International Market Entry Methods

ExportingExporting is the direct sale of goods and / or services in another country. It is possibly the best-known method of entering a foreign market, as well as the lowest risk. It may also be cost-effective as you will not need to invest in production facilities in your chosen country – all goods are still produced in your home country then sent to foreign countries for sale. However, rising transportation costs are likely to increase the cost of exporting in the near future.The majority of costs involved with exporting come from marketing expenses. Usually, you will need the involvement of four parties: your business, an importer, a transport provider and the government of the country of which you wish to export to.LicensingLicensing allows another company in your target country to use your property. The property in question is normally intangible – for example, trademarks, production techniques or patents. The licensee will pay a fee in order to be allowed the righ t to use the property.Licensing requires very little investment and can provide a high return on investment. The licensee will also take care of any manufacturing and marketing costs in the foreign market.FranchisingFranchising is somewhat similar to licensing in that intellectual property rights are sold to a franchisee. However, the rules for how the franchisee carries out business are usually very strict – for example, any processes must be followed, or specific components must be used in manufacturing.Joint ventureA joint venture consists of two companies establishing a jointly-owned business. One of the owners will be a local business (local to the foreign market). The two companies would then provide the new business with a management team and share control of the joint venture.There are several benefits to this type of venture. It allows you the benefit of local knowledge of a foreign market and allows you to share costs. However, there are some issues – there c an be problems with deciding who invests what and how to split profits.Foreign direct investmentForeign direct investment (FDI) is when you directly invest in facilities in a foreign market. It requires a lot of capital to cover costs such as premises, technology and staff. FDI can be done either by establishing a new venture or acquiring an existing company.Wholly owned subsidiaryA wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) is somewhat similar to foreign direct investment in that money goes into a foreign company but instead of money being invested into another company, with a WOS the foreign business is bought outright. It is then up to the owners whether it continues to run as before or they take more control of the WOS.PiggybackingPiggybacking involves two non-competing companies working together to cross-sell the other’s products or services in their home country. Although it is a low-risk method involving little capital, some companies may not be comfortable with this method as it i nvolves a high degree of trust as well as allowing the partner company to take a large degree of control over how your product is marketed abroad.Turnkey projectsA turnkey project refers to a project when clients pay contractors to design and construct new facilities and train personnel. A turnkey project is way for a foreign company to export its process and technology to other countries by building a plant in that country. Industrial companies that specialize in complex production technologies normally use turnkey projects as an entry strategy. One of the major advantages of turnkey projects is the possibility for a company to establish a plant and earn profits in a foreign country especially in which foreign direct investment opportunities are limited and lack of expertise in a specific area exists.Potential disadvantages of a turnkey project for a company include risk of revealing companies secrets to rivals, and takeover of their plant by the host country. Entering a market wit h a turnkey project CAN prove that a company has no long-term interest in the country which can become a disadvantage if the country proves to be the main market for the output of the exported process.

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest Essay

1. What does the play say about marriage? The play says many things about marriage.   One is that marriage can be quite complicated when there is deceit even if the feelings involved are genuine.   Another is that there are so many trivial things that society considers â€Å"important† that disregards the true meaning of marriage.   Another is that parental consent and money still play an important role in matrimony. 2. What is the significance of the names? The word Earnest means sincere. However, the play showed how that sincerity is downplayed by the many trivial things that society expects from individuals.   Ms. Prism’s name is also significant because it was her character that finally shed light on the true background of Jack – who later became truly Earnest. 3. Suggest some of the things that Wilde is poking fun at in this play. Wilde made fun of the way women can be so assuming of relationships as can be seen with Cecily’s account of how she and Algy became engaged and how Gwendolyn fled from her mother to go to Jack.   The author also made fun of the way society can be deceived by many aspects of a person beside his true self (e.g. names and money).   This was especially evident in the way the name Earnest became so important that Algy and Jack had wanted to be re-baptized with it. Marriage was also funny because it gave too much importance on money and family background before it considers the true person. 4. What is your favorite character and why? I loved the character of Ms. Prism because at first she seemed to be only a minor character but in the end, the story actually centered on her misgivings.

A Routine Day Essay Sample

It’s bright and I can’t see much. I hear my small sister following close behind me. The same ritual everyday it has become a wont. it is like this modus operandi is etched into my tegument. I don’t believe about what I’m making and I what I’m traveling to make it’s like the musculuss have remembered. what I do exactly. â€Å"onee-chan. onee-chan† she says ah there it is that angel like voice its Wyrd but that voice is the lone thing I respond to these yearss. I turn about and at that place she is waiting for me to state something back. â€Å"yes kazuya-chan is at that place something you need? † I inquiry. She replies â€Å"No† I don’t understand why she calls me. I have some thoughts but all of them seem stupid. I didn’t even notice but I have started walking kazuya’s keeping my manus. Its quite loud this forenoon the autos are rushing through the busy roads of Tokyo with the brutality of Wolfs in the center of a Hunt and the grace of a swan. We reach kazuya’s school. â€Å"Ok kazuya here’s your tiffin and I will pick you up after school. Ok? † I say She rolls her eyes at me and says â€Å"I know onee-chan im non a small miss any longer I’m in Junior high. † I laugh. â€Å"I know you’re non a small miss any longer but i still worry about you and i ever will. † I hug her and so retrieve that it is her shuting graduation this afternoon. â€Å"actually i’ll be here early to watch you graduate your first twelvemonth of junior high. † I see a big smile appear on her face and she says â€Å"Thanks Onee-chan. † before running off to run into up with her friends. I linger around non desiring to go forth but i know Is have to and i start aimlessly traveling towards work. I stop I can hear a weak voice naming out my name. As one turn around Ayame my clumberson work spouse runs in to me. I get up express joying. â€Å"You truly necessitate to halt running in to me in the forenoon. it’s like you are making it on intent. †

Physician assisted suicide ( for an ethics in healthcare class) Research Paper

Physician assisted suicide ( for an ethics in healthcare class) - Research Paper Example Euthanasia is classified into two types; active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. This paper compares active and passive euthanasia and analyzes the arguments in favor and against performing physician assisted suicide. Physician Assisted Suicide In the United States, physician-assisted suicide is legal only in Oregon. The Oregon Death With Dignity Act was passed in November 1994 by a margin of 51% to 49%. After multiple legal proceedings prevented its enactment, the Act became law on October 27, 1997. In November 1997, 60% of voters voted against Measure 25, which would have repealed the Act. The Death With Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide but prohibits euthanasia (Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia, 2010) Physician assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia are slightly different even though the purpose of both remains the same. PAS is a kid of suicide performed with the help of a physician as the name suggests whereas euthanasia is the intentional ending of life of a pe rson by the physician. Euthanasia or PAS are normally performed when a patient happens to be in a no hope condition and suffers severe pain and agony. Proponents of PAS believe that there is no point in sustaining the life of a patient in pathetic condition, if the hope for survival is zero. ... Earlier people like to live in larger families whereas current generation likes to live in nuclear families. In other words, earlier, helping or assisting old people or patients during the end of their life periods, was considered as a duty and responsibility. At present people do not believe in such things. Everybody wants to safeguard their interests at present and they do not bother much about the necessities of older generation or patients who are fighting for their lives. Current generation is more selfish and they give priority to their personal wellbeing and do not bother much about the interests of others. Under such circumstances, old people or patients in no hope conditions would like to terminate their lives and PAS is an option available in front of them. On the other hand, religions or critics argue against PAS citing moral reasons. For them, human do not possess the right to terminate his life under any circumstances because of the immense value of human life. They also argue that God has certain plan on each person’s life which is difficult to realize with human abilities. Religions argue that the life in this world is only a temporary assignment and a permanent life is waiting for each human after his death. The life after death is associated with the merits and demerits of the activities in present life. In short, there are different views about the topic physician assisted suicide. Before analyzing the above issue in detail, it is better to identify different types of euthanasia prevailing in the present society. Wrong evaluation or assessment about the conditions of a patient may sometimes motivate others in performing euthanasia.

Business integration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business integration - Research Paper Example Additionally, they support the integration of the processes and rules that allow the web service and systems interoperability and smoothen the capability metrics that are operational to the Department of Defense Management plan. The IT and business integration main aim is providing standard framework of the end to end processes to all the necessary stakeholders that include the military department, the defense business council, the principal staff assistants, functional process owners and including non-military departments. The development of a common framework is in order to improve processes of business that are supported by IT. The other goal pertains to describing and classifying end to end business processes and investigating how they can decompose to provide support for unique operational activities. The end to end framework is used to assist in filling the gap between the enterprise solutions and the enterprise resource planning, recording the systems’ primary contributions and aiding with boosting business integration defense, business systems and business processes. The end to end framework also provides a framework that helps with updating and organizing the content in the DoD while also acting as a mechanism for evaluating the alignment of business systems for evaluation. The framework provides a methodology for management that aids the DoD to align its individual defense business systems in a strategic manner in order to correct redundancies in the system and obtain standardization in the department. Additionally, the framework is useful in simplifying business rules in the entire department and streamlining the business processes in order to meet the needs of the business and support the capabilities of the business. The military departments and the DoD agencies arrange their standard capabilities in the manner described above in accordance with the end to end capabilities of a business for the

The september 11 attacks on the twin tower, the death of Osama Bin Essay

The september 11 attacks on the twin tower, the death of Osama Bin Laden, and their significance to local community - Essay Example This paper helps to examine the impact that the September 11 attacks had on America and the world, as well as the significance of Osama Bin Laden’s recent death on the local community. Following the attacks on the twin towers, the entire American community began to hate people that had a different skin colour and were averse to the idea of letting other religions, especially Islam, persist within their country. However, they needed to remember that not everyone that practised Islam was a part of the terrorist attacks. A number of people that had been killed had been Islamic too. Americans shed hatred towards other cultures for a long time following the attacks and burned down a temple as well. One sikh man, mistaken to be a Muslim, was even shot and killed by American haters. All this led to a very gory separation among the people as trust was betrayed and people began to flee to their homes in order to stay safe. All over the world, borders closed temporarily as people did no t want to accept anyone belonging to different cultures into their countries for some time. Most people were even afraid to sit on flights because they feared that they would be hijacked. However, at the time it was important to understand that the attacks had already taken place and not much could be done about it. There were memorials and vigils held in memory of those that had died in the tower crashes. Since March 2002, the ‘Tribute in Light’ had been set up on Ground Zero, which were beacons of light arranged in the same squares as the twin towers, that shone in the night in order to complete the skyline. ("About 9-11: Pop Culture and Remembrance.") A number of books and publications were released following the attacks, by writers in Germany, France as well as America, condemning the fact that the 9/11 attacks were not only Al-Qaeda related. These writers stated that there were a number of conspiracy theories which involved involvement from the Israeli as well as t he American government itself. A number of people began to question the politics that George Bush was heading at the time. Several movies depicting the crash were also released and cried, raged, sang and remembered alike. A number of fund raisers were held by musicians and pop stars in order to give back money to the families of those affected. However, what was surprising was that the US went to war dropping bombs on Afghanistan just a month after all the commotion had taken place. (Lehrer, Jimmy) In recent times, in May 2011 itself, it was reported that Osama Bin Laden was captured and killed by American militants and that the world need not fear his plans anymore. It must be understood that more than half the Islamic community as well as other people around the world were as overjoyed about the capture as Americans because they too wanted justice to prevail. â€Å"Like most Americans, I remember September 11 well and remember that he was behind it. I looked forward to the day he would be brought to justice,† says Mike Frechs in an interview with the general American public with regard to Osama Bin Laden’s death. However, the American outlook has still not changed towards the local Islamic community because airports still frisk anyone they suspect to be a Muslim extremely interrogatively as compared to other people. It must be brought to notice that just

Case - Mohammed Vs. E&Z Electronics Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

- Mohammed Vs. E&Z Electronics - Case Study Example Argument Firstly, as Mohammed purchased a washing machine from E&Z Electronics, this means that the parties had a contract of sale between them. In a contract of sale, there are some conditions and warranties that may be express or implied. Express conditions and warranties are expressly and mutually agreed upon by the parties to the contract. Implied conditions and warranties are not expressly agreed upon by the parties but are applicable and have to be complied with because of operation of law or usage in business. It is worth noting that E&Z Electronics is a major distributor and reseller of L&G electronic products in Dubai. Therefore, it is very safe to assume that as the seller, E&Z Electronics was acting in the course of the business. S 14(2) of Sale of Goods Act, 1979 provides that, â€Å"Where the seller sells goods in the course of a business, there is an implied condition that the goods supplied under the contract are of merchantable quality...† Also, the defect in t he machine was not drawn to the attention to the attention of the buyer nor the buyer could have unveiled the defect through his examination of the machine. Therefore, there is a breach of condition by E&Z Electronics which gives the plaintiff a right to repudiate the contract. ... The defect in the washing machine was as latent to the plaintiff as the snail in the ginger beer bottle in Donoghue v Stevenson. Conclusion The plaintiff must be awarded damages for the injury and loss that he has suffered because of the negligence of E&Z Electronics and the manufacturer. Also, he must be given the right to treat the contract with E&Z Electronics as rescinded and receive his money back which was paid as the purchase price of the washing machine. 2 IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA Case No. XXXX Mohammed, Petitioner, vs. E&Z Electronics and XXX (The Manufacturer) Respondents. Issue The issue is whether Mohammed is entitled to a compensation for his injuries and loss from E&Z Electronics and the manufacturer of the faulty washing machine and to a right to repudiate the contract. Facts The plaintiff, Mohammed, purchased a washing machine from one of the defendants, E&Z Electronics. The washing machine had a defective electrical switch due to which it malfunct ioned and resulted in significant bodily injuries and property damages to Mohammed. Reasoning There was a contract of sale between E&Z Electronics and there has been a breach of implied condition of merchantability because E&Z Electronics was acting in the course of business and it is reasonably expected of E&Z Electronics to know about such defects in the machinery that they deal with. It is a condition because it goes to the very root of the contract and its breach defeats the whole purpose of the contract. It would have been a warranty if it was just a term collateral to the contract. In this case, the washing machine had to be safely usable. Otherwise, there is no purpose of buying the washing machine. E&Z Electronics is also responsible for

M10 clean energy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

M10 clean energy - Assignment Example Projects such as CCPI-1 and CCPI-2 have demonstrated significant mercury removal, reduced sulfur and nitrogen emission, byproduct utilization, carbon dioxide capture, and improved efficiency (Leonard, 2008). Clean coal technology has not yet resulted in what would be termed as clean energy because it still releases carbon dioxide among other harmful particulate matter into the environment. Like of other fossil fuels such as diesel, coal releases sulfur and nitrogen gases as well as release of chemicals such mercury during its mining into the environment (Leonard, 2008). Such chemicals have negative pollute the environment leading to detrimental effect on the living things. However, biodiesel produced from biological waste has limited negative impact on the environment because it produces relatively reduced greenhouse gases. In this case, biodiesel can be termed as a cleaner source of energy compared to coal energy. Our dependency on fossil fuels can be fast track through determination of the rate of developing and using alternative sources of energy such as biodiesel and solar energy. The use of renewable sources of energy can clearly depict our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and

Learning from the Case of Joe Salatino Research Paper

Learning from the Case of Joe Salatino - Research Paper Example The customer attributes the salesperson’s hometown news fluency to internal factors, specifically to their similarity, competence, and caring, factors under the salesperson’s control, and not to external factors like just trying to make a random sale to a random target. Salatino could also explain how critical behaviors and expressions of rapport with the customer are during the fast and furious blue-light special sales. Saving money is certainly part of the equation, the most visible customer factor in the sales. But even in those fast and furious moments, when the customer is thrown off-balance by the pace of the special circumstance sale, the customer is caught off-guard, induced into a kind of trance state by the intensity of the moment, and more vulnerable to suggestion, if the salesperson makes use of that appropriately. In such a state, the customer makes the attribution that the salesperson is their guide, friend, and mentor, is highly competent and is making a massive effort on their behalf. The customer believes the salesperson is keeping in mind their needs, and watching their back. This is an internal attribution. An external attribution would be for the customer to draw a conclusion that they were just lucky to have good timing, by answering the phone in time for a special. But, with external attribution, the customer will not feel any reciprocal connection with the salesperson or the company, in the way they would if they attribute the circumstances of the sale to the salesperson’s competence and effort. The whirling blue light motivates the salesperson’s most intense and concentrated efforts to catch the customer’s attention, and lead them to perceive that there is a shopping emergency, that time is of the essence. But it is the attitude and behavior of the salesperson that leads to additional purchases and customer loyalty. Salatino could explain that internal attributions, when applied to a situation that has gone wrong, can solicit more punitive behavior, as a reaction (Slocum, 2009, p.84). Therefore, when circumstances turn negative, within the perception of the customer (for example, they were unable to successfully complete their preferred selection during a blue-light special, due to a credit card malfunction, or the phone connection was dropped), if the customer blames the salesperson and the company, a potential loyal customer may be eternally lost. However, if the customer has strong rapport with the salesperson, and positive antecedents (information, beliefs, motivation), an external attribution is more likely to be made, and the situation is more easily managed by the salesperson and the company, in a way that fosters customer loyalty. The customer will be more likely to notice that the company and salesperson have consistent supportive behavior, that these circumstances are distinct, and that their experience falls within the range of normal, given the circumstances. Since cus tomer loyalty translates into more money, it is a good idea to educate all salespeople about how these factors shape customer perception, and how these perceptions have monetary outcomes. Each salesperson who participates in the workshop should be assigned to shadow a top salesperson for 2 hours, so that they can see these concepts in application. Although salespeople are highly competitive, the result could mean increased sales

Sociology - The Comparative Method Essay Example for Free

Sociology The Comparative Method Essay Sociologists have embraced what is known as the comparative method as the most efficient way to expose taken-for-granted truths or laws that people have adopted. But what is this comparative method and how does it work? Are there any advantages/disadvantages to exposing these false truths. What forms or variations of the comparative method exist? In the pages to follow I will attempt to give you some insight and understanding of what the comparative method is, and how it works. The comparative method, simply put, is the process of comparing two things (in our case societies, or the people that make up society) and seeing if the result of the comparison shows a difference between the two. The comparative method attempts to dereify (the process of exposing misinterpreted norms. Norms that society consider natural and inevitable characteristics of human existence) reified (the human created norms or truths) beliefs. Obviously there are various ways in which a nomi (a labeled, sometime constructed, norm or truth) can be exposed. Which form of the comparative method should one use however? The answer, whichever one applies to the truth in question. For example, you certainly would not do a cross-gender form of comparison if you wished to expose whether or not homosexuality has always been feared and looked down upon by most people throughout history. No, rather you would perform a historical comparison of two or more different societies to see if these beliefs always existed, or, whether or not this is a newly constructed belief. Lets look at little more closely at the above mentioned historical comparison and see how the comparative method works with a specific example. There is no question that in todays western society there is a lot of fear and trepidation towards people who are labeled homosexual. The question we will attempt to answer however is whether or not it has always been like this and is this a universal truth. In ancient Greek societies people had a very different opinion of men that slept with men. For example, it was considered quite an honor for a family with a young boy under the age of 10, to be given the privilege on an older man of high society taking their son into his house. The young boy would go and live with this older man. The older man would have sex with the young boy on a regular basis until the boy developed facial hair. It was not until then that the boy was considered a man. Society thought that an older mans, of great reputation, semen would help the boy develop into a fine young man. Once the boy developed the facial hair, the sex between the two would stop. The older mans job was finished. Obviously this would be considered an atrocious and disgusting act these days. The older man in this case would certainly go to jail for the crimes that he had committed. However, in Ancient Greece this was not only considered perfectly normal, but as I already stated, it was an honor and a gift that not every boy was lucky enough to be given. Therefore, we can conclude from this comparison that homophobia, as we know it, is not a natural truth, nor is it a universal belief. Rather it is a socially constructed belief that many people have taken for granted as an inevitable part of human existence. It is important at this point to clarify something however. It is said that the role of the sociologist is a descriptive one as opposed to a prescriptive one. That is to say that the sociologist should describe the various practices, customs and structures that exist in various societies rather than suggest to people which one is actually the correct belief or the real truth. Cross-gender comparisons is another commonly used comparison used to reveal socially constructed truths. In Carol Gilligans book In a different voice we find a fine example of a cross-g ender comparison. She states that most people believe that the majority of people, both men and women, view morale issues in the same way. However, through empirical data collection, Carol Gilligan concludes that this is not most often the case. Rather, she states that men tend to approach moral issues quite differently than women. Where as men view morale issues with a dont interfere with my rights view, women focus more on the responsibility end of the morale involved. Thus we can conclude, thanks to the comparative method, that the constructed truth that all people view morale issues the same is not a correct one. Another quick example of a cross-gender comparison would be that of the house-wife. Still today most men view the role of the married woman as one that involves being a house-wife, in the traditional sense of the term. However, women today certainly would not view themselves in the same manner. The data collected from a comparison such as this could help to dereify this socially constructed truth. Cross-class comparisons is also a comparison commonly used when attempting to expose constructed truths between two classes. i.e. lower-class, upper-class, middle-class. For an example I refer to my lecture notes. Our professor gave us a fine example of a cross-class comparison involving his own life. He was from a middle-class family and attended a public school where he got involved with various kids from the middle and lower class. He grew up in this type of environment and accepted it as the his life as the way society was. To him, there was not another lifestyle. This was life. Several events occurred and because of these events our professor was moved, by his parents, to a private school. This private school and the new society that accompanied it resulted in a form of culture shock for him. All of a sudden he was placed in a new world, a world that he never even knew existed. As you can see, our professor socially constructed the view that society was like the one that he lived in when he went to his public school, hung around with middle and lower-class friends, and did what middle and lower-class kids did. When he was afforded the chance to compare that type of lifestyle to one of the upper-class he dereified his constructed view and his eyes opened to a new reality and a new view of the way society was. Another major comparative form is that of the cross-generational. This one is fairly straight forward. The name basically says it all. In fact, its much like the historical comparison method but on a much smaller scale. I believe that in order for it to be termed cross-generational, the generations that are being analyzed have to be living at the same time. Otherwise it becomes a historical comparison. Karen Anderson gives an example of a cross-generational comparison in her book Sociology : A Critical Introduction (1996, pg. 12). Canadians pride themselves on their tolerance and lack of prejudice. But we do not need to look very far into our history to find examples of taken-for-granted understandings that have led to discriminatory and prejudicial treatment. Some segments of the population have been classified as undesirable and thus as unwanted or undeserving outsiders Anderson is pointing out that the constructed view in Canada is that we pride ourselves on the fact that we have very little prejudice in Canada. She goes on to point out that this is not at all the case. She gives the example of Canadas history of immigration. She discusses the fact that a lot of Chinese people were allowed to immigrate to Canada, much to the dismay of current residents and already established European immigrants, during the time when the transcontinental railroad was being built. Sir John A. Macdonald was the Prime Minister at this time and defended his reputation by telling the people of Canada, who were very disturbed by his actions, that the Chinese immigrants would live in Western Canada just temporarily. To reassure the people further Macdonald said no fear of a permanent degradation of the country by a mongrel race. This would be considered horrific these days. Most Canadians would not even realize that their country was very closed to the idea of the immigra tion of certain types of people. The social idea that Canada is, and always have been, a very tolerant country is exposed as a false, constructed truth through this cross-generational comparison. Finally we come to the last major comparative form. That of the cross-cultural. Cross-cultural comparison consists of comparing two societies or cultures in an attempt to reveal and expose some socially constructed truths in order to prove that they are not universal but rather they are relative to each society. There are literally thousands of differences between almost every culture that people would be surely shocked to learn of. For the next example I will show how the cross-cultural comparative method dereifies some of the constructed so-called universal-truths that people in our society may have. India differs in its customs considerably from that of Canada or Northern America. For example, in Western Civilization families sit together when they attend church, in India this is not acceptable at all. Men and women must sit on opposite sides of the church. Men and women in India for the most part will not eat together, whereas in Western civilization it is a common practice and is actually looked upon as a good time for a little family bonding. In India it is considered rude to eat with both hands at the table. The right had is solely used for eating and the left for drinking. Obviously we have a completely different practice in Western society. Another shock that a Westerner might face if he/she were to travel to India would be the fact that it is still considered a major social impropriety for a man to even touch a woman in public. In North America public displays of affection can been seen everywhere. . (Stott, John. Down To Earth. 1980. Pg. 12-15) These are all prime examples of Western universal truths that are exposed when compared to another culture. One of the major benefits for exposing these truths through the comparative method is the fact that dereifying accepted truths leads to a decrease in ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the act of interpreting all societies through ones own cultural lenses and believing that there idea of truths are the only correct ones. This could lead to the imposing of ones own beliefs onto other societies. In other words, comparing, exposing, and dereifying helps educate and eliminate ignorance when it comes to social truths. However, there is a danger to exposing social constructs. It could lead to one taking on the perceptive of a radical relativist (all truths are correct) or a nihilistic view (the belief that all truths are relative and therefore there are no truths). Obviously this is a very negative, and possibly a destructive, way of thinking. As you can see, the comparative method is an essential part of a sociologists practice. Without it there would be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding between people and societies. Hopefully I have shown by example the various forms of the comparative method and how each of them applies to society and how they attempt to expose falsities.

Sources of news in the Media

Sources of news in the Media The evolution of the news media has presented an interesting tale to be told over the last several hundred years, and the changes have become more abundant over the last two decades with the advent of new technology and ways of reporting. Getting news and special interest stories to the American public has always been the top priority of the news media, but over the last several years, the way of doing so has evolved tremendously. There are several ways of getting the news to the public, among them television, radio, internet, satellite radio, newspapers, magazines, and even cell phones. The news world is far different today than it was a century ago, and things are on their way to changing even more. People have interacted with the news since the beginning of news media. The printed word was the first incarnation of news media. Newspapers and different forms of propaganda were widespread ever since the written word came into existence. However, with the invention of the printing press (Kreis, 2000), the printed word became more and more commonplace. Before long, learning to read and write became a priority for the learning processes of children all over the world and education became a major part of a childs life. Once the printing press was commonplace, the act of publishing newspapers became an everyday occurrence. At first, reading newspapers and books was something reserved for the economically and social elite. However, with advances in education and more and more people in the states becoming literate, people began to read newspapers. With the freedom of the press instilled into the United States Bill of Rights, the press began covering subjects that was at one time off limits, such as religion, government, politics, and other sensitive material. Editorial pages began appearing and people began writing letters to the papers, voicing their opinions and trying to be heard. In the early 1900s, the invention of the radio became a major player in the world of news and the press. News reporters began covering stories and events, and for the first time, people were able to hear major history making news stories within 24 hours of the events actually happening, and sometimes even live in real time. One particular impact of radio was noticed in the audio recording provided by reporter Herbert Morrison at the scene of the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937 (Widner, 2008). The day after the disaster in New Jersey, the recording of Mr. Morrison covering the explosion of the giant zeppelin was broadcast on NBC and several other major news networks. In those days, most of the large radio stations never broadcast recorded material and preferred to be all live, all the time when broadcasting the news. This was one of the few exceptions of that rule. Morrisons broadcast went down in history as one of the most famous ever recorded and has been referred to millions of times since. In the 1940s and 1950s, a new invention called television opened up the possibilities of better news coverage. The evening news became a staple in homes across America, especially once the country made its way into the 1960s, when most households in America had finally purchased a television set. People around America had a visual news source, and in addition to radio, newspapers, and such newspapers as Time and Life, America now had several great ways to keep up with news both locally and abroad. Aside from television going to colour, the news and the way people engaged it maintained its status quo for several years. The next big change came in 1980, when Atlanta businessman Ted Turner founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first ever twenty four hour cable news station. This dramatically changed the landscape of broadcast journalism, and forced the evening news programs to step up their efforts to keep viewers, especially since the American public no longer had to wait until six o clock at night to catch the latest news. This also hurt newspapers to a small extent, who had to look for other ways to entertain, as well as inform in the growing competitiveness of the news market. In the 1990s, the broadcast journalism market grew by leaps and bounds. Along with several new cable news channels such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and business networks such as CNBC, the American public was also introduced to a new medium: the internet. The internet made its major impact on journalism with a story involving President Bill Clinton. On January 17, 1998, internet writer Matt Drudge obtained the information that Newsweek was on the verge of reporting that the President Bill Clinton had had an extramarital affair with a White House intern but had scrapped the story (Whitworth, 2008). He posted it on the internet, and the next day supplied the womans name. That woman was Monica Lewinsky, and the story grew into quite possibly the biggest bombshell in Presidential history. This story also started a major trend of breaking news hitting the internet first before any other source and made way for internet journalism. After the Lewinsky scandal broke, it became commonplace for the internet to be the grounds on which to break sensational stories without risking the consequences of being wrong on national television. Over the next decade and up to present day, national news networks, newspapers, and several other news outlets used the internet more and more extensively in their research and work. The internet was also a place free of censorship, and reporters could get away with a lot more on their own personal web pages as opposed to working for a big corporate news outlet. Over the last several years, more and more people are getting into the journalism business, often putting their amateur skills to work on their own and not relying on an employer. In ways, this has both helped and hurt the media, but the final impact of this trend will not be seen for some time. News media has come a long way since the first newspapers were printed on the press over two hundred years ago. Now, nearly any American can access any news they want with a few mouse clicks and the push of a button. The radio, television, and the internet all now offer 24 hour, around the clock live news coverage and have made all media accessible to anyone. The convenience is there, but with so many sources, it now becomes an issue of credibility. How does one know that their source is correct and who to believe? Only through hard work, research, and a keen eye and ear can todays journalists and readers alike engage the news and get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is the price of todays journalism environment. References Kreis, Steven, 2000. The Printing Press, The History Guide website, http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html, retrieved July 27, 2008. Widner, James F., 2008. Hindenburg Disaster, http://www.otr.com/hindenburg.shtml, retrieved July 28, 2008. Hughes, Lain, 2004. The New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2643, retrieved July 29, 2008. Whitworth, Damian. 2008. Oral History: The Monica Lewinsky Scandal Ten Years On. Times Online http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article3185449.ece, retrieved July 28, 2008.

Provider of Online Academic Tutorials :: Business Plan

Section 1 Executive Summary: As the title suggests, this business is about providing tutorials to pupils and/ or students on any subject given in a course curricula. The key to operating the business is a customized server where client pupils/ students key in their questions/ assignments and sent out; and the server in turn, provides the answers/ solutions in interactive mode. The server is a storage bin and at the same time an â€Å"information refinery† where all school books and teacher lesson plans are put to order. The money part of this business is in subscription fees. The fees will vary from one tutorial program to another and on the need and time service of an online tutor. Section 2 Business Description: Mission Statement: â€Å" To be the best providers of Online Academic Tutorials† As students, we have been through all the struggles of having to manage time. We students do not only devote ourselves into our academics. We have other certain things to do like e.g. Extracurricular Activities, Leisure Time and etc. In fact, most students nowadays get so stressed out that they are not able to perform to their utmost capacity so we have thought of creating an Online Academic Tutorial. This would not occupy much of the student’s time since it enables students to focus on their vital topics/ areas they are concerned about and it would actually result in to making them more efficient and productive rather than studying the entire scope of the topic, which are advocated in tutorial centers. Proposed Legal Form; Partnership of three people for a start and as subscriber base reaches a critical mass will convert into a corporation. Our entry strategy will be person-to-person solicitation of accounts/ subscribers/ advertisers tie up with schools for group discount rates and as for product research and development, we will develop a product niche in so- called exact Sciences; Physics, Mathematics, Algebra, Calculus and Geometry. Section 3 Marketing Analysis: The trade of education services; Philippine education has been the object of several studies over the past decades. Most of these studies were focused on issues concerning access and equity, quality and excellence, relevance and responsiveness, financing, and governance.

Physical Science Lab - the motion of a marble :: essays research papers

Physical Science Lab - the motion of a marble Objective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The goal of this experiment is to develop a theory, which allows us to understand the motion of a marble. Materials Wooden roller coaster, marble, ruler, timer, clamp, physics stand. Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this experiment, we are finding the Conservation of Energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy is summed up into two different properties: Potential energy and Kinetic energy. The law of Energy states that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Energy = Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy Or Em = Ep + Ek   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, the equations for Potential energy and Kinetic energy are stated to get the Total Energy. They are respectively:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ep = mgh  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ek =  ½ (m)v2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Conservation of Energy states that energy is always constant. If potential energy increases then kinetic energy decreases and vice versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this experiment we positioned a marble ball on a wooden roller coaster positioned on a physics stand in the sixth hole. Throughout the experiment, we used an electronic timer to record the time of the marble where it passed through the light beam of its clamp. We positioned the clamp at a certain point on the roller coaster and measured the distance from the marble to the clamp; the height of the clamp; and finally the time the ball traveled through the clamp. After we recorded these different figures we calculated the speed of the marble from the given distance traveled and the time. We repeated the step 14 times, then proceeded to graph the speed and the height. Next, we took the measurements of position of the clamp, height, and speed and calculated the potential energy, the kinetic energy, and the total energy. Total energy calculated as mentioned before. Potential energy is taking the mass (m) which is 28.1g times gravity (g) which is 9.8 m/s2 times the he ight. Kinetic energy is one-half times the mass (m) times velocity (v2). Finally we graphed the calculated kinetic, potential, and total energies of this experiment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For this theoretical result, the motion or speed of the marble will have different calculations. Also, the potential energy and kinetic energy of the marble will produce a mirror effect between each other respectively. From the result of the experiment, as the height of the marble increases the speed of the marble decreases at a slow rate. Data   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  See attached documents. Calculation 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Speed of the Marble: Speed = distance traveled by marble / time from clamp A

Comprehensive Structure and Process of Human Resource Planning Essay

Table of Contents Term of Reference Executive Summary Company profile Recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objectives of recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Job vacancies „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recruitment Methods Selection „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selection Criteria „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selection methods „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evaluation of the selection process Retention „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Retention „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Turnover analysis „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retention strategies Reward „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of reward „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objectives of the reward system „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reward determination „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Types of reward system „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Performance Management Training and Development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Training and development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objective of Training and Development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Training and Development process „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The role of training and development Conclusion Reference and Bibliography Term of Reference The purpose of this report is to provide comprehensive structure and process of human resource planning to Widgets Unlimited's Director, which the content of this report will include the section of employing new staffs, and the section of developing original staffs. This report is provided by the senior manager of human resource management department to the managing director of Widgets Unlimited, which to provide new human resource strategy for the incoming year. This report includes academic study as well as empirical research on the market, which will provide the strategies on the academic foundation, but analyzing in practical ways. Executive Summary Human Resources Management (HRM) is that branch of management that deals with managing one of the resources of the organization-Human Resources. Institute of Personnel and Development defines human resource management as: "Recruiting and selecting people, training and developing them for their work, ensuring that payment and conditions of employment are appropriate, where necessary negotiating such terms of employment with trade unions, advising on healthy and appropriate working conditions, the organization of people at work, and the encouragement of relations between management and work people." This report is focus on explaining the process and steps of human resource planning, and analyzing the strength and weakness in each steps. This includes the recruitment and selection on the new employees, and further develops on retention of original staffs, rewards on t... ...l and continuously develop and train staffs skill and knowledge in order to maintain company ¡Ã‚ ¦s competitive advantages. In this report has emphasis on the important relationship with the size and budget of the company, which this consideration has to be included in analyzing the possibility of adopting the plan. It is important for the director to note that before accepting the plan, it will need further and deeper analysis on company ¡Ã‚ ¦s capital available and the external business environment. Overall, this report provides the guide line for the director to understand broadly process of human resource planning. Reference and Bibliography Bratton, J & Gold, J (1994) Human resource management : theory and practice. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Macmillan McKenna, E & Beech, N. (2002) Human Resource Management: a concise analysis. London: Person Education Limited Sturges, J & Guest, D. (1999) Shall I say or should I go? Warick: Association of Graduate Recruiters Thomason, G. (1988) A textbook of human resource management. London : Institute of Personnel Management Torrington, D & Laura, H & Taylor S. (2002) Human Resource Management. London: Prentice Hall

Belief, Pain and Healing

Pain is a complex concept. No single perspective can fully encapsulate or explain how pain is generated, perceived and healed or taken away. Though one would usually think of a wound or sickness with the issue of pain, pain does not simply take into consideration the body, its parts and processes. Anyone would be familiar with phrases like â€Å"mind over body† and like phrases which take more than the isolated view on pain. As an attempt to explain pain, Ronald Melzack and P. D.Wall proposed the gate control theory which aims to explain the perception of pain in the psychological sense. Malzack and Wall developed the gate control theory which hypothesized that â€Å"there are special nerves that carry intense sensation to the spinal column† (Friedman, 2002, p. 91). However, these sensations do not simply travel directly to the brain as there is a â€Å"gate† controlled by signals from the brain. Hence, thoughts and feelings have an effect on pain perception.Anot her concept that plays upon the phrase â€Å"mind over body† is that of the Hawthorne effect. The Hawthorne effect occurs when attention influences a certain situation regardless of other factors (Friedman, 2002, p. 85). This concept is important for doctor-patient interaction because despite few and ineffective forms of treatment, a patient may experience positive effects when an attending physician caters to him or her. Finally, there is the placebo effect.Shapiro defines a placebo as â€Å"any therapy that is without specific activity for the condition being treated† (as cited in Friedman, 2002, p. 85). A placebo’s effects may either be psychological or psychophysiological. Placebos work upon an assumed or believed effect on one’s physical state by the said placebo to condition the mind of the individual taking it. Reference: †¢ Friedman, H. (2002). Health Psychology. Chapter 4: Belief, Pain and Healing (p. 85, 91) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Report on NatWest Bank’s Creativity and Innovation Essay

NatWest Bank is a member of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS Group). In 1968 National Provincial Bank (est.1833) and Westminster Bank (est.1836), fused as National Westminster Bank. Jointly, these banks could outline their history back down the centuries through a ancestry of influential constituents, since the 1650’s. The declaration totally astonished the public, but to both banks the benefits were obvious – the merger enhanced balance sheet strength, created opportunities to streamline the branch networks and enabled greater investment in new technology. The statutory process of integration was completed in 1969 and National Westminster Bank commenced trading on 1 January 1970, with the three-arrowheads symbol as its Logo of the company with 3,600 branches, established a wide range of new services, including the bank’s first credit card, Access, in 1972, and computer-linked cash dispensers, Servicetills, in 1976. Deregulation in the 1980s, culminating in ‘Big Bang’ in 1986, also encouraged National Westminster Bank to enter the securities business. County Bank, the Group’s merchant bank, acquired stockbroking and jobbing firms to create NatWest Investment Bank. In the mean time, the International Banking Division appeared to offer international banking services to large companies and to focus on expansion in the USA, the Far East and Europe. In the 1980s new services were developed such as telephone banking and touch- screen share dealing to assist the government’s privatisation programme. The 1980’s also saw the National Westminster Home Loans established in 1980 and the Small Business Unit in 1982. The Switch debit card extended the electronic transfer of money to point of sale in 1988. In the 1990s financial services markets world-wide underwent huge variations and in response the bank refocused its activities, exiting from a number of markets and adopting the title of NatWest. In March 2000, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group completed the acquisition of NatWest in a  £21 billion deal that was the large st take-over in British banking history. NatWest ranks fifth in the world and is now part of a financial services group which is the second largest bank by market capitalisation in the UK and in Europe. (NatWest 2006) Read more: Essay About National Westminster Bank Creativity and Innovation of the Bank: With granting a muscular competitive encourage to innovation, creativity and efficiency, it always attains lead on rival firms. Innovation is a driver of productivity growth. Novel products, processes and methods of working can relent efficiency gains and quality improvements not only within the innovating firm, but also within other firms that recap or institute on the innovation within their own firms. There are a number of reasons why the rate of innovation is likely to fall below socially optimal levels, and smaller innovating firms may face particularly severe barriers to innovation. The key constraints are: †¢ Limited access to risk capital: The informational impediments to free- functioning markets for SME finance were discussed earlier in this chapter, but it is particularly difficult for potential lenders or investors to assess likely risk and returns accruing to future research or to the implementation of unproven innovations. Newly-established innovating firms often m ake a loss and face severe cash-flow constraints in their early years. †¢Difficulties appropriating the full benefits of innovation: Whilst a competitive environment will provide the best general incentive for firms to innovate, firms need to be confident that they can reap the rewards of their innovation. This is why the intellectual property regime allows firms to prevent, for a limited period, their competitors from copying their innovations. This is a necessary reward for the costs of R&D, and helps to encourage innovation. Nevertheless, the internal return to innovation may still be modest relative to the industry-wide benefits that arise once the innovation can be replicated by other firms. †¢ Inability to diversify risk: While larger companies may have a large portfolio of innovative activity, innovation in smaller firms may be concentrated on a single product or process, and the cost of undertaking the necessary R&D may be very large relative to the overall financial assets of the company. Accordingly, where SMEs are risk-averse, they will be discouraged from investing in innovative activities with uncertain returns. Assembling the enterprise confront will rely on the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurs themselves, but the Government must also provide the right cond itions and the necessary support for successful enterprise. (Cosh and Hughes 2000) The NatWest Group has a total of 6 UK banking licences and licences from several other authorities. There are two principal costs linked with getting to the position where a bank is in a position to obtain and maintain its banking licence: 1) Implementing a reporting system that satisfies the requirements of the regulators. In addition to standard financial reports these would include implementing the systems to monitor and report capital adequacy, liquidity, credit risk, and interest rate risk etc. 2) Ensuring that there is the necessary infrastructure in place to satisfy individual regulatory requirements on operational areas such as money laundering, advertising and sales of financial products. There are also noteworthy sunk costs in coping with the provision of creativity infrastructure. To replace the existing branch and service centre network and administrative buildings is a major project in its own right and in addition to the costs of such physical assets, which are on the balance sheet it would be necessary to handle the stipulation of such facilities. Costs would also be involved in the provision of such items as HR policies, for example the sunk costs associated with setting up employee benefit programmes, such as pension plans, stock options, bonus schemes, car schemes, health care etc. The same tactic has been adopted and this turns up at an total expenditure of  £ [255] m. This is probably a conservative estimate. Over the period 1996 to 2000 NatWest incurred expenses of around  £ [13] bn in respect of its Retail Transformation programme, which was only a modification of part of its existing infrastructure rather than creation of a totally innovative one. (RBSG, 2002) NatWest depends entirely upon the qualities of innovation, and suffer more acutely from the rapidity of transform. Whether in presentation, writing, the visual arts or advertising, the progress of new ‘product’ is at the heart of all doings. Without this self- generated action, there is not anything to put up for sale. The sector therefore has a specific and challenging manufacturing process or value chain which, at each stage, demands different talents. At the raw development end of production (ideas generation, creating, training) there is a need for concepts, leading edge ideas and formulations, creativity, innovation and initiative customer orientation. Problem solving is paramount. At the moment of production (turning ideas into products, locations for production) – this first set of aptitudes is still important but must be supplemented by: _ï€  Intelligence, understanding of the market, industry foresight and strategic view; _ï€  Effective management o f resources; _ï€  Ability to develop and manage relationships with partners, explore new connections and collaborations with suppliers. The merger of the Royal Bank of Scotland (BoS) and Halifax to form HBOS resulted from increasing competitive pressures in the financial sector. Since about 1980, with the decline of heavy industries and growth of a service economy, like other clearing banks, BoS was obliged to expand further into small business lending and new retail products (e.g. residential mortgages, financial services, credit cards, etc.). Competition was exaggerated by banking deregulation, which led to the growth of a secondary banking sector, the transformation of many building societies (including Halifax) into banks, and new amalgamations into ever-larger banks (as cited in Leyshon and Thrift 1993). During this period there was increasing concern in the Scottish banking community about the potential for takeovers to erode a distinctive Scottish banking sector (as cited in Saville 1996: 717-40), which had been partly maintained by an historical ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the English and Scottish banks to limit their presences in each other’s markets. In September 1999, BoS surprised The City of London by making a  £20.85 billion bid to take over NatWest Bank, in effect striking first in an environment where further bank mergers seemed inevitable. Many in the financial press were quick to point out that under these new terms, BoS and other Scottish banks could not expect to have the ir future ‘independence’ protected. In late November the Royal Bank of Scotland, BoS’s main competitor in Scotland, made a successful counter bid of  £25.1 billion. The City now anticipated a takeover of BoS, compelling BoS to keep pace with the Royal Bank. BoS and Halifax began merger negotiations in April 2001, and the new banking group, HBOS, began trading on the stock market on 10 September, 2001. The Halifax was the dominant partner in the merger, being about twice the size of BoS in terms of number of employees and market value at the time of merger, and supplying key organizational leadership, including the CEO. The core rationale of the merger was that it brought together Halifax’s substantial mortgage lending income and BoS’s expertise and placement in the corporate banking world to create new business opportunities for the merged organisation. It also saw the dislocation of BoS’s rather conventional, cautious and habitual banking ethos by the more modern, competitive and market driven ethos of the Halifax organisation. Thus the merger was experienced by staff as an encounter between two different corporate cultures, and two different national cultures, at the same time. By ‘the ideology of change’ it specifies an ideological condition that corresponds closely with Therborn’s conception of modernity. With this phrase I want to dire ct attention not so much to a set of ideas and beliefs about change, but more to a disposition, or attitude toward change. I mean to suggest a normatively charged attitude in which established ways of doing things are devalued and innovation and change is positively valued in principle, regardless of the particulars of any given situation. It is, in a sense, a ‘presumption of guilt’ in regard to the old, and ‘presumption of innocence’ in regard to the new. This attitude is deeply naturalised, so that the imperative and positive value of change is widely regarded as self-evident, and not easily questioned. Thus rather than the great social critiques and political programmes associated with the formation of modernity, I mean to invoke a routinized and normalized aspect of established modernity—seen in the way political parties and governments promote themselves through promises of reform, in the way corporations and public institutions are constantly restructuring in order to ‘modernize’ and keep pace with their competitors, and in the way consumer-citizens in capitalist society come to expect scientific and technological advances that will increase knowledge and improve commodities and services, while fashions in popular culture rapidly replaces one another. The ideology of change is mundane, relentless common sense. Some problems of ‘innovation and creativity’ lay with the organization and its leadershi p, rather than personnel, the exhortation to embrace change was ultimately being translated into a message of personal moral reform. In this way the ideology of change, while meeting resistance, percolated down to beleaguered selves seeking some greater purchase on their state of affiars. (Hearn 2006) HRM Strategic Milestones in NatWest: During 1990–91 County NatWest, an investment bank, asked all its business units, including its personnel department, to set up strategic milestones for a five-year period. Their performance was to be measured against those milestones at specified target dates. The requirement to produce strategic milestones as an input to the bank’s five-year marked an important watershed in defining the contribution of personnel to the business at a strategic level. It forced the department to reflect on the nature of that contribution. Senior management of the bank duly authorised 18 separate strategic milestones. The milestones were consistent one with the other, and overall addressed issues that consultation within business units and across the three personnel teams had shown to be critical to business success. Each milestone was assigned to a designated individual and was incorporated into his or her own targets of performance. Quarterly reviews on progress, involving the whole department, were subsequently held to ensure that the milestones were on target. The operational tasks that a centralised T&D planning process involves seek to ensure that: T&D considerations are taken fully into account when business strategy is formulated. They form part of a human resource plan within the wider business plan. At business unit/divisional level there are policies to ensure people are trained and developed in line with the needs of the business. At the individual level T&D is an integrated part of daily routine and procedures, helping people to achieve performance standards and behavioral objectives and building up the kind of workforce needed in terms of productivity, quality and flexibility. T&D staff operates a collaborative approach to planning at every stage in order to ensure a high level of buy-in from line management and other stakeholders. (Harrison 2001) Conclusion: NatWest Bank had recently a remarkable triumph over the competitors on November 15 2006 in the 12th Annual Convention- CCA Excellence Awards categorized for â€Å"Best Customer Focus: Financial Services† (details available on http://www.ccai.org.uk/events). The Bank is the second giant bank in the entire Europe (after Deutsche Bank) and incredibly progressed in a very short span of time (as discussed in the historical background). NatWest’s creativity and innovation â€Å"line of attack† led the bank to the stature of success. Chinua Achebe (1930 – ), Nigerian novelist, poet, and essayist rightly says: â€Å"Contradictions if well understood and managed can spark off the fires of invention. Orthodoxy whether of the right or of the left is the graveyard of creativity†. (Anthills of the Savannah) References NatWest; A History, (2006), NatWest Bank, available on accessed April 29 2007. Cosh and Hughes, (2000), Tackling Market Failures, British Bankers Association. Jonathan Hearn, (2006), National Identity, Organisational Culture, and the Ideology of Change in Scotland, BSA Annual Conference, Scottish Study Group. Rosemary Harrison, (2005), Producing and Implementing L&D Strategy, CIPD Publications. Appendix A: NatWest Glossary AER – Annual Equivalent Rate. This shows what the interest rate would be if interest were paid and added to your account each year. APR – Annual Percentage Rate. The interest payable on what you’ve borrowed is added up along with other charges (e.g. arrangement fees) and then expressed as an annual rate of charge. The APR helps you compare the true cost of borrowing, for example for a mortgage. The APR takes into account all fees and charges applied to the mortgage as well as the monthly payments over the life of the loan. arrangement fee â₠¬â€œ a fee to cover administration. arrears – money that was due to be paid but has not been paid. When you are behind in payments, you are in arrears. assets – your money, property, goods and so on that have a financial value. assurance – a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to your next of kin when you die. banker’s draft – a cheque drawn on the bank (or building society) itself against either a cash deposit or money taken directly from your own bank account. A banker’s draft is a secure way of receiving money from someone you don’t know and where a cash is inconvenient. Banker’s drafts are commonly used for large purchases such as homes and cars. base rate – the interest rate from which lenders set their rates for lending and savings products. It’s usually based on the base rate set by the Bank of England. capital – money that you’ve invested or borrowed (e.g. to buy a home). It doesn’t include the income or profit you get from an investment, or the interest you have to pay on a loan o r mortgage. CHAPS – Clearing House Automated Payment System. This is a system that enables money to be transferred from one bank account to another on the same day. chip and PIN – a system to reduce card fraud. A chip and PIN card has a ‘smart’ chip that holds your four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). When you pay in a shop with a chip and PIN card, you’ll be asked to enter your PIN into a keypad instead of signing a receipt. This PIN is the same number that you use to withdraw money at a cash machine. cleared balance/cleared funds – includes credits (cheques and cash) that have completed the clearing cycle. You can only withdraw or transfer money to another account with money from your cleared balance. The cleared balance is updated during the day as you make payments into and out of your account. clearing cycle – the process that your cheque goes through when you pay it into your account. A cheque won’t be cleared if, for example, the person who gave it to you doesn’t have en ough money in their account. credit card – allows you to borrow money to pay for goods and services without using cash or cheques. credit balance – the amount of money in your account. credit limit – the maximum amount of money that you may borrow. debit card – allows you to pay for goods and services without writing cheques or using cash. The money is taken directly from your current account (you don’t borrow the money as with a credit card). Some debit cards can also be used to guarantee cheques. debt – an amount of money that you owe to a person or company. Direct Debit – an instruction from you to your bank or building society allowing someone to take money from your account. The amount of money taken can vary, but you must be told the amounts and dates beforehand. Direct Debits allow you to pay bills automatically from your account on a regular basis. discounted rate – a variable rate that is set at a fixed percentage amount below the lender’s standard variable rate for a period of time. At the end of the period, the mortgage goes back to the lender’s variable rate. EAR – Effective Annual Rate. This is the amount of interest charged on an overdraft and is stated as an annual rate. Unlike the APR, the figure does not include any fees or charges. Equity (in property) – the difference between how much your property is worth the balance of your outstanding mortgage and any other debts secured on the property. Equity release – a way of releasing extra money by borrowing against the equity in your home. ERTF – Exchange Rate Transaction Fee. This is a fee that you pay when withdrawing foreign currency from a cash machine or when paying for something in another currency (e.g. when you’re on holiday abroad). The foreign currency is converted into pounds sterling (using the bank’s exchange rate) and a fee for doing this is added. fixed-rate interest – an interest rate that stays the same throughout an agreed period. flexible mortgage – a mortgage that allows you to make overpayments and underpayments on the mortgage without penalty, and, in some cases, to take payment holidays. gross – the whole amount before any deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. gross interest rate – interest before income tax is deducted. Insurance policy – a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to you to cover possibilities such as theft, damage to property, loss and so on. interest – the amount that you pay when you borrow money. It’s expressed as a percentage rate over a period of time. interest-free – no interest is charged on money that you borrow. interest-only mortgages – a loan on which you only pay the interest element. The amount of capital you owe remains the same throughout the term of the mortgage and is due to be repaid at the end of the term. interest rate – the rate at which you pay back interest, expressed as a percentage of the amount you borrow. investment – something you put money into that will provide income in the future (such as savings) or gain in value so that you can sell it at a higher price later (such as a house). loan – money that you borrow (e.g. to buy a new car) on condition that you pay it back. lifetime mortgage – a type of equity release product for the over 60s, which allows you to release money by borrowing against the value of your home. There are no monthly repayments, instead the interest is added to the loan and the whole amount is repaid when you die or move into long-term care, usually from the sale of the house. This means more interest will build up than with a conventional mortgage. mortgage – a loan to help you buy property on condition that the company giving you the loan has certain rights, including the right to sell the property if you don’t pay back the loan. net – the amount after deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. net interest rate – the rate payable after the lower rate of income tax is deducted. (NB the rate of tax may vary, so a net rate is usually only given as an example.) nominal annual rate – the rate of interest that would apply if the interest were not added each year and if there were no inflation. overdraft – borrowings from your current account. overpayment – higher or extra mortgage payments that you make (usually to pay off your loan or mortgage early). p.a. – ‘per annum’, which means ‘each year’. payment holiday – a period of one or more months when you don’t make repayments on your loan or mortgage, although interest continues to accrue during that time. PIN – Personal Identification Number. This is the four-digit number that you enter into a cash machine when you want to take out cash, and that you use when you pay with your chip and PIN card. Never give this number to anyone, or write it down. rate – the percentage interest rate charged by a lender. remortgage – replacing a mortgage with a new one (from your existing or a different lender), without moving home. You use the money you borrow for the new mortgage to repay the old one. repayment method – the means by which a mortgage is repaid. The two main repayment methods are ‘interest only’ and ‘repayment’. repayment mortgage – a loan where you pay back some of the capital as well as interest each month. The amount you owe is gradually reduced. return – the profit you get, for example, when you invest money. share – a unit of ownership in a company. share certificate – shows the amount of ownership. share dealing – the process of buying and selling shares. standing order – a method of making regular payments directly from your bank account. It’s a fixed sum and you tell your bank when to start and stop paying it. stock – another term for share. transaction – each time you pay money into or take money out of your account, it’s called a transaction. unarranged borrowing – an overdraft that is higher than your bank or building society has agreed to. uncleared balance – the amount of money in your account including all the uncleared items in your account and any items paid in during the day. underpayment – a loan or mortgage payment that is less than the amount that you should normally pay for that month. variable-rate interest – the interest rate that you pay on your loan or mortgage and that rises and falls roughly in line with a stated index, such as the base rate set by the Bank of England. (NatWest , 2006, available on http://www.natwest.co.uk/glossary.htm/>)

Going Green in Hospitality

Hospitality Studies Report GOING GREEN IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Word count: 1328 ? Introduction3 Benefits3 Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? 3 The definite advantages of changing3 What people think4 Are there side effects? 4 Knowledge aquired4 Financial5 Conclusion5 Bibliography6 ? Introduction The effects of global warming continue generating intense debate among businesses that see it as a major threat to their operations.In this regard the global community is seeking partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to formulate policy guidelines that will act as means of ensuring that they adopt green technology in their operations to counter this threat. Failure to do this will result to irreversible decline in profits, deterioration of people’s health through emergence of killer diseases like skin cancer and closure of businesses. Benefits The hospitality industry has not been left out in adopting green technologies in their operations to ensure they slay this global phenomenon.In doing this they have realized the immense benefits that come with the green technology in almost all areas of their industry. The use of renewable power like solar energy, wind power and bio fuels reduces the energy costs incurred in the hospitality industry a great deal. Due to their nature of operations they require power throughout; when preparing food, entertaining guests and also when cleaning. This therefore means they incur huge electricity bills through out and this can be reduced by the adaptation of green technology.Installation of solar panels or wind power can reduce these expenses in a great way and this can increase their profits and enable investment in other projects like expansion. Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? The use of green technology reduces the pollution of the environment. The damage that is usually done to the environment when hotels use petroleum products is very catastrophic. They use the product o n large quantities especially in cooking.Diesel products for instance emit a lot of hydrocarbons into the air that cause global warming, which is known to hamper marine life and make some species of the marine bio diversity extinct. This affects the product range available for offer to their clients. They also poison most fish species which make them unfit for human consumption. These diesel emissions are also known to be carcinogenic and cause a lot of cancer related ailments that pose a very great danger to the workers in the industry and to the whole world at large.However all this can be avoided if the industry adopts green technology. There are no side effects of using green energy since they are environmentally friendly and they use ecologically friendly resources. The definite advantages of changing The industry has also come alive to the fact that ecotourism is a major attraction to many people who want to conserve the world we live in. (Hotelinteractive. com. 2008) People a ppreciate and value those involved in environmental conservation and most like being associated with them.Many organizations and governments prefer holding their meetings and conferences in venues that are accredited by environmental conservation agencies as compliant to set green standards. The hospitality industry being a major player in this field does not want to be left behind. This is because those who comply and champion these interests will attract wide clientele and this will be a major boost to their businesses. Many players in the industry have sought to comply with the set standards to ensure they remain competitive in the industry.The industry has therefore invested heavily in imparting the required knowledge and skills to its staff and other stakeholders to ensure best practices. They are then seeking certification from recognized regulatory institutions that also continuously monitor their progress through regular visits and checks. What people think The adoption of g reen technology by the hospitality industry improves the public image and the perceptions that people have towards the industry. â€Å"Going green is no longer a request, but rather a demand. † ( Nowpublic. com. 008) The world today is doing everything to combat global warming which is seen as a major threat to future earnings of almost each sector in the global economy. This will also attract a lot of customers to those who will be seen to be compliant. The hospitality industry is therefore viewed as one of the environmentally sensitive industries and this places it strategically on the global arena of attaining sustainable development. Are there side effects? The players in the hospitality industry must embrace the use of renewable sources of energy like wind power and solar energy.Such installations will ensure minimal environmental pollution and also availability throughout. This is because the sources such as sun and wind are naturally available and apart from installati on costs and routine maintenance there are no other major associated costs. The electricity bills and the costs of running stand-by generators will be done away with and profits will increase both in the short and in the long run. Knowledge aquired The industry players should also minimize the amount of wastes that is usually dumped. This can be done through recycling most of these wastes.For example , a hotel can recycle waste paper into scratch pads, the cartridges used by printers and fax machines can be refilled when empty instead of being dumped, they can also install soap and shampoo dispensers in their facilities to reduce the waste from small plastic bottles, they can also replace toxic and hazardous cleaning agents with good friendlier biodegradable cleaners, they can also donate reusable dishes and other cutlery to charities instead of dumping and also they should install recyclable bins in all areas for collection of waste cans and plastics.When these measures are underta ken, the industry will enjoy the enormous benefits associated with the green technology. The industry players should also invest heavily in the provision of skills and knowledge to the stakeholders who must be involved in the attainment of desired objectives. The stakeholders are mainly their workers, customers and also their suppliers. They should organize workshops and seminars to educate them on the necessity of adopting the green technology.When they fully understand the benefits they will commit to observe and adhere to the standards set in the industry and this will ensure attainment of desired results.? Financial The adoption of the above measures will nonetheless be an uphill task to most of the players in the hospitality industry. Most of these measures like installing and maintaining solar and wind energy systems require huge budgets and skilled workers. Most of the players in the industry are midlevel enterprises that lack the financial ability to manage such capital-inte nsive projects.Also those who carry out these projects may take a long time to recover and return to profitability. Nonetheless the hotels will save BIG money in the end. Conclusion The green technology should be implemented by all the industries not only the hospitality industry. This will enhance the realization of the aspired results which will guarantee the global population of a better environment to live in. This is because global warming is a major threat to all industries regardless of the area of specialization. Failure by the industry players to implement these policies will be threatening the same businesses they rely on. Reference List Patrice A Kelly (2008) So you want to go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. hotelinteractive. com/article. aspx? articleid=12180 [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania †¢ Department of environmental protection (Unknown) Fact Sheet [Internet] Available from: http://www. google. com/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sourc e=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfohouse. p2ric. org%2Fr ef%2F03%2F02592. pdf&ei=mcWiT6X9HMTsOdbgmd0I&usg=AFQjCNGbSE_1baXV5YwYwqMxCkhfrYUsUg [Accessed 30 April, 2012]Ursula Tillmann (2008) Hotels going â€Å"Green† demanded by guests [Internet] Available from: http://www. nowpublic. com/environment/hotels-going-green-demanded-guests [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Roza Gazsi (2011) Hotels going green – So much more than a pleasant stay [Internet] Available from: http://www. ecowizer. com/2011/03/hotels-going-green-so-much-more-than-a-pleasant-stay/ [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Epa. gov (2011) Why go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. epa. gov/region2/p2/hospitality/why/index. html [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Bibliorgaphy Gogreencleaning. bravehost. om (Unknown) Go green! Cleaning products [Online Image] Available from: http://www. google. com/imgres? um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org. mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=657&tbm=isch&tbnid=xEbt0DfSpFO7FM:&imgre furl=http://www. gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/&docid=TTradC0z9xRMaM&imgurl=http://gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/myPictures/gogreen. jpg&w=390&h=448&ei=TdiiT8mXPMGfOufoqdMI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1032&vpy=93&dur=1870&hovh=241&hovw=209&tx=161&ty=150&sig=111890973347592325663&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:158 [Accessed 3 May, 2012 ]

Hengisbury Head Coastal Processes

What are geomorphic processes and how do they affect the coast at Hengistbury Head? Setting the scene Hengistbury Head is a scenic and historic headland near the town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England. It stands mid-way between Poole harbour and Hurst spit and forms the main division between Poole and Christchurch Bays. Coastal Processes| Description| Sub Aerial | Coastal erosional processes that are not linked to the action of the sea. Erosion occurs via rain, weathering by wind and frost. Its impact is often seen in soil creep, slumping and landslides. Corrosion| When waves approach the coastline they are carrying material such as sand, shingle, pebbles and boulders. Abrasion occurs when this material is hurled against cliffs as waves hit them, wearing the cliff away. | Human activity| Much building and recreation occurs at the coast, and this increases pressure on cliff tops, making them more liable to erosion and subsidence. The building of sea defences upsets the dyna mic equilibrium of the coastline| Hydraulic pressure| Cliffs and rocks contain many lines of weakness in the form of joints and cracks.A parcel of air can become trapped/compressed in these cracks when water is thrown against it. The increase in pressure leads to a weakening/cracking of the rock. | Corrasion| When waves approach the coastline they are carrying material such as sand, shingle, pebbles and boulders. Abrasion occurs when this material is hurled against cliffs as waves hit them, wearing the cliff away. | Coastal Transport| Description| Solution| Minerals are dissolved in seawater and carried in solution. The load is not visible.Load can come from cliffs made from chalk or limestone, and calcium carbonate is carried along in solution. | Suspension| Small particles are carried in water, e. g. silts and clays, which can make the water look cloudy. Currents pick up large amounts of sediment in suspension during a storm, when strong winds generate high-energy waves. | Saltati on| Load is bounced along the seabed, e. g. small pieces of shingle or large sand grains. Currents cannot keep the larger and heavier sediment afloat for long periods. | Traction| Pebbles and larger sediment are rolled along the seabed. |

Water Pollution. Dangers and Causes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Pollution. Dangers and Causes - Essay Example Most of the water on the surface of the earth is sea water which is not usable for most of water’s essential purposes, including drinking. Fresh water is the most essential form of water for survival of life. The events of past years have raised the concern over the perennial availability of fresh water and are slowly converting fresh water into a commodity rather than an available for all resource. Preservation of the quality and availability of fresh water has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the 21st century. This concern is very high for third world countries where there is an alarmingly high dearth of drinkable water, rendering scores of people to die due to diseases emanating from poisonous water. Pressures on water resources: The increasing stress on water resources is from several sources and can take various forms. The impact of these pressures can vary and contribute to the ever increasing problem of easily available fresh water. Several fa ctors contribute to increasing the stress on water resources. The growth of urban metropolises and changing lifestyles impacts the amount and pattern of water consumption. From using fresh water solely for necessary purposes, consumption patterns have changed to lavish and unessential patterns including embellishment of hotels, malls, etc. Increased industrial activity with respect to the use of water has increased the pressure on water resources. ... The excessive industrial waste has significantly hampered the natural cleansing process, leaving previously fresh water, polluted and not useful for the purposes it was meant for. Human waste contributes significantly to the problem also. Every day, approximately 2 million tons of human waste are disposed in water courses (UN Water). The dilemma of developing countries is alarmingly bad, approximately 70 percent of all industrial waste is dumped into waters, leading to the pollution of usable water supply. Dangers of water pollution: All water pollutants are dangerous to humans as well as lesser species. Some of the key ingredients of the most prevalent pollutants, including industrial waste, include sodium, which is implicated in cardiovascular diseases; nitrates are guilty of causing blood disorders, whereas mercury and lead can cause nervous disorders. DDT, which is found in some forms of industrial waste, is toxic and can not only impact living humans but can also affect chromoso mes. Another dangerous toxic ingredient found in industrial wastes, PCBs, is known to cause liver and nerve damage, skin eruptions, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and significant fetal abnormalities (Geol). The impact of pollution from sewage and human wastes is also lethal. Dysentery, salmonellosis and hepatitis are some of the diseases transmitted by sewage in drinking and bathing water. This problem is extremely frequent in developing and less developing countries where there is no clear mechanism to separate fresh and drinkable water from polluted water (Tripathi and Pandey). Causes of water pollution: The sources of water pollution can be divided into point sources and nonpoint sources. Point sources refer to factories, wastewater treatment facilities, septic systems, and other

Negotiation Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negotiation Planning - Case Study Example They provide an estimate with respect to the direct material and direct labour, and this puts the ball in their court despite the company or the buyer providing their estimates with regard to direct material and labour in order to make the modifications, because the sellers are the ones being used for their services. Furthermore, the sellers are in a better position because they are able to quote a price that covers damages caused during the process of making modifications and, thus, keeping aside a negligible amount for the same. They also have taken into account an estimate for spoilage, new items, etc. in order to be on the safer side, keeping their profit margin at the best possible rate for the buyers. 3. In a contract, each party will do its best to emerge as the winner and have the best possible consideration at his/her end. In this contract, the sellers are in a better position than the buyers; however, it must be understood that the two parties do have misconceptions regardi ng one another. First, the buyers are doing their best to decrease the material and labour costs as much as they can because of the price that they will have to pay. The sellers, on the other hand, are trying to negotiate the same in order to maintain a profit margin, as well as to keep room for damages and arrears. The sellers must understand that the optical instruments require modifications to be done within the best possible cost estimate in order to keep the buyers from shelling out much money. Nonetheless, the misconception that the buyers have that the sellers will give them a quote more than they expect may be considered outside the scope of negotiation because ultimately, the buyers need to look into quality and take into account that they would be ready to pay the estimate rolled out by the sellers in order to be left with the best possible end results which will, in turn, help them cover the investments that they made. It is yet again another misconception for the buyers or the Gilbert Company to estimate the overheads and material costs that will be required for the purpose of modification, because the sellers will be able to provide a better estimate knowing that they have to provide their services while keeping a 10% profit margin. 2. In the second answer, we need to analyse the data carefully to ascertain the elementary assessment of the information. Negotiation Plan for the Buyer: The buyer’s position over here is conceptually taken on a different role than the seller’s position. When Pilgrim asked for a cost analysis programme to be conducted for the product, there was a major difference between the cost analyses of Gilbert and Price Analyst. This catapulted Pilgrim to extract the date based on the report conducted by both the parties and a combination of the report between these two parties was evolved to determine the actual cost elements in the negotiation planning. Pilgrim finally called Price Analyst to conduct a negotiation plan for the company since there was an immense difference coming out of the analyses conducted by Gilbert and Price Analyst. The proposed price by Pilgrim was 225,893 USD. This was the price at which he ideally wanted to sell all his 45 optical instruments to the buyer, which is Gilbert Instruments. Price analyst in its analyses compared the labour rates, the GA rates and the Overhead rates which went in modifying the optical instruments at the peak of their prowess. At the current level which is designed by the Price analyst,

What is the Threat to the US from North Korea Assignment

What is the Threat to the US from North Korea - Assignment Example Due to this conflict, it is feared that North Korea may be planning to attack the United States directly or indirectly through its everyday developing nuclear program. One of the main threats to the United States from North Korea is that North Korea might soon become capable enough of developing nuclear weapons that can be used against the United States and its allies. North Korea and South Korea have been in continuous conflict over the issue of Korean Peninsula and United States has tried to help South Korea as South Korea is an ally of United States (U.S. Department of State, 2014). The threat is that if North Korea develops nuclear weapons, it may directly attack the South in order to solve and gain victory on the dispute of Korean Peninsula. If North Korea attacks the South, there is the huge possibility of a World War consisting of the use of nuclear weapons taking place. A World War may erupt because the US being friends with the South may help the South, while on the other ha nd China being an ally of North Korea may try to defend them (Schneider, 2014). The United States already owes a huge debt to China and China has the ability to completely destroy the United States and due to this United States may not be able to assist the South in order to protect its own nation. The United States has been fighting the war for peace and the war against terrorism for several years. Due to these several nations such as Afghanistan and militants living in those nations are quite angry with the United States. One reason due to which the United States has an upper hand over the extremist terrorist group is that these terrorist groups do not control nuclear weapons. If North Korea is able to develop its own nuclear weapons, then there is a possibility that North Korea may supply these weapons to the terrorist organizations and the terrorist organizations will then have the ability to attack the United States with nuclear weapons (Snyder, 2013). North Korea is kind of an isolated region which blindly trusts its government and is ready to take any action that may be commanded by their government.  Ã‚