China's Health Care Initiative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

China's Health Care Initiative - Assignment Example In general, financial difficulties in China make it difficult for the government to provide and for private citizens to access quality health services. Moreover, one of the basic aspects of health promotion is grounded on health education. Health education is a function of various health professionals, but more so for nurses who often spend the most time with patients and their families; and who are often deployed in the community setting. It is therefore important to conceptualize a program which can maximize the role of nurses in health education and community activism. Hence, this program is being conceptualized as a means of improving the health outcomes in China. Goal/Objective/Activity Goal: To conceptualize a health education plan which will be taught by the hospital nurses to their patient during the latter’s stay in the hospital and by community-based nurses in the community setting Objectives 1. To teach proper hand-washing techniques to the patients and their famili es before discharge. Activities a. Demonstrating proper hand-washing techniques to the patient and their families. b. Explaining to the family the importance of applying proper hand-washing techniques and how they can prevent the spread and the acquisition of diseases through hand-washing c. Asking the patient and the family to demonstrate proper hand-washing techniques prior to discharge. ... b. Teaching the patients and the members of the community the schedules of immunization, the types of immunization available, and the benefits of having their children immunized 3. To teach the patients and the community the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, along with appropriate techniques in achieving optimum health outcomes. Activities a. Teaching the patients and the community the different benefits of adapting a healthy diet and exercise in one’s life. This includes teaching the patients the different essential foods which can provide optimum health and resistance to diseases. b. Teaching the patient and the community the importance of exercise and the different activities in which they can participate to reduce excess weight and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. c. Teaching the patient and the community the importance of avoiding excess intake of alcohol and/or drugs; the benefits of quitting smoking; and the different ways they can avoid the transmission and th e acquisition of sexually-transmitted diseases. 4. To teach the patients and the members of the community the importance of early prevention and treatment in reducing morbidity and mortality rates. Activities a. Teaching the patients the importance of having regular check-ups and diagnostic procedures in order to ensure the early detection of diseases like cancer or AIDS. b. Teaching female patients how to properly conduct breast self examination and male patients how to conduct prostate self-examinations. This also involves teaching patients the different early signs and symptoms which can indicate the presence of diseases. Rationale/Significance Nurses are at the very forefront of health care delivery (Chambliss, 1996).

Fingerprinting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fingerprinting - Research Paper Example It is an excellent way of tying a suspect to a crime scene. There are different types of fingerprints found by investigators. Some are visible and some are latent. Visible prints are those taken from a suspect usually using ink. They are clear and whole. Latent prints are usually left accidentally and may only be partial. They may not be visible to the eye and may require dusting. Fingerprints in the past were largely classified by ridge formation. Loops, whorls, and arches on a fingerprint were also used to distinguish various prints from one another. Fingerprints are now generally photographed and kept in a digital database. This makes them much easier to access. New fingerprints can be scanned in. Fingerprints are still a useful form of evidence, but they are not as determinative as DNA. They are especially useful in showing where people have been and what they have done, while DNA (in some cases) may simply put a person at the scene of a crime. Fingerprints may be considered more

Consumer Culture of Low-Income Consumers

Consumer Culture of Low-Income Consumers Literature Paper focus on low-income consumers whose economic resources results in them being unable to obtain the goods and services needed for an ‘‘sufficient’’ and ‘‘socially acceptable’’ standard of income (Darley and Johnson, 1985, p. 206); in other words, consumers experiencing relative poverty and relative deficiency (Townsend, 1987) in consumer culture. In today’s consumer culture, as the standard of living rises, the gap between a survival income and a social enclosure income will continue to enlarge (Bowring, 2000). While economic escalation and consumer culture has raised the standard of living for many, there are also concerns that income gaps between the rich and the poor have widened and variation is deepening. It has been recognized that those living on a low income face consumer disadvantage in the market place (Andreasen, 1975) encountering different exchange restrictions and negative results (Hill and Stephens, 1997). It is being unable to obtain the goods and services needed for a socially suitable standard of living (Darley and Johnson, 1985) according to low-income consumers encounter different other market place limitation. imperfect product openness can be a problem. Smaller variety have been partly endorsed to access difficulties in both the food retailing industry (Cummins and Macintyre, 1999) . Equally, low-income consumers often have to be enough with lower quality goods and services, for example, they may have no choice but to pay for second-hand goods, an option that is almost always viewed as second best (Williams and Windebank, 2001). Moreover, since the publication of The Poor Pay More , it has generally been accepted that they suffer price bias in the market place (Chung and Myers, 1999). For low-income customers, such social behavior are often beyond reach as a large percentage of their money is tied up with basics such as food and rent (Alwitt and Donley, 1996). This leads to a generality of life’s experiences . Low-income consumers may practice more difficultly in forming helpful relationships outside the instant household (Daly and Leonard, 2002) due to limited opportunities for socializing In the case of low income they lose opportunity to take benefit of ‘‘what life has to offer’’ and are cut from what passes as a ‘‘happy life’’ (Bauman, 2005, p. 38). Low income consumers are often unemployed because they have not power of purchasing comfortable goods. Which can satisfy their demands m (Alwitt and Donley, 1996). These could include individualized payment plans that allow consumers control of their own budgeting strategy or credit opportunities that are specifically adapted to the needs of low-income consumers (Himlton 2004). This is not amazing that as these consumers are often considered as a group with different aspiration who are losing and risky, and not good for market-related research ( Hamilton and Catterall, 2005). People spend more part of their income for their basic necessities, life style is not consider. The incomes that households actually receive play a significant role in determining their consumption (Tregarthen and Ritternberg, 2000) such that low-income consumers consume less fresh  fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, low-fat milk, whole meal bread and fish compare to more economically advantaged consumers (Anderson and Morris, 2000). Low-income consumers can be defined as individuals whose financial resources or income results in them being unable to obtain the goods and services needed for an â€Å"adequate† and â€Å"socially acceptable† standard of living (Darley and Johnson, 1985 cited in Hamilton and Catterall, 2005). HILL and ADRANG studied on global poverty of the united nations contened that the poor are individual and families are some what rich. Lifestyle characteristics of the low-income consumer The incomes that households actually receive play a significant role in determining their consumption (Tregarthen and Ritternberg, 2000). To rely on making incursions into other budgetary allocations and postpone other essentials, such that they decide on which item of necessity is less necessary (Matza and Miller, 1976). Most buying decisions for relatively low-priced products that have close substitutes would be low-involvement. A more detailed view of low-involvement products is proposed by Semenik and Bamossy (1995). It has been suggested that ‘‘An individual is socially excluded if (a) he or she is geographically resident in a society and (b) he or she does not participate in the normal activities of citizens in that society’’ (Burchardt, 1999, p. 230). The aim of this paper is twofold. First, social policy studies surrounding social exclusion in terms of separation from mainstream society have focused on employment, often neglecting theorizing about the specific forms of social exclusion that can be associated with consumerism (Williams and Windebank, 2002; Hohnen, 2007). Positive discourse heralds the benefits of a consumer society suggesting that choice can be seen as ‘‘the consumer’s friend’’ (Gabriel and Lang, 2006, p. 1) Marketing techniques are often critiqued for creating a strong social pressure to consume, leading to feelings of exclusion and shame for those consumers who cannot make their desires a reality (Bowring, 2000). Fullerton and Punj (1997) also suggest that as well as stimulating legitimate consumption behavior, the consumer culture can stimulate consumer misbehavior. Previous research suggests that the poor may be particularly prone to consumer misbehavior as their financial resources may not be sufficient to  satisfy desires. Equally, low-income consumers often have to suffice with lower quality goods and services, for example, they may have no choice but to purchase second-hand goods, an option that is almost always viewed as second best (Williams and Winde bank, 2001). The British Social Attitudes Report (National Centre for Social Research, 2008) highlights that a rising number of people place the blame for poverty on the poor themselves; some 27 per cent think that poverty is due to ‘‘laziness or lack of willpower’’, up from 19 per cent in  1984. References Darley,W.K. and Johnson, D.M. (1985), ‘‘A contemporary analysis of the low income consumer: aninternational perspective’’, in Tan, C.T. and Sheth, J.N. (Eds), Historical Perspectives inConsumer Research: National and International Perspectives, Association for ConsumerResearch, Provo, UT, pp. 206-10. Townsend, P. (1987), ‘‘Deprivation’’, Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 125-46. Bowring, F. (2000), ‘‘Social exclusion: limitations of the debate’’, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 307-30. Andreasen, A.R. (1975), The Disadvantaged Consumer, The Free Press, New York, NY.Arnould, E.J. and Thompson, C.J. (2005), ‘‘Consumer culture theory (CCT): twenty years of research’’, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 868-82. research’’, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 868-82. Hill, R.P. and Stephens, D.L. (1997), ‘‘Impoverished consumers and consumer behavior: the case ofAFDC mothers’’, Journal of Macromarketing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 32-48. Cummins, S. and Macintyre, S. (1999), ‘‘The location of food stores in urban areas: a case study in Glasgow’’, British Food Journal, Vol. 101 No. 7, pp. 545-53. Williams, C.C. and Windebank, J. (2001), ‘‘Acquiring goods and services in lower income populations: an evaluation of consumer behaviour and preferences’’, International Journal Of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 16-24. Chung, C. and Myers, S.L. (1999), ‘‘Do the poor pay more for food? An analysis of grocery store availability and food price disparities’’, The Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 276-96. Alwitt, L.F. and Donley, T.D. (1996), The Low-income Consumer, Adjusting the Balance of Exchange, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Hamilton, C. (2004), Growth Fetish, Pluto Press, London Hamilton, K. and Catterall, M. (2005), â€Å"Towards a better understanding of the low-income consumer†, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 32, pp. 627-32. Tregarthen, T. and Ritternberg, L. (2000), Economics, 2nd ed., Worth, New York, NY. Anderson, A.S. and Morris, S.E. (2000), â€Å"Changing fortunes: changing food choices†, Nutrition Food Science, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 12-15. Matza, D. and Miller, H. (1976), â€Å"Poverty and proletariat†, in Merton, R.K. and Nisbet, R. (Eds),Contemporary Social Problems, 4th ed.,Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,NewYork,NY, pp. 641-73. Semenik, R.J. and Bamossy, G.J. (1995), Principles of Marketing, 2nd ed., South Western College, Cincinnati, OH, pp. 170-1. Burchardt, T., Le Grand, J. and Piachaud, D. (1999), ‘‘Social exclusion in Britain 1991-1995’’, Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 227-44. Williams, C.C. and Windebank, J. (2002), ‘‘The ‘excluded consumer’: a neglected aspect of social exclusion?’’, Policy Politics, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 501-13. Gabriel, Y. and Lang, T. (2006), The Unmanageable Consumer: Contemporary Consumption and its Fragmentation, 2nd ed., Sage, London. Bowring, F. (2000), ‘‘Social exclusion: limitations of the debate’’, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 307-30. Fullerton, R.A. and Punj, G. (1997), ‘‘The unintended consequences of the culture of consumption:an historical-theoretical analysis of consumer misbehavior’’, Consumption, Markets and Culture, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 393-423. Williams, C.C. and Windebank, J. (2001), ‘‘Acquiring goods and services in lower incomepopulations: an evaluation of consumer behaviour and preferences’’, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 16-24. National Centre for Social Research (2008), British Social Attitudes, The 24th Report, Sage, London.

the presidency :: essays research papers

The Presidency - The powers of the presidency are described very briefly in Article II of the Constitution. Specific powers include: - Chief Administrator - Commander-in-Chief - Chief Lawmaker - Chief Diplomat - Chief of State - In addition to those enumerated powers, presidents have claimed they have certain inherent powers to do whatever has to be done to fulfill their responsibilities as leaders. - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln all expanded on their enumerated powers, setting a precedent for later presidents to do likewise. - Because the U.S. has become such a powerful nation, presidents have become more powerful people. They are now considered world leaders as well as national leaders. - They have also become party leaders,have to be strong communicators in the age of mass media, and serve as lobbyists for their legislative goals. - One explanation for expansion of presidential powers is that sometimes Congress lets a president take responsibility for unpopular actions, such as going to war. - America's strongest, most powerful presidents have emerged during periods of crisis, such as a war or depression. Lincoln and FDR are examples. - Popular presidents are also likely to become more powerful, because citizens trust them with power. - President Lyndon Johnson was a strong president because he believed that government should play a strong role in alleviated the nation's problems. - President Reagan, on the other hand, advocated a smaller role for government so didn't encourage national government involvement in problem solving. He was, however, known as a great communicator. - A successful candidate for the presidency must put together a winning coalition of supporters and must win 270 electoral college votes, which means winning the popular vote especially in large, highly populated states with large electoral college votes. - Although American presidents have huge responsibilities, they also have many resources to help them carry out those responsibilities. These include: - The Executive Branch establishment, which includes the White House staff, key aids (such as the chief of staff and national security advisor), and the Executive Office of the President, which consists of the OMB, Council of Economic Advisors, etc. - The Vice-President, who has only become a real resource since Jimmy Carter started using his V-P, Walter Mondale, more than any previous president. - The Cabinet, consisting of the heads of the major executive branch departments. - First Ladies sometimes serve as advisors to the president.

Critique on Happiness and Analysis Essay

In Karl Giberson’s article â€Å"The Ends of Happiness† (2006), from the Science & Spirit magazine, he raises the topic of happiness, where he claims that people are now pursuing the means to happiness as an end to itself and have missed the point of life. Although Giberson(2006) has made some valid arguments in claiming that people pursue wealth as a means to happiness, his arguments are largely undermined due to a lack of reliable evidences. Giberson’s (2006) claims are not unfounded, as human beings tend to set their goals on material success. For them, monetary success is their definition of happiness. This idea is illustrated by the statement â€Å"The means have become an end for many of us†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (para. 11). He goes on to say that many others â€Å"can’t seek happiness directly† (para. 7). His thoughts align well with society’s widely accepted view that â€Å"without family and friends it is hard to find happiness, for these are essential partners in living and doing well†(para. 9). As such, Giberson (2006) implies that happiness comes from the various experiences and journeys which we go through in life, such as quality time spent with people around us. However, Giberson (2006) makes an unsuccessful attempt in persuading his readers to adopt his beliefs by merely referencing to Aristotle’s philosophy of â€Å"living well and doing well† (para. 8). Throughout the article, Giberson (2006) constantly refers to his own opinions and experiences. For example, he reminisces that â€Å"in reflecting on the accumulated memories of happy times †¦ [he finds himself] agreeing with Aristotle† (para. 12). Thereafter, he mentions that he â€Å"coached [his] children’s sports teams †¦ and lov(ed) it† (para. 13). This demonstrates that his views are greatly influenced by emotions rather than facts. Although the use of anecdotes sparks interest and engages his readers effectively, his excessive usage of this communication technique makes his arguments seem unsupported and weak. As a result of his heavy reliance on his own opinions, it has led to a hasty generalisation in his argument as seen through his claim that â€Å"America †¦ is not a nation pursuing happiness† (para. 11). Due to a lack of expert opinion and statistical data, his claim remains unpersuasive and has little credibility. Hence, Giberson’s(2006) article lacks concrete support and fails to make a compelling argument. Although Giberson (2006) provides a good point of view on how people are becoming too focused on wealth in the pursuit of happiness, he makes sweeping statements that lacks credibility. He can provide a more concrete argument by using a wider range of reliable sources. This will greatly strengthen Giberson’s (2006) argument and lend credibility to his claim. It would help greatly if he had supporting opinions of other academic writers who follow his train of thought. In essence, his article did indeed establish his thesis that people are pursuing the means to happiness as an end to itself, but had unfortunately failed to compellingly persuade his audience. Reference: Giberson, K. (2006, March/April). The Ends of Happiness. Retrieved on 21 Jan 2013 from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4e0e6d4c-0091-45b9-be30-fd892a301bf9%40sessionmgr10&vid=3&hid=2

Apple’s Mission Statement

Company Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation founded in 1976 with 361 retail stores worldwide as of January 2012. The current CEO of Apple is Tim Cook and the current Chairman is Arthur Levinson. Its headquarters is situated at: 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 United States Apple’s mission statement is: â€Å"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store.Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad. † [ (Apple Inc. – Frequently Asked Questions, 2012) ] Products and Distribution Apple’s prime function is the design and marketing of products such as consumer electronics, computers, and computer software, including: * iPhone * iPad * Mac * iPod * iOS * Apple TV * iCloud * Mac OS X Apple also offers various third-party accessories, digital content and applications compatible with its own products.Apple sells these and its own products through various distribution channels including: * retail stores * online stores * direct sales force * third-party cellular network carriers * wholesalers * retailers * value-added resellers Apple’s products and services are sold to a wide variety of customers including: * consumers * small and mid-sized businesses * education * enterprise * government customers Customers and Market Expansion Apple has a loyal customer base, with regular customers accounting for a large percentage of sales.However, Apple is always looking to expand into new market areas through the creation of new products and marketing techniques. For instance, Apple is considering the creation of an Apple Bank, with a recent survey showing that 43% of the current Apple customers would switch from their current banks to Apple. Apple also recently delve d into the electronic book industry, over which it now faces a lawsuit for colluding with other companies to raise the price of electronic books. Shares 1,748 institutions currently hold Apple shares. Due to its recent success, reflected in its no. position in BrandZ’s 2011 list of the 100 most valuable brands in the world, Apple has amassed US$98 billion, and has therefore decided to pay a quarterly dividend of US$2. 65 a share to investors starting from July 1, implying a 1. 8% dividend yield based on a current share price of around US$600. Apple is also planning to repurchase US$10 billion in shares over a three year period starting from September 30. The total cost of these planned operations amounts to roughly US$45 billion. Employees Apple has over 60,000 employees, and this number is increasing rapidly due to the company’s high employment rate.The research and development department is relatively small, with most staff employed in general and administrative role s – approximately 60% of Apple’s employees work in Apple Stores, compared to other companies in the same industry of similar size. Most Apple employees have more than 5-10 years of work experience, but the level of education is not a crucial deciding factor in employment – the amount of graduates hired without masters or doctoral degrees is significant. Environmental Impact Apple has long been the subject of criticism over its environmental impact.In 2007, Steve Jobs penned an open letter promising to remove toxic materials from Apple’s products, and that promise has been fulfilled since then, with toxic substances being removed from Apple’s whole array of products. However, Apple is still criticised often over its impact on the environment. In a list released in April 2011 by Greenpeace, Apple was deemed the least green technology company due to its high reliance on coal power. Apple published a breakdown of its carbon footprint in 2011, estimatin g that it was responsible for 23. 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the year.Chinese environmental groups have also published two reports detailing the pollution and health hazards present in Apple’s supply chain in China. In these reports, Apple is criticised for ignoring the unhealthy conditions in its factories in China. In response to these reports, Apple’s pledge to ensure safe working conditions for its suppliers was restated. Apple was again criticised when several of its manufacturers in China were accused of releasing harmful pollutants. In response, Apple met with Chinese environmental groups, promising to assess its environmental impact and ensure its partners would follow environmental regulations.Apple’s own supplier responsibility report detailed that waste was being improperly discharged from some of its suppliers and some facilities did not have adequate systems or records in place required to deal with hazardous materials. Economic Conditions Apple has always had to cope with changing economic conditions. However, Apple’s response to these conditions has varied. For instance, in the Global Financial Crisis, rumours spread that Apple would develop new, more affordable products across its Mac and iPhone families. However, when questioned over this, Steve Jobs replied: â€Å"There are some customers which we choose not to serve.We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that. But we can continue to deliver greater and greater value to those customers that we choose to serve and there’s a lot of them. And we’ve seen great success by focusing on certain segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody. † Apple continued to develop its product lines in the same style and price range. In the fourth fiscal quarter of the 2011 financial year, economic conditions threatened iPhone sales, and in response, Apple chose to reduce orders for handset parts and components.By the end of the quarter it had been revealed that it had been Apple’s biggest September quarter ever, but due to Apple’s even greater success in the third quarter, the company’s revenue had not lived up to the Wall Street estimates. Competition Apple uses several strategies to stay ahead of the competition: * It is constantly developing new products. * It is continuously upgrading its existing products. * It continues to sell successful products and keeps successful designs. * It tries to cover all price ranges when it can.For instance, since the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple decided to keep selling the iPhone 3GS in order to provide a more affordable iPhone for potential customers. Apple has also initiated several lawsuits against Samsung and vice versa, with patent breaches being disputed in at least 10 countries. Most notably, Apple claimed Samsung had copied its iPhone and iPad. Business Life Cycle Despite being over 30 years old, Apple is still in the growth stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons: * Growth is accelerating. Regular clients make up a large percentage of their customer base, but at the same time substantial effort is being put into tapping into new markets. * New products are being created and developed in order to fill market niches. * Mass marketing techniques are used to increase market share. * Profits are rising. * Production costs are decreasing. Company Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd is an Australian public company founded in1982 which operates primarily as a franchisor. Gerry Harvey is the current Chairman of the company, and his wife, Katie Page, is the CEO. Its headquarters is based in Homebush West, NSW, Australia.The company owns three leading brand names: * Harvey Norman * Domayne * Joyce Mayne Harvey Norman also owns several other Australian retail chains such as Space Furniture and Ariston Appliances. Unde r these brand names, the company grants franchises to independent business operators. As of the 2011 Financial Year, there were 195 franchised outlets in Australia, and 96 company owned stores. Products and Distribution Harvey Norman’s franchisees sell a wide range of products in various categories including: * electrical goods * furniture * computerised communications * bedding and manchester * small appliances * carpets and flooringThe company recently planned to conduct 5% of its trade online, but these plans proved too optimistic, and they were scaled back. Customers and Market Expansion As an icon in the Australian retail industry, consumers make up most of Harvey Norman’s customers. The company acquired retail chain Joyce Mayne in July 1998 and further expanded when it launched its Domayne retail chain in May 1999. It acquired a controlling interest in Rebel Sport Limited in July 2001 but sold it in March 2007. Harvey Norman opened Harvey Norman Direct Import in December 2011, an online store based in Ireland which sells video games to Australia free of GST.Shares Harvey Norman’s shares have recently experienced a drop of over 6% due to uncertain retail conditions and a drop in sales. Employees Harvey Norman currently has approximately 10,000 employees. The ratio of employees in general and administrative sectors to those in sales and marketing is less than in companies of similar size in the same industry. Most employees have over 5-10 years of work experience, and have bachelor’s degrees rather than masters or doctoral degrees. Environmental Impact In 2011, Harvey Norman was the subject of criticism over the destruction of Australian native forests for use in the furniture industry.A group called Markets for Change launched a campaign against Harvey Norman after they claimed to have conducted a year-long investigation into the company’s timber usage. To this, Gerry Harvey responded on ABC Radio: â€Å"I'm an environm entalist† â€Å"I'm doing my best to use recycled timber or timber from plantations †¦ but every now and then [timber from native forests] will slip through. â€Å"[Often it's] timber the government has told sawmills they can take. â€Å"We are trying really hard to change and also to keep an industry going in Australia †¦ it's difficult for [the sawmills] to survive, and without us they just wouldn't. Economic Conditions It was recently revealed that Harvey Norman’s first half yearly profits were down 2. 1%. The company released a statement explaining the situation: â€Å"The combination of intense competitive pressures and price deflation in certain key product categories, accentuated by the high Australian dollar, deteriorating economic confidence and a prudent consumer, has seen many retailers struggle to maintain margins in the fight for market share. † Competition Harvey Norman has several competitors in the market and therefore utilises severa l strategies in order to compete effectively.Actions taken by the company in response to competition include: * The purchase of the Clive Peeters and Rick Hart brands, which resulted in a loss of AUD$41 million, whose stores will now either convert to Harvey Norman or Joyce Mayne brands or close. * The launching of Harvey Norman Direct Import in response to JB Hi-Fi’s addition of a direct importation section to its website. Some predict that Harvey Norman is the only Australian listed company that would be interested in purchasing Dick Smith Electronics from Woolworths and that if Harvey Norman was to pay AUD$150 million for the business, it could boost earnings by 7%.Business Life Cycle Harvey Norman is in the post-maturity stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons: * Recently, it has been experiencing a small period of decline, but over the long term it has been in a state of renewal. * New strategies taken involve some degree of risk. * New markets a re being exploited, with ventures into overseas markets. * Anticipated sales are not always eventuating. Comparing the two businesses: * Apple is a larger business than Harvey Norman, being a multinational corporation. * Apple operates in many more countries and has significantly more employees. Apple has had great recent success whereas Harvey Norman’s profits have dropped. * Apple has expanded into many more areas in recent times than Harvey Norman. * Apple’s share price is also much higher compared to Harvey Norman’s, reflecting Apple’s recent profits. * Both businesses have been the subject of criticism over their environmental impact, but Apple has received more due to its operations in more areas and countries. * Both businesses employ various strategies in order to stay ahead of competition, but Apple has had greater success, with Harvey Norman experiencing losses due to unsuccessful strategies. Despite the fact that Apple was founded before Harvey Norman, Apple is still in the growth stage of the business life cycle due primarily to the fact that its sales and profits are rapidly increasing, with demand for its products high and customer base growing. Apple would be more resilient to influences in the business environment due to the fact that it is a larger business, with more resources and a massive amount of money currently with which it can respond to changing conditions.

These Are The Best German Films for German-Learners

These Are The Best German Films for German-Learners Which German movies are best for German-learners? Many of my readers already know that Im a big fan of German cinema. I even have an entire Web site devoted to the  German-Hollywood Connection. Its sort of a hobby of mine. Im also a firm advocate of showing German films in the classroom. Movies in German can be a great benefit to anyone learning German- if  the teacher and/or student knows how to go about it. In that vein, I wrote an article for the Fall 1993 issue of  Die Unterrichtspraxis  entitled â€Å"Marlene Dietrich in the German Classroom† which was about a German film project that I have done with my high school students over the years. With a suitable approach, even â€Å"ancient† black-and-white movies like â€Å"Der blaue Engel† (1930) can be successfully turned into a learning experience for 16-year-old students. But when Franka Potente  burst onto the scene in â€Å"Run Lola Run,† German teachers finally had something very modern to work with. My students love that movie!  I  love that movie! But if you want to learn German, you cant just casually watch â€Å"Lola rennt† or any other German film, so I developed some â€Å"Lola† worksheets for classroom use.   But what other films are best for German-learners? Obviously, everyone will have their own opinion, and some films are more suitable than others.   There are certain criteria  we used to come up with that list, as well as a longer list of  30 films  that you can view on the next page. Here are the main criteria: Must be a sound film in German (no silent films).Must be a film generally available on video in the English-speaking world.Must be entertaining or interesting in some way for German-learners.The intended audience is German-learners who are at least 18 years old. Although foreign-language teachers in my district are allowed to show R-rated foreign movies in a high school classroom (using a  parental permission form), I know that in some US school districts that isnt the case, so for survey purposes, we set the age limit at 18 and over. (Dont get me started on the ratings debacle: â€Å"The Harmonists† is rated â€Å"R† in the US, but â€Å"6 and up† in Germany!) And although I have shown parts of Fritz Langs wonderful â€Å"Metropolis† (along with the Queen music video with â€Å"Metropolis† scenes) to my students, as a silent film, â€Å"Metropolis† doesnt make our list. But  Downfall  (Der Untergang), the  Heimat  chronicle (now on DVD), and  Nowhere in Africa  (Nirgendwo in Afrika) do. Because of space limitations, we could only include 10 films in our poll.  Ã‚   Top German Movies The Top 35 Best Films for German Our movie poll  was limited to only ten films, and some of the films listed below were not available on DVD or video at the time of our survey. So here is an  updated list  of more than 30 films in German (some from Austria or Switzerland) rated highly by me, by various film critics, and film Web sites. In most cases, the films listed are available on DVD in the American (NTSC, Region 1) video standard with English subtitles. For some films you can click on the title to learn more. We also have a list of the best  films in English  for German-learners, plus a full  German Movie Index  by title. Please note that some of the Region 1 DVD releases listed below are rated R in the U.S. and may not be suitable for viewing by students under the age of 18. Teachers should always preview any film they plan to show in the classroom and be aware of their school districts film policies.   ​Films in the list below are in alphabetical order with year and director  and the  original German titles shown in italics. Die besten deutschen Filme Aguirre, the Wrath of God  (1972) Werner HerzogAguirre, der Zorn GottesThe American Friend  (1977) Wim WendersBeyond Silence  (1996) Caroline LinkJenseits der StilleBlue Angel, The  (1930) Joseph von SternbergDer blaue EngelBoat Is Full, The  (1982) Markus ImhoofDas Boot ist voll  is about Switzerland during WWII.Das Boot  (1981) Wolfgang PetersenBRD Trilogy  (1970s) Rainer Werner FassbinderDVD set:  The Marriage of Maria Braun, Veronika Voss, LolaBrother of Sleep  (1995) Joseph VilsmaierSchlafesbruder  (2005) Oliver HirschgbiegelDer UntergangEuropa, Europa  (1991) Agnieszka HollandHitlerjunge SalomonFaraway, So Close  (1993) Wim WendersIn weiter Ferne, so nahFitzcarraldo  (1982) Werner HerzogGood-Bye Lenin!  (2003) Wolfgang BeckerGo, Trabi, Go* (1990) Peter TimmHarmonists, The  (1997) Joseph VilsmaierComedian HarmonistsHeimat  (6-film series) Edgar ReitzHeimat  (now on Region 1 DVD)The Inheritors  (1997) Stefan RuzowitzkyDie SiebtelbauerLives of Others, The* (2006)Das Leben der Anderen  is about the East German Stasi. M  (1931) Fritz LangMarlene  (1986) Maximilian Schell(Interview with Dietrich in Ger. Eng.)Marriage of Maria Braun, The  (1978) Rainer Werner FassbinderDie Ehe der Maria Braun  (part of Fassbinders  BRD Trilogie)Men* (1990) Doris Dà ¶rrieMnner  - a German comedy!* (2003)Das Wunder von Bern  was Germanys 1954 soccer win.Mostly Martha  (2001) Sandra NettelbeckBella Martha/Fà ¼nf SterneMystery of Kaspar Hauser, The  (1974) Werner HerzogKaspar HauserNasty Girl, The  (1990) Michael VerhoevenDas schreckliche MdchenNosferatu, the Vampyre  (1979) Werner HerzogNosferatu, Phantom der NachtNowhere in Africa  (2001) Caroline LinkNirgendwo in Afrika  -  Acad. Award  Best Foreign FilmRosenstrasse  (2004) Margarethe von TrottaRosenstraßeRun Lola Run  (1998) Tom TykwerLola rennt  is one of the best German films everSophie Scholl - The Last Days  (2004) Marc RothemundSophie Scholl - Die letzten TageTopic: The White Rose (see below)Stalingrad  (1992) Josep h VilsmaierThe Tin Drum  (1979) Volker Schlà ¶ndorffDie Blechtrommel White Rose, The* (1983) Michael VerhoevenDie weiße Rose  (anti-Nazi group; true story)Vaya con Dios* (2002) Zoltan SpirendelliWings of Desire  (1987) Wim WendersDer Himmel à ¼ber BerlinWonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, The  (1993) Ray Mà ¼llerDie Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl Some of the directors above, notably  Fritz Lang,  Wim Wenders, and  Wolfgang Petersen, have also made films in English. For obvious reasons, our list does not include English-language films, but there is another category of interest to German teachers and students:  Hollywood films in German. Since all non-German films shown to a wide audience in Germany are dubbed into German, it can be both amusing and instructive for English-speaking German-learners to view well-known Hollywood productions in German.  And since the students are usually already familiar with the films story, the lack of subtitles is not a serious drawback. The main disadvantage is that such films are usually in PAL video or Region 2 DVD format, requiring a multi-system player. Although some Hollywood films in German are available as NTSC video from various outlets, in my experience the quality is poor. It is best if you can obtain an original German DVD or video.

deserts essays

deserts essays To look at the novel as a whole, it is a very well-written piece, which draws out the theme quite simply to the reader. The theme being the shift from individual thinking to wide-spread thinking. This shift is most directly seen in the actions of Tom Joad. In the opening of the novel, he is mainly concerned for his own welfare. He wants to make up for all the things he missed when in prison. Later on in the novel, he is more concerned with the welfare of the family. At the end of the novel, he has shifted to trying to do what is best for all the migrant people by trying to organize them even though he knows this involves him in great personal danger. That shift in thinking is also accompanied with the replacement of the individual family by the world family. The thing that started the breakup of the individual family was the loss of their land. The family had lived there for many generations and had strong ties to the land. Getting thrown off the land was like losing their family history. The same concern for humanity at large is seen in Ma Joad. At first, she is concerned with keeping the family together. But, as the novel progresses, she begins to become a part of a larger human family. As she says at the end of the novel, at first, it was the family and now it is just anyone who needs help. Next, Grampa Joad died because he could not take leaving his home. He is the first family member to leave. However, it would seem that, as Peter Lisca points out, Grampa is "symbolically present through the anonymous old man in the barn (stable), who is saved from starvation by Rose of Sharon's breasts..." At the same time th ough, the family's joining with the Wilsons shows that the larger world family of the migrant society is replacing the individual family. Chapter Seventeen is one of the general chapters that shows the growth of the new migrant society that has its own laws and leaders. At the border of California, ...

African American Civil Rights Movement

The African-American civil rights movement is about a century old and it started from the grassroots level for the end of racial injustice and social discrimination towards African Americans. The struggle was a combined effort of the many black African American leaders, ministers and communities comprising the authorities of black churches, editors and publishers of black owned newspapers, racial and interracial organizations. The struggle was for getting the basic civil and human rights which the society was denying to them. There were many organized legal challenges in the court of law and also many acts of courage against cruel police actions against the movement. (History Topic, African American civil rights movement) A particular example of this type of struggle has been displayed in the book Warriors Dont Cry written by Melba Pattillo Beals. The author has narrated a horrible example which clearly shows the extent of racial feeling and hatred that was prevalent in the US society during 1950 after the Second World War. â€Å"As she walks through the halls and rooms of the old school, she recalls the horrible acts of violence that were committed by the white students against her and her friends.†(Warrior’s Don’t cry, Free Essays). In spite of the Supreme Court order in 1954 that all schools must provide equal education to all students and it would be unconstitutional for some schools to deny this opportunity to some, the worst incident happened at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The school authorities took three years to complete the integration plan. The entire white community in the town started protesting the integration plan and acts of violence towards the African American community spread in the town. Seeing the public  outrage many black students decided to stay back in the black only school in the city that was under funded. (Warrior’s Don’t cry, Free Essays) The local Arkansas authorities passed laws and ordinances that would prevent the integration plan of the school. The Governor of Arkansas sent National Security Guards to surround the school building and prevent the black students entering the school premises. Nine black students, which includes the author Ms Beals defied the order and started walking towards the school. But they could not reach the school as â€Å"before they even reached the property they were met with great resistance from racist citizens who spat upon them, mocked them, threw sharp objects at them, and even physically beat them. Melba describes the deep hurt she felt as for the first time in her life she saw the harsh reality of racism at its worst.† (Warrior’s Don’t cry, Free Essays) The incident took the nation by storm as the African American civil rights movement was then at its peak form. Amazed by their courage against oppression, these young students popularly came to be known as Little Rock Nine and they were appreciated for the stand they had taken against the oppression that their people were facing for the past few centuries in America. The blacks were forced to use separate restrooms, drinking water, restaurants, sidewalk and every other means of public utility service. Though during this time, people started to believe that it is possible to co-exist peacefully with the blacks and that was good for the society at large, the South was not ready to accept the departure from their century old beliefs. (Warrior’s Don’t cry, Free Essays) The incidents of racism during the 1950’s in America’s south have also been described in the book ‘Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South’  written by Melton Alonza McLaurin. It is an honest admittance of the fact from a white Southerner that how severe was racism at that time. The author has described an incident of his in the book where he has punched a black boy named Bobo, because he used the same needle that he does to blow up the basketball. He has also referred an African American school teacher who forces him to call her â€Å"Miss†. (Amazon.com book review) This is an example which shows how African American school teachers were looked down upon by their white students during 1950’s.   These scattered incidents were enough to ignite the fire for the Civil rights movement. African American soldiers after returning home risking their lives from the Second World War, found that they were largely deprived and ignored at home. Thus â€Å"The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Urban League  Ã¢â‚¬â€ including their Minnesota chapters — joined other organizations in using legal, political, judicial, economic, and legislative means to gain full citizenship rights for their people.† (History Topic, African American civil rights movement) Then the famous Reverend Martin Luther King, along with his colleagues under the banner of Southern Christian Leadership Congress (SCLC), started a nonviolent and civil disobedience movement that took the movement to a new height amidst mass protests. It started with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and spread through sit-ins and large peaceful demonstrations, as local groups and their leaders joined the struggle. (History Topic, African American civil rights movement) The prominent                 leaders of the movement were W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, etc. (African-American Civil rights Movement)

The Suitability of Visual Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Suitability of Visual Representation - Essay Example The legal profession, ideally speaking, is concerned with the truthful administration of justice. Justice means that people are treated fairly and reasonably. The scales of justice are used to portray this image of the legal profession to the public, and perhaps to remind those in the legal profession of their ethical duties to the notion of justice. The scales of justice are simple, and yet they do portray a very powerful message. The scales represent the concept of balance. The image I selected is interesting because there is an obvious imbalance. Perhaps this is to emphasize the presumption of innocence. Perhaps it is in a state of imbalance in order to demonstrate a commitment to freedom and liberty rather than oppression. The burden is on the person claiming a wrong, perhaps the police or a plaintiff in a civil matter, to prove with solid evidence that his claim is valid. This particular scale of justice was taken from the homepage of a defense attorney. His specialty is defending drunken driving cases. This is a very suitable symbol for people under threat of criminal prosecution. The notion of balance seeks to reassure the client and conveys the ideals of the profession. The Windows logo is one that we see almost daily, and even though it is a very simple idea, it is also a very powerful idea. First, technology is always seen as a very futuristic concept. Groups are always trying to improve and innovate. I think this is an excellent logo for Microsoft. The windows themselves are like windows into the future and into knowledge. This logo is telling us that Microsoft is granting us access to information. That is precisely what they create in their business.

Post-conviction remedies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post-conviction remedies - Essay Example common post conviction appeals include: appeal to State appellate Court which contends that trial judge made some legal error, State Supreme Court appeal that requests that highest court in the state review and overturn the decision of the mid-level appeals court, U.S. Supreme Court appeal that makes a request to the highest court in the nation to intervene and correct an error on the part of the state courts that violated the U.S. Constitution, appeal of Federal Habeas Corpus Petition to Circuit Court which requests the mid-level federal court to review the federal trial courts decision denying the writ and lastly, appeal of Federal Habeas Corpus Petition to U.S. Supreme Court which requests the premier court in the land to examine the mid-level federal courts verdict denying the writ. On the other hand, Post conviction remedies include a variety of liberation sought by a convicted criminal to have his or her sentence vacated, set aside, or corrected because such a sentence was base d upon some defiance of the U.S. Constitution. Among the most common post-conviction remedies available are the writ of Habeas Corpus and the writ of Coram Nobis. However, Writ of Habeas Corpus is the mostly used. It involves issuing of a court order that orders a person or a government official who has prevented another to produce the prisoner at a designated time and place so that the court can determine the authenticity of charge and decide whether to demand the prisoners discharge. Development of writ of habeas corpus can be traced back in 1215 whereby the habeas corpus concept was first expressed in the Magna Charta at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. Among the liberties affirmed in the Magna Charta was that "No free man shall be detained, or jailed, or diseased, or forbidden, or exiled, or wounded in any way (Neubauer, 2004). The writ of habeas corpus was initially used by the common-law courts in thirteenth and fourteenth century in England. From the late fifteenth to the

Technological change and innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Technological change and innovation - Essay Example This article examines how organizations can help promote and leverage the use of technology and innovation. While it may be true that there is a proliferation of research and product development centers across the globe, these concentrate on optimizing technology which is readily accessible. Even those tagged as benchmarks of technological and innovative excellence, they are inclined to using the technologies that are domestically available within the region in which they operate (Hunt & Morgan, 1995). Its is not frequent to see that innovative activities synthesize distinctive knowledge around the world as potently as supply chains gather components from , raw materials, labor and services. In addition, the functional units which are accountable for innovation in majority of organizations are frequently poorly equipped to save on costs by availing knowledge from nonconventional, more cost-effective regions (Chesborough, 2003; Malecki, 1991). Despite this, there are exceptional organizations that have managed to establish innovative, integrated supply chain that are indeed global, permitting them to outperform their competitors through the prudent use of technological knowledge (Kotter & Heskett, 1992). They have been able to apply a process for innovating that goes beyond domestic clusters and national boundaries, becoming â€Å"metanational innovators†. This strategy of utilizing local technology, market intelligence, and capabilities has accorded them a potent contributor to competitive advantage: more, higher value innovation that is also more cost-efficient (Chesborough, 2003). To get a clearer understanding of the benefits of metanational technology and innovation, one may evaluate the war between Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp. in the cellular phone arena. Motorola was an acknowledged pioneer in the industry, establishing a strong foundation through breakthrough research from Bell Laboratories. By using US technological

Materials management processes in Boeing PowerPoint Presentation

Materials management processes in Boeing - PowerPoint Presentation Example Since the suppliers are scattered internationally, they bring the materials from all over the world. Some of Boeing’s major suppliers are found in the following countries; Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Middle East, South Korea, Spain and Turkey. The company uses over  $60 billion  to buy goods and services from its suppliers and partners (Boeing Web). Boeing schedules over 4,000 deliveries to clients daily (Dale Web). The company sorts problems arising from natural disasters by delivering the daily services and support in a manner that satisfies the expectations of its customers. Accidents and damages due to bad weather or delays are compensated duly as per the company’s policies. Operations are never stopped until the situation is declared a disaster. Material and financial damages are compensated duly as outlined in the company’s policies. Boeing’s supply chain is structured to offer solutions that enable customers maximize the value of their fleet. The company operates more efficiently while lowering costs. The company’s material management services comprise integrated materials management and a future supply chain service (Dale Web). Through these, clients can change materials manage ­ment responsibility to Boeing. Boeing then manages the combined supply chain. It gives a better service level for parts and more reliability to maintenance oper ­ations. Clients only purchase parts when they are given to maintenance or on a flight per hour. Integrated Materials Management also provides a method to measure and share benefits among airlines, suppliers, and Boeing. In 2013, the suppliers of Boeing from all over the globe generated over 60 % of the value of its products. The company’s global supply chain is dedicated to high quality and reliability and consistently offering high performance (Dale W eb). They help in the creation of a long-term competitive advantage, leading to

Global Strategy Business Report TBS984 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Strategy Business Report TBS984 - Essay Example The best entry mode is forming a strategic alliance with Gulf Drilling International since it is less risky, less costly and will enable Nexus to control its operations, and gain more knowledge of Qatar market. The company must position itself as a technologically innovative oil and gas exploration company that is committed to ensuring sustainable communities. The company must localise the human resource management and marketing activities in order to enhance the reputation and gain higher market penetration. The objective of the report is to guide the Nexus Energy management in their global strategy through identifying Qatar as the appropriate target country, the attractiveness of the oil and gas industry in Qatar and strategic alliance with Gulf Drilling International as the best entry mode in Qatar foreign market. The report will entail a detailed analysis of the current international business and economic environment of Qatar, analysis of the attractiveness of the oil and gas industry and the economic viability of Qatar as the most preferred country. In addition, the report will cover strategic alliance as the most appropriate entry mode in Qatar and Nexus Energy Limited strategic positioning to compete successfully in the new industry. The last part will be the conclusion and recommendations to the management. Nexus Energy intends to expand its business to Qatar and desires to do so through forming a strategic alliance with a local firm. The selection of foreign market entry mode is influenced factors such as the associated costs, market risks and the need for control of the foreign operations. The report will rely on secondary data collection and analysis methods. The report will utilise academic literature, global strategy models and recent market data to determine the best country of foreign market entry and the best foreign company that Nexus

Ch 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ch 3 - Essay Example The operating system can be categorized into three kinds, namely desktop operating system, network operating system and embedded operating system. Interestingly, Disk Operating System (DOS) is considered to be the first operating system which was used in IBM compatible desktop computers in 1980s. The primarily used computers were mainly utilized for teaching programming with the use of language called BASIC. The early computer programs were written in code. However, in later stages, a compiler and an interpreter were used that converted the source code into machine language that could be comprehended by the Central Processing Unit (CPU). In the year 1980, students were able to write programs and store them upon inexpensive tapes. The tapes were similar to those used for recording devices. This type of storage was called as sequential storage device as the data had to be stored and accessed in sequence. Later, such storage was also called as the secondary or permanent storage. At pres ent, there exists various types of operating systems; however, it can be broadly classified into two groups which are open-source operating systems and proprietary operating systems. As the name suggests, proprietary operating systems are primarily possessed by a corporation and such OS are controlled by the individual or the corporation itself. On the contrary, open-source operating systems allow everyone to change the source code and thereby the OS. For instance, LINUX is considered to be an open-source operating system. In 1980s, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) was created. Accordingly, ASCII uses 8 bit code that could have 2 to 8 power possible bits. These orderings could represent 256 different characters. The most popular word processors used in mid 80s, prior to the development of WINDOWS was WORDPERFECT. WORDPERFECT was written on DOS based operating system but it was extremely slow to move in WINDOWS system, as a result of this the word proces sor popularity reduced over a period of time. In fact, WORDPERFECT was made compatible with LINUX version but it could not compete with the open-source word processors. There are many software programs which are built to perform specific tasks while certain software are built for general purposes, i.e. programs that have a few specific capabilities, but these software programs are not meant to perform any specific purpose. For instance, spreadsheets can be utilized for keeping monthly records of an individual’s income as well as it can be used to determine or calculate the marks of students obtained in an examination. 2. A. Netcraft.com Netcraft is an internet service providing company. It is located in Bath, England. The company obtains its revenue from the internet security services that it provides along with research and analysis of various aspects of the internet and by advertisements that it accepts to publish on the Netcraft website (Net Craft Ltd., â€Å"About Netcra ft†) According to a survey conducted by Netcraft on web server, there was a decrease of 8M sites since last month i.e. August 2012.

Global Strategy Business Report TBS984 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Strategy Business Report TBS984 - Essay Example The best entry mode is forming a strategic alliance with Gulf Drilling International since it is less risky, less costly and will enable Nexus to control its operations, and gain more knowledge of Qatar market. The company must position itself as a technologically innovative oil and gas exploration company that is committed to ensuring sustainable communities. The company must localise the human resource management and marketing activities in order to enhance the reputation and gain higher market penetration. The objective of the report is to guide the Nexus Energy management in their global strategy through identifying Qatar as the appropriate target country, the attractiveness of the oil and gas industry in Qatar and strategic alliance with Gulf Drilling International as the best entry mode in Qatar foreign market. The report will entail a detailed analysis of the current international business and economic environment of Qatar, analysis of the attractiveness of the oil and gas industry and the economic viability of Qatar as the most preferred country. In addition, the report will cover strategic alliance as the most appropriate entry mode in Qatar and Nexus Energy Limited strategic positioning to compete successfully in the new industry. The last part will be the conclusion and recommendations to the management. Nexus Energy intends to expand its business to Qatar and desires to do so through forming a strategic alliance with a local firm. The selection of foreign market entry mode is influenced factors such as the associated costs, market risks and the need for control of the foreign operations. The report will rely on secondary data collection and analysis methods. The report will utilise academic literature, global strategy models and recent market data to determine the best country of foreign market entry and the best foreign company that Nexus

Human Rights Essay Example for Free

Human Rights Essay The Internet appears to be the ideal technology for democracy. When the Internet began, people thought they could communicate and even engage in commerce without the need for a big police force. As people from different cultures begin connecting to the Internet, it appears that the Internet is only as democratic as people make it. Government’s next move online has been significantly less comfortable. China has recently forced Google to rewrite their search software so that it supports the values of state security over individual freedom by blocking certain sites. In order to continue doing business in China, the Chinese government forced Google to disable certain functionalities of their products so that Chinese citizens cannot connect to Web pages on topics such as human rights and democracy. The Chinese government and Google derived the so-called Great Firewall of China in order to conceal from the public the potential contents that may pose threat to Chinese ideologies and politics. References Baase, S. (2007).Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet. Pearson Prentice Hall. Garland, E. (2007). Future, Inc. : How Businesses Can Anticipate and Profit from Whats Next. AMACOM Div American Management. Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology. Polity. Hassan, R. (2004). Media, Politics and the Network Society. McGraw-Hill International. Human Rights Watch, . (2007). Human Rights Watch World Report 2007. Seven Stories Press. Landow, G. P. (2006). Hypertext 3. 0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization. JHU Press. Marling, W. H. (2006). How American Is Globalization?. JHU Press. Meza, E. P. (2007). Coming Attractions? : Hollywood, High Tech, and the Future of Entertainment. Stanford University Press. Reuvid, J. , Li, Y. (2005). Doing Business With China. GMB Publishing Ltd. Wood, A. F. , Smith, M. J. (2005). Online Communication: Linking Technology, Identity, and Culture. Routledge.

BIMSTEC and BCIM Initiatives their Importance for India

BIMSTEC and BCIM Initiatives their Importance for India Background The emergence of regional economic cooperation among neighbouring countries is becoming a dominant feature of world economy. It means that globalisation has been escorted by regionalisation within different geographic regions of the world. It encouraged different countries and regions of the world specifically the countries of South-East Asia and North-East Asia to create collaborative ties with India. It results the formation of some sub-regional groupings which involves India as a member country. In June 1997, a new sub-regional group called Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand – Economic Cooperation (BIST-EC) was established.The grouping expanded withthe addition of Myanmar in August 1997, and of Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004, after that it came to be known as Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The aim behind the formation of BIMSTEC was to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development, accelerate social progress in the sub-region and maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations. BIMSTEC was initiated with the goal to combine the Look West policy of Thailand and ASEAN with the Look East policy of India and South Asia. Initiated in 1991, India’s Look East Policy marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. This forum has identified 14 areas for focused cooperation where a member country takes lead: India is the lead country for Transport and Communication, Tourism, Environment and Natural Disaster Management and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime. Bangladesh is for Trade and Investment. Myanmar is for Energy and Agriculture. Sri Lanka is for Technology. Thailand is for Fisheries, People to People contact and Public Health. Nepal is for Poverty Alleviation. Bhutan is for Culture.It is thus evident that the BIMSTECs agenda for cooperation is quite elaborate and comprehensive. The Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) forum for regional cooperation, earlier known as the Kunming Initiative, is a Track II[1]initiative, which came into existence in 1999 and comprisesBangladesh, China, India and Myanmar. It advocates sub-regional cooperation on infrastructure development, enhancing economic integration and people-to-people contact by the member countries. This sub-region comprises of Bangladesh, Myanmar, North eastern states of India and southern provinces of China.The BCIM is conceptualised on the basis of Growth Zones, which involves cooperation between 3 or more member countries for the development of a geographically contiguous region comprising of a part or the whole of each of the participating nations. Growth zones facilitate pooling of resources, opportunity to blend cooperation in trade, investment, transport and communication in a planned way. Importance and Potential of BIMSTEC and BCIM India had closure ties and links with the BIMSTEC member countries, with the signing of BIMSTEC agreement India got an opportunity to revive its past links with its old partners. In the speech at the Second BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi, the then Prime Minister of India stated that the 21st century belongs to Asia and Asia will be the engine of the world economic growth. BIMSTEC is an important part of the wider Asian community. It has the potential of playing a vital role in the Asian communityof nations linked by effective road, rail, air and shipping services across which there would be free movement of people, capital,ideas and goods[2]. BIMSTEC fosters socio-economic link between South Asia and Southeast Asia bringing together 1.3 billion people accounting for 21 percent of the world population, and a combined GDP of US$750 billion[3]. BIMSTEC could be Indias gateway to forging an association with ASEAN through collaborations with Myanmar and Thailand. Additionally, it is an opportunity to create a grouping that excludes Pakistan and would also contribute to enhancing Indias focus on balancing its interests to protect its strategic position in the region. Through a bilateral association with Myanmar, Indias North East region can be integrated into the overall growth and development strategy. Table: 1 Share of India’s Export to BIMSTEC (in %) BIMSTEC 2006 2012 Growth Rate (%) Bangladesh 26.74 31.87 5.13 Sri Lanka 33.75 24.62 -9.13 Thailand 21.66 22.30 0.64 Nepal 14.84 16.70 1.86 Myanmar 1.99 3.40 1.41 Bhutan 1.02 1.10 0.08 India’s export to BIMSTEC (US$ Billion) 6.2 15.5 Indias export to world (US$ Billion) 121.2 290 BIMSTEC share in total Indias export 5.15 5.35 0.20 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014) Author’s Calculation India’s export to world has increased by 2.4 times during the period 2006 to 2012. During the aforementioned period India’s export to BIMSTEC member countries has increased by 2.5 times. As revealed in Table 1, India’s export to BIMSTEC member countries has increased, excluding Sri Lanka. With respect to the size of the economy, total export of India to BIMSTEC members is reckoned to be rather very low. Though India’s export to BIMSTEC countries has increased by 2.5 times but BIMSTEC percentage share in India’s export has not increased proportionately. During 2006 to 2012 it has increased marginally by 0.20 per cent. Table: 2 Percentage share of BIMSTEC export in 2011 Bangladesh Bhutan India Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka Thailand BIMSTEC Bangladesh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Bhutan 0.56 5 0 0.06 0 0 1 India 72.15 91 14 97.46 90 97 55 Myanmar .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Nepal 0.55 1 9 0 0 0 3 Sri Lanka 0.98 0 8 0 0.02 3 3 Thailand 25.75 8 78 86 2.45 10 39 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014)Author’s Calculation *(..) Country has not reported to ITC for this year Table 2 shows the country-wise share of intra-BIMSTEC trade as a percentage of their total trade in 2011. Among BIMSTEC member countries, India’s export to Nepal (97.46 per cent) is highest and to Myanmar is lowest (14 per cent) in 2011, as revealed in Table 2. India’s import from BIMTEC member countries is less than 10 per cent, except Thailand (78 per cent). A wider look at the bilateral trade share from the table reveals that India and Thailand are the main destinations of trade for other member countries. Even though the intra-BIMSTEC trade share of these two countries are very low. This shows that large amount of trade potential is unexplored in this region. BCIM covers a total area of 13.7 million sq. km- accounting for 9 per cent of world area, total population of about 2635 million- accounting for 40 per cent of the world population, and a combined GDP of US$ 3485 billion- accounting for 7.3 per cent of the total GDP of the world[4].BCIM is a good platform for a country like India to play a more active role in sub-regional grouping, thereby linking the twin objectives of developing India’s isolated and relatively backward north east region and consolidating Indias role as a significant and purposeful player in Asian regional initiatives. The BCIM initiative has the potential to unlock the vast opportunity for growth and development in the region.After the first inter-governmental meetingin Yunan (China), Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) was put on fast track basis.Combining the advantages of the two largest emerging economies of India and China with the rich natural and human resources possessed by Bangladesh and Myanmar, this economic corridor (EC) will enable the member countries to accelerate economic growth and greater access and connectivity with the global market. The BCIM-EC will also enable the member countries to foster closer ties on issues of common interests and develop strategies for regional development. This would lead to better understanding and mutual trust, and promote stability, prosperity and peace for the region. Once this EC is established, it will combine China-ASEAN Free Trade Area[5], ASEAN Free Trade Area and ASEAN-India Free Trade Area[6]. This would result in the creation of the largest FTA in the world and will also contribute to the free flow of goods, services and people thus serving as a gateway for greater cooperation between the Pacific and Indian Ocean.In fact, BCIM-EC is designed to translate advantages ofgeographical proximity, political relations and economic complementarity into strengths of practical cooperation and sustained growth, with the aim of achieving mutual benefit and common development. India’s export to world has increased by 2.4 times during the period 2006 to 2012. During the aforementioned period India’s export to BCIM member countries has increased by 2.1 times. As revealed in Table 3, India’s export to BCIM member countries has increased, excluding China. Though India’s export to BCIM countries has increased by 2.1 times but BCIM percentage share in India’s export has decreased by 0.96 per cent. Table: 3 Share of India’s Export to BCIM (in %) BCIM 2006 2012 Growth Rate (%) China 81.38 72.94 -8.43 Bangladesh 17.33 24.45 7.11 Myanmar 1.29 2.61 1.32 India’s export to BCIM (US$ Billion) 9.6 20.2 Indias export to world (US$ Thousand) 121.2 290 BCIM share in total India’s export 7.94 6.97 -0.96 Source: ITC Trade Map (May 2014)Author’s Calculation Issues and Challenges of BIMSTEC and BCIM China has shown interest in joining the BIMSTEC and some discussions have also taken place on merging the BCIM and BIMSTEC. If this happen, it would be a blow to India, as China is likely to dominate the regional sub-grouping and take away Indias central role. Not only this, the objectives are at a variance, while BIMSTEC aims to create west to east connectivity, the BCIM is about forging North-South connectivity. This could create an atmosphere of geopolitical competitiveness among the two countries. Though India has given a nod for BCIM-EC but it seemsunlikely that it would be realized in an early timeframe in any meaningful manner. The fact of the matter is, theBCIM-EC throws up a lot of security apprehensions for India which might hinder the progress of this initiative. These concerns are borne about insurgency in the North East India and their links with some Chinese elements and also Chinas claim on Arunachal Pradesh. And also the threat of Chinese economic exploitation in the North East India is the basis of Indias hesitation.Unless there is a positive change in the nature of Sino-Indian relations except for hosting some Kolkata to Kunming car rallies and some other peripheral activities the substance in BCIM would remain absent. Substantive issues of BCIM would only receive attention when the geo-politics between both nations move towards a positive resonance. There are some challenges faced by BCIM in the form of tariff and non-tariff barriers, poor trade facilitation measures, lack of custom harmonisation, prevalence of informal tradeandinadequate infrastructure at and beyond the borders resulting in obstacles to cross-border movement of goods.These impediments hike up the cost of doing business in the region, discourage trade-oriented investment and affect the competitiveness of entrepreneurs in the region. These bottlenecks need to be addressed in order to increase intra-regional trade and also strengthen global integration of the region. Energy security is consistently critical for economic development and growth. Energy security of a country is directly related to its economic security. Ensuring energy security remains a discouraging challenge for all the member countries of BIMSTEC. The grouping gives an opportunity to the member countries for joint exploration of untapped energy resources, collaborative investment in energy sector development and cross-border trade and movement in energy sector development within the region.Some member countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar possess large gas reserves and some have untapped potential of hydropower such as Nepal and Bhutan. Whereas, members like India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are major energy importers. Collaboration among them through joint development could result in better use of energy resources, benefiting both producer and consumer countries. Suggestions and Recommendations In order to boost exports to BIMSTEC and BCIM countries, India should try to identify potential product groups which can be pushed into export market, identify major markets which can absorb a country’s potential products, select the right manufacturing export units which can undertake the responsibility of entering the overseas markets, provide adequate improved infrastructure to exporters, bring tariff rates in line with the international level in order to remove any bias against production for exports, allow exporters to borrow from the international markets if rates of interest are higher in the domestic markets, adopt strategic state intervention to promote exports aggressively and create necessary institutions and organizations which aid and promote exports, create special domestic financial facilities in term lending institutions for export related investment, check the domestic consumption of commodities which have great export potential so as to make surpluses availa ble for exports and to make exporters cost and quality conscious. Tourism is another area of great potential through which the member countries could reap benefits through sub-regional cooperation. Tourism is one of the main focus areas of the BIMSTEC and for India it represents another opportunity to extract mileage for its LEP through cooperation with Myanmar to develop North-East Region (NER) as a tourist destination. NER of India is blessed with exotic flora and fauna, natural scenic beauty, unique performing arts and varied cuisine and handicrafts. Tourism in NER has an untapped business potential. Through the expansion of tourism within the region, the member countries would be able to collect more revenue and investment may therefore be increased. BIMSTEC countries by virtue of their strong traditional expertise have overabundance of products which can command high value in international markets if they adhere to quality standards. Among the member countriesThailand is the only country that has developed a sound marketing strategy for these products. This can be carried out in other member countries as well,like, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc. since all of them have a strong handicrafts sector. There is a scope to increase intra-BCIM trade by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, improving infrastructure, increasing investment flow and deepening of trade facilitation. Currently, the BCIM countries are utilising only 40 per cent of their trade potentials. This could increase manifold if necessary infrastructure is developed, ensuring more trade and investment flow in higher volume. Therefore, there is a need to create BCIM fund to remove infrastructure deficits and improve connectivity. There is also a need to introduce faster visa processing for higher intra-regional trade. The success of the BCIM initiative relies heavily on the participating country’s ability and willingness to develop a suitable and reliable infrastructure connectivity to facilitate movement of goods and services.In the context of the current state of play, BCIM remains one of the least connected regions in the world.The BCIM members should focus onimproving the state of connectivity within the region, and mobilising therequired resources to build the necessary infrastructure. This must be seen in the context of a long term development strategy which will have greater outreach in enhancing the economic integration in the region. Conclusion It can be concluded with the above discussion that the success of BIMSTEC and BCIM sub-regional groupings will surely contribute to improve the position of India in the current global era and particularly to the progress of North-east region of India as well as its LEP.Definitely these regional groupingswill help to India for making closer link with its proximate and immediate neighbours, to increase economic integration with Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, to address security concerns of NER and the development of its untouched potential. Stronger bilateral relations between India- BIMSTEC and India-BCIM would be helpful to make Asia as more stable and prosperous region of the world. The proper implementation of these sub-regional groupings would also be helpful to control informal trade between their member countries. References Banik, N. (2007), â€Å"The BIMSTEC FTA and Its Relevance†,Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD), Discussion Paper (DP),36. Bhatia, R. K. (2013), â€Å"BCIM Economic Corridor†, New Delhi, India Haokip, T., â€Å"India’s Look East Policy: Prospects and Challenges for Northeast India†. Hossain, S. M. (2013), â€Å"Impacts of BIMSTEC Free Trade Area: A CGE Analysis†, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development Vol.4, No.13. Nag, B., De, D. (2007), â€Å"Asian Integration Process and BIMSTEC†, Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD) Discussion Paper (DP), 35. Policy brief, (2004), â€Å"Future Directions of BIMST-EC: Towards A Bay of Bengal Economic Community (BoBEC)†, #12 RIS, India. Rahman, M. (2014), â€Å"BCIM Economic Corridor: An emerging Opportunity†, The Daily Star Pg 52, Col 1-B. Rahman, M. M. (2011), â€Å"Trade and Investment Potential among BCIM Countries: Prospects for a Dynamic Growth Quadrangle†. Rahman, M., Rahman, H., W. B. Shadat (2007), â€Å"BCIM Economic Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges†, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. Rahman, T. M. M. A. Amin, (2009), â€Å"Prospects of economic cooperation in the Bangladesh,China, India and Myanmar region:A quantitative assessment†, ARTNet. Saxena, S., Bhadauriya, S. (2012), â€Å"India and BIMSTEC: An Analysis of India’s Trade Performance Prospects†, Business Analyst: A Refereed Journal of Shri Ram College of Commerce,33(1), 103-114. Singh, L. S. (2010), â€Å"Northeast India in BIMSTEC: The Myanmarese Factor†. Uberoi, P. â€Å"The BCIM Forum: Retrospect and Prospect† 1 [1]Track-II initiatives are initiatives taken by the non-government section, whereas initiatives taken by the government section are known as Track-I Initiatives [2]Manmohan Singh,PMs Opening Remarks at the Second BIMSTEC Summit, Prime Minister’s Office, Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 13 November 2008, available athttp://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=44790 [3]RIS Policy Briefs #12, â€Å"Future Directions of BIMST-EC: Towards A Bay of Bengal Economic Community (BoBEC)† [4]Rahman, M., Rahman, H., W. B. Shadat (2007), â€Å"BCIM Economic Cooperation: Prospects and Challenges†, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. [5]The leaders of both China and ASEAN Member (AMS) signed the Framework Agreement on China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the sixth China-ASEAN Summit in November 2002. In November 2004, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of AMS witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Goods of the China-ASEAN FTA which entered into force in July 2005. In January 2007, the two parties signed the Agreement on Trade and Services, which entered into effect in July of the same year. In August 2009, the two parties signed the Agreement on Investment. The establishment of China-ASEAN free trade area enhances the close economic and trade relations between the two parties, and also contributes to the economic development of Asia and the world at large. (http://fta.mofcom.gov.cn/topic/chinaasean.shtml) [6] ASEAN and India signed the framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the 2nd ASEAN-India Summit in 2003. The Framework Agreement envisages the establishment of an ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area (RTIA) as a long term objective.

Free Essays - Holden Goes on a Date :: Catcher Rye Essays

Holden Goes on a Date          Ring! Ring! The goddam alarm clock woke me up again. I was having a madman dream and all, when the alarm clock woke me up. I had this dream that me and old Jane were dancing together. We danced for five numbers then we sat down to have something to drink. Boy, she was a good dancer. She used to do ballet when we were kids. She could dance better than anyone I ever saw. Anyway, after we danced, we started shooting the bull. When she was talking, I started giving her the eye. After a while, we started necking. She was a terrific kisser. You could tell she was great because when she kissed she was really into it. She wasn't like all those phony kissers where they just open their mouth. Once, I was with this girl who was the worst kisser ever. We would be necking, and she would be all tense and nervous. Anyway, Jane and I were really hitting it off. I was about to give her the time when the goddam alarm clock woke me up.    When I finally got out of bed, I decided to give Jane a buzz. I arranged to have a bite with her at this Italian place down the street from her. I was getting really excited to see Jane for the first time since we were kids. I used to see her almost everyday. We used to play checkers a lot. One thing I have always remembered was she never would move out her kings. When she got a king she would leave it in the back row. I got out of bed, got dressed and walked outside.    I decided to take a taxi to the restaurant because it was crumby outside. The taxi driver was the worst taxi driver ever. I told him to take me to the Italian restaurant that I was going to. He said he never heard of it. What kind of taxi driver doesn't know how to get somewhere? Isn't it his job? So anyways, I tried to tell him how to get there, but he didn't understand English well. I started to get really frustrated. Free Essays - Holden Goes on a Date :: Catcher Rye Essays Holden Goes on a Date          Ring! Ring! The goddam alarm clock woke me up again. I was having a madman dream and all, when the alarm clock woke me up. I had this dream that me and old Jane were dancing together. We danced for five numbers then we sat down to have something to drink. Boy, she was a good dancer. She used to do ballet when we were kids. She could dance better than anyone I ever saw. Anyway, after we danced, we started shooting the bull. When she was talking, I started giving her the eye. After a while, we started necking. She was a terrific kisser. You could tell she was great because when she kissed she was really into it. She wasn't like all those phony kissers where they just open their mouth. Once, I was with this girl who was the worst kisser ever. We would be necking, and she would be all tense and nervous. Anyway, Jane and I were really hitting it off. I was about to give her the time when the goddam alarm clock woke me up.    When I finally got out of bed, I decided to give Jane a buzz. I arranged to have a bite with her at this Italian place down the street from her. I was getting really excited to see Jane for the first time since we were kids. I used to see her almost everyday. We used to play checkers a lot. One thing I have always remembered was she never would move out her kings. When she got a king she would leave it in the back row. I got out of bed, got dressed and walked outside.    I decided to take a taxi to the restaurant because it was crumby outside. The taxi driver was the worst taxi driver ever. I told him to take me to the Italian restaurant that I was going to. He said he never heard of it. What kind of taxi driver doesn't know how to get somewhere? Isn't it his job? So anyways, I tried to tell him how to get there, but he didn't understand English well. I started to get really frustrated.

Greed and Malevolence in Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

The Power of Greed and Malevolence in Macbeth William Shakespeare's Macbeth is not necessarily a play of fate, but rather a tragedy that occurred as a result of uncontrollable greed and malevolence by Macbeth and his wife. The weird sisters only make suggestions about Macbeth's road to kingship; they do not cast spells to make true all their predictions. These interpretations lead Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan and secure the title Thane of Clawdor. While in kingship Macbeth elects to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, for Macbeth was fearful about losing his throne to Fleance. Senseless violence and inner rage cause the King of Scotland to murder Macduff's children and wife. The predictions of the witches are only temptations. The weird sisters never tell Macbeth what to do with these suggestions. He is initially curious and disbelieving about these deceptive hags, but he takes their forecasts literally. The witches only make predictions about the future kingship of Macbeth: "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor." Macbeth, along with Lady Macbeth, was responsible for making the judgments that leads to the downfall and destruction of himself. The prophecies predicted by the weird sisters do occur, but one can conclude that latter events, such as the death of Macbeth, were not caused by their direct powers, but they were simply the witches' foreknowledge: "He (the apparitionist) will not be commanded. Here's another / More potent than the first." The vaulting ambitions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lead to the death of King Duncan. For the sake of Macbeth's ambition, he is willing to murder his cousin, Duncan. Macbeth realizes that murdering his king is perfidious and blasphemous because every king is set on throne by God; he is driven by his undying aspiration to steal the throne and be king: "I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself / And falls on th' other." Lady Macbeth is also moved by her avarice to be alongside her husband on the throne. She uses all her strength and intelligence for evil purposes; this confident and arrogant authoritarian instills the plan of the murder (of Duncan) to Macbeth: "We fail? / But screw your courage to the sticking place / And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep." Macbeth is the only individual responsible for the death of his friend Banquo and the flight of Banquo's son, Fleance.

Background in computer science, mathematics, and information systems

I had just finished my Bachelors’ in Commerce and was weighing different options of future study that would serve my career best. This was twelve years back and I was one of the fortunate many who were aware of the outsourcing story in India. US Multinationals were off shoring more and more large software projects to India. There was a tremendous shortage of computer skills in the world and India, which foresaw this stepped in to fill the gap The Indian software industry, had zoomed from a mere $ 20 million in 1978 to $ 4 billion in 1998-99, of which $ 2. 6 billion was exported.India had achieved this feat by leveraging its most valuable resource, that of highly skilled manpower. These facts stared at all young aspirants who were looking at a bright future career and I decided to make the most of this opportunity by entering the Information Technology sphere to enhance my skills and improve myself. The thirst is not over as yet and I am applying for Masters’ today after relevant exposure and experience. Right from High School. I had a way with numbers and this made me get an A in Mathematics in my High School, and very good grades in my Accounts, Costing and Statistics in BCom.This aptitude and confidence in my quantitative skills made me choose the field of Computers where I knew a person’s logical thinking was the key to success. I got my Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Sciences from Comp-U-Serve, a professional organization. I cleared my Microsoft Certified Professional exams and also did a course at Harvard University in Advance networking and secured an A I also joined a Master’s program in Computer Applications and the following are the courses that I studied during my training at Vivekananda. 1. IT Tools and Applications. 2 Business Systems. 3 Programming and Problem Solving through C Language .4 Computer Organisation. 5 Structured System Analysis & Design. I started my career as a Systems Administrator and Training Faculty with a Computer Training Institute called Wintech Computers where I learnt a lot about real world computing in Java and Networking. My next learning curve took me to General Electric which gave me a totally different perspective. I was appointed as a Client Services Analyst for one of the world’s first off-shoring trials of Network Operations to India, where I had to study Information Systems and Network Operations in the United States and off shore the whole process to my peers in India.Later, I joined a start up IT consulting firm in the United States, Mascon Global Consulting. I have been with this firm for the past 6 years and have helped clients like Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Verizon and McGraw Hill with implementing various IT solutions Novartis gave me exposure to how information Systems could be used for purposes of research, of innovation in drugs and rules and regulations in the manufacture of drugs. At Verizon I got a chance to work and Implement path breaking prot ocols like ‘Voice Over IP’ which was a very strategic product as all of Verizon’s future voice products will be based on this platform.I played an instrumental role in creating a prototype for VOIP which was based on SIP technology. My work also led me to create a framework for testing Verizon’s VOIP Client for real world scenarios by adding jitter, delay and packet loss using NIST NET Software and being able to compare it with other clients such as Google, MSN and Yahoo etc. The proposed prototype for VOIP was very well accepted and is currently in use at Verizon. Technical excellence explains why India was identified by 82 per cent of American companies as their top destination for software outsourcing, according to a World Bank survey.My education and work experience have intensified my thirst for Masters’ in Information Systems. Second version I had just finished my Bachelors’ in Commerce and was weighing different options of future study that would serve my career best. This was twelve years back and I was one of the fortunate many who were aware of the outsourcing story in India. US Multinationals were off shoring more and more large software projects to India.There was a tremendous shortage of computer skills in the world and India, which foresaw this stepped in to fill the gap India was leveraging its most valuable resource, that of highly skilled manpower These facts stared at all young aspirants who were looking at a bright future career and I decided to make the most of this opportunity by entering the Information Technology sphere to enhance my skills and improve myself. The thirst is not over as yet and I am applying for Masters’ today after relevant exposure and experience. Right from High School., I had a way with numbers and this made me get an A in Mathematics in my High School, and very good grades in my Accounts, Costing and Statistics in B. COM. This aptitude and confidence in my quantitative skills made me choose the field of Computers where I knew a person’s logical thinking was the key to success. I got my Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Sciences from Comp-U-Serve, a professional organization. I cleared my Microsoft Certified Professional exams and also did a course at Harvard University in Advance networking and secured an A.I started my career as a Systems Administrator and Training Faculty with a Computer Training Institute called Wintech Computers where I learnt a lot about real world computing in Java and Networking. My next learning curve took me to General Electric which gave me a totally different perspective. I was appointed as a Client Services Analyst for one of the world’s first off-shoring trials of Network Operations to India, where I had to study Information Systems and Network Operations in the United States and off shore the whole process to my peers in India.My experience in the course of my first interaction with GE Plastics was uniq ue Later, I joined a start up IT consulting firm in the United States, Mascon Global Consulting. I have been with this firm for the past 6 years and have helped clients like Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Verizon and McGraw Hill with implementing various IT solutions Novartis gave me exposure to how information Systems could be used for purposes of research, of innovation in drugs and rules and regulations in the manufacture of drugs.At Verizon I got a chance to work and Implement path breaking protocols like ‘Voice Over IP’ which was a very strategic product as all of Verizon’s future voice products would be based on this platform. I played an instrumental role in creating a prototype for VOIP which was based on SIP technology. My work also led me to create a framework for testing Verizon’s VOIP Client for real world scenarios by adding jitter, delay and packet loss using NIST NET Software and being able to compare it with other clients such as Google, MSN and Yahoo etc.The proposed prototype for VOIP was very well accepted and is currently in use at Verizon. Technical excellence explains why India was identified by 82 per cent of American companies as their top destination for software outsourcing, according to a World Bank survey. My education and work experience have shown me that there is much more to excellence and have intensified my thirst for Masters’ in Information Systems.