Develop a sense of the importance of integrity and ethics in small Essay

Develop a sense of the importance of integrity and ethics in small business ownership - Essay Example This paper will discuss the importance of ethics and integrity in small business enterprises. Research asserts that small-business investors substantially rely on ethical codes in the business setting. For example, the aspect of ethics in matters regarding finance should not be overlooked. This is because such businesses rely on accounting ethics. In case the business owners are not conscious about financial recordkeeping practices, then, they are likely to face tremendous challenges. In addition, they are exposed to risks related to fraud if they do not uphold ethics and integrity in the business (Petryni, 2008). Recently, some of the small businesses have implemented the code of ethics which is normally entailed in the policies of the organization. This code of ethics is normally a statement of values which defines the organization. In most cases, the code of ethics usually addresses issues related to conflict of interest, competition data, assets of the company and employee practices. Furthermore, integrity also forms a crucial part in business since; lack of integrity in the organization leads to poor development of the firm (Longenecker, Petty, Palich, & Hoy, 2012). Contrarily, there are some businesses which do not uphold the integrity and the code of ethics. In such cases, the business is said to run under unethical practices. There are several unethical practices that are practiced in most of the small businesses. One of the most prominent unethical practices is the lack of compassion. According to empirical studies, most of the workers in small business firms are usually exposed to unethical treatment (Longenecker, Petty, Palich, & Hoy, 2012). For example, most small companies offer medical covers for its employees especially if the company operates in risky circumstances. In case an employee is injured while in the line of duty, he or she must be

The Impact of Martin Luther King’s Philosophy of non-violence Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Martin Luther King’s Philosophy of non-violence Essay Introduction Martin Luther King Jnr. is perhaps one of the greatest and most remembered black leader to have walked the face of America. He was and still is one of the most revered public figure not only in America, but across the world as well. He is credited greatly to the end of racial segregation in America.   Ã‚   King was born on 15th January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and was the son Reverend Martin Luther King. He played a very instrumental in bringing to an end racial segregation on all public transport especially after the infamous Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. King is credited for the speech â€Å"I had a Dream† that was delivered to close to a quarter a million people who had assembled at the Lincoln Memorial Park in Washington in 1963 during the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. The â€Å"I have a dream† speech is classified as on of the finest speeches in America’s history. King’s eventful and fruitful carrier in the civil rights was characterized by many instances of resistance to the effects of racial segregation, this would eventually lead to his life being cut short by an assassin’s bullet at Memphis on 4th April 1968. The world lost one of the most valuable renowned persons. Despite of his short carrier, King left a mark that has continued to impact the world even today almost half a century after his death. Therefore much of his legacy has continued to impact and influence the direction of some world events even today. The philosophy of non-violence resistance is one of the legacies that King left behind. At this time and age the ideology of non- resistance has been exposed to so much resistance and criticism especially from scholars who see it as a term that is often hijacked by â€Å"social opportunists and unethical politicians† who threaten to end any form of civil liberties in America. (http://www.mcsm.org/disease.html). Non-violence as practiced by Gandhi or King they argue has no place in the contemporary world. Analogues are even drawn to even prove indeed that non-violence does not necessarily bring about desired change, in fact sometimes it does harm than good. For example Fred Handschumacher illustrates this with the HIV virus that eventually causes great harm to the victim (http://www.mcsm.org/disease.html) To be able to understand clearly the non-violence resistance ideology, it is important first to understand the history behind it and especially how it is related to Martin Luther King. Non- violence had always been considered by many across the world as on of the many options to bring about change in the social, political and economic environment. Martin Luther King on his part saw it as â€Å"the only road to freedom†. Martin Luther King saw 3 ways of responding to any form of injustice, first was to accept it, the second was to resort to brutality and use of force and the third was to practice non- violence resistance. The power behind the third option depended so much on the power of the moral conscious. (http://www.ncs.pvt.k12.va.us/ryerbury/king-12/king-12.htm ) It was while he was still a student at Crozer Theological Seminary in September 1948 that he came to learn about the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi the great Indian leader. In Gandhi’s ideology of Satyagraha that espoused the need for resistance without violence, Kings saw the answer to his quest o eliminate the economic and social injustices not only in America, but in the world as well. After this encounter King laboriously studied this ideology that advocated the virtues of â€Å"turning the other cheek† and today has become the â€Å"predominant way in which people overthrow tyrannical governments and make their lives better†. (King, 1958) Soon afterwards Kings was to successfully implement the theoretical aspect of the ideology during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. Racial segregation by the end of the boycott was done with, without any form of violent resistance or confrontation. The ideology as developed by Gandhi and practiced by King had six principal points that the resister had to adhere to, they included: One can always resist evil without using or being violent Non- violence chooses to win the â€Å"friendship and understanding† of the opponent and not humiliate him (King, 1958) Oppose evil itself not the person(s) committing the evil acts Suffering is very redemptive and anyone committed to non-violence must be ready to suffer without any form of retaliation. At all costs the non-violent resister should both avoid hurting the opponent and himself. To avoid hurting oneself spiritually. Love should always be the sole motivator not to revenge. â€Å" The universe is on the side of justice† ((King, 1958)) thus for the resister to persevere he/ she must have great faith for the future King was so much indoctrinated in these virtues and this is what made him so successful in utilizing this method of resistance to an extent it has such a level of impact across the globe. Democracy The major impact where the non-violent resistance bore much fruit is in America itself. It was through the civil rights movements during King’s time that would eventually bring to an end racial segregation. Previously the blacks did not have the opportunity to elect directly or even participate in important issues regarding their nation. Blacks today have King’s form of non- violent resistance to thank for what they enjoy today. It is only through such ideals that today Barrack Obama (an African- American) can pursue the dream to become the president of the world’s super power without any form of discrimination. Democracy in way is a non-violent way of changing the way things a run in any government. America being one of the major proponents of democracy has continued to influence the world over to adopt this nonviolent way of giving the masses the opportunity to express their choice of leadership and exercise their rights. In America also although overall success is sometimes hard to quantify, nonviolence was the only way or option to for the blacks to retain their jobs, lives or even homes and thus retain their â€Å"dignity and still fight for what they believed in† (http://www.ncs.pvt.k12.va.us/ryerbury/king-12/king-12.htm). The Caucasian majority at that time possessed all the resources and they were the majority. The blacks could have easily been wiped out if they resorted to any form of violence because it would have been a perfect excuse to fight them back. http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4794 The situation that faced the blacks at that time can be equated to what is happening in the Israel/ Palestinian conflict today. The Israel Government has an obvious upper hand in this conflict because of its resources and strength. It has continued to engage in acts that clearly border on human abuse, the Palestinians use violence to retaliate, usually with deadly results. The Israelis use this as a very perfect excuse to continue suppressing the Palestinians. Conclusion Non-violent resistance as practiced by Martin Luther King contributed greatly towards the liberation of the minority groups the US. America could not have achieved its superpower status if it its leaders chose to ignore the wind of change that was flowing in its direction. Probably US would still be yoked in the chains of racial segregation if ignored the calls for change even though they were non-violent. Nevertheless, probably today America would not be what it is if King resorted to violent means of achieving the desired change. The conflict in the Middle East would likely be the scenario America would be facing today; but thanks to Martin Luther King Jnr.(http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4794)             REFERENCES Martin Luther King Jnr, (1958) Stride Toward Freedom,. http://www.ncs.pvt.k12.va.us/ryerbury/king-12/king-12.htm: Accessed on 24th February 2008     http://www.mcsm.org/disease.html Accessed on 24th February 2008   http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4794 Accessed on 24th February 2008

Huck Finn by Mark Twain :: Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

In the story Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the river symbolizes freedom. Huck goes on the river to get free from becoming civilized and to get away from his pap and Jim uses the river to get freed from slavery. Also the king and the duke use it to escape from angry towns. Any time they are in trouble when they get on the river they are no longer in trouble.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huck gets a raft to go down the river to get away from his pap and so he is no longer living in civilization. He didn't like sleeping in a bed and reading books, Huck says, I didn't see how I'd ever got to like it so well at the widow's, where you had to wash, and eat on a plate, and comb up, and go to bed and get up regular, and forever bothering over a book and have old Miss Watson pecking at you all the time (1368). Then when Huck thought his dad was going to kill him he knew he had to leave there too. So he got a canoe and raft and went down the river. When he was on the river he was safe and getting free from his pap and no longer feared getting hurt by him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jim is afraid of being sold by Widow Douglas so he runs away and is trying to get freed from slavery. He also goes down the river with Huck and uses it as his path to freedom. Whenever he is on the river he is safe. When Jim is being chased he can always get away on the river. He is also not treated like a slave on the raft and doesn't have to fear being sold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The King and the Duke get in trouble many times by scamming different towns to get money by lying and pretending to be people they really aren't. Every time they get away by going on the river and are free on it. When they finally get caught they are on land, away from the freedom of the river.

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Approach to Psychology

The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 – 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness. He preformed studies to look into human personality, psychosexual development and conducted method of treatments to determine the causes of neurotic mental illness. Freud thought that mental illness was caused by early childhood trauma of which treatment for such illness could only be successful when these childhood memories were dealt with and overcome. He developed his own technique to try and remember and overcome the events from their past that had disturbed their development. He made his patients describe anything that came into their mind no matter how silly they thought it may be. This technique helped Freud determine the cause of the mental illness and encouraged the patient to resurface repressed memories. Freud thought this would help them come to terms with the events helping overcome the illness, which was said to be ‘removing the neurosis'. According to Freud, everything we do, why we do things, who we are and how we became like this are all related to our sexual drive. Childhood sexual experiences will determine our personality in adult life. Freud outlined 5 stages of sexual development. In each stage the libido, the energy from the love instinct, Eros, fixates on different parts of the body, focusing on sexual pleasure on that specific part. Differences in the way sexual pleasure is obtained in each stage will lead to differences in adult personalities. Oral Stage – This occurs from birth to 8 months old when the libido fixates on the mouth. Sexual pleasure is obtained by sucking, gumming, biting and swallowing. Insufficient and forceful feeding can cause fixation in this stage causing symptoms like smoking, eating and drinking to excess, argumentative, sarcastic, demanding and exploitive personalities in adult life. Anal Stage – This occurs from 8 months to 4 years old when the libido fixates on the anal orifice. Sexual pleasure is obtained through stimulation of the anal membrane with bowl movement and withholding of such movement. Fixation in this stage can be caused by how the child copes with toilet training and how they are trained by their parents. There are 2 types of anal fixation. Phallic Stage – This occurs from 3-6 years old, when the libido fixates on the genitals. Sexual pleasure is obtained through stimulation of the genitals. The key event at this stage is the attraction to the parent of the opposite sex together with the envy and fear of the parent of the same sex. In boys this situation is called the ‘Oedipus Complex' and in girls it is called the ‘Electra Complex'. Boys experience ‘castration anxiety' caused by the fear of the fathers punishment for the desire for his mother, which is overcome when his conscious comes to realise that incest is wrong. Girls on the other hand experience ‘penis envy' believing that they once had a penis, but due to castration has lost it. She becomes hostile and aggressive towards her mother who she believes did the castration and a special tenderness for her father. This is overcome when the girl's affections are directed towards other males. The Latency Period – This occurs from 5-12 years when the libido is de-sexualised and directed out into peer group activities. It is a stage where there is little sexual activity and allows children to focus their energy on other aspects of life. Earlier sexual activities are repressed to the unconscious mind and this stage lasts until puberty when their sexuality is re-awakened. Puberty and Adolescence – This occurs from 12-16years when all sexual impulses re-appear. The child experiments with all their previous patterns of sexual activity until gradually leading to normal genitality. After this stage the individual will develop intimate sexual relationships. Freud's theories enabled him to develop a dynamic model of personality. His writings on psychosexual development set the groundwork for how our personalities developed. He also believed that there were 3 different driving forces that develop during these stages which played an important role on how we interact with the world. According to Freud we are all born with our Id. This is a drive that needs immediate satisfaction and does not consider anything else. Like a newborn baby, the Id is present at birth and causes the baby to cry when it needs feeding, changing, and is the babies way of getting its needs met immediately. The second part of our personality comes within the next three years, which Freud called the Ego. As the child interacts more with the world they learn and understand the needs and desires of others. It is the Ego that works to satisfy the Id, as well as considering others. Eventually, usually after the phallic stage of development, the Super-Ego develops. This is the moral part of our personality letting us know what is right and what is wrong. Freud's theories brought with them a lot of criticism. Many psychologists thought Freud's theories were imprecise and un-testable, as in the latency period of psychosexual development all experiences and sexual activities in the earlier stages are repressed. This meaning the individuals will have no memories of these experiences, therefore they can not be proven. His theories were said to be unfair in the way they had been studied. It was based on a small sample of people which were middle class, middle aged Jewish women, most of which had mental illnesses. These factors such as age, gender, culture and mental state should have been considered trough Freud's studies as they could well be factors that also affect the way in which we develop mentally and sexually and could differ from each individual dependent upon these factors.

How Successfully Did the Liberals Handle the Constitutional Crisis?

How successfully did the liberals handle the constitutional crisis in 1901 – 1911? In 1909 Lloyd George was the Chancellor, he was in charge of the countries money and how they spend it and how much they tax the public. He needed to increase the budget some how to pay for battle ships because England was in a arms race with Germany. When taxing the people he only wanted to increase the tax for the rich, he did not see it would be fair to increase the taxes for the already poor and those struggling to pay the tax already; however he came across a problem.The House of Lords had been the most powerful part of parliament, they had the power to block any bills and laws coming form the House of Commons. They had recently blocked the Education Act. This had been tradition for the past 200 years allowing them to dismiss any bill, this was incredibly bias though, most bills were passed to benefit the poor and to charge the rich. This bill would easily pass the Commons but not the Lords , Asquith’s solution was to ask King Edward VII (who had the highest power in the country) to create peers.In doing this the Liberals would be able to out vote the Conservative lords. The King agreed to this but he suddenly died in May 1910. This presented the Liberals with another step to over come. The next to the air was George V; his ambition was to get two parties to come to some kind of agreement without resorting to making new peers. A constitutional conference was held between June and November. The Conservatives offered to reform the composition of lords, but the liberals were determined to reduce the power of the constitution.The Conservatives also tried insisted the lords should have the power to veto any change in the constitution, enabling them to block the home rule for Ireland. Asquith was under strong pressure from the Irish to reject the Conservatives’ proposal. George V finally agreed he would create enough new peers to pass the parliament bill as lon g as the Liberal’s one a general election fought on this issue held in December. The Election left the Liberals and Conservatives with exactly the same number of seats, 272 each.However because the Liberals had a strong backing from Labour, who had 47 seats, and from the Irish Nationalists, who had 84 seats, the Liberals were able to rely on a working majority and would remain in government. This parliament act helped make the British constitution more democratic. They stopped the lord’s form controlling parliament and what happened to the country. For this reason alone I believe the Liberals were successful with the constitution crisis, however they would have not been able to do it alone, without the help of Labour and the Irish Nationalists the conservatives would have been in power.

Philosophical and Practical Approach for Balancing Issues essayEssay Writing Service

Philosophical and Practical Approach for Balancing Issues essayEssay Writing Service Philosophical and Practical Approach for Balancing Issues essay Philosophical and Practical Approach for Balancing Issues essayIt is highly important for any person working in criminal justice or planning to work in criminal justice to have ethical standards of conduct that will guide the choices and decisions in complex situations. It is also important to have a personal ethical philosophy because criminal justice professionals often have to deal with offenders and criminals and might have to face conflicts of interest or conflicts of ethical principles in their work. The purpose of this paper is to discuss my personal philosophy and approach for balancing the following issues: individual rights and the publics protection, balancing the use of immoral means to achieve desirable objectives, balancing the use of reward and punishment and to recommend ways of using ethics in decision-making pertaining to the considered issues in criminal justice.Individual rights and the publics protectionOne of key issues in the work of a criminal justice professi onal is balancing social order and public protection with maintaining individual rights and liberties (Souryal, 2010). In this context, my personal ethical philosophy is based on a combination of utilitarian approach and deontology. The basis of the existence of the society is the primacy of the common good and law over individual rights in critical situations (Souryal, 2010).I rely on the following principle: individual freedom can be limited for the purposes of promoting the common welfare, for protecting citizens and for ensuring social order. At the same time, in ambiguous situations when it is not clear whether the common good or social order will be affected by my particular choice, I use utilitarian approach and weigh the balance of positive and negative consequences, taking into account both the depth of limiting individual rights and the breadth of the consequent effect for the common good. For example, if someone is performing actions that might lead to terrorist acts or m ake it easier for terrorists to attack a particular goal, it is justified to limit the individual rights and to request to alter or stop the actions for the purposes of protecting the public.The use of reward and punishment in criminal justiceThere exist different ethical views on reward and punishment in criminal justice. As for reward, there are two key approaches utilitarian (rewarding basing on the results) and justice (rewarding for effort) (Pollock, 2011). With regard to punishment, key approaches include retributive punishment punishing the offender for the crime committed in the extent comparable with the crime committed, utilitarian punishment punishment used to deter potential offenders from committing crimes, and punishment based on restitution punishment is performed to compensate the victims for their losses and suffering (Pollock, 2011).In my opinion, it is not possible to limit the choice to one particular theory of reward or punishment because there exist multipl e factors influencing the choice of reward or punishment. In the context of rewarding, I choose to reward for results when the undertaking was successful and for effort if the results were altered due to some unforeseen external circumstances. This approach allows to filter out the cases of window-dressing and motivates to achieve results. Regarding punishment, I tend to rely on utilitarian view and choose punishment which will likely deter potential offenders from committing crimes.The use of immoral means to accomplish desirable endsA notable ethical issue in criminal justice is the so-called Dirty Harry problem the use of immoral means to accomplish desirable ends by criminal justice professionals (Gaines Miller, 2012). In many cases, it is hardly possible to resolve the problem using moral means and it might be necessary to use bribes, lying, sham to stop offenders or to prevent crimes. Furthermore, it might be not possible to resist criminals without resorting to immoral mean s (Gaines Miller, 2012). On the other hand, the use of immoral means places criminal justice professionals on the same footing with criminals.In my case, ethical choice for this dilemma is the following. I believe that it is admissible to use immoral means to accomplish desirable ends for a criminal justice professional in the following circumstances: 1) the ends should be unquestionably desirable and failing to reach these ends should be unquestionably undesirable; 2) there should be no effective way of achieving the ends using only moral means (Gaines Miller, 2012);Â   and 3) the ends should be so urgent that not using all available means to achieve them would be immoral. These conditions limit the use of immoral means to only urgent and important ends, and primarily rely on deontological principles (condition 1) and utilitarian principles (condition 2 and 3).Using ethics in decision-making in criminal justiceKey theories of normative ethics utilitarian ethics, deontology, vir tue ethics and justice ethics provide the background for ethical decision-making which can be very useful in ambiguous situations in criminal justice. Basing on my experience, it is possible to provide several recommendations for ethical decision-making in criminal justice.First of all, I think that criminal justice professionals should follow several key deontological principles such as the primacy of law, the importance of protecting the common good and social order, etc. These principles are useful, for example, in the situations when individual rights and public protection come into conflict.Secondly, I believe that utilitarian approach is quite efficient in the situations when other approaches fail to provide a way out of the situation or where they produce very inefficient decisions. In particular, utilitarian view can be used to assess the use of immoral means to achieve desirable ends provided that the person making the decision has enough information to be able to assess t he consequences of own actions.Thirdly, utilitarian approach also appears to be efficient for choosing reward and punishment, and balancing reward and punishment. Utilitarian approach to punishment allows to deter crime or at least to reduce the probability of crime, therefore targeting future crimes while other approaches address already committed crimes and might not affect future crimes. In addition, utilitarian approach is efficient for designing rewards and for increasing motivation of rewarded persons. These recommendations can be applied by criminal justice professionals when they have to make decisions in the presence of ethical dilemmas.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry essays

Eat, Drink, and be Merry essays In a time of no forks, many spices, and wooden plates, the people of the middle ages loved their food. To them food and drink were not only a necessary part of life but also a form of entertainment and a good excuse to get together and socialize. Even though they had knifes and spoons, the forkless civilization tended to use there hands and "fingers a great deal" (Food). They also used wooden plates, or sometimes day old bread as plates when meats were served in order to soak up the blood from the meat. As for preparing the meals, a big rule to medieval cooking was to add so much spice to completely mask the original flavor of the food. Many of the spices that they used are still used today. For instance, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, saffron, and even sugar was a spice and a treat for them. Since social status determind how will the people ate, lords were fed very well. This was true all through out the year, including the winter, when meat was scarce and crops were not growing. Infact, meat was apart of their daily diet "principally beef, followed by pork and mutton, with game and poultry [last]" (Singman) drinking ale and or wine with their meals. They also had dairy and vegetables, but they were not favored. The upper class could afford to preserve meat year round and could buy spice for tasteless food or food that is about to go bad. As for the peasants, or lower class, it was the opposite. Meat was really was pretty expensive and was not rally apart of a peasants diet. Their main food was grain, rye, oats, barley, beans, and peas, since wheat was also relatively expensive. With their meals they usually had ale, or some sort of juice, sometimes fermented. They also a had a soup called "pottage." The villagers ate pottage "nearly every day" (Hinds). The basic ingredients to this "meal-in-a-bowl" (Hinds) is sprouted barley grains, peas, salted pork or bacon, onion, garli ...

5th Grade Science Fair Projects

5th Grade Science Fair Projects By the 5th grade, students are expected to shoulder more responsibility in designing in doing a science fair project. There will still be a lot of parent and teacher help, but you want a straightforward project that ideally takes no longer than a week or two to complete. The ideal project is one the student can do pretty much by himself or herself, with guidance from adults as needed. 5th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas What household chemicals repel insects? Pick one particular type, common to your area, such as flies, ants, or roaches and test herbs, spice, etc. to see if you can come up with a non-toxic way to keep bugs away.Make a model tornado or vortex. You can use two bottles taped together or can make a cool tornado using water and vegetable oil. For the project, explain how the vortex works.Can people taste the difference between drinks sweetened with Stevia (a natural non-caloric  sweetener) and sugar? Which do they prefer?Are there any dyes you can add to water living plants that change the color of their flowers? Hint: Some modern orchids are tinted blue using dyes, so its possible.Do people have the same sensitivity to smell? Place people at one end of a room. Have another person open a scent, such as lemon oil or vinegar. Have your test subjects write down what they smell and what time they smelled it. Is the time the same for different scents? Does it matter whether the test subject was male or female? Use the streak test to try to identify different mineral samples. What other tests might you try to confirm your results?Does storage temperature affect popcorn popping? Store popcorn in the freezer, refrigerator, at room temperature, and in a heated location. Pop the same amount of each sample. Count how many unpopped kernels remain. Can you explain the results?Does food cooked in the microwave cool at the same rate as food cooked in the oven or on the stove top? Heat foods to the same temperature. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature at set times. Explain your results.Can you sip the same amount of liquid through two straws at once as one straw? What about 3 straws?Collect a group of different substances. Rank the materials according to best to worse heat conductors (or insulators). See if you can explain your findings.Does the color of a light affect how bright it appears in fog? in water?For your project, explain how traffic lights work. What is the reason for the delay b etween when a light turns yellow and then turns red? How many cars are needed to trip a turn arrow? If youre examining a particular light, does its behavior change according to the time of day? Where is the best place to store apples? Where is the best place to store bananas? Are they the same?Does the temperature of a magnet affect its magnetic field lines? You can trace the magnetic field lines of a magnet by putting iron filings on a sheet of paper over the magnet.What brand of battery lasts the longest?Make ice cubes starting with different temperatures of water. Does the starting temperature of water affect how long it takes to freeze?Make a homemade sundial and explain how it works.

ACCOUNTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

ACCOUNTING - Essay Example He successfully included all the expenses and related each with one or more cost centers. The report will concentrate on providing a thorough investigation based on the seven vital issues that have been given. 1. Management accounting system does not necessarily relate to a whole new form of accounting system but it concentrates more on providing valuable information to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the business. (Johnson, Kaplan, 1991, p.4). It can be regarded as an extension given to the concept of cost accounting which helps in giving more economic information to the management helping them in decision making, policy formation, detect the major flaws on the business etc. According to the Anglo-American Council Management Accounting is defined as â€Å"the presentation of accounting information in such a way as to assist management to the certain policy and the day to day operation of an undertaking.† From the definition it is being understood that the financial data is basically processed and analyzed in a manner that the management can run business operation more systematically. Apart from business planning and policy formulation there are other certain objectives of this system. This system essentially is being used as a process of interpretation. Unlike cost accountancy it does not always identifies the cost element of the business but it is more dynamic in nature as it analyzes the data and reveals the vital information like where in the company is doing bad or good in its operational processes.( Johnson, Kaplan, 1991, p.4). These identifications in turn help in the decision making of any organization. In this case, the company Thomela though was making profits up to a certain level; there were difficulties in their activities and production, which were exposed when the market collapsed. Thus with the installation of the management accounting system,

Women Stepping Up In American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women Stepping Up In American History - Essay Example Of course, this was not by choice; therefore, they decided to take a stand, and when both World Wars came, their prayers were answered. Nevertheless, the paper will focus on discussing the role of women in American business, from 1900 until now. After finally making their way into the manual labor force in America and overseas, women took further steps towards equal pay and became subjects of propaganda. Although the fight for equal pay continued, once all wars ended women were then immediately expected to give away their jobs and settle back into their caregiver role. This did not run smoothly in the eyes of women, and they revolted in strikes since they knew that their efforts would prove to be triumphant, hence leave an interminable mark on American society. After the two wars, women were free to create their own lives, able to vote and allowed the right to a full education, and this increase in freedom led to an increase in occupied American women. Not only were they evolving in the work force, but also over the last century, fashion in America has experienced continual upheavals and radical changes. Ranging from dress length to head pieces, women used fashion as another way to express themselves and make their unique m ark throughout history. Historically, women earned their living by keeping boarding houses while others were in occupations that were available to men. In this case, some of the women were doctors, lawyers, teachers and writers, and by the end of the nineteenth century, there was acceptable for women’s professions, though there were few women working in factories or as domestic workers. Nevertheless, there was an exclusion of women from their profession apart from working as writers or teachers, for instance in the medical profession, there was a changed attitude during nineteenth and twentieth century concerning the occupation, which was suitable for women.

Kinesiology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kinesiology - Research Paper Example Once the cause is identified, the bad feelings associated with emotional stress can be eliminated. An approach approved to the management of emotional stress is kinesiology. Through the technique of Emotional Stress Relief (ESR), a victim of emotional stress can quickly achieve calmness, clearly thinking and effective functioning in stressful, traumatic or high-pressure situations (Hoffman, 2008). If applied with the guidance of a health care professional, Emotional Stress Relief (ESR) is an effective kinesiology technique to achieve calmness, clear thinking and optimal functioning in an emotionally stressed person. This paper discusses the effective use of ESR to manage the signs and symptoms of emotional stress, including fight and flight responses to situations, paralysis responses, fear, and uncontrolled anger. If applied with professional guidance, ESR has numerous benefits for emotionally stressed persons. The benefits of ESR to the reader are numerous. Mainly, ESR releases muscle tension, increases flexibility, and improves the energy levels, accompanied by simple pain relief (Wilmore et al., 2006). ESR has also been proved to result in improved posture and breathing as well as the relaxation of muscles such as jaw muscles. By extension, the relaxation of muscles may help in attainment of migraine relief. Overall, ESR has the potential to improve and maintain an individual’s health in general. Importantly, ESR improves self-esteem and confidence and reduces mood swings. Besides, the technique stabilizes emotions, making it an effective stress management method. It also improves the diet to help a tress person’s food intake meet the body’s unique needs. The kinesiology approach to stress management entails the use of body muscles and movements (Wolf et al., 2006). It focuses on addressing emotional stress as a whole-body phenomenon. Kinesiology has the advantage o f being versatile, thus universally applicable. In

Activeion - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Activeion - - Case Study Example The lonator provides health and benefits to the staff of the business. Activeion has no side effects to domestic users and can be used in cleaning household goods. Activeion cleaning tools targets hotels as it is known to kill germs. Food customers are becoming more sensitive to chemicals used in hotels and other food kiosks; hence hotels are a better target for the products. Activeion also targets single families with small children as it has no side effects to the kids. Activeon also targets people with sensitivities since their products have no chemicals. They also target those with pets in their homes as their products are harmless to pets. This is according to their websites. â€Å"Lonator! The chemical free cleaning solution for all your household chores, it is easy to use as it only requires only water. Lonator is suitable for child washing, those with sensitivities and all your cleaning solutions. ‘Lonator ‘for only $ 177† Activeion can market cosmetics with no chemicals; it can market eco friendly cosmetics e.g. herbal nourishers. The company can also market children wear since it is perceived to have friendly products this can be a niche market. Detergents can also make a good market for

Crime, Prevention, and Community Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Crime, Prevention, and Community Safety - Essay Example It actually brings the citizens, business owners, and police officers together in a joint task force that helps to minimize and prevent many crimes from taking place before they can ever be planned (Kelling & Coles 1996). However there still is the notion that legal bodies have which state that communities do have an obligation to keep their neighborhoods crime free or at least help law enforcement in preventing crime where they live. The strongest reason for this belief is due to the statistical evidence of crime that has grown since 1867 in the UK (Macionis 1994). These statistics have long been studied by Sociologists and other well known scholars due to the relevance that they have with depicting why crime occurs, in what quantity, and in which areas. Furthermore, the crime rate of 1867 and 1987 are just as different as the cultures of the two variant time periods are. However, an interesting correlation has been noted with the crime rates of 1939-1938 and 1980-1988 (Macionis 199 4). The following chart gives a good insight into how the issue of economics can increase the statistical evidence of how crime has escalated over time since the middle 1800's. It is one of the many notions of why there has been an expressed concern with getting the communities involved with combating crime.Decade Average Decade High 1980-88 40% 44.2 %(1986) 1970-79 38% 41.3 %(1973) 1960-69 37% 38.7 %(1964) 1950-59 34% 36.0 %(1959) 1940-49 29% 33.1 %(1940) 1930-39 35% 43.1 %(1933) 1920-29 26% 29.6 %(1922) 1910-19 24% 26.6 %(1910) 1900-09 24% 26.9 %(1900) 1890-99 26% 27.9 %(1898) 1880-89 26% 28.5 %(1880) 1870-79 22% 28.7 %(1879) 1867-69 25% 28.1 %(1867) (Roberts 1994). It is believed that these statistics can be drastically lowered if a stronger partnership does develop between law enforcement and communities. Theorizations such as Kellings work to implement this type of philosophy through a mutual partnership between the law and the community, which has been proven to be necessary. This of course leads to the concept of community policing which is a philosophy that has been being highly discussed and tested for a good while now, of course following theorizations such as Kellings, and others as well. Community policing is the most common name for a set of tactics, philosophies and strategies that officers now use to resolve crime issues in urban cities. Community policing allows the police to work closely with the community to think of creative solutions to problems. This view of policing stems from the perception that the police serve a multifunctional role and act as some what of a social service agent in the community. The basic premise of community poli

Activeion - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Activeion - - Case Study Example The lonator provides health and benefits to the staff of the business. Activeion has no side effects to domestic users and can be used in cleaning household goods. Activeion cleaning tools targets hotels as it is known to kill germs. Food customers are becoming more sensitive to chemicals used in hotels and other food kiosks; hence hotels are a better target for the products. Activeion also targets single families with small children as it has no side effects to the kids. Activeon also targets people with sensitivities since their products have no chemicals. They also target those with pets in their homes as their products are harmless to pets. This is according to their websites. â€Å"Lonator! The chemical free cleaning solution for all your household chores, it is easy to use as it only requires only water. Lonator is suitable for child washing, those with sensitivities and all your cleaning solutions. ‘Lonator ‘for only $ 177† Activeion can market cosmetics with no chemicals; it can market eco friendly cosmetics e.g. herbal nourishers. The company can also market children wear since it is perceived to have friendly products this can be a niche market. Detergents can also make a good market for

Simulation of Server Virtualisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Simulation of Server Virtualisation - Essay Example By doing this we can minimize physical servers   i.e., instead of having one server running in one operating system with the help of server virtualization we can have one physical server which has many virtual servers which acts as an individual operating system. The drawback of using conventional server is that many resources are not utilized in a proper ways and will be in idle state waiting for the other job to be finished. Having server virtualization implemented within an organization we will eliminate this problem by understanding the disk usage, Memory consumption. The application performance with respect to its Input and Output is usually done with the time required by the operating system. The operation of OS like read and write helps us to estimate resource and s system the performance of any resource. Another important factor related to operating system is response time of the service processing the application requests. Since all these factors have a tendency to change its behaviour anytime in the real environment, it will be necessary for one to monitor factors like performance and efficiency of servers. For this analysis we will take help of simulation of server virtualization to calculate the workload of a resource and s system.  Three types of server virtualization exists, they are OS-level virtualization, Full virtualization and Para virtualization. Usually in server virtualization the physical servers are called as host of the server and virtual servers are called guests.  

The New Deal and Its Triumph Essay Example for Free

The New Deal and Its Triumph Essay The New Deal and it’s Triumph The 1930’s were a time of despair, poverty and distress and those who lived during this time believed it would be better to die, than to continue to live this way. When Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office in 1932, the United States was in the most disconsolate moments of the Great Depression. However, he brought with him a promise, a promise to make things better through a series of reforms he was planning on implementing known as the New Deal. In the first one hundred days following his inauguration as president, FDR, had already put into place a variety of programs, all with the goal to briskly improve the lives of those that had been most affected by the Great Depression and boost the economy. Through these programs FDR hoped to create jobs, lower the amount of people living on the streets, and most of all, uplift the spirits of the American people which had taken the biggest hit of all. The New Deal was a success because even though many minorities were overlooked, the overall population was influenced in a significant positive manner through job creation and governmental aid despite having negative effects in other areas of the country. Although the New Deal was an overall success in the United States, a significant amount of the minorities, especially the African Americans and Native Americans were neglected as opposed to the rest of the population. During the Great Depression, 50% of the African American citizens became unemployed, due to the fact that they were the first to be fired, and the last to be hired. Furthermore, many of the programs put into place by the New Deal, by improving the lives of other Americans, would damage and harm those of the African Americans. For example, as the excerpt from the Gilder Lehman Institute of American History online textbook , when the AAA was put into place between 1933-1934, more than 100,000 black workers who made their living as sharecroppers and tenant farmers were forced off the land (document B). When African Americans had a job, such as in the WPA, their working conditions would be incredibly harsh and unmerciful. These men were forced to work under harsh circumstances and if they didn’t they would lose  their job. A WPA foreman in the South being interviewed by a questioner from the Federal Writer’s Project claimed that, â€Å"As a matter of fact they cannot be sick for more than five days in succession. If they are†¦ they are automatically dropped from the rolls† (document H) demonstrating that these workers cannot afford to be sick if they want to be able to maintain their jobs. Additionally, even though the Black Cabinet was formed during these years, no civil rights reforms became law during the 1930 since the New Deal had no intention of working towards the civil rights movement. Another minority that was significantly overlooked and even negatively impacted was the Native Americans. As Document G mentions, â€Å"Many Indian problems remain unresolved, but every one has been addressed†. Sometimes, by addressing these problems, the government would actually hurt the Native Americans. For example, the Navajo Reduction Program forced hundreds of Indians to kill or sell thousands of their sheep and other forms of livestock; therefore raising the tension between the Native Americans and the government. The New Deal, even though it helped and lessened the economic problems throughout the country, actually weakened the situation of many minorities such as the African Americans and the Native Americans. The overall population of the United States was significantly enhanced by a number of the programs put into place by FDR through the New Deal. Roosevelt made the purpose of these programs and what he intended to do with them clear through he Fire Side Chats. For example, in one of these many chats, he claims, that â€Å"First, we are giving opportunity of employment to one-quarter of a million of the unemployed, especially the young men, to go into forestry and flood prevention work (document B) † He planned to do this through programs he implemented a short time after such as the CCC and WPA, which gave jobs to young men all over the country, whether they were skilled or not. Slowly, the effect became clear not only in the amount of young men with jobs, but also in the overall attitudes of those in America, which had begun to lose hope. As George Dobbin, he declares that â€Å"It’s the first time in my recollection that a President ever got up and said, ‘Iâ€⠄¢m interested in and aim to do somethin’ for the workin’ man (Document C)† Norman Thomas would have agreed with this whole heartedly since one of this main  objectives was to try and support the industrial worker and to improve their conditions. The results of these programs being put into place were obvious, as unemployment statistics were brought to light. In only two years, the unemployment rate had gone down from 20.6 % to a 14.2% (document E). These percentages strongly supported the idea that the New Deal programs were helping boost the country’s economy once more. Finally, many of these programs brought assistance to other areas of living. For example, the WPA brought hot lunches to schoolchildren and would serve 500,000 meals a day (document D). This made it possible for many children, living in detrimental conditions, to eat at least one nutritional meal a day. Huey Long, a past governor of Louisiana, would have agreed with this hot-lunch program due to the fact that he believed in the re-distribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, and in this case the money is being targeted to those of more humble background. Many programs put into place by FDR such as the CCC and the WPA significantly improved the wa y of life of hundreds of Americans. Eventually, even though the New Deal brought with it a lot of progress and improved life conditions, there were some areas of every day life it was not able to amend completely. One of these was the spirit of the American people. Songs such as â€Å"No Depression in Heaven† performed by the Carter Family showed the true feelings of those that were still struggling to survive. Lyrics such as â€Å"out here the hearts of men are failing† or â€Å"no orphan children crying for bread, no weeping widows toil or struggle, no shrouds, no coffins, and no dead (document E)† demonstrated how desperate and disconsolate many of the people are still and how they feel that it would be better to die, than to continue to live this way. Other negative impacts of the New Deal on the United States was the continuous discrimination towards woman and the fact that they were paid lower wages by many of the programs put into place such as the WPA or the PWA. Additionally Alden Stevens mentions that, â€Å"the New Deal Indian administration is neither as successful as its publicity says it is,† (document G) showing how improvements were not made in all areas of life in the United States. Furthermore, programs such as the TVA destroyed the environment by flooding hundreds of acres of land in order to build dams and reservoirs. The New Deal did not bring with it only positive effects towards the country. It had  negative connotations as well, those which could be observed in different, minor aspects of every day life. When FDR put into place the New Deal, he had three goals in mind. These were reform, recovery and reconstruction. He pretended to do this through various programs he implemented right away, which included the CCC, the WPA, the SSA, and much more. Slowly the effects of these programs began to be seen all over the country and the overall response was that yes, this program was working. People stopped living on the streets and began working, those who had lost everything now had insurance, and unskilled workers were now learning skills they needed in order to get a job. Even though many minorities were overlooked, and not all aspects of life in America were improved, the general impact of the New Deal was a positive one. Therefore, the New Deal was a success, because through this Roosevelt was able to create jobs and provide governmental aid, despite having slight negative effects in other areas of the country.

Analysis of the market position of Ikea

Analysis of the market position of Ikea Introduction Every industry tries to use an unparalleled, efficient, and effective business strategy that will allow them to remain at a progressive position in the competitive market, especially in the global market. With respect to this, the aim of this report is to present a position analysis for the furniture company IKEA. The position analysis will apply a pestle analysis, capabilities analysis, resource based view analysis, swot analysis and porters five forces along with IKEAs strategic issues and solutions to these issues. Company Overview IKEA was established in Sweden over 50 years ago back in 1943. Its founder Ingvar Kamprad still plays an important role in the company affairs today. IKEA is certainly one of the top furniture retailers in the world. Its core aspects are affordably, functionality and quality. Since their commencement, IKEA has persistently developed as a company throughout the years and are currently seen as a distinguished successful worldwide business entity in the furniture industry today. In 2010, IKEA opened 12 new stores in 7 countries which presently give them an overall record of 318 stores in over 38 countries. IKEA has certainly met their strategic goals by executing diverse strategic marketing tools that has made them the success that they are. Methodology IKEAs SWOT Analysis In this report, the analysis of the present situation of IKEA will be carried out by using different marketing tools.  With this, IKEA will be examined via the use of SWOT Analysis. The basis of external and internal analysis is to construe factors that can affect the said business to situate itself to take advantage of opportunities, and manage threats discovered via an analysis of external environments. Particularly, it also aids in spotting present weaknesses and strengths that may affect the organizations capabilities. Strengths (Internal factors) A strong worldwide brand that attracts key consumer groups. A Clear Vision to create a better everyday life for many people A strong concept. IKEA offers a wide range of well-designed products at a price, everyone can afford. Good product image. IKEA has an ideal balance between function, quality, design and price Weaknesses (Internal factors) Large global business. This makes quality control difficult to control and it signifies a weak link in the chain of supply. The necessity of low cost products. Although products are at a low price, consumers still need to feel that they are getting value for their money. Cultural differences. diversified markets Japan, China and the USA Restricted manufacturing  capabilities. IKEA relies on subcontracted manufacturers. Opportunities (External factors) An increased demand for low cost merchandise. Due to trends in the present financial state of the global economy, consumers opt for less expensive goods rather than shopping at expensive stores. The rapidly emergent Asian countries with wealthy middle-class population represent opportunities to enter and market the concept of affordable modern furniture to fit a particular lifestyle. Opportunity to enhance levels of customer service through E- Commerce as the added business capability. Threats (External factors) Social trends decelerate amount of first time buyers coming into the housing market. Market forces more competitors entering the low price household and furnishings markets. Imitated Concept -Within growing competitive retail markets mainstream retailers are beginning to mirror the model Economic factors the global financial crisis reduced disposable income and customer spending. We can see this from the table below. IKEAs turnover was the same in 2009 as it was in 2008. Source: www.ikea.com (2010) Porters Five Forces Market Entry Seeing that IKEA has such a unique concept and brand name it will be difficult to copy the IKEA way. However, another furniture company can enter the furniture industry with a low- cost strategy inclusive of home delivery, opposing to IKEA non-home delivery method. IKEAs stores are not very much located in small towns with small outlets so this is an opportunity for new competitors to enter small towns with another low cost strategy with smaller outlets. This may attract a new sector of consumers. Supplier Power According to IKEAs welcome inside yearly summary , IKEA had 1,074 suppliers in 55 countries in 2010 Most of the suppliers operate in the IKEA group and compete with other suppliers, and they have a modest bargaining power. Because of low pricing, IKEAs profit margin also affects the prices in raw materials than by prices in labour. The bargaining power of a supplier could be a threat for the profit of the company, and both IKEA is very much aware of it.   In light of this IKEA endeavours to maintain good relationships with its suppliers, in this IKEA ensure that the IKEA group benefits in the said contract while suppliers benefit from the mutual agreement. Competitive Rivalry IKEA is comfortable with its competitive position, and also trying to maintain its competitive edge among rivals. IKEA operates in a extremely competitive industry, characterized by other low priced furniture producers such as Galiform of England and retailers such as Wal-Mart of the United States. Internally, the group has seen differences of opinion regarding product offerings and positioning. Because of powerful global competition, IKEA has intelligently attempted to compete by entering the markets which typically pose the largest competition, such as China and Japan. power of the buyers Americans-the primary consumer base for IKEAs debut in the American Market. The most likely IKEA shopper are those sort of people who travel abroad, like taking risks, enjoy fine food and wine, have a frequent flier plan, and are early adopters of trendy consumer technologies such as Discmans, laptops, and cell phones (Lyne, 2009). IKEAs management ensures that their customers will be satisfied in all ways with the quality of service that they supply. Particularly, the company has focused their marketing approach on the demands and needs of the buyer for household furniture as well as food service sources that satisfies them, and heavily positioned their products in this segment. Threats of substitutes There is no particular furniture substitute however IKEA has to keep up with the latest trends and advances so that their quality furniture does not go out of style and become irrelevant. Wal-mart, Target, Office Depot and other low-cost suppliers are indirect competitors in the fact they do offer low-priced furniture that consumers pull together themselves. Conversely, these indirect substitutes vary in detail because these are general retailers instead of being a specific retailer as IKEA is a retailer of household furniture. PESTEL Analysis Political As part of the national or global trends and changes, IKEA is just one example of firms that are successful in both domestic and international business . The Swedish furniture retailer has found the Scandinavian style of furniture that was combined with do-it-youself flat packaging became popular and set a global cult brand . Economic The Company, due to the economic changes and trends are adopting different kind of strategies that will take an appeal on their customers and aiming to own the customer loyalty . Economically, IKEA is low cost. This is a big piece of breaking into the American market. IKEA had to focus and advertising campaign directed specifically to thwart Americans unwillingness to part with their styling of furniture. Social The IKEA contributed much in the society as they provide opportunities in people and the employees are entitled in different benefits such as insurance and pensions ( 2005). Moreover, the company promises to provide more high quality furniture that sticks to their original concept stylish furniture at low prices. Technological IKEA uses superior technology and systems to encourage shorter waiting times, accurate scheduling, tracking and trading patterns, and staffing. The system made the IKEA in a position to ensure the right number of staff in a right place and in a right time to match the unique trading pattern s at each stores of IKEA. The company view in optimizing everything from the supply chain is also optimizing and managing the workforce to create an efficient store environment and keep customers happy . Environmental Concerning the environmental factors such as the air, noise, and water, inspections are put in place to ensure the company provides remedial actions within a stipulated time. The environmental inspection consists of legal documents and environmental authorities as the business operations are continuing. Legal The legal compliance of IKEA is sternly implemented with pertinent laws and regulations that affect to the environment, social and working conditions. The company also scheduled the most demanding requirements to be specific in maintaining the list of laws and regulations and with the procedures. Analyzing IKEAs Capability Based on the given synopsis of the IKEA Company it is recognized that IKEA exerts a strategic approach in order to maintain their competitive edge in the furniture industry. The management of the company is able to identify the priorities of the business and make decisions in line with the strategic direction, by placing considerations of the business and its stakeholders. IKEA is competent as it focuses on the significance of both internal and external customers to guarantee that these customers remain satisfied and loyal.   The company also ensures that they motivate, coach, guide, and support their staff to realise the mission of the IKEA. Additionally, IKEAs capability to identify its suppliers is another factor that maintains the companys competitive advantage. The ability of management to differentiate and diversify their business strategy to dominate the global market can also be considered as major capabilities of IKEA Resource Based View Analysis IKEA selects the most feasible position when it comes to delivery of items. Their warehouse is smartly located with different sectors to have greater control of activities. This strategy analyses the deployment of resources, processing time and queue times for various actions. IKEAs staff is rotated in order to complete customers orders from each picking area. Resources are simulated at higher levels and are applied and detailed in applicable working schedules. Stakeholders Analysis Other than what is already known about IKEA, it is observed that besides the management of the business, IKEAs customers play an important role in the accomplishment of the organizational goals. The management skills and capabilities of the pioneers of the company have propelled IKEA into being a powerful entity in the furniture industry today. Furthermore, the loyalty of its customers has also greatly assisted IKEA in maintaining its competitive edge. Customers and workforce entities go hand in hand, as IKEAs employees are the ones who work effortlessly ensuring that the company satisfies the demands of its customers. Therefore, when customers are satisfied, as they get value for their money with IKEA, they will remain loyal and hence build IKEAs value chain. The suppliers and stakeholder s can be considered an additional factor that made IKEA the success they are at present. IKEAs Strategic Issues and Challenges Competition The IKEAs furniture competitors offers different styles and functionality. Conrin targets a new low cost in terms of furniture line; Cratel Barrel offers a furniture in a box which is subject in higher prices; Ethan Allen aimed at a more upscale market; Wal-Mart is equipped in a big box furniture that is categorized under the general store must-have-items, but dont have much of a style. IKEA is the most successful in delivering the complete package for the customers that reflects on weak rivalries.   Natural Resources IKEA is the biggest furnishing company world wide, so it needs al lot of wood. This implicates, that there are confrontations with nature protecting organisations. The IKEA Concept The IKEA concept is easy to take up. Companies like Bush Industries in the USA have taken over the concept of cheap furniture, but they adopted their products to the American habits. Reaching Limited Customers The fundamental problem which IKEA is currently facing is that they are only reaching a limited amount of customers due to their few store locations. Event that founder retires or dies Major challenge to keep the core values alive especially when the company becomes larger and more diverse and the founder retires from the business. Catalogue Distribution IKEA want to increase the return on investment for the catalogue distribution, which is a substantial investment, and remain ahead of the competition in terms of business strategy Solutions to IKEAs constraints Catalouge IKEA needs to make sure than they distribute their catalogues who can be potential IKEA customers in terms of where they are located and ther demographic attributes. IKEA can also sell its catalogue at a low price to help generate some revenue as its catalogue is its biggest marketing mechanism. Low price The company must ensure that it is always known for having the lowest prices on the market in the future. Communication plays an important role here. IKEA must main its low cost leadership by using the low cost leadership strategy. Market forces IKEA is large enough to enjoy economies of scale. This lowers average costs in the end through, for instance, better use of technology or outsoucing specialized managers. Economies of scale also gives a business a competitive edge if cost savings are then passed on to customers in the form of lower prices. This puts up high barriers to entry for smaller companies entering the market. Communications. IKEA needs to maintain communication with its consumers and other stakeholders about its environmental actions. Store Locations. IKEA needs to strategically place its outlets where it has never been before. IKEA usually has large outlets in large cities. However, a tactical approach will be to launch smaller outlets in smaller towns. This will attract a new sector of customers hence increasing IKEAs profitably in the furniture industry. A new organizational structure will be necessary because of moving the organization from a global perspective towards a transnational perspective. Where the global organization is designed as to increase production efficiencies using global economies of scale and scope concepts, the transnational organization combines efficiency, local responsiveness and organizational learning. In order to assist the transition process towards such an organization, the IKEA group has to drastically transform its approach on the function of its subsidiaries. At present, IKEAs subsidiaries are barely no more than expansions of the business head office in Sweden. The responsibility of the subsidiaries is not to sway parent company strategies, but moderately follow instructions from home country Sweden. High localization pressures emerging due to demographic and cultural differences will compel subsidiaries to take strategic initiatives to act in response to local market requirements. The new organization would be easier to follow and pass on more accountability to subsidiaries. The centralized research and development department would have form strategic in-house networks with these subsidiaries and, in a mutual approach, develop products that are adopted to match country level requirements. Strategic corporate direction has to be maintained, since there is a need to safeguard its market niche. The changes projected in the organizational structure will have promising impacts on the company culture, which is currently founded on the IKEA concept or the IKEA way. A reduced amount of management from Sweden will trigger the incursion of new principles, values, and measures into the IKEA way. This will boost the intricacy of the operational culture, but will improve decision-making based on a spot on international dimension. CONCLUSION To conclude, with this position analysis, appropriate evaluation has been considered using different marketing tools, which lead to the determination of the present position of the IKEA Company.   This analysis has revealed which parts of the IKEA business entity that requires development and altering in order to maintain the competitive edge. The IKEA strategy is unique but it works, as IKEA is a leader in the global market. IKEA places its focus on further profit creation and growth and development. It can be said that based on the given case, IKEA strategy is something which is different but effective to achieve their goal of dominating the global market. Giving value to their stakeholders is one of the vital approaches that the company had used. In addition, their ability to innovate and diversify their products has also been identified as part of the strategy of IKEA. In addition, because of the competitive situation of the company, there is a strong barrier to entry for a new household furniture as well as food market that would compete with IKEA.   As the company is competing in both local and large-scale market environment, IKEAs feasibility is to achieve more customers from altered areas of the world and to provide each customers quality and resourceful household furniture products and will satisfy their needs while enjoying reasonable and reasonable prices.   The company is looking forward to give the customers more from what they are expecting via technological innovations.  In addition, the strategy of the company also includes their ability to adapt to the changing needs and demands of their target market even in different parts of the world. IKEA is in a favourable position to carryon operations in the years ahead. Bibliography De Wit, Bob and Meyer, Ron (2005) Strategy Synthesis. Second edition. London: Thomson Learning. Print ISBN 1 86152 965 1. Johnson, Gerry; Scholes, Kevan; and Whittington, Richard (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy. 7th edition. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education. Print ISBN 0 273 68734 4. Available through Voyager (UH LIS main catalogue) as an electronic resource. Mintzberg, Henry; Ahlstrand, Bruce; and Lampel, Joseph (1998) Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education. Print ISBN 0 273 65636 8. Porter, Michael E (1979) How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, March/ April, Volume 57, Issue 2. Available through UH LIS electronic journals (Business Source Complete). IKEA Sustainability Report for Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010. Welcome Inside

Analysis of Willa Cathers OPioneers! :: Willa Cathers OPioneers! Literature Essays

Analysis of Willa Cather's O'Pioneers! Willa Cather’s best known novel, O’Pioneers!, is an epic story of hope and courage in the late 1800s on the American frontier. During the story, the main character Alexandra Bergson grows to love her land in central Nebraska. The land is her home and livelihood. The land is the reason her father moved them there in early 1880s. The land known as the Divide proves to be a very tough place to live. It will drive many of the settlers away, but in time shows the strength and strong-willed personality of Alexandra. This story represents an unconventional love story where there is more love from a person for the land, rather than for a human being. When John Bergson, Alexandra’s father dies, she inherits the farm and takes the responsibility of taking care of the land. He entrusts her with the farm because he knows she will work hard to save the farm. Because she is the oldest child, she must set the example for her younger brothers Emil, Lou, and Oscar. (The story gives very little reference to their mother, who also dies.) As the story progresses, Alexandra learns new farming techniques from Ivar (who later becomes a servant) and the farm soon becomes more successful than any of the other farms on the Divide. About three years after the story begins, Carl Linstrum, Alexandra’s best friend moves away. This is very hard for Alexandra because they are very close. Carl is the only person who understands her. This is not the only hardship that she has to endure; moreover, her closest brother, Emil, and her best friend Marie Shabata are killed later on in the story by Marie’s jealous husband Frank. Alexandra looks at the land like it is her best friend, possibly even like a human being. She constantly looks for ways to improve it. This gives her more pleasure than anything else, and yet she is comfortable with being emotionless from her the outside world.

The Ideal Role for Business in Society

The Ideal Role for Business in Society Introduction Business has been going along since long before money, insurance plans, and global warming were even a glimmer in someone’s mind. The days of trading your skill for what you needed are still present today, but in a much different realm. Most people do not rely on their neighbor to grow vegetables for their family to eat while they herd the sheep. Disposing of chemicals and building a greener society were not a worry on the mind of anyone many moons ago. It has changed and businesses can overlook people’s personal issues, individual need, and impact on the environment. The ideal role for business in society is to treat their employees fairly by providing respectable employment plans that fit individual needs and being greener in society by caring to implement plans to reduce their carbon footprint. Ben and Jerry’s Ben and Jerry’s started out as small ice cream makers in Vermont with a very small company that grew astronomically. They did not intend on having a plan for responsibility to employees, society, and the planet. They are a prime example of how a business that is not focused solely on the bottom line can make a difference in the community and the world. In 2010 to make the company greener they said, â€Å"Our vision is that the entire country will switch over to hydrocarbon (HC) freezers that are significantly more energy-efficient and use gases with lower global warming potential than standard freezers, which use hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). † (Ben and Jerry’s Social and Responsibility Report 2010). They are making effort to do something to improve the environment even if it does cost them some profits. They give back to the community and support jobs with their foundaiton stating, â€Å"Through the Foundation, we’re helping immigrant workers, neighborhood groups, farm workers and dozens of other groups around the country to get organized and fight for a fair deal. In 2011, Ben & Jerry’s contributed $2,180,808 to the Foundation based on the 2010 sales of the Company. † (Ben and Jerry’s Social and Responsibility Report 2010). These are all things Ben and Jerry’s or any corporation could certainly overlook ithout many reprocussions , but being outardly accountable and charitable makes them a more appealing company to buy from. This also leads the way in showing other corporations that you can make a difference in the world, grow as a company, and be responsible. The Walt Disney Corportation When I think of The Walt Disney Company I think of fun amusement parks, Mickey Mouse, and entertaining childern’s movies. They are much more than that step ping up to the challenge of being reposible as a corporation to its employees and the environment. Disney has a very focused plan to do their part in the environment as shown in the chart below. (The Walt Disney Company 2010 Corporate Citizen Report) The goals and plan they have to minimize the effects of on the environment is something every company should be doing, and having it available for the public to read is another positive apect. The employees at disney receive opportunity to pursue further education and get great benefits packages. They state, â€Å"But we know your life isn't just about work. You have additional things going on – family, friends, personal interests, education and more. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps you live your best life, grow personally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results you deliver. † (Disney Careers. Total Rewards). This leads me to believe that Disney has a vested interest in the employees they hire and care about them as individuals. Tyson I see a commercial for some hungry teenagers and how Tyson chicken nuggets or strips satisfies their cravings, but I rarely stop to think if they treat their employees fairly or the environment. Tyson is a leading corporation that does care saying, â€Å"We offer one of the best benefit packages, not just in the industry but in the nation. † (Tyson Corporation. Tyson Benefits. ) They a great plan for all realms of health care, stock options, retirement plans, a full service credit union, education and leadership training, discounts on all products. They participate in hundreds of community events, showing they care about the public. Tyson also is striving o not just follow the guidelines of the law but to go above and beyond to protect the enviornemnt, â€Å"For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. † (Tyson. Sustainablity Report. Planet). They recyle, reduce amount of water used, evaluate using an alternative fuel source, r educe packing waste, conserve energy, and reduce the number of trucks on the road. They are focused on the future and know that playing their part is not just about following the law but providing more for the community and the environment. Strengths| Weakness| Opportunities | Threats| Improving the quality of life for employees| Losing profits from spending time and money on things other than the product or service| To gain customers from being a reputable company| You may go out of business by focusing too much on these other items| Helping the environment| Stockholders may think this a waste of funds| Recognized as a company that does more for society| Bottom line is effected | SWOT Analysis For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. For Tyson Foods, protecting the environment is about more than maintaining compliance with the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our operations. It’s about embracing a process of continual improvement aimed at protecting the environment for future generations. Conclusion Corporations need to be responsible while still earning a resonable profit to continue thriving, changing, and becoming better. â€Å"Doing no harm beyond meeting legal requirements regarding the environment, conditions of employement, community relationtions, and ethics. The law always lags behind the best practice. † (Charles Handy What is a Business for). It is the corporations reposnsibility to step up and take action instead of being forced to by law or any other orgainzaitons. Corporations need to start doing more and providing the information to the public so we can see that they are actually making not just a profit but a change to make the world a better place. Sources Ben and Jerrys. Social and Environmental Assesment Report 2010. http://www. benjerry. com/company/sear/2010/index. cfm Harvard Business Review. What is a Business for. Charles Handy. (Page 7) The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company 2010 Corporate Citizen Report 2010. http://corporate. disney. go. com/CITIZENSHIP2010/environment/overview/ourapproach/ The Walt Disney Company. Disney Careers Total Rewards. http://disneycareers. com/en/working-here/total-rewards/ Tyson Corporation. Careers. Why Tyson. Tyson Benefits. http://www. tysonfoodscareers. com/Why-Tyson-Foods/Benefits. aspx Tyson Corporation. Sustainablitity Report 2010. Planet 4. 0. http://www. tysonfoods. com/Sustainability/2010/Planet. aspx

Agriculture and the Nitrogen Cycle Essay

Agriculture is an important industry that provides food for human consumption. The decrease of land available for agriculture coupled with the increase of human population has required that agricultural lands increase their output. This was achieved through the use of improved crop varieties, more productive livestock, better weed and pest control and the increased use of fertilizers, specifically nitrogen fertilizers which has linearly increased to 1. 2 Mt in the 1980s. However, farming also affects the environment. Increases in phosphorus and nitrate contents of water lead to increased biological activity and large concentrations of nitrate in drinking water create health hazards. J. K. R. Gasser studied the nitrogen cycles in agriculture and reported the results in his article â€Å"Agricultural Productivity and the Nitrogen Cycle. † Gasser (1982) explained that nitrogen is emitted from the soil or from animal effluents as ammonia, nitrous oxide or N2. Considerable amounts of nitrogen are also recycled directly as animal urine and feces. The preceding crops in agricultural lands also affect the amount of nitrogen released for the current crops. However, Gasser (1982) explained that no arable system provides enough nitrogen for the maximum production of crops such that additional nitrogen must be added in the form of fertilizers. Gasser (1982) reported that there is no evidence supporting that the increased use of nitrogen fertilizer also increases the total amount of nitrogen in soil-plant system. He stated that little of the nitrogen in circulation â€Å"will appear directly in the atmosphere or groundwaters, most will leave the agricultural system after one or more changes or subsidiary cycles† (Gasser, 1982, 313). Gasser (1982) concluded that the losses from the system must be at least as large as the known inputs. He persuaded to quantify the movement of nitrogen, the understanding of which would allow the losses from agricultural system to be minimized improving the utilization of nitrogen in farming and reducing its effects on the atmosphere and water. Reference Gasser, J. K. R. (1982). Agricultural productivity and the nitrogen cycle. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Science) vol. 296, no. 1082, 303-314.

Internal and external environment Essay

Introduction Internal and external environment of each company is a concept of poles apart. The knowledge of human is influenced by various factors that are surrounding the environment in which that an individual is placed. A continuous and steady improvement is the order of the day for increasing the human efficiency in working environment. â€Å"THE modern business man is the true heir of the old magicians. Every thing he touches seems to increase ten or a hundredfold in value and usefulness. All the old methods, old tools, old instruments have yielded to his transforming spell or else been discarded for new and more effective substitutes. In a thousand industries the profits of to-day are wrung from the wastes or unconsidered trifles of yesterday†(Scott, Walter Dill, 1998 Increasing Human Efficiency in Business, Chap. I. pg. 1) The era of computerization is system based approach at every level of working, whether it is in business, management, information technology or any industrial and social sector. The adherence to system has been fruitful in all aspects and also in locating the risk areas that can be monitored to avoid such risks with appropriate standards of management techniques and tools. Definition of system and Manager’s adoption of principles of system A â€Å"system† is defined as â€Å"an organized, unitary whole composed of two or more interdependent parts (subsystems) where the whole contains identifiable boundaries from its environment (suprasystem). † The practice of system is based on system principles and methods which are to be understood by a manager are : (1) Define company as a system (2) Establish system objectives (performance criteria) (3) Identify wider systems (environment). (4) Create formal subsystems (including a humanistic, psychosocial subsystem (5) Integrate the subsystems with the whole system (if not the subsystems themselves, whatever interrelates them with other subsystems. There are various aspects that are co-related with systems approach in terms of management of external and internal environment and how management theory is applicable in legal matters and what is the status of manager in communication in solving complex issues that arise from time to time in both external and internal environment. This is another way of stating that a manager has to be dynamically competitive and work advantageously in both environments with the prop of system theory. Systems theory as prescribed above, requires a complete in-depth understanding about working of a company apart from day to day analysis of performance within and outside environment of a company. The tools that are effective in measuring and managing the affairs of a company are viz., time management, risk management, supply chain management, team management, customer relation management, operation management, management of information systems, decision supportive systems and organizational behavior. A continuous persisting efforts of a manager produces emergence of new ideas and strategies apart from assisting in identifying key areas of a problem. It can also be stated that problems produce some of the best systematic ideas that are recognized as best strategies in the long term for the benefit and growth of a company. †And while the body is confined to one planet, along which it creeps with pain and difficulty; the thought can in an instant transport us into the most distant regions of the universe; or even beyond the universe, into the unbounded chaos, where nature is supposed to lie in total confusion. What never was seen, or heard of, may yet be conceived; nor is any thing beyond the power of thought, except what implies an absolute contradiction†. â€Å"But though our thought seems to possess this unbounded liberty, we shall find, upon a nearer examination, that it is really confined within very narrow limits, and that all this creative power of the mind amounts to no more than the faculty of compounding, transposing, augmenting, or diminishing the materials afforded us by the senses and experience†(Raleigh, N. C Alex Catalogue, An Enquiry concerning Human understanding, Sec. II. The origin of ideas, pg. 11) Ideas are the final output of thinking process, which has to undergo a brain storming session, group discussion and after several workshops, a company launches a new product.

Visuals Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visuals Analysis - Essay Example In advertising, visual perception is very important. An advertisement can sell a product if has very good visuals and it is presented properly. A consumer’s visual perception can either make or break an advertisement. It can sell or not sell a product. Consumers will always understand a product or service more if there are visuals. Traditional methods of advertising a product may no longer be as effective as it was before. With the advancement in technology and the age of the internet, companies are becoming more creative in marketing their products. One of the latest trends in advertising nowadays is the use of optical illusions. Optical illusions use color, light and patterns which can create images that can be deceptive or misleading to our brains. The brain processes the information gathered by the eye, creating a perception which in reality does not match the true image (Optical Society of America, 2008). Some people view optical illusions as deceptive; thus, frown on it when used in advertisements. Still for others, optical illusions may be considered as creative marketing tools. Optical illusions are a great source of intrigue and entertainment making it an effective marketing tool.

Module 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 8 - Essay Example nards, from whence the cryptic prediction came that â€Å"the enemy of Rome will be defeated.† Naturally, Maxentius took this to mean that Constantine, the other Western emperor and who marches against him, will be defeated as the foretold enemy of Rome. Maxentius equated himself to Rome, and his enemy Constantine as the enemy of Rome. From this brief glimpse of Maxentius’ personality, one may deduce that character flaws in the person of the nation’s leader may have a defining impact on the future not only of the leader as an individual, but also upon the nation he leads. The moral ascendancy of the person who stands as father (mother) to an entire nation should be without question, else he would tend to lead his countrymen to perdition (Giovanni Milani-Santarpia, Moral Principles of the Ancient Romans, 2009). In the case of Maxentius, his hubris and tyranny were the causes for his misguided leadership that eventually spelled out the end of his reign as emperor of Rome (Edward Gibbon, Decline and fall of the Roman empire, 1998). This gives us something to think about, particularly in the persons of our own leaders. For instance, many of our political leaders, a former US President, and a leading golf player who served as role model for many aspiring young people, were compelled to admit before the pu blic their illicit relationships with women. If such is the moral fibre of our leaders, then it is time to ask ourselves if the fall of our nation is not too far off. The story of how Christianity became the official religion of 4th century Rome and the world religion it is today has assumed the status of legend. Christianity entailed the worship of an executed Jewish criminal; it was the religion of Jews and slaves. Therefore, its attribution to Constantine, 4th century Roman emperor, stretches the imagination and makes the story more intriguing. Two early Christian narrators tie the conversion of Constantine directly to his triumph in a military campaign

Damages recoverable electronic funds transfer transactions under UK Dissertation

Damages recoverable electronic funds transfer transactions under UK Law - Dissertation Example To create a process that is safe for the customers, and well protected from losses arising from a lack of adequate legal remedial processes, is of utmost importance for a successful banking operation, which by its very nature of handling large amounts of money, comes under ‘high-risk’ business practice. Such high risks associated with banks comprised mainly of credit-interest risks, law related issues, and liquidity risks. With the start of the internet banking or the electronic funds transfer system has further increased these risks while creating some additional new ones, which may arise from the banks trying to circumvent regulatory and supervisory norms, in order to expand their customer reach. Other risks of a legal nature include the ambiguities on various legal processes and requirements that vary from country to country. 3 Though there are laws that specifically address the issue of frauds and other legal problems within internet banking and funds transfer, not m uch attention has been given to the area of remedies. In this era of high-end technology, it is necessary to review and re-examine various remedial processes like damage claims and injunction, within the electronic funds transfer transaction process. Discussion Banking system and electronic funds transfer under the English law: Under the English law, 'banking business' 4 is seen as comprising of two main basic features: â€Å"acceptance of money from and collection of cheques for their customers and placing them to the customer’s credit, and honouring cheques drawn on the bank by its customers and debiting customers' account accordingly.†5 The term 'banking' has been framed differently within the English legislation, and is covered under Banking Act 1979, the Banking Act 1987 and, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 also referred to as FSMA 2000.6 In the context of modern banking system through the internet, â€Å"electronic banking† or â€Å"e-bankingà ¢â‚¬  is defined as banking operations conducted by authorised banks (or their official representatives), from a remote location through tools that function under the bank's direct management or through outsourced agents. Thus, e-banking encompasses an entire set of process through which a customer can transfer funds electronically, without having to visit a bank physically, and these processes also includes services where the customers can access their accounts, conduct business transaction, receive necessary information on different financial services and products all the Internet (fig 1). In UK, all electronic modes of payments/transactions come under the jurisdiction of the â€Å"law of contract and agency and the customs and usages of banking.† 7 Fig 1: Various processes and available services as seen within e banking.8 As

The Ellen Show Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Ellen Show Assignment - Research Paper Example Amidst occasions, she and the group of onlookers move to the music played by D.J. Tony Okungbowa. The website of the TV show which is www.ellentv.com is fast and snappy. It is bright and colorful but fewer colors would not have harmed the eyes for that sake. In order to maintain the viewership in the television channels they do not broadcast their full episodes on their website instead just a brief overview of the show or the episode is given. The website has lot of endorsement for other brands who try to promote themselves through the show. In my opinion these promotions should not be given all over the websites rather they can create a separate section for the promotions and brands related to Ellen Degeneres. Let us talk about the recommendation for the show. The show is one of the most popular in the world and does not have any negative side to it. So we cannot say that is harmful for the kids as such. It is funny, spread awareness and makes people dance. One suggestion that can be given as a viewer is that Ellen is only shot in USA which does not give the world wide fans a chance to be in the show. It is a show which is broadcast all the globe and it is loved and appreciated by people of every country and religion. They can conduct an Ellen Tour like those conducted by music artist and travel all over the world to meet the global fans. This is further make the show popular and people from various countries can have a chance to watch the show live. This event can be done once every season and they can probably one geographic region at a time. The Ellen application is available for apple devices and android platform. But there are other platforms such as blackberry and windows phone whic h are equally popular. In my suggestion they should make the applications for these platforms as well to increase the fan falling. As far as the famous lines in the show are concerned, there isn’t any. It is just a show named after a celebrity who is a comedian and brings

Writer's choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Writer's choice - Essay Example Franz Ferdinand was the archduke in Austria- Hungary. He murdered by Gavrilo Princip, who was from Serbia. He was ordered to complete this mission by Black Hand; a secret military group. The rest were primary causes of the war but were not immediate. One of them was militarism. Britain had an immense army that Germany envied. They began to compete towards building larger armies that meant increased arms and weapons. Need for prestige and power, the more one nation built their army, the more the other governments felt need to increase theirs. In the long run, civilian nations began to suffer heavy taxation to cater for the militants. Creation of alliances. This was supposed to bring a sense of security. In any case of war, those countries were expected to protect each other. The alliances were a threat to cause a world war if any country confronted one of the allied countries will cause all the rest to come forward. Imperialism was mobilizing smaller nations a ruling them. Gathering colonies was a way of increasing a nation’s wealth. Global competition for this colonies resulted to major confrontations and chaos (Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters. Volume I, From the Beginning to 1500: a brief global history). We care about the World War 1 because after the war; women gained more rights in the society than before. They were able to take better roles in the community and do things they couldnt. More job opportunities were created which automatically resulted to improved technology e.g. guns, airplanes, etc. After all, the war had its benefits that are very useful to date

The Energy of the Future Essay Example for Free

The Energy of the Future Essay Alternative fuels are simply non-petroleum energy sources that are used to substitute petroleum products in supplying energy for engines while providing environmental benefits (DOE, 2005). The search for these fuels is the current trend since it is projected that fossil fuels, the source of petroleum products, would run out in the near future. Year 2005 was predicted as the peak of world oil production, after which, the world oil production would decline. By 2030, it is predicted that world oil production would be the same as the production before 1980; the only difference is that the population is higher thus the demand would be greater. This would then mean that there would be higher prices of oil products; thus the search for alternative fuels is essential (Life After the Oil Crash). In addition, the degradation of the environment calls for these alternatives to impede the possible series of catastrophic events One alternative fuel being widely promoted is the Biodiesel. It is a renewable fuel made from agricultural sources such as animal fat and vegetable oils. This is produced through the transesterification of the base oil by reacting it with an industrial alcohol and a catalyst to convert it to a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) fuel. In its pure form, also known as B100 or neat diesel, it is capable of powering an ordinary diesel engine, however, some blends are also produced such as the B5 (5% biodiesel and 95% diesel) and the B20 (20% biodiesel and 80% diesel). Most present diesel engines are compatible with running on biodiesel, however, manufacturer specifications should still be considered to avoid warranty violations. In terms of performance, biodiesel is comparable with ordinary diesel; though it has 2-8% less fuel economy, it gives better engine performance and lubrication (US EPA, 2006). Another alternative being promoted due to its potential and environment friendliness is the Hydrogen and the Fuel cell. Hydrogen is the most abundant and simplest element on earth; however, it is usually bonded with other elements to form other things such as water (H2O), hydrocarbons (CH4) and other organic matter making it unavailable (EERE, 2007). On the other hand, fuel cells are electrochemical devices that produce electricity by combining hydrogen or other hydrogen-containing fuels and oxygen. In contrast to batteries, fuel cells are different since it requires a continuous source of external fuel (OEE, 2007). The electricity produced will be used to power the engine. However, hydrogen is bulky and has a small amount of energy per volume; this means that storage techniques of this fuel are critical to its success. But still, hydrogen as a fuel is efficient since it is clean burning and fuel cell vehicles have a potential higher efficiency compared to gasoline vehicles (about 2-3 times more) (EERE, 2007). Another alternative fuel is the electricity. Electric vehicles have long been in use by some countries; however, it gained low popularity due to its disadvantages like higher cost, the size and weight of the battery, short distance covered and long charging time. Nevertheless, the search for alternative fuels has shifted the attention back to electric cars due to its environmental friendliness and its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Researches are on their way to develop the battery system of the vehicle such that lighter and smaller batteries that could enable the car to reach almost 300 kilometers on one charging and last for 5-10 years could power the vehicle at acceleration and speeds similar to gasoline powered vehicles (OEE, 2007). The 2008 Tesla Roadster Electric Vehicle is a very interesting vehicle. It runs purely on electricity, can reach 60 mph in 3. 9 seconds, has a 135 mpg equivalent, covers 220 miles per charge, consumes less than $0. 02 per mile and has a built-in battery charging system that can be plugged into an outlet (Tesla Motors, 2008). Though this car is very interesting, I would not opt to buy this because it is very limited and has a selling price of $109,000. I think these are the reason why there still few of these around; they are very costly and are very limited. References Department of Energy. (2005). Alternative Fuels. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. doe. gov. ph/AF/Alternative%20Fuels. htm Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. (2007, November 20). Hydrogen. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. eere. energy. gov/afdc/fuels/hydrogen. html Life After the Oil Crash. Are We Running Out? I Thought There Was 40 Years of the Stuff Left. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. lifeaftertheoilcrash. net/ Office of Energy Efficiency. (2007, April 16). Fuel Cells and Hydrogen. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. oee. nrcan. gc. ca/transportation/fuels/hydrogen-fuelcells/hydrogen. cfm? attr=8 Tesla Motors. (2008). The 2008 Tesla Roadster. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. teslamotors. com/ US Environmental Protection Agency. (2006, October). Biodiesel. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www. epa. gov/smartway/growandgo/documents/factsheet-biodiesel. htm