Monday, September 30, 2019

How does Wal-Mart Keep their competitive advantage Essay

Founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, Wal-Mart has grown to be the largest discount retail chain in the world. Wal-Mart currently has over 6,500 thousand stores in 14 different countries, 1.8 million plus associates and nets sales this last quarter of over 85 billion dollars, an increase of 8.3 percent (walmart.com). The only other corporation larger than Wal-Mart to date is Exxon Mobile. So how does Wal-Mart keep their competitive advantage and sustain their position in discount retailing?Historically Wal-Mart main competitive advantage has been their low price of brand name goods. Though their most important competitive advantage, it is not their only one. Wal-Mart’s competitive advantage is based off of many key strategic choices, not just their low prices. Their strategic choice of location has given Wal-Mart a first mover advantage. By Wal-Mart strategically placing their stores within the proximity of their distribution centers, Wal-Mart is able to keep their in-house inventory at a minimal. Their distribution network is based on the hub-and spoke concept, which places stores no more than a day’s drive from its distribution centers and replaces goods within 24 hours (refrigeratedtrans.com). Their distribution centers carry more than 85 percent of all merchandise sold by Wal-Mart. With over 3,000 tractors and 12,000 trailers, Wal-Mart has one of the largest private fleets in the country with an on-time delivery record of 99.5 percent, which Mauldin believes is not good enough, that anything less the 100% is unacceptable (refrigeratedtrans.com). Not only has Wal-Mart’s strategic placement of their stores and distribution centers given them a competitive advantage, their strategic operations and inventory management has played a vital role in their success. Wal-Mart’s in-store inventory is kept at a minimum, allowing them to achieve maximum efficiency of their store floor space. Inventory is tracked by UPC scanners allowing Wal-Mart to better communicate with vendors via satellite when supplies need to be replenished. This strategy helps Wal-Mart lower inventory cost, which allows them the ability to meet the demands of local consumers, and the ability to avoid overstocking. Thus in return giving them a higher operational efficiency and keeping their prices significantly lower  that other discount retail stores. According to A.T. Kearney, Wal-Mart’s three-biggest sources of cost advantage are low corporate overheads, the efficiencies of its supply chain and above all, it’s low labor cost. However, I believe their biggest source of cost advantage is their corporate culture. Not only is this their biggest source, it is also the one source that will help Wal-Mart sustain their position in the future. Wal-Mart’s corporate culture dates back to the beginning when Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart in 1962 with a vision to keep prices as low as possible. He also emphasized frugality, customer service, an open book policy, building loyalty among associates, suppliers and customers (Wilbert, 2007). He built Wal-Mart from leading by example, and instilling in his people and his business a belief system that is still currently in place today (walmart.com). Sam Walton had three basic beliefs and 10 rules for building a business that he believed to be the secret of their success. His three basic beliefs were respect the individual; service to the customer; and strive for excellence. He believed that applying these beliefs would make an associate a better person, which in return would make a better organization. All great beliefs and are still followed today (walmart.com). However it is the 10 basic principals where I believe gave Wal-Mart the competitive advantage and defines their culture. These basic principals are:†¢The customer is always right†¢We are a merchandise-driven company†¢Our people make the difference†¢We communicate with our associates†¢We maintain a strong work ethic†¢Associates are partners†¢Our leaders are also servants†¢Associates are empowered†¢We have integrity in all we do†¢We control our expensesThese basic principal are the driving force of Wal-Mart. Sam Walton knew that in order to be successful that the associates held the key. That an unhappy associate could project their feelings to the customer and a business could not succeed by attracting one-time customers (walmart.com). Walton also knew that in order to develop a successful corporate culture,  both management and employees had to work together, with the sole purpose of serving the customer. Wal-Mart has followed this culture for the past 45 years. Wal-Mart’s cost-leadership, culture, operations, geographic location, distribution system and organization strategy has all played a vital role in Wal-Mart’s success and will continue to play a vital role in their future. Though some more important than others, without each one Wal-Mart could not duplicate their competitive advantage. Wal-Mart is an organization that shows a strong culture. Associates as well as outsiders can observe many elements of the culture within Wal-Mart. Every aspect of the culture has been instilled in each associate of this company and has helped make Wal-Mart successful and will continue to help them be successful (Berg, 2001). Wal-Mart is a large corporation which stands for the small town community values, that operates with the efficiency of a major corporation. References Berg (2001, July 2). Wal-Mart and Organizational Culture. Retrieved on May 26, 2007 from http://academic.emporia.edu/smithwil/001smmg443/eja/ardmg443ej.htmBernstein, J. and Bivens, J. (2006, June 15). The Wal-Mart Debate. A False Choice between Price and Wages. Economic Policy Institute. Issue Brief #223Corporate Culture Provides Wal-Mart Competitive Advantage. 2002, July 1. Refrigerated Transporters. Retrieved on May 26, 2007 from http://refrigeratedtrans.com/mag/transportation_corporate_culture_provides/Wal-Mart Home Page. Retrieved on May 26, 2007 from http://walmart.comWilbert, C (2006). How Wal-Mart Works. How Stuff Works. Retrieved May 26, 2007 from http://money.howstuffworks.com/wal-mart.htm

Is Gatsby’s Dream Defeated by Nothing More Than Time Itself? Essay

Top of Form F.Scott Fitzgerald have set up in his novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby† the different views of how â€Å"ultimately, Gatsby’s dream is defeated by nothing more nor less than Time itself.†, such as Gatsby’s inability to diffrentiate between reality and illusion and his build-up of unrealistic dreams. However, there are also other ways in which his dream can be defeated, other than time itself. The significance and importance of the presence of time as well as other significant factors are both heightened by Fitzgerald’s skillful use of range of key techniques such as symbolism, metaphors, foreshadowing, characterisation to effectively convey the extension of my agreement towards whether or not Gatsby’s dream is defeated by time. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s inability to distinguish between reality and illusion to speak of the defeat of his dream through Gatsby’s ideal persona and through the act of his house as a metaphor. Gatsby’ s downfall seems to be result of his inablity to see through and beyond illusions- especially when â€Å"he sprang from his platonic conception of himself.† We can see that it’s the attempt itself and the firm belief that he can achieve the impossible that is more than the sum of his reality. Gatsby conforms to the ideal of himself that can transform reality to possibility. Therefore, using this to his advantage Gatsby ha crafted Daisy into the ideal woman that he wishes her to be. Fitzgerald writes: â€Å"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams–not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.† As a reader, we can all recognise that Daisy is only a regular, rich western girl. However, because Gatsby has made her more perfect than she actually is in his imagination,this suggests that the â€Å"colossal vitality of his illusions† of Gatsby, the idealized version of himself is what thrown him into the idea that Daisy is perfect. By doing this, I think that Fiztgerald intends to critisize how people in the 1920s blindly giving meaning to the idealism of the American Dream, as much as Gatsby is trying to give as much perfection to his own love, Daisy. Furthermore, another idea of illusion present in Gatsby is his â€Å"failure,  incoherent of a house.† By describing his house as a failure and by using the word â€Å"incoherent†, the mansion is suggestive of the measure of failure of the democratic ideals. For many years, Gatsby presented his house with demoractic ordeals to enhance his aristocratic image and wealth. Therefore by doing this, Gatsby has hidden away traces of himself which further deepens his illusions and driven him to live in it, as much as his house is an unrealistic object he uses to only impress Daisy. Thus, I do agree that Gatsby is driven by his illusions to an extent that when he faces with reality when Daisy leaves him, he realizes that his dream is gone forever. Fitzgerald also uses Gatsby’s desire to rewind time to show how his dream is defeated, through the manner of Gatsby and the symbolism of the clock in Nick’s house. After Gatsby’s tale with Daisy begins with he fa lling in love with her in 1917, he is devastated to see her married with Tom. When Nick says â€Å"you can’t repeat the past† and Gatsby confidently replied with â€Å"of course you can, old sport.† This determination in Gatsby’s saying manage to highlight his desperation and longing to return to the past, where all of his memories and Daisy were stored. At one point his nervousness during his first meeting with Daisy in Nick’s house, he â€Å"knocks a broken clock off the mantel, catching it just before it hits the ground†. The readers can see that this clock goes beyond Gatsby’s nervousness, but is a symbolic nature of his desire for time to stop. In a way, the clock stopped at a specific point in time and is seen to be trapped, just as Gatsby’s life stopped when he was hit with the realization that while he was poor and the fact he could never have Daisy. He’s been so busy chasing a dream rather than enjoying reality, therefore like the clock, he is emotionally stunted in his mindset when he has loved Daisy in the past. Thus, I do agree that even though Gatsby’s dream is defeated by the presence of time, but time doesn’t stop for anyone and this also allow characters like Daisy to have a change of heart-Daisy is no longer a sweet girl Gatsby knew long time ago- but now a selfish woman with a voice â€Å"full of money†. The obsession of wealth that caused Daisy to love Gatsby’s superficial image only proves to us that repeating the past under the influence of the American Dream is impossible. Other than time itself, Fitzgerald also uses comparison to show the hopelessness in Gatsby’s defeated dream even before he was bornt. Nick finishes his story when he â€Å"became aware of the old island here that  flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh green breast of the new world.† Fitzgerald have created the imagery of explorers travelling long distances, from East to West, to escape from their corrupted nations. The use of â€Å"Dutch† people here suggests their root coming from the western, and when America was found, they â€Å"flowered† of a new nation of peace and moral status. However, we can see that America itself is now corrupted- highlighting that despite the fact the Dutch wants to create something new and of value, the fact that their root coming from corruption doesn’t go away, and instead brought karma with them here tchuo the new land. Therefore like the Americans, characters in the Great Gatsby travelled west to east in search for wealth while leaving behind the social and moral values, and thus implies how Fitzgerald successfully present to the readers how people like Tom and Daisy- their immorality and purposelessness were created. Like the others, Gatsby choose this way and since he cheated his way to success, his dream failed due to the class distinctions that were present even before his existence. Gatsby’s American Dream is seen to be achieving Daisy, but when Gatsby is no longer the man she used to love, but rather a man of great success and prosperity, this proves to us the heartlessness in characters like Daisy that’ s in contrast to the basic nobility of Gatsby’s character. Thus, I do disagree that even though Gatsby can’t defeat the power of time, his dream is already out of his reach since young. However, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s build-up of sentimental dreams overtime to prove that he’s defeated by time. Gatsby set out to reach for his dream when he met his Dan Cody. During the time he travelled with Cody, he experienced a glamorous life and began to dream of a bright future where Daisy is present in it. At the end of chapter 1 Nick saw Gatsby â€Å"stretched out his arms towards the dark water† tat is a â€Å"single green light at the end of the dock.† For a long time the action of Gatsby â€Å"stretched out† is a representation of the future that he longs for. The â€Å"green light† at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of an ideal life though he’s oblivious to the unattainable nature of his wishes. However, Gatsby reaches not only for Daisy herself but for this idea of Daisy and the utopian future he associates with her. Nick muses that â€Å"it had not been merely the stars to which Gatsby had aspired on that June night.† In a sense, the readers can see that Gatsby is reaching for the stars as well. He heavily idealizes all of his dreams and builds  them up on a stellar level-so much to an extent that he loses track of time. I think Fitzgerald intends to do this in order to criticize and reveal the nature of the American society led by capitalist system, of creating false hopes for the nepotism in the roaring 1920s through characters like Gatsby living vicariously through the upper class society. Therefore, I agree to an extent that Gatsby is defeated by time because of his failure to pick up the facts that his dreams only exist as memories. In conclusion, Fitzgeral have displayed throughout the novel many aspects of how Gatsby’s dream is defeated by time and aspects of not only time itself. However, I think I would agree that Gatsby’s dream is largely been affected by the importance and presence of time in the novel- the last line of the book summarizes Gatsby’s struggle as â€Å"boats against the currents, born back ceaselessly into the past.† Though the green light symbolizes everything Gatsby wishes for, it directs him backwards in life instead of forwards. He never manages to understand that time doesn’t stop for anyone and move on. This also criticizes the cruel American society during the 1920s it leads to chaos and betrayals, it leads to destroying others who’s trying to reach their goals. Characters like tom and daisy were created and the American Dream failed everyone who tries satisfying themselves.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Globalization Argumentation Essay

(1, Premise) Globalization effects on economy, administrative, and geographical system of the nations in an effective manner. In today’s more challenging and competitive business era, globalization is one of the most important factors that have a direct or indirect effect on the economic, administrative, and geographical system of the nations in an effective and proper manner. There are rapid changes in the economics of the nations, due to globalization. In addition, different kinds of issues are developed or created by the globalization to the countries. Also, these are effecting the nations directly or indirectly. For example. High risk investment in other countries is considered a significant issue. (1, Conclusion) â€Å"After the globalization of the worldwide market, foreign investors faced the high risk to invest in the other nation due to the differences in administrative, geographic, economic, culture and demographic condition of the countries.†(Lynch & Gemini, 2010) (2, Premise) Globalization contributes to the improvement of technology that helped national companies. There are various technological improvements that create effective contribution in the globalization of markets and production. It is identified that the use of computers help the companies to adopt globalization and improve its market share in the global market. In computers, the use of the internet helps companies go global and add extra features to their production and operation activities. (2, Conclusion) â€Å"Through international technology, companies are also able to achieve competitive advantages over national and international competitors in an effective way.† (Mobius, 2012) (3, Premise) Globalization provides options of companies to improve their business through enter in the new country market. One improvement in technology related to change in the transportation technology helped the companies make globalization of markets  and production. The development of commercial jet aircraft and super fighters and development of ship transportation help companies simplify the trans-shipment from one mode of transport to another. (3, Conclusion) â€Å"Globalization helps companies to improve its market presence in the global market and introduce new production plants in different countries of the world to provide the right product to the right customers at the right time with the lowest cost† (Peng, 2009). (4, Premise) Globalization provides options of the companies to improve their position to attract or reach the new market and more customers. Technology is helpful for companies to generate global opportunities through attracting global customers for products and services. Changes in the telecommunication and introduction of the World Wide Web help companies connect with the global customers in an effective way and develop the opportunities in order to improve the market. There are various global marketing trends a global company needs to fulfill. The changing demand of customers, changes in advertising media and attraction for global customers are all important. In order to reach this target, global marketers need to target global advertising in order to attract global customers in an effective way. (4, Conclusion) â€Å"Through the targeting global advertising for the products and services, companies can also increase its customer base in the international market and can achieve competitive advantages over competitors in national and international market† (Shan, 2012). The first premise is an example of inductive reasoning as it is intended only to be so strong that, if the conclusion is different with premises. First premise: globalization impacts on countries economy, administrative, and geographical system, but the conclusion states differences that after the globalization, foreign investors face the high risk of investment in other countries due to the differences in countries’ administrative, geographic, economic, culture and demographic condition (Swenson, 2005). In addition, deductive argument is thought to be completely guaranteed of the premises truth, which means the conclusion is similar to the premise. Premise 2 is the example of the deductive argument as the premises and conclusion is the same, which the globalization or internationalization contributes into the improvement of technology as international technology reached of the companies that helped companies to achieve competitive advantages. References Lynch, M. & Gemini,C. (2010). Wealth: How the World’s High-Net-Worth Grow, Sustain, and Manage Their Fortunes. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Mobius, M. (2012). Passport to Profits: Why the Next Investment Windfalls Will be Found Abroad and How to Grab Your Share. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Peng, M.W. (2009). Global Business 2009. USA: Cengage Learning. Shan, W. (2012). The Legal Protection of Foreign Investment: A Comparative Study. USA: Hart Publishing Limited. Swensen, D.F. (2005). Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment. USA: Simon and Schuster.

Friday, September 27, 2019

(case 1) human resources management (Employee Recruitment and Essay

(case 1) human resources management (Employee Recruitment and Selection) - Essay Example They company employees over 2 million associates. It is the largest employer in America. The selection process of the company is quite vast. It includes all aspects like the advertising, screening, selection process which includes interviews, assessments, testing etc. The company uses all the proven methods like interviews, qualitative testing and assessment centers. This is post the other steps like advertising and screening of applications, which form the basis to choose the candidates who would be a part of the selection process. The amount of monies that go into the entire process of selection and recruitment of employees is very high, since the process includes a number of different steps to choose the right candidate and choose the ones who would be great at what they do. The cost that can be incurred for filling in an open position is as much as $490,000. This however is the total cost which includes from advertising, until the training of the selected candidates and the figures that are provided are estimates and not the actual costs that are being incurred by the company (Bernthal, 2009). The table below provides a clear break up of all the costs. These form the direct costs of the selection process however there are a number of indirect costs that are also involved in the selection process of employees. These normally include costs which the organization incurs due to less rigorous selection method. Also another big indirect cost is the quality of the hires. The return on investment for the company can be calculated by [Benefits – Costs / Costs]*100 (Bernthal, 2009). This will provide for a clear view on the amount of return that the company makes out of the investment made into selecting, recruiting, training and paying each employee. This however includes a lot of estimations, which cannot be made by all companies. Hence it is seen that companies generally need to correctly and promptly

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Mall of America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Mall of America - Research Paper Example United States is also known worldwide for its state of the art shopping centers. By the end of 1992, America was almost running 39000 shopping Malls across the country. Mall of America is a shopping Mall with all the dynamic qualities of a Mall. It is located in the twin cities of Bloomington and Minnesota in United States (Mall of America (b) 2011). The Mall is the third largest in North America and second largest in America due to its retail space. Mall of America accommodates more than 13000 cars on seven different stories of the building for parking purposes (Mall of America (b) 2011). The Mall is spread over an area of 95 acres (Mall of America (b) 2011). Expansion of the great Mall is under process. Expansion will help to exceed the size of the Mall of America by almost doubling it. The expansion work is expected to consume about 2.1 billion (Mall of America (b) 2011). Extension of the project will attract more tourists. Phase II will be able to generate huge amount for the fie lds of education and health. Mall of America is also exposed to certain vulnerabilities. Terrorism is the threat which requires thorough training and understanding of the terror activities. Certain remedial measures are also necessary to strengthen the existing surveillance and security system. The Mall of America is a combination of a classical construction with provision of vast variety of facilities under one roof. Mainly the worth mentioning facilities include, an indoor theme park, underwater sea creature aquarium, magic shop, flight simulators, Lego store, theater, mountain golf adventure and American girl store. All these features of the Mall of America shall be focused upon in details in paragraphs to follow. The paper shall follow the under mentioned sequence:- History of the Mall of America. Services offered by the Mall and tourist interests. Expansion and future prospects. Vulnerabilities to different threats and their Remedial Measures Conclusion. History of the Mall of America Ghermezian brothers of Canada first gave the concept of â€Å"Mall of America†. â€Å"West Edmonton† shopping Mall of North America was also the brilliant idea of same brothers (Farrell 2007). The Mall of America is situated at the old site of metropolitan stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota (Crawford 1992). The leveling of the ground for construction started in 1989. The Mall saw its completion in 1992 and during same year it was opened for the public (Mall of America (c) 2011). The Mall of America carries the characteristics of all the modern Malls due to its huge size, central management and versatile architecture. The visitor of Mall can carry equal impression of western market as well as American urban expressions (Crawford 1992). The Mall represents the history of galleria. The concept of Cleveland galleria got fame in nineteenth century in America (Jackson 1996). The Mall also pays respect to the old site of metropolitan city by placing home plate on the g round floor (Mall of America (c) 2011). One seat has been placed in the Mall, which attracts the visitor’s attention due to its historical importance (Farrell 2007). The seat has exactly been placed at its original place that it occupied in the stadium prior to construction of the Mall of America. Seat is placed to pay homage to Harmon Killebrew for hitting a home run in 1967 (Crawford 1992). Mall was given few nicknames prior to its inauguration in 1992 (Spellmeyer 1993). Fewer of

Answar these Questione Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answar these Questione - Assignment Example This led to the development of the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention. These two provide a wider range of  application  on  various  aspects, as well as more flexible limits of compensation than the previous versions of the convention (The Secretariat of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2004). Any  individual  who has received more than 150 000 tonnes of crude oil, as well as  heavy  oil in one year, and is in a member state of the 1992 Fund Convention is  liable  to contribute to the fund. However, the levy of these contributions depends on reports of oil receipts with regards to  individual  contribution. The fact that the receiver could be a company owned by a state, a government agency, or a private company is a significant determinant of applying the  levy (International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2009). According to the Gard Group (2011), member states need to report to the Fund Convention the name and address of any liable person to contribute and the  amount  of contributing oil they receive in that state, yearly. The only exceptions to reporting to the Fund Convention  are associated  persons such as subsidiaries and  commonly  controlled entities. In addition, the Fund levies annual contributions to its members who  pay  a certain amount per tonne of contributing oil they  receive, so as to meet the projected expenses of the coming year (The Secretariat of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2004). In the 1992 Fund, there was a  protocol  adopted in 2003 that gave way to the establishment of the third tier of compensation on 3 March 2005, through the Supplementary Fund. The provision of the Supplementary Fund the  limitation  to paying for compensation for pollution  damage  for only the incidents that occur after the state in question accepts the Protocol. Notably, being a member of the Supplementary Fund is not a must and any

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

John Snow and Epidemology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John Snow and Epidemology - Essay Example He attended day school because of his family background; his father could only afford that because he was an unskilled laborer. Snow was a bright student; his best subject was mathematics and he did well in that and on other subjects. Simmons (2002) reveals that Snow graduated from the University of London in 1843 and he also obtained a doctorate in medicine a year later. John Snow’s epidemiological studies assisted in finding the root of cholera in London in 1854. A number of diseases had affected the residents of England prior 19th century, some include plague in 1665. However, there was an epidemic of cholera in 1831 thought to have been brought by travellers and merchants from parts of Asia. Cholera was a serious threat to the population of England. Medical experts were confused, but John Snow came to their rescue. He revealed that Cholera was caused by a certain agent in London water. Previously before his revelation or theory, the other physicians attributed the spread of cholera to filthiness of London City (Simmons, 2002). The previous theories relating to the spread of cholera pointed out that it was an airborne disease. This was in mid-19th century whereby physicians thought that cholera concentrated at the low levels altitudes. Workers and merchants in slaughterhouses were causing the spread of cholera according to Miasmatists. The Miasmatists explained that the foul smell from the slaughterhouses was the causing the spread of cholera. John Snow refuted their claims saying that the workers who frequently works at the slaughterhouses inhales miasmus. They have however not been the targets of cholera. He meant that the inhalation of miasmus did not cause the spread of cholera. The spread of Cholera according to Snow was caused by ingestion of morbid matter related to cholera (Ramsay, 2006). Relationship between host, agent and environment increases the spread of the disease. The three aspects exist independently, but their integration will lead to

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

BUSINESS ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BUSINESS ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example The segmentation has been done by using demographics and behavioural strategies. The target market has been chosen after identifying the size and profitability of the segments. After developing the positioning strategy, the marketing mix has been created for the target market. Finally, an overview of the financial plan of Manga Cafe has been discussed. IDENTIFIED PROBLEM The business plan of launching Manga Cafe in London appears to be a unique idea as there is currently not such cafe in London however, because of the aggressive competition among the international brands in the UK Cafe industry; Manga Cafe needs a very well-organised and efficient marketing plan. INDUSTRY COMPETITION Various coffee brands are operating in London; however, the three largest market leaders include Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Nero. The following positioning map shows the positioning of major cafe providers in London based on their quality of services and prices. Starbucks being the market leader is offe ring average quality but at very high prices, therefore, shares of Starbucks are declining not only in UK but in most of its major markets (Bishopric, 2011). Costa is expanding throughout UK because of its reasonable prices and better quality and in 2010/2011, company aims to open 130 more outlets in the UK (Bakeryinfo, 2010). Nero is considered as a cheap brand which offers value through high quality products and services. Positioning Map THE PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION Manga Cafes are very popular among the Japanese communities. The increasing number of Japanese residents in the UK builds a strong demand for Manga Cafes in the UK, European and foreign markets. Since there is no Manga Cafe in London yet, therefore, launch of Manga Cafe in London appears to be a feasible business option. This cafe will fulfil the increasing demand of Japanese comics in Europe. The cafe will offer a platform to the people where they can come and enjoy reading Japanese comics. Moreover, additional ser vices will also be offered to entertain the visitors such as Japanese food, internet facility, games and DVDs. The visitors will be charged based on their duration of stay in the cafe. MARKETING PLAN Market Segmentation To segment the market, demographics and behavioral segmentation strategies have been used. In demographics segmentation, the consumers have been segmented based on their age, profession and nationality. Age: The age group structure of London in 2001 is given below (Office for National Statistics, 2002). Age Structure of People in London Source: Office for National Statistics Profession: The second demographic variable is profession and in London people belonging to different professions such as education, workers, professionals, unemployed reside. Nationality: The third demographic variable is nationality and since Manga Cafe is a Japanese cafe therefore, only Japanese nationals will be directly targeted. However, the total population of London in 2009 was 7,686,000 and it includes around people with 34 different nationalities (London.gov.uk, 2010). Table: London Population by Nationality Source: London.gov.uk In behavioral segmentation, the consumers who will be having knowledge, interest and positive attitude towards Japanese culture will be

Monday, September 23, 2019

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategic Management - Essay Example Apart from being the most successful retail stores globally, it has been a model among many top-level companies. Walmart has consolidated a significant part of the market share, and has a wide business that offers a significant extent of business to suppliers and manufacturers giving the company an edge over suppliers (Vance & Roy 1994). The retail store has overcome turbulent periods beating the competitive chain-store market since its inception by sticking to its mission, vision, objectives and goals (See Appendix: Figure 6). Nevertheless, its competitiveness is has been threatened by the emerging e-commerce resellers such as Amazon (Wohlsen 2013) On the other hand, Age UK operates in a conspicuously competitive market namely financial, retail markets and conventional fundraising. The current uncertain economic climate in the UK has affected the company’s financial position due to decreased funding from the government (See Appendix: Figure 6). This has prompted it to focus m ore on the high donations that is attributable to the increasingly high pressure on the aging population and the local partners (Bowman & Faulkner 1997). The paper concludes that even as Wal-Mart and Age UK are both enterprises with almost similar strategies, they are confronted by different challenges that have prompted them to diversify their strategies to maintain their market share, extend geographical frontier through acquisitions and organic growths (Age UK 2011). Faced by the imminent threat from online retail stores, Wal-Mart, which is unceasingly in pursuit of horizontal, vertical and geographical expansion by pushing for technology applications as an integral part of its strategy. The company has trampled on its competitors through its supremacy in inventory management and supply-chain logistics. Age UK on the other hand hopes to expand geographically through venturing further to cover disasters. Additionally, even as Age UK has launched a new radio station and increased f inancial services offerings to its customers, Wal-Mart anticipates its online strategy to contribute further to the bottom line (Wohlsen 2013). This paper recommends that if Wal-Mart has to keep up with the viciously competitive reselling industry, it must pay its workers well to avert the prevalent strikes to restore its public image, it should also leverage on its financial background to increase global presence. It should also branch out to new sectors including pharmacies, warehousing, automotive repair and grocery sale. Additionally, it should take an innovative approach in reselling and venture further into online retailing. Conversely, Age UK should invest in expanding its direct and financial services to support retain fundraising. It should also improve its information dissemination from its partners into their CRM system (Age UK 2011). Walmart’s Strategic Positioning Strategic positioning includes showing an organisation’s current positions in the marketplace . This helps understand the approaches both organisations have adopted (Hitt et al 2007). Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, one of the biggest corporations as well as the largest employer. The company has unique business models that are accustomed to the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Donation For Lekemia & Lymphoma Society Tnt Essay Example for Free

Donation For Lekemia Lymphoma Society Tnt Essay Myoproliferative disorders such as Leukaemia, lymphoma and Myeloma constitute a health, financial and social burden to patients and their family members. We do have a role to play to ameliorate this enormous burden; that is by donating to the Support. By this, we make others smile. The result: we are fulfilled and happy, too. You are not alone, I shall also be a part of this course. This year is a very exciting year for me and my two daughters. This is because we all are graduating in June 2008. I am going to do something that I always want to do: that is to participate in the Frederick Marathon on May 17th as member of The Leukemia Lymphoma Society Teams in Training. In order to support this worthy cause, I have to raise funds to help find cures for Leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma. This is in a bid to prevent or reduce mortality associated with these cancerous tumours. Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissues. This affects the person’s healthy blood cells. Every 5 minutes some one is diagnosed with blood cancer and every 10 minutes someone dies from a blood cancer. You may not believe this but nearly 6 people every hour dies from this disease. These staggering statistics only show the numerical calamity associated with these cancers, not to talk of the psychological and economic implications of these debilitating conditions on patients and their family members. There is a way to help assuage such burden: and that is to donate funds for research, families, and treatments. And by this I am determined to raise $1500. 00 or more to contribute to the course. |I implore you to make a donation to support my participation in Team in Training and help support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. You can make your donation but make sure the checks are written out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mail them to: You can also make your donation online on my website, which can be forwarded my website to your friends and family. This is a contribution that has a positive effect on the life of others. And there is nothing like making others happy. In fact, this is one of the things we can do for our country, our people in demonstration of our love for others.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Influence of Money in Sports

Influence of Money in Sports There is too much money in sports. For many people around the world these are difficult times, many have lost their jobs, and others are fretting about losing them. Every day we see more companies go bankrupt and the whole world seems to be waiting for the crisis to end. Everyone in the world, except the sports industry, who are still wasting vast amounts of money on salaries, TV deals, agents, and advertisements. The world of sports is too influenced by money, and by means of reducing or even removing advertisements, decreasing the salaries of professional players, and lowering the price of tickets we can improve the spirit of competition, make sports more available to everyone, with the money saved improve the lives of people who are not as well off as the people in the western world. Sportsmen and women are people with talent that stretches far above a normal humans ability, and for this they should naturally be rewarded. However, as much as the worlds economy sways the salaries of professionals only seem to be increasing. In 2008 the highest paid athlete David Beckham earned more than 48 million (Freedman) in the 1970s when TV was not as influential to sport as it now is Pete Rose was able to negotiate a million per year contract (Gilis) This clearly shows that the salaries have boomed incredibly over a short period. The average gross income for a citizen of the USA in 2005 was forty two thousand US dollars(United States Average Salaries and Income). Do athletes need forty million to survive? The amounts of money that go into the players salary are not motivating them to strive for perfection. It only seems that more and more are doing it for the money in it, and this, ruins the healthy spirit of competition that makes sport so interesting to watch, and most imp ortantly to play. Above all the most ridiculous amounts of money are wasted on player transfers; can anyone really be worth over a hundred million? This trend is not confined to only the players and the teams, the agents for those players have also gotten major salary changes, â€Å"Mills estimates there were 50 or fewer agents when he started in 1967. He made $3,900 on his deal for Owens. Today there are about 1,000 agents certified by the NFL Players Association. Agents now are allowed to charge 3 percent. â€Å"A player gets a $10 million bonus, theres $300,000 for the agent,† he says.† (Looney) This is definitely a good indicator of where a countries interests lie; in most countries professional athletes earn more than triple the amount of a high ranking police officer, doctor, or teacher. Suppose instead of this high average pay people started paying athletes a much lower salary per year, lets say 200,000 $, and then reward them for good performances. This would r eally separate a good athlete from a bad athlete and on top of that would make more athletes really put in that extra effort knowing they will be rewarded. Fans are part of sports no matter how you look at it; they cheer, shout, sing, and show the immense passion that they feel for their team, they are the essence of sport. Unfortunately though they are becoming more restricted in their support because of the prices of tickets, the united kingdoms national football stadium cost a whopping 1.5 billion pounds (Egan) and in order to counter these huge expenses ticket prices are raised. However it doesnt seem fair that the hardcore supporters of those teams are not allowed to come to the matches because they cannot afford tickets. A true supporter will not mind standing in the rain for hours on end to watch a sports game on a muddy public pitch, because they do not care for the air-conditioned VIP boxes, a place they will probably never go to in their entire lives. Isnt that what sports are all about, the raw passion and talent, not the rich posh businessmen impressing future clients who do not care for the game at all? If one takes a moment to look at a professional football/soccer stadium, s/he would see a green piece of grass, seats, and advertisements, lots and lots of advertisements. It seems that there is no place that companies cant get their names on. They are plastered on players shirts, all around the stadium, they even have them on the camera and security staff. Above all the most money is spent on TV advertisements, General Motors spent 578 million dollars on TV advertisements during sports games (Thomas). Is this necessary? There seem to be fewer and fewer athletes who do it just for the joy of playing, or simply to please their fans. If we can remove all the sponsors and advertisements in the sports industry, then sure there wont be the magnificent stadiums and million dollar TV contracts, there will be pure, focused, talent focused environment. Moreover, with the removal of advertisements player salaries will probably get a drop which will lead to more players that are focused on goin g down in the record books not for million dollar contracts but because of their achievements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poverty is a huge world issue at the moment, many people are working hard voluntarily to help improve the standards of living in third world countries. If all the above measures are taken, there will be a huge sum of money left to spend. What better to spend it on than improving other less fortunate peoples lives. Oxfam a leading charity in the world spent 46 million dollars in 2008 (Charity Review Oxfam), thats almost the same as David Beckhams salary! If we cut all players salaries we would have billions of dollars to spend on emergency relief and long term charity projects. After all what seems a morally better way to spend money, giving it to the poor or giving the already rich athletes even more money? To conclude, sports have become too much about the money and less emphasis is put on player talent. Taking the above steps will ensure that sport stays competitive is available to all and is more pleasant to watch. On top of that the money that will be saved will go to charities that will improve the lives of others, although the economy of the rich countries will take a blow it might be restores when the LEDCs are improved by the charity and become more open to trade increasing economies globally. If all is performed this way, there arent many downsides. Works Cited Phil, Carman â€Å"Dont be greedy; Such a thing as too much money.† Advertiser, The (Adelaide)(n.d.):Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Looney, Douglas S. â€Å"Money makes world go round (in sports, too).† Christian Science Monitor15 Dec. 2000: 12.Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. â€Å"EDITORIAL: Money game: There seems to be no end to the commercialization of big-money professional sports.† Journal-World (Lawrence, KS)26 July 2007:Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Selvig, David â€Å"It really is all about the loot: Commercialization of sports has become as American as apple pie over the last two decades. Nothing we can do about that now, obviously.† Jamestown Sun, The (ND)05 June 2009:Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Gilis, Charles. â€Å"American History 1970-1979.† Lonestar College. Lonestar College Kingwood, Aug. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . â€Å"United States Average Salaries and Income.† International Average Salary Income Comparison. N.p., 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . Freedman, Jonah. â€Å"A crash-course in foreign-exchange rates.† Sports Illustrated 2008: n. pag. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . Thomas, Katie. â€Å"As the Economy Worsens, Is There Money for Play?† New York Times. New York Times, 15 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . â€Å"Charity Review Oxfam.† BBB. BBB, 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . Egan, Andrew. â€Å"Worlds Most Expensive Stadiums.† Forbes. Forbes, 6 Aug. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Friday, September 20, 2019

Most popular selection methods

Most popular selection methods In this assignment the two most popular selection methods i.e., Panel Interviews Assessment centres, will be discussed as both of them are widely used and are quite efficient methods of selection. The limitations of each selection method will be discussed and their role in the formation of psychological contract will also be defined. Later on, towards the second half of this assignment there will be a comparison in between different views that the selection methods just perform predictivist objectives the view that they can help in the formation of a viable psychological contract. In the end there will be a conclusion, which would discuss the inference drawn from the study of selection methods their contribution in formation of a psychological contract. I have chosen this assignment as being a masters student of H.R employee relations, it is very important to have a deep understanding of the first step or base of H.R, which is employee selection. This study will help me in understanding the drawbacks shortcomings of the selection methods would also help me in understanding the Psychological Contracts formation and its implications. If the psychological contract is well understood if it is transparent, then I think most of the issues related to H.R employee relations will be dealt with there would be no absconding by staff, no strikes, no clashes in between management employees no problems in the functioning of the organisation which would further lead to profit maximisation, employee satisfaction would make work place a better place to be in. PRESENTATION OF VIEWS: Definition of psychological contract: The psychological contract can be defined as the exchange relationship that exists in between the individual employee and their organisation. It is not a formal written contract on a paper but a relationship based on mutual contributions (Rousseau,1985 cited in Muchinsky,1999). Psychological contracts are of two types, Transactional contracts are short term contracts which are explicit have an economic focus. Relational contracts are long term contracts which are implicit have a socio-emotional focus(Rosseau,19 90). SELECTION METHODS Selection method is not a gate that must be crossed to form a relationship with the organisation, but it in itself is the part of that relationship. It helps applicants know how the organisations deal with people once theyre hired, how they view their social responsibilities, and how worthy their products employees are to them. This process gives both the candidates the organisation, their first opportunity to craft a deal between themselves (Davenport,1999). Personnel assessment and selection is one of the most important ways available to organisations to ensure that they have efficient workforces (Smith Robertson, 1993). PANEL INTERVIEWS: Panel Interviews are widely used method for the selection of candidates. For the candidates it presents an opportunity to show their ability in front of the assessors, to seek answers for their questions, to know how the organisation is structured and managed, its organization chart, current initiatives etc. Such questions help the candidates in fitting himself in the picture of the organisation; this in fact is the first step in the formation of the psychological contract (Tolleywood,2010). For interviewers it gives an opportunity to assess the candidate on the basis of work values which are: achievement, honesty, fairness and concern for others. Recruiters carry with them criteria based on which they decide a candidates employability and match it with the organizational values. Interviewers in panel interviews get a chance to convey the broad outlines of the organisations psychological  contract (Davenport,1999). In general, three interviewers are there as panel members (including line manager) who are seated right in front of the candidates vision, so that the candidates feel exposed and vulnerable. It is done to see if the candidates can deal with pressure, on the assumption that they will be able to transfer that ability to the workplace, as dealing with pressure is a major criterion of the organisations psychological contract. In such interviews one person asks the candidates questions around an area of competence, another one probes into some aspect of their CV such as their previous work experience, qualifications, interests. Similarly, candidates can ask what an organisation produces or what services it provides; its origins and history, the place on the training course that is on offer (TolleyWood,2010). There are behavioural situational variety of questions asked that help the organization in creating psychological contract (Redman Wilinson,2006) for e.g. Past experience questions (Situational) Many interviewers ask candidates to tell them about their previous job challenges in other organization also ask them to cite an example wherein they handled a difficult situation the outcome of that situation. It helps the organisation in knowing the calibre of the candidate and ensuring that he wouldnt be a misfit as per their psychological contract Hypothetical question (Behavioural) The interviewer describes a situation to the candidates and asks them what they would do in those circumstances. For e.g. How would they deal with an irate customer? Such kinds of questions help in determining the situation handling skills of employee foretell whether the candidate has managerial traits or not (TolleyWood,2010) Contribution of Panel Interviews towards creating psychological contract by the candidate (this part is entirely based on general knowledge personal experiences) Panel interviews contribute the most towards the formation of psychological contract on the end of the candidate as the candidate has the maximum opportunity of asking questions to the management, other types of selection methods like bio data, presentations, group activities dont encourage the candidate to ask questions. Certain questions that the candidates use in forming psychological contract are: Q: What is the hierarchy in the organisation? By asking this the candidate does not want to know who does what but he is interested in knowing the time required to reach the next level so that he can know when can he reach the next level if selected this is a common part of every candidates psychological contract i.e. promotion.. Apart from asking indirect questions the employee can bluntly ask questions that can help him in forming the psychological contract. For e.g. what is the career progression plan in the organisation? Or How often is the appraisal done for an employee? Or What are the added benefits of working with the organisation? Such questions are the best questions that put forward clear picture of the organisation if a candidate asks such direct questions, instances of psychological contract breach will be minimized. Critical Analysis of Panel Interviews: In spite of the evidence for the great predictive validity of panel interviews, organisations still largely prefer unstructured or one-on-one interviews (Graves Karen, 1996, cited in Hough Oswald, 2000). It is because of the managements reliance on intuition to make decisions (Beach, 1990; Dawes, 1988, cited in Dipboye, 1997) and a tendency for interviewers to have faith in the accuracy of their own judgements. A panel interview has been viewed as deskilling the role and reducing it to merely a monotonous exercise (Dipboye, 1997); less structured interviews appears to be more attractive to managers because it gives them great authority (Torrington et al, 1991). Applicants generally prefer one-on-one interviews over panel interviews because they give them more control over the situation (Schuler, 1993, Latham Finnegan, 1993, cited in Dipboye, 1997). Panel Interview has a limited usage and is generally used in business government sectors (Milia,2004). In the 1970s and 1980s, it was common for management selection to depend on the assessment of candidates made by interviews but a research found interviewer decision to be doubtful of reliability and validity (Keenan,1975, 1977). Moreover, in interviews candidates can use impression management technique to form an influential bias which can undermine the accuracy of interviewer outcome decisions(Anderson,1992). ASSESSMENT CENTRES (AC) As seen in The Advertiser, when employers are judging a candidate for a job, they are looking for more than just a resume and the interview process, hence, the need for assessment centres developed(Jinarek,2004). An  assessment centre, also called the Rolls-Royce of selection methods, gives the candidates unusual care, hence they start forming a psychological contract thinking that an employer who takes pains to find the right people will take equal pains in their training and career development (Schofield,1998). Assessment centres use a range of selection techniques to test candidates intellectual, interpersonal, intrapersonal skills(which cannot be identified using other techniques). Candidates are asked to undertake a series of assessments that have been designed to reveal to the assessors if the candidate can: work effectively in the relevant job; benefit from a further training opportunity; or cope with the demands of an education programme (in short, forming psychological con tract). The assessment process can take anything from a few hours to a couple of days. In the latter case, both the candidates and the assessors are likely to be in residence at the same place. Assessment centres generally includes: an aptitude (ability) test; a personality questionnaire; a group discussion; perhaps a case study; an in-tray/in-basket exercise interviews(Tolley Wood,2010). Personality questionnaires Personality questionnaires are designed to measure personal characteristics or traits such as candidates motivation to work or how candidates handle their emotions. Contribution to Formation of Psychological contract: It helps the organisation in knowing how candidates personality is likely to affect their future performance. It checks whether the candidate can stay calm but alert in the conditions that prevail in a particular workplace, or have the ability to adapt to the culture of their organization (Tolley Wood,2010). Group discussion (GD): In GD candidates are given an open-ended or philosophical topic. All candidates join in a half-hour discussion are observed by the assessment panel. Contribution to Formation of Psychological contract: It helps assessors to notice candidates who take the lead, redirect the discussion, and contribute, this pro activeness shown in GDs is very essential ingredient in the organizations psychological contract (Lynn Et. al,1998). Case study It aims to test the ability to analyse information; think logically clearly; and make decisions based on the data provided. For example, candidates could be asked to read a business proposal or a set of documents present their analysis (Sunday Tribune,2007). Contribution to Formation of Psychological contract: It helps in checking the clarity of thought of candidates. If the candidate can think clearly in dealing with such problems he/she can definitely handle problems at workplace, it will give him confidence in accepting the job role forming the psychological contract. In-tray/in-basket exercises: In it the candidate is required to respond to organize materials typically found in a managers in-basket like letters, memos, phone messages etc (Smither,1997). Contribution to Formation of Psychological contract: It helps in boosting the confidence of employees and the organisation can be sure that they are hiring someone who will fit in their psychological contract (TolleyWood,2010). Critical analysis of Assessment centres: As per Kleinmann (1993) candidates can fashion their behaviour to impress assessors, especially when candidates are aware that their performance is being evaluated. So assessment methods may at times lead to selection of wrong candidate. Klimoski Strickland (1977) proposed that since assessors supervisors hold common stereotypes of the ideal employee, they may hire candidates who look like good company people, hence eventually the organisation will be filled with people who are mirror images of each other not with creative people who can go out of the way to innovate(Muchinsky,2003). Some candidates find assessment centres to be quite stressful, because they think that they are being assessed all the time, even during informal breaks in the proceedings. The use of tests in assessment centres is based on the assumption that there are stable job-related differences between candidates, which can be measured. The ability tests chosen for use are generalised and do not take into factor that every individual is different. Lastly, small companies cannot afford the expense involved for using different techniques in assessment centres (Tolley Wood,2010). SELECTION METHODS: Perform predictivist objectives Or form psychological contract Selection methods are they Predictivist: As per this approach the job is viewed as a stable entity into which the most suitable candidates need to be recruited. Person-job fit is of most importance (Cook,1993 cited in Chimel,2000) and the entire power lies in the hands of the recruiting organization (Anderson Cunningham cited in Chimel,2000). Predictive validity means the extent to which a selection method can predict the subsequent job performance (Smith et al, 1993) such as error rate, production rate, appraisal scores, absence rate, or other criterions important to the organisation (Feathers,2000). The predictivist approach is inappropriate because of its assumptions that individual differences can be assessed accurately and because it ignores the criteria for translating the decision into action. Successful performance on the job is dependent on ability motivation as well. An ideal person selected for a job but given no training or development opportunities is more likely to fail than a moderately suitable person who is given such opportunities (Redman Wilkinson, 2006). In the 1920s it was realised that different studies conducted on the same selection method gave different results. Predictive validity results for the same method and same job were very different for different studies. Later in the 1930s and 1940s the belief developed that this variation resulted because of certain differences between jobs that were difficult for job analysts and job analysis methods to predict. Therefore, researchers concluded that the validity of a given procedure was different in different settings for what appeared to be the same job, and that the conflicting findings in validity studies were just reflecting this fact of reality (Schmidt Hunter, 1977; Schmidt, Hunter, Pearlman, Share, 1979 cited in Schmidt Hunter, 1998). This led to the formation of view that selection methods help both the parties in forming a psychological contract, which keeps on getting evolved. Selection methods form viable psychological contract: As per Herriot(1989) during the selection process, expectations of the organization potential employee both build up they both use it to construct a viable psychological contract .Nowadays job roles are becoming flexible and organisations have become aware that they need to compete for best candidates. As per this approach selection consists of a series of social episodes providing an opportunity to both the organisation candidates to explore whether a future working relationship would be possible. Selection process provides an opportunity for information exchange and development of mutual expectations obligations. Hence selection not only aims at person-job fit but also at person-organisation fit person -team fit (Anderson Cunningham cited in chimel, 2000). The selection process provides information for decisions to both the employer and the potential employee (Torrington Hall, 1991). However, because of the predicted skill shortages and the fact that selection is also concerned with the future life plans of individuals, the predictive validity of selection methods is not valid anymore both for organisations and for individuals(Meijer, 1998 cited in Feathers,2000). Thesis to prove that Selection methods not just serve predictivist role but form a viable psychological contract: A thesis was done on the psychological contracts formed by higher education lecturers in a University Business School in the UK. Interviews were undertaken which allowed participants to provide life history accounts and the data suggested that each individual had analysed the extent to which a new employment context would deliver transactional, relational, and ideological reward and thus had formed their psychological contract. The notion that selection methods just perform predictivist role was not supported it was found that they help in the formation of psychological contract in higher education (Gammie,2006). CONCLUSION It can thus be seen that selection is a crucial step that leads to the formation of a psychological contract between the candidate the organization, however it is very important to use the correct selection method that would give maximum chance of interaction in between the management the candidate. By the use of correct selection methods like assessment centres panel interviews a viable psychological contract can be formed as in these selection methods both the parties are at each others display, asking questions setting expectations. It has also been seen that the thinking that selection methods just perform predictivist role has become obsolete because of the shortage of skilled labour approaches like person-organization fit selection methods serve the purpose of forming a viable psychological contract both for the employer the employee.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Personal Narrative - Sleeping with the Enemy :: Personal Narrative Writing

Sleeping with the Enemy When I fall asleep in public, Alex informs everyone that "Bryan likes to pay money to go to sleep." His words don't stray far from the truth. I am convinced that I am afflicted, cursed, by something. I am haunted by the constant threat of unconsciousness. Glancing behind me, I see nothing, but sense the shadow that lurks. He is never very far, waiting patiently for me to drop my guard. We are very close, my shadow and I, and we know all of each others' tricks. A continuing match of wits takes place every time I step into a living room, a movie theater, a library, an automobile. The summer after high school, five buddies and I set off in a van to watch baseball games at sixteen different parks across the continent. A dream road trip for six baseball crazed dudes. During one sweltering afternoon in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, the game tied in late innings, I passed out completely. As a rule, chests were painted to spell out the home team as we, imposter rabid hometown fans, cheered our lungs dry. Today I was an S. As my comrades leaped to their feet following a big hit, fans in front of us turned and squinted. "Who's Phill?" they asked mockingly. The embarrassed friends just pointed at a seated snoozing S, who would later find the outline of his letter sunburned onto his chest. I snored next to probably a dozen different sets of screaming bleacher fans that summer. "Sleepy McSleepsleep" and "Permanent S" became my permanent new nicknames. Yes, I fall asleep a lot. Wherever there is a big test to study for, wherever there is a great movie I must see, wherever there is an important person I should listen to, I am there, ready to enforce my reputation and see/hear/read none of it. It's not that I don't try to maintain long stretches of consciousness, but I fight a losing war. It's like the cybernetic Borg from Star Trek. "Resistance is futile," they drone, "Classes are irrelevant. Obligations are irrelevant. Friends are irrelevant. Time of day is irrelevant. You will be one with the Borg." A terrified crewman fires phaser blasts at the oncoming machine man, but it has adapted, and continues to mindlessly approach. Suddenly it extends mechanical tentacles into the poor guy's neck, and the crewman's skin goes gray, ceasing to be human and becoming part of their Borg collective.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Drugs: Hurt Players And Sports Essay -- essays research papers fc

Drugs: Hurt Players and Sports Brett Favre, Diego Maradona, and Darryl Strawberry are all big name sport stars. They all play different sports, but all have the same problem: they tested positive for using illegal drugs. Cocaine, anabolic steroids, and painkillers are just a sample of drugs found in sports. Cocaine is described this way, â€Å"It makes you feel like you can do anything, and for athletes who long to be in control all the time, that's a strong temptation† (Coffey 1). Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic forms of hormones that produce muscle faster (Rozin 176). Over fifty percent of the players in the National Football League are weekend or recreational users of cocaine (Burwell 1) . Forty-four Olympians have been caught with steroid use since 1972 (Corelli 28). Through Favre's painkillers, Strawberry's and Maradona's cocaine, one can see that drugs hurt the athletes as well as the sport. First Brett Favre, who was the Most Valuable Player in the National Football League last season, entered a drug abuse center for his addiction to Vicodin, a very strong painkiller (Plummer 129 ). Favre had problems because of Vicodin. Favre suffered a seizure in February while in surgery to repair a broken bone. The seizure resulted from the abuse of the painkiller (Howard 1). Favre states, â€Å"I went to Topeka, because the pills had gotten the best of me† ( qtd. in Plummer 129). Favre's daughter Brittany asked his wife Deanna, â€Å"Is he going to die?† (qtd. in Plummer 129). He not only scared himself but his family as well. Favre not has to submit up to ten urine tests a month. His losses were internal as well. â€Å"It is kind of embarrassing,† says Favre; â€Å"I will do whatever it takes† (qtd. in Plummer 133). He spent several weeks in rehabilitation but was not be fined or suspended. If caught again his charge will be a four game suspension with loss of pay. Another famous athlete, Diego Maradona, was once considered the most skilled soccer player in the world. Now he is considered a loser. Maradona was banned from international soccer play for testing positive for cocaine. Shortly after that, he was arrested for cocaine possession (Longman 1). The fifteen month suspension ended in time for Maradona to play in the 1994 World Cup. He was then caught with five illegal drugs in his system. One doctor cal... ...re greater than ever and fines are outrageous. The chance to play and perform must outweigh the desire to experiment with drugs and suffer the painful consequences of drug abuse. Works Cited Burwell, Bryan. "The NFL Confronts the Burgeoning Drug Crisis." Social Issues Resources Series August 21, 1983, Article #54 Volume 2. Coffey, Wayne. â€Å"Cocaine Back in Sports News, and Many Ask About Bias' Death.† New York Daily News. May 20, 1996. "Cornered Kicker." Sports Illustrated. July 11, 1994. Volume 81. Corelli, Rae. "The Drug Detectives." Maclean's . July 22, 1996, Volume 109. Longman, Jere. "Maradona's Suspension Disappoints U.S. Team" New York Times. July 1, 1994. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. â€Å"Packers QB Favre Enters Substance Abuse Program.† May 15, 1996. Plummer, William. "Beating the Blitz." People. October 28, 1996. Rozin, Skip. "Steroids and Sports: What Price Glory?" Business Week. October 17, 1994. Sports Illustrated. "Cornered Kicker." July 11, 1994. Volume 81. Verducci, Tom. "The Hard Price of Hard Living." Sports Illustrated.. February 27, 1995. Volume 82.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

AIDS & progres

Although progress has been in treating HIV infection and AIDS, the epidemic remains a critical public health issue in all communities across the country and around the world.Prevention, early detection, and ongoing treatment remain important aspects of care for people with HIV infections and AIDS.Nurses in all settings encounter people with this disease; thus, nurses need an understanding of the disorder, knowledge of the physical and psychological consequences associated with the diagnosis, and expert assessment and clinical management skills to provide optimal care for people with HIV infection and AIDS.In 1987, just 6 years after the first cases of AIDS were reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first antiretroviral agent; in 1988nthe first randomized controlled trial of primary prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia appeared in the literature; and in 1995 protease inhibitors joined the growing number of antiretroviral agents.Improved treatment of HIV and AIDS has resulted in increased survival times; in 1996, 1997, and 1998, age-adjusted death rates fell 29%, 48%, and 21%, respectively.II. BackgroundSince acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized more than 20 years ago, remarkable progress has been made in improving the quality and duration of life of persons with HIV infection.During the first decade, this progress was associated with recognition of opportunistic disease processes, more effective therapy for complications, and introduction of prophylaxis against common opportunistic infections (OIs).The second decade has witnessed progress in developing highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) as well as continuing progress in treating OIs (Letvin, Bloom & Hoffman, 2001).Since the HIV serologic test (enzyme immunoassay [EIA], formerly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ALISHA], became available in 1984, allowing early diagnosis of the infection before onset of symptoms, HIV infection has been b est managed as a chronic disease   and most appropriately managed in an outpatient care setting (Gallant, 2001).A. EpidemiologyIn fall 1982, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a case definition of AIDS after the first 100 cases were reported. Since then, the CDC has revised the case definition a number of times (1985, 1987, and 1993).All 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. dependencies and possessions, and independent nations in free association with the United States report AIDS cases to the CDC using a uniform surveillance case definition and case report from (CDC, 2002).Starting in the late 1990s, more states started to implement HIV case reporting in response to the changing epidemic and the need for information on persons with HIV infection who have not developed AIDS.As of December 2001, there were 816,149 reported cases of HIV/AIDS and 506, 154 adults, adolescents, and children in the United States (including U.S. dependencies, possession, and associated nations) living with AIDS. Unprotected sex and sharing of injection drug use equipment are the major means of transmission of HIV.A total of 43, 158 AIDS cases were diagnosed in 2001. For men diagnosed with AIDS during 2001, 59% were in the exposure category of men who have sex with men; 24% in injection drug use; and 7% in heterosexual contact.In women diagnosed with AIDS during that same period, 44% reported injection drug use and 52% reported heterosexual contact. Comparing race/ethnicity amount the three largest groups diagnosed in 2001, 20,752 were black, not Hispanics (CDC, 2002).The number of people living with AIDS is not evenly distributed throughout the United States. States with the largest number of reported AIDS cases during 2001 were New York (7,476), Florida (5,138), California (4,315), Texas (2,892), and Maryland (1,860) (CDC, 2002).AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in some other parts of the world. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV /AIDS, more than 18.3 million people worldwide have died of AIDS and 34.3 million people are infected with HIV, with 5.4 million people newly infected with HIV in 1999 alone (Letvin, Bloom & Hoffman, 2001).UNAIDS (2001) reports that since the epidemic began, more than 60 million people have been infected with the virus, making it the most devastating disease ever.The earliest confirmed case of HIV infection was found in blood drawn from an African man in 1959 (Stephenson, 2003). Although factors associated with the spread of HIV in Africa in the 1960s; however, social changes such as easier access to transportation, increasing population density, and more frequent sexual contacts may have been more important (Stephenson 2003).III. DiscussionA. SymptomsTreatment of specific manifestations of HIV infection and AIDS in the person with advanced disease targets symptoms. Patients with HIV/AIDS experience a number of symptoms related to the disease as well as the effects of treatment. Som e of the vivid symptoms are as follows:Respiratory Manifestation. Shortness of breath, dyspnea (labored breathing), cough, chest pain, and fever associated with various OIs, such as those caused by Pneumocystis carinii, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, CMV, and Legionella species.The most common infection in people with AIDS is Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), one of the first OIs described in association with AIDS.PCP. PCP is the most common OIs resulting in an AIDS diagnosis. Without prophylactic therapy, PCP will develop in 80% of all HIV-infected individuals. P. carinii was originally classified as a protozoan; however, studies and analysis of its ribosomal RNA structure suggest that it is a fungus.Its structure and antimicrobial sensitivity are very different from other disease-causing fungi. P. carinii causes disease only in immunocompromised hosts, invading and proliferating within the pulmonary alveoli with resultant consolidation of the pulmonary parenchyma.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Price And Non Price Competition In Markets Economics Essay

Every one set up the concern for the interest net incomes.Firms sell goods and services through a assortment of direct and indirect channels. In order to increase the net income orto increase the gross of the house we can follow the monetary value competition or non-price competition. In the monetary value competition companies seek to pull clients entirely on the footing of merchandise price.In this seller ‘s seek to act upon client demand chiefly through altering the monetary values of the merchandises. In the non pricecompetition cost of thecost of the merchandise is minimized and other doing factors are maximized by the creative activity of a typical quality about the merchandise such as its design, public presentation, advertisement, complementary and utility goods, handiness, client services and trueness plans. In monopoly market monetary value competition is more good to the houses because merely few Sellerss are available in the market. In oligopoly market non monetary value competition is more good to the houses because market is controlled by the little group of houses. In monopolistic market non monetary value competition is more good to the signifiers because it is imperfect competition in short tally and perfect competition in long tally analysis. Unilever limited $ 1:40 $ 1:50 $ 1:40 Procure & A ; Gamble $ 1:50 12000 12000 29000 11000 3000 21000 20000 20000 For the above illustration it can demo the monetary value competition.when of all time the monetary values are remains same in the $ 1:40 and the net income of the monetary value remains unchanged.Most of the houses followed by the dominant scheme. In the monetary value competition that depends up on the oppositions motion. That ‘s why houses are largely used in non monetary value competition. For illustration Pepsi Cola and Cocos nucifera Cola are ever used in the non monetary value competition. Elasticity In order to mensurate this reactivity of quality to monetary value alterations, and finally impact on the entire gross. It is called snap. It is defined as the per centum alteration in one variable relation to a per centum alteration in another variable. Ep= ( a?† Q/a?† P ) * ( P/Q ) Where Ep= Coefficient of monetary value snap a?† Q=percentage alteration in measure a?† P=percentage alteration in monetary value a?† =absolute alteration The measure demanded or supplied alterations will alter when the monetary value alterations. This is known as monetary value snap of demand and monetary value snap of supply severally. Elasticity is a step of comparatively alterations. If the monetary value of the mandatory goods can be increased and the consumer can take the complementary goods so it is called elastic and the consumer can non take the complementary goods, they are mandatory goods so it called inelastic. In general, Oligopolies involve a big sum of non-price competition. Product development is one country of competition, and advertisement makes up a big part of non-price competition as good. Oligopolists are big houses and hence can afford to publicize Monetary value is the value placed on what is exchanged. Something of value is exchanged for satisfaction and public-service corporation, includes touchable ( functional ) and intangible ( prestigiousness ) factors. Buyers must find if the public-service corporation gained from the exchange is worth the purchasing power that must be sacrificed. Price represents the value of a good/service among possible purchases and for guaranting competition among Sellerss in an unfastened market economic system. Sellers need to understand the value consumers derive from a merchandise and utilize this as a footing for pricing a merchandise — must make this if we are client oriented. Percentage alteration in measure demanded comparative to the per centum alteration in monetary value. % alteration in Qtty demanded— — — — — — — — — — — — –% alteration in monetary value Elastic demand is more sensitive to monetary value than inelastic demand. Elastic demand, greater than1 Inelastic demand, less than 1 Unitary demand, equal to 1 TR = Price * Qtty If demand is elastic so alteration in monetary value causes an opposite alteration in the entire gross. If demand is inelastic so alteration in monetary value causes the same alteration in the entire gross. The less elastic the demand, the more good it is for the marketer to increase monetary value. Demand is more supply is less so the of the merchandise monetary value will be additions. It can be possible in merely in the monopoly market.because individual house leads the full market. In the same manner when the demand is more supply is less so the merchandise of the monetary value will non be additions in the oligopoly market because in the oligopoly all the houses holding the same monetary value and varies the merchandise in the nonprice competition. In the shop they arranged all shampoos in the similar trade names are side by side. In the shop the two merchandises of the different trade names are arranged side by side so the demand and monetary values of the different trade names are same. In the monopolistic market two more houses lead the market.in the monopolistic market besides follows the nonprice competition. Choosing the right shampoo can be a hard undertaking. There are 100s of trade names, each with infinite assortments, runing from conditioning shampoo to anti-dandruff shampoo.most work forces could care less about what type of shampoo they use.A So demo your adult male some love byA purchasing himA a shampoo that will maintain his hair healthy.A Water is the first ingredient in all shampoos. Detergent is the 2nd ingredient listed on a shampoo label. The staying ingredients include moisturizers, thickenings, conditioners, aromas, infusions, dyes, and more. If happening a hairdresser to assist is unrealistic, there are a couple easy things to retrieve about happening a professional shampoo. Coarse hair tends to be more crisp and dry, so use a heavier shampoo with humidifying belongingss. Fine hair lays flatter and suffers from inactive, so avoid volume shampoos as they can dry out even more, and concentrate on light wet. Curly hair can be coarse of mulct, but by and large, utilizing a shampoo that has frizz combatants and wet is the best option, like Redken ‘s Fresh Curls. For colour treated hair types, most professional trade names have formulated all of their shampoos to be colour safe. For added protection, nevertheless, alternate a colour shampoo with a wet or equilibrating shampoo. Oily hair needs a reconciliation shampoo to modulate the pH of the hair and scalp, like Matrix ‘s Normalizing Shampoo. For utmost waterlessness and flaking, any shampoo with tea tree or batch oils for ingredients is preferred. Professional trade name shampoos are the best option for soft, healthy, and glistening hair. With easy entree to them, cheap monetary values, and so much assortment for different hair textures, there ‘s no alibi for cognizing how to truly take attention of hair. Hair strands are made up of protein or ceratin. They have a softer, more fictile indoors called the cerebral mantle, and a harder, stronger run alonging called the cuticle. Most generic shampoos are non strong plenty to properly perforate the cuticle and cleanse the interior of the hair strand, which is the occupation of shampoo. Alternatively, they coat the cuticle and merely buildup on the hair. Since most shop trade name shampoos are made with more detergent and sulphates, the buildup they cause is normally waxen and heavy. Particularly for adult females who perm, relax, or colourise their hair, these shampoos will turn glistening, healthy hair into dull, weighed down strands Learn why its better to purchase professional shampoo and how to happen the best one or your budget, life manner and hair type. In the shampoo industry there are figure of trade names.Each trade name can be manufactured by many merchandises, and the every merchandise has many types.All the trade names are manufactured merchandises like Antidandruff, loss of hair autumn, black and satiny, to acquire vitamins, long and turn hair. I visited a local super market Spencers, consult the gross revenues director ( koteswararao ) .i enquiry about how much infinite allocated for shampoos. He tells that 2.3 % of the entire volume of the store.in this shop all the shampoos are placed in the left corner of the entryway. That row contains 7racks all of them are FMCG products.The 3 rack is allocated for shampoos.The trade names that i ound in the rack are Hindustan unilever limited, procter and gamble, cavin attention, Himalaya drug company, loreal, ITC, Godrej and many more trade names. Trade name merchandises Space allocated Market size Hindustan Unilever Limited Sun silk, Dove, All clear, clinic plus 35 % 50 % Procter & A ; Gamble Head & A ; shoulders, Pantene, wella, Rejoice 25 % 16 % Cavin attention Meera, chik, Nyle 15 % 19 % Himalaya drug Company Himalaya herb teas 5 % 15 % Godrej Neem, Johnson & A ; Johnson, kesini 5 % Loreal Loreal, Garnier 10 % ITC Vivel extremist pro 5 % I find that many clients are willing to purchase hul merchandises. I asked one of the client why all of them are purchasing shampoos and what are the benefits to you. He said that on watching advertizements he started purchasing hul merchandises.and besides tells that hul has more assortment of merchandises and they are updating the merchandises frequently.By this ever gets a new stock.the ingredients which are utilizing hul merchandises are non harmul to our health.the monetary value of the hul merchandises are sensible and available to all the categories of the people.thats why he is taking hul merchandises. Compared the rural and urban countries, urban countries are more gross revenues in shampoos because it is hard to acquire natural products.hul merchandises are more interact with the all sorts of countries. Most of the people populating in the urban countries are coming from the rural.they all of them know hulproducts.thats why hul merchandises has more gross revenues comparing to the other trade names. When the demand of the shampoo additions monetary value is automatically lessenings, because if any merchandise has more demand so automatically many of them starts the concern. Hul has a greater supply and the other are comparatively low compared to hul.thats why the supply of hul additions monetary value besides increases.shampoos are inelastic merchandises because there are no complement products.in this quality demanded or supplied alterations will alter when the monetary value alterations.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Managerial Communications Essay

Hynes introduces a calculated approach to managerial communication by dissecting it into three separate, yet mutually dependent functions. Hynes believes that with these approaches, management and employees alike can learn to adapt to one another to create an effective work force. The first layer is based on the idea that an employer and his employees can create a positive work atmosphere with the communication climate they set with one another. If a manager and his employees have an open and trusting relationship, it makes communications much easier for the both of them, regardless of their status. By allowing employees to contribute their thoughts and opinions without the fear of backlash, managers will see better job performance within their workers. Employers can often create an open communication climate through regular team building meetings and workshops. Communication climate also challenges managers to do their part by listening to their employees’ feedback. In order for effective communication to occur, an employee should feel comfortable in their work atmosphere and fully believe that their manager will take their words into deep consideration. Founder and President of Pillar Consulting LLC , Joelle K. Jay, PhD states, â€Å"On a personal level, people feel acknowledged when others validate their feelings. Managers who ignore feelings can create distance between themselves and their employees, eroding the relationship and ultimately affecting the working environment (Jay, â€Å"Communicate Well: Five Strategies To Enhance Your Managerial Communication Skills†). † From that statement, managers must also learn the boundaries within successful communication. In Hynes’ text, he also states that, â€Å"a positive climate is fragile†¦after only one or two critical errors, a positive environment can quickly change to one of distrust and closed communication, making future communication more difficult† (28). Managers must also learn to face the challenges of workers who become too comfortable in their environment. For example, Manager A and his Employee B, may have a friendly and casual relationship—one in which they may feel so comfortable that they talk about their personal and/or family business with one another. This is good in the sense that Employee B learns to trust Manager A and feels he can chat comfortably about his feelings toward his job. Now, if Employee A begins to feel so comfortable that Manager A is finding consistent errors within Employee B’s work, it is only right for Manager A to step in and confront him about the matter. Depending upon the choice of words used by Manager A and how Employee B feels about the situation, it can change the communication climate. One bad meeting can leave Employee B feeling angry with Manager A. He may no longer wish to have such a friendly demeanor towards him in the future. This can cause a strain on their communication with each other in the future. Another way to open a communication climate is through organizational culture. In an age of such advanced technology, many businesses no longer feel the need to speak to a person directly, either face-to-face or over the phone. The use of email has become a strong tool in business as it allows users to speak to each other without having to schedule a set time for both parties to meet only to say a few words. From the previous example, Manager A may be in a business that is highly dependent on email to speak to his employees in order to give clear, direct orders. Employee B may have previously come from an organization where meeting face-to-face was the ideal way to speak to anyone—management or employees alike. If Manager A decided it would be easier to email Employee B of the mistakes that he’s been making, Employee B may take that as a sign of disrespect. Employee B may not understand the tone that Manager A is reflecting in the email, leaving Employee B with the notion that Manager A couldn’t take time out of his schedule to speak with him directly. Their different perspectives of organizational culture could cause their gap in communication to widen tremendously. Organizational culture can help managers to better understand Hynes’ second layer in his approach to strategic communication. As the sender, Manager A’s personal characteristics can greatly affect the way he communicates with his employees. Before speaking with Employee B about his mistakes, Manager A must first reflect on what he will say to Employee B and how he will say it to him. Efficient communication can be the determining factor for communications in the future. While an employee only has to adjust his communication for his manager, a manager will need to find a way to relay his message to each employee in the most comfortable and appropriate manner they deem fit. The manager must constantly adjust this speech for each person that he meets with to ensure a satisfactory outcome. Though employees must mainly focus on how to communicate with management, there are various factors they must also take into consideration. How an employee takes in what an authority figure is saying to them greatly depends on their closeness with management, how they feel about the subject, concern for the subject, their current mindset, and their differences in position. As a receiver, an employee can choose how to accept a message being given to them by their employer. In the previous example between Manager A and Employee B, it was said that Manager A would have to speak with Employee B about the mistakes he’s been making in his work. Since both parties already have a close relationship, Employee B will be more open to hearing what Manager A has to say. Employee B may have had a bad morning and doesn’t want to talk to anyone, let alone hear what Manager A has to say about his errors. By having a platonic relationship with his employee, Manager A is at an advantage because Employee B will respect him for their friendship. Employee B will be more willing to take Manager A’s words into consideration and change his future actions. Managers must also be mindful of the language they use when speaking with their employees. If they are knowingly using jargon that their employee will not understand, communicating properly will be a difficult task. Not all conversations between employers and employees are ones that criticize their work. Before speaking to their employees, whether in a group setting or a one-on-one conference, a manager must first carefully examine the topic. He must verify that the subject matter would be something that is beneficial to the work force, or something that is unnecessary to building the work morale. In Hynes’ third layer, it is learned that in order to measure how successful a communication approach is, managers must also consider how to get their message across to their employees. As stated before, Manager A may want to email Employee B on the subject of his work. Before doing so, Manager A must fully analyze the words he will be saying to Employee B and recognize if the matter is something that may be better said in person. Also, in Employee B’s organizational culture, he may not be acclimated to receiving the critique of his work in writing. By speaking to Employee B personally, Manager A has the chance to show him that he respects him by meeting him face-to-face. To ensure a message is clearly stated to employees, managers must also take the necessary steps to find a comfortable place and time for them to meet. If the place of employment is one that deals with much noise such as a construction site, managers should take his directed employees to a comfortable place away from many outside distractions. Managers must also consider the amount of time it may take to speak to his workers. On a construction site, more time wasted can also lead to more money wasted. Managers must carefully plan their speech in an amount of time that does not interfere with the actual workload. By using these tactics laid out by Geraldine E. Hynes, managers can begin to set up their own communication strategies to ensure future success. Managers can compare and use these strategies as a baseline to communicating efficiently.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Alternatives to fossil fuels Essay

The conventional source of energy like coal, the petroleum, etc, will probably be exhausted up within a time that the humanity might foresee. In addition, according to Hordeski (2002), fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, coal must be discovered and extracted before they can be conducive to mankind. This is a costly and time-consuming job. Meanwhile, the quantity of these fuels is limited. Therefore, it is proved that the global resources consumption is undue. Their supply is virtually unlimited or they can be replaced as needed. Because of less pollution, recycling, larger power and higher efficiency, the nuclear power seems to be more than a good choice definitely. This essay will first outline the effects of the over-consumption of global natural resources, which followed by going to assess the viability of using nuclear power as a alternative in a long-term. Last but not least, the essay will point out that the measure should be first considered as a priority currently. Abundant clean energy is all that humankind expected in the modern time. As a new energy, nuclear power plays an important role in the current world. Kurdsunoaeglu (2000) points out that nuclear power plants generate electricity without release of chemicals which cause atmospheric pollution and global warming. However, using nuclear technology more effectively will probably help people avoid such danger and threat. Moreover, burning fossil fuels continually, which place carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, will cause changes in the climate that maybe catastrophic for human. Furthermore, the escalating price of fossil fuels will raise the price of everything else the location of the remaining reserves is the source of much of today’s international disorder (A white-hot elephant 2006). Therefore, exploring the nuclear power has become the urgent project to face for the aim of less pollution. Because the energy converted relatively balance, the nuclear energy can be recycled. Recycling the nuclear power will reduce harmful emissions. Furthermore, people could make use of good things of small quantities of emissions which so much as are just thrown away as waste. The president of Spain has agreed to a widely consultative process to find a solution to what to do with existing radioactive waste (Spain says â€Å"Adios† to nuclear powe:Fourth European country to begin phase out 2006). The effort would lead to a new energy system that will save more energy during transformation. Nuclear energy is obtained by nuclear fission and radioactive decay, both of which extract energy with a costless way, and also bring us an alternative choice of energy source without any pollution. On the other hand, the ways of recycling the nuclear power are comprehensive. Under the modern technology, industry, agriculture, environmental protection, health and medical community, scientific research are all dying for the technology of recycling nuclear power. At the present moment, the function this technology has drawn out its maximum utility in some fields. Compared with other alternatives, nuclear power can produce bigger energy. Studies show that the total annual solar energy input to the earth is more than 15,000 times as great as the earth current yearly use of fossil and nuclear fuels. The term photovoltaic comes from the Greek word for light, photos and voltaic which refers to the unit of electromotive force. The discovery of the photovoltaic effect goes back to the French physicist Becquerel, who conducted experiments with a wet cell battery and found that the battery voltage increased when its silver plates were exposed to sunlight (Hordeski, 2002). On the face of this fact, once completely put it into the use, nuclear power will display the energy with the amount that beyond imagination. According to Hordeski (2002), Nuclear power stations operate on the same principles as fossil fuel plants except the heat from the fossil fuel is replaced by a heat from a controlled nuclear reactor. This means if only the produce of energy conversion keep balance, nuclear power can keep a higher efficiency. Opportunities for nuclear power are distributed broadly around the world, and nuclear power can help to address concerns over sustainable energy resources (Advertising in Cooperation in the Energy Futures of China and the United States, 2000). Engineering a new energy system will provide stewardship for all life on earth. Renewable energy is effectively infinite in supply. Presently the cost of using nuclear power is very high. This is due to that using the nuclear power needs a very high scientific and technological content. The deficiency in this plan is very clear. The process of using nuclear power is very complicated. Energy is generally divided into two categories: stored and transient. The stored forms of energy are potential, kinetic, internal, chemical, and nuclear. Chemical and nuclear energy represent the energy bound up in the structure of the molecular and atomic compounds (Hordeski, 2002). In the long and complicated course of exploring and using this energy, the sufficient manpower, physical and financial resources are unprecedentedly needed. The risk still exists in using the nuclear power. Elliott (1997) stresses the longer term prospects for nuclear power are unclear. Fission reactors use a fuel (uranium), which although still relatively abundant, will not be available indefinitely; fast breeder reactors, which in effect would stretch the availability of the fuel, have yet to be operated commercially and pose what some people regards as significant safety and security risks. Finally, nuclear fusion remains a long-term possibility, but as we may predict that, even if the technology comes to be perfect, it also has problems. As discussed by (Cimbala, 2000) nuclear optimists assume that these states will reason as past nuclear powers have about the costs and risks of nuclear brinkmanship or war, the international society still have to appeal for an effective and peaceful way in using nuclear power resources in behalf of benefiting the humanity. The challenges of nuclear power are widely recognized to be in four aspects: cost, operational safety, the safe disposal of nuclear waste, and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons (Advertising in Cooperation in the Energy Futures of China and the United States, 2000). Focus on these four challenges, there are several available solutions to deal with. Firstly, the governments may use mass media as vehicles for propaganda to support the peaceful use of nuclear energy; enhance the use of nuclear energy security and persist the principle of use nuclear power. Bent, Orr and Baker (2002) claim that if national leaders explained the importance of developing a sustainable energy policy, and pushed hard for one, the people would follow their leadership. Most people are keenly aware of the urgent energy challenges and are prepared to make sacrifices to ensure that the world has an adequate, secure, sustainable, and affordable energy supply. Secondly, every country should be dedicated to produce a new energy system to develop the new technology and reduce the cost of nuclear power. A fully implementation of this system would stop the use of fossil fuels and launch an entirely new energy infrastructure. An economist, Joseph Schumpeter makes convincing arguments that new products and innovation are the driving force of an expanding economy (Robert, 1992). The universities which are equipped with high quality research offices should set the specialized field to appeal for more talents who design to be nuclear experts. The educational policy will advance the development of the top technology. The third point, increasing funds for scientific research to improve the use of nuclear power and technology is another important policy to support the reasonable use of nuclear power. Laurence (2002) maintains that ‘Homo Technologist must implement the energy system that utilizes no fossil fuels. An energy system based on renewable energy and fusion reactors has been proposed.’ Governments should establish special funds to support this scientific research. In addition, the public should be educated in how to use energy more effectively, because it is important to bear in mind that making the nuclear power become the focal point in the area of energy utilization in the future is an essential work for all the world. In conclusion, facing the environmental concerns and energy shortage, seeking available alternatives to replace the conventional energy sources becomes an urgent matter at the present time. There are several energy resources that are renewable. People have to find long-term alternatives to substitute fossil fuels to overcome the new energy challenges. Thus, nuclear power is going to become a new energy which has comparatively more powerful energy and higher efficiency. However, the use of nuclear power has some flaws. As mentioned in the former part, it always goes with the higher costs, potential risks and desires for highly advanced technology. Facing these problems, scientists are drawing some strong points to offset its own weakness, devoting themselves to developing the nuclear technology. Besides enhancing the use of nuclear energy security, the governments are also required to increase the funds to support the scientific research for making nuclear power more effective, safer and more economical to serve humanity.