Analysis “The Ormolu Clock” by Muriel Spark Essay

â€Å"The Ormolu Clock† is a short story written by Muriel Spark, who is considered to be one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Dame Muriel is a poet, writer of fiction and literary criticism, and biographer – went on to win most of the literary awards going, was never out of print, and was at the top of her profession, internationally, for more than half a century. The story under discussion begins with the description of two hotels standing side by side and separated by a narrow path – the Hotel Stroh and the Guesthouse Lublonitsch. The first one is a disappointment for its visitors, what can’t be said about the second. The story goes on to tell that the author had a chance to get acquainted with the owner of the Guesthouse – Frau Lublonitsch, who was a very hardworking woman. Once he saw her bedroom he was moved by the sight. The room was richly established and there was a large ornamental clock known as ormolu. Under consideration belongs to the belles-lettres functional style, the main aim of which is to give the readers aesthetic pleasure and to make them think. It is an entrusted narrative and is told in the first person from the viewpoint of a visitor of Frau Lublonitsch’s house. The use of various types of narrative allows the author to create plausible characters. The dialogues are used in the personage†™s speech as well. In this short story women dominate men. The proof of it is that the indefinite article is used before the name of Herr Lublonitsch ( There was a Herr Lublonitsch, but he was of no account). Also the 1st paragraph ends with sentence â€Å"But she was undoubtedly the boss.† which marks Mrs. Lublonitsch’s superior position in the relationship of the couple. The story under consideration abounds in different stylistic devices. The most recurrent are metaphors which add up to the emphatic description of the protagonist’s emotions and thoughts (mouth turn down, smell its quality, strip of land, ome of sons emerged from) also epithets (humorous face, opulently dull, nervous stormy night). The detachment is used here as well (She scoured the huge pans herself; wielding her podgy arm round and round.) It specifies the manner of doing the action. In the text there are also various types of repetition: catch repetition (The maids called her Frau Chef. Frau Chef prepares special food†¦),morphemic repetition (drinking, greeting the guests, receiving as much attention†¦), lexical repetition (as she emereged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her brown apron, with her grey hair drawn back tight, her sleeves rolled up, her dingy dress†¦;She owns all the strip of land†¦ She’s got three farms.. She may even expand across the river†¦) This SD underlines Mrs. Lublonitsch’s domination, power and strength, it shows that everything belonged to her only. The Inversion used here gives emphasis to the situation.(Appended to the guesthouse was a butcher’s shop; In the garden grew one useless thing, within it was a bedroom†¦). The author resorts to the use of descriptions of Mrs. Lublonitsch and her room. He opposes her appearance of a peasant to the imperial magnificence of her bedroom. (she emereged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her brown apron, with her grey hair drawn back tight, her sleeves rolled up, her dingy dress†¦) And with the use of similie he compares her to a peasant ( She went and fetched a cloth and mopped up the mess herself, like any peasant†¦). For the description of her room the author uses various detachments that serve as descriptive details ( I saw a canopied bed, built high, splendidly covered with scarlet quilt). Also the colors make a clear contrast of Mrs. Lublonitsch’s personality: grey, black, brown describe her as a working woman, therefore gold, red, scarlet in the description of her room symbolize that she lives like a queen). The most recurrent words: possession, she, the boss, herself acquire the status of the key words. â€Å"The ormolu clock† is a symbol of the time that was ticking for Mr Stroh, reminding him who the boss is. Though it is no longer in his possession it still has an influence on him. ). In the course of the whole story the clock dominates Mr Stroh’s life and his acting. Finally, he â€Å"gave up his gazing; he went indoors, sullen and bent†. That means that he is defeated by the clock, its authority has dominated in the scene. The message is that Mrs. Lublonitsch’s appearance was contrasting with her real possessions, which she wanted to expand.

Financial Markets Study Questions Essay

14.1 What are financial markets? What function do they perform? How would an economy be worse off without them? Financial markets are institutions and procedures that facilitate transactions in all types of financial claims. Financial markets perform the function of allocating savings in the economy to the ultimate demander(s) of the savings. Without these financial markets, the total wealth of the economy would be lessened. Financial markets aid the rate of capital formation in the economy. The economy would be worse of without financial markets for several reasons. Savers would not be able to earn a return on their savings. People who need capital wouldn’t be able to get the funds from other people and so would have to rely only on their own money. The inability to get capital from others would slow the growth of businesses and reduce the purchases of consumers because they can no longer get loans. These would lead to decreased demand for products and services as well as a decrease in available jobs both of which would harm the economy. 14.3 Distinguish between the money and capital markets Money Markets facilitates transactions using short-term financial instruments; whereas, Capital Markets facilitates transactions using long-term financial instruments. A money market is a market for short term debt securities such as banker’s acceptances, commercial paper, repos, negotiable certificates of deposit, and Treasury Bills with a maturity of one year or less and often 30 days or less. Money market securities are generally very safe investment which returns a relatively low interest rate that is most appropriate for temporary cash storage or short-term time horizons. A capital market is where debt or equity securities are traded. 14.4 What major benefits do corporations and investors enjoy because of the existence of organized security exchanges? Organized stock exchanges provide for: †¢ A continuous market. This means a series of continuous security prices is generated. Price changes between trades are dampened, reducing price volatility, and enhancing the liquidity of securities. †¢ Establishing and publicizing fair security prices. Prices on an organized exchange are determined in the manner of an auction. Moreover, the prices are published in widely available media like newspapers. †¢ An aftermarket to aid businesses in the flotation of new security issues. The continuous pricing mechanism provided by the exchanges facilitates the determination of offering prices in new flotation’s. The initial buyer of the new issue has a ready market in which he can sell the security should he need liquidity rather than a financial asset.

The Value of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Business

Shequita Rayford English 101 February 10, 2013 The Poverty Class The Poverty Class is a big class in the United States; As the free encyclopedia stated, Poverty is a state of privation or lack of the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. The number of families in the poverty class has increase or decrease over the years. The races of population percentage of people in poverty is different from one and another. There are a lot of reasons or saturations why a family is in the class of poverty.Some families come from other classes, like the wealthy class or the middle, then down grade to the poverty class for various reasons. Poverty affect different stages in people lives, there are also different factors of poverty. When you are in the poverty class, you can be look down upon from the other classes for different reasons. There are different ideas to help fix the poverty we have in the United States. In the next exceeding paragraphs, I will explaining th e reasons for each statements because I for the poverty class in my own words and views.The number of the poverty class has increase or decrease, but when I research for the number of population in poverty throughout the years. I see that the numbers has mostly increase throughout the years. In 2000 there was 39. 8 million people in poverty, but that number increased throughout the years. Until now in 2012 the percentage of families in impoverished is 16%, and almost 20% are children. The poverty guidelines are determined by the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau contains the amount of money a family will make in a year.By counting each person and the cost of living for that person, additionally adding each person to calculate a number. Then the census determine if the family would be counted in the poverty class or not. The races of people in a population in poverty is different from one and other. Race and gender plays an enormous part in poverty. Minorities pay a big role by 27 per cent, so does Latinos and American Indians, versus 10 present of whites. Below is the percentages of races in the poverty class; Poverty and race/ethnicity 9. 9% of all non-Hispanic white persons 2. 1% of all Asian persons 26. 6% of all Hispanic persons (of any race) 27. 4% of all black persons. There are a lot of reasons or situations why a family is in the class of poverty. One reason can be that a person was born in a family that is poor, I was born in a family that was in the middle class. My family had a house, and my dad own his own construction company. We live in a nice neighborhood in the city of Chicago. But at the same time I remember seeing poverty all around me. You can tell what class a person was by the clothes they worn.You can tell where the area the class live by the surroundings. For example the wealthy live down town in condos or lofts running 3,000 through 7,000 or more a month. Because the cost of living in a city is expense. Another reason can be because the e conomy with low job rates, or the minimum rates of employment was low. Another reason can be because a lot of families have a single parent trying to raise a family from minimum wage or welfare. After my father passed away, my mom was a single parent, she was left well off but then blew the thousands she was left with.So we went from middle class to poor and had to struggle at times. Then I and my mom got on our feet; now I am a mother with two kids. I only want the best for both of my kids, to not be in the population of the poverty class. Some families come from other classes, like the wealthy class or the middle, then down grade to the poverty class for various reasons. Like I said from the paragraph above, my dad past away and me and my mom had to learn how to survive by ourselves. There are a lot of different reasons why one class can go to poverty.One reason can be because of natural causalities, there has been hurricanes, earth quakes, tornadoes, thunder storms, winter storms and other storms. During the last couple year’s people has come upon these storms and lost everything. For an example the storm Katrina kill a lot of people and left a lot of people homeless in the state of poverty. Poverty affect different stages in a person life. If the person works a minimum wage, it’s like living from one pay check to another. I had live from one pay check to another before, paying all my bills and don’t have enough to buy anything for myself.Or don’t have enough to pay all the bills at once. It can affect a person health if their unable to eat a meal during the day. It all can be challenging trying to live when you don’t have enough income to live on. But either way I found a way to challenge difficult situations, thanks to programs to help people in poverty to pay bills, buy food, buy clothing and personal items. There are different factors of poverty. Low- wage jobs is one factor, in our America today, there are a lot of lo w in come jobs. Even if you go to college and get a degree, there is no guarantee that you will get that dream job you want.I know someone with four degrees and still can’t find that dream job that he wanted. Another factor is that there is a lot of single parents in the house holds of families today. A single parent making a low- wage do not equal to success, taking care of your family can be expensed. I know that for a fact, if it wasn’t for the help of my family, I don’t know where I would be with my kids. But life has got much easier since I gotten help from their father now. The Census Bureau stated that 104 million people make twice below the poverty line, less than $38,000 for a family of three.Economic Policy says half the jobs on the nation pays less then %34,000 a year, a quarter pay less than $23,000 annually. When you are in poverty you can be look down upon. No matter if you are a child or an adult, sometimes you have peers to look at you and judge you. I have got those views from a lot of people that believe people on welfare is lazy or just wasting their tax money. Well those people don’t know that person or family situation. Not having welfare, that family would not be able to feed their family without food stamps.People needs to realize that there is a lot of poverty in the world and a lot of people are suffering. Even if that person has a job, the person has to work a 10 thru a 12 hour shift and only making eight dollars an hour for an example. People don’t want to look at the fact that if the government didn’t have these programs that the poverty percentage would be double. There are different ways to fix poverty in America. By continuing to provide welfare for individuals who are struggling paying their bills, buying food for their house hold and buying personal needs for themselves and their kids.Some of the welfare programs that help provide those needs are food stamps and cash assistance. Social Security helps the elderly who can’t work and people with disabilities. Earn income tax credit helps to provide families with extra money at the end of the year, who made under a certain amount money for that year. Our economy needs more decent paying jobs. We all need to help invest in a 21st century education, provide skill development strategy, the rich should pay their fair of taxes to the country, raise minimum wage and provide more health care. I provided my views on poverty and stated true facts.I want my audience to become more educated on the matter and realize how serious the matter can be. Knowing that you can be in one of the other class one day and be in the poverty class the next day. We all should notice how important this situation is although you might say that this is not your situation, nor your problem. But true fully it affects all Americans in some way or form. Works Cited Websites: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States http://www. nytimes. com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/why-cant-we-end-poverty-in-america. html? pagewanted=all&_r=0

Website exploration assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Website exploration - Assignment Example First of all it gives direct option to ‘Explore Canada’ which includes trip ideas, places to go and things to do. Then there is an option to give complete information on ‘travelling Canada’ starting from arrival up to departure from the State. ‘Share your Canada’ is a unique option for visitors to upload their photos and share their distinctive experiences. Thereafter the website gives a central option to search places with the help of topics, for instance, if someone is interested in exploring arts and culture then the search will directly lead to the most suitable places. Different locations for tourists’ attraction are available with the brief description, for example, there is ice land, journey behind the falls etc. Additionally there is a list of 50 Canadian destinations along with different videos and contact link of a trip advisor. The site is creatively designed as it shows everything a tourist might be looking for. Although the pictures and information is set in order to demonstrate â€Å"more† but the black background color is not giving a comforting feel. Diversity seems to be the central part to picture Canada. This can be substantiated on the basis of locations categorization, for instance, tourists planning their visit to a lake, ice land or even waterfalls can actually select Canada as it has all of them. In addition to this the website sends a message of adventure and fun to the visitor. 3. Scan the categories in the tab Explore Canada at the top of the Home page. Name/identify four or five that you know (by experience) or that you had heard about? Among those that you have identified, what are those that you find MOST characteristic of tourism in Canada? Places to go: I have read about these places in different publications and stories Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Toronto. All of these places reflect most characteristics of tourism in Canada because they are

Ordinary Courage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ordinary Courage - Essay Example The army was originally created on June 14, 1775, and most of the Continental Army was disbanded on November 3, 1783 after the treaty of Paris. A small residual force continued at West Point and some other frontier outposts, until Congress created the United States Army by their resolution of June 3, 1784. Joseph Plumb Martin truly and personally understood how difficult the soldier’s life was. After joining the militia himself in 1776 at 16 years old Joseph Plumb Martin served in the Continental Army, and in 1830 wrote a memoir which presented a truthful portrait of war, about the traversing of the mid-Atlantic colonies, from Connecticut over to Pennsylvania and down through Delaware with his compatriots, and describing what the war was like from the point of view of an ordinary person. Joseph Plumb Martin (1760-1850), it should be noted, was a mere Private in the army, and his account does not involve the usual heroes of the Revolution. Joseph Plumb Martin’s opinion of the leadership of the Continental Army is somewhat negative, in that he did not feel the leaders held very idealistic concepts concerning the war. However he tells that he respected them in that he found them to be brave and courageous, as he thought everyone who had participation in (that) war was; that it was their strength and perseverance which held the men strong. So although he did believe they were a quintessential part in the leading, fighting, and success of the war, I believe that he also somewhat felt negatively towards them. Martin felt that they were â€Å"†¦very austere†¦and kept us constantly employed day and night; there was no chance of escaping from†¦their†¦vigilance.† (p.24). Martin describes of the suffering that was experienced by himself and his fellow men, as he names ‘Fatigue, hunger, and cold’ as constant companions to these raggedy soldiers. He also recalls that whenever the leaves and

Problem of corporate social responsibility Essay

Problem of corporate social responsibility - Essay Example In such an analysis, the movie ‘Wall street’ as acted in 1987 features such manipulations of a stock broker (Bud) who gets into trade deals with an unscrupulous corporate raider (Gordon Gekko) through whom we see the attributes of manipulation. The character of Bud is clearly brought to light through the greed for quick wealth, which led him into the heinous acts in trade. In one such an incident, after he is much involved in illegal trade affairs with his mentor Gekko, he learns the business and opts to practice it himself against his corporate friend. He deceives Gekko to invest in Bluestar airlines after which he cunningly drives the stock up with an intention of bringing them later down for his own gain against his friend Gekko. This therefore illustrates such an example to business manipulation which is against CSR and which is driven by profit motive. Bud is interested in the unethical behavior of manipulating business performance for own gain through profit maximi zation (IMDb, para 1-7). Manipulation would therefore involve such practices as intentionally overpricing of business goods, over valuation or devaluation as well as the intentional price distortion for the purpose of personal gains. Manipulation has effects in affecting the market forces, which are responsible in regulating demand and supply. At macro level, interest rates and the stock values have great influence on performance of an economy. They also influence the lending rates by financial institutions, which have an equal capacity of encouraging investors into a country. This illustration of manipulation through stock over-valuation and undervaluation therefore has the capacity of destabilizing forces of demand as well as supply hence distort the economy, both at micro as well as macro level. It is also worth noting that manipulations by price distortions ahs the capacity of creating unfavorable competition within the markets whose effects would be felt within the whole econom y. Tax evasion In other instances, business people may intentionally evade payment of tax as a paramount practice for corporate social responsibility. It is the expectation of every governance regime that business firms honor their role in payment of tax for building on government revenues. The governments therefore raise their funds through taxation and as such imposes legal frame worst through which full compliance from any trading firm is expected. This therefore brings in the local and international norms against which individual traders or firms are liable to facing legal charges. However, it is a common practice for trading businesses or individuals to avoid payment of taxes. Such ways through which tax evasion occurs is through understating the profit returns, failure to update books of account on timely manner as well as corruption where traders would cooperate with authorities at a lower fee instead of honoring the obligation of paying taxes. These are common practices, whi ch are against business ethics that trading firms or individuals engage in for purposes of maximizing own profit. However, despite the increased efforts in creating awareness and regulation, unethical behavior through such means as tax evasion is increasingly being experienced (Cox, Friedman and Edward, 263-265). Dishonesty practices are equally common phenomena in trading businesses

Achievement of Modern Bureaucracies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Achievement of Modern Bureaucracies - Essay Example In an extreme form bureaucratic organizations fail to do what they are supposed to because rules and regulations are applied so rigidly that employees lose sight of what their job is. Bureaucracy, as a sociological concept, was originally developed by Max Weber, one of the first sociologists to consider the role of individuals in relation to the structural determinants of social action. Much of his work was concerned with the notion of â€Å"rationality†, which he used to explain the development of Western society which was increasingly based on science and calculation. Bureaucracy, combined with the growth of large organizations throughout the nineteenth century, led Weber to conclude that the decisive reason for the advance of bureaucratic organization was its purely technical superiority over any other form of organization. In short, it was a description of an ideal type of organization. Not ideal in the sense that it was perfect or one that should be aimed for, rather that its structure contained specific elements that characterized it as a bureaucracy and which were necessary to manage the organizations of the day. This occurs in part because public bureaucracies sometimes perceive themselves as guardians of the national interest: there is the idea that they embody ideals that transcend the policies of particular government: they can develop a character of their own and become set in their ways and difficult to change. In these circumstances professionals can be more concerned with their own survival than with the broader aims of providing for needs of the consumers of their service. This can be observed in the barriers that can exist between the different wards and departments and the lack of co-operation that ensues. The study of spatial separation is called proxemics; it involves the exploration of different practices and feelings about interpersonal space within and across cultures. In the United States, general practice allows intimate communications between close friends to occur at very short range. Conversations with acquaintances are often held at a 3-4 feet personal distance. Work-related discussions between colleagues may occur at a social distance of 4 to 12 feet with more impersonal and formal conversations in public occurring at even greater distances. Not only it is important to know and observe common practice with regard to the nature of the underlying relationships (intimate, friendly, work-related or casual) between two parties; it is also imperative that these practices be adapted for cultural differences. In some societies, sharply different practices prevail. For example, Latin America and Asian cultures generally favor closer distances for personal conversations; and workers in Arab countries often maintain extremely close contact. Therefore, sender should be aware of cultural norms and the receiver's preferences, and make an effort to understand and adapt to them. Bureaucratic Power Political conflict does not end after a law has been passed by Congress and signed by the president. The arena of conflict merely shifts from Capitol Hill and the White House to the bureaucracy - to the myriad departments, agencies, and bureaus of the federal executive branch that implement the law. Despite the popular impression that policy is decided by the president and Congress and merely implemented by the federal bureaucracy, in fact policy is also made by the bureaucracy. Indeed, it is often remarked that "implementation is the continuation of policy making by other means." The Washington bureaucracy is a major base of power in the American system of government - independent of Congress, the president, the courts, and the people. Indeed, controlling the bureaucracy has become a major challenge of democratic

Education management Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 35000 words

Education management - Thesis Example This mobility is something special as it is confined to a single country. It has some similarities with international mobility because Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region administered under separate set of different from the mainland China. Administrative and education pattern in Hong Kong differs much from that obtaining in mainland China, and also with other parts of the world. Education in Hong Kong is the stepping stone for further education at the international levels also. The segment of education in Hong Kong is affected with student flow from mainland China and also from international quarters, with globalization and neo-liberalism. Discussion is also made in this article about the forces that have impacted and continue to impact the education system in Hong Kong. What are the characteristics that attract the students to pursue their studies in Hong Kong and encourage parents from mainland China to get their children admitted to schools in Hong Kong right from the ki ndergarten levels? Want are their special problems and how the administration is grappling to control the situation? The paper concludes by indicating the significance of management of education of students of mainland China and Hong Kong. Two diametrically opposed political philosophies are working with a purpose to hammer out a common educational policy but it is futile to expect that Hong Kong will give up the upper hand in the field of education. The authorities at mainland China will not mind it, because Hong Kong is an integral part of the People’s Republic of China. Hong Kong has been a Special Administrative Regions (SAR)of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since their sovereign reversion to PRC from the United Kingdom within the structure of â€Å"one country, two systems† in 1997. On the education administration of any country the political system has the direct bearing. At the official ideological level, the mainland China

Sources of Measurement Error Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sources of Measurement Error - Essay Example Essentially, this combining of theoretical with empirical, permits as well as justifies the use of measurement, and stringent observance of these rules, allows for better and more accurate methods for describing behaviors or in making predictions. These take on their specific meanings through the following and now widely used scales of measurement, namely, nominal ordinal, interval, and ratio. Classifications, which by using a system of numbers, find common consent among scientists. Here then, consensus must come over how these numbers represent different agreed-to values, in order to sensibly group, sort, or differentiate between data. These numbers are ordered: that is, 'one number is greater than, less than, or equal to another number'.i Differences connecting numbers create what is called distance between them, allowing for a scale of measurement, for example, by agreement that zero stands as the origin number, we might simply assign numbers to the above quotation. Thus, it is possible to state clearly and unambiguously that the number value one is less than the number value two, and the number value three is more than the number value two. One factor of abstract models, is their use in designing and performing studies that measure real-world variables

Negotiations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negotiations - Essay Example This was the case of a miner who lost his boots at work, and the managers did not agree to lend him a pair or even buy him a new pair. The non-compliance by the shift boss led to a dispute of interests and led the employee to go on strike. Ury, et.al, (1988) explain that a dispute starts when a claim or demand is made and is generally based on a need or aspiration. In the case where the miner complained of the lost boots, he was in directly expecting the company to take responsibility and to remedy the issue, however due to the rejection, this led to a dispute (Ury, Brett, & Goldberg, 1988). Here this led to a conflict of interests, i.e. the interest of the miner was to get back his pair of boots, while the interest of the shift boss was not to spend extra as the company cannot be held liable for the loss of property. Interests are the needs, desires, concerns, and fears, basically, the things that an individual cares about or wants. Reconciliation of such interests is the key and is the most concerning aspect of any negotiation. Here these can lead to creative solutions, or making trade- offs, or even concessions. The crux is to reach to an agreement. However, not all the negotiations are a means to reach an agreement. Some negotiations are focused on reconciling of interests, while others on determining who is right and a few others are based on who is more powerful (Lewicki, Barry, & Saunders, 2010). However, there are a number of negotiations which is a mix of all three of the elements, i.e. to satisfy the interests, discussion of rights and also focus on the power of the parties involved. In the case that the negotiations are focused on a single aspect, then they are referred to as, either, ‘interest-based’, ‘rights-based’, or ‘power-based’ (Lewicki, Saunders, Minton, & Barry, 2010). The relationship of the three can be understood better in the form of concurrent circles, with the inner most circle being interest, the outer circle being rights and the outer most circle being power (see figure below). (Ury, Brett, & Goldberg, 1988) The diagram clearly explains that any reconciliation of interests is basically within the rights and power of the parties. Similarly, the determination of the rights is based on the levels of power. The three are interrelated and the overall resolution of a dispute can have a continuous shift between the interests, rights or power (Lewicki, Barry, & Saunders, 2010). Each of the three has a different impact on the overall costs, satisfaction and also the outcomes. There are four possible criteria in every negotiation. a) The transaction costs, i.e. the cost of the overall negotiation. In the case of the Boots dispute, it would have been better for the shift boss to resolve the dispute without the strike. The escalated issue of strike, simply led the overall costs to increase to a great extent (Brett, 2007). b) Outcome satisfaction is another crucial element that needs t o be considered. Here the outcome was not to satisfaction for the business, or the employee alike. The business was faced with loss of money, while the employee did not receive a new pair of boots. However the employee was satisfied as this allowed him to vent out the anger. c) Impact on relationships, is the next crucial criteria. Negotiations are a part of day to day life (Lewicki, Barry, & Saunders, 2010). With the type of negotiation chosen, there can be an impact on the ove

The Watergate Affair Essay Example for Free

The Watergate Affair Essay The Watergate Affair was perhaps one of the greatest political scandals to have affected the Ameican government. Its significance was this scandal involved officials leading up to the highest levels of the government which ultimately led to the White House which was during the incumbency of President Richard Nixon. The immediate cause of this scandal began when several men were arrested for burglarizing the headquarters of the Democratic Party at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC hence the name of the scandal. These men were caught rummaging filing cabinets for vital documents and electronic wiretapping devices were also found in their persons; apparently, they were planinng to bug the office and electronically eavesdrop on any conversation taking place there. The underlying cause behind this operations was the Nixon Administration was concerned on how confidential government reports were being obtained by the Democrats which served as political ammunition against Nixons reelection bid. It was later revealed that the men involved were aides of the Presidents re-election team though initially, President Nixon denied any involvement and subsequent news reports revealed that a massive cover-up was being conducted as an attempt to cover up any involvement by the President. Subsequent investigations by the media revealed that the White House has formed a secret unit called â€Å"Plumbers† for the purpose of spying reporters and government officials who may have been leaking information to the former (Szulc, 1972, p. E2; Rugaber, 1972, p. 220). The media had been faithfully following the events related to what became known as the Watergate Scandal which had by far, overshadowed the achievements of Nixon during his presidency and hounded him all throughout. These revelations of covert government operations within the United States prompted the Senate to form a committee on the campaign activities of the President on February of 1973. Throughout the year, more revelations came out as the pressure on those responsible was intensifying ranging from being sworn to silence and destroying evidence of involvement by the White House. This then prompted the Senate to subpoena Nixon who had repeatedly refused to appear and even release the tapes when demanded, further heightening the suspicion of a cover-up as it was revealed when these tapes had been edited by the time it was released to them (Apple, 1974, pp. 57-58). The constant reporting of the media of what the Senate committee revealed had convinced the American public that Nixon should be impeached and (possibly) made to resign if found guilty (Kovach, 1974, p. 1). Based on the initial investigations by the Senate and its appointed prosecutors, Nixon was charged by the Senate for obstruction of justice, abusing his power and showing contempt of Congress by refusing to appear in the hearings and these became grounds on serving an impeachment against him. Seeing that he had proverbially painted himself in a corner and by the 9th of August, 1974, Nixon went on national television to announce his resignation to spare himself the indignity of being served the impeachment following the availability of more evidence that would furher incriminate him. The Watergate Affair revealed how the government could abuse its power in conducting spying and even conduct political sabotage and it was unfortunate that in its desire to keep certain matters of the state a secret, its agents were caught and led to severe repercussions. References Apple, R. W. (1974, January 5). â€Å"Nixon Rejects Subpoenas from Senate Committee for 500 Tapes and Papers. † New York Times. pp. 57-58. Rugaber, W. (1973, January 14). â€Å"Mystery, Comedy, Etc. Dirty Tricks. † New York Times. p. 220. Szulc, T. (1972, June 25). â€Å"From the Folks Who Brought You the Bay of Pigs. † New York Times.

Macroeconomics Economics Commentary - patterns in Americas unemployment statistics Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomics Economics Commentary patterns in Americas unemployment statistics Essay Unemployment is defined as â€Å"individuals who are actively seeking for a job but cannot find one.† The rate of unemployment however is the number of employed individuals expressed as a proportion of the labour force. During the recent 2010 recession, the United States (US) faced an incredibly large unemployment rate. Despite the fact that America has mostly recovered from the recession, some sectors of the American economy have not yet left the ‘recessionary zone.’ In this article, the dilemma of American teenagers and blacks discrimination is discussed. The statistics given from the article demonstrate a decrease in the rate of unemployment within the American economy. This is illustrated in the graph below as we can see the aggregate supply of labour closing the gap between itself (in blue) and the aggregate demand in order to achieve market equilibrium. Statistically, this improvement can be seen by the drop in unemployment figures from 9.4% in December 2009 to 9.4% one year later in December 2010. Analysing the situation, numerous factors could have resulted in this dip. Primarily, gender discrepancy should be taken into respect. Females dominated industries have increased in size such as education and healthcare industries. Supporting my analysis, the rate of unemployment for women minimally fell by 0.1% unlike their male counterparts whom suffered greater losses. Males as a result saw a greater decrease in their unemployment percentages, falling by 0.8% in comparison to the female’s 0.1% probably due to discriminating reasons, academic motives or other social aspects. Another yet the most principle core dispute raised in the article is the fact that blacks and teenagers are being discriminated suffering from the highest rates of unemployment. Teens topped a high unemployment percentage of 25.4% whilst blacks a little lower tallied at 15.8%. Logically this makes sense for teenagers (assuming they are in the job searching range of 16 to 19 years old), in this age group most teenagers have had little professional experience as emphasis is placed on completing their high school diploma, meaning that the labour force is fundamentally less productive as these teenagers would have no or relatively no real previous real work experience in comparison to an elder person making them less appealing to employers. A growing number of teenagers choose to work as servers/waiters as a consequence of preference and taste for the job yet more importantly, due to their lack in qualifications to work in offices and large firms. As laws enforcing compulsory education up to a certain age become stricter and a higher number of adolescent individuals choosing to complete their studies exists, these individuals are not counted in the ‘pool of unemployment’ as they do not wish to have a job at that moment in time. By estimating, blacks who seem to comprise largely of adults seem however to be facing discriminatory reasons resulting in their rather high unemployment rate. America could modify a few of its structural policies in order to circumvent such dramatic results if a recession were to occur again. Firstly, better and wider training programmes in all academic fields should be offered to students at schools. If the education became more flexible, offering courses in a wider range of subjects, the creation of a possibly more productive workforce is probable and more importantly, having acquired many skills and talents, these teenagers would be capable of finding new jobs in case of a structural change in the economy that demands different skills. Another policy could be to fundamentally ensure that every teenager is granted some type of access to good education/training programme. Lastly, as teenagers in school are not recorded as part of the unemployment rate, the rate of unemployment could be reduced if the government were to provide some type of incentive for teenagers to go back to/attend school. Not only would this reduce unemployment figures in the short run, it would mean that these same teenagers will be capable to offer society much more as they would have gained professional qualifications According to Alicia Robb,Asians are the most educated, so when you have the largest pool of workers, employers are going to pick the most qualified Robb’s statement explains the situation of the Asian race, having suffered the lowest increase in unemployment yet highest fall un unemployment figures from 8.4% in December 2009 to 7.2% a year later. Recently, a voluminous amount of Asians have flocked to the United States. Not only do they usually obtain higher qualified or greater work experience but Asian labour has been branded to be relatively cheap lowering a firm’s total costs, increasing profits. The later generation of these Asians (20 – 30 years old) are thus already qualified enough due to the development in America after 1980s and most of them are employed in good companies and are very well paid now. The young generation of Asians, which are contributed to the teenagers are now concentrating on education in America and most of them would go back to their countries after graduating.

Concepts of health promotion

Concepts of health promotion Before we discuss how different concepts and theories can be used to promote health, nurses need to know what the term health promotion means. An authoritative definition of health promotion comes from the W.H.O which defines it as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health. (W.H.O 1986). Health education is considered the core component of health promotion. Until the mid 1980s the term health education was most widely used to describe the work of practitioners such as nurses and doctors in promoting health. Health promotion is putting education into action. With evidence based information, the patient is more likely to comply with a treatment regime if she understands the regime, the reasoning behind it and is given the tools to achieve it. (McDonald et al 1999). Models are useful tools in Health promotion because it helps to visualize and to test theories. It helps to lend support for or against theories, explaining phenomena and plan possibilities for interventions. Beattie 1991 is a model that offers a structural analysis of the health promotion repertoire of approaches and this model will be the framework of this essay bringing in psychosocial models. His typology argues that there are 4 strategies for health promotion. Health persuasion by health care professionals, legislative action, personal counselling and community development. The Legislative Action part of Beatties model are interventions led by professionals but intended to protect communities such as lobbying for a ban on tobacco advertising. The nurse is in the role of custodian knowing what will improve the peoples health and to protect the population by making healthier choices more available. Staying in the legislative perspective, the nurse as a health educator or promoter must also always adhere to the NMC code of conduct. This code dictates accountability and advocacy for vulnerable clients and in this essay it is emphasised that a person with health behaviour is a vulnerable. Other aspects of legislation that we are duty bound to is the European policy framework, the Health 21 targets. This was introduced to achieve full health potential for all people in the region and this world health document emphasises the date and time when damaging health behaviour have to be eradicated. Another legislation is the Patient Charter which involves the patien t in their health education/promotion plan. It is vital for the nurse to work out where the patient is with regards to changing the behaviour and therefore work at the patients pace. In order to demonstrate a clear knowledge of health education and promotion, a scenario will be applied. Mrs Smith (pseudonym name) in compliance with the NMC (2008) on confidentiality, a 55 year old housewife who has been admitted in the casualty department after an episode of severe chest pain and a degree of dyspnoea which has already lasted for 2 hours. She has been otherwise well, but at 110kg and 54 she is clearly overweight. She has been a smoker for 30 year. Her initial assessment shows that the pain is not cardiac and a working diagnosis of acute reflux oesophagitis is made. Routine screening has shown that she has a random blood sugar of 18mmol/L.Although there are several health issues highlighted in this case, this essay will focus on Mrs Smiths predisposition to Type 2 diabetes mellitus due to her obesity. Factors including weight loss and how much she is in control over her blood sugar levels in the long term (Stratton et al 2000) can determine the eventual outcome. The refore, the main health promotion activity relating to her is giving her advice on weight reduction to improve her diabetic control (Terry et al 2003). In order to work out the stage of change Mrs Smith is in, the nurse has to carry out personal counselling with the patient. This is another strategy of Beatties model. Here Beattie focuses on the patients personal development and to encourage the patient to have the skills and confidence to take more control over their health. Personal counselling focuses on the clients specific needs and normally works on one to one basis and the nurse acts as a counsellor to discuss and negotiate client needs. Decisions are made based on the clients wishes. The client needs to be assessed by Maslows hierarchy of needs. Abraham Maslows model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as safety must be satisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfilment are achieved. While a person is motivated to fulfil these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. An interview is done at this stage of Beattie using a client centred approach. The patient needs t o be physically and psychologically comfortable in order to assess how motivated they are and what stage of change they are at. It is the nurses role to persuade or encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles here, educating the patient with evidence based information to give them full understanding of their unhealthy behaviour and the results of it. Therefore advice and information from the nurse is the main features in Beatties health persuasion strategy. A relevant model to this part of Beattie is the work of Prochaska and DiClemente (1984, 1986) in developing the stage of change model. This framework can be used to describe the different phases that individuals progress through during health related behaviour change. It focuses on the individuals readiness to change or attempt to change towards healthy behaviours and encourages change in addictive behaviours. Although the model can be used in addictive behaviours, it can be used to show that most people go through a number of stages when trying to change behaviours. The model is important in showing that any transition we make is not final but part of an ongoing cycle. The model shows 5 stages the patient goes through. They can start from the pre-contemplation stage where the patient has not yet considered changing their lifestyle, possibly from the lack of awareness of any risks in their health behaviour. Identifying this stage is important because it allows the nurse to realise th at the patient may not be ready to undergo any change. This may mean the healthcare worker should focus on other issues. Once the patient is aware of the problems, she can then proceed to the contemplation stage. At this stage the patient is aware of the benefits of changing but is not ready to do so and needs information and support to help make that decision. It is the nurses role to provide the patient with evidence based information to encourage them to change. For some, this stage may last only a short period whilst some may never progress beyond this stage. A nurse must work at the patients pace and only move on when the patient is ready to proceed to the next stage. When the change seems possible and worthwhile to the patient, they may be ready to change, perhaps seeking for some extra support. At this stage, the patient should be motivated and ready for the stage of making the change. The patient should be given a clear goal along with a realistic plan and support at this st age. The early days of change needs the patient to have positive decisions to do things differently. If the patient manages to make the change of her lifestyle with the nurses support then the patient falls into the final stage of the model Maintenance. At this stage the patient is to have moved into a healthier lifestyle and sustained her new behaviour. In order to analyse how effective this strategy is for the patient, the progress needs to be reviewed and assessed. This stages of change model is different to other concepts in that it is about how peoples behaviour change and not why people do not change. The advantage of this model is that if any patient relapses back to previous stages, it is not considered to be a failure because she can go backwards and forwards through the cycles of change. The patient would still be aware of the benefits of changing and nurses only have to focus on small things to encourage them to proceed to the next stage once again. This can be rewarding to the patient as there is identifiable progress. Most health behaviour models are related to self-efficacy where it involves how one person believes they are capable to attain certain goals by possibly having the feeling of self worth and being optimistic, resulting in motivation to change. Not only does self efficacy influence the challenges the patient chooses but it also affects how high standard they set their goals. Individuals with a strong self-efficacy select more challenging goals (DeVellis DeVellis, 2000 xClose DeVellis, B. M., DeVellis, R. F. (2000). Self-efficacy and health. In: A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, J. E. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of Health Psychology (pp. 235-247). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. ) than people with a weaker self efficacy. In relation to the case study, if Mrs Smith had a strong sense of self efficacy then she may result in adherence to a particular diet whereas if she had a weaker sense of self efficacy she will become discouraged and give up. Self efficacy is therefore directly related to the future behaviour and must be taken into account when assessing the patient. Continuing on to the next strategy of Beatties model, Community development is similar to personal counselling. The nurse tries to emancipate groups and communities so they recognize what they have in common and how social factors can influence their lives. Here patients should be given statutory support as well as voluntary support. In Mrs Smiths case, her health would more than likely be improved if she lost weight. Ideally she could aim for a BMI in the region of 24-25, but this is seldom achieved in practice, but it is none the less a goal. (NICE 2000). Staff in primary care or the integrated diabetic clinic will probably be responsible for producing a full evaluation and implementation of Mrs Smiths condition. A smoking cessation nurse could also be useful in helping Mrs Smith quit smoking improving her overall health. Offering the patient statutory support means she will further understand the whole regime and feel more comfortable, resulting in compliance. Voluntary support ca n also be offered to the patient. An example would be Weight Watchers for Mrs Smith to assist her with weight loss and maintenance, offering her various dieting products and services. The four paradigms for health promotion by Beattie is useful for health promoters because it identifies a clear framework for choosing a strategy, and it reminds them that the choice of these is influenced by social and political perspectives. However, as this model deals with information, education, legislation, psychological and social factors as strategies in achieving help, it has been criticised. Some argue that health has other dimensions not considered including physical, mental, spiritual and environmental that is essential for total health and well-being. Health behaviour models are there for nurses to use to motivate patients to change and make nurses aware of the barriers present. However, the nurse must always accept the work with the patient at their stage. By building a therapeutic relationship and working in partnership with the patient, it allows nurses to give the support the patient needs whilst enabling the client to make choices for themselves. The nurse needs to be aware of their communication skills such as using open questions, listening and encouraging, clarifying and summarizing and showing reflective listening. The goals set for the patient must be realistic, desirable and the nurse must help the patient to believe that they can achieve goals, praise and reinforce positive behaviour and provide emotional support. The nurse must continue to be accountable and continue using evidence based practice.

Aboriginal Cultures Essay -- Sociology, Culture

The Aborigines are one of the oldest, unaffected cultures that remain in our world today. Their historical culture and territory, in the past, was unaffected by the constantly evolving world. Until recently, their historic society has remained sacred, yet today they are undergoing a colossal fight. The Australian government and uranium mining industries are attempting to build new mine fields, bullying Aborigine tribes and their leaders into ultimately selling their land for future nuclear waste dump sites. Their culture should be preserved due to the fact that many cultures have diminished, modified, and changed as our society and world has; they are truly one of a kind. They don’t let the outside influences of money and technologies affect their lives; they are content and proud of their ancestors and should be given the right to preserve their history, passing it down from generation to generation. Macpherson (2010) found that: In June 2007 the Howard Coalition government used the Little Children are Sacred report into child abuse in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities to invade these communities under what it called the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. the Rudd Labor government has not only maintained the NTER, but also extended it. (para. 2) Basically, when tribe leaders decided to stand unified and decline the substantial financial offers, the companies began to look for a loophole. They, nor the government, have no interest in the Aborigine children, they just needed another bargaining chip, so to speak. Macpherson (2010) clearly sides with the ancient culture rights, stating that â€Å"The real intention of the NTER is the theft of more Aboriginal land through the destruction of Aborigina... ...ing other’s beliefs. BHP Billiton, an international mining monster, is about money and money alone; they are willing to make spur of the moment decisions just to sell their idea of why one should approve of uranium mining. BHP’s truths and realities are distorted due to the billions of dollars to be made. Even though a battle is still underway with between the tribes and the monstrous company, MacPherson (2010) stated â€Å"BHP still hopes to convince Canadian indigenous peoples of their bounty to them – promising jobs (mining) etc† (para.2). By taking a philosophical look into this current issue, many truths are exposed. From ethics, morality, and the significance of human freedom, many lines are crossed. By reviewing the Aboriginal dilemma, it provides an inside look on the effects of the uranium mining, as well as the thoughtlessness of those supporting it. Aboriginal Cultures Essay -- Sociology, Culture The Aborigines are one of the oldest, unaffected cultures that remain in our world today. Their historical culture and territory, in the past, was unaffected by the constantly evolving world. Until recently, their historic society has remained sacred, yet today they are undergoing a colossal fight. The Australian government and uranium mining industries are attempting to build new mine fields, bullying Aborigine tribes and their leaders into ultimately selling their land for future nuclear waste dump sites. Their culture should be preserved due to the fact that many cultures have diminished, modified, and changed as our society and world has; they are truly one of a kind. They don’t let the outside influences of money and technologies affect their lives; they are content and proud of their ancestors and should be given the right to preserve their history, passing it down from generation to generation. Macpherson (2010) found that: In June 2007 the Howard Coalition government used the Little Children are Sacred report into child abuse in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities to invade these communities under what it called the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. the Rudd Labor government has not only maintained the NTER, but also extended it. (para. 2) Basically, when tribe leaders decided to stand unified and decline the substantial financial offers, the companies began to look for a loophole. They, nor the government, have no interest in the Aborigine children, they just needed another bargaining chip, so to speak. Macpherson (2010) clearly sides with the ancient culture rights, stating that â€Å"The real intention of the NTER is the theft of more Aboriginal land through the destruction of Aborigina... ...ing other’s beliefs. BHP Billiton, an international mining monster, is about money and money alone; they are willing to make spur of the moment decisions just to sell their idea of why one should approve of uranium mining. BHP’s truths and realities are distorted due to the billions of dollars to be made. Even though a battle is still underway with between the tribes and the monstrous company, MacPherson (2010) stated â€Å"BHP still hopes to convince Canadian indigenous peoples of their bounty to them – promising jobs (mining) etc† (para.2). By taking a philosophical look into this current issue, many truths are exposed. From ethics, morality, and the significance of human freedom, many lines are crossed. By reviewing the Aboriginal dilemma, it provides an inside look on the effects of the uranium mining, as well as the thoughtlessness of those supporting it.

Reaching . . . Extending . . . Chasing. . . What? :: Essays Papers

Reaching . . . Extending . . . Chasing. . . What? This mantra plays through my head and my body like children on a jungle gym, swinging from youthful legs and arms, tearing new clothes, taunting, laughing, bouncing, running, ducking just out of my reach. I am conscious of some message they have to give me, but not yet bowed enough to hear the whispers of meaning between the shouts of proclamation. REACH! I feel like I've been reaching for something for a long time, maybe my entire life. The reach I learned as a baby has certainly kept me exploring new worlds. I consumed books as a child, never satisfied until I found one more tidbit of information on the aardvark or Algeria or Aunt Sue's garden. I did not care what it was, I wanted to know it. But is that IT? Is knowledge of the world what I'm after? I did book reports during the summer because I thought if I could just show the teacher that I was a hard worker, I could hold onto . . . I don’t know. The favored spot in the class? The other students’ approval? My own sense of self-worth? The little girl got to college and couldn't sustain it anymore. No one cared, because everyone else was reaching for IT, too. So, she had to switch races. Reaching for bodily strength was a lot more productive, the fruits (no matter if they were bitter) were screamingly visible. No hiding the results of this race---success! With every step I ran or weight I lifted, my body grew more rigid with tension. I was ready to find IT, and I felt IT within my reach. Thankfully, I did not cross the finish line of this one, for I fear now what I would have found on the other side. Certainly not IT. Three years of my life spent reaching for something that only led to non-life: loss of relationships, loss of health, loss of desire. The only thing I had was schoolwork. I must make up for lost time. So I began to reach for relationships; not just the occasional nice conversation, but absolute emersion in any opportunity to connect with anyone. Seek them out, Heather. Get to know all those people you missed. There's something there worth reaching for, and you’re pretty far behind the others.

Islamic Art :: essays research papers

  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‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islamic Art   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islamic art is perhaps the most accessible manifestation of a complex civilization that often seems enigmatic to outsiders. Through its brilliant use of color and its superb balance between design and form, Islamic art creates an immediate visual impact. Its strong aesthetic appeal transcends distances in time and space, as well as differences in language, culture, and creed. Islamic art not only invites a closer look but also beckons the viewer to learn more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The term Islamic art may be confusing to some. It not only describes the art created specifically in the service of , but it also characterizes secular art produced in lands under Islamic rule or influence, whatever the artist’s or the patron’s religious affiliation. The term suggests an art unified in style and purpose, and indeed there are certain common features that distinguish the arts of all Islamic lands.†1 Although this is a highly dynamic art, which is often marked by strong regional characteristics as well as by significant influences from other cultures, it retains an overall coherence that is remarkable given its vast geographic and temporal boundaries. Of paramount concern to the development of this singular art is Islam itself, which fostered the creation of a distinctive visual culture with its own unique artistic language. Calligraphy is the most important and pervasive element in Islamic art. It has always been considered the noblest form of art because of its association with the , the Muslim holy book, which is written in Arabic. This preoccupation with beautiful writing extended to all arts including secular manuscripts; inscriptions on palaces; and those applied to metalwork, pottery, stone, glass, wood, and textiles and to non-Arabic-speaking peoples within the Islamic commonwealth whose languages such as Persian, Turkish, and Urdu were written in the Arabic script. Another characteristic of Islamic art is a preference for covering surfaces with patterns composed of geometric or vegetal elements. Complex geometric designs, as well as intricate patterns of vegetal ornament (such as the arabesque), create the impression of unending repetition, which is believed by some to be an inducement to contemplate the infinite nature of God. This type of nonrepresentational decoration may have been developed to such a high degree in Islamic art because of the absence of figural imagery, at least within a religious context.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contrary to a popular misconception, however, figural imagery is an important aspect of Islamic art. Such images occur primarily in secular and especially courtly arts and appear in a wide variety of media and in most periods and places in which Islam flourished. It is important to note, nevertheless, that

Apple Swot Analysis – 2

Apple SWOT Analysis II Cesar Diaz MGT/521 Management October 31, 2011 Erick Espinosa Abstract Apple is a company that concerned of the environment and has been working for more than 20 years to minimize the impact their products have on the environment. Apple has developed and formulate an environmental policy in 1990 and since then, Apple has continue making their products more energy efficient, eliminating toxic substances. Apple is also the only organization that all the products they sell not only meets but exceeds the firm energy guidelines of the ENERGY STAR specification. In 2009 become the first company to report their total carbon footprint giving the opportunity to their clients to see Apple progress and efforts. Studying the financial statements of Apple investors and also costumers can determinate the health of the company, with the statements investors can decide if is a good investment risk by studying them in depth because the financial statements inform all of the business assets and liabilities and also include information about how much shareholders would receive as dividends from each share of stock. Companies calculate the earnings per share by dividing their net income by the total number of outstanding stock. Apple SWOT Analysis The environment of Apple is unique in this type of industry, because they focus on all the steps that their products pass through, Apple calculate their carbon footprint establishing the impact the company has in the planet. The footprint of Apple is divide in 46% on Manufacturing, a 6% on Transportation, a 45% on Product use, 1% of Recycling and the last 2% in Facilities The vast majority of our carbon emissions come from the manufacturing, transportation, use, and recycling of our products. The rest — 2 percent — come from our facilities. The way Apple minimize the impact of their growth is designing the products using less material, ship with smaller packaging and been as energy efficient and recyclable as Apple possible can. Apple remains committed to creating products that have the least amount of impact on the environment. Since 2008, as our revenue grew 74 percent, our greenhouse gas emissions grew only 57 percent. In other words following Energy Star qualification all products of Apple go beyond the USA Environmental Protection Agency`s strict ENERGY STAR guidelines for efficiency and has become the only company that can make that claim. In the past few years has made notable reduction in carbon Emissions (http://images. apple. com/environment/ images/manufacturing_ emissions_20110909. jpg) also the CO 2 Emissions per hour of products have considerable reduce (http://images. apple. com/environment/images/product_graph_20110909. pg) Apple continues to install state-of-the-art digital controls, high-efficiency mechanical equipment, and monitoring technology and Apple have a commitment to recycle, that also have Recycling Program and with this increasing their goal all year. The goal for 2010-2015 is a 70% of weight Recycled per year. (http://images. appleinsider. com/apple-e-waste-perc-070502. gif) Apple Inc. is an American based multinational company whose stocks are listed in the  New York S tock  Exchange and NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) under the symbol AAPL. The company specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of electronic equipments like computers, software and smart  phones. The hardware related product line of the company is well known to everyone; including iphone, Macintosh and ipad and ipod respectively. While there are multiple range of software`s offered by the company to its customers that ranges from operating system to the entertainment and educational based software suits. There are several statements that can be analyzed to establish the health of Apple each one with different meaning and purpose. The income statement is for measures a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period. This is one of the three major financial statements; it also  shows the net profit or loss incurred over a specific accounting period, typically over a fiscal quarter or year. The income statement of Apple is In the last quarter the Revenue (in billion) of three of Apple products Ipod, Mac and iPhone) is of 28. 23 and the cost of Revenue is 16. 89. The gross profit is 11. 38, which leave us between the selling, administration and expenses, also the department of research and development a total operating expense 19. 56. so after taxes the income available Is 6. 62 with this information investor can identify how Apple has been growing despite the death of their executive chief. The balance sheet will give the summarize of a company's assets, liabilities and  shareholders' equity  at a specific point in  time. Knowing what Apple owns and what owes and also the amount invested by the shareholders. Seen the graphic, it’s enough to appreciate that Apple does not owes nothing and the assets are increasing more each quarter Cash ; Equivalents 9,815. 00 Short Term Investments 16,137. 00 Cash and Short Term Investments 25,952. 00 Total Receivables, Net 11,717. 00 Total Current Assets 44,988. 00 Long Term Investments 55,618. 00 Total Assets 116,371. 00 Total Liabilities 39,756. 00 Total Equity 76,615. 00 Total Liabilities ; Shareholders' Equity 116,371. 00 Total Common Shares Outstanding 929. 28 And the last statement to study is cash flow, this is a A revenue or expense stream that changes a cash account  over a given period. Cash inflows usually  arise from one of three activities – financing, operations or investing – although this also occurs as a result of donations or gifts in the case of personal finance. Cash outflows result from expenses or  investments. This holds true for both business and personal finance. This statement provides aggregate data regarding all  cash inflows a company receives from both its ongoing operations and external investment sources, as well as  all cash outflows that pay for business activities and investments during a  given quarter. As we can see in the graphic and confirm with the numbers Apple has increase their operating activities but the investing are dropping fast enough to realize that even is a good market rentable their stock are not valuable right now, we can say that one of the reason that their value have decrease in stock is because of the death of Steve Jobs. After reviewing each statement I can understand that the company is financial speaking, healthy because it have values that makes the company special, such as the quality in their products and cares about the planet, also the revenue are increasing and is a solid business because is always improving for increase the profit and reduce the cost. That concern to me because as an young entrepreneur learn to measure an investment`s risk. Management use this information to see the weak points have to strengthen and how is the company doing, is the duty of the manager make the revenue of the company always increase and find a way to reduce the cost. The stocks of Apple have a value of 404. 78 and a valuation change of -0. 04% Apple has 929. 28M of Shares and 70% of the installations Apple is the owner, comparing Apple with other companies is simple to appreciate that (see table) Apple is the most stable for investment and with more market capital to invest, also is the most active in dollar volume improving in technology and research, certificating the quality of Apple products. Key stats and ratios | Q3 (Sep '11) | 2011 | Net profit margin | 23. 43% | 23. 95% | Operating margin | 30. 81% | 31. 22% | EBITD margin | – | 32. 87% | Return on average assets | 23. 81% | 27. 06% | Return on average equity | 36. 40% | 41. 67% | Employees | 46,600 | – | Carbon Disclosure Rating | – | 80/100| In terms of technology advancement Apple is pioneer because have the brains of Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives and other top visionaries at the company But it would be a mistake to think that only these few drive all of Apple’s vision and long term strategy. Indeed, as I understand it, the visionary conclusions they come to that drive Apple is quite a collaborative effort. A good example of technology advancement is the iPhone, that product began when some engineers showed Steve Job’s a larger touch screen version of an iPod they created in 2004, It took three years to pull off but in 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone and its apps eco system and as you know, this changed the course of smart phone history. Since then, every handset maker and PC vendors has been playing catch up with Apple. It has taken at least two years for the competition to pull alongside Apple but with each new generation of the iPhone, Apple seems to raise the bar. The 4th generation of the iPhone introduced the retina screen and a front facing camera and who knows what will be in the next generation iPhone when it comes out this summer. What Apple does is use its cash hoard to pay for the construction cost (or a significant fraction of it) of the factory in exchange for exclusive rights to the output production of the factory for a set period of time (maybe 6 – 36 months), and then for a discounted rate afterwards. This yields two advantages: First Apple has access to new component technology months or years before its rivals. This allows it to release groundbreaking products that are actually impossible  to duplicate. And second Eventually its competitors catch up in component production technology, but by then Apple has their arrangement in place whereby it can source those parts at a lower cost due to the discounted rate they have negotiated. Once those technologies (or more accurately, their mass production techniques) become sufficiently commoditized, Apple is then able to compete effectively on cost and undercut rivals. It's a myth that Apple only makes premium products – it makes them all right, but that is because they are literally more advanced than anything else (i. e. the price premium is not just for design), and once the product line is no longer premium, they are produced  more cheaply  than competitor equivalents, yielding higher margins, more cash, which results in more ability to continue the cycle. There is one other strategic advantage that Apple has that does not make them happy and that is Apple’s $60 billion cash in the bank. Although there has been suggestion from stockholders that some of that be given back to shareholders, Jobs and team have argued that they need it for acquisitions and other competitive issues. Well, it turns out the competitive issue they are talking about is the ability to pre-buy components in large quantities and at big price breaks. One example was the $500 million purchase of flash memory Apple did three or four years ago that almost wiped out the entire supply of flash at the time and drove the price f flash for competitors up. Apple is currently working on the differentiation strategy by putting unique elements in the design and development of its products. The differentiation strategy is defined as a strategy that aims to develop the products and or services that have unique characteristics that are well liked by the customers and are valued by them. This strategy enhances the market position of the companies with respect to their counterparts (Porter, 1998). Moreover, the company strategies also involve the expansion of its distribution network  in order to improve its global reach by providing high quality products and services with after  sales services to their customers. Therefore, the company is positioned uniquely in the markets to offer superior and integrated digital technologies and productivity solutions. The company faces aggressive competition from the other market players. According to Hoover (2011) the top three competitors of Apple Inc. in United States are Fujitsu Technology Solutions (Holding) B. V. , International Business Machines Corporation and Media Net Digital, Inc. respectively. The needs of the markets it caters are highly competitive in nature due to the ever changing and advancing technological environment and the rapid introduction of new technology based products. The main competitors of the company are following cost leadership strategies by reducing the prices of their products or by maintaining low profit margins to maintain their market share. There are various forces that can impact the business and profitability of Apple. These factors may include the marketing mix  ± product, price, place, promotion strategies, product  performance, the quality and reliability of the product, innovative designs as well as the availability of up to date software services. Currently, the management of the company is focusing on the expansion of its business markets related to the smart phones and other media and communication devices. Therefore, it is expected that the competition in these markets will tend to increase for the company. Conclusion Apple competitors delight in going head-to-head with Apple in hardware, because they can compete with them at this level. But it’s the combinations of its hardware that’s created specifically to be a vehicle for its software and the software itself that really sets Apple apart. And, there is another element to Apple’s â€Å"blank screen† strategy that adds to its competitive advantage. It makes Apple driven content a cornerstone of its extended software offerings. Also the study result showed that the company is doing pretty well in the global markets due the integrated resources and operative capabilities that are outcome of globalization. Apple Inc. lags only in its outsourcing associations with the other company’s at different countries of the world. In order to improve the outsourcing practices ethically, Apple can strictly ask its outsourcing partners to comply with the ethical rules, and regulations. References Apple Finance (2011, October 18). Apple Financial Result [Audio podcast]. Conference Call. Retrieved from http://stream. qtv. apple. com/events/oct/earnings/earnings_11/earnings_ref. mov Apple Inc.. (October 21, 2011). Environmental Policy. Retrieved from http://www. apple. com/privacy/ Apple an the Enviroment. (2011, Summer). Environmental Progress. Retrieved from http://www. apple. com/environment/progress/ Bajarin, T. (2011, March 5). Apple`s Strategic Advantage. Retrieved from http://technologypundits. com/2011/03/apples-strategic-advantage/ Google Finace. (2011, Octuber 31). Apple Summary Statement. Retrieved from http://www. google. com/finance? q=NASDAQ:AAPL McHugh, N. W. (2010). Understanding business (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin..

Historical Perspective of Management Essay

Max Weber was a German sociologist that pioneered the term bureaucracy. Weber founded six major principles of bureaucracy Formal hierarchical structure, Management by rules, Organization by functional specialty, An â€Å"up-focused† or â€Å"in-focused† mission, Purposely impersonal and Employment based on technical qualifications. (Busting Bureaucracy. com) A formal hierarchical structure is the management pyramid that is designed to control the level below with organized planning and decision making. For example (chain of command). Then he developed management by rules such as policies and handbooks that are used by lower levels. Next is organization by functionality specialty this means that each individual will be placed in a position according to their specialty. These three steps of bureaucracy are still used today in every business known. Max Weber designed this pyramid because in the 1930’s the industrialism of our country was expanding and it was no order of command business was ran without consistency. And a change was needed to make things run smoothly. My advice to managing people today is to organize your business according to functional specialization. Your employees and managers according to their skills and expertise so that each job will be done to the best of that person or persons knowledge and capabilities. Use clear lines of hierarchical authority in doing so you will need to put together a clear set of policy and rules that underline the chain of demand in detail. Your managers will need to be trained accordingly with consist seminars and meeting so that they can be well trained and fully informed about their duties and the duties of their staff. Decision making should be based on the rules and guidelines developed to guarantee consistent and effective reflection of organization goals.

Case study Bharti & Walmart Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The case study is conducted to analyze the sustainability of the joint venture of Wal-Mart and Bharti in disregard of the fact that the two companies have split apart in late 2013. Therefore, the paper will be conducted by using the information given in the case material and course materials, with extra information related to statistics and government policies before the split up of the joint venture. Through the SWOT analysis and pros & cons analysis of the joint venture, it is crystallized that the joint venture was facing obstacles coming from intrinsic factors such as the challenge to maintain low cost leadership and the ability to adapt local market for Wal-Mart and extrinsic factors such as government policy, consumer behavior and poor infrastructure. The challenges Wal-Mart was facing couldn’t all be solved with the partnership. For instance, the market share and overall profitability were low due to the unsolved problems with Wal-Mart’s strategic orientation and the localization to the market, leaving uncertainty to the joint venture. Hence, among three alternatives of 1) Change strategic Orientation and re-positioning; 2) Improve corporate image and social responsibility and 3) Call off joint venture, it’s recommended for Wal-Mart and Bharti to maintain their partnership but to re-position the joint venture and localize themselves to the market. The recommendation would be further explained in the last section of this paper. PROBLEM STATEMENT Given the circumstance, the joint venture was facing challenges on the sustainability for different reasons. Wal-Mart has planned ambitiously for the joint venture, however it failed to achieve the goals of opening sufficient amount of stores in order to gain the market share and improve the margins due to the competence or willingness in localization, the government policies etc. Measures are needed for the two entities to take in  order to achieve profit growth whether to change the positioning/strategic orientation, improve the corporate image to achieve long term benefits or even to call off the joint venture since it’s no longer mandate for Wal-Mart to access the market through a partnership. ANALYSIS In order to tackle the most fundamental issues in Wal-Mart business journey in India, I’d like to first conduct a SWOT analysis of Wal-Mart’s retail business in India as following. Strength: 1. Scale of operations. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world that no other retailer can match. Due to such large scale of operations, the corporate could exercise strong bargaining power on suppliers to reduce the prices. 2. Competence in information systems. The success of Wal-Mart in 21st century is largely due to its competence in information systems and supply chain management. However Wal-Mart’s advantage in supply chain management was shattered when it entered India. 3. Varity of products. Wal-Mart could offer wider range of products than local competitors. It has also been proven that Indian consumer would embrace affordable products with an upper standard of quality. 4. Low-cost leadership strategy. This strategy has helped Wal-Mart to become the low cost leader in the retail market. Weakness: 1. Inexperience in localization. Even though Wal-Mart was expanding its global appearance, it lacked experience in adapting its products and services to the specific demand of local market due to the domestic strategy. 2. Different shopping mentality. The Indian consumer mentality of â€Å"save and buy† was totally different from the American’s and Indian businesses were focusing more on B2B model, therefore the success of Wal-Mart’s B2C model was questionable. 3. Dependency of logistic system. Wal-Mart and its low cost leadership strategy are largely depended on an effective and efficient warehouse system which was not fully developed in India. 4. Lack of skilled employees. Wal-Mart would have to face the issues with unskilled employees while doing business in India and would potentially increase the training cost of employees. Opportunities: 1. Emerging retail market. Indian retail market grew by 5% in 2006, opening huge opportunities for Wal-Mart’s revenue growth, and the market was opened to Wal-Mart through joint venture. There was also existed an emerging demand of organized retailer. 2. Rising acceptance of foreign products. The increasing acceptance of high quality and low price foreign products opened the opportunities for Wal-Mart as well. In addition, the consumer disposable income and purchasing power was increasing. Threats: 1. Increasing resistance from local communities and retailers. Wal-Mart had a negative impact on local retailers therefore it faced considerably the political pressures from local communities due to the protection of local retailers. On the other hand, Wal-Mart faced the direct challenges from organized local retailers such as Pantaloon, RPG group etc. 2. Challenges from other MNCs. Other multinational corporations, such as Spencer’s Retail were also threatening Wal-Mart’s business in India. Given that some traditional advantages such as the efficient warehouse system were weakened in India, Wal-Mart’s domination in India would be shaken. Wal-Mart’s Challenges in India The opening of an emerging market with a rapidly growing middle class should create a promising future for Wal-Mart. However along with the opportunity are also challenges. After analyzing the SWOT of Wal-Mart, it’s very clear that Wal-Mart was facing challenge from extrinsic environment and intrinsic core competitiveness. Traditionally, foreign investors fail mainly because of the incompetence of maintaining their core competitiveness. But in India, Wal-Mart might be facing more of the external environment challenges. To begin with, retail industry was one of the few sectors where FDI was not allowed due to the protection of small and medium sized local retailers before 2012, forcing multinational corporations to seek a joint venture with a local partner rather than wholly-owned model as in other countries. Local communities worried that Wal-Mart would eliminate small retailers and intermediates who played important roles in supporting local economy. In addition, Wal-Mart cou ldn’t cover the job loss since the main strategy of the company was low-cost leadership which suggested that Wal-Mart would hire just-enough employees to maintain its operations and would cut the  middle-man in the process of procurement in its supply chain. The Indian government requires foreign retailer to source 30 per cent of its goods from small supplier with objectives to discourage imports by foreign retailers from their few large dedicated suppliers and to weaken Wal-Mart’s bargaining power and make economic growth becomes sustainable1. Moreover, with an aggregate score of 2.5, India ranks 64th in market openness and is largely due to the fast real import growth, according to International Chamber of Commerce (2013). India has its weakest score in trade policy (2.0) which is also the second to last score among G20 nations (see table1). From a cultural aspect, the Indian consumers have a different mentality of â€Å"save and buy† thus traditionally Indi an businesses were focusing more on B2B model. Dealing with foreign authorities requires finesse and charm, and given that lobbying was forbidden in India, Wal-Mart might not be able to influence the government policies in an official way and Wal-Mart should avoid seeking inappropriate channel to reach the local authority such as bride. As for intrinsic competitiveness, Wal-Mart was facing problem with losing its traditional advantages. To begin with, the national differences would continually question Wal-Mart’s ability to adapt itself to the market since Wal-Mart had less experience in foreign market. Given that the road infrastructure and the modern supply chain system were not fully developed in India (see table 2), Wal-Mart would face the inefficient transportation in its supply chain. In addition, Wal-Mart would need to associate with local partners in order to solve the warehouse shortage and poor infrastructure. As a result of the lack of skilled labor, labor producti vity in Indian retail market should be lower and Wal-Mart would have to increase its spending on employees’ training and therefore it would be challenging for Wal-Mart to maintain its advantages in low-cost leadership in India. Finally, Wal-Mart stores were competing with entrenched local general merchandise and food merchants, potentially leading to unprofitable for the company. Joint venture with Bharti Given the circumstances, it’s logically for Wal-Mart and Bharti to form a joint venture. In the rapidly growing organized retail market in India, Wal-Mart and Bharti were able to leverage the needs and assets of each other’s (see table 3). For Bharti, one advantage of this joint venture is  that since the management of Wal-Mart promised to lead the liberation of retail market, it would be beneficial for both two parties and India as well. From the same perspective, Wal-Mart was a particularly attractive partner to Bharti for the strength of Wal-Mart in information technology and supply chain management knowledge that could turn around the infrastructure, supply-chain and IT through a strategic alliance (Bose, 2012). As for Wal-Mart, through the 50/50 venture for backend supply chain management and wholesale cash-and-carry operations, (Bose , 2012) Wal-Mart was able to utilize Bharti’s domestic facilities as a jump board to the emerging market and it was able to bypass some restrictions that were harmful to its business. With Bharti’s deep knowledge of India’s fast-growing market and its prior foreign experience of cooperate with other foreign firms (Bose, 2012), Wal-Mart would have a smooth start in the early stages of the joint venture (Luo, 1998). By increasing its purchase from local suppliers and associating with prestige local firm, Wal-Mart could also possibly change positively the consumer perception on itself. However, there were also many disadvantages brought by the joint venture. First, it took time and efforts for both parties to form the joint venture, meaning Wal-Mart might take longer time to expand compared with using wholly-own model. In this joint venture, Wal-Mart and Bharti would deliver a mixture of brand image which might confuse the consumers, and the local partner might take advantage from this mixed message and knowledge transfer as mentioned before. As a result, this joint venture had the possibilit y of creating a new competitor for Wal-Mart. As mentioned before, one of the biggest problems Wal-Mart had was from the government regulation which either of the two parties could lobby the government. In addition, the financial situation of Bharti Enterprises was not a positive factor in their joint venture, for its debt was at a high level and affected negatively the cash flows of the joint venture. Both companies had complementary strengths they were able to utilize to expand in India in a long term. By leveraging each other’s expertise, both entities were able to use and build upon best practices that had proven successful for both companies in their individual ventures, performing better than either company could do alone in the growing Indian retail market. However, since many disadvantages remained for Wal-Mart and Bharti and the fact that they haven’t acquired the expected market share, the future of this joint  venture was in vague. Hence, the two companies should focus on the sustainability of the joint venture. In this regard, both two parties should take measures to reassure the sustainability of their joint venture and improve its performance accordingly. According to Dr. M.N.H. Mazumder, there are three traits that MNC should consider when selecting local partner, strategic traits, organizational traits and financial traits. Therefore, the sustainability of the joint venture would also be dependent on the fits of these traits. For instance, in terms of strategic fits, by establishing a mutually satisfied, efficient, and productive trustful partnership with Bharti, Wal-Mart would be very likely to maintain a common goal so that the joint venture could avoid the risk of being sabotaged by the dysfunctional conflicts between the two partners. In the following section, we’ll be discussing the details of alternatives that could help in the sustainability. ALTERNATIVES: Alternative 1- Change the strategic orientation and re-positioning In 2007, Wal-Mart announced with ambitious that partner with Bharti, it planned to open hundreds of stores, it has quietly shelved its expansion plans after complex market conditions. In 2012, Wal-Mart opened just five wholesale stores in India last year while it planned to open 22 stores. In addition, while Bharti wished to open more small traditional stores or cash and carry business due to the fragmented market and consumer behavior, Wal-Mart was pushing its large retail stores which usually take 24 months to open. Therefore, since Wal-Mart struggled to gain market share, it should be carefully examine its expansion plan and consider Bharti’s perception on the market. Alternative 2- Improve corporate image and social responsibility As stated, Wal-Mart was facing obstacles brought by its corporate image and it has been criticized for eliminating local business and leading to higher unemployment. By operating a public relation campaign and fulfilling its social responsibility in education, agriculture (assisting local farms) etc, Wal-Mart should be able to change the stereotype perception of foreign investors and establish a good foundation for less challenges from the local society. However, this alternative wouldn’t enable Wal-Mart and the joint venture to expand its market share in a short term. Therefore it’ll require both two parties to have coherence on campaign cost and long term revenue. Alternative 3- Call off joint venture Bharti Enterprise has been struggling under a debt of USD 12 billion of its mobile business. Bharti’s liquidity would directly affect the joint venture’s ability to pay off short term financial obligations. Also considering that Wal-Mart is allowed to the 100% ownership in a retail company in India, it’d also be an alternative for two parties to split and do business alone. It’s possible that Wal-Mart will lose its market share in a very short future due to the losses of information and suppliers in this split up. RECOMMENDATIONS It’s recommended to maintain the joint venture, but changes are needed in the strategic orientation and the positioning. For the joint venture and mostly for Wal-Mart, building convenient stores and therefore establishing a larger presence in the Indian market are crucial to the sustainability and profitability. In order to solve extrinsic problems such as the consumer behavior of purchasing on a daily basis rather than buy a weekly portion, it’s more flexible for Wal-Mart if it could have smaller stores covering more locations and it would be positive to consumer loyalty with larger presence in different regions, though thorough research on the target consumer markets would be needed in order to offer Indian consumers the type of products they desire at the appropriate quantity and location. In addition, opening smaller stores would require two parties to work collectively and more productively on their supply chain management due to the complexity brought by more stor es. REFERENCES: Edwards, Ron; Adlina Ahmand and Simon Moss (2002): Subsidiary Autonomy: The Case of ICC (2014): Open Markets Index 2013 (05.03.2014) [URL: Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum (2013): The Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 Indranil Bose (2013): Wal-Mart and Bharti: Transforming retail in India Yadong Luo (1998): Joint Venture Success in China: How Should We Select a Good Partner? APPENDIX: Table 1: Scores on the Open Markets Index 2013 G20 Rank Country Overall OMI 2013 Rank Aggregate Score Trade Openness Trade Policy FDI openness Trade Enabling Infrastructure 18th India 64th 2.5 2.9 2.0 2.5 2.8 Source: ICC 2013 Table 2: Ranking of India in infrastructure India Quality of overall infrastructure 86th Quality of roads 85th Quality of railroad infrastructure 24th Quality of port infrastructure 82th Quality of air transport infrastructure 67rd Available airline seat kilometers 12th Quality of electricity supply 112th Mobile telephone subscriptions 113th Fixed telephone lines 117th Source: World Economic Forum 2013 Table 3: Needs and capabilities of both parties before and after their joint venture Before joint venture Needs Capabilities Wal-Mart 1. Entry to the Indian Retail Market 2. Governmental lobbying Skills 3. Knowledge of local market 1. Largest retailer in the world with low cost leadership and a focus of â€Å"Always low price† 2. Known for its information management and supply chain management. Bharti 1. Need retailing experience 2. Need information technology and supply chain management skills 1. Known for its brand and execution capabilities 2. Known for its experience in collaboration with foreign companies 3. Strong Consumer Marketing and distribution capabilities due to other business 4. Bharti’s Agriculture programs with local farmers