Artistic Freedom, Commercial Demands, and Ethical Responsibility Case Study

Artistic Freedom, Commercial Demands, and Ethical Responsibility - Case Study Example The media has its own justification of releasing such content. These justifications will be elaborated upon in this paper along with its impact on the moral, artistic and commercial landscape of the media. A discussion on censorship will also be covered within this paper. Justifying Questionable Content The media has been quite vociferous in justifying questionable content. They present their perspective of the story which does not completely alleviate the concerns of responsible citizens. One argument presented by the entertainers is that the impact of media is not as strong as is being propagated by anti-media parties. They argue that while there may be a relationship between violence and media, this relationship is not properly understood. It may be possible that people with a violent streak may be more inclined to watch violent movies (Smith, 2002). In such cases, it is not the media that is impacting the person but rather the person being attracted to media for what is provides to the individual. The individual may even live out his fantasy of violence by watching the movie and may not commit such acts in his real life. However, the media cannot make a strong case that its content does not impact the minds of the young consumers who have little knowledge of differentiating between right and wrong. The media does not take into account its moral duty (Ganguzza and Morgensten, 1992). Entertainers and their supporters also argue that questionable content could not be completely removed from media as this would subsequently harm the freedom of speech of the media. Preventing the media from freely expressing their content is a violation of their First Amendment Act (Magoon, 2010). The media is entitled to its own opinions even if they are objectionable to certain groups. For example, Eminem may be producing questionable content according to certain people but entertainers argue that he is merely expressing his opinions. The voice of Eminem represents the voice o f millions of black people and to silence this voice is to prevent the media from being truly free (Christians, et. al, 2012). Moral, Artistic and Commercial Relevance of the Argument If considered morally, the presence of questionable content is destroying the fabric of the society. It is doing this by promoting a culture that is filled with violence, hate and sexual overtones. While the society stresses on the importance of morality and ethic, the media is promoting a culture that is just the opposite. For example, it gives the lesson through a variety of films such as Kill Bill, that a common man may arise above the law and take revenge for the wrong inflicted upon him. If the media is allowed to go unchecked, the youth will have a completely different and distorted view of morality. When parents check mortality, it is sometimes quite the opposite of what children watch on the media. This will lead to doubt in the minds of the children and may even impact the authority of the par ents (Eden, Grizzard and Lewis, 2012) However, the artistic freedom of the media is sometimes comprised if they are not able to truly depict their opinions and views. If

Irony in the cask of amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Irony in the cask of amontillado - Essay Example Fortunato was dressed in clothing like a jester, in fact, he even had a hat with bells on it. Montresor was dressed in black with a mask of equal color. This symbolizes Montresor as evil and Fortunato as the fool. Montresor comments Fortunato on looking â€Å"remarkably well† and asks the drunken man to check his new case of Amontillado for genuity. Fortunato, stricken by his pride upon hearing the name of a rival wine connoisseur, Luchresi accepted the offer. Fortunato happily followed Montresor to his doom. Montresor led Fortunato to the Montresor to a dark tomb where the bones of Montresor’s ancestors lay untouched. In the musty tomb, Fortunato’s illness becomes worse and he begins to cough uncontrollably. Montresor feigns concern and warns Fortunato about going deeper into the tomb saying that he could die from the nitre. Due to pride, Fortunato refused Montresor’s invitation to leave the cellars saying â€Å"I shall not die of a cough.† Montresor took out a wine bottle from a nearby rack and offers Fortunato to drink. Fortunato took the wine and drank to the dead Montresor ancestors around him. Montresor drank to Fortunato, wishing him a long life. Montresor brought another bottle of wine, flaà §on of De Grà ¢ve, handing it to Fortunato who quickly drank the wine to his utter enjoyment. He did a hand sign that was exclusively for the Masons, a secretive group of people said to have political power. As a joke, Montresor said that he too was a mason and he took out a trowel from within his coat. Fortunato was thrown back a few steps out of shock when he realized Montresor was not a Freemason but a stonemason, a builder. Montresor began to seal Fortunato within the damp cellar. Fortunato was starting to recover from his drunkenness and began screaming. To taunt Fortunato, Montresor begins aiding his screams. When Fortunato screams â€Å"For the love of God,†

Abuse To The Elderly In Society

Abuse To The Elderly In Society Introduction Abuse to the elderly people has been a common practice in most societies in different parts of the world, there is need to stop this trend in line with the protection of human rights. Research has found that a larger percentage of elderly people are abused all over the world. This is attributed to the difficulties that the elderly undergo, ranging from violation of their rights, financial abuse, psychological torture, physical abuse and negligence. The research carried in nursing institutions ranked the nursing homes as the leading places of negligence to the elderly. Majority of elderly people are taken to the nursing homes where they are left without enough care or given last priority in terms of medical needs and the diet. (Daly Coffey, 2010) Generally the state of the elderly people can be very pathetic in modern society due to the increasing economic recession, which is associated with difficulties hence rendering the elderly as an economic burden. This paper deals with different forms of abuse in the modern society that include; violation of their rights, financial abuse, psychological torture, physical abuse, and negligence. (BuÃ…Â ¾govà ¡ Ivanovà ¡, 2009) It also explores various causes of abuse to the elderly people in the society; the specific areas that have been identified include institutional setups, nature of the employment (employee) contract and the specific client characteristics in the case of elderly people being involved in the business enterprises. Literature review In a study that was carried out on elder abuse in long-term care by Garre-Olmo (2009). There were high rates of elderly abuse in the societies living in United States of America. The subsequent study was carried out by it was found out that more than one third of the 577 nursing homes had witnessed elder abuse, with psychological abuse cited as the most prevalent type. The authors concluded that abuse of residents in Nursing homes was sufficiently extensive to merit public concern. From the research work of Garre-Olmo Elderly neglect can be grouped into three main categories which include; The day to day activities (shopping for food or clothing, preparation of meals, carrying out routine housework, traveling or transportation), The Personal care and hygiene such as washing, bathing, dressing, undressing, and eating, Help when it comes to correct dosage and the timing of medication, for those who live alone, or in receipt of elderly services, those with a worsened health status, the elderly men, and divorced women, separated, or lonely. The risk of financial abuse is very high. However, the issue of awareness of elderly abuse amongst the health and the social caregivers has not been properly evaluated. The Nurses knowledge on the topic of elderly abuse was extensively explored by the researchers, who gave the recommendations for the educational extensions on assessment, the legal implications and the availability of possible interventions. Different suggestions on the way the nurses should examine their attitude in relation to the elderly patients. In recent times, the researchers have recommendation for educational measures to help the practitioner identification and management of cases related to elderly abuse. on their McGarry Simpson (2009) research on United Kingdoms GPs indicated that one of the strongest factors that can predict the diagnosis of elderly abuse was the acquisition of knowledge on the risk situations, according to the research above the GPs who frequently read articles with topics on abuse elderly people had the highest preference in d iagnosing elderly abuse as compared to those who did not do the same. In the cases of long-term care, the residents are always in need for assistance in their day to day living activities, therefore in such cases the caregivers are overloaded, the elderly people are then exposed to very abusive situations. In the attempt to understand the causes of elder abuse, the researchers have studied other forms of family violence such as child abuse and spousal abuse. They assert that it is important to differentiate between theories and the risk factors. McGarry Simpson states that, the Risk factors such as stress, is supposed to be considered as a theoretical explanation of the reasons behind elderly abuse, other risk factors include; Trans-generational family violence, Dependency, Psychology of the abuser, and social isolation. Garre-Olmo (2009) Attempted to classify the types of abuse and the risk factors in a detailed manner with reference to the continuum of elderly abuse. The early studies based on caregivers stress as the key issue, the main focus was on the older persons physical and mental difficulties. There is limited evidence that supports the focus on the elderly people who the victims, hence most researchers concentrate on the abuser (perpetrator) The identification of the elderly abuse proves to be difficult for the healthcare Workers. Most of professionals concerned with elderly peoples care giving have expressed the lack of confidence in reporting the abuses. The difficulties have been attributed to the lack of awareness and the difference in the perceptions of concerning the victims(elder abuse).In a specific case in Ireland, the researchers contacted a survey on hospital workers and the doctors on how they understood the phrase elderly abuse, the results implicated that most of the participants felt very uncomfortable with the phrase elder abuse Contrary to this, the social workers were very conversant with the phrase, variation was not taken well by the researchers, it was attributed to the type of training that social workers receive while undergoing their studies at the undergraduate level. Education and training for the Doctors should also include the chronological age structure with the focus on the adult protection. This will be very significant in the efforts to prevent of the elderly abuse. (Ga rre-Olmo) According to, Erlingsson , Carlson , Saveman (2006) it has been found out that in case of the long-term care the main cause of Elderly abuse was due to the lack of awareness amongst the staff who were mostly involved in the verbal abuse by use of certain were abusive words. Despite the efforts which have been input in attempting to improve the awareness on the issue of elderly abuse, the elderly people who reside in the long-term care units are likely to be exposed to more vulnerable situations. Peri, Fanslow, Hand, (2008) extensively carried out their research to examine the knowledge and the perceptions of the staff members working in the long-term care section on what constitutes the act of elderly abuse. In research that was carried out in the Unite States the prevalence figures ranked neglect as the leading form of mistreatment in the with 1.1%, financial abuse followed with (0.7%), the physical and psychological abuse were ranked 3rd with both having 0.4% and the sexual abuse was ranked last with 0.2%. Compared with the surveys done in other countries, the prevalence was lower for all types of abuse, but highest when it came to neglect. This was a reflection of the differences between the USA and the other countries, (Erlingsson, Carlson, Saveman ) Interview In order to find out more insides on the findings that indicate women to be having a long lifespan as compared men and followed by mistreatment, an interview was carried out and Mrs. Jones was the main corresponded, Mrs. Jones is a an Elderly woman who lives in the Caregiver units established by the government. Asked on the above topic, she reported that she had witnessed men aged 75 years and over, she said that these were likely to experience financial abuse as compared men in younger age groups, contrary to this she said that women who were aged 75years and over were more likely to be exposed to negligence. According to her, the prevalence of abuse with the exclusion of negligence, increased with age for men, while it decreased with age for women. Concerning the variation of elderly abuse with various factors she gave the explanation that; Mistreatment varies with the socio-economic position of the elderly majority of those who last worked in semi-routine and full routine jobs who worked for small employers being at higher risk. Overall, those who were living in the rented housing had the highest tendency to be neglected. She had witnessed the highest level of mistreatment by separated or divorced to partners as compared to those who were widowed. However she said that People who were living alone were more likely to experience financial abuse as compared to those living with others. She also said that mistreatment by the health status tends to increase with the declining health status. The level of elderly abuse was highest for people with: a self-reported status of bad or worse health, especially for a limiting long-term kind of illness, and lower living standards. When questioned about the Perpetrators abuse to the elderly she replied that Greater percentages of mistreatment in her past experience mainly involved a partner / spouse, although other family members were involved to a small extent, the care worker followed and close friends being the least implicated. She confirmed that men comprised of the highest percentage in the interpersonal elderly abuse be it physically, psychologically and sexually with women being less abusive. The age structure of most perpetrators tended to be younger especially for those who carried out financial abuse as she compared to those carried out interpersonal abuse. Mrs. Jones emphasized that most of the perpetrators were living in the victims house during the times of abuse When asked on whether she has ever been abused she agreed with the statement that the most commonly effects she felt when abused was emotional with such feelings as anger or upset, and social effects which made her feel cut off from family and friends. On the mode of reporting the incidences of elderly abuse, she said that the majority of the incidents were reported or sought help. However she cited under-estimation because of the conservative nature of the way that was used to measure the kind of mistreatment According to her, the problem of negligence stood out as a predominant type of elderly abuse, followed by the financial abuse. This contrasted to the common assumptions the notion of abuse as only physical violence. She confirmed that the risk factors for negligence included; female gender, aged of 75 years and above, severe suffering or a much deteriorated health status and the likelihood of one being in receipt of, or in close touch with, the services. Concerning the steps that should be taken to alleviate Elderly Abuse she recommended as follows; Rooting out age discrimination, Person centered care, mental health in older people, Legislation has to be introduced in order to extend the regulation to the area of private care units, Access to Care Services should be fair, the criteria for eligibility for adult social care should aimed at the provisions for those who have been assessed to have their basic needs, independence granted, well-being and choice, Emphasis should be on the positive aspects of risk and the importance of personalising care through which people can be more involved in making choices between the type and level of support they need. These developments aim at influencing the background on which abuse is recognized as a very big social problem. Pertaining the role of the government she proposed that, the government department in charge of Health should launch a Dignity campaign in Care, coupled with the dignity tests, championship and a dignity challenge that ensures zero tolerance of all forms of abuse in the provision of services and to ensure that the elderly people feel freely to complain without the fear of retribution. Mrs. Jones pointed out that Psychological abuse in most cases is the worst forms of abuse to elderly , she explained that people who are psychologically abused will report cases that show them having been undermined or belittled; insulted, called bad names or sworn at, the prevention from seeing others; and having been excluded or repeatedly ignored by the caregivers. In the past years these cases of psychological abuse had occurred and in most times involved the same person who was targeted by the abusers. She linked the causes of elderly abuse to institutions, employment (employee) and the specific client characteristics. This implies that there is need for formulation of policies that will act as preventive measures for elderly people especially in residential places. The policies should define who an elderly person is, their basic human needs, who to be in charge of the elderly /caregiver, the qualifications of the care giving institutions in case of an abuse. Discussion The issue of elderly abuse is a very vital, There is need to address it, particularly in the long-term care settings where the elderly. People totally depend on external help and are more vulnerable to abuse. This study ascertains the perceptions that different people take concerning the state of elderly and the associated abuse. Amongst the nurses and social workers who worked in long-term care setups for older people. Most of the staff in the care units doesnt have the basic education which can enable them deal with the elderly abuse and there was a considerable uncertainty on what constitutes elderly abuse. (Daly Coffey) There is need to setup the standards for the providers of care and support services to the elderly people. These standards should be based on key factors such as the risk factors for them to be relevant to the efforts of prevention of the abuses. The significance of partnership working between the hospitals and the social care units, between the social care and the police, the voluntary and independent sectors was a reflection of very successive policy documents. Adults are at the highest risk because they are susceptible to be affected by disability, mental disorders, illness, ageing, the elderly are unable to provide themselves with protection from abuse and are vulnerable to abused than young persons. Abuse therefore should be defined to mean any conduct which can harm or exploit an individual be it physically, psychologically or through actions such as theft, embezzlement, fraud and extortion. (BuÃ…Â ¾govà ¡ Ivanovà ¡) Self-abuse is also a serious issue that should be addressed together with any other conduct which may cause fear, an alarm or a lot of distress. Most of the elderly women who were aged 75 and above experienced the highest risk of interpersonal abuse. While men felt lonely in their old age, however both men and women reported three or more depressive symptoms in association with elderly abuse. The highest rate of interpersonal elderly abuse was reported amongst the women who were separation or divorced with their husbands.

My Brother Jack :: essays research papers

MY BROTHER JACK 1.There are numerous reasons why this novel is titled My brother Jack. The title My Brother Jack deludes the reader in thinking the novel is based on Jack, yet we find that the prevailing concern is not ‘My Brother Jack’ at all. The title suggests a rewriting of Jack’s life. The novel is also called My Brother Jack because of the fact that the author George Johnston, portrayed as David had a brother named Jack, with whom he shared a good relationship with and was also a prominent person in his life. Since Jack is the person in whom David has the greatest sense of identity and reverence, it may well be an appropriate title. In the novel My Brother Jack David often writes about Jack and recapitulates the episodes of his life with Jack. This is evident in a statement David made about his brother as he was travelling on a train. ‘I saw him suddenly as a find of sunburnt Icarus, a freeman, buoyant and soaring in his own air, in the clear and boundless space of an element families yet new’ (pg 294). It is evident through examples, why the novel was called ‘My Brother Jack’. The title may suggest an account of Jack’s life through the eyes of David. The perception you get is that Jack’s life is of greater importance than David’s. Shifting the novel focus from his own inadequacies, George Johnston tries to in fact get the reader to confront these issues. 2. George Johnston uses the theme of deception all through the novel, through the character of David Meredith. David was the most deceitful character in the novel. He did not care who he hurt on the way to getting away from his plain and mediocre life. David basically hurt everyone in his life that ever cared about him. George Johnston used the theme of deception when David continuously deceived his parents. He lied to his parents about the paintings being his own when they were only a lithograph of Tom Middleton’s work. ‘…I would also bring printed samples of work that Tom Middleton had done, and say that I had lithographed them;’ (pg 83). Through the lies that David told and the pain that he caused it is quite clear that George Johnston has used the theme of deception throughout the novel. 3. There is an obvious contrast between his outer success and his inner failure.

Is It Okay to Cry at Work

What factors do you think make some organizations ineffective at managing emotions? Firstly, I think that the complex human thinking is one of the factors that make the organizations hard to manage the emotions. Every person has his or her own emotions. Although in a same situation, they may not act in the same way. Thus, the organizations face difficulties when they are dealing with their employees. This problem is even becoming worse when the organisation is very large and contains many employees from different background.Furthermore, the authority of an organisation sometimes finds out they themselves cannot control their own emotions as well. Besides, due to the business culture and etiquette which are still remain poorly in some of the organisations, it becomes a problem for the organisations to manage the emotions effectively. Some of the organisations have not practised the suitable business culture. For example, they will yell and shout at the employees when things go wrong j ust like the second case mentioned.This shows that some of the organisations still do not concern to manage the emotions effectively. Moreover, emotions are automatic physiological responses to the environment. It will be very hard for one to control his or her emotions by hiding their true feelings within their heart. It revealed automatically. Even people that are trying to cover their true emotions can be discovered from their facial expression. Thus, this is not the fault that the organisations cannot manage the emotions effectively.This is because it is not an easy work to control the emotions of whole organisations. 2. Do you think the strategic use and display of emotions serve to protect employees, or does covering your true emotions at work lead to more problems than it solves? By covering one’s emotions can sometimes ensure a work to be done perfectly. However, people that are always covering their own emotions will always find themselves in a stressful situation an d they are very hard to communicate with others.Consequently, that kind of people can be easily frustrated and lose their confidence in their jobs. Problems such as unsatisfied towards the jobs, depression, low job performance and so on will then arise. At the end, it creates more problems than what it wants to solve at first. Through the strategic use and display of emotions, the employees can express their emotions in a manner way. They have to know the ways to control their emotions even though they are working in a nasty situation. After that, they can voice up the problems that they are facing to the higher authority.In my opinion, this is even better than hiding the true emotion because the whole organisations can look into the problems deeply and try to come out with a solution. 3. Have you ever worked where emotions were used as part of a management style? Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this approach in your experience. Yes, in order to finish the task given, e motions are always being used as part of a management style. For example, as a primary teacher, he or she has to pretend to be angry when the students do not listen to the instructions even though the teacher may not be really losing the temper.Besides, as salesperson, they still have to put on their smiling mask even though the customers will always criticise their products. It is unavoidable to use emotions as part of a management style. The advantages are the goals or objectives of the work can be done smoothly and without any obstacles. Besides, the emotions that used as a management style can sometimes create conflicts which are not necessary bad things. Employees can share their problems and opinions with each others. However, these conflicts have to be solved in a short time before they become more destructive.The disadvantages are by using this method is the employees’ emotion fluctuates from time to time can create variation in job performance. Sometimes, they may no t control their emotion very well and thus affect their job. Moreover, the negatives and positives emotions can distract workers and then reduce their job performance. They are not too focusing on their jobs due to the reasons of facing emotional dilemma. 4. Research shows that acts of co-workers (37%) and management (22%) cause more negative emotions for employees than do acts of customers (7%).What can Laura’s company do to change its emotional climate? Laura’s company can try to arrange training and interaction programmes for their employees. Thus, the employees are able to interact with each others and learn to know the suitable ways to express their emotions. Communications among the co-workers are very important. The company must allow the criticism from the employees and the employees must take the initiatives to voice up their opinions without hiding their true feelings.One of the ways is by allowing the employees to write anonymous letter or notes to each othe r. They can express their positive and negative feelings to the other co-workers. However, the employees must use suitable sentences in the letter so that it does not sound mean. The managers can also improve the employees’ moods by rewarding the employees for work well done. Positive individuals can also be selected to transmit positive moods to another colleagues in an organisations just like what the text has mentioned.

Business 1 Coursework 1 on Enterprise

Business 1 Coursework 1 on Enterprise 1. Identify three reasons why Enterprise uses workforce planning. Workforce planning is the process of analysing an organization's likely future needs for people in terms of numbers, skills and locations. It is an essential process in Human Resource Management as it ensures that a firm has the right number of people in the right place, with the right skills at the right time. Workforce planning often has 5 steps. The first step is the ‘Environment Scan’ which involves managers look at why workforce planning is important, the strategic objectives, the internal and external environment.The second step is ‘Current Workforce Profile’ where managers look at their current profile, current skills and competencies of the workforce, and current strengths and development needs. The third step is the ‘Future Workforce View’ which is when managers look at what future products and services will be provided by the organiz ation, what the future environment will require, what the future workforce supply and demand is, what future skills and competencies are required etc.The fourth step is ‘Closing the Gaps’ is when the business has to see what the key areas of need/action are to move from where the organization is now to where it wants to be. It involves basically filling all the gaps that are needed to be filled in order to have a successful workforce plan. The final step is the ‘Conclusion/Evaluation’ where managers can check what the key outcomes of the workforce plan were, how they can evaluate the strategies in the workforce plan and what the next implementations are of the workforce plan. Enterprise is the largest car rental business in North America.In 2007, it had 728,000 rental cars in use, employing over 65,000 people with an annual turnover of over 4. 5 billion pounds. The car rental market is increasingly competitive and Enterprise continues to expand its range of services to meet customer needs and wants. Enterprise ensures it has the right people and skills to achieve its business aims and objectives. Therefore it is majorly important for Enterprise to hire, train, develop, and promote its staff. The organization uses workforce planning so it can see what its future staffing needs are.Three reasons why Enterprise may use workforce planning are: the business may grow into new markets such as moving into truck rental, it may use new technology which requires new skills e. g. global positioning equipment, or staff may retire or be promoted, leaving gaps which need to be filled. Enterprise is constantly aiming to grow larger and along with looking at its present situation, it needs to plan what the future workforce needs will be. The impact of good workforce planning would be eliminating surprises, no delays, identifying problems early, preventing problems, lower turnover rates and taking advantages of opportunities.If Enterprise didn’t use workforce planning, it would face the opposite of what it actually faces when it plans its workforce efficiently. Workforce planning is very essential and should be implemented by every HR department in an organization. â€Å"Being prepared is better than being surprised. † 2. In a competitive market, what does Enterprise do differently to attract high quality candidates? A competitive market is a market with a large number of buyers and sellers, such that no single buyer or seller is able to influence the price or control any other aspect of the market.Most individuals search for a company that they feel they can be happy to work for. Businesses recruit applicants for various reasons, for example, if it’s a new business, if the business is expanding or if an employee has been dismissed or has resigned thus leaving a vacant post which needs to be filled. Applicants vary. This means that individuals applying for a job will have different personal goals, different t ypes of skills ;amp; qualifications, different personalities, different family backgrounds, different education, different strengths ;amp; weaknesses and so on.There also will be differences between applicants applying for the same job as every human is different, of course. Businesses have to advertise a job and potential applicants will apply for the job with a hope to get selected and fill the vacant post. Since every individual is different, this will mean that some applicants applying for a job will be much better at that particular job than other applicants. Now, every business will want to select the most suitable applicant for a job. The business will select the applicant that they feel will prove to be most profitable.This suggests the obvious reason as to why there is intensive competition between businesses in the same market when it comes to attracting high quality applicants. An applicant who possesses a high level of competencies, experience and other various qualities will prove to be beneficial to one company whilst a threat to a rival. So, businesses try and carry out unique methods of attracting the most suitable candidate for an available job. In order to attract high quality candidates, Enterprise is raising the company profile within UK universities using Campus Brand Managers.These are students or interns who work for Enterprise and act as liaisons for potential applicants. Other activities to attract university applicants include: presentations on the company, relationships with clubs and organizations, attending Careers Fairs, ‘drop-in’ sessions, skills sessions, and mentoring programmes. Students can also visit Enterprise and spend time learning about how it does business and what opportunities it offers. Enterprise offers a good salary and training as part of its benefits. However, the real attraction is the chance of a career rather than just a job.Most employees start out as Management Trainees with the potential to pro gress to Vice President. Applicants would be high attracted upon hearing that ‘most’ employees in Enterprise progress to Vice President. Employees also have opportunities to specialize in specific areas such as finance, human resource management, vehicle acquisition, risk management and many others. This allows individuals to develop their career path as they progress within the company. Also, Enterprise makes every effort to ensure that its workforce is representative to the cultural and ethnic diversity in the wider population.It believes in cultural awareness. This is a positive sign for applicants as nobody wants to face racism and discrimination, and instead look forward to working in a friendly environment where individuals are noticed according to their performance at work, rather than their appearance, age, sex and race. Enterprise has an online recruitment process. This strategy improves the speed and efficiency of the application for both the company and the a pplicant, the website provides lists of jobs available and also provides information about the company culture and values.This allows applicants to get a good idea of whether Enterprise would suit them. An ‘internship’ scheme is available for university students. It gives students an opportunity to work with Enterprise. Students gain valuable experience. They even begin on-the-job training at a branch office and take on the same responsibilities as management trainees and learn about sales, marketing, customer service, business management and administration support. The Enterprise Graduate Management Trainee programme offers graduates a fast-track career path with opportunities for self development and quick progression.In a short time, the graduates can move up to a Management Assistant and then on to Assistant Manager. This form of quick progression is a motivator for many people as everybody wants to work in a place where they can feel valued and where they can reall y exploit their potential to reach the highest rank possible in their career. The opportunity for a successful career also gives employees the incentive to stay in Enterprise in the longer term. Enterprise advertises its vacancies and opportunities across a wide range of media such as newspapers, magazines and online.Advertising a job is very essential for any business as it informs the public and methods such as advertising in newspapers and online can help give this information to a much larger number of people which then means that there will be an opportunity for more and higher quality candidates! To target graduate recruits, Enterprise has developed a website – ‘Come Alive’ which shows potential employees the benefits of career opportunities with Enterprise and provides a medium through which students can also submit their applications.Applicants also like to see current employees’ comments about a company, so the website presents profiles of Enterpr ise employees with their career stories. Upon seeing rapid successful career stories, individuals with potential will feel that Enterprise is the right place for them to develop their career. However, with intense competition for attracting candidates, it should be taken into consideration that there are other large businesses that have adopted a range of innovate ideas.For example, Tesco supermarket advertises on the television and also has a talent plan for internal recruits. Therefore, Enterprise should be aware of the fact that there are other rivals with different methods of attracting individuals. However, Enterprise engages in multiple various methods of attracting suitable candidates which makes it hold a strong position in the competitive market of attracting applicants. 3. What competencies does Enterprise look for when recruiting in order to maintain its high levels of customer service?Competencies are the level of knowledge and skill required to enable a person to achiev e a standard in a job or task. Every job requires a certain level of competencies depending on the position of that post. It is significant that an employee meets with the competencies required by a business as this will allow him/her to benefit the company with his/her knowledge, skills, creativity, ideas and hard work. A business often needs to recruit candidates internally and externally. Internal recruitment is when there is a job vacancy from within the company i. . its internal, while external recruitment is when there is a job vacancy which requires external candidates applying for a post. Enterprise is a business that is seeking rapid growth and expansion; therefore it needs to recruit more external high quality candidates that have the right competencies to work for the business as well as new ideas which can prove positive for the company. Enterprise seeks competencies in its recruits both for an immediate job role and also for development over the longer term to support t he business growth.Human Resource managers in the company use job description and job specification to match job roles with competencies. A job description summarises a job role within an organization and lists the main tasks. A personal specification highlights the characteristics a candidate needs for a post, as well as the desirable qualities the company is looking for. Enterprise combines these two standard documents together by using a skills and competencies framework.Skills/abilities required by Enterprise| Competencies/behaviours needed| Customer service focus| Sees issues/needs from a customer perspective| Persuasiveness| Adapts to suit the audience| Flexibility| Deals with challenges, demonstrates resilience, able to prioritise| Results driven| Creative about getting things done, thrives under pressure, organizes work| Leadership ability| Works cooperatively, takes ownership, seeks leadership| Communication| Plans important conversations, confident and articulate| Table 1. above portrays the skills and competencies that recruits are required to possess. Table 1. 0 shows the competencies which Enterprise looks for when recruiting in order to maintain its high levels of customer service. Enterprise aims at recruiting employees with the above competencies as these make up an efficient worker who can majorly contribute to the business. As the company’s concentration is on expanding its workforce capacity, it will obviously have to set particular competencies which employees will be equired to meet as this will enable Enterprise to grow larger as a whole. The benefits of competencies being met for Enterprise would be: providing customers with the exact service that they need, deals with all types of customers including complaints, coping with changing circumstances, delivering to high standards, growing the leaders and managers of the future, and supporting ;amp; maintaining the professional Enterprise reputation. What would happen if Enterprise di dn’t focus on setting essential competencies when recruiting candidates?Several problems could arise such as lack of communication, demotivation ;amp; alienation, lack of control, poor customer service, bad leadership and management, higher staff turnover, lower revenue etc. This would cause serious repercussions and damage to the business’s brand name. Since Enterprise is a service-orientated business and operates in a highly competitive marketplace, it must deliver high levels of customer service to keep customers satisfied.When the company’s focus is to grow, it needs to make sure that it has customer loyalty; it needs to make sure it has a high market share when entering new markets, and it also needs to try and ‘steal’ customers of other rivals. Therefore, Enterprise’s employees need to have the competencies which it requires as this also helps the business to achieve its aims and objectives. 4. How does Enterprise's strategy of providin g a career path benefit the company? Most people apply for jobs with a hope that the firm will be most suitable for them and that they can progress in the longer term.Enterprise's specialty is that it aims at providing employees with a career rather than just a job. Therefore, it's strategy is to provide a career path for employees. A career path is a flexible line of progression through which an employee moves during their employment with an organization. Such strategy gives employees a sense of direction as well the opportunity to obtain their personal aims and objectives. It gives them an incentive to strive for promotion and success so that they can exploit their full potential and reach self actualization.In Enterprise, most employees start out as Management Trainees with the potential to progress to Vice President/General Manager. Employees also have opportunities to specialize in specific areas such as finance, human resource management, vehicle acquisition, risk management a nd many others. Enterprise's strategy of providing a career path is highly beneficial to the company, as employees that are highly motivated and strongly determined to develop their career path, will deliver high levels of customer service. This will lead to high levels of customer satisfaction which is a key driver of growth for Enterprise.If the company didn’t pay much heed to the needs and wants of its employees, it would start facing problems as staff would feel demotivated and alienated. Enterprise’s well established name as well as its constant aim to grow larger relies heavily on employees delivering highest possible levels of customer service. Employees who feel they are not valued by the business and don’t have the desire to work hard in order to progress along their career, are obviously not going to deliver the high quality service that customers expect from a well reputed business. Unhappy customers would not be very likely to return to the business. Therefore, such an action would only harm the business’s reputation. However, it is not just a career path that determines the motivation of employees but this factor does hold a strong position it terms of motivating them. So, why does providing a career path benefit the company? Because it gives individuals confidence, determination, and an incentive from within, to work hard and progress in their career. Thus resulting in high levels of customer service which will simultaneously satisfy customer needs and wants, which will in turn give the business a good reputation and opportunity for more growth.Word Count: 1,873 words. Bibliography: 1: Refer to the Internet link http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/tesco/recruitment-and-selection/workforce-planning. html It provides the definition of workforce planning. 2: Refer to page 53 in the ‘Recruitment and selection’ at Enterprise Rent-A-Car case study. Workforce definition used from Glossary. 3 Refer to the Internet l ink http://workforceplanningtools. com. au/tools/workforce-planning/5-steps/ which shows the 5 steps of workforce planning. 4 Refer to page 53 in the ‘Recruitment and selection’ case study. Information on Enterprise used from Introduction section. Refer to the Introduction section on page 53 in the case study. Business aims and objectives. 6 Refer to ‘The role of Human Resource Management’ section on page 53 in the case study. It highlights the 3 reasons why Enterprise may use workforce planning. 7 Refer to the Internet link http://www. workforce. com/article/20021024/NEWS01/310249995/why-you-need-workforce-planning which provides information on the impacts of good workforce planning. 8Refer to the link http://www. workforce. com/article/20021024/NEWS01/310249995/why-you-need-workforce-planning on the Internet. A wise quote was adopted from there. Refer to http://www. google. co. uk/webhp? hl=en;amp;tab=iw#hl=en;amp;output=search;amp;sclient=psy-ab;amp;q=wh at%20is%20a%20competitive%20market;amp;oq=;amp;gs_l=;amp;pbx=1;amp;bav=on. 2,or. r_gc. r_pw. r_qf. ;amp;fp=9cc6ce1e3edfb4fe;amp;bpcl=35466521;amp;biw=1366;amp;bih=593;amp;pf=p;amp;pdl=300 on the Internet. It highlights the definition of a competitive market. 10 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. Information on Campus Brand Managers is given. 11 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. Information on liaisons is given. 2 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. Information provided on the activities that Enterprise practices to attract interested applicants. 13 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. It states that Enterprise offers a career rather than just a job. 14 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. It says that trainees have an opportun ity to progress to Vice President. 15 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. It shows the area which Enterprise specializes in. 6 Refer to the ‘Attracting Applicants’ section on page 54 in the case study. It claims that individuals can develop their career path as they progress within the company. 17 Refer to the ‘Recruitment’ section on page 54 in the case study. It mentions that Enterprise has an internship scheme for new recruits. 18 Refer to the ‘Recruitment’ section on page 55 in the case study. It shows how Enterprises advertises its vacancies. 19 Refer to the ‘Recruitment’ section on page 55 in the case study. It mentions that Enterprise has a website – ‘Come alive’ which is to target graduate recruits. 20 Refer to the ‘Recruitment’ section

Starbucks Coffee Company Essay Essay Example

Starbucks Coffee Company Essay Essay Example Starbucks Coffee Company Essay Essay Starbucks Coffee Company Essay Essay Executive Summary 1. Starbucks merchandise isn’t merely about the goods it provides. but the services and the experience of traveling to a starbucks every bit good. 2. Starbucks has two chief terminal user groups. to which Starbucks merchandise has many different facets that are good to them. 3. SWOT internal analysis reveals strengths of trade name image and high criterions and failings in over impregnation and deficiency of diverseness. Externally. Starbucks has chance to spread out and diversify to avoid endangering competition and trust on single merchandises. 4. Porter’s Five Forces analysis shows menaces from high consumer and provider bargaining power. a big sum of replacements and a low opportunity of new rivals although high competition with current rivals. 5. Historically. Starbucks has employed impregnation and consciousness schemes. 6. Current schemes reflect environmental analysis as Starbucks aims to spread out and diversify. every bit good as rise societal consciousness and answerability. 7. Starbucks’ competitory advantage draws from its schemes of distinction. technological promotion and unique atmosphere. Product Description A ; Benefits. Starbucks is an internationally celebrated trade name. with 20. 891 shops in 64 states. The Starbucks merchandise is non merely a scope of drinks and nutrient ; it is the service. the civilization and ambiance and the sustainability that can be expected in all of its shops. Starbucks represents this in their mission statement: to animate and foster the human spirit – one individual. one cup and one vicinity at a clip. The more obvious portion of the merchandise is the java every bit good as other drinks and nutrient. but another important portion of Starbucks merchandise is it’s ends in caring for its community and being an ethical and environmentally friendly corporation. Starbucks’ big market portion can be accounted to specifically aiming two chief end-user groups and providing the merchandise to their demands. Customers both male and female ages 25-40 make up for a monolithic 49 % of Starbucks entire concern. Judging by their age we can presume these consumers are most likely working with greater disposable income. and we can presume working people are frequently busy going and on the spell. These ages are besides typical of people with new households. Another mark audience is immature grownups aged 18-24 who make up 40 % of Starbucks entire concern. Normally people this age are analyzing. going. and bask socializing and hanging out. By and large judging on the age group they will hold less income and if they are pupils they may hold no occupation or merely hold portion clip work. The trade name image of Starbucks plays a strong portion in appealing to consumers. Starbucks’ trade name image symbolises wealth and position. Starbucks utilises this by aiming the working grownup and making trueness to its trade name. Starbucks besides entreaties to immature people as they have a strong trade name image of being. rather merely. cool. Through many of the benefits of Starbucks we can understand how trueness is an of import function in why it’s clients prefer it to other coffeehouse. There are many Starbucks coffeehouse worldwide. and wherever you are in the universe you know what to anticipate when you walk into a Starbucks cafe . Starbucks has a strong sense of consistence throughout its subdivisions. from the bill of fare. to the service and frequently the visual aspect of the cafe . This makes Starbucks a welcoming and a familiar topographic point wherever you are purchasing java. They besides benefit their consumers by being so widely available doing it easy to happen a Starbucks. Consequently. it is good to going and working people who can happen a Starbucks in unfamiliar topographic points. supplying the java and service they know and enjoy. The cafe itself is portion of the service ; clients have the option to sit and remain or takeaway as it suits them. The cafe provides a great meeting topographic point for immature grownups to socialise or analyze and besides benefits grownups who need to work. run into people or acquire something to eat or imbibe during the twenty-four hours. There is free Wi-Fi available which is particularly appealing to immature people for both survey and societal networking every bit good as good to older consumers with work to go to to. Starbucks meets a scope of consumer demands by holding a really big assortment of drinks available. and customisation is a important portion of their entreaty to consumers with 87. 000 different drink combinations. Because they have such a big assortment. they have an option for about anybody and this makes Starbucks more appealing over other java stores. Young grownups have a greater fondness to customisation. as they appreciate holding many picks of different spirits and combinations. Older consumers. particularly those on the spell. frequently know what they want to order ( e. g. trim level white. long black ) but benefit from the consistent bill of fare. which ever has their drink available. Loyalty is gained non merely from the consistence of high quality merchandises and service to the clients but besides from the manner in which Starbucks values the community and environment. Howard Schultz. CEO of Starbucks Coffee summed up what makes Starbucks successful in stating â€Å"we have no patent on anything we do and anything we do can be copied by anyone else. But you can’t copy the bosom and the psyche and the scruples of the company. † Company’s International Strategy Starbucks is clearly a prima java subdivision that has been really successful over the past 30 old ages. with its invariably turning market portion. However. in order to farther develop a company. they must foremost measure their internal and external environment to measure the organisation’s current place. Internal and external appraisal provides an chance for an administration to program. implement and measure their operations. SWOT analysis helps to measure the company’s internal strengths and failings every bit good as their external chances and menaces. Starbucks’ strengths are high quality java beans. strong trade name image. first-class employee direction. power within the industry. and alone scheme. Starbucks is one of the most powerful trade names in the universe ( graded 54th for the world’s most powerful trade names by Forbes ) and is the most powerful trade name in the java industry. This prevents new entrants from deriving market portion and has helped the administration to stay competitory. On the other manus. they have some failings ; one of the chief failings is the fact that the full concern relies on the java industry. If the java industry faces a difficult clip. it will hold a bad influence on Starbucks straight. One of the chief grounds an administration becomes a Multinational Enterprise is to diversify themselves against the hazards and uncertainnesss of the domestic concern rhythm. However. Starbucks has over-saturated the US market with more than 3 quarters of their concern located in the place market. If their place market goes through a recession. this will hold a immense impact on its concern. Besides. their comparatively high java monetary value additions competition with low priced trade names. After measuring the company’s internal strengths and failings. an administration so evaluates its external environments. Starbucks may widen their provider scope such as developing new merchandises. non merely their java but merchandises like wellness and organic drinks. sing there are emerging groups of people seeking well-being merchandises. They could besides spread out their concern to more states particularly developing states such as China and India. Regardless of the fact that China has a strong tea civilization. Starbucks has been really successful. They presently have more than 600 shops in more than 50 metropoliss in China. yet it is merely the beginning. The market portion for Starbucks is still turning nevertheless. compared to past old ages ; it is non making so good. The chief ground for this is because of the new rivals who entered the market. for illustration. launch of McCafe from McDonald’s. Increased competition and rivals resulted in a higher bargaining power of purchasers that lowers the market monetary value for java which made it even harder for a trade name who sell expensive. high quality javas. to vie in the market. Starbucks coffees’ chief ingredients are coffee beans and milk. A rise of java bean and dairy merchandise monetary values. as a consequence of assorted non-government activities. have a strong influence on the company which may ensue in a important bead in their market portion. As mentioned above. Starbucks was successful in China. Though right of first publication jurisprudence in China is vulnerable and trademark violation is a immense job for all companies who are runing in China. Finally. while the net incomes in the US and China remains strong. the net income from the European market has fallen due to a different regional gustatory sensations and java civilization that resulted in a merely recognizable addition in entire gross. Overall. these are Starbucks’ internal and external environments assessed utilizing SWOT analysis. Starbucks should work through their failings and menaces particularly their decreasing client base due to increased rivals. Besides. they should make or develop their competitory advantages through their strengths and chances. Furthermore. another method that helps to measure for the external environment is ‘Porter’s Five Forces Analysis’ . It is a strategic tool that is used to analyze the degree of competition within an industry. There are five phases to measure: bargaining power of purchasers. dickering power of providers. menace of new entrants. menace from replacements. and competition among bing rivals. The dickering power of purchasers is high due to an increasing figure of influential rivals and the fact that there are no or minimum shift costs to other companies. No or minimum shift costs means a client can exchange to its rivals easy and a turning figure of rivals means that there are even higher opportunity of a client shift to other companies. The grade of menaces of new entrants depends much on its location for illustration. markets such as UK and US are already extremely saturated and as such there are limited opportunities of a company come ining the market. Besides. due to the significant sum of fiscal resources associated with edifices and belongings being required to come in the market. the menace of new entrants to the industry to vie with Starbucks is low. The dickering power of providers is besides really high. The universe demand for java is ferocious and java beans are available merely in certain geographical countries such as. Africa. Latin America and some parts of Asia. There are a broad scope of replacement merchandises for Starbucks or their java including tea. soft drinks. H2O. juice and energy drinks. This. combined with an increasing focal point on the negative effects of caffeine from media and among consumers. increases the per centum of consumers exchanging to its replacement merchandises. Besides. there are locational replacements such as saloons and bars where groups of people can garner and pass clip off from their house and work environments. Overall. due to an increased figure and power of its rivals. particularly. McDonald’s ( McCafe ) . Caribou Coffee and Dunkin Donuts. every bit good as many others from little local java stores to big planetary trade names. the competition among bing rivals is really high. Unlike the early 90’s where Starbucks begun to spread out. there are voluminous Numberss of influential rivals in the market all over the universe ensuing in really high competition within the industry. Starbucks needs to work on how to cut down the turning power of its rivals and to derive its market portion in the long-run. Starbucks holds a strong competitory advantage over its challengers chiefly due to its big market portion and powerful trade name image. Through changeless invention and enlargement. Starbucks has maintained a loyal client base and a competitory standing within the market. The company has employed schemes such as diversifying its merchandises. trying to derive a larger market portion internationally. such as in China. developing sustainability. such as the usage of reclaimable cups and accommodating to new methods of selling. including societal media. Starbucks has besides come under examination for some of its selling techniques which include saturating the market and deliberately placing force per unit area on competition. Due to its early entry to the market. Starbucks was able to solidify its place and repute. Starbucks originally built this repute utilizing schemes which were designed to do it the ‘third place’ people spend their clip. along with work and place. This similar scene of comfort set Starbucks apart from its rivals and began the civilization that now represents the company. Starbucks so began saturating countries within the United States. which created an consciousness of the company whilst seting force per unit area on smaller concerns and rivals. As stated. Starbucks came under examination for its practise of purchasing out other concerns and saturating the market. with some shops runing at a loss. in order to set rivals in an unfavorable place. The impregnation of markets. originally in the US and subsequently worldwide. has created a immense consciousness and acquaintance of the Starbucks trade name. The company. therefore. has a really alone scheme ; Starbucks spends less than 1 % of its one-year gross on advertisement. trusting mostly on word of oral cavity advertisement. Comparing this to the fact that its rivals spend enormously on its advertisement on media ( Dunkin Donuts spent more than 83 % of its budget on Television and McDonald’s spent 97 % ) . this is really surprising. Starbucks besides cuts back on it’s advertisement costs through its increasing usage of societal media advertisement. Keeping up with tendencies such as societal media has allowed Starbucks to remain relevant at this lower cost. To exemplify their effectivity in societal media selling: they are the highest downloaded nutrient and drink app. Further technological advantages Starbucks utilizations are cloud controlled java machines and cloud integrated equipment and staff which allow quicker transportations of information and greater informations assemblage. This point of difference creates a competitory advantage that Starbucks uses to keep its dominant place. Furthermore. Starbucks has begun to concentrate on diversifying its merchandises with a heavier focal point on replacements and complementary goods such as tea and nutrient. With tea going progressively popular in the West. this allows Starbucks to hold a lesser trust entirely upon java and creates another point of difference from its rivals. Similarly. Starbucks acquired La Boulange bakeshop in 2012 in order to increase the quality of its nutrient offerings and once more diversify its merchandises to pull a larger client base and diminish its trust upon the java trade. The acceptance of these emerging markets allow Starbucks to non merely make greater offerings and procure its topographic point within them. but besides to go more competitory with challengers where they couldn’t before. An country in which Starbucks has proven to be concentrating on is ethical and environmental duty. This reflects modern consumer involvements and is of greater importance to Starbucks due to its international exposure. In 2013. a reclaimable cup was introduced at $ 1 each. while offering a price reduction on purchased java. This both increased overall gross and created an environmentally responsible image. Harmonizing to a YouGov Omnibus study. taken in January 2013. 28 % of Americans had already bought. or planned to purchase the reclaimable cup. demoing the importance of the move. Starbucks’ focal point on environmentalism reflects the companies focus on bettering its image and its apprehension of the consumer. In order to further this image once more. Starbucks is presently exchanging its java beginnings to fair trade and aims to be 100 % ethically sourced by 2015. As a farther show of its societal consciousness. the company offers its employees an extended scope of benefit s and a wage rate higher than its rivals. which resulted in a high employee trueness. hence. less staff turnover and higher productiveness. Finally. one of the larger challenges that Starbucks had faced was spread outing internationally and providing to different gustatory sensations and civilizations worldwide. The purpose behind Starbucks’ enlargement was to convey the Starbucks experience to the universe. Currently. Starbucks is mostly focused in spread outing in China due to its size and relevancy as an emerging universe power. Here. Starbucks has an advantage of trade name consciousness which AIDSs in set uping a dominant place in China. every bit good as other markets. Keeping up with tendencies in gustatory sensations and engineering besides helps Starbucks expand internationally ; with the outgrowth of the tea imbibing market into which Starbucks is puting and the planetary addition in communicating which Starbucks capitalises upon with its societal media and cloud based ventures. It is of import for Starbucks to go on looking internationally for its concern enlargements due to holding already saturated much of the US and hence to cut down its dependance on the US market and its gustatory sensations. It is clear that Starbucks is able to go on to be competitory offering its premium priced java due to its changeless invention and apprehension of its consumers. Starbucks systematically stays in front of the competition in its technological progresss. enlargement. societal consciousness and merchandise development which makes it recognizable and desirable and reduces said competition in the market. The environment which Starbucks presents creates a willingness in the consumer to pay premium pricing for the service as a whole instead than merely a java. This is finally what has differentiated Starbucks from its rivals and allows it to keep a strong and turning loyal client base where clients will be less inclined to exchange between companies. The Starbucks company itself possesses several times more market portion than any of its rivals and hence have an about monopolized position as an entity in the immense java industry. It is Starbucks’ big competitory advantages which allow them to keep this place. Not merely that. the java giant has been able to prolong its presence for over 40 old ages. This begs the inquiry: is Starbucks able to prolong their competitory advantages in the hereafter? First. what are these competitory advantages? Starbucks puts a batch of focal point. clip and energy into distinguishing itself from the competition. This can be seen in the design of its java stores around the universe. the music played there and the types of merchandises it sells. such as wind CD’s. thermos’ . key ironss and coffee-brewing equipment. It is clear to see that Starbucks sets itself apart with the graphic attending to excellence. This distinction is achieved by the fact that no affair which Starbucks java store you visit the ambiance will be the same. therefore giving the company a position of independence and singularity ; non following any preconceived thoughts. This provides clients with a sense of belongingness which in bend consequences in sustained concern success from trueness of clients. unmatched by rivals. As our modern-day lives are heading towards a faster and more efficient manner. Starbucks makes certain to maintain current on the latest engineering. frequently times open uping the latest in technological and communicating promotions for its concern and clients. far in front of the times for a java store. This laterality in technological communicating is a competitory advantage which non merely allows for quick and sustained acceptance. but besides builds relationships with its client base. For illustration. Starbucks was one of the first companies to follow location-based publicities and nomadic payments. In general. retail shops will put up store in locations based on demographics. locations of rivals. locations of ain shops. traffic forms and so forth. However. alternatively of following the remainder of the sheep. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz had a different thought. Schultz decided that his scheme focused on to a great extent increasing the pes traffic in one specific portion of town. By constellating a specific portion of town with java stores Starbucks rapidly achieved market laterality with this competitory advantage. Starbucks boasts the highest frequence of hebdomadal visiting clients out of any American retail merchant. with over 20 million hebdomadal visitants. Even more so impressive is that the company spends less than 1 % of its one-year grosss on advertisement. against the typical 10 % instead. the Starbucks competitory advantage relies on word of oral cavity. They believe that by making an confidant and welcoming environment in their shops. every bit good as supplying a great cup of java. clients will non merely return. but do the advertisement for them. Starbuck’s. with its clear points of difference. has created a loyal client base which is willing to go on paying premium monetary values for the ‘Starbucks experience’ . As Starbucks’ one-year gross additions have been consistent over the past 10 old ages ( see table 1 ) . from $ 3. 3 billion to $ 13. 29 in 2012. this experience seems greatly successful and as such it is difficult to conceive of these competitory advantage expression and successes being unsustainable for the foreseeable hereafter. Mentions 3 Ways Starbucks Is Innovating and Why You Should Care. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. enterpriser. com/article/229580 Business Strategies. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //thebusinesstrategy. blogspot. co. nz/2013/03/how-has-starbucks-been-so-successful. hypertext markup language Hennessey. R. ( 2012. August 06 ) . 3 Reasons Why Starbucks Still Shines. Despite Market Shortcomings. Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. forbes. com/sites/rachelhennessey/2012/08/06/3-reasons-why-starbucks-still-shines-despite-market-shortcomings/ Many inventions today are associated with companies as opposed to persons. Why is this. and what does it state us? ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //research-methodology. net/ Mission Statement. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 20. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. starbucks. com/about-us/company-informatio n/mission-statement Starbucks – Competitive Analysis. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. slideshare. net/mspinella1016/starbucks-competitive-analysis Starbucks Company Statistics. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 20. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. statisticbrain. com/starbucks-company-statistics/ Starbucks reclaimable cups are a hit. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //today. yougov. com/news/2013/01/08/starbucks-reusable-cups-are-hit/ Starbucks: A Model of Success | TIME. com. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //business. clip. com/2013/08/27/starbucks-a-model-of-success/ Sustained Competitive Advantage of Starbucks. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //unrealist. hubpages. com/hub/Sustained-Competitive-Advantage-of-Starbucks Tice. C. ( 2013. January 17 ) . How Starbucks Will Make Millions Off Its New. Reclaimable Cup. Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. forbes. com/sites/caroltice/2013/01/17/how-starbucks-will-make-millions-off-its-new-reusable-cup/ The World’s Most Powerful Brands. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 21. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. rankingthebrands. com/The-Brand-Rankings. aspx? rankingID=279 A ; nav=category A expression at Starbucks’ selling scheme. ( n. d. ) . Retrieved May 20. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. insidebusiness360. com/index. php/a-look-at-starbucks-marketing-strategy-1425/

The Abortion Debate essays

The Abortion Debate essays The debate on whether abortion is right has remained a longstanding source of contention among members of the various fronts of our society. On one hand, proponents claim of the view that making abortion illegal is a contradiction to the ability by women to enjoy their right to life and freedom of choice as fundamental human rights. Opponents on the other hand however claim of the view that abortion amounts to killing. For them, life begins at conception, making abortion for any reasons an act of killing. All in all, given common consensus among scientists that life begins at conception, and that pregnancy can be a threat to the life of women, abortion should be allowed only in serious cases. In the article, A Defense of Abortion, Thompson argues of eminent insufficiencies in most of the common arguments offered by either side on the abortion debate. First, Thompson argues on the view on the impermissible abortion ,even when such risks the life of the mother as an extreme view. For her, this argument is founded on poorly engaged premises given the fact that it seems to emphasize on the significance of the right to life the fetus with limited consideration to the right to life by the woman. In addition, this argument is limited in establishing a strong case against abortion since it uses the opinion of a third party as the basis for its conclusion. Since, the women owns their bodies, they should enjoy absolute right of defending it any threat posed on it by the unborn and such can involve killing of the unborn. Thompson also follows the view that third parties should not be allowed to help in commissioning an abortion to those mothers that desire one. This is because it fails to acknowledge the eminent inability by mothers to commission abortion without the assistance of a third party. For her, this argument seems to depict the inability by mothers to have priority over their bodies. However, for Thompson, claim to the body is ...

Environmental Determinism Definition

Environmental Determinism Definition Throughout the study of geography, there have been some different approaches to explaining the development of the worlds societies and cultures. One that received much prominence in geographic history but has declined in recent decades of academic study is environmental determinism. Environmental Determinism Environmental determinism is the belief that the environment, most notably its physical factors such as landforms and climate, determines the patterns of human culture and societal development. Environmental determinists believe that ecological, climatic, and geographical factors alone are responsible for human cultures and individual decisions. Also, social conditions have virtually no impact on cultural development. The main argument of environmental determinism states that an areas physical characteristics like climate have a substantial impact on the psychological outlook of its inhabitants. These different outlooks then spread throughout a population and help define the overall behavior and culture of a society. For instance, it was said that areas in the tropics were less developed than higher latitudes because the continuously warm weather there made it easier to survive and thus, people living there did not work as hard to ensure their survival. Another example of environmental determinism would be the theory that island nations have unique cultural traits solely because of their isolation from continental societies. Environmental Determinism and Early Geography Although environmental determinism is a relatively recent approach to formal geographic study, its origins go back to ancient times. Climatic factors, for example, were used by Strabo, Plato, and Aristotle to explain why the Greeks were so much more developed in the early ages than societies in hotter and colder climates. Additionally, Aristotle came up with his climate classification system to explain why people were limited to settlement in certain areas of the globe.​​ Other early scholars also used environmental determinism to explain not only the culture of a society but the reasons behind the physical characteristics of a societys people. Al-Jahiz, a writer from East Africa, for instance, cited environmental factors as the origin of different skin colors. He believed that the darker skin of many Africans and various birds, mammals, and insects was a direct result of the prevalence of black basalt rocks on the Arabian Peninsula. Ibn Khaldun, an Arab sociologist, and scholar was officially known as one of the first environmental determinists. He lived from 1332 to 1406, during which time he wrote a complete world history and explained that the hot climate of Sub-Saharan Africa caused dark human skin.​ Environmental Determinism and Modern Geography Environmental determinism rose to its most prominent stage in modern geography beginning in the late 19th Century when it was revived by the German geographer Friedrich Rtzel and became the central theory in the discipline. Rtzels theory came about following Charles Darwins Origin of Species in 1859 and was heavily influenced by evolutionary biology and the impact a person’s environment has on their cultural evolution. Environmental determinism then became popular in the United States in the early 20th Century when Rtzel’s student, Ellen Churchill Semple, a professor at Clark University in Worchester, Massachusetts, introduced the theory there. Like Rtzel’s initial ideas, Semple’s were also influenced by evolutionary biology. Another one of Rtzel’s students, Ellsworth Huntington, also worked on expanding the theory around the same time as Semple. Huntingtons work though, led to a subset of environmental determinism, called climatic determinism in the early 1900s. His theory stated that the economic development in a country could be predicted based on its distance from the equator. He said temperate climates with short growing seasons stimulate achievement, economic growth, and efficiency. The ease of growing things in the tropics, on the other hand, hindered their advancement. The Decline of Environmental Determinism Despite its success in the early 1900s, environmental determinism’s popularity began to decline in the 1920s as its claims were often found to be wrong. Also, critics claimed it was racist and perpetuated imperialism. Carl Sauer, for instance, began his critiques in 1924 and said that environmental determinism led to premature generalizations about an area’s culture and did not allow for results based on direct observation or other research. As a result of his and others criticisms, geographers developed the theory of environmental possibilism to explain cultural development. Environmental possibilism was set forth by the French geographer Paul Vidal de la Blanche and stated that the environment sets limitations for cultural development, but it does not wholly define culture. Culture is instead defined by the opportunities and decisions that humans make in response to dealing with such limitations. By the 1950s, environmental determinism was almost entirely replaced in geography by environmental possibilism, effectively ending its prominence as the central theory in the discipline. Regardless of its decline, however, environmental determinism was an important component of geographic history as it initially represented an attempt by early geographers to explain the patterns they saw developing across the globe.

Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 Assignment

Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 - Assignment Example Subsequently, in the year 2000, two additional protocols to this convention were adopted. The first among these prohibit the engagement of children in military conflicts; whilst the second precludes child prostitution and pornography, and the sale of children. Hence, an examination of the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, helped me in assessing the rights accorded to the child, by the nations of the international community, against child labor. Despite adopting this convention, child labor is rampant in most of the nations of the world. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which subsequently became the African Union, adopted the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. This transpired in the year 1990. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child is to a major extent, similar to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It bestows an elaborate system of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights upon children. This charter emerged due to the perception of the African Union that the Convention on the Rights of the Child had failed to address several of the economic and socio-cultural issues that were peculiar to African nations. For instance, this charter unequivocally prohibited the recruitment of individuals, whose age was less than 18 years, and the employment of children in begging. Moreover, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child provided protection to refugee and internally displaced children. This source helped me to make an evaluation of the prevalence of rights controlling child labor in Sub-Saharan Africa, where child labor is rampant in its most aggravated form. Although the majority of the nations of African subcontinent, implemented the child laws in their legislation, most of it is restricted to formal labor.

Retail Theatre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Retail Theatre - Essay Example enticing when the front stage, backstage, the script, roles, the setting, the light effects, and the characters all blend together to stage a play with a unique theme (Baron, Harris & Harris, 2001). Retailers have been trying to create theatre environments that involve opportunities for audience participation and interaction. This metaphor has been used by retailers to gain competitive advantage and as a means of differentiation in the highly competitive market place. However, a theatre has a very elite and specific audience whereas the retailers are trying to create a variety of customer responses and reactions. To what extent this metaphor is justified depends on the benefits that both the retailer and the customers derive. Pine and Gilmore point out that the use of ‘theatre’ was not metaphorical. They use theatre in the sense that â€Å"work is theater† not â€Å"work as theater† (Harris, Harris & Baron, 2003). A retail theatre is considered to be a fun experience aimed at creating excitement. There are certain retail themed environments which employ retail theatre concepts to encourage the consumers to animate the theme. Baron, Harris and Harris (2001) discuss about four different theatrical settings and it has been found that many retailers are actually using such settings to enhance the customer experience and encourage customer participation. In theatrical realism the audiences are voyeurs as they feel that they are looking into their own private world and they observe a very personal situation. Many retailers have been trying to implement this concept. Niketown creates a setting in which the physical exercise and sporting environment allow the customer to become engaged in the shopping activity (Sands, Oppewal & Beverland, 2009). Computer retailers such as Apple have also embraced this concept of realistic settings and have benefited in terms of increased sales and positive word of mouth. Warner Brothers, the sports retailer has set up a video screen

French and American Court System Research Paper - 1

French and American Court System - Research Paper Example The American Court System has basically the same degrees of organization with federal and state courts hearing the case when it is first brought up, a Court of Appeals for appeals made from the decision of the federal and state courts and the Supreme Court which has the final say when the case has not been resolved in the Court of Appeals. (American Bar Association, 2006); ( Wasby, 2000) As compared to the United States where the Supreme Court has the final authority on the interpretation of the Federal Constitution and all statutes and regulations created pursuant to it, the authority in France which has the final say on the interpretation of the law is divided into two: the Conseil dÉtat for administrative cases and the Court of Cassation for civil and criminal cases. The Jury System is a court proceeding where sentencing decision makers are people (note that it is more than one person) who may have no or little education in law and a judge as an arbiter/overseer of the proceedings such as in the United States. This is in contrast to other systems such as a Professional Judge which makes use of a career attorney delegated by the state to become a court’s sentencing decision maker. This is the mode among countries such as Japan and the Philippines. Besides from the jury which employs lay persons (lay in the sense that they may have little education in law), there also exists the lay judge where a layperson (singular) serves as the judge. This system can be found in many tribal communities where religion governs and legal codes and education are not yet well established. The jury is supposed to be the protector of the individual’s rights from the decision of the state by having the case presented to peers or equals of the accused who by being peers can understand the motivation or plight of the accused. Presumably, they are to understand the actions of the accused and judge whether the actions were prudent and acceptable to common values of equals in the same society.

Abudhabi Financial Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Abudhabi Financial Market - Essay Example The laws and regulation of the financial market are favorable for investment. The financial market of Abu Dhabi is on the verge of expansion with the proposed establishment of the world financial market in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2013. Executive Summary The operations of the financial markets of Abu Dhabi have been explained in this work. The various sectors, financial institution and companies comprising the financial markets of Abu Dhabi have been identified. The places of the trading in the financial markets, operational performance of the market and the risk associated with the operations of the financial market in Abu Dhabi have been explained. The rational behind the investors’ preference towards Abu Dhabi financial market has been analyzed by the estimation of risk-return trade off. The proposed plans of expansion of the Abu Dhabi financial market have been indicated through this work. The policies of the Abu Dhabi financial market in order to encourage foreign investme nts have been analyzed. Operations The financial market of Abu Dhabi is comprised of companies in the financial industry that includes the banking sector and the insurance sector. There are as many as seventeen banks that operate in the financial market of Abu Dhabi. There are no less than twelve insurance companies in the financial market of Abu Dhabi. ... Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange is the stock exchange of United Arab Emirates that conducts trading of shares and securities of the markets of Abu Dhabi that also includes the financial market of Abu Dhabi. The securities and shares of sixty seven companies in Abu Dhabi are traded in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Apart from the financial sector, the companies listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange also represent the services industry, industrial and hospitality sector, real estate, telecommunication, energy, etc. The various sectors whose stocks are listed in the Abu Dhabi financial market are given below with values in local currency (Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, 2013). The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange was established in the year 2000 for the purpose of trading of shares of the companies in United Arab Emirates. The trading locations of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange are at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujeirah, Al Ain. The Dubai Stock Exchange is a different sock excha nge in United Arab Emirates that trades shares of other public limited companies of UAE. However, some of the stocks listed in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange could also be traded through brokers in the Dubai Stock Exchange. The performance of the stocks of the Abu Dhabi Financial Market for the last one year is represented in the graph given below (BLOOMBERG, 2013). The above graphical representation of the performance of financial market of Abu Dhabi shows that the financial markets have undergone steady growth pattern in the last one year with less fluctuations of the performance of stocks listed in the financial market. The fluctuations or the volatility of the stocks in the financial market has

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification - Essay Example It is also vital to note that Kinko’s Printing Company has a lot to gain in terms of strengthening its foreign base and expanding the market. The Company should also execute its diversification strategy to acquire more competitive power comparative to their main rivals. The company might also desire to adopt a diversification strategy that is either neutral to value or one that leads to the company’s devaluation. The reason behind this is to neutralize the powers of the rivals in connection to market strength or to minimize the employment risk of the managers within the company. It is vital for Kinko’s Printing Company to consider diversification based on the need to improve the compensation of the managers due to the optimistic relation amid the size of the company, compensation and diversification. A Strategy for Diversification of the Company There are various foreign market entry strategies that Kinko’s Printing Company would take into consideration. T he company would opt to have direct exports, indirect exports, contractual agreements, joint venture or having wholly owned subsidiaries in the foreign countries (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010). The company could also opt for licensing other businesses in the foreign nations to run a similar business or even use franchising methods. In this case the best entry mode would to have a joint venture. The main objective of this entry strategy is to distribute risk or share the available technology and to mutually conform to the regulations of the government. The joint venture would specifically concentrate on the technological sector or industry. Some of the main products that would be appropriate for the company to diversify would be 3D printing and 2D printing. The company stands to benefit various synergies such as operational and financial strategies on top of the sales synergies and management strategies. Most importantly, in regard to the operational synergies given that the company falls in the technological sector, the emphasis is found on the need to increase the competitive nature and the marketing strength of the products in the industry. There will be shared costs of operation provided there is full government support in the host nation. The Best Foreign Market for the Company The best foreign market the company should consider diversifying its operation through the joint venture would be South Africa. Doing business in South Africa is indeed favorable for technological firms given the numerous incentives provided by the state. A joint venture in South Africa is possible due to the structures laid down by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Economic Development Department and the Industrial Development Corporation (Paul & Kapoor, 2008). There are numerous government incentives inclusive of the tax breaks and grants which are easily manageable. The main objective is to encourage more private sector participation in the increase of the production capaci ty. In particular, the state incentives are majorly split into three classes: capital expenditure incentives given the desire to acquire and uplift the assets of the company with an aim to create or diversify the productive capacity of the business. Besides, the government offers development and research incentives for such companies as Kinko’s Printing Company that would enable the firm to design and improve the latest products and business processes. Last but

Capital Investment Proposal of Mineral Plc Essay - 8

Capital Investment Proposal of Mineral Plc - Essay Example The objective of this report, therefore, is to consider the soundness of the proposed capital investment from the angles of financial feasibility, country risk of Medco Republic and the foreign exchange risk in undertaking transactions in the currency of Medco Republic as against the British Pounds as the investments the commitment of substantially larger sums by the Company to be recouped over a longer period. The analysis is based on a review of the net cash flows from the project using the recognized capital budgeting evaluation methods of Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR), taking the weighted average cost of capital of the Company of 15% as the hurdle rate and the rate for discounting the present value of future cash flows from the project.Financial Feasibility The financial feasibility of any capital investment proposal can be judged based on the ability of the project to enhance the shareholders’ wealth by contributing positive net cash inflows from the proposed investments. Just any other domestic capital project is being evaluated, for the international investments can also be evaluated by calculating the ‘Net Present Value’ (NPV) future cash flows expected out of the project. The NPV of the project depends on the initial investment or initial cash flow, expected future cash flows and the cost of capital. Based on the comparison of the NPV of the future cash flows with the proposed capital investment the feasibility of the project can be established. While working out the NPV the effect of the factors like Sales creation (additional sales), cannibalization (loss of sales), opportunity cost, transfer pricing and fees and royalties on the future cash flows should be taken into account. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR ) is the other criterion that needs to be carefully looked into while deciding on the capital investment.In the case of the proposed capital investment proposals, the NPV and IRR from the projects have been worked out and exhibited in the Appendix. From the NPV calculations, it is observed that the project has a negative net present value which implies that the project is not acceptable.

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foreign Market Entry and Diversification - Essay Example It is also vital to note that Kinko’s Printing Company has a lot to gain in terms of strengthening its foreign base and expanding the market. The Company should also execute its diversification strategy to acquire more competitive power comparative to their main rivals. The company might also desire to adopt a diversification strategy that is either neutral to value or one that leads to the company’s devaluation. The reason behind this is to neutralize the powers of the rivals in connection to market strength or to minimize the employment risk of the managers within the company. It is vital for Kinko’s Printing Company to consider diversification based on the need to improve the compensation of the managers due to the optimistic relation amid the size of the company, compensation and diversification. A Strategy for Diversification of the Company There are various foreign market entry strategies that Kinko’s Printing Company would take into consideration. T he company would opt to have direct exports, indirect exports, contractual agreements, joint venture or having wholly owned subsidiaries in the foreign countries (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2010). The company could also opt for licensing other businesses in the foreign nations to run a similar business or even use franchising methods. In this case the best entry mode would to have a joint venture. The main objective of this entry strategy is to distribute risk or share the available technology and to mutually conform to the regulations of the government. The joint venture would specifically concentrate on the technological sector or industry. Some of the main products that would be appropriate for the company to diversify would be 3D printing and 2D printing. The company stands to benefit various synergies such as operational and financial strategies on top of the sales synergies and management strategies. Most importantly, in regard to the operational synergies given that the company falls in the technological sector, the emphasis is found on the need to increase the competitive nature and the marketing strength of the products in the industry. There will be shared costs of operation provided there is full government support in the host nation. The Best Foreign Market for the Company The best foreign market the company should consider diversifying its operation through the joint venture would be South Africa. Doing business in South Africa is indeed favorable for technological firms given the numerous incentives provided by the state. A joint venture in South Africa is possible due to the structures laid down by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Economic Development Department and the Industrial Development Corporation (Paul & Kapoor, 2008). There are numerous government incentives inclusive of the tax breaks and grants which are easily manageable. The main objective is to encourage more private sector participation in the increase of the production capaci ty. In particular, the state incentives are majorly split into three classes: capital expenditure incentives given the desire to acquire and uplift the assets of the company with an aim to create or diversify the productive capacity of the business. Besides, the government offers development and research incentives for such companies as Kinko’s Printing Company that would enable the firm to design and improve the latest products and business processes. Last but

Comparing Operating Systems Essay Example for Free

Comparing Operating Systems Essay Operating systems are the programmes that create environment which enable the various programmes to run on a computer. That is why they are also referred to as platforms. The programmes that run on these platforms can range from simple office automation softwares that enable us to do wordprocessing to games and also device drivers. All major companies make their software for multiple platforms. By platform we mean the base environment that enables the communication between the onboard devices like the hard-disk, memory, various ports (input/output) and the functions it will carry out using other programmes that will run in that environment. For example if we look at Microsoft which makes the MS Office software that is used by most personal computers. They make MS Office for not only their own operating system namely Windows but also for MAC and also for UNIX / LINUX. The function of the Operating system is to provide an environment and background on which the other applications will run. This involves the use of Hardware like the display card, network card, sound card, printers, scanners, other input and output devices. The hardware is linked to the computer through ports and communicates with the operating system through special software known as firmware (or drivers as it is commonly known). The most common Operating Systems are: * Windows * MAC * UNIX/LINUX WINDOWS: This is developed by Microsoft and has become a major platform for personal computers around the world. The name Windows was coined for the reason that one can open more than one application at the same time and work on each one independently simply by opening them in different windows. The earlier programmes did not have this capability and it revolutionised the industry. After this popularity, various versions were developed with time and now-a-days, we see the launch of Windows Vista. Before this we had the Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 98 etc. The popularity of Windows has been more so in its marketing strategy in that it has not limited itself to geographical boundaries. As a result of its becoming popular and being the most commonly used operating system also had advantages in terms of support. There were more people who had had experience of using Windows and some were able to even provide expertise and support where more advanced Microsoft support was not available e.g. in the remote areas of Africa and other rural areas. But like its popularity it had other people who liked to know more of the Operating system and who wanted to know more about how it works in the background. This led to a new breed of programmers who liked to tear things apart and learn about the mechanism of the system. These people then found ways of overriding certain functions, disabling certain features and using the system to their own advantage and a term was coined for them to be known as Hackers. Windows has had to deal with this breed of programmers to continue to hold the market and continuously trying to prove that their Operating System is safe and secure. Some of these programmers later on turned to other ways of proving their skills by developing programmes that would install themselves on the system and wreak havoc on the user by destroying the data, playing up with files and hijacking confidential information and sending it to them. These programmes are known as viruses, which like the clinical virus, avoid detection by changing form and then when the opportunity allows, do their bit of destruction. Windows uses the protocol TCP/IP to communicate with other computers. It is also the protocol that is used for communicating with the internet. MAC : This was developed by the makers of Apple Macintosh computers or Apple for short. It has upto now managed to hold a great deal of market share in the USA where it originated and incidentally, Microsoft is also based there. The MAC operating system was developed solely for use in the Apple computers and it was programmed for specific hardware that was on the Apple PCs. Unlike Windows that was developed independent of the hardware, MAC on the other hand remained dependent on the hardware and the various versions that came were designed so as to get the maximum output from the same hardware rather than for other new hardware. This was the reason that AppleMac as it was commonly called failed to capture the global market since people could not afford to buy the hardware and also the level of support was lacking beyond the borders of USA. It did try to market the concept that you need to buy the hardware only once and then just keep upgrading the software but by this time it was too late. Far East especially Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China took on the opportunity and started developing motherboards for PCs for which Microsoft was willing to supply the necessary Operating System. MAC has produced various versions so far and presently we are using MAC OS x10.5 also nicknamed Leopard just like its previous versions which were also named after the big cats. Except for the first one which was named Kodak after the Grizzly bear. Unlike Windows MAC does not have enemies of the likes of Hackers and Virus creators. It does get them but since MAC is not a popular system of the likes of Windows the Hackers and Virus programmers find it not that worthwhile to work on them. However, it does not mean that they are free from it, some people still do it and MAC also has to work around such people each time and new patches are constantly being developed. MAC uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other computers. However, when it needs to go to the internet, it has to have TCP/IP protocol installed. UNIX/LINUX: Unlike the Windows and MAC this is not only an Open Source Operating System but also Freeware. By Open Source we mean that the main code of the programme on which it is based, is not secret or a property of anyone. Earlier when we talked about the Hackers getting into the operating system and disabling certain functions and enabling others to get it to work the way they want, this is exactly what an Open Source system allows one to do. One does not need to have a great deal of knowledge of programming to be able to manipulate the programme and also one does not need to worry about breaking any law by doing so. The inventors of the programme have given a basic programme along with the freehand to do whatever with it and make it work to your specific requirements. By freeware, we mean that the inventors who have created this programme do not want any money for it and it is free for anyone to download and use. Other terms in this context are the Shareware, this means that the programmer will only give you the software to use on a trial basis for a limited time so that you may evaluate it and see if it suits your needs or not. If it does, then after the trial period you may buy the full version thus avoiding any unnecessary cost that you could have incurred if it was not what you wanted. UNIX or LINUX which are both of similar nature though LINUX is the newer version, have another advantage in comparison to Windows and MAC in that, since these are Open source not many viruses or hackers try to disrupt it. However, UNIX is the main programme that hackers use to hack into either Windows or MAC since it allows you to work on the base level of the programme. UNIX also uses the TCP/IP protocol and thus one does not need to install other protocols to connect to the internet. Due to its popularity the LINUX has been taken by Sun Microsystems which is a major IT company based in Germany and they manufacture Sun computer systems. Sun computers use LINUX as their main operating system. When we run LINUX on a normal PC it is called referred to as a LINUX COMPARISON AT A GLANCE Windows MAC UNIX / LINUX * Popular around the world * Support is available even in remote areas * Uses the same protocol that is used to communicate with the internet. * Is very prone to hackers and viruses thus the creators have to constantly develop patches to overcome the threats. * Has more variety of programmes available as compared to other operating systems * Is only popular in the America * Has limited support around the world. * Is more secure than Windows in that it is not prone to hackers and viruses. * Uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other Apple computers but needs the TCP/IP to communicate with the internet. * It is freeware so anyone can use it free of cost. * It is an open source system allowing one to customise it to ones own needs and requirements without fear of any legal liability. * It uses the TCP/IP protocol to communicate thus is compliant with the internet. * Most internet servers still use UNIX as their main operating system