Bureaucracy, Intelligence and Homeland Security Essay

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 shook the nation to its core. Politicians felt a tremendous pressure not only to go on the attack against the terrorists, but also to secure the homeland. As a result the United States’ government responded the way it often does in a crisis – It created a huge new bureaucracy. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was designed to consolidate dozens of agencies under one roof. Theoretically this would streamline the process of protecting the homeland. The Intelligence Act of 2004 was designed to better focus this process while also protecting the civil rights of Americans. Proponents of the DHS argue that there has not been a major attack on American soil since 2001. This presents an incomplete picture of the security landscape however. DHS is still very much a work in progress. It has been plagued by numerous well-publicized problems. The Department of Homeland Security has not met the strategic goals and objectives set forth in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. Therefore, the DHS has not successfully provided national security. The Act and the Bureaucracy The consolidation of so many agencies under one roof was unprecedented in Washington. Early fears that the bureaucracy would be so unwieldy as to be out of control seemed to be justified. After 9/11 the government felt an intense pressure to do something. The lack of coordination between agencies was exposed by these attacks. Creation of the DHS was an attempt to remedy this problem, but the agency itself was a massive undertaking. In many ways it is an agency still trying to find its footing. The DHS began operations in 2003 with more than 180. 000 employees (Brzezinski, 2004). It oversees dozens of agencies with a dizzying array of responsibilities. From the start the agency has worked against long odds and excessive expectations. There is a gap between what the public expects of DHS and what DHS actually believes it can do. This makes it even more difficult for the DHS to operate effectively. A well known axiom within the intelligence community states that â€Å"The terrorists only have to be right once – we have to be right every time†. Meanwhile the American public is intolerant of failure. The reality that eventually the terrorists will succeed again is not well understood. In fact, â€Å"The very notion of trying to design a zero-terrorist-risk environment is dangerously futile† (Brzezinski, 2004). As the DHS scuffled through its first few years, Congress and the American people became impatient. In 2004 Congress took action to reform the DHS and the intelligence and security apparatus. In an effort to re-focus DHS activities to the modern threat environment, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. The Act revised a number of provisions of the National Security Act of 1947. It set guidelines for information sharing, inter-agency cooperation and covert operations. Five years later some of its provisions have been addressed; many have not. Prevention and Preparation The Department of Homeland Security is a vast organization with a vast number of duties. It is responsible for both day-to-day protection of the homeland and strategic long-term efforts to prevent terrorism in the future. Additionally it must respond to attacks already under way and is often called in on natural disaster situations. DHS duties on any given day include, but are not limited to: †¦ screening 1. 5 million airline passengers [and] inspecting 57,006 shipping containers†¦ very day DHS reviews 2200 intelligence reports. [It] stands watch over 8,000 federal facilities and pieces of critical infrastructure. (Brzezinski, 2004) The Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 was intended to further streamline inter-agency cooperation between the many departments of the DHS. In some cases, such as the apprehension of alleged terrorist cells in Buffalo, NY and Miami, FLA, better cooperation has been evident. However, reports of turf wars and lack of cooperation still surface periodically. In some cases the DHS has had a tin ear in regards to Congress and the American people. Frequent news stories have made the public aware of the vulnerability of U. S. ports. Only a tiny percentage of the cargo that passes through these ports is screened. Technology and manpower to do so thoroughly are still limited. In response to public pressure, Congress strengthened port security provisions in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. The response from DHS was anything but urgent: The Department (Homeland Security) resisted 100 percent screening and offered a half measure involving known shippers†¦ Congress in 2007 mandated full inspection of shipping containers, which has not yet been implemented. (Clarke, 2008) The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is primarily responsible for both passenger and cargo security. It defends its record by pointing to several accomplishments. These include: screening of 700,000 port workers and issuing of directives mandating 100% screening of â€Å"high risk† cargo (The Library of Congress, 2004). These efforts still fall short of what Congress has mandated. Much recent focus has gone into the issue of border security. DHS has made progress on, but not completed a border fence. Border Patrol personnel have been increased. Technology for detecting illegal entry is improving, including the use of Predator drones to detect illegal crossers so Border Patrol can then be deployed. In response to criticism the DHS and ICE, its immigration division, have been forced to end the â€Å"catch and release† policy that was in place for many years. According to the DHS, the number of illegal aliens interdicted at the border has decreased. DHS and the border patrol claim this as evidence that their efforts are successful. It is likely, however, that additional factors explain the decrease in interdictions. Events in Mexico, the downturn in the U.  S. economy and more sophisticated means of entering the country also play a role. The FBI and CIA in tandem with local police are employing more sophisticated surveillance and search tools as well as providing security at large events that could be inviting targets for terrorists. Infrastructure security has improved but many important locations still lack adequate security. These include local water/sewer plants, electrical grids, mass transit systems and energy facilities. In the process of trying to provide such protections the DHS has had to face criticism from civil libertarians. An ongoing debate continues about where national security crosses the line into being an erosion of hard-earned American civil rights. This debate is likely to continue in perpetuity. The changing landscapes of threat and fear alter the position of that line. After the 9/11 attacks, Americans were much more willing to trade civil rights for a perceived sense of security. In the years since many of the actions taken during that time, such as domestic warrantless wire tapping and random airport searches have come under heavy criticism. It is likely that the DHS is engaging in a number of unknown activities that would be highly disturbing to the general public. This has always been true of the American intelligence and security establishment. There is no evidence that these activities are any worse or more prevalent since the founding of the DHS. In defense of the DHS, the organization must toe a slippery line. It is expected to take extraordinary measures to protect the nation. What is too extraordinary is never well-defined or unchanging. Bang for the Buck? The Department of Homeland Security has not been without certain successes. The Science and Technology Directorate has been a standout among the many branches of DHS. Composed of some of the finest minds in the world, the Directorate has made significant advances in a number of different areas targeted toward fulfillment of the Intelligence Act of 2004. The US-VISIT program has made progress in the area of VISA overstays. Behavior spotting software is helping agents at ports of entry to identify and address suspicious behavior. DNA mapping technology is helping to more quickly identify biological agents and assess any potential threat. At the same time an early warning system for these agents is in development. All of these developments have both civilian and military applications. On the forefront of information security is the Einstein 3 project currently undergoing testing. A Washington Post report describes the initiative this way: â€Å"the plan called for telecommunications companies to route the Internet traffic of civilian agencies through a monitoring box that would search for and block computer codes designed to penetrate or otherwise compromise networks† (Nakashima, 2009). If successful, Einstein 3 could help ensure secrecy of vital infrastructure and security information. This is all the more important in light of recent reports of widespread hacking of government computers. Analysts suspect, but are still unable to prove, that North Korean or Chinese hackers are responsible for the repeated breaches in security. The American public may have assumed that the founding of DHS represented a massive financial investment in America’s security. In reality, the DHS budget is not substantially more than its individual agencies were already receiving. The truth of the matter is that Homeland Security is a shoestring operation† (Brzezinski, 2004). This explains a lot about why measures deemed critical and necessary in 2001, and again in 2004, still have not been implemented. The agency is supposed to be free of the turf wars that plagued the intelligence community in the past. Because the individual agencies still lobby for a limited amount of funds this is not the reality. The harshest critics of the agency believe that is too much about appearing to do something and not enough about actually doing something. The confusing color-coded terror warning system is one such example. Col. David Hunt (ret. ) writes of such efforts: â€Å"Colors, duct tape and wooden desks don’t stop 10 – kiloton bombs or terrorists† (2005). With a new administration in power the DHS is considering dropping or altering the color-code warning system. Each time the alert system is raised costs are incurred by local, state and federal governments. The public has become oblivious to the system since specific information about the threat or what to do are never given. The ability of Americans to travel freely is the key to its future prosperity. For that reason a great deal of attention has been given to transportation links such as railroads, subways and airlines. The results have been mixed. Airport security, perhaps the most visible of DHS efforts has come under withering criticism. Inevitably errors will make better news than successes. The errors are numerous however, and come not only in the execution of policy but in the policies themselves. For example: â€Å"Our government keeps no fewer than twelve watch lists that we can choose from. Mind you, not one consolidated list; that would be too easy† (Hunt, 2005). Much of airport security has been federalized, but that does not mean the system is operating smoothly. The watch lists are anything but accurate. Babies and young children have been flagged. Even a U. S. Representative, Sen. Edward Kennedy was stopped because he somehow appeared on a list. Random checks that result in searches of senior citizens, disabled people and children have been a public relations nightmare for the TSA, the organization within DHS responsible for travel safety. Coping with these problems makes the jobs of airport screeners, many of whom are still being trained, all the more difficult. The TSA has required airlines to make certain security changes like locking cabin doors. On a random number of flights an armed federal air marshal is seated in the cabin. The prevalence of these marshals is a secret held tightly by the TSA. Random security checks run by independent agencies still raise concerns about the ease of getting potentially dangerous material on board domestic aircraft. Meanwhile the lack of a terrorist incident since the attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid has led to a false sense of security. Since the border issue reached critical mass during the second term of President George W. Bush spending on border security has increased. Critics worry that this increase has come at the expense of other critical DHS efforts. â€Å"Department officials concede that most of the Homeland Security money is being funneled into one mission – controlling the border with Mexico† (Alden, 2008). The DHS and border patrol are fulfilling mandates of the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. But lack funding to complete many other initiatives. Analysis and Conclusion The Department of Homeland Security was proposed as an organization free of political influence. The reality is much different. A giant organization with tentacles stretching in numerous directions is inevitably political when funding for it is limited. DHS has the problems of any other Washington bureaucracy. The organization has garnered mixed reviews from independent analysts. To date there has not been another serious terrorist attack in the United States since 2001. A number of Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda- inspired cells have been infiltrated and brought to justice. The DHS should be given credit where credit is due in that regard. At the same time the actions of DHS have raised concerns that the civil rights of Americans are being eroded. It is also misleading to assume that the lack of attacks since 2001 is a strong indicator that the country is safe. In fact it is dangerous to assume so. The efforts of U. S. forces overseas probably have had as much to do as anything with the lack of attacks on American soil. At the same time, the enemy who successfully executed the 9/11 attacks did so after years of planning. It is very likely that they, or some other enemy is studying the cracks in the Homeland Security apparatus in preparation for a future attack. This is a 21st century reality. DHS was given license after 9/11 to take shortcuts around the civil rights of individuals in the name of national security. Each successive generation of Americans will have to decide what they are willing to give up for a sense of security that may or may not be realistic. Has the DHS protected America from terrorist attacks? Yes and no. Some of the actions it has taken have had clear-cut results. Others have not. Can it protect the homeland for the foreseeable future? Probably not. The DHS has not met many of its original mandates, as well as the mandates from the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. In certain instances it has shown the kind of bureaucratic inflexibility that allowed for the 9/11 attacks to take place. The American government has to be right every time – The terrorists only have to be right once.

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline Essay

This paper discusses a timeline of the development of nursing science history starting with Florence Nightingale to present times. Florence Nightingale will always be associated with nursing, regardless how the field of nursing changes. Significant historical events to include dates which have enhanced the field of nursing will be discussed. Over the past century, the field of nursing has been positively impacted by numerous theories. (Kendall, 2011). Florence Nightingale, worked to improve conditions of soldiers in the Crimean War (1854), and she is known for laying the foundation for professional nursing (Kendall, 2011). Statistical charts and graphs were utilized by Florence Nightingale for the support of her theory as the first nursing theory (Donahue, 1996). For example, her theory related to a positive, clean environment. In 1859, Florence Nightingale published a small book called Notes on Nursing, relating to how to take care of babies (Florence Nightingale). Florence Nightingale was responsible for providing a new image for female nurses as a profession. She opened the Nightingale School of Nursing, the first formal nurse training program (Brestovansky, 2014). For example, the Nightingale Training School was opened in 1860, and modern nursing was created (Florence Nightingale). She also reformed midwife practices and established a health visitor service in Britain (Brestovansky, 2014). The 1950’s introduced theorists such as Orem and Peplau, and the existence of psychological theories entered during this century (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). For example, the patient’s needs were a focus of the theories related to psychology. The self-care theory related to a goal of a person caring for themselves. And if they are not self-deficit, a nurse will be expected to care for the individual (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). During this same period of the 1950’s, a developmental theory was developed that related to nursing and interpersonal relationships (Kiikkala and Munnukka, 2006). Peplau’s  theory regarded nursing as interpersonal because of a common goal between two or more people (2011). This common goal contributed to a mutual respect between the patient and nurse (Peplau, 2011). Nursing Theory Timelines (Development of Nursing, 2013). 1860- Florence Nightingale: Manipulating the client’s environment facilitates the body’s reparative processes. 1952- Hildegard Peplau: Nursing is a therapeutic interpersonal process. 1955- Henderson: The needs often called Henderson’s 14 basic needs. 1960- Faye Abdellah: The nursing theory describes delivering of nursing care for the whole person. It relates to the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs of the client and family. 1962- Ida Orlando: The client is an individual that has a need. When met distress diminishes, adequacy increases, or enhances well-being. 1968- Dorothy Johnson’s theory of nursing focuses on the client’s adaption to illness. It also focuses on how actual or potential stress can affect the ability to adapt. The focus of the goal is on nursing to reduce stress. Therefore, the client can move more easily through recovery. 1970- Martha Rogers Theory: Health Promotion wellness, prevention of illness, and rehabilitation of the ill and disabled client through â€Å"humanistic science of nursing 1971-Dorothea Orem: The theory is about a self-care deficit theory. Nursing care becomes necessary when the client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental, or social needs. 1971- Imogene King: Communication can assist the individual reestablish positive adaptation to environment. 1972- Betty Neumann: The goal of system model of nursing practice is stress reduction . 1979- Roy Callista: The adaptation model is based on the physiological, psychological, sociological and dependence-independence adaptive modes. 1979- Watson’s Theory: Watson’s philosophy defines the outcome of nursing activity in regard to the; humanistic aspects of life. The 1990’s-2000’s consists of numerous research studies which test and e xpand nursing theory (History of Nursing Science, 2013). The late 20th century continued to expand research studies and nursing theories. Practice orientation was the focus in the late 20th century which continues today Nursing Science and Profession Relationship Nursing science and the profession have been seen as complex for  numerous years (Lindberg, 2005). According to Lindberg, the complexity of the healthcare system, increased technology, and the speed of care provided are contributors to the complexity of nursing science and the professional relationship. Science provides an increasing flow of contributions to the nursing care delivery which enhances the professional relationship (Lindberg, 2005). It is vital for nursing scholars and leaders to get involved in the new science for insights that will enable nurses to enhance the well-being of patients (Lindberg, 2005). For example, nurses play a central role in health care; a complex system, and they interact with numerous elements of the system. These elements involve patients, families, physicians, communities and public health agencies according to Lindberg (2005). Influences on Nursing Science of Other Disciplines The disciplines of philosophy, religion, education, anthropology, social sciences and psychology positively impact nursing (History of Nursing Science, 2013). According to The History of Nursing Science (2013), the individuals impacted by these disciplines are the ones who deliver nursing practice. Conclusion The roles of nurses continue to expand, and theories are used to improve quality of care. A time line of important events in the field of nursing which. has contributed to the profession has been discussed. Nursing is committed to serve the healthcare needs of society. Throughout history, nursing has shown the uniqueness of the profession. The nursing practice benefits daily from the interaction with other disciplines. Numerous positive outcomes have occurred throughout the decades with the use of theories for the enhancement of the quality of patient care. References Brestovansky, L (2014). A history in nursing. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5364906_history-nursing.html Development of Nursing Theories (2013). Retrieved from http://www.currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/development_of_nursing_theories.html Donahue, P. A. (1996). Nursing: The Finest Art (2nd ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. Nightingale, F. Timeline part 2:1850-1901. Retrieved from http://www.countryjoe.com/nightingale/tl2.htm Kendall, C. (2010). Nursing history theory and timeline. Retrieved from http://www.careerpath360.com/index.php/nursing-history-theory-and-timeline- 10767/ Kiikkala PhD, I., & Munnukka PhD, T. (2006). Nursing Research: On What Basis? [Entire issue]. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19(2). doi: 10.1111/j.1365- 2648.1994. tb01087.x Lindberg, C. (2005). Complexity: The science of the 21st century. Retrieved from https://stti.confex.com/stti/bcscience38/techprogram/paper_25908.htm Peplau, H. (2011). Theory of interpersonal relationships.. Retrieved from http://nursingtheories.weebly.com/hildegard-e-peplau.html The History of Nursing Theory (2013). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/nfrrptnxrczz/the-history-of-nursing-science/

Staffing difficulties in the long term care nursing Essay

Staffing difficulties in the long term care nursing - Essay Example A recent research effort suggests that nearly 60% of all people will need extended help in one or more of the areas above during their lifetime (Thomas, 2008). The need for long-term care may for a short period or it may go on for years because it all depends on the underlying reasons for requiring the care. Temporary long term care includes nursing care needed for patient rehabilitation from a hospital stay, recovery from illness, recovery from injury, recovery from surgery and care needed by those with terminal medical condition (Dickinson, 2006). On the other hand, ongoing long term care is help need by those with chronic medical conditions, chronic severe pain, permanent disabilities and those with dementia among others. The main objective of this research paper is to examine staffing difficulties in long term care nursing One main staffing difficulty in the long term care nursing is clinical hand over. Clinical handover is the transfer of responsibility for care of patients between health care professionals (Whitt N, 2007). To this date, with the ever-transformation face of working hours for nurses the domain of handovers has come under debate in recent years. There is little or no study that has been carried out in this area and globally there is meager literature about nurse handovers in the long term care nursing. It is truer to say that as nurse work hours decrease, the number of handovers conducted should logically increase. In addition, the benefit of the patient being treated by a less fatigued nurse may be offset by the risk of information breakdown due to poor handover practices and systems (Whitt N, 2007). A reviewed research has found that more than half of nurses report that they had encountered difficulties more than seven times in their most recent clinical rotation. This in essence directly contributes to a poor handover in the long-term nursing care.. Other studies reveal

Position Paper on Kouzes & Posner style of leadership Essay

Position Paper on Kouzes & Posner style of leadership - Essay Example The examples and case studies used in this humble work indicate my genuine concern to the area of their focus. To be precise, the paper as a whole tends to demonstrate the best model of leadership- a Kouzes-Posner perspective-that is apt to the changing socio-economic, cultural environment. Successful completion of every venture depends on well assigned goals and effective coordination of human efforts. Certain organizational objectives require long term endurance and strategic approach as the proverb reminds, â€Å"Rome is not built in a day.† In contrast, immediate strategies and intensive actions are essential for short term projects. Regardless of the condition (no matter political or organizational) leaders assigned to integrate the whole HR have pivotal roles and responsibilities in aligning the citizens/workforce to accomplish the intended mission. In other words, â€Å"those who are granted power must be held accountable†. (Gardner 1993, p. 153). The factors that determine the significance of an achievement are the pain, relentless efforts, perseverance and long term training undergone by individuals and groups. At this juncture, how these various factors could be integrated in a highly fragmented, social environment is the major concern of presen t day leadership. To my hunch, Kouzes-Posner could be the best model to illustrate the essentials of leadership. The theme lines of the story of the beautiful movie, ‘Stand and Deliver’ speak about the determining structure of any organization under the leadership of an effective manager. The story of the movie may be taken as a reflection of what actually happens in many organizational setups where raise and fall of a leader take very little time to happen (Jesness, 2002). From the light of the critical evaluation of the content covered in the article, the leadership issue hiding here is understood as ‘Strategic Leadership Failure’. According to

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

Summarize - Essay Example This resulted in the issuance of Basel II by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), which was set by the governors of the G10 countries. In the attempt of Basel II to increase the amount of capital held by banks, the concept of operational risk was introduced for the first time. Following this move, the Capital Requirements Directive was introduced in the EU, and shortly after the ICAAP was developed. The provisions of Basel II included the setting of the minimum capital to be held by banks, the risk types covered, the winding down requirement for businesses and company’s disclosure requirements. The application of Basel II started with the banks and insurers and then Asset management firms and brokerages. The approach towards the application of the Basel II by these institutions was determined by both the complexity and the size of the institutions. Thus, since 2000, the subject of risk management started to grow, and different approaches to the concept started to developed. The requirements of risk management are risk appetite, defined as how much risk a firm is ready to accept, the risk assessment process, KRI’s-the metric showing when a risk is about to occur, error management, risk technology and risk governance. Between 2002 and 2010 the setting up of risk management departments continued, while negative organizational culture also emerged as a big operational risk. The rise of operational risks was marked by noughties frauds valued at $22.31bn, followed by John Rusnak Allied Irish Bank fraud 2002 and then the Peter Young Morgan Grenfell trading fraud 1997. The collapse of the Lehman Brothers in 2008 continued the rogue trading and risk operational activities, causing a regulatory reaction by the EU, which pushed the limits on fund management higher. Subsequently, the Basel III, CRD 2 and 3 Solvency II were also developed to push up the industry understanding of the risk management. This was followed by

Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy - Essay Example symptoms of motor milestone delayed motor milestones and weakness of the proximal muscles, are followed by delayed language milestones (Language Skills Delayed in Muscular Dystrophy Patients, 2007). Should curvature extend between thirty-five and forty-five degrees by the age of twelve, surgery may be considered, but it is a major surgical process with significant surgical risk involved. (Tsao & Mendell, 1999). The first step taken was to search the local libraries for books and journals for information on DMD. The next step was to use the Internet to expand the search. The medical databases of Medscape, PubMed, Medline and BioMed were used for this purpose. Search terms included â€Å"duchenne’s muscular dystrophy†, â€Å"diagnosis of duchenne’s muscular dystrophy†, â€Å"pathophysiology of duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and â€Å"treatment of duchenne’s muscular dystrophy†. Hawker, G. A., Ridout, R., Harris, V. A., Chase, C. C., Fielding, L. J., & Biggar, W. D. (2005). Alendronate in the treatment of low bone mass in steroid-treated boys with Duchennes muscular dystrophy. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 86(2),

GLOBAL MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

GLOBAL MARKETING - Essay Example This strategy employed by the counterfeiters thus happens to populate larger parts of the global market for fashionable and luxury products. However the counterfeiting activities in regards to the fashionable or luxury products are generally divided into two aspects-deceptive and non-deceptive in nature. Deceptive practices of counterfeiting are such where the purchaser is not aware that the product procured is not a branded product, rather counterfeit in nature. Replication is created as such to totally deceit the purchaser. However in the second case the purchaser becomes aware that the product procured are a counterfeit and not a real branded product. Herein the purchaser is rendered clues by the counterfeiter of the luxury or fashionable product in regards to the area from where such commodity is made available for purchasing. Further the quality and pricing standards of the products rendered also help the purchaser in rightly identifying that the products purchased are not genui ne branded ones but rather are counterfeit products (Juggessur and Cohen, 2008, p.390). Counterfeit as a Growing Threat to the Luxury Retail Market Observation made shows that regions like China are turning out as the greatest contributor of counterfeit products in the world. The Chinese economy is found to have become the largest manufacturer and exporter of counterfeit luxury products that are seeking entry into developed markets of the world like United States, United Kingdom, Russia and several other regions pertaining to Europe. Moreover the counterfeit products are also making a foray into several Middle East nations where the demand for luxury products is indeed huge in nature. This large expanse of trade and exports pertaining to the realm of counterfeit products in luxury retail is happening to render an impending threat to the market for genuine luxury products. Market shares for the luxury products are largely being taken over by the rise in counterfeit trade practices. F urther the rise in the level of counterfeit activities largely impacts the brand image of the original luxury brands thereby making the branded manufacturers to increase the level of expenditures pertaining to its marketing and promotion. Thereby the rise in the counterfeit market on a growing scale has made the markets of genuine brands to largely shrink thereby impacting the job markets and also in making the price for the products to increase. The growing threat and impact of counterfeiting practices in regards to luxury and fashionable products can further be observed from some statistics. During 2005, the customs body pertaining to United Kingdom happened to seize a huge package of products out of which around 64 percent was found to be counterfeited. Similarly another statistics revealed during 2003 reflects that a seize made by customs body pertaining to United States contained around 6500 counterfeit products valued to around $94 billion. During the same period the customs b ody pertaining to European Union conducted a huge seize of counterfeit pr

Speech on Dicken and Chandler or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Dicken and Chandler - Speech or Presentation Example The multinational companies do not always fulfil their share of bargain of developing the country they are in economically (Dicken, 2010) and this becomes a great challenge to the local people. In order for the government to ensure that their people benefit from the revenue and work by the multinational companies, they should insist on being shareholders in the project as well as provide its own set of conditions before allowing the company to set base in the nation. By the companies including the local people, it will mean that soon the locals will have knowledge, expertise and financial means to start their own businesses which will contribute towards competitiveness as well as building up industries (Reich, 2010). The more the multinational companies set camp in the country, the more the revenue will be collected and the more the national competition will be on the increase. The more the revenue is generated by the companies which goes to the government, the more the government wi ll be in a position to build its own industries as well as develop the others already present and modernize them. This will be possible only if the human capital is being fully utilized as well as the managers and top officials of the government are coordinating with each other.

Water Pollution Plan Essay Example for Free

Water Pollution Plan Essay The Ocmulgee River runs from Lake Jackson and winds its way through thirty-three counties in Georgia before emptying into the Altamaha River. The river winds over 6, 180 square miles. Many towns can be found along the path of this river. Hawkinsville, Georgia is one of these towns. It is a city in the Pulaski County. A favorite past-time for many in Hawkinsville is the numerous fishing trips that are taken on this river every spring or summer. People from all over the south come to the Ocmulgee River to canoe down through its winding paths and beautiful forests. With the increased activity comes an increase in the amount of trash and pollution that is dumped into the river. Water Pollution in Ocmulgee River Nowadays, Ocmulgee River is already polluted. Trash is thrown into the river from boats, docks and people who are walking along the banks. People take the beauty of the river and its surrounding nature for granite. Oil and gasoline from increased boating activity leaks into the river and further contaminates the water. With new park, recreation and subdivision areas being built near the riverbanks, there is an increase in the concern over the pollution that is being dumped into the river. At one time, Hawkinsville had a textile facility located directly on the riverbank. This became a dumping site for trash and other debris that the factory no longer needed and chose not to cart off. Ways to Reduce the Water Pollution in Ocmulgee River There are several ways in order to reduce the water pollution in Ocmulgee River. According to an article published by the State Water Resources Control Board-California Environmental Protection Agency, there are some ways that can be followed in order to prevent water pollution while having outdoor community events, recreation outdoors and other recreational activities like boating (Rukeyser, 2006). First is to plan ahead and be prepared always. Bring the necessary things needed for the activity as well as emergency must-have like maps. When planning for an outdoor activity, meticulously take into account some practical means on how to reuse some items you are planning to buy. Make sure that the materials you will buy can be use after your first outdoor activity. Next is to camp on sturdy places. Also, try position up camps in more or less 200 feet away from the border of the lakes, rivers, streams and other bodies of water to prevent adding water pollution. As much as possible, have small campfires and put them off afterwards as well as spread out the cooled ash in the place. In addition, use proper sanitary facilities. If the likes are not available, bury body wastes in ‘cat holes or burrow six to eight inches deep at 200 feet away from the body of water. This is to ensure that the wastes will not contribute to water pollution especially when rain runoff occurs. Then, properly dispose all garbage. Also, clean up objects around you so that you will leave the place clean. Moreover, always dispose garbage in wastebaskets. In some parks, wastebaskets are provided so make sure to throw your litter. If not, take your recyclables and other garbage home and not just irresponsibly dispose it in the area. Furthermore, do not collect items such as natural, historical and cultural objects you saw in the place. Leave them as it is. Do not disturb the wildlife you see in the place especially during crucial periods such as winter, nesting or rearing young. As much as possible, do not bring your pets along with you so as to minimize the disturbance of the wildlife in the area. Likewise, respect and be understanding to other visitors. Stay away from activities that make loud noise. If possible, keep distance with other campers. Lastly, always follow the ‘Leave no Trace’ principles when having recreations outdoors. On the other hand, in order to lessen the pollution caused by the oil and gasoline from boating activities, use human powered recreational boats like canoes, rafts, kayaks, paddles and other non-motor powered equipments like skates and bicycles. In this case, it is not only water pollution that is reduced but air pollution as well. If there are factories that are situated near a body of water, they should provide facilities for the appropriate disposal of some hazardous wastes. These also should be labeled for proper identification. Other Approach in Reducing the Water Pollution in Ocmulgee River There are also volunteer programs whose main aim is to keep the waters of Georgia clean. For instance, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Watershed Protection Branch has an annual program wherein the community volunteers and the 4-H office team up with them to host the annual Rivers Alive Ocmulgee clean up for the Hawkinsville-Pulaski County area. There is a pleasing outcome of the activity since everybody is involved, even the school children participates in cleaning the banks’ trash and other debris that has been dumped in or near the river. In return, the volunteers are treated to breakfast by the local 4-H office and are given a Rivers Alive shirt after the clean up to show their participation in the said annual function. Reference: Rukeyser, W. L. (2006, February 14). TIPS ON REDUCING STORM WATER POLLUTION Retrieved February 24, 2007, from http://www. swrcb. ca. gov/erasethewaste/reduce. html#community

International Problems in the Uk Essay Example for Free

International Problems in the Uk Essay This study aimed at investigating the academic writing problems of the Arab postgraduate students of the College of Business at Universiti Utara Malaysia and to provide solutions to these problems. For this purpose, four research questions were posed and the answers to these questions were provided and discussed. The data for the study were collected via (face-to-face) interviews. The informants of this study were postgraduate students from the College of Business at Universiti Utara Malaysia for the academic year 2008-2009. The findings of the study revealed that the students faced problems in relation to vocabulary register, organization of ideas, grammar, spelling, and referencing. Introduction Nowadays, English plays an important role in education and students are expected to communicate effectively in institutions where English is the medium of instruction. Learners face the task of mastering content area in subjects such as mathematics, social studies, science, and business which are taught in the target language (English). In such cases, teaching and learning of English can help the students to deal successfully with their academic demands and to perform successfully in their disciplines and professional contexts (Adams Keene, 2000). WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 1 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info In the academic context, Dudley-Evans St. John (1998) point out that the students are required to produce specific writing genres such as essay, summary, critical review, and research paper. However, focus on the distinguishing regularities of structure of different text types can help learners build a repertoire of the organization and the relevant language forms of different genres. It can also make learners aware of the socio-linguistic role that texts play in particular discourse communities. In postgraduate studies in Malaysia, as pointed out by Baskaran (1983), English plays a vital role in helping to initiate students into the academic community in acquiring not only the language proficiency necessary but the specific genres pertaining to these communities. Like any second language learners, Arab learners face many problems in acquiring English. Many studies (Abbad, 1988; Hisham, 2008; Rabab`ah, 2003; Zughoul and Taminian, 1984) have been conducted in the Arab world to investigate the problems of acquiring English among Arab learners. Zughoul and Taminian (1984: 4) found that â€Å"Jordanian EFL students commit serious lexical errors while communicating in English. † Rabab`ah (2003) emphasized that there were problems of acquiring English among Arab learners because of formal instruction by language teachers who are native speakers of Arabic. Another reason given by Rabab`ah (2003) was the limited opportunities Arab learners have to learn English through natural interaction in English since they only encounter native speakers of English who come to the Arab world as tourists. Hisham (2008) investigated the problems that Arab students of business might have at University WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 2 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Utara Malaysia. He found that those students face problems in vocabulary register, grammar, and referencing. Abbad (1988: 15) admits the weakness of Yemeni learners of English, and he states that â€Å"in spite of the low proficiency level in English of most applicants (Yemeni learners), they are accepted into the English department. † In most of the Arab universities, high school graduates are still accepted to pursue a program, such as English Studies, in spite of their weaknesses in that language. Arab learners find it difficult to communicate freely in English. Abbad (1988) mentions that their problems are due to the inappropriate methods of language teaching and the learning environment which some judge are unsuitable for learning a foreign language. The students appeared to have many problems when writing in English, like not knowing how to organize their ideas, because it is a new experience for them. For students to succeed in a foreign language generally, and writing skills specifically, they need to surround themselves in a language learning environment. In the case of the Arab world, Arab learners have little opportunities to use the foreign language in their society. As a result, many problems occur when they study at a university where the medium of instruction is a foreign language like English. Literature Review English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is divided into English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). It aims to prepare students, in a relatively short period of time, to communicate, read, and write better so they can work WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 3 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info appropriately and successfully in certain activities. In order to achieve this goal, ESP activities have to be presented in context because context is the central idea of ESP. The other point that has to be taken into consideration in teaching ESP is to use authentic materials; this will lead the students to acquire what they need to develop for their jobs (Hutchinson Waters 1987). According to Dudley-Evans (2001), the absolute characteristics of ESP are: †¢ †¢ ESP is designed to meet the specific needs of the learners. ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the specialization it serves. †¢ It is centered not only on the language (grammar, lexis, register), but also on the skills, discourses and genres appropriate to those activities. English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) EOP can be grouped into business English, professional English (e. g. English for doctors, lawyers) and vocational English (e. g. English for tourism, aviation, and nursing). Several studies (Flanegin and Rudd, 2000; Goffman, 1979; Pakir, 1999, Puvenesvary, 2003) have been conducted on the importance of English in the occupational fields. Flanegin and Rudd (2000) discuss the need and importance of English skills in all professions. In addition, they emphasize on the importance of communication skills in the business and management fields by suggesting some solutions to enable students to be good communicators in business majors. Goffman (1979) indicates that business negotiations are carried out and letters are usually written in English. This sometimes discomforts those whose first language is not English. WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 4 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info The use of English is even more widespread because of the business-environment revolution. In fact, Pakir (1999) points out that the spread of English is most likely to continue because of the rapid spread of telecommunication, mass communication, business, and internet links. Thousands of international non-native to non-native communication and deals are undertaken daily in a huge number of settings: trade, diplomacy, tourism, journalism, science and technology, politics etc. As a result, there is a need to ensure there are competent writers and speakers of English. Puvenesvary (2003) reveals the importance of being a competent writer of English in the banking sector in Malaysia and the consequences of poorly-written business letters to clients. Methodologies for Teaching Writing for Academic Purposes Prior to discussing the theories related to writing for academic purposes, a few studies will be highlighted in relation to writing problems (Arndt, 1987; Badger and White, 2000; Davies, 1988; Hyland, 2003; Jordan, 1997; Kambal, 1980; Myles, 2002; Paltridge, 2001; Silva, 1990; Smith, 1982; Swale, 1990; Tribble, 1996; Vygotsky, 1978; and Zughoul and Husain, 1985). Kambal (1980) analyzed errors in three types of free composition written by first year Sudanese university students. The study took into consideration the major syntactic errors made by these students in the verb phrase and the noun phrase. Also, Kambal (1980) reported that the three main types of errors made in the verb phrase are verb formation, tense, and subject-verb agreement. He discussed errors in tense within five categories: tense sequence, tense substitution, tense marker, deletion, and confusion of perfect tenses. WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 5 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info The findings of this study reveal that the third-person singular marker was used redundantly, and they also revealed the use of the incorrect form of verb to be. Zughoul and Husain (1985) point out that the lack of lexical variety, subordination, and their heavy reliance on redundancy that does not add any new information to the text are the main problems learners have in writing skills. As a result, L2 practitioners are still in search of a coherent, comprehensive theory of the teaching of writing. The major writing theories proposed in the literature are product, process, and genre. Product Approach According to Silva (1990), the product theory of writing highlights form and syntax and it emphasizes rhetorical drills. The product theory focuses on the written product rather than on how the learner should approach the process of writing. In this theory, writing concerns the knowledge about the structure of language, and writing development is the result of the imitation of input (Badger and White, 2000). In addition, Arndt (1987) argues that the importance of imitation and a model in this theory are not only for imitation but also for exploration of analysis. Similarly Myles (2002) confirms that if the students are not exposed to written model texts, their errors in writing are more likely to subsist. In fact, Jordan (1997) indicates that the students are required to focus on a model, form, and duplication. In other words, the students study model texts and attempt various exercises that enable them to draw attention to relevant features of a text, and then replicate them in their own writing. WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 6 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Process Approach Another theory which was proposed in order to teach writing is the process theory. Hyland (2003) indicates that the process theory focuses on how a text is written instead of the final outcome. He adds, the process theory has a major influence on understanding the nature of writing and the way writing is taught. Therefore, the process theory emphasizes on the importance of certain procedures such as pre-writing, drafting, evaluating, and revising. He pointed out that the process theory would involve introducing techniques that help the students identify and engage a topic; students are required to show multiple drafts of a work. After discussion and feedback from evaluators, the students would revise the drafts. Rewriting, revision, and editing are essential parts to writing in this theory. In a similar vein, Jordan (1997) states that process writing enables the students to make clearer decisions about the direction of their writing by certain procedures such as discussion, tasks, drafting, feedback, and informed choices. The advantage in adopting the process theory is in updating the importance of the cyclical and recursive nature of writing that is employed by native writers where ‘ordinarily pre-writing, writing, and rewriting frequently seem to be going on simultaneously’ (Smith, 1982: 104). Tribble (1996) explains the process-based approach in teaching academic writing. He says that the students first brainstorm in small groups the topic to be discussed in writing; this helps them to generate ideas before starting to write. This is followed by gathering an outline of the essay and individually writing its first draft. Students revise their first drafts WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 7 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010. http://www. esp-world.info and give them to other students for peer-reviewing and commenting on. The final stage is editing the essay by the writer himself/herself to eliminate all language errors. Thus, this approach focuses on process rather than product. Genre Approach The genre theory in writing emphasizes on the social context in which writing is produced (Badger and White, 2000). Swales (1990) explains that the genre theory is a class of communicative events and that the members of the communicative events share some set of communicative purposes which are identified by the expert members. In the academic context, the experts will be the lecturers who are teaching the various subjects. As claimed by Davies (1988), students, teachers, and subject tutors are all involved in the written language for a selected field of study and the forms of expression permitted within the field. Davies (1988: 131) suggests that the students, in aiming to attain academic success ‘somehow discover the criteria by which the different genres they produce are assessed. ’ He seems to suggest that the criteria are not made explicit to students. Swales (1990) emphasizes the genre-based approach in teaching academic writing. He focuses on analyzing communicative purposes of the text read by learners and the means used by the writers of these texts to reach such purposes. In this approach, the students learn to write their own texts trying to achieve similar communicative purposes by way of choosing the most suitable and expressive language means for that. WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh. 8 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Flowerdew (2002) views the genre approach as a dynamic approach which varies across time, across disciplines, and across instructors in the disciplines. Thus, the aim of the genre approach in writing is to help students master the conventions of a particular form of genre that is relevant to their specific situation. This approach requires collaboration with instructors from the disciplines, which may not always be possible (Flowerdew, 2002). It is important for the teachers to have cooperation with the students, with the teacher taking an authoritative role to support learners as they move towards their potential level of performance. Similarly, Paltridge (2001) proposes a framework that involves exploring the texts and contexts of students-target situation, enabling reflection on writing practices, exploiting texts from various types of genre and creating mixed genre portfolios. The Objectives of the Study The main objectives of the current study are: To investigate the types of writing carried out by Arab postgraduate students in the business programs at the College of Business at UUM. To investigate the writing problems that Arab postgraduate students face in their business programs at UUM. To find out the causes of the writing problems among Arab postgraduate students of business programs at UUM. To suggest some solutions to solve the writing problems among Arab postgraduate students in the business programs at UUM WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 9. ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Research Questions This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the types of writing carried out by Arab postgraduate students in the business programs at UUM? 2. What are the problems faced by the Arab postgraduate students of the business programs at UUM in relation to writing skills? 3. What are the causes of the writing problems among the Arab postgraduate students of the business programs at UUM? 4. How to overcome the writing problems faced by Arab postgraduate students of the business programs at UUM? Subjects The informants for this study were 10 Arab postgraduate students in the business programs of COB who are doing their master’s degree by coursework at Universiti Utara Malaysia. The informants have sat for the UUM English Language Placement Test and only three have passed this test. The informants are 5 Jordanians, 2 Iraqis, 2 Libyans, and 1 Yemeni. The age of the informants range from 25 to 40 (see table 3. 1). The original names of the students have been replaced with fictitious names in line with research ethics in keeping the identity of the informants confidential. Research Instrument This is a qualitative study and the researcher used semi-structured interviews to collect data. Gray (2004) indicates that the reasons for choosing qualitative methods for collecting data are: the need to attain highly personalized data, there are opportunities for WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 10 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info probing, a good return rate, and helps the respondents if they have difficulties with written language. Research Design This study is a qualitative study and it utilized semi-structured interviews in a face-toface interaction to explore the students’ beliefs and thoughts about certain topics, this is in line with Lynch’s (1996) view that, the use of semi-structured interviews enhances the understanding of the data and makes the data collection more systematic as compared to the informal conversational approach. Findings and Discussion The findings reported in the next section are based on the four questions posed in the students’ interviews. Writing Types in the Business Programs. It was found that the business students interviewed were required to write several types of academic texts: project papers, article reviews, summaries, reports, article critiques, proposals, comparative analyses, book reviews, essays, and case studies (see table 1). Table 1: Writing tasks in the business programs Interview Q1: what type of writing do S1 you carry out in your program? Projects 1 Total S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 (n=10) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 11. ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Article Reviews Summaries 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 3 Reports 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 Article critiques 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 Proposals 1 1 Comparative Analysis Book Reviews Essays Exams for 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 Case Studies 1 1 1 1 4 S=student As revealed by the study, students of the business programs are required to produce various genres of academic writing such as projects, article reviews, summaries, reports, article critiques, proposals, comparative analyses, book reviews, essays, and case studies. This is because these’ tasks require students to employ their critical thinking skills, read widely, and apply what they have learnt in their courses. This list of tasks provided partially concurs with the findings of Barbara et al. (1996) who pointed out that reports, WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 12 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info proposals, and projects are the most frequently written business tasks performed by business students. The identified tasks can provide English language instructors insights into selecting and implementing tasks for the English for Business courses. Teachers and curriculum developers can create business English courses based on the results of the needs analysis carried out in the study. Thus, teachers and curriculum developers can give special attention to tasks like projects and reports in the language courses, so that students can be well versed in these tasks. This is in line with the view of St. John (1996) and Chew (2005) who claimed that frequent target tasks can offer a tentative foundation for choosing and implementing tasks for the targeted Business English Communication course. Problems with the Writing Tasks It was found that while carrying out their writing tasks, the business students face problems in vocabulary, grammar, organization of ideas, spelling, and referencing (see table 2). Table 2: Problems with writing tasks in the business programs Interview Q. 2: What are the problems you face in carrying out the writing Total tasks? S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 (n=10) Vocabulary Problems (VP) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10. Register (VR) General (VG) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 7 13 WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Capacity (VC) Paraphrasing (P) Expressing Ideas (EI) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 8 Grammatical Problems (GP) Prepositions (GPP) Articles (GPA) Tenses (GPT) Word order Organization of ideas 1 1 1 3 Spelling Referencing APA Style (RS) Ignorant (RI) 1 1 1 1. As shown in this study, the postgraduate students of the COB programs at UUM have problems in English academic writing. The major problem that the students mentioned is vocabulary. This is because a reasonable vocabulary size is needed for students to function effectively in their programs. This concurs with Coxhead Nation (2001) who stated that approximately 2,000 words are seen in most uses of the English language. The standard list of these words is the General Service List (GSL) of English Words. The GSL is divided into two parts, the first one is GS1 which contains 1,000 words and the second part is GS2 which also contains 1,000 words. GS1 covers about 77% of academic texts and GS2 25%. The first category contains words that frequently appear in academic texts regardless of subject areas, but they are not common in non-academic materials. As WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 14 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info a result, learners have to learn the words in the GS2 so that they would have less difficulty in pursuing their postgraduate studies. In addition, Rabab`ah (2003) pointed out that the students often lack the necessary vocabulary when they are engaged in authentic communicative situations such as writing and speaking. As a result, the students will be unable to express their ideas freely and accurately because of their limited vocabulary. These difficulties can be solved by offering more discipline-specific reading courses in order to improve the students’ vocabulary size and depth to help them in their academic writing. Also, the students become aware of what to expect in their academic disciplines. This is in line with Kasper’s (2000) view that by providing materials that concentrate on content, the students can be aware of the concepts, audience, and the purpose of their academic disciplines. Moreover, the findings of the current study revealed that the students face difficulties in grammar. Grammar is extremely important in conveying accurate messages. Key grammatical forms include tenses, voices, modals, articles, nominalization, and logical connectors (Dudley-Evans St. John, 1998). Therefore, it is advisable to restrict these forms and create materials which enable the students to progress in their academic writing. This coincides with Hutchinson Waters (1987), who emphasized on identifying the grammatical forms and produced materials that took these forms as their syllabus. Allen Widdowson (1974) stated that the students’ needs could be only met by WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 15 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info a course that develops the knowledge of how sentences are combined together to make meanings. Another problem, which has been mentioned, was the problem of referencing. Writing references according to certain conventions (APA, IEEE, etc) helps the students to be scholarly writers and trains them in academic integrity. Using certain computer programs such as the End-Note program could help the students to achieve that purpose. As such, COB should conduct training sessions for students to use that kind of program which is available in the UUM library. Causes of Writing Problems It was found that the students attributed their problems in English to their weak foundation, environment, and methods of teaching English in their countries. Weak foundation is related to the status of English, the students’ motivation to learn English, and the teachers’ lack of interest. Environmental reasons include the use of the mother tongue, few opportunities to practice English, and isolated culture. On the other hand, methods of teaching English included the medium of instruction, using Arabic in English classes, writing done in Arabic, teachers’ low proficiency in English, and lack of writing practice in educational institutions (see Table 3). WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh. 16 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Table 3: Causes of problems in writing tasks in the business programs Interview Q3: Why do you think you have S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 Total these problems in writing? (n=10) 1 1 1 1 Weak Foundation (WF) 1 1 1 1 8 Status of English Motivation Teachers’ Lack of interest Environment 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 8 Mother tongue Few opportunities to practice English Isolated culture Methods of teaching English 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 2 1 7 Medium of instruction Writing done in Arabic Teachers’ low proficiency 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 1 1 Using Arabic in English classes Lack of practice writing in educational institutions 1 1 1 1 17 4 WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info Suggestions to overcome Academic Writing Problems Some suggestions were provided by the informants to improve their writing skills. Most of them emphasized the role of COB, others emphasized the learners’ roles, and some concentrated on the teachers’ roles, and the writing development process (see table 4. 4). Table 4. 4: Suggestions from the informants to overcome academic writing problems Interview Q4: How do you think you can improve your Academic Writing skills? Learner Autonomy (LA) S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 Total (n=10) 5 1 1 1 1 1 Reading Extensively Extra Classes Teachers’ Role (TR) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 5 Speak simple English Use multiple techniques Correct students’ errors Increase the number of writing tasks College Role (CR). 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 Discipline specific materials Discipline specific English test 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh 18 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info The students pointed out that teachers play an important role in improving their academic writing skills. They suggested that teachers ought to correct the students’ grammatical errors. This coincides with Gocsik (1997) who argued that dealing with the students’ grammatical errors, as they arise in students’ writing is helpful. By doing so, it helps to build students’ awareness of the different types of grammatical errors they are making and encourage them to check their errors by using grammar handbooks. Moreover, the students proposed that teachers should employ multiple teaching techniques in order to improve students’ academic writing. Using some fun activities like games and scrambled sentences would motivate the students’ in learning English. This concurs with Ober (1992) who emphasized on including micro-writing activities that focus on the students’ problems in writing and using activities that are simple and related to the students’ academic disciplines. The students also proposed that lecturers should increase the number of writing tasks. They believe that by doing so, they would strengthen their abilities in academic writing. In this way the students will be required to write some of the academic writing tasks, if these tasks were attached with the lectures’ feedback. The students will be aware of their errors and will try to improve their academic writing after knowing their weak points. This is in line with Russell (1991) who suggested including more writing in disciplinespecific courses because each discipline has its own terminologies of language use and style that can best be taught to students in the specific contexts of courses in the disciplines. WRITING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES: PROBLEMS FACED BY ARAB POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, UUM Fadi Maher Saleh Al-Khasawneh. 19 ESP World, Issue 2 (28), Volume 9, 2010, http://www. esp-world. info The students were aware that by providing discipline- specific English materials, they can develop their writing abilities. So, it is advisable for the college to initiate disciplinespecific English classes where materials contain discipline specific register. It is recommended that the students take intensive English courses which are related to their academic disciplines. This is to help familiarize students with the writing demands of their disciplines. This is in line with Jordan (1997) who indicated that the students are required to focus on their academic genres and duplication. In other words, the students study genre texts and attempt various exercises that enable them to draw attention to relevant features of a text, and then replicate them in their own writing. Conclusion For the purpose of exploring the problems that Arab postgraduate students at COB might face, an investigation was carried out on the writing tasks that are carried out and the causes of these problems, and suggestions to overcome these problems were provided. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The findings of the current study may help the curriculum developers to improve the current curriculum of COB and design Business English courses that could meet learners’ needs and wants. This coincides with Dudley-Evans (2001) who views ESP as a means to meet the specific needs of the learners. The ESP practitioners can utilize the findings of the study to design ESP courses which deals with the academic writing process.

International Expansion Plans Of Hardees In India Marketing Essay

International Expansion Plans Of Hardees In India Marketing Essay It is very important for a company to asses the market potential before it enters into that country. Since Hardees is being introduced for the first time in India, its very important to know if there is considerable potential and demand in the market. Hence, the report discusses the techniques to identify the market potential in India for the Hardees.In order to make a business successful, it should have a proper marketing plan developed for it, so that the product is recognized widely among its target audience. This can be only done when its product, placement, promotion, pricing and packaging is done appropriately. Hence at the ending section of the report addresses this area. Introduction to Hardees Hardees was established in 1960. CKE restaurants own it and are currently operating it. Hardees ranks number 4 in US Fast food restaurants. It mostly located in United States with its head quarters in St. Louis, Missouri. Wilber Hardee opened up his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina on September 9, 1960. Among all other food items it offers, the most famous ones are the Monster Thickburger, Nutritious breakfasts and Low-carb food. Over the years it has faced several problems and legal disputes too. But nothing has ever stopped Hardees from providing healthy and tasty food to the people who are fully loyal to it. These disputes include the Burger chef copyright disputes, the advertisement criticism and the thick burger campaign. Infrastructure: The infrastructure in India is improving and is stable enough to provide a supportive environment to the Fast food chains to flourish well. It has a positive relationship with all the strengths mentioned in the table above. While in the weaknesss case, only Infrastructure and Expensive than other fast food restaurants is having a negative relationship, due to the sole reason that Hardees is a foreign ccompany that will be needing something more than an average infrastructure, hence it will face some difficulty in coping up with the steady rise in this environmental factor. Political instability: Due to the stable political situations, it has a positive relationship reputation, RD and Franchise system while having a neutral relationship with the quality, hygiene, Trained Skilled Labor, unique taste and efficient services. While in the Weaknesss case, there is no relation of the prevailing political situation with any of the weaknesses of Hardees. Compliance laws: The compliance laws in India will definitely have a positive effect on Hardees quality, hygiene and reputation, while having a negative relation with the RD, Franchise system and trained and skilled labor. Since so much emphasis on these laws will definitely stop Hardees from operating freely and from bringing in innovation as well. While in weaknesss section the compliance laws have a negative impact on all the weaknesses of Hardees because the laws in India will surely object its questionable advertisements, high calorie content and its high price food items. Advance technology: the improving technology in I ill definitely support all the operations of Hardees. So its having a positive relationship with most of its strengths. The advance technology in India will help Hardees develop advertisements according to the culture of India and help people to accept the high calorie content in the burgers through logical explanations. But while using such high technology it will have to incur high costs making everything costly. Hence, in the weaknesss section, the technological development has positive relationship with the first two factors but negative with the last one as shown in the table previously. Security Threats: Since India faces no such security threats, hence it has Positive relationship with almost all of the strengths of Hardees. In order to take advance precautionary measures, Hardees will definitely have to increase its security measure, hence increasing its costs. Thus having a negative impact and making it more expensive. Media: the increasing exposure of media and more focus on it has allowed it to have a significant impact on the lives of people. Hence the Introduction of Hardees in India, can be facilitated through Media, while having a positive impact on all its operations. While in the weaknesses section, media can have a negative impact on making its high calorie content aspect and advertisements more questionable. But if Hardees plans to take control of this area then it will have to incur more cost making it more expensive. Inflation: The rising inflation will definitely have a significant negative relationship with all the strengths of Hardees. Except for Trained and skilled labor and franchise system because rising prices will negatively affect these areas. Inflation is having a negative impact on all the three weaknesses as shown in the table, due to the sole reason that the rising inflation will definitely effect each operation of Hardees in a negative way. Lifestyle changes: Due to the increasing western influence in India, people are moving more towards Fast food restaurants, hence changing their lifestyles. This changing factor definitely will definitely have a positive impact on all the operations of Hardees. Hence having positive relationship with all the strengths as shown in the table previously. The changing lifestyle in India has a positive impact on all the weaknesses as theyl be willing to accept the advertisements with an open mind and with a different perspective and accept the high calorie content in the food. More over theyll go for expensive food at Hardees with thinking that high quality comes with high price too. Income distribution: Mostly, the people in India lie in the lower class and very few in the upper class. Since Hardees is offering high priced quality food, it will definitely have a negative impact on Hardees success in India. Hence it can be seen that this factor has negative relationship with most of the strength factors. But the area where income distribution of India is positively related to its strengths is for the sole reason that Hardees cannot compromise on its taste, hygiene, reputation and franchise system. In the Weaknesses section, as we know that mostly the people living in India are from lower class or lower to upper-middle class, hence these people are not much diet conscious and will accept the fact that most of the burgers at Hardees are of high calorie content. Moreover knowing since Hardees has classified itself specifically for middle to upper class, hence it can easily target this class. The barriers to entry in the food industry are low because less technologically advanced equipments are needed, generally the target audience is in search of new food outlets, the expected retaliation by the existing competition is not that great and the new entrants gain experience soon enough to attract the customers. Moreover, there are no such patent protections making the entry of potential entrants easier. Although there is ease of entry but exit could be expensive as specialized assets are required to process the unique meals of Hardees. Competitive rivalry The current competition is very fierce which includes McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos and Subway. Although Hardees claims that its recipe is still not copied and no other burger is like the burgers they produce but for some price conscious customers Hardees offers undifferentiated products that they can easily buy from its competitors at reasonable prices. However, differences do exist with regard to the offering of different special Food deals for different customers. The threat of substitutes Substitutes for any food business are ample considering the size and competition of this industry. There are several large as well small food joints including multinationals like Mcdonalds, Pizza hut, subway etc when it comes to substitutes for Hardees which enable consumers easily to choose and switch over frequently, as the substitutes increase the demand for a particular class of products reduces as customers switch to the alternatives. Bargaining power of the buyer The number of consumers has grown over time due to the increasing demand and trend for fast food, which has helped them to exercise more power upon these restaurants. Bargaining power of the supplier: Locally there are a number of suppliers in the market for poultry, bakery and other raw materials; therefore, not enough pressure can be exercised by these suppliers, because if the terms are not settled with one, Hardees can certainly negotiate with others in the market. Although the number of restaurants have increased over the time thus giving rise to the demand of inputs (chicken, vegetables, sauces etc) however, the local suppliers do not have enough standing to exert power on restaurants like Hardees. Marketing Plan Product: Hardees offers breakfast, breakfasts sides, charbroiled burgers, sides, deserts, beverages, salads, sandwiches, roasted beef and chicken. This is the basic menu and underneath all these areas, there is a huge variety of options available for customers to select. All the food items are of high quality and are offered with great services. Placement: Distribution Channels Direct (Personal Selling) Hardees should adopt a personal selling policy for its customers. These should include Government Organizations, Hotels, Schools, Offices, Restaurants and Universities among others. In order to satisfy the local consumers, Hardees should adopt techniques ranging from phone, internet, and mail to personal visits. Indirect (Push and Pull) Hardees should adopt both push and pull strategies in the indirect channels. Depending on the sales needs in a specific period, it should offer sales promotions in the form of consumer promotions and trade promotions to boost sales in both the short and long run. Outlet area selection: Hardees should select the most famous areas in India for shopping and business centers. It should locate all its outlets in the most populated areas which are accessible by most of the population of India. This will help in increasing its sales in the beginning. Promotion: The only source of promotion that Hardees should adopt is to advertise through various effective Medias. Since its a fast food business, personal selling and trade promotions will not work here. Hence, to get effectively recognized in the fierce competition in India for Fast food, Hardees should advertise thoroughly with a full plan and system. Advertising Hardees should make use of many advertising mediums in order to reach the masses. The most important of all being TVC, Billboards, internet ads, broachers, TV and Print Media. There have been quite a lot of criticisms on Hardees advertisements in abroad, so marketers should make sure that they are careful enough in India to create non-offensive Ads. Pricing: Since Hardees targets the upper-middle and upper class specifically, so it will have to keep its prices high. But considering the fact that there is a fierce competition in this business in India, it should adopt competitive pricing to increase sales and profit from the huge masses of Indian communities are mostly from the average class.

Year 10 pre 1914 drama coursework :: English Literature

Year 10 pre 1914 drama coursework How does the presentation of Jo in a taste oh honey by Sheilagh Delaney link to the â€Å"kitchen sink drama† genre, popularised in the 1950’s and 1960’s In a taste of honey Helen is the mother of Jo. Helen and Jo both live together and they have just moved into a small bed-sit. Helen often argues with Jo. Jo, Later on in the play, has a black boyfriend, who, in the play, is only known as boy In a taste of honey all the characters experience a little bit of pleasure in their life. Helen marrying Peter, Jo and the black boy. However they all have to pay for this pleasure. Jo gets pregnant and the black boy leaves. Helen leaves Jo for peter and when this doesn’t work out Helen comes back to Jo. In the play Jo is subject to neglect. This is because her mother, Helen, leaves her alone at 15 to fend for herself. â€Å"I’ll be seeing you. Hey! If he doesn’t show up I’ll be back† This is the start of the period when Helen leaves Jo. At this stage in the play the readers don’t know if Jo will survive for long without Helen. Peter however se this and gives Jo a pound to have so she could buy food to eat. Jo’s role in the play is to show what it would be like in those times to be a single expectant mother. She also has the purpose of showing us how parents have influences on their children: for example Jo was created after Helen and Jo’s dad had a one-night stand. â€Å"I didn’t do it on purpose. How was I supposed to know that you’d materialize out of a little love affair that lasted 5 minutes?† this shows that Jo was a mistake and that Helen was an unmarried mother. However no matter how hard she tried Jo made that same mistake as Helen. In the 1950’s and 1960’s Jo would be called illegitimate because Helen wasnÂ’t married when Jo was conceived. However in today’s times Jo would not be called illegitimate because there are lots of people who have children before they get married. Helen doesn’t treat Jo with a lot of respect, as she doesn’t often tell however she is going. She also doesn’t support Jo when she needs her the most. Jo in this time left school at 15 because she didn’t have a full education so she wouldn’t have been able to get a properly paid job. This is typical of a kitchen sink drama because in those drama’s they were all about real

Brigate Rosse, or Red Brigade :: essays research papers fc

Table of Contents I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1 . II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History & Ideology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Activities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strength and Area of Operation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 VI.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the 1970’s and 1980’s, great fear had been spread throughout Italy. A group known as the Brigate Rosse, or Red Brigade, had developed and left its mark on the Italian political scene. Fear was commonplace as bomb plots, kneecappings, and assassinations became the norm. As we go through this paper, the fascinating yet horrifying story, including the history, ideology, and current activity of the Red Brigade will be told. History & Ideology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of the Red Brigade can be traced back to the year 1969. It arose out of the student protest movements of the late 60’s. It was a Marxist-Leninist group whose aim was to separate Italy from the Western Alliance. It borrowed the name, methods, and moral justifications from the earlier Italian Resistance movement during World War II. It's ideology advocated violence in the service of class warfare and revolution, and with Italy in political turmoil at the time, the Red Brigades enjoyed a certain degree of support from the Left. When the group first formed, it mostly concentrated on the assassinations and kidnappings of Italian Government members and private-sector targets, such as judges, corporate executives, university professors, and policemen. The idea behind that was to instill fear in the normal working class. That fear would not have been seen had the targets been a head of a company or a prime minister. Very few would have been afraid of th at same fate. During the years of 1975 to 1981, Italy experienced the worst the group had to offer. These years are affectionately known as the Years of Lead. It is a clear reference to the bullets that killed close to five hundred people during this period. Activities While a civil war was slowly burning throughout Italy, the Red Brigade, causing an entire society to live in fear, dealt out nearly eight thousand terrorist attacks. In addition to the aforementioned private sector targets, the Red Brigade conducted kidnappings and murders on high political targets, as well. In 1978, the Red Brigades kidnapped the former prime minister of Italy, Aldo Moro. He was held captive for nearly two months, before his body was finally dumped in the heart of Rome. Unfortunately for the Red Brigade, this had an adverse affect on its supporters, and the party quickly lost the support it had enjoyed earlier that decade. This did not stop them, however, as in 1981, Red Brigades operatives managed to kidnap General James Dozier, an American who held a position with NATO in Italy.

Toyota’s marketing strategy & practice

The total market capitalization is $507B. In terms of price performance, TATA Inc has shown the most impressive percentage change. They recorded a 2.2% increase while Daimterchryster showed a 0.25% increase. Honda co lagged behind the list of top performers with 0.13%. The lowest performers were Ford Co, Chicago, Toyota and Gen Motors with performance changes of –2.3%, 0.9%, 0.13% and 0.12% respectively. There has been a decline in the industrial gearing levels. This is because the firms are using less of debt than equity itself to finance its operations. However there is an improvement in the industrial Net Profit Margin Ratio. This can be attributed to favourable fiscal legislations, sound production and marketing strategies and technological advancement that has led to low manufacturing and selling costs. There has been a tremendous growth in market capitalization. Assuming that the market price per share was at a constant level, such growth would be attributed by a positive investor reaction/ confidence in the sector. KEY COMPETITORS Honda motors Tata motor company Ford motor company Daimlerchrysler Inc The automobile motor industry has been experiencing a fast growth. The decline in the average industrial gearing ratio sends positive signals to potential investors since it suggests low financial risk. The firms would also be able to borrow more from external sources without adversely affecting their liquidity. Tremendous improvements on profit may however attract new entrants into the industry thus diluting the market powers/ shares of the incumbents. MARKETING MIX PRODUCT MIX Toyota plc manufactures a wide range of vehicle brands. These include Hilux, Prius, RAV 4, Avents, Amazon among others. The company also specializes in the manufacture and sale of robots and heavy self propelling machines like tractors. They also offer consultation services on motor manufacture and design. Toyota sells its products to the US, Europe and Africa.PROMOTION Toyota uses a vast range of marketing strategies to market its fleet of products. These include the internet (website), radio and television. Others include magazines, billboards and also through trade exhibitions usually held at its points of sale. Public relations is also adopted by the company for instance through press releases and conferences. It also accomplishes this by sponsoring of clubs and other associations who use the company’s logo in their sportswears. The company also indulges in sales promotions where vehicles are freely offered with a view to attract more customers in the long- term. PRICE In order to arrive at the price at which to offer for sale for its products, Toyota considers quite a number of significant factors. These are:- The cost and availability of materials needed in the manufacturing process. Labor costs for all the staff i.e. production, assembly, marketing and top directors. Distribution costs i.e. costs associated with the final delivery of goods/ products to their customers. To avoid understanding their manufacturing costs, overheads are absorbed and allocated into the cost units. And using a given mark-up normally determined by the management, the price is determined. The company also does price discrimination as a marketing strategy. Prices vary depending on the financial capability of the respective customers. Price also varies with seasons with high prices being charged during the boom period and low prices during the recessionary economic conditions. Price also varies depending on the mode of payment whether cash or hire purchase. PLACEMENT/ DISTRIBUTION The company’s headquarters are based in the UK. It has many distribution centers worldwide. This is important for Toyota as it enables their products closer to the customers. The Company’s employee workforce approximates 3700.The team comprises of highly competent staff who are both motivated and committed to the achievement of the overall objectives of the firm. The firm has a sufficient mechanism of processing customer’s orders as and when required, at times online. Inventory is properly managed by keeping optimum inventory levels. This maintains both the ordering and holding costs at a minimum. INTERNAL MARKET STRATEGY The host Country for the firm to enter shall be France. France is well known for the manufacture and sale of highly merchandised Peugeot cars through PSA Peugeot inc.It is rich in technology and becoming a partner with a company from such a state would give Toyota economies of scale advantages. The country enjoys a central location and would serve as the most appropriate distribution center. MODE OF ENTRY Toyota shall liase with PSA Peugeot through strategic partnership. This would be the most ideal because profits and losses would be shared at an agreed proportion between the two partner companies. Partnership also gives the company(s) taxation advantages since dividends would not be subjected to taxation. Partnerships are also easy to initiate compared to other modes that are characterized by complicated legal procedures and conformation with International Financial Reporting Standards. With partnership, it is easy to incorporate as many new entrants in the long run so long as they are limited to 20. REFERENCE http://biz.yahoo.com/ic Read also: Reed Supermarkets: a New Wave of Competitors

Hard Times as a Moral Fable Essay

The creative part is the fairy tale which often involves animals rather than humans. It speaks to our hearts as it entertains us; the ending is the logical, moral conclusion that satisfies our logical brains and seems â€Å"right†. The problem with all moral fables is that there are often 2 sides to the same story †¦ things are rarely so black and white in reality †¦ so there could be more than one ending †¦ e. g. here are times when speed is necessary over steadiness – of course, there also has to be good judgement. Although it is not appropriate to describe a work of art, which Hard Times undoubtedly is, as a moral fable or a morality play, yet the fact remains that there is a strong moral intention behind this novel. Hard Times is a satirical attack on some of the evils and vices of Victorian society. Satire has always corrective purpose and is therefore basically moral in its approach to the subjects it deals with. Apart from that, there are passages of direct moralising in this novel. Hard Times is a novel which from the moment of its publication aroused very different sentiments in the reading public. Dickens’s reasons for writing Hard Times were mostly monetary. Sales of his weekly periodical, Household Words, were low, and he hoped the inclusion of this novel in instalments would increase sales. Since publication it has received a mixed response from a diverse range of critics, such as F. R.  Leavis, George Bernard Shaw, and Thomas Macaulay, mainly focusing on Dickens’s treatment of trade unions and his post-Industrial Revolution pessimism regarding the divide between Capitalist mill owners and undervalued workers during the Victorian era The novel was written as a weekly serial story to run through five months of his magazine, Household Words, during 1854. Sales were highly responsive and encouraging for Dickens who remarked that he was â€Å"Three parts mad, and the fourt h delirious, with perpetual rushing at Hard Times†. Dickens had to force his story to fit the exigencies of a Procrustean bed and, in doing so, sacrificed the abundance of life characteristic of his genius. That, at any rate, was the general view of Hard Times until in 1948 F. R. Leavis, in his book The Great Tradition, suggested that it was a ‘moral fable,’ the hallmark of a moral fable being that ‘the intention is peculiarly insistent, so that the representative significance of everything in the fable – character, episode, and so on – is immediately apparent as we read. By seeing it as a moral fable, Dr. Leavis produced a brilliant rereading of Hard Times that has changed almost every critic’s approach to the novel. Yet a difficulty still remains: the nature of the target of Dickens’ satire. Both Gradgrind and Bounderby are emblematic, to the point of caricature, of representative early-nineteenth-century attitudes. Dickens tells us that Gradgrind has ‘an unbending, utilitarian, matter-of-fact face’; and the novel has been taken as an attack on the philosophical doctrine known as utilitarianism, the doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct But utilitarianism can also mean the doctrine that utility must be the standard of what is good for man. Perhaps the two meanings come together in the famous Victorian phrase, ‘enlightened self-interest,’ the meaning of which will turn entirely upon the definition of ‘enlightened. Utilitarianism in the philosophical sense, as taught by the noble-minded John Stuart Mill, has had a profound and abiding influence on Western life and thought, and Dickens was certainly not competent to criticise it as a philosophical system. But if he was no philosopher, nor even a trained mind, he was something as valuable: ‘an astonishing diagnostician of life,’ as D. H. Lawrence has been called. ‘His sensitive nose could smell death a mile away. ‘ And it is precisely those elements of nineteenth-century economic thinking that denied life which he is attacking in Hard Times. He is, in other words, continuing his attack on what may be called the statistical conception of man, on human relations evaluated in terms of arithmetic, on what Thomas Carlyle called the ‘cash nexus’ that he had launched at the beginning of his career in Oliver Twist. There he had traced its consequences in official attitudes towards poverty and in the working of the New Poor Law In order to give a concrete shape to his moral purpose, dickens in this novel uses the characters here as symbols. Almost every character in this novel is an embodiment of a certain idea or concept or principle, good or bad. In fact, there are two groups of symbolic characters: one group symbolizing certain objectionable features of Victorian life, and the other group symbolizing certain moral qualities, of which we heartily approve. These two groups of characters, symbolizing opposite principle, are confronted with each other and it is this confrontation that constitutes the focus of interest in the novel. The characters here are therefore like the ‘dramatis personae’ in a morality play; there is an allegorical intention behind the character-portrayal. However, this novel is different from a moral fable or morality play in one striking respect. While the characters in amoral fable or a morality play are purely embodiments of certain qualities, good or bad; in this novel the characters, in addition to their function as symbols of certain good or bad qualities, are also individuals in their own right. Each character here is made to live as a separate individual, sharply distinguished from the other; yet their symbolic roles cannot be questioned. Coketown itself is treated as a symbol in the novel. This industrial town represents the industrial ugliness, industrial callousness, the mechanical and monotonous life which the workmen or the â€Å"hands† are compelled to lead under a system governed by utilitarianism and laissez faire. All the passages which describe this town or its people are written in an ironical vein and have an obvious moral purpose. In the main, however, the best writing in Hard Times is a result of this tour-guide mentality, as his wonder, horror and awe lead to vivid evocations of the landscape. Many critics have made the link between Coketown and a kind of Dantesque Inferno, and his vision of industrial society is â€Å"full of horror, but possessing also a weird beauty†. The key to the weird beauty latent in the horror are the ‘melancholy mad elephants’ of machinery – Dickens was as fascinated by industry as he was repulsed by it. The industrial artefacts of Coketown are endowed with all the life drained from its inhabitants, the dehumanised ‘hands’. Like Marx, Dickens could see an â€Å"inverted world characterised by the personification of things† and as a result the inanimate objects of Coketown abound with vitality, while the people within it are cogs in a machine, â€Å"people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom everyday was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next† . Treating the factory as a living thing leads to mental links being forged between the ever coiling â€Å"interminable serpents of smoke† and the smokescreens that people use to hide themselves from the world, or indeed the world from them, most notably Gradgrinds inability to see past his system, and Bounderby’s deliberate hiding of his past. There are also links made between the fire in the â€Å"fairy palaces† and the fire of human passion, and aptly it is the mechanical Louisa who notices this, most likely fascinated at how a non-living thing has more life than she does – â€Å"There seems to be nothing but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out, father! † [I, xv]. Not only is this reversal of death and life hellish, but these descriptions of zombie workers in a living factory are written in a prophetic style which almost invites one to place an ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here! sign on the factory gates. All of the images of smoke, ashes, and fire â€Å"suggest that death is ever-present in the hell of Coketown†, as does the reference to the black ladder so often in use in the working class quarters [I, x]. Michael Wheeler points to the significance of Biblical imagery in the text, stating that the New Testament is the â€Å"yardstick by its modern usurpers are measured and found wanting†, and that this is the ultimate condemnation that Dickens can heap upon it. However, I cannot help but feel that passages proclaiming that â€Å"all those subtle essences of humanity which will elude the utmost cunning of algebra until the last trumpet ever to be sounded will blow even algebra to wreck† , while suggesting that Gradgrindery and the interlocking forces of industry are to be judged and condemned, they also make it clear that they will be left well enough alone until the Judgement Day. Coketown is painted as a hell on earth, consuming the lifeblood of its inhabitants, and the fact that it itself will be destroyed in the end is of monumental insignificance for the countless generations who will have to toil there until then. On the other hand The Circus is represented as a symbol of â€Å"Humanity† as Well as Art. The circus is very important as a sybol in the scheme of this moral fable. The circus people symbolize not only art but also humanity: they are embodiments of those simple virtues of sympathy and helpfulness to others for which gradgrind’s philosophy has no use and Bounderby’s hardened heart, no room. There is a remarkable gentleness about these people, a special inaptitude for any kind of sharp practice, and an untiring readiness to help and pity one another. The moral of this novel as a whole is put by dickens in the mouth of Mr. Sleary of the circus. After giving an account of the death of siss’s father to gradgrind, Mr. Sleary comes to the conclusion that there is a kind of love in the world which is not self-interest afterall, but something very different, and that this love has a way of its own of calculating or not calculating. This is the supreme message which the novel has for us. In these few words we find a condemnation of all that Gradgrind, Bounderby, and Mrs. Sparsit symbolize, and an acceptance and approval of what Stephen and Rachel, Sissy, and Mr. Sleary himself, symbolize. There are, thus, strong grounds for calling this novel a Moral fable or a morality play with the characters functioning partly as individuals but chiefly as symbols. Finally, there are passages of direct moralizing which lend to the novel the character of a novel fable or morality play. At one point, for instance, dickens warns the â€Å"commissioners of fact† and the utilitarian economists that if they do not attend to the instincts and emotions of the poor people, reality will take a wolfish turn and make an end of everything. At another point Dickens offers an ironic commentary, with an obvious moral, upon the effects of Gradgrind’s system of education on Bitzer’s outlook. And then, of course, there is a plain and straightforward maoralizing in the final chapter when the author comments upon the ultimate fate of each of the characters.