to set up the business, in China where Tesco has spent 180million pounds in 2007 to increase its stake in its local partner (FT, 2008b). This provides a good opportunity to cover consumer’s demand of these markets which can add value to the Group’s assets and signif icantly contribute to maintain its strong international performance. Notwithstanding on only 9 month of running business in the US, the Group has obtained sales result ($11 per square per foot per week) which is also encouraging. Successful experience of operation on international markets enables the company’s to embody its plans of further overseas expands. Tesco has opportunities in non-food and services markets also, total UK non-food sales increased to 4.1billion pounds and 1.7billion pounds from international market as of August 2008, which in total led to 7.3% sales grew (Tesco, 2010). However, Tesco has poor results in this market segment, while with skills in sourcing and supply chain management the company has opportunity to improve its position. Tesco Personal Finance made profit 71million pounds, where Tesco’s share was 35.5million pounds, up 34% compared to 2007 (Tesco, 2010). The Company completed the acquisition of 50% of TPF from the Royal Bank of Scotland by the end of 2008 (Tesco, 2010). Threat to Tesco is high competition as the result of financial crisis and consumer’s budget tightness such discount competitor as Alsi and Lidlrs are eaten away Tesco’s sales by offering high quality goods for the lowest price. The group faced risk of losing its customers who switched to the other retails in order to reduce its living costs and had to revise its strategy in order to remain its customers. McKenzie’s 7s Analysis: McKenzie 7 S’ includes shared values, Strategy, Structure, System, Staff, Style, Skill. Accordingly Tesco applied the 7 S’ of McKenzie as well to increase its market share and profits which are described as follows: Shared Value: Shared Value of the company states the objectives of the company and it’s believes. Tesco believes in increasing its sophisticated management techniques from simple manufacturing companies to the value of higher standards and marched northward on their value chain. Strategy: Strategy describes about the methods adopted by the company to achieve its goals. Tesco applied various strategies usually using Balanced Scoreboard (BSC) method. Structure: It depends on the companies infra structure like top to down management. Tesco CEO thinks that they don’t need of one leader, they a whole group of employees from top to down to work on strategies. System: System is based on how to finish a work like how important is the wok and how smartly it has to been done. Tesco used a steering wheel to achieve its pre determined strategies smartly simply used to help the employees in future. Staff: Staff states about the number of staff in the organization. All over the world Tesco recruited more than 400,000 employees. Style: It the style of the organization in which it works to achieve its objectives. Tesco used steering wheel to achieve its objectives. It has 90 degree arcs, in which four main areas are considered which are, financial, customers, operations and employee performance. Skill: It describes the capabilities of the organization or the employees to a particular task. Tesco provides full knowledge to its employees to work effectively and efficiently within the organization. It provides skills to the employees to work according to the standards of Tesco (Kaplan R. and Norton D., 2008). Micro Environment analysis and Marketing Strategy: Position of offering the best value for the most competitive prices contributed to be Tesco number one retail in the UK. Smart Supply Chain Management and Development strategy, constantly research, seeking in order to meet customers’ needs, introducing new innovation, product quality and price, offering huge product range, store facilities and services, working closely with suppliers, developing and motivating its staff, participating in the formulation of national food industry and environment protection makes possible to keep strong competitive position within market even through time. Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco plc states â€Å"there are many opportunities for business like Tesco as long as you stay close to customer and adapt to the changing circumstance† (ICSC Research Review, 2008). The group provides online services through its subsidiary Tesco.com, broadband internet connection (Tesco Broadband) and telecommunications services (Tesco Mobile and Home Phone). â€Å"Tesco.com is the largest online grocery shopping service in the world; it is the fourth biggest online retailer in the UK, behind Amazon, Dell and Argos. Tesco.com serves 850,000 regular customers in the UK and gets more than 250,000 orders every week† (Datamonitor, 2010). Significant advantages of buying online, such as comparatively low price, large product range and the ability to shop around the clock — enable retailers to draw shoppers’ interest (Gladding, 2005). â€Å"Tesco, the United Kingdoms biggest grocer, has attracted considerable attention because of its ambitious overseas strategy and its successful on-line home delivery service† (Child, 2002). â€Å"Since establishing an MVNO with 02 in 2003, Tesco has built up 1.5m mobile subscribers and 250,000 of these v isits the mobile portal every month† (New Media Age, 2008). Hence, Tesco makes possible to carry into effect purchasing by using mobile phones and brings new life in m-commerce shopping (New Media Age, 2008). According to company’s recent press release information Tesco.com sales up 20.5%, profit up 21.4%, including Tesco Direct (Tesco, 2010). Datamonitor (2010) in its â€Å"Tesco, PLC SWOT Analysis† states that â€Å"With a strong foothold in online services, Tesco is well placed to benefit from growing online spending. A strong online presence enables the group to serve new customer segments, avoid investments in physical infrastructure and earn better margins†. The company has an impressive brand image, which is associated with high quality goods and services, huge range of assortments and at the time the best prices. Credible brand name enables the company to launch more new products and new market lines; to go through new markets much easier and quickly, and become successful in this field as well, as it was its entry into the Personal Finance market (Datamonitor, 2010). Through the diversification process, Tesco has increased the range of its operation by entering to new markets of distribution and service supply, such as petrol distribution, banking and insurance, real estate and communications. Such changes and strategy improvements have further reinforced company’s market power above its main competitors. Since the mid-90s, Tesco has been investing in overseas markets, by looking for new opportunities to expand and opening new ways of generating long term growth of shareholders value. Today the Group operates in 12 markets outside the UK, in Europe, Asia and North America. The half of the retail shops are represented beyond the UK (Tesco.com). As a part of international expansion, now Tesco is planning to open wholesale grocery store in India by investing up to $114 million over two years. â€Å"It complements our entries into China and the United States, giving us access to another important economy in the world† commented this decision the company’s chief executed (World Trade, 2008). At the same time, Tesco announced that it has set up a South China headquarters office in Guangzhou in order to maintain its’ presence in this country, where the company already has 47 stores and has been running the business over three years long (World Trade, 2008). As a part of supporting its global expansion programme, the company plans to centralise all its overseas business after signing a 100million pounds network and voice contract. Through this network upgrade, Nick Folkes, Tesco’s IT director, commented, that the company will be able to standardise key finance, human resources, data warehouse and sales applications across the whole worldwide operations. The Cable Wireless network will connect 1,800 Tesco sites in the UK, stores in more than 14 countries and 440,000 employees worldwide, hence, significantly contribute expenditure reduction from reducing call costs to savings on staff travel expenses. He remarked â€Å"Our aim is to have a common technology platform in tandem with common business processes so that we remain competitive as we continue our expansion abroad† (Kamath, J. 2008). Smart human resource management is also important key of Tesco’s business performance. The company has selected Red Prairie’s workforce management solution to manage its global store staff, which will enable Tesco to improve customer service by aligning customer traffic with employee schedule. â€Å"Ultimately, it will improve our business by increasing store productivity, and supporting revenue growth† said Dave Briggs, programme manager for Tesco (Apparel Magazine, 2008). Tesco has been proved a very good innovator as bachelor’s placement’s in Tesco yet further proved its innovation temperament which has seen in Tesco as they have the ability to mold according to the trend whatever are the market need as it become the first who protect the convenience outlets in UK, it’s one of the biggest innovation of all is the Clubcard Loyalty Program, Another great innovation done by Tesco was in supply chain management in which it partitioned the loaders according to the delivery like 1 chamber of frozen foods, another ambient products in only one truck, another innovation is the collection of data from customers on every purchase to use this information to offer the draw on product range, Voucher mailing to the customers according to the purchasing behavior of the consumer so that it can return to Tesco. Continuous analysis on the data gathered from the market it innovates its products like once Tesco got to know that nappies does not have market share so they researched on it and introduced the club offering baby advice on pregnancy and motherhood. With this around one fourth mother and baby market was captured by the company (Strategic Direction, 2008). Company has that much strength that it wanted to collaborate with the US grocery market where other European companies fear to stand. US market is known as typical market as it produces very luxury products at one end and cheaper products on the other end, but Tesco is the only one who can stand with this giant market as it is UK’s biggest market which ability to attract customers of all social groups. Normally, people in US live near a big supermarket but Tesco bet that it will provide small stores with all needful products which are preferred by the people of US. Tesco look forward to launch Tesco Fresh and Easy Stores in US. These stores will be much spacious to provide all the necessary products under one roof, not like US outlets which does not provide alcohol, pizza’s, snacks etc. Healthy eating is also one of the major fields where Tesco thought to capitalize its money. One of the biggest hurdles is to persuade the US people to behave likewise of the Tesco trend in UK where transportation facility and easy convenience helps people to buy more products especially in the case of perishable goods. Tesco has one more worry in front of it as its credit rating in respect of measuring quality of goods and services has been slumped where rivals were resurgent in this process (Strategic Direction, 2008). So Tesco is proved to be a good innovator which makes it in building strong reputation and brand name in the UK market providing all the necessary products under one roof. Tesco strategies makes it possible to compete it in the market like its brand strategy, price strategy and its thorough analysis of the market like Product life cycle analysis etc. making Tesco a competitive brand. According to the Product Life Cycle when a new product is launched or old product is launched in new market generally there is no competition expected at this stage and a high expenditure is needed in market research, launch cost and market test so the product may incu r financial losses in early stage. The same situation was there when Fresh Easy chain of Tesco incur a loss of $106.8 million. It is clear that there were very low sales of these products so the weakness of the sales raises questions about the expandability of this format, what Tesco is into these days. So Tesco should limit the expandability at such a large scale in new market. Balance Scorecard: In 1998 Tesco’s balanced scorecard was introduced and now it is known as Steering Wheel and it is the main driving tool for the business. It has helped Tesco to achieve a lot and it is followed from the board room to the shop floor. The steering wheel is annually reviewed and it ensures that Tesco is achieving its goal and also it ensures that Tesco meet the demands of organizational strategy. Although customers are not much aware of the balanced scorecard but the staff follows it strictly on the data which is collected weekly. Store level scorecard is given to the manager of the stores in which contains the quarterly corporate scorecard. However a strong link is there between the corporate level scorecard and the corporate level scorecard because of this whole data is collected by various systems and mechanism. Top management monitor the performance and look for the problem areas, after identifying the problems local management are asked to resolve and seek the improvement. Referencing: Apparel Magazine (2008) IN BRIEF, Vol. 50 Issue 2, p16-20, 4p, (On-line), Retrieved on March 2 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Child, P. N., (2002), Taking Tesco global, McKinsey Quarterly; 2002 Issue 3, p134-144, Retrieved on 26 February 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Datamonitor (2010) ‘Online Retail in the United Kingdom’ Datamonitor (2010) â€Å"Tesco, PLC SWOT Analysis† Euromonitor (2010) Gladding, N., (2005), Analyst comment, Marketing; 5/25/2005, p39, (On-line). Retrieved on February 26 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Just-Food (2008), ‘Tesco, Sainsbury’s losing share TNS’, Retrieved on March 4 2010 from http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=104077 Kaplan R. and Norton D. (2008), Tescos Approach to Strategy Communication, retrieved on March 3, 2010 from: http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/kaplan-norton/2008/09/tescos-approach-to-strategy-co.html Marketing (00253650), (2002). Tesco, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 1, 2010). Reuters News, (2008), ‘Tesco, Sainsbury market shares down slightly – TNS’, (Online) Retrieved on 2 March 2010. Accessed at: http://in.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idINL2456038620080624 Tescos American dream: Doing it differently (2008) Strategic Direction, 24(2), 11-15. Retrieved on March 5, 2010 from: Business Source Complete database. Tesco Personal Finance, retrieved on 28 February 2010 from: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/services/ Tesco (2010), Tesco plc web-site retrieved on the 1 March 2010 from: http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/international/ The Financial Times (2008a), ‘Tesco in Korean expansion’ The Financial Times (2008b), ‘Tesco in new drive on China World Trade (2008), ‘Britains Largest Retailer to Open Shop in India’,Oct, Vol. 21 Issue 10, p14-14, (On-line). Retrieved on February 28 2010 from EBSCOhost database http://web.ebscohost.com Woodley, P.M. (2007), ‘CULTURE MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE BALANCED SCORECARD: A CASE STUDY Other Essays on Tesco Other essays available on the Tesco organisations are: Tesco Changing Business Environment Tesco is one of the leading supermarkets Tesco Strategy analysis Tesco SWOT analysis Tesco Fresh Veg Supply Chain Management