Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf Essays - Literature,

Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf? Summary Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Is a 1962 play by Edward Albee . It examines the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive an unwitting younger couple, Nick and Honey, as guests, and draw them into their bitter and frustrated relationship. The play is in three acts, normally taking a little less than three hours to perform, with two 10-minute intermissions . It won both the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962-63 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. While other plays establish the difference between reality and illusion, it starts out with the latter but leans to the former. More specifically, George and Martha have evaded the ugliness of their marriage by taking refuge in illusion. The disappointment that is their life together leads to the bitterness between them. Having no real bond, or at least none that either is willing to admit, they become dependent upon a fake child. The fabrication of a child, as well as the impact its supposed demise has on Martha, questions the difference between deception and reality. As if to spite their efforts, the contempt that Martha and George have for one another causes the destruction of their illusion. This lack of illusion does not result in any apparent reality. Taqeya Ali 20122062

Yoshino Paper

Yoshino Paper Yoshino Paper Bryan Johnston 9/13/12 Intensive College Composition 1 So what does race really mean? Most people just think that ones race is determined by the color of their skin or how they look. This is not the case; the way a person acts determines their race as well. It is very hard to put a finger on what Yoshino thinks â€Å"race† really is. He was taught at a young age to assimilate into the American society. He was told to be proud of his Japanese heritage, but to act completely American in America and completely Japanese in Japan(Yoshino 300). This is sad but true; society doesn’t mesh too well with things out of the norm. Everyone and everything is forced to assimilate to what society proclaims is â€Å"acceptable† in this day and age. On the contrary racism is like a mirror. For example in the U.S the majority is white and the Asians are considered a minority, but in Japan the whites are the minority. They are forced to assimilate to their culture. In America, Asians are stereotyped as v ery smart. On the opposite end in Asia, whites are considered to be less intelligent(Yoshino 303). Yoshino talks about how different hairstyles are associated with certain races, especially in the Rogers vs. American case. In the 1980’s American Airlines said that none of their workers were permitted to wear their hair in braids. Rogers found this highly racist, and brought the company to court. She did not end up winning this case, but American had no logical defense as to why braids were

Earthly vs. Earthy

Earthly vs. Earthy Earthly vs. Earthy Earthly vs. Earthy By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between earthly and earthy? Once upon a time, they were synonymous, but now, though there isn’t exactly a world of difference between the two terms, they have distinct meanings. Earthly is an adjective that refers to life on Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial or spiritual existence. Earthy, by contrast, though it is superficially similar to earthly in its senses, denotes practicality, simplicity, or roughness, coarseness, or crudeness. Flavor, odor, or texture suggestive of soil, mundane matters and plain styles, and ribald humor are all described as earthy. Synonyms for earthly include earthbound, mundane (itself derived from the Latin word for world), terrestrial and terrene (both the former, a common word, and the latter, rarely employed, are descended from the Latin term for earth), and worldly; these terms, with the exception of earthbound, all relate to nonspiritual matters rather than extraplanetary ones. The noun from which both earthly and earthy developed is itself rich in meaning and has inspired numerous idiomatic phrases, including several that suggest the sense of earthly: Someone described as down to earth is realistic and sensible; a person described as being the salt of the earth is solid and reliable, and an earth mother is one with nurturing qualities, suggesting that she is an extension of the world, which provides all that humans need to live. And if someone says to a friend named Joe, â€Å"Earth to Joe, Earth to Joe,† the expression suggests that Joe is an astronaut in orbit and the speaker is an earthbound person sending a radio message to Joe to remind him that he figuratively needs to return to Earth’s surface and come to his senses. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and FingersTreatment of Words That Include â€Å"Self†

Sharia Law in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sharia Law in Islam - Essay Example Moreover, they argue that the set of rules given in Sharia are not necessarily extremists and that there are positive reasons behind them. This paper contains some Sharia-opposing charges from a modern point of view, which are retaliated by Sharia-supporting facts taken from various sources (Maqsood; Cohen; Ali). One of the main criticisms of Sharia is the extremism regarding punishment for those who have sinned. Many believe that it is inhumane to cut off the hands of thieves or to throw stones at those who have committed adultery. They prefer giving such sinners sentences to prison or some other forms of legal punishments, instead of such brutal acts of violence. However, those who believe this are not well informed about the exact Sharia law concerning such offenders. According to Sharia, such measures are usually the only extreme penalty taken (if the offender’s hand is cut off, no other penalty will be given to him/her). Some Muslims even feel that this punishment is justified because they feel more sympathy for the victims of theft, rather than the thief. However, Sharia is not so strict, due to the fact that this punishment is not given to those stealers who prove that they have stolen only because they were in dire need. Although cutting the hands of the offender might seem har sh, Muslims believe that this measure prevents further such acts from happening. The Middle East, where Sharia is mostly practiced, does not contain one-handed people. This shows how effective such a punishment is in warning potential thieves, and why Sharia is considered so important in Islam (Maqsood). Another charge brought against Sharia is the punishment given to women who have had an illicit affair. For instance, there was a case of a woman in Nigeria who was in danger of being stoned by angry villagers because she was accused of adultery.However, after being taken into custody and judged by Sharia law, she was given a chance to appeal and explain herself.

Austrian and Post-Keynesian Criticisms of the Standard Neoclassical Essay - 1

Austrian and Post-Keynesian Criticisms of the Standard Neoclassical View of the Competitive Process - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the neo-classical view of the competitive process believes that the perfectly competitive approach it describes the essence of capitalist competition in the market. The attributes of the process are viewed as exceptional and typically arising from government intervention, which includes protection and nationalization. The criticism points out that the basic motivator of the capitalist process, competition, ensures that if any firm enjoys super-normal profits, rivals will soon enter to bid away those profits. They will succeed to undermine any temporally market dominance that the incumbent enjoys. According to Nolan, Post Keynesians school of thought has been criticized by many schools on the issue of economic policies of the evolution of power operating in the capital market. They argue that the changes in the strength of demand cause changes in the level of prices with the respect to costs. These changes tend to have a strong influenc e on the society propensity to save or to consume and thereby changing the level of effective demand to make it correspond with the available supply. Thus, capitalism naturally initiates full employment level provided the income distribution adjustment is allowed to adjust itself to the economy. In the short run, some kind of Keynesian policies will be required but the process will be essentially governed by price flexibility relatively to wage costs. The post-Keynesian believes that the changes in the strength of demand cause changes in the level of prices with the respect to costs. These changes lead to the great influence on the consumer propensity to save or to consume and thereby changing the level of effective demand to make it correspond with the available supply. On the other hand, the Austrian school of thoughts has received criticism on the way they view the strength of demand. They argue that market participants who obtain more and more on accurate and complete perfect kn owledge depend on potential demand and supply preferences.

Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

Declaration of Independence Essay Thomas Jefferson effectively uses anaphora and asyndeton to declare the separation of the British Colonies from British rule in the Declaration of Independence. The use of â€Å"We† in the Declaration of Independence represents the concrete will of the American People to take action in an effort to remedy the many grievances of the colonies against the British Crown. Thomas Jefferson incorporates the idea that the colonies were united in their cause: Independence from the British monarchy. The constant repetition of the anaphora becomes more and more serious until Jefferson declares, â€Å"We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and Hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind. † His emphasis on the fact that this document represents the will of the people to take actions immediately against King George III for denouncing their separation reinforces the colonies’ aspiration for their own independent country in the strongest way possible. As a united country, the United States is bound to have its own policy and way of government. Jefferson implies â€Å"that as Free and Independent states, they have full power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce† like any other independent state. The asyndeton stresses the contrasting ideas between a monarchial country and a democratic country; it helps to build the colonies as an ideal society in the eyes of the reader in an attempt to garner support from both the many intellectuals and politicians in Europe and the entirety of the population of the colonies. The goal was to obtain military and monetary support from abroad and loyalty at home by appealing to the readers’ sense of unity. The Declaration of Independence, a list of many grievances for independence, criticizes the British King’s imbalanced rule and policy over the American Colonies. Thomas Jefferson uses passion and logic devices to depict King George III as a corrupt leader among American Leaders and supporters. Jefferson states that the king â€Å"has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. † When Jefferson gets to this section of the declaration he lists out the many grievances of the colonials. However, he does not make a simple list. Instead, he uses repetition and extreme specificity to describe every crime committed. This not only makes the list seem longer, but also depict the King as a beast bullying his feeble victim. The over exaggeration of this line is essentially propaganda against the King, creating a common hatred of King George III among all the American people. The Declaration of Independence also logically discusses the King’s crime in the American Colonies. The King â€Å"has kept†¦standing armies without the consent of† it’s â€Å"legislatures† and â€Å"for Quartering large bodies of armed troops among† them. These logical accusations present the king as a common enemy among the American people and abroad. Jefferson appeals to both a reader’s logic and passion in vilifying King George III and fanning the flames of rebellion. He gives specific examples of the King’s crimes, while phrasing them in an extremely emotionally charged manner. A passionate idea forms when reading the declaration of independence, and it serves as the catalyst of an all out war for American Independence is the ignition of a all out war for America’s Independence.

The Future In Technology Essay -- essays research papers

Can you imagine a machine so big it dwarfs entire planets? Can you imagine a machine with a single goal, a single purpose? Can you see it, hovering in space, blotting out the stars, so big it bends thought? Can you imagine a machine so complex that no human has ever even tried to understand it, and yet the machine exists because humans built it in the first place? A machine consisting of entire worlds, entire ecosystems powered by chemicals and energy regulated by computers that build and program themselves. Imagine these worlds connected by transport and communications systems, always kept up to date automatically, and modified as needed by the people who live in these habitats. Can you imagine a machine that makes money obsolete, anything you need is anticipated designed and made ready as fast as physically possible? Can you imagine this machine whose soul purpose is to keep hundreds of millions of multiplying people alive and happy at all times, growing bigger and bigger, growing more complex in the race to stay functioning, replacing its own parts by better parts designed by the machine itself, making it able to design and build even more complex parts, until the machine curves in on perfection, but never really reaches it. Can you imagine a machine with these capabilities being forced to purify and expand itself in order to fulfill trilli ons of people's needs? Can you see it being forced to build computers fast enough to plot every atom in a planet simply to manage th...

Hebrew Israelites Essay

A psychologist is planning to conduct a study that would examine pathological liars and the quality of their romantic relationships. You have been asked to provide the psychologist with a recommendation for which research method should be used to gather data on the pathological liars and their spouses. Using the table below list each research method and its advantages and disadvantages for use in this study. Make your recommendation to the psychologist and explain the rationale behind your choice. Your response should be 100-200 word After reading and understanding the 5 methods of research, my recommendation would be to use a combination of naturalistic observation and case study. Being that the research will be done on pathological liars and the quality of their romantic relationship, I thought the best way to get true research would be to go the more natural ways. Naturalistic observation is observing the participant in their everyday life, and what better way to understand someone’s relationship then seeing how they interact on a day to day basis. There are also, disadvantages to naturalistic method, the participants may not act as they would do normally, and since this research is on pathological liars, that may not be fully affective. That is where I believe using the case study method would be helpful, using different methods, such as interviewing the spouses separately and preforming psychological tests.

Example Solution Manual Essay

PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis, encouraging students to think wide. Exhibit 2.2 provides an initial PESTEL analysis of the airline industry, giving students the general idea. The first question asks for additional elements in the analysis. For example, under Political, you might add subsidies for local airports; under Economic, you might add the rise of Asian economies; and under Legal, you could add the trend towards airline privatisation. A key danger to highlight is of long lists of forces or influences that are too unwieldy for practical action. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. The end-chapter case example on the European brewing industry also asks students to do a PESTEL analysis. Illustration 2.2 Scenarios Scenarios help students think long term and very broadly: here the World Economic Forum and its members are looking a decade ahead, and thinking about geo-economics in general as well as just the market in a narrow sense. The question asks about whether companies have more influence over government policy or geo-economics. It then goes on to ask about how companies might influence government. This also obviously touches on issues of corporate social responsibility, pursued in Chapter 4. Companies probably do have more influence on policy coordination, but the issue is which governments they should be talking to (the United States, China?) and whether it is only governments that matter (United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation?). They should also consider how they can best influence governments, individually or collectively through, for example, the World Economic Forum or the Business Roundtable, the group of CEOs of leading American corporations. To some extent, the power is likely to be exercised negatively: through lobbying against and criticism of  proposals for financial re-regulation. It is worthwhile also asking about the influence these corporations can have themselves on geo-economic shifts: some Western company headquarters are shifting away from their home-countries, for example, the global headquarters of American civil engineering conglomerate Halliburton moved to Dubai and Swiss/Swedish engineering company ABB moved its global robotics business headquarters to Shanghai. Illustration 2.3 The Steel Industry The steel industry provides a fairly easy-to-understand case of rapid structural change, and one led by industry actors. Understanding how the leading companies are making an impact helps to counter a risk of ‘determinism’ in Porterian analyses; in other words, a sense that structures are given rather than changeable. The first question particularly invites a comparative analysis using the radar-plot introduced in Exhibit 2.5. The radar-plot might look roughly like the following, with the continuous lines indicating rough positions in around 2000 (10 years earlier than the illustration) and the dotted lines indicating positions in 2010. The comparative positions highlight the increasing power of suppliers such as the iron ore producers (negative); the high power of sophisticated buyers, somewhat mitigated by the declining power of the Big Three (mildly positive perhaps); and the beginning of decreased rivalry (positive) as the larger steel companies such as Mittal try to consolidate the industry. It might be said that the new entry threat has stabilised and even reduced, though continued investment by Chinese players may increase rivalry especially if they turn to overseas markets. Overall, comparing the size of the two radar plots over time suggests only a marginal change in favour of the steel producers. With regard to the second question, the acquisition strategies seem driven by the desire to reduce rivalry by reducing the number of players and even capacity. You might ask students what is necessary to make this work: here you might highlight the importance for reduced rivalry of both simultaneous cuts in capacity investments by, for example, the Chinese and strong barriers to new entry. With regard to the third question, success in raising barriers to entry (e.g. through technological change) and in  reducing rivalry (through continued consolidation) would make the industry more attractive. Vertical integration strategies into sources of supply (e.g. iron ore) would help too. A potential negative is significant progress with substitute materials. This depends on technological progress, hence providing a useful link between the Porter 5 Forces and PESTEL. Illustration 2.4 Chugging in the Charity Sector The aim of this Illustration of course is to show that industry structure analysis is relevant to not-for-profits as well. Indeed, charities appear ruthlessly competitive – hence the High Street chuggings. The first question points to at least three of the Porterian forces as causing problems: (i) There are low barriers to entry, with ‘constant refreshment’ of the industry by new charities; (ii) there is strong buying power on the part of local authorities commissioning services; (iii) there is intense rivalry because of the number of competitors and tendency towards overlap and duplication of charitable services. In addition, they face substitutes in the form of local authorities and other agencies performing services in-house, but at this point the trend in that respect was in their favour. The suppliers of funds – donors – have many alternative charities to give to. The mergers and increasing concentration levels (the largest are growing fastest) imply growing industry consolidation. At the moment, the industry structure might be described as highly competitive, but there may be widespread advantages to it moving towards a more oligopolistic situation. Illustration 2.5 Cycles of Competition The ‘wisdom’ in strategy theory has been that competitiveness is about building up a long-term competitive advantage and then defending it against competitors. The idea of cycles of competition takes a more dynamic view as to how competition in an industry will work its way out over time. It also highlights the potentially destructive nature of competition (at least from the point of view of industry players) and the value of trying to avoid it. Indeed, a key point is that these competitive cycles are not inevitable. Signaling to competitors, and interpreting the signals of others’  competitive moves, can help avoid head-on competition. Retaliation (Section 2.3 under barriers to entry) is a key principle here, as are the basics of game theory (Chapter 3). With regard to question 1, Francotop might have slowed down or rebuffed entirely Deutschespitze’s invasion of the French market by retaliating hard against its initial move: even though the youth niche was not so important to Francotop, a determined response there would have signalled the likelihood that attacking the core French market would be so fiercely opposed that it might not be worth Deutschespitze’s while even to try. With regard to question 2, Francotop would have been hard-pressed to avoid escalating competition in the business market. However, one possibility might have been for Francotop to focus on a particular neglected niche (say the small firms segment). By signaling clearly through advertising or similar that this niche was the extent of their ambitions, Francotop might have encouraged Deutschespitze to concentrate on its best opportunities, leaving the French get on with their specialism in peace. Illustration 2.6 Key Debate: How Much Does Industry Matter? This debate addresses an enduring source of controversy in strategy research, and allows students to review the importance of the contents of Chapter 2 (particularly the ‘five forces’), at the same time as introducing the more internally focused issues of Chapter 3 that follows. For Porter, industry matters a lot. The sceptic might argue ‘he would say that, wouldn’t he’? After all, this is exactly what his training in industrial economics and the standard products of his consulting firm would favour. However, the important thing here is to recognise the extent of the research he (and collaborators such as Anita McGahan) draw upon to make their case. It is worth pointing out to students that strategy theories are more than ‘just theories’: there is solid empirical research involved too. When meeting a new theory, students should get used to asking: where is the research evidence? What the research seems to suggest is that an industry is no t the be-all and end-all, but that choosing an attractive industry is a very good starting point in strategy: industry accounts for about two-fifths of the explained variance in the Porter and McGahan study (leaving aside control variables etc.). Turning to the precise question, the kinds of industries  that influence members’ profitabilities more than others seem generally to be service industries (explaining the greater industry effects in the Porter and McGahan study than in Rumelt’s). But to go on from here, industry influences are most likely to be strongest in highly competitive and mature industries. In such industries, sources of firm-specific differentiation are likely to be few, easily imitated and easily competed away, so making it hard to earn above-normal profits. At the same time, standard recipes for competing would have been established, so only the incompetent would perform substantially below the norm (and competition should have eliminated most such incompetents by the industry maturity stage). These conditions would probably prevail in service industries such as hotels, restaurants and retail. Newer industries are likely to offer more scope for innovation and differentiation, and have fewer commodity competitors and suppliers, so allowing persistent variability in profitability. Video Questions Hiscox Hiscox is a specialist insurer in the Lloyds of London insurance market. The company specialises in niche areas such as property and casualty insurance for high net worth individuals and companies, as well as cover against such risks as hacking, kidnapping and satellite damage. The video case is quite complicated, so best viewed after a thorough working through of the chapter material. 1.The industry is facing more buyer power, with the rise of online price comparison sites. On the other hand, there is a process of consolidation with the rise of ‘consolidators’ (companies such as Resolution), who are acquiring weaker companies in order to build position. This is likely in the long term to reduce rivalry. Major failures such as that of the American giant AIG (American Investment Group) are likely to reduce rivalry too. It is clear that general recessionary pressures are also influencing the market at the time of the video, reducing demand and likely to make it more price-sensitive. 2.Hiscox has a specialist position, aside from companies like AIG or the general insurers that Resolution is trying to buy, and its power in its niche is reinforced by its brand (well known in the United Kingdom). It also has the advantage of having both an underwriting (issue of insurance policies) and investment business, which mean that Hiscox is protected from short-term cycles or crises in one part  of the business, probably helping to buffer it from price competition in the short term too. Assignment 2.1 PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis. Illustration 2.1 provides a model. A ‘blank’ of the basic template of illustration 2.1 can be provided to students who can then be asked to complete it for the forces at work in a particular industry. The danger is that long lists of forces or influences can be generated by this device. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. See the discussion of the PESTEL for the end-chapter case on the European brewing industry for an example. Assignment 2.2 Building Scenarios Assignment 2.2 requires students to focus on change in industry characteristics and competitive forces through the construction of scenarios. Guidelines for the construction of scenarios are given in Section 2.2.2 it is recommended that students follow these, building either two or four scenarios for a given industry. The work done in Assignment 2.1 should provide the bases of identifying the key industry forces or influences which will enable them to do this. Some of the problems of scenario building should be emphasised to students: Students may try to build in too many factors and, therefore, not be able to limit the number of scenarios. They may find difficulty in generating scenarios with a coherent and compatible set of factors. Some may be wary of having to exercise judgement; and others will confuse judgement with hunch. Try to encourage a realistic debate that tests out assumptions and projections against known facts and trends. A particularly useful exercise is to ask stude nts to build scenarios for an industry for which there is a company case (or for their own industry/company if possible) and then to assess the company’s strategic position in the light of the different scenarios (e.g. see the notes above on the brewing industry). One of the issues that might surface is the ease  or difficulty with which scenarios can be constructed. It usually emerges that scenarios are much easier to construct where the number of key forces at work in an industry is relatively few. They are less easy to construct if the number of important forces is high because the number of variables the student is trying to handle becomes too great. This, in turn, raises another issue. Scenarios are of particular use in uncertain environments as a means of helping managers to think through possible futures. However, uncertainty may arise for a number of reasons. If uncertainty arises because of the unpredictability of a few forces, then arguably scenarios may be very helpful, but what if uncertainty arises primarily because there are a large number of forces at work: to what extent are scenarios of use in such circumstances? There are a limited number of very important forces at work in the brewing industry: but what of fast-moving hi-t ech industries where there are many different forces at work? Assignment 2.3 Five Competitive Forces Five forces analysis is an absolutely fundamental technique in strategy. Section 2.3 should give students the ability to carry out a basic five forces analysis of any industry. They should be encouraged to consider all of the elements of each of the five forces: so for example, under barriers to entry, scale and experience effects, channels, retaliation and so on. The radar-plot technique of Exhibit 2.5 should only be used as a summary once the full analysis is complete; the danger is of it being used to short-circuit the analysis. Students should be expected to do more than simply list elements; they should clearly identify the implications (positive or negative) of each. The second question about conclusions for industry attractiveness should underline the importance of drawing out implications, rather than just listing. Assignment 2.4 Comparisons between Industries and Over Time This assignment allows students to build on Assignment 2.3 in order to consider the investment implications of differences between industries and change over time. The assignment is a substantial one if relying on students’ own research. However, time can be saved if two case studies are used (e.g. brewing, pharmaceuticals or hi-fi, perhaps looking backwards at  change over the past three to five years, rather than change in the future). Similarly, students may save time by using the radar-plot technique (Exhibit 2.5), as in the discussion of Illustration 2.3. It is important to note the two follow-up questions. Explicitly asking for justification helps students avoid the superficial analysis which is easy to do with five forces. Asking the question about investment helps students think about concrete implications, again something that five forces analyses often neglect. By looking over time, students will learn to be cautious about investing in industries with declining attractiveness. By comparing industries, students can also consider industry attractiveness in their diversification decisions, an issue picked up in Chapter 7. At the same time, it is worth countering the implications of five forces analysis with two thoughts: Industries that are highly attractive are likely to have high barriers to entry, so the costs of entry may outweigh the benefits of entering. An industry that is becoming relatively unattractive may be neglected by competitors, and, if you enjoy a strong competitive advantage in that industry, it may still be a source of profit to you. Assignment 2.5 Strategic Groups This assignment builds on the notion of strategic groups and strategic space outlined in Section 2.4.1 in the text. Figure 2.8 provides an example of how the exercise could be carried out. This could, for example, be applied to the European brewing industry: Key strategic dimensions might come under either of the scope or resource commitment characteristics in Section 2.4.1 – for example, product range or extent of vertical integration. Possible key strategic dimensions in the European brewing industry might include geographical coverage, strength of brands, diversification, size of firm, type of distribution, and so on. Students are encouraged to draw more than one strategic group map if they believe that more than two dimensions are important. It is useful to ask them to consider the extent to which different bases of such maps give rise to similar or different configurations. They might find, for example, that however the maps are drawn up, some companies always tend to end up in the same groups. In other words, some companies may have a very similar set of strategic characteristics along many dimensions. Students are asked to examine the  strategic group maps to see if there are any under-populated ‘white spaces’ in the industry. For example, in brewing, is there an opportunity for a giant specialist in making ‘own brand’ beer for the large retailers? However, students should assess carefully why there are few competitors in any such white spaces. White spaces can often turn out to be dangerous ‘black holes’ rather than attractive opportunities. Assignment 2.6 Critical Success Factors and the Strategy Canvas It is very likely that students will concentrate on success factors that are salient to them as consumers – for example, the product ranges of a clothing retailer. Less visible elements, such as ownership by a diversified parent company, may be neglected. However, for a short assignment, this need not matter too much: the essence is comparison in order to identify areas of (potential) competitive advantage. The key insight of a strategy canvas is to encourage competitors to compete where it is relatively easy to secure a significant advantage (Blue Ocean), and not necessarily to compete fiercely over the top-rated success factors if advantage can only be obtained at very considerable cost (Red Ocean). You can introduce less visible, but strategically significant elements after they have done their basic analysis. Integrative Assignment Full Analysis of an Industry or a Sector This assignment would be a demanding research project over a significant part of the course. It is however a very good test of students’ ability to apply tools to real data appropriately, as well as developing their research skills. Students will see it as practical and, if allowed a choice of sectors, relevant to their own interests. Good research resources are essential. As well as free web-based resources such as company reports, trade association statistics and some government or supra-governmental (EU, UN) reports and statistics, students would likely need limited-access resources such as the business press and journals available through BusinessSource Premier, Factiva or Proquest, and reports from organisations such as Euromonitor, Key Notes and Mintel. Your institution’s librarian will advise you on what is available to students and how proficient they are likely to be in using such sources. You would also want to guide students  on which industries or sectors to choose. Very broad industries – for example, the world airline industry – are likely to overwhelm students with data. It might be helpful to encourage focus – for example, the airline industry in India, or similar. Industry focus also reduces the risk of plagiarism. There are many student assignments of a similar nature available for a fee on the web, and it would definitely be wise to avoid allowing students to research the same industries in successive years. Requiring a specific focus on particular themes (e.g. internationalisation) or some less common concepts (e.g. the strategy canvas, cycles of competition etc.) can also reduce plagiarism. Insisting on precisely citing sources for key data and points (through an end-note system or similar) makes simple plagiarism harder too, as well as being good practice. If allowed, students will find very helpful a couple of example assignments from previous years to guide them roughly on what they are supposed to do. A report length limit of around 2000–2500 words would encourage students to focus on what is really important. Requiring an ‘executive summary’ would also force students to consider what is really important and what are the key implications. Over a two semester course, this assignment could be stage one of a two-part assessment regime; the second semester could have as an assignment asking students to consider implications of the first part for the strategy of a particular company in the original industry or sector. Case Example The European Brewing Industry This case focuses on the key techniques of PESTEL and five forces analysis that are central to this chapter. Full cases such as the pharmaceutical industry can be used develop students’ skills in seeing trends in industry data and drawing conclusions as to the likely impact of those trends on particular companies in an industry. PESTEL Here it would be helpful to ask the students to draw on wider knowledge or research (you may have beer drinkers from many countries in your class). Depending on how extensive students’ additional research and thinking are, a wide-range of issues may be raised. To highlight some for the purposes of illustration: Political: government campaigns against drink driving Economic: the rise of the Asian economies Social: rise of beer consumption in southern Europe Technological: few clear in the case, but innovations around products such as ice-cold lager might be raised Environmental: few clear in the case, but packaging issues are likely to be important Legal: few clear in the case, but changes in licensing laws and permitted alcohol limits for driving are relevant. PESTELs can often seem somewhat inconclusive, so it is important to pull out key issues and conclusions. The increasing hostility to drinking (under P and L) and the rise of Asian economies and southern Europe (under E & S) seem particularly important trends. One way of drawing some simple conclusions is to assess the overall balance (positive or negative) under each of the PESTEL headings: in the case of the European brewing industry, most of the headings are likely to be negative. The Five Forces There has traditionally been a wide variation of industry structures across Europe. The United Kingdom is fairly competitive. Denmark, Holland, Italy, Belgium and France, on the other hand, have been in near monopoly situations. However, with increasing exports and imports and cross-border acquisitions, national markets are becoming less protected. An interesting issue, then, is at what level to conduct industry structure analysis. If at a European level, the broad issues to consider under each of the five forces are as follows: Buyers: With more than one fifth of beer sold through supermarkets, and increasing resort to ‘own-label’, these buyers are increasingly powerful (underline that buyers are not the ultimate consumers). Suppliers: The high concentration of the packagers suggests that these are becoming increasingly powerful. Substitutes: Wine is clearly a dangerous substitute. New entrants: Internationalisation through M&A and increased trade is introducing new entrants into previously protected markets: most countries see increasing imports (Table 2). Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller are two obvious new entrants into Europe. Students might be alerted to the potential threat of TsingTao and the other Chinese brewers. Although not prominent in the case, there is still the potential of small new brewers entering using micro-breweries or contract brewers (e.g. Cobra). Rivalry: falling demand,  international entrants and over-capacity obviously increase the scope for rivalry. However, note that sales values are rising, that innovation and branding can mitigate price-competition, that there has been a history of price-fixing cartels, and that leading players are attempting consolidation through M&A. It might be useful to ask the students to compare industry concentration ratios in 2000 and 2009: that is, the share accounted for the top three or five players (Tabl e 3). As ever, it is important to draw conclusions. On balance, the European brewing industry does not seem attractive, and unlikely to become more so until the current round of consolidation is completed and brewers achieve greater leverage against their buyers and suppliers. Impact on Particular Brewing Companies The three companies are chosen to represent different types of ‘player’. A–B InBev is the largest player, after a succession of spectacular mergers. It is remarkable how the company is withdrawing from fast-growing China and Eastern Europe, however. Greene King is tiny in comparison to A–B InBev, with just one key domestic market, the United Kingdom. However, domestic focus and its own pubs may be giving it a strongly defended local position. You might ask whether there are competitors who might be tempted to buy such a company. Tsing Tao is the wild-card here. It is strong in its booming home market, but it is also interested in moving overseas. But would it make Europe a priority region for expansion, or choose another market?

Mumia Abu-Jamal essays

Mumia Abu-Jamal essays For the last twenty years, a man has been locked up twenty-three hours a day in prison, denied contact visits with his family, and had his mail illegally opened by prison authorities. Now, one may ask, What is wrong with this? This seems typical for the treatment of a guilty convict. In this particular case however, many believe that this man, Mumia Abu-Jamal, is innocent, and has been yet another victim of the corruption and racism of the United States judicial system. In December 1981, Abu-Jamal was working as a cab driver when he came upon a cop beating Abu-Jamals brother with a flashlight. Abu-Jamal ran out to help his brother. There was a struggle, and both Abu-Jamal and the police officer, Daniel Faulkner, were shot. Witnesses saw one or more men run from the scene. When police officers arrived, Faulkner was dead. The officers then beat Abu-Jamal before taking him to the hospital. Suspiciously, it took them over half an hour to reach it. Due to fabrication of evidence and police manipulation of witnesses, Abu-Jamal was found guilty, in September 1982, of the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. The trial and sentence were both terribly unjust, because there was truly not enough evidence against Abu-Jamal to actually convict him. The prosecution claimed that the shot that killed Faulkner came from Abu-Jamals .38-caliber gun. Abu-Jamal was legally registered to carry the gun as a nighttime cab driver. This claim of the prosecution contradicts the medical examiners report that the bullet removed from Faulkners brain was a .44-caliber. This fact was kept from the jury during the trial. Moreover, a ballistics expert examining the case found it absurd that police who had been at the scene failed to test Abu-Jamals gun to see if it had been recently fired, or to test Abu-Jamals hands for gunpowder residue. One of the most powerful claims of the pros ...

A Study Of Preoperational Stage As Given In Child Development Theory

A Study Of Preoperational Stage As Given In Child Development Theory The Preoperational Stage The Preoperational stage is one out of four Piaget Stages. It occurs during the ages of two to seven years. There are limitations to the child’s thoughts during this stage. What the child sees is automatically what is real, to them. This stage is a very visual stage for a child. During this stage, children have a lack of conservation, no identity constancy and egocentrism. There is a lack of conservation among children during this time of their life. According to Piaget, conservation is basically the amount of a substance remains the same no matter if it changed its shape or form. Children do not have the ability to understand â€Å"conservation.† An example of a children’s lack of conservation skills, is when a child is shown two glasses of milk with the same amount. Then the adult will pour one glass of milk into a larger, thin one. The child will usually say that the larger, thin glass of milk has more liquid than the first glass, when in fact they are both the same amount. Children cannot grasp the fact that a task can be reversed. Children during this age usually look at what they think looks the best. They will usually pick the item that is most visually appealing, which is called Centering. Centering will affect Class Inclusion: â€Å"the understanding that a general category can encompass several subordinate elements† (Bels ky 147). Kids will not look at the bigger picture, and will jump into conclusions rather quickly than an older person would. Conservation is something a child will learn, as they grow older. During this stage, children will not have identity constancy. Kids will not be able to know that a person wearing a costume is not real; but to them, it is real because that is what they see. They do not know that the person is still himself or herself on the inside despite what they see on the outside. Animism is also very prominent during this stage. Children believe that inanimate objects have feelings and abilities that humans do. I believe a lot of people can relate with this, having a teddy bear and thinking that it had feelings. And during the ages of two to seven, children also think that their parents or any grown-up has the ability to do anything. This is called artificialism. A lot of kids go through this stage in life, where they believe that humans are capable of doing impossible things. Kids just look at what they see and automatically believe it. Lastly, egocentrism is an important element during the preoperational stage. Young children do not know that other people have different beliefs or thoughts. They believe that everything revolves around them, but not in a conceited manner. Children during this age just do not have much awareness of their surroundings; they think that whatever they believe is what others believe, as well. Egocentrism among children does not last forever, because they will learn and gain awareness, as they grow older. During the preoperational period, children do not have much awareness and are egocentric, have no identity constancy or conservation. During the early years of a child’s life, they do not have the capacity to learn about their surroundings. A child’s thought process is a lot different than an older person’s. That is why they always say older people are wise. As a child grows older, they will have the ability to understand the world as a whole.

Haiti earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Haiti earthquake - Essay Example Haiti has seen many natural disasters in the past. The next section of the article talks about the deaths of UN personnel in the UN headquarters in Haiti. The number of deaths and missing personnel was not known. The head of the UN mission in Haiti, Hedi Annabi, was also inside the building. Haiti’s ambassador in US reported that many buildings including the presidential palace, the tax office, the ministry of commerce, the foreign ministry, and the local offices of the World Bank were destroyed. The President was reported to be safe. The airport was fine. US President Obama delivered his wishful thoughts and prayers. Emergency food aid and relief came from the Red Cross, the UNs World Food Programme, The Inter-American Development Bank, UK, Canada, Australia, France, and Latin America. The last section of the article talks about Henry Bahn, a visiting official, who reported his experience. The Tsunami watch was lifted when the danger of Tsunami