Monday, November 25, 2019

The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society

The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society Free Online Research Papers The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society by Jonathan Kozol points out the hardships that people go through on a daily basis because they are functionally illiterate. He describes the fact that many of these people vote blindly or do not vote at all, and if they could have voted based on what they read that we may not have had some of our past presidents in this country. He gives mind blowing statistics, including the 60 million people that are functionally illiterate in 1980, and first-hand quotes from some of those 60 million; but leaves too much up to the audience making his argument weak. Kozol defines illiteracy through quotes from the people who are illiterate. He leaves it up to the reader to define it for themselves through these different people’s experiences in everyday life as an illiterate person. Since he is leaving it up to the reader it endangers his ultimate point if the reader defines it in a way that completely turns Kozol’s argument inside out. In the excerpt we are given he does not describe how, or in this case why these people are fully grown adults who are unable to write or read at an eighth grade level. Since he does not provide this information it makes it harder for the reader to completely understand or identify with these people and really know how it could be fixed. Kozol’s stance on the subject is very obvious in the voice of his writing, along with the quotes or examples he gives. He believes that the illiteracy rate in the United States is a serious issue that affects not only the people who are illiterate but also those who are not. â€Å"If even one-third of all illiterates could vote, and read enough and do sufficient math to vote in their self-interest, Ronald Reagan would not likely have been chosen president†, is a good example that Kozol gives to show how these illiterate people affect the whole nation (Norgaard 39-40). An example that was very shocking that he gives about how illiteracy affects them on a personal level is as follows, â€Å"A woman in Detroit brought home a gallon of Crisco for her children’s dinner. She thought she had bought the chicken that was pictured one the label. She had enough Crisco now to last a year- but no more money to go back and buy the food for dinner†(Norgaard 42) Although Kozol gives his strong stance that illiteracy is bad, he does not provide any sort of proposition for a resolution. This is a very key point that he misses in the piece of the writing. Without answering this question and also not answering the question of how the issue came about in the first place puts a hole in his argument and makes it harder to get the audience to understand completely. Kozol’s claim seems to be that the illiteracy rate in the United States is simply unacceptable. His main reason is because of the suffering people go through on a daily basis because they are illiterate and cannot function in society at the same level as fully literate adults. Kozol’s other reason is also because these people not only affect themselves and those close to them, but also the country as a whole. He does not explicitly state a warrant. Instead he gives quotes from people who are illiterate. I stood at the bottom of the ramp. My car had broke down on the freeway. There was a phone. I asked for the police. They was nice. They said to tell them where I was. I looked up at the signs. There was one that I had seen before. I read it to them: ONE WAY STREET. They thought it was a joke. I told them I couldn’t read. There was other signs above the ramp. They told me to try. I looked around for somebody to help. All the cars was going by real fast. I wouldn’t make them understand that I was lost. The cop was nice. He knew that I was trapped. ‘I can’t send out a car to you if you can’t tell me where you are’. I felt afraid. I nearly cried. I’m forty-eight years old. I only said: ‘I’m on a one-way street†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Nordaard 45). The quote above is an example of how he gives a story and leaves it up to the reader to interpret them. Kozol uses these quotes as his support. The audience that he seems to be writing to is literate Americans during the 1980’s. In the very beginning he writes about the president at that time and other things that were going on around then. Since I was not born until 1990 I do not fully understand the political references that he makes throughout his writing, which makes me feel as if I am a little outside of the group he is trying to talk to. The audience is also people that did not know about the illiteracy issue in the United States because it seems as though he is trying to â€Å"open eyes† to what is truly going on with many of â€Å"our† fellow Americans. Kozol’s only evidence provided to the reader are the quotes and stories from illiterates. The quotes are the use of Pathos. Kozol is trying to touch the reader’s humanity by giving examples of human suffering. He tries to put the reader in the shoes of the illiterates and have the audience see how illiterate struggle in day to day life. It is not enough for the reader to believe what he is writing. Kozol does not provide any actual proof that those are true stories or even actual quotes that are not simply made-up. Since he does not provide any sort of hard evidence it makes things very easy for anyone who would like to discredit him and his work. Therefore, his argument is weaker because of the lack of evidence to make the reader believe what he is trying to convey. To make his argument stronger he should have used more logos, or facts, and simple logical evidence to support his claim. Throughout the excerpt Kozol blames the government for the fact that nothing is being done to fix the detrimental issue of the high illiteracy rate in the world power of the United States. Toward the end of the argument he writes, â€Å"This is the nation that we live in. This is a society that most of us did not create but which our President and the other leaders have been willing to sustain by virtue of malign neglect† (Norgaard 45). Kozol is saying that it is because of the current president, at that time it was Reagan, and past leaders that the illiteracy rate has escalated to the level it is. He writes that the people in the government have purposefully neglected this pressing issue. In the very beginning, as quoted earlier, he makes a slam against Ronald Reagan. He basically states that if illiterates knew what they were voting for, Reagan would have never been voted into office if they had known what he stood for. Therefore, his writing could be interpreted by the rea der as a political statement rather than a fight for the illiterates in the United States. Kozol’s argument in this piece of writing is a very weak one. He does not answer all of the four basic questions. He does not directly define what illiteracy is or why the rate is so high. He does not give a solution to the problem either. Kozol leaves it up to the audience to decide all of those things based on what he provides in the text. The problem with this is that different people with different views or backgrounds will interpret the text in their own way. He provides a claim and reasons but because he does not explicitly give warrants for those, the claim can be misinterpreted especially because of the politically statements that he also seems to be making. The evidence he provides is almost purely pathos, he appeals to the audiences’ humanity, which may not be enough to completely convince the audience that he is right. He does not completely provide the basis of logos which puts a hole in his argument. Overall, his argument was very weak and could be misinter preted or discredited because of what is left to the audience to decide. Research Papers on The Human Cost of an Illiterate SocietyComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMind TravelEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTrailblazing by Eric Anderson19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The effects of concentration camps during the Holocaust on the people Essay

The effects of concentration camps during the Holocaust on the people who lived in them - Essay Example Age, gender and other supporting factors determined where you were selected to go. Millions of Jews were enslaved, exploited for scientific experiments, murdered and subjected to a number of atrocities. This â€Å"widespread destruction of the Jews† has been recorded in history as the Holocaust. However, while the Jews were subjected to the greater number of atrocities, other nationalities and ethnic groups received comparable treatment by virtue of the Nazi’s concentration camps. The concentration (labour) camps in particular were established in German conquered and occupied areas and thus included the Poles, French, Czechs, Dutch, Yugoslavians, Belgians and any other nationalities in the conquered and occupied countries. The majority of prisoners however were Jews and Gypsies who were primarily destined for the extermination camps. Once the Second World War ended, many healthcare professionals came into contact with the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Accou nts of the effects of the concentration camps during the holocaust and the people who lived in them began to emerge. German camps were divided into three types: extermination, concentration and labour camps. Extermination camps were designed to murder masses of human beings primarily through gas chambers. Auschwitz-Birkenau served a dual purpose in that healthy Jews were put to work and only temporarily spared the gas chambers. All others were murdered. ... For example the death rate at Dachau camp in Germany was 4% in 1938. But by 1942 the death rate increased to 36%.7 The work was characterized by â€Å"victimization and terror†.8 Victims were forced to work to the point of â€Å"exhaustion† and were not provided with basic working equipment.9 Through the constant inflow of prisoners, the camps became unbearably overcrowded so that living conditions were subhuman.10 A report by one survivor reflects the magnitude of the victims’ struggle to survive in Nazi concentration camps. Elie Cohan, a Jewish physician from the Netherlands, whose parents had been killed in Auschwitz, was sent along with his wife and children to camps in Amersfort and then to Westerbork. Cohen’s life was spared because he was a doctor and the Nazis needed his services. When his wife offended a German Jew, Cohen and his family were immediately transported to Auschwitz where his family was put to death in the gas chambers immediately afte r arrival. Cohen however was not accorded time to grieve and had to work immediately with little food and water. When he was liberated he weighed less than 80 pounds and was described as â€Å"someone on the threshold of death†.11 The effects of living in a concentration camp regardless of whether it was a death camp or a labour camp appear to be entirely the same for all inhabitants.12 Inmates were shaved, dressed in standard inmate attire and forced to wear a tattoo for identification. This forced the people living in the concentration camps to lose all identity and essentially dehumanized them. Even when the Second World War came to an end and the concentration camps were forced to close because of the approaching allied forces, the taste of freedom was also bitter and just as horrifying as incarceration.13The

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

World War I - Essay Example Since Germany and Austria wanted a quick attack on Serbia, so that other countries would not get involved, an ultimatum was sent. When the ultimatum was sent to Serbia in July 23, 1914, which demanded Serbia to abolish all 'anti-Austrian activities', and allow Austria to investigate the assassination of Francis Ferdinand. Serbia accepted to the ultimatum, but did not allow Austria to investigate the murder. This caused Austria to declare war on Serbia on July 28. When Austria attacked Serbia, as the German leaders had anticipated, Russia prepared to attack Austria. Germany warned Russia to stop the preparation, but because Russia did not listen, Germany attacked Russia on August 1. Two days later, Germany also declared war against France, which was Russia's ally. Germany planned to invade France through Belgium, but unfortunately, Belgium refused this. On August 3, Germany invaded Belgium. The British then became involved in the war, for they had promised Belgium could be neutral, and not get involved in wars.1 In addition, the British had to join in the war because if they did not, Germany would control the continent of Europe. In less than six weeks, the domino effect had caused Serbia, Russia, France, Belgium and Britain to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary. The WW1 fi... The WW1 finally broke out in June1914 because of an accident in Bosnia. It was the Sarajevo incident, the immediate cause of WW1. It took place on June 28, 1914. On that day, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife were shot dead by a young Serbian student at Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital. Austria considered the murder of the heir to the throne an open Serbian attack.2 Austria would be left without an heir. Although she could not find any evidence that the Serbian government was connected with the assassination, Austria still declared war on Serbia. Within two month, the war became a world war. Finally, the war ended in 1918. The Central Power included Germany had lost. The First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918 and was called The Great War or the war to end all wars until World War II started. Some scholars believe that the First World War was simply the first phase of a 30-year-long war that entailed the period of 1914 to 1945. The outbreak of the clash is often ascribed to the European alliances. Germany-Austria-Italy formed an alliance against France-Russia; Britain and Serbia supported France and Russia. In fact, none of the alliances was initiated in the early outbreak, though Russian general mobilization and Germany's declaration of war against France were motivated by fear of the opposing alliance being brought into play. By 1882, Germany was allied with Austra-Hungary and Italy, in an alliance called the Triple Alliance. Then, in 1887, they signed the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia. Thus, Germany was allied with three major European nations and France was left isolated. In 1890, the German Kaiser set out to make Germany a major world power. He aimed to increase the number of Germany's overseas colonies.3 To do

Monday, November 18, 2019

Implementing TQM Philosophy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementing TQM Philosophy - Case Study Example However, this study is not meant for discussing and comparing the quality measures implementation of large and small organization. In this study, the focus will be mainly on the principles of quality management, rationale behind companies considering the implementation of total quality management, the steps of implementing TQM and the result, outcomes and benefits the company gets for implementing TQM in the system. According to Jablonski (1992) â€Å"a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents and capabilities of both labor and management to continually improve quality and productivity using teams† (p.21). Total Quality Management has been one of the most popular business strategies in many leading business firms across the world (Khalid, Irshad and Mahmood, 2011). The principles of quality management are used by the management as a guide towards improving organizational performance. The principles are generally derived from knowledge and experience. There are eight quality management principles which are made apparent by ISO 9000:2005. The eight principles are consumer focus, leadership, participation of people, process approach, system approach to management, constant improvement, realistic approach to decision making, reciprocally advantageous supplier relationships (ISO, 2012). Only a few companies have been able to achieve success by the implementation of TQM. International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Nokia are some of the companies achieved success for implementing TQM (Yusof and Aspinwall, 2000). This study will however shed light only on TQM implementation at IBM. Therefore, it is important to present a brief synopsis of the company. IBM: A Brief Overview International Business Machines Corporation or commonly known as IBM is a US based multinational consulting and technology firm. The company was founded by Charles Ranlett Flint in the year 1911 and is currently headquartered at Armonk, New York, U.S. W ith strong business network, the company is able to serve customers across the globe. IBM manufactures and markets software, hardware and offer customers with consulting and hosting services (Chacko, 2005). In the year 2012, Fortune ranked IBM as the second largest company in terms of the number of employees and fourth largest in terms of market capitalization. The achievements of the company clearly reflect their commitment towards gaining quality excellence. According to several company personnel, quality management is considered to be the most essential task. This is principally because of the company’s intention to offer quality products to the customers and enhance their market reputation. Moreover, with increasing level of competition within the consulting and IT industry, IBM was compelled implement TQM to a certain extent. The next section of the study will elaborate on the major rationale behind the implementation of TQM at IBM. Rationale for TQM Implementation Organ izations around the globe are exploring ways to enhance their business practice and achieve competitive advantage. In order to achieve the same companies often take the assistance of technology. One of the most viable technological innovations of the previous decade was materialization of ERP solution. However, the implementation of this system is a challenge for most of the organizations. The lack of technology and societal resistance are some of the major challenges of the organizati

Friday, November 15, 2019

Best Model For The Welfare State Politics Essay

Best Model For The Welfare State Politics Essay A welfare state engages the responsibility of a state to secure the basic modicum of welfare to its citizens. It seeks to know whether social policies are liberatory and help in legitimization or help in the market process (Castles Pierson, 2007). In a welfare state, the government plays a big role in protecting and promoting the economic and social well-beings of the citizens. It believes in the social equity and justice in that there is equality of opportunity, wealth allocation is equivalent, and the people are philanthropic in that they help the less fortunate. In a welfare state, there is democracy, welfare and they practice capitalism. The Western Europe and the United States have been examples of welfare state models. The welfare state created by conservatives and opposed by socialist and labour unions has been of continuous debates on whether it is beneficial. There was the German welfare state, the British welfare state, the French welfare state and the modern Europe (Kenne tt, 2004). The United States followed suit and joined the western countries in instituting social welfare policies. The models dealt with mainly poverty relief but the modern models are universal in that they tend to concentrate on all citizens. Firstly, this paper is going to introduce the best welfare state model which seems as Social democratic model. Lastly, the reader should be able to know and explain the best regime by the end of the study. According to Esping -Anderson (1990), welfare regimes refer to bunches welfare states in terms of their level and quality of social rights and bases of stratification on which the welfare state is built. As Esping-Anderson acknowledged, the importance of the three welfare state models in Europe and America which were social democratic, corporatist and liberal (Castles Pierson, 2007). The social democratic welfare state believes in universalism in which all citizens are entitled to access the benefits. They believe in politics against the market. Examples of such states are Norway, Sweden and Finland. The corporatist welfare states believe in subsidiaries in which they offer insurance schemes. Examples of the states are Germany and Austria. The liberal states believe in market dominance and private investment in which the government helps only the poor and can provide for basic needs. The forces of supply and demand set the price of goods and services. They are the UK and the United States. All welfare states use either one of the models but to varying, extend. In the social democratic state, the criteria of citizenship are pervasive. The liberal welfare state is characterized by a stronger emphasis on means tested programs. In a social democratic state, individuals should be free and equal in the determination of the conditions of their own lives in that they should enjoy equal rights and equal obligations (Mookherjee, 2010). Rights to political participation should be distributed equally among citizens to provide them with an equal share of opportunities to act in public life. The democracy peace theory argues that citizens in a liberal democratic state are peaceful and liberal democracies have never engaged in war. Social democratic model puts more emphases on universalism, comprehensive risk coverage, generous benefit levels and egalitarianism. The state controls the economic and social policies. The state provides social services to its citizens and cares for the elderly and children. There is a high level of employment for women and people with disabilities. It heavily relies on the government provision to meet social needs and believes ion full employment as part of the welfare state. It is active and in the generation and maintenance. The social democratic model varies with others in terms of how it accords to the state, the market and family. While the corporatist model relies on social insurance and generous transfers to keep people well fed, social democratic welfare states provide a variety of social services and utilized the labour force to the best (Huber Stephens, 2001). Both of them are concerned with getting people out of poverty and are highly redistributive. The essential characteristic of the social democratic welfare is that they are comprehensive and inclusive, Universalist, redistributive, gender egalitarian and labour mobilizing. People can be able to apply their talents in generating more revenue or wealth for their nation. Profit margins are much more less than the other types, which leads social justice among the community (Glyn, 2001). The social democratic commitment to solidarity and equality gave rise to the universalistic and redistributive aspects of the welfare state. It advocates for citizenship criterion, which offer a basic, equal benefit to all irrespective of earnings, contributions or perfo rmance. This makes it better than the liberal model were one contribution to the insurance scheme determines his health care. In this model, citizenship is the membership in society and the rights. The gender is equal as far as obligations are concerned. The models views capitalist entrepreneurs as people much after achievement of self-interest. This tends to slow down the pace unto which capitalism is to be spread. Capitalism does not use the labor of undisciplined and neither can it make use of unscrupulous businessperson. However, there are those who can do anything to get wealthy as it the case of a Dutch sea captain. It therefore depicts that since capitalism is as old as human history there are those who are ruthless, may get involved into war and piracy to achieve wealth (Kennett, 2004). The redistributive model in the social democratic welfare believes that the market economy is successful in producing wealth. Unlike in capitalistic liberals where the wealth is unequally distributed, in this model there is equity for all irrespective of their social status. It does not advocate for health insurance as the liberal markets do. This is because it believes state health insurance schemes are able to achieve better results. The limitation is that opponents protest that the state should not engage in economic interventions. Gini coefficient measures the degree of income inequality. The coefficient varies between zero indicating equality and one hundred indicating inequality (Arnold, 2008). This means that in many capitalistic countries one person has all the income while others have none.. Inequality exists because people do not receive the same labour income, asset income and do not pay the same taxes. As CIA (2005) reported the coefficient was 45 in the US which is liberal state and 27 in corporatist country, Germany. The least coefficient was in Sweden, 23 which is social democratic country. In the social welfare state which advocates for equality most of the assets are owned by the state and it somehow controls wealth. Capitalism has a tendency of causing instability especially in cases of financial crisis. The claims for capitalism differ from the classical case for a competitive market. Some theorists such as Adam Smith had argued that presence of many buyers and sellers competing with one another in the marketplace would cause wasteful resource allocations. Capitalism has been associated with innovations and many economists argue that capitalism has to generate endogenous innovations. Joseph Schumpeter argues that innovations are normally a creation of business people and they are rules embodied in the new firms. The agents of change are the entrepreneurs who come up with new ideas and invest to generate profits. Limitations of social welfare states The social welfare states have some limitations. In a state where there is equality, the tax burden will be high to meet the expectations of the citizens. But it does not seem as a problem for the people of social democratic counties as labour market and taxation are balanced (Arts and Gelissen, 2002). Most welfare states are bureaucratic in that the citizens do not have much freedom since everything is being controlled by the state but the state to offer the best quality of services (ibid). It is expensive to run a social welfare state since the government can be forced to borrow to meet the demands of the people. However, the governments use that money in order to cover the socio-economic gap between poor and rich (Castles et al, 2010). Government interventions kill businesses since they dont allow for the prices to be set by demand and supply forces but the government controls the prices. But it gives stronger role in managing welfare (Ferragina Seeleib, 2011) Conclusion Although many capitalists will not agree with the conclusion is good hen a country is a social democrat than a capital democrat. The benefits of the social democratic welfares which believes in universalism is best compared to capitalist in which wealth lies in the hands of the few at the expense of others. The equal distribution of wealth and state ownership of assets as adjudicated by the Soviet Union in my opinion was the best. Though this will have been a topic of debate, forces of demand and supply should determine the prices of goods and services. This might lead to a monopolistic culture, which victimizes consumers. The social democratic welfare state believes in universalism in which all citizens are entitled to access the benefits. They believe in politics against the market. The paper concludes that it borrow some characteristics from Christian democratic state welfare, which will make this model a superb one. Countries using the two models have been economically equal unli ke countries like the United States where the gap between the rich and the poor is very wide.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Driving Restrictions Essay -- essays research papers

Driving Restrictions There are many accidents everyday that are costing people their lives. My young brothers and most definitely my grandparents would probably kill me for saying so, but there should be some changes made to the laws concerning the age requirements of drivers. If the State of Ohio changed the age requirement of operating a vehicle to between 18-70 years of age, our roads would be much safer to drive on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you had told me when I turned sixteen that I couldn’t get my license until I turned eighteen, I would have thrown a fit. Now that I am older, I realize that I had no business driving an automobile at 16 years old. I was the typical teenage driver. The cool one, who had the â€Å"Detroit lean,† with the seat tilted so far back that I couldn’t see over the dashboard, and could only reach the pedals with my big toe. There’s no way I could hear emergency sirens with the music being turned up so loud that it caused my mirrors shake. If asked most teens would say that they don’t think of the consequences their driving could bring, because if they had then the statistics of fatalities due to car accidents would not be so high. In 1997, according to the US Department of Transportation, 7,885 teens were involved in fatal crashes. They also claim that teen crashes are 4 times the normal rate of accidents. These accidents are occurring because teens tend to take more risks. They drive too fast and usually aren’t paying attention to the r...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Strategic Management Analysis of Saudi Aramco Ltd.

To: Prof. Dr. M. Mahmodul Hasan. Course Instructor, Faculty of Business, AIUB. Re: Submission of Term Paper on Saudi Aramco. Dear Sir, It is a grand contentment for us that we have been capable to submit the report. It’s been an enormous practice for us to bring about such a job and we took pleasure in the whole term paper making actions. We tried our degree best with our knowledge to make a full pledged report by analyzing all the available information. We hope that we have fulfilled all the requirements you have asked for. We would be delighted if you kindly accept the report and oblige us thereby.On behalf of the group ‘Jeener Badshah’ With Best Regards, Plaban Roy. Id. No. 11-94732-2. MBA Course: Strategic Management. Section: A. Department of Business Administration. Contents of term-paper as follows: 1. Acknowledgement Letter 2. Executive Summary 3. Definition of Strategy 4. Most Strategic Management Model 5. Company Detailed Profile including mission & visi on and Organogram 6. PESTEL, SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 7. SWAN Analysis & TWOS Matrix 8. Value Chain Analysis 9. ViSA Model & SMARTER Model 10. The BCG chart 11.PURE Objectives & GREAT Model 12. Market Analysis including Market Segmentation 13. EFE Matrix 14. CPM Matrix 15. QSPM Analysis 16. Financial Analysis 17. Competitor Analysis 18. Breakeven Analysis 19. KSF Analysis (Industry Key Success Factors) 20. Strategy Evaluation and Contingency Plan 21. Recommendation 22. Conclusion 23. References 2. Executive summary: Saudi Aramco (Arabic: ?Aramko s-Sa? udiyyah), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a Saudi Arabian national oil and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco's value has been estimated at up to US$10 trillion in the Financial Times, making it the world's most valuable company. Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves, at more than 260 billion barrels (4. 1? 1010  m3), and largest daily oil producti on. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco operates the world's largest single hydrocarbon network, the Master Gas System. Its yearly production is 7. 9 billion barrels (1. 26? 109  m3), and it managed over 100 oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia, including 279 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of natural gas reserves.Saudi Aramco owns the Ghawar Field, the world's largest oil field, and the Shaybah Field, one of the world's largest oil fields. Operations: Saudi Aramco is headquartered in Dhahran; and its operations span the globe which include exploration, producing, refining, chemicals, distribution and marketing. Objective of the study: 24. PESTEL, SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 25. SWAN Analysis ; TWOS Matrix 26. Value Chain Analysis 27. ViSA Model ; SMARTER Model 28. The BCG chart 29. PURE Objectives ; GREAT Model 30. Market Analysis including Market Segmentation 31.EFE Matrix 32. CPM Matrix 33. QSPM Analysis 34. Financial Analysis 35. Competitor Analysis 36. Breakeven Analysis 37. KSF Analysis (Industry Key Success Factors) 38. Strategy Evaluation and Contingency Plan 39. Strategy Evaluation and Contingency Plan 3. Definition of strategy: Strategy (Greek â€Å" † – strategia, â€Å"art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship†) is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty. Strategy becomes ever necessary when it is known or suspected there are insufficient resources to achieve these goals.Strategy is also about attaining and maintaining a position of advantage over adversaries through the successive exploitation of known or emergent possibilities rather than committing to any specific fixed plan designed at the outset. Henry Mintzberg from McGill University defined strategy as â€Å"a pattern in a stream of decisions† to contrast with a view of strategy as planning [2] while Max McKeown (2011) argues that â€Å"strategy is about shaping the fu ture† and is the human attempt to get to â€Å"desirable ends with available means†. Good Strategy + Good Strategy Execution = Good Management . Most strategic management model: 1. PEST analysis 2. STEER Analysis 3. Five Forces Model 4. Strategic Group Map 5. SWOT analysis 6. Blue Ocean Strategies 7. Open innovation 8. seven S model 5. Company detailed profile including mission ; vision: The world’s need for energy is growing, but so too is our ability to meet that demand. Our teams have been discovering new and better ways of delivering petroleum energy since 1933. Find out more about our leadership, our history and the people who make us the world’s leading integrated petroleum enterprise.Who we are Not only is Saudi Aramco the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are also a fully integrated,  global petroleum and chemicals enterprise  and a world leader in exploration, production, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing. We manage the world’s  largest proven conventional crude oil and condensate reserves  of 259. 7 billion barrels. Our average daily crude production in 2011 was 9. 1 million barrels per day (bpd). We also have stewardship over the  world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves  of 282. trillion standard cubic feet (scf). Saudi Aramco’s downstream accomplishments include our rank as the8th largest refiner in the world, with a worldwide refining capacity of 4. 02 million barrels per day (including domestic refineries, and domestic and international joint and equity ventures). We are also theworld’s top exporter of natural gas liquids  (NGL). Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco and its subsidiaries have offices throughout the Kingdom. We also have offices in North America, Europe and Asia.Our subsidiaries and affiliates are located in Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, India, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Ara b Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our operations span the Kingdom, including its territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, with production and distribution linking all market areas around the world. Vision: * Future of energy * Reliable supply * Contributing to the economy * Developing human potential * Sustainability * Wellness Powering possibilitiesAt Saudi Aramco we’re leading the drive to solve some of the issues that matter most to the global energy industry. We consider it our responsibility – to the Kingdom and the world. Transforming for the Future By 2020, Saudi Aramco will have evolved from being the leading oil and gas company that it is today, into a  fully integrated, truly global energy and chemicals enterprise  with extensive operations across the globe. What we aim to be tomorrow will facilitate a  diversified and sustainable expansion  of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economy and enable a globally compet itive and vibrant Saudi energy sector.Our vision for the future is best described through the company’s 2020 Strategic Intent: * Shaping our business portfolio through  establishing an integrated value chain approach  in our crude oil mix, further develop the Kingdom’s unconventional gas resources and become a leading global chemicals and refining company. * Supporting the Kingdom in building a vibrant energy industry by promoting an energy efficient economy,  developing alternative energy options, and building a technology portfolio. Delivering an agile, flexible, and efficient organization  to achieve operational excellence and world-class reliability and safety performance through improved operational efficiency, agile decision-making and budgeting activities, insightful performance measurements, and business process improvement. * Building capacity, knowledge, and skills to improve our processes and systems of leadership selection and development, performan ce evaluation, innovation, and research and development. We will take the lead in developing a knowledge-based economy in Saudi Arabia.In short, we aim to unlock the potential of our people and our enterprise to transform from a company of which the Kingdom is proud into a company of which the world is proud. 6. Five Forces Model The five forces model is a framework that analysts use to evaluate the interior factors affecting competition and the external factors affecting bargaining power. This helps to understand the industry and what strategies are needed to gain a competitive advantage Rivalry Among Existing Firms (Low) 1. Threat of New Entrants 2. Threat of Substitute Products 3. Bargaining Power of Customers . Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining Power of Suppliers * High competition among suppliers | | | | * Volume is critical to suppliers | Bargaining Power of Customers | | * Product is important to customer| | * Large number of customers | Intensity of Existing Rivalry * Government limits competition| | * Large industry size | | | Threat of Substitutes * Substitute is lower quality | | * Substitute has lower performance | | * Limited number of substitutes| Threat of New Competitors * Strong distribution network required| | * High capital requirements| | * High learning curve | | Entry barriers are high | SWOT analysis Strengths * Spending on alternative energy. * Investment in high profile project. Weaknesses * Declining sales of refined products, resulting in lowering top line growth. * Declining replacement rates in recent years. Opportunities * Growing Asian-Pacific population and expansion of their economy will lead to greater demand for energy * Bio-fuels and alternative energy methods Threats * Prolonged global recession * International Union Strikes and other global political events (Environmental issues) SWAN Analysis StrengthThe brand image they have created sustaining over 80 years. Management who are highly skilled and to operate the com pany Weakness Declining profit over the years Unable to cope up with the existing competitors to become the leader in the industry Achievements Have major achievement in taking out the oil from deep of the desert Emerged as one of the biggest supplier of Oil Next Step Achieving the global leadership Beating the close competitors Developing the skill of the local employees. TOWS Matrix Factors| Weight| Rate| Weighted Score| Opportunities|   |   |   |Better management of product lines| 0. 18| 3| 0. 54| Globalization| 0. 21| 4| 0. 84| Environmental concerns| 0. 21| 4| 0. 84| | | | | Threats| | | | Fierce competition| 0. 2| 3| 0. 6| War and terrorist attack impact| 0. 2| 3| 0. 6| Total| 1. 00| | 3. 42| | | | | Strength| | | | The brand image| 0. 22| 3| 0. 66| Skilled management| 0. 13| 2| 0. 26| Enriched natural resources| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| | | | | Weaknesses| | | | Improper utilization of natural resources| 0. 25| 3| 0. 75| Lack of local skilled labor| 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| Local techn ological non advancement| 0. 17| 2| 0. 34| Total| 1. 00| | 2. 62|

Friday, November 8, 2019

Saying No in French

Saying No in French Saying no in French is easy. The only problem is choosing from the many synonyms for no in French. Choose with care, because the differences between expressions are nuanced. Learn how to say the equivalents of  no, not a chance, I dont think so, down with, and more. The Many Faces of Non in French non noThis is the basic, standard French word for no. Non, je naime pas skier.   No, I dont like to ski. ah non /  oh non  Ã‚  oh noAh non and oh non express disappointment, as in oh no! or darn it! Ah non ! Ça ne marche pas !   Oh no! It doesnt work! non †¦Ã‚  Ã‚  no to...Non is followed by a noun to mean (say) no to or down with, especially in protests and demonstrations: Non au CPE !   No to the First Job Contract! Other synonyms for non      absolument pas  Ã‚  absolutely not  Ã‚  Ã‚  au contraire   on the contrary  Ã‚  Ã‚  aucun (problà ¨me, argent, etc.)   no (problem, money, etc)  Ã‚  Ã‚  bien sà »r que non  Ã‚  of course not  Ã‚  Ã‚  certainement pas   certainly not  Ã‚  Ã‚  des clous ! (familiar) no way!  Ã‚  Ã‚  du tout   not at all Expressions With Non   Ã‚  Ã‚  je crois que non  Ã‚  I dont think so  Ã‚  Ã‚  je ne dis pas non   I wouldnt say no  Ã‚  Ã‚  mais non   of course not  Ã‚  Ã‚  moi non   not me, I dont  Ã‚  Ã‚  nest-ce pas ?   no? right? isnt it?  Ã‚  Ã‚  niet ! (familiar) no way!  Ã‚  Ã‚  non merci - no thank you  Ã‚  Ã‚  non et non !   absolutely not!  Ã‚  Ã‚  non plus   not (that) either  Ã‚  Ã‚  non que subjunctive   not that †¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ou non ?   †¦ (are/will/do you verb) or not?  Ã‚  Ã‚  pas de (problà ¨me, temps, pain, etc)   no (problem, time, bread, etc.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  pas du tout   not at all  Ã‚  Ã‚  pas question ! (familiar) no way! not a chance!  Ã‚  Ã‚  pas tout fait   not exactly, not quite  Ã‚  Ã‚  que non !   absolutely not!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Roman Tetrarchy and the Rule of Four

The Roman Tetrarchy and the Rule of Four The word Tetrarchy means rule of four. It derives from the Greek words for four (tetra-) and rule (arch-). In practice, the word refers to the division of an organization or government into four parts, with a different person ruling each part. There have been several Tetrarchies over the centuries, but the phrase is usually used to refer to the division of the Roman Empire into a western and eastern empire, with subordinate divisions within the western and eastern empires. The Roman Tetrarchy Tetrarchy refers to the establishment by the Roman Emperor Diocletian of a 4-part division of the empire. Diocletian understood that the huge Roman Empire could be (and often was) taken over by any general who chose to assassinate the emperor. This, of course, caused significant political upheaval; it was virtually impossible to unite the empire. The reforms of Diocletian came after a period when many emperors had been assassinated. This earlier period is referred to as chaotic and the reforms were meant to remedy the political difficulties that the Roman Empire faced. Diocletians solution to the problem was to create multiple leaders, or Tetrarchs, located in multiple locations. Each would have significant power. Thus, the death of one of the Tetrarchs would not mean a change in governance. This new approach, in theory, would lower the risk of assassination and, at the same time, made it nearly impossible to overthrow the entire Empire at a single blow. When he split up the leadership of the Roman Empire in 286, Diocletian continued to rule in the East. He made Maximian his equal and co-emperor in the west. They were each called Augustus which signified that they were emperors. In 293, the two emperors decide to name additional leaders who could take over for them in the case of their deaths. Subordinate to the emperors were the two Caesars: Galerius, in the east, and Constantius in the west. An Augustus was always emperor; sometimes the Caesars were also referred to as emperors. This method of creating emperors and their successors bypassed the need for approval of emperors by the Senate and blocked the power of the military to elevate their popular generals to the purple. [Source: The City of Rome in late imperial ideology: The Tetrarchs, Maxentius, and Constantine, by Olivier Hekster, from Mediterraneo Antico 1999.] The Roman Tetrarchy functioned well during Diocletians life, and he and Maximian did indeed turn over leadership to the two subordinate Caesars, Galerius and Constantius. These two, in turn, named two new Caesars: Severus and Maximinus Daia.  The untimely death of Constantius, however, led to political warring. By 313, the Tetrarchy was no longer functional, and, in 324, Constantine became sole Emperor of Rome.   Other Tetrarchies While the Roman Tetrarchy is the most famous, other four-person ruling groups have existed through history. Among the best-known was The Herodian Tetrarchy, also called the Tetrarchy of Judea. This group, formed after the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, included Herods sons.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 40

Marketing - Essay Example Our sponsors are currently all the leading brands and we have been able to increase our ROI from 10% to 20% since last year. The best aspect of working with our team is that we have done proper research about our market and we have complete understanding about our target market and the customers. We have designed all our marketing activities in accordance with the needs of our market so that all their demands are easily fulfilled and our company can expand its services to other States as well. The grocery shopping on the website gives an awesome experience and it is rightly said that the store provides access to all the grocery items with utmost ease. There is enough evidence about the success of this website but more details need to be provided about the investors. However, the life of Chicago people has eased out to a greater extent as they can easily purchase all their groceries in less period of time. Hence, it would have been more beneficial if some details about the products and services offered at the website are provided which will give a snapshot of the range of products offered by

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Analyse the difference between Economic Growth & Economic Development Essay

Analyse the difference between Economic Growth & Economic Development. What are the problems concerning measuring economic development Illustrate your answer using case studies - Essay Example Economic development is determined by the quality of life that the population enjoys due to the improvement of the various aspects life. This improvement can cause the region to realize economic growth. Economic growth, however, has a much narrower outlook of than economic development, in that; it refers to the increase in the value of products from the various sectors involved in the economy of a nation. The growth is usually expressed using the Gross Domestic Product GDP. When economic growth is realized in a region, it is not guaranteed that this growth will result in development. Another significant difference apart from the definition of the two terms is that, economic growth takes one dimension in that it is centered on increasing the GDP of a region. This is, however, different in economic development, since the latter involves a wider approach in that it is involved in the income created in the population and the improvement of the quality of life of individuals, since social amenities and structures are also improved (Capello and Nijkamp, 2008, 173). This will result in a positive effect in the lives of the population. Economic growth, however, is narrower in that growth will not necessarily have a positive impact on the population. The two phenomena are also different in that economic growth is quantitative. This is so since the phenomenon mostly deals with numbers in that the growth is translated by the figures and percentages. Economic development in contrast is measured in the quality since the development is translated to the improved livelihoods of the population. Economic development is, therefore, measured qualitatively (Arestis and Thirlwall, 2006, 109). Another noteworthy variation between the two is that economic development is irregular and spontaneous. It causes changes in the equilibrium that is