Bentton Group

From the book: Managerial Accounting for Managers by Noreen, Brewer, and Garrison Research and Application 5-34 The questions in this exercise are based on the Benetton Group, a company headquartered in Italy and known in the United States primarily for one of its brands of fashion apparel-United Colors of Benetton. To answer the questions, you will need to download the Benetton Group’s 2004 Annual Report at www. benetton. com/investors . You do not need to print this document to answer the questions. Required: 1. How do the formats of the income statements shown on pages 33 and 50 of Benetton’s annual report differ from one another (disregard everything beneath the line titled â€Å"income from operations†)? Which expenses shown on page 50 appear to have been reclassified as variable selling costs on page 33? 2. Why do you thing cost of sales is included in the computation of contribution margin on page 33? 3. Perform two separate computations of Benetton’s break-even point in euros. For the first computation, use data from 2003. For the second computation, use data from 2004. Why do the numbers that you computed differ from one another? 4. What sales volume would have been necessary in 2004 for Benetton to attain a target income from operations of â‚ ¬300 million? 5. Compute Benetton’s margin of safety using data from 2003 and 2004. Why do your answers for the two years differ from one another? 6. What is Benetton’s degree of operating leverage in 2004? If Benetton’s sales in 2004 had been 6% higher than what is shown in the annual report, what income from operations would the company have earned? What percentage increase in income from operations does this represent? 7. What income from operations would Benetton have earned in 2004 if it had invested an additional â‚ ¬10 million in advertising and promotions and realized a 3% increase in sales? As an alternative, what income from operations would Benetton have earned if it not only invested an additional â‚ ¬10 million in advertising and promotions but also raised its sales commission rate to 6% of sales, thereby generating a 5% increase in sales? Which of these two scenarios would have been preferable for Benetton? . Assume that total sales in 2004 remained unchanged at â‚ ¬1,686 million (as shown on pages 33 and 50); however, the Casual sector sales were â‚ ¬1,554 million, the Sportswear and Equipment sector sales were â‚ ¬45million, and the Manufacturing and Other sector sales were â‚ ¬87 million. What income from operations would Benetton have earned with this sales mix? (Hint: look at pages 36 and 37 of the annual report. ) Why is the income from operations under this scenario different from what is shown in the annual report?

Leading your work team Essay

Difference between leadership and management Both managers and leaders have positive and some flawed qualities with any organisation. Leaders establish direction and have vision for the future. They tend to plan ahead by developing new ideas to achieve goals set out. Other qualities they have are that they drive people to exceed their own limitations, give others some responsibility by delegating some duties. Leading using these methods and communicating inspires trust from people, colleagues and employees. When trust is achieved respects is grown from each individual and vice versa, the leaders respect each individual and each person’s merits as everyone can make different contribution but on their own level. Through empowering people with involvement they create motivation and energise people to overcome some obstacles and can defiantly have a positive outcome and see a marked improvement or change with a team and or individual. But on the other hand, leadership can be flawed and sometimes can have a negative impact on a team, especially when leaders become too friendly, they try to please everyone and sometimes within an organisation this cannot be possible. It is then that a break in mutual respect, motivation and trust appears. There should always be a line between staff, leaders and managers. Management do tend to manage the processes such as timetable, budgets and actions on a day to day basis by controlling and allocating resources to maintain the status quo or ensure things happen according to already established plans. Another difference is that they rely on control and they work on solving problems but are focused people who focus on systems, policy and procedures. Decision-making is also amongst a managers strengths. Managers tend to monitor every result against each plan and if necessary will take corrective action which makes them predictable but on the other consistent and have clear defined order. However sometimes there can be an overemphasis on outcome at the expense of neglecting the people. Why leadership is important within own team? Team leader plays an important role in guiding team members and motivating them to stay focused as every member contributes to their own level to best achieve their assigned targets or goals. Every team should have a team leader who can hold his team together and extract the best out its team members. Leaders should be a role model and be such that individuals can draw inspiration from and seek advice and guidance whenever required. An effective leadership must be impartial, support one and all equally and discuss any goals that needs to set or issues on an open forum where applicable and make tram members aware of their roles and responsibilities and not impose things on their members. Within my working organisation, we have teams that consist of ten team members of which are of mixed skill levels and each team are assigned a clinical team leader. Team leaders are approachable and they should lead by example by providing what we as organisation set out to achieve which is the best p ossible care for each person we attend to regardless of our skill level within the trust. Guidance within our work base could be from anything from personal circumstances to any clinical issues that employees require assistance, guidance, reassurance or clarification of practices. This is why it is important to have a good leadership style and person within our teams, someone who is approachable and on top of their game to be able to provide support and drive the staff to work to the best of their ability. Team leaders need to recognise each team members needs and be able to help and guide each member of its team to achieve their best potential this could be organising further training, provide emotional support after some difficult clinical cases and also show some appreciation of the diisfulct and successful cases staff attend on a daily basis. Communication is vital in our work base as many new information, policy procedures is normally cascaded to each team member via team leaders and it is important that team leaders make sure that each individual knows exactly their new or enhanced responsibilities. Despite the best intention of organisations and team leaders, some leadership styles can be ineffective and for various reasons implications and impact of an ineffective leadership can affect teams morale, goals and standard set out will without a doubt be below the expected standard. Many reasons could be  too responsible such as environmental issues i.e. teams are not given adequate resources of equipment in my work place to do their job to the highest standard. Lack of recognition of good work can have a negative impact. Appreciation can be a big morale booster. Goals that are not set out clearly and lack of communication can lead to ineffective team and mistakes can happen. This could lead to everyone doing their own thing and poor relationship between team members including team leaders can lead to conflict and personality conflicts. These issues can be resolved with planning, processes and performance appraisals etc. Different leadership styles Democratic:- One of the leadership styles, which is effective and can lead to higher productivity, better contribution from team members and it is a style that can increase on teams’ morale. Reasons for this are because team members take more of a participative role in the decision-making process. This style has a positive effect when used in work place, sometimes I have to work with a new inexperienced trainee or even lower grade colleague. We discuss together where possible any issues i.e. diagnosis, treatment of patients etc. I ask them â€Å"What are their thoughts?† and get their valuable input and opinions. I find that trainees become more confident, will ask more questions and become more eager to learn new techniques, and take more responsibility. Benefits of democratic leadership are appropriate in my field of work; staff become more involved and cares more about end result. It does have its flaws, the process of consultation can turn into procrastination and if a business has urgent issues or in my work place if we have time critical patient then democratic leadership style is not a trait that is required. Democrats can’t normally work to these tight timescales. Talking to lots of people and gathering opinions take time but true democrats are unwilling to cut corners. They can also appear indecisive and unwilling to make a decision. Coercive:- This leadership style demands immediate compliance. It is more that the leader rules by fear â€Å"my way or the highway†. Coercive leaders take charge drives to achieve and have self-control but can have an overall detrimental effect on team members. This style would not be suitable in my role, as our working ethics on a day to basis is reliant on team work and a leader of this style could cause animosity between staff and leader and could possibly lead to mistakes being made on the frontline which could be catastrophic for patients. Bu these leader ships qualities could be useful when a company is in crisis or an organisation in trouble. Pacesetter style:- This leadership style sets high performance standards to all members including him. The style sounds very admirable but has more of a negative impact on members as they tend to have a problem with trusting their team. They rest on being smarter, more thorough than everyone else and can unintentionally undermine the effects of their team members. A pacesetter would have negative impact in my work place as trust in each other is required when working as a team to achieve our goals. Undermining even if unintentionally can have a negative effect on working relationships. But on the other hand can also be effective in other field of work especially if the team are highly motivated and the members’ style and competence already fit the expectations of the pacesetter. Paternalistic:- This style is by acting as a father/mother figure by taking care of their team members as a parent would their child. They receive complete trust and loyalty from their team when they lead with complete concern of their members. Teams are expected to become totally committed to what the leader believes. Relationships are solid, but can have a negative impact if the leader starts showing favouritism in decisions and could lead to breakdown of relationships. Most commonly used leadership and its effects on own team Within the organisation I work, there are a couple of main leadership styles used. As an organisation of uniformed and non uniformed public sector, and depending on the level of leadership or where in the chain of command the style vary somewhat. The higher the chain the more bureaucratic method of leading is used. They have fixed official duties under a hierarchy of authority, applying a system of rules of management and decision-making. Bureaucratic leadership can be broken down into different components which also outline the basic structure of the NHS. Fixed official duties – Accountability Authority Responsibility Hierarchy of authority – lower grades are answerable to and under supervision of level above CEO, Directors etc Technical expertise- – Medical director has a medical background as well as management. System of rules- behavioural and technical rules i.e. scope of practice – conduct and performance management, policies and procedure Written documentation – policies, procedures to help with accountability, decision-making guidance etc. However, if this style of leadership is used inappropriately then it can have negative impact, consequences causing lack of flexibility and work throughout the team from hierarchy through to the structures below. Democratic leadership style is also used within my immediate work place, especially when working with lower grade or new trainee staff during a shift. This approach encourages staff to become part of decision-making process. For example, whilst working with a new member of staff we can attend to numerous different patients with each requiring thorough can careful examination to help us be able to treat each patient to the best of our a bility. I try to encourage new staff and lower grades to become more confident and help in making decision, deciding on treatments by asking their opinions and what their thoughts are. I find this has a positive  effect on team members, improve communication, gain respect and can produce good working ethics. The leader still has full control of its members and still has final decision but it is a decision with input from team that is encouraged. But this is very time consuming and as public service we may not have time to do this, on a more personal note some patients are time critical and this leadership style would not be appropriate at that specific time as decision need to be made very quickly and make sure that team members, colleagues, patients are safe and not harmed. Laissez-faire leadership style is also commonly used in my field of work. This is a style that can be used between team leaders and its members as the leader doesn’t get involved with our day to day work and tends to leave staff to it. Team leaders need smart, dedicated and motivated team members that they can rely on to complete a task and work to the highest standard. For example, within the ambulance service during a major incident a team leader/ officer will leave paramedics to treat patients whilst he or she is outside securing and organising resources etc. They must have trusted in its team members for this to work effectively. Like many other style it can have a downfall and can be somewhat ineffective as some times teams can feel that they have no guidance or support when they are left to get on with it! Own leadership style I believe that I have a couple of leadership style and it totally depends on the situation. As long as patients are not time critical and time is on our side I think I use a coaching style leadership because it is a style that develops people by offering hands-on advice to problem solving. It can be summed up in a phrase â€Å"try this.† It works best when helping staff to build a lasting personal and professional strengths and confidence and make them more successful overall but I suppose it can be hampered if my colleagues are defiant and unwilling to learn or change. Along with coaching style I think that I adopt a bit of a democratic leading method. As we have teams of 10 members to each team leader it is a good quality in my opinion to lead in an open style, we discuss issues openly as a team and as individuals when necessary. Ideas move freely amongst the group and discussion is relatively free flowing. I believe this style is needed in our work place as it dynamic  and rapidly changing environment. The style means facilitating the conversation, encouraging staff to share their ideas, issues and opinions and using these to make the best possible decision. I can communicate very well and communicating is one of the key elements of democratic leadership where you must be able to communicate decision, information etc back to your group, this then keeps unity, good solid relationship m trust and mutual respect between leader and its members. I would like to think that leading in this way brings out an experienced, confident and professional team.

Water Rights in Idaho Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Water Rights in Idaho - Essay Example A structure applied to redirect the water from its natural source, or diversion is usually required to acquire a water right. Usual diversion methods include pumps, head gates, pipelines, ditches and dams. The Idaho Water Resource Board is allowed to acquire water rights without diversions, referred to as "in-stream flow" water rights, typically authorized to protect some public interest in a natural stream or lake, for instance recreation, wildlife or natural beauty. "In-stream livestock" water right may also be acquired for watering livestock directly from the stream (One Plan para3-4). In some states, a landowner enjoys the right to use reasonably the ground water underneath his/her land or water naturally flowing through, on or along the borders of the land. Idaho law does not acknowledge such rights. Both the constitution and statutes of the State of Idaho assure the right to apportion the public waters of the State of Idaho. Water right is granted when a private right to the use of public waters is created by appropriation. A water right is a real property right just like property rights in land. The constitution and statutes of the state of Idaho protect private property rights. The water rights granted to individuals enable them to divert the public waters of the state of Idaho to put them to a beneficial use, in harmony with ones priority date. In property law, a right by which property is owned by one person is subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another. Servitudes allow people to create stable long-term arrangements for a wide variety of purposes, including shared land uses, maintaining the  across private lands to usual and accustomed fishing. The constitution describes the beneficial uses as domestic use, stock watering, irrigation, manufacturing, hydropower, mining, municipal use, aquaculture, recreation, fish

How Everyman presents the idea about Religion and Hypocrisy Essay

How Everyman presents the idea about Religion and Hypocrisy - Essay Example How Everyman presents the idea about Religion and Hypocrisy Even though we are unable to see God, religion makes us believe in our hearts that He exists and observes everything we do all the time, wherever we go. Due to religion, most people believe that we live our lives in order appease God by trying to make it good since he will approve the manner in which we lived our lives. Through living in the will of God, according to gospel, we believe that He will enable us have eternal life. This makes religion to appear very important to man since no one would prefer going to hell to having eternal life. The writer of â€Å"Everyman† discusses the ideas on religion and hypocrisy in his article. In the story, at the beginning, the messenger assures us that we might be relaxed about our sins at the period they take place, and we can also enjoy our earthly wealth not knowing that all these will come to pass in the day of reckoning (2121). As the story continues, the messenger explains that when we die, our good deeds and sins are taken with us in grave. However, he says that it is good that our good deeds overcome our sins in order to face God with a little hope in the Day of Judgment. The good deeds we had are the only ones that determine our eternity. God’s character reveals to us that the story is about Christian beliefs since God is presented as Jesus, being hanged on the cross. Everyman’s character presents a real example of hypocrisy. In the outside view, he appears to have everything. For instance, he had a family, wealth, beauty, knowledge and strength. His state is admirable and is the kind of life most people wish to have.

Career aspiration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Career aspiration - Essay Example My interest is in aviation engineering. Aviation engineers end up airport executives and professional pilots although this branch is also related to airspace development, designing the airport, navigation technologies, and so on. Airspace development is related to planning and designing the airspace. And it is extremely important that it is done in a proper manner in order that military operations are not affected and also so for the easy navigation of commercial airlines. Then there is airport design, which is again important due to several reasons, one being that the design needs to be in accordance with global environmental standards. Aviation engineers in the manufacturing field are generally paid between $17,500 and $54,500 (AvScholars). Their responsibility is toward production; ranging from developing and selecting manufacturing ways to overseeing everyday tasks taking place on the factory floor. They have to intensely research regarding designing, projecting, production and maintenance technologies and functions of various kinds of vehicles that move in sky or space. Also, there is a requirement of manufacturing better aircrafts – lighter and faster, those that comply with the environmental rules and those that do not make too much sound. All this comes under the work of aviation engineers as they are responsible for the design and manufacture of aircrafts. They have to decide which production system will prove to be better for manufacturing in terms of cost. They have to conduct experiments that help in determining the performance properties of the air vehicle that has been designed and this is done through analytical skills. A person definitely needs a proper engineering degree to pursue aviation engineering for which purpose it is extremely necessary that there are highly qualified institutions that cater to the interested people. An undergraduate education in this field is of four years and the graduating students receive a

How to Prepare Yourself for your Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Prepare Yourself for your Future - Essay Example There is also huge scope for career advancement in this profession that would give me financial security. Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates are eligible for license to work as registered nurse and avail employment opportunities in various capacities within the healthcare industry. I therefore plan to become RN with associate degree from Bishop State Community College. My long term goal is to work at Springhill Hospital as RN. One of my friends is already enrolled in Bishop State Community College. Thus, it became a natural choice for me also. It is a world renowned University that offers excellent degree program in Baccalaureate Nursing. I have no doubt this is the area where I would be able to realize my dreams. The college has envious reputation in providing wide scope of personal development by facilitating cross cultural interaction and community development. They symbolize the high standard of legal, ethical and moral consideration within the broader paradigms of nursing. The cour se curricula also equip the students with leadership qualities. It helps to inspire confidence and promotes better understanding in patient nurse relationship. These are critical issues within the nursing profession

Global Warming - Cause and Effect Research Paper

Global Warming - Cause and Effect - Research Paper Example Global warming was started being considered as a threat which could cause many problems in the long-run like shortage of food and rise in the sea-level. Over the time, more negative effects like threats to the ecosystems and human health were identified. This paper discusses some of the most fundamental causes and effects of global warming. Key causes of global warming include human dependence on fossil fuels to meet the energy needs, growth of population, deforestation, natural processes generating methane in the atmosphere, and use of chemical fertilizers for agricultural purposes while the most significant effects of global warming include change of climate, rise in the sea-level, extinction of animal species as well as death of humans. Causes One of the most fundamental causes of global warming is increased dependence on power plants that burn coal to produce energy. Power plants generate a lot of carbon dioxide. According to EPA, electricity production in the US accounts for alm ost 40 per cent of the carbon dioxide, whereas 93 per cent of the carbon dioxide is released from the burning of coal in the electric utility industry. There is an ever-increasing availability of the electric gadgets in the market. Electricity for both personal and commercial use is largely produced from burning of coal in most of the countries around the world. The manufacture of globally sourced goods and car culture releases 33 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the US. Increase in the production of these goods can primarily be attributed to the growth of population. With the growth of population and the ever-increasing demand for consumer goods and vehicles, fossil fuels are being used in a greater amount for the manufacturing and transportation. Deforestation is a very important cause of global warming. In the photosynthesis process, plants consume carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and release oxygen which in effect is a two-way action directed at the decrease of global warming. Over the years, plants and trees have been cut in great numbers so as to make more land available for such reasons as construction and industrial development. One plant takes years to grow into a tree while it takes only few minutes to cut down the trees, which is why growing more plants is not a very effective measure to improve the environment. Second to carbon dioxide, methane is a potential contributor of global warming. Methane is produced as a result of decomposition of the organic matter by bacteria in anaerobic conditions which prevail in rice paddies. Methane is also produced in the anaerobic decomposition process that occurs in the intestines of animals that feed on grass and plants. In addition to that, increase in the production of concentrated livestock increases the amount of methane in the atmosphere. Escape of methane from the Arctic seabed also contributes to global warming. Use of chemical fertilizers to grow crops has increased rapidly since the second half of the 20th century. â€Å"The high rate of application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers has effects on the heat storage of cropland (nitrogen oxides have 300 times more heat-trapping capacity per unit of volume than carbon dioxide) and the run-off of excess fertilizers creates ‘dead-zones’ in our oceans† (Markham, 2009). Moreover, high content of nitrate in the groundwater caused by over-fertilization yields negative effects

Undecided Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Undecided - Essay Example In 1641, Massachusetts announced that slavery was legal thus became the first colony to legalize slavery (Lee 14). The Transatlantic slave trade that had begun around 1500 was the major slave supplier to America. New Haven, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Plymouth adopted fugitive slave law and in 1650, Connecticut legalized slavery. In 1662, Virginia passed a hereditary slavery decree that directed that children of black salves would be bond or freed depending on the condition of their mothers. Maryland legalized slavery in 1663, the same year that slaves in Virginia revolted. In the following year, New York and New Jersey legalized slavery while a law was passed in Maryland illegalizing marriage between white women and black men (Lee 15). Many states passed laws directing that Christian baptism would not change the status of slaves and slaves were not allowed to possess firearms. In states like Virginia, slaves were banned from meeting in large numbers and those who assaulted whites or tried to escape were severely punished. In New York, slaves were not allowed to sell commodities. In 1688, the first formal antislavery resolution was passed in Pennsylvania. Rice cultivation in Carolina intensified slave trade in the state. Some states such as Massachusetts penalized slave masters who freed their slaves. In Connecticut, slaves who disturbed peace or assaulted whites were whipped (Lee 16). Slaves in Rhode Island were required to carry passes when walking at night. In some instances, for instance in Virginia, slave masters were allowed to kill and destroy runaways. From 1711, slave trade started losing popularity in most states. For instance, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island prohibited the importation of black and Indian slaves. Even so, slaves were not allowed to marry or operate businesses without the permission of their masters. Occasionally, slaves got infuriated and revolted killing whites and their captors. In most states, slaves were not

Health Care in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Care in Australia - Essay Example Short). Be that as it may, anomalies exist in the health care system in Australia. The health care spread is uneven in Australia due to disparities in social and economic levels. The health scenario in the rural areas and place where indigenous populations live is not what it is in the urban areas. There are several reasons for this. The four key challenges to Australia's health systems are affordability of services, expansion of the health workforce to meet the needs of older population, treatment of chronic disease in the community instead of in hospitals, and the integration of complex services in care delivery (Health And The 2007 Federal Elections). The cost of health care is quite high in Australia. There have been attempts to integrate medical care with economy. Most researchers agree that social and economic conditions such as levels of education, types of work, and rates of unemployment, affect population health. A report produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that more than 23,000 lives could have been saved in 1998-2000 if the poorest 80 percent of the population had access to the same living conditions and quality of care as the wealthiest 20 percent. In the same period, that is, 1998-2000, the richest males and females lived 3.9 years and 2 years longer respectively than the poorest. The gulf between the rich and the poor is widening. Data from 1985-87 and 1998-2000 reveal that mortality inequality between the rich and the poor increased for all causes and almost doubled for cancers and cardiovascular disease (Karen Holland). Australia's health economy is expanding. However, despite this expansion the health care system is unable to deliver appropriate and timely care to Australians. There is continuing concern about waiting lists for surgical procedures and specialists consultations in public hospitals, long waiting times in the private sector for particular specialties and increasing disparities between the delivery of care in major centers and in the rural sector. The problem lies in the multiplicity of organizations that administer and fund the health sector, outdated industrial practices, and lack of willingness on the part of any of these groups to reorganize in order to provide more efficient services. A recent World Health Organization report estimated that there would be a global shortage of over four million doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers over the next decade. This shortage is felt in health force in Australia too. The health workforce currently makes up just over 11% of the total workforce in Australia. The number should increase to around 20% (Peter Brooks and Niki Ellis). Aging population in Australia today poses significant problems to the healthcare system. The challenge is to move to an appropriate health care system for the 65 plus population with chronic disease. The Australian health system is struggling to care for this section of the population in an appropriate, cost-effective and timely manner (From Episodic Treatment To Chronic

Summary of Frank Sinatra Essay Example for Free

Summary of Frank Sinatra Essay Growing up on the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey, made Frank Sinatra determined to work hard to get ahead. Starting out as a saloon singer in many down-trotted bars, he got his first major break in 1935 as part of The Hoboken Four on a popular radio show, Major Bowes Amateur Hour. In 1939 Sinatra caught the attention of Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. He sang the first ever No. 1 song on Billboard, Ill Never Smile Again. That same year he married Nancy Barbato with whom he had three children, Nancy, Tina and Frank, Jr. Sinatra. In 1942 Sinatra started his earnest solo career and instantly found fame as the number one singing star among teenage music fans of the era, especially the young women and girls who were referred to as the Bobbysoxers. In 1944 Sinatras acting career was beginning and he made a statement with a lead role in Anchors Aweigh (1945) alongside Gene Kelly. The following year Sinatra was awarded a special Oscar for his part in a short film against intolerance called The House I Live In (1946). His career on high, Sinatra went from, recording his first album (The Voice of Frank Sinatra) at Columbia and starring in several movies. A scandalous public affair with Ava Gardner broke up Sinatras marriage. A second marriage to Gardner followed in 1951 was the start of a down spiral. Record sales dwindling, live appearances failing to sell out, and Sinatras vocal chords hemorrhaging live on stage their toll. Sinatra continued to act. Receiving the musical drama Meet Danny Wilson (1951) and fighting for, and winning, the coveted role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953) increased popularity. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting actor and followed this with a profound performance as the deranged assassin John Baron in Suddenly (1954) and Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, in the powerful drama The Man With the Golden Arm (1955). On record Sinatra was also back on a high having signed with Capitol records and riding high on the charts with the album In the Wee Small Hours ( 1953) and the single Young at Heart (1954). Throughout the 1950s Sinatra not only recorded a slew of critically and commercially successful albums, his acting career remained on a high as he gave strong and memorable performances in such films as Guys and Dolls (1955), The Joker is Wild (1957), Kings Go Forth (1957) and Some Came Running (1958). He also dabbled with producing in the 1950s, first bringing the western Johnny Concho to the big screen and, along with Frank Capra, A Hole in the Head (1959), in which he co-starred with Edward G. Robinson. Continuing this trend into the 1960s, Sinatra produced Oceans 11 (1960), Sergeants 3 (1963, and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) as well as starting his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1961. Sinatra turned 50 in 1965 and, in many ways, his career once again peaked, recording the album September of My Years which won the Grammy for album of the year and making his directorial debut with the anti-war film None but the Brave (1965) His final acting performance in 1987 was as a retired detective seeking vengeance on the killers of his granddaughter in an episode of Magnum P.I. entitled â€Å"Laura†. On stage, Sinatra was as prolific as ever, playing both nationally and internationally to sold out crowds in stadiums and arenas. In 1993 Sinatra stepped back into Capitol studios to record his final albums, Duets and Duets II (both of which were highly successful) Sinatra passed away on May 14th 1998. Frank Sinatra was a legendary Hollywood icon, a profound film actor, an iconic musician, and a well known ladies man. There were so many sides to Sinatra, that it’s hard to categorize him under any label. He was always himself, always living to the fullest. He was (like many celebrities) loved and hated, but that never mattered to him. Frank didn’t need anyone to like him. All he wanted was someone to listen and someone to care. That’s exactly what he got. â€Å"You gotta love livin, baby, cause dyin is a pain in the ass.† -Frank Sinatra

Leadership in healthcare

Leadership in healthcare Student Number: 3226029 AHP_6_011 Leadership for Allied Health Professionals At the opening ceremony of the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress 2013, Singapore Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that strong management capabilities and leadership quality in the healthcare sector are extremely crucial to lead the growing healthcare needs of an ageing population, constant threat of global pandemics and rising non-communicable diseases. There is a need to constantly innovate and find ways to keep the population healthy and deliver the healthcare services more effectively (Gan, 2013). â€Å"One of the things that a leader needs to learn is that the traditional models of leading change are not very effective.† (Kent, 2014). The context for healthcare is changing due to changing expectations, changing disease profile and greater emphasis on ‘predict and prevent’ (Hartley, et al., 2008). Definition of Leadership Leadership in healthcare can be viewed in many different ways. Clinical leadership can come from hands-on care, from maintaining clinical expertise and may sometimes be separated from management with the goal of leading staff through transformational change to develop better services for the local community (Bishop, 2009). In the recent years, leadership is seen as something to be used by all but at different levels (National Leadership Council (NLC) Clinical Leadership workstream, 2011). It can be described to be a team effort (The Kings Fund, 2012) or also known as â€Å"sharedness† of leadership processes (Wang, et al., 2013) in an organisation. Shared leadership is displayed in terms of mutual influence, shared responsibility among the staff and leading each other towards the goal achievements. Shared leadership expands the extent of leader prototypicality (Wang, et al., 2013) as team members are given a chance to take on decision-making process and leadership role. â€Å"Gone is the heroic individual with a monopoly on the vision; it is replaced by a commitment to building shared visions with a range of stakeholders.† (The Kings Fund, 2012). Wang, et al., (2013) divided shared leadership into 3 categories which are shared traditional leadership, shared new-genre leadership and cumulative, overall shared leadership. The subgroups on the types of leadership under each category such as transactional, visionary and transformational leadership can be seen in Appendix A. Shared traditional leadership is where the leader uses methods such as contingent rewards towards staff to achieve team goals and satisfy staff’s needs (Wang, et al., 2013). Shared new-genre leadership emphasizes transformational, visionary and charismatic leadership which empowers the staff towards development and change (Wang, et al., 2013). Cumulative, overall shared leadership is displayed within the team level, in which each individual team member demonstrate a degree of leadership. Importance of leadership Leadership is important as it can determine the functionality of a basic team unit as it strongly influences key team processes. It can determine and clarify the objectives of the team, giving the team a clear view on the goals and the pathways to take to achieve the goals (Hartley, et al., 2008) such as improving patient experience and outcome (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2011). Having leadership can encourage participation from the staff, allowing the staff to contribute and pool great ideas, supporting innovation in the team. It also enhances the commitment to quality, as having a leader ensures primary quality objectives are met in the day to day workings within the staff (Hartley, et al., 2008). Guidance to the changes in the healthcare in many aspects There are many aspects of healthcare that are constantly changing such as new techniques and technologies in healthcare. As such, there is a constant need to find new ways of working within and across teams, and with patients (Hartley, et al., 2008). Therefore, strong leadership that support a vision for change with a clear articulation of what needs to be achieved, by whom and with what, would likely to succeed in healthcare organisations (Gifford, et al., 2013). Leadership is also crucial when it comes to finding new approaches to continuous improvement which rely a lot on ‘people management’ (Hartley, et al., 2008). Bishop, (2009, p. 83) stated that leadership in Allied Health is no longer just about ‘managing’ the service and being a ‘therapy lead’, it is about leading the staff and the service to a new position. To achieve this, clinical leaders such as nurse educators, clinical nurse specialist and practice developers are to influence research use through their roles in mentoring, providing information and assisting in the development of policies and procedures to support professional practice (Gifford, et al., 2013). Leaders have to constantly think of methods to support staff so as to make and sustain improvement efforts in order to improve service to the patient. This is important because patient’s expectations have increased as the healthcare industry develops over the years. Future-looking system There are new challenges in healthcare such as the kinds of illnesses or even trends are changing (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leadership is important to anticipate rather than just react to changes in demographic and disease profiles (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leaders have to anticipate the multiple diseases associated with a larger elderly population and chronic diseases due to lifestyle choices such as obesity. For example, the rising numbers of cancer cases in Singapore as reported in The Straits Times (Lai, 2014) was made known to awareness among the public. Networking Gantz, et al., (2012) stated that collective leadership complements healthcare globalisation. They recognised healthcare globalisation as a way to close disparity gaps and improve public health on a global scale through resource and information sharing. There are new health goals where ‘treatment’ is not the only goal now but also ‘predict and prevent’ illnesses for the public health (Hartley, et al., 2008). As such, there are more hospitals that network with each other and disseminate evidence-based practices throughout their regional and local communities (MacPhee, et al., 2013). Therefore, leadership is important to shape these new goals and to ensure that there is a close link between ideas and practice on the front-line and between different partners. Clinical decision making According to Hartley, et al., (2008), leadership clarity is associated with better team processes, and with actual innovation – and ambiguity about leadership was associated with low levels of innovation. This corroborates the view of the role of leadership in helping to create compelling direction and ensure participation of team members in decision-making (Hartley, et al., 2008). One of the thing that a leader needs to do is to make good decision based on in-depth understanding of all the constituent parts, all the tradition and cultures that accompany the existing professional structures and values (Bishop, 2009, p. 83). Therefore, it is important for a leader to have good decision-making skill so as to have a smooth efficient workflow and quality service. In Singapore’s healthcare setting, although the decisions made are largely based on the patients’ choice, their family members still exercise significant influence over the level of revelation of prognosis information and final action taken (Foo, et al., 2012). Familial-centred approach is common in Asian setting especially if it involves poor prognosis. As such, a leader in this situation has to consider the various views and make a final decision that gives the best outcomes for the patient and family, even if it means that they have to withhold information about patient’s expected poor clinical outcomes to the patients (Foo, et al., 2012). Good decision-making is achieved based on the good understanding of the culture and tradition of the context. The need for decision-making may arise at any one point while in a clinical setting. For example, the below anecdotal incident (see Appendix B) about clinical decision-making is analysed using Gibb’s reflective cycle (Waugh, 2013) (see Appendix C). The incident is about a disagreement I had with a senior colleague about him deviating from the treatment protocol regarding the verification of the treatment area. I felt frustrated that I was the only one wanting to do the right thing and find a solution despite voicing out my concerns. After the incident, I felt sad and unjust that my colleague was angry at me for refusing to proceed with the treatment. The positive experience was that my decision prevented an incident report and an inaccurate delivery of radiation dose. I stepped out of my comfort zone and voiced out my concerns to the oncologists. Conversely, my long decision-making time resulted in a queue of patients and delayed appointments. According to the Fielder’s contingency model (see Appendix D), I am a task-oriented leader, and the incident calls for a leader with a low Least-Preferred Co-Worker (LPC). As such, I’m a fitting leader for the task as I handled the situation which prevented errors from being made in the treatment. On the whole, I took a long time to make my decision waiting for my colleague to share his opinions, which turned out to be fruitless. Such disagreements can be avoided if there are mutual understanding and better treatment protocol knowledge. I should have sought assistance from the other seniors right away. After the incident, we had a discussion on the treatment protocols, directing more focus on the importance of protocols and the adherence to them should any similar incidents occur in the future. Future leadership Nobody stays stagnant in the workforce. For example, a radiation therapist from North Carolina realised that he needed more leadership skills when he progressed from the treatment aspect to administration and then managing (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2013). The King’s Fund (2012) refers to leadership as a ‘cognitive catalyst’, where the leader’s choice of actions and ideas are focused on as learning points in order to spur learning in the work place by the other team members. In order to change an organisation, leaders need to change themselves first and be open to changes. â€Å"If our leaders grow and help others to grow, our organisation will not only succeed in their changes efforts- they will be an example for other leaders and organisations around the world.† (Kent, 2014). More leaders are required in Singapore because the healthcare service is expanding rapidly so as to cater for the aging population (Bishop, 2009). As such, the Ministry Of Health Singapore has launched a SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership programme in Singapore Management University. It aims to groom a new generation of healthcare professionals who excel in both healthcare management and business leadership which is a skill that is high in demand in today’s evolving healthcare industry (Gan, 2013). Additionally, the Ministry Of Healthcare has also provide sponsorships such as the Healthcare Administration Scholarship (HAS) where outstanding scholars will be given opportunities to be developed for top leadership position within the public healthcare sector (MOH Holdings Pte Ltd, 2013). Competency frameworks have also become a widely used approach to thinking about the skills of leadership. For example, the healthcare in UK are using the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework (see Appendix E) (National Leadership Council (NLC) Clinical Leadership workstream, 2011). It sets out the key skills or competencies for leaders in healthcare (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leadership skills are seen to be very important in the healthcare industry worldwide so much so there are many studies and programmes to train future leaders to meet the demands of the ever changing and growing industry. 1

The Trebuchet :: Physics Trebuchet History Papers

The Trebuchet The roots of the machine go back to at least the fifth century B.C. in China. In its most primitive form, it consisted of a pivoted beam with a sling at one end and ropes at the other. A stone would be placed in the sling and a team of men would haul the ropes, swinging the beam up into the air†1. â€Å"The trebuchet reached the Mediterranean by the sixth century C.E. It displaced other forms of artillery and held its own until well after the coming of gunpowder. The trebuchet was instrumental in the rapid expansion of both the Islamic and the Mongol empires. It also played a part in the transmission of the Black Death, the epidemic of plague that swept Eurasia and the North Africa during the 14th century. Along the way it seems to have influenced both the development of clockwork and the theoretical analyzes of motion†2. We will now look at the physics of a trebuchet. â€Å"The trebuchet uses many different physics applications, we will look at a few of them. Basically a trebuchet is a fulcrum. First the energy of conservation. The setting of the trebuchet before firing is shown in Fig 1. A heavy counterweight of mass (M) (contained in a large bucket) on the end of the short arm of a sturdy beam was raised to some height while a smaller mass (m) (the projectile), was positioned on the end of the longer arm near or on the ground. In practice the projectile was usually placed in a leather sling attached to the end of the longer arm. However for simplicity, we shall ignore the sling and compensate for this omission by increasing the assumed length of the beam on the projectile’s side. The counterweight was then allowed to fall so that the longer arm swung upward, the sling following, and the projectile was ultimately thrown from its container at some point near the top of the arc. The far end of the sling was attached to the arm by a rope in such a way that the release occurred at a launching angle near the optimum value ( most likely by repeated trials) for the launch height. The launching position is shown in fig.2 where we have assumed that the projectile is released at the moment the entire beam is vertical. In the figures: (a)=height of the pivot, (b)= length of the short arm, (c)= length of the long arm, while (v) and (V) are the velocities of (m) and (M), respectively, at the moment of launching.

Comparing Victor Frankenstein and the Monster in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Similarities Between Victor and the Monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar. One way that Victor and the monster are alike is that Victor creates the monster like himself. Victor does not plan to create the monster like himself, but the monster becomes very much like Victor. â€Å"God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance† (93). The monster does not resemble Victor physically; instead, they share the same personalities. For example, Victor and the monster are both loving beings. Both of them want to help others and want what is best for others. Victor and the monster try to help the people that surround them. Victor tries to console his family at their losses, and the monster assists the people living in the cottage by performing helpful tasks. However, Victor and the monster do not reflect loving people. The evil that evolves in Victor’s heart is also present in the monster. The evil that is present in Victor and the monster is another example of similarity between the characters. This evil in both characters is caused, although not directly with Victor, by society. The monster tries to be accepted by society. He shows kindness toward society and he tries to help people. However, he is immediately rejected by society because of his ugly physical appearance. The evil and the anger present in the monster comes when the monster presents himself as a friend to a family that he has secretly helped. Instead of accepting the monster as one of their own, the family immediately sees the ugly form of the monster and rejects him. â€Å"There was none from the myriads of men who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared ever-lasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me, and sent me forth to this insupportable misery† (97).

The Battles Before The Battle Between The States :: essays research papers

The Battles Before The Battle Between The States Warning: THE COMMENTARY IN THE FOLLOWING IS THE SOLE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR, AND MAY CONTAIN SOME BIAS DUE TO THE BIAS CONTENT OF THE AUTHOR’S SOURCE OF INFORMATION, PLEASE READ WITH CARE. In 1861 the United States declared war on the seceded Confederate States of America. This war is more popularly known as the Civil War or the War Between the States. The war was a conflict that was inevitable because of the progression of dislike between the slave holding states and the free ones. The war had to happen because of the many disagreements that caused tension between the slave holding South and the free states in the North. There are many things that one party did to upset the other. One of the first notable things that started the disagreement between the North and the South was the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty.† â€Å"Popular Sovereignty† was an idea created by Senator Lewis Cass, who said that the Missouri Compromise was out dated and that the citizens of a territory should "regulate their own internal concerns." (p. 459) Many Southern citizens liked the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty,† for the reason that they could move their slaves to "undecided" territories. With this point for the South the North came back with one of their own. The North, battling in the government, decided to join three parties into one to create the Free-Soil party. Those three parties were "rebellious Democrats, Antislavery Whigs, and members of the Antislavery Liberty party." (p. 460) One of the main reasons that the Free-Soil party was created was to give voters a new party to choose from, rather than the two other main parties. In the 1848 election the Free-Soil party upset a small, but significant part of the vote, receiving 10.1 percent of the popular vote. Having one significant issue that the opposition did not care for, the great trio of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster had something up their sleeves. One of the greatest debates of the time, the Great Compromise, brought forth eight resolutions that solved all the issues. The eight resolutions are as follows: 1) Admit California as a free state, 2) organize the remainder of the Southwest with out restriction as to slavery, 3) deny Texas its extreme claim to a Rio Grande boundary up to its source, 4) compensate Texas for this by assuming the Texas debt, 5) uphold slavery in District of Colombia, 6) but abolish the slave trade across its boundaries, 7) adopt a more effective fugitive slave act, 8) and deny congressional authority to interfere with the interstate slave trade. The Battles Before The Battle Between The States :: essays research papers The Battles Before The Battle Between The States Warning: THE COMMENTARY IN THE FOLLOWING IS THE SOLE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR, AND MAY CONTAIN SOME BIAS DUE TO THE BIAS CONTENT OF THE AUTHOR’S SOURCE OF INFORMATION, PLEASE READ WITH CARE. In 1861 the United States declared war on the seceded Confederate States of America. This war is more popularly known as the Civil War or the War Between the States. The war was a conflict that was inevitable because of the progression of dislike between the slave holding states and the free ones. The war had to happen because of the many disagreements that caused tension between the slave holding South and the free states in the North. There are many things that one party did to upset the other. One of the first notable things that started the disagreement between the North and the South was the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty.† â€Å"Popular Sovereignty† was an idea created by Senator Lewis Cass, who said that the Missouri Compromise was out dated and that the citizens of a territory should "regulate their own internal concerns." (p. 459) Many Southern citizens liked the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty,† for the reason that they could move their slaves to "undecided" territories. With this point for the South the North came back with one of their own. The North, battling in the government, decided to join three parties into one to create the Free-Soil party. Those three parties were "rebellious Democrats, Antislavery Whigs, and members of the Antislavery Liberty party." (p. 460) One of the main reasons that the Free-Soil party was created was to give voters a new party to choose from, rather than the two other main parties. In the 1848 election the Free-Soil party upset a small, but significant part of the vote, receiving 10.1 percent of the popular vote. Having one significant issue that the opposition did not care for, the great trio of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster had something up their sleeves. One of the greatest debates of the time, the Great Compromise, brought forth eight resolutions that solved all the issues. The eight resolutions are as follows: 1) Admit California as a free state, 2) organize the remainder of the Southwest with out restriction as to slavery, 3) deny Texas its extreme claim to a Rio Grande boundary up to its source, 4) compensate Texas for this by assuming the Texas debt, 5) uphold slavery in District of Colombia, 6) but abolish the slave trade across its boundaries, 7) adopt a more effective fugitive slave act, 8) and deny congressional authority to interfere with the interstate slave trade.

The Golden Era of East Coast Hip-Hop

The Golden era of east coast hip-hop This piece will demonstrate an understanding of the golden era of East coast hip-hop, from 1986 to 1993, focusing and analysing the historical roots, influences and inspirational individuals, giving reference to musical examples that shaped East coast hip-hop. Attention will also be centred on the legacy left, concentrating on the music that was influenced as well as the resulting change in fashion and political views. Historical roots & influenceThe East coast was influenced somewhat by the traditions of West African culture, the Griots dating back hundreds of years who travelled as poets and lyricists, contributed greatly to the lyricism of East coast hip-hop; the music of the Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron and Jalal Mansur Nurriddin, had great importance to the development of east coast hip hop with their early raps and rhythm. The furthermost direct influence on East coast hip-hop was the Jamaican style of ‘Toasting’, which consisted of chanting over African American R&B records.African American sailors  introduced  Toasting’  in the 1960s at dances termed  Ã¢â‚¬ËœBlues dances’,  whilst in port. The advent of Hip-hop culture can be traced back to the ever more widespread block parties of New York City (1973), where a cross cultralization of African Americans and Puerto Ricans began in the South Bronx. These block parties mostly comprised of DJs playing vernacular genres such as soul, funk and disco, DJ Kool Herc amongst them, was credited with the development of East coast hip-hop, his technique of isolating the ‘break’ from a hard hitting funk track and extending it by using two copies of the same record became very popular.He emigrated to America (1967) from Jamaica bringing with him the already popular DJ style of break-beat mixing used in Jamaican Dub music. He encouraged B-boying or break-dancing, which became part of the four elements of hip-hop culture (B-boying, rap, graffiti and Djing), he  introduced a generation of sampling, which was extensively used in 80s hip-hop whilst creating a generation of  Djs  and influencing artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaatta and DJ Premier. Gangs had great influence on the evolution of East coast hip-hop culture, from guarding equipment, security for Djs, to collecting money off the doors of parties.Afrika Bambaatta once head of the largest gang in New York, the Black Spades, managed to create one the largest movements in hip-hop culture, the Zulu Nation. This hip-hop awareness group began organizing social events for the youths of New York, merging the main the four elements of hip-hop, B-boying, graffiti, rapping and Dj mixing to create a place of unity and peace, where issues could be settled without violence and where the youth could socialize, as well as promoting black power.Bambaatta had great effect on the growth of hip-hop culture; one very influential piece he produced was Planet rock (1982), which became one of the most ever sampled and remixed tracks in hip-hop. The influence from Kraftwerk is apparent throughout; the melody from the Trans-Europe express (1977) is used as well as their style of synthetic drums and rhythms. Arthur Baker, the producer, set a blueprint for future producers by the use of the Roland TR-808. Distinctive elements & individualsIn divergence to many early raps, which utilized basic rhyme patterns, East coast can be defined by its emphasis on poetic skill; it may also be characterized by its intricate wordplay, metaphors, polysyllable rhymes and smooth conveyance, production may be perceived as ‘hard hitting’, aggressive and mainly sample driven, as seen in Dj Premier’s iconic production. A major influential duo in East coast rap was Eric B & Rakim, who made sampling James Brown the main basis of hip-hop in the late 80s and early 90s.The duo saw their debut with the single Eric B is president (1986), which consis ted of Rakim’s notable laidback vocal style and Eric B’s distinguished scratching. The original record recognized Eric B as the producer and Marley Marle as the mixer, but the fact was, Marley Marle arranged the parts together; the duo just simply paid him, due to their lack of knowledge with studio equipment.The track contained the famous baseline from Fonda Rae’s over like a rat (1982) above drums from the Honey Dipper’s Impeach the president (1972) and the vocal sample of James Brown’s funky president (1974), which was the scratched by Eric B; a subtle 808 kick was also layered underneath. Marley Marle produced the entire track using a four track recorder and an Akai Mpc Renaissance, he described these confines as, â€Å"Limitations made us what we were,† he said. â€Å"We were making classic hip hop in the projects in the living room, no studio and a four track.So it’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re at. Sometimes limitations are good†[1]. The duo had their album debut with Paid in full (1987) which soon became East coast hip-hop’s most influential album of the golden era, with Rakim’s style setting a blueprint for future East coast rappers, it was taken from the old-school era to the lyrical dexterity known to define East coast hip-hop of the 90s. Rakim’s jazz influences were portrayed throughout the album with his tranquil implementation.Yvonne Bynoe describes this era as â€Å"During this period, it was rap artists, rather than Black churches or traditional civil rights organizations, who through their music and personas connected with disenfranchised urban youth†[2]. James Brown had a very similar influence, â€Å"His music not only reflected the stride of and the diligence and militancy of the Black liberation struggle, but some of his songs became anthems of Black Pride in the face of racism and state repression, such as, â€Å"Say it L oud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,† which echoed a mantra of Emiliano Zapata, â€Å"We’d rather die on our feet / Than be livin’ on our knees†[3].These views on Black Nationalism, social states and Afrocentrism became the main reasons for the extensive sampling of James Brown in this era, many would agree that without James Brown hip-hop would not be where it is today. K. R. S One became a foremost influence to the East coast hip-hop movement, eager to express his West Indian heritage he began creating a new hip-hop reggae style, deeply motivated by reggae legend Shinehead he started to incorporate and promote Jamaican dance hall expressions into hip-hop music.He had his debut after founding BDP (Boogie Down Productions), combined with D-Nice and DJ Scot La Rock with the influential album Criminal Minded (1987), which soon gained credit for the establishment of gangsta rap. The album’s production followed the path of Eric B and Rakim by the wide acceptance of sampling James Brown. Poetry (1987) contained samples from James Brown’s Don’t tell it (1976), Dope beat (1987) enclosed samples from ACDC Back in Black (1981) and Criminal minded incorporated the vocal melody from the Beatles Hey, Jude (1968).The Jamaican inspiration is present throughout the album, utilizing the ‘Diseases’ riddim which began with Yelowman’s reggae song Zunguzung (1982), the groove can strongly be heard in Remix for p & 9mm but was more hostile and provocative. Criminal minded was the first album to contain a vivid portrayal of real life in the south Bronx streets; it paved the way for the next decade of gangsta rap. The albums was the first of their kind to promote gun violence as can be heard in 9mm and the brandishing of firearms on the front cover, which soon became widely accepted in the 90s era.The album was mainly produced by K. R. S; it is sampled based production, a very aggressive style and utilizing t he sampling of funk ‘breaks’. The legacy The legacy East coast hip-hop left was vast, greatly expanding to a more commercially viable demographic, with the help of Bambaatta, it was spread worldwide. Dr. Joycelyn Wilson describes the legacy left, â€Å"Surely the cultural expressions in a hip-hop lifestyle created a way for many people across a variety of backgrounds to grow wealth, extend the boundaries of their artistic talents and establish a foothold in areas of political and civic engagement†[4].Political and social views expressed through music had been preserved in many other styles of music, gangsta rap was soon to follow the golden era, heavily influenced by Eric B & Rakim and K. R. S, it became a dominant force in hip hop culture up until its collapse in the late 1990s. The majority of early rap was accredited for decreasing gang violence but the emergence of gangsta rap did completely the opposite, many youths of society would come to express the quarr els of individuals into a nationwide dispute, this can be seen in the feud between the Blood and the Crips gangs.The golden era was the most innovative, diverse and creative period in hip-hop; it developed many new styles of popular music, formed new words, which have currently entered our daily vernacular and penetrated conventional culture. The early fashion style of the B-boys (baggy jeans, trainers, jewellery and tracksuits etc. ) has been echoed throughout mainstream society, with the majority of popular fashion companies following. Businesses such as Adidas, Nike, Fred Perry, and so forth have all played part in spreading hip-hop fashion to the masses.Many genres have been influenced since this era from the direct sampling of raps as seen in early jungle, (Dj Hype’s early production is a good example), to mainstream pop culture taking direct influence, having such artist as N. E. R. D, Nelly and Mary J Blige having number ones during the 2000s. Graffiti has since become a worldwide, recognised art form, from being regarded simply as vandalism, to now having designated art galleries for street art, artists such as Banksy have taken direct influence from hip-hop culture to develop their own skills. Bibliography Krims, A . (2000). Analyzing rap: An outline.Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p12-17. Plough, G. (2004). Hip-Hop is more than just a music to me: The potential for a movement in the culture. Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere. Holliston: Northeastern University Press . p3-12. Price, E . (2006). The rise and spread of Hip-hop culture . Hip-Hop Culture. /: ABC-CLIO Ltd . p1-17. Vierkant, P. (16 July 2007 ). James Brown and his influential power in music. James Brown and the black power movement or was America's soul brother number one a black nationalist?.Munich: GRIN Verlag oHG . p21-38. Andrew copyright extraordinaire. (2012). Hip Hop Influence Throug h the Years. Avalable: http://altavozdistroco. com/2012/02/28/hip-hop-influence-through-the-years/. Last accessed 18th Feb 2013. Bynoe Y. 2005. HIP-HOP POLITICS: DECONSTRUCTING THE MYTH . Available at: http://funk-the-system. net/hiphopolitics. html. Last accessed 20th Feb 2013. Dubspot. (2012). Marley Marl ‘Classic Recipes' – Recreating Eric B. & Rakim ‘Eric B. Is President' . [Online Video]. 28 November. Available from: http://youtu. be/hvob_fcrRZs. Last accessed: 19th February 2013.Dr. Wilson, J. (2011). What Will Be Hip-Hop's Legacy?. Available at: http://www. theroot. com/views/what-will-be-hip-hop-s-legacy-it-s-complicated? page=0,1. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Hales, L. (2007). James Brown left indelible mark on Black culture. Available: http://www. workers. org/2007/us/james-brown-0111/. Last accessed 18th Feb 2013. Linebarger, J. (/). HIP-HOP’S LEGACY AND IMPACT ON POPULAR CULTURE. Available: http://www. sbea. mtu. edu/users/jdlineba/Hiphop%20rese arch%20final. pdf. Last accessed 2nd Feb 2013. Smith, K. (/). The Influence of Hip Hop Music on Society.Available: http://www. ehow. com/about_6635022_influence-hip-hop-music-society. html. Last accessed 15th Jan 2013. Wood, J . (2004). RAP MUSIC. Available: http://novaonline. nvcc. edu/eli/evans/his135/Events/Rap79/RapMusic. html. Last accessed 18th Feb 2013. Wikipedia. (2013). Rapping. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rapping. Last accessed 18th Feb 2013. ———————– [1] Dubspot. (2012) [2] Bynoe Y (/) [3] Hales, L. (2007) [4] P. 2 Dr. Wilson, J. (2011) ———————– q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? ? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m? q? w? e? r? t? y? u? i? o? p? a? s? d? f? g? h? j? k? l? z? x? c? v? b? n? m?

Who is Adrienne Rich

In these essays the writers back up there views with examples of how either man or woman has been oppressed throughout the history of education. While Adrienne Rich is talking mainly about the college system and David Thomas is talking about the school system in general, their views do conflict each other. Rich believes that women have been exploited throughout the history of time. Thomas on the other hand believes that by being forced to have women teachers has disadvantaged boys. Though these views do no directly conflict, they are pretty close. Rich tells why she feels that women have been oppressed and Thomas tells why he feels that boys have been disadvantaged. In Rich†s essay â€Å"What Does a Women Need to Know? † she argues that women have been demoralized throughout time. Rich says â€Å"when we think of what an independent women†s college might be: a college dedicated both to teaching women what women need to know and, by the same token, to changing the landscape of knowledge itself. (Rich 45) This means that she believes that women should be taught the skills that they will need to succeed in life as a wife and as a â€Å"self conscious, self-defining human being. † (Rich 45) She then gives examples of her life experiences and how her life experiences with men trying to force her to think and see things one way, and how she struggled to see things from a different perspective, â€Å"through the eyes of an outsider. † (Rich 46) She ends her speech by talking about how these women have to change the ways of the past and they have to step into the now and become educated of the past and present. She ends the speech with, â€Å"Get all of the knowledge and skill that you can in whatever professions you enter; but remember that most of your education must be self-education, in learning the things that women need to know and in calling up the voices we need to hear within ourselves. † (Rich 50) The David Thomas essay â€Å"The Mind of Man† is about how boys are shot down at an early age. In a writing from the Independent on Sunday Toney Mooney says â€Å"Women teachers find boys too noisy, too aggressive, too boisterous. Unconsciously or not, they consistently reinforce and reward more ‘feminine† behavior. If all this is true it is understandable that boys should not be as advanced as girls in the hands of woman junior school teachers. There is a direct relationship between a child†s academic achievement and a favorable response from the teacher. † (Thomas 339) To prove this fact there was an experiment done with seventy-two boys and sixty girls at kindergarten. They were taught to read on a self-teaching machine and then they were tested. The boys did better than the girls. Then they resumed normal classroom instruction by women teachers. The children were tested again and this time the boys† scores were lower than the girls. It is not a prejudice that women or men have against the children, it is a understanding of what the child is going through because the teacher has been in that position at one time in their lives. It is a common ground that the male teachers have with the male students and vice versa. Thomas talks about how a single sex environment is not always the answer either. He attended an all boys† boarding school and he was â€Å"taught in a system that was designed to bring the best out of boys, intellectually, creatively and on the sports field. † (Thomas 341) He says that it is a better venue to learn but he says, â€Å"I was painfully aware of the distorting affect that an all-male institution was having on my own emotional development and that of my classmates. (Thomas 341) He says that some people cannot handle this environment and it will lead to â€Å"disaster† (Thomas 341) In conclusion I would have to agree with Thomas. I am a little biased but women teachers have personally disadvantaged me. I also worked in a pre-school over the summer where the teachers are mostly women. I witnessed this discrimination first hand. I disagree with Rich because I think that today women and men pretty much stand on even ground. I think that there is more discrimination against men then there is against women.

Current And Future Use of Technology Essay

Spotify has provided a way for people to access and share music with services such as exchange of selections and even mobile access. In the process of providing these services, the users’ data is acquired through initial registration and this helps categorize the market. The main target for Spotify is not registration of premium accounts without adverts but the free use by the public where adverts can be played in between songs. There are many issues handled by Spotify in the business including competition from existing online music selling companies like Sony and Apple, and challenges on fair artists’ royalties with restrictions by copyrights in some regions. The e business strategy is well established for Spotify as the company deals with music producing companies and companies who look for a way to advertise brands. The peer to peer technology used and the feature of listening to music even when offline together with a simple user interface are all technological advantages of Spotify that make it popular in the market. The future of Spotify is based on integration of the software into hand held processing devices like modern phones, and having a good relation with the sources of music. E-Business background Spotify’s business idea was to create a medium through which to provide advertisers with a way of reaching a traceable and response predictable market. By creating a digital library of a wide variety of music and an interface through which listeners can register and listen to music free, Spotify was able do just that. There are adverts pushed in between songs and last for between 15 and 30 seconds. The users that don’t want to get interference from the audio adverts can pay a monthly fee to stop them. The portion of listeners who pay this fee is so small compared to the free users, who form the main market idea for Spotify. The company has arrangement with the world’s major labels to provide their music and in return claim an 18% stake in the company. The integration of the music producing companies, the listeners and the advertisers forms the e-business model for Spotify. There is competition from similar companies like Last. fm, Amazon (which sells music online), my space and facebook; with the direct rival being Last. fm. Spotify and Last. fm have integrated their systems though and this form a way to create an entry hardship in an effort to protect high profit business and raise competition advantage for both companies to realize. Porters Five Forces model Spotify’s business faces the five forces from threats of substitute, barriers to entry, supply power, buyers power and rivalry (Porter 1985). There are various ways that it has put up strategies to deal with this. First, there is the presence of substitute firms like Last. com; Spotify has planned to sing a deal in merged operations with the company in order to increase the business opportunities for both sides. It was proposed that the advertisers/brands could then be able to buy advertising services across the platforms of the two companies (McCormick 2009). According to the nature of the platform on which the adverts are run, Spotify has created a medium where the message is streamline with the music being listened to. Apart from the major rival with whom Spotify agrees to merge business with, the brands will face a hard time looking for an alternative service of the kind. Thus the buyer’s power is low, considering that there are also many scattered brands to advertise through the electronic platform. Furthermore, the platform provides a way of major record labels availing their music to the users, making sure that brands can get the largest number of music fans at Spotify, which they cannot get from online music shops. On the suppliers’ power towards Spotify’s business, there are many music producing labels that offer a variety of music. Also, the fact that the buyers of the service are somewhat weak, the suppliers are also put in the same line; because advertisers has no much power over Spotify, they cannot demand of specific record labels. Since the entry of Spotify into the e-business, the key issue is to keep the prices offered virtually low in order to provide a barrier of entry of new competition. One strategy applied by firms to this effect is merging their markets and operations so that they can enjoy economies of scale and protect the high profit market from other entrants while keeping the quality of services high. This was a case possible from the Spotify’s deal with Last. fm. There is rivalry in the industry of e-business and marketing through electronic means has been applied by many companies. The industry is disciplined though, from previous competition, the methods of enticing the music fans and through ease of use of platforms by the market forming population. The application streams music with no buffering times and provides a very wide variety of ready to listen categories of songs; from major record labels. The fact that the market for Spotify seems to be exponentially growing means that soon the buyers will be so many and so their power will go down, providing a business advantage for the company ( ). E-Marketing The internet is a unique marketing medium in that it provides a global market with instant response dynamism. The fact that when a product is advertised through the internet can reach millions of users within a short while is enough to make it a rich market. Spotify has its marketing strategy based on online access of adverts by the users in their endeavor to listen to music. Data and Market Analysis The strongest part of Spotify registration of users is that it takes the demographic data so that the company is in a position to provide marketing strategies to advertisers based on age, location and music taste. The ability to analyze and classify a market is important to advertisers, especially when it involves technical goods and services. Promotion and mobile services The introduction of the mobile version of Spotify software has helped in a far reaching marketing strategy. The whole issue has been in news for sometime and major discussion blogs and websites like BBC NEWS, leading to less costly promotion effect in Europe. The market in Spotify is really the online internet resource as well as the users PC’s and portable mobile Activities Spotify engages in various activities that are geared towards having a wide base of users so that it can reach more people when targeting an audience for an advert. These activities include; invite scheme, tell a friend and viral advertising. The â€Å"invite scheme† is where the newly registered and the existing members are given an opportunity to invite friends and family to experience Spotify while still promoting the premium membership. The â€Å"tell a friend† activity involves a Spotify inbuilt tool to spread word of mouth. This is a strategy to use the existing users to get the message to their friends using the already existing internet framework. The other one is viral advertising where the medium mainly used is social networking frameworks like facebook. The most visited WebPages are targeted and a multimedia message displayed. Web-design Spotify has created a peer to peer application that streams music between the listeners computer, whether online or offline. Spotify has a service to which clients connect and have the contents of the cache summarized in an index which is then sent to Spotify’s stream hub. The data in the index is usually used to alert other users of the additional peers they can connect to, to fetch streamed data for specific songs being played. This arrangement is enabled and tolerated by each upon start up. Each client listen to incoming connections from other Spotify clients like a server and connects to other users to exchange cached data. The users are actually not in apposition to configure the connections or alter the bandwidth of transmission of data. These settings are hard coded in the system. The design of the entire architecture may be complicated but the interface used by the listeners is so simple and effective. There are just few controls of play, rewind and forward. The Spotify application offers the following features to the users; Catalogue: Spotify offers users access to millions of music tracks including songs from major music labels. Some specific music from some artists may not be available due to boundary regulations in the copyright. Playlists: it allows users to create collections of favorite music and lets them share them. The users can also edit the playlists with other users together through collaborating software. For this purpose, the playlists can be shared through an email or instant messaging window. On accessing the link, the data gets downloaded into Spotify. Integration with Last. fm: the specific feature from last. fm is the ability to collect the users’ preference in music and store it into Last. fm’s database. This has been integrated into Spotify without requiring external plug-ins (Spotify Archives 2010). Radio feature: this creates random playlists of songs related to the music of the currently selected artist. Spotify has a simple to use interface that allows the user to search for music by artist, album or title. It displays the user chosen playlist and some advert image, which on clicking, one can explore the promotion (Spotify Forums 2010). Business-to-Business (B2B) Spotify has introduced the music service to the listeners and charge a certain rate for ad free music. However, it does not rely on this for its source of revenue. It largely relies on the free service where the listeners will have to bear with the adverts. At this point, it does business with other firms that want to advertise their brands to the listeners. The main target for business is therefore dealing with other companies that want to reach the audience. On the same platform, there is collaboration with major record labels where they claim a certain percentage stake in the company and in turn provide their music libraries to Spotify (Nylander 2009). Spotify focuses on doing business with other businesses in its plans. It has tailored it product for mobile phones and approached the mobile phone making companies like apple in an effort to do business with them (Emerald). This is a direct challenge to Apple’s iTunes though and touches on the competition end. Mobile Commerce Spotify has produced a mobile version of the application that can allow users with premium accounts to access and listen to music wherever they go. It also allows the users to download a certain number of songs on to the phone for listening while out of network range. Mobile business seems to be the future of IT marketing, especially with the progress and expectations of pervasive mobile programming. By considering the mobile version of the application to target the users on the move and virtually at all instances of life, Spotify has provided a wider more reaching market for its business. Given that all the mobile users will have to be premium users, the focus of mobile versions will be to create a customer base where the services will be like a contract between Spotify and the user (Ionescu 2009). This eliminates the advertisers from the picture and allows Spotify to compete with earlier established businesses on the same line like Apple, while still spreading the risk. Instead of relying on the advertising source alone, the company can now create a one to one relation with the music fans through their premium accounts. Conclusions It is a good business plan for Spotify to create such a huge market base by having so many users registered, both free and premium categories. The plan of pushing adverts into streamed music provides an excellent way of gaining the revenue from brands. On the mobile world, it provides a good way of reaching a wider market and a premium account for the mobile is a plus on the revenue. This was a wise decision considering the processing power of phones cannot be compared to that of PC’s. The strategy of extending into the mobile world was a good way of preparing for the future of IT with the trends in pervasive mobile programming. Mobile marketing will form an even wider market considering the more frequent use and an extension of the PC use after work hours. Recommendations The competition in the market is high and Spotify will have to deal with some issues, especially with the application interface and specifically the technology on the size of bandwidth among other resource utilized on users machines. Criticism is usually on the fact that the interface does not give a user the access to control the amount of resources like bandwidth that Spotify uses against other systems on the same machine. The issue of coming up with a way of establishing the classification of music sources with their effect on the market using the users data to determine the ratings would be an important thing to indulge in, in order to establishing a fair royalties to the artists in order to keep everyone happy and the future of Spotify bright (BBC News 2010). More concentration on helping the production teams with useful demographic and ratings information will give the company a strong relationship with the source of music, the medium they use to make money. References BBC News, (2010) ‘Spotify boss Daniel Ek sets out future plans’, [Online], Available: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/8478599. stm Porter M. (1998) ‘Competitive strategy: techniques for analyzing industries and competitors’, Free Press, ISBN 0684005778, 9780684005775. McCormick, A. (2009) ‘Spotify and Last. fm moot partnership’, Britannica article; Revolution (14605953) [Online], Available: http://www. britannica. com/bps/additionalcontent/18/38216709/Spotify-and-Lastfm-moot-partnership Ionescu D. , Nov 23, 2009, Spotify Lands App for Symbian Phones, today@PCworld, [Online], Available: http://www. pcworld. com/article/182833/spotify_lands_app_for_symbian_phones. html Robert Andrews, 2009, Apple Approves Spotify’s iPhone App, web article on Paid Content: UK, [Online], Available: http://paidcontent. co. uk/article/419-spotify-says-apple-still-testing-iphone-app-spotify-vanishes-from-app-s/ Emerald, Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing press, Library Hi Tech News, Volume 26, Issue 9, [Online], Available: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. ezproxy. cqu. edu. au/Insight/ViewContentServlet? contentType=NonArticle&Filename=Published/NonArticle/Articles/23926iae. 001. html Spotify Archives (2010) ‘Spotify for iPhone v0. 4 now available’, [Online], Available: http://www. spotify. com/int/blog/archives/2010/03/31/iphone-v4/ Johan Nylander, Record labels part owner of Spotify, from The Swedish Wire, Published Friday, 07 August 2009, [Online], Available: http://www. swedishwire. com/business/680-record-labels-part-owner-of-spotify Spotify Forums, What is Spotify? Why choose Spotify? How much advertising? [Online], Available: http://www. spotify-forum. com/what_is_spotify. php

Max and Liesel; How Max Plays an Important Role in Liesel’s Life

The idea of a Jewish male and a German girl becoming good acquaintances is an unimaginable, punishable thought in the time that The Book Thief is written. However, Max Vandenburg and Liesel Meminger went against this abomination during this time and during their friendship Max Vandenburg gave many things to Liesel: purpose through strength, purpose in knowing that Jews are humans as well, and purpose in knowing the power of words. Max and Liesel are two similar but very different characters in The Book Thief. These two characters although conflicted find comfort in each other through seeing things in color and words, which gives Liesel a different view on varying prominent things in her life, in Germany. By better understanding how Max and Liesel compare and differ in character a reader can determine how Max’s life gives Liesel purpose through making her stronger, showing her the brutality of the Nazi’s, and showing her the power of words. Liesel becomes stronger emotionally through having a shared feeling of abandonment between Max and her from their past experiences. After she and Max Vandenburg share their nightmares in the basement of the Hubermann’s, Liesel begins to deal with her nightmares by herself and to not let them envelop her. Liesel also realizes through these stories of Max’s experiences that if he can fight for his life everyday and live by running then she can persevere through her nightmares and be stronger. By keeping some emotions inside her, like fear and love, she helps adjust to relying on just herself which is shown in the ending of the book, â€Å"Hot tears fought for room in her eyes as she would not let them out. Better to stand resolute and proud† (Zusak 512). Having strength also gave her a voice allowing her to stand up to different people and change people’s minds in very intricate ways. As Liesel became stronger it led her to have more of a purpose in different ways and she finds new reasons to live. One of the most prominent of differences between the two characters is physical; Max is Jewish and Liesel is German. As the book is set during the time period of World War II in Germany, the separation between the Jews and the Aryan race is an outstanding factor in people’s lives. Liesel overcame the sense of being hypnotized to the Furher’s words through Max and their friendship. Beginning to realize the brutality of the Nazi’s and the nature of the Jews, Liesel changes her mind about the Nazi government, allowing her to not be as easily swayed by the propaganda of the dictator of Germany. People begin to realize the innocence and the lack of prejudice in a child especially through Liesel as she grew older, â€Å"She was a Jew feeder without a question in the world on a man's first night in Molching† (Zusak 532). This gives Liesel purpose to show other Germans the same realization that both those of the Aryan Race and the Jewish people are human and they can share the same interests as each other. Through Max’s and Liesel’s shared love of books and writing Max gives Liesel the extensive knowledge of the power of words. For the rest of her life she cherishes this knowledge, â€Å"She was still holding onto the words who had saved her life† (Zusak 499). Words not only helped her and Max, but she found her true calling in comforting people through reading to them. â€Å"The Standover Man† and â€Å"The Word Shaker† allows Liesel to see the effects of words on her through someone else’s eyes as well as the effect of her words on someone else. Max shows her that she too has made him stronger and he accepts several troubles in his life. Through recognizing this it gives Liesel purpose and eventually led her to write a book on her own called â€Å"The Book Thief†. Soon after Max leaves the Hubermann household Liesel finds out the reason she steals books and why they mean so much to her, giving her stealing a purpose as well. The knowledge of words from Max really contributes to Liesel’s purpose in life and allows Liesel to grow as a person by knowing the effect of words on people. Max gives Liesel a different outlook on different things in her life like her bad experiences, the German government, and words. Liesel becomes stronger as she begins to realize that compared to Max she is without struggle in her life. She sees that before she met Max Vandenburg she was devoted to the ways of the Nazi’s and now seeing what they have done to those like Max, she changes her ways. Also, the biggest thing Max has bestowed on Liesel is showing her the power of words; this gives Liesel true purpose in giving her the power to comfort and harm people through both reading and writing. The relationship between Max and Liesel is a great marvel in Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, and is a huge turning point in the book as well.

Phase 5 Individual Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Phase 5 Individual Project - Assignment Example Analyzed from a business perspective, globalization refers to the process in which domestic companies seek international markets to expand their operations (Intriligator, 2003). According to Michael (2003), globalization of a company is a powerful trend in the current global competitive market and is one of the major factors that influence the future growth of a company. Globalization of the world economy has made the world become a global village where anyone can get whatever he wants from any part of the world. Today a company’s employees, competitors and customers can come from any part of the globe. In addition to increasing the market, globalization has led to the development of many companies both local and multinationals and invention of new products, this has made the market to be very competitive and a number of companies find it hard to survive (Collier & Dollar, 2002). The following discussion will present the importance of globalization, expected challenges and exp lain why the company should go global. 2.0 Globalization of company’s operations Globalization of the world economy has increased both bilateral and international trade thereby opening up many countries for companies to venture into. Many companies such as our competitors have expanded their operations to overseas markets and have reported significant success in those markets. Before venturing into new markets especially foreign, it is important to have a perfect strategy that will help the company take over the market with ease. With our global market strategy in place, the company can adopt both cost leadership and product differentiation in order to properly position its products well in the market. Cost leadership strategy is the one being applied by our competitors and they have reported good performance with it (Britt, 2007). Over the last two decades, companies all over the world have gone global a move that is threatening the survival of the local companies. This has made it hard for these companies (local) to expand their operations and even some lose their market share. This is clearly evidenced in the company’s analysis report that reported a decrease in the company’s sales volume as a result of the move taken by competitors who have already ventured into foreign markets. In order to compete fiercely and regain its market share, the company has to outdo its competitors which mean engaging in aggressive expansion and marketing programs which will lead to the growth of the company. According to Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer of N2growth, he states that the ability to do business in international market is an important necessity if one is to remain competitive in the current market. Operating a business in the international market is both a defensive and offensive play. Comparing the international market and the domestic market, it is with no doubt that international market is wide and majority of potential customers are living abroad (Myatt, 2009). Considering the move taken by our competitors and the success they have recorded in foreign markets and the dwindling sales in the local market, it is paramount for the organization to go global. 3.0 Rationale for globalization Globalizing a company’s operations in the current competitive environment is one of