Information Systems Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information Systems Outsourcing - Essay Example Outsourcing may be defined as the transfer of operational responsibility of either business processes or information system and other infrastructure management of an organization to an external service provider to achieve strategic goals, reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction and provide other efficiency and effectiveness improvements. This field has been in constant focus in last few years due to various social and financial issues involved with it. A number of organizations have sub-contracted all or part of their information systems / information technology function to specialist consultancies / contractors. According to Forbes Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies have outsourced at least one major business function. Encouraged by the projections of phenomenal cost savings, many Fortune 500 firms are jumping on to the "outsourcing bandwagon" (Lacity and Hirschheim 1993b). A survey of U.S. CEOs shows that 42% of communication firms, 40% of computer manufacturers, and 37% of semiconductor companies rely on outsourcing from foreign firms. These same CEOs expect the figures on outsourcing to exceed 50% before the mid-1990s (Bettis et al. 1992). Though the process of outsourcing is often considered as a non core business process it may range from low grade high volume and repetitive mechanical processes to a more sophisticated and high-tech development outsourcing. Outsourcing, in general, can be categorized as business processing outsourcing, platform IT outsourcing, application outsourcing and systems and network infrastructure outsourcing Information System outsourcing and processing services spending were approximately $200 billion in 2004, representing an 8.8% compounded annual growth rate (IDC). Information system outsourcing has been fueled by rapid technological change throughout all industries which results in more expense to upgrade systems, more time to install and increase complexity. For smaller companies which have information system and information technology department for just business support, maintaining and managing a good IT/IS department is not viable option, it is practically impossible to have a best team which can take on the market competition but IT/IS is major factor today that decide the success and failure of an organization. This lead to the outsourcing of major IT/IS outsourcings. Entire IT department or some IT/IS services are outsourced. The emerging pervasive nature of the Internet has effectively helped the communication between different parties involved in outsourcing process and has been the major facilitator of outsourcing in recent years. Easy and immediate access to information enables various parties involved in outsourcing to estimate the success of effort and control the entire process flow. Insufficient labor availability in developed countries, especially for those with IT expertise, has also led many companies in developed countries to outsource their business process and functional needs to the countries where cheap and high skilled human resource is available. Outsourcing decisions, in past, were primarily based on anticipated cost savings without the consideration of technology and security, but in

Mandatory HIV Testing Essay Example for Free

Mandatory HIV Testing Essay Imagine Las Vegas disappearing overnight and leaving nothing behind but empty stages and barren casinos, becoming nothing short of a ghost town. If all the people that have died from HIV/AIDS in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic were taken out of one geographical region, Las Vegas could easily be erased. The three most common ways to contract HIV are: unprotected sex with an infected partner, injecting drugs using an unsterilized needle that has been used by someone who is infected or during pregnancy, labor or delivery or breastfeeding where the mother transmitted the virus to her child. If an infected woman, not seeking treatment, becomes pregnant, the chance of her transmitting the infection to her child ranges from 15-45%. An infant, who has not even had the chance to speak, walk, or enjoy life, has such a high risk of contracting a deadly infection because the mother did not consult with her doctor and seek the appropriate treatment during her pregnancy. Did she not seek treatment because she did not know that she was infected, did she know but was too ashamed to relay the information, was she afraid she could not afford treatment? If routine HIV tests were conducted along with all the other blood tests throughout a pregnancy, infections would be indentified, treated with precaution and it would allow doctors to dramatically reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission. With effective interference, the chances would be reduced to below 5%. With this knowledge, HIV screening must be made mandatory for those seeking any form of prenatal care. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1,148,200 people (13 years and older) in the United States are living with HIV; 18% of those people are unaware they are infected. The infection rate has stabilized over the last few years to roughly 50,000 new infections each year—that means that someone in the US is infected with HIV every 9 minutes. HIV and AIDS are not the same. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This strand cannot stand as a virus alone and reproduce; it needs to infect the cells of a living organism. Normally, the immune system fights off unwanted viruses but this particular virus attacks the immune system directly, preventing it from destroying the unwanted virus and repairing damaged cells. AIDS is a condition that is caused by the irreparable immune system. When the immune system is damaged this badly, it is incapable of  fighting off any infection. If left untreated, it takes, on average, ten years for someone to develop AIDS from the date of infection. This average takes in to account a healthy diet and lifestyle—not someone who may be suffering from malnourishment or other unrelated illnesses. Women are more susceptible to being infected with HIV through heterosexual sex and infected needles than men. The number of HIV positive women in the US, of child-bearing years, is still growing at a rapid rate. They account for roughly 23-25% (11,000-12,500) of new infections each year. In a recent study conducted by the CDC, only one in five women between the ages of 18 and 64 report that they have been tested for HIV in the last twelve months. Among those women who are HIV positive, 31% of them were diagnosed in the later stages of HIV, resulting in an AIDS diagnosis within one year. Women who are HIV positive have the possibility of transmitting the virus to their child during labor or post labor, during breast feeding. There are approximately 2000 babies being born with HIV each year and more become infected as a result of breastfeeding. This is by far the smallest group of people infected per year, but this number could be reduced to almost zero, if proper interventions were mandatory. When women think or realize that they are pregnant, they seek out a gynecologist or other medical professional to aid them throughout their pregnancy. They are put through numerous blood tests to ensure they have the appropriate vitamin and glucose levels. They even undergo a STD test that tests for a variety of sexual transmitted diseases, excluding HIV. Some professionals offer the test and try to convince their patient that it is important, but some still refuse. Implementing mandatory HIV tests for pregnant women ensure that more people get tested, educate on the effects of HIV, are able to get treatment, and dramatically reduce the chance of their child contracting the virus. The test should be performed with the routine STD test at the beginning of the pregnancy and then once again before labor, because it can take up to six months for the virus to show up during a screening. The woman would know whether she has contracted HIV and have the ability to discuss the options with the doctor. Treatment should accompany the pregnancy, if needed, at no cost. The treatment for the baby after delivery would also incur no cost. A major, non-political, concern about  mandatory testing is the cost associated with treatment. It does not seem logical, but HIV treatments are extremely expensive. It costs thousands of dollars each year for medications and regular doctor’s visits. For people who have full coverage insurance, the cost for the medication is almost completely covered but they still have to pay the co-pays to visit the doctor. There are also federally funded programs to assist with HIV costs, and though they might regulate which medications patients can take, most doctors would prefer that a patient be taking some sort of medication rather than none at all. And finally, there are other programs such as Medicare and Medicaid that assist those who are HIV positive. Although some states will not grant acceptance in the Medicaid program unless the diagnosis is AIDS, many states will cover the costs with a positive HIV status. All of these options must be presented after the baby is born and doctors should work with their patients to find the best option. Another concern, brought up on the political floor, is that mandatory testing violates the Constitution. If a mother knows the status of her or her child, involuntarily, that violates her right of privacy and subjects her to discrimination; she could lose her job, insurance, face discrimination in society or physical abuse at home (McMillion). Making sure that no infant is involuntarily infected with HIV should be the first priority, of not only health care providers but by mothers themselves. The American Medical Association (AMA) was originally against mandatory testing because there was little a doctor could do to help treat the pregnant mother and unborn child. With new discovery of AZT, the treatment used to reduce the rate of transmission, the AMA has reversed their opinion (Schuyler). The mandatory testing will not allow women to forever remain ignorant about their status. It forces women to face the disease much earlier in their lives and presents them with a choice, a choice that replaces the one that was taken away—let the HIV take its course but help reduce her baby’s chance, seek treatment for her and the baby or do neither of them and take the risk of exposing her child.

The Biopower of Beauty Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mimi Thi Nguyen

In â€Å"The Biopower of Beauty: Humanitarian Imperialism and Global Feminism in an Age of Terror,† Mimi Thi Nguyen argues that beauty as a measure of moral character functions to regulate an individual. Nguyen explains that beauty promises to be redemptive and bring an individual from the outside in relation with the world(362). For example, the United States through nongoverenmental orgainizations (NGO’s), have promoted beauty to Afghanistan women because it is a way if liberating them from an uncivilized barbaric society that oppresses them to hide their beauty through the veil. According to Kant, the veil is considered ugly because it hides the body, which is associated with the erotic. Kant claims that beauty made visible is true and good, while the invisible is ugly and erotic (266). Nguyen claims using Kant that beauty is connected to morality because it makes visible what the â€Å"ugly† is trying to hide by providing a pathway in which beauty can impr ove ones life. Nguyen asserts that individuals use beauty as a serious of techniques to produce knowledge and emotions that function to portray the individual with dignity in comparison to the â€Å"ugly†. Thus, the use of beauty as an educational tool that measures their character is an important factor in teaching women to associate themselves with the rest of the world. Nguyen states the programs that NGO’s provide for women who do not have the knowledge to make themselves beautiful, serve as programs of empowerment that are connected to forms of dominance (360). Nguyen claims through beauty, Afghanistan women are suppose to feel a sense of self-worth and agency that was denied to them, while adhering to a set of western ideals of beauty. Nguyen claims this produces individual... ...auty School. From Nguyen, beauty functions in foucauldian terms because the students are made aware about their bodies in relation to the west that forces them to regulate themselves in order to adhere to beauty norms and standards set forth by their instructors. Nguyen contends that the western experts then shape the bodies of the students, who will then shape the bodies of others who also want to be like the west. Since western institutions are in charge of the Kabul Beauty School, the beauty school functions to cultivate women who want to preserve beauty for the sake of their dignity and morality as a tool against the â€Å"ugly† and uncivilized who are not like the west. In conclusion, Nguyen argues that beauty connected to morality justifies the United States intervention within Afghanistan that regulates individuals to accept western culture over their own.

Online Travel Industry :: essays research papers

Online Travel Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet travel bookings have been very prosperous these past couple of years. During the first three months of 2005, Internet travel bookings grew about 20 percent in the United States from the year earlier. Companies like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are putting more emphasis on selling to corporations and expanding in foreign markets. Travel has become one of the Web’s most developed categories. According to comScore, â€Å"online leisure travel bookings reached about $51 billion last year, or 44 percent of all online sales. Roughly 30 percent of all travel bookings occur online, which is a far greater share than retailing stores.† Between 2001 and 2003, leisure travel bookings more than tripled,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to $43 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the September 2001 attacks, the travel supplier industry had to take action in order to stay profitable. The industries tried desperately to reach consumers by offering discounted airfares and hotel prices, but the industry did not have enough money to support the advertising and marketing of these bargains and deals that they offered after the September attacks. The industry then turned to companies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline in order to advertise their bargains. These companies became great allies to the suppliers by selling hotel and airline bookings at hefty prices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to save even more money, the travel industry began to reduce the number of cut-rate rooms and airline seats they offered through travel agencies, while increasing efforts to attract customers directly to their Web sites, where they could sell their products commission-free.

How hot can you be?

Some of them use repetition to make you remember, emotions to touch your feelings, and well-known famous people to show you trust. Some of these advertisements are more powerful than others and this is the case of QuickTime ads. This advertisement is very effective, not only because it incorporates a well known famous person that â€Å"uses† the pill, it also shows a link to a reliable website that gives the prospective buyer health information and they use the repetition psychological fact to grab women attention. This weight loss product's advertisement was created to catch the attention of all women.The advertisement asks women how hot could they be and displays a picture of the sex icon Kim Sardinian. By doing this, the correlation between using the QuickTime product and looking like Kim Sardinian is created. What woman does not want to look beautiful? The advertisement indicates that using the product shown will allow the person being targeted to look better than ever. Th e ad commits a logical fallacy by making the false correlation between taking he product and solving all of the users physical aesthetic problems. What if someone has an enormous nose? Will â€Å"CT† help?The product fails to specifically target an overweight audience but instead targets all women, making the ad less effective. How can you trust a product that makes a promise it cannot keep? On top of the tactics mentioned before, the ad shows a link to WebMD (which is reliable website). Women who see this on the product's ad would probably see these pills as a safe option. However there is information proving the opposite, an example f this is in an article on the Time Magazine July editions which contains an article that explains to readers that weight loss products are heavy on claims, but there is a scarcity of scientific proof.According to them, nowadays there are no products that could be considered â€Å"safe, effective and rigorously tested. They also mention that th e U. S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) â€Å"(Park and Suffering 20) do not evaluate most weight loss supplements for safety. However with all this valuable information that loud be easily found on the web, many women might be tricked into thinking this product is safe due to the advertisement containing a reliable medical website.There is much psychological research that proves that repetition works very well in influencing people, and this ad is not the exception. If a woman sees the advertisement Just one time she might ignore it, but if the ad keeps reoccurring then it will most likely catch the audiences attention. As it says on the website changing's. Org â€Å"Repetition creates a pattern, which consequently and naturally Arabs our attention at first and then creates the comfort of familiarity. † (â€Å"Repetition Principle†).Familiarity subsequently hints liking more than dislike, companies know this and they apply it very well to their advertisements. Ther efore even women, who are not thinking on buying the product, probably would unconsciously do it. In conclusion this advertisement is very effective, not only because it incorporates a well known famous person that â€Å"uses† the pill, it also shows a link to a reliable website that gives the prospective buyer health information and they use psychological petition in various forms of media to grab women's attention.There are many companies like QuickTime that are taking advantage of people that have low self- esteem, by advertising a product that supposedly makes you lose weight and become more aesthetically appealing. This advertisement gives a false claim that it can simply solve a persons more complicated problems by taking a â€Å"miracle† pill. By incorporating a medical site to the ad also gives a sense of safety in this pill and makes the targeted audience have a sense of trust in this product.

digital signal processing essays

digital signal processing essays Philosophy of Time in Relativity: Time in relativity theory modified mathematically and used in combination with the usual three spatial dimensions to specify the location in space and time of events. Dimension, in geometry, a property of space. In common, experience the world is three-dimensional. Three measures-breadth, width, and depth-are needed to define a volume. In mathematics and physics the concept of dimension is used more abstractly; spaces of four or even an infinite number of dimensions are commonly used. The spaces with many dimensions that are used in mathematics and physics have no commonsense meaning, but are very powerful tools that are crucial to subjects like quantum physics. In addition, dimension need not always be a whole number. For example, fractals are mathematical objects that have fractional dimension. Time, conscious experience of duration, the period during which an action or event occurs. Time is also a dimension representing a succession of such actions or events. Time is one of the fundamental quantities of the physical world, similar to length and mass in this respect. The concept that time is a fourth dimension-on a par with the three dimensions of space: length, width, and depth-is one of the foundations of modern physics. Time measurement involves the establishment of a time scale in order to refer to the occurrence of events. The precise determination of time rests on astronomical and atomic definitions that scientists have established with the utmost mathematical exactness. Time, conscious experience of duration, the period during which an action or event occurs. Time is also a dimension representing a succession of such actions or events. Time is one of the fundamental quantities of the physical world, similar to length and mass in this respect. The concept that time is a fourth dimension-on a par with the three dimen ...

Foreign Affairs, Economics and the Articles of Confederation essays

Foreign Affairs, Economics and the Articles of Confederation essays The Articles of Confederation adopted in 1777 were designed to provide an effective form of government but did nothing of the sort. Although the Confederation attempted to strengthen foreign relations by maintaining peace with Great Britain and Spain, it failed. It also tried to better the nation's economic conditions through means of taxation and an increase in the national government's power, neither of which worked. Ultimately, the Articles of Confederation were unsuccessful and only added to the stack of problems the nation had to fix. The rest of the world did not think highly of the Confederation, making it challenging for it to convince Great Britain and Spain to honor their part of the peace treaty of 1783. The British had agreed to repay all slaveowners whose slaves had been seized by the British army, as well as promise to leave the United States. The British did not follow through with either of these agreements. John Adams was sent to London as a minister to resolve such issues but returned with no such achievement. Great Britain declined to even send a minister to the American capital. The debility of the Confederation was obvious throughout this all, as it was in its troubles with Spain as well. The Confederation had similar problems when dealing with Spain. The United States had land issues with the Spanish over the border between the United States and Florida, which was owned by Spain. The United States diplomats agreed to a treaty with Spain promising American recognition of Spanish possessions in North America and an agreement that the United States would only have the rights to navigate the Mississippi for twenty years in return for the acceptance of the American views of the Florida border. The southern states refused to ratify the treaty, meaning the problems between the two countries would remain. Foreign tribulations appeared again when the Confederation tried to repair the country's economic troubles as ...

Bribery of the World

Bribery of the World Introduction Bribery may be defined as an illegal act or an offence that involves offering and giving something such as money to gain an illicit and undue advantage. The world in general has witnessed incidences of corruption, including bribery, with the Arab world being identified as one of the areas where bribery is rampant.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Bribery of the World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Generally, the Arab world includes various countries of the Middle East, among them being Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, UAE, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia among others. In these Arab countries, although bribery is seen as an illegitimate act, it is also generally accepted as a social norm that binds people together, especially due to lack of democracy. Therefore, bribery may have both negative and positive consequences to the people in Arab countries. Some of the negative consequences and disadvantages to a country in clude inflation and poor governance. Nevertheless, different types of bribery in the Arab world have negatively affected the lives of people by creating tension in various countries, although the society views bribery as a means of acquiring the elusive democracy. Types of bribery There are different types of bribery witnessed in different countries around the world. In Arab countries, bribery is usually known ‘asrachwa’ while in Spanish and French speaking countries, it is known as ‘mordida’ and ‘desssousde-table’ respectively. Different types of bribery include the use of gift, sop, favor, sweetheart deals, kickbacks, funding, secret commission, promotion, donation, and lucrative contract among many other forms and types (Reader, 1997). Bribery is always divided into two forms: Firstly, there are those bribes that involve the person in power being given offerings and other items in order to use his or her position in the office unjustly to be nefit others. The second form of bribery involves cases where someone obtains power due to suffrages of those who have the ability to do it or use the power more appropriately. In such cases, a person who obtains and receives the bribe is able to influence the process unjustly and ensure that the bribery process is successful. Bribery is usually seen in various instances; for example, a police officer may be seen receiving money from motorists who are involved in minor offences such as over-speeding in order to let them off the hook. Another example of bribery is an instance where a citizen gives out money to a police officer during check-up in order to avoid being checked. Furthermore, bribery also takes the type of â€Å"a secret commission, a profit made by an agent, in the course of his employment, without the knowledge of his principal†, which is usually referred to as sweetener or kick-back (Lewis, 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, any act that requires someone to give something as a way of buying favor is a bribe, whether it is given in good faith or otherwise. This act is normally prevalent in public offices where control of employee activities is limited and where there is a lot of bureaucracy before one gets the service he or she needs. In addition, public offices are sometimes limited in terms of signatories, thus making it difficult for an outsider to get access to services demanded unless a bribe is offered. Bribery in Arab countries Many countries in the world have been accused of engagement in corruption, with bribery being one of the most prevalent forms of corruption. Although the international community’s watchdogs have been aggressively campaigning against corruption, individual governments in different countries especially the developing countries have not been fully committed to the fight. Thi s may be due to inadequate resources or inefficient policies to fight the vice. Moreover, although bribery is widespread across the world, Arab countries seem to be more notorious than other countries in demanding and giving bribes, especially due to autocratic type of leadership witnessed in most of these Arab countries. This bribery takes various forms, including political corruption, business contact bribery, and judicial bribery among others. One example of bribery is in a case where Egyptian court convicted Assembly official and petroleum dealers, including Petrogas, Al-Nasr Petroleum Co. and Petroleum Marine Services Co., over bribery (Bassiouni, 2007). With some Arab countries emerging as global market hubs, such as UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, various instances of bribery emerge, especially when people want to get business opportunities in these emerging markets. Another case of bribery is seen in political environment where a political leader rewards his friends with econom ic deals, which involve in the manipulation of public resources in most cases (Rinnawi, 2006). In Arab countries, most bribery cases usually occur due to lack of transparency and effective procedures that can be used in the government procurement deals and contracts. One example that stands out involves the alleged bribery by the Qatari government in 2010 in order to secure votes to host the 2022 world cup (Scott, 2011). Again, in Arab countries, lack of tangible anti-bribery laws to curb bribery usually results to more people being involved in bribery, since they are usually aware that there would be no punishment even if they are involved in bribery.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Bribery of the World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Besides, bribery in these countries is also caused by lack of proper political processes and good standards of governance. The recent political uprisings in some Arab countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen where the public accused their autocratic governments of massive corruption and underhand deals is a clear testimony to prevalence of bribery in the Arab world (Udasin, 2013). According to Udasin (2013), an author in â€Å"the Jerusalem Post† newspaper, opinion polls in most Arab countries that took part in Arab Spring indicate that the level of corruption has risen during the last few years after the uprising, with most people in these countries foreseeing a much worse future. Again, in these countries, salaries of civil servant are usually very low, leading to more bribery cases as people try to increase their income to sustain their lives. The governments’ failure to put in place institutional reforms that are important in curbing bribery also fuels bribery in most of these countries (Baumann, 2006). There have a number of cases of bribery in Arab countries since the 2011 revolutions, with most countries such Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, Leb anon feeling the most challenge. The revolution came as result of lack of government stability in these countries, which led to lack of confidence in the government by the public. Again, these countries also face many challenges in their police reform systems, unstable judiciary and the military that in most occasions has failed to fully support to the government. Again, according to Frishkopf (2010), research has shown that bribery and corruption are the biggest social problems affecting the society, with most people complain about prevalence of bribery in both private and public institutions in these Arab countries. Moreover, bribery is usually seen starting with the top government authorities who later influence other junior government officials to be involved in bribery. As a result, bribery and corruption have worsened in the Arab countries, amid increased economic and political instability stability. One area where bribery is evident is in government’s procurements and contract transactions where anybody interested in acquiring a government contract or an investment opportunity has to part with a bribe, especially considering the formalization process is more bureaucratic in nature. With the availability of petroleum and other natural resources in these Arab countries, bribery cases has been seen, especially where oil business transaction are involved, as people try to capitalize on the lucrative benefits emanating from this business (Frishkopf, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Effects of Bribery Bribery is one of the acts that usually result into harmful and bad consequences. Firstly, bribery usually undermines democratic process in a country and prevents people from getting equal shares of opportunities in the country. This usually results into low economic progress of the country, as it will distorts and affects the investment procedures, thereby preventing free markets strategy. In addition, in some countries where bribery is unavoidable, the poor people suffer most as they are denied their basic human rights unless they give bribes. This also affects the country’s economy and development, as those who do not give bribes fail to get a chance to participate in building projects in the country. The result of this is an increased level of poverty, a situation that is common in most of these countries, especially those that do not have many resources to accommodate a significantly large number of citizens. In addition, too much bribery usually lower s and delays government processes, as those who are responsible in these processes usually wait for bribes in order to accomplish their duties. As a result of this, government policies are lowered and the standards of doing business in the countries are also affected leading to investors and businessmen running away from the country. Counter argument about bribery in Arab World The Arab world has been accused of allowing corruption to thrive, but most people in Arab countries see it as a way of life. In addition, bribery in the Arab world is viewed as a means of enhancing social cohesion and eliminating individualism, especially because it facilitates mutual interdependence and interpersonal ties (Hashi, 2013). For instance, giving gifts in return for a favor is a common phenomenon that influences indebtedness in the society thus creating social bonds among people. The ever-present nepotism in Arab countries makes the role of public officials to resonate between official duty and en hancing familial ties. Moreover, dictatorial leadership witnessed in these Arab countries does not allow democracy to thrive, and the only way people have to enjoy democracy is through bribery. This ineffectiveness of governments forces people to utilize their social ties in order to bribe public officials to address their interests, which could have been ignored if they did not give bribes. Therefore, bribery in Arab societies is an important aspect that holds people together while at the same time enhancing ‘democracy’ amid authoritarian form of governance. Refutation about Bribery in Arab World Despite the society viewing bribery as normal and an acceptable way to access democracy, there are bad consequences that have seem most governments in Arab countries fail or collapse. Generally, a lot of money in form of bribery goes to private hands, making the government unable to support its citizens adequately, thus leading to increased cases of poverty. The so-called demo cracy is only accessible to those who have the means to offer bribes, especially considering that any form of bribery must have a financial value, which works against those who are less endowed (Rinnawi, 2006). Therefore, bribery cannot buy democracy in totality as some people may tend to argue. Conclusion This paper has discussed bribery in Arab countries and discovered that, in most cases, bribery in Arab countries is caused by government instability and lack of proper policies and reforms to deal with bribery. Again, from the paper, it is clear that bribery is very rampant in Arab countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Yemen and many other Arab countries. Therefore, it is important that proper strategies, including providing better policies to curb bribery, be put in place. In addition, if possible, laws should be put in place to ensure that top government officials do not involve in business transaction deals in isolation; rather, it should be a public process that requires vetting and audit before being validated. Besides, the government should also provide policies that ensure that those who involved in bribery are severely punished and removed from their official duties. Generally, in Arab countries, bribery usually begins with top government officials and then spreads to junior officials as well as the public. Therefore, in these countries, cases and acts of bribery is a normal phenomenon to them since almost everybody in these countries is involved in bribery. Moreover, bribery leads to negative and harmful consequences including poor economic growth. When this happens, the poor and innocent citizens tend to suffer, as they do not have resources to access services from public officials. Therefore, it is important that relevant and significant anti-bribery policies and reforms be put in place by the governments of these Arab countries in order to deal appropriately with bribery cases, while at the same uplifting people’s human rights. References Bassiouni, Y. (2007). The art of bribery: What not to do. Egypt Oil and Gas Newspaper, 1(7). Web. Baumann, A. (2006). Influence of culture on the styles of business behavior between Western and Arab managers. Norderstedt, Germany: Grin. Frishkopf, M. (2010). Music and media in the Arab world. Cairo, Egypt: The American University in Cairo Press. Hashi, F. (2013). Bribery As a form of Democracy. Public Policy and Governance Review, 4(2), 95-98. Lewis, M. (2000). Who is paying for healthcare in Eastern Europe and Central Asia? Washington DC, USA: World Bank Publications. Reader, J. (1997). Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York, USA: Vintage. Rinnawi, K. (2006). Instant nationalism: Transnational media in the Arab world. Lanham, Maryland, USA: University Press of America. Scott, M. (2011). Millions paid in bribes for Qatars 2022 World Cup votes, report claims. The Guardian. Web. Udasin, S. (2013). Poll: Corruption worsened in Arab countries since uprisings. The Jerusalem Post. Web. Whitaker, B. (2009). What’s Really Wrong with Middle East? London, England: Saqi Books.

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

Skydiving - Essay Example As the report declares the tourism industry in Kyiv has to entice more of such international tourists so as to generate higher revenues. Compared to group tourists, independent non-packaged or individual tourists spent more cash on meals, entertainment, gambling, lodging sightseeing and local transportation. Casino operators therefore have to focus on attracting more foreign independent tourists so as maximize their earnings. This paper stresses that Tobit analysis was employed to analyze the travel spending of Kyiv visitors. This technique was coined by Tobit. It was meant to estimate equations especially when a set of continuous observations on truncated criterion variable, usually at zero. This model poses two advantages first is that it presents efficient parameter estimates and the accurate estimates of the expected value of the variable. The second one is that it allows estimating both the market participation effect and the conditional quantity effect. The Tobit model used presented the below question to show the correlation between ith visitors’ daily travel expenditure on kth spending category and the independent variables. It is expected that the travel expenditure totals of Kyiv visitors have a positive relation to their per capita income and the people’s number in the party. Senior lecturers from the University of Kyiv helped in translating English questionnaire into simplified C hinese, Korean and French so as to ensure that most of the visitors literacy needs are satisfied. After the translation the questionnaire were verified by employees from Kyiv hotel and students together with staff members from the same university. After verifying the translation, 20 students pre-tested the questionnaire so as to validate it. The questionnaire had two parts designed to gather as much information as possible from the tourists. The first part based on the demographic, behavioral, socio-economic including entry mode, country of origin, party size,

Current event Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current event - Assignment Example This way, the pharmacy will be placed above other pharmacies in distributing pharmaceutical products prescribed by other physicians and sold over the counter to individual customers and organizations. The pharmacy hopes to providing basic health services to citizens taking advantage of the shortage of doctors in the country (Martin & Esterl par. 2). CVS wants to be perceived as a store that really cares for the health of the public and patients. It also wants to be perceived as an organization that places the health of Americans above the profits it makes. Furthermore, the store wants to present itself as a convenient alternative to the hospital and doctor’s office. The partnership between Coca Cola and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is one that is symbiotic; the two organizations benefit from each other. While Coca Cola benefits by having a stake in GMCR, the latter benefits from the cash investment it has received from Coca Cola’s purchase of shares which translates to capital. Coca Cola also benefits from the partnership in that it hopes to make more sales of its products by targeting customers at an â€Å"at home† environment. Coca Cola being a strong brand commands a lot of respect internationally. This being the case, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ partnership with Coca Cola will strengthen the brand which may translate to more sales and profits. In a zero sum game, when one party loses, the other party gains by the amount that the first party loses. In other words, the sum of one party’s profit and the other party’s loss is zero. Muhtar Kent is explaining that the relationship between Coke and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is not one based on competing interests but rather is meant to be complementary. In other words, a win for coca cola will be a win for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and vise versa. Similarly, a loss for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will be a loss for Coca

Diverse Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diverse Britain - Essay Example A list is long but important thing is that rule and laws gave them equal rights who settled in UK regardless of their ethnicity, race and culture. (Ethnic Diversity) Some of the demographic features of ethnic diversity in UK are worth enumerating. Ethnicity Population Proportion in total UK population Bangladeshi 283,063 0.5% Black (others) �,585 0.2% Black African �,277 0.8% Black Caribbean �,876 1.0% Chinese �,403 0.4% Indian �,053,411 1.8% Mixed race �,117 1.2% Other �,615 0.4% Other Asian (non-Chinese) �,644 0.4% Pakistani �,285 1.3% White �,153,898 92.1% Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=273 It will be most interesting now to see how media people respond to the notions of ethnic diversity in UK. R eports from Print Media Murrells (2011) in The Guardian reports under the heading ‘Preston's Nathan Ellington claims he was racially abused at Millwall’. Nathan Ellington claimed he had a worst racial humiliation of his life at Millwall. "I've never seen a more racist and abusive crowd as I saw today at Millwall! Disgrace to the human race." Murrells (2011) further writes quoting Ellington, â€Å"I didn't bite or report it, it's just sad really that there are still people with so much anger at a football match." (Murrells, 2011) Ellington further said that he was inflicted with a remark of thief and targeted of monkey noises as reported in the paper. It is really surprising that such a celebrity player has to face such hostile remarks particularly, when Nathan is British born. It was simply not a club rivalry but something more than that. â€Å"Commercials represent only 5% of TV ads featuring ethnic minorities† (Sweney, 2011) With above title a report published in The Guardian in its issue of 21 April 2011. Subject of the report was that only 5% of the 35,000 ads were involved with the actors from black or other ethnic community. The report prepared by Clearcast mentioned that TV advertising is not proportionately representing blacks in view of the fact that Asian, Black and other ethnic minorities constitute about 13 percent of the UK population. Issue of ethnicity and belonging to black community still prevents one doing significant role in television commercials. Otherwise, how can one explain such a low level of participation in the ad business? It seems that it will take years before any racial discrimination is totally eliminated and participation of the other ethnic community sharply increases. The report further said that only 1130 ads were such that when any actor of ethnic minority group was given a main role. It means that commercials are not appropriately representing the diverse makeup of the UK. (Sweney, 2011) â€Å"Your tr ibe need to behave like proper English children: What BBC's Mishal Husain was told by shopper in supermarket.† (Jarvis, 2011) Above heading appeared in Daily Mail in its issue of 8th May, 2011. The children of BBC news reporter Mishal Husain were told to behave ‘like proper English children’ when she visited a mall in Waitrose for shopping along with her three children and husband. Ms Husain is the upcoming star of BBC News. She is born and brought up in UK though her parents belong to Pakistan. Even BBC1’

Character Analysis and pick one of those .William Faulkner, A Rose for Essay

Character Analysis and pick one of those .William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily, and Andre Dubus, Killings - Essay Example Emily has killed Homer because society killed her independence and happiness first due to social class and gender norms. In the beginning, the story presents Emily with both admiration and criticism because of her class status. Emily belongs to a family of an upper-class family that is respected in the community. When she died, the narrator states that she has gone to where her social class went to, along with â€Å"representatives of those august names† (Faulkner par.2). She is a Grierson, one of the most respected names in town. The tone of the story mixes respect and ridicule, however. The narrator describes the house as he would the Griersons: â€Å"...only Miss Emilys house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps—an eyesore among eyesores† (Faulkner par.2). The tone challenges the Griersons for remaining superior when they have lost their wealth and influence already. As the story progresses, Emily opens up to the community a little, which the people respect because they feel sympathy for her after her domineering father died and because she is a old, single woman. The narrator judges the Griersons as too proud of themselves. He uses the words â€Å"high and mighty Griersons† in contrast to the â€Å"gross, teeming world† because of the smell coming from Emily’s house (Faulkner par. 16). It shows how social class affects the social circle of Emily. At the same time, gender is also an issue for Emily. Her father controlled her life when he was alive. The narrator suggests this when he says: â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such† (Faulkner par. 25). Gender values that expect her to respect her father’s decision have turned her into an old maiden. Still, she opens up a little when she had China-painting lessons and became romantically involved with Homer. Emily shows her indepen dence after her father

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Terrorism - Essay Example an be defined as political, social or religious objectives but in greater perspective terrorism is associated with the idea of practicing power over the mass population while turning humans in to slaves. Here, if we closely analyze then it can be said with conviction that pessimistic use of power is not only done by social activists and influential religious groups rather terrorism is also practiced by powerful nations and governments. This can be substantiated on the basis of the fact that the last two World Wars were actually initiated due to political disagreements among government authorities. Moreover, the incidents which occurred during World War I and II are the prime examples of human rights violation, murder, violence, fear and inhuman acts such as rape. On the other hand the contemporary form of terrorism is largely affiliated with religious groups which negatively influence people to accept their ideologies. Although these people aren’t religious in the true sense but that is how they justify their violent acts. Hence in my opinion terrorism is violation of human dignity in the name of egotistic goals and it can be associated with government authorities or individu als. There is no single event which can predict the exact starting time for the Modern International Terrorism since it is defined differently by a large number of scholars, politicians, historians, economics, sociologists etc. Weinberg argues that French Revolution played a significant role in beginning the Modern Terrorism. This revolution particularly set standards for events which occurred in the 20th Century. Most importantly it provided the means of using tyrannicide for confiscating the oppressive political authorities (Cameron, 2010). As activities against state leadership gained intensity and violence began the government also started taking actions and named the individuals participating in revolutions as terrorist. This actually gave rise to two different ideas including the

Character Analysis and pick one of those .William Faulkner, A Rose for Essay

Character Analysis and pick one of those .William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily, and Andre Dubus, Killings - Essay Example Emily has killed Homer because society killed her independence and happiness first due to social class and gender norms. In the beginning, the story presents Emily with both admiration and criticism because of her class status. Emily belongs to a family of an upper-class family that is respected in the community. When she died, the narrator states that she has gone to where her social class went to, along with â€Å"representatives of those august names† (Faulkner par.2). She is a Grierson, one of the most respected names in town. The tone of the story mixes respect and ridicule, however. The narrator describes the house as he would the Griersons: â€Å"...only Miss Emilys house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps—an eyesore among eyesores† (Faulkner par.2). The tone challenges the Griersons for remaining superior when they have lost their wealth and influence already. As the story progresses, Emily opens up to the community a little, which the people respect because they feel sympathy for her after her domineering father died and because she is a old, single woman. The narrator judges the Griersons as too proud of themselves. He uses the words â€Å"high and mighty Griersons† in contrast to the â€Å"gross, teeming world† because of the smell coming from Emily’s house (Faulkner par. 16). It shows how social class affects the social circle of Emily. At the same time, gender is also an issue for Emily. Her father controlled her life when he was alive. The narrator suggests this when he says: â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such† (Faulkner par. 25). Gender values that expect her to respect her father’s decision have turned her into an old maiden. Still, she opens up a little when she had China-painting lessons and became romantically involved with Homer. Emily shows her indepen dence after her father

Difference in the Leadership Styles Between Japan and America Essay

Difference in the Leadership Styles Between Japan and America - Essay Example If they are paying for the product, they want to ensure that the quality is worth it. Roudan Al-Roudan discussed Levitt’s prediction and most of the class disagreed with his ideas. Each of the topics was discussed after doing substantial research with the help online sources as well as books and journals. Let us now look into their topic individually for a better understanding. Yousef Al-Awadhi started this topic with the idea that there is no clear definition of leadership in particular. It is unpredictable and considered to be very diverse and each of the different forms has very distinctive definitions (Achua and Lussier, 2000). Leadership is determined with the help of various attributes such as quality, effectiveness, behavior, connection designs and of course the position of the leaders (Yukl, 1998). In most of the cases, a leader can simply be defined as a person who guides his or her subordinates towards a particular pre-defined objective for the welfare of an organization. Likewise, there are various definitions and each of them is different to one another in terms of the leadership styles and recognition. Researchers have used many methods to determine each of these leadership styles and their outcome in the long run (Yukl, 1998). There are many studies which discuss the link between leadership styles and culture. In a similar manner, the researchers found out that leadership styles vary from culture to culture (Han et al., 1996). He then went on the take the example of two countries, Japan and USA. Both of the countries have distinctively different leadership styles and culture. The earlier researches done by several writers gives us the idea that leadership styles also differ with respect to the organization and its religious differences.

Informational Privacy Essay Example for Free

Informational Privacy Essay The divide between the law and human ethics has been a rather blurred one, with many people wondering where the dividing line ought to be drawn (Rowland, 2005). For on the one hand the law ought to be obeyed and not questioned as it is the supreme authority of the country; yet on the other hand ethical considerations, especially in cases where the law is silent, ought to be considered too. For many are the times when the law has failed to be of any use because it is either obsolete due to age or it just does not take into account changes in life. Technological advancement is one area where the law has totally failed to keep up pace with new issues that emerge with the result that it has been difficult, even impossible, to have sound decisions on matters of technology (Rowland, 2005). This paper considers a case of information privacy from the point of view of the parents of a naval officer whose emails they cannot access after his death. Discussion Justin Ellsworths Parents ought to have been allowed access to their son’s emails because of a number of reasons. The first one is that according to the utilitarian theory, this is a man who had done so much for his nation (Rowland, 2005). He had given his own life in exchange for the lives of many other Americans whom he sought to protect from their enemies. He literally died serving his nation. In this case he was of great use and value to the nation. On this basis, the parents, who are his next of kin, ought to have been allowed to access his emails. One thing is critical in this entire case – the parents do not merely want access their son’s email but want to do this for a good reason. The reason is that he died away in battle unexpectedly and so left no final word to them. They are obligated to know what their son might have though or said prior to his death so they might understand his possible feelings then. Secondly, as people who are bereft of their son, these parents can probably be little comforted in sharing in the feelings of their son – feelings they can only get if they are able to access his email. Finally, it is worth considering the alternative – if they are not allowed access, they will probably be less happy, develop negative attitudes towards the authorities and the law enforcement agencies, and most likely even develop a hatred for any form of government service. They might even engage in dissuading other people from ever considering to be patriotic based on their own experience that patriotism is never rewarded. The eventuality could be that fewer people would be wiling to enlist as servicemen and women in the country’s naval forces. The reason is that their son as not treated with the worth he deserved. Finally, the emails will be of no use to anyone else after all so keeping them or deleting when someone desperately them is essentially despising the person. Deontological ethical considerations require that everything be done in accordance with the law (Rowland, 2005). On this basis, it is all right for Justin Ellsworths Parents to be denied access to the emails belonging to their son. And privacy law is one that ought not to be broken at all because breaking it is both an offence as unethical. Imagine accessing the secret thoughts of a mature person. This is a person who, unlike a child, could express himself. If he had any information intended for parents he must have send it over. Above all, else, he entered into agreement with Yahoo not to disclose his personal information. This contract is binding for as long as his account is not terminated. Such information may never be shared or disclosed to third parties regardless of their closeness to him. It is about obligation, duty, and responsibility. Not every law is popular with all people; but the law is designed to serve mankind and not mankind to serve the law (Rowland, 2005). This in essence means that the law or a duty or an obligation that one party has towards another cannot be changed just like that. Agreements are binding legally and can only be nullified or revoked by mutual agreement between the parties to the agreement. So, as long as the law requires that there is no access, there ought to be no access. It is a universal law and is also fair – granting justice to the offender and the offended as well. In fact acting in the right way morally is only possible when the actors are made to have a sense of duty and responsibility. Without such a sense, they will tend to be less concerned (Rowland, 2005). Conclusion The difference between utilitarian and deontological approaches to life issues is that while the former justifies an act based on its inherent worth or utility, the latter purely bases the worth of an issue on its ability to adhere to ethical or moral issues which in turn are brought about by having a sense of duty. This means that the argument as to whether or not Justin Ellsworths Parents ought to have been allowed to gain access to their son’s emails is dependent on which side of the two theories one is considering. If it is the deontological one, then they ought not to be allowed it is against the law; but if it is utilitarianism then they deserve to be allowed for Justin Ellsworth was of great value to the country.

Effects of the World War on the Cold War

Effects of the World War on the Cold War This essay will firstly consider the major events of the inter-World War period: the creation of the League of Nations, the role of American isolationism, and the Great Depression and its consequences for Europe. Secondly, it will consider how these events influenced American foreign policy and shaped the American response to the perceived threat of Soviet expansion in Europe in the early post-World War Two period. In the aftermath of World War One, Woodrow Wilson asserted that the best way to ensure world peace was the creation of the League of Nations, a forum where grievances could be heard and debated so that war could be avoided. The main reason for its failure was the subsequent American return to its tradition of isolationism, which was caused by the shock of the war’s brutality as well as indifference to the plight of Europeans. The Great Depression began in 1929 and its effects were felt worldwide. It encouraged extremist and nationalist views among many populations and gave Hitler his opportunity to take power in Germany and reduced the ability of Great Britain and France to maintain security in Europe.[1] Orthodox historians hold that after World War Two the desire of the United States for a new world order based on the rules of the United Nations Charter and Soviet attempts to take control in Europe caused the onset of the Cold War. However, revisionist historians argue that United States policy makers caused the Cold War by failing to differentiate between peripheral and vital interests and unreasonably not allowing a Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. As the Soviets had destroyed two thirds of the German army to bring this area under their control the US position can easily be seen as unfair.[2] After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, US troops were sent to Russian cities and despite being ordered not to interfere in the ensuing civil war, they did help anti-Communist forces indirectly. This shows that America was apprehensive at best about the Communist takeover in Russia and this combined with the Soviet policy of encouraging the spread of Communism worldwide ensured that Washington refused to establish diplomatic relations with Moscow. This could be seen as the start of the Cold War.[3] In the aftermath of the Second World War it was left to the Soviet Union and the United States to decide how the new world order would be shaped. Americans recalled that they had not taken seriously the threat posed by Hitler during the 1930s and were encouraged to see Stalin as a new Hitler and as a man that must be stopped. American leaders may have been less willing to reason with Soviet demands because they feared that this would be seen as appeasement in America and in Moscow and would only embolden the Soviets. Therefore rather than a return to isolationism and the policy of appeasement that had devastating consequences in relation to Hitler’s Germany the United States resolved to tackling the Soviets in a confrontational manner.[4] George F. Kennan said that for totalitarianism â€Å"there are at least no better examples that Germany and Russia.†[5] The view that the Soviets presented a threat to America was enhanced by the widespread view in America that Soviet military victories in Eastern Europe were acts of aggression rather than a mission of liberation. Soviet security concerns caused by a history of constant invasion from the West were not recognised and the prevailing view was that after conquering the whole of Europe the Soviet Union would challenge the rest of the world.[6] The failure of the League of Nations was attributed mainly to the lack of American commitment to playing a major role in world affairs. Therefore when the United Nations was set-up the United States committed to playing a major role in world affairs. This meant confronting any perceived threat of aggression directly with the hope of stamping out any threat to world peace quickly and put the US on course for a collision with the Soviet Union. This led to the Soviet defensive policy of creating buffer zones defend against possible invasion being misinterpreted in Washington as aggressive behaviour that posed a threat to world peace. The problem with the United Nations was that whilst it was endorsed by all sides, key differences between each side’s respective positions were concealed. Thus many in America believed that the United Nations would be able to ensure world peace but controversial issues such as Eastern Europe were not resolved. This caused a tide of disillusionment with the UN to follow as it failed to live up to its expectations when these controversial issues became crises between the wartime allies.[7] American refusal to grant the Soviet Union a meaningful loan after World War Two, like that given to Great Britain, rejuvenated old Soviet fears and contributed to its uncooperativeness. To grant a loan would have helped heal Soviet economic wounds and dispel fears of another Great Depression therefore reducing the insecurities that lead to aggression. It also would have given a strong base for continued cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union after the wars end.[8] In 1944 United States Secretary of State Hull announced â€Å"A world in economic chaos would be forever a breading ground for trouble and war.†[9] Hull believed that lower barriers to world trade would help sow the seeds of world peace because as classical liberals had long argued commerce is the ‘main bond between nations.’ Americans saw the key to avoiding another depression as guaranteeing markets abroad for their goods and the improvement in the standard of living worldwide that would follow as a way to reduce the likelihood of future war. Soviet refusal to play a role in the Bretton Woods monetary system should have been anticipated and posed a threat to the American belief that war could be prevented through economics.[10] The Cold War was partly caused by the lack of a common enemy that posed a greater threat to the Soviet Union and the United States than they posed to each other. This is because World War Two bankrupted Britain and left Germany and Japan in ruins. This can be seen throughout history that fragile alliances breakdown almost as soon as the common enemy is defeated. In this case the cracks began to appear long before Germany was fully defeated.[11] It could be argued that because of the inherent differences in Soviet and American ideology, the Cold War was inevitable regardless of the actions of statesmen on both sides. This is because the US was determined to see the spread of capitalist democracy as it saw this as the best way to prevent war and the Soviet Union believed that worldwide adoption of Communism was inevitable and that inter state war would be replaced by class war.[12] World War Two caused a shift in United States foreign policy. Previously, most Americans believed that a minimal amount of overseas commitments and alliances as the key to security. However, after World War Two involvement in world affairs rather than isolationism was seen as the key to preventing new wars. The Soviets, however, saw the key to world peace as staying strong themselves and keeping Germany weak rather than Washington’s collective security and increased world trade.[13] The American vision for the post war world was strongly influenced by a preoccupation with the past. Roosevelt was determined to avoid repeating the mistakes that had led to World War Two and so pursued the policies of self-determination, increased world trade, creation of international institutions and unconditional surrender of belligerents. However, he failed to realise the effect that these policies would have on his other main aim of ensuring continued cooperation with the Soviet Union after the end of the war.[14] References Bagby, W. Americas International Relations Since World War I. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Barston, R, ed. International Politics since 1945. Hampshire: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 1991. Cole, W. An Interpretive History of American Foreign Relations, Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press, 1968. Gaddis, J. The United States and the Origins of the Cold War 1941-1947. London and New York: Columbia University Press, 1972. Paterson, T. Meeting the Communist Threat : Truman to Reagan. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. 1 Footnotes [1] Cole, W. An Interpretive History of American Foreign Relations, Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press, 1968, pp. 373-380. [2] Bresler, R. ‘The Origins and Development of the Cold War, 1945-58’ in Barston, R, ed. International Politics since 1945. Hampshire: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 1991, pg 1. [3] Bagby, W. Americas International Relations Since World War I. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1999, pg 56. [4] Paterson, T. Meeting the Communist Threat : Truman to Reagan. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 4-12. [5] Ibid, pg 4. [6] Ibid, pg 11. [7] Gaddis, J. The United States and the Origins of the Cold War 1941-1947. London and New York: Columbia University Press, 1972, pp. 30-31. [8] Paterson, T. Meeting the Communist Threat : Truman to Reagan. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp 107-108. [9] Gaddis, J. The United States and the Origins of the Cold War 1941-1947. London and New York: Columbia University Press, 1972, pg 18. [10] Ibid., pp. 18-23. [11] Bagby, W. Americas International Relations Since World War I. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1999, pg 56, pp. 141-142. [12] Cole, W. An Interpretive History of American Foreign Relations, Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press, 1968, pg 473. [13] Gaddis, J. The United States and the Origins of the Cold War 1941-1947. London and New York: Columbia University Press, 1972, pp. 353-354. [14] Ibid., pg 31.

The Yellow Wall-Paper -- essays research papers

Falling from the Shoulders of Giants: The Yellow Wall-Paper as a Classic Example of the Dangers of Human Arrogance Progressive dementia is the process by which an individual gradually losses their intellectual capacity and personality integration. In "The Yellow Wall-Paper," Gilman captures the essence of the journey to madness via her use of first person narration. The relationship between Jane, the narrator of the story, and her husband John provokes an uneasy curiosity in the reader. While the evidence that John sincerely cares for his wife and is attempting everything in his power to facilitate her recovery is apparent, a careful analysis of the story alludes to the possibility that he may be, perhaps inadvertently, at the root of her insanity. Since "The Yellow Wall-Paper" is written in first-person, the reader's view of each of the characters is limited by the narrator’s descriptions. Armed with that bit of a priori knowledge, we can get a feel for the relationship between John and Jane as represented by Jane’s view of her husband and Jane’s views of herself in her husband's eyes. Jane views herself as a "comparative burden (3)" to her husband. She obviously wants to be a good wife, but her current condition seems to reinforce a latent inferiority complex. Jane says that John "laughs at her so about this wall-paper!" This statement provides evidence that Jane also suffers from delusions of persecution. It is unlikely that John ... The Yellow Wall-Paper -- essays research papers Falling from the Shoulders of Giants: The Yellow Wall-Paper as a Classic Example of the Dangers of Human Arrogance Progressive dementia is the process by which an individual gradually losses their intellectual capacity and personality integration. In "The Yellow Wall-Paper," Gilman captures the essence of the journey to madness via her use of first person narration. The relationship between Jane, the narrator of the story, and her husband John provokes an uneasy curiosity in the reader. While the evidence that John sincerely cares for his wife and is attempting everything in his power to facilitate her recovery is apparent, a careful analysis of the story alludes to the possibility that he may be, perhaps inadvertently, at the root of her insanity. Since "The Yellow Wall-Paper" is written in first-person, the reader's view of each of the characters is limited by the narrator’s descriptions. Armed with that bit of a priori knowledge, we can get a feel for the relationship between John and Jane as represented by Jane’s view of her husband and Jane’s views of herself in her husband's eyes. Jane views herself as a "comparative burden (3)" to her husband. She obviously wants to be a good wife, but her current condition seems to reinforce a latent inferiority complex. Jane says that John "laughs at her so about this wall-paper!" This statement provides evidence that Jane also suffers from delusions of persecution. It is unlikely that John ...

Dysfunction in a World of Order Essay -- Character Analysis, Private W

Carson McCullers â€Å"Reflections of a Golden Eye† is a story about the lives of a six dysfunctional people living on an army post during peacetime. The characters lives are entwined both public and private, but when the private becomes public it reveals a truth that leads to path of destruction. Private Williams is a solitary man full of secrets and desires. Captain Weldon Penderton, a closeted homosexual, and his cheating wife Lenora have a fiery relationship. Major Morris Langdon, who is having and affair with Lenora, lives next door to the Pendertons with his unstable wife Alison and their flamboyant Filipino houseboy Anacleto. McCuller’s writes about these characters as if she can identify with each of their struggles to conform to world around them. She pulls the reader into a world where â€Å"man’s capacity for error, cruelty, guilt, self deception and self- destruction† creates chaos (Dayton 421). McCullers shows the reader a hars h view of low-self esteem and desires while conveying the importance of being true to oneself in order to foster healthy relationships. Many People, who are raised in an environment that do not include interacting with different types of people, often struggle with building relationships with people they don’t know. Private Williams has no social skills; he is an introvert who lives his life in self-imposed isolation even though people on the army post surround him. Williams is much like Mr. Singer’s character in the â€Å"Heart is a Lonely Hunter† for though â€Å"he appears to be fully and actively engaged in life, he too is trapped in his own grotesquerie, unable to establish that vital contact with some other person which would make him fully and recognizable human† (Vickery 21). ... ...eldon. If fact, their selfish affair has had a direct or indirect negative impact on everyone in the story. Lenora and Morris cannot see beyond their primal passions to realize or care about the cause and effect of their infidelity. This is the case of many people who venture outside of the martial commitment. Instant gratification and the lack of control have ruined many marriages. Lenora and Morris’s affair causes tragedies for the rest of the clan. In Conclusion, McCullers story is about six people struggles to conform to a world around them. She shows a world where â€Å"man’s capacity for error, cruelty, guilt, self deception and self- destruction† creates chaos (Dayton 421). McCullers shows the reader a harsh view of low-self esteem and desires while conveying the importance of being true to oneself in order to foster healthy relationships.

Loewen Case

This growth through acquisitions was funded primarily through debt which was evident as long term debt increased $922. Lion from 1994 to 1998; this was a 195. 88% increase. One benefit of debt financing was that it provided a tax benefit. From 1994 to 1998 Lone had paid $488. 6 million in interest. Lowness tax rate was 45% therefore; debt financing resulted in a tax savings of $219. 87 million. Another advantage of debt financing was that It did not afford the lender ownership. Therefore, the lender had no say In how one's business was conducted. In order for one to reap the benefits of debt financing though one must be able to comply with all aspects of the debt agreement.When unable to do so the consequences can be devastating too equines. Unfortunately, aggressive growth through debt financing did not bode well with the Lone Group. With the 30% average revenue growth one would expect to see their earnings grow too, but this was not the case. Lone lost $599 million for 1998 compare d to earning $43 million the previous year, an approximate 149% decline in one year. Within 5 years of the start of their â€Å"acquisition frenzy† of larger established funeral chains they were facing what one in the financial world would call â€Å"financial distress†.Financial distress is defined by Investigated as â€Å"A condition where a many cannot meet or has difficulty paying off its financial obligations to its creditors. The chance of financial distress increases when a firm has high fixed costs, illiquid assets, or revenues that are sensitive to economic downturns. † Lone Group unfortunately had a few of the above Issues and then some. Fixed costs for funeral homes were approximately 65%; this was due In part to the fact that a funeral home may only have one to two funerals a week but still had to be maintained.Their competitor, SIC, would â€Å"cluster† the funeral homes together which reduced fixed costs to an average of 54%. 4% is still hig h but better than 65%. Such a plan also afforded SIC the ability to sell off assets, eliminating redundant cost and reducing the total cost of the acquisition. Funeral home assets were not in great demand at this time as the death rate had declined; therefore funeral home assets were very illiquid. Though the above financial distress pre-cursors were in place, internal issues also played a large role in creating Lowness financial distress.Lowness aggressive acquisition strategy seemed only to focus on the acquisition with little to no thought to the next step of the process. Lowness competitor, SIC, acquired full ownership of all acquisitions whereas Lone took a majority ownership and made payments for the rest to help ease taxes. These calculations were funded largely with debt in which the terms of such debt were very complicated Succession with Blackstone Group. If Lone bought out Blackstone by exercising their option it would effectively pay an amount that would give Blackstone a 24% return on its investment.Lenses' ROAR (using actual assets as bag assets were not given) in 1996 was only 1. 83%. This was an extremely high return to negotiate. Blackstone also had a put in which they could sell their stock to Lone using a calculation based on EBITDA. This definitely did not favor Lone due to most acquisitions were purchased largely through debt. Lone did not market the acquisitions instead decided the funds would be better spent on courting independent funeral home and cemetery owners who were potential acquirers. Though they did not market their acquisitions their SO &A increased by 25. 3% to $125. 2 million from 1997 to 1998 whereas their competitor's SO remained constant at $66. 8 million. Marketing and integrating acquisitions into one's business are a ere important part of the success of an acquisition. A reversal of $3. 7 million in sales plus a $2. 1 million increase in allowance for loan losses were attributed to the decrease in gross margin. Such an increase in allowance for loan losses would lead one to believe that due diligence in evaluating the collegiality of the accounts receivable of the acquired companies had not been performed.The $5. 7 million adjustment resulted in a 9. 07% decrease in income for 1996. A lawsuit awarded in the amount of $500 million occurred from accusations of Lone reneging on the purchase of two homes, plus certain insurance services. Lone reported an expense of $165 million for the year to settle this and other lawsuits. Had Lone honored the agreement the properties were only worth a few million therefore, it would have saved them a considerable amount of money. Also, after the announcement of the award Lowness stock decreased in value by 15%.In 1996, an offer to purchase Lone stock was made by SIC in which they offered to purchase the stock at $43 per share which was $3. 00 per share higher than it was trading for at that time. SIC increased their offer to $45 per share yet Lowness Board of Dire ctors effused the offer stating the stock was undervalued due to the lawsuit. At the end of 1996, Lowness debt/equity ratio was 1. 4:1; company policy was in the range of 1 to 1. 5. Lowness plan was to reduce the debt/equity ratio with equity issues.Due to concerns over an antitrust lawsuit Lone had filed against SIC and Lowness current high debt to equity ratio SIC withdrew their offer to Lone. This leads us to the Board of Directors who are appointed to act on behalf of the shareholders to run the day to day affairs of the business along with ensuring the availability of adequate uncial resources, evaluating the CEO and approving the budget. One can see from the description of the responsibilities of the Board of Directors that Lowness Board of Directors had greatly failed their shareholders.Lone, now facing financial distress, as they had not yet missed a payment but had $875 million in debt due the next year, had to determine how best to recover from too much debt, too little de ath and too little governance. John Lackey, the newly appointed CEO, was to begin his daunting task of bringing Lone back from the brink of death. With $875 million in debt due in 1999 Mr.. Lackey had little time to develop a plan of action. Unfortunately, Lowness original plan of reducing debt by issuing equities was no longer an option as the stock price year; a decrease of 67. 2%. Lone should have given this option consideration earlier and they might not have found themselves in this position. Mr.. Lackeys options all had pros and cons but a decision had to be made and made fast. Option one would be to meet with creditors regarding the soon to be due debt obligations and discuss amending the terms, a workout. Most creditors cringe at the word bankruptcy so that may help to earn the ear of their creditors. Prior to approaching the bank or their creditors, Lone must first determine whether there is any way to turn the business around.Creditors are normally repaid by future cash fl ow, new financing, or equity infusion. Lone must first devise a restructuring plan that would demonstrate it can be sustainable on a going forward basis. Mr.. Lackey must review the historical financial of the business and prepare projections of cash flow, profit and loss, and balance sheet through the term of the proposed repayment plan. The projections should demonstrate that the business not only has sufficient ash flow to maintain current operations but also has enough additional cash flow in the foreseeable future that will enable creditors to receive a return on the delinquent debt.The amount of such additional positive cash flow will determine the amount of time necessary to repay creditors. The pros of this option would be that it would be less expensive than bankruptcy. Bankruptcy would require attorneys, court costs and other expenses. Costs that would have been spent on bankruptcy can be used in restructuring the business. It would also give Lone the opportunity to addres s the tuition privately between the creditors and themselves. This would hopefully help to minimize negative publicity. The cost of negative publicity knows no bounds.This option would also buy Lone some time in which to begin the process of possibly selling off less profitable operations and time to evaluate expenses and cut the fat. A workout is also effective in preventing creditors from taking legal action which again would buy Lone some time. The cons of this option would be the terms of Lowness's debt were very complicated in that the company's debt was almost all secured, or collateralized by various assets. There were also covenants that restricted the company's ability to sell assets.Creditors would have to all agree to the terms of the sale of assets. Lone had a covenant in their bonds that stated if the ownership of the company's stock changed significantly Lone had to repurchase the bonds for 101% of face value. The scofflaws may not be sufficient to show the company sus tainable enough going forward for the creditors. All of these covenants and restrictions would make it difficult to restructure the company's debt. Option 2 would be to recommend Lone meet with a professional in the equines of securing equity investors for troubled companies.Pros would be though it may be costly it would still be cheaper than bankruptcy and may be the only option for Lone to continue its operation should no agreement be reached with its current creditors. Cons of course would be the cost. With Lowness current situation equity investors would be hard to come by also. Option three would be to meet with their three main competitors to discuss each entity purchasing some of the acquired funeral homes and cemeteries. This option would allow Lone to sell their assets for cash. Avoid bankruptcy and the additional sots associated with bankruptcy.Big is not always better. Lone could then focus option would possible be the anti-trust laws. If the sale of assets to Lowness thr ee main competitors was seen as threatening fair competition then the sale could not take place. Another con is again the terms of Lowness debt would make this a difficult task. Option four would be the last resort, Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The con of this option is that it would give Lone the ability to develop a plan to restructure on their terms. Lone would no longer be required to pay interest on unsecured debt.They would also be able to borrow from new lenders through debtor-in-possession financing. A con of this plan would be the costs incurred to file bankruptcy. Another issue is the company conducted about 10% of its business in Canada where the bankruptcy law made it much simpler for creditors to remove management. Canadian law also only provided one chance to provide a reorganization plan. In conclusion our recommendation would be to develop a reorganization plan showing the company was a sustainable company going forward, positive cash flow would provide payment on delinque nt debt and then present it to its creditors for approval.

Kfc Essay

Introduction-overview of the company(KFC)| Pg- 2| Short elaboration of micro and macro environment and three factors that influence| Pg-3| Current sales analysis| Pg-4| Environmental factors and opportunities| Pg-5,6| Business macro-environmental factors| Pg-7 | Conclusion| Pg-8| | | Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the world’s most successful fast food organizations. It has operations throughout the world and has a vast history which has been put to present like no other fast food.It has grown enormously following its fragile birth, splashing in scintillating numbers in both franchisees and company owned stores all over. The company’s prime strength lies in providing high-quality chicken meals to its huge consumer base all over the world. Now every day, more than 12 million customers are served at KFC restaurants in 109 countries and territories around the world. KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States an d more than 15,000 units around the world. The company has strong product identification through its branding, advertising as well as packaging signifies the company in various manner.The famous paper bucket that KFC uses for its larger sized orders of chicken, its logos and the famous picture of Harland Sanders, the initial founder, all represent KFC in the most colorful way. KFC's specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. However the recipe of 11 herbs and spices used by KFC in preparation of their chicken still remains a trade secret. KFC's primary product is pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine.Despite KFC’s success as a company, the fast food organization had faced many problems over the years. There were mostly environmental issues that had influenced their product marketing and in time they had inherited new ways and different techniques to cater their fast food products. Animal Cruelty Since 2003, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFC’s treatment of the animals used for its products with the Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign.PETA states that they have held more than 12,000 demonstrations at KFC outlets since 2003 because of alleged mistreatment of chickens by KFC suppliers. Alleged rainforest destruction In May 2012, Greenpeace accused KFC of sourcing paper pulp for its food packaging from Indonesian rainforest wood. Independent forensic tests showed that some packaging contained more than 50 per cent mixed tropical hardwood fibre, sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Macro environment KFC operates in a larger macro environment of forces that creates opportunities, but also threats.A company such as KFC usually cannot influence trends in the macro environment, as they affe ct people and organisations on a larger scale. However, KFC has to carefully examine macro environmental trends and must create competitive responses to such trends. There are six major macro environmental forces KFC has to take into account. Micro environment The microenvironment consists of all forces that are close to KFC, and on which KFC has an impact. They directly affect KFC’s ability to serve its customers. Three major components influence KFC’s microenvironment:COMPETITORS Because the fast food market is highly competitive, KFC faces a wide number of direct and indirect competitors. KFC’s main competitors are fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Domino’s, which are already well established throughout the world. McDonalds’s in particular is a direct competitor, as they have already successfully introduced their Salads plus line, which directly targets ‘healthy food’ conscious world we live in. But, there are a number of other competitors that is also focusing on ‘chicken’ types products.All this competition makes it quite difficult for KFC to maintain or even broaden their customer base. However, with the introduction of a new and healthy product range, KFC can differentiate itself from most competitors and will gain a competitive advantage. CUSTOMERS KFC’s customer market consists solely of the consumer market. KFC’s products are bought by individuals (males, females, singles, and families). Therefore, the product range KFC offer should appeal to as many people within this consumer market as possible, to ensure that the maximum amount of products can be sold.The characteristics of these individuals and a segmentation of them are discussed later in this report. Strengths and weakness of competitors Strengths: 38 products, Attractive Outlets, Huge Marketing, Budget, More entertainment for kids Weaknesses: Same type of Menu, No Home Delivery How they compete with their c ompetitors? It is found that KFC compete its competitors by five ways: †¢KFC compete its competitors through marketing strategy †¢They offered different packages at different events like Ramadan offer, midnight offer etc. †¢KFC compete their competitors by providing good services They must hired the hard selling persons to market their product in the market and motivate their employees for the sake of organizations and employees do well and they compete there competitors KFC has quality products and through these quality products they compete their competitors Current Sales Analysis Market Share Market Share KFC has a very long history and has the most recognize able brand in chicken with over 50% of the market share. It becomes difficult for the companies like Sub way, Mc Donald’s, Chicken planet, Dixie or those who may want to enter in the market of fast food restaurants.Due to with over 50% of the market share in fast food industry KFC has recognition around the world and has been globally positioned for many years in and to capture the market share in adopting a chicken loving experience. Environmental factors and opportunities Political: The operations of KFC are affected by the government policies on the regulations of fast food operation. Currently government are controlling the marketing of fast food restaurant because of health concern such as cardiovascular and cholesterol issue and obesity among the young and children in the country.Governments also control the license given for open the fast food restaurant and other business regulation need to follow such as for a franchise business. Good relationship with government in giving mutual benefits such as employment and tax is a must for the company to succeed in any foreign market. Economic: Though for last 1 year there was economic slowdown all across the globe but the sales of KFC and other fast food chains did not slow down to that extent that of other sectors in. The GDP (Pur chasing Power Parity) is estimated at2. 965 trillion U. S. dollars in the year 2010.The GDP- per Capita (PPP) was 2700 U. S. dollars as estimated in 2008. The GDP- real growth rate in 2007was 8. 7%. India has the third highest GDP in terms of purchasing power parity just ahead Japan and behind U. S. and China. Foreign direct investment rose in the fiscal year ended March 31 2007 to about $16 billion from just $5. 5 billion a year earlier. Socio cultural: India is the second most populous nation in the world with an approximate population of over 1. 1billion people. This population is divided in the following age structure: 0-14 years – 31. 8%, 15-64 years – 63. % and 65years and above – 5. 1%. There has also been a continuous increase in the consumption of fast food in India. The social trend toward fast good consumption is changing and India has seen an increase of 90% fast food consumption from the year 2002-2007. This increase is far greater than the increase in the BRIC nations of Brazil (20 per cent), Russia (50 per cent) and China (almost 60 per cent). Thus this shows a positive trend for fast food industries in India. Technological: The fast food Industry is heating up with a lot of foreign players entering the market.The technological knowhow and expertise will also enter the market with an increase in competition. With the lower rates and increase technology the fast food counters are attracting youth by giving them attractive deals. For e. g. KFC and Domino’s pizza. For a fast food restaurant, technology does not give a very high impact on the company and it is not a significant macro environment variables. However KFC should be looking to competitors innovation and improve itself in term of integrating technology in managing its operation.For example in inventory system, supply chain management system to manage its supply, easy payment and ordering systems for its customers and wireless internet technology. Implementation of technology can make the management more effective and cost saving in the long term. This will also make customer happy if cost savings results in price reduction or promotional campaign discount which will benefits them from time to time. Environmental: As one of world largest consumer of beef, potatoes and chicken, KFC always had been critics for world environmentalist.This is because high consumption of beef causing the green house effect by methane gasses coming from the cow’s ranch. Large-scale plantation has effect the environment and lost of green forest opening for plantation activities. Vegetarian environmentalist criticizes the fast-food giant for cruelty to animals and slaughtering. In America, once KFC want to introduce whale burger causing uproar because whales are endangered species. Before using paper packaging, KFC once had been criticized for being insensitive to pollution because of using ne based packaging for its food products.Imagine millions of people purchase from fast food operator and how is the impact to world environment by throwing away those hard to recycle packaging. Our world is getting concern on environment issue and business operating here should not just care for profit, but careful usage of world resources for sustainable development and care for environment safety and health for our future generation. Critics and concern from all public or activist should bare view and support if necessary to ensure we play our social responsibility better. Legal factors:As a certified fast food operator, there are many regulations and procedures that KFC should follow. For example is the Halal certification that becomes a concern to Muslim consumers. KFC should protect its integrity and consumer confidence by ensuring all materials and process are as claimed or must followed. Other legal requirement that the business owner should follow as stipulated in laws are such as operating hours, business registration, tax requirement, lab or and employment laws and quality & environment certification (such as ISO) in which the outlet has been certified.The legal requirement is important because the offenders will be fined or have their business prohibited from operating which can be disastrous. KFC India -BCG Matrix Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) Matrix Currently KFC have launched a new product in the market. They have also tried to come into the beverages market by launching its new brand of shakes called KRUSHERS. As it is a fairly new product it comes in the category of the Question Mark in the BCG Matrix. It has a low market share thus brings low revenue. KFC is advertising a lot to popularize this product so there is a lot of expenditure on it.This product is individually not bringing any profits and is a cash drain for the company. Company may decide to completely remove this product from the market if it does not do well soon and start bringing in revenue. Business macro-environmental factors The company and a ll the other actors operate in a larger macro-environment of forces, including political, economic, cultural, technological, legal and ecological factors, which shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. Political and legal regulatory affect the strategic development of KFC Corporation, which made the US market more challenging.Example- Forbidding the use of trans-fat cooking oil mandating calorie counts on menus,removing advertisement from kid's programme, and even prohibiting from making unconfirmed claims concerning nutritional value and losing weight benefits. All of these may seriously impede the free flow of goods within a group and from suppliers and consumer demand. According to the Institute for the World Economy, the aggregation of financial crisis continues to result in negative result to the world economy and generate a strong downturn in the entire restaurant industry, which leads to the falling of US unit expansion from 3. % of 2006 to 2. 4% of 2007. On the o ther hand, fewer costs as compared with healthier food helped KFC and the entire fast food industry to grow rapidly. Moreover, KFC can increase profit margins with chicken which is lower in cost compared to other meat. With the ever-increasing impact of health consciousness, like obesity, among consumers, it's increasingly hard for KFC to keep its original product mix and alternatively prompt them to offer healthier foods (threat). In contrast, under the slump chicken consumption in Europe and Asia market owing to the outbreak of avian flu, US market still shows an image of rising.Furthermore, hurried and changing lifestyle of people along with convenient and tasty characters of foods, which offered numerous business opportunities for KFC Corporation. The innovation in technology offers further development possibilities to fast food industry. However, owing to equipment problems, KFC lost its Rotisserie Chicken market which had achieved a huge success in non-fried chicken area. Rest aurants are known to have very high levels of energy intensity due to their relatively small building size and the amount of cooking, heating, and refrigeration needed to prepare and serve food to customers.Due to these high levels of energy use, we continue to focus our efforts on reducing our energy intensity in both new and existing restaurants. In 2006 KFC established a goal to reduce energy usage in the U. S. company-owned restaurants by 12 percent from 2005 levels by the end of 2009. They achieved a 14% reduction through the application of numerous energy conservation measures (ECMs). In addition to reducing energy consumption, these ECMs resulted in the elimination of over 117,000 metric tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere.The KFC China division has also recognized the need to focus on energy conservation and has become actively involved in implementing ECMs over the past few years. Their efforts have resulted in the elimination of over 5300 metric tons of CO2 per year. Greenpeace, a conservational and environmental organization in 46 countries, has accused Cargill concerning the illegal exportation of soya to KFC for its chicken food supplied. Changing consumers' perception about KFC is arisen among analyst and specialist and forthright.In respect to the accusations has actively retrofit existing restaurants with more efficient lighting systems. During 2009, 190 restaurants in China had their interior linear fluorescent lamps upgraded to a more efficient version resulting in a reduction of over 600 metric tons of CO2 per year. Heating, Ventilation ; Air Conditioning (HVAC): In 2006, Yum! made the commitment to standardize high efficiency air conditioning systems for all U. S. restaurants. Since then, over 1800 high-efficiency air conditioning units have been installed with slightly over 600 taking place in 2008 and 2009.These 600 + installations have reduced our CO2 output by 10,500 metric tons per year. In China, the engineering team developed th e means to overcome water hardness issues compromising the efficiency of certain heating devices used in our KFC kitchens. Their solution enabled the equipment to operate at peak efficiency which eliminated over 4200 metric tons of CO2 per year. In conclusion, KFC had used all its macro environment factors efficiently; it had improved its product in terms of packaging technology, its cooking methods and most important heath wise keeping in mind the external affect on the environment. Kfc Essay Introduction-overview of the company(KFC)| Pg- 2| Short elaboration of micro and macro environment and three factors that influence| Pg-3| Current sales analysis| Pg-4| Environmental factors and opportunities| Pg-5,6| Business macro-environmental factors| Pg-7 | Conclusion| Pg-8| | | Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the world’s most successful fast food organizations. It has operations throughout the world and has a vast history which has been put to present like no other fast food.It has grown enormously following its fragile birth, splashing in scintillating numbers in both franchisees and company owned stores all over. The company’s prime strength lies in providing high-quality chicken meals to its huge consumer base all over the world. Now every day, more than 12 million customers are served at KFC restaurants in 109 countries and territories around the world. KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States an d more than 15,000 units around the world. The company has strong product identification through its branding, advertising as well as packaging signifies the company in various manner.The famous paper bucket that KFC uses for its larger sized orders of chicken, its logos and the famous picture of Harland Sanders, the initial founder, all represent KFC in the most colorful way. KFC's specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. However the recipe of 11 herbs and spices used by KFC in preparation of their chicken still remains a trade secret. KFC's primary product is pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine.Despite KFC’s success as a company, the fast food organization had faced many problems over the years. There were mostly environmental issues that had influenced their product marketing and in time they had inherited new ways and different techniques to cater their fast food products. Animal Cruelty Since 2003, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFC’s treatment of the animals used for its products with the Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign.PETA states that they have held more than 12,000 demonstrations at KFC outlets since 2003 because of alleged mistreatment of chickens by KFC suppliers. Alleged rainforest destruction In May 2012, Greenpeace accused KFC of sourcing paper pulp for its food packaging from Indonesian rainforest wood. Independent forensic tests showed that some packaging contained more than 50 per cent mixed tropical hardwood fibre, sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Macro environment KFC operates in a larger macro environment of forces that creates opportunities, but also threats.A company such as KFC usually cannot influence trends in the macro environment, as they affe ct people and organisations on a larger scale. However, KFC has to carefully examine macro environmental trends and must create competitive responses to such trends. There are six major macro environmental forces KFC has to take into account. Micro environment The microenvironment consists of all forces that are close to KFC, and on which KFC has an impact. They directly affect KFC’s ability to serve its customers. Three major components influence KFC’s microenvironment:COMPETITORS Because the fast food market is highly competitive, KFC faces a wide number of direct and indirect competitors. KFC’s main competitors are fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Domino’s, which are already well established throughout the world. McDonalds’s in particular is a direct competitor, as they have already successfully introduced their Salads plus line, which directly targets ‘healthy food’ conscious world we live in. But, there are a number of other competitors that is also focusing on ‘chicken’ types products.All this competition makes it quite difficult for KFC to maintain or even broaden their customer base. However, with the introduction of a new and healthy product range, KFC can differentiate itself from most competitors and will gain a competitive advantage. CUSTOMERS KFC’s customer market consists solely of the consumer market. KFC’s products are bought by individuals (males, females, singles, and families). Therefore, the product range KFC offer should appeal to as many people within this consumer market as possible, to ensure that the maximum amount of products can be sold.The characteristics of these individuals and a segmentation of them are discussed later in this report. Strengths and weakness of competitors Strengths: 38 products, Attractive Outlets, Huge Marketing, Budget, More entertainment for kids Weaknesses: Same type of Menu, No Home Delivery How they compete with their c ompetitors? It is found that KFC compete its competitors by five ways: †¢KFC compete its competitors through marketing strategy †¢They offered different packages at different events like Ramadan offer, midnight offer etc. †¢KFC compete their competitors by providing good services They must hired the hard selling persons to market their product in the market and motivate their employees for the sake of organizations and employees do well and they compete there competitors KFC has quality products and through these quality products they compete their competitors Current Sales Analysis Market Share Market Share KFC has a very long history and has the most recognize able brand in chicken with over 50% of the market share. It becomes difficult for the companies like Sub way, Mc Donald’s, Chicken planet, Dixie or those who may want to enter in the market of fast food restaurants.Due to with over 50% of the market share in fast food industry KFC has recognition around the world and has been globally positioned for many years in and to capture the market share in adopting a chicken loving experience. Environmental factors and opportunities Political: The operations of KFC are affected by the government policies on the regulations of fast food operation. Currently government are controlling the marketing of fast food restaurant because of health concern such as cardiovascular and cholesterol issue and obesity among the young and children in the country.Governments also control the license given for open the fast food restaurant and other business regulation need to follow such as for a franchise business. Good relationship with government in giving mutual benefits such as employment and tax is a must for the company to succeed in any foreign market. Economic: Though for last 1 year there was economic slowdown all across the globe but the sales of KFC and other fast food chains did not slow down to that extent that of other sectors in. The GDP (Pur chasing Power Parity) is estimated at2. 965 trillion U. S. dollars in the year 2010.The GDP- per Capita (PPP) was 2700 U. S. dollars as estimated in 2008. The GDP- real growth rate in 2007was 8. 7%. India has the third highest GDP in terms of purchasing power parity just ahead Japan and behind U. S. and China. Foreign direct investment rose in the fiscal year ended March 31 2007 to about $16 billion from just $5. 5 billion a year earlier. Socio cultural: India is the second most populous nation in the world with an approximate population of over 1. 1billion people. This population is divided in the following age structure: 0-14 years – 31. 8%, 15-64 years – 63. % and 65years and above – 5. 1%. There has also been a continuous increase in the consumption of fast food in India. The social trend toward fast good consumption is changing and India has seen an increase of 90% fast food consumption from the year 2002-2007. This increase is far greater than the increase in the BRIC nations of Brazil (20 per cent), Russia (50 per cent) and China (almost 60 per cent). Thus this shows a positive trend for fast food industries in India. Technological: The fast food Industry is heating up with a lot of foreign players entering the market.The technological knowhow and expertise will also enter the market with an increase in competition. With the lower rates and increase technology the fast food counters are attracting youth by giving them attractive deals. For e. g. KFC and Domino’s pizza. For a fast food restaurant, technology does not give a very high impact on the company and it is not a significant macro environment variables. However KFC should be looking to competitors innovation and improve itself in term of integrating technology in managing its operation.For example in inventory system, supply chain management system to manage its supply, easy payment and ordering systems for its customers and wireless internet technology. Implementation of technology can make the management more effective and cost saving in the long term. This will also make customer happy if cost savings results in price reduction or promotional campaign discount which will benefits them from time to time. Environmental: As one of world largest consumer of beef, potatoes and chicken, KFC always had been critics for world environmentalist.This is because high consumption of beef causing the green house effect by methane gasses coming from the cow’s ranch. Large-scale plantation has effect the environment and lost of green forest opening for plantation activities. Vegetarian environmentalist criticizes the fast-food giant for cruelty to animals and slaughtering. In America, once KFC want to introduce whale burger causing uproar because whales are endangered species. Before using paper packaging, KFC once had been criticized for being insensitive to pollution because of using ne based packaging for its food products.Imagine millions of people purchase from fast food operator and how is the impact to world environment by throwing away those hard to recycle packaging. Our world is getting concern on environment issue and business operating here should not just care for profit, but careful usage of world resources for sustainable development and care for environment safety and health for our future generation. Critics and concern from all public or activist should bare view and support if necessary to ensure we play our social responsibility better. Legal factors:As a certified fast food operator, there are many regulations and procedures that KFC should follow. For example is the Halal certification that becomes a concern to Muslim consumers. KFC should protect its integrity and consumer confidence by ensuring all materials and process are as claimed or must followed. Other legal requirement that the business owner should follow as stipulated in laws are such as operating hours, business registration, tax requirement, lab or and employment laws and quality & environment certification (such as ISO) in which the outlet has been certified.The legal requirement is important because the offenders will be fined or have their business prohibited from operating which can be disastrous. KFC India -BCG Matrix Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) Matrix Currently KFC have launched a new product in the market. They have also tried to come into the beverages market by launching its new brand of shakes called KRUSHERS. As it is a fairly new product it comes in the category of the Question Mark in the BCG Matrix. It has a low market share thus brings low revenue. KFC is advertising a lot to popularize this product so there is a lot of expenditure on it.This product is individually not bringing any profits and is a cash drain for the company. Company may decide to completely remove this product from the market if it does not do well soon and start bringing in revenue. Business macro-environmental factors The company and a ll the other actors operate in a larger macro-environment of forces, including political, economic, cultural, technological, legal and ecological factors, which shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. Political and legal regulatory affect the strategic development of KFC Corporation, which made the US market more challenging.Example- Forbidding the use of trans-fat cooking oil mandating calorie counts on menus,removing advertisement from kid's programme, and even prohibiting from making unconfirmed claims concerning nutritional value and losing weight benefits. All of these may seriously impede the free flow of goods within a group and from suppliers and consumer demand. According to the Institute for the World Economy, the aggregation of financial crisis continues to result in negative result to the world economy and generate a strong downturn in the entire restaurant industry, which leads to the falling of US unit expansion from 3. % of 2006 to 2. 4% of 2007. On the o ther hand, fewer costs as compared with healthier food helped KFC and the entire fast food industry to grow rapidly. Moreover, KFC can increase profit margins with chicken which is lower in cost compared to other meat. With the ever-increasing impact of health consciousness, like obesity, among consumers, it's increasingly hard for KFC to keep its original product mix and alternatively prompt them to offer healthier foods (threat). In contrast, under the slump chicken consumption in Europe and Asia market owing to the outbreak of avian flu, US market still shows an image of rising.Furthermore, hurried and changing lifestyle of people along with convenient and tasty characters of foods, which offered numerous business opportunities for KFC Corporation. The innovation in technology offers further development possibilities to fast food industry. However, owing to equipment problems, KFC lost its Rotisserie Chicken market which had achieved a huge success in non-fried chicken area. Rest aurants are known to have very high levels of energy intensity due to their relatively small building size and the amount of cooking, heating, and refrigeration needed to prepare and serve food to customers.Due to these high levels of energy use, we continue to focus our efforts on reducing our energy intensity in both new and existing restaurants. In 2006 KFC established a goal to reduce energy usage in the U. S. company-owned restaurants by 12 percent from 2005 levels by the end of 2009. They achieved a 14% reduction through the application of numerous energy conservation measures (ECMs). In addition to reducing energy consumption, these ECMs resulted in the elimination of over 117,000 metric tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere.The KFC China division has also recognized the need to focus on energy conservation and has become actively involved in implementing ECMs over the past few years. Their efforts have resulted in the elimination of over 5300 metric tons of CO2 per year. Greenpeace, a conservational and environmental organization in 46 countries, has accused Cargill concerning the illegal exportation of soya to KFC for its chicken food supplied. Changing consumers' perception about KFC is arisen among analyst and specialist and forthright.In respect to the accusations has actively retrofit existing restaurants with more efficient lighting systems. During 2009, 190 restaurants in China had their interior linear fluorescent lamps upgraded to a more efficient version resulting in a reduction of over 600 metric tons of CO2 per year. Heating, Ventilation ; Air Conditioning (HVAC): In 2006, Yum! made the commitment to standardize high efficiency air conditioning systems for all U. S. restaurants. Since then, over 1800 high-efficiency air conditioning units have been installed with slightly over 600 taking place in 2008 and 2009.These 600 + installations have reduced our CO2 output by 10,500 metric tons per year. In China, the engineering team developed th e means to overcome water hardness issues compromising the efficiency of certain heating devices used in our KFC kitchens. Their solution enabled the equipment to operate at peak efficiency which eliminated over 4200 metric tons of CO2 per year. In conclusion, KFC had used all its macro environment factors efficiently; it had improved its product in terms of packaging technology, its cooking methods and most important heath wise keeping in mind the external affect on the environment.