Literature review on the topic of deviation in international carriage Essay

Literature review on the topic of deviation in international carriage of goods and trade - Essay Example It led to an explosion of world trade that involved people in all over the world. (Wilson 8-12) Transportation is a significant part of doing business globally. Freight logistic companies nowadays have to adapt themselves to serve customers' need which is endless. Customers have become global, they require global support and multimodal capabilities. They are interested to use fewer service providers to extend cooperation and communication among modes and between carriers to them. The role of the freight forwarder is changing from an agent who arranges transportation and prepares shipping documentation to a provider of the whole range of additional value-added services to shippers. At the same time, many forwarders are merging with large logistics companies to become part of one-stop-shop specialist companies. (D'Arcy 71-80) In 2002, market demand grew by double digits. As China joined the World Trade Organisation, many multinationals relocate production of a whole range of consumer goods from their domestic plants, mainly in the US and Europe, to this region, where production costs are much cheaper, which led to rapid growth in all trades from China. The major route of ship liners are divided into three main routes, Transpacific (Asia/US), Asia/Europe/Asia, and Transatlantic (US/Europe). The strength of the Transpacific (Asia to US East Coast) trade is continuing, with 491,000TEU moving in 3Q 2003, 18% up from 2Q 2003 and 5.6% up from the same period in 2002. (Chuah 1-22) This has been encouraged by low interest rates despite the slowdown in the US economy. The Asia-Europe trade also grew by 11% in 2002, and carriers have deployed any extra ships on the Asian trades to maximise profits. This strategy is also benefiting other trades such as the Transatlantic, as it keeps the supply of capacity down. Market share of shipping company is based on their capacity in number of TEU(Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). The top-ten liners are held around 40% of the whole market, while the total market has 459 different players faced with high competitive environment. (Schnitzer 5-25) Maersk Sealand held the largest proportion of market share in the industry over the last five year. Not only the biggest by far but also probably one of the best equipped lines to face the future. MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) are a young shipping line. (Taylor 87-99) The company has grown incredibly fast and ranking number two toward this year and last year. P&O Nedlloyd was following the merger of P&O Containers (UK) and Nedlloyd Lines (Rotterdam). It face with high competitive and fell down to 3rd ranking since 2002. The settlement in the contract is mainly composed of the service provided by the shippers, the flexibility of services, price and the length of contract. The leading companies try to get the globe shipper to be in the part of their portfolio. (Todd 11-13) Due to the fact that a different group of clients have different requirements, some may look for the quality of service rather than price. As a result, the shipper has to offer the tailor-made contract to each group of customer. Whenever the contract has been signed, it means that the carrier is obligated with their promise. In case of missing their commitment, the shippers would loose their reputation which is

A one page summary of a lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A one page summary of a lawsuit - Essay Example SAP vowed to install the required changes in their current system which to them, was operation was as a result of negligence in the operational insight of TomorrowNow. The defense in this case was that the fault had nothing to do with SAP employees. SAP is quoted as saying they consider illegal downloading as illegal and unacceptable and would never condone such actions. Two years later, a judge ruled that SAP must pay Oracle 1.3 billion in damages. The crime was copyright infringement. SAP went back to court to appeal over the ruling. SAP argued that the amount they were liable to pay was the money lost by Oracle due to the customers that moved to TommorowNow and not the amount suggested by Oracle. Several motions were filed with the judge in a bid to ensure that a fairer and just sum was charged. Over a year later, a judge overruled the judgment terming it as â€Å"grossly excessive†. SAP had previously argued that the damages paid were in excess and they should have paid only 40 million dollars in damages to Oracle to cover lost profits (Niccolai, p.1). The verdict was read in Oakland, California in a U.S District Court. The case, which has taken place over four years, will now open even more court cases as Oracle will definitely fight this overruling. This will, however, take place only if Oracle rejects the 217 million that the judge ruled should have been the original damages received by the company. My opinion is that the original ruling was too much as the damages imposed on Oracle could not have amounted to 1.3 billion. The case would have opened additional cases and set the pace for more court cases of the same nature to be developed, costing a lot of companies a lot of

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay This paper discusses and compares the two main medical traditions natural and conventional medicine. Both conventional and natural medicine have been practiced and found proven to hold many advantages but conventional medicine is regarded as the universal, hence, more popular method of healing illness. Conventional medicine relies on science and technology to contribute to the preservation and longevity of peoples lives and the leaps that this tradition has made has surpassed expectation. Nevertheless, with the rising cost of medicines, procedures, and hospitalization, and the preference for more holistic and non-invasive methods in the treatment of illness, naturopathy or natural medicine has grown in popularity. In its comparison with conventional medicine, this paper highlights the advantages of naturopathy including its effectiveness, safety, a good patient-healer relationship, the sense of being in control over illness, and its non-invasive nature. Naturopathys congruence with the culture and psychological belief systems of diverse peoples also contributes to growing preference of it. Moreover, conventional treatment has slowly incorporated natural methods such as the use of herbs, crossing over with acupuncture and other alternative practices, proving that the next best step for medicine is to maximize knowledge from both conventional and natural methods toward a better quality of life for mankind. Introduction In the current world, medical practice is dichotomized. Medical practice may either be classified as conventional or alternative. Sometimes, classifications go by conventional versus natural or traditional. These medical traditions and their respective practitioners are often pitted against one another. Yet, a closer look reveals that these classifications are arbitrary and are not actually in blanket opposition. Conventional medicine also has a long history of utilizing natural resources in the past. Meanwhile, various natural methods of healing are now using technologies too. The real nature of these categories are hegemonic. Conventional medicine which was developed by more dominant societies and cultures arose as the dominant and in this respect, the most scientific way of healing. Meanwhile, indigenous, natural and traditional forms of healing that have long histories of local practices were simply lumped together in opposition to the conventional. This is similar to how various forms of traditional music have been clustered together under the banner of world music despite obvious aesthetic variations. Sadly, the burden of proof was pushed more to the side of the alternative or natural medical traditions. This paper intends to give a brief discussion and comparison of conventional and natural medicine. Being the less dominant one, this paper will put stress on the strengths and positive attributes of natural medicine. Although the historical importance and contributions of conventional medicine are recognized, this paper asserts the need for a greater recognition, utilization, and further improvement in the realm of natural medicine. Conventional Medicine Conventional medicine, sometimes called allopathic medicine or even Western medicine, is the most widely used medical system in the world today, particularly in the Western hemisphere. It is largely based on the physical and biological sciences. Its universality lies in its materialist and standardized approaches and to its positivist and experimental tradition. The materialism of this medical school enables the easy translation of the discipline to different countries and cultures. This enables its practitioners to speak the same language and to have a unified view of medical problems. Advances in the field of conventional medicine owe to its strong research tradition. Conventional treatments are all supposed to subscribe to proven treatments based on evidence. Of course, many researches are now being done by multi-national pharmaceutical corporations owing to conventional medicines strong commercial nature. Thus, the price to pay for getting oneself cured can be very high due to the commercialized and increasingly privatized treatment facilities, medicines and other diagnostic procedures. Indeed, it is undeniable that conventional medicine has gone through great leaps and bounds in preserving the quality and longevity of lives of people around the world. This owes very much to advances in diagnostic and treatment procedures and preventive measures. The use of X-rays, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies now give more accurate diagnoses over a shorter period of time. Vaccinations are now preventing the spread of diseases over large populations. Advances in the pharmaceutical industries are now presenting greater potential in curing some of the worlds deadliest diseases. Even medical doctors (M.D.) who recognize and advocate and use alternative medicine, like Weil (1998), still point out the greater ability and efficacy of conventional medicine in treating particular diseases as compared to alternative medical systems. Particularly, they mention the management and cure of viral infections; allergies; chronic degenerative diseases; autoimmune problems such as AIDS; bacterial infection; trauma; many of the serious forms of cancer; mental illnesses, which require medication; other functional illnesses; and medical and surgical emergencies. However, there are still many imperfections in conventional treatments. For example, there are drugs that are effective in treating particular problems but may bring about ugly side effects. For instance, thalidomide, a morning sickness drug is known to produce severe birth defects. The taking of malarial prophylaxis, such as doxycyclin, can damage the liver over long use, thus deemed inadvisable for usage of people living in malaria-infested areas. A recent online news report told how Americans get the most radiation from medical radiology. Viruses also evolve every day which presents continuous new challenges to the medical world. Natural Medicine The term natural medicine for the purpose of this paper refers to alternative medical systems that lean towards the usage of more natural means of healing, especially in comparison to conventional medicine. This adoption of a more simplified definition is due to the existence of several yet still similar and related definitions. The term is oftentimes almost equated to alternative medicine which was defined by Brannon and Feist (2007) as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not currently considered part of conventional medicine (p. 190). In actuality, the term alternative medicine covers a wide array of medical systems which evolved more or less independently from different cultures. Examples are the Chinese traditional medicine, from which acupuncture and acupressure arose; Ayurvedic medicine from India, Naturopathy from Europe; macrobiotics; chiropractic and other various massage treatments from all over the world. When these methods a re incorporated by conventional doctors to their practice, the treatments are termed complementary medicine. The clustering of these diverse medical systems and traditions, some of which from great civilizations, either under the term alternative medicine or complementary medicine, implies how the former is deemed only secondary to conventional medicine. On the other hand, natural medicine is also treated as synonymous to naturopathy. Naturopathy is a cure system which targets the prevention and cure of diseases with the use of safe and efficient natural remedies (Muetzell, 2008). The practitioners central belief is that the human being in his normal state is healthy and that disobedience to natural laws results to illnesses (Brown, 1988). It then follows that nature has the power and resources to heal and that the human body has the ability to maintain, nurse and heal itself back to health. It is said that the movement became sufficiently coherent in Europe in the 19th century. A man named Benedict Lust, a German patient who was treated for tuberculosis through hydrotheraphy and other natural means, migrated to the United States and popularized the movement. The naturopathy movement was popular in Germany and in Britain during those days and was later popularized in the United States (Brannon Feist, 2007). In spite of the varying definitions of natural medicine, the various alternative medical systems named early in the paper have significant similarities in their principles, which like naturopathy leans towards the healing power of nature. The seeking of natural balance is quite universal to various traditional and indigenous medical systems. In reverse, naturopathy employs various healing practices from various cultures. Increasing Popularity in Conventional Medicine-Dominated Countries More and more, natural medicine has been enjoying increasing popularity and patronage in countries with advanced levels of conventional medical practice. Eisenberg et al. (1993) reported that the unconventional medicine usage frequency of the United States adult population had been way higher than stated in previous reports. Particularly, they estimated that one in three persons in the U.S. adult population had been utilizing unconventional medicine in 1990. This figure also implied a greater number of patient visits to unconventional medicine practitioners as compared to visits to conventional medical practitioners. They added that the amount spent by these adults on unconventional treatment was also comparable to the amount spent by Americans for all hospitalizations. A telephone survey in Britain revealed a 20% usage of alternative medicine, most popular of which is the use of herbs, aroma therapy, acupuncture, massage and reflexology (Ernst, 2000). This increasing patronage of natural and other alternative medicine may also be attributed to the increasing number of physicians who practice or recommend alternative therapies to their patients. Astin (1998) mentioned how a 1994 survey showed that more than 60% of the surveyed variably specialized physicians in Washington State, New Mexico and Israel recommended alternative therapies to their patients in the previous year while 38% had done so in the previous month. Meanwhile, 47% of these physicians use alternative therapies on themselves and 23% of the physicians have incorporated alternative therapies to their practices. The practice of naturopathy as a discipline is also becoming more and more regulated and consolidated with the creation of professional associations such as the American Naturopathic Association. More so, various schools have been accredited to teach naturopathy such as the Bastyr University, National College of Natural Medicine and the Broucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. More mainstream medical schools are now tackling or offering alternative medicine. Examples of such schools are Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown and Duke (Barney, 1998). Many conventional medical practitioners critique the usage of natural medicine. According to Ernst (2003), alternative medicine is largely opinion-based. Practitioners tend to give inconsistent and different prescriptions for the same diseases or medical conditions. For example, he cites how 100 different complementary therapies were recommended for asthma, while systemic reviews failed to back up a single treatment for this indication (p. 1134). Ernst was also disappointed at the scarcity of systematically gathered evidence. Yet, he is not against alternative medicine per se. He advocated for a more objective and scientific usage of alternative medicine. Why the Shift towards Natural Medicine? Overly-commercialized Conventional Medicine Weil (1998) tells how the commercialization of orthodox medicine is discouraging patients to continue seeking conventional treatments. He characterizes how mainstream medicine continues to become more expensive and technology-reliant. He tells how the popularity of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) has gravely affected the health care system. HMOs, he claims, want doctors to see as many patients as possible for the purpose of profit. Sadly, doctors spend less time with their patients which translate to less detailed medical and family histories, thus affecting the quality of diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, naturopathic consultations involves long and thorough interview with patients. Interviews look at medical and family histories, patient lifestyle, emotional health, and other physical features. Ernst (2000) points to various motivating factors for trying complementary and alternative medicine, which he divides into two positive and negative motivations. Positive motivations consist of the attributes of alternative medicine itself while negative motivations refer to negative attributes of conventional medicine which pushes patients to try alternative medicine. Examples of those enlisted as positive motivation are the following: 1) perceptions of effectiveness; 2) perception of safety; 3) control over treatment; 4) good patient-healer relationship; and 5) non-invasive nature. Meanwhile, enumerated as negative motivations are: 1) dissatisfaction of- and case-to-case ineffectiveness of conventional medicine; 2) rejection of science and technology; 3) rejection of the establishment; and 4) desperation. Education, Poorer Health Status and Congruence to Patient Beliefs and Principles The national study of Astin (1998) revealed that the most significant factors leading to the use of alternative medicine are the attainment of a higher level of education, having a poorer health status and the greater congruence of alternative medicine to the patients values, beliefs and philosophies. Patrons, he said, tend to hold a philosophical orientation towards health and holism. He also found out that dissatisfaction with the conventional medical system is not as significant as the earlier mentioned factors. Key Principles of Natural Medicine and their Implication to Treatment in Comparison to Conventional Medicine As mentioned in Astins study (1998), the principles of natural medicine appeals significantly to patients. The key principles of naturologists can be summed up into six guidelines, which are: 1) Promote the healing power of nature; 2) First do no harm; 3) Treat the whole person; 4) Treat the cause rather than the symptom; 5) Prevention is the best cure; 6) The physician is a teacher, teaching patients to take care of themselves (Brannon Feist, 2007). Holistic (system-oriented vis-a-vis disease oriented) The most common word to describe naturalistic treatment is holistic. This owes to natural medicines strong faith and reliance on the natural balance of nature. Particularly, the body was said to have a stable state that when bothered can lead to illnesses. Natural medicine also believes that excretion of wastes is a valuable part of this system and a stoppage to this normal functions lead to an unhealthy state. To illustrate, Chinese traditional medicine believes in the concept of Chi, a local concept which closely translates to vital energy. Chi, the Chinese believe, flows throughout the body. In line with this, illnesses are attributed to the blockage of this energy flow. Acupuncture for instance targets to solve this blockage. Natural medicine practitioners look at patients in their wholeness as individuals. Practitioners usually look at factors that may be disrupting the bodys natural balance. They are not only focused on the physical body but also looks at the mind and spirit. It is common for natural medicine practitioners to look at the lifestyles of patients and tries to being out the natural healing capacity of the body. They advise and help patients incorporate stress reduction methods and healthy eating into their lifestyles. This was in contrast to the treatment of conventional medicine which commonly isolates the physical body from the exclusion of mind and spirit (Weil, 1998). Barney (1998) a medical doctor who subscribes to medical complementation, criticizes the rigidity of conventional medicine in its approach to diseases. Particularly, he describes conventional treatments as disease-oriented. For instance, to address an infection, doctors may prescribe antibiotics that can weaken the kidneys. This shows a disregard to the body as a system only comprised of body parts. He said that treatment options must be expanded to fit the specific needs of each patient. Regard for particularities While natural medicine practitioners look at the whole in everyone, they also do not forget to look at the particular attributes of the individual. For instance, Ayurvedic medicine subscribes to the belief that there are different types of human bodies and that each body type must be given customized medical treatment. People who are fat or thin are also not automatically considered unhealthy in Ayurvedic medicine. Whereas in conventional medicine, normal body mass is calculated based on the height and weight of a person compared to universal standards. Also, some of the healthiest food prescribed by conventional medicine for a healthy person can be classified as unhealthy in Chinese medicine based on individual conditions. In this tradition, the definition of healthy food varies from person to person, even to those who may be classified by conventional medicine as being in a state of good health. Bias towards the Natural Natural medicine also attributes illnesses to actions and activities which veer away from natural laws of the body. For example, in macrobiotics, it is viewed that meat and poultry products being sold nowadays are very characteristically un-natural due to the hormones and chemicals being fed to the animals to facilitate speedy growth. Thus, natural medicine avoids or minimizes the usage of synthetic drugs such as antibiotics, radiation technologies, biomedical technologies such as vaccines and major surgery. Furthermore, it uses more natural substances and medicines found in the body and in the natural environment such as water in hydrotherapy. It has a far greater respect for herbal medicines which was used by a great number of people around the world. In contrast, conventional medical treatments can sometimes suppress the bodys efforts and capability to self-heal. Conclusion The fact that natural medicine is enjoying widening and growing support especially in the Western world gives credence to its claims of efficacy in relieving problems of the mind, body and soul. It also reflects particular weaknesses in the current conventional medical practice, which translates as negative motivations for usage of natural medicine. This validates the importance of the key characteristics of natural medicine which are: 1) holism; 2) bias towards the natural; and 3) attention to the particular. Outside the efficacy in dealing with physical problems, I think that the greatest trait espoused by natural medicine that conventional medicine lacks is in the formers attention to the mind and body. This translates to patients feelings of peace, control over their bodies and feelings of being valued and respected by their healers. Like Ernst, I believe that natural medicine and other alternative medical systems can benefit from addressing the critiques of conventional medical practitioners. In particular, it would be beneficial if natural medicine practitioners from various traditions can take steps in systematically documenting and gathering our- and other unexplored healing practices and their results. This is a positive step towards a maximization of knowledge from all over the world and the integration of various know-hows and towards more informed choices among patients.

Acupuncture :: essays research papers

Acupuncture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acupuncture is a Chinese medical practice that treats illness and provides local anesthesia by the insertion of needles at predetermined sites of the body. Acupuncture may also follow many other forms. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin word acus, meaning needle, and pungere, meaning puncture. The Chinese call acupuncture Chen Chiu.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On doing my research over acupuncture I used many different sources. I got most of my information from the Internet. I discovered a large acupuncture clinic in Houston and contacted them over the phone. I never really realized that acupuncture was used so much in this country, but there are many places acupuncture is used in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acupuncture is used in the treatment of a wide variety of medical problems. It is used for ear, nose, and throat disorders, respiratory disorders, Gastrointestinal disorders, Eye disorders, and Neurological and Muscular disorders. The needles used in acupuncture are usually only inserted from 1/4 to 1 inch deep into the skin. There is usually no pain in acupuncture. Usually if any pain it is only mild. Most of the needles now used in acupuncture are disposable needles. Acupuncture does not always only involve needles. They may also use other methods such as moxibustion, cupping, electronic stimulation, magneotherapy and various types of massage. There are also many different styles of acupuncture practiced all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many things to consider when choosing an acupuncturist. Acupuncture is a licensed and regulated healthcare profession in about half the states in the United States. There are many acupuncture practices which are not certified, so when choosing one some research is required. If you get acupuncture usually between five to fifteen sessions are required, depending on the severity of the complaint. Many acute conditions only require a single treatment. The main thing to remember when receiving acupuncture is to simply relax. After acupuncture treatments much of the pain may be gone after the first treatment, or in some cases it takes more. In some cases the pain may become worse, this is known as the rebound effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The clinic I got most of my information from is a clinic in Houston. They specialize in Acupuncture Therapy for diseases and conditions such as acute and chronic pain, degenerative diseases, arthritis, M.S., post-stroke, migraine

Effects of the Internet Essay

â€Å"Bagozzi’s exchange paradigm has emerged as a framework for conceptualising marketing behaviour. † (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 32). This theory identifies the parties involved in any transaction, and the intangible and tangible entities are exchanged. By identifying the actors/parties, this theory acts as a valuable managerial tool, by helping to think what is being exchanged, and with whom. This theory has helped to see beyond the tangible products being exchanged, but to consider the intangible aspects of the transaction and all entities. The weakness of this being that it is difficult to identify all intangible entities within the transaction. The theory also states the exchange is reciprocal and mutually beneficial (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 32), i. e. that the entities being exchanged are perceived to be of equal value. Furthermore, Bagozzi (1974) observed that complex exchanges could include both overt and covert coordination. Bagozzi identified three different types of exchange: restricted, generalised and complex. â€Å"Restricted exchange refers to two party reciprocal relationships†, where both parties give and receive from the other party, (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 32). Generalised exchange includes at least three actors, who benefit indirectly, i. e. gives to one actor and receives from another. Complex exchange is â€Å"a system of mutual relationships between at least three parties†, and is a web or interconnecting restricted and generalised exchanges (Bagozzi 1975: pp. 33). Bagozzi’s theory gave a theoretical framework that could be applied to all situations to help identify the key actors within the exchange. A disadvantage of Bagozzi’s theory being that, identifying the actors and what is being exchanged was always difficult, as this would be difficult for each transaction, and may be unforeseen. With each transaction apart from the overt exchange between the consumer and the merchant, there are a number of intangible entities being exchanged, as â€Å"people buy things not only for what they can do, but also for what they mean† (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 36). The difficulty of identifying all parties and entities was made even more difficult after the advent of the Internet. The growth of the Internet platform a phenomenon, and there is a correspondence with commerce on this platform (Swaminathan, Lepkowska-White & Rao, 1999: pp. 1-2). In 1999 it was estimated that the online shopping would grow from $11 billion to $41 billion in 2002 (National Retail Federation, 1999). Online Christmas shopping exceeding all IMRG’s expectations when $15 billion (i 7. 66 billion) was spent by British consumers alone in the ten week run up to Christmas, marking a 54% increase more than the i 5 billion spent over the same period in 2005 (IMRG, 2006). As this is such a growing method of commerce and is a large percentage of all transactions, it is important to assess Bagozzi’s theory of the exchange when applied to Internet transactions. The Internet was a portal to a global market, where firms could sell to customers anywhere in the world. Firms could operate entirely online with no costs from premises. This saving could be passed on the customer, as online prices are often less expensive than offline/in-store competitors. Customers also benefited from online shopping as it is more convenient and can buy a wider range of products from around the world. When anyone uses the Internet, information on their activities is gathered, which can be used by firms to target consumers for their products. â€Å"Personalisation is the ability to satisfy specific needs of individual customers†, and has traditionally been employed as a marketing strategy for luxury goods and niche markets, due to the high costs (Mattila, 1999: pp. 40-46). Personalisation depends on the knowledge on the individual, and the ability to satisfy their needs. The Internet has made personalisation a cheaper option, and this strategy can be used for a wider range of products. Firms now have to compete globally with other firms on the Internet, so personalisation has become a â€Å"competitive necessity† (Chellappa & Sin, 2002). Personalisation allows a firm to identify individual consumer needs and inform them of products that will satisfy them. Historically this would be the role of a salesperson to a customer in a restricted exchange (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 32). Bagozzi’s theory applied well to the face-to-face transactions of the 70’s, however exchanges over the Internet are very different from the in-store transactions that Bagozzi’s theory of exchange applied to, and offer many challenges. Transactions over the Internet have more parties than traditional exchanges, as in order to access the Internet a user must use an Internet service provider. The Internet service provider gives access to the Internet, however it also logs the websites that the user has viewed. So here this could be seen as a â€Å"middle man†, who receives information on the websites visited as well as a premium, and in return allows access to the Internet. This is part of all Internet exchanges, and so it needs to be identified as a party, as the information that they receive is used to target products and services. Figure 1: Note: Adapted and altered from Bagozzi: Marketing as Exchange (1975) This is a very basic diagram of a transaction over the Internet, and as you can see it involves more parties than an offline transaction, making it more difficult to apply Bagozzi’s theory. Identifying all parties involved in a single transaction is very difficult, as there are more entities being exchanged with more parties. This diagram shows a complex exchange (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 33). Nonetheless, the exchange is quite straightforward, as a consumer pays the merchant and expects the product/service. Due to the distance the product must be delivered involving another party, which makes the exchange a complex one (Bagozzi, 1975: pp.33). With any exchange over the Internet, information will be given to the ISP, and if there are tangible entities then a delivery service must also be a part of the exchange. This would make every exchange over the Internet a complex one, (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 33), which makes the original types of exchange redundant, as they will all be complex. For this reason, I feel that Bagozzi’s theory of the exchange types must be updated to not include the ISP or delivery service, or to view the delivery service and merchant as a single entity. Historically a restricted exchange (Bagozzi, 1975: pp.32), could take place between a customer and a salesperson. Over the Internet more parties are involved in a transaction, so it is difficult to distinguish between the traditional complex exchanges. Bagozzi’s theory must take delivery into account when distinguishing the exchange types. The Internet is the same market is fundamentally the same market, however advances have bridges geographical gaps and have joined the individual markets. For this reason, Bagozzi’s theory can still be applied when considering what is being exchanged between key parties, and what other parties are involved in the exchange. Nonetheless, Bagozzi’s theory has always had its flaws. The main disadvantage was it was difficult to apply to the diverse range of exchanges that take place. The Internet has made it possible to trade almost product to anyone we can access the internet, and because of this there are now more diverse transactions. For example buying a house abroad can now be done over the internet, but involves a large number of parties and is an â€Å"interconnecting web of relationships† (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 33). With larger exchanges such as this, it is very difficult to identify all entities and parties within, and complex exchanges such as this are taking places more and more due to the internet. There has always been a difficulty in identifying parties and entities within an exchange, and if this cannot be done then any judgements made will be incorrect. Bagozzi’s theory is valuable as a managerial tool as I promotes thinking about the exchange, however with exchanges involving more and more parties, not only is Bagozzi’s theory going to take longer, but is liable to have more mistakes making it worthless. For small exchanges or exchanges were the parties and entities within are clear, I feel Bagozzi’s theory is still very important, but I feel it is not easily applied to the diverse range of exchanges brought about by the internet. The Internet was an unforeseen phenomenon that has influenced the exchange (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 39). The theory still fits the exchange process, as it hasn’t changed dramatically, however there are third parties that must be identified, such as the ISP, delivery firms, and other parties that receive information. Delivery is part of the exchange process, however this is part of the service offered by the merchant. If these were identified, it would be possible to differentiate the types of exchange as being restricted, generalised or complex. If this were done, then Figure 1 would be identified as a restricted exchange (Bagozzi, 1975: pp. 32). Within the exchange there is overt and covert coordination (Bagozzi, 1974: pp. 77-81), and think that majority of the third parties that collect information about the consumer’s website habits is collected covertly, however it is still part of the process. For example, the ISP’s collection of viewed websites is used for marketing purposes. Although it is not a party to the exchange, it should be recognised as a third party. References: Bagozzi, R P (1974) Marketing as an Organized Behavioural System of Exchange. Journal of Marketing, 38 (October), 77-81. Bagozzi R. P. (1975) Marketing as Exchange, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 39, p32-39. Chellappa, R K and Sin, P (2002) Personalization versus privacy: An empirical examination of the online consumer’s dilemma. In 2002 Informs Meeting.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Ignorance is Bliss In Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and Athol Fugard’s â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see the protagonists evolve from ignorance to knowledge in several different ways. As we watch this evolution we see both characters start at ignorance in very similar ways and while both take very different routes they end their journeys with similar complex consequences resulted from the knowledge they gain along the way. In â€Å"Oedipus Rex† the protagonist, Oedipus, starts from his entrance in the story at a place of ignorance.He is naive to the truth about his life and the direction it is heading. Oedipus is unaware that he is King Laios’ son and he will ultimately fulfill his destiny to kill his father and marry his mother, no matter what steps he or his parents take it is a fate they cannot run from. Oedipus’ knowledge comes only later when he realizes the truth, that he is in fact King Laios’ son and when he murde red the king along the road where the three highways meet he did in fact kill his father and go on to marry his mother (Anti 2. 192).The knowledge of the seer’s prophecy coming true leads to Oedipus’ ruin. In â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† the protagonist is Hally the seventeen year old shop owners son. The reader is shown Hally’s ignorance by how he acts with Sam and Willie. Hally treats these men as friends, particularly with Sam, the two are more like companions then a white boy and black hired help. Instances of this ignorance are seen in the way they spent their time together. Hally naively believes that him and Sam can be friends despite the place and time they are in and how is father treats them.Hally believes that since progress is seen in the world that he can escape his fathers beliefs and that despite Sam’s observation that some people are bad and that’s just the way it is: â€Å"Hally: It doesn’t have to be that way. There is something called progress, you know. We don’t exactly burn people at the stake anymore† (482). Like Oedipus, Hally is trying his best to fight his fate but he is only moving himself closer to it. Hally’s knowledge really comes when he and Sam begin fighting. When Hally is upset he takes that out on Sam because he can.He talks to Sam in a way only previously done by his father. This entire scene shows the realization that Hally truly is more like his father then he wanted to admit. Both Hally and Oedipus discover truths about themselves that they did not like and tried to run from, however they were unable to escape their fate and eventually succumbed to it. Oedipus’ truths are similar to Hally’s in several ways. First Hally realizes he is more like his father then he wanted to admit and in the end he just started the cycle of his fathers negative beliefs and attitudes all over again.Oedipus like Hally is also destined to become like his fat her, he follows in his fathers footsteps first by running from a prophecy then eventually following him to his own ruin. While Oedipus’ knowledge is more literal then Hally’s both men commit actions that have severe consequences leading them to the truths they uncover about themselves. Hally’s actions of taking his anger and frustration out on Sam causes his true ideals to come out. When he begins to act out the audience is shown just how much he really thinks like his father.Despite his best efforts to show that he believes things can change in the dynamics between whites and blacks, it is really not a strongly held idea as the beliefs of his father, that he as a white man is superior to his black help. The words he says to Sam can never be taken back and forever shifts the relationship between him and Sam, no longer friends they are now master and servant. Oedipus also deals with a similar problem. He also commits actions that completely change the shape of hi s life and can never be taken back. Like Hally Oedipus wants to change is fate.Where Hally does so by trying to be friends with Sam and Willie, Oedipus does this by leaving home putting as much distance as he can between himself and the man he believed to be his father. However like Hally, Oedipus in the end realizes that consequences for his actions. Killing King Laios and then marrying his queen are actions that have dire consequences for Oedipus and like Hally’s they can never be undone. While both Hally and Oedipus try to fight their fate and both commit actions that forever alter their futures, they come about in very different ways.Oedipus deals with his fate in a more literal way. Oedipus learns the prophecy he had feared his whole life was actually true by the realization that he did murder is father and marry his mother. These physical actions lead to Oedipus’ downfall and are permanent. Hally, on the other hand, comes to learn the truth about himself, that he is like his father, by his actions toward Sam. While no less severe they are more emotionally damaging and speak to the relationship Sam and he tried to have but wound up losing because of the fight.This is damaging but not quite as physical as what Oedipus went through. Throughout each story we see the evolution of the characters from their naive beginnings to the painful realization of who they truly are. Both characters come to several truths about themselves during their respective stories, in both cases their truths have significant effects. Oedipus’ knowledge leads him to his own downfall in order to save his kingdom from certain death. Hally’s truths about himself has a more hidden effect that is very significant and the true meaning behind the play.Hally’s actions during his fight with Sam causes a divide between them that is irreparable, it is the effect of this rift that is most significant. Throughout the play we see several instances of imagery used to describe the world the characters are living in and here is no different. The argument between Hally and Sam causes the same â€Å"dance† to continue. This dance is a symbol for the beliefs held by Hally’s father and the world they live in. By acting the way he did toward Sam, Hally is causing the imperfect dance to continue on.The effect of Hally’s actions causes him to start becoming more like his father then he wanted but cannot avoid. In both â€Å"Oedipus Rex† and â€Å"Master Harold and the Boys† we see several instances of the main characters moving from ignorance to knowledge. While they gained insight into themselves it came at a price. For Harold it was the loss of his innocence and a bleak look at his future with Sam and Willie, with Oedipus it was the loss of everything he thought he had and his own painful exile.Each character tried to fight their fate, Oedipus literally by trying to flee the seer’s prophecy and Hally by doi ng the exact opposite of his father and befriending Sam and Willie. No matter the path they took each eventually succumb to their destiny and was forced to learn more about themselves then they wanted. Despite the painful ending it was a journey they were meant to be on. Works Cited Fugard, Athol. â€Å"’Master Harold’†¦and the Boys†. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print. Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. Trans. Fitts, Dudley & Fitzgerald, Robert. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.

Social Justice The Catholics Social Teachings on Justice

Social Justice The Catholics Social Teachings on Justice Introduction According to Our Ladys Parish (2012), God, who is regarded as the father of humankind, is just; therefore, the same is expected from His creation. Life is God-given and sacred. In this case, all human beings should strive to avoid activities that bring suffering and oppression to God’s creation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Justice: The Catholic’s Social Teachings on Justice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Imprisonment is a form of oppression when it is not implemented in a right way to correct individuals. To some extent, imprisonment brings sadness and humiliation. It should be the last alternative after other ways of solving a certain crime have failed. The Catholic Church is concerned with social injustices and has contributed a lot towards curbing crime through alternative ways other than imprisonment. The church also seeks to instill value in the prisoners’ lives thr ough teachings and practices that accept prisoners as people who deserve to be treated with dignity (Windley-Daoust, 2007). The Catholic’s social teachings on justice Courts of law should exercise justice Suspects should be given a chance to prove their innocence. It is sad for people to spend their lives in prison for crimes they did not commit. Judges should be fair in sentencing people by proving them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. More often than not, people in Australia find themselves in prisons, not for being convicted, but due to delayed trials. This is sad and unfair. The Catholic Church views this as injustice because the prison becomes a place for distress and misery other than rehabilitation. Such situations will only lead to increased criminal activities because those with morals may end up being corrupted through associating with criminals (Clayton, 2004). The church advocate for fast trials so that if convicted a person does not spend an unnecessary long per iod in jail. It also suggests that trivial matters be addressed through other means such as juvenile centers for the underage law breakers and rehabilitation centers for the adults (MacBrien, 1994).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A jail should be a place for restoration of self-worth to prisoners While serving their terms, prisoners should be engaged in activities that will help them become useful once they are freed. However, it is critical for the prisoners to be taught about God’s perception of sin and what is expected of them as Christians. The church suggests that every punishment administered to a wrong doer must have a rehabilitative purpose. This can be done through offering trainings and skills that will prove useful and give them a starting point once their terms are over. These skills and technology restore the prisoners self-worth because they ar e able to contribute to the economy (McBrien, 1994). Issues that lead to criminal activities should be addressed Some crimes are committed out of sheer carelessness or even brief associations with wrong doers, and we can call them temptations. Nevertheless, these temptations see people spend years in prisons, yet if given a chance; they could be corrected through mere dialogues. In this case, the church has solved by addressing issues that lead to criminal activities like drug abuse that leads to mental instability this is solved by campaigns against drug use. The church has advocated for equal distribution of employment opportunities to help eradicate poverty which increases crime. Some solutions to criminal activities that the church suggests are like engaging people in prolonged learning activities. Also, it includes the provision of institutions for mental services and community based projects, as well as economic support to marginalized communities (Our Ladys Parish, 2012). Ano ther major cause of crime is the negative influence. In this case, the church offers guidance to offenders and educates them on which aspect to look for in friends and associates.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Justice: The Catholic’s Social Teachings on Justice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This helps them not to fall back to their old habits that caused them trouble. Instead, the offenders choose and develop relationships with people who add value to their lives and improve their self-worth. Forgiveness should be practiced and extended to wrong doers as well Christians often fall into temptations and break the commandments and ask for forgiveness from God. Therefore, in order to be forgiven, Christians must also forgive. According to the Catholic faith, all humans are equal before Gods eyes. This is evident during creation as all people were created in Gods own image, and salvation to the world w as provided for all people. Christians should have mercy and love to others since all people belong to the same God. This is a practice that shows that they care about the social well-being of other individuals in the society. The Catholic Church encourages people to opt for forgiving one another, and thus cases of people suing their fellow humankind and exposing them to prison life will be less. Turning around the situation and addressing the main reason as to why people commit certain crimes and assisting to solve the problem will improve the situation. This will reduce the number of people suffering in prison as well as improve others’ lives and morals among the societies. Reconciliation brings healing and restores harmony and good social relationships in the society (Massaro, 2000). Prisoners should be involved in Christian faith during and after their sentences Christian values should be practiced by all whether in prison or not. The Catholic Church has done this by the foundation of churches in prison and established rehabilitation institutions for them once they are free.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These institutions offer an opportunity for transition from jail into the community by offering jobs, trainings, and accommodation before they can support themselves or re uniting them with their families and counseling (Weigert Kelley, 2004). Chaplains have spent time with prisoners offering them spiritual guidance and celebrations through sacraments. This makes the prisoners feel loved, be less remorseful, and restores their dignity. The church views the prison as an avenue for campaigning law and order. The church encourages families to support their people in prison through visiting them. This also encourages the prison officers to preserve their dignity and promotes brotherly love amongst them. Most important of all is receiving them back into the community and church once they are through with their sentences (Massaro, 2000). Prisoners should not be perceived as outcasts but treated with compassion When one is imprisoned, this is not an indication that the individual has chos en to be evil. Prisoners are human beings, and deserve understanding and empathy. We all belong to the same father, and this should bring us closer to become brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, judging other people whether Christians or not is wrong. Christians should learn the needs of prisoners, their loved ones, and the officers who take care of the prisoners. Learning their needs will help Christians know how to approach them. This will enable Christians to educate the prisoners on Christianity and what do so as to a void getting in prison in the future. If Christians interact with prisoners while helping them, the Christians teach by examples and not theory. Therefore, this is bound to be effective, as opposed to just preaching to the prisoners (Massaro, 2000). The church urges the society to show such compassion through visiting them in prison and helping them start a fresh on leaving jail. Christians should preach peace to improve law and order The rest of the world is complaining about the deterioration of morals and increasing rate of crime. On the other hand, Christians are expected to stand by their values and teach obedience to the state law despite the political environment and economic conditions experienced. The difference between the human persons goodness and a Christian is the dignity whose foundation is Christ. This means that the church’s social mission is connected with the gospel (Whitmore, 2005). A Christian is expected to be just in order to preach the gospel about justice. Therefore, they should lead by examples by first being law abiding citizens before extending these values to the rest of society. When Christians identify themselves with prisoners, they see Christ through the prisoners and this contributes to obedience because they are likely to practice these values after their sentences. The church has given Christians the liberty to participate in political and economic activities that aim at improving peoples lives . In turn, this encourages the government to listen to religious views on social justice and give citizens freedom of religion. It results to states that are united and have one goal towards common good and opposing injustice (Pennock, 2007). The church and formulation of some policies in the government Some of the reasons why crime has increased are due to the economic situations and political activities that oppress people. The church looks into issues like the right to job access to people through just employment and wages, freedom to religion, and issues like democracy in politics. In addition, the church focuses on establishing equity among the various socio-economic classes of people in the society. The church also fights for respect to views founded by religion and influenced by the church. Through this, Christians have been able to identify their social responsibility and influence to the state in maintaining social justice. This has enabled them to participate in fighting s ocial injustices such as corruption and racism as well as promote human rights. If Christian love binds the nations, then selfish activities evident in hunger for power and exaggerated profits will be minimize. Also, the poor will get a share if resources are distributed equally, and thus temptations to crime will also be minimal. The church differs with the states opinion of making jails brutal and unbearable as a strategy that deprives prisoners of their dignity (De Berri Hug, 2003). Conclusion Social justice is not a responsibility of the state judiciaries, but the whole society. If all people exercised social responsibility and stood together as the body of Christ, the level of criminal activities would be low. This would lead to a better society that pleases Christ. It helps improve the social well-being because the state is dependent on the society which includes the Christians. According to the church, getting tough on the crime is not the solution. Creating a long term alte rnative to imprisonment is usually encouraged. In addition, church suggestions can only be done through concentrating on the causes and prevention of crime. Punishment only results into increased violence and impunity. Reference List Clayton, M. (2004). Social Justice. Malden, Mass. u. a.: Blackwell. De Berri, E Hug, J. (2003). Our best kept secret and an evolving social message. In Catholic social teaching: Our best kept secret. Maryknoll: Orbis Books Washington Center of Concern. Pp. 3-11. MacBrien, R.P. (1994). Catholicism. New York: Harper SanFrancisco. Massaro, T. (2000). Nine key themes in Catholic social teaching in Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. Oxford: Sheed Ward. pp.113-167. Massaro, T. (2012). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. Lanham, Md: Rowman Littlefield Publishers. McBrien, R. (1994). The ongoing development of Catholic social doctrine. In Catholicism. San Francisco: Harper S an Francisco. pp. 912-916. Our Ladys Parish (2012). Social Justice Statement 2011-2012. Web. Pennock, M. (2007). Catholic social teaching: Learning living justice. Notre Dame, Ind: Ave Maria Press. Weigert, K. M., Kelley, A. K. (2004). Living the Catholic social tradition: Cases and commentary. Lanham, Md: Rowman Littlefield Publishers. Whitmore, T.D. (2005). Catholic social teaching: Starting with the common good. In K.M. Windley-Daoust, J. (2007). Primary source readings in Catholic social justice. Winona, MN: Saint Marys Press.

The Effect of Brown V. the Board of Education essays

The Effect of Brown V. the Board of Education essays Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his famous I have a dream speech that, I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! (3) Kings speech set the tone for a civil change in the society especially in the school system. The law during this time period was in favor of white society and felt the need to separate whites from blacks in every public place in society. The public school was another realm where white parents wanted separation between their children and blacks. Brown v. the Board of Education (1954) was a vital case that overturned the custom of separate but equal that was established by the Plessy verse Ferguson case. The Jim Crow laws were laws that enforced the separation of blacks and whites in society. Most all states in the south adopted the Jim Crow Laws. The issue of segregation was first brought up in the case of Plessy verse Ferguson. In 1890, Homer Plessy violated the Louisiana state law of The Separate Car Act by sitting in the white car of the train. Plessy thought since he was seven-eights white he was able to sit in the white only cars but police officials disagreed and regarded him as a black male.(Hartin 1) Plessys case was appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court on the basis of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment (Hartin 1). The justices of the United States Supreme Court ruled against Plessy on the grounds of separate but equal. The justices stated that The Fourteenth Amendment could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from political equality, or a commingling of the two races upon te rms unsatisfactory to either (Hartin 2). This code of separate but equal became the law of the land in the relationship between blacks and whites. Th...

Ben and Jerry

Their mission statement included three dimensions; product, economic, and social. Their objectives were not always in harmony, however. They’ve had to sacrifice some objectives to meet others, for example they didn’t want to rice prices due to the fact they wanted to be a â€Å"ice cream for the people† company, but had to sacrifice the social objective in order to stay in business. Of their three mission statement objectives, their social consciousness seems to be their leading objective. BenJerry donates 7. 5% of their pretax earnings to charities and foundations. I think that the current takeover offers are justifiable. The pre-offer announcement share prices were $21 per share. The price per share as of November 1999 was $25. The worth to the bidders is in the brand name of BenJerry, and in the eyes on the ice cream consumers, BenJerry’s is a respectable brand. Given that the sales per-share were . 34, their bids are in line with that. The EPS is $1. 06 per-share. Morgan should support one of the acquisition offers. The company in recent years hasn’t done as well, and some of the offers are very intriguing. They are overpaying in comparison to the pre-offer share price of $21 per share, and in the likely event that BenJerry’s can survive on its own, its best to take one of the offers and merge with a company who may have better advantages. Its his job to look out for the shareholder and not the com

Treatment and Prevention of Hepatitis C in Adult Population Essay

Treatment and Prevention of Hepatitis C in Adult Population - Essay Example Since the transmission of HCV is similar to HIV and IDU is the primary risk factor for HCV infection, and coinfection of these two blood borne diseases cause morbidity and mortality, harm reduction approach and the strategies that addresses the social and economic harms that impact an individual, community, or society are paramount in preventing the epidemic. Hepatitis C is the major cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer in the United States and the identification of Hepacivirus of the family Flaviviridae in 1989 led to an explosion of research and development of specific tests for detecting anti-HCV and HCV RNA as well as recognizing it as a common cause of chronic liver disease. (Chapter 5: Viral Hepatitis, p. 61). According to WHO estimates there are "about 180 million people, some 3% of the world's population, are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), 130 million of whom are chronic HCV carriers at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer" and three to four million persons are newly infected each year, making HCV a "viral time bomb". It is also estimated that 3.9 million Americans are infected with HCV, with 'prevalence rates as high as 8-10% in African Americans'. The route of HCV transmission is mainly through injectable drug use that account for nearly 90% of new infection, as well as through blood transfusion and perinatal infection. (WHO2). (Initiative for vaccine Research (IVR). 2008). It is estimated that there are 1-2 million homeless youth in the United States and a national study of homeless youths found that "68% are 15-17 years old; 57% are Caucasians; 17% African American; 15% Hispanic; and 12% from other ethnic origins" (Nyamathi et al, 2005). It is found that approximately 16-25% of those infected with HCV are co-infected with HIV, and due to shared risk factors HIV/HCV co-infection is common among homeless and urban poor. Edlin & Carden (2006) argue that though HCV is four times more prevalent than HIV infection and viral transmission is uncontrolled among IDUs with 'incidence rates ranging from 16% to 42% per year' the efforts of the US government to "control this pandemic have largely ignored the population in whom its biology and epidemiology are being played out with the most devastating effects." (Edlin & Carden, 2008). The Disease: Its detection and symptoms Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and its symptoms include jaundice, dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain. There are five major types of hepatitis viruses, named A, B,C, D, and E type, of which A and E are caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water, and "hepatitis B, C, and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected blood fluids." (Hepatitis. 2008). HCV infection is categorized into acute and chronic and specific symptoms in the acute stage are nausea and vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, head ache, and

Portfolio Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Portfolio Assessment - Assignment Example It first involves determining the actual existent state of a company of business. External and internal audits should be carried out to clearly bring out an understanding of an organization’s actual competency and the existing competitive environment. It will then become necessary to determine the most important goals for the company (Porter 2008, p. 89). Priorities should be set at this stage and it should be ensured that the strategic plan focuses on these priorities. Objectives should then be set in order to address any priority issues that may be existent. Accountabilities should then set so that communication becomes easier and the objectives are addressed at individual levels. The plan should then be reviewed over and over again due to the dynamic nature of the market. Strategic tools are the essential and most applied business solution tools that companies apply so as to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Innovations and new developments only become successful if the resulting products and services can sell well. These tools are instrumental in analyzing the existing market, be it a niche, so as to create opportunities for serving clients with a wide variety of products that are more competitive and adapted to a dynamic market development as compared to the other competitors. Some of these tools include Porter’s 5 forces Model, The BCG Matrix, The SWOT Matrix, and The 4 P’s of the Marketing mix, Life Cycle Analysis, Ansoff Matrix, Maslow’s Pyramid and the 7-S McKinsey method. All these strategies are aimed at analyzing different aspects and levels of existence in an organization (Simerson 2011, p. 123). As such, not all these tools are applicable to any situations, thereby their effectiveness is limited to specific si tuations. The political factors of analysis involve government controls and rules in the effort of the company to keep up with the Environmental and Corporate Social

African American Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

African American Music - Essay Example Could you imagine African American culture without music? This question is rather rhetorical. Floyd defined African-American music as music that emanates directly from the black experience in America, descending from the calls, cries, hollers, spirituals, ragtime, and blues of the slavery and post-slavery periods. This genre includes jazz, rhythm and blues, black gospel, and all the forms to which these genres have given birth (Floyd, 232). Interestingly, no one knows exactly when the blues or jazz music began. â€Å"When asked about the origin of blues, old-time fiddlers in New Orleans replied, the blues? Ain’t no first blues! The blues always been† (Southern, 332). Historically, through their indigenous music of their homeland, slaves brought many characteristics of blues, ragtime, and jazz music. Even though those persons could not bring their instruments and familiar possessions from their country, they did bring music in their hearts and minds. For them music serve d as a way of life in Africa, for celebrations and rituals. For work, pleasure, and freedom in America, the slaves adapted a new kind of music, developing a new culture for themselves by combining parts of the American culture with African culture. The new music of work songs, shouts, hollers, cries, and moans, evolved into the blues, happy and sad songs.

Shift from mass production to lean production in craftsmen industry Thesis Proposal

Shift from mass production to lean production in craftsmen industry - Thesis Proposal Example The waste-elimination notion of producing in the lean method has conveyed important influences on diverse industries. Frequent devices and methods have been evolved to undertake exact difficulties in alignment to eradicate non-value-added undertakings and turn out to be lean. When the producers started thinking about taking up the leaner procedures, they did not pay much attention and the concept lost importance. Several metrics of lean production have been evolved for assessing the presence and following the improvements of lean manufacturing systems. However, if we look at each metric individually, focusing on an exact presentation facet will not comprise the general leanness stage (Elliott 2004). On the other hand, people practicing lean methods usually employ self-assessment devices to portray the present rank of their arrangement. However, reviews are prejudiced, and the predefined lean stages of a questionnaire may not adjust every scheme perfectly. Overview of Avandad Trading Company Solid surface fabrication and installation need a particular knowledge and ability. â€Å"Avandad is the first company to have introduced the solid surface products and services into Iran. It is at present dynamically involved in fabricating â€Å"solid surface products such as kitchen counter tops, bathroom sinks, commercial counters, etc†. Avandad was formed in 2003 and in an endeavor to present excellence in products; Avandad has selected poly-stone as its strategic associate and foremost provider of material.

Genetics modification and domestications animals Essay

Genetics modification and domestications animals - Essay Example This experiment was later on repeated by Trut and his team and they found out that the hypothesis was true. However, these efforts at domestication were not without disadvantages. The changes that both Belyaev’s and the Farm Fox Experiment have brought about are very disadvantageous to the original wild fox species as well as to the tamed generations of foxes. One advantage of taming the fox species is that the physiological changes that generations of fox species undergo while being domesticated might lead to the extinction of the originally wild species of foxes. Domestication of the wild fox species does not only make the animal tamed but also causes various physiological changes in it like changes in body size, proportion, pigmentation, tail and ears (31). Although these may just seem to be minor changes as of this moment in history, such changes might prove to be less resistant to diseases and environmental conditions. Moreover, such efforts at domestication might eventua lly cause permanent changes in the fox species until such a point where all the original wild foxes were wiped out. This is not the same as evolution because there is human manipulation of the species. There must be a reason why some animals are wild and defying nature might result in the extinction of the original species. ... Moreover, new diseases might be brought along with the domesticated species as disease genes made dormant by a wild nature may eventually show up when the animal is tamed. Thus, the new domesticated species, although numerous, may not be able to survive very long. The idea that domestication brings along with it the fact that the fear response develops much later, which is 9 weeks or later instead of 6 weeks for the wild species, implies that there is a relatively longer time for the fox offspring to remain vulnerable to danger due to the absence of fear (33). The earlier fear develops in the fox species and in any other animal species, the earlier it may be able to learn to protect itself from danger. Thus, domesticated foxes tend to be more trusting of people and other animals that might cause them great harm or even death. Although the purpose of domestication is to delay the development of fear or even to get rid of it completely, fear has a great role in the survival of the anim al species. One final disadvantage of domestication of foxes is, as stated by Trut herself, â€Å"Anything that tampers with [polygenes] runs the risk of upsetting other parts of an organism’s genetic machinery† (35). As previously stated, the domestication experiment on foxes is not the same as natural evolution because there is deliberate human intervention in the manipulation of the polygenes. Any such manipulation may result in the alteration of what nature has intelligently created. The reverberations of such manipulation might result in destructive physiological changes in the fox species like immunity problems and thus eventually cause its extinction. The

World War 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World War 1 - Essay Example In May 1915, a German submarine successfully sank a British ocean liner â€Å"Lusitania† and killed approximately 128 U.S citizens out of the total 1,200 individuals who were in the ocean liner. Even after this event, the United States still remained neutral but they kept on assisting the Allies materially. On the other hand, the Americans viewed the Germans as aggressors. This is because they used U-boats and submarines to attack the ships which were carrying relief aid to the Allies. Their main aim was to starve the British and force them to surrender. The Americans also felt connected to the citizens of Great Britain because of their cultural similarities. After the sinking of Lusitania, the Americans faced a national security threat, hence; most of the citizens urged the government to join forces with the Allied Powers to fight against the Germans. The main cause of the war was because the British intercepted a telegram from the Germans. This telegram was being sent to the Mexican Government. The telegram was named after its sender Arthur Zimmerman. The Zimmerman telegram noted that Mexico was to declare war on America in order to conquer states such as New Mexico, Arizona and Texas in case there was a war between Germany and USA. Research also asserts that the involvement of the United States in World War I was attributed by propaganda from both sides. The US president did not want to get involved with the war but, when Teddy Roosevelt made a decision for running for presidency, Wilson felt threatened, and he announced that there was a high possibility of the country going to war. The main aim of President Wilson was to enhance safety in the world and promote democracy in the United States. Thus, the United States of America declared war against German on 6th April, 1917. Question b: Why did the Allies win World War I? World War I comprised of two powerful forces. The Allies comprised of Poland, the United Kingdom, China, France, United States and t he Soviet Union among other countries. Research asserts that the Allies won World War I because they were more powerful and prepared as compared to the Central Powers. It is quite clear that World War I was an attrition war and Germany lacked most of the resources at the end. The British had blocked all the supplies. The Allies had also waited to for the United Stated to join the war. The United States facilitated the win after they deployed new technological weapons which were used in the warfare against the Central Powers. On the other hand, the Allies had enough resources from the United States. This that the USA played a significant role in World War I. Germany was equipped with a massive army, therefore; they were destined to lose due to scarcity of resources. After 1914, the German army gave up the plan to the Allies who were located on the Western front. In this period, the Allies made several mistakes, which led to numerous deaths. In 1918, they united together and deployed new tactics, which involved the use of tanks and airplanes in the war. The use of this machinery significantly overpowered the Germans who were underdeveloped in terms of technology. The ultimate defeat of the Germans was enhanced by the blockage of German ports by the British. This led to the German Revolution and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm. The Germans had also lost the war after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan. Various scholars claim that the Allies were able to win the war because the Germans did not have adequate food and resources to sustain them in the warfare. Question c: What were the goals and terms of Wilson’s 14 Points and Versailles Treaty? On 8th January, 1918, President Wilson

Genetics modification and domestications animals Essay

Genetics modification and domestications animals - Essay Example This experiment was later on repeated by Trut and his team and they found out that the hypothesis was true. However, these efforts at domestication were not without disadvantages. The changes that both Belyaev’s and the Farm Fox Experiment have brought about are very disadvantageous to the original wild fox species as well as to the tamed generations of foxes. One advantage of taming the fox species is that the physiological changes that generations of fox species undergo while being domesticated might lead to the extinction of the originally wild species of foxes. Domestication of the wild fox species does not only make the animal tamed but also causes various physiological changes in it like changes in body size, proportion, pigmentation, tail and ears (31). Although these may just seem to be minor changes as of this moment in history, such changes might prove to be less resistant to diseases and environmental conditions. Moreover, such efforts at domestication might eventua lly cause permanent changes in the fox species until such a point where all the original wild foxes were wiped out. This is not the same as evolution because there is human manipulation of the species. There must be a reason why some animals are wild and defying nature might result in the extinction of the original species. ... Moreover, new diseases might be brought along with the domesticated species as disease genes made dormant by a wild nature may eventually show up when the animal is tamed. Thus, the new domesticated species, although numerous, may not be able to survive very long. The idea that domestication brings along with it the fact that the fear response develops much later, which is 9 weeks or later instead of 6 weeks for the wild species, implies that there is a relatively longer time for the fox offspring to remain vulnerable to danger due to the absence of fear (33). The earlier fear develops in the fox species and in any other animal species, the earlier it may be able to learn to protect itself from danger. Thus, domesticated foxes tend to be more trusting of people and other animals that might cause them great harm or even death. Although the purpose of domestication is to delay the development of fear or even to get rid of it completely, fear has a great role in the survival of the anim al species. One final disadvantage of domestication of foxes is, as stated by Trut herself, â€Å"Anything that tampers with [polygenes] runs the risk of upsetting other parts of an organism’s genetic machinery† (35). As previously stated, the domestication experiment on foxes is not the same as natural evolution because there is deliberate human intervention in the manipulation of the polygenes. Any such manipulation may result in the alteration of what nature has intelligently created. The reverberations of such manipulation might result in destructive physiological changes in the fox species like immunity problems and thus eventually cause its extinction. The

Three Day Diet Analysis Essay Example for Free

Three Day Diet Analysis Essay There will be two term exams, a final exam and one written assignment for this course. In addition to the three written exams, you will be required to carry out a 3 day diet analysis of you own diet. Details of this are provided below, but briefly, you will be required to record everything you eat for three days. Your nutrient intake will then be determined using a computer program â€Å"Diet Analysis + 8† which will be available on computers in Science SN 3000 for all students. If you bought a new copy of the text this year, you can access a web version of the software (access information is provided with the text). You will then be required to write an evaluation of your diet, discussing its strengths and weaknesses and what you might do to improve it.. Both the computer analysis and the evaluation must be turned in. This diet analysis will count for 10% of your course mark. The analysis is due on Friday March 9 in class. Analyses not turned in when due will have their mark reduced by one-half. That is, they will count for only a maximum of 5% of the course mark. Assignments not turned in by the last class of the semester will receive a mark of 0 (zero). Summary of Evaluation: Due DateValue Term Exam 1Fri Feb 820% Term Exam 2Fri Mar 1520% Final ExamDuring Final Exam Period50% Diet Analysis (10%)Fri, Mar 810% Total100% Policy on missed exams: Marks from missed exams, regardless of reason, will be applied to the final exam. This applies to all students. All students have the option of not writing one or both of the term exams. If you miss one term exam, the final exam will be worth 70%, if you miss both term exams the final exam will be worth 90%. Supplementary Exam: A student who has clear or conditional standing may write a supplementary examination in Biochemistry/Kinesiology 2600 if the course grade obtained is 45-49 F and if his or her term mark is at least 50%. Students who wish to write a supplementary exam must apply in writing to the Biochemistry Department within one week of release of grades. Diet Analysis You are to record all the food you eat for three consecutive days, one of which must be a weekend day. That is you must record what you eat for Thursday, Friday and Saturday or Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Be sure to record portion sizes as well as what you ate. You will need to have a labnet account in order to print out your analysis. If you do not have one be sure to set it up before starting your data entry. Using the diet analysis+ software you are to analyze your intake for the three days. You can access this software in the Biochemistry Department Computer Lab, SN 3000 OR if you bought a new copy of the text this year, you can access a web version of the software (access information is provided with the text). You can also purchase access to the online version of the software. See the textbook information files on the D2L site. When you use the diet analysis software, you should store your data on the H drive or on a memory stick. If you do not, if you return to the computer you used, your data will not be there and you will have to start the data entry process again. By saving to the H drive or a memory stick, you can enter your data in pieces rather that all at once and you can easily go back to edit any mistakes. To do this, insert the memory stick in the computer before starting the program. It is important that you enter your personal profile information BEFORE you enter foods. If you do not you will have to re-enter the foods after you create your personal profile. Then you must evaluate your diet based on your intake relative to recommended intakes for all nutrients for which you believe your intake is high enough or low enough relative to the RDA that you need to do something about it. Note that your intakes may be more than recommended, equal to the recommended or less than the recommended. Your evaluation must include your evaluation of the adequacy of your diet. Once you have evaluated your diet, you should suggest what, specifically, you would do to correct any problems with your diet, that is what foods need to be replaced and with what. Note that your evaluation should be based on your average intake for the three days, not based on any one day’s intake. When you turn in your assignment it must include: 1. the list of foods and amounts eaten for each day from the printout, 3 lists, one for each day 2. The computer evaluation of your diet. That is the printouts that show the percentage of recommended intakes for the 3 day average intake, not for each individual day’s intake. 3. The printout of recommended intakes for your age, sex and activity level. 4. The printout of the pyramid or MY PLATE which will provide you with guidance for how you might change your diet 5. Your written evaluation of your diet. 6. Your suggestions for improvement / changes if any is needed. You can print all this information by choosing print 3 day analysis in the software after you have entered all your intake information. Undergraduate Access Hoursto SN 3000, Biochemistry Computer Lab are posted on the door of the lab and will be available on the course D2L site once they have been determined.

The Competitive Elements Of Illovo Malawi Business Essay

The Competitive Elements Of Illovo Malawi Business Essay Critically assess the strategic context within which your firm operates using any conceptual framework, which you think is appropriate, and explain which are the most important general business trends and competitive elements. Which of these should strategic decision makers in the company of your choice consider the most and why? Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd is a subsidiary of a South African company Illovo Sugar South Africa. Illovo Sugar Malawi is the countrys largest sugar producer. There are two other companies that have just set up within the previous two years, however, they can not be acknowledged as of yet as they are yet to commence operations. Illovo sugar is a large multinational company that spans across six African countries that include Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa. They are the largest sugar producers within each respective country that they are present in. Illovo Sugar operates through subsidiaries within each of the mentioned countries. When we analyse to total volume of sugar produced amongst all the facilities that Illovo owns, it shows that they are the largest producer of sugar within the African subcontinent. Illovo Sugar is listed on the Johannesburg Stock exchange and on the Malawian and Zambian Stock Exchange respectively (as subsidiaries). The majority ownership of Illovo Sugar, 51% of it, belongs to a FTSE 100 Company Associated British Foods Plc. Illovo Sugar Malawi, along with its other subsidiaries within Africa, have shown year on year consistent growth for the entire Illovo Group in Africa, it is this level of performance which has labelled Illovo the largest sugar producer in Africa. PESTEL Analysis: I will now outline a PESTEL analysis for Illovo Sugar Ltd, within which I will cover all the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal aspects that affect Illovo Sugar. Political: Political stability within Malawi has been an issue for Illovo Sugar Malawi during 2012. The autocratic rule of the former president came to an unexpected end when he died due to cardiac arrest. This meant that Illovo had to form new connections with the new president (former vice president) who had her own political party. Doing so, it would give Illovo access right to the top of the tree; it could therefore exercise this communion whenever it needed to. When the government attitude is looked upon, due to the economical problems in Malawi, the extreme lack of forex has led to many problems and it has crippled the economy. The current regime is on the move to increase exports in order to generate the much-needed forex, this being a direct presidential initiative. Due to Illovo Sugar Malawi being one of the top exporters within Malawi, it is therefore one of the favourable organisations directly from the offices of the president. Corrupt governments usually impact organisations when they make decisions at firm levels. The impact of corrupt ministers and even presidents in some cases prove to be a vital political problem to a large company such as Illovo Sugar. In this case, as far as it can be noted, it seems that Illovo Sugar Malawi has steered away from being influenced by such people or governments. Economical: Malawi is currently enduring one of the harshest conditions related to its economy. It has literally crippled, from being the second fastest growing economy in the world in 2008, it has fallen at such an alarming rate, at the expense of the autocratic rule of the former president who despised the western donor countries. It led to intense shortages of forex within Malawi, and with Malawi being a predominantly importing country, it crippled many sectors and inflation started to rise at an alarming rate. The biggest cause for concern is the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha it will increase costs from all aspects for Illovo Malawi, however, due to the floatation of the currency within the international markets, it will therefore obtain better prices for its commodity on the international market. Credit availability and interest rates are also a problem for Illovo Sugar Malawi. The credit is available but due to liquidity shortages of the Malawi kwacha, the Reserve Bank of Malawi has put high interest charges on credit facilities. Due to this problem, Illovo Malawi will take out as little credit facilities as its needs in order to avoid high interest charges  [1]  . When the overall industry growth is analysed, it can be compared, volumetrically, that Illovo Sugar Malawi has continued to grow despite all the problems it faces. It continues to be the largest contributor to the Illovo Sugar Group at 39% of its overall operating profit  [2]  . Therefore, the industry continues to grow and the prospect for the future for Illovo Malawi looks good in terms of an economical aspect. Social: Illovo Sugar Malawi operates two relatively large facilities within Malawi. They employ approximately 5400 people fulltime and around 4500 seasonal employees. They provide employment to local Malawians with added benefits as part of their corporate citizenship scheme. Illovo Sugar Malawi also works hard in maintaining their corporate social responsibility image. They have built schools and medical centres within the local communities. Every employee has access to medical and educational care, with his or her dependants included too. Apart from this, they provide housing to over 4500 people with amenities such as running water, electricity and waste management services  [3]  . Apart from the above, Illovo also carries out other social acts of charity in the form of donations to hospitals and of aid to relief victims of natural disasters within Malawi. Apart from maintaining its own sugarcane growing facilities, Illovo plays a socially responsible role when it comes to purchasing sugarcane from local smallholder farmers. They account for up to 13% of Illovo Malawis total raw material volume  [4]  . Technological: Illovo Sugar, as mentioned is the largest sugar producer in Africa, therefore they are bound to keep their technological mind-set at its peak performance. In the current world, technology is known for making processes much simpler and carried out faster and efficiently. In regards to plant and machinery at Illovo, which is the core of the entire business, they will pay the highest attention to new technological entrants within the market. Efficiency, cost saving and speed is what drives any manufacturing business and it is the same with Illovo Malawi. New process technologies within this line of business can rapidly give the edge over competitors and Illovo can utilise this to their advantage. If a new technological concept is trialled on one site, if proven to be successful, provided all factors are considered, they can easily apply this to all their sites and reap the benefits. Illovo grows their own sugarcane and technological advances in farming methods are constantly advancing, therefore they are always developing and making the entire process easier in order for the stakeholder to gain maximum benefits, i.e. maximum output of raw material. Environmental: Illovo Sugar Malawi consumes a lot of electrical power, in order to be environmentally efficient, they use the waste material known as bagasse to generate the needed levels of electricity. The bagasse is a bio-renewable fuel source and it helps to keep the environmental impact of the entire operations at a minimum. In this way, Illovo is also totally self sufficient in terms of electricity supplies. Illovo also controls all wastewater from the sugar making process; it treats and recycles the water for use in its cane growing operations  [5]  . Both sites of Illovo in Malawi annually plant new trees in order to counteract environmental degradation and soil erosion that may be caused during the farming stages  [6]  . As a by-product of the sugar making process, various alcohols can be extracted from the process. Illovo Malawi therefore contributes to fuel alcohol distilleries in Malawi and they produce ethanol, which is an alternative bio-fuel. Legal: Health and Safety is one of the legal challenges that Illovo faces. They run a large health and safety campaign in order to prevent any incidents. They continue to influence the mind-set of all its employees on the various health and safety aspects to be safety conscious. They also design safety programmes for the wider communities spread across the two estates thereby increasing safety awareness and improving safety habits. General Business Trends: Within Malawi, Illovo operates on two tremendously large sites that are situated within the southern and northern districts of Malawi respectively. Illovo Sugar Malawi Produces, on average, 300000 Metric Tons of Sugar within the two sites combined. Almost 60% of this is sold within Malawi itself due to the high demand throughout the year. The remaining 40% is supplied to neighbouring markets, with Zimbabwe being the largest buyer. Through the remaining 40%, it either ends up within the European markets or within the local regional countries, i.e. Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda  [7]  . Illovo Sugar Malawi is the highest contributor within the entire Illovo group, by virtue of its operating profit. When analysed, it is the third largest out of six subsidiaries in terms of volumetric sugar production, however one can only come to the conclusion that Illovo Malawi is fetching better prices for its refined, non refined and speciality sugars within the international market. The percentage of internationally supplied sugar is expected to increase from 40% and valuable markets such as the EU are showing high potential due to good prices being achieved. According to the 2012 Annual report, market conditions were considered by strong demand from European importers who recognise Malawis quality standards and ability to deliver contracted consignments on time. (Annual Malawi reports 8). Competitive Elements: Identifying the competitive elements of Illovo Malawi will show that it has two main elements that prove to also be two valuable advantages over their rivals. The quality and standards of the products that are manufactured by Illovo Malawi are second to none, as mentioned above; it is one of the main factors upon which the European customers look for and value. Due to the differences between quality standards in Africa which are lower than European and worldwide standards, Illovo can easily sell the highest quality goods within the European and north American market and obtain high prices while at the same time sell medium quality products which in the African region are regarded as the top quality, it therefore puts them in a sort of win-win situation. The second element that gives Illovo Malawi a competitive advantage is the logistics system it has. As mentioned above, European buyers value commitments more than anything else. Receiving their shipments on time is of utmost importance when they are competing in strong markets where time and money play the most crucial goal. Abiding to their commitments is therefore the elements that gives Illovo Malawi the advantage in this scenario. Question 2: Identify the stock of internally developed assets, resources and competences in the company of your choice. In your view, how do these compare with the companys most immediate (maximum 3) competitor firms in the industry? Do they or do they not allow your firm to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, and in which areas? Answer: Illovo Sugar Malawi has various assets that include two large sugar mills in the northern and southern districts of Malawi. Along with the two high capacity sugar mills, they also own their own sugar plantations at both respective sites. According to the 2012 annual report for Illovo Sugar Malawi, their valuation of property, plant and machinery stands at 8.6 Billion Malawi Kwacha and their sugar plantations are valued at 10.1 Billion Malawi Kwacha. When we look at the total area that has been leased from the government of Malawi for 99 years amounts to 34,250 Hectares approximately. When we analyse the resources of Illovo Sugar Malawi, we can split it and analyse it via financial, physical and human resources. Financial resources: Illovo Sugar Malawi is listed on the Malawi stock exchange and this plays a vital role when it comes to attracting investment or capital into the company. Apart from attracting investment, if Illovo were to increase production or output, they would require the financial resources to be able to meet that strategy. Financial resources therefore play an important role in aiding the overall strategy that the company may be implementing. If the strategy requires additional funds to be raised, Illovo Malawi would easily be able to raise the needed funds, simply due to the investment returns that current investors are receiving, it will seem like the most viable investment to new and potential investors. Therefore it can be said that the attractiveness of this particular market is high as can be seen from the continued year-on-year growth at Illovo Sugar Malawi. Human resources: Human resources play a vital role in any strategic decision that the company makes, since it is this very workforce that will endeavour to accomplish the strategy that it has set out to achieve. Human resources also identifies all the skills-base of a business, the skills it possesses through its workforce and whether or not they are sufficient enough to meet the strategy. When it comes to analysing the human resources at Illovo Sugar Malawi, upon reading the profiles of the senior management from the annual report, it is easily noticed that experience is a key denominator amongst employees at Illovo. Illovo employees have vast knowledge and experience, that is absolutely vital to this industry and it is highly possessed at Illovo. It is these vital factors that allow Illovo Malawi to perform at it level best and this is shown via its continual growth and the financial profits it achieves. Illovo also maintains a high business morale and reputation that it strives to maintain, as Africas largest sugar producer it has to have an immense reputation that allows it to dominate markets and give it an edge over its competitors. Apart from this, employees at Illovo also possess vast amounts of experience when analysed. The experience varies from business through to manufacturing, refining, farming and other key tasks within the business. People within each sector will possess varied amounts of experience that help it add value within the entire business. Illovo firmly believes in maintaining an employee development programme which will prove to be highly important in regards to the future sustainability of the business, it has therefore setup staff training programmes to further develop their technical skills. (Malawi report 8). According to Prahalad and Hamels work, they mention the following Core competencies are the glue that binds existing business. They are the engines for new business development  [8]  . In regards to competency at Illovo, the first major achievement that is being accomplished is the quality of the products manufactured. High quality products will meet high quality standards set by international regulatory authorities and Illovo Sugar Malawi is currently producing such products that continually meet the stringent requirements. It is this level of competence that attracts the right customers for its product; it therefore serves high profile customers who are willing to pay the price for value added high quality products manufactured by Illovo. The prices and profits therefore obtained from such customers help Illovo to grow year-on-year. It is the above reasons that give Illovo an edge over its competitors, they strive to produce high quality products, which therefore give them increased revenues as compared to their immediate competitors, and this is also the reason as to why Illovo Malawi is the leading contributor to Illovo groups operating profits. Illovo Sugar Malawis two competitors are small firms that have recently set up in Malawi. They have sugarcane plantations of both 850 (planned 5000) and 200 hectares respectively. Limphasa Sugar Corporation, the first and direct competitor will likely become the number two producer of sugar in Malawi and with an export market already lined up to be supplied, they are awaiting final installations and plan to produce 90,000 tons of sugar a year at full capacity, however upon analysing Illovos operations, its highly doubtful that they will achieve that level at such an early stage as they will not have enough sugarcane. The second competitor Mtalimanja Sugar Corporation have only 200 hectares of sugarcane and they are only a small producer, which also aims to support smallholder farmers. Mtalimanja has recently run into problems and they are awaiting engineers to fix their plant at the moment. Therefore, when we analyse the two direct competitors of Illovo Malawi, it is fair to say that Illovo is miles ahead in terms of production of sugarcane and sugar based products. They are fully capable of handling large volumes in both categories and that it would take a good number of years for their competitors to catch up to them. However, this does not guarantee that there are not any threats towards Illovo, if their competitors produce high quality products they will find themselves competing for customers. However, for the current outlook, its fair enough to say that Illovo still maintains the number one spot in the market and due to its experience and the strategies it sets out to achieve, it keeps itself ahead in the market. Conclusion: Upon further reading within the group report, Illovo group clearly outlines that their primary strategic objective is to improve earnings and remain as the market leader. Their secondary aims included increasing sugar production to 1.8 million tons, increase domestic market presence and increase revenues by sales to higher priced markets  [9]  . (main report 8).Increasing capacity and output at Illovo Malawi will help it to producer larger volumes which will help it serve higher priced markets better and obtain better prices and increase profits. References: (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 2 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 3 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 4 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.7. 5 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 6 (2012) Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd Annual Report. [report] Malawi: Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Ltd, p.12. 7 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.10. 8 Prahalad, C. K. and Hamel, G. (1990) The Core Competence of the Organization, Harvard Business Review, (5). 9 (2012) Illovo Integrated Annual Report. [Report] South Africa: Illovo Sugar Ltd, p.8.