Describe the symptoms and treatment of asthma

Unfortunately asthma can be inherited and in many children asthma is diagnosed after having a cold or fever. Studies shows that a high percentage of these children, during their lifetime will have a higher chance of getting rid of the disease. On the other hand if asthma is inherited, most likely the patient will be diagnosed during his or her lifetime. According to statistics, asthma is one of the most common physiological disorders and it can affect all ages. Nowadays, we have specific treatments to control the disease but unfortunately, till now, there is no cure. One of the most important functions of the respiratory system is to breathe. Air is inhaled through the mouth or nose, it then moves through the pharynx, larynx and trachea into the lungs. After that process, the air is exhaled through the same pathway. During normal inhalation the external intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract and as a result of this the rib cage elevates. Due to this the volume of the lungs increases, air pressure drops so air rushes in. On the other hand during normal exhalation the muscles relax, lungs become smaller, air pressure rises and air is expelled. Asthma is a lung disease which narrows and inflames the air ways, we have tubes which they carry air into our lungs. When a person is diagnosed with asthma these tubes are inflamed. This inflammation makes the airways terribly swollen and sensitive. Due to this the inflammation starts reacting to certain substances that enter the airway. Once the airway starts reacting to these substances our muscles tighten up, as a result of this the airways are narrowed so less air enters to the lungs. Asthma has an impact on other body systems, these are the immune system, the nervous system and the respiratory system. Starting off with the first system, the respiratory system of a person with asthma is more sensitive to environmental irritants than of a normal person. When there is contact with an environmental irritant, automatically the airway narrows making it more difficult to breathe. Second system, the immune system, our immune system helps our body to fight germs. When a person is diagnosed with asthma, his immune system is more sensitive to substances that are not harmful to those who do not have asthma. The last system that I am going to explain is the nervous system. According to John Hopkins University â€Å"research indicates that asthma affects your nervous system, a nerve growth factor a nervous system protein, has been found to increase sensitivity to irritants among people suffering from asthma and allergies†. (Apryl Bevelery: 2014) In this paragraph I am going to mention and explain some asthma symptoms starting off with the first symptom wheezing. Wheezing is one of the most common symptoms, wheezing is a squeaky noise which is normally heard while the person is sleeping. Wheezing can be heard more during this period because the airway normally narrows during respiration. Wheezing happens because there is a narrowing or obstruction from the level of the larynx to the small bronchi. According to studies, wheezing is said to happen by oscillations and vibrations of the airway walls. This sound is formed when air passes through a narrowed portion of the airway, then air passes with high velocity producing a decrease in gas pressure which later on it is flown in the constricted region. Once it arrives in the internal airway the pressure begins to increase which will be barely able to reopen the airway lumen. A second symptom coughing, a person diagnosed with asthma can suffer from coughs during an asthmatic attack, one can think that coughs are painful but it is a natural reflex which protects our lungs. This happens by clearing foreign substances that our body does not want. This process starts by, when an unwanted substance enters, our nerves sends an electric impulse to the brain to tell our muscles in our chest and abdomen to contract against these substances. When the nerve endings of our airways become irritated coughs usually occurs. After this contraction it will release large amounts of air and high amount of strength to eject these substances. There are different types of coughs namely chronic and acute. Chronic cough means that the cough will stay longer, most probably this is due to a medical condition. While acute cough means that the cough happens only at that moment. The last symptom that I am going to mention is chest tightness and shortness of breath, these are also common symptoms. A patient who is not diagnosed with asthma has a clear bronchiole wall, this wall will be relaxed and provides an open airway. On the other hand a patient with asthma will be very sensitive to irritants, as a result of this when an irritant occurs most probably it will inflame this wall. A list of these irritants can be smoke, stress, dust mites, infections and many more. Due to these problems such as releasing leukotrienes, result of this an inflammation may occur which unfortunately will lead to overproduction of mucus. Overproduction of the mucus will result in constriction in the bronchiole making it difficult for air to move in the lungs. As a result of this an asthmatic attack can occur. There are specific factors which may result in triggering asthma, starting off with the first factor which is environmental. Nowadays we live in an environment which has a high amount of pollutants such as, flower scents, mould, pests, dust mites, tobacco, animal dander, car pollution, extreme weather and many more. There are certain factors that we can control especially those that we can find indoors. Those that are found indoors can be controlled in order to avoid asthma triggers, an example of this can be cleaning weekly, keeping pets out of rooms, removing carpets, servicing the air conditioners and vacuuming. Second factor can be allergies, unfortunately an allergic reaction can be similar or the same in order to trigger an asthma attack. According to studies being overweight will result in more chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, which means that the patient will suffer from inflammation throughout the body. Last factor that I am going to explain is smoking, this can affect an asthmatic person because when a person inhales tobacco, irritations substances will lay out in the moist lining on the airways. These irritants can trigger an asthma attack. Nowadays thanks to scientists we are developing more and more tests in order to be able to diagnose diseases in their early stages. Starting off with the first test spirometry, this test is often used to assess the patient’s lungs. The procedure of this test is to take deep breathes and exhaling it as fast as they can through a mouthpiece attached to this equipment. This test consists of two measurements, these are the volume of air breathed in and the volume of air breathed out. Normally this test is done many times to get accurate results. Second test peak expiratory flow test, this test is done by a device called peak flow meter. This is a very easy test, it measures how fast the patient can blow air out of his/her lungs in only one breathe. Most of the time this test occurs over weeks, in fact the patient needs to take this device home so she/he can record daily measurements. The patient needs to take this device with him or her because asthma can be vary due to changes in our lungs throughout the day. Third test airway responsiveness, this is a difficult test in fact this test occurs only if there are no clear symptoms of asthma. The airway responsiveness test measures how the airway reacts when it is contacted with a trigger. During this test the patient is asked to breathe in medication, which will eventually irritate the airways and possibly trigger a mild asthma attack. Another test that can be done is testing airway inflammation, this test can be done by two different methods. The first method is to take a phlegm sample and the second method is while the patient is breathing out, the level of the nitric oxide is measured. An allergy test can also be done in order to confirm if the person’s asthma is associated with any allergies. Imaging tests are also an alternative, these can be a CT-scan or a chest x-ray of the patient nose cavities and lungs. With these scans they can identify any abnormalities related to asthma. The last test that I am going to mention is the sputum eosinophils, the main role of this test is to look for white blood cells while the patient is coughing. The white blood cells are present when symptoms occurs which later on are visible when they are stained with eosin. Fortunately there are certain treatments that help prevent and control asthma, starting off with the first treatment inhaled corticosteroids are preferred methods for long-term control of asthma. The main function of this treatment is to relieve inflammation and swelling, reducing inflammation helps to prevent asthma attacks. Another treatment which is given during an asthma attack is cromolyn, this medicine is given when the patient is using the nebulizer. Once the patient breathes in, the nebulizer will send medicine to the lungs to prevent airway inflammation. Omalizumab is a medicine given as an injection one or two times a month, this medicine helps to prevent our body from reacting to asthma triggers. Inhaled long-acting beta2-agonist and theophylline are all medicines that open the airways. The leukotriene modifiers are a medicine take orally, this helps to prevent increase of inflammation. Then there is the quick-relief medicine these are called inhaled short-acting beta2-agonisits these act quickly in order to relax tight muscle, this allows to open airways so air can flow through them. A patient who is diagnosed with asthma needs to have frequent check-ups, it is also very important to remove any items which can trigger asthma such as rugs or animals. It is also recommended to record your symptoms in a diary to see how well the treatment is controlling your asthma. Good control of asthma will prevent coughing and shortness of breath, reduce the use of quick relief medicine, help to maintain good lung function, prevent asthma attacks and let the person maintain the normal activity of sleeping throughout the night. It is also very important to use proper asthma medications as like with other medications they have side effects. When a person starts having these symptoms it is very important to do a check-up or talk to someone else because if these signs are not treated asthma triggers can worsen which even in some cases can be fatal.

Cognitive linguistics Essay

The cognitive linguistics enterprise is characterized by two fundamental commitments (Lakoff 1990). These underlie both the orientation and approach adopted by practicing cognitive linguists, and the assumptions and methodologies employed in the two main branches of the cognitive linguistics enterprise: cognitive semantics, and cognitive approaches to grammar, discussed in further detail in later sections. The first key commitment is the Generalization Commitment (Lakoff 1990). It represents a dedication to characterizing general principles that apply to all aspects of human language. This goal is just a special subcase of the standard commitment in science to seek the broadest generalizations possible. In contrast to the cognitive linguistics approach, other approaches to the study of language often separate the language faculty into distinct areas such as phonology (sound), semantics (word and sentence meaning), pragmatics (meaning in discourse context), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), and so on. As a consequence, there is often little basis for generalization across these aspects of language, or for study of their interrelations. This is particularly true of formal linguistics. Formal linguistics attempts to model language by positing explicit mechanical devices or procedures operating on theoretical primitives in order to produce all the possible grammatical sentences of a given language. Such approaches typically attempt precise formulations by adopting formalisms inspired by computer science, mathematics and logic. Formal linguistics is embodied most notably by the work of Noam Chomsky and the paradigm of Generative Grammar, as well as the tradition known as Formal Semantics, inspired by philosopher of language Richard Montague. Within formal linguistics it is usually argued that areas such as phonology, semantics and syntax concern significantly different kinds of structuring principles operating over different kinds of primitives. For instance, a syntax ‘module’ is an area in the mind concerned with structuring words into sentences, whereas a phonology ‘module’ is concerned with structuring sounds into patterns permitted by the rules of any given language, and by human language in general. This modular view of mind reinforces the idea that modern linguistics is justified in separating the study of language into distinct sub-disciplines, not only on grounds of practicality, but because the components of language are wholly distinct, and, in terms of organization, incommensurable. Cognitive linguists acknowledge that it may often be useful to treat areas such as syntax, semantics and phonology as being notionally distinct. However, given the Generalization Commitment, cognitive linguists do not start with the assumption that the ‘modules’ or ‘subsystems’ of language are organized in significantly divergent ways, or indeed that wholly distinct modules even exist. Thus, the Generalization Commitment represents a commitment to openly investigating how the various aspects of linguistic knowledge emerge from a common set of human cognitive abilities upon which they draw, rather than assuming that they are produced in encapsulated modules of the mind. The Generalization Commitment has concrete consequences for studies of language. First, cognitive linguistic studies focus on what is common among aspects of language, seeking to re-use successful methods and explanations across these aspects. For instance, just as word meaning displays prototype effects – there are better and worse examples of referents of given words, related in particular ways – so various studies have applied the same principles to the organization of morphology (e.g., Taylor, 2003), syntax (e.g., Goldberg, 1995), and phonology (e.g., Jaeger & Ohala, 1984). Generalizing successful explanations across domains of language isn’t just a good scientific practice – it is also the way biology works; reusing existing structures for new purposes, both on evolutionary and developmental timescales. Second, cognitive linguistic approaches often take a ‘vertical’, rather than a ‘horizontal’ strategy to the study of language. Language can be seen as composed of a set of distinct layers of organisation – the sound structure, the set of words composed by these sounds, the syntactic structures these words are constitutive of, and so on. If we array these layers one on top of the next as they unroll over time (like layers of a cake), then modular approaches are horizontal, in the sense that they take one layer and study it internally – just as a horizontal slice of cake. Vertical approaches get a richer view of language by taking a vertical slice of language, which includes phonology, morphology, syntax, and of course a healthy dollop of semantics on top. A vertical slice of language is necessarily more complex in some ways than a horizontal one – it is more varied and textured – but at the same time it affords possible explanations that are simply unavailable from a horizontal, modular perspective. The second commitment is termed the Cognitive Commitment (Lakoff 1990). It represents a commitment to providing a characterization of the general principles for language that accord with what is known about the mind and brain from other disciplines. It is this commitment that makes cognitive linguistics cognitive, and thus an approach which is fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature. Just as the Generalization Commitment leads to the search for principles of language structure that hold across all aspects of language, in a related manner, the Cognitive Commitment represents the view that principles of linguistic structure should reflect what is known about human cognition from the other cognitive and brain sciences, particularly psychology, artificial intelligence, cognitive neuroscience, and philosophy. In other words, the Cognitive Commitment asserts that models of language and linguistic organization proposed should reflect what is known about the human mind, rather than purely aesthetic dictates such as the use of particular kinds of formalisms or economy of representation (see Croft 1998 for discussion of this last point). The Cognitive Commitment has a number of concrete ramifications. First, linguistic theories cannot include structures or processes that violate known properties of the human cognitive system. For instance, if sequential derivation of syntactic structures violates time constraints provided by actual human language processing, then it must be jettisoned. Second, models that use known, existing properties of human cognition to explain language phenomena are more parsimonious than those that are built from a priori simplicity metrics. For example, quite a lot is known about human categorization, and a theory that reduces word meaning to the same mechanisms responsible for categorization in other cognitive domains is simpler than one that hypothesizes a separate system for capturing lexical semantics. Finally, it is incumbent upon the cognitive linguistic researcher to find convergent evidence for the cognitive reality of components of any proffered model or explanation. Having briefly set out the two key commitments of the cognitive linguistics enterprise, we now briefly map out the two, hitherto, best developed areas of the field. Cognitive linguistics practice can be roughly divided into two main areas o research: cognitive semantics and cognitive (approaches to) grammar. The area of study known as cognitive semantics is concerned with investigating the relationship between experience, the conceptual system, and the semantic structure encoded by language. In specific terms, scholars working in cognitive semantics investigate knowledge representation (conceptual structure), and meaning construction (conceptualization). Cognitive semanticists have employed language as the lens through which these cognitive phenomena can be investigated. Consequently, research in cognitive semantics tends to be interested in modelling the human mind as much as it is concerned with investigating linguistic semantics. A cognitive approach to grammar is concerned with modelling the language system (the mental ‘grammar’), than the nature of mind per se. However, it does so by taking as its starting points the conclusions of work in cognitive semantics. This follows as meaning is central to cognitive approaches to grammar.4 It is critical to note that although the study of cognitive semantics and cognitive approaches to grammar are occasionally separate in practice, this by no means implies that their domains of inquiry are anything but tightly linked –most work in cognitive linguistics finds it necessary to investigate both lexical semantics and grammatical organization jointly. As with research in cognitive semantics, cognitive approaches to grammar have also typically adopted one of two foci. Scholars such as Ronald Langacker have emphasized the study of the cognitive principles that give rise to linguistic organization. In his theory of Cognitive Grammar, Langacker has attempted to delineate the principles that structure a grammar, and to relate these to aspects of general cognition. The second avenue of investigation, pursued by researchers including Fillmore and Kay, Lakoff),Goldberg and more recently Bergen and Chang (2005) and Croft (2002), aims to provide a more descriptively and formally detailed account of the linguistic units that comprise a particular language. These researchers attempt to provide a broad-ranging inventory of the units of language, from morphemes to words, idioms, and phrasal patterns, and seek accounts of their structure, compositional possibilities, and relations. Researchers who have pursued this line of investigation are developing a set of theories that are collectively known as construction grammars. This general approach takes its name from the view in cognitive linguistics that the basic unit of language is a form-meaning pairing known as a symbolic assembly, or a construction. Cognitive semantics, like the larger enterprise of which it is a part, is not a unified framework. Those researchers who identify themselves as cognitive semanticists typically have a diverse set of foci and interests. However, there are a number of guiding principles that collectively characterize a cognitive approach to semantics. In this section we identify these guiding principles (as we see them). In section 5 we explore some of the major theories and research areas which have emerged under the ‘banner’ of cognitive semantics. The four guiding principles of cognitive semantics are as follows: i) Conceptual structure is embodied (the ‘embodied cognition thesis’) ii) Semantic structure is conceptual structure iii) Meaning representation is encyclopaedic iv) Meaning construction is conceptualization Conceptual structure is embodied Due to the nature of our bodies, including our neuro-anatomical architecture, we have a species-specific view of the world. In other words, our construal of ‘reality’ is mediated, in large measure, by the nature of our embodiment. One example of the way in which embodiment affects the nature of experience is in the realm of color. While the human visual system has three kinds of photoreceptors (i.e., color channels), other organisms often have a different number. For instance, the visual system of squirrels, rabbits and possibly cats, makes use of two color channels, while other organisms, including goldfish and pigeons, have four color channels. Having a different range of color channels affects our experience of color in terms of the range of colors accessible to us along the color spectrum. Some organisms can see in the infrared range, such as rattlesnakes, which hunt prey at night and can visually detect the heat given off by other organisms. Humans are unable to see in this range. The nature of our visual apparatus – one aspect of our embodiment – determines the nature and range of our visual experience. The nature of the relation between embodied cognition and linguistic meaning is contentious. It is evident that embodiment underspecifies which color terms a particular language will have, and whether the speakers of a given language will be interested in ‘color’ in the first place (Saunders, 1995; Wierzbicka, 1996). However, the interest in understanding this relation is an important aspect of the view in cognitive linguistics that the study of linguistic meaning construction needs to be reintegrated with the contemporary study of human nature. The fact that our experience is embodied – that is, structured in part by the nature of the bodies we have and by our neurological organization – has consequences for cognition. In other words, the concepts we have access to and the nature of the ‘reality’ we think and talk about are a function of our embodiment. We can only talk about what we can perceive and conceive, and the things that we can perceive and conceive derive from embodied experience. From this point of view, the human mind must bear the imprint of embodied experience. This thesis, central to cognitive semantics, is known as the thesis of embodied cognition. This position holds that conceptual structure (the nature of human concepts) is a consequence of the nature of our embodiment and thus is embodied. Semantic structure is conceptual structure The second guiding principle asserts that language refers to concepts in the mind of the speaker rather than, directly, to entities which inhere in an objectively real external world. In other words, semantic structure (the meanings conventionally associated with words and other linguistic units) can be equated with conceptual structure (i.e., concepts). This ‘representational’ view is directly at odds with the ‘denotational’ perspective of what cognitive semanticists sometimes refer to as objectivist semantics, as exemplified by some formal approaches to semantics. However, the claim that semantic structure can be equated with conceptual structure does not mean that the two are identical. Instead, cognitive semanticists claim that the meanings associated with linguistic units such as words, for example, form only a subset of possible concepts. After all, we have many more thoughts, ideas and feelings than we can conventionally encode in language. For example, as Langacker (1987) observes, we have a concept for the place on our faces below our nose and above our mouth where moustaches go. We must have a concept for this part of the face in order to understand that the hair that grows there is called a moustache. However, there is no English word that conventionally encodes this concept (at least not in the non-specialist vocabulary of everyday language). It follows that the set of lexical concepts, the semantic units conventionally associated with linguistic units such as words is only a subset of the full set of concepts in the minds of speaker-hearers.

Management of Financial Resources and Performance Essay

This assessment accounts for 100% of your overall module grade. It is an individually written assignment of about 3000-3500 words (10% -/+) excluding appendices, to be submitted to LSS Business School on the deadline shown in the student portal with the appropriate cover note according to the guidelines given in the student handbook. Your work is expected to be analytical and evaluative, consolidate on relevant theory and indicate a good level of application abilities. In order to complete this assignment you are required to select a company of your choice and identify the various stakeholders and their Interests on the company. You need to briefly explain how they can be managed effectively in the organisation using about 1000 words. Then select another company that is listed in FTSE (or equivalent in your own country), and conduct an audit of the businesses current position, you are required to identify the business planning and current strategy used in the organisation with specific reference to performance analysis and utilisation of resources (Including International considerations) for competitive advantage and assess the financial position using a series of management accounting techniques for decision making. Use about 1500 words in order to complete this. Using about 500-1000 words briefly explain the investment appraisal techniques that could be used by an organisation, and apply the techniques to conduct a investment appraisal for the following scenario 123 LTD is a clothing manufacturer operating in UK for more than 10 yrs, As a strategic decision to expand it’s operations, the company plans to set up a manufacturing unit in another country and produce designer clothing to sell in that country. Current interest rate is 10%, The options available are: USA Running expenses is estimated to be  £210K per annum and expected revenue is USD 700K per Annum An additional approval fee of  £22K needs to be paid in advance to trade in the country annually. France Running expenses is estimated to be  £190K per annum and expected revenue is EURO 450K per Annum. An additional approval fee of  £25K needs to be paid in advance to operate in the every yr. In addition a one off Royalty Fee of  £25K needs to be paid despite of the operational years. Switzerland Running expenses is estimated to be  £200K per annum and expected revenue is Swiss Francs 3800K per Annum, An additional License fee of  £30K needs to be paid in advance to operate in the route for a yr. Given the controls in this country, any factory of this nature will need an inspection by the authorities every 3 yrs amounting to  £70K per inspection. Cost of New machinery for this purpose in any country is  £450K, Life time of the Machinery is 10 yrs and at the end of 5 yrs the machinery will attract, a residual value of  £150K. Any material that you will decide to use as a result of your research would need to be submitted at the back of your assignment in the form of an appendix to ensure that the tutor is also briefed to the same level as you, when assessing your work. Take great care and follow the wording below carefully, to ensure that you have covered all the requirements sufficiently, according to the given tasks below.

Free Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Free Trade - Essay Example Privatisation; this means transfer of past public owned organisation services and goods to private sector Limited intervention; governments should not interfere with markets expect in building infrastructure. Unembroidered market prices; this implies that governments will desist from controlling market prices. Export - led development; this are development strategies that emphasize export and foreign trade instead of protecting domestic industry. (Dornbusch, pp.69-85) Do open market economies grow faster than closed ones Many studies on market economics have argued that open trade system enhances a faster growth of economy. The point for this strong favour in terms of open trade is based on studies and on a conclusion that outward- based economies realize faster growth rates than those economies that are inward oriented. However, this seems to be overstated, as Dornbusch, (pp.69-85) observers, currently the advantages of open markets are being oversold continuously in the related literatures and in the IMF and World Bank publications. Yet, it is hard to understand the advantages of liberalization of markets among market economies. Economists reports that the effects of openness are very complicated and general mixed as to what extend the trade polices impact the growth of economy. More so the fact that studies explain trade openness in different ways makes it hard to classify countries depending on their level of trade openness. Thus, it does not come as a surprise when different results are obtained when different measures are used. (Dornbusch, pp.69-85) The correlation between free market and the economic growth of a country is a hotly debated issue in the trade and development literature. Until now, this issue remains unresolved. It is important... This essay stresses that the correlation between free market and the economic growth of a country is a hotly debated issue in the trade and development literature. Until now, this issue remains unresolved. It is important to note that, many literatures on this topic have put a lot of attention on the correlation between trade policies and economic growth instead of emphasizing trade levels and growth. This paper makes a conclusion that free trade or open trade is characterized by removal of trading barriers between countries. This is meant to stimulate more trading between countries which is faster and without any hindrance. The policy makers of these policies argue that free trade leads to higher economic growth in countries. However, free trade policies advanced by the IMF and the WB has lead to poor and middle economic countries to experience more economic hardships brought about by stiffer monetary policies. Some of the economies collapsed or stalled. A good example is the Asian crisis. Keeping in mind all the arguments presented open trade definitely is a cause of concern and cause of slow economic progress amongst the populace of the world but it is extremely important to remember that it is not the only cause of concern, some of the policies undertaken by states are implemented incorrectly which result in growing poverty and economic hardship being witnessed in many countri es especially African states. However, it cannot be stated that liberalization or open market is the ONE and ONLY cause of increase in economic hardships amongst the world’s populace.

Theology Mission Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theology Mission - Term Paper Example Its meaning can be derived from the Greek words Theos, which means God, and Logos, which means the study of a certain subject. As a result, many theologians have used many forms of analysis and also historical, philosophical, spiritual and ethnographic arguments in attempts to understand and explain any topic on religion. It helps the theologians to better understand his or her religious tradition, as well as other people’s religions; make a comparison between two or more religious traditions; defend, or even try to justify a religious tradition among others. Theology then can be used by theologians to understand the religion and, hence, this leads to our second definition of religion. Religion according to Harper means a collection of beliefs, cultural systems and the worldviews to establish symbols in relation to humanity and spirituality. It is by these symbols that man tries to give meaning to life or even try to explain the origins of life and the universe. So, religious tendency to understand human life can be attributed to faith or belief1. In the development of religion, it can be seen to have taken different cultures whereby some religion has placed an emphasis on belief while others have placed their emphasis on practice. Religion has also been associated with public institutions like it can be seen in hospitals, schools, governments, political hierarchies and families among others. So, religion in this case can be mitigate problems of human life2 Relevant Old Testament and New Testament related to missions The whole concept of mission is related to the mission of God. This began with God’s creation. God created man â€Å"†¦ be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth†. In the New Testament, the gospel of the Acts of the Apostle one finds â€Å"We were to live as a church, the body of the Christ, as the salt of this world, as the light of this world (Jn 20:19-20). A variety of different Christian churches has an impact on the ideology of theology including how many churches on the planet do mission, and also how they try to articulate their theology of missions. This includes how the churches select and supports missionaries, who can be considered a missionary and what these missionaries do to teach3. The most important question here, which actually needs to be answered, is the definition of theology of missions, or what the mission of the church is. The mission can be defined as the body of the Christ, which is manifested in thousands upon thousands of local assemblies of the Disciples of Christ in varying cultures, languages, and traditions. This can be related to two thousand years ago when God started his missionary work and this began at the Garden of Eden. Also, Jesus spoke directly to his followers and then gave them a clear mission

Job Description Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job Description Paper - Essay Example Undoubtedly, job descriptions are very essential for most individuals in the workplace since they define an individual’s role and accountability. This paper presents a human resource manager job description covering the key tasks of this position, tools and technology, knowledge, skills and abilities, and education requirements. It also describes two selection methods used to recruit qualified candidates and explaining why these methods would be most appropriate. The main purpose of a human resource manager is to maintain and enhance the organization’s human resources by planning, implementing and analyze employee relations among others. The position of human resource manager is charged with various tasks such as recruiting and selecting new applicants to occupy vacant posts in the organization so as to maintain the staff. Secondly, human resource manager is responsible for planning, developing and implementing strategies for human resource management including recruitment and selection practices, motivation of employees, and performance appraisals among others. In addition, HR manager need to ensure that all employees have been fully prepared to perform duties assigned to them effectively and this is possible through orientation and training programs. Human resource manager critically evaluates the information provided about workers’ salary, and control compensation and other benefits for all workers (Mathis and Jackson, 2008) . Tools and technology required in this occupation include desktop and personal computers, scanners, and surveillance video or audio recorders. Technologies needed are accounting software, human resources software, and document management software among others. Human resource managers need to acquire certain skills and abilities such as hiring and coaching skills; the ability to benefit the administration and manage employee performance at work. More so, human resource manager

Business-Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business-Supply Chain - Essay Example These are competitive times. While the petrochemicals sector may not be that much competitive, the electronics industry has a numerous players with similar product profile. Therefore, the company needs to focus its attention on the businesses in such a manner that both segments get due attention. In fact of late, due to the recessionary trends, the petrochemical business too has come under pressure and efficiency has become an important yardstick for survival in the industry. Therefore in order to be successful in the industry the company will have to resolve some of the issues, which appear to be not in line with the professional standards. Some such issues include; i. The Nebraska facility is not able to deliver quality products and services. David A Garvin (1984) suggests that there are 7 dimensions of quality which are performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability and aesthetics. But in case of Canbide couple of these dimensions require due attention. b. Customers, who need to pick up multiple products, are made to around the 2km by 1km facility, which leads to undue harassment of the customer and a bad image for the company. In addition when customer keep frequenting inside the production facility, this is bound to lead to further delays in the production schedule and meeting the targets. Hauser and Katz (1998) point out that mere investment in new technology doesn’t guarantee success. Such an investment need to be matched with value creation for the stakeholders for survival and success. In this case, the stakeholders like customers and employees are not in best position to feel comfortable with the arrangement being made within the company premises. v. The copier rehab facility near Charleston, SC receives "trade-in" copiers from distributors across the country and restores them to "good as new" condition.

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

CompTac - Essay Example Green should have been honest to begin with and never laundered the money from his employer into his personal checking. When the accounts are audited, these transactions will reflect on the company’s statements. The company can file criminal charges against Green, as well as terminate Green’s employment with the company......4.) Yes, Green committed a crime. Green committed hacking crimes, as well as a white collar crime known as employee theft. Even though Green returned the money the next week and no one noticed the discrepancy in the accounting books. These transactions to and from his personal checking account would still reflect in the CompTac records. These transactions can still be linked to Green. Green is guilty of laundering ten thousand dollars from his employer’s business checking into his personal checking. Then Green laundered the money back to the accounts at CompTac in an attempt to be honest. However, Green should have been honest to begin with a nd never laundered the money from his employer into his personal checking. When the accounts are audited, these transactions will reflect on the company’s statements. The company can file criminal charges against Green, as well as terminate Green’s employment with the company. 5.) I would implement a rating system of some sorts. I would continue to market the game to older teens, and adults. These kinds of games are suitable for older teens. The parents of younger teens, and children might agree with me that if their children were a little older then the game would be suitable for their child to play. However, because the game is not marketed to just older teens, and adults some younger teens, and children are beginning to discover the game, and are beginning to reflect the actions taken by the characters in the game. This is what has so many educators, parents, and other public committees outraged, that because of the violence the younger teens, and children are begin ning to become more aggressive. This is not something that happens to older teens, and adults when they play games like this.  

Indian Gaming Act 1988 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Indian Gaming Act 1988 - Essay Example The previous policies had left them in a state of abject poverty and social disintegration in spit of the outpouring of federal funds for massive welfare and social service costs. However, in order to make the policy of self determination work Indian tribes had to find new enterprises to replace the old economies of hunting and fishing no longer viable in the restrictive reservation environment. For some tribes, one path to develop a new sustainable reservation economy was gaming. The Indian Gaming Act 1988 was designed to provide parameters for tribes wishing to develop this industry with some degree of tribal control. Some tribes did not want to pursue this avenue as it was against their cultural values. Other tribes were interested but were not allowed to pursue this activity in states which forbade it for all their citizens. (Gunn eNotes.) The IGRA represents a compromise between competing interests and powers of Indian tribes, states and the federal government. Prior to this, tr ibes had the right to engage in all forms of gaming irrespective of state laws. Many states had concerns about possible infiltration by organized crime. While Congress in 1988 did give some gaming rights to federally recognized tribes, it sought to allay state fears by insisting that profits from gaming activities be used to fund tribal government operations such as hospitals, schools, police and fire departments, make donations to charities and help fund neighboring cities. The IGRA divides Indian gaming into 3 classes. Class one includes Indian gaming in connection with tribal ceremonies and is participated in socially for prizes of minimal value. This class is left to the exclusive jurisdiction of Indian tribes. Class 2 includes bingo and non banking card games where players bet against each other rather than the house. This is permitted in states allowing this type of gaming and the governing body of the tribe adopts a resolution approved by the chairman of the 3 member National Indian Gaming Commission created by the LGRA to monitor classes 2 and 3 gaming activities of tribes throughout the country. Under the Act tribes are primarily responsible for regulating class 2 gaming activities subject to Commission oversight. Class 3 includes all other forms of gambling especially casino style. This class is subject to 3 conditions; (1) it must be in a state that authorizes this form of gambling, (2) the tribe must negotiate a compact with the state concerning the nature and extent class 3 gaming the tribe may conduct and its’ regulation, approved by the secretary of the interior and (3) the tribe must have a tribal gaming ordinance approved by the chairman of the NIGC. The Seminole Experience The Seminoles of Florida correctly decided that the gaming industry was their path to developing a profitable tribal economy. They started off in 1979 with high stakes bingo and were able to circumvent Florida state laws against gambling ( Ewen 1996) The Seminoles th en tried to expand their operations to casinos, prompting states including Florida to petition Congress to enact the IGRA. The tribe then tried to negotiate a compact with Florida allowing them to operate and regulate casinos but the state refused to cooperate. Alleging bad faith, the Seminoles then attempted to sue the state in federal court as provided for in the IGRA, but this was disallowed by the Supreme Court on the basis that Congress had no authority to subject a state to the jurisdiction of a federal court . Some Seminoles consider this loss as a victory, arguing that it means that technically they only need NGIC approval to operate casinos. However, the

Cliffside Orchards Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cliffside Orchards - Case Study Example Cliffside Orchards generated its first profit in the year 1989. Then, the Hermans were operating as wholesalers. By the end of the year 1990, however, the Orchard recorded fewer profits as a result of a decline in crop yields. The Hermans decided to venture into farmer markets such as Sandpoint, Codalaine and Spokane. Jeff Herman stated that this â€Å"was a big change, emotionally and spiritually.† The couple states that when they began, 32 years ago, they lacked the technological advantages and technical knowhow that is enjoyed by many farmers today. Jeff, however, acknowledges Phil Unterschuetz’s publication on Organic Integrated fertility Management publication as a crucial guide that helped them through the numerous challenges that they faced over the past 32 years such as the Alar scare of 1989. The couple has witnessed firsthand the effects of unsustainable agriculture and the use of extreme chemicals in crop growth. As such, they have endeavored to adopt healthy crop growth practices for the sake of their children and the environment. The Cliffside Orchards has been a success story for farmers all over fighting for the cause of purely organic agricultural practices. Part of the couple’s objectives is to provide an example of how maintained organic practices can yield healthy and nutritious tree ripened fruit that is sweet.

People Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

People Management - Assignment Example The goals that she is being provided does not match that of the organization and hence leading to more frustrations. All her tasks have become second nature and it is no longer challenging to her which is impacting negatively on her career. Peter can improve this situation by developing new performance goals together with Anne. This will provide Anne with an opportunity to make her own contributions with regards to her roles while considering the organizational goals. On the other hand, Peter should provide Anne with the training opportunity that she requires. This will play an essential role in ensuring that she is motivated. Peter should also consult Anne from time to time so as to make her feel that she is part of the company. All her ideas should be taken seriously and she should be used by peter for the growth of the organization. More challenging tasks should be provided to Anne by Peter for the purposes of ensuring that she is motivated. Making the employees feel that they are part of the company is important in ensuring that they are motivated. HR department should provide Peter with training on how to relate with the employees. The training will play an essential role in ensuring that he is able to develop a healthy working relationship with Anne. The HR department can also provide Peter with training on employee motivation. This is for the purposes of ensuring that he is able to understand the importance of motivating the employees (Mandip, 2012). The HR can also be involved in providing advice to Peter regarding the performance management and review process. Adequate resources should also be allocated to Peter by the HR in order to support him in the process of acquisition of knowledge and skills. The HR can therefore play an important role in ensuring that Peter is able to improve on the situation facing him. Peter should stop using the old and inconsistent performance

The method for carrying Essay Example for Free

The method for carrying Essay My aim is to investigate the mathematical propagation of bad tomatoes This is essentially an investigation of patterns derived from a simple set of rules for this propagation, in the manner of a simplified life genesis program. The rules are as followed: 1. The first hour, any one of the tomatoes (depending on the investigation) turns bad 2. From that hour on, any tomato touched by a bad tomato will turn bad itself, on an hourly basis. 3. Tomatoes are constrained within an nn grid, which restricts propagation of bad tomatoes. As visible from the rules, this allows for creation of simple models to show the propagation of bad tomatoes. From these, I hope to derive formulae, or sets of rules if formulae are not possible, to make logical predictions. We shall define the variables as will be used in the description of this investigation as follows: n The hour in which a tomato turns g The grid size (g2) x The number of turned tomatoes in each n h The number of hours taken for all tomatoes to go bad t Total number of turned tomatoes (equal to g2) Contents Item Page number Introduction 1 Contents 2 Mapping of tomatoes in the middle of a side 3 Tomatoes in the corner 7 Conclusion. This grid represents the propagation of bad tomatoes in an nxn square, covering grids up to size 2424. Some of the results for this data are plotted on the table below: While at first it seems the patterns in this table should be obvious, this is deceptive. Only by splitting the table into three regions do we see the separate patterns defining the table. These regions, as shown in the following table, allow patterns to emerge. These patterns do not, as you would expect, work down with different numbers in the same grids, but instead work across with the same number in different grids. In the first region (yellow), we see that, in every case, x is equal to n+n-1. The latter two regions (green and purple) are substantially harder, and require a sequential approach. Naturally, the first step in devising a formula, to take n and g and return x, is determining which region the number lies in. This is a simple matter of comparing g with n. Once we know the region, we can use a set op steps to calculate the number x. The method for carrying out this operation will be described shortly. The left grid shows an updated version of my results demonstrating the three regions yellow, green and purple, as well as some extra data formulated from the patterns observed. This is the first step in trying to formulate equations to work on all situations. Before moving on to the main essence of the project, finding a formula to derive x from n and g, we shall examine a few other formulae not directly related to this but still relevant to the investigation. Â  To find the total number of hours taken for all tomatoes to go bad within a grid, you use a formula depending on g. This formula also depends on whether g is odd or even: Â  If g is odd, then h=((g+1)/2)-1 If g is even then h=(g/2)+1 Â  In all square grid situations, t is always g2. The number of tomatoes to turn each hour in an infinite grid, starting on the side in the centre is equal to 2n-1. The total number of tomatoes that are bad after each hour is equal to n2. We shall briefly describe the patterns used to expand this table and in the following formulae: Yellow numbers always go up by 0 each grid size Green numbers go up by 1 Purple numbers go up by 3 Green/yellow boundaries go up by 1 Purple/green boundaries go up by 2 We now move on to analyse the main problem: the individual number of tomatoes to turn in each hour. This, as mentioned earlier, is a much more complicated program, and requires division of the grid into three regions. The following steps attempt to demonstrate how, and why, this is done. 1. The first step is to compare n with g, to work out which region the answer is likely to lie in. For this example we shall use two numbers, grid size 24 and tomato number 25. Compare n with g: If ng, x lies in the purple region If n=g, x lies in the green region If gn, x lies in green or yellow and further calculation is needed: If g is odd: if g= n-((g-1)/2) x is yellow, and if gn-((g-1)/2) then x is green If g is even: if g= n-(g/2) x is yellow, and if gn-(g/2) x is green We then move to region specific instructions: Yellow x =2n-1 Green x =g Purple. (Calculating purple numbers is substantially more complex) (Also note the existence of bln, a new variable we introduce here whose meaning will be explained later) Do n mod 3: N mod 3 = 0 then Bln = 2(n/3) N mod 3 = 1 then Bln = (2((n+2)/3))-1 N mod 3 = 2 then Bln = 2((n+1)/3) Do g bln Again, look at n mod 3: If 0, multiply last number by 3 and add 1 If 1, multiply last number by 3 and add 2 If 2, multiply last number by 3 and add 3 Therefore, by this process we can calculate any number from the grid size and the hour. For our example, g = 24 and n = 25, we would do the following: 1.n g, therefore x is purple 2. 25 mod 3 is 1, therefore bln = 2(27/3))-1 = 17 3. 24 17 is 7 4. 25 mod 3 is 1, therefore we: 5. Multiply 7 by 3 = 21 6. And add 2, giving 23 I have checked this with both an extended table of results (created using the patterns found earlier), and with a small excel macro designed to count the numbers of tomatoes turned each hour. Both yield the same result. Â  The left is the segment from my expanded table showing the result. The 23 in the middle of the table represents grid size 24 and hour 25 what my formula predicted. The left here is the automatic count from my macro. The data reads (for a 2424 table) hour,count (or n,x). This also agrees with my prediction. We shall here briefly explain how the purple formula works (formulas for both green and yellow are self-explanatory). I observed that the base line (the line marking the bottom of the purple section- representative of the number of tomatoes to turn bad in the final hour) of the purple section follows a three stage recurring pattern. Because we are working from the base line to reach our result, as the numbers go up by 3 each time, calculating the start point and value of the base line for each hour was essential. To work easily with a three -stage recurrence, we needed to work in base 3, the easiest implementation of which involves modulo arithmetic. By doing n mod 3, we work out which stage of the cycle represents the first grid size for tomatoes to turn in a particular hour. Once the cycle is split, we can show different formulae for each stage, derived from observance of the patterns.

Coping With Stress Among University Students Education Essay

Coping With Stress Among University Students Education Essay Abstract Stress is purely a fact of nature to anyone in this world. Stress is the impact of forces from the outside or inside world heartwarming the individual (Dryden, 1996, p.52). Different individuals react to stress in ways that touch the individual, in addition to, their environment. This paper will seek to investigate how the use of exercise affects the level of stress among university students. Respondents for the study will be University students from all faculties. University students are famous to have a high propensity to stress experience. Background Overview University education system has been changing every day due to emerging needs of higher education. For instance, most public universities are regarded as research universities due to the amount of research being undertaken in those universities. University students, therefore, bump into high pressure with the modification of the education system. Consequently, the exam-oriented scheme in many universities lead to anxiety among scholars since the students is forced to ascertain that getting good grades in the examination aids them to be a decent frontrunner and acquire a respectable job in the future. Problem Statement The researches which have been done in the past were conducted to investigate the factors that influence the level pressure among scholars. However, there has been no any study that verified and compared the designated important aspects towards selecting the foremost aspect that sway the level of anxiety (Dryden, 1996, p.34). In addition, the study carried before has been piloted only other levels of education other than university education. Therefore, this research will try to successfully investigate the effect of exercise in coping with stress to university students. Therefore, the problem statement for this investigation can be spawned as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“how does the use of exercise help in coping up with stress among university students?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Research Problem This study will be done to scrutinize and understand how exercise can be used in coping with stress to university scholars. Besides that, the study will also be inquisitive to how well exercise can be used to influence the level of pressure among university learners. This study will focus to discover the importance of exercise in coping with the level of stress among the students in the institution of higher education. Consequently, the research problem can be formulated as: Use of exercise in coping up with stress among university students. Research Objectives The following are the objectives of this study: To investigate the use of exercise (independent variables) in coping with stress among university students (dependent variable). To find out the influence of exercise to the level of stress among university student. Research Questions Since the research problem is extremely broad to be studied openly, the following are the research questions that will help to attain the research purpose for this investigation: 1. What are the effects of exercise to the level of stress among university student? 2. Is exercise helpful in coping with stress among university student? 3. How well can exercise be used in coping with stress among university students? Literature Review Stress is the attitude of strangeness between environmental necessities (stressors) and individual capability to achieve these necessities. According to (Dryden, 1996, p.45), stress is the nasty reaction from individuals who have to dangerous pressure. Pressure takes place when a person is handled with a situation that they recognize as overwhelming and cannot handle. Stress is recognized as a response shown by a diversity of peripheral happenings and can be treated as a positive or negative experience. Dryden (1996) defines stress as an order focused to the adaptive capabilities both bodily and emotionally. If these abilities can succeed the demand and take inclination in the stimulus concerned, then anxiety will become an optimistic force of incentive and vice versa is true. Stress is likely to hinder scholastic performance and influence nearly millions of students per year. According to Dryden (1996), stress is problematic to control due its random consequence on persons. Dryden (1996), through his research realized that students come across indication of desperateness, anxiety, and matter use. Stress in educational institutions can affect student negatively and positively if not well administered. Educational institutions have diverse job surroundings, as opposed to nonacademic. It is forecasted to have alterations in signs, aspects, and consequences of stress to students (Dryden, 1996, p.67). It is very beneficial to the society that learners be educated and gain the vital knowledge and proficiencies. This ensures that they make them add positively to the growth and development of the collective economy of any given country. Nevertheless, the complex academic environment rarely generates serious health difficulties to the scholars life. This tends to go contrary to the confirmatory gains that one would forestall after advancing from University. These students must, therefore, pay close attention to the various university atmospheres and frame an effective and proficient pressure management in the institution of higher education. University also ought to keep fit and stable academic atmospheres beneficial for improved learning, which is suitable, with regard to the students distinct requirements. Temperament of students poses diverse level of outlooks to students (Dryden, 1996, p.75). Methodology This section will focus on methods that were used to collect data needed to answer the research questions. This section focus majorly on: research design, sampling techniques and procedures, data collection tools and method of data analysis. Research Design According to Dryden (1996), a research design is the organization outline or a plan that is used to create answers to research problems. Research design is intended to produce arithmetical information about the feature that policy makers and investigators are interested in (Dryden, 1996, p.115). This research will use a descriptive design to collect information and carry out the survey. This kind of design is highly suitable to the kind of information to be collected in this research. Advantage Descriptive research offers investigators the prospect to use both finite and qualitative data in order to discover data and features about the phenomenon that is being investigated. Disadvantage Descriptive research usually has a subjectivity and error which is disadvantageous to descriptive research. From the subjectivity and error, investigator may pick what facts to use and snub data that do not follow to their hypothesis. Participants and recruitment The study cluster will include students from different faculties who were contacted via email to take part in the study project. The choice of students will be convenience sample of 130 university student. All students will be eligible to be selected for participation. The cluster will also have equal gender representation which is equal to 65 male students and 65 female students. This is accordance to the principle of equal representation in collections (Dryden, 1996, pp.115-117). The cluster will also try to have equal representation in all faculties. Sample In this investigation, the simple random sample will be performed as a methodology for this research paper. Data will be collected from a review of the population of scholars from every single faculty within the University (Dryden, 1996, p.111). The participants who will be filling in the survey will be from various backgrounds for instance race, gender and educational level. The cluster will include students who will be studying in an extensive variety of educational disciplines and those who achieved a normal range of grade point averages. This survey will be entirely voluntary; nevertheless, it will be completed by all sampled students in the class. Advantage Sample random method is extremely representative if all issues participate. Disadvantage This method is not likely without whole list of population participants. It is also possibly uneconomical to accomplish. Not forgetting that it can be troublesome to isolate some participants from a group. Data collection Data will be gathered using self-administered 10 entries questionnaire which will seek to discovers the importance of exercise in coping with stress among university students. The questionnaire will also seek to find out how well exercise can be used in reducing the level of stress among university students (Dryden, 1996, p.117). It will take each participant a roughly 5- 10 minute to complete. The questions will be easy to answer, but there will be guidance to the respondents. This will ensure that they provide the required information and also provide accurate and relevant information. Ethical Implications Prior to any undertaking of the study, behavior research ethics committee application should be completed (Dryden, 1996, p.119). While doing this research, this form will be filled. At the time, of recruitment participant will be given the required information allowing them to decide whether to participate in study using a standard verbal script. If the respondents will be willing to learn more about the study they will be given a letter of introduction. An information sheet describing the study and what would be expected of them will also be provided. They will be made aware that any information provided is strictly confidential and in no way will they be identified in the research (Dryden, 1996, p.121). Individuals wishing to participate in the study will sign a consent form. It will be made known to them that if they feel at all affected or disturbed by the study; they are welcome to contact the researcher with their concern for further investigation. While doing publication of results obtained in the research, ethical integrity will be essential. Important ethical distresses will be considered while writing a document. Although there are risks of false publication, duplicate publication, plagiarism, writing, and probability for conflict of interest. Strategies will be established to prevent or discover ethical damages, and use of these approaches will heighten ethical honesty when preparing a final document for publication. Information therefore, given by the respondent in this subject will not be subjected to the above stated risk. Thus, respondents should feel free while giving out information. They are being protected from any risk.

Huawei Human Resource Management (HRM)

Huawei Human Resource Management (HRM) The Human Resources Challenge of Huawei - Cultural clash Introduction Background of Huawei In 1987, Ren Zhengfei, then 44 years old, founded a telecom equipment-trading firm in Shenzhen, China, with startup capital of CNY 21,000. By the end of 2014, Huawei had 170,000 employees in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than one-third of the world’s population, and leading the world in international patent applications. Over 30 years, it has grown to become the largest telecom company in the world. As well as that, it has operations and representative offices in more than 100 countries and serves over 1 billion users worldwide. Huaweis success boils down to two fundamental elements: the changing technology environment and the creativity of its people, so we can realize that employees play a very important role in Huawei and the human resources management is very crucial to Huawei Human resources challenges of Huawei According to Fang Lee Cooke (The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2012, p.1845), there are several challenge to HRM in host countries and management responses of Huawei. First, because salaries are based on performance levels, inexperienced local new hires may have lower wages. Second, unlike local employment laws, as foreign companies, they need to comply more strictly with these laws than China. Third, how to strike a balance between employee development and cost-effective employee disbursement is sometimes a dilemma because HCN employees need training and development opportunities and then leave more famous Western multinationals. Fourth, multiculturalism and diversity management is another issue. Huawei may be one of the few Chinese companies that actively adopt the concept of multiculturalism and diversity management. Fifth, the lack of approval from local employees and their employers and the lack of acceptance of the corporate culture of Chinese enterprises are a double challenge to the issue of retention. The key challenge Cultural clash is one of the key human resources aspects that affected Huawei. Huawei as a multinational company, the objective existence of the companys internal cultural differences, is bound to cause cultural conflicts in the enterprise. As the process of global integration accelerates and the flow of human resources in multinational enterprises like Huawei continues to accelerate, this cultural friction will increase day by day and gradually begin to manifest itself in the internal management and external operation of transnational corporations, resulting in the loss of market opportunities for transnational corporations and the inefficiency of the organizational structure and make the implementation of the global strategy in trouble. Therefore, this essay will attempt to demonstrate how the Huawei can solve this problem and develop better for its brighter future using human resources management practices. Main discussions Huaweis problem of human resources While Huawei successfully achieved its trans-national development, Huawei also encountered many challenges in its human resources management. The transnational management practice of Huawei shows that one of the important factors that affect transnational management is that various cultural conflicts arise from the differences in value orientation and behavior among people from different cultural backgrounds. How to realize the absorption and integration of culture has become a problem that Huawei constantly solves in transnational management. How to solve the cultural conflict of human resource management in Huawei With the continuous expansion and development of overseas affiliates of Huawei, Huawei conducts cross-cultural human resources management mainly through the following tactics: Localization strategy Localization strategy which means the concept of global adaptation is the business trying to integrate into the target market, and strive to become a target market strategy adopted. The essence of localization is the process of multinational corporations integrating production, marketing, management and personnel into the economy of the host country in an all-round way. Generally, they conduct a series of surveys to understand the actual local economy, culture and customs. At Huaweis overseas offices, everyone strives to create an atmosphere in which everyone, regardless of nationality and race, is a Huawei employee. Both Chinese and foreign cultures constantly collide and merge with each other. Under the influence of Huaweis culture, Huawei is gradually presenting its diversified and international characteristics. With the gradual implementation of localization business strategy, the ratio of Chinese and foreign employees in overseas institutions of Huawei continuously changes. Culturally compatible strategy Culturally compatible strategy is also the most important thing which need to understand the differences between different cultural concepts. Therefore, Huawei needs to integrate cultural differences into the overall marketing strategy to ensure that the realization of business goals will always be a major issue. For instance, Huawei’s employees in Uzbekistans offices regularly attend local weddings, travel to cities on holidays, watch ballets and learn about local culture and customs. Whenever an employee is on his birthday, everyone congratulates on sending a gift collectively. Cross-cultural training strategy Huawei implements cross-cultural training strategy. As international enterprises become the most important intercultural organizations in the world, the source of human resources is increasingly showing an international trend among a considerable number of enterprises. More and more people of different colors become colleagues. The employees from different countries and nations have different cultural backgrounds. Employees values, needs, attitudes and behaviors are quite different. Such cultural differences within the enterprise inevitably lead to cultural conflicts. At the same time, due to cultural differences, the human resources management concepts, human resources management systems and methods of different countries vary. As a result, the human resources management concepts and management methods among the managers in the enterprises also continuously impact and collide. In the daily operation of enterprises and foreign exchanges, if employees are lack of the knowledge and skills of intercultural communication, the differences between cultures will create misunderstandings and unnecessary friction, which will affect the work efficiency and reduce the competitiveness of enterprises. Therefore, the cultural difference is also an obstacle that must be overcome in the internationalization and transnational management of human resources. Huawei employees will receive relevant training in the training department before leaving the country, such as the local cultures and related products. Daily training also includes seminars, language training, books, websites, discussion and simulation exercises and more. These trainings enhance the adaptability of employees with different cultural backgrounds and promote communication and understanding among people of different cultural backgrounds. Through continuous cross-cultural training, cross-cultural awareness has gradually developed among employees and learned to regard cultural differences as differences without distinction between good and bad, helping employees to be good at standing with people of different cultural backgrounds considering each others point of view, cross-cultural conflicts are greatly reduced. Common values management. A reason why a company can become a good company, a very important reason is that it has successfully created a kind of core values ​​and mission to enable all employees heartfelt identity, as the core values ​​of the enterprise culture once being all staff sincerely agree or share, it will affect peoples thinking and behavior patterns. HuangWeiwei (dedication – the Huawei Philosophy of Human Resources Management) claims that Huawei doesn’t like to make too much money. And the profits are not its motive – growth is. This aspect of the enterprise culture is what drives its HRM policies and approaches. In addition to regulating and managing overseas institutions under Huaweis business conditions, Huaweis corporate culture restricts every employees behavior in an invisible ideology. Even away from overseas, the militarized management style from Huawei headquarters is still not diminished. Huawei believes that only those who persist in fighting unjustly for the collective can form a united community. Therefore, Huawei advocates desire-driven, decent means, so that the formation of a group of vigorous, good management style. Huawei believes that unity and cooperation, collective struggle is the soul of Huawei. No one in Huawei has the privilege, and everyone shares the common aspiration and hardship, equality for all. Any individual interest must serve the collective interests and integrate individual efforts into the enterprise. Huawei integrated this common value, the entire enterprise burst out of the incredible combat effectiveness. So we could realize that in human resources management, only understanding cultural differences and respecting multi-culture can improve the ability of cross-cultural management. Suggestions for Huawei Cross-cultural Human Resources Management Under the multi-cultural background, the core of human resource management lies in how to integrate the scattered and isolated functions, responsibilities and activities in human resource management. By coordinating the operation of human beings and creating the competitive advantage of enterprises. In order to give play to this advantage of enterprises, Huawei can consider the following aspects in implementing cross-cultural human resources management: Firstly, Huawei should strengthen cross-cultural selection and training. Cross-cultural selection and training can enhance peoples responsiveness and adaptability to different cultural traditions, promote communication and understanding among people of different cultural backgrounds, mitigate cultural conflicts and enhance teamwork and corporate cohesion. The specific measure is that Huawei should try to select those who have the skills and qualities of a global manager. They should love the new culture, have the adventurous spirit, have strong interpersonal skills and work hard with people from different cultures to understand their opinions and attitudes. Such a global manager can adapt to the requirements of cultural integration and they also have to attend a series of trainings about the language, culture and personal occupation of so as to better adapt to the future work. Huawei should also adopt some new cross-cultural training methods, such as setting up intercultural communication programs, setting up global service projects and setting up business institutes. Secondly, based on the common understanding of culture, Huawei should establish the strong corporate culture according to the requirements of the external environment and the strategic development of the company. It helps Huawei not only to reduce cultural conflicts, so that each employee can put their thoughts and behavior with the companys business operations and objectives together, but also to make the subsidiary and the parent company closer. At the same time, it can establish a good reputation in the international market and enhance the transnational corporations ability of cultural change. Thirdly, Huawei should enhance cross-cultural communication. In order to ensure the effective implementation of effective communication in cross-cultural enterprises, Huawei must establish a culture of mutual understanding and mutual respect between management, management and employees as well as between the company and the outside. In addition, Huawei must actively establish a variety of formal and informal, effective and invisible cross-cultural communication organizations and channels, so that every employee in the enterprise have more opportunities to express their opinions. Some successful companies often organize seminars, classes and language training within the enterprise and enhance the role of managers by effectively promoting communication with people, teams and organizations through the use of media such as books, bulletin boards, websites, videos and television. As a result Huawei could improve business efficiency and maximize the effectiveness of cross-cultural human resources management. Fourthly, Huawei should enhance the localization of employees. As local managers have a deep understanding of local culture, they are easily accepted by employees and at the same time provide a promotion channel for local employees. Therefore, they have strong incentives. Local employees are familiar with the local customs, market dynamics and government regulations, hiring local employees will undoubtedly facilitate cross-cultural enterprises in the local market development and gain a firm foothold. In the development of intercultural human resources, most large multinational corporations have proposed the strategy of employees’ localization and continuously raised the proportion of senior and middle-level managers in the country. The management concept of local affairs managed by local people is being gradually realized. To some extent, the implementation of this concept can make cross-cultural enterprises eliminate cultural friction, develop their own adaptability to local culture, and its unique foreign culture affect the host countrys cultural environment, showing a companys great tolerance to multiculturalism , So Huawei could attract more outstanding employees and enhance their competitiveness. Through the above measures, the effectiveness of cross-cultural human resources management at Huawei will be greatly enhanced so that enterprises can implement effective and strategic personnel planning in a multicultural environment. Conclusions With the continuous expansion and development of Huaweis overseas subsidiaries, Huawei, as the leading telecom solution provider in the world, has faced the challenge which is cultural conflicts in the implementation of human resources management. In order to solve the conflicts caused by cultural differences, Huawei implement cross-cultural human resources management, mainly through the implementation of localization strategies, cultural compatibility strategies, cross-cultural training and common values management strategies. Huawei mainly implements localization strategy when implementing cross-cultural human resources management, including staff localization, localization management, R & D localization and localization of partners. There are more than 100 countries around the world applying their products. International markets have become the main source of Huawei’s sales. In all countries and regions, Huawei has set up hundreds of branches and dozens of research institutes. More than half of its employees are local employees, and more and more local employees have become local technical backbone. Huawei has established training centers around the world, which greatly enhance Huaweis ability to provide high-quality training in these regions. While maintaining sound management, Huawei persists in its localized operation globally and has made great contributions to its countries and regions. As well as that, Huawei has established branches in more than 100 countries around the world, investing locally, setting up sales and service offices, research and development centers, training centers, technical support centers and factories, and hiring local staff. This not only deepens Huaweis understanding of the local market, but also raises the local employment rate, enhances the technical level of local engineers and promotes the development of the local economy. In addition, Huawei regards employee training as the most basic level of cross-cultural management. Cross-cultural training for employees, including training on basic knowledge of culture, training on cultural conflicts, and training on cultural adaptability, has been conducted. In terms of value management, Huaweis corporate culture affects every employee as an invisible ideology. Huawei creates the unique wolf corporate culture and it requires employees to develop the habit of learning, to have a good learning ability and a unique sense of innovation and awareness. In summary, cross-cultural human resources management has an important impact on the survival and development of Huawei and also plays an important role in the productivity of Huawei. A successful human resources management will bring a value-added effect of 1 + 1> 2 to the enterprise, otherwise, it will have a negative impact and hinder the development of the enterprise. References Fang Lee Cooke The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2012, p.1845 Huang Weiwei Dedication the Huawei Philosophy of Human Resources Management Huawei The startup that became the largest telecom company in the world

Illegal Drugs: Should they be? Essay -- Legalizing Drugs

There are very few people who can honestly claim that current drug policies have been a success. Aside from being ineffective the costly current drug policy of prohibition has created a set of unwanted consequences including; a high prison population of non-violent offenders, corruption, violence, and whole set of health issues. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, â€Å"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.† and despite the failures of the current policy in deterring drug use that is just what the government is choosing to do. Perhaps it’s time to consider a different approach to the drug issue. An approach which will address drug use in an innovative way while solving the problems which prohibition has created and also bring about societal, health, and economic benefits but most importantly it will also give back the individual liberties which prohibition has managed to erode. It’s time to consider the legalization of dr ugs. Drug prohibition has proven a very costly war. And the cost has not only been monetary, drug prohibition has lead to corruption, increase violence, increase inmate population, and it has also infringed upon our civil liberties. Currently the government spends $47.8 billion a year on prohibition enforcement, according to a 2010 Department of Economics, Harvard University report by Jeffrey A. Miron. Yet despite the exorbitant amount of money being spent fighting this â€Å"war on drugs†, drugs are still prevalent on our streets. According to an article published on CBS News website in 2008 by Jennifer Warner, the US leads the world in illegal drug use with a whopping 42.4% of Americans admitting to having tried illegal drugs at least once. In 2009 a the federal Substance Abuse ... ... York Times. 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Sterling, Eric E. "Foreign Policy In Focus | Drug Policy: Failure at Home." Foreign Policy In Focus | Home. 6 Oct. 2005. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . United States. General Accounting Office. General Government Division. LAW ENFORCEMENT Information on Drug-Related Police Corruption. May 1998. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. Warner, Jennifer. "U.S. Leads The World In Illegal Drug Use - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. 1 July 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Wisotsky, Steven. "A Society of Suspects: The War on Drugs and Civil Liberties." USA Today [Farmingdale] July 1993: 17-21. SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Nov. 2010.

Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Essay -- Brendan B

Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Existential works are difficult to describe because the definition of existentialism covers a wide range of ideas and influences almost to the point of ambiguity. An easy, if not basic, approach to existentialism is to view it as a culmination of attitudes from the oppressed people of industrialization, writers and philosophers during the modern literary period, and people who were personally involved as civilians, soldiers, or rebels during WWII and witnessed the worst aspects of life and war. These attitudes combined the aspects of loss of identity and autonomy, the uselessness of pain, a sense of alienation, and the meaninglessness of a harsh life where death is the only way out; all of these things helped give birth to a new philosophy that for the first time dealt with the cold reality of life after WWII. The canon of existential literature almost singularly deals with native authors from France, Germany, Russia, and the former Czechoslovakia; however, there has yet to be a u niversally accepted Irish writer to belong to this category. Some argue that this segregation of Irish writers has to do with Ireland’s geographical location and its neutrality during WWII; however, if existentialism is purely an amalgamation of attitudes, then a country’s location and direct political policy play a meager role in the classification of a work as existential. Moreover, those arguments pay no attention to expatriates, or the simultaneously related socio-political condition of other countries; thus, a reevaluation of the canon, or at least a reconsideration of Irish works as existential is appropriate. Two Irish playwrights who epitomize the attitudes of existentialism a... ...which criticism and interpretation of modern society are available. Behan and Beckett are trying to open society’s eyes in order for them to question their lives and the world in which they live. When the representations are understood, the audience can begin to question the establishments of society, the rationality of blind or complete faith in a soulless and seemingly meaningless world, and the real purpose and meaning of their own lives. Behan and Beckett heighten expectations of existential writing and thought through their unforgiving and callous treatment of society, which reflects the abominable demeanor and absurdities of modern society and life. Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Press, 1954. Behan, Brendan. The Quare Fellow. Modern Irish Drama. Ed. John P. Harrington. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, Inc, 1991. 255-310.

Merci Beaucoup

No other city in the world can have an outstanding classical and modern architecture, free-spirited fashion, a unique culture, and exotic cuisine like Paris. Located on the River Seine, Paris offers famous tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Notre Dame Cathedral just to name a few. France’s captivating capital, is said to be one of the most visited cities nowadays. Once tourists visit Paris, they instantly fall in love with this sensational city.Walking in the mazes streets of Paris, I was compelled to gaze upon the Notre Dame Cathedral. Its gothic, antiquated architecture is so distinctive. Looking up at the eerie sculptures above the cathedral, I could feel my face light up. The cathedral was so stunning to look at! As I examined the massive voluminous bell and the eye-catching intricate carvings, I was awed. The cathedral looked very exquisite with its towering walls. I felt like I was in the old, Medieval Age.There is no doubt that the Notre D ame Cathedral is the most famous cathedral worldwide. Across the river, I got a glimpse of the renowned glass pyramid museum, the Louvre, a museum exceptional by any other. Inside the museum, I stumbled upon colorful artworks, shiny marble sculptures, and famous oil paintings such as the â€Å"Mona Lisa† by Leonardo DaVinci. I was charmed by this strange metallic sculpture. It wasn’t really famous although its peculiar shape and gleaming color seemed to attract my eyes.The Louvre is also the world’s best museum, with its avant-garde architecture and its legendary paintings. Of course, no tourist can miss visiting the magnificent Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris. The elevator going to the top of the Eiffel Tower is cramped with people, some of whom are pick-pocketers to be alert to watch out for. Up in the Eiffel Tower, I saw the panoramic view of Paris. The Football field and the towering skyscrapers were marvelous and breathtaking to look at. At night, the Eif fel Tower sparkles with light.My eyes lit up with awe and wonder. This was the time I feel in love with this city. Most people enjoy a little bit of label, and Paris is a great place to buy cheaper designer items since Paris is the â€Å"fashion capital of the world†. Paris is home to many famous fashion houses such as, â€Å"Louis Vuitton†, â€Å"Chanel†, â€Å"Dior† etc. Tourists shouldn’t miss out window-shopping at Champ- Elysees. It has all the high-class boutiques from designers all around the world. The greatest part about a trip in Paris is their delicious, diverse, mouth-watering French cuisine.Their croissants and baguettes have the perfect blend of crispy and soft; their various aged cheese are filled with bold flavor but have a horrid stench although the cheeses are a great compliment with their large velvet French grapes and lastly, who could forget about macaroons? Macaroons originated in France; therefore, France hosts the best macar oons in the world. Stop by at the renowned Lauderee macaroon shop and try one of their mouth-watering, traditionally handmade, signature macaroons.They are described to be the best macaroons worldwide. Tourists can find great food in Paris anywhere, from Michelin star restaurants to patisseries and street food. No city in the world can ever be compared to Paris. The towering Cathedral, avant-garde architectures, haute couture and Lauderee macaroons say it all. Paris has the best of everything. It is the city of dreams. Paris ‘ streets are also filled with life and history. Tourists who visit this breathtaking city will surely come off with more than just a simple â€Å"merci†.

Keurig: Convenience, Choice, and Competitive Brands Essay

In 1990, John Sylvan and Peter Dragone entered the coffee brewing industry by launching their company Keurig built upon on the question of, â€Å"why do we brew coffee by the pot when we only drink it by the cup?† Within a few years after their start-up, they were able to secure multiple patents as well as acquiring $1 million from venture capitalists to improve upon their prototype. By 1998, Keurig, which is German for excellence, was finally able to launch their first industrial strength, single-serve machine delivering a perfect cup of coffee every time. Keurig was lucky to join the coffee market at the dawn of its explosion, when consumers’ wants and needs began to shy away from traditional coffee pot brewing and shifted more towards a single cup of premium, gourmet roasted coffee. As the coffee market continued to grow, it exhibited two trends. First being the â€Å"mainstreaming† of specialty coffees and secondly, only brewing one cup of it at a time. Keuri g focused its efforts towards adapting to these changes by dramatically boosting innovation, technology, and their R&D department. Keurig changed the game in the single cup sector by introducing their patented K-Cup and partnering with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). These were tiny plastic cups that contained the coffee grounds already within the filter and sealed with an aluminum lid. All the consumer then has to do is place the cup within the Keurig machine (without removing the aluminum), close the lid and press a button, and in less than a minute, a fresh cup of coffee awaits. From the time of its launch in 1998, Keurig offered only 8 varieties of GMCR coffee and by the early 2000’s consumers had the choice of over 200 varieties from 30 different brands. When it comes time that Keurig’s patents will expire, competition will skyrocket, so it is extremely important that they pay close attention to their competitors’ moves. After an in depth analysis of the entire coffee industry, its competitors, and major market players, I have determined three recommendations to go forward with: Recommendation 1: Expand internationally using a transnational strategy. Recommendation 2: Follow GMCR’s 2012 initiatives with increased innovation Recommendation 3: Pursue a recycling initiative or biodegradable K-Cups With the coffee drinking market growing as fast as it is along with the amount of competition that  can present in the market, it is important that firms build their brands and are constantly improving what they have to offer. Recommendation 1: Expand internationally using a transnational strategy. Current in the industry, the top market players have established themselves in the United States as well as in other various parts of the world such as Europe and Asia. In order to be a serious competitor, Keurig must consider the advantages to expanding internationally, not only for sales but for manufacturing purposes as well. That being said, it is extremely important that companies pay close attention to other cultures and certain characteristics that effect each community differently. Especially when you are attempting to enter somewhat of a segmented market. Keeping foreign cultures in mind, implementing a transnational strategy would be the most advantageous in terms of serving the needs of other countries. Keurig would impose a think global, act local strategy or â€Å"glocal†. The book describes this as a middle ground strategy for when there are relatively high needs for local responsiveness as well as appreciable benefits to be realized from standardization. Although coffee is somewhat the same all over, different cultures prefer different types or blends. It is crucial that a company understands a cultures preferred wants and needs before embarking abroad. Although it may be difficult to implement, the benefits of sharing information and resources across boarders along with flexible coordination can far outweigh the negatives. Because coffee can become so standardized, it will not be extremely difficult or costly to differentiate between the lines. If Keurig wants to be able to compete with the other industry leaders, it is essential that they take the time to do careful research, then implement their strategy for expanding abroad. Recommendation 2: Follow GMCR’s 2012 initiatives with increased innovation With the expiration of Keurig’s patents coming to a near, it is crucial that Keurig be on the defensive end for a while and prepare themselves for any major market moves. In order to prepare themselves, Keurig must also have some tricks up their sleeve to keep their market share and diversification high because of the relatively low barriers to entry. There were two of GMCR’s 2012 initiatives that stood out as goo d plans for attack. The first one dealt with launching new coffee makers such as the Rivo Cappuccino and Latte System as well as new variety blends to accompany them. When their patent expires, launching  a completely new product with new patents will pave the way for increased market share. Keurig will be able to compete in a much broader market and can appeal to greater amounts of consumers. In addition to developing new variety packs, it is also essential that Keurig pursue more beverage options to appeal to a broader market. For instance, GMCR mention introducing a Wellness Brewed line to include healthy beverages containing vitamins and antioxidant ingredients. Keurig must continue growth between certain partnerships to keep up with certain trends in the market to be able to jump on new opportunities that present themselves and can be taken advantage of. Innovation is extremely key to remaining on top, and it is one of Keurig’s primary key success factors. Recommendation 3: Pursue a recycling initiative or biodegradable K-Cups Pursuing a green initiative, I believe will bring nothing but prosperity to Keurig. Being economically and socially responsible can yield high returns if done in the right way. With the coffee industry already in the global spotlight wi th Fair Trade agreements, it certainly would add credibility to a brand. With a large number of coffee drinkers already economically conscious, it would exponentially boost ratings if they were enforce a recycling initiative similar to what Nespresso did with their â€Å"ecolaboration† and encouraging consumers to recycle. Equally as important, if not more, would be the need for developing biodegradable K-Cups. It is very important to the world and its consumers to give back to the earth and not harm our environment. With the extremely high number of K-Cups produced, it would be extremely beneficial to find a way for those tiny little cups decompose into the ground. From the time Keurig was launched until 2006, over 1 billion K-Cups had been consumed. Within the next two years, another 2 billion had been consumed by 2008. That is an exceptionally large amount of K-Cups potentially harming the environment that could otherwise be helping to add to our nutrient rich soil. Industry Analysis Exhibit 1: Dominant Economic Forces Market size and growth rate: The coffee market within the United States is steadily increasing from year to year. In 2012, the US alone consumed nearly one-third of all coffee worldwide. That equals out to roughly 400 million cups of coffee per day.  During World War II, US coffee consumption accounted for nearly 80% of all coffee worldwide. Despite the drastic change in percentages, the coffee industry has never been as profitable as it is today because consumer value migration. In the early 90’s, P&G, Phillip Morris/Kraft, and Nestle held nearly 90% of the entire coffee market. When the market for specialty coffees began to take hold, within six years, that market had already grasped 22% of the total market share, leaving the big 3 in the dust without knowing how to properly react to the extensive growth. The big names were concerned with price and consistency while specialty coffee focused on origin, quality, processing and cultivation. It was estimated that the total coffee market consumption was nearly 2.9 billion pounds or $30-$32 billion in 2012. Specialty coffee accounted for nearly 37% of volume share and over 50% value share meaning it was far more profitable than generic coffee. In 2010, there were 90 million coffee brewers within US households and in 2012 alone, approximately 24 million brewers were purchased. During this growth phase, single cup brews increased 52% while all other brews only increased 3%. Coffee pods and single cup brews have experienced dramatic growth and have begun taking over the entire coffee market share. From 2011-2017, it is expected that these will lead the evolution with a 74% off-trade growth. Number of Rivals: Within the specialty coffee industry, there are only a handful of companies that compete at the level of Keurig and their single K-Cup technology. There are four main market players that have similar brewing technologies. The most successful competitor would have been Nestle with their Nespresso brewing machine released in 1976 that utilized pods for their espresso. Their technology has been around the longest but with the emergence of Keurig, they slowly began to be overshadowed. Keurig’s other three primary competitors included Mars’ Flavia beverage system which targeted offices, Kraft’s Tassimo system which offered an at home brew, and lastly there was the Senseo brewing system manufactured by Sara Lee. Scope of competitive rivalry: The coffee industry has a massive international market that reaches all points around the world. The US has the next largest market compared to  France. Americans consume 276 cups of coffee a year while the French consume 395. Nestle took advantage of this by expanding its technology to Europe to include both France and Switzerland as well as in Japan and China. Within the US, Keurig began to dominate by purchasing companies nationwide to increase its market share much quicker than rival companies were able to keep up with. Specialty coffee already had a strong foothold in New England. To expand their brand, Keurig partnered with Van Houtte to gain market share in Canada and later purchased Caribou Coffee (Midwest) as well as Tully’s coffee (Pacific Northwest). Number of Buyers: The number of buyers within the Unites States is extremely vast. As mentioned earlier, nearly 90 million of American households had a coffee brewer of some sort. The scope of brewers reaches far beyond that and can be classified into smaller groups. Households: extremely prevalent within the industry with high purchase power Hotels: approximately 5 million coffeemakers are in hotel rooms in the US Businesses: most, if not all businesses have a coffeemaker onsite or in their break rooms. B2B: Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Office Depot, Staples, Bed, Bath & Beyond Pace of technological change: The increase of technology and push for innovation plays a huge role in gaining market share. The evolution from a coffee pot to single cup brews has sparked a huge push to develop the perfect cup of coffee while at the same time making the process simpler. Coffee pods lead the way for the early 2000’s but when Keurig introduced their K-cups, other companies were eager to jump on board. Their patented technology included the coffee and the filter all into one simple cup. Keurig also released the My K-Cup, which allowed consumers to use their own coffee grounds to make a single cup roast. Upon Keurig’s patent expiration in 2012, other companies such as Breville and Cuisinart developed their own single cup brewers and even offering a My K-Cup as part of the package. Specific brewing techniques are important to customers in terms of getting the most out of your cup of coffee. Improving upon the injection brewing process is the key to perfecting the brew. Innovation is extr emely crucial in order to meet customer demands as well as keeping up with their wants and needs. It is  critical to have a strong research and development department to keep up with these changes. Standard Products: Within the specialty coffee market there are two products used within conjunction. There is the brewing machine itself and then there is the pod or the cup. There is mild differentiation between products but vast differentiation between different blends or roasts and so on. In the end, what it comes down to is the techniques applied to the brewing processes. Though coffee is not the only thing a Keurig can brew. It can brew a wide variety of beverages such as tea, lemonade, cider, fruit brews, and cocoa, which many competitors cannot compete with. Vertical Integration: By partnering with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Keurig was able to keep the manufacturing and selling process within the boundaries of their supply chain. Also by partnering with Van Houtte, they were able to acquire an already very successful vertically integrated company on top of being able to expand their market share into Canada. GMCR divided their operations into 3 different segments: Specialty Coffee business unit (SCBU), Keurig business unit (KBU), and Canadian business unit (CBU). Each of these carry out different responsibilities such as packaging processes or customer relations. For instance SCBU deals traditional packaging for supermarkets, convenience stores and distributors, while KBU focuses more on single serve packs for at home brewers. Keurig also has many licensing partnerships to carry and promote their product in their stores such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks. Exhibit 2: Five Forces Analysis Rivalry: Weak to Moderate Buyer demand is growing rapidly (-): the specialized coffee industry is growing as exponential rates, in some years even double digit increases Costs to switch are high (-): if a consumer owns a Keurig, then they are unable to switch to any other brand that does not utilize K-Cups Number of buyers are increasing (-): it is a growing market that is spreading rapidly and gaining nationwide attention Fairly high product differentiation (+/-): The brewers themselves are strongly differentiated as well as the diversity in the roasts themselves Threat of New Entrants: Strong Entry barriers are low (+): once Keurig’s patents expired, it made it easier for companies to enter the market and mimic preexisting products Buyer demand is growing (+): specialty coffee drinks are growing dramatically Expanding market segments (+): companies are purchasing or partnering with other companies to increase the geographical market segment. In doing so they are also expanding their product lines buy adding new brews Threat of Substitutes: Moderate to Strong Substitutes are readily available (+): consumers can choose to go to Starbucks or other coffee shops. Customers can also pursue another source of caffeine such as sodas, energy drinks, or 5-hour energy Substitutes have comparable features (+): Whether customers are pursuing a caffeine fix or looking for a good cup of coffee, they are each similar and readily available Relatively high switching costs (-): it would be much cheaper to put a K-Cup into the brewer than to go out to a coffee shop and purchase a specialty brew. Same idea applies for purchasing sodas or energy drinks Supplier Power: Very Strong Differentiated product selection (+): the products available are specific to each company’s needs such as K-Cups or pods. Coffee blends are very specific as well and rely on the same product on a regular basis No good substitutes for suppliers without high switching costs (+): it can be extremely difficult to switch coffee producers. There are specific contracts in place that need to be fulfilled. Supplier industry is more concentrated (+): Keurig obtains its coffee from specific companies that their sole purpose is to provide coffee. The industry is also dominated by a few large companies Bargaining Power of Buyers: Weak Buyer demand is growing (+): It is expected that the specialized coffee industry will continue to grow and bring high demand Buyer might not necessarily be able to postpone purchase (-): The primary purpose of purchasing coffee is for the caffeine intake and waking up. Certain customers integrate coffee into their daily routine and do not fare well without it High switching costs (-): difficult and expensive to purchase an  alternative product. Buyers price sensitive (-): In Keurig’s case, this works to their benefit because purchasing a specialty cup of coffee is more expensive than purchasing K-Cups and customers are likely to revert to Keurig when money is tight Exhibit 3: Driving Forces Entry or exit of major firms: In 2012 when Sara Lee was forced to discontinue their Senseo coffee maker, that in turn opened up a great deal of market share for competing companies such as Keurig to take advantage of. Companies were able to thrive off their misfortune and gain market share and new customers. On the contrary, barriers to entry into the market are relatively low, meaning new competition can arise causing existing companies to have to shift their focus and execute counteracting strategies. Buyer preferences shift to standardized product: With this situation I believe that Keurig has the upper hand whether buyers prefer a standardized product or a differentiated product. The same can apply for a situation in which buyers have to cut costs. Keurig offers both cheap, generic beverages and expensive, high end K-Cup choices. Keurig is the better alternative to purchasing an expensive specialty drink at a coffee shop. Regulatory or government policy change: There could be an increase in price between trade agreements or extra tariffs imposed for importing coffee into the United States. This could cause Keurig to have to make drastic changes in their pricing or expenditures. Although they might not deal directly with importing the coffee, they would surely be impacted down the line and consequently have to bear the brunt of it with increased prices from suppliers. Product innovation: There is always a high probability of a competitor coming out with a revolutionizing innovation that boosts them to the forefront of the market. Both Kraft and Nestle are capable of improving their products and making Keurig seem outdated. Keurig would in turn have to implement a sound strategy to counteract their move and boost their research and development teams. Exhibit 4: Key Success Factors Technology and Innovation: Held 26 US patents and 65 international patents in 2007  Patented proprietary portion-pack system using specially designed filter, sealed in a low-oxygen environment to ensure freshness (K-Cups) Specially designed proprietary high-speed packaging lines that manufactured K-Cups Brewers that precisely controlled the amount, temperature, and pressure of water to provide a consistently superior cup of coffee in less than a minute Eliminating the need to measure water and coffee grounds Marketing: Penetrating the medium and low income homes and not just appealing to high end Reliable pod machine, with easy to use refills, and a variety of coffee flavors that are easy to find. Leading to a 94% customer satisfaction rating Offering My K-Cup to use for personal coffee grounds Encouraging distributors to give away or lease Keurig brewers to businesses in order to attain the real profits from the K-Cups Utilizes â€Å"razorblade model† that keeps customers continually having to replenish their K-Cups once they have purchased the brewer GMCR deriving 90% of consolidated net sales from Keurig appliances and K-Cups and receiving $.04 royalties from every K-Cup sold through partners Expanding Brand Name Vertically integrating their business to keep it within the supply chain Partnered with Van Houtte, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Newman’s Own, Gloria Jean’s, Coffee People, Caribou Coffee, and Tully’s coffee in order to increase market share Partnering with large corporations such as Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Staples, and Bed, Bath and Beyond to promote and stock their product on their shelves With these partnerships, Keurig was able to expand their customer base not only geographically but also by expanding their beverage variety to more than coffee and tea Exhibit 5: Competitor Overview Competitor Analysis Despite stiff competition and rapid growth of single cup brewing, barriers to  entry remained relatively low. Although, the high demand for Keurig’s K-cup technology began to vastly outnumber that of its competitors, many still pursued their techniques and innovative strategies. Sara Lee: Their brewing line was called the Senseo which was the first real competitor of Keurig. The Senseo utilized similar brewing techniques by being able to vary the amount of water passing over the coffee, which affected the flavor and strength of the brew. When Keurig introduced their Vue system in 2012, Sara Lee was unable to compete forced to shut down production due to unreliable performance and short product life span. Kraft Foods: Launched their product called the Tassimo, which utilized coffee pods called T-Discs that caught on extremely well in France. After spending nearly $10 million in promoting T-Discs, coffee pod volume grew 26% in 2005 and another 35% the following year in France. Unfortunately, due to lesser quality of coffee and limited user control features, sales were negatively affected. On top of that, in 2012, approximately 835,000 coffeemakers in the US and another 900,000 in Canada as well as 4,000,000 T-Discs were recalled after reports of brewers spraying hot liquid and causing second degree burns to consumers. Mars: They developed a brewing system named Flavia. Their primary focus was creating a coffee maker that would be ideal for the workplace or in a business environment Nestle: Nestle has been in the coffee industry the longest out of the competitors. In 1976 the launched the Nespresso machine that was one of the first to encapsulate the single cup espresso. Their technology quickly caught on and within ten years had expanded their market to Switzerland, Japan, and Italy. In the early 90’s they introduced their household espresso machine in France. By 2000 they were experiencing double digit growth by focusing on the highest quality coffee. Their industry was skyrocketing and in 2006 exceeded revenue of 1 billion, quickly followed by 2 billion in 20 08, then 3 billion in 2010. By 2012 they had over 8,300 employees across 60 countries, offering 30 machine models, which all lead to their 19% market share in espresso and premium coffees that paved the way for the rest of the premium coffee roasters. Exhibit 6: Financial Breakdown The chart below demonstrates the breakdown of net sales between 2010 and 2012 of each of the products the Keurig sells. It is clear the vast majority of  sales is due to sales of single serve packs growing on average nearly 1 million a year. Keurig has experiences substantial growth from year to year with the exception certain royalties. Their ability to rely on the sales of single serve packs acts as their distinctive competency. Exhibit 7: Weighted Competitive Strength Assessment The weighted competitive strength assessment demonstrates that Keurig and Nestle both have the strongest market positions compared to the inferior Kraft and Sara Lee. Keurig exemplifies its strengths in quality and innovation while Nestle has the upper hand in their developed brand name and advertising abilities. Kraft and Sara Lee have lower scores considering their failed attempts to compete at the top only to have their products discontinued or recalled which reflects their overall quality which is demonstrated in the group map below COMPANY ANALYSIS Exhibit 8: Business Level Strategy Keurig focuses their strategy around broad differentiation by offering customers something that competing rivals cannot. Keurig coffee makers have appeal to all coffee drinkers worldwide, especially in the Unites States, whether they are pursuing a premium roast or a basic cup of coffee. They appeal to the niche market of specialized gourmet coffee drinkers with the ability to reach the broader section of all coffee drinkers. They offer something attractively different while keeping quality at a premium. In doing so their customer loyalty continues to flourish with nearly all of them being repetitive buyers as well as a 94% customer satisfaction rating. Through all of their partnerships with other coffee companies they are now able to appeal to vast array of customers, and not just coffee drinkers. Their massive selection of K-Cups includes over 30 brands with over 200 varieties to choose from. Their partnerships have also put them to the forefront by being able to grasp a nationwide market share that appeals to everyone. When it comes to innovation, Keurig’s puts that as a top priority, which keeps them ahead of their imitative competitors, especially when it comes to the speed and simplicity of using their product. Their ability to evolve their technology through innovation is their strongest sustainable  competitive advantage. In addition, their continued increase in capital investments is why they have remained an industry leader as well as their large amount of patents they are able to retain. Keurig would not be nearly as successful without their well-built, in-depth research and development team. Keurig stands by their name of excellence. Lastly, their implemented growth strategies is what will keep them on top with continual improvements and innovations to all aspects of their brand. Of the 90 million households with coffee makers, Keurig has made it their goal to convert half of those coffee makers to Keurigs as well as strongly pursuing hotel rooms to implement their technology. GMCR has four vectors of their growth strategy for Keurig which include new brewer technologies, new beverage categories, new brands, and new channels. Keurig clearly demonstrates their strive for product supe riority over the rest of the market. Exhibit 9: Resources and Competitive Capabilities Resource Strengths Keurig has developed a strong loyal customer base that spans beyond specialty coffee drinkers, and even beyond coffee drinkers for that matter, including tea and cocoa Acquirement and partnership with multiple established companies nationwide that strengthen their market share, customer base, and supply chain success Core Competencies Strong differentiation from their competitors in terms of offering their superior K-Cups and premium roast coffee blends Their strong ability to improve upon their technology with their extremely advanced and well-rounded research and development department Distinctive Competencies Keurig has become an industry leader in the single cup market by vastly differentiating their products from competitors through a series of patents that revolutionize the speed and simplicity of using their coffee makers. Exhibit 10: S.W.O.T.O. Analysis Strengths Keurig is one of the leading innovators in the industry with one of the best research and development teams to back them that are constantly aiming to  improve their brand Expanding the firms brand vertically and geographically to gain greater market share and appeal to consumers by broadening their beverage horizons and offering over 200 different varieties The idea that customers will continually run out of K-Cups and have to repurchase them and earning a $.04 royalty with every K-Cup sold through another brand Weaknesses Keurig, unlike many of the other industry leaders, has not firmly established itself as a strong international brand. In order to stay at the top, a company must compete with its rivals on other playing fields. There is tremendous room for growth internationally, especially with the technology Keurig has to offer Opportunities Total coffee machine sales are projected to increase by 20% from 2011-2016 The specialty coffee industry is experiencing rapid growth New iced coffee drinks are becoming more popular in the market Threats The idea that some of Keurig’s key patents will expire in 2012, meaning they are vulnerable to mimicking as well as potential flooding of new entrants due to the relatively low barriers to entry Increased tariffs or trade barriers Options Implementing a green initiative to encourage recycling as well as developing biodegradable K-Cups to not hurt the environment Expanding internationally and increasing its market share Push to partner with hotels to include a Keurig coffee maker in every room