Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Management Accounting Tools And Techniques †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Talk about the Management Accounting Tools And Techniques. Answer: Presentation The board Accounting alludes to the procedure to dissect diverse business expenses and activities for the arrangement of money related reports, records and monetary records with the goal that they can help the administrators in the dynamic procedure for accomplishing the authoritative objectives and destinations (Hilton and Platt 2013). As such, the board bookkeeping is considered as a spine of the bookkeeping arrangement of the business associations. In this circumstance, it is fundamental to specify that the primary point of the executives bookkeeping is to furnish the authoritative supervisors with essential data as this data helps in making corporate worth. In the act of the board bookkeeping, authoritative supervisors utilize various sorts of approaches of the executives representing the extraction of important data for dynamic procedure and every one of these methods are considered as significant apparatuses for the bookkeeping activities of the organizations (Ward 2012). Along these lines, this specific report reveals insight into different present day approaches ofmanagement bookkeeping in the business associations. In addition, this report additionally points in the examination of the appropriateness of different current methods of the executives bookkeeping inside the business associations. In this unique circumstance, it should be referenced that the hierarchical bookkeepers have an essential impact in the presentation and execution of the differentmanagement bookkeeping apparatuses and procedures inside the associations (Parker 2012). This report likewise covers the jobs of bookkeepers in the presentation and execution of the board bookkeeping devices and procedures. Hypothetical Framework Hypothetical Framework is considered as a significant piece of any exploration program as the primary target of this part is to test the important hypotheses related with the point. According to the above conversation, the fundamental point of this examination program is to make an investigation on the different present day procedures of the executives bookkeeping. There are numerous procedures of the executives bookkeeping broadly utilized everywhere throughout the world. Among every one of them, five for the most part utilized administration bookkeeping strategies are Activity Based Costing (ABC), Target Costing, Balance Scorecard, Profitability Analysis, Budgeting and Total Quality Management (TQM) (Drury 2013). In this unique circumstance, it should be referenced that specific similitudes are there among these methodologies of the board bookkeeping alongside specific likenesses. If there should be an occurrence of likenesses, the significant angle is the expansion of proficiency of the business associations. It suggests that the execution of these administration bookkeeping strategies help the organizations in decreasing the all out expense of the organizations by diminishing the operational costs. Planning is a significant present day strategy of the board bookkeeping that helps in the improvement of the income. In particular, every one of these strategies furnish the administration of the organizations with significant business data that guide in the dynamic procedure (Scott 2015). These are the significant likenesses. Simultaneously, there are some significant contrasts among these strategies of the board bookkeeping. Contrasts can be seen between the elements of ABC and target costing. ABC includes in the distinguishing proof of exercises in the associations so cost can be alloted to them with adequate assets and items. Simultaneously, target costing includes in the assurance of life cycle expenses of the items for keeping up the nature of the items (Bobryshev et al. 2014). In this way, it very well may be seen that there are contrasts. Then again, the methodologies of parity scorecard and gainfulness investigation are entirely unexpected from one another. The board of the organizations utilize the strategy of equalization scorecard as an exhibition metric for the recognizable proof and improvement of various interior elements of the organizations so as to get anticipated outside result. Then again, productivity investigation is the way toward examining the money related proportions so the genuin e budgetary presentation of the organizations can be estimated alongside their development rate. In this viewpoint additionally, contrast can be seen between these two methods of the board bookkeeping. From that point onward, it very well may be seen that planning and TQM is two unique strategies of the executives bookkeeping (Bobryshev et al. 2014). Spending alludes to the subjective arrangement utilized by the administration of the organizations for the choice of business exercises in future period. Simultaneously, TQM alludes to the constant procedure to lessen or dispense with various mistakes during the time spent assembling and flexibly chain the board (Hopper and Bui 2016). Thus, the above conversation shows that there are numerous distinctions and likenesses in the previously mentioned present day approaches of the executives bookkeeping. Hence, it is required to break down and assess these strategies alongside their appropriateness. Procedure: Description and Applicability Movement based Costing (ABC) In this specific association, the utilization of ABC can be seen. According to figure 1 in reference section, it very well may be seen that there are five stages during the time spent ABC. The initial step includes in the recognizable proof of cost exercises for the culmination of items. It infers that the principle point of this progression is to get comprehension of the considerable number of exercises required for the assembling the item. The subsequent advance is the task of overhead expenses to the recognized exercises in sync 1 (zkan and Karaibrahimo?lu 2013). Normally, a portion of the significant exercises are acquisition of materials, running expense of machines and others. The third step includes in the recognizable proof of cost drivers for each cost action. Therefore, it is required to assemble cost data. The fourth step includes in the count of foreordained overhead rate for every one of the cost exercises and it should be finished by partitioning the evaluated overhead expenses. As per figure 1, the last advance in ABC is the distribution of overhead expenses (Tsai et al. 2014). Target Costing Alongside ABC, the utilization of target costing can likewise be found in the association. As per figure 2 in supplement, certain means include during the time spent objective costing in the organizations. In the fits step, statistical surveying is led for deciding the need of the clients. From that point onward, in light of the statistical surveying, the ideal selling cost is set for the assurance of target cost (Cooper 2017). Organizations can get target cost by deducting wanted benefit from the selling cost. After the assurance of target cost, the focal point of this procedure goes to the plan and creation of the items. In this procedure, the directors are required to think about the expenses in each degree of assembling process. Ultimately, after the accomplishment of target cost, the assembling and selling process start. It should be referenced that there is a progression of data in each progression of this procedure that helps the administration in the dynamic procedure (Huang et al. 2012). For the materialness of target costing, associations are required to follow every one of these means. Parity Scorecard Parity Scorecard is considered as another significant current methodology of the executives bookkeeping and it is a significant administrative device for observing the exhibition of the organizations. As indicated by figure 3 in informative supplement, four points of view can be found in balance scorecard; they are Financial, Internal Process, Customer and Organizational Capacity. In the money related point of view, authoritative chiefs use to screen the presentation of the organizations dependent on certain monetary boundaries; they are Return on Investment, Net Profit Margin and others (Taylor and Baines 2012). Consequently, accentuation is given on the budgetary data. The following point of view is Internal Process. It is connected with the vision of the organizations and the customization of the items according to the interest of the clients. For this point of view, the supervisors are required to put center around the tasks. The following viewpoint is hierarchical limit that is connected with the productivity and development of the organizations. The last point of view is client viewpoint. For this situation, the administrators of the organizations use to assemble client related data so as to find that whether they are happy with the items and administrations of the organizations or not (Kaplan 2012). Productivity Analysis In the cutting edge period of business, Profitability Analysis is considered as one of the significant devices of the board bookkeeping. It should be referenced that the gainfulness examination of the organizations exclusively dependent on the investigation of different proportions. Various kinds of proportions can be seen; like gainfulness proportions, liquidity proportions, obligation proportions and effectiveness proportions (Dilshad 2013). Proportion examination furnishes the administration of the organizations with various budgetary data required for dynamic procedure. Above all, the authoritative directors become ready to think about the money related aftereffects of the organizations for quite a while with the assistance of these proportions. Another significant perspective is development rate. With the assistance of proportion examination or productivity investigation, hierarchical directors can quantify the development of the business. Hence, from the above conversation, it tends to be seen that the benefit examination furnishes the directors with essential monetary data for better dynamic (Medjoudj, Laifa and Aissani 2012). Financial plan Financial plan is considered as a significant apparatus in the executives bookkeeping. With the assistance of spending plan, the administration of the organizations uses to gauge the money related outcomes and monetary situation of the organizations for future period (Hofstede 2012). As indicated by figure 4 in the addendum, it tends to be seen that there are various sorts of financial plan in the organizations; they are deals spending plan, capital financial plan, SW spending plan, creation financial plan, material financial plan, work financial plan, overhead financial plan

Saturday, August 22, 2020

W2 BA541 Disc Identifying Customers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W2 BA541 Disk Identifying Customers - Essay Example All things considered, the association could be deciphered as more market-driven, as opposed to client situated (Peppers and Rogers, 2010). Interestingly, Johnson and Johnson’s philosophy is essentially expressed as â€Å"the values that control our dynamic are explained in Our Credo. Set forth plainly, Our Credo moves us to put the necessities and prosperity of the individuals we serve first† (Johnson and Johnson, 2014). Clearly, this association is client driven. The impact is in this way showed as far as one’s trust and pledge to disparage the results of Johnson and Johnson’s increasingly through being guaranteed that they put me first in their responsibility of administration. All things considered, despite the fact that these associations are viewed as huge in scale and their volume of clients (as per items and geographic area), both Unilever and Johnson and Johnson could deal with their information as indicated by items and even, geographic area across various nations; yet, much statistical surveying could have been embraced by Johnson and Johnson to guarantee that the necessities, drives, and requests of the clients are thought about during item improvement, propelling, showcasing, and supporting proceeded with support, in a more drawn out time

Monday, July 27, 2020

Seminole War

Seminole War Seminole War, in U.S. history, armed conflict between the U.S. government and the Seminoles. In 1832 the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Seminoles, who lived in Florida, providing for their removal to Oklahoma in 1835 in exchange for a small sum of money. However, opposition to the treaty soon appeared among the Seminoles; under the leadership of the young chief, Osceola , the Seminoles organized small raiding parties that attacked the American troops. The U.S. army was rendered helpless by the raiding tactics of the Native Americans and suffered heavy casualties. Although Osceola was captured in 1837 and died in prison a few months later, resistance continued. When Gen. William J. Worth became (1841) commander of U.S. forces, a new strategy was adopted. The Seminoles' crops were systematically burned and their villages destroyed. As winter approached and starvation was imminent, the Seminoles surrendered. A peace treaty was signed in 1842 and the Seminoles were removed we stward. The war resulted in 1,500 U.S. soldiers killed, and cost more than $20 million. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History

Friday, May 22, 2020

Classical Liberalism And The Enlightenment - 1244 Words

Paper #1: Classical Liberalism Classical liberalism is the transition from focusing on government to focusing on the rights of individuals. This transition came about during the time of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. The Enlightenment period was when man started to have more faith in his own reasoning. People began to look for evidence on their beliefs themselves and to find proof on these beliefs, so that they could come up with their own opinions on things. One way that they did this was by going back and rereading Roman and Greek texts and retranslating these texts. This new way of thinking also caused the Protestant Reformation to occur. Some of the most influential Enlightenment writers were John Locke, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and the people of France’s National Constituent Assembly. John Locke was one of the most influential writers during the Enlightenment period, and was the first â€Å"Enlightenment Thinker†. Locke is the author of the â€Å"Two Treatises† and be lieved that every person was born with â€Å"natural rights† such as: life, liberty, and property (Locke). These rights were meant for everyone, and not just the nobility or wealthy. Locke uses references from the Bible throughout the â€Å"Two Treatises† stating that â€Å"God created man without any state of inferiority† (Locke). This disproves the idea of â€Å"Divine Right† given from God that many countries in Europe had been participating in. John Locke also discussed the importance of â€Å"The Beginning ofShow MoreRelatedThe Intellectual Tradition Of Political Economy1692 Words   |  7 PagesTraditions in Political Economy i) In what significant ways does modern liberalism break from classical liberalism s conceptualization of the market? In your answer, be sure to focus on the principles of classical and modern liberalism, as well as key 20th-century intellectual developments in each tradition. The definitional conceptualization of the five premises of political economy underscores the differences classical and modern liberalism. These premises include human nature, society, government, moralityRead MoreLiberalism, The Political Philosophy On Ideas Of Equality And Liberty1573 Words   |  7 PagesLiberalism Liberalism is the political philosophy on ideas of equality and liberty. Liberalisms focus is on the general ideas of fair elections by the people, civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property. As with all things though, the way the idea of liberalism can viewed differ by each individual person and the trails they have gone through. Liberalism is no exception from this phenomenon and during the nineteenth Century there were many trails changingRead MorePolitical Philosphies of Liberalism726 Words   |  3 PagesLiberalism If we want to speak about liberalism, we have to speak about how liberalism came into the nationals systems of many countries. Liberalism includes a lot of different political philosophies and people have fight for it or against it over time. Nowadays it is criticized but In 1689, John Locke published his book â€Å"Two Treatises on Governments† which established the natural right theory and two fundamental ideas on liberalism: the economic and the intellectual liberty. The natural rightRead MoreLiberalism And Its Impact On International Relations Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Liberalism is more of a dominant philosophy in modern world more concentrating to European and American political system. Liberalism have many variations and many proposal for state. In this essay I will try to discourse different views towards liberalism is viewed. This essay views liberalism in more surficial manner but will try to touch the essential values and norms regarding liberalism. Liberalism is based on human experience and habit absorbed from society. So in same manner in thisRead MoreClassical Liberalism Is A Political Philosophy Originated1594 Words   |  7 PagesClassical Liberalism is a political philosophy originated in the 18th century based on the idea of individual liberty created to preserve an open and accepting, and open-minded society. Classical liberalism is very solemn when advocating for the value of freedom in which emphasizes the importance of religion, speech, press, assembly, and markets which includes free trade market capitalism, and economic libera lism. Up until around the 1900s, this ideology was commonly known as Liberalism, howeverRead MoreThe Theory Of Liberal Ideology1143 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical culture. First off liberalism; liberalism is a way of political worldview by the ideas of liberty and equality. Although in a certain time in our history equality was somewhat of a lie. Slavery, racism, and feminism prove that not every single person on the planet had equal rights. In the 1650’s to 1780’s western Europe had people that were thinking of ways to enlighten the people and bring change to the world they all live in, called the Age of Enlightenment. Mostly philosophers emphasizedRead MoreResistance to Liberalism Essay1177 Words   |  5 PagesHEAD: RESISTANCE TO LIBERALISM The Justification of Resisting Liberalism Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which graduallyRead MoreTo What Extent Does Modern Liberalism Depart from Classical Liberalism1624 Words   |  7 PagesThe classical liberal ideology emerged as a result of the Enlightenment period, which brought about new philosophies, challenging the existing assumptions about the nature of humankind and society. Modern liberalism developed around 1870 as a result of both philosophical and practical changes, including mass industrialisation. Classical liberals argue that modern liberalism has broken the principles of doctrines central to liberal thought whilst modern liberals claim that they are simply adaptingRead MoreLiberalism in French Revolution Through Enlightenment1593 Words   |  7 Pages-UNDER THE IDEA OF ENLIGHTENMENT Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!-Kant Contents ENLIGHTENMENT AS AN IDEA: 3 FRENCH SOCIETY: 3 THE LIBERAL REVOLUTION: 3 CRITICISM ON THE IDEA OF LIBERALISM: 4 CONCLUSION 5 BIBLIOGRAPHY 6 ENLIGHTENMENT AS AN IDEA: â€Å"Enlightenment is mans emergence from his self-imposed nonage†¦ Sapere Aude! Dare to Know! Have the courage to use your own understanding is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.† Immanuel Kant (ColumbiaRead MoreLiberal Ideas Of Equality And The Right Of Law1591 Words   |  7 Pagesradical at their time (Fielding et al. 2009, p. 127). Rising to prominence during the 18th century Enlightenment, liberal ideas has roots in the period of the protestant reformation in the 16th century, with ideas of increased importance and faith in the individual and his rationality in opposition to the central authority of the Catholic Church (Fielding et al., 2009, p. 106). Later, political liberalism was said to be a result of the growing middle class in a period where growing capitalism took the

Friday, May 8, 2020

Perceived Stress and Academic Achievement a Comparative...

Introduction This research is an attempt to examine the perceived level of stress and academic achievement between boarders and day scholars. Increased technology, more competition, and schedule overload affect the quality of student’s performance due to inability to manage their stress levels. College students may neglect their physical and emotional well being due to pressure to perform well in their classes, and lack of time management and stress management practices.Although proper nutrition, physical activity, various coping techniques and practices can enhance academic performance as well as health and well being, education and awareness programs are essential to implementing these practices. For the last five decades the term stress†¦show more content†¦Their study took into account a variety of factors that can diminish a student’s academic performance. Factors such as fraternity and sorority activities, job responsibilities, or having a boyfriend or girlfriend taking away from valuable time. One extraneous variable that was taken into account was that at most universities students involved in activities such as fraternities or sororities, and also athletics, must maintain an acceptable GPA to participate. This factor by itself could attribute to these students GPAs being higher than the average college student. This study did not take into account a main factor that a lot of college students have to deal with, having children and families to care for. Today more and more people are deciding to return to college after being out in the work force. Coming back to college puts high demands on older people, who sometimes have family already. This factor of h aving a family could itself contribute to a lower GPA, but one study looked at this factor of family and found the contrary. What helped these students was the support they found within the University, support such as childcare services, and also courses in how to hone superior studying skills (Hammer, Grigsby, Woods, 1998). One extraneous factor in the study of family and school demands was that most of the students surveyed were only part-time students and therefore not a representative sample of the general college population. There are also a number ofShow MoreRelatedA Study On Need For Mentoring1814 Words   |  8 PagesMYSOREKAR (2012) made a study on Need for mentorship to improve learning in low-performers in which he investigated that failure in academics between undergraduate medical students is because of reasons such as stress, hostel accommodation and language barrier. It was observed that Lifestyle in a hostel likewise were a crucial stress-inducing aspect, from the view that day-scholars undergo the pressure of daily commuting among the university and home. Language problems can easily hamper proper understandingRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesresponsible for the content of third party internet sites. ISBN: 978-0-273-73557-1 (printed) ISBN: 978-0-273-73552-6 (web) All rights reserved. Permission is hereby given for the material in this publication to be reproduced for OHP transparencies and student handouts, without express permission of the Publishers, for educational purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanicalRead MoreService Innovation in Hospitality Industry18482 Words   |  74 Pagesamong them (from a linear model to a netlike model) where it injects Hotel Industry with new vitality. Both competitive advantage s and potential problems that might arise from the service innovation are subsequently discussed. At last, a further analysis is made on the China market in order to show the possibility of that business entering into China. I Acknowledgements Acknowledgements are given to all the people who supported me with the dissertation. First, I am deeply indebted to my supervisorsRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. However, if the purpose is more focused – illustrating the use of ‘ï ¬ ve forces’ analysis – the TUI case study or Illustration 2.3 on The Steel Industry could be used. Some cases are written entirely from published sources but most have been prepared in cooperation with

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Return Midnight Chapter 39 Free Essays

Elena clutched the child to her. Damon had understood, even in his dazed and confused state. Everyone was connected. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 39 or any similar topic only for you Order Now No one was alone. â€Å"And he asked something else. He asked if you would hold me, just like this – if I got sleepy.†Velvety dark eyes searched Elena’s face. â€Å"Would you do that?† Elena tried to keep steady. â€Å"I’l hold you,†she promised. â€Å"And you won’t let go ever?† â€Å"And I won’t let go ever,†Elena told him, because he was a child, and there was no point in frightening him if he had no fear. And because maybe this part of Damon – this smal , innocent part – would have some kind of â€Å"forever.†She had heard that vampires didn’t come back, didn’t reincarnate the way humans did. The vampires in the top Dark Dimension were Still†alive† – adventurers or fortune-seekers, or condemned there as a prison by the Celestial Court. â€Å"I’l hold you,†Elena promised again. â€Å"Forever and ever.† Just then his smal body went into another spasm, and she saw tears on his dark eyelashes, and blood on his lip. But before she could say a word, he added, â€Å"I have more messages. I know them by heart. But† – his eyes begged her forgiveness – â€Å"I have to give them to the others.† What others? Elena thought at first, bewildered. Then she remembered. Stefan and Bonnie. There were other loved ones. â€Å"I can†¦tel them for you,†she said hesitantly, and he gave a tiny smile, his first, just the corner of one lip up. â€Å"He left me a little telepathy, too,†he said. â€Å"I kept it in case I had to cal to you.† Stillfiercely independent, Elena thought. Al she said was, â€Å"You go ahead, then.† â€Å"The first one is for my brother, Stefan.† â€Å"You can tel him in just a moment,†Elena said. She held on to the smal boy in Damon’s soul, knowing that this was the last thing she had left to give him. She could sacrifice a few priceless seconds, so that Stefan and Bonnie could say their own good-byes. She made some sort of enormous adjustment to her real body – her body outside Damon’s mind, and found herself opening her eyes, blinking and trying to focus. She saw Stefan’s face, white and stricken. â€Å"Is he – ?† â€Å"No. But soon. He can hear telepathy, if you think clearly, as if you were speaking. He asked to talk to you.† â€Å"To me?†Stefan bent down slowly and put his cheek against his brother’s. Elena shut her eyes again, guiding him down through the darkness to where one smal light was Stillshining. She felt Stefan’s wonder as he saw her there, Stillholding the little dark-haired boy in her arms. Elena hadn’t realized that through her link to the child, she would be able to hear every word spoken. Or that Damon’s messages would come in the words of a child. The little boy said, â€Å"I guess you think I’m pretty stupid.† Stefan started. He’d never seen or heard the child-Damon before. â€Å"I could never think that,†he said slowly, marveling. â€Å"But it wasn’t much like†¦ him, you know. Like†¦ me.† â€Å"I think,†Stefan said unsteadily, â€Å"that it’s terribly sad – that I never real y knew either of you very well .† â€Å"Please don’t be sad. That’s what he told me to say. That you shouldn’t be sad†¦or afraid. He said it’s a little bit like going to sleep, and a little bit like flying.† â€Å"I’l †¦remember that. And – thank you – big brother.† â€Å"I think that’s al . You know to watch over our girls†¦.†There was another of the terrible spasms that left the child breathless. Stefan spoke quickly. â€Å"Of course. I’l take care of everything. You fly.† Elena could feel the grief slash at Stefan’s heart, but his voice was calm. â€Å"Fly away now, my brother. Fly away.† Elena felt something through the link – Bonnie touching Stefan’s shoulder. He quickly got up so that she could lie down. Bonnie was almost hysterical with sobbing, but she had done a good thing, Elena saw. While Elena had been in her own little world with Damon, Bonnie had taken a dagger and cut off a long lock of Elena’s hair. Then she had cut one of her own strawberry curls, and placed the locks – one wavy and golden, one curling and red-blond – on Damon’s chest. It was al they could do on this flowerless world to honor him, to be with him forever. Elena could hear Bonnie, too, through her link with Damon, but at first al Bonnie could do was sob, â€Å"Damon, please! Oh, please! I didn’t know – I never thought – that anyone would get hurt! You saved my life! And now – oh, please! I can’t say good-bye!† She didn’t understand, Elena thought, that she was talking to a very young child. But Damon had sent the child a message to repeat. â€Å"I’m supposed to tel you good-bye, though.†For the first time the child looked uneasy. â€Å"And – and I’m supposed to tel you ‘I’m sorry,’too. He thought you’d know what that meant and you’d forgive me. But†¦if you don’t†¦I don’t know what wil happen – oh!† Another of the hateful spasms went through the child. Elena held on to him hard, biting her own lip until the blood came; at the same time trying to shield the little boy completely from her own feelings. And deep in Damon’s mind, she saw Bonnie’s expression change, from tearful penance to astonished fear to careful control. As if Bonnie had grown up al in an instant. â€Å"Of course – of course I understand! And I forgive you – but you haven’t done anything wrong. I’m such a sil y girl – I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We don’t think you’re a sil y girl,†the child said, looking vastly relieved. â€Å"But thank you for forgiving me. There’s a special name I’m supposed to cal you, too – but I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He sank back against Elena. â€Å"I guess – I’m†¦getting sleepy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Was it ‘redbird’?†Bonnie asked careful y, and the little boy’s pale face lit up. â€Å"That was it. You knew already. You’re al †¦so nice and so smart. Thank you†¦for making it easy†¦But can I say one more thing?† Elena was about to answer, when abruptly she was jarred completely out of Damon’s mind and back into reality. The Tree had slammed down another spider’s leg set of branches, trapping them and Damon’s body between two circles of wooden bars. Elena had no plans. No idea how to get to the star bal that Damon had died for. Either the Tree was intel igent, or it was wired to have such efficient defenses that it might as well have been. They were lying on the evidence that many, many people had tried for that star bal – and left behind their bones ground to sand. Come to that, she thought, I wonder why it hasn’t gone for us, too – especial y for Bonnie. She’s been in, and then out, and back in again, which I should never have let her do except that we were al thinking about Damon. Why didn’t it go for her again? Stefan was trying to be strong, trying to organize something out of this disaster that was so stunning that Elena herself simply sat. Bonnie was sobbing again, making heart-wrenching sounds. Between both circular sets of bars a wooden network was spreading – too close-knit for even Bonnie to squeeze through. Elena’s group was efficiently separated from anything outside the sand pit, and just as efficiently separated from the star bal . â€Å"The axe!†Stefan cal ed to her. â€Å"Throw me – â€Å" But there was no time. A rootlet had curled around it and was swiftly dragging it into the upper branches. â€Å"Stefan, I’m sorry! I was too slow!† â€Å"It was too fast!†Stefan corrected. Elena held her breath, waiting for the last crash from above, the one that would kil them al . When it didn’t come, she realized something. The Tree was not only intel igent, but sadistic. They were to be trapped here, away from their supplies, to die slowly of thirst and starvation, or to go mad watching the others die. The best that they could hope for was that Stefan would kil both Bonnie and her – but even he would never get out. These wooden branches would come crashing down again and again, as often as the Tree felt necessary, until Stefan’s crushed bones joined the others that had been mil ed to fine sand. That was what did it, the thought of al of them, trapped with Damon, making a mockery of his death. The thing that had been swelling inside Elena for weeks now, at hearing the stories about children who ate their pets, at creatures who delighted in pain, had, with Damon’s sacrifice, final y gotten so big that she could no longer contain it. â€Å"Stefan, Bonnie – don’t touch the branches,†she gasped. â€Å"Make sure you’re not touching any part of the branches.† â€Å"I’m not, love, and Bonnie isn’t either. But why?† â€Å"I can’t keep it in anymore! I have to stand like this – â€Å" â€Å"Elena, no! That spel – â€Å" Elena could no longer think. The hateful demi-light was driving her mad, reminding her of the pinpoint of green in Damon’s pupils, the horrible green light of the Tree. She understood exactly about the Tree’s sadism to her friends†¦and in the corner of her eye she could see a bit of black†¦like a rag dol . Except that it was no dol ; it was Damon. Damon with al of his wild and witty spirit broken. Damon†¦who must be gone from this and al worlds by now. His face was covered with her blood. There was nothing peaceful or dignified about him. There was nothing the Tree had not taken from him. Elena lost her mind. With a scream that peeled raw and bleeding from her backbone and came hoarsely out of her throat, Elena grabbed a branch of the Tree that had kil ed Damon, that had murdered her beloved, and that would murder her and these two others she loved as well. She had no thoughts. She wasn’t capable of thinking. But instinctively she held a high bough of the Tree’s cage and let the fury explode out of her, the fury of murdered love. Wings of Destruction. She felt the Wings arch behind her, like ebony lace and black pearls, and for a moment she felt like a deadly goddess, knowing that this planet would never harbor any life ever again. When the attack flared out, it turned the twilight al around her to matte black. What a fitting color. Damon wil like this, she thought in confusion, and then she remembered again, and it slammed blistering out of her again, the Power to destroy the Tree al over this smal world. It shattered her from the inside but she let it keep coming. No physical pain could compare with what was in her heart, with the pain of losing what she had lost. No physical pain could express how she felt. The huge roots in the ground underneath them were bucking as if there was an earthquake, and then – There was a deafening sound as the trunk of the Great Tree exploded straight upward like a rocket, disintegrating to fine ash as it went. The spider’s-leg bars around them simply disappeared along with the canopy above. Something in Elena’s mind noted that very far away the same destruction was going on, racing to turn branches and leaves into infinitesimal bits of matter that hung in the air like haze. â€Å"The star bal !†Bonnie cried in the eerie silence, anguished. â€Å"Vaporized!†Stefan caught Elena as she sank to her knees, her ethereal black wings fading. â€Å"But we’d never have gotten it anyway. That Tree had been protecting it for thousands of years! Al we’d have gotten would have been a slow death.† Elena had turned back to Damon. She had not been touching the stake that ran through him – in seconds it would be the only remnant of the Tree on this world. She could hardly dare hope that there was a spark of life left in him now, but the child had wanted to speak with her and she would make that possible or die trying. She scarcely felt Stefan’s arms around her. Once again, she plunged into the very depths of Damon’s mind. This time she knew exactly where to go. And there, by a miracle, he was, although obviously in hideous pain. Tears were rol ing down his cheeks and he was trying not to sob. His lips were bitten raw. Her Wings had not been able to destroy the wood inside him – it had already done its poisonous damage – and there was no way to reverse that. â€Å"Oh, no, oh God!†Elena caught the child in her arms. A teardrop fel on her hand. She rocked him, scarcely knowing what she was saying. â€Å"What can I do to help?† â€Å"You’re here again,†he said, and in his voice, she heard the answer. This was al that he wanted. He was a very simple child. â€Å"I’l be here – always. Always. I’m never letting go.† This didn’t have the effect that she wanted. The boy gasped, trying to smile, but was torn with a horrible spasm that almost arched his body out of her arms. And Elena realized that she was turning the inevitable into slow, excruciating torture. â€Å"I’l hold you,†she modified her words for him, â€Å"until you want me to let go. All right?† He nodded. His very voice was breathless with pain. â€Å"Could you – could you let me shut my eyes? Just†¦just for a moment?† Elena knew, as perhaps this child did not, what would happen if she stopped badgering him and let him sleep. But she couldn’t stand to see him suffering any longer, and nothing was real again, and there was no one else in the world for her, and she didn’t even care if doing it this way meant she would fol ow him into death. Careful y steadying her voice, she said, â€Å"Maybe†¦we can both shut our eyes. Not for a long time – no! But†¦just for a moment.† She kept rocking the smal body in her arms. She could Stillfeel a faint pulse of life†¦not a heartbeat, but Still, a pulsing. She knew that he hadn’t shut his eyes yet; that he was Stillfighting the torture. For her. Not for anything else. For her sake only. Putting her lips close to his ear, she whispered, â€Å"Let’s close our eyes together, All right? Let’s close them†¦at the count of three. Is that All right?† There was such relief in his voice and such love. â€Å"Yes. Together. I’m ready. You can count now.† â€Å"One.†Nothing mattered except holding him and keeping herself steady. â€Å"Two. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Elena?† She was startled. Had the child ever said her name before? â€Å"Yes, sweetheart?† â€Å"Elena†¦I†¦love you. Not just because of him. I love you too.† Elena had to hide her face in his hair. â€Å"I love you, too, little one. You’ve always known that, haven’t you?† â€Å"Yes – always.† â€Å"Yes. You’ve always known that. And now†¦we’l close our eyes – for a moment. Three. â€Å" She waited until the last faint movement stopped, and his head fel back, and his eyes were shut and the shadow of suffering was gone. He looked, not peaceful, but simply gentle – and kind, and Elena could see in his face what an adult with Damon’s features and that expression would look like. But now even the smal body was evaporating right out of Elena’s arms. Oh, she was stupid. She’d forgotten to close her eyes with him. She was so dizzy, even though Stefan had stopped the bleeding from her neck. Closing her eyes†¦ maybe she would look as he had. Elena was so glad that he’d gone gently at the end. Maybe the darkness would be kind to her, too. Everything was quiet now. Time to put away her toys and draw the curtains. Time now to get in bed. One last embrace†¦and now her arms were empty. Nothing left to do, nothing left to fight. She’d done her best. And, at least, the child had not been frightened. Time to turn off the light now. Time to shut her own eyes. The darkness was very kind to her, and she went into it gently. How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 39, Essay examples

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Jean Moliere Tartuffe free essay sample

Life career of 17th Cent. French playwright his satirical social comedies, focusing on Tartuffe. The purpose of this research is to examine the life and work of the French playwright Moliere, with special focus on the play Tartuffe. The plan of the research will be to set forth the biographical context in which Molieres work emerged, and then to discuss how Molieres work reflected the culture in which he lived and how that culture influenced and is reflected by his plays, as well as how his unique style of comedic theatre connected with the social environment of the period. Among the most significant features of Molieres work is that it took place by and large in the milieu of the French court. Born in 1622 into the bourgeois family licensed as upholsterers to the king, Moliere abandoned a law career to create an acting troupe in 1643, and he spent the next thirty years as an actor-playwright-manager whose company was either under. We will write a custom essay sample on Jean Moliere Tartuffe or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .

Friday, March 20, 2020

Heroin Use and Abuse essays

Heroin Use and Abuse essays Darren Aronofsky's film Requiem for a Dream follows the lives of 4 people, lost and isolated in their own worlds into the descending spiral of drug addiction. At first, their desire for the drug is a based on a desire to escape from the doldrums of everyday life. An elderly widow uses prescription pain killers in order to clam her nerves, but soon the psychokinetic effects are the focus of her desire, and she slips into a fantasy dream world. A pair of young lovers and their friend starts the journey seeking a bit of fun, which turns into a desire for power, and then an addiction to the ability to escape the devolving conditions of their lives into the drug induced dream. Unlike feel good endings of most of today's modern films, individual vignettes conclude the film, showing each of the four lived helplessly shipwrecked, somewhere in between reality and The effects of powerful drugs such as heroin, or cocaine on the lives of their users lead to self destruction. The powerful chemical interaction between the drugs and the normal neurological activity in the brain render the user unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The result of long term use is the tragic loss of an individual. In 1863 a German merchant named Friedrich Bayer (1825-76) set up a factory in Elberfeld to exploit new chemical procedures for making dyes from coal tar. German coal-tar dye manufacture expanded rapidly, but when price conventions and raw material availability deteriorated, the Bayer Company invested in scientific research to diversify its product range. In 1888, a new substance synthesized by Bayer chemists became the company's Synthetic medicines were something new. In the early years of the nineteenth century, medicines had been prepared using crude natural materials like opium, the dried milky substance derived from poppy seeds. A young German pharmacist called ...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

pKa Definition in Chemistry

pKa Definition in Chemistry If youre working with acids and bases, two familiar values are pH and pKa. Here is the definition of pKa and a look at how it relates to acid strength. pKa Definition pKa is the negative base-10 logarithm of the acid dissociation constant (Ka) of a solution.pKa -log10KaThe lower the pKa value, the stronger the acid. For example, the pKa of acetic acid is 4.8, while the pKa of lactic acid is 3.8. Using the pKa values, one can see lactic acid is a stronger acid than acetic acid. The reason pKa is used is because it describes acid dissociation using small decimal numbers. The same type of information may be obtained from Ka values, but they are typically extremely small numbers given in scientific notation that are hard for most people to understand. Key Takeaways: pKa Definition The pKa value is one method used to indicate the strength of an acid.pKa is the negative log of the acid dissociation constant or Ka value.A lower pKa value indicates a stronger acid. That is, the lower value indicates the acid more fully dissociates in water. pKa and Buffer Capacity In addition to using pKa to gauge the strength of an acid, it may be used to select buffers. This is possible because of the relationship between pKa and pH: pH pKa log10([A-]/[AH]) Where the square brackets are used to indicate the concentrations of the acid and its conjugate base. The equation may be rewritten as: Ka/[H] [A-]/[AH] This shows that pKa and pH are equal when half of the acid has dissociated. The buffering capacity of a species or its ability to maintain pH of a solution is highest when the pKa and pH values are close. So, when selecting a buffer, the best choice is the one that has a pKa value close to the target pH of the chemical solution.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

ED Clinical Pathways Improvement Evaluation in Saudi Arabia Research Proposal

ED Clinical Pathways Improvement Evaluation in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example t the medical field in equal measures as the field of information communication and technology, as it continually undertakes research studies and development in order to improve service delivery that is aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with chronic illnesses and shorten the healing process of patients with treatable diseases and injuries. One such example that demonstrates how practitioners in the medical field work towards improving their service delivery is the through the clinical pathways, which is described by Poirrier and Oberleitner (1999) as â€Å"one of the main tools that are normally used in the healthcare sector to manage the quality of service delivery through standardization of medical care procedure and/ or processes.† With reference to the writings by Sorensen and Iedema (2011), clinical pathways have been referred to as medical guidelines of which when there are implemented in healthcare set-ups they normally lead to a reduction in the level of variability in clinical practices and they are capable of improving the quality of health, and hence the outcomes on patients’ recovery process. Snyder and Gauthier (2008) wrote that considering these pathways are developed and agreed upon by medical practitioners it means that they are able to promote organized and efficient healthcare practices that are based on evidence and validated outcomes. Lastly, Howick (2011) wrote that clinical pathways have been lauded for the fact that they optimize the outcomes in home care settings and even in acute care. It is important to note that normally these clinical pathways normally undergo periodic improvements or updates which most of the time reflect the advancements in the ICT sector, and they are normall y designed to improve the quality of healthcare and the outcomes of the recovery process. This present paper seeks to propose a study that is focused on investigating the extent to which physicians and nurses who have been trained on the

Sunday, February 2, 2020

China in the World Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

China in the World Economics - Essay Example This is because China holds the key to regional cooperation and integration in East Asia. Thus, facilitating the projection of the EU's soft power to East Asia could become a priority for the new EU member states. The policy of the EU towards China is a multilevel engagement policy. Furthermore, it is a mixture of bilateral and multilateral approaches.2 This partnership is not strategic in the military sense. Yet, the issue of the lifting of the European arms embargo against China indicates that hard security issues have entered EU-China affairs. The Premier of the State Council of the PR China, Wen Jiabao, has coined the term 'comprehensive strategic partnership'. Wen defines the term in the following way: "By "comprehensive", it means that the cooperation should be all-dimensional, wide-ranging and multi-layered. It covers economic, scientific, technological, political and cultural fields, contains both bilateral and multilateral levels, and is conducted by both governments and non-governmental groups. By "strategic", it means that the cooperation should be long-term and stable, bearing on the larger picture of China-EU relations. It transcends the differences in ideology and social system a nd is not subjected to the impacts of individual events that occur from time to time. By "partnership", it means that the cooperation should be equal-footed, mutually beneficial and win-win. ... Politically, they share much in common as both belief in multilateralism, pursue democracy in international relations and work for safeguard the authority of the United Nations. China's integration into the global economy will further accelerate with its recent accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Numerous key sectors of China's burgeoning economy, such as banking and finance, are being forced to open up and liberalize, regardless of whether they are prepared. Beyond economics, China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, possesses intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, and has become gradually more active in a host of regional and multilateral organizations. There is considerable debate about the size of China's economy relative to that of other economies. The value of Chinese exports has increased rapidly in recent years, and it is now the world's third largest goods exporter after the US and the EU.4 The total value of China's goods exports in 2005 was $762 billion, nearly 10% of the world total, compared with $593 billion in 2004, an increase of 28.4%. It has also become the world's largest importer, with goods imports valued at $660 billion, or 8.2% of the world total. China's trade in goods surplus was $102 billion for the whole of 2005 (4.6% of GDP), more than triple the previous year's surplus of $32 billion (1.7% of GDP).5 In spite of all such impressive figures, development is certainly not peaceful in China at present and the dangers inherent in political and economic decentralization are many. China's rapid economic growth, its increasing competitiveness and its growing goods exports have raised concerns in the EU and the US.Ã ‚  

Saturday, January 25, 2020

LOreal International Strategy

LOreal International Strategy The cosmetic industry can be analysed using Porters five forces framework, by identifying threats of New Entrants, Industry Competitors Suppliers, Substitutes and Buyers. According to Euromonitor International (2008), the threat of new entrants into the cosmetic markets is low, considering that majority of the market is already owned by leading companies such as LOreal, Unilever, Proctor and Gamble (Appendix 4). Hence, it would be extremely difficult for a new firm to establish their brand name, due to the intensity of competition. Since there are few differentials between products, and due to strategic objective of growth by business rivalry is high. Porter (2004) Therefore it can be argued the American barrier to entry into the industry is fairly low, which is a key driver for globalisation. However if a new firm is unable to compete there is the possibility of business failure or threat of being acquired by leading manufactures. Due to the industry leaders acquiring a variety of cosmetics, hair and beauty companies, consumers have the option of an array of substitute products; as a result this lowers the industry attractiveness and sets a limit on price levels. However in order to overcome the issues LOreal have established a prestigious brand image based on quality and allowing them to higher price compared to their competitors. This allows the bargaining power of buyers to be greater, since there are many sellers in the industry and fewer dominant buyers. The bargaining power of supplier is currently low, since majority of the establish firms do not require dependence on suppliers to supply cosmetic products. Porter (2004) Therefore in order to identify LOreals position with in the industry a SWOT analysis has been conducted, (Appendix 2). LOreal, How it Began The French company LOreal started in 1909, with production of worlds first hair colour product. The products were first sold in Parisian hair salons, using very tight production, sales and marketing strategy and by 1912 the products were distributed in other European regions such as Italy and the Netherlands (LOreal: 2010). According to LOreal (2010), in order first build on their brand portfolio, the company had acquired a number of French companies such as Lancome and Garnier, thereby diversifying into other markets, such as upscale perfumes and cosmetics. The acquisitions had allowed LOreal to increase their range of products among mass distributors and by 1970 eighty percent of company sales were coming from France, (Cardona: 2000). Hence the company became Frances leading beauty company, however the international presence was still little and the concept of expensive Parisian products by consumers limited LOreal ability to expand into international markets. According to Cardona (2000), LOreal first entered the American Market in 1954 by forming a licensee with the cosmetics and hair product company Cosmair Inc. Licensing as method of entry into the market involves LOreal granting rights under contract to intangible property. This had LOreal at began by distributing their products to U.S. beauty salons, however the company presence was still small due to the company brands being managed individually. Hence, without a licence it could have proven difficult for LOreal to enter the market, consider that there product was unfamiliar to the American market. Also this had allowed LOreal to understand the American market, the buyer behaviour and level of competition. However, According to Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) the disadvantage of this method is it forces LOreal to depend on the skills, abilities and resources of the licensee as the source of revenue. However it is further argued by Cardona (2000), that LOreal acquired Cosmair Inc in 1994, which enabled the company to further strategise its influence in the American market and acquire cosmetics company Maybelline in 1996. According to Ono (1995) Maybelline was Americas third largest cosmetics company, sold mostly in supermarkets, cosmetic speciality stores and mass market discount stores. LOreal believed by improving the Maybellines products, marketing and brand image would give the products huge international potential. According to Edmondson et al (1999), this gave LOreal entry into the younger consumer base from the affluent European consumer base, due to its strong American brand image. Maybelline was a cheaper product, carried a wider distribution network and a wider product range which appealed to a vast number of ethnic consumers in America and outside. As a result, LOreals sales from Maybelline outside the United States had grown by fifty percent (Edmondson: 1999). The acq uisition of these businesses gave LOreal a seventeen percent share of the $2.3 billion U.S. cosmetics industry, (Ono: 1995). Therefore it can be argued the mode of entry into the market soon developed into strategic acquisitions, in order to pursue the strategy of growth and internationalisation. This method according to Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989), allows LOreal spread risk and reduce the level of competition since rivals are take over. This has also given LOreal greater market share for horizontal integration within the industry and thus allowing them to charge higher price for their products. However Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) further argue this mode of entry can often cause clash in cultures, which is discuss further in this report. According to LOreal (2010), during 1980s the company had purchased stakes in two additional American companies, the cosmetics maker Helena Rubinstein and Ralph Lauren Fragrances. Both firms were later fully acquired in 1988 and 1990. Weil (2006) argues, even though Helena Rubinstein had lost most of their product appeal among American consumers, LOreal believed with effective merchandising and a complete re-launch of the brand, the products would be successful in the U.S. Market. This was due to the brand having a good position in other regions such as Europe and Asia, where Helena Rubinstein products were considered upscale, according to Weil (2006). On the other hand, the acquisition of Ralph Lauren Fragrances was completed in order to strengthen LOreals luxury products division, which possessed a smaller mass market fragrances brand (LOreal: 2010). Due to Ralph Lauren established brand image and excellent distribution networks with stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, it had allowed LOreal to enter a younger consumer market. It had been identified that the key acquisition for LOreal in order to increase their global presence was through the purchase of Kiehls, in 2000. According to Anon (2000), Kiehls was a important addition to LOreals luxury product division, offering a diverse range of specialised products for the high cost segment of the market from perfumes, skin, body and hair care. Thus by acquiring Kiehls, LOreals was able to increase their product range and influence on American society. Considering that LOreal had expensive multi-million pound advertising campaigns, Kiehls did not require such advertising due to exclusivity of the products at the time and its recognition among famous individuals (Anon: 2000). This had allowed LOreal to grow, with the company revenue increasing yearly, (LOreal: 2009). Therefore the acquisitions of such major U.S. companies allowed LOreal to increase its global presence and enter new emerging markets. Also the company has been able to develop an effective internal organisation, which is split into Consumer Products, Professional Products and Luxury Products. Due to these factors approximately twenty to twenty five percent of the company annual revenue comes from the United States (Cardona: 2000). Diversifying into Other Markets LOreal had acquired the professional hair product company Redken in 1993. This acquisition had allowed LOreal improve the structure of their hair product division, due to Redkens extensive distribution networks (LOreal: 2010). Hence LOreal had reassessed the company hair care division to focus on the sales to salons and hairdressers. Compared to the European market where luxury hair products were sold in department stores, in the U.S. luxury hair products were primarily sold in hair salons and speciality beauty supply stores. According to Nichol (2010), LOreal was able to increase their revenue, since sales from salons carried a higher profit margin compared to mass market hair products. Hence, LOreals sales from the professional hair care division had provided one third of the companys sales from hair care (LOreal: 2010). According to Morais (2000), in 1998 and 2000, LOreal had made a combined strategic acquisition of the companies Soft Sheen and Carson, in order to enter the ethnic hair care market. Soft sheen was one of the leading American ethnic hair care products and Carson had an eighty two percent share of the U.S ethnic hair care market. Rhea (1997) argues in particular the acquisition of Carson had helped LOreal to entire the South African market which was worth an estimated market value of one billion dollars, due to the establish presence Carson had already developed. LOreal had saw the entrance into the American market particularly important, since African Americans represent 12.85% of the American population (Appendix 1) and accounted for thirty percent of the total U.S. hair care expenditure, totalling $1.2 billion in 1997 (Morais: 2000). The purchase of the companies allowed LOreal to increase their distribution channels further, since majority of sales come from wholesales such as Costco and beauty shops. According to Morais (2000), the market is fragmented, and mostly responsive to word of mouth, hence does not require much advertising or promotions. From the analysis it can be identified that LOreal has followed the Uppsala Model (Appendix 6) in the process of internationalisation. The model illustrates the gradual international expansion of the company by the four stages. In stage one; it was LOreals objective to first build a presence in the American market through a licensee with Cosmair rather than make a large foreign direct investment. This allowed the company to develop market knowledge in order to control the international expansion within the American market. Therefore this method of entry was the most idyllic approach for LOreal, since according to Forsgren (2002) business will enter a new market using the lowest possible resource commitment and expand from there on to establish the firm. As a result, LOreal was able to control the level of risk and eventually increase resource commitment. In Stage two, LOreal had exported their products through independent representatives in America through regional middlemen. In the third stage, LOreal had made establishment of sales subsidiary through Helena Rubinstein and Ralph Lauren Fragrances. According to Forsgren (2002), in this stage LOreal is able to collect about market conditions, leading to a more wide market experience and give greater information regarding factors of language, culture and political system. In stage four LOreal had established a foreign production facility in the American market. Intensity of Competition for LOreal As seen on Appendix 4 the level of competition in the cosmetic industry is high however due to LOreal strategic international strategy the company has been able to be the industry leader. This was accomplished due to LOreal developing brands in different market segments and vast distribution channels in mass market, hair salon products, pharmacies and department stores, (LOreal: 2009). Due to the companys operations in different markets, LOreal experiences a high number of challenges from competitors in different markets. According to Drier (2004) in the consumer cosmetics division, the main competitors for LOreal are Proctor Gamble, Revlon and Unilever. Similar to LOreal, Proctor Gamble had established brands in health, beauty as well as household care. The company become a major competitor for LOreal due to the companys acquisition of Clairol in 2001, Gillette in 2005 and majority stake in hair care brand Wella in 2003. Hence, Proctor and Gamble was one of the leading cosmetics businesses in the United States, where it had a seventy percent share of the American market from its hair colour brand Clairol (Drier: 2004). Hence a key globalisation driver for LOreal was to enter the hair care market, which was accomplished by the acquisition of Redken and rather than mass-market LOreal concentrated on specialised hair salons. In addition, Unilever had also streamlined their brand portfolio, by developing similar strategies to that of LOreal and Proctor and Gamble. The company had developed a competitive advantage by identifying potential acquisitions. For example, the purchase of American business Chesebrough-Pond, allowed Unilever to become one of the world leaders in personal care and cosmetics, (Anon: 1997). Therefore in order to compete, LOreal has developed their competitive advantage by positioning the business above the drug store cosmetic brands such as Revlon. Their marketing strategy has allowed them to establish a prestigious brand name; LOreal has been able to charge high prices. According Trout and Rivkin (2009), in order for companies to charge higher prices, the products should offer prestige, thus consumers will pay a little more for the perceived value. Hence, by putting a particular emphasis on their packaging and advertising campaigns using celebrity models, the company has perceived the brand as elegant among consumers, (LOreal: 2010). It can also be argued that LOreals factor of success in the industry is due to being able to develop a comparative advantage over competitors by making a powerful commitment to research and development. According to (La Roche-Posay: 2005), the company had invested $612 million on research in 2005, which was three percent in turnover compared to the industry average. As a result LOreal was able to significantly reduce production costs and the purchasing cost of goods for the company fell to nineteen percent of sales compared to there rivals Wella, who had cost of twenty five percent, (Morais: 2000). Therefore it can be argued that LOreal competitive strategy falls into Porters Differentiation strategy as seen on Appendix 7. This is due to LOreals high research and development costs and acquisitions of companies such as Soft Sheen which involves producing a range of products that meets the specific needs of the consumer segments. Thus by creating uniqueness and developing a prestigious brand image, LOreal is able to charge high prices for their products compared to the competitors. According to Porter (2004), this lowers the sensitivity to price of the brand loyal customers and can also act as a, entry barrier for new firms. It is further argue that, this strategy could generate higher revenue than the low cost strategy, due to the development of high barrier to entry and therefore making it difficult for new businesses to enter. However, the higher price is likely to result in a lower volume of sales and thus one strategy will not necessarily mean high profit than the other. It is argued by Kim et al (2005), the competition based strategy of Porter is not sufficient to sustain high business performance and firms should develop new growth opportunities through value innovation. In order for value innovation to be created for both the company and buyer, the company must discover unused areas of the market and create the new demand. Thereby focus is shifted towards innovation rather than competition. LOreals Organisational Structure It can be identified from Appendix 3 that LOreal has incorporated a matrix organisational structure. According to Bartlett and Ghoshal (1990), matrix structures tend to be complex and combines two or more organisational responsibilities. For example, the CEO of LOreal is placed at the Head office located in France, with the top regional leaders reporting directly to the CEO. The responsibility of the division executives is to manage the brand strategy, global brand sales, profitability and marketing. The Region Managers (i.e. Asia, U.S.A, Africa and Europe) are responsible for the sales in their region and executing sales strategies. The strategies are developed by brand teams based in their respective region; and brand teams work closely with their division executives in order to implement effective marketing strategies within the region. Hence, in order to maintain an effective level of communication, managers of each country often keep close relationship with the general managers of each brand to identify needs of the specific country. In return, the general mangers provide information on marketing strategies for their region and product development ideas, which then requires co-operation with Research Development. Cogmap, (2009) However, Bartlett and Ghoshal (1990) argue a matrix structure can prove to be unmanageable in the international context, since multiple reporting often leads to confusion and creates overlapping responsibilities. As a result distance is created between language, culture and time. LOreal have avoid such problems by keeping a strong central oversight over executives of each division, since it then allows LOreal to identify whether each executive is effectively managing the division and the responsible regional mangers, to ensure there is no redundant work or conflicting interests. Therefore the implementation of the matrix structure has allowed LOreal to save costs, as fewer people are required due to employees sharing information between different projects. In addition, resource sharing saves time and costs, since those employees engaging in different projects often share related information. Hence it has been identified by Appendix 3, that LOreals executives work on more than one project at a time and keep a regular flow of information about the progress of the company, this has made the company stronger since different departments are working together and not against each other. Cultural Issues for LOreal It has been identified that LOreal had experienced number of cultural issues, due to their international strategy to become a global brand. When LOreal had decided to enter the American market through licensee with Cosmair in 1954, the company had faced cultural differences. According to Sharma (2010), compared to the European Market, in the American market LOreal was required to have business relationship with local middlemen rather than national distributors in order to distribute product to salons. This had become significantly difficult for the company, since LOreals presence within the U.S. market was limited, such relationships was hard to acquire. In addition, American salons were also unfamiliar with the quality of the products and disagreed on selling such goods. To resolve the issue, LOreals primary goal was now to increase there global presence and was accomplished by strategic international expansion and by taking the company public in 1963. According to Sharma (2010) LOreals strategy was to sell cosmetics through different channels of distribution; which in turn affected the macro economic levels of sales. The four types of distribution channels from professional salon hair specialists, beauty advisors, medically trained advisors in pharmacies and self service department stores allowed LOreal to develop their international presence and acquire a competitive advantage over competitors. Political Risks However, LOreal had now once faced issues while operating in Europe. After the company had become a publicly traded company in 1963, LOreal was under threat of state control by the French government and feared that the company strategies for international growth would be jeopardised. Hence, LOreal took steps to internationalise the ownership structure, in order to prevent the government control by selling fifty percent of LOreal stock to french personal care manufacturer Gesparal and keeping other half of the company publicly traded (Moodie: 2004). According to Balassa (1985), the reason for the French government to take ownership was due to threat from international companies. Therefore the French political system considered that it could provide security to the French communities trade by subsidising and directing publicly owned companies. Since, LOreal had become publicly traded in 1963 the company was prone to come under state influence. Using Yips model (Appendix 8), it can be identified one of the key globalisation drivers for LOreal to enter the cosmetics market is growth of global and regional channels. This is a key market driver, since it has allowed the company to develop their distribution channels worldwide. By entering the American market and acquiring ready established brands, LOreal was able to access the acquired companys resources. Another market driver can be identified from Appendix 1, which indicates that America has an aging population, therefore demand for LOreals anti-aging products have increased. These products success were a result of the companys extensive investment in research and development. It has been identified that global acquisitions by consumer product companies also acted as a competitive driver. Since, the existence of various global competitors had indicated that the industry is good for globalisation; where global competitors have the cost advantage over local businesses, accordi ng to Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989). One of the key reasons for LOreals globalisation development is due to the lowering of trade and investment policies internationally, where GATT (General Agreement of Tariff and Trade) have made free trade agreements between participating countries. According to Hill (2007), this can also benefit the countries that do not have a large amount of sources to utilise their resources and hence encourage foreign direct investment companies to invest.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Discrimination of black people and white people Essay

This story, Black Boy is a great book that describes how the author, Richard Wright, suffered in the South of the United States during the time when there was still a lot of discrimination throughout the country. Since the author explained many of his horrible experiences in the past, this book cannot be written in a thin book. This thick book is full of his great experiences that wanted to be read by many people in the world in order to let everybody know the disasters of racism. This racism affected Richard Write a lot and he had to adapt to the environment that he was in, although he didn’t know how he should act in front of white people in the beginning of the story. There are not many examples in the beginning of the story since Richard was a little boy, and he still didn’t know about racism. He did know that something was different between black and whites, but he wasn’t able to understand it since he was too young. He even talks to himself in Pg. 49 that â€Å"I had heard that colored people were killed and beaten, but so far it all had seemed remote. There was, of course, a vague uneasiness about it all, but I would be able to handle that when I came to it. It would be simple. If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first. † After this, he realized the harshness of racism around his society when Uncle Hoskins got shot by a white man when he was at the saloon. And the reason is just because a black man was earning a lot of money and the white man became jealous. Also after this scene, there is an another example in Pg. 172 where he met his classmate, Ned Greenley who had lost his brother since the whites shot him for a specific reason. Ned said, â€Å"Th-they said he was fooling with a white prostitute there in the hotel. † Richard was shocked since he could be in those kinds of situations at any time. Richards starts to think of really going to North soon as possible now. In Chapter nine, there is a scene that is really harsh where Richard sees it, but could do nothing. This scene is at the clothing store for black people where Richard worked. The black employees were treated like slaves in the store; the white owners would push, kick, or slap the blacks. Although Richard saw this scene many times, he never got used to it. Another big thing is the time when Richard sees a black woman getting raped by two white men. This is a part from the book that describes how evil this time of period was. On Pg. 179, it says, â€Å"White people passed and looked on without expression. A white policeman watched from the corner, twirling his night stick; but he made no move. I watched out of the corner of my eyes, but I never slackened the strokes of my chamois upon the brass. After a moment or two I heard shrill screams coming from the rear room of the store; later the woman stumbled out, bleeding, crying, holding her stomach, her clothing torn. When she reached the sidewalk, the policeman met her, grabbed her, accused her of being drunk, called a patrol wagon and carted her away. † When I read this scene, it really hurt my heart. I couldn’t believe that the police didn’t do anything at all and although the policeman knew that the black woman was raped, he accused her of being drunken. Richard could have thought of saving the woman, but if he did something to the whites, he could be killed. Therefore, Richard wasn’t able to do anything. All he could do was to feel sorry for the lady. This doesn’t mean that Richard didn’t worry about the woman, it was the way how he had to act in the South. After Richard realizes the social cycle between the whites and the blacks at his work place, he sacrifices his morals to save more money. He begins to bootleg liquor to sell to white prostitutes in the hotel that he worked at. After that, he involves in a ring for scamming tickets. Then, he quickly amasses enough money to move out to the North. Although Richard was working earnest, he quits it because it was very hard to collect money if he had worked earnestly. Since Richard Write had an experience that he does not want to experience anymore, he was able to write this book, which would tell all the readers that discrimination or racism is not a good thing to do. He explained how he had to act as a black man; if he didn’t act like a black man, he might have not gotten the chance of writing this book. Richard Write had explained how blacks should act as a black, and although many horrible things were occurring around him, he wasn’t able to change it since he was just a black man. I feel that Richard really wanted to resist against the white men but if he did, he knew that he was going to be dead. Although in the beginning of the story, he said that, â€Å"If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first†, as a result he wasn’t able to disobey the whites because he was scared of death. Since he was able to adapt to the society that he was in, he was able to earn money and was able to go to the North to have a better life.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Authority in Portnoys Complaint by Philip Roth Essay

Aristotle said, We are what we repeatedly do. In the case of Alexander Portnoy he was doomed to repeat his mistakes and continue to feel the guilt lain upon him at every turn by his parents, his lovers and himself. Their overpowering nature kept him a perpetual child and his efforts to seize the opportunity to be the authority in each relationship left him more frustrated and eager to control the downward spiral he called life. At the base of his family was Judaism. Their identity was firmly rooted in their religion. To Alex all he saw when he looked in the mirror or at other kids, at the furniture in peoples homes, the way they spoke, was Jewish and not Jewish. His facial features and his name became sources of†¦show more content†¦This confusion led to fear that if his mother found anything slightly out of the ordinary she would throw him out of the house, no longer calling Alex her son. Secrecy veiled most of his adolescence because he didnt have the courage to be himself in front of his mother. Parental styles are also the basis for the childs self-perception. Parents with a high-controlling and low-responsive pattern are labeled authoritarian. The Portnoys offered little feedback as to why they were disappointed in him, leaving Alex more confused when he was relentlessly punished for letting down his mother. He recognized the severity of his mothers expectations for him. He had overheard her tell her friends that he is suddenly such a bad eater I have to stand over him with a knife. Such an extreme statement justified Alexs decision to keep normal adolescent milestones, like his fondness for masturbation, away from his mothers judgment. This added to his shame and he continued to hide his new obsession, making his mother more suspicious. With little understanding of a childs mind, she unwittingly turned Alex into her greatest nemesis, constantly battling for control in what could have been a stable relationship. While his mother laid the groundwork for Alexs dysfunction, his father provided a look at the life he did not want. He saw that