Individual’s values and the corporate values

Value AlignmentIn the following paragraphs team A will provide a brief analysis in regard to the origins and evolution of values at a personal level and in the workplace. The team will explain throughout the paper how an individual’s values can drive actions and behaviors, and the alignment between values, actions and behaviors. The team will include in the mentioned analysis the degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values, and the company’s plans, and actions. Last the team will explain the differences, between personal values and Wal-Mart’s values as reflected by Wal-Mart’s plans and actions.Origin and EvolutionAccording to sociologists, values are formed during the early years of a person’s life. One sociologist’s research suggested values are formed during four periods. This sociologist, Morris Massey, believed these values originate at pre-birth and continue to the age of approximately 21. The first period begins at pre-b irth and continues through four years, and is considered the basic programming period. During this time, a child is not capable of differentiating between important and not important information so all experiences are absorbed and values are formed. Subsequently, a person’s first job experience, which is usually at about the age of 16 to 18 years, plays a large role in forming workplace values. Without any previous exposure to workplace ethics, his or her first experiences are absorbed without differentiation (Squidoo, 2010).The second stage is the imprint period that takes place up to the about the age of seven. Children continue to absorb information from experiences. They become aware of their environment and culture from family and people they are exposed to and begin  to store this information.This information is imprinted in their minds and begins to form their values from their experiences, which are reflected later in a person’s individual behaviors and actio ns. Similar to the basic period, a person’s first job experiences are absorbed in his or her mind forming their workplace values and behaviors. For example, if a teenager witnesses a manager skimming money from the cash register without remorse, this memory is imprinted in his or her mind. Unless his or her individual values are in place correctly, the unethical behavior displayed to them at an impressionable stage may be carried into future workplace ethics.The next period of forming values happens between the ages of 13 to 18. Labeled the modeling period, a person begins to mirror or model behaviors of other people. A person’s constant exposure to ethical or unethical behavior during this time is often mimicked. According to the Squidoo (2010) website, â€Å"from Massey’s research he suggests that our major values about life are picked up during this period at about age 10† (How Values Are Formed, para. 6).Further, he infers that world happenings and wh ere a person was at the time is a basis for forming values. With the recent state of the United States’ economy over the past few years, it leaves one to wonder the repercussions to workplace ethics. Individual ethics may improve because people will appreciate their jobs and decide to make better decisions in the workplace. Conversely, people may believe they are trapped in their current position and may make poor ethical decisions.Massey’s last period of developing values is the socialization period, which takes place between the ages of 14 to 21. A person develops relationship and social values during this time, and these values are the formation of a person’s core values that usually stays with him or her throughout his or her life. As a person develops these core values individually, a person may develop his or her core workplace values as well, which may stay for a lifetime. People experience many events up to 21, which are pivotal to shaping their values. As people formed their values, the foundation of how they perform as an individual and in the workplace became aligned. During childhood, for example, parents often tell children to do their best in school.That value is imprinted into their personalities and is carried  into the workplace; those children become adults who do their best at work every day. Throughout the periods suggested by Massey, the experiences form our values and become a compass to our actions, decisions, and behaviors, both personally, and professionally. Wal-Mart’s stated values versus Wal-Mart’s plans and actions The authors’ employer shares some basic values with those of Wal-Mart. The employer values the respect of coworkers, diversity, inclusion, providing exceptional customer service, and offering a variety of quality products for a reasonable price. Wal-Mart focuses on being a diverse organization, providing excellent customer service, and providing a variety of good quality produc ts for a reasonable price as well. The organization also shares the valued of volunteering in the community.The focus of the organization is to make the customers happy, so they continue to come back. The degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values plans and actions show that the company has balanced the two to some extent. Wal-Mart values its customers, and its number one priority is putting the customer first by offering low prices. Wal-Mart also matches its competitor’s prices for customers. Wal-Mart employees are valued and offered career development so they have the opportunity to move to higher positions within the organization. Most of the employees at each level are treated with respect and receive suitable benefits, but sometimes the company loses sight of its stated values’ therefore, its plans and actions do not always follow suit.DifferencesThe differences between an individual’s values and the corporate values depend on the individua l. Corporations design the strategy to align with the culture’s values. For instance, Wal-Mart’s vision â€Å"to become the world’s largest retailer,† so the company has to reflect the values all the time. Developing one vision helps employees to adhere to the corporate values regardless of the local values. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart says â€Å"Personal and moral integrity is one of our basic fundamentals and it has to start with each of us.† An example is the use of the whistleblowers form available to employees and customers alike. If an employee is found to be violating the corporate policies, another employee may report the  incident without fear of reprisal.Wal-Mart encourages every employee to use Wal-Mart’s Statement of Ethics, introduces the associates to the types of attitudes and conduct that create an honest, fair, and legal workplace (Wal-Mart, 2010). They learn how to recognize situations that may come up on their jo b that could be a violation of Wal-Mart’s ethics, also what to do if they have any questions or concerns about what is correct and ethical conduct. As an individual, knowing what the company will allow should make the job easier to comply with policy. Clear and concise writing allows very little interpretation on expectations of the company. To conclude, team A as provided the readers with a brief analysis of the basic origins and evolution of values at a personal level and workplace values.Team A also explained how an individual’s values can drive actions and behaviors, along with the alignment between ones values, actions, and behaviors. The team was able to briefly analyze the degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values and the company’s plans, and actions. Last, the team explained the differences, and the degree of alignment between personal values, and Wal-Mart’s values as the values were reflected by Wal-Mart’s plan, and actio ns.ReferencesSquidoo. (2010). Going For Gold-Goal Setting That Really Works. Retrieved from http://www.squidoo.com/GoForGold-GoalSettingThatWorks http://ethics.walmartstores.com/StatementofEthics/MSGfromCEO.aspx

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant neoplasm that develops from the mesothelium tissue (a membrane that covers the internal organs present in the body).   It occurs very rarely and is more frequently caused by inhaling asbestos dust.   The incidence of the disease is slowly on the rise.   In the US, about 2000 new cases are reported every year.   About 70 to 80% of all cases with mesothelioma report exposure to asbestos (NCI, 2002).   Mesothelioma can develop in various sites of the body including the pleura (membranes that covers the lungs), peritoneum (membrane that covers the abdominal cavity), tunica vaginalis testis (membrane that covers the male internal reproductive organs) and tunica serosa uteri (membrane that covers the female internal reproductive organs) (NCI, 2002). It is made up of one layer of flat or cuboidal cells that surround a particular organ or an organ set belonging to a particular group (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006).   In between these membranes a fluid is present that permits some amount of movement during physiologic functioning.   When the asbestos is inhaled, it gets deposited into parenchyma of the lungs from where it enters the immediate membrane that covers the lungs.   It may be carried soon to the other membrane of the lung.   The tumor usually begins as discrete plaques known as ‘malignant mesothelial plaques’ (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006). These discrete masses soon combine to form a large sheet like lesion that spreads.   The exact process by which mesothelioma occurs is not understood clearly, however, it seems that chronic irritation of the membrane plays a very important role (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006).   The chromosomes present in the cell are distorted (Tan, 2007).   One of the most frequent changes in the malignant cell was the loss of a copy of Chromosome 22. The chromosomal picture of the cell seems to be very complex (complex karyotype) and is rearranged (Tan, 2007).   Sometimes, the chromosome arms of 1p, 3p, 9p and 6q may also get structurally rearranged.   This may be brought about by close contact between the chromosomes or the structural proteins with the asbestos particles (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006). The asbestos may get deposited in the peritoneum either through the lymphatic system or the due ingestion of the sputum from the lungs (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006).   The long thin fibers of asbestos are more dangerous than the feathery fibers as they more easily cause cancer.   Once the fibers get deposited in the pleura, the cancer development process actually begins.   In experimental rats, it has been observed that when the pleura or the peritoneum are invaded by the asbestos particles, macrophages and the other cells of the body’s defense mechanism accumulate (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006). As the disease progresses, the macrophages and immune cells continue to invade the lesion.   Slowly the cells get transformed into malignancy.   Studies have demonstrated that the asbestos particles may directly (through physical interaction) and indirectly (through accumulation of macrophages) bring about malignant transformation of the epithelium cells.   Indirectly, the macrophages begin to function abnormally.   They phagocyte the asbestos particles and release higher amounts of hydroxyl radicals. They may stimulate the cancer process by affecting the DNA present in the cell.   Several other substances are released from the macrophages such as mitogens, growth factors, etc, which may bring about chronic irritation.   They also alter entry of certain substances into the cell (by affecting the membrane) and reducing the effect of antioxidant action within the cells.   Asbestos is also known to suppress the action of the body’s defense mechanism by overcoming the action of the lymphocytes (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006). Several structural and functional features have been observed in the cells affected with mesothelioma (which have asbestos particles within the cells): – 1.the suppressor genes against cancers present in the cells may get inactivated when the asbestos fibers enters the cells 2.other cancer-stimulating agents may get activated and affect the cell 3. the DNA of the cell gets altered due to the incorporation of a foreign DNA which encourages cancer formation 4. the DNA repair enzymes may get stimulated and frequently result in a faulty method of repair 5.the cell terminal processes may become abnormal resulting in immortality 6.the DNA sequence may be added at the ends of the cell which makes the cells immortal and results in abnormal functioning (Weitz & Luxenberg, 2006) References: NCI. Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers. 2002. NCI. 5 Apr. 2007 http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma Tan W.W. â€Å"Mesothelioma.† 2007. E-Medicine. 5 Apr. 2007 http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1457.htm Weitz & Luxenberg. â€Å"The Pathophysiology of Mesothelioma.† 2006. Weitz & Luxenberg Inc. 5 Apr. 2007 http://www.weitzlux.com/mesothelioma/Pathophysiology_403723.html

Britain vs. Russia Comparative Essay

In the course of history, many philanthropists and great political thinkers had assessed the value of good governance and apt policy-making processes for a country to achieve its goals. We have witnessed, experienced or observed countries that had successfully contributed to one country’s political achievement in the history of the world. Many of the first world countries had attributed its current stance in the world because of their great leaders and effective governance of society that is characterized with differences in almost all aspects. From our history, we know that leaders are dominant in bringing their country to the present state.Their effectiveness in showing their commitment and dedication and commitment to serve their country is an absolute defiance of their legacy. But what exactly do they aspire for? What contributes to a country’s success? Aside from leaders, are there other key players in the process of achieving a country’s goals? What role ar e policies and the manner by which a country is governed affects its nature of success? Through this effort to discern the history of these achievements, we look into the history of two countries which exhibited growth politically, socially, economically and such.Britain and Russia will be evaluated to determine what makes their government effective in their own right in maintaining a stable and first world country that almost all admired. These two countries will be examined by the different political institutions they have and the policy-making processes they adapt in able to cope up with the demands of governing a country. More importantly, we shall be able to asses the differences between these two countries and how they manage to govern their societies. Brief History of Two CountriesBritain, part of the vast European continent had emerged as one of the first world countries since the early centuries. The country which started out as a monarchy state evolved into a political ins titution that aimed to integrate into a single common government that had effective policies. In lieu with this, we shall first determine the history of Britain as a political institution. Britain is characterized with a Parliament political institution. It was a form of government developed over a hundred of years and during the early centuries; the country was ruled by two different Houses, the Commons and Lords.With this development, there was a shift of equal possession of power between the Parliament and the monarchy that had changed the country drastically. Parliament as a political system originated in the 12th century when King’s councils were held which includes barons and archbishops. Their main concern at that time was regarding taxation of the people and judgments. But over a period of time, the role has changed into a formal one that had knights representing each country. This started the emergence of the House of Commons in the Parliament.The term â€Å"Parliam ent† was used during the early century to describe the meetings held by the House of Commons. The Parliament has the essential role in scrutinizing the work done by the government. This involves rigorous debates, essential inquiries and other processes by which it could examine the extent to which they can challenge the government. It also has the responsibility of the legislative role. This process was seen very effective because at most times, the civil society was taken aback by the lack of good governance from the monarch institution. There arose the need for another political institution to govern the country.The Parliamentary system holds the majority constitutional power to exercise its role in the society and was perceived to have made the monarchy as a symbolic political institution rather than the traditional stance it used to hold. Russia had been ruled by dictators for more than hundreds of years. in the 1980's however, Mikhail Gorbachev committed its leadership in political reforms that aims to allow competitive elections, liberalization of the press, the conception of political parties to challenge different political ideals and the ascendance of a civil society.When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it was evident that Russia was taking a more independent role in pro-democratic political institutions through various reforms. Russia is torn between the transitory periods of dictatorship to democracy. The initial step to become a democratic country was initiated by Gorbachev, eventually; Russian President Boris Yeltsin held this idea in his leadership. But the step taken was taken was challenged gravely by the political institution itself that was not used to the independence these two presidents were trying to achieve.Until, Vladimir Putin, the incumbent President constitutes this initiative and desired a more aggressive role towards independence of Russia and democracy. Putin was very influential and was perceived as a political maverick of Yeltsin. he was even perceived as both the continuity and change of Yeltsin's leadership. Putin was very much like the past Russia but definitely has the intention to break from it. In his leadership, Russia underwent dramatically transformation.A proof of a pragmatic manager, he was able to tame the Russian elite and arrogant tycoons, supported the economic reforms of started by Yeltsin and has a pro-Western stance in his policies. This had greatly affected his role as a leader who would open Russia to the world and to the ideas of democracy. However, there still remains his distrust of the major democratic institutions and is very much concerned over taking control of the society. To sum up his style, Putin is an authoritarian that incorporates his economic liberalistic ideals that aims to define Russia as pro-democratic in the modern society. The Difference in GovernanceIn determining what these two countries share and differ may be attributed not only because of the countrie s geographical differences but also in their own respective culture. In an article written by Heintz (2007), during the young succession of Putin as Russian president, he met with Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of Britain, in Moscow. The meeting was deemed as a starting point of a very good relationship between the two countries. But this never did occur. Both countries are addressing how the other had disrespected or misunderstood the other. The first thing we determine is the difference between their government traditions.Britain, being a Western nation with a long democratic tradition contradicts the attitude of Russia which for so long has shown discomfort on the idea of democracy and had a long deep suspicion of the West’ interest and motive. In present time, Britain maintains its commitment to exercise democracy while Russia is opening itself up, making efforts to reach out to the West with some form of common ground. At one point during the War on Terror staged by the United States, Britain and Russia staged an alliance to fight and condemned the proponents of the mass murder and provide tougher measures against Iraq.Let us discern the concrete comparison between the two countries through the event that signified how different they are. As an example, the war in Iraq greatly affected the relationship of the two and provides a great scope of the two countries comparison. At one point, Russia denounced the beginning of the Iraq war; Russia resented Britain for granting asylum to Putin’s opponent Berezovsky. Britain on the other hand encouraged the so-called â€Å"color revolutions† in Georgia and Ukraine that disrespected Russia and was seen as an undermining effort to Putin’s regime.Russia went further by accusing Britain of spying and funding Kremlin-critical organizations. To add more to the tension between these two countries, one former Russian agent named Alexander Litvinenko was found to be dead due to poisoning in Lond on. All these accounts show the difference in political traditions of both countries. Russia, being used to the dictatorship and superiority of political leaders throughout its history greatly puts emphasis on their leaders’ credibility. Without any question and unruly remark, the leader is chosen because of his wisdom and effective governance.Russia is described as very suspicious of other people, especially with other countries because of its great desire to protect their own country. Then PM Blair had made his efforts to reconcile with Russia, but with the new governance of PM Brown, a new issue arises as he expelled four Russian diplomats as retaliation to Russia’s refusal to extradite the suspected murderer of Litvinenko. Political analysts see this situation as a recurrence of many other grievances brought out by both countries.Russia, being very decisive and strong against its opponents, do make necessary actions to make their enemies pay, or even be accountable to whatever bad reputation or any bad image it had generated. CONCLUSION: Both Britain and Russia certainly have their distinct character in their own political institutions. While Britain maintained their distinction between the two houses, representing the Parliamentary system and the monarch authority, they have yet to settle their difference in ideas and political attitudes through the debates held by the Parliamentary body only.We realize now that the monarchy basically becomes a symbolic political institution and does not have any active role in the governance. Maybe that is the reason why the country had achieved success or maybe it is the cause of many of its downfall. In Russia however, the situations concerns the political idealism and form itself. For many years, the country was led by dictators. In recent years, after the abolishment of the USSR and the attempt to democratize the country, somehow the situation becomes difficult for the leaders themselves.As they try to liberalize their ideas and give freedom to their people, the past traditional political institutions they had adhered to comes to haunt them and cast shadow in their country. While many political, social and cultural reforms aimed to address the goal to become a democratic country, the current leader is perceived to be just continuing the past and not really disowning the authoritarian government Russia was accustomed to. As mentioned, this can be deemed as either a threat or a benefit for the civil society.Maybe in the end, history can only distinguish which country is better, but today, we must look into their different situation and realize that both Britain and Russia had become successful and considered as one of the first world nations because of the efficacy of their governments and implementation of political idealisms. In all these analysis between the two countries, one very significant comparison that can be made is that Russia is very aggressive and very driven to protec t their own county’s interest.They do not care about other countries or Britain in particular because they know their strength as a country. Suspicions on the Russian part and the tremendous affect the dictatorship method of political ruling in Russia had gravely affected their ability to trust other nationalities and form foreign relationships with their neighboring countries. To that, Britain’s democratic and optimistic political institution can not jive with.The sense of commonality and agreement between the two political institutions differs gravely in history and experience, thus having the future of these two countries in sound relationship may seem a little distant for now. Reference: 1. Shevtsova, Lilia (2003), Putin's Russia, Washington D. C: Carnegie Endowment fro International Peace 2. Shevtsova, Lilia (2006), Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions, Volume 8, Issue 4, Carnegie Russia 3. Heintz, Jim (2007), Russia-Britain relations reach low poi nt, Associated Press

Maturity models and quality managment Assignment

Maturity models and quality managment - Assignment Example Deming and Juran picked up the trail after World War II, and blessed the Japanese industry with statistical quality control and quality improvement processes. In America, the quality revolution began only in 1980, and Deming finally became known in his home country, though his techniques were used mostly for manufacturing. By the end of the 1980’s, quality efforts were embedded in services, and by the 1990’s in health care, government, and education (Evans, 2008, p. 10-14). Thus, quality became an indispensible aspect of management practices, and quality became customer-driven, pursued to meet or exceed customers’ needs (Evans, 2008, p. 6-7). Total Quality Management was born. It is said that quality remained in the limelight from the 1980’s-1990’s due to interest in Six Sigma (Evans, 2008, p. 8). In the mid-1980’s Bill Smith, a reliability engineer at Motorola, sold the concept to Motorola’s CEO, Robert Galvin. GE is the recognized be nchmark for Six Sigma implementation (Evans, 2008, p. 94).

2000 Concorde Accident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

2000 Concorde Accident - Essay Example This theory proceeds from the perspective that business environments are socially determined. Therefore, the levels of success of business enterprises are directly proportional to the level of attachment that exists between the social order and the company’s actions and reactions. On this score, some of the issues that have been used to determine the course of action are mostly tied to the capacity to relate to issues of general interest. Multiple perspectives agree on the fact that legitimacy theory harmonizes the relationships and connections between the society and the business in ways that provide synergies that enable the sustainability of the business environment (Buys, 2010, pp. 55-61). Other theorists suggest that the proper adoption of this theory has the effect of easing the chain of supply as the streamlined social environment provides the necessary support for easing the processes of the firm. This study shall engage the theory of legitimacy in understanding the reactions that followed the 2000 Concorde Crash. Air France reacted in various ways to the tragedy but this paper will concern itself with the formal responses as obtained from press releases, official comment, news reports, and other kinds of responses that followed the disaster (Buyck, 2010, p. 67). The assumption is that the responses could be reduced into the company’s demonstration of an underlying commitment to the service of certain values, mores, ethics, and traditions that regulate its policy framework and on which its operational framework is based. Essentially, the reactions by Air France to the disaster could be interpreted as an outward manifestation of its framework as understood within the aspect of corporate management. The case in point for discussion concerns the disastrous crash of the French Concorde flight also known as Air France Flight 4590. This paper will limit itself to some specific responses of the management of Air France to the 2000 crash of the Concorde.

Standard Alignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Standard Alignment - Essay Example Language arts mainly consisted of lessons to be learnt, poems to be recited, and grammar to be understood. If we consider standard alignment in the learnings we had, it can be said that the courseware and the approach was horizontally aligned. By horizontal alignment we mean that the standards, curriculum etc. was in accordance with the age of a child and the content delivered to any child of that age was both sufficient and necessary. Since the knowledge of language is not only restricted to knowing how to speak and write, it is very much required that all parts of language are covered in the early education which will also help cultivate interest in the child for the language. Therefore, the early education was horizontally well aligned. Another subject of major importance was Maths. Maths is a subject of vital importance as it marks the beginning of a calculated approach. It involves a child's brain to the maximum and the basic art of calculation is required in every sphere of life. Even for people who do not work, calculations and simple mathematics play a major part in dealing with day to day activities. The early education given to us about Maths comprised of counting. Counting forms the basis of every kind of calculations. The early education also focuses on minor additions and subtractions.

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 60

Reflection - Essay Example By studying English 102, I managed to acquire outstanding skills essential in research. These encompass structuring my work into relevant and specific sections that will enable it understandable not only to me but also to those who may refer it in future. Being a law student, this experience coupled with varied skills that I have so far acquired will be extremely helpful throughout my academic life. This is especially in terms of research whereby in law one cannot in anyway manage to be both proficient and competent if he or she lacks strong research foundation. This is because he or she will have to consult varied already determined cases meant to convince and put forth certain aspects when arguing or trying to relay certain verdict (Albright & Putman 6). This encompasses skimming enormous chucks of information to get the right and viable data meant to support one’s argument. Since, this is what determines a competent law person. Besides competency and proficiency in research, I will also take away with me impeccable English. However, this is a journey whereby each day I have work on with intention of adequate improvement as well as acquiring new aspects. Similar to any phase of life that presents both easy and challenging periods, mine was no different. I realized that I was devoid of convincing power. Hence, not managing to relay my arguments coupled with supporting facts even if they seem unrealistic. This prompted me opting to be silent in some situations especially when I was very new but have improved whereby in future I will be an excellent debater. What I have acquired throughout this process was that, each trait or proficiency one intends to have entails hard work coupled with sheer resolution to keep on improving daily. Therefore, suppose I had to take this class for the second time, I will not opt to remain silent as I did

Why Steve Jobs was not a leader Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why Steve Jobs was not a leader - Article Example In this case, Jobs did not want to take the personal risk of trusting his staff, and he monitored their every move in the workplace in order to ensure that there were no chances of failure. For Steve Jobs, personal achievements governed the leadership approach that he used. Unlike billionaires like Bill Gates who contribute to numerous charities, Jobs did not have a history of contributing to any charity. In effect, this implies that Jobs looked down on his followers. In addition, Jobs is described as a man who would take credit of other people’s ideas, obsessively controlling, and a tyrant (Williams). This description does not fit a leader who is sensitive to his followers. Finally, Steve Jobs extolled some other behavior that does not qualify him to be an outstanding leader. In this regard, Williams noted that Jobs denied his first daughter paternity in order for his daughter to live on welfare, which is despite his billionaire status. In effect, this indicates that Steve Jobs did not value people more than he valued his money. Simply put, Jobs did not value any other thing in life, but the drive to see his profits and company’s portfolio grow guided his operations, which are not characteristics of an exemplary

Movie review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Movie Review Example This is because he tells Alexandria a story about five warriors who were on an epic quest, but continues only after Rose has stolen for him a morphine from one of the dispensaries. As the story continues it changes into reality as all the characters in the story are shown including Alexandria and Roy who are incorporated into the film. The outstanding character in this movie is Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) who is nine years old. She depicts the annoying balance between a hopeless girl and annoying child who misses a parent’s love. Alexandria is fascinating especially the way she struggles to understand Roy. Even though, the movie has many aspects, the most significant aspect of the film is the way the producer has managed to piece all different elements into one big world. The film is conceptually ambitious and stunning visually; it encourages the viewers to invest much interest and how the director managed to use dual narratives shows how he thought about very little details of the film. As the movie advances, the line between fiction and reality becomes thinner as the characters in the Roy’s story are interwoven into reality including Alexandria and Roy themselves. In connection to this, one of the main messages that the director is passing to the audience is that it is possible to create the reality virtually out of anything. In conclusion, since Interior architecture is a combination of the practice and study of architecture with interior design. The film is, therefore, relevant to the field in that the director has managed to piece different elements into one big reality. Looking at the movie it is visually attractive with background colors that are harmonious. In addition, the director has also managed to create a thin line between reality and fiction by integrating Roy and Alexandria into the story that that Roy was telling

Show how Shakespeare employs tensions Essay Example for Free

Show how Shakespeare employs tensions Essay The Merchant of Venice can be seen as a series of tense oppositions. Shakespeare writes about many conflicting issues that were controversial at the time, but does not enforce any opinion on the audience, inviting them to form their own conclusions. The contrasts in The Merchant of Venice are important because they incite the audience to consider moral issues such as prejudice, discrimination and bigotry. Shakespeare creates the characters with the intention of relating them to the common person; the sins and discrepancies in their lives are typical of the everyday goings on in Venice at the time. I will consider love and hate, comedy and tragedy, justice and mercy, expectations versus reality and finally men against women. All of the oppositions are linked to the concerns of Shakespeares audience. This means that Judaism, for example, was a concern and also hatred to Shakespeares audience. The play was consequently very eye-catching and appealing to the people of Shakespeares time. The Merchant of Venice is a story of love and hate, and both emotions are expressed powerfully in the play. On the one hand the play appears to be full of love and friendship: Portia and Bassanio; Jessica and Lorenzo; Gratiano and Nerissa. However, bitterness and hatred are evident: Gratianos reviling of Shylock; Shylocks coldness towards his daughter and hatred of Antonio. Shylock sees himself as a victim of prejudice and maintains himself with his own aggression. The play is renowned for the bitter conflict between Jews and Christians. It appears that the main difference between the Christian characters and Shylock is that the Christian characters value human relationships over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money (. Merchants like Antonio lend money free of interest, and put themselves at risk for those they love, whereas Shylock agonizes over the loss of his money and once ran through the streets crying, O, my ducats! O, my daughter! (II. viii. 15). These words suggest that his greed outweighs his love. However, his insistence that he have a pound of flesh rather than any amount of money also shows that his resentment is much stronger than his greed. Portia and Bassanio appear to love one another, however, Bassanio seeks her hand in the first place because he is greatly in debt and needs her money. The love between these two characters is therefore questionable and emphasises the love and hate oppositions. The themes are also emphasised in the settings of the play, Belmont symbolising love and Venice symbolising hate. The Merchant of Venice is set in Italy in Venice and Belmont, representing the two worlds of the play. Shakespeare uses these two settings to emphasise the themes of love and hate. Love is centred in Belmont, a peaceful paradise to which lovers can escape, and hate around Venice, a hectic place that exploits and corrupts. This can clearly be seen when various events relating to love and hate in the play take place. All prejudicial activity takes place in Venice, including the trial (IV. i. 15). This is also the only place where Jews are found (Jessica becomes a Christian when she moves to Belmont). The Christian couples live in Belmont, and there is hardly any talk of racial prejudice there. Belmont is where the Christians retreat to, after their triumph over Shylock in Venice. The surroundings match the events that are taking place in both Venice and Belmont. Shakespeare often included the themes of love and hate in his plays, either as the main plot, or as a sub plot as such in The Merchant of Venice. Love and hate are the central themes of the main plot they hold the story together. Many of Shakespeares plays are also centred on the themes of comedy and tragedy. The Merchant of Venice is a prime example. Shakespeare uses cross-dressing as a device to lay emphasis on the theme of comedy. The characters conceal themselves behind masks and costumes, which links with the topic of appearance versus reality. Twice in the play, brave escapes are carried out with the help of cross-dressing. Jessica escaped the hell of Shylocks house by dressing as a page, while Portia and Nerissa rescued Antonio by posing as lawyers of the court. This device was essential to the women characters since it was forbidden for them to act on stage in the Renaissance period. Their parts had to be consequently acted by young boys. This was common in Shakespeares time. Another debatable comedy moment is when Lancelot greets his blind, long lost father and gives him confusing directions and tells him that his beloved son Lancelot is dead. Lancelot says aside I will try confusions with him (II. ii. 25) the moment they meet. Since Lancelot is portrayed as a comical, clownish figure that is especially skilled at making jokes, this scene transmits a humorous tone. But deep down this moment could be considered harsh and unjust. It should be considered a joke but at someone elses expense. The play seems to end on a happy note, with the resolution of the test of the rings and the celebration of marriage. But many tragedies also occur in the play, some of which contrast greatly to the happiness. For example the joyful wedding of Portia and Bassanio in act 3 scene 2 is suddenly followed by a change of mood as Bassanio reads Antonios bad news. The atmosphere of joy and triumph gives way to one of tension and concern. Bassanio turns pale as he says, Here are a few of the unpleasantst words that ever blotted paper (III. ii. 250). Another darker aspect of the play occurs when Shylock is baited at the trial. Gratiano viciously abuses Shylock, saying O, be thou damnd, inexecrable dog (IV. i. 127). Another central theme of the play is that of justice: the right, proper and fair treatment of individuals according to what they deserve. The idea of mercy is important in The Merchant of Venice because it provides a focus for the contrast between Venetian Christian society and the alien invader, represented by Shylock. When Shylock asks Portia what could possibly force him to be merciful, Portias long reply, beginning with the words, The quality of mercy is not strained, (IV. i. 179) clarifies what the Christians believe. The Christian characters in the scene believe that justice and mercy are not separate but must be linked. Shylock receives judgement at the trial however he does not receive justice. This is due to the extreme prejudice of Jews at Shakespeares time. Shakespeare therefore employs this opposition to highlight the conflicting principals and prejudices of the time. The Merchant of Venice shows the danger of judging by appearances. This is not only a theme but also a moral of the story. Lancelot is a Christian and should hate Jews, but instead he is a trustworthy friend to Jessica, a Jewish girl. This is because he sees her as a nice and gentle young woman and comments, most beautiful pagan, most sweet Jew (II. iii. 10). Jessica trusts Lancelot since she gives him a private letter to take to Lorenzo. This friendship must have been conflicting to the prejudices of the time and is therefore a key factor of the theme. All that glitters is not gold (II. vii. 65). This is a famous quote from The Merchant of Venice and symbolises the theme of deception. This theme of deception is used throughout the play to mislead and confuse so things may not always be what they seem. Shakespeare also uses this to enhance the unfolding drama of the play and to make it more exciting. Dramatic irony is created when the audience know more than the characters themselves. For example the trial scene (Act IV) and the ring quarrel (Act V) are filled with amusing dramatic irony. The cross-dressing, as mentioned earlier, is also linked with appearances versus reality since it happens at times when disguise is important. The three female characters disguise themselves as males in the play. Portia and Nerissa conceal themselves as lawyers clerks in the trial scene whereas Jessica disguises herself as a page in order to flee from her master. Cross-dressing is important in the play because women roles are insignificant to those of men. For women, cross-dressing is a means of gaining respect and authority. The main events in the play unfold when women are in control. This is conflicting to the principals of the time. Venice and Belmont are both ruled by patriarchy. This means that men have complete control whereas women have no role at all in trade, politics, or law. It is also evident that they cannot even own property because Portia says, One half of me is yours, the other half yours, mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours, and so all yours (III. ii. 16). Portia has an interest in the law, but has to resort to dressing up as a man before she can exercise her ability. Portias speech dramatically changes to suit her role as a man in the trial scene. However she continues with this attitude even after the trial is over and says, You were to blame, I must be plain with you, (V. i. 166). This emphasises the predominant influence of men over women. Throughout The Merchant of Venice there are many strong feelings displayed through the oppositions and conflicts. These contrasts are relevant because they portray the individual characteristics of each person. Most of the issues raised in the play are directed towards the prejudice of both women and Jews. The topics of love and hate, comedy and tragedy, justice and mercy, expectations versus reality and finally men against women were all important matters to Shakespeares audience. I have discussed each subject individually and conclude to state that they are all important and relevant to the characters of the play.

Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay

Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay Kant states that we are rational beings; we can free ourselves from the casual necessity of the ordinary world of feelings and inclinations, and can follow the pure moral law, given by reason alone. The debate of means and ends is deeply involved in ethics and ethical foreign policy. Academics suggest that means and goals should be judged by the same set of ethical principles. Often actions that states undertake for a particular purpose can be ethical or unethical. Ethics can be defined as a complete and coherent system of convictions, values and ideas that provides a grid within which some sort of actions can be classified as evil, and so to be avoided, while other sort of actions can be classified as good, and so to be tolerated or even pursued  [1]   If ethics involves a choice between what is morally right and what is morally wrong, the possibility for ethical actions in foreign policy has proven in the past to be quite limited. Ethical foreign policy What passes for ethical standards for governmental policies in foreign affairs is a collection of moralisms, maxims, and slogans, which neither help nor guide, but only confuse, decision  [2]  . DEAN ACHESON Foreign policy is the area of politics that seeks to bridge the boundary between the nation state and its international environment. It refers to decision and actions that involve relations between an independent actor and other actors in the international arena  [3]  . The essential aims of foreign policy are the promotion of safety and prosperity. Sometimes domestic, international and regional actors and factors limit this aims. It has been argued by analysts that morality sits poorly to political action. This is due to the fact that is not always possible to make the best choice, and often the chosen one could be quite far from what is considered the best possible in the political world. Analysts suggest that an ethical foreign policy could be acceptable if: The procedure of the decision- making meets the demands of democratic decision-making. The consequences of the policy alternatives should be more useful than any alternative options examined. The human rights should not be violated. Idealists, Realists, Pragmatists The idealist school of thought states that ethics should govern all relationships. Furthermore, they argue that morality should not be taken in consideration only in domestic political life and ignored where other nations are concerned. Realists such as Machiavelli and Hobbes argue that the state of war is unavoidable in the world politics. The ethical problem of a separation between action and the notion of justice was central to the thinking of Machiavelli. In The Prince, he offers some immoral advice to the new prince: he must know when to act as a beast, how to look only to appearance, how not to be good. Machiavellis ethics consists in recognizing that the existence of human beings is burdened with conflicts  [4]  . Realists sustain that ethics is cultural and therefore variable and controversial. Pragmatists enunciate that foreign policy cannot be based on an absolute ethical ore unqualified national interest foundation. It must be factor in both but not totally reliant in one or another. The Doctrine of Double Effect and decision-making The principle of double effect states that we are responsible of those consequences of our acts which are both anticipated and intended  [5]  . This principle relies on the fact that states are allowed to carry out certain measures conscious from the fact that the measures have possible negative consequences. This Doctrine has later on combined to the Just War tradition related to the humanitarian military interventions. We are aware that is not ethical to attack non-fighting civilians, but according to the tradition it could be that states can attack morally even though the damages to the non-fighting parties can be anticipated. The moral value is determined by the actors intentions and motives. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to determine the motives. If we take the example of the US attacking Iraq we cannot draw a line between the interests and the real motives, we do not know if the US wanted to free the people from the dictator or to ensure oil supply. Decision-making and evaluations of their consequences are often uncertain. Actors should evaluate better the consequences of their actions, for example, they should consider the effects of a war that could lead to environmental issues , to violence, that often is directed towards civilians and to the development aid which can lead to corruption of the administration. Often actors ignore such considerations in the pre- decision- making process. Decision-making and ethical evaluation remains an issue. In a representative democracy, citizens elect and authorize decision-makers to make decisions for the state to make decision on their behalf. They estimate how the state is promoting national interest; the foreign policy decision- makers represent their morals especially during the election process. Arnold Wolfers states that foreign policy decision making is not beyond moral judgment but rests on moral choices  [6]  . The National interest A democratic definition of the national interest does not accept the distinction between a morality-based and an interest based foreign policy. Moral values are simply intangible interests  [7]  . JOSEPH S. NYE JR. Democratic governments use strategic deceptions by justifying them with the concept of national interest. The division between what is in the national interest and what can be morally justified is often questionable. The national interest is the taking-for-granted base line for foreign policy within all the major parties ( Diana Francis CCTS REVIEW 33). It is a slippery concept, used to describe as well as prescribe foreign policy. It covers five crucial areas of foreign policy: Security, autonomy, welfare, status and prestige and economy. When we speak about national interest we almost always mean the common good of the members of political communities organized as sovereign states not the common good of nations that is, imagined communities of people united by ethnicity, language, history, culture, mythology or kinship (Anderson 1991)  [8]  . The phrase the national interest masks exactly which values leaders are attempting to promote and which they are willing to sacrifice   [9]  . Morgenthau considered as the ultimate realist philosopher, equated interest defined as power  [10]  . He argues that; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦There is a misconception, usually associated with the general depreciation and moral condemnation of power politics that international politics is so thoroughly evil that it is no use looking for moral limitations of the aspirations for power on the international scene. Yet, if we ask ourselves, what political leaders and diplomats are capable of doing to further the power objectives of their respective nations and what they actually do, we realize that they do less than they actually did in other periods of historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [11]   In the last decade, western government policy-makers have considered ethics shifting away from the realist approach, where the national interest was the basis of policy-making. This policy shift has meant that the declarations of ethical foreign policy emanating from the governments of leading world powers are often uncritically taken at face value and assumed to be simply the right thing to do (The Guardian, 27 March 1999). The drive to act in the interests of others, rather than in purely national interests, can be seen in the justifications for a host of new policy initiatives including major international involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, former Yugoslavia, East Timor and Sierra Leone in recent years.  [12]  For many commentators, the new, ethical nature of international foreign policy was given clearest expression in the international communitys support for military intervention in the 1999 Kosovo war  [13]  . The US intervention against Afghanistan in 2001 was framed using an ethical language underlying that the US was caring of others and was not pursuing its national interest. George W. Bush described the bombing of Afghanistan as an action of generosity of America and our allies in the aid of oppressed people of Afghanistan(Bush 2001). The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld stated that the military action was following previous US-led interventions in Kuwait, Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo, for the purpose of denying hostile regimes the opportunity to oppress their own people and other people he continues adding that We stand with those Afghans who are being repressed by a regime that abuses the very people it purports to lead( Rumsfeld 2001). David Chandler argues that western governments justified their military action to remove the Afghan regime, after September 11, through the condemnation of human rights record of the Taliban government, Tony Blair stated that; Look for a moment at the Taliban regime. It is undemocratic. That, goes without saying. There is no sport allowed, or television or photography. No art or culture are permitted Women are treated in a way almost too revolting to be credible. First driven out of university; girls not allowed to go to school; no legal rights; unable to go out of doors without a man. Those that disobey are stoned (Blair 2001). Tony Blairs statement shows again that the US and UK dont give other solution that military intervention. This was a further hint behind ethics, without taking in consideration the consequences on human rights. According to Mary Robinson ethical goals, like human rights protection are held to be moral duties and therefore the responsibility of everyone ( The Guardian, 23 October 1999) The ethical dimension Non- violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages  [14]   -Thomas Alva Edison On May 1997, the Labour government returned into power in Britain. An immediate change of the new government was the disclosing of the Mission Statement for the FCO. The Statement reads: The Mission of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to promote the national interests of the United Kingdom and contribute to a strong international communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We shall pursue that Mission to secure for Britain four benefits through our foreign policy, the four benefits being security, prosperity, the equality of life and mutual respect. We shall work though our international forums and bilateral relationships to spread the values of human rights, civil liberties and democracy which we demand for ourselves (FCO, 1997a) Robin Cook (Foreign Secretary) seen as the initiating champion of ethical foreign policy strengthened the launch of the Statement: The Labour Government does not accept that political values can be left behind when we check in our passports to travel on diplomatic business. Our foreign policy must have an ethical dimension and must support the demands of other peoples for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves. We will put human rights at the heart of our foreign policy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( Ethics and foreign policypg 15-16) Cook made the arms trade an issue. He made the following commitment in 17 July 1997 during his speech; Britain will refuse to supply the equipment and weapons with which regimes deny the demands of their peoples for human rightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(FCO, 1997c) It was evident that such a policy might have consequences for British prosperity. Prosperity and mutual respect in the Mission Statement are described as a product of national interests. This could bring to the result of a trade-off between the two benefits, in other words one benefit could be scarified in order to achieve the other. Interests is associated with prosperity and ethics with mutual respect. This is the reason why potential conflicts between an interest -based foreign policy and a ethically conducted one are caused. For a long time during his career as Foreign Secretary it was difficult to divert the closure that ethical discussions will be adapted only if they were cost free. Cook allowed arms deals to proceed , the sale of Hawk jets and armoured vehicles to Indonesia are an example that ­ breached any possible notion of ethical exports and respect of human rights. In this case Britain has failed to act as a good citizen because it has placed selfish economic advantag e prior to human rights concerns  [15]  . He did, eventually, resign over Iraq, but he never pointed to the ethical contradiction inherent in being prepared to attack another country on the pretext that it had acquired weapons of mass destruction while his own country had them in abundance and was not honouring its NPT treaty obligations to get rid of them  [16]  . In the Blair government, militarism was the favoured mean of action and used as rhetoric of justification. The air attacks on Serbia and Kosovo and the international occupation of the latter were presented as an ethical intervention that are been morally justified. This justification has been used as a reference point for the later justification of the bombardment, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Tony Blair has argued that it is vital for Britain to have war fighting as part of its way of being in the world. Peacekeeping, he says, is not enough. War fighting is an important element in our diplomac y. But the tone of moral rectitude is ever present  [17]  . The word foreign discourages an ethical approach and is inimical to it. For the British government necessity was the mother of morality. The use of the epithet dimension during the labour government was a wrong move as it has attracted public attention. Unlike previous governments the Labour government created the context for the development of human rights although it has failed in many occasions to live up with these, the labour government had the courage to attempt an ethical dimension to the foreign policy but failed to achieve this. Conclusion To conclude sovereignty is a value. As governments represent a hope and solution for citizens they should pursue an ethical foreign policy. This can aim at a moralizing state behaviour but cannot establish perfection because moral actions are obviously limited by the fear of war and economic collapse, these bring the sates to act in order to prevent threats considering less morality. Before undertaking any kind of actions government need to have a deep expertise of the case and to be morally aware. We can end agreeing with Hoffemann who stated that: the ethical dimension cannot be taken into consideration as todays states are not ready to commit Hara-kiri.

Communication Competency Self-Assessment

Communication Competency Self-Assessment PART 1: Communication Competence Analysis Pick two to three competencies from the listing for which you feel you are currently strong, and describe why you feel that way. Pick two to three competencies from the listing for which you feel you currently need improvement, and describe why you feel that way. Each section should be written with at least three paragraphs (with a minimum of three to four sentences each) of commentary, which is in addition to any quoting from the listing you may choose to do.It may be helpful to explain your thought process and provide examples to give explanation to your descriptions of why you feel that way.This is not a formal paper, but college-level spelling, grammar, and syntax are expected. S = strength NI = needs improvement _S_ 1. I’m sensitive to contexts of communication. I recognize that changes in physical, cultural, social– psychological, and temporal contexts will alter meaning. _S_ 2. I assess my channel options and evaluate whether my message will be more effective if delivered face-to-face, through e-mail, or by some third party, for example. _S_ 3. I look for meaning not only in words but also in nonverbal behaviors. _NI_ 4. I am sensitive to the feedback and feed forward that I give to others and that others give to me. _NI_ 5. I combat the effects of the various types of physical, psychological, and semantic noise that distort messages. _S_ 6. I listen not only to the more obvious content messages but also to the relational messages that I (and others) send, and I respond to the relational messages of others to increase meaningful interaction. _S_ 7. Instead of looking only at the punctuation patterns, I also look at the patterns that others might be using in order to understand better the meanings communicated. _S_ 8. Because communication is transactional, I recognize that all elements influence every other element in the communication process and that each person communicating is simultaneously a speaker/listener. _NI_ 9. Because communication is purposeful, I look carefully at both the speaker’s and the listener’s purposes. _NI_ 10. Because communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable, I look carefully for hidden meanings, am cautious in communicating messages that I may later wish to withdraw, and am aware that any communication act occurs but once. _S_ 11. I am sensitive to cultural variation and differences, and I see my own culture’s teachings and those of other cultures without undue bias. My Competency Strengths _S_ 2. I assess my channel options and evaluate whether my message will be more effective if delivered face-to-face, through e-mail, or by some third party, for example. Number two is definitely one of my better strengths out of the competencies listed. Recognizing the different methods of communication is definitely important in how a message can be relayed. Before I want to send a message across, I always think about how it may be portrayed depending on which method is used and which will be most effective. There was a time when I thought about sending a text message to a friend about a certain topic. However, I decided that if I sent the text message, there may be some confusion and may have been taken completely out of context. In the end, my friend and I discussed it in person and he was very grateful we did and that I decided against the text message. I think text messaging can be so emotionless. Although I am not perfect, as no one is, I think I have a pretty good understanding about the differences in which a method of communication can make. I think all it takes is a matter of stopping for a second and thinking about how the words someone is reading over an e-mail or text message may differ as opposed to just going to talk to them about it. Granted, sometimes an e-mail is a completely efficient way to send out a simply message to a large amount of people. _S_ 11. I am sensitive to cultural variation and differences, and I see my own culture’s teachings and those of other cultures without undue bias. Number eleven is another one of my strengths from these competencies. Over the years of working in a hospital, I have learned to understand that there are so many different cultures out there and it’s only fair that we do not think of as our own to be the â€Å"best† or the â€Å"right† one. This is something that I have never had a problem understanding; I was raised to be respectful of other cultures whether or not I may agree with their beliefs. As I have mentioned, working in a hospital has exposed me to many types of different cultures. There have been a few instances where our patient was a Jehovah’s Witness; in which did not accept blood in the event they needed it. This was their belief, and as hard as it is to want to just give them blood in an emergency, their wishes must be respected even though others may not have agreed with the decision. It’s important not to be biased in our own culture. There are so many different types of people in this world, and I think that it’s a great thing. I believe that are a lot of people out there who are very biased of their own culture and don’t understand why people have different beliefs. If we do more to educate others on different cultures, then it’s possible more and more will understand cultures other than their own. My Competencies Needing Improvement _NI_ 5. I combat the effects of the various types of physical, psychological, and semantic noise that distort messages. Number five is one of the communication competencies that I understand but I need to improve on. Sometimes I get easily distracted in fully grasping the messages that are being portrayed. I need to work on trying to ignore other noises that happen between the sending and receiving of messages so I can decode exactly what is being sent to me. There are a lot of distractions with working in the operating room; a lot of things go on at once. On one instance, the patient we had wasn’t doing so well and a lot of activity was going all at the same time; several people were asking me for things all at once. I managed to give everyone what they needed but I remember thinking how overwhelmed I felt and how all of the communication that was being thrown at me was jumbling together because of all the â€Å"noise† that occurred between all of the messages; I have to work more on learning how to separate out the distractions. I look at it as a small challenge to myself to work on ways that will help me learn to cut out so many distractions. I will try to take each message that is being sent to me and focus on it instead of hearing the â€Å"noise† that comes along with it. I think if I become successful at this, I will have a much easier time understanding what is being communicated to me. _NI_ 10. Because communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable, I look carefully for hidden meanings, am cautious in communicating messages that I may later wish to withdraw, and am aware that any communication act occurs but once. Number ten is the other communication competency that I feel I need to make improvements on. I understand that communication is unrepeatable, irreversible, and inevitable, but sometimes I don’t think long enough about what I’m going to say and just say it and regret it later. Also, I don’t always see all of the hidden meanings behind some of the things that I say or things others say to me. I think at times I try to convince myself that what I say can be justified and taken away when it usually cannot. I can remember one time I sent an e-mail to someone after a disagreement and because I was so angry while writing the e-mail, I wasn’t thinking about exactly what I was saying and the consequences it was going to have later on. I had sent the e-mail and in the mean time had calmed down and reread the message and couldn’t believe the things I had said and it was too late to take it back; I couldn’t jump into the computer and reverse hitting the send button. The issue was eventually resolved but made me realize that I need to work on thinking more before putting words out there that are irreversible. I think one of the best things I can do in the future to avoid the type of situation I discussed above from happening again is just to step back and look at what I am saying before sending the message. Thinking about the consequences that may occur from saying something the wrong way is a motivator to be more careful. Also, trying to see the hidden meanings behind words before saying them to people I think will avoid any issues as well. PART 2: General Improvement Strategy The one communication competency that I am going to focus on for part two of this assignment is number ten. I understand that all of the competencies that I need to improve on are important but I want to elaborate a bit more on this one and see if I can plan out different ways to improve on it. The Problem: When I am angry or upset about something and want to confront the issue, I do not always fully think about what I’m saying before I say it, therefore living with the consequences of being unable to take back words. The Goal: To think more about what I say before I say it and to really realize how bad the consequences may become. The Plan: There are several things I plan on doing to improve on my problem. I will first think harder about what I am going to say before saying it. I will also step back and take a deep breath before writing out or saying harsh words. I will think about how my words may have hidden meanings to someone else. I will then use what I have learned in the past from the consequences of speaking/writing things I do not truly mean to avoid the same in the future. Test of Measurability: I will know that I have improved on my plan once I am in a situation where I may be upset about something and go to approach the person or an e-mail to someone and I use a better selection of words. I know my plan is going well when I wait to press the send button and reread what I have written to look for things that may mean more to the person that I realize. I will have achieved my goal when I see more positive outcomes and communication with the person I am having issues with. The list of competencies in part one of this assignment, with the exception of my insertions of â€Å"S† and â€Å"NI† are taken from: DeVito, J. (2013). Essentials of Human Communication [VitalSouce bookshelf version].  Retrieved from http://devry.vitalsource.com/books/9781269649261/id/pg23

The effect of the macro-economy Essays -- essays research papers

External Influences The Macro-economy The production and exchange process of the whole economy as opposed to individual markets within the economy. Businesses are affected by changes in the macro-economy and by government processes towards the macro-economy. Government economic policies change a lot. (E.g. labour made bank of England independent on their first day in office.) Instead of dividing the economy into different sectors (e.g. retail, cars etc) we look at the economy of the country as a whole. Government Macro-economic objectives: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Control of inflation – 2.5% †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maintain full employment-all who want a job can get one. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Control of balance of payments. Imports vs. exports †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stability of exchange rate. Could stabilise exchange rate by joining euro. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maintain steady economic growth -2%-2.5%. That means that the country as a whole does better next year than it does this year. Inflation is a general rise in the price level over a period of time. Inflation in the late 70’s in the U.K was 27%. That meant that if bread was 100p, the next year it would be 127p We can measure inflation by: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Looking at the standard retail price index. This is where the government agrees a standard shopping basket e.g. food, petrol, mortgage. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RPIX-RPI take away mortgages †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RPIY-RPIX takes away taxes and local authority taxes. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  HICP-adopted by all EU countries. This was made to try and determine with the position is within Europe. They have decided not to include for example, housing costs in each country, they are looking for a general price rise in general retail goods. However it is expensive in any city to live there, so housing costs are an extremely important factor. It does include university fees, to measure how good an economy is in any country. Because students are future of economy, the more students you can produce (theoretically) the better. Balance of payments †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A record of trade between U.K and other countries. (although it applies between all countries) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the difference of imports and exports †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &... ... own country. Economic Growth Measured by the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) – the value of output of goods and services in the economy over a period of a year. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measured by adding up total incomes (Y) or total expenditure (E0 or total output of industry †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In theory all should be the same. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Appropriate growth levels in U.K e.g. If it is too high, the economy is overheating, if it is too low it is stagnating –resources, unemployed, an actual growth of 2-2.5% is seen as being sustainable and is ‘appropriate’ †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If growth rates get too high the economy is expanding too quickly and people spend too much money which leads to an overheating of the economy and inflation. There is also a fear of whether it is sustainable to have it expanding that quickly. If it is too low resources may be unused/underused (e.g. labour) and this leads to unemployment. This is with low economic growth, not a recession. The u.k economy has not hit the targets it wished, but was not shrinking like U.S.A and Japan and Japan went into recession (2 quarters, or 6 months of a shrinking market.

Free Julius Caesar Essays: Honorable Men in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

Honorable Men in Julius Caesar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are both considered honorable men by the public.   But, like all traits, honor is in the eye of the beholder.   Honor is defined as evidence or symbols of distinction.   Those who are placed in power are often chosen because of their traits, which include being honorable.   If those in power have any faults, it could diminish their position in the eyes of the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brutus is considered an honorable man by all those who live in Rome.   He is a close friend of Caesar, husband of Portia, and is also a Senator.   Brutus is drawn into killing Caesar by Cassius, who was jealous of Caesar's degree of power.   Brutus was pulled into the scheme by letters brought to his house by Decius to make him think that the people of Rome wanted him to replace Caesar.   Brutus also feels that Caesar is being given too much power and will destroy Rome's democracy.   Brutus' reason for killing Caesar is to benefit Rome, he proves this when he states"If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."   After losing to Mark Antony and Octavious, Brutus runs onto his own sword. He sticks to his beliefs, not altering them for others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cassius is the leader of the conspirators. He is jealous of the power that Caesar holds and wants for himself.   Caesar says that Cassius"...Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks to much. Such men are dangerous.", meaning that he looks sneaky and is not to be trusted. The whole idea to kill Caesar begins with Cassius, he convinces the other Senators to do as he wishes.   Cassius commits suicide because he is afraid of what will happen to him if Mark Antony and Octavius find him.   Another reason for his suicide is because he believes that his men have lost the battle and he does not want to face the consequences.

The Reasons And Effects Of Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

One of the most define issue of our epoch is planetary clime alteration. It is the biggest menace to the hereafter of life on Earth. Rising mean temperature, high tide degrees, ocean salt and sourness ( pH ) , air current forms and utmost conditions events including drouths, heavy precipitation, heat moving ridges and the strength of tropical cyclones like hurricanes and typhoons are some utmost conditions events as a consequence of clime alteration. So, clime alteration confronts humanity arguably with the most serious challenge that it has of all time faced. The more it is studied it shows that there are some elements of this serious menace. These elements need to be understood to cut down these alterations and do things slower as the concluding result will be ‘Catastrophe ‘ due to these alterations. 2. What Is Climate? Climate is the long term prevalent conditions conditions of an country. The general or mean upwind conditions of a certain part including temperature, rainfall, and air current is called clime. 3. What is Climate alteration? Climate alteration is a long term alteration in the statistical distribution of conditions forms over periods of that scope from decennaries to 1000000s of old ages. The alteration may be in the mean conditions conditions or a alteration in the distribution of conditions events with regard with an norm. These alterations may be limited to a specific part or may happen universe broad. The definition of clime alteration given in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is considered best as it is â€Å" A alteration of clime which is attributed straight or indirectly to human activity that alters the planetary composing of planetary ambiance and which is in add-on to natural clime variableness observed over comparable clip periods. † Any sort of alteration has a direct consequence and clime alteration is no different. It affects human civilisation. But the alterations we talk about are planetary and different. These alterations will convey calamity might stop human civilisation. The American HeritageA ® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, A © Random House, Inc. 2010. 4. Reason of clime alteration: Change in planetary clime has some peculiar grounds. The chief ground of planetary clime alteration is addition of Carbon gases in the ambiance. a ) Greenhouse consequence: Certain gases in the ambiance behave like the glass on a green house, leting sunshine to come in, but barricading heat from get awaying. During twenty-four hours earth becomes hot as it absolves heat and at dark clip it releases heat. But some C gases block the heat and Earth can non let go of heat usually. So, our Earth becomes hotter and temperature rises which causes alteration in clime. B ) Addition in emanation of Carbon gases: Carbon gases are heat shriving, such as CO2. Increase of C gases in the ambiance makes earth hotter than normal. So, inordinate emanation of Carbon gases cause rise of temperature in the environment which is one of the major ground of clime alteration. degree Celsius ) Deforestation: Deforestation is one of the major causes of planetary clime alteration. Cuting trees is non good for environment as tree consumes CO2from the environment. Deforestation does non assist to cut down C gases from the environment. vitamin D ) Volcanic eruption: Volcanic eruption disposes dozenss of C gases in the ambiance which is largely responsible for the addition of planetary temperature. vitamin E ) Massive population growing: Massive population growing is an indirect cause of clime alteration. Peoples cuts tree, uses fossil fuel and does many other things to carry through their demands. These activities are non good for environment. So the addition in population agencies addition in the rate of clime alteration. degree Fahrenheit ) Dependence on fossil fuel: Peoples of the Earth are extremely dependent on fossil fuel. As they have really limited resource on alternate energy beginning they largely use fossil fuel as energy beginning. But fossil fuel is a really high beginning of emanation of Carbon gases. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , 2001. â€Å" Working Group I Third Assessment Report. † Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, UK. 881 pp. National Academy of Sciences ( NAS ) . 2001. â€Å" Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions. â€Å" National Academies Press. 42 pp. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Goddard Institute for Space Studies ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.giss.nasa.gov/ ) William Solecki, Hunter College, City University of New York hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hunter.cuny.edu/ ) 5. Effectss of clime alteration: Climate alteration has terrible consequence on humanity and life on Earth. Day by twenty-four hours our Earth is altering and it ‘s acquiring a difficult topographic point to populate on. Climate alteration is the ground for assorted natural catastrophes of recent clip. It has made the whole environment system unpredictable. a ) Average temperature rise: As a consequence of clime alteration the mean temperature of the Earth has increased. It has made the environment inconsistent and the Earth ‘s season circle has collapsed due to this ground. 1990 was the warmest decennary in last 1000 twelvemonth and in this decennary temperature increased about at consecutive graph. B ) High tide: As a consequence of temperature rise ice of south and North Pole will be melted fast and the H2O will eventually make the ocean. So, the sea degree will lift significantly and high tides will go a new job. Coastal civilisations like SriLanka, Maldives and Fiji will be destroyed. Rising sea degree will hold sever consequence on states like Bangladesh, Australia, India, Indonesia as most of their land will travel under H2O. degree Celsius ) Increase in ocean salt and sourness: Scientists have found oceans are able to shrive some of the extra CO2 released by human activity. So the more CO2 in the ambiance means the more in the oceans. This will increase the salt and sourness of sea H2O. Research show that some of the sea H2O ‘s Salinity and sourness will increase approximately 30 % after the terminal of twenty-first century. vitamin D ) Extreme conditions events: Global clime alteration will convey utmost conditions events like ‘Super Storm ‘ . These storms will hold air currents velocity of more than 200 stat mi and will destruct anything at its manner. Global heating will engender many ace storms. vitamin E ) Massive tropical cyclone: Climate alteration will increase the denseness of tropical cyclone. These cyclones are monolithic and destructive. Hurricane Katrina is the worst possible illustration of that in recent clip. Economic harm due to Katrina was 81 billion USD and estimated recovery needs more than 200 billion USD. Sometimes tropical cyclone brings high tide and boom storm. ‘Abdu'l-Baha , from a Tablet translated from Persian, quoted in a memoranda on â€Å" Gaia and Nature, † to the Universal House of Justice from its Research Department of the Baha'i World Centre, 8 June 1992. See World Commission on Environment and Development ( Brundtland Commission ) , Our Common Future ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987 ) . Bouma-Prediger, Steven, For the Beauty of the Earth ( Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001 ) P 6. International jurisprudence to cut down clime alteration: A political understanding such as the Copenhagen Accord may be considered as a measure frontward if it is taken earnestly by those who want to continue with its executing. The authorization of such understanding will basically depend on whether its executing can be effected through political force per unit area from Governments, civil society. There are two ways the Accord could assist the clime treatments to predate in 2010: a ) It could function as an input to the AWGs. During treatments, the working groups could mention to the papers and the determinations agreed by Heads of State. B ) The Accord could go the karyon of a new international clime policy program to develop clime policy outside the UNFCCC with a limited figure of states back uping it and working under the commissariats of the papers. With respect to its contents, the chief elements of the Copenhagen Accord are that: a ) Countries officially commit to the 2 degree mark but it neither translates this figure into GHG emanations ( including a peak twelvemonth ) nor describes processs for attempt sharing. B ) By the terminal of January 2010, Appendix I to the Accord will consist of economy-wide marks for 2020 pledged voluntarily by developed states through a bottom up procedure. Developed states can perpetrate to implement separately or jointly quantified emanation lessening marks, to be Measured, Reported and Verified ( MRVed ) based on guidelines bing under the UNFCCC. Following the analysis of Egenhofer and Georgiev ( 2009 ) , the most determined upper bound of the pledges for 2020 submitted before Copenhagen, combined with the executing of the national programs in China and India, would convey the Earth towards a 3.2A °C addition by 2100 at best. C ) Improvement of actions in developing states will be supported instantly through new and extra, predictable and sufficient beginnings of support. To this terminal the corporate committedness of developed states is nearing US $ 30 billion for the period between 2010-2012, turning to US $ 100 billion a twelvemonth in 2020 with balanced portion between version and extenuation. Thereby, for the first clip promise to a end of reciprocally mobilise is set and could let go of the fiscal dead end giving farther drift to the betterment of C markets. It is normally stated that the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund shall be well-known to back up undertakings, coders, policy and other actions in increasing states related to betterment. A high degree panel will be established to analyze the part of the likely beginnings of net incomes. vitamin D ) A Technology system shall be established by the understanding, even though no inside informations of this system or thoughts behind the term have been provided. vitamin E ) The comparative importance of, every bit good as interaction between, these three paths will merely go clear over the following months, peculiarly in February when it will go evident which Parties have authorized the understanding. On the other manus, even if all of the chief emitters support the chief consequence of COP 15, the Copenhagen understanding, there will still be the demand for extra treatment. There are, for illustration, many more chances for set uping a more sustainable international betterment class, some of which have been identified by the AWG-LCA and the AWG-KP, that are non recognized in the Copenhagen understanding. degree Fahrenheits ) Low C conveyance systems require an included attack that lessening distances traveled prioritizes low-carbon manners and decreases the carbon-emissions of vehicles. For this ground, engineering is non limited to the energy effectivity of vehicles and bio-fuels but refers to power efficient conveyance systems as a whole, on top of any size from the local to the national. Technology Transfer under the UNFCCC is treated every bit supplying the capableness to invent and use engineerings. It is hence in theory well-matched to the conveyance system position and a engineering mechanism should provide capacity constructing sing all manners of sustainable conveyance. g ) The Copenhagen understanding endorses the significance of C markets as a agency to acquire emanation cut down but it does non propose the creative activity of a sector crediting system. In rule, Parties agree to extra work with the instrument but the hereafter of the Kyoto Protocol is still dubious and the treatments of the AWG-KP in Copenhagen resulted in advancement. The same applies to likely developments of the CDM under the AWG-KP, which could function to do the system more suited for undertakings in the conveyance sector. This would be helpful for conveyance as to day of the month there are few CDM conveyance related undertakings. Several recommendations have been developed for ways in which barriers to the greater engagement of the conveyance sector in the CDM flexible system could be overcome. Egenhofer, Christian and Georgiev, Anton ( 2009 ) : The Copenhagen Accord – A first pang at decoding the deductions for the EU. CEPTS Commentary, 25 December 2009. Niklas, Michiel Schaeffer, Claudine Chen, Bill Hare, Katja Eisbrenner, Markus Hagemann, Christian Ellermann ( 2009 ) , Copenhagen Climate Deal – How to Close the Gap, Briefing paper, Ecofys & A ; Climate Analytics, 15 December H ) UNFCCC adopts a jurisprudence of â€Å" common but differentiated undertakings. † The parties fixed that: * The biggest portion of historical and modern planetary emanations of nursery gases originated in developed states ; * Per capita emanations in developing states are still relatively low ; * The portion of planetary emanations arising in developing states will raise to acquire together societal and development necessities. 7. Recommendation: * International: Require states to information on national schemes in the field of conveyance through their National substructure. Construct up a sector attack for international conveyance. Implement a sector halt working in a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action. Provide Parties with ordinance for conveyance NAMA. Develop control for Programmed of Activity ( PoA ) in the conveyance sector. Develop attacks for even transport baselines under the CDM Develop counsel for how both public and private sector conveyance Stakeholders can entree money for accommodation For a more elaborate treatment of conveyance NAMAs see Dalkmann, H. , Sakamoto, K. , Binsted, A. and Avery, K. ( 2009b ) Schemes to convey land conveyance into the clime alteration dialogues. Discussion Paper. Available from possible conveyance NAMA commissioned by the ADB and IDB. * National: put sector emanation lessening end on a national degree Particular conveyance Nationally Appropriate betterment Action must be developed specially in states that have a immense portion of emanations from the conveyance sector, otherwise who are likely to in the coming old ages? Conduct pilot undertakings to demo climate proofing of conveyance systems, largely in metropoliss. Submit indexs for farther combination of the conveyance sector into National Adaptation policy. 8. Decision: So what ‘s following? The challenge that climate alteration airss to mankind requires the international society to maintain on pressing frontward. The sum of options, options and bracketed text in bill of exchange AWG paperss demonstrates the big sum of negociating work that still needs to be done. It is besides likely that even if an understanding under the UNFCCC could be reached in 2010, there will still be a batch work needed to place the implementing necessities by 2012. In a procedure presently characterized by so much uncertainness, two things are clear – 2009 saw a major addition in the repute of the conveyance sector in the clime alteration argument, and the energy must be maintained to do certain that the nexus between conveyance and clime policy is strengthened in 2010.

Day V Caton

Day v. Caton 119 MASS. 513 1876 FACTS: Plaintiff Day built a wall between two adjacent estates in Boston and required defendant Carton to pay for a portion of the wall. On the other hand, defendant Caton claimed that there was no express contract between Plaintiff Day and himself whereas his silence did not insinuate any promise to pay anything for it. In the trial court, the jury found for Plaintiff Day and defendant Caton filed the appeal. ISSUE OR QUESTION:Was the fact sufficient of itself to establish the existence of a contract? Whether the silence of a party seeing services which actually the party got the benefit DECISION: Upheld REASON OR RULE 1) NO. The fact that the plaintiff expected to be paid for the work would certainly not be sufficient of itself to establish the existence of a contract. Because the plaintiff expected to be paid for the brick wall ,though the defendant did not know that the plaintiff was acting with that expectation. ) Yes. Although a promise to pay fo r the wall would not be implied from the fact,which the building of the wall was not in accordance with the request of the defendant,the silence of defendant Caton was treated as evidence of an acceptance of paying for the wall. The defendant had the opportunity to reject the building of the wall , instead, he stood by in silence and saw valuable services rendered upon his real estate by the erection of a structure.A PERSONAL COMMENT In this case, the jury found for Plaintiff Day. I also agree with the decision. However, I want to emphasize that I think this lawsuit can be avoided. If plaintiff Day and defendant Caton can write down an agreement before building the wall, they will have an express contract. Plaintiff Day also can acknowledge defendant Caton that he will require a payment. ZHIBO ZHOU 02/03/2012

Company †Strengths and weaknesses Analysis Essay

Application Assignment †¢Application Assignment on Situational Analysis and SWOT common to all themespgs MM-112 to MM-122 PART B and C (to be submitted together) (15+ 5 Marks) Company –Strengths and weaknesses Analysis Remember this assignment is in continuity to the previous marketing assignment. Here we do a strength and weakness analysis for our company vis -a- vis competitors. We need to know: A. What special strength/ competence or assets company has to satisfy the needs of customers? B. Who competes with us in meeting those needs and what is their competence, strength or asset? Can we scale our own firm and the major competitors on those competencies and strengths? This kind of an analysis follows a 3-step process. 1Identification of all our Competitors. Competition does not stem only from products or firms that compete directly for your market share but also from any company that satisfies the same customer need. (Refer to the ‘Market concept of competition’ at the end of the assignment ) 2List the areas in which your organization or the competitor has the competence. Needless to say that these areas should be industry relevant. An indicative list of the areas in which a firm can have strength / competence is listed below. Innovation ?Ability to develop innovative products ?Amount of Rs. spent on R&D ?Patents that a company has to its credit ?Technical product or service superiority Manufacturing ?Favorable Cost Structure ?Flexible production operations ?Access to Raw materials ?Quality of work force ?Capacity ?Outsourcing Finance- Access to capital ?Ability to generate funds in the short and long run ?Ability to use debt and equity financing ?Parent firms willingness to finance Management ?Quality of top and middle management ?Knowledge of business ?Culture ?Strategic goals and plans ?Entrepreneurial thrust ?Planning or operation system ?Loyalty ?Quality of strategic decision making. Marketing ?Product quality reputation ?Product differentiation ?Brand name recognition ?Customer orientation ?Breadth of the product line ?Segmentation ?Distribution ?Retailer relationship ?Advertising / Promotional skills ?Sales force ?Service Customer base ?Size and loyalty ?Market share ?Growth of segments served This list is only indicative to serve as a guide to the major areas in which a firm can have strength/ competence. You can add on or delete items to suit to your company and industry. 3Scaling your organization vis – a – vis the competitors on the parameters listed above-The Competitive strength Grid *(Please refer exhibit at the end of the assignment) Once the strengths / assets relevant to the industry have been identified, one has to scale one’s own firm and the major competitors on those strengths. One such grid has been done for the Luxury car market. The left side of the grid identifies the areas in which a luxury car maker can have strengths/ competencies namely product quality, product differentiation etc. On the right side various brands have been scaled with either less than average, average or above average position with respect to the strength/ competence identified. For ex. Cadillac has above average position in product quality, average when it comes to product differentiation and less than average on dealer satisfaction, all 3 areas being key to success in a car market. Assignment questions 1. Identify all the major competitors to your product. (Already done in part A of the assignment) †¢ICICI bank †¢HDFC †¢SBI †¢Deutsche Bank †¢Citibank †¢Goldman Sachs 2. Identify and list all the major strengths/assets/ competencies relevant to your industry. Core competencies: †¢Customer service †¢Risk management & Compliance †¢Strategy & Development †¢Strong leadership and management †¢Sales, marketing and Operations †¢Client base and brand 3. Scale your firm and any two other competitors on these strengths in a Competitive Strength Grid as is shown in the example. HSBCICICI bank Deutsche Bank †¢Customer service †¢Reach to the customer is good †¢Good relationship management †¢Premier clients focused cells †¢Reach to the customer is good †¢Premier clients focused cells †¢Reach to the customer is good †¢Good relationship management †¢Premier clients focused cells †¢Risk management & Compliance †¢Credit Risk †¢Operational Risk †¢Market Risk †¢Credit Risk †¢Operational Risk †¢Market Risk †¢Credit Risk †¢Operational Risk †¢Market Risk †¢Strategy & Development †¢Reach to global markets †¢Presence in emerging economies †¢Specific to one country †¢Reach to global markets Strong leadership and management †¢Business expansions & Leadership support †¢Culture of developing and retaining leaders †¢Strong international management and leadership †¢Business expansions regionally †¢Strong management presence †¢Business expansions & Leadership support †¢Strong international management and leadership †¢Sales, marketing and Operations †¢Consumer / Transactional Sales †¢Advisory / Relationship Management Sales †¢Consumer / Transactional Sales †¢Advisory / Relationship Management Sales †¢Consumer / Transactional Sales †¢Advisory / Relationship Management Sales Client base and brand †¢History and strong brand †¢Your local banker approach †¢Internationally renowned brand †¢Strong regional brand †¢History and strong brand †¢Internationally renowned brand 4. Do you have a competitive advantage superior to that of the competitor in any or more area? Do you see major areas for improvement in any competitive area? The areas of competitive advantage are: †¢Strategy & Development †¢Reach to global markets †¢Presence in emerging economies †¢Strong leadership and management †¢Culture of developing and retaining leaders Strong international management and leadership †¢Client base and brand †¢History and strong brand †¢Your local banker approach †¢Internationally renowned brand Areas for improvement: †¢Larger presence in retail operations in emerging economies †¢Leveraging technology to increase efficiency, access to markets and risk management †¢Innovation by providing weekend banking and banking in non official hours PART C Assignment question 1. Based upon PART A and Part B of the assignment, consolidate the Strengths , Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for your organization into a SWOT Grid.